Contest of Champions

Chapters

Chapter 2: Dealing with Deer
Chapter 3: The Isle of the Fallen
Chapter 4: Pieces on the Board
Chapter 5: The Contest Begins
Chapter 6: The Grand Melee
Chapter 7: Challenge
Chapter 8: A Gathering of Shadows
Chapter 9: Rivalry and Kinship
Chapter 11: Battle of the Ballads
Chapter 12: Forms of Strength
Chapter 13: Crucible
Chapter 14: Proof of Worth
Chapter 15: Matters of Honor
Chapter 16: At Wits End
Chapter 17: Fruition of Plans
Chapter 18: Rengoku (Part 1)
Chapter 19: Rengoku (Part 2)
Epilogue: No Such Thing as Endings
Chapter 1: A Call for Champions
Chapter 10: Art Amid Adversity

Chapter 2: Dealing with Deer

Chapter 2: Dealing with Deer

Cheerilee and Raindrops found themselves exchanging glances with one another, Raindrops’ face sporting a deep, disgruntled frown that said she was more than willing to solve this issue via playing a game of Whack-A-Deer. Cheerilee just had a faintly amused twist to her lips and a quirked eyebrow, apparently less concerned and more simply curious about the situation.

“Perhaps one of you could explain exactly what’s going on?” Cheerilee asked, half to Sigurd, and half to Ditzy.

“I don’t know!” said Ditzy, pointing a hoof, her wings fluttering in agitation as if she was ready to bolt off again, “He’s nuts! I just ran into him in town, and the next thing I know he’s coming after me talking about accepting my ‘challenge’ when all I did was tell him it wasn’t nice to look at other pony’s mail!”

Sigurd’s snout wrinkled as he snorted, “You accused me of theft, pony! That is as clear a challenge as any could dare make! I have no need to steal what I want!”

Ditzy’s fear briefly turned to professional outrage as she poked her head from behind Cheerilee, wings buzzing, “But you were stealing mail! Right out of the box! It’s my duty as an appointed officer of the postal service to protect the mail of the citizens of this town. Why were you even taking letters!?”

Sigurd grunted, “I was stealing nothing. I saw you putting paper in those boxes and was satisfying my curiosity! You had no right to insult me by claiming I was thieving anything! I would’ve only read, one, perhaps three letters at most before realizing what they were and putting them back. Phah, thief, as if I would lower myself to such degrading acts of weakness as needing to steal what I could win through my own strength.”

Raindrops was still tense, ready to spring on this cervid if he made a false move, creepy looking bone-sword or no, but was glad enough when Cheerilee took a firm step forward, all the while a disarming smile on her face. Even if things went south and this Sigurd fellow didn’t back down Raindrops felt confident that between her and Cheerilee that they could subdue him. Mostly sure. Ninety percent sure. That was a sharp looking sword.

“I think I see the problem. Good Sigurd,” Cheerilee’s tone shifted, becoming something more akin to something Raindrops’ would’ve expected to hear on a stage-play of olden days knights, or from Lyra when she really got into a period piece, “My noble friend here meant no insult to your unquestionable honor, for clearly she did not know how the title of ‘thief’ would affect you so. She was merely performing her duty as one of our town’s honored couriers. Surely that is worthy of respect, and putting this matter aside without the need for a duel?”

“Hmph, you speak well for a mare of these warm, soft, southern lands,” Sigurd said, a grudging smile creeping onto his face, “Cunning, honeyed words... but lucky you we of the Dvergar respect cunning over mindless brawn, unlike some of our brethren tribes.”

He eyed Ditzy for a long few seconds, and to Ditzy’s credit she met the stare, not quite flinching but holding steady. Granted the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact she was still hiding behind Cheerilee, but the mailmare wasn’t shaking, nor looking like she was about to run away again, her wings having stopped twitching and now firmly tucked against the mailmare’s sides. After holding Ditzy’s gaze for a moment longer Sigurd nodded, as if he’d just confirmed something.

“Very well,” He bowed his head slightly to Ditzy Doo, “I will forgive your insult, gray one, for it was not given in knowledge of its meaning. Let us begin anew, our meeting. I, Sigurd, greet you and hope that, were any true thieves lurking to ransack your honorably delivered messages, that they would soon find the vengeance of your hooves upon them, noble courier!”

“Ummm, heheh, okay, thanks,” Ditzy said, slowly coming out from behind Cheerilee, one eye on Sigurd while the other wandered somewhere to the left, “I’m Ditzy Doo. Happy to meet you, and uh, not have to fight or anything! Sorry I called you crazy.”

She extended a hoof, which Sigurd took after a moment to shake, seemingly a little unfamiliar with the friendly gesture, “Crazy I did not mind, friend Ditzy. That would be a true enough statement, and doesn’t suggest I’m weak.”

“Right,” said Raindrops, trying to relax her posture and finding it a lot harder than it should have been, as if the brief confrontation had turned on a switch in her that didn’t want to switch off, “Since you’re not going to trying to hurt my friend, guess I’ll introduce myself too. Raindrops.”

“And I’m Cheerilee,” said the schoolteacher, finishing up the introductions.

“Well met to all of you,” said Sigurd, eyeing Raindrops up and down in a way that just made her mane bristle, though she couldn't place why.

“Right, so, don’t go getting all offended, but I gotta ask,” said Raindrops, “How do you not know what mail is?”

Sigurd’s features drew up in a posture that Raindrops thought looked like he wanted to charge at her, despite the way he smiled. It was... disconcerting. Raindrops couldn't tell if this guy was a threat, because all of his body language felt off. Was it a cervid thing, or just this guy in particular, she wondered?

“In Elkhiem all news is carried verbally. If I wish a friend to know something, my words will be carried to them upon the winds. Or a messenger bird. Messenger birds are cheaper, but Sigurd of Myklrdalr is not cheap, so his messages flow along the routes of wind. With a song.”

“A song?” Raindrops asked, not entirely sure she even wanted to know.

Instead of answering her question, though, Sigurd sniffed the air, his small ears twitching as he turned suddenly back towards Ponyville.

“I should return to my comrades, as I sense Wodan has sniffed out the mead hall by now and has gotten ahead in our contest!”

“Contest?” Raindrops asked.

“Mead hall?” Ditzy asked at the same time. Both mores glanced at each other. Cheerilee chuckled.

“Cervids of all tribes are renown for their love of good drink,” Cheerilee said, “Especially mead. Actually almost exclusively mead. Did you know that over forty eight different kinds of mead come from Elkhiem alone?”

“Great, but we don’t have a mead hall,” muttered Raindrops, “So this Wodan fellow is not going to finding any.”

“Oh, he probably just went to my sister’s bar,” said Cheerilee, starting to trot for Ponyville, pausing to say, “Though I know she doesn't open up the liquor cabinet this early.”

Sigurd, having started to trot with Cheerilee, though he had an odd, loping gait that didn’t look much at all like a pony’s trot to Raindrops eyes, gave the magenta mare a shocked look, “The drinking hall isn’t... open? Why would this be!? Where is one to find a fine morning drink!?”

“Ponies usually don’t start their day by getting smashed,” said Raindrops flatly, then paused, thinking, “Unless you’re a Night Court Representative. Then it seems to be a prerequisite.”

“Berry might be serving a little alcohol this morning,” Cheeilee said, “It’s the weekend, after all. But she does sell drinks other than alcohol.”

Sigurd’s incredulous expression was matched by his tone, “Strange, these pony lands, truly strange.“

Despite the fact that they weren’t leaving for Canterlot for a number of hours yet, Carrot Top anxiously finished getting her home sorted out far earlier than needed. Not that there was much to actually do in that regard. Her farm was going to be looked after, once again, by a eager troop of Colt Scouts. They’d done a fine enough job when she’d gone to Tambelon that Carrot Top hardly minded the enthusiastic foals tending to the farm while she was away for the Contest, and Princess Luna had made the arrangements.

Carrot Top left her farm packed light, with just a single pair of saddlebags on and no further luggage. Part of this was simply that she didn’t need to bring much with her. She didn’t own much in the way of “formal” attire for something as seemingly prestigious as the Contest, and what little she did own didn’t seem to fit. Besides, she’d heard from Trixie that Luna herself was going to be providing some manner of appropriate dress for this affair. Carrot Top didn’t know how to feel about that, other than nervous. She had her Gala dress packed, just in case, and a few basic amenities, but no more.

There was a second reason, through, for Carrot Top’s light saddlebags.

She left her home and trotted around a bend in the road, heading towards one of the many back trails that led to the outskirts of Ponyville. As she did so she thought she heard distant shouting coming from the direction of the town square. Unable to quite make anything out, she shrugged and trotted on. She thought the shouting was coming from Berry Punch’s bar, but then that wouldn’t be all that unusual. Ponies did go to a bar to get drunk and rowdy after all.

It never occurred to her that at mid to late morning it was rather unusual for ponies to be getting that drunk.

Following a winding trail to a tall field of grass on the west end of Ponyville, Carrot Top picked up her pace, glancing around to make sure nopony was watching where she was going. There were a few Ponyvillians out and about, tending gardens, or pegasi cleaning up the morning clouds, but nopony was looking at the field Carrot Top was crossing.

Once past the tall grass Carrot Top looked ahead, at the looming edge of the Everfree Forest. Taking a deep breath she trotted past the dark tree line, following a almost invisible game trail between the thick, twisting trees. She didn’t go far into the forest. In fact the edge of the forest, the bright light of the sun, and Ponyville itself, were still just barely visible when Carrot Top reached her destination.

It was a very plain, simple shack. Recently built, but crude and lacking any polish or flare. Just a simple shack for a simple mare, doing slightly less than simple work.

The inside of the small shack was cluttered, and anypony looking at the shelves packed with beakers and vials, the thick clusters of seemingly random potted plants and jars of strange liquids, would think they were looking at somepony’s discarded and forgotten junk rather than the lab of a hobbyist budding into...

What? Carrot Top wondered as she started to go over the shelves, selecting various herbs, vines, flowers, and roots as she identified the ones she thought she might need the most, Budding into what? This is just a hobby. Just me tinkering with a few neat properties that anypony could find if they bothered to learn the methods.

Not that Carrot Top denied her growing knowledge of herbalism and alchemy were turning out to be useful. On Tambelon, and more recently in Canterlot, she’d discovered her talent for mixing up salves, tinctures, and even bombs, from relatively easy to harvest flora was quite useful. It’d certainly given some mafia thugs in Canterlot a few things to think about!

But this was different. At the Contest there was no telling what kind of opponents they might face. Would a few smoke or stink bombs really be enough?

She shook her head, taking a deep breath, This won’t be life or death. Relax. It won’t even matter if we win, at least not to me. Trixie might, and I can see Lyra or Cheerilee getting into it... but it won’t matter if we lose. All I have to do is my best. Help when and where I can. This will be the best benchmark we’re likely to get on how much we’ve improved before... before Corona comes.

That more than anything was what spurred Carrot Top to come to her shake and stock up on her assortment of alchemical concoctions. Corona, the Tyrant Sun, or perhaps now it was almost more accurate to call her Celestia, was likely to soon make her final gambit to make Equestria hers and declare herself Queen. Corona had clearly and firmly stated her intent to seize the throne from Luna back on Tambelon, after the deadly, all too close battle with the necromantic ram, Grogar. There wasn’t going to be any peaceful resolution between sisters, no last minute reconciliation. Corona would come, and it would be the fire and fury of the Sun against whatever resistance could be scrapped together against her.

That meant that Carrot Top and her friends had very little time to prepare themselves for that confrontation. The Contest of Champions, perhaps there wouldn’t be a better place to test themselves. Certainly Carrot Top couldn’t imagine a more suitable way to put some of her more... experimental creations through a solid field trial.

She stocked an entirely different kit of saddlebags with all the ingredients she’d need, then swept up a pair of bandoleers that she strapped, one after another, over her chest in an X pattern. One bandoleer had pouches for smaller, thin vials; meant for potions that she or her friends could quickly imbibe. The other bandoleer had spots for larger flasks, the kind made of clay that would easily shatter on impact with something or had small fuses to light.

“Whatever happens, I’m as ready as I can make myself,” she said aloud, as if to affirm the feeling of confidence she was trying to invoke, but couldn’t quite manage.

Regardless, there was no turning back. It was time for the carrot farmer to become... whatever she was going to become. Would that mean she wouldn’t be the farmer mare anymore? Could the farmer, and the Knight, share the same, simple life?

Maybe I’ll find an answer at the Contest. Stop being so worried about what’s going to happen next, she thought to herself as she walked out of her shack...

...and ran face-first into the snout of a large, draconic beast with a maw filled with rows of curved, razor teeth.

“Hey, Miss Representative, oh bestest of best customers of mine,” said Berry Punch with a remarkably calm voice as she leaned forward on her bar, fixing Trixie with a desperate look that didn’t match her voice, “Could you maybe explain to me why there’s a moose in my bar, drinking out my entire stock?”

Trixie, who’d just walked into the bar hoping to top off her own reserves of alcohol before leaving Ponyville, blanched, suddenly wishing she wasn’t the go-to mare in Ponyville for solving its Crisis-Of-The-Day. That was the job, though, and she’d like to think she’d gotten pretty good at it. Having friends she could count on certainly helped. Not that any of them were here at the moment. As far as she knew they were each getting ready to leave for Canterlot, and only for Trixie did that entail going to Ponyville’s tavern. Trixie put a hoof on her purple, star speckled magician's hat, and pulled it more firmly down on her brow.

“Don’t know. Let me ask him,” she said, and trotted further into the bar, heading for the mountain of flesh and fur that might have been a moose, or just some animated continent carved roughly into a moose shape. Trixie couldn’t even fathom how this creature had gotten into the bar! Actually, taking a closer glance at the doorframe, she noticed the wood had been warped and the walls had cracks spidering out from them. Apparently he’d just barely squeezed in.

The ‘he’ in question was at the bar’s main counter, sitting on his haunches, which still had him towering almost to the ceiling, his vast, twisting antlers scraping the ceiling beams and bouncing off one of the iron chandeliers. Even as Trixie approached, the giant of chestnut brown fur took up a barrel of Berry’s beer in a hoof about as big around as Trixie’s face, and stuffed one end of the barrel into a jutting, if smoothly oval maw with huge flaring nostrils. Dark beady eyes narrowed in contentment as teeth like flat bricks crunched down, popping the barrel open, and the moose just upended the entire barrel, foaming beer pouring down his gullet in amber rivulets.

In seconds the barrel was empty, and the moose ate the barrel, iron banding and all, with a few hearty chews.

“MMMMMmmmm,” the giant said, in grumbling rumble like a localized earthquake. His single dark eye scanned the bar, locking onto the few remaining barrels behind the bar, which Berry Punch was quick to throw herself in front of, standing on her hind legs, forelegs splayed out defensively.

“Nu-uh! No way!” the brightly colored barkeeper said firmly, “You are not getting more until I see payment!”

The moose looked at the mare as if he was seriously considering eating her before going for the remaining barrels, one of his thick bushy eyebrows raising. Trixie was fast to interject before things could escalate further, clearing her throat and sliding up next to the moose. She couldn't help but notice that she barely came up to the hip of one of his hindlegs. It was even harder to avoid noticing that, while his coat was thick and clean, his hide was covered from neck to flank in scars, the most prominent one being an oddly smooth gouge over his missing eye. Not all of them looked like normal scars either, through there were certainly no small amount of those. No, many of the scars had distinct shapes, sharp curves, angular cuts that formed sharp, bold shapes and characters. Trixie knew what they were, having seen a few in the rare magical book she’d read back in Canterlot concerning magic from other parts of the world.

Runes. This moose has runes carved into him.

That gave her a moment’s pause, before she remembered who she was. Trixie Lulamoon, Night Court Representative, Knight of the Realm, and designated Champion of Equestria! An over sized moose who’d run afoul of a kitchen knife was not going to intimidate her!

At least, not without trying, first.

“Excuse me, sir,” she said, drawing herself up to her full height, though admittedly the act seemed rather silly next to someone whose head was longer than her arm, “I am Trixie Lulamoon, and I am Ponyville’s Representative with the Night Court of Princess Luna. I don’t know what things may be like in your homeland, but in Ponyville, if you go into a bar, you settle up with the bartender when she asks you too, or you stop drinking! I should know, I drink here quite often, and Berry Punch has the best stuff in town. Given your apparent interest in drinking further, you seem to agree with that assessment, so if she’s asking, pay the mare!”

She paused, trying to maintain her air of authority, but noticing that, when the moose’s biceps flexed, the individual corded muscles were thicker than knotted rope. Trixie cleared her throat and felt a sudden kinship to Ponyville’s resident veterinarian, Fluttershy.

“You know, if you want. If you have money. To pay. And don’t mind. Sir.”

Please don’t eat me., she added silently, somewhat proud to match the moose’s unblinking stare. She felt a small trickle of sweat on her neck as the moose lowered his head so he was eye to eye with her, and she could smell the beer wafting out of his nostrils as he took several deep sniffs at her.

Then the moose smiled. Trixie didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.

She settled on both.

“I can pay. Do ponies take these?” the moose’s voice was still a bone rattling rumble, but was remarkably cordial in tone, as he reached for a thick leather sack big enough to fit a few ponies in that was slung across his back. Rummaging around in it out came a small (by the moose’s standards, a pony would have trouble carrying it) chest and tossed it at Berry. Berry cried out as she reflexively caught the chest, and the weight of it knocked her over, the lid popping open as both mare and chest hit the ground.

Gems, of an entire kaleidoscope of colors, spilled out of the chest.

Trixie was no money changing expert, but just a quick glance, and using what little she did know of Equestrian economics... Berry Punch had just been very generously compensated for the entire stock of her bar. And for her medical bills, possibly. Trixie poked her head over the bar counter, real concern blossoming on her face. After all, Berry was her source of bourbon in town! And a friend. That too.

“Berry, are you alright!?”

“Ugggh, give me a moment,” Berry Punch said, eyes swirling a bit as she slowly shoved the chest off herself and then took note of the pile of gems both covering her, and inside the chest. Wincing, she grinned, “I think I just got paid to be alright. Ow. Seriously though, Mr. Moose, if you had this kind of scratch on you why didn’t you just say so?”

The moose turned his eye towards her, tilting his head slightly, “Do ponies not pay the barkeep after they have drank their fill?”

Berry rubbed her head, “Uh, well, yeah, sort of. They usually order what drink they want first, then I ask them if they want more, and we settle up before they leave. You just didn’t ask and just started drinking, well, everything!”

The moose issued forth a throaty, gravely noise that Trixie realized was laughter, “A land where one must ask before one drinks! Ha! You ponies are very amusing! You’re drink is good too. I desire more. Have I paid enough, pony?”

“The name’s Berry Punch, and I got more, but not for long if you keep at the rate you’re going, Mr...?”

“Wodan of Haustfell! Wodan, Bane of Mountains!” he declared, then took another barrel from behind the bar, smiling toothily, “And Bane of Mead!”

“That’s actually Maretonian dark ale,” Berry pointed out by Wodan shrugged and cracked the barrel open.

“I seek to be the bane of many things,” he said as he upended the barrel and drank away.

Berry gave Trixie a flat look, “Sure you don’t got any moose in your family tree?”

Trixie rolled her eyes, “Ha-ha. So, crisis averted, you’re bar is safe, thanks to my timely diplomatic skills?”

Berry sighed, “Going to be hard explaining to my customers this evening where all the drink went, but at least I’m getting well compensated.”

Wodan set down his barrel and grunted, “My apologies goodmare Punch, I assumed your stocks were as vast as the halls of my homeland. To deny others the warmth of your fine drink would be a deed unbecoming a guest. I shall let my thirst be satisfied with this barrel, and leave you the rest.”

“What is this I’m hearing!?” came a voice from the doorway, Trixie turning to see another deer, this one a cervid of a much smaller stature and breed than Wodan, “No more drink!? Wodan, we must still settle our bet! And you’ve taken a head start without me!?”

Wodan issued forth a low, mirthful grumble, his one eye becoming lidded in amusement, “Does any other hear the buzzing of a fly?” the moose then gave a look of mock surprise upon spotting the smaller cervid, “Ah, Sigurd, I didn’t see you there, my friend! You must learn to speak louder, otherwise someday I might mistake you for some small bug that has attached itself to my hide.”

“Hah! As if I could be so readily ignored, large one! This ‘bug’ named Sigurd shall out drink the mighty Wodan this very moment... if there were enough drink to satisfy our contest!” said Sigurd in a jovial tone, striding into the bar with head held high. Behind him Trixie saw her friends, Cheerilee, Raindrops, and Ditzy enter. Upon seeing her Ditzy smiled and waved, and was first to come over, with the other two close behind, while Sigurd, which Trixie noted with some nervousness was armed with an openly displayed sword and was wearing clothing covered with trinkets of a noticeable bone motif, approached Wodan.

“What is this?” Trixie asked her friends, “Did Ponyville volunteer to host a deer caravan or something?”

Cheerilee shook her head while Raindrops looked over at the hulking form of Wodan with a distinctly worried, guarded look. Trixie couldn't blame her, even when he was acting friendly Wodan had a threatening presence that would set just about anypony on edge. What Trixie found odd was that Sigurd was generating just as much a imposing feeling in her, setting her on edge almost more than the giant Wodan. It was the eyes, Trixie decided. Wodan had just the one eye, and a vicious looking scar, but that one eye of his seemed warm. Sigurd’s eyes were just black pools and whether he smiled or laughed, none of it seemed to touch the cervid’s eyes.

“They’re travelers,” said Cheerilee in answer to Trixie’s question, causing Trixie to shake out of her thoughts and look towards the schoolteacher, “But not merchants or anything. In fact they’re here for the same reason we’re about to head for Canterlot.”

“The Contest?” Trixie asked, suddenly glancing sidelong at Wodan and Sigurd with even greater scrutiny than before. They were going to compete... against that!? Trixie took a deep breath, forestalling her initial impulse to panic. She and her friends had gone up against bigger. Not bigger by a lot, but bigger. Actually, Wodan wasn’t the worrying one. Again she couldn’t shake a cold feeling in her gut when she looked at Sigurd.

“Yes, the Contest,” said the cervid in question as he took up a seat at the bar, nodding to Berry Punch, “Drinkkeeper, if my greedy friend has not drained your vault dry then I shall start to drink my fill.”

Berry Punch smiled, albeit a bit nervously, as she sent a mug his way, and she glanced at Wodan, “You see? He asked.”

Wodan snorted as if that somehow proved something about the smaller deer, who took up the mug and upended it quickly, Berry Punch refilling it and not really bothering to ask this smaller deer about payment. Trixie, swallowing her own unease, took a seat next to Sigurd. .

“What are you two doing here in Ponyville, then?” she asked, “The Contest is taking place pretty far from here, you know.”

Sigurd looked at her, his own dark eyes scrutinizing her in a way that Trixie found she didn’t like. Her mane felt like it was trying to crawl off her scalp. It was a sizing up look. Judging. She’d gotten enough of that at the Night Court. It was made worse by the fact this cervid just made her hide crawl in general.

“Of course we know that. We are ultimately on our way to the Isle of the Fallen, but our journey would take many more turnings of the day, even upon wyvernback. We are using an old acquaintance of Wodan’s to make our journey easier, and meeting with her in Canterlot.”

Trixie blinked, and looked at her friends, Raindrops sharing her blinking look, Ditzy shrugging helplessly, and Cheerilee putting on a thoughtful look as she looked up and held a hoof to her chin. None of them, however, seemed to know what ‘wyvernback’ meant. Trixie had a sinking feeling it might involve something that would cause the Ponyvillians to panic.

“Wyvernback?” she asked in a politely leading tone.

Sigurd nodded, draining his second mug and accepting a refill a grateful nod to Berry Punch, “We could hardly walk the long distance to our destination,” he smiled, a unpleasantly bitter smile, making the water-deer’s small tucks seem like he was snarling instead of smiling, “Our good prince saw fit to let us borrow some of his prize pets for the journey. Poor things, I took the prince’s largest to carry prodigious Wodan. Even mighty wyverns require rest, and a space to feed and water themselves, however, so we have stopped by this settlement to let our mounts recover before making our way to Canterlot.”

Trixie, understandably, was a mite concerned, and with her best diplomatic smile asked, “I don’t suppose you bothered to inform the local authorities, like the mayor perhaps, that you were bringing wyverns to the town?”

Sigurd shrugged, clearly not sharing Trixie’s concerns, “They’re not in your village, little pony, they are resting at a lake near the edge of that large forest. And prince Frederick is watching the wyverns, so there is no need for worry. Probably.”

“Probably?” Cheerilee asked, her tail swinging about as she looked out one of the windows, “I don’t think ‘probably’ should be the term one uses when discussing flesh eating wyverns.”

Sigurd didn’t even look up from his drink, “The prince can control his pets, and won’t let them wander towards this settlement. They’ll just hunt for food in the forest. Worry not, none of your fellow ponies will be gobbled. Probably.”

Cheerilee gave him a distinct stink eye before glancing at Trixie, “Well, just in case ‘probably’ becomes something else, I think I’ll go let the mayor know to warn anypony off from wandering into the Everfree today.”

Trixie nodded, “Smart idea. Might want to send somepony to check on Fluttershy, given where her cottage is.”

“On it,” Cheerilee said and hastily left the tavern.

“So you have a friend in Canterlot?” asked Ditzy, flying up between Sigurd and Wodan, the mailmare seeming more relaxed than Trixie would have thought, as if the unnerving coldness that Trixie sensed in Sigurd didn’t register to Ditzy or just didn’t bother the pegasus. Trixie did note that Raindrops, despite Ditzy’s easy manner, had moved into a position nearby that’d allow her to quickly pounce on Sigurd. Trixie also noticed Sigurd’s eye flick towards Raindrops’ movement and the corner of the water-deer’s mouth turn in a small smirk before he answered Ditzy.

“Not I, but the towering Wodan. Wodan, who was that pony you befriended? I keep forgetting. She was gracious to offer us a quicker means to travel to the Contest. And a beauty, far as the looks of ponies go. A shame she doesn’t drink.”

Wodan, who’d ceased his drinking, much to Berry’s relief, and was instead seemingly content to sit there and enjoy the ambiance as the others talked, then glanced down and seemed to think about it, as if he had to work to recall, “Hhhhmmm, she never did speak of why she refused to drink. Saddening, as she would offer me a great challenge in such a competition. Unlike a certain noisy Dvergar who has yet to make good his boast of being able to best me at the drinking table.”

Sigurd, on his fourth mug by this point, wiped foam from his lips, “You shall soon see, my friend. The Contest will be a fitting place to settle the matter, with all the world to behold which of us is the superior!”

“How did you two start trying to out drink each other? Was it a bet?” asked Ditzy.

Sigurd slapped his mug down hard, apparently already somewhat tipsy, as he put an arm around the mailmare, “It was at my wedding that our battle began! Twenty, or was it thirty, years ago? Wodan, as I recall, struck first, attempting to drink all of my favorite brand of mead that I had saved for the wedding feast.”

“You should not have had it on display if you didn’t want it consumed,” the giant moose pointed out.

“Bah! I had to display it like any proud owner would display a prized falcon or forged blade! I don’t recall inviting you to start drinking it! So of course I had to challenge him. A proper duel to decide who would earn the right to drink my finest mead!”

“A duel you’ve spent the better part of two decades losing,” Wodan said with a chuckle, “I keep waiting for you to concede.”

“Never. Shall I live a hundred years our match will not end until I have defeated you.”

“I bought you a replacement for that mead ages ago.”

“It’s the principle of the thing!”

“Twenty. Years.”

“And twenty more if need be!”

Trixie, still more concerned over the notion of there being predatory beasts near Ponyville that weren’t contained to the Everfree Forest wasn’t paying the bickering cervids as much mind anymore, and had all but forgotten that her original reason to come to Berry Punch’s place had been to get her own stock of drinks for the trip. Remembering, and seeing that Berry was looking more relaxed now that she seemed to have a handle on how to deal with these new customers, Trixie motioned the mare over.

“If you’ve got any left, I could use a bottle of bourbon,” the Representative said in a low voice, not really wanting to chance that the cervids might hear, and for any number of incomprehensible cervid related reasons decide to challenge her to a duel over possession of the bourbon.

“I got some left downstairs,” Berry said, “Figured you might want some, given you’d be out of town for-”

Before Berry could finish, there was a scream from outside, a familiar voice that Trixie recognized as belonging to one of the flower sisters. Which one she wasn’t sure, but when it came to screaming Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck had a distinct sound that could be heard from one corner of Ponyville to the other. The sisters were occasionally referred to as ‘Ponyville’s Disaster Alarm’.

At the sound of the scream Trixie, Ditzy, and Raindrops immediately went into town-defense mode, the three mares exchanging looks. Ditzy had gone from enjoying Wodan and Sigurd banter with a friendly smile on her face, to a firm expression of worry mixed with readiness. Raindrops’s gaze belied little but sudden, schooled calm. Wodan and Sigurd both seemed to sense the change in mood, the moose standing and slowly turning towards the door, while the water-deer raised a hoof to a hook on the hilt of his sword, the air around him getting strangely cold.

They all hurried from the tavern, the ponies first, the two cervids behind, Wodan himself hunching down and pulling his legs in to just barely manage to push through Berry’s door while only slightly cracking the frame while doing so. Outside Trixie led her friends and the two cervids in a short gallop towards the sound of the screaming, to find Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck all laying in the middle of the street, apparently fainted.

“The... horror...” said Roseluck, before rolling over like a dog playing dead.

So, not quite all fainted.

Trixie would’ve paid those three more mind if not for the fact that standing no more than twenty feet in front of them, on two thick legs tipped with sword sized claws, its huge wings spread out to either side of it like the flaps of a giant tent, was a wyvern. The beast was easily the size of one of Ponyville’s more modest homes, covered in deep rust red scales. Not quite as towering as some creatures Trixie and her friends had encountered, like the massive red dragon that worked with Corona, Solrathicharon, or even the golem that had gone berserk not too long ago, but this wyvern still cut an impressive and sleekly dangerous figure in the middle of town.

But for all the impressive sight of the winged lizard, what gave Trixie and her friend’s pause was the not the sight of the wyvern, but the sight of the mare riding atop of it.

“Hey everypony!” said Carrot Top, waving happily, riding with her legs astride the wyvern’s long, thin neck.

Raindrops, pausing only briefly to make sure the three flower sisters weren’t actually injured or anything, just doing their normal ‘freak out, play dead’ routine, gave Carrot Top a frowning, narrow eyed look.

“Carrot Top, what the hay! Don’t bring something like that into town! What are you even- I don’t - what!?”

“That’s about sums up my thoughts,” said Trixie, giving the wyvern a nervous look, reading herself to start casting spells. The beast wasn’t doing anything provocative, just glancing about with its triangular, draconic head. Ditzy even giggled a bit as the creature scratched at its nose with the clawed tip of one wing and yawned.

“Its... kind of cute,” Ditzy said.

Trixie gave her a look and Ditzy shrugged, “What? It is.”

Wodan grumbled in a tone not unlike a rolling boulder, “Prince Frederick, if you are playing another of your pranks, I shall personally drag you back to Elkheim and throw you off the top of Yggdrasil's highest boughs!”

Sigurd nodded solemnly, re-sheathing his bone sword, “I’ll help.”

“Okay! Okay!” said a male voice from behind the wyvern, “I give up, o’ mighty guardians of the common folk! It wasn’t even a proper prank, just me showing a lovely mare just how friendly my beloved Bloodwing is.”

Stepping from behind one of the wyvern’s tree-trunk thick legs was another deer, this one of elk variety. He was certainly tall, much more so than Sigurd, but gangly, and oddly ill proportioned, with a thick body and neck covered in light chestnut brown fur, but with spindly legs that didn’t seem like they ought to support him. His antlers were darkly colored and somewhat twisted, but polished to a smooth sheen. He wore a fine white and green trimmed doublet over his chest, and hanging at either side of his shoulders were elegantly curved sabers with pearl carved hilts, small runes etched into the pearl itself.

The elk bowed his head, an amused sparkle in hazel eyes, “I do hope I haven’t caused too much of a ruckus. Don’t be afraid, Bloodwing is actually rather gentle, far as her kind go.”

The wyvern issued for a hissing, hooting sound, like some cross between an owl and a massive snake, and bumped the elk with a wing, smacking him cleanly upside the head. The elk grunted, then grinned up at the wyvern, who was looking up and away as if turning its nose up at him.

“Oh don’t be such so sensitive! You’re a lovely example of deadly wyvernhood! But you are the only wyvern I’ve ever raised that balks at bloodshed. You even cried when that pet mouse of yours died!”

Bloodwing looked rather outraged as she let out a hissing roar at the elk’s face, lowering her neck to let Carrot Top climb down.Carrot Top for her part just patted the wyvern on the neck and smiled, saying, “Don’t mind him Bloodwing. I think you’re perfectly terrifying. Had a small heart attack when I first saw you!”

Bloodwing held her head high, as if soaking in the praise, and Trixie even thought the wyvern might have been smiling. Or just baring her fangs. Hard to tell, really. The wyvern nuzzled Carrot Top a bit, then gave the elk a look as if to say ‘See? At least someonpy around her appreciates me!’

Raindrops, wings flared and her face scrunched up a bit, flushed somewhat red, almost stomped up to the elk, almost getting snout to snout with him, “Okay, you’ve had your fun, but this was a dumb prank! Somepony could’ve gotten hurt if it’d been busier in the streets, and you’re still probably scaring half the town into staying inside! Who do you think you are!?”

Carrot Top was quick to interject, coming over and putting herself between Raindrops and the elk, “Raindrops, relax, he didn’t mean any harm. I thought seeing me riding Bloodwing would make it clear to anypony that she wasn’t a threat. Frederick really was just letting me ride her because I thought it’d be fun. I’m sorry if I caused a problem.”

Raindrops glanced at her, face still red, but she let out a sigh and backed off, “Fine. Still think it was a bad idea.”

The elk strode forward and offered Raindrops an apologetic bow, “I meant no harm. It has been a long journey from Elkhiem, and as my companions behind you will attest, I let off steam in ways that... er...”

“Irritate everyone around you?” suggested Sigurd in a cold tone, the water-deer giving Frederick a look that could chill magma into solid rock.

“Get yourself, and hence your companions, into constant trouble?” suggested Wodan, somewhat more warmly, if no less admonishing in tone.

Frederick huffed and stamped a hoof, “I am the prince! You two could be a tad more respectful.”

“Earn it, and I shall,” muttered Sigurd.

Wodan let out such a prodigious sigh that it blew Trixie’s mane about like a small gust, “Spend less time playing games and sowing your oats among all of marekind and perhaps in time you will earn that title of prince. For now, we treat you as you act, Frederick.”

Frederick rolled his eyes, then noted the look Carrot Top was giving him, and coughed, “I’m not nearly as bad as they make me out to be. These two just don’t appreciate my sense of humor.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re a riot,” said Raindrops in a low, unamused voice, “So if you’re here with this,” she pointed a wing at the wyvern, “Who’s watching the other ones you brought with you?”

Frederick grinned, “Oh, I met a beauty of a mare at the edge of the forest,” he paused, blinked, and nodded to Carrot Top, “I mean a beauty besides your golden radiance, Dame Carrot Top. No, this are was a pegasus, yellow as fresh churned butter, with a mane of the softest pink, and a voice to tame the roaring fires of a dragon. She trotted right up to the flock as the wyverns were slaking their thirst at the lake, and to my utter amazement started to talk with them! Never seen the like of it. Well, she introduced herself as Fluttershy... after several attempts to ask her. Such a quiet voice on that one. I wanted to come into town, and the wyverns seemed to like her, so I asked if she wanted to watch them for a time. She seemed more than eager to do so. I don’t think she’d ever actually seen wyverns before and was quite enthusiastic. Well, Bloodwing I knew was still off hunting, but I thought I’d spied her landing near town, so I went to find her, leaving Miss Fluttershy in charge of the others. When I caught up to Bloodwing I found her and Dame Carrot Top here engaged in, how shall I say, a bit of a game of hide and seek?”

“That is to say,” said Carrot Top, with a somewhat embarrassed rubbing of her neck, “I was hiding behind the nearest bushes and Bloodwing was trying to root me out. Not trying to hurt me, I think she just wanted to say hi.”

Bloodwing let out a soft hissing screech that seemed to be a confirmation of Carrot Top’s assumption.

“Indeed. After which I’m sure you can guess the rest,” said Frederick, then paused to look over the gathered ponies, “No then, since I haven’t done this properly yet, allow me a more formal introduction. I am prince Frederick of Yggdrasil, Keeper of the White Blades, Protector of the Verdant Gate, and... about six or seven other titles I tend to forget. I think there’s a ‘Guardian of the Something-Something’ somewhere in there. And you mares, I take it, are the vaunted bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Knights of the Realm, and soon, perhaps, to be Champions of Equestria?”

At Trixie’s look Carrot Top smiled, somewhat embarrassed as she glanced away, “I kind of told him about us.”

“That’s fine Carrot Top,” said Ditzy, smiling warmly and flying up to Frederick, holing out a hoof, “Ditzy Doo! Pleased to meet you.”

Frederick took her hoof and left a kiss upon it, “A pleasure and privilege. I had heard faint rumors in distant Elkhiem of the fair and powerful mares that did battle with ancient and wrathful Celestia, but I had no notion they’d all be such shining examples of feminine grace. I feel lucky that I’ll get the opportunity to see so much more of you at the upcoming Contest!”

Ditzy coughed, withdrawing her hoof and floating away a bit, walled eyes looking away, and Sigurd let out a loud grow.

“That’s enough Frederick. Do not embarrass the royal blood further with such childish attempts at flattery of those who have earned better respect,” he paused, turning to Ditzy, “I did not know who you were by your name, and for that I apologize. News can travel slowly into Elkhiem. I offer my respect to you, Ditzy Doo, and your companions. It is an honor to meet those who faced a foe as fierce as Sunna, the Sightblinder, and who will face us upon the field at the Contest.”

Ditzy Doo looked even more embarrassed, just sort of floating to the ground and looking at the grass, “T-thank you? I didn’t know we’d gotten famous outside Equestria. I’ve never heard of this Sightblinder though.”

“Merely another word we use for the one you call Corona. Or Celestia. Or Tyrant Sun. Sunna was her 'proper' name in our language. She certainly has garnered a large number of titles,” said Frederick, smiling brightly, looking at all of the gathered mares, finally resting his eyes on the three fainted flower sisters, “So... should we do something about them?”

Trixie glanced at Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck and shook her head, “They’ll come out of it in an hour or two. Most ponies will just walk around them. They tend to quickly forget whatever crisis made them faint in the first place. Look, I get that you weren’t trying to cause a real problem, but if you could, please take your... friend, back to the lake, before everypony in town goes catatonic?”

Frederick frowned, “Very well. Bloodwing, return to your sisters.”

Bloodwing let out a hooting screech, adopting as indignant a look as a house sized winged lizard could, and with a few hefty flaps of her wings that stirred up a cloud of dust the wyvern rose into the air and flew off out of town. As Bloodwing flew over the rooftops of Ponyville, Trixie saw more than a few fearful heads peeking out the windows of their homes. Trixie imagined she’d have a lot of written complaints to deal with soon...

Then she smiled, because she remembered she was going to be out of town, and it was Pokey who’d get to deal with her complaint box. She really did need to give him a raise at some point. He’d more than earned it.

Frederick had turned to Carrot Top and was offering her a leg, “Well, Dame Carrot Top, perhaps you’d like to show me around your home? I’d greatly enjoy seeing your farm. And later, mayhaps we could get something to eat. I have had little chance to sample Equestrian cuisine and, later tonight we-”

“Prince Frederick,” rumbled Wodan, “We will need to leave long before the fall of night, if we are to be in Canterlot on time for our meeting.”

“I’ll be in Canterlot tonight anyway,” Carrot Top said, giving Frederick a friendly, if nervous smile, not taking his offered arm, “I don’t mind showing you around town before my friends and I leave this afternoon, and we can grab a bite while we’re at it.”

“Ah, I would enjoy that,” Frederick said, seemingly hesitant to lower his offered leg, but ultimately did so with a friendly smile of his own, one no longer quite dripping with the same lustful attempt at charm as before as he and Carrot Top began to trot off. Carrot Top turned to glance at Trixie and the others over her shoulder.

“Meet you girls at the train in a few hours?”

“Yes,” said Trixie, slightly bemused, “Train leaves at three.”

Trixie felt Raindrops standing next to her, looking over to see her friend frowning. Trixie didn’t like seeing her friend so agitated. She raised a hoof and gently touched the pegasus’ shoulder, causing Raindrops to start in surprise. Trixie quickly pulled her hoof back. Without a word passing between them Raindrops relaxed her stiff stance and took in a deep breath, letting it out and nodding at Trixie that she was fine. Trixie didn’t even question it further.

Sigurd, watching Frederick and Carrot Top vanish down the street, grumbled, “I cannot believe such a useless stag is the son of our King and Queen. Blood should not run so thinly.”

Wodan let out a deep, rumbling sound that was half grunt and half growl, and Sigurd gave the moose a sidelong look, “What? You know I speak the truth.”

“He is young,” Wodan said, voice resonate yet stiff, the moose’s sizable mouth drawn down in a deep frown, “I remember being young. I, too, was a fool. Time, and experience, cures one of that ailment, as it shall our prince.”

Sigurd’s eyes darkened, whispering something that was so low Trixie wasn’t certain it was heard by any but her, who was used to listening to whispers from her time in the Night Court.

“If he lives that long.”

Trixie didn’t have much further business to take care of, once the situation with the deer in town was cleaned up a bit. Cheerilee had met up with them again, letting Trixie know that mayor Ivory Scroll was already aware of the cervids in town. Apparently one other deer that Trixie and the others hadn’t met yet had arrived ahead of the others to meet with the mayor about the impromptu visit. Trixie had only been left out of the loop because she’d left the Residency before Ivory Scroll’s message about it all arrived at Trixie’s doorstep.

Raindrops and Ditzy had both left to take care of their respective packing, and Cheerilee had remained with Sigurd and Wodan, agreeing to act as the pair’s chaperone around town until it was time to leave. Trixie had no objections, as long as no more wyverns flew into town and Berry Punch’s remaining stock of bourbon was left alone. Trixie’s first order of business had been to march right back to the tavern and get what she needed from there. That taken care of she really only had one last stop to make before she was set to leave.

She found herself outside the tall, gently swaying boughs of Golden Oaks Library, the sizable tree turned public book repository having a warm, more lived in quality than Trixie ever noticed it having. Probably because somepony actually lived here, now. Trixie’s eyes noticed tiny touches, like the new telescope parked on one of the upper balconies, or the welcome mat in front of the door with the words “{Wel-come} verb: 1) to greet (somepony) in a warm and friendly manner. 2) to accept with pleasure the occurs or presence of (welcomes you).”

Trixie shook her head with a laugh that was in no way derisive, but rather just happily non-surprised as she knocked on the door. After a few moments the door swung open, a purple coated unicorn with an even darker violet mane with a single pink streak through it standing there with her horn alight with the magic she’d used to open the door.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes widened a bit, first in surprise, then in warmth.

“Hello Trixie. What brings you here? Not that I mind, but I figured you’d be busy getting ready to leave,” there was a slight tremble of glumness in Twilight’s voice at mentioning leaving, just barely perceptible to Trixie. Twilight Sparkle was still relatively early into her house arrest/community service sentence here in Ponyville. The reasons for this house arrest involved a rather complicated story involving a star-bear, running from the law, interdimensional travel, and ultimately two mares who had completely different views on magic managing to come to terms with each other. As it stood Twilight was Ponyville’s new resident librarian, and she seemed to take to the job like the proverbial pegasus to cloud-kicking, but the fact remained that Twilight was not allowed to leave Ponyville without an escort, and even then only under specific legal circumstances, until her sentence was up. Trixie was more or less the other unicorn’s official watcher, not that it was really a necessary task. Twilight was every shade of cooperative, and had settled into the town with little issue. Quite the opposite really, the Ponyvillians had seemed to readily adopt Twilight into their eclectic township with open and welcome hooves.

“Yes, well, I do travel light,” said Trixie, somewhat awkwardly scraping her hoof on the welcome mat, “Nice mat, by the by. Quite, uh, educational.”

“You think so? I hoped it would be, but wondered if it might be too much. A library is a place of learning after all, so I thought it’d be appropriate, and funny. It was funny right? Not condescending? I hope nopony felt offended and might walk away just because the mat suggests they don’t know what welcome means!”

“It’s fine, Sparkle, its fine!” Trixie said, laughing, “I doubt anypony got their tail in a bunch, ever, over a welcome mat. Anyway, the reason I came is-”

There was a sudden crash from inside the library, sounding to Trixie like it had come from the kitchen that was adjoined to the main floor of the library itself. Twilight nearly jumped with a tiny ‘Eep!’ and almost immediately bolted for the kitchen. Trixie, more confused than concerned, trotted on inside and closed the door behind her. The inside of Golden Oaks library was cozy, the main floor looking larger on the inside than one would think from its outward appearance.

Trixie didn’t linger in the main room, instead following Twilight towards the open door to the kitchen, which Twilight was standing in.

“Are you okay Lucky?” Twilight asked, one hoof in the kitchen.

A voice answered, female, laughing, and totally unworried, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine Tenbs. Just got a bit ambitious in doing the dishes. Remind me that twenty six plates is my maximum for stacking on my nose. Don’t think I broke anything, but if I did I’ll replace ‘em, soon as I get another job.”

Twilight let out a relieved sigh, “Okay, that’s fine, just don’t hurt yourself.”

“Twilight, you have a guest?” Trixie asked. Not that she was bothered by this, as there were no rules against Twilight having guests. At least Trixie was pretty sure there were no particular rules during house arrest against guests coming over. That’d be silly, given Golden Oaks was a library. Still, Trixie didn’t know who this might be, and her curiosity was piqued.

Twilight looked back at Trixie, blinking, then her eyes went wide, “Oh! Uh, yes, um, you see this is... that is to say, I had these friends, or associates, and things happened, but they went wrong, very, very wrong, and I ran away, but they’re still my friends, some of them at least, and now Lucky is here!”

Trixie stared at Twilight for a moment, then the voice called from inside the kitchen, “Yo, Tenbs, you got more company over?”

“Tenbs?” Trixie raised an eyebrow. craning her neck to finally get a look around Twilight to catch sight of who was talking. The speaker was an earth pony mare, fairly nondescript by Trixie’s estimation, with a gray coat and a curly mane a shade of green that reminded Trixie of a pine forest. The mare was busy gathering up a bunch of dropped dishes, wincing at some of the broken plates.

Twilight entered the kitchen with a little trepidation and motioned Trixie to enter as well. Twilight was quick to help gather the dishes, using her magic to rapidly separate the broken from the whole. The gray mare smiled apologetically, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Sorry, I’ll get you more plates, through I’m telling you there’s nothing wrong with paper and plastic. If you get paper bowels you can double them as plates and save money, all you gotta do is squash them flat and wham you’ve turned a bowl into a plate.”

“I... guess that makes sense?” Twilight said, then turned, looking between Trixie and the gray mare as if unsure as to how exactly to proceed. Luckily for Twilight and Trixie both the gray mare wasted no time in sensing the social awkwardness and she smiled brightly, coming right up to Trixie and extending a hoof.

“Hey, Clover Charms. Lucky, to my friends.”

Trixie hesitated only a moment before extending her hoof and letting Clover shake it, “Trixie. Representative of Princess Luna’s Night Court in Ponyville,” did Clover just stiffen, somewhat? Or had Trixie imagined that? Trixie glanced between Clover and Twilight, eyes searching. Twilight looked like a filly caught while levitating the cookie jar, but Clover seemed relaxed and friendly. Weird.

“So, just how do you two know each other?” Trixie asked.

Twilight glanced at Clover, whose smile turned encouraging and supportive as she met Twilight’s look. Twilight seemed to come to a decision and took a deep breath.

“Remember when I mentioned I kinda sorta tried to... well... create replacement Elements of Harmony?”

“I seem to recall you skimming over the details, but yes, you mentioned that venture. Carrot Top told me more of the incident,” Trixie said, already piecing things together before Twilight confirmed them with her next words.

“Lucky was one of the ponies I picked for that whole affair. I kind of found her by accident, really, but she was supposed to be matched with Laughter.”

“You should hear my stand-up routine sometime,” Clover said, her smile turning wry, “Hasn’t gotten much traction here in Ponyville, but I’m working on some new material.”

“Uh-huh,” Trixie said, “So you’re not the one that went totally ponyfeather’s in the head and tried to eat ponies souls via a corrupting amulet of Ultimate Evil?”

“Nah, I just sort of hung out, quipped, and hit a Vicerne in the face with some fondu.”

Trixie blinked. Then shook her head. Twilight actually chuckled a bit, her nervousness seeming to drain away as she listened to Clover, “Lucky moved to Ponyville about a week or two ago, but I didn’t even know until I bumped into her yesterday. So I invited her over to have breakfast this morning. We were just playing catch up on all that’d happened since the... incident with the Alicorn Amulet, when you showed up.”

“I see, well, I don’t want to keep you two from that,” said Trixie, and gave Twilight a meaningful look, “I just dropped by because I wanted to thank you for helping me with ‘that spell’ this past month, and if it’s alright I wanted to take your notes on it with me to the Contest.”

Twilight almost immediately perked up, ears standing straight and her eyes sparkling, “OH! Of course! I have them down in the basement. It was a pleasure helping you work on your magic, Trixie. I know you have your own intuitive way of doing things, but even then there’s nothing like hard work and study to learn and improve! I’ll go get the notes right away!”

The good cheer in Twilight’s steps was palpable as she trotted off to the basement, and Trixie watched with a reserved grin. Nothing seemed to brighten Twilight’s mood like academia, even something as small as helping a friend with developing a new spell. Well, perhaps not ‘small’, then, as working on this spell had been no easy feat, even with Twilight’s help. Trixie normally wouldn’t want the notes, as she had difficulty really making use of that kind of rote information and translating it into something she could use, but because her control of the spell was still not perfect she wanted something to keep herself refreshed on it. She probably wouldn’t even need it in the Contest, but... well, never hurt to have a trump card up one’s sleeve.

“So,” said Clover, looking Trixie over curiously, “You and Tenbs? Anything going on there?”

“Excuse me?” Trixie asked.

“What? Just saying, two mares, alone, spending hours and hours working closely together to make ‘magic’. Its the kind of set-up you’d see in dozens of erotic novella,” said Clover with a wink, “And it doesn’t hurt you two really compliment each other. The bookworm and the stagemare. I’d buy that book.”

Trixie flushed, deciding to find one of the kitchen cupboards to be of sudden and great interest, “Feel free to write it, as long as I get some of the royalties for the use of my name.”

Clover laughed, “Deal.”

A minute later Twilight came back, a small blue notebook floating next to her. Trixie took it in her own magic with a grateful nod, “Thank you, Sparkle. For this, and all the help. Between this, and extra practice with shields, I ought to be able to put on a good show for all to see!”

Twilight’s smiled faded a bit, her expression growing serious, “Just remember Trixie; be careful out there. Before... everything that happened after the Ursa, my family considered it very possible that I would be selected to represent Equestria at the Contest, because so few unicorns were born with a talent for magic as strong as mine. It was a slim possibility, but it was there, so I studied previous records of the Contest. It can be dangerous. Please, don’t take any chances you don’t have to.”

Trixie waved a hoof, “Of course, of course, I’m the soul of caution.”

“I’m serious, Trixie,” Twilight said, and something in her tone made Trixie look the other unicorn in the eyes.

“I...” Trixie paused, then nodded firmly, “I will. Don’t worry so much, Sparkle.”

“Its something she does,” Clover said, coming over and wrapping a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders, “But that’s part of why we love, her, right? She’s adorkable when she worries.”

“I am not,” said Twilight, who then blanched, “And ‘adorkable’!? Where do I even begin explaining the ways in which that is not a word?”

Trixie just laughed, “I think I’ll leave you two to it then.”

“Hey, why not stick around for lunch?” asked Clover, “I’m teaching Tenbs some tricks on keeping her food budget down.”

“I’m not exactly poor...” muttered Twilight with a quiet snort, “And I don’t know if bananas and mustard really go together.”

Trixie’s ears twitched as Clover retorted, “It’s not that bad, and you got to be willing to experiment with whatever happens to be on sale that week! Can’t always afford to eat out everyday.”

“Did you say mustard and banana?” asked Trixie, licking her lips, and giving Clover a new, appraising look. Clover noticed the look, and then got a coy expression on her face as she leaned forward.

“That I did. Tenbs has some leftover hay-burger buns that I was going to chop up bananas on and add mustard. Interested?”

Trixie paused, thinking that she did have some time before she needed to meet the girls at the train station, and that it wouldn’t be at all bad to get something to eat before leaving Ponyville. After a second she smiled, nodding, “I suppose I can stick around for a bite, and to hear any other culinary ideas you happen to have. Tell me, have you ever tried mixing ketchup with muffins? The last time I tried Ditzy nearly fainted...”

Lyra and Bon Bon had finished packing the trolley they’d be pulling to the train station, the luggage mostly Bon Bon’s. The pair were leaving Bon Bon’s home and shop, Lyra talking excitedly, her tail wagging back and forth as she all but bounced along.

“I finally found a juicy tid-bit buried in the account of an old Equestrian knight’s squire who was there on the Isle of the Fallen,” she said, floating up a dusty, journal-like tome, “She speaks in real flowery language, kind of a thing from back then, but listen to this. Ahem...”

She flipped open to a marked passage and began to speak in an affected accent, “Our toil ends and our spirits are drained, if not for the guiding lights of Sun and Moon. Even the eternal sovereigns seem tarnished, made mortal to my eyes in their struggle to fell that great beast. What a horrid word it is named, ‘Rengoku’. Our sisters from realms beyond the sunrise have named it well. Purgatory. This island is a fitting rest for the corpse left by mindless ambition, a fortress some name it, I call it a monster given shape in stone and metal. I see the smoke flowing from it now as blood, and hope to never see its cursed form rise again should I chance to live a thousand years. Rengoku. Tomb of our fallen.”

“Yeesh,” said Bon Bon, “Talk about being obtuse. What does any of that mean?”

Lyra grinned from ear to ear, “Haven’t a clue, but I’m going to find out! I’ve stumbled across a few more passages like this in various accounts from back then. The dating system is less than what I’d call ‘precise’, so I can’t even make sure when this one was written, but I’m pretty sure its close to the mark when the Contest started up. It has to be pre-Corona banishment because the mare mentions ‘Sun and Moon’, a phrase that all but completely faded away after Luna banished her sister. Most entries mention similar phrases, especially this one; ‘Rengoku’.”

“What’s it mean?”

“It’s from the east, from Shouma. The language can be hard to translate, but the mare who wrote the entry got it right. It means ‘purgatory’.”

Bon Bon frowned, giving Lyra a sidelong look, “That’s... ominous.”

“Indeed. Ominous is just one of many ways to describe the monster that was vanquished that fateful day,” said a voice above the two mares, and both turned to look up, where there was someone standing on top of the roof of Bon Bon’s shop.

The form leapt down from the roof, landing behind the pair of mares. Lyra, equally excited and bemused, watched the figure stand to her full height...which may have been impressive if she wasn’t a few inches shorter than Lyra.

She was definitely a deer, and Lyra recognized by the redwood coloring to her coat, amid a few dots of white, that she was of the Vanir tribe, a red deer. She had a mane of dark auburn elegantly woven into a single long braid that hung well past her neck, woven with strands of white and red cloth. A deep red vest made from manner of scaled leather was worn tightly across her chest and a dark green cloak over her back, with a baggy hood that was currently drawn back. A pair of almond brown eyes looked at Lyra and Bon Bon with an amused gleam.

“Hey! You’re one of the new deer in town!” Lyra said, stepping forward with a smile on her face, “I was hoping to spot one of you before leaving today. Did that huge wyvern belong to you?”

“Lyra,” Bon Bon said in a faintly chiding tone, “It’s rude to just start asking a stranger questions... even one that was randomly on top of my roof for no reason, and I’d really kinda like to know why?”

The red deer made a sound that was almost a laugh, but more an amused huff, and she started to pace around Lyra, not really acknowledging Bon Bon’s presence beyond the initial glance.

“The wyvern is a pet of prince Frederick of Yggdrasil. A convenient ride across the vast leagues between our home and these warm lands of the south. Tell me, are you a spinner of tales?”

Lyra, taken slightly aback by the deer’s shift in topic, and the sudden scrutinizing proximity of the deer as she circled Lyra, still answered quickly and with a sureness in her tone, “Sure am! Name’s Lyra Heartstrings.”

“I know your name,” the deer said, with a growing intensity in her look, “I may be one of the few of my kind that would. Lyra Heartstrings. Blackcherry Lee Punch. Ditzy Doo. Carrot Top. Raindrops. Trixie Lulamoon. These names are known to me. I made it a point to know them, as no storyteller could stand to tell a tale if she didn’t even know the names of the tale’s heroes.”

“Well, yeah, obviously,” agreed Lyra, “Got to know who’s who, otherwise the story kind of is missing one of its key ingredients. It’d be like trying to play a song with half the notes missing.”

“Ah, so you do understand. Yes, I thought you would. You might understand better than any of them,” the red deer said, but in a quiet voice, as if she was almost speaking to herself, then she continued in a clearer tone, “I am Andrea of Vaskyrsongr, a skald of the Old Words, and an eager devourer of tales from all parts of the world.”

“And I’m Bon Bon, confectioner, and fiancé of the mare you’re circling like a shark,” Bon Bon said, ears flat, and moving to stand protectively next to Lyra.

Andrea glanced at Bon Bon, not stepping back, but ceasing to pace around Lyra, “I mean no harm. I find I tend to forget that others outside Elkhiem do not realize the... honor, of being sized up in such a manner. It’s a compliment. It means I consider Lyra a worthy challenger. If I thought of her as nothing, I would thusly ignore her.”

“As you were ignoring me?” asked Bon Bon.

Lyra held up a hoof, to comfortingly pat her lover’s back, “It’s okay Bon Bon, I don’t think she was trying to insult you, either. Deer social traditions are kinda complicated from what I remember.”

“No more so than those of you ponies,” Andrea said, “I’ve studied your culture for a long time and still don’t quite understand some of the things you do. I was being dismissive of you, Bon Bon, but only because I had to acknowledge the strength of your paramour first. She is the one I will most likely face at the Contest of Champions, after all. It would’ve been rude beyond belief to acknowledge any before her.”

Lyra blinked, looking at Andrea in a new light, and even on her own instincts somewhat sizing the red deer up. She was so short, and her build was slight, almost twig-like. Lyra knew she ought to know better than to underestimate this deer based on her stature, but there was a bit of a sense that Andrea wasn’t really dangerous. Which suddenly struck Lyra as a bad way to start thinking of Andrea. From what she knew of deer culture, while each tribe had its own customs, one universal was that you never insulted a deer’s strength by suggesting they were in any way weak.

Bon Bon didn’t look as if she was completely satisfied but Lya continued rub Bon Bon’s back, feeling the tension in the earth pony mare. Lyra turned her attention to Andrea, “Well I’ll take the compliment for what it is.”

She held out a hoof, “Looking forward to seeing what you can do at the Contest. By the end of it I hope we’ll have plenty of stories to take home with us.”

Andrea took the offered hoof, and Lyra felt the steel-cord muscle underneath that dainty limb, and Andrea smiled, “I can assure you that we certainly will have quite the story to tell, but the time its all over.”

If there was any kind of undercurrent of a different meaning in her tone, Lyra couldn't hear it. Andrea sounded sincere, and eager, both of which Lyra understood as she felt the same way. With introductions out of the way Lyra’s mind turned towards something Andrea had said before, “Anywhos, you were talking earlier like you knew a lot more about the story in that account I found...”

“Yes, the tale of the Isle of the Fallen, and of Rengoku itself,” Andrea said, a teasing quirk coming over her lips, the red deer coyly leaning towards Lyra, “I’ve noticed the histories of ponies remove so much detail of that particular saga. I’m shocked you found even one account that even mentions the name of Rengoku.”

“Ha, tell me about it!” Lyra said, floating the book over and flipping through it’s pages, “This thing has stories from soldiers in the old Equestrian Royal Guard, and most of them have nothing to do with whatever happened twelve hundred years ago. Lots of stories about ceremonies and festivals, but only a few bare bones mentions of any kind of battle or war. That entry was the only one that even suggests some kind of fight happened where Corona and Luna were involved, or this ‘Rengoku’ thing.”

“Twelve hundred years is a long time, even for those who claim immortality,” said Andrea, “It's not surprising accounts are limited, especially if there was an intentional attempt to limit such accounts.”

“Who would do that? And why?”

“Not ‘who’, I would guess,” said Andrea, “Rather it was likely all of ponykind wanted to forget such dark days, and look instead towards the hopefully better future. It seems to be your way, to move past unpleasant events and focus on brighter possibilities to come. After all, how many detailed records are kept of any war you’ve fought? How many accounts in your books tell of the deaths of others, of great suffering, in your realm or abroad? Many more are the tales of peaceful days and great accomplishments under the protection of your Princesses, not of any great dangers that threatened that peace.”

“Well, there have been dangers we have stories about,” said Lyra, thinking of Tirek, or the Smooze... but then even as the thought about it she realized the only reason she knew about such ancient threats that had plagued Equestria is because she had dug for them, amid old, locked away archives. Aside from the banishment of Celestia there was few tales of the threats to Equestria that were common knowledge. For the most part Equestria’s history was a long list of peaceful transitions, magical and technological progress, and the occasional story of Luna protecting her little ponies against... one thing or another. The details were always glossed over, in those events.

Just like with this ‘Rengoku’ and whatever had happened twelve hundred years ago.

“Its quite alright,” Andrea was saying, “Many of my kind would not understand. We revel in our tales of struggle and woe against mighty foes, and take solace in grim ballads of the death of heroes. But our culture is defined by unending conflict, with invaders, each other, even our own land which is an unforgiving place of cold and many monsters that would make a meal of the weak. While some of the tribes would look upon the ponies and seek weakness, I admire a land that maintains such a long standing peace. Would that a few more of our stories were of peaceful times of dance and song, rather than of battle and blood.”

Bon Bon was still frowning, “Lyra, the train...”

Lyra blinked, realizing they had just been leaving to go for the train station, “Right! Right! Sorry. Hey, uh, Andrea, it’s great meeting you and I can’t wait to talk to you more. I want to hear the songs a real skald can belt out! And you better believe I’ll be bringing my A-game to the Contest!”

She and Bon Bon went back to their luggage trolley, Lyra helping Bon Bon put on the harness to pull it. Lyra gave Andrea one last wave as they trotted off towards Ponyville’s train station, and the red deer returned the wave with a smile.

Lyra didn’t hear Andrea’s final words, whispered as they were.

“I hope so. For both our sakes.”

Canterlot was a jewel in daylight, but once the sun set and the city was embraced by the light of the moon it was if that jewel transformed into a living star. All of its lights shone with life from every window, and its streets became buzzing venues where anypony might turn a corner and find an artist performing or an open restaurant enticing in patrons with the promise of the delicacies within. It wasn’t simply a city that never slept, it was a city that woke up with the night.

Trixie had grown fond of Ponyville, but she couldn’t deny she sometimes missed living in Equestria’s capital city. Didn’t hurt that she was currently enjoying the luxuries offered by the Royal Palace. When Princess Luna decided to set a table, she didn’t skimp. The dinner table Trixie was sitting at was in one of the palace’s many side rooms, with a sizable fireplace at one end that kept the room warm despite what was turning into a chilly night. Huge, tall windows with dark blue curtains drawn back showed a beautiful night with Luna’s moon full and high in the sky.

“I do hope everything is to your liking,” said Princess Luna at the head of the table, “I told the chef’s to provide a suitable variety, as I confess I don’t know the tastes of many of you besides the... eclectic ones possessed by my apprentice.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. As if her tastes were that strange. Oranges went well with tartar sauce! If Luna had just stopped being such a big baby and tried it Trixie was certain the alicorn would’ve agreed with her. As if reading Trixie’s mind Luna gave her a look and said, “And no, you’ll never get me to try that smoothie you make. Ever.”

Trixie sniffed, “You’re missing out.”

“I’ll try it, if you wish, but only on the day you find a special somepony to enjoy some personal time with,” Luna replied with a tiny smirk.

Trixie nearly choked on her salad and Cheerilee chuckled across the table.

“I think that’s check-mate there, Trixie, better give it up,” the schoolteacher said with a grin.

Trixie, hoof hitting her chest to get the errant piece of greens down her throat, glared at her friend for a second, then found herself laughing as well.

While Trixie was at ease, having been both a resident of Canterlot, the Royal Palace, and having shared a meal or two with Princess Luna in the past, there were a number of other ponies at the table who were clearly trying to mind their manners more than Trixie knew was needed. Most of her friends were used to Luna to one degree or another by now, though Carrot Top still tended to fidget around the alicorn. Dinky Doo and Snails were equally at ease, the pair of foals seated together and taking far more interest in the treats spread before them than paying much mind to the adults in the room.

It was Raindrops’ parents, Dewdrop and Shutter Bug, who both seemed like they were ready to vibrate right out of their seats with how nervous the pair looked, both of them seeming to glance everywhere they could besides Princess Luna while still also stealing glances at her. Raindrops, seating right next to her parents, was doing her best not to look uncomfortable herself, though that probably had a lot more to do with her parents than with Luna herself.

“Dinky, eat your food, don’t play with it,” Ditzy said, gently but with a firm enough tone that Dinky stopped poking at a rather tall pile of blue jelly shaped like a castle spire. Dinky looked a tad startled at herself, and quickly nodded, but her eyes kept looking at the jelly shaped castle with curiosity.

“Are you interested in what it is?” asked Luna in a leading manner, and Dinky nodded.

“I’ve never seen any pictures that looked like this,” Dinky said, “It’s neat! Why is the roof shaped like that?”

“Its called a ‘pagoda’, and the tiered, sloped structure is very common in architecture from the realm of the east; Shouma,” said Cheerilee before Luna could open her mouth to speak, and seeing the Princess glancing at her with a raised eyebrow Cheerilee grinned and rubbed the back of her head, “Sorry Princess, its your jelly mold, I guess you can explain it.”

Luna smiled and raised a hoof, “It’s quite alright. You are the educator, and she is a student of yours, after all. But, yes, that is a rendition of one of Shouma’s foremost temples, the Temple of Eternal Knowledge.”

“Sounds like my kind of place,” said Lyra, “Bet its packed with cool stories.”

“It is where the peoples of the east pool their greatest teachings and most enlightened philosophies,” said Luna, “Even I have only been within its hallowed halls a bare hoofful of times, though each visit was certainly enriching.”

“What’s Shouma like?” asked Carrot Top, “I barely remember hearing it mentioned once or twice back in school.”

“Do they have any neat bugs there?” Snails added, a hopeful note in his voice.

Trixie leaned forward, interested as well. If meeting the deer from Elkhiem had been any indication it was going to be quite the experience to meet all the others coming to the Contest, including this mysterious eastern land that even she hadn’t heard all that much about.

However a clouded look passed Princess Luna’s face, if only for a second or two, before she adopted a more serene smile, “It is a land as filled with magic as our own. Wondrous sights I could not possibly do justice to with words. There are certainly many fantastic creatures there, including insects of all manner of shapes and sizes, young Snails. Like the Golden Crickets, that are said to bring good luck to anypony who are fortunate enough to befriend them."

"Neat," Snails looked excited, but also paused, confused, "Wait, don't ponies not like gold 'cause of... you know..."

Luna nodded, giving the foal a kind smile, "In Equestria this is true, but the banishment of Celestia did not impact distant Shouma much. Gold remains a color looked upon as signifying good fortune by the ponies of that realm."

"Just how long have ponies been living there?" asked Trixie, having a hard time getting her head wrapped around a land that distant from Equestria, but apparently still fully inhabited by ponykind.

"Ponies off all three tribes migrated to that land well before... before I and my sister came to be rulers. Somewhere between four to five thousand yeas ago, I would estimate. In truth, while Celestia and I once sought see that land joined with Equestria we came to realize that those of Shouma have their own path to walk, and Equestria will ever be distant cousins. It is a land ruled by a noble caste of ponies who have draconic blood and magic running through them, called the ‘Kirin’. A single Imperial family has ruled Shouma for twelve hundred years, always headed by a single Empress.”

Trixie’s perceptive eyes caught a twitch from Lyra, seated a few chairs down, Bon Bon next to her. Lyra’s ears had done a little dance and the bard had leaned forward when Luna mentioned how long the Imperial family had been ruling in Shouma.

“What happened twelve hundred years ago? Who ruled there before that?” Lyra asked, voice burning with intense curiosity.

Luna, rather slowly, lifted a cup of tea and took a pointedly long sip. When she set the cup down and looked at Lyra her eyes held a pained glint.

“Before the Imperial family was established the land of Shouma was divided into many disparate, smaller kingdoms, many no larger than single city-states. Conflict was, unfortunately, quite common between them. It was not a peaceful time. I and my sister tried many times to guide that distant land towards a better future. Our efforts met with... mixed results. I’d rather not speak of the details, if you do not mind, Lyra Heartstrings. I know you would wish to hear the tale, but I do not trust my ability to tell it without coloring things with my own biases.”

“But it has to do with the reason the Contest of Champions exists, right?” Lyra pressed, nearly rising from her seat.

“It does,” Luna said, frowning, not a particular deep frown, but coming from the Princess it was enough to make Lyra deflate slightly, “To give you the, shall we say ‘abridged’ version, to satisfy that insatiable curiosity of yours, the threat the world faced back then originated in the realm of Shouma. The fight that required the rise and sacrificed of Champions from many races happened because of the actions of one of Shouma’s most ambitious and viscous warlords. A kirin who...”

Luna’s eyes lost focus for a moment, flickered briefly towards Trixie, then she closed them with a sigh, “...who at one time I called a friend. And also, an apprentice.”

There was a round of silence following that, none of the ponies seated at the dining table having an immediate response to the Princess’ words. Trixie herself felt an uncomfortable disquiet. She was still trying to work out something to say when Ditzy spoke up first.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to keep talking about it Princess. I’m sure Lyra didn’t mean to make you remember anything bad.”

Luna’s smile returned, giving the mailmare a small nod, “It is alright Ditzy Doo. My long life has accumulated many sad memories, this is true, but every day affords me the opportunity to make good memories as well, and I have no few of those to spare thanks in part to those gathered at this table.”

Lyra, looking abashed as she glanced away, scrunching herself into her chair, said, “I’m still sorry to poke you for info like that. It’s just frustrating because I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the story behind the Contest, and have been coming up mostly empty due to every Equestrian source I’ve tried has been nothing but the most bare bones info. Thought if I talked to a mare who was around back then I might learn more. Guess I just did... sorry.”

Luna raised a hoof, “As I said, it is alright. Do not worry. I doubt I could do the full story proper justice anyway. Suffice to say the mare I once called friend changed a great deal over time, and sadly was consumed with a desire to make the world bend to her vision of what should be, no matter the cost others were forced to pay for her ambitions. You will see firsthoof the legacy she left behind, when we reach the Isle of the Fallen.”

“Rengoku?” Lyra asked.

Luna actually looked surprised, not an expression Trixie saw often on the alicorn’s face.

“Where did you hear that name?”

Lyra coughed, “A, uh, red deer who visited Ponyville today. Name of Andrea.”

“Ah, that explains it then,” Luna said, “She and her fellow Champions from Elkhiem arrived at the palace not long before you all did. I have for some time teased my friend Wodan about visiting Canterlot, and he took it upon himself to bring company. I have not met Andrea personally, Lyra, but I will tell you that you’ve had the honor of meeting Elkhiem’s most renowned skalds and loreseekers. If any in Elkhiem would know the tale of the Contest’s origins by heart it would be her. I suppose she teased you with a name, but failed to elaborate further?”

“Yeah,” Lyra crossed her hooves, “Figured she was keeping all the juicy bits to herself.”

Bon Bon frowned, “Still don’t like the way she was looking at you, whatever deer customs happen to be.”

“So what is this Rengoku anyway?” asked Raindrops, a worried look in her face, her wings twitching slightly.

“A fortress,” Luna said, expression darkening, “And a weapon. One that could traverse mountains and oceans alike through the power of flight.”

Trixie found herself scoffing before she could catch herself, then at Luna’s look she said, “Sorry, sorry, but... you’re serious? This apprentice of yours made a flying castle? Why didn’t you ever teach me that spell? I could make the Residency fly and not worry about my window getting smashed in anymore.”

“Right, because that’s what you’d use a flying house for,” Raindrops said, “To keep your window repair costs down.”

“Does Trixie’s window get broken that often?” asked Ditzy, “I haven’t been counting.”

“Windowpane really is fond of Trixie...” Carrot Top mused, speaking of Ponyville’s resident window repair pony and the fact that Trixie recently was given a preferred customer card. One free window repair for every five visits!

Trixie, trying very hard and not quite succeeding in keeping a slight pout off her face said, “I’m just going to save up and spring for those reinforced, double-thick windows next time. I will make the Residency Ponyville-proof!”

“Better work on your door, then, as well,” said Cheerilee, “Though I don’t think it’s possible to make any door Pokey-proof.”

Luna, one eyebrow quirked up at the turn in conversation, coughed politely and said to Trixie, “I did not teach my former apprentice the spells to create her fortress. Nor would I have, had I known of such magic at the time. Rengoku was the pinnacle of my former friend’s magical skill, and was forged of secrets she uncovered in Shouma’s most remote regions. To this day I still do not understand just how she managed to construct something so... dangerous. It alone allowed her to make all the east bow to her rule, and launch a war of conquest into the west. Even my sister and I together were only able to slow the fortress’s progress, to buy the time needed for others to brave its dangers and face its master.”

She looked at each of Trixie’s friends in turn, finally resting her gaze on Trixie herself, “Of the thirteen Champions who entered Rengoku to put an end to the threat only two returned. One was a pony, a young mare of no small magical talent, but the loss of her friends hurt her greatly. She refused to allow her name to be recorded, and personally requested of me and my sister that the tale not be venerated. That is part of why so few accounts of the battle exist in Equestria. The other survivor was the daughter of the warlord, who fought to free her people from fear of the tyrant her mother had become. After the battle this daughter went on to establish the dynasty that is the current Imperial family, a bloodline that has ruled in peace for the generations since.”

“And the fortress itself, what happened to it?” asked Lyra.

“Did it fall apart when the bad guy got beat up?” asked Dinky, “That’s what usually happens, right?”

Luna got a bemused look on her face and Trixie was quick to say to her mentor, “It’s sort of a common occurrence in modern stories. Lyra, what was the term, again?”

“Load bearing boss,” Lyra said.

“Ah,” Luna said, though in a tone that suggested she still found the notion odd, “I am sorry to say that, no, the fortress did not crumble upon the defeat of the warlord. It fell, yes, but it remained quite intact, and to this day remains on the Isle of the Fallen. My sister and I would have destroyed it, but even after the fall of its master the fortress’ core retained a truly frightening amount of magical energy. To destroy it would risk causing destruction potentially worse than what the fortress could cause on its own. So instead Celestia and I created a barrier around the fallen fortress, sealing Rengoku away. We also... encouraged the formation of a monastic order on the island, which to this day remains as the island’s guardians against potential intruders who’d seek to tamper with the barrier. In fact most of the Champions for the Contest will be sleeping at this order’s monastery while the Contest takes place.”

“Speaking of sleep,” ventured Shutter Bug uneasily, though the mare seemed to relax a little at Luna’s calming nod, “We should probably get Snails to bed, your highness. It’s an early morning tomorrow for all of us.”

“You are quite right,” Luna said, “All of you should take this chance to rest well. At dawn tomorrow I shall be teleporting us to the southern coast of Cavallia where we will meet with Princess Cadance. Equestria’s Champions will sail alongside Cavallia’s and we shall arrive at the Isle together.”

“The island must not be that far from the coast then,” said Cheerilee, “If we’re meant to arrive there that day.”

“Indeed, it is a mere forty miles from the coast. The trip shall be made faster with my magic giving us a favorable wind and a strong current to bear us at best speed. I imagine we’ll arrive before the morning gives way to midday,” Luna said, and Carrot Top made a small, gulping sound.

“More boats...” the carrot farmer groaned. Not long ago, during their adventure to Tambelon, Carrot Top had discovered she was no mare of the sea, “I guess that means I’m skipping breakfast.”

Not long after that the gathered ponies started to rise from the table, a number of servants entering to start cleaning up the remaining platters and plates. Princess Luna joined Trixie and the others out in hallway, “There is one last thing I wished to do before the six of you retired for the evening. I’d like to show my Knights of the Realm something. It shan't take long, and through it could wait, it would be best to do this while we’re still in Canterlot. If that is alright?”

There was a brief moment of exchanged looks, mostly with Ditzy seeming to hesitate about letting Dinky go off to bed by herself, but then if the foal wasn’t safe in the center of the Royal Palace, just where else could she be considered safe?

“Don’t worry Ditzy,” said Shutter Bug, “We’ll be looking after her at the Contest after all, we’ll certainly be watching her here.”

“You’re right,” Ditzy said with a smile at the other mother, then she turned to give Dinky a quick nuzzle, “I’ll be back soon muffin.”

A few minutes later Princess Luna had led the six mares to a wing of the palace containing a simple, offshoot tower. They climbed an exterior set of stairs the wrapped around the tower, providing an excellent view of Canterlot and the surrounding palace grounds. As they walked, or in Ditzy and Raindrops’ case flew alongside, Trixie’s curiosity got the best of her patience.

“Soooo, what are you showing us, Princess?” she asked, only half-joking as she added, “Not some hidden away text that explains that an ancient lord of Tartarus is sealed up inside that fortress, and you need us to fight it? Because I think I read that story in one of Sparkle’s adventure novels last month, and if my life’s following its normal pattern, that would be what would happen next.”

“Nothing so dramatic I’m afraid,” said Luna, “You’ll have to save your heroic battle with a lord of Tartarus for some future date.”

“That’s all well I suppose,” said Trixie, “I don’t have anything to wear for such an occasion anyway.”

Luna broke into a coy smile as they reached the top of the stairs, where the tower held a single circular room with a single pair of heavy doors. Luna gripped the doors within a sheath of her midnight blue magic, but before she opened them she turned to the six Element Bearers before her.

“When I named you all Knights of the Realm it was, in part, a reward for the services you’ve done for Equestria and your fellow ponies. It was also in part because I realized those who bear the Elements of Harmony needed both acknowledgement and backing to properly serve the role of defending this nation from harm. Since then, on Tambelon and beyond you six have shown courage and skill in facing danger. I have thus also called upon you to be Champions, to show all the world at the Contest what ponies of Equestria can be.”

She opened the doors and gestured with one wing for the six mares to enter, who all exchanged looks before doing so.

“I would be remiss, I think,” said Luna, “If I asked you to be Champions, but did not ensure you could at least look the part.”

Inside the room there were no furnishings, merely a simple marble floor and a ceiling supported by thin, elegant pillars. But in the center of the room were six stands, with mannequins in the shape of ponies.

Trixie gulped, unable to keep an eager grin off her face, said “You give the nicest gifts.”

Carrot Top was simply blinking in surprise, “What are they made out of...?”

Cheerilee, even, seemed to shock to make a quip, instead saying, “That is Astranium, more ‘commonly’ known as star-steel. I say ‘commonly’ in the loose sense, because there isn’t supposed to be much more than a few dozen pounds of it located since the founding of Equestria.”

“Such reports,” Luna said, “Did not account for my own personal search for such metal.”

Ditzy looked at a tad confused, tilting her head slightly, “Are we allowed to wear these? They look expensive.”

Lyra was practically hopping with excitement, “Ditzy, of course we’re supposed to wear them. They have our cutie marks right on the tabards! And those banners? Princess, did you decide on those designs?”

“I did. I hope you do not mind me taking some artistic licence with them?”

“They look alright,” Raindrops said with a shrug, and at everypony else’s stare directed her way the jasmine pegasus did manage to look a tad abashed, “Well, I mean... I’m just not that big on armor.”

“You’ll find these are so light it is little more than like wearing a piece of cloth,” said Luna, “But cloth with the protective properties of magically enchanted steel. Mainly because I also took the liberty of enchanting these suits with some of my stronger warding spells.”

The six mares approached the armor mannequins, each of which bore a suit of armor that sported a tabard colored in each individual mare’s coat colors and bearing their cutie marks upon the chest. The armor itself was made from fine interwoven links of chain-mail small enough to almost appear to be silk rather than metal, and was designed to cover the neck, chest, back, flanks, and forelegs with a snug fit, leaving just enough space in back for the tail. The metal itself was a silvery sheen, like starlight given physical form.

Next to each suit of armor was also a metal pole, sporting a banner of silk that hung down to two tapered points. Each banner held designs upon them that were clearly meant to signify their individual Element Bearers.

Lyra’s was a stylized lyre, not unlike her cutie mark, but surrounded by a golden glow of magic that in turn seemed to be summoning a storm of scrolls and book pages, swirling around it like a tornado.

Cheerilee’s banner displayed what looked to be Ponyville’s schoolhouse, but surrounded by a field of flowers that looked like the ones on Cheerliee’s cutie mark, and, strangely, a school of fish swimming through the air above it all.

Ditzy’s consisted of a pair of wings the same grey color as Ditzy’s coat, on a background of soft yellow, dotted with bubbles. The wings were protectively enclosing the largest bubble and if one looked closely at it one could see the outline of a small unicorn filly at the center.

Raindrops’ banner depicted a stormy black cloud letting forth a deluge of rain, the droplets of rain forming the shape of a heart crossed with two stylized wings whose tips were pointed like swords.

Carrot Top’s sigil was an orange shield, the same color as her mane, on a background that showed a seemingly endless expanse of farm fields of all kinds, with no fences or demarcation separating the fields of carrots from any of the other crops.

Finally, Trixie’s banner showed a swarm of fireworks exploding across a field of azure blue, the many colored lights bursts framing the silver sheen of a crescent moon hanging in the center of the field, and upon the inner curve of that crescent was the form of a rearing unicorn in a purple hat and cape.

“I trust you all find them to your liking?” asked Luna, with an actual hint of trepidation as the alicorn Princess of the Night seemed to shuffle a tad nervously on her hooves. Trixie turned from running a hoof appreciatively along her banner, turned and all but flung herself at Luna with a big hug.

“They’re perfect. Thank you.”

“Well, at least now if we lose, we’ll lose looking stylish,” said Cheerilee, eyeing her armor, “Any neat magical powers we ought to know about? Like can we leap tall buildings in a single bound with these on? Or have the strength of ten mares?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” said Luna, “The armor is protective, nothing more. However the strength of Astranium, combined with my enchantments upon it, should help you withstand blows that might otherwise cause no small amount of harm.”

“That legal in the Contest?” asked Raindrops.

“Yes,” replied Luna, “Champions are in fact encouraged to make use of any items of power they might possess. It is part of the spectacle. One of many reasons I felt it was due time I provided you mares with something to properly signify your station and help keep you safe. These suits of armor will be yours to use on any dangerous mission you might undertake as Knights of the Realm, not just in participating in the Contest.”

“Spiffy,” said Lyra, already trying her armor on, which slipped over the mare as smoothly and easily as she might've put on a hoodie, “Ooooh, this does feel light. I can barely feel it!”

Lyra turned around in a few circles, “Need a mirror. Wanna see.”

Trixie laughed, conjuring up an illusionary image of Lyra as she was with the armor on, “How’s that?”

“Oh yeah,” Lyra said, striking a pose, “Bon Bon is gonna love seeing me in this. I think tonight's the night to try a little role-play action.”

Trixie blanched, dismissing the illusion, much to Lyra’s chagrin, but Trixie said, “Remember that talk we had about the meaning of too-much-info?”

“Nope!” said Lyra with a grin.

Raindrops rubbed her forehead, “And I think that’s our cue to call it a night. Princess, thanks for the consideration. As long as this armor helps keep us all safe, I don’t have any complaints.”

“Same here,” said Ditzy, “It’s just like wearing a uniform to work, right? Its real nice of the Princess to think of this for us.”

“I’m glad you all like them,” said Luna, “I wanted to make sure you would, before springing this on you at the Contest. Well, then, I’ll take no more of your time. Go and get some rest my little ponies. Tomorrow you have a very big day ahead of you.”

Author's Note

Whew, chapter 2 certainly took me a lot longer than I expected it to. Got stymied quite a bit on this one, mostly because deciding how I wanted to go about introducing the deer was something I had a lot of difficulty getting satisfied with. In the previous chapter I had a much easier time showcasing characters from Shouma or the Griffin Kingdoms because they were in their home environment, but with the deer I decided to have them show up in Ponyville and cause a bit of a ruckus; simple enough in concept but the interactions took me awhile to bang out just how I wanted it to go. Hopefully you guys found them an interesting enough bunch.

Next chapter we finally get the L6 to the Contest, and we'll get to see just what that's going to entail. Oh, and Minotaurs. Can't forget the Minotaurs. Think they're the last bunch I haven't introduced yet, but that'll wait until the party arrives on the island.

As always thank you for reading and any and all comments or critiques are highly appreciated. Let me know if I'm moving too slow, or if something seems up with the characters. Also, the Lunaverse being the wonderful shared universe it is, any thoughts on how the characters from other nations act or notes on their culture I'm more than happy to hear thoughts on and make any adjustments if it seems like they need to be made. I'm sailing into a lot of unknown territory here, and certainly don't feel like I have the sole right to map it all out myself!

'Till next time folks.

Chapter 3: The Isle of the Fallen

Chapter 3: The Isle of the Fallen

Propelled on conjured winds and aided by a summoned, swift current, the RES Wingsong cut across the soft southern sea, its sails and speed giving it the look of the fin of a shark. On the ship’s bow Trixie excitedly stood with her forehooves propped up on the deck railing, enjoying the warm sea breeze blowing through her mane and peering ahead, eager to catch a first glimpse of their destination. Her eyes flashed with anticipation and there was a slight bounce in her hind legs. She was speaking under her breath to herself, mind lost in planning.

“Oh, oh yes, just the right timing on the starbursts, mix in some echo enhancements to support Lyra’s playing, this is going to completely awe the crowds. Hehehehe, oh, and when we all take the proper pose, the glamour of false lightning and explosions to match our colors.”

“Uuugh,” Carrot Top’s languid groan was plain to hear over the sound of water breaking against the ship’s hull. .

“Hey, if you don’t appreciate my intensive planning you could at least be less negative,” Trixie began, but looking over at Carrot Top she realized the mare wasn’t making noise at Trixie, but rather just happened to have her head hung over the rail. There was certainly a pea-green tint to the farmer’s usually healthy yellow coat, and Trixie thought Carrot Top’s mane and tail even seemed wilted and ill.

“S-sorry, Trixie, boats... ocean... bad...” Carrot Top explained, smiling wanly.

“Ah, my mistake then,” Trixie said, giving Carrot Top a pat on the withers, then immediately took a step back as that caused another bout of heaving. Trixie gave her friend a bemusedly worried look, “So I take it you and the ocean still don’t get along?”

It had been discovered not too long ago that Carrot Top could get almost violently seasick. In fact the Wingsong had been the ship Trixie and her friends had rode that time as well, to the island of Tambelon to investigate the island’s mysterious return and to confront its necromantic master. Between dealing with deadly golems, the advent of a near unkillable lich, and Corna herself, seasickness had been among the least of Carrot Top's adversaries, but remained one she had yet to conquer. That had been some months ago, not quite half a year, and apparently Carrot Top had not devised a solution to her trouble with the not-so-proverbial motion of the ocean.

Carrot Top raised her head just long enough to give Trixie a flat stare, “Not yet. Still hate the sea. And water in general, I think.”

“Don’t you need water to operate a farm. Irrigation and all that?” Trixie pointed out.

“That’s nice, clean, non-rolling...urggg... river or lake water. Not this horrible ocean water. Urk ... and none of my herbal remedies are helping!”

The farmer mare gave a small stamp of frustration before groaning and laying across the rails like a wet bath towel.

“Anything the magnanimous and merciful me can do to help?” asked Trixie, about as politely as she could manage while trying not to laugh a bit. Not at Carrot Top’s suffering, but rather at how the mare reminded Trixie far too much of some of her cousins and how they got after an all night bender across Neigh Orleans numerous taverns.

“Cut my head off, or convince Luna to teleport us the rest of the way?” Carrot Top replied, sounding quite serious about the head removal suggestion. Trixie was reminded of some of her less pleasant hangovers and could sympathize.

Trixie looked back across the deck of the Wingsong. Her friends were enjoying some fresh air, Ditzy floating around, watching Dinky and Snails play a game of tag while making sure to keep out of the way of the sailors working the ship. Raindrops was actually up in the crow’s nest, wanting to be of help but having no practical skills to aid in the sailing, so instead the ship’s captain had allowed the mare to take a turn on watch. Cheerilee was near the forecastle, speaking with Raindrops’ parents, though what about Trixie couldn’t hear. Judging by the smiling expressions it was pretty light conversation. Lyra was with Bon Bon on the starboard side of the ship, the pair watching the passing waves together, and Trixie noted their intertwined tails. That and the fact that Lyra was still wearing her new suit of Astranium armor. Trixie almost rolled her eyes. Almost. She had preened a bit in front of a mirror last night herself, admiring the look of the armor and feel of it on her coat; like wearing solid moonlight.

Finally, on the aft side of the ship, Trixie could see the tall, dark form of Princess Luna, her midnight blue coat standing out against the bright blue of the horizon. Next to Luna was another alicorn, not quite as tall, but perhaps even more graceful, with a thinner, more delicate build. A pink coat turned blue towards the tips of her wings, and a three toned mane of creme, violet, and pink cascaded down Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s back in perfectly groomed curls.

The pair of alicorns seemed locked in deep conversation, nopony, not even the ship’s sailors, daring to wander close to what might have been a private talk between the two sovereigns. Trixie gave Carrot Top a helpless shrug, “If you want I could ask if either of the super-powered immortal Princesses happen to have a spell that help with seasickness.”

“Nah... ugh... appreciate the offer, but I wasn’t serious. Shouldn’t bother the Princesses with my... with my...” Carrot Top’s words trailed off into a groan, and Trixie grimaced, infinitely glad that she didn’t share her friend’s problem with the sea. If anything she found the ocean air bracing and the gentle rolling of the waves oddly relaxing.

Note to self; when I become rich and powerful, get a boat. I rather enjoy sailing.

Finished with her most recent battle with her stomach, Carrot Top drew in a few ragged breaths and asked, “How much longer until we reach this sun blasted island anyway?”

“Not long,” Trixie said with a confident nod, “Should only be a few more hours, at the speed we’re going. It’s not that far off the coast.”

Indeed the southern coast of both Equestria and Cavallia were visible to the north behind the ship’s wake, a thin green and brown line across the horizon. Trixie could almost make out the dotted white and gray specks that indicated Port Golden Shore, the town that rested upon the border between the two nations, a place that was more an extravagant beach resort than it was a trade harbor. The six Element Bearers and the family members traveling with them had arrived with Luna early in the morning via teleportation and gotten to enjoy a spectacular sunrise over the ocean while eating breakfast at one of the town’s best shoreside restaurants. Trixie made it a point to remember the place, as they served among the best poni colada’s she ever recalled having.

After breakfast they’d gone to the docks where the Wingsong had been moored alongside several other Equestrian naval vessels, and a single Cavallian ship. The other Equestrian ships would be carrying members of the nobility who were more interested in appearing at the Isle of the Fallen alongside the Princess than in simply getting there. Trixie knew a number of Equestrians, those who had the means, had been making their way to the island over the past week or so. She didn’t know the full list of which Night Court nobles might be in attendance but she wasn’t too concerned about it. Trixie no longer had any fears of any in the Night Court trying to manipulate her or her friends. There were even, perhaps, a few who Trixie could start to trust. According to Raindrops, Cheerilee, and Carrot Top at any rate this Baron Mounty Max was a noble they could count on in a pinch, at least if the story her friends had told her of their recent adventure in Canterlot had been any indication.

As it turned out the two highest ranked nobles who were traveling by ship alongside the Wingsong were Vicereine Wallflower and Viscount Blueblood. Trixie was infinitely glad they were using their own ships, if only so she could minimize her contact with Blueblood. Wallflower was a bit of a chatterbox by Trixie’s remembrance of her time in court, but Trixie didn’t mind the mostly harmless Vicereine, but Blueblood still irked Trixie. It wasn't that he'd been any worse than any other Night Court noble in terms of manipulation. He was just annoying. And loud. And full of himself. And... pretty much exactly like Trixie had been a few years ago. That comparison, perhaps, was what irked her most of all.

The Cavallian ship was Princess Cadenza’s, apparently one she’d had custom built for her personal use. The sleek, narrow schooner lacked the size one might expect of a Princess’ conveyance, but it carried all the majesty. The Dawnsray certainly seemed aptly named, its rosey hull and ruby sails blending so well with the sunrise splash of that had colored the sky that morning.

While the two Princesses had exchanged pleasantries and Wallflower had chattered about something Trixie had ignored, Trixie had noticed something very strange.

She didn’t recall Luna, specifically, raising the sun. Had anypony else noticed? Trixie didn’t think so. Nopony had said a thing. Probably, Trixie reflected, because everypony was so used to the sun rising each morning that none of them really bothered to think about it, or Luna’s role in the affair. Unlikely anypony really knew what Luna went through to raise the sun who hadn’t actually seen the Princess do so. Most probably assumed Luna just sort of willed it to happen. Trixie knew Luna at least needed to use a fair bit of magic to perform the deed.

Trixie mulled the situation over in her head as she gazed, now, across the deck of the Wingsong at the two chatting alicorns.

She didn’t know Princess Cadenza very well, having only met Cavallia’s ruler a small number of times over the years, but she did know that the pink alicorn was not only a true alicorn and no mere pegasus/unicorn hybrid, but also Luna’s daughter... sort of. It was complicated. Alicorns normally could not bear foals (which led to all sorts of interesting questions about where exactly Luna and Celestia had come from in the first place) and the existence of Princess Cadenza was the result of very unique circumstances, not likely to ever occur again. Dark magic, Elements of Harmony, extremely unusual metaphysical happenings. Luna was a master of the vague explanation.

Yes, Trixie was curious what those two were chatting about, and about asking Luna just why she hadn’t raised the sun with her own magic that morning, but she had no intention of interrupting a private talk between the world’s only alicorn mother/daughter pair.

What secrets or weighty immortal matters could those two be talking about?

Princess Cadenza, or Cadence as she preferred those close to her to call her, gave Luna a sidelong smirk at the question Luna had just asked.

“Oh, we haven’t quite gotten that close, but yes, it’s going well between Shining and me. To the point where I can say ‘Shining and me’ and have it be meaningful rather than hopeful,” Princess Cadenza had a warm smile on her face, wings fluttering happily, “We’ll see how things go, but so far he’s done nothing but hit all the right buttons.”

“I suppose he’s handsome enough, but not to my taste,” Luna commented with a joking wink, her smile deep and content as she started to extend a wing to wrap around her daughter, only just barely noticing her action and pulling back at the last second. They were still in public, and the public did not know about her and Cadence’s true relationship yet. A prospect that had once frightened Luna was one that she now found she could not wait to have happen, so she could openly show her affection for her daughter without fear.

Cadence noticed the aborted gesture and her own smile turned knowing as she carefully moved one of her hooves to comfortingly touched Luna’s leg with a firm pat.

“You never have told me much about your tastes,” Cadence said teasingly, an airy laugh on her lips, “I always have difficulty deciding just who I should introduce you to that will suit. I don't even know if you prefer stallions to mares.”

Luna shrugged, “I have had lovers before, of either sex, when I felt the need, and found one suitable to my tastes.”

Cadence inclined her head, giving Luna a look that made the Princess of the Night shift uncomfortably.

“You make it sound like shopping for clothes,” Cadence said, through her expression lightened considerably, “There's more to love than simple flings. Not that there is anything wrong with a few flings. I’ve had my share of those. But I’ve also had my share of loves worth more than a fling. Near a thousand years since my own ‘birth’, centuries since we started seeing each other regularly as equals, yet in all that time not once have I seen you with another pony as I am with Shining.”

Luna frowned, pursing her lips, ears twitching as she kept her voice low so nopony could hear, “You know, I’m the mother here, I don’t think I need lectures on my love life from my own daughter.”

Cadence nearly giggled at the ruffled Princess of the Night, also speaking in a low whisper, “Oh but it’s practically a daughter’s duty to see to her beloved mother’s happiness, and to meddle in her love life. But, truly, centuries and not one mare or stallion has made a spark in the Night’s heart?”

For a moment Luna’s eyes looked distant, “Of course there have. I merely approach the matter differently than you do. I am not comfortable with making such relationships public. It would complicate matters. You’re still young, yet, you haven’t had enough experience to understand.”

“Luna, I’ve been married five times, and have had dozens of relationships in between that didn’t get serious enough for marriage. I’d say I have experience.”

“I’m not merely speaking of the matter of recognizing and pursuing love, Cadence,” Luna said, “I’m speaking of being aware of how much my actions can affect those around me, because of who and what I am.”

“Oh?” Cadence’s voice was coyly prompting for Luna to go on, “Are you speaking of being a Princess, or of being an immortal alicorn?”

“A little of both,” Luna admitted, “All I mean is that, after many thousands of years of life, I like to measure my actions, and think of their long term ramifications. Most ponies, when they think of long-term consequences merely think in regards to what will happen next week, or next month, or next year, and the immediate affect their decisions have on the ponies around them; friends, family, neighbors. I’ve learned after many mistakes and regrettable actions to think about what I do in terms of what will happen in a hundred years, or a thousand, and how my choice can affect those beyond the ponies immediately involved.”

“And thinking like that doesn’t drive you mad?” asked Cadence, and her eyes widened a bit as she realized what she’d just said and what it might mean to a pony who’d lost arguably the singular most important pony in her life to such madness.

Luna just smiled, a small smile that seemed to carry with it a weight of knowing beyond the depths of the ocean below them, “It is not an easy thing to contend with, at times. Yet we have an infinite number of chances, a limitless number of days, to adapt and grow. We also have each other... each other and...”

Luna’s voice trailed off as she looked up at the morning sun, well on its way to reaching its noon zenith. Cadence shared the look, and once more put a comforting hoof on Luna’s own, “Do you think she will see reason?”

“I don’t know. Before Tambelon, I would have been preparing myself to face her to a bitter end, mine or hers, but now?”

Luna shook her head, “Is there anything more dangerous to hold onto than hope?”

“Probably not,” admitted Cadence, but she looked at Luna with a comforting smile, “There’s also few things I can think of more worth holding onto.”

Luna nodded, and continued to watch her sister’s sun climb into the vast blue sky.

Cold sea air harshly whipped about Dao Ming’s face and she welcomed the chill. It helped her focus when her heart threatened to distract her with its incessant hammering. Among the many challenges she’d managed to overcome in her short life one of the most difficult was maintaining her calm while under her mother’s intense scrutiny. Dao Ming could not see her, standing as she was poised on the bow of the prize flagship of the Imperial Fleet, but she could feel the Empress’ eyes upon her, like two jade spears boring into the back of her head.

The Empress Fu Ling would not be alone, either, joined by the other members of the Imperial Family to watch Dao Ming perform her duty. Her many ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ were gathered in silent observation of the present Imperial Heir. Mostly silent. Among them Dao Ming could hear whispers, her eldest sister Tomoko’s lowered voice saying, “Is it safe for her to do this alone?”

To that Dao Ming heard the whisper of a younger sister, Xhua, reply, “Does it matter?”

The whispered were followed by a crack of sound like the snapping of bone, followed by a few startled gasps. Dao Ming didn’t need to look to know her mother had merely flicked her tail in annoyance, but that gesture alone was enough to pacify the chatter. Dao Ming was almost appreciative, though if she were being honest with herself Tomoko’s concerns were far from invalid.

She had never performed the Rite of Swift Passage without at least one partner to share in the Mantra. While the Imperial Fleet’s flagship, the Divine Current, was a swift vessel for its incredible size, it was not a small thing. At nine masts and nearly one hundred and fifty paces long the Divine Current with its emerald painted hull and golden square sails dwarfed the other ships in the small fleet that would make its way to the Isle of the Fallen. Normally such a voyage would take weeks, even months without favorable winds. But that journey would be cut into a single afternoon with the Rite of Swift Passage. It was a rarely used ritual, but not unheard of when the Imperial Family wished to make an impressionable entrance somewhere.

Dao Ming had expected her mother to assist in performing the Mantra chant, and had been given quite the surprise when the Empress had informed her that she would be taking on the task alone.

Another test, Dao Ming thought, somewhat bitter, Even on the advent of my greatest challenge, she still tests me at every opportunity. Well, I shall not be found wanting!

With a deep breath Dao Ming began her casting. Her twin ivory horns lit with curls of pure golden light. This was magic born of the heritage all kirin shared with their unicorn kin. Dao Ming felt the vast pool within herself that her horns tapped into, felt the ripples across that pool as the magic flowed into physical being through the conduit her horns represented. This was but part of the magic she would be conjuring, however. Kirin and unicorn alike who had settled the ancient land that the westerners called Shouma had discovered many great secrets, one of them being that of the magical art of Mantra. Words of power that spoke to the spirits laying dormant in the world, inside every object, from the smallest blade of grass to the mightiest mountain. The magic still drained the innate magical power inherent in many of the equine races, unicorn or otherwise, yet the spirits merely took that power to allow themselves to manifest with their own unique strength. This meant that any who knew the Mantra could cast spells with the proper scrolls; earth pony, pegasus, longma, it mattered not. But the kirin were unique. They shared a connection with the spirits that was of blood and ancient pacts, at least according to the oldest legends of the land.

Dao Ming’s magic took hold of a case of scrolls tied to her flank, and like wisps of smoke a trio of scrolls unfurled from the caste and flew around the kirin’s body, forming three rings that circled her again and again until it was if Dao Ming were encased in a loose cocoon of velium. Upon these scrolls, written in black ink, were thick lines of complex script; kanji pictographs. Each was the size of a hoof, and as the scrolls spun around Dao Ming she sent her magic into the scrolls, golden arcs of light touching the scrollwork and flowing through it like a river, lighting up the black kanji ink like water filling a channel.

Words began to tumble from Dao Ming’s mouth, the swift, resonate words of the Mantra, words that when mixed with the medium of the scroll’s enchantments, brought to life by the channel of her magic, would translate into a mighty spell that would draw forth the spirits latent in the world.

I raise my head to the sky

Soul of air, soul of sea, hear my voice!

My path is long, my haste great

I humbly ask, aid our journey, swift air, sure sea!

With every word she spoke the letters seemed to fly off the scrolls, each line pulsing with her heartbeat and the steady flow of her magic. Like a yawning chasm had opened up inside her Dao Ming felt her magic pour away, filling the scrolls, empowering the words, sending out the call of the Mantra to the spirits around the Divine Current and the four smaller ships trailing in the wake of the humongous flagship. As her magic poured out Dao Ming very quickly began to feel the drain on her body. Normally there were supposed to be more casters performing different parts of the chant, using different Mantra scrolls, to collectively pool their energies. Now all of the drain fell squarely on Dao Ming’s shoulders and she struggled not to let it show as she started to feel hollowed out, strain beading sweat on her forehead and sending trembles into her legs.

Still, she continued to chant, feeling her mother’s eyes on her.

Build a bridge between realms, spirits of the air

Carry us safely across the expanse, spirits of the sea!

Do this, I beg, and be honored by our blood, our praise!

Winds of the east, waves of the west, come now!

She forced her legs to stiffen before they could buckle, and ignored the sweat now flowing freely down her face. Her horn’s magic wavered, the glow of golden aura greatly diminished. Her breath was coming in small, shallow gasps. But the ritual was working, the Mantra having its desired results. Water bubbled up in a frothing storm around both the Divine Current and the other ships following it. Glowing with motes of gold light the water rose in tendrils, then steamed into a billowing mist. Wind, sweeping in from all sides, carried the mist around the ships until all around was a white, thick fog that obscured sight no more than a short distance from the deck. The air was cool, and sound oddly muted, through Dao Ming could still hear the gentle waves of the ocean on the ship’s hull.

More than the mist, Dao Ming knew the ritual had worked because she’d felt the soft touch of something on her consciousness, another presence beside her own. A spirit of air, a powerful one, and likely the one leading the congregation of spirits summoned by the ritual, had sought her mind and picked out the destination Dao Ming desired. Dao Ming, despite her exhaustion, felt exhilarated. The spirits had answered the Mantra chant of her alone, and her magic had been sufficient sacrifice to appease the spirits. Now, amid this mystical mist, the span between the offshore waters of Shouma and the distant seas around the Isle of the Fallen off the shore of Equestria would be bridged.

Behind her she heard a soft tapping of hooves, and the voices of her family.

“Excellently done sister!” she heard Tomoko say, with no small amount of relief.

“At least we won’t be late,” said Xhua.

“Oh be quiet, I don’t recall the last time you did a three-scroll Mantra chant, even as part of a circle,” said the loud, booming voice of her elder brother, Lo Shang.

Not immediately trusting her legs to keep herself upright Dao Ming slowly turned, hoping to hear some words of praise from her mother. But as she looked all she saw was Empress Fu Ling’s back as the Empress walked away across the deck towards the door that would lead down into the bowels of the ship. The Empress’ tall, lithe form was a darker green than Dao Ming’s own jade coat, her scales a more burnished, red gold, and her own twin horns more akin to the smooth branches of an ash tree than the intertwined lightning of Dao Ming’s horns. The Empress wore a brilliantly shining gown of silken gold and onyx, trailing behind her like a river.

Dao Ming fought back the grinding of her own teeth, taking an involuntary step after her mother, almost shouting a protest. Would one word of appreciation or acknowledgement have been too much!? Even a single, satisfied nod!? She had just performed a ritual meant for an entire cadre of experienced Mantra chanters by herself and her mother simply walked away as if Dao Ming were simply accomplishing a mundane, daily task!?

Abruptly she felt a brush of feathers on her back following the familiar rush of wings.

“Well done, Lady Ming,” said Kenkuro, one wing draped across Dao Ming’s back, his pipe held in a soft, proud smile, “I doubt many in the Empire could have done the same and remain standing.”

“Yes,” Dao Ming said between labored breaths, “It seems certain individuals do not share the sentiments.”

Kenkuro looked past Dao Ming to where the Empress paused only briefly to allow the guards at the door to the lower decks to properly bow their heads to the ground and open the door for her before vanishing inside. Kenkuro smile faded slightly as he took his wing off her shoulder and folding them behind his back.

“She turned away quickly, I think, to hide her face from you,” he said.

Dao Ming scoffed, looking down at the deck as she whispered, “And why would the illustrious Empress need to hide her face from her own daughter?”

“So you did not see her smile, I would think,” said Kenkuro, to an incredulous look from Dao Ming. He squawked a small, cackling laugh, “Through perhaps my old eyes are showing me illusions.”

Dao Ming considered the latter possibility the most likely. Empress Fu Ling did not smile, at least not in Dao Ming’s experience. Perhaps one day that would change. Perhaps one day soon. Perhaps at the very Contest they now sailed across a mystical bridge of mist between oceans to reach. Dao Ming, still feeling drained to the last drop of her endurance, managed to maintain her poise as she strode towards her gathered siblings.

“Sister,” said Tomoko, inclining her head in a respectful bow to one who was of higher station. Tomoko, like all the adopted members of the Imperial Family, was a greater kirin, with two horns as opposed to the far more common single horn. Her horns were smooth, slightly curved like a bow, and split into a trident of spikes at the end. She had a brilliant ruby coat, an uncommon color on the mainland, but more common on the island state of Neighpon that was part of the Empire since being brought into the fold ages ago. Tomoko’s black mane and dark brown eyes were also testament to her heritage.

“Perhaps you would like to join us for breakfast and recuperate from your impressive efforts?” Tomoko asked politely, indicating the pavilion set up on the port side of the main deck where food was already being prepared on a carefully controlled and monitored grill. The smell of cooked fish was enticing and Dao Ming was glad her stomach didn’t rumble embarrassingly... yet.

“I would enjoy that,” she said, “I’ll need all my strength restored for when we reach our destination.”

“I could certainly go for some of that delicious, fresh caught tuna,” said Kenkuro.

At that Xhua gave the tengu a flat look, nose slightly upturned “Did I not just see you eating an hour ago? How much can you fit in that belly of yours?”

Xhua had a short, dainty stature, very much an example of classic noble birth and beauty, with her own dark mane bundled close to her head in an intricate and tight bun. Her own sea blue coat was well groomed and matched well her turquoise eyes. Her own horns were shorter, and forked in many places in elegant, short spines.

“Bah, why act so surprised? The Blade of Heaven could eat out half the Imperial storehouses and have room for dessert!” laughed Lo Shang, coming up and clapping Kenkuro on the back, using the tengu’s official title rather than his name, out of respect. Lo Shang was a tall, well muscled kirin stallion whose black coat and long white mane were the envy of many in the Empire, with emerald eyes that Dao Ming knew had seduced more than a few courtiers in the palace; mare and stallion alike. His own horns were curved inward, their edges and tips sharp as blades. They reminded Dao Ming of the blade of Lo Shang’s naginata spear.

Xhua sighed, looking at Lo Shang with a deadpan stare, “I was trying to subtly suggest our honored blademaster, who also happens to have a little thing called the Contest of Champions to participate in, might want to pace himself.”

Kenkuro laughed, holding up a wing, “Ah, but a warrior knows that he must eat whenever he can, for that meal may be his last!”

“Well said!” proclaimed Lo Shang with a grin, and he and Kenkuro both shared a laugh.

Xhua shook her head, but Dao Ming smiled, saying to Kenkuro, “As if you would ever fall in battle, old crow. It matters not what champions we may face, I cannot imagine a one of them that will be a match for you.”

She paused, adding with a barely concealed look of embarrassment, “Not that I shall allow you all the honor of taking victories on the field.”

They took seats at a lowered table, plush cushions available in abundance for them to sit upon while servants providing them with platters of fresh food, and goblets of fine, clear wine. Dao Ming had to restrain herself to eat properly, at a slow, dignified pace, because her hunger was already intense even before the ritual, and exhausting her magic only increased her appetite. It didn’t hurt that the Divine Current was carrying a massive retinue from the Imperial Palace, including the Empress’ finest chefs. It was sheer willpower that kept Dao Ming from literally shoveling the food down her gullet.

Kenkuro certainly felt no such sense of restraint, and Lo Shang followed his idol’s lead and ate like a starving pony. Xhua rolled her eyes at the spectacle, and Dao Ming found she couldn’t disagree with her younger sister. Even if she was a tad envious.

Tomoko, seated next to Dao Ming, turned to her, speaking in a casual tone, “I’m certain you will acquit yourself well, siser. Never have I known you to fail at any challenge placed before you. This will be no different.”

There were faint, mixed feelings in her sister’s voice, Dao Ming could sense. Of all the children Empress Fu Ling had adopted, Tomoko was the oldest, and had many talents that had made her an ideal addition to the Imperial Family. She’d been the highest born daughter of Neighpon’s richest noble family, and to be elevated to the Empire’s Imperial Family had been a natural step for her. Tomoko’s skills were not as martial as Lo Shang’s, or even Xhua’s, but as a member of the court, as a political figure, she was tireless and skilled. Much of the smooth running of the Empire’s affairs, especially in the Imperial City itself, were thanks to Tomoko’s efforts. Tomoko had been the Imperial Heir, before Dao Ming had been born.

Dao Ming wondered often if Tomoko was truly supportive of her, or if it was a mask her elder sister wore. How much had losing the position of Imperial Hier stung Tomoko’s heart? Did she secretly wish, perhaps even plan for, Dao Ming failing? Of course Dao Ming could lose her position at any time, were she to fail so spectacularly that the Empress could give the position to one of the other siblings gathered at the table. However, among those siblings, only Tomoko was skilled enough to warrant the possibility of ousting Dao Ming. Lo Shang, for all that Dao Ming was fond of her boisterous adopted brother, was a stallion of the battlefield, pure and simple. Politics did not become him. Xhua was capable both in the arts of war and of the court, but was held back by a lack of creativity and initiative. Dao Ming loved her siblings, but that was her assessment of them.

It made her consider all the more the importance of succeeding in the Contest. Were she not to, could she trust any of her siblings to take the responsibility of one day ruling the land and caring for its people? Could any other than she be capable of fulfilling the duties expected of the Empress?

“I do not doubt that you are correct,” Dao Ming said to Tomoko, hiding a flutter of nervousness, “Between myself and Kenkuro I know we will surely win.”

“Strange, though,” said Tomoko with a quiet tone, unlikely heard by the boisterously joking Kenkuro or Lo Shang, or the bored looking Xhua, “Why would the Empress dishonor you by insisting the Blade of Heaven compete alongside you?”

Dao Ming blinked, “Dishonor? I don’t understand. There could be no better warrior in all the Heavenly Empire to stand by my side.”

“Oh, I do not question Kenkuro’s skill. None in all the land would be so foolish,” said Tomoko with a disarming smile, which then faded to a worried look that Dao Ming could not tell was genuine or not, “Yet I am surprised at you sister. I thought you would have familiarized yourself with previous Contests and seen the... issue. I’m sure the Empress has good reasons, I would never doubt her. But it remains that since the Contest of Champions began our Empire has only ever sent a single champion to represent us. You will be the first since the beginning who has not been the sole champion of the Empire.”

Dao Ming took that with the feeling of a cold blow to her chest. She kept her face calm, not allowing her dismay to show on her features, but her voice held a hint of the disappointment she felt, “I see. I did not know that, Tomoko. I thought mother was providing a partner worthy of my skills to fight at my side.”

“Perhaps she is,” said Tomoko quickly, bowing her head, “I apologize, sister. I did not mean to upset you. I thought you knew already. For what it is worth I firmly believe you do not need the Blade of Heaven’s... protection.”

A flash of anger swept through Dao Ming and her eyes narrowed, “I need no protection. Mother will see! I will sweep away all comers at the Contest like the wind wipes away autumn leaves. You shall see, all of you will see, I am worthy. Just wait, sister, this Contest will be remembered for all the eternal years of the Empire to come!”

Amid Dao Ming’s incensed if quiet tirade she did not notice Tomoko’s slight smile as she sipped her wine and whispered, “Of that I am absolutely certain.”

“I see it! I mean, land ho!” Raindrops cry came from the crow’s nest, and Trixie found herself eagerly looking over the bow railing towards the south. With a rapid rush of hooves she heard her friend’s joining her, even Carrot Top lifting her head from over the rail to compose herself.

“Where is it? I’m not seeing anything,” Lyra was bouncing on her hooves, all vibrant energy as she hugged Bon Bon, then nearly climbed on top of her marefriend to get a better view. Bon Bon, with a warm smile but an equally half-flustered snort pushed Lyra down.

“Easy there hun, if Raindrops just saw it from up there, it’ll be a bit before we can see it ourselves.”

Ditzy in the meantime happily raised Dinky onto her back so the foal could prop herself on her mother’s head, and Dinky held her one hoof in front of her as if she were imagining holding a spyglass towards the horizon. Then, rather suddenly, a spyglass floated over to Dinky in a wreath of soft blue light, which Dinky blinked at in surprise.

“By all means,” said Princess Cadenza as she and Princess Luna joined the ponies on the bow deck.

Dinky’s mouth make a large ‘O’ of awe, then Ditzy patted her daughter gently saying, “It’s okay Dinky, just remember to say ‘thank you’ to the Princess.”

“Thank you so much! You’re the best Princess!” Dinky said, taking the spyglass, then paused, glancing at Luna sheepishly, “You’re also the best Princess.”

Luna chuckled, waving a hoof, “I don’t mind second place. Cavallia could not ask for a better Princess to steward it than Cadenza.”

Dinky looked quite eager to start scanning the horizon, but noticing Snails nearby with his own parents Dinky tapped her mother’s head and nodded towards the colt. Ditzy smiled and nodded, letting Dinky down, who quickly scampered over to offer to share the spyglass with Snails so they could watch for the island together.

Meanwhile Cheerilee flanked Carrot Top with Trixie, the schoolteacher carefully examining Carrot Top’s face, “You holding up?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alive, and better now that I know land, blessed land, is near!” said Carrot Top, taking in deep breaths.

“We’ll make sure to get some food back in you once we've got dry land under our hooves again,” Cheerilee said firmly, “You’ll get hungry pretty fast once the nausea has run its course. Oh, next time you ought to bring saltines with you; it’s an old sailor standby for seasickness. I hear, ironically enough, that carrot juice can help.”

“I’ll try to remember that the next never that I get on a ship,” muttered Carrot Top.

“You do realize we’ll probably be coming back on this same boat, right?” asked Raindrops as she flew down from the crow’s nest to land lightly next to the mares. Carrot Top just groaned

Trixie looked at Luna as the Princess stood next to her, Cadenza pausing behind the pair.

“Princess Luna, I’ll be returning to the Dawnsray,” Cadenza said with a polite nod to Trixie and the other mares, “I look forward to see all of you compete at the Contest. I do hope Cavallia’s own champions will learn from you and you from they in this wonderful time of bonding between nations. I also look forward to being able to speak with you all in a more relaxed setting between competitions. If none of you have had the chance to try Cavallian cuisine or experience the art and music of our land it will all be on display at the festivities.”

Most of her friends seemed a little taken aback, not sure how to respond, but Trixie was fast to offer a bow to the Cavallian monarch, “I don’t doubt the festival will be made all the grander with Cavallia’s contributions, and I for one eagerly anticipate seeing the chivalry and skill of your champions, Princess Cadenza.”

Princess Cadenza took that with a warm smile and a final nod to those gathered before spreading her wings and alighting, flying across the waves towards the swift and sleek Cavallian clipper, the Dawnsray, the ship keeping a strong course alongside the Wingsong’s starboard side, while the other two Equestrain ships carrying Wallflower and Blueblood kept a distance to the port and stern.

“That was well said,” commented Princess Luna beside Trixie, “Maintain that and you’ll do well at the Contest. Between this and the aplomb with which you handled the impromptu visitation of those from Elkhiem I feel confident you’ll represent Equestria well both on and off the field.”

Trixie coughed, trying to hide a pleased smile. She knew Luna was aware of how much Trixie enjoyed a good bit of praise, but Trixie did not want her head getting too big before this Contest even started. She’d had enough problems with wrestling her ego and dealing with the fallout of not thinking things through. While Trixie was proud of her accomplishments over the time spent in Ponyville there was an anxiety inside her that she might slip up that had never fully gone away. The Contest was an open an invite for ego as any Trixie had ever faced, a challenge to her self control that rivaled her trip to Oaton last year, when an entire village had treated her like a hero for all the wrong reasons until she managed to finally put things to right.

But this isn’t like Oaton. There, I let myself take praise I hadn’t earned; at least until I fessed up to the truth then did what I needed to do. Here, Luna herself has appointed me and the girls as Equestria’s champions, with the expressed purpose of showing the whole world why we’re great. I shouldn’t feel so nervous. This is the kind of thing I’ve dreamed of since I was first made Luna’s apprentice! I… I don’t want to screw this up. For me, or for my friends. This is their time to shine too! All of us, together, like it should be! So why do I feel like I’m walking towards a cliff?

“Are you alright, Trixie?” asked Luna, a reserved but distinct hint of concern in her tone. Trixie looked up at the alicorn with a confident smile, standing up straighter.

“Of course! I couldn't be more fine! Don’t worry Princess, we’re going to dazzle them beyond anything anypony, griffin, elk, or anything else has ever seen! They’ll be talking about this Contest of Champions for the entire hundred years until the next one, and beyond even that!”

“Ha, that’s what I’m talking about!” cried Lyra, pumping a hoof with a wide grin on her face, “We’re gonna knock ‘em dead out there! Win or lose, though I totally prefer win, this is going to be awesome!”

Raindrops let out a small, faintly humored laughed, shaking her head, “I’ll be happy if we just all get through this without anything weird happening.”

Cheerilee smiled and gave the pegasus a playful punch on the shoulder, “Oh, come on, try to get more pumped for this! Do me, Trixie, and Lyra have to start up a cheer chant to start getting you in the spirit of things? I think I still have a cheer-leading uniform from my college days.”

“Oh, for the love of Luna…uh, no offense Princess, but for the love of the moon please don’t.”

“I’ll cheer for ya sis!” offered Snails with a wide grin, and Shutter Bug and Dewdrop were quick to affirm the fact.

“Daughter, we’ll be cheering so loud in the stands that they’ll hear us all the way back in Ponyville,” Shutter Bug said with a firm nod and stamp of her hoof.

Dinky all but bounced up and down, her horn letting off little sparks of excitement, “I’ll definitely be cheering momma the loudest!”

Bon Bon drew Lyra close to her for a tight hug and nuzzle, “I think you all will have no shortage of fans rooting for you.”

“So, no pressure then,” Carrot Top said with a wry half-smile, the good cheer of her friends helping break through the sickness, or at least help her forget it.

Trixie just grinned, “Pressure is what I live for.”

“I thought sleeping in was more your thing?” asked Cheerilee.

“Not all the time. Only half the time. The morning time,” Trixie said with a slight upturned snout.

“Hey Princess, “ Lyra said, after finishing returning Bon Bon’s nuzzle, “What was with the elk coming through town anyway? They said they were going on to Canterlot to meet with somepony, but I didn’t see them after we left Ponyville.”

Luna smiled in an oddly conspirator like manner, and for some reason Trixie thought she saw the Princess of the Night blush? “Oh, yes, ha, that is… well, I may have once made a good friend to a member of the Elkhiem delegation. I may have also, at the time, offered to show him the best drink Canterlot had to offer had he ever happened to find his way to the city. I do think Wodan took my offer more seriously than I ever expected, and now… the Palace stores are nearly exhausted.”

“But… you don’t drink,” Trixie said.

“I don’t. Wodan does. Exponentially,” said Luna, looking away, “In any case, they may well have reached the Isle ahead of us. Despite the wind and currents I and Princess Cadenza have conjured, a wyvern can fly at remarkable speed and for incredible lengths of time, and they left Canterlot at an earlier hour than we.”

“How did you even meet somepony, er, someelk like Wodan?” asked Ditzy curiously tilting her head, wall-eyed stare almost but not quite managing to focus on Luna.

“I’ve been to Elkhiem and other parts of the north many times Ditzy Doo,” said Luna, “Often for political reasons, but I do take personal time when I can, and don’t always spend it inside Equestria’s borders. I met Wodan on one such trip, enjoying some of the more spectacular mountain vistas of northwest Elkihiem.”

The Princess of the Night, shaking her head and laughing at the memory, “I was enjoying a mid-day nap on a cliff overhang that offered a breathtaking view of a convergence of mountain valleys when, well, Wodan sort of landed on me.”

“Landed...?" began Lyra

“On you?” finished Trixie.

Cheerliee’s response was a flat, “Did he mistake you for a one of those wild trampolines, so common to the region?”

At the stares Cheerilee rolled her eyes, “Joking. Those aren’t actual things.”

“Cheer, we gotta double check with you sometimes,” Lyra said with a grin.

Luna coughed politely and said, “At any rate, no, it was no case of mistaken identity. Wodan had been climbing the mountain above me and had slipped. I sort of broke his fall.”

“That’s cool, so you saved his life then?” asked Raindrops.

“I’m not certain the fall would have been life threatening for him. Wodan’s capacity to withstand injury impresses even me,” said Luna, then smirked, “But it was a memorable way to start a friendship. I’d tell you of what happened after that, but he tells the tale better than I anyway, and I do think we near our destination.”

“Oh, yes, yes I see it!” said Snails and he offered the spyglass to Dinky, “You can see it right?”

Dinky was fast to confirm it, “Yep! There it is! Land ho! Again!”

All the ponies turned towards the distant sight, watching as a dark green strip on the horizon quickly started to grow larger as the swift ship brought them to their destination. As they approached Trixie’s excitement was all but a living thing vibrating in her chest, but so too was that nervous sense of anxiety that she couldn’t quite shake; that feeling of approaching the cliff.

The feeling only intensified as the Isle of the Fallen became a clear shape, its details becoming more distinct.

The island was shaped like the head of an arrow, its tip pointed westward. Trixie estimated it was perhaps ten miles long from one end to the other, though obviously its width would be shorter towards its tip, which tapered into a small peninsula that petered out into a series of half a dozen much tinier islands, like trailing tears…

…or drops of blood, Trixie’s mind oddly conjured the morbid image. She shook off the thought, wondering what was wrong with her. As her eyes roved the island she began to pick out its features. It seemed its north side was mostly covered in thick, green forest, with a more open grassy fields dominating the southern end. She saw at the southern tip was a small inwardly curved harbor and the clear dots of buildings indicating a small town; the port of Champion’s Rest, as she recalled from Lyra who’d studied up on the island’s history.

Which meant Trixie also recognized from Lyra’s information that the rise of hills into a steep set of cliffs on the north side would be where the monastery of the strange order of monks who looked after the island would be situated. She couldn’t see the monastery itself as it was blocked from view by the cliffs themselves, but she knew the monastery was built right into the stone itself, and was mostly underground.

That left one, final distinctive feature of the Isle of the Fallen to behold, and as she laid eyes on it that feeling of anxiety inside her gut transmuted into a sense of near dread.

At first it looked like a small, black volcano, some natural part of the island, wreathed in wisps of white cloud. Only at closer inspection could the streamlined angles of it be made out, the tired structure clearly built by intelligence and not nature. It reached into the sky, hundreds of paces high, its shape like two tiered pyramids laid one atop the other, one facing up, the other downward. The lower tip was speared right into the ground, its depths hidden by the forest that seemed to grow up around the dark stone. Trixie could make out archways all along the tiers, archways that she imagined had to stand taller than some of the towers in Canterlot. What those archways even led to she couldn’t fathom. The entire, impossible structure was surrounded by a monolithic circle of metal, connected to the thickest part of the main structure by long, stone bridges. From the edge of the ring dozens of spires rose, crystalline spears the size of the Wingsong, an even thirteen, Trixie realized as she counted. The very top of the dark structure remained obscured by cloud, but as Trixie looked she could almost imagine it being capped by what might have been a normal fortress in any other place, but upon that… mind numbing large thing it was nothing more than a crown.

“...What the bu-“ Lyra began, before Bon Bon stuffed a hoof in her mouth and nodded towards the foals. The foals, however, clearly wouldn’t have heard Lyra anyway, both of them wide eyed and staring at the sight before them.

Luna’s entire expression had changed, turning grim as she solemnly said, “My little ponies, I welcome you to the Isle of the Fallen, but also unfortunately must introduce you to its most notable resident; Rengoku, the Warlord’s Fortress.”

Trixie looked at Luna, then back at the looming sight of the fortress. She tried to picture how such a thing could have been built. Or what manner of magic could have animated it and given it flight.

“Whoa...” Snails said, and Dinky nodded, the little filly dumbstruck.

Lyra looked less fearful and more like she was about to start jumping in excitement, “It’s bigger than I thought it’d be.”

“There are words I never imagined hearing you say,” Bon Bon said dryly. Lyra laughed, elbowing her fiance playfully.

“Huh, those griffins over there?” asked Raindrops, squinting at what Trixie at first thought had been simply a flock of birds flying by the fortress, but now that she looked more intently, Trixie saw the forms of sky carriages and the flying trails of banners. It was indeed a large flock of griffins, dwarfed so by the fortress of Rengoku as to look like little more than sparrows at this distance.

“Looks like it,” confirmed Cheerilee, shading her eyes with a hoof, “Must be half the Griffinn Kingdoms being represented in that flock! I can recognize the colors of Grandis, Halriech, Fokkerwulf, Schwartzwand, huh...”

“What?” asked Trixie at Cheerilee’s confused expression, the schoolteacher’s nose scrunching up.

“Those are all inner-kingdoms,” Cheerilee said, “I don’t see any banners from the border kingdoms.”

“You are right, Dame Cheerilee,” said Luna, her own eyes squinting, “Almost. There is one banner among them that is from the border kingdoms of the griffins; Shaldwrick.”

“Neat...” said Carrot Top, “Is this weird for reasons I’m not figuring out?”

Luna turned to answer but Lyra beat the Princess to the punch.

“Its odd because every Griffin Kingdom is allowed to send its own champions. So why are there only inner kingdoms being represented in that flock, except for one specific border kingdom?”

Carrot Top just gave her friend a blank stare, then shrugged, her face still tinged green as she eyed the railing, “Can’t even begin to guess, Lyra. I think I slept through class when griffin politics came up.”

“Maybe the other champions for these border kingdoms arrived already?” suggested Ditzy.

There was no way to know for certain and so the conversation drifted towards what they would do once they landed at the island. Lyra was eager to visit the monastery to see what information the monks there had on the island, but agreed to help Bon Bon with setting up her food stall at the festival grounds between the port and the monastery. Cheerilee had an interest in sightseeing around the island while they had the spare time and Ditzy was quite happy to voice her interest in joining in. Carrot Top just wanted to rest and recuperate from the sea voyage before doing anything else. Raindrops was oddly silent, continuous casting wary looks towards the distant, dark fortress of Rengoku.

Trixie shared a mood with Raindrops, nervous still for reasons she couldn’t quite pin down. And for some reason the oddity of the griffin delegations just added to it.

“Quite the sight, isn’t it?”

Gwendolyn didn’t bother looking at the griffin who spoke, instead roving her eyes over the expansive shape of Rengoku with a critical gaze. She was flying near the head of an entire flock of griffins, the lead vanguard of the small army that was descending on the Isle of the Fallen. While no one of the Griffin Kingdoms’ delegations consisted of much more than a score of griffins, all the central Kingdoms were represented. Some had arrived days earlier, but many others, mostly the stronger of the Kingdoms, Gwendolyn noted, decided to fly together as a show of collective strength. The absence of any notable border Kingdoms bothered her, like a tiny barb in the back of her mind.

While most the griffins flew, a few dignitaries were being pulled in elaborate cloud chariots and carriages, flying the long, colorful pendants of their Kingdoms. That, combined with the distinctive livery each griffin wore to show their allegiance, gave the mighty flock of griffins an almost prismatic quality, countless colors reflecting off of their tabards and cloaks in the morning light.

The flock was passing by the east end of the island, flying past the giant black fortress’ southern side. They were high enough that Gwendolyn was afforded an incredible view of the island itself and the surrounding waters, and much as she had with the fortress of Rengoku her eyes roved the island as well; always searching. Out of habit she was deciding how she might attack the island, or defend it. Same with the fortress. Her mind was always working tactically.

She decided she wasn’t that impressed, with either the island or the supposed ‘Warlord’s Fortress’. The island was small, and awkwardly shaped for defense. Too flat. The few hills and cliffs she saw wouldn’t be all that well suited for building fortifications. The forest on the north and east ends were thick enough, but once those were stripped of lumber there wouldn’t be anything of note to make the island worth having. Not that she thought she’d ever need to actually care about the island’s usefulness, but her mind just tended to catalogue these things naturally.

As for the fortress, it looked like a cumbersome target to her. She couldn’t imagine what the ancient kirin Warlord had been thinking, building something so lumbering and massive. It was like throwing up a gigantic sign that screamed, ‘I’m evil, please everyone come kick my butt!’

“A waste,” she finally said to the griffin who’d spoken earlier.

He quirked his head, looking at Gwendolyn sidelong with one eye, “Come again?”

“I said its a waste. Of resources. Too big, too easy to surround, worse it just makes you a target. Rather just have an army at my back than be inside that thing.”

“I don’t know how read up you are on your historical contexts,” said the male griffin flying next to her, “But that ‘thing’ you’re so unimpressed with had an excellent track record for smashing armies into tiny, ineffectual pieces.”

Gwendolyn frowned, giving the male a longer look with one eye while her other scanned the ground for a good spot to land. She hadn’t been paying him much mind since he’d pulled up alongside her during this last leg of the flight south, but now that she was thinking about it he looked familiar. His feathers were white, but tinged with a shade of burnt orange just a shade darker than his bronze coat. Brown eyes looked back at her with confident amusement that engendered a sudden urge in Gwendolyn to punch him. Hard. She noted his clothing, a cloak and circlet; both of a black iron coloring and each bearing a sigil of a violet wing.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it? It’s just the world’s largest paperweight now. Might impress the tourists but far as I’m concerned it laying there like that is proof enough that if you want to make a difference, you don’t need a giant toy, you need the people on your side.”

“Ah, yes, the people,” said the male, “I suppose if you get enough of them together it might equate to something like power. My experience is that ‘the people’ can’t accomplish much without direction. Perhaps the kind of direction you suppose you give them?”

“You trying to say something? Who are you anyway?” Gwendolyn wasn’t hiding her hostility, banking closer in a maneuver that forced the other griffin to back off a bit and trail behind her. She noted that flights of griffins from the flock were starting to peel off to land in a wide grassy area the west side of the island, just in front of the west beach. The flights jockeying for position to land first, the stronger Kingdoms edging out the weaker Kingdoms with their smaller retinues. Gwendolyn heard the piercing screech of her mother, Beatrice leading squad of soldiers in securing a route for the King and Queen’s cloud carriage to take the lead among those landing.

“I’m shocked you don’t recognize me, Gwen,” said the male griffin as he cut across her both in a surprisingly bold maneuver, wheeling downward to join the landing possession, “Perhaps a race to the ground will shake some memories loose?”

He laughed, and darted downward, and Gwendolyn with a savage grin dove to give chase. She wasn’t entirely certain if she found this fellow aggravating or amusing, but she’d play along for now. It’d been awhile since she’d had a good race, and it’d take her mind off of worrying what was happening to her Band of the Red Shield while she was stuck here halfway across the hemisphere. She plummeted downwards, rapidly catching up to the laughing male.

“I thought you wanted to race!” she taunted, “You even trying to give me a challenge?”

“Sharp tongued as ever I see. Alright, let’s see if you still have the spark I remember.”

Gwendolyn frowned, wondering just where he supposedly knew her from. She didn’t recall anything specific, but then this male’s coloring wasn’t uncommon. His annoying laugh was faintly familiar but she couldn’t put a talon on what. Interest as much as an want to crush this fellow thoroughly spurred her onward as she pulled ahead of him. They were rapidly approaching the ground, getting close to the point where it was be important to reduce their speed or risk a painful, or worse, landing.

Yet the male wasn’t slowing down. If anything he was speeding up to keep pace with her, grinning all the while.

Gwendolyn scoffed, “Think I’ll pull up first?”

The male turned his eyes towards her, and that spark of madness in them, more than anything, broke through the malaise around her memory. Years peeled away in her mind’s eye and Gwendolyn was a young chick again, and the male next to her was a scraggly, thin runt, not even worth a second glance if not for that look of pure crazy in his eyes.

Shock as much as the practical fact that they were less than a hundred feet from the ground had Gwendolyn sharply pulling up, slowing her decent rapidly. The male shot right past her and didn’t try to pull up until he was less than fifty feet from the ground. He didn’t so much land as skim the ground and ended up rolling into a partial crash into the sandy beach beyond the landing field. Despite the painful looking tumble Gwendolyn heard him laughing the whole way. Other griffins who had landed nearby, soldiers and nobility alike, looked at him like he was mad.

Which he was. Gwendolyn breathed heavily as she landed near the male, staring at him.

“Grimwald! You sky cursed crazybrid!” she growled, stomping up to him as Grimwald lay on his back, “Why didn’t you tell me it was you!?”

“Hehehe,” Grimwald laughed, wiping blood off of a cut scalp and smiling widely as he stumbled to his feet, shaking his wings off of sand from the furrow his tumbling form had cut in the beach with his rough landing,“This was more fun! It hurt my feelings, Gwen, thinking you might’ve forgotten me.”

“You think maybe there was a reason I forgot!? Bah, my blood pressure needed the reprieve. What are you even doing here? Last I heard your family married you off to some noble family in one of the east border kingdoms.”

“Yes, yes, married off like a particularly unwanted piece of spare meat,” Grimwald said with a sad shake of his head, then he burst out into giggles, “My darling wife, suffice to say, got tired of me even faster than you did. Oh, but she doesn’t mind me being out of the house as much as I can. Marital bliss is us staying as far away from each other as possible, as long I helped her pop out a few chicks first, to keep the parents happy that the ‘noble line’ is continuing. Since my own exploits keep the family’s coffers surprisingly full I get no complaints if I miss a few dozen social events.”

“Exploits? What exploits?” Gwendolyn asked, looking at him askance, “You were never good in a fight, and a weak flier as well! I was always having to bail you out of trouble! Which you always found. Your beak was bigger than your brain, as I recall.”

“Ha, indeed it is. A skill I’ve cultivated over the years to work for me. More to the point, I learned I don’t need to be good at a fight to win a fight. The best fights are, in fact, the ones you win before they even start. That’s why I’m here. The Kingdom of Shaldwrick has nominated me as its champion, for all my good work dealing with the piracy problems in the east sea.”

Gwendolyn couldn't stop her laugh, trying to imagine Grimwald dealing with pirates. He was crazy enough, she didn’t doubt, but she also remembered how easily and often he got the crap kicked out of him back in flight school. The eastern pirates had had a reputation as particularly ruthless. Gwendolyn had heard rumor they’d entered into some kind of pact with one of the eastern kingdoms, but she hadn’t known that kingdom was Shaldwrick, or that the one who’d facilitated the whole affair was Grimwald. She couldn't help but ask, “How?”

To that Grimwald’s eyes just twinkled with a mad light and he said, “You’d be surprised what people will agree to when you’re as charming as I am. And where charms fail, money talks. And where money fails, well, pirates have kidneys like anyone else. Kidneys don’t respond well to sharp objects, I’ve discovered. And, hey, apparently you get named nifty things like ‘champion’ after enough kidney stabbings; as long as you’re stabbing the kidneys polite society wants you to.”

Gwendolyn had a hard time absorbing that, unable to see the griffin before her as anything resembling a ‘champion’. But then again, she had a hard time seeing herself in the same light. Neither she or Grimwald had been heroic material in their youth. Both were children of noble families in Grandis, and had been playmates during those years. Gwendolyn might have given Grimwald no small amount of guff over his mannerisms and tendency to always find trouble, but ultimately she’d enjoyed it all. Things had never been dull, whether he was picking a fight with bigger, older griffin youths, or was challenging her to a similar race that was actually a game of chicken. He apparently hadn’t changed much into adulthood, though he’d clearly filled out his scrawny form.

She hadn’t been happy to see him go, all those years ago, but among the nobility that was fairly normal. Arranged marriages between different Griffin Kingdoms. She’d never expected to see him again, and had been too immersed in joining Grandis’ military to bother trying to keep up some written correspondence. Now here he was, apparently roped into this Contest just like she was.

She shook her head, laughing, “Well, I suppose Shaldwrick can’t be blamed for choosing a crazybird as their champion. Just don’t embarrass your kingdom on the field. So, has your ‘loving’ wife come with you? And chicks, you say? I have a hard time seeing you as a father.”

“Why’s that? I’ll have you know I’m the picture of a responsible father figure! I teach my kids how to properly hold a knife before I let them run around with one! Drives the missus crazy. Oh, she’s around, by the by. Appearances and all that. If you see the griffiness with the purple eyes that look like they’re trying to strangle me with a look, that’s her. Viletta. Such a sweet thing.”

He leaned towards her, whispering with a talon up as if blocking out others from reading his beak, “Just between the two of us, she may hate me, but she’s a demon between the sheets. Whips, leather, and chains, oh my.”

Gwendolyn gave him a grimace and punched him on the shoulder. Hard.

“The less I know, Grim, the better.”

“Our safety phrase is ‘hot sauce’, but we only worry about that when she wants to use the rack- OW! Hey, I bruise easily, Gwen!”

“Sounds like a personal problem between you and your wife,” Gwendolyn muttered as her eyes gazed over the beach towards the gentle rolling ocean beyond. Her sharp eyes made out the sight of several ships approaching from the north, heading for the docks of a town that was also a little ways to the north. She recognized the ships as being of pony make, keen eyesight spotting the flags. She knew the heraldry of Equestria's Royal Navy, but the other ship, the one with the ruby colored sails, was less familiar to her.

“Cavallian,” Grimwald said, coming up next to her, “The clipper ship, I mean. It’s from Cavallia. Nice place, so I hear. Excellent wine.”

“The ponies, I would’ve expected more ships...” said Gwendolyn, then frowned as her eyes caught sight of something strange. A white cloud of fog seemed to be taking shape from the ocean, rising like a wall right next to the two pony sailing ships.

“What is that?”

Trixie sensed it almost as fast as Luna did, both unicorn and alicorn responding at nearly the same instant. Trixie, more curious than worried by the odd mist and magical pressure she felt simply cast her magic sight spell. However Luna’s reaction was quite different, the Princess immediately raising a hoof and calling out to the crew of the Wingsong.

“Turn to port, now!” the Princess aid with absolute command, and the captain of the ship didn’t question the order at all, instantly barking her own orders to get the crew moving and the wheel spinning, sending the Wingsong into a sharp turn.

Trixie and her friends stumbled to keep their footing on the deck as the ship turned, and Trixie looked at the forming opaque wall of mist that had risen from the sea next to them with curious confusion etched on her face. She couldn’t recognize the type of magic forming in that mist. It was like an army of fireflies and strangely swirling whipcords of air, all colored different shades, were intermingling in that mist, and forming some kind of… tunnel?

A few seconds later something emerged from that tunnel, flowing out of the mist and breaking into a high wave in a spray of water. It was a ship, a jade ship with the bow shaped like that of a coiling, serpentine dragon. The massive ship out massed the Wingsong almost twice over, and was heading straight for the desperately turning Equestrian sailing vessel.

In a few heartbeats Trixie saw things only in parts. Ditzy protectively hugging Dinky and taking to the air. Raindrops jumping to do the same for Snails. Lyra put herself in front of Bon Bon, as if she could shield her fiancée with just her body. Cheerilee had grabbed up life preserver rings in her hooves. Carrot Top was digging in her saddlebags for something.

Then as instantly as the danger had appeared in front of them it was past them as a burst of water rose like a wall between the two nearly colliding ships, and the deck heaved underneath them. The swell of water carried the Wingsong narrowly out of the path of the massive jade colored ship, which only now was finally fully emerging from the tunnel of fog. After a few shaking heartbeats the Wingsong had cleared any possible danger and slowly came about alongside the strange new shp, with its massive square sails, and ludicrous nine masts.

On the larger ship Trixie could see shapes moving, ponies it looked like, but many of them wore strange clothing she didn’t recognize and she heard the distant chatter of a language she didn’t know. Others on the foreign ship weren’t ponies, but rather equines with dragon-like wings. Longma, Trixie realized. Soon there was a call from the larger ship, possibly an inquiry if they were okay, if Trixie was judging by the somewhat panicked tone in the call.

“Who in a blue moon are they and how did they nearly run us over!?” asked Raindrops, settling back down on the deck and setting down a shaking Snails.

“Whoever they are they need better aim with their mist swirly magic thing,” said Carrot Top, putting away a vial she’d drawn from her saddlebags.

From the misty tunnel other ships were emerging, of the same general style of the jade one, but with much smaller frames and sails. On their decks Trixie saw that several of the longma and a few ponies, pegasi, both groups wearing strangely segmented, almost insect-like armor, were taking flight and angling over the Wingsong.

Off to starboard the Dawnsray was pulling up beside the Wingsong and a flashing message of magical lights was being exchanged between the two ships; no doubt Princess Cadenza confirming that everything was okay. The message passed along back to the vessels of Wallfower and Blueblood, which had kept a safe enough distance that they hadn’t been caught in the near collision.

The oddly armored pegasi and longma finished their flyby, and soon returned to the deck of the huge jade ship. Meanwhile Princess Luna strode among the Element Bearers, her gaze softening, “Nopony is injured?”

“No, we’re okay,” said Ditzy, still holding Dinky close.

After confirming everypony was well Princess Luna looked to Trixie, “I haven’t seen a passage like that in a long time. This must be the delegation from Shouma. Only the greater kirin of noble blood, or the Imperial Family itself, would arrive on such a ship, and using that manner of magic.”

“What is that magic? I looked at it, but I’ve never seen magical energy like that before,” Trixie still watched the wall of mist with its swirling tunnel, until the last ship emerged and the tunnel swirled away, then the mist itself dispersed into the ocean as if it had never been there.

“Mantra,” Luna said, “A method of calling upon natural spirits in the world to do one’s bidding.”

Trixie quirked an eyebrow but didn’t inquire further. There was some branches of unicorn magic that delved into the arts of conjuration and summoning, sometimes even binding beings like elementals to perform services, but she’d never known that kind of magic to be able to do something like create a giant tunnel of mist, supposedly to allow several large sailing ships to travel halfway across the world. She wondered just how many kirin were needed to cast such a potent spell.

“Hey, check it out, somepony is coming over,” said Lyra, pointing, then huffed, “Think we’ll be getting an apology for the near collision?”

Trixie peered and saw that indeed somepony was coming over. Walking over. On the air. Trixie starred, unable to tear her eyes away from the strange display, and the… pony, doing so. No, not a pony. Ponies didn’t have golden scales amid their coat, or twin horns of ivory curving up from their brow. This had to be a kirin.

Trixie’s impression of her first kirin was one of remarkable poise and grace, but she didn’t know whether to attribute that to this particular kirin or if all of them carried themselves like that. It reminded her very much of the nobility in Canterlot, but with less snout in the air and more… carefully controlled balance. This mare, for indeed the kirin was a mare, walked as if her every movement was measured, calculated.

The kirin mare walked on the air and Trixie saw small discs of magic forming under her hooves, acting like constantly reshaping steps for her. There was a glow of golden magic around the kirin’s twin horns and Trixie, her magic sight still active, examined the magic closely. It was actually a fairly simple conjuration spell, and the magic the kirin used was now much more familiar to Trixie, and she was reminded that kirin were essentially unicorns with a little dragon blood in their veins. The spell itself was a highly modified and specialized version of a low level conjuration spell, often used to create disks of force to carry goods. This was simply being used to make a series of steps for the mare to reach the Wingsong.

When she reached the deck the kirin mare stepped down from her summoned disks and took a moment to look over everypony. Trixie felt a need to stare back as the kirin looked at her, feeling like she was being weighed, sized up, and Trixie found herself returning the look and not blinking. The kirin paused on Trixie longer than Trixie’s friends, and Trixie saw the mare’s eyes tighten slightly. Then the kirin looked to Princess Luna and inclined her head. That was it. No bow, no kneeling, just a simple incline of the head, that barely ruffled the kirin’s long golden mane.

“Princess Luna Equestris of Equestria,” the kirin mare said in a heavily accented voice, clearly not used to speaking Equestrian, “I am Dao Ming, Imperial Heir of the Empress Fu Ling of the Heavenly Realm and the Tien Empire. I extend my apology for the incident of our arrival. The presence of other ships was not unexpected, but our scouts failed to report just how close your ship was to our point of egress and our sailors slow in shifting our course. Rest assured suitable punishments will be administered to those who have cause such a shameful display.”

Princess Luna was silent for a moment, her own eyes boring into Dao Ming’s, until Trixie thought the kirin mare might actually start sweating, but then Luna smiled and shook her head, “There is no harm done. Convey to the Empress that I would consider it a personal favor if she were to be merciful to her sailors, who could not have reacted much faster given the circumstances. We can put the matter behind us.”

“So be it,” Dao Ming said, as if the matter was of no consequence to her, “I will convey your wishes to my mother. I would want to extend proper introductions to you and get a chance to meet the champions of Equestria, wherever they may be, but I should be returning-“

Suddenly a black, feathery form dropped from the sky right next to Dao Ming, and she jumped a little in startlment, her poise broken abrustply by the new arrival.

“Ho ho, let us not be too quick Lady Ming! I’m certain your mother won’t mind you staying aboard this fine ship a moment longer, as long as I’m here to be an honor guard.”

The one who was speaking was a creature completely unlike anything Trixie had seen before. He, or at least Trixie was judging it was male based on the voice, was a tall, bipedal avian being, with feathers black as ink. He stood on two tall, skinny bird legs, but had a more upright torso, where two long articulate wings spread almost like arms from his shoulders. He folded one behind his back like a bird might, but his other wing reached into a regal blue dress-like garment Trixie had never seen before and he withdrew a pipe that he stuck into his beak, without lighting it. Trixie noted he also wore a sash where a peculiar thin and curved blade was sheathed. There was also an odd, wide brimmed hat of straw resting on his pointed avian head that reminded Trixie of some of the hats she’d seen farmers wearing around Ponyville, though this hat’s brim was wider and it was oddly peaked, like a flattened out cone.

Dao Ming regained her composure, though there was a thin press to her lips like she was just keeping herself in check, as she turned to Luna and said, “Princess Luna, allow me to present Kenkuro Kazeyama, the Blade of Heaven.”

“I recognize the sword,” Luna said, bowing her head to Kenkuro, “An honor, Kazeyama-dono. I knew your predecessor quite well and I am pleased to see the sword passed on to a capable wielder. May the Empire stand long under your watchful protection.”

“Please, please, no formalities,” Kenkuro said, waving a wing, “Kenkuro will be fine. And, yes, my master spoke more than once of the Equestrian Princess, whose beauty surpassed the breathtaking nights she created. He is sorely missed, but he died well. Now, I see a lot of colorful ponies standing about, staring away. I do make quite the sight if I do say so myself, or perhaps it is the Lady Ming that draws such stares? She is a fine sight as well. As Tien Zhu wrote ‘the eyes are a gateway to the soul’s garden’ and if I’m reading the eyes of the crowd right there are some of you whose feathers are still a tad ruffled, eh?”

Trixie glanced at her friends and saw that, at least in the case of a few, the stares of surprise at the two arrivals on deck were mixed with hard glares. Raindrops especially seemed to have her ire up, the jasmine pegasus grinding her teeth and nearly baring them, and Trixie could see her friend’s wings twitching. Trixie felt an urge to go over and hug Raindrops, or at least give her a calming pat on the leg. She really didn’t enjoy seeing the mare get that worked up. Ditzy wasn’t looking happy either, though Ditzy seemed less angry and more just still a little shaken up about the near collision, having still not let go of Dinky.

“That stunt you pulled could’ve seriously hurt ponies,” said Raindrops, “What’s the big idea, dropping some freaky magic portal like that right near the island? Didn’t occur to you geniuses to maybe pull it back a ways, pop out well away from where anypony’s likely to be sailing ships?”

Dao Ming’s eyes narrowed to thin slits, her tone becoming iron, “And who are you to question and berate a member of the Imperial Family after they have already offered a formal apology? A mere deckhoof? A commoner has no right to lay such insults towards her betters!”

Kenkuro sighed, and Luna stepped forward before Raindrops could speak.

“Lady Ming, I think it best that these mares introduce themselves, so we all know where we stand before any further pointless quarreling occurs,” she gave Raindrops a meaningful look at that last bit, and Raindrops took a deep breath, glancing at her parents and little brother as if seeking a source of comfort to help calm herself. Shutter Bug and Dewdrop both looked utterly out of their depth, their daughter getting into a dispute with foreign royalty not being something either pony was prepared for. Snails, for his part, seemed less concerned, having calmed down from the fright of the near ship collision and was now just looking on at his sister with curiosity.

Dao Ming met Princess Luna’s eyes and gave a small nod of deference, “As you wish. I will set aside the rude one’s comments and allow them the honor of addressing a member of the Imperial Family.”

Trixie could hear Raindrops’ teeth grinding, and couldn't entirely blame her friend. Dao Ming’s manner was starting to remind her of certain members of the Night Court. Among her friends Ditzy Doo was the first to speak up, looking about nervously for a momment before giving Dao Ming a firendly smile.

“I’m Ditzy Doo. This is my daughter Dinky.”

“Hi there! Um, are you part reptile?” the filly asked, looking at the golden scales upon Dao Ming's neck and legs.

“Dinky!” Ditzy gave her daughter a firm look, but Dao Ming waved her hoof, puffing out her chest.

“Dragon, young one. Kirin carry the blood of dragons in our veins," Dao Ming said proudly.

“Same thing is said of the longma,” said Lyra, who then shrunk back a bit at Dao Ming’s sharp look, but at a touch from Bon Bon Lyra stiffened up and met the kirin’s gaze, “Lyra Heartstrings. Dame Lyra Heartstrings, at your service.”

The mention of Lyra’s title made Dao Ming’s eyes shift curiously between the mares and soon Cheerilee stepped forward, bowing her head, “We’re all Knights of the Realm, Lady Ming. I’m Dame Cheerilee.”

“All of you?” Dao Ming asked, then gave Dinky an incredulous look.

Cheerilee deadpanned, “Okay, not all of us, obviously.”

“But all of you mares are knights?” Dao Ming asked, eyeing Trixie and her friends. There was just as much incredulity, Trixie noted, in that look as the one she’d given Dinky.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Carrot Top said, raising her hoof, keeping her other hoof on the deck rail in case she needed it, “Names Carrot Top."

Raindrops rolled her eyes, “Yeah, Carrot Top, way to represent yourself firmly there.”

“Hey, let’s see you sound off enthusiastically when your stomach is trying to turn you into a living hose,” Carrot Top shot back.

Raindrops hung her head for a second, shaking it before standing up prouder and looking Dao Ming in the eye, “Dame Raindrops. Bearer of the Element of Honesty. So know I’m being honest when I say I don’t appreciate the way you’re looking down on me or my friends.”

Dao Ming’s eyes burned with a barely contained inner anger but it was tempered by the sudden surprise on her face as she looked severely taken aback.

“The... Elements? You bear one of the Elements?”

“We all do,” said Trixie, stepping forward and drawing Dao Ming’s gaze. Trixie managed a disarming smile, hoping to smooth over this kirin’s clear discomfort at learning who they were, “Now that you’ve met my friends, allow me to introduce myself. I am Trixie Lulamoon, Knight of the Realm, apprentice to Princess Luna, Representative of the NIght Court to Ponyville, bearer of the Element of Magic, and designated champion of Equestria!”

She ended with a smooth flip of her cape and a bow, snatching her hat off her head and crossing it in front of her as she bowed. Glancing up to see the kirin’s reaction Trixie had a hard time not frowning. Dao Ming had a singular look of disbelief as she looked at Trixie and the other Element Bearers, the kirin apparently at a utter loss for words. Trixie didn’t think it was that hard to believe that she and her friends were the Element Bearers. Kenkuro on the other hoof seemed jovially impressed as he smiled and bowed to her.

“We’re both honored,” he said, lightly poking Dao Ming in the side with a wing, “To meet such fine Equestrians. If you are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony then all of the Tien Empire owes you acknowledgment for sparing us the threat of dealing with Amaterasu's unbridled fury. Tales of your exploits reach even the golden shores of the Heavenly Realm and echo up to the Imperial Palace. Dao Ming has long spoken to me of how much she has looked forward to meeting the mares who could battle a goddess and wield among the world’s mightiest magics.”

“Y-yes...” Dao Ming said, her composure showing a crack as she glancing at the ponies before her, flustered, “I have heard tales. Sparse tales. Lacking in details. Like your names and the fact that none of you appear to be archmages or warriors-”

Another poke from Kenkuro’s wing cut her off and earned a quick sharp glance from Dao Ming, but she licked her lips and said, “What I mean to say is... the six of you were not quite what I was expecting. You mares fought Amaterasu, Corona... and were victorious?”

“Think of it like this,” said Cheerilee, “If we’d been actual warriors and mages, we would’ve gotten our flanks kicked by Celestia. Alicorn super strength and all that. Being normal, everyday ponies probably helped us more than hurt us, because we had to go for the Elements to stand a chance.”

“Also, being a mailmare is hard work,” put in Ditzy, “Fighting monsters and other bad guys isn’t half as much a workout as some of my Mondays are.”

“Top that off with Ponyville being the disaster capital of Equestria and I think you’ll find we’re more than you’d think by looking at us,” piped in Lyra confidently, “We’ll give as good as we get.”

Raindrops said nothing, silently staring at Dao Ming in silent challenge for the kirin to try insulting her friends. Carrot Top looked the least comfortable with the conversation, though, staying in back and merely watching with a worried look on her face.

Before Dao Ming could respond Kenkuro said, “I don’t doubt a one of your words. It looks like this Contest of Champions will prove to be memorable. Don’t you agree, Lady Ming?”

“I suppose I do. I apologize again. Kenkuro, you may remain here if you wish, but I am returning to the Divine Current. It would not do for me to disembark on an Equestrian ship. The Empress will want all of her children present, I think. Princess Luna, Element Bearers, meeting you has been... interesting. I look forward to see more at the Contest.”

She swiftly turned without waiting for a reply and leaped with seemingly unnatural balance onto the deck railing, then off over the open water. Her golden discs appeared beneath her hooves and Dao Ming quickly, but with no less poise from before, returned to the Shouma ship she’d come from, which had maintained a parallel course to the Wingsong. Trixie saw that there were other kirin waiting for Dao Ming on the deck of the Shouma shiip, and it looked like they eagerly started speaking with her when she returned. Friends? Fellow nobles? Trixie shrugged off the question, off put a bit by Dao Ming’s attitude.

“I am sorry, Princess Luna, Element Bearers,” said Kenkuro with a more stiff, apologetic bow, “Lady Ming was not intending offense, and perhaps takes offense herself too easily. She has high expectations of the Contest, and puts much stock in those who would be named a nation’s champions.”

“It is alright, Kenkuro,” sad Luna, her smile friendly, but carrying a slight edge to it, “If she has any doubts as to the capabilities of Equestria’s champions, those doubts will be answered when the Contest begins.”

“Darn straight,” said Lyra, getting a hug from Bon Bon.

Raindrops blew out a heavy sigh, wings twitching, then blinked as she felt Snails nuzzling her leg, which caused her to smile and ruffle the colt’s mane.

As her friends began to relax and get ready to disembark, the Wingsong rapidly approaching the port of Champion’s Rest, Trixie remained on the bow deck, finding she couldn’t quite stop watching the large jade Shouma ship. She didn’t know why. Suddenly she found Princess Luna standing next to her once more, the alicorn gazing at her with calming blue eyes.

“Are you alright Trixie?” Luna asked kindly.

“Yes, yes, I’m good,” she said, putting on a smile, “I’m on a ship with my closests friends by my side about to make landfall at an exotic island for ten days of being center stage on a show that’s drawing players from every corner of the world! I’m pretty sure this counts as a milestone in my journey to becoming Equestria’s most amazing unicorn.”

At Luna’s look Trixie let the grandiose smile slip into one smaller, but more real, “That said; I’m a tad terrified. Never thought I’d find a stage I was apprehensive about walking onto, but a part of me feels like we’re not ready for this. Don’t tell the girls, okay? I don’t want them thinking I’m anything less then completely one hundred percent confident!”

Luna nodded, drawing Trixie into a soft hug with one of her wings, which Trixie leaned into, welcoming the old familiar gesture from the Princess.

“Fear not, Trixie, I’ll not reveal your trepidation to anypony. Its no shameful thing, however. Even those who are at their best when in the spotlight can find themselves overwhelmed at times. The Contest will challenge you and your friends, no doubt. I have faith that you will, regardless of performance in the competition, do both me and Equestria proud... and more importantly, do yourselves proud.”

“Thank you Luna, and I will.”

The port of Heroes' Rest consisted of a wide set of docks, eight long piers jutting from a curved, bleached white beach. Small buildings of a simple stone architecture clustered in a disorganized spawn around a central road that ran straight from the docks to the fields to the east. To Cheerilee it resembled very much like an ocean-side Ponyville, both in size and atmosphere.

She trotted down the gangplank alongside her friends, trailing behind the Princess to go meet a group of ponies on the dock who appeared to be waiting for them. Well, mostly ponies. Cheerilee noted that there were a trio of people wearing thick brown robes with hoods up, through not hiding their faces. In those hoods she saw the visage of a goat, a griffin, and an elk.

The lead pony of the group, a portly, rounded gray mare with a curly mustard mane and a gavel cutie mark bowed deeply to Princess Luna.

“I welcome you to Hereos' Rest, Princess,” the mare said jovially, “We’re delighted to receive you and Equestria’s champions. I’m assistant mayor Courtly Manner. I’m here to ensure all of your needs are met and any questions you have answered.”

Cheerilee noted that, a few docks down on either side, the Shouma ships had docked and their delegation being met similarly. Cheerilee chuckled to herself, wondering how many ‘assistant mayors’ were recruited to meet so many people arriving at this small island town. Looking to her right, past where Vicerine Wallflower and Viscount Blueblood’s ships had docked, Cheerilee noted a strange sight.

At the far right dock there was a ship, and one Cheerilee had never seen with her own eyes but only read about, or heard tell of. It was smaller than the kirin’s massive ship, but larger than the Wingsong, a squat, square vessel made of dark banded iron wrapped around an equally dark wood hull. No sails popped up from its flat, straight deck, but instead three tall, rounded stacks of metal, from which Cheerilee saw wisps of steam coiling upwards.

The hull of the ship was chiseled with a dizzying, asymmetrical pattern of lines, twisting and turning in upon each other, always at right angles, never a curve. From the head of the ship two iron spikes curled forward like the horns of a bull.

“Well I’ll be,” Cheerilee said aloud, “A minotaur steam-ship. And here I thought Iron Will was joking about them.”

“Huh?” Ditzy asked, poking her head past Cheerilee’s curiously, then her one focused eye widened, “Wow. How is that thing floating on the water!?”

“Buoyancy, Ditzy,” Cheerilee explained, “A ship of metal can float as long as its hull allows for proper water displacement and maintain buoyancy. Well, that and its still partially made of wood.”

“Heheh, neat,” Ditzy said, glancing around, “Dinky! You need to see this! Its a whole ship made of metal!”

Cheerilee smiled as Ditzy raised up her daughter to let the foal see the distant, strange ship. Cheerilee herself was curious to get a closer look herself. She could use her hooves to count the number of minotaurs she’d personally met, though at one of them had gone well beyond merely ‘meeting’.

It didn’t take long for Courtly Manner and Princess Luna to finish with the formalities and the three in the brown robes to be introduced as members of the Virtuous Keepers, the monastic order in charge of the island.

“The champions are free to walk where they will,” said the goat, an elderly male with a black coat and trailing white beard that gave Cheerilee a unpleasant flashback memory of Grogar, “You are merely required to present yourselves at the monastery before nightfall so that your names and deeds be recorded upon the tablets. Rooms will be prepared for you, but if you wish to secure lodgings in town merely let us know. The only thing we ask is that you respect your fellow champions and cause no conflict outside the bounds of the Contests.”

“Sounds fair,” said Carrot Top, the mare’s mood brightening with every moment spent off ship. Cheerilee could see the farmer brim with new life, rather disturbingly like watching a zombie transform into a living pony. Carrot Top was eyeing the town, and with a clear rumble from her stomach that she didn’t seem to find embarrassing in the slightest, she said, “So, who's up for lunch?”

“Little early for that,” said Raindrops, stretching her wings, “Weren’t you wanting to sleep or something?”

Carrot Top stretched her hooves, “Feeling ten times better now. Feel like I could eat half my own crop! C’mon girls, let’s go find some grub!”

“Guess you’d need to refill your stomach,” said Cheerilee with a smile, “Might as well go see what we can see of town while Carrot Top hunts for brunch.”

“Agreed,” said Trixie, casting a questioning look at Luna, “Where will you be, Princess?”

“I must meet with nobles who have arrived and likely spend most of my day exchanging pleasantries with the delegations from the other nations,” Luna replied, then eyed Trixie with a knowing smile, “You of course will need to help with that at some point, but I suppose I can brave the storm alone for a time. You all enjoy yourselves, and come to the monastery before this evening.”

With that Luna departed, leaving the mares to their own devices. Raindrops’ parents went off to secure rooms at an inn, all expenses paid by the crown of course, and Ditzy went with them so at least one of the Element Bearers would know which inn to go to if they didn’t feel like staying at the monastery. Nopony worried that Ditzy would easily find them when needed.

Trixie looked about the docks, Cheerilee noting the showmare’s eyes settling upon the sight of the Shouma kirin’s marching off with a huge guard of armored soldiers and a larger contingent of servants bearing ornate plaquines. It seemed they were heading straight to the monastery built into the distant cliffs.

“Think I’ll go for a walk,” Trixie said, a strange look on her face that Cheerilee couldn’t place, “I’ll catch up with you girls later.”

“You sure Trixie?” asked Raindrops, Cheerilee hearing the note of deeper concern the pegasus was trying to hide, “I could come with. Don’t have much else to do.”

“That’s alright, I’ll be fine. I doubt there’s much to see until tomorrow when the festivities start up. Just feel like... walking.”

With that enigmatic response Trixie trotted off, with an odd amount of purpose to her gait. Cheerilee was curious, but she trusted Trixie. Whatever the showmare was off to do, she didn’t doubt Trixie would be just fine and find them later.

“Food now,” said Carrot Top, “Anypony who want’s, follow!”

“Count me in!” said Lyra, then hesitated, glancing at Bon Bon.

“Don’t worry hun,” said Bon Bon, nodding towards a group of sailors, “I’ve enlisted some help with my things. Just don’t forget to drop by the festival grounds when you’re done. Though you might have trouble finding me in the crowd.”

Lyra leaned over and gave Bon Bon a quick, but full, kiss, “I’ll follow the scent of Equestria’s best candy.”

“Heh, I won’t start baking until tomorrow morning.”

“Wasn’t talking about the candies you bake,” Lyra said, eyes lidded, suggestive.

“You coming, Cheerilee?” asked Raindrops, who’d flown up into the air to hover above Carrot Top. Cheerilee smiled at her friends, but shook her head.

“Think I’ll take a cue from Trixies and go for a bit of a walk myself. Enjoy the hunt for food.”

“Suit yourself,” Carrot Top said and was off eagerly, like a hunting dog let off the leash. Raindrops shrugged and followed after, Lyra trailing behind after giving Bon Bon a final peck on the cheek.

Soon Cheerilee was left to herself, and though her wanderlust itched to start her towards any number of parts of the island, she soon found herself moving at a swift canter towards the docked minotaur ship.

Trixie couldn’t explain her actions to herself. She moved with purpose, but where or why she felt this compulsion she couldn’t identify. It wasn’t magic, no spell or charm. She knew this because just moments after departing her friend’s she’d used her magic sight spell, just to see if there was some invisible magic affecting her.

But no, there was nothing. Trixie merely felt a powerful inner urge to walk, and not without a destination because she somehow felt she knew where she was going. She walked along the docks heading north, barely glancing at the Shouma ships that had moored there. Soon she found herself leaving the center of Hereos' Rest and was walking along a simple cart path rolling between a few outlying buildings, snaking out into the grassy fields and hills along the island’s northwest face.

Along the shore of the beach she saw a trio of large, wood ships, with open bowl-like decks. Shields and spears hung like decorations from the hulls of these ships, the bow and afts both carved into fierce cervid heads. Well, no doubt whose ships those belong to, even if the wyverns laying out like sunning lizards in the sand near the ships weren’t a dead givaway.

Oddly, the ships had no sails, but instead thick handles that sprung up from the front and back. Handles, Trixie realized, that could just about fit the claws of the wyverns.

Had they carried the ships here!? Trixie didn’t know whether to find that impressive or insane. Given what she’d seen of cervidkind so far both terms applied equally.

She did see a number of cervid of numerous tribes setting camp near the ships, but couldn’t pick out if any of the individuals were the ones who’d blown through Ponyville. Just as well Trixie wasn’t stopped for conversation. The cervids were not her destination, as the urge inside her pulled her on, her quick trot along the cart path continuing. Before long she left even the path behind, and was crossing naked grassy hills.

To the north was the ocean again, the curve of the northwest portion of the island forming a small cove where a small but thick forest rested. Trixie’s route carried her into the forest, and her trepidation rose with her urgency. For a moment she thought to cast an invisibility spell on herself, but as she entered the small forest a sense of calm started to pass over her.

Was she being ridiculous? As if to prove herself that she was in control she forced herself to stop. There was no resistance, she halted in place. She even turned around, as if to leave. Trixie paused, frowning.

“What is going on with me?” she asked aloud, shaking her head, “Why did I come out here?”

Nickering lightly in irritation she was about to walk right on back to town, but something caught her eye. Curious, she turned, and walked a little further into the trees. The forest wasn’t large, and soon met the edge of a short cliff that led down to the sandy shore of the cove. Only a small clearing here left any space without trees, and birds chirped melodiously as Trixie entered the clearing.

The clearing was not empty.

There were thirteen stones, arranged side by side in a gently curving semi-circle along the cliff edge. The stones were tall and straight, like pillars. Plaques made from a brilliant silvery metal was set into each pillar, and Trixie recognized the metal. It was Astranium, the same metal the armor Luna had gifted her and her friends with was made from.

Intrigued now, and feeling the urge to approach stronger than ever, Trixie examined the pillars more closely.

Names were etched onto the plaques, along with further words. Before Trixie could read any of them, however, a stiff breeze billowed through the clearing, nearly taking her hat off, and she turned to see that she wasn’t alone in the clearing anymore.

Standing across from Trixie, a look of bewilderment on her face as if she had been mysteriously compelled here as well, stood Dao Ming.

Deep inside a place that had seen no light for centuries a spark of lavender fire ignited, just for a second.

Ancient metal flickered, for mere moments, with baleful energy, across miles of corridor and within massive chambers.

That which was not alive, but possessed of a bare strip of purpose from its creator, stirred.

It sensed the blood. The blood of those who shared the blood of its creator.

Near... oh so near.

Deep within the core of the ancient leviathan of stone and metal powerful magic stirred, eager, willing...

...waiting.

Author's Note

Ah, so much to do so little time. Was really hoping to get to the minotaurs this time, but just couldn't quite get them in there. Well, at least I could hint at them. Silly kirin, nearly running over the Equestrians. This is why I always wondered how nervous I'd be if a teleport style of transportation was ever invented; how do you know you're not teleporting right on top of someone? Lots of transitions here, but that's going to be fairly common until we hit the chapters that focus on individual Contests. Next time, the first day of the Contest, opening up with what I like to call the Grand Melee. Hope you folks are enjoying and by all means let me know what you think.

Chapter 4: Pieces on the Board

Chapter 4: Pieces on the Board

For several long heartbeats the two mares merely stood there staring at each other, the magician from Ponyville and the kirin from distant Shouma. Trixie’s surprise at running into Dao Ming was complete and she found herself in the rare state of being at a total loss for words. Dao Ming seemed just as taken aback to find Trixie in this clearing. Blinking her silver eyes, Dao Ming was first to recover and her expression stilled, like a rippling pool suddenly turning smooth as glass.

“What are you doing here?” Dao Ming asked, tone tinged with a hint of accusation that made Trixie suddenly feel a spike of irritation.

“What am I doing here? Taking a walk!” Trixie said stiffly, “Do ponies not go for pleasant strolls where you come from?”

Dao Ming stepped forward, a silky, gliding movement that somehow managed to carry with it a sense of looming threat, “Where I come from a pony who took such a tone with a member of the Imperial Family would be facing the lash, if they were fortunate.”

Trixie laughed, a forced laugh, true, but she was practiced at making such things sound natural, “A good thing we’re not where you come from then. Besides, I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here?”

That seemed to put Dao Ming off balance as the kirin suddenly looked unsure, her eyes glancing towards the pillars near the edge of the cliff. Her tone was no less filled with a certain cutting arrogance, but it was now also colored with an undercurrent of uncertainty, “I felt drawn here. I cannot explain it. I sense no magic at work, but I found myself just... drawn here.”

Trixie blinked, then let out a much more natural, if somewhat nervous laugh, feeling like a nag for getting so defensive a moment ago, “You too?”

Dao Ming looked back at her askance, “Are you saying you were also drawn here?”

Trixie shrugged, “I went from wanting to get some food with my friends to suddenly having an overwhelming urge to go trotting along a path I didn’t know, to a copse of trees I didn’t recognize, to find a clearing I had no idea existed. I’d say, yeah, I was drawn here. Magic or not, something about this isn’t natural, especially if its happened to both of us.”

A light entered Dao Ming’s eye that Trixie had seen before, but in Twilight Sparkle when the inquisitive unicorn had come across a mystery. Dao Ming looked around the clearing with slow, deliberate turns of her head, eyes intensely scrutinizing the area. Trixie joined her in looking around, but whereas Dao Ming seemed intent on piercing every stray blade of grass with her gaze Trixie almost immediately focused on the stone pillars.

“Any idea what these are?” Trixie asked, tilted her head towards the stones.

Dao Ming gave her a surprised blink, which soon turned to an air of disgruntlement as she held her head high, speaking in a sharp tone, “You mean to tell me, so-called ‘champion’ of Equestria, that you don’t know the graves of those who came before when you see them?”

Trixie did a quick double take, looking over the short stone pillars with greater scrutiny, “Graves?”

Now that she was actually taking a moment to look them over Trixie was able to read some of the writing on the metal plaques set into them. None of the names were recognizable to her, but there were clearly marked years of birth and death, all from a time twelve hundred years ago. The time when the Warlord had terrorized the world with the very fortress that loomed in the distance. Through Trixie didn’t know any of the names, two did draw her attention, both of them towards the center.

These names drew her attention because the date of death was different on these two than the others.

’Dazzling Flourish
1311 - 1386 DE
Her heart never left her friends’

‘Sun Ming
1309 - 1392 DE
The Empire above all things, even blood.’

“These names,” Trixie said, voice becoming somewhat somber, “They belong to those who stopped the Warlord before. The champions the Contest is meant to honor.”

“Yes, that’s right,” said Dao Ming, approaching the grave of Sun Ming, bowing to it respectfully with her eyes closed. She then rose gracefully, giving Trixie a meaningful look, “Champions who have earned the title in every way.”

Trixie’s eyes narrowed at the unspoken implication that was hidden in Dao Ming’s faint tone of scorn. Trixie met the kirin’s stare with her own, holding her head up, “If you have something to say, then say it. I’m not in the mood for mincing words. I get enough of that from Night Court paperwork I have to deal with on a daily basis.”

Dao Ming gave the softest of snorts, barely within hearing range, and held herself up with a straight necked stance of pride and poise, “Very well, I shall honor your request and speak plainly. I am filled with severe doubts concerning the worthiness of you and your friends to be the champions of Equestria. I admit I have not seen enough yet to truly judge, yet how can I expect such... common ponies to be worthy of facing me in the Contest? I feel as if Princess Luna is directly insulting the Heavenly Empire and all other nations by fielding six... six peasants as the greatest her nation has to offer!”

Trixie felt her teeth grinding together as a low burning fire in her chest started to be not-so-low burning, her own eyes boring into Dao Ming’s, “We ‘peasants’ might surprise you. Although if you want to get technical, we’re knights, not commoners. We’ve earned that knighthood by facing threats you’ve never imagined. A massive red dragon with a serious grudge against our monarch, a pyromaniacal phoenix that wanted to turn my town into an inferno, basilisks controlled by a half-crazed madmare, a small army of salamanders, a giant berserk golem, a wendigo with parental issues, not to mention an flaming undead abomination called a lich. Me and the girls can hold our own.”

Dao Ming seemed unimpressed, her features passive and carrying a hint of smugness that was starting to really get under Trixie’s hide!

“An impressive list, yet how many of those foes did you rely upon others to help you defeat? Or the Elements themselves? How many foes have you bested by your own strength?”

“Enough,” said Trixie, scoffing, “You want the details, we’d be here all night, but you know what, I don’t have to prove anything to you. Tomorrow you’ll see for yourself what I and my friends can do.”

“I certainly hope so,” said Dao Ming, turning as if to leave, “I have every intention of seeing exactly what you and your companions can do and I do not wish to be disappointed. I won’t be holding back.”

“Good!” said Trixie with a small stomp of her hoof, and turning to leave as well, “I won’t hold back either!”

At that very moment a sharp wind billowed through the clearing, shaking the tree branches and mixing with the sound of the rolling surf in the bay. Trixie and Dao Ming both paused. At almost the same time they both turned back and looked at each other curiously. Dao Ming had a disgruntled frown as he said, “We still don’t know why we felt drawn to this place.”

Trixie was giving the graves a suspicious look, and said, “Yes, well, you started going off about how my friends are ‘peasants’, so you distracted me just before I was about to do some detailed investigating!”

Dao Ming turned her head away from Trixie as if she was smelling an unpleasant odor, “Don’t blame me because you become defensive when I point out the obvious. Besides what is there to investigate? They’re graves. Unless you are so blatantly vulgar as to suggest we exhume the graves of our predecessors I don’t think there’s much here to see.”

Trixie allowed herself a smug smirk, “Perhaps for somepony of... limited investigative skill. But I possess acumen beyond normal ponies. Behold!”

Her horn sparked with magic, and in a mere second Trixie wove her familiar magic sight spell. Her eyes flashed for a moment and with the spell in place Trixie started to examine the area, focusing on the thirteen grave stones. Dao Ming took a step towards Trixie, a light of curiosity in her eyes despite her frown.

“What are you doing? What magic did you just use?”

“Oh, trade secret,” Trixie said, enjoying the rankled look on Dao Ming’s face perhaps a bit too much. Some back part of Trixie’s mind was telling her she shouldn’t be intentionally nettling one of her competitors. It was pointless and a little petty... but then again this kirin had insulted Trixie and her friends. She wasn’t feeling in a generous mood. So she let Dao Ming stew while she examined the graves.

There was magic in the gravestones, but it was very simple transmutation magic, of a kind Trixie recognized as designed to preserve the stones to keep them from wearing out over time. The magic would ensure these grave markers would outlast the island itself if it came down to it. Trixie licked her lips, squinting as she looked more closely at the threads of magic interlacing the graves...

Then flinched as she noticed Dao Ming’s face literally right next to her own, also looking at the stones curiously.

“Do you mind? Personal space.”

Dao Ming looked at her flatly, but also with a flicker of embarrassment as she backed up and muttered something under her breath that might’ve been an apology. Trixie resumed her investigation while Dao Ming gave her some space with a small, irritated flick of her golden tail.

“So exactly how did you defeat Amaterasu?” Dao Ming asked, “The one you call the Tyrant Sun. The pink maned one said something that bothers me; that being warriors would have lead to your own defeat. I don’t understand that. What happened?”

Trixie thought she saw something in the magical threads inside the graves, a thread that looked different. Focusing on it she waved one of her hooves in a ‘shooing’ gesture at Dao Ming.

“I’m sure Lyra would love to tell you the story. Kind of busy right now. Short version is this; Corona could’ve squashed any of us flat like six... easily squashable things. I don’t know, Lyra’s the one who's good at storytelling. My point is Corona could squash anypony like that no matter how great a warrior they supposedly are! We won because my friends and I discovered each other, learned to care about each other, and the Elements of Harmony responded to those connections. Friendship. That’s what beat ‘Amatawhatever’.”

Dao Ming looked thoughtful for a moment, but then shook her head and started to pace while Trixie leaned in towards the middle grave stone. Trixie had to focus to pick out the specific thread of magic she’d seen, but once she did she realized there was more than one. In fact there were dozens of additional threads of magic underlying the basic magic that was preserving the stone’s condition. Trixie didn’t know what those threads were doing, but she recognized the type of magic, and who they belonged to.

“Well... that’s interesting,” Trixie said, turning off her magic sight and standing up straighter, stretching her neck.

“What? Or is that another ‘trade secret’ of yours?” Dao Ming asked, her tone only just shy of mocking. Or maybe that was just how Dao Ming usually sounded. Trixie was having a hard time telling.

“No secret, at least I don’t think it is,” said Trixie, gesturing at the grave stones, “Its just that there’s alicorn magic woven into these graves. I don’t know what the spell is doing, but I know it was put there by Princess Luna and Corona both.”

At that Dao Ming skeptically quirked an eyebrow, “How can you tell?”

“Oh, believe me, I know Princess Luna’s magical signature quite well. As for Corona’s magic, I’ve had probably more uncomfortable close encounters with her magic than any other pony alive today besides Princess Luna. Remind me to tell you about when we went to Tambelon sometime. I actually ended up... borrowing a bit of Corona’s magic during that fiasco.”

“Borrowed magic from... ugh, I can’t tell when to take you seriously or when you are pointlessly boasting and making things up.”

“Believe what you want. In any case I’m going back now,” said Trixie, “I have some questions to ask my mentor.”

Dao Ming seemed honestly surprised for a second, blinking at Trixie, “You intend to just ask your Princess openly about her past actions? She allows such questions?”

“Uh... yes,” said Trixie, glancing back at Dao Ming in confusion, “She’s kind of my teacher. Of course I can ask her questions. Its not as if I intend to interrogate her, I’m just curious what magic she and Corona put on these graves.”

Dao Ming got a strange look on her face, guarded, and if Trixie was reading the kirin right, which she had to admit was hard given how much Dao Ming seemed to try to keep herself under control, it seemed Dao Ming was... jealous?

“You must be close with your Princess, if she trusts you enough to answer any questions you’d have of her.”

“I guess so. I’ve never even thought about it. Luna’s always been pretty open with me,” Trixie said, wincing slightly, “Which, trust me, has its down sides. She’s as free with criticism as she is with praise. But, yeah, if I got a question to ask she’s never shied from answering them.”

“Well that’s... good,” said Dao Ming, eyes downcast for a second before she steadied herself and resumed her prideful posture, “If you learn anything important inform me. But do not think this means I will be gentle with you tomorrow. I expect you at your best.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes slightly, smiling thinly, “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get it.”

Up close the minotaur ship was even more impressive. While it wasn’t on par with the Shouma’s monolithic flagship the iron clad vessel still had an impressive length compared to the Equestrian sailing ships Cheerilee was familiar with. The metal ship rode low in the water, which didn’t surprise Cheerilee. She was curious about what the four pipe-like stacks rising from the metal deck were about. She noticed faint, coiling white smoke. Had to be steam power, she surmised. Her old boyfriend had made a few mentions of the value in the minotaur's advancements with steam, which rivaled some of Equestria’s best magic-tech.

There were a few burly, tall forms of minotaurs moving up and down gangplanks from the ship to the dock, unloading crates bare chested with impressive feats of raw strength, often carrying two crates apiece or more. A few of the bulls looked to be competing with each other over who could balance the most crates upon his shoulders at once, and Cheerilee found herself watching the display with a certain appreciation.

Most ponies found bipedals like the minotaurs a tad weird with their broad chests, dangling, thick arms, and bizarre many fingered hands. Cheerilee thought they were kind of cute. She chuckled to herself as a couple of fond memories of the time she’d spent dating a minotaur rose to the surface. While they might’ve parted ways she couldn’t deny it’d been a very interesting couple of months.

“Now there's a sight I ain't ever gonna tire of seeing,” said a strong, gruff, baritone voice behind her, one that was plucked right out of the memories she’d been thinking about.

Cheerilee turned her head, blinking in surprise, then giving the minotaur behind her a coy look as she noted he was staring at her flank with one hand appreciatively rubbing his chin between a thumb and forefinger while he gave a thumbs up with the other.

“Finely toned. Forgot to ask, but you still using them workout books ol’ Iron Will gave you, Cheer?” asked Iron Will with a wide smirk. Cheerilee returned that smirk, looking him up and down, enjoying the sight of his dark grayish blue skin over a muscular frame, a shock of black mane cut in a neat mohawk between his pair of large upswept white horns. He was even wearing the black business tie she remembered buying him as a birthday present, which she thought looked sharp on him.

“It’s all natural,” she said and quickly trotted up to give the large blue-gray minotaur a big hug, “It’s great to see you again Iron. Didn’t know you’d be coming out here.”

Iron Will actually looked a tad embarrassed, scratching his head with a faint hint of rosy heat in his cheeks as he returned her hug, literally pulling Cheerilee off the ground with one arm, much to a delighted little ‘eeep!’ from the mare before he set her back down.

“Didn’t know you’d be around either. I got quite the surprise, spotting you checking out the ship I came in on,” Iron Will said, nodding towards the vessel, “You doing some kind of tourist thing, or is this got to do with you being a teacher? Wish we'd had time to chat more back in Ponyville.”

A soft chuckle escaped Cheerilee as she watched Iron Will do a few... poses, as he talked. It was a minotaur thing. Posturing. Body language was important in almost every culture and species in the the world, but Cheerilee knew that minotaurs placed a special emphasis on the body as part of their way to communicate. Their poses, stances, bearing, all of it conveyed layers of meaning beyond just the words. Cheerilee probably knew more than the average Equestrian pony, but even dating Iron Will had only given her the bare bones notions of what the poses actually meant. Watching him pump his arms back and forth a few times, with an almost full pantomime of patting someone on the back told Cheerilee that well beyond his fond tone that Iron Will was happy to see here and keenly interested in knowing how she’d been.

“It’s going great,” she said with a warm smile, “I love my job, and have plenty of wonderful students. A few bullying issues here and there-”

Iron Will, through, cut her off, his pose suddenly shifting to one of keen interest and concern, one of his ears twitching as he knelt down to look at her more at eye-level, hands on his knees, "Bullying issues?"

Cheerilee did somewhat appreciate the concern in his eyes she didn't think it best to have that kind of conversation in such a public venue. Though now that she thought about it she wouldn't have minded hearing Iron Will's thoughts on the matter. She did have a few students who seemed to be a continuing problem when it came to picking on others and Cheerilee had to admit she was running out of ideas on how to address the problem. Perhaps getting a fresh perspective from someone of a different culture would be helpful. She gave Iron Will a relaxed smile, "Its something I wouldn't mind getting your take on, Iron, and we didn't get a lot of time to chat before you had to leave Ponyville last time, so how about we go get something to eat and we can both play catch up?"

“Ol’ Iron Will would love nothing more than to do just that Cheer, but I’m here on business, not pleasure, so it might have to wait a bit until I got a free hour,” Iron Will said, jabbing a thumb towards a few of the unloading crates, which Cheerilee noticed actually had an interesting logo on it; a pair of horns sprouting from a red business tie.

“For you, Iron, haven’t business and pleasure always been the same thing?” she asked with a wry grin, elbowing his shin, which is about as high as she could manage to elbow given his size.

“Iron Will doesn’t know what you’re talking about. My business is strictly business... even if I do enjoy my business.”

“So what business exactly are you conducting here?” she asked casually.

Iron Will’s big grin was a tad infectious as he gestured for Cheerilee to follow him and led her right up to one of his crates. He smacked it on the top, which caused spring loaded hinges to pop the crate right open, and he reached in, pulling something out.

“So glad you asked! Iron Will’s been one of the only minotaur’s that’s been out in the world, seen the sights, did some good PR with other races. So the Hedron of Alphas... uh... ‘asked’ me to do them a solid and be in charge of the festival end of things here at the Contest.”

What he pulled out looked like a miniature, plush doll made in the likeness of a big gray minotaur wearing a loincloth and leather harness, and carrying a sizeable, strangely shaped axe. Its small black button eyes looked at Cheerilee with an eerie sense of following her every move, yet somehow remained adorable.

“And of course that means one thing; merchandising!” said Iron Will with an infectious grin, and Cheerilee could almost see the coins clinking in the depths of his eyes.

Cheerilee couldn’t help but laugh, “Its cute. Who’s it supposed to be?”

“This here’s Steel Cage,” Iron Will said, “Alpha of War for the East Labyrinth and one of the champs here to strut his stuff for the minotaur race. Bet I can sell out of these little guys before the Grand Melee’s done!”

He chuckled, tossing the doll up and down a few times before lobbing it back into the crate, where it joined many other similar dolls of different minotaurs, “You ponies really go in for collectibles.”

Cheerilee considered her own collection of fish and couldn't really argue the point, and she was just glad to see an old friend, so she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she watched Iron Will proudly display some of the other bits of merchandise he was planning to sell at the festival.

“Its good to see you’ve been doing well for yourself Iron,” she said, “I’ll definitely drop by your stall at the festival, maybe pick up one of those adorable Steel Cage dolls.”

“Ha! I might even give you a special discount,” Iron Will said, giving her a thumbs up almost as if mugging for an audience, then he leaned down and whispered to Cheerilee, “Just don’t go around telling everybody I did. Can’t afford to be handing out discounts to just anybody.”

“Don’t worry, I can keep your generous nature a secret,” Cheerilee said.

Suddenly there was a loud bellow from the top of the gangplank, a voice akin to a foghorn mixed with a thunderclap, “What are you all doing resting on your laurels!? There’s still cargo to unload, scrubs!”

From the ship stomped a true hulk of a minotaur, one who towered over the others by nearly two full heads of height. His arms alone were as large around as the barrel of a stout earth pony, and even his legs, usually one of the smaller parts of a minotaur’s body, looked large enough to punt a fully loaded wagon like it was a hoofball. The metal gangplank literally bent and groaned under his stomping steps as he marched down to the dock where all the gathered minotaurs had halted to stare.

Cheerilee wouldn’t have recognized this minotaur if she hadn’t just seen his adorable little doll rendition.

The real thing was not so adorable.

Steel Cage was white as a cloud but his hard, stone chiseled features set in a seemingly permanent frown was in no way soft or fluffy. Indeed Cheerilee imagined you could sharpen a spearhead on that cleft chin. Or just break the spear. His bulging pecs and biceps could’ve put carved statues to shame. He was wearing the very same leather loincloth and thick leather harness his doll had depicted, and the haft of a gargantuan axe was slung over his back. The axe’s truly prodigious size was only eclipsed by the beefy broadness of the minotaur that carried it as if it weighed no more than a common stick. Cheerilee also noted the axe’s broad, doubled headed blades were made from a darker metal that held a faint wave like pattern in its edge. She briefly went over her mental checklist of known alloys and came up blank. That both bothered and interested her.

Steel Cage got to the bottom of the gangplank, and instead of just stepping off, he jumped, landing with a cracking boom not far from Cheerilee and Iron Will, nearly knocking Cheerilee off her hooves. Steel Cage’s gray eyes narrowed and honed in on Iron Will, and the hulking minotaur stood up and curled his arms in a ridiculous flex that showed off all of his arm muscles and his back.

“Steel Cage is seeing a whole lot of gawking and not a lot of working!” he bellowed as his arms pumped a few times as he shifted flexes.

Iron Will blew steam out his nose and despite being dwarfed by Steel Cage, he raised his arms high above his head in a wide flex, stretching to show off his own tight abs.

“Iron Will works on Iron Will’s time! He ain’t no scrub and this cargo is his!”

“Is that right!?” Steel Cage fired back with a mind blowing curl of his arms, turning to face Iron Will fully as literally every arm and chest muscle bulged and pulsed, “Why don’t you come up and say that to Steel Cage’s face!?”

“Gladly!” Iron Will went right up to Steel Cage, until the two were chest to chest, through in Iron Will’s case that was more chest to abs, “Iron Will will move his cargo when Iron Will feels like it!”

The two locked eyes, and Cheerilee was caught between being worried for Iron Will’s safety, and being kind of entranced by the display of raw muscle bound testosterone. She did find minotaur musculature fascinating, and she’d never seen better examples of it than right now. It left her, admittedly, a tad sweaty.

The tension lasted for a few more seconds, the other minotaurs who’d been moving cargo gathering around to watch. Then Steel Cage cracked a giant grin, one that Iron Will matched, and in seconds the two were clapping hands together in a huge, hearty shake.

“Iron Will you little runt! How you been!?” Steel Cage guffawed, clapping Iron Will so hard on the shoulder it nearly broke planks in the dock.

“”Making money, making connections, and enjoying the sweet, sweet nectar of living it large,” said Iron Will.

“Ha! Always thought you were crazy for running off to go see the world, but sounds like you’re having fun with it. If the other Alphas think you’re the man to be putting together the festival then you won’t hear no complaint from me! Hahah! C’mere you!”

Steel Cage pulled Iron Will into a tight headlock, rubbing the other minotaur’s head in the manner one might tussle the hair of a kid brother. Iron Will rolled his eyes a bit at the treatment but let the bigger minotaur do his thing. Cheerilee had the feeling there were some more complicated minotaur social meanings going on here than she could pick up on, but Iron Will didn’t seem too bothered by it.

“So, who's the little pony here?” asked Steel Cage, tilting his head Cheerilee’s way, “You still into the four legged scene, Iron?”

Iron Will’s face briefly took on an annoyed cast, but it vanished fast enough as he said, “This here’s Blackcherry Lee Punch, one of the best pals Iron Will’s ever had! She showed me the ropes when I still didn’t know a pegasus from a unicorn!”

“That right? Wait, let me guess, she the one you got all steaming in the nostrils for?” Steel Cage elbowing Iron Will hard enough that Cheerilee suspected it had to hurt, not that Iron Will showed it.

“Whoa there, let’s just keep certain things on the down low, Steel-”

“Ha! She is! Gahaha! I knew you got hot blooded over foreign stuff, but even I was surprised when I found out you got down and dirty with a little pony! Never did ask how that was? So, little lady, how was my boy Iron here? Can’t figure it was that comfortable. He’s small for a minotaur but still way more than I figure a pony could handle.”

Cheerilee could see Iron Will’s anger rising like a steam pipe starting to be over pressurized, veins throbbing on his neck with a growing redness that probably was only half anger. She herself was a little taken aback by Steel Cage’s blunt, crassness, but if this was a minotaur Alpha... well saying what he thought probably came with the territory. All she knew from her contact with Iron Will was that the Alphas were like the minotaur’s nobility. It’d be the diplomatic thing to do to let the comments pass with good grace and self control.

Then again...

“I can ‘handle’ anything that comes my way just fine, but my and Iron Will’s time together isn’t really any of your business,” Cheerilee said, adopting a straighter stance, head high. The body language just wasn’t the same between quadrupeds and bipeds, but she was hoping the confident stance would translate over anyway.

Steel Cage didn’t seem to pick up on it, however, and instead gruffly chuckled and loomed over her, “Now don’t be like that little lady, just having some fun chatting with my old buddy, who I ain’t seen in years because he’s got a serious case of the tight pants for you crazy colored and tiny critters. Can you blame me if I’m wondering just how far he decided to take this obsession of his.”

“As far as he felt like, and again, not really any of your business,” Cheerilee said, not backing down, but before Steel Cage could respond Iron Will put a hand on his shoulder and actually turned the huge Alpha towards him.

“Steel, leave this be,” Iron Will said, jaw clenched tight, “Cheer and me ain’t a thing anymore, we’re just friends.”

Steel Cage went... oddly still, his flinty eyes suddenly glancing at Iron Will’s hand on his shoulder, “That sounded almost like you were telling me what to do, Iron. Pretty sure that can’t be the case, though. You’re too smart to do that.”

With a simple lean and incline of his head Steel Cage changed his entire stance from jovially playful to deadly serious and to Cheerilee it seemed that every muscle on the ridiculously large minotaur had gone still and taunt as the surface of a volcano before erupting.

Iron Will, to his credit, looked ready to stand his ground despite the sudden trickle of sweat running down the side of his neck. Cheerilee, however, had no desire to see this turn violent. She placed a hoof on Iron Will’s arm and gently tugged it so he lifted it from Steel Cage’s shoulder. He looked at her and Cheerilee found herself unable to keep from smiling and feeling a bit of a warm spark at that look. Iron Will seemed both equal parts terrified and bravely willing to stand up for her, and when he looked at her it was with simple concern for her, rather than for himself.

“Cheer?”

“Its alright, no reason to fight over something like this. I know you said you were busy, but how about we go meet up with my friends anyway and get lunch? Much nicer way to spend our time, don’t you think?”

Iron Will looked ready to argue but Steel Cage responded first, bellowing out a laugh.

“Yup, that’s a pony for ya, Iron. No stomach for a little confrontation. Fine, fine, go play with your four legged squeeze, just as long as you still get your work done on the festival. I’ll forget you disrespecting me, this one time, because we’re such good buddies. Next time, through, its your teeth on the floor, got me?”

It was asked with such a casual, light air of friendliness, as if the tension from seconds ago had never happened. Cheerilee had to wonder if Iron Will hadn’t left his homeland not simply out of an interest in other cultures, but because he was tired of trying to figure out his fellow minotaurs. But then again she supposed she couldn’t really judge much based on just Steel Cage and Iron Will; they seemed like the occupied different places in minotaur society.

“Yeah, I got you,” said Iron Will, a sour look on his face that seemed to pass right over Steel Cage’s head as he let out another laugh.

“Ha! Good! Well, I’m off to that fancy looking monastery, see what the hubbub is about these other champions. Hoping I’ll find at least one of ‘em that’ll give me a good brawl. Later! Don’t break her, Iron. We’re here to promote ‘good relations’ or whatever. Figure their little moon princess will get mad if one of us hurts one of these pooftas too much. I'll have to check myself in the Grand Melee, just so I don’t hit one of them too hard and causes an international incident. Ha!”

As Steel Cage marched away Cheerilee watched him go and let out a small huff, “Hit one of us too hard? He really doesn’t have a clue just how durable an earth pony is, does he?”

Iron Will’s posture slumped slightly, as if he’d just finished a rough workout and was too tired to stand up straight, “No, no he don’t, but seriously Cheer, you sure know how to make a guy’s life more complicated. Ain’t good for my health, going nose to nose with Steel.”

Cheerilee laughed, patting his leg, “Hey, I appreciate the effort. Quite the gentlestallion.”

Iron Will coughed and adjusted his tie while looking away, “Ahem, that might’ve had something to do with a certain mare that taught me how to be one.”

The two shared a look, which led to a awkward silence. Eventually Iron Will rubbed the back of his head, pointing a thumb back at his crates, “Er, well, anyway, got a lot of work to do. Its real good to see you again Cheer. You going to be here the whole Contest?”

Cheerilee smiled knowingly, “Oh, I’m here for the duration.”

“Great! How about we get breakfast tomorrow, then? We can watch the Grand Melee together. If you know, you want to...”

“Love to, but I won’t be available at the time,” Cheerilee said, and at Iron Will’s crestfallen look she couldn’t help herself, but chuckled and decided to let the fellow in on the truth, “Not because I wouldn’t love to catch up with you Iron, but I’m in the Contest.”

Her words didn’t seem to immediately register with him. Iron Will’s eyes stared at her unblinking, and Cheerilee was certain she could hear the turning of the gears in his head. He opened his mouth to speak, then abruptly shut it, his face scrunching up in a wrinkle of hard thought. He opened his mouth again, shut it. Thought. Raised a finger, lowered it. Back to thinking.

“Iron Will? You okay up there, big guy?” Cheerilee asked, waving a hoof in front of his face.

“Yeah...” he said, voice oddly distant. He slowly straightened up, and when he looked at her gain it was with a worryingly serious expression, “So, just so we’re clear, you’re saying you’re one of the champs Equestria’s sent in. Which means you’re one of them mares that got one of them Element things I’ve been hearing about?”

“Pretty much. Kind of surprised you didn’t already know,” Cheerilee said, a little put off by his sudden seriousness. His whole posture had gotten rigid.

“Most ponies who talked about it just knew that six mares from Ponyville got these fancy jewels that kicked Corona’s flank, hard, and are pretty much all that’s standing between the country and an permanent summer vacation. Not like I had any reason to suspect one of these supermares would turn out to be you.”

“Supermares is exaggerating,” Cheerilee said with a wink, “Though I won’t stop you from thinking that if you want.”

Her want to lighten the mood seemed to go over Iron Will’’s head through as he flinched, almost as if she’d hit him, “Look, its great and all that you’re famous and all... but Cheer, you gotta be careful.”

“Carefull? Of what?”

“Steel Cage,” Iron Will said, voice hard as his namesake.

Cheerilee raised and eyebrow, “Why? Its just a friendly Contest, and he sounds like he’s seriously underestimating us ponies anyway.”

“That ain’t here nor there,” Iron Will said, “He was out of line, but he doesn’t know that, because the way he was acting is normal for an Alpha when talking to anyone lower on the totem pole. He’d never have really tried to hurt me or you because if he had, it’d be a loss of face. An Alpha that can’t dominate with sheer assertive presence ain’t worth being called an ‘Alpha. At least when dealing with lessers. But if you’re another Alpha, all bets are off. The second he finds out you’re also a champion... I don’t know for sure how he’ll act, but it’ll be a whole league different than what you just saw.”

Cheerilee wanted to laugh off Iron Will’s worries, but she knew him well enough to understand the difference between when he was jokingly serious and just straight serious. He was honestly worried for her. She didn’t know how to set his mind at ease, and she intended to take his warning seriously enough, but there was no way she’d be leaving the poor guy to worry about her all day either.

“I’ll be careful out there,” she said sincerely, “If it’ll help you relax, I won’t be fighting alone. I’m going to be beside my friends the entire time. The six of us aren’t pushovers and I don’t plan on challenging Steel Cage to any one on one action.”

“Good,” Iron Will said, and his serious demeanor slowly melted away as he smiled and relaxed his posture, “So, breakfast tomorrow before the Grand Melee?”

Cheerilee grinned, “Definitely.”

Raindrops left the inn that her parents and little brother would be staying after she had finished making sure all of her stuff had been put away. She knew there was an open offer for staying at some monastery, but that notion didn’t appeal to her in the least. She’d rather spend her nights sleeping next to her family than some cold, empty place built into the side of a cliff.

She could still see Carrot Top, Lyra, and Ditzy along with Dinky finishing up lunch at the outdoor tables of a quaint looking restaurant across the street. Raindrops began to trot her way across the semi-busy street to join her friends at the cafe when she caught sight of somepony, or rather somezebra approaching her from down the street. Her eyes snapped wide as she recognized that not only was the zebra making his way straight for her, but it was a zebra she knew.

“Tendaji!” she called out, half in anger, half in surprise at even seeing the zebra stallion who’d been part of the fiasco in Oaton last year. She, Trixie, and Cheerilee had gotten caught up in a rather complicated situation in the small rural town of Oaton, dealing with monsters, smuggles, crazy mares, and dark magic. Tendaji had been an oddity amid all that chaos, some kind of agent working for the smugglers who Raindrops had gone hoof to hoof with. He’d vanished before they’d really finished their fight, with a vague promise that they’d meet again sometime.

Apparently that time was now, and Raindrops couldn’t have been less enthusiastic about it. She’d been kind of hoping the zebra would just forget about her. He looked about the same as the last time she’d seen him, through he was dressed more casually. He still had his black and white striped mane done up in thick, alternating braids, but instead of a leather vest containing dozens of pockets worth of alchemical pots and potions he was wearing a plain wool jerkin of a dark gray coloring.

Tendaji didn’t look startled or alarmed by being spotted, maintaining the same calm, controlled expression he’d worn back in Oaton. He merely nodded at her and trotted towards her as if he was merely greeting a friend on the street. Despite his casual demeanor Raindrops instinctually fell into a ready, wide Iron Hoof stance. She didn’t trust this zebra for a second and remembered well how fast he’d been when they’d fought.

The situation hadn’t gone unnoticed by her friends. Ditzy, Lyra, and Carrot Top all exchanged confused glances and Lyra was first out of her seat to come over to stand next to Raindrops while Ditzy remained seated with her daughter and Carrot Top stood, but looked hesitant to trot over.

“Friend of yours Raindrops?” asked Lyra as Tendaji halted a few paces away.

“Not even remotely,” said Raindrops flatly, maintaining her stance and eyeing Tendaji carefully, “What are you doing here?”

He halted a few paces in front of her, his expression unchanging as he dipped his head in what might have been a bow, “I am here for the same reason you are. To participate in the Contest. Through that is a secondary concern to meeting you here.”

Raindrop’s eyebrow twitched and she smiled in a way that was anything but friendly, “Funny. Seriously, what are you doing here? Are you so desperate to finish our fight that you stalked me all the way out here? It would’ve been easier to find me in Ponyville.”

“Okay, Raindrops, who is this guy?” Lyra asked again, looking more and more agitated as she eyed Tendaji up and down.

“My name is Tendaji,” he said, turning his eyes towards Lyra without turning his head, “I became acquainted with Dame Raindrops during the events that transpired in Oaton some time ago.”

Raindrops spat out a humorless laugh, “Became acquainted!? Is that how you describe what that was? You tried to hurt both me and my friends, and you were helping the criminals that were smuggling animals during that whole fiasco! What reason do I have not to arrest you, here and now, exactly? I’m pretty sure as a Knight I have the authority to do that.”

Tendaji shrugged as if he was unconcerned with the notion, “If you wish to place me under arrest that is your choice, though it might cause some incident considering I am here as a representative of the tribes of Zebrica.”

With a heavy snort Raindrops lowered her head, scuffing a hoof on the ground almost as if getting ready to charge, “You expect me to believe the zebras chose some random criminal as a champion? Horseapples!”

Suddenly a voice spoke from behind her, causing Raindrops to jump and wheel about.

“My husband speaks the truth.”

Behind Raindrops was a zebra mare, wearing light gray woolen wrappings, almost akin to a scarf but it covered her shoulders, chest, and forelegs. Like Tendaji her mane was done up in braids, hers being far longer and marked with colorful beads. Her cyan eyes locked onto Raindrops’ with an intense, measuring quality that made Raindrops uncomfortable, especially as the mare approached to within a hoof’s length from her. Lyra stepped forward, nearly blocking the mare’s path, holding a hoof out.

“Hold up. I need somepony here to start explaining, because my friend here looks ready to start cracking skulls, and I’m pretty sure it’d reflect badly on everypony to start a scuffle here in the street when we’re supposed to be representing the best of our nations. Let’s be nice and reasonable-ish. Raindrops?”

Raindrops grit her teeth but nodded, lowering her wings and relaxing her stance, eyeing both Tendaji and the zebra mare with narrow eyed suspicion, “Okay, fine. Start talking. Who are you and have you heard of personal space?”

“I am Aisha. Wife of Tendaji. And yes, I know of ‘personal space’. All too well, in fact. You doubt my husband when he says he is a tribal champion chosen to be here, but it is the truth. This I give my word upon.”

“And I’m supposed to just take you at your word?” Raindrops asked dryly, giving Aisha a flat stare. The zebra didn’t seem ruffled by Raindrops’ hard look.

“If you wish there is nothing stopping you from seeking a local authority figure to confirm our identity with,” Aisha said flatly, “My husband and I will gladly accompany you to do so.”

Raindrops narrowed her eyes, trying to spot any hint of insincerity in Aisha. The zebra mare’s tone had been nothing but open and frank. There was no deceit in the zebra mare’s eyes or stance. That didn’t necessarily mean she was telling the truth. There were skilled liars in the world, and Raindrops didn’t think she was so skilled that she couldn’t be deceived. But she’d be going to the monastery soon enough with the rest of her friends anyway and while there she could confirm Tendaji’s status. Even if he did turn out to be legitimately here for the Contest that didn’t mean she had to feel any less incensed towards Tendaji for what he’d been a part of back in Oaton. Her expression didn’t soften as she said, “I’ll drop it for now, but that doesn’t mean I have to like that he’s here. If he’d succeeded in taking me down then its possible an entire town would’ve suffered for it.”

She turned her glare towards Tendaji, “What were you doing in Oaton, if you’re some zebra that’s got enough clout to be named a champion?”

“Kind of wondering that myself,” said Lyra, frowning, “If I’m remembering my lore right its pretty uncommon for the zebra tribes to bother with the events going on outside their territory in the first place.”

“You can place blame upon your Tyrant Sun for that,” said Aisha plainly, “The fact that one of our own people aids her has caused the tribes many difficulties. We are not as isolated as some might believe, or others might wish for. Zebrica depends upon trade as much as many other lands, and the fact that Zecora aids your wayward Princess causes issues that the Chieftains wished to clear from the slate. Tendaji and my father Nuru are here as champions of our tribe, the Peacewalkers. There are others who have come, representing their own tribes. You will likely meet them soon.”

Raindrops and Lyra both looked at each other, and even Carrot Top and Ditzy Doo both gained surprised expressions. Dinky simply appeared confused at the conversation, but the filly seemed to understand the conversation was also between the adults and was keeping quiet, simply listening intently.

“Wait, did you say Zecora?” asked Carrot Top, “Kind of obsessed with prophecy. Speaks in rhymes all the time. That Zecora?”

Aisha looked sharply at Carrot Top, “Yes, that Zecora. She who’d rather follow her own path to the exclusion of all sense, no matter who tries to reason with her. Hmph, so she still speaks in that rhyming manner? How a mare can be such a traditionalist and still so thoroughly ignore the edicts of her tribe is beyond me.”

“Sounds like you got a personal issue with her,” said Lyra.

Aisha, for a second, had a look of naked fury in her eyes, but it was quickly controlled to a more placid look. Raindrops suddenly felt an odd... sympathy for the mare. It wasn’t easy to keep that kind of anger wrangled. She was surprised at how fast and seemingly easy Aisha made it look as she said in a calm tone, “Zecora and I are of the same tribe. We are both sangoma, shaman, trained to serve the spiritual needs of our people. A duty she has forsaken for a mad vision of an alicorn whose connection to the sun has made her believe she serves the purpose of the tribes.”

“Wife...” said Tendaji, “Perhaps this is not the place to speak of such things. I merely came here to meet with Raindrops and arrange the terms of our battle.”

Aisha looked at him. There was no change to her calm features, just a simple, plain stare that she held on Tendaji until he visibly gulped and backed up a step, bowing his head.

“Of course, that can wait until you’re done speaking, my wife,” he said and pointedly started to find the surrounding architecture fascinating.

“As it happens, I am,” Aisha said, turning her gaze to Raindrops, “I merely wished to lay eyes upon the mare that’s caught the attention of my husband so thoroughly. Now that I have I can say that I have no reason to forbid him from engaging in this... distraction. In fact, after meeting you, Dame Randrips, I think it will do my husband some good, to do battle with you in this Contest.”

Raindrops didn’t know how to take that. She hadn’t known this mare for all of two minutes and the notion that Aisha had seemed to have weighed and measured her worth in that short span didn’t sit well with Raindrops. Aisha, having apparently spoken her piece, turned and cantered away as if she had no further care for what Raindrops and Tendaji did.

“Okay...” said Carrot Top, “That was weird.”

Tendaji had the phantom of a grimace on his face, “She is a forthright mare. This... is both why I love her, and at times, fear her.”

“Good for you. Now say what you came to say and get out of my mane,” said Raindrops, letting some of her anger spill into her tone, “I just want to enjoy one day with my friends before this Contest kicks off, and you’re spoiling the mood.”

“Very well,” said Tendaji, “I care little for the Contest itself. My only real interest here is you, and finishing our fight from Oaton.”

“Why?” asked Lyra, and at Raindrops’ hard look the unicorn smiled with a disarming shrug, “What? You might not care, but I’m kind of curious. Why’s this guy so hot to trade blows with you?”

“Because it is the foundation of my Path,” said Tendaji, which caused Raindrops to blink at him blankly. He frowned slightly, “I suppose that a pony would not fully grasp it. Every zebra finds a Path in life. Our Path is... akin to your cutie marks. It is our driving force, our purpose. A Path is made up of several foundations. Behaviors and goals that form the Path before us. One of the foundations of my Path is to strengthen myself by finding worthy opponents to do battle with. You are such an opponent, Dame Raindrops.”

Raindrops didn’t entirely understand why he thought she was a ‘worthy’ opponent, but the reason itself seemed simple enough. This whole ‘Path’ thing sounded a little strange, but if she was being honest she had to admit that if she had to explain a cutie mark to a species that didn’t have them it might sound strange as well. Out of impulse she glanced at his flank, noting that much like Zecora had there was a symbol there etched in darker gray tones upon his white and black striped coat. It looked like a... vine? Or a tree? It was hard to tell, given it was made of interlocking curved patterns of swirls and twists, peppered with smaller circular symbols that almost made Raindrops think of fruit.

Tendaji noticed her brief glance, “You wonder what it means?”

Raindrops looked away, “No.”

Lyra gave her a slight punch on the shoulder, “C’mon, Element of Honesty, even I could tell that was a lie.”

“Oh shut up,” said Raindrops, “Two seconds of curiosity doesn’t mean I want to chat with this guy anymore.”

Tendaji bowed his head, “I understand, and will leave if you wish it. Our battle does not require that we... like each other. I hope, however, that by the end of this you might at least understand me, as I hope to understand you.”

With that he walked past her and Lyra, going in the same direction his wife had gone. For a few moments Raindrops remained tense, until Lyra gave her a quick bump with her flank, “Hey, you going to be okay there, Raindrops?”

With the zebra gone Ditzy finally approached, looking pensive as she let Dinky climb onto her back. Dinky had an inquisitive look on her tiny features, “They looked pretty neat. Are all zebra black and white like that? I really liked the beads in the mare’s mane. I want to braid my mane like that!”

“Maybe when we get home, honey,” said Ditzy, briefly turning her head to nuzzle the filly before turning to Raindrops, not repeating Lyra’s question but clearly wondering if Raindrops was alright.

“I’m fine,” said Raindrops, concentrating on taking simple, deep breaths, “Just hadn’t expected him to show up here, now.”

“Well, if it’ll help, I’ll buy you a drink to help you unwind,” said Carrot Top, gesturing at the cafe, “We weren’t done eating, so why not join us? Forget all about creepy stalker zebra.”

“Seconded,” said Lyra, “Then we check out the festival grounds! I hear there’s tents with food and music from literally every culture being set up out there!”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Trixie and Cheerilee?” asked Ditzy.

“I can go find them,” said Raindrops, giving Carrot Top an apologetic look, genuinely embarrassed at her foul mood, “Sorry, but kind of lost my appetite. I’ll eat later tonight. We got some big social hoopla to do at that monastery later, right?”

“True,” said Lyra, “We get to dress up like at the Gala and rub shoulders with the other champs and bigwigs from the other nations. Should be fun. Or at least interesting. Wonder if we should wear our armor there?”

“Think I’ll just stick to my Gala dress,” said Carrot Top, “Not really comfortable with that armor yet.”

“Heh, you’ll need to get used to it soon, CT, we’re going to be putting it to real use tomorrow,” said Lyra, elbowing the other mare, who just nervously laughed it off.

Meanwhile Raindrops slowly took the air, her mind wandering as she began to keep an eye out for the wayward pair from their little troupe.

Much later that evening the six mares from Ponyville found themselves approaching the large cliff that rose from the shore along the north end of the island.

From the outside the monastery looked as if somepony had literally taken an ice cream scoop and hollowed out an entire hoofball field sized portion from the side of the nearly sheer rock wall. Ditzy Doo looked about in awe, mirroring her daughter who was perched on her back, tiny hooves planted on Ditzy’s head as Dinky also gaped.

Pillars the size of castle towers ran along the entrance to the monastery, which Ditzy and her friends had reached by following a well paved path that’d taken them from the township of Hero’s Rest to the south, through the extensive festival grounds that covered the fields between the town and monastery. Past the pillars there was a vast chamber,like the mouth to cave fit for a dozen dragons. Massive iron braziers hung from the ceiling, fires blazing within to provide both warmth and light to the huge stone carved chamber which Ditzy realized must have just been the monastery’s entry hall.

They were not alone, as Princess Luna was there to meet them as they passed the pillars, with a number of Canterlot’s nobility following in the Princess’ wake like ducklings trailing their mother. The comparison seemed oddly apt to Ditzy as one of the mares, an elderly pegasus that Ditzy quickly recognized as Vicereine Puissance was dressed in a feathery and elaborate silver and white ensemble that gave her a distinctly swan-like look. Other nobles were harder for Ditzy to recognize, simply because she’d really only had a chance to meet any of them at the Gala last year, and she’d been kind of busy with other things during that time than socializing. The Vicerine, however, she was not likely to forget anytime soon. Puissance’s eyes did cross by Ditzy’s for a moment, and the Vicereine gave a small nod with an unreadable look on her face. Ditzy wasn’t sure what to make of it, really. The last time she’d met Puissance they hadn’t parted on bad terms per se, but the incident with the wendigo and Ice Heart had been... intense. Ditzy was actually eager to ask how the half-wendio foal was doing, though she heard about him fairly often from Dinky, who had a long distance friendship going with Ice Heart that was maintained via a magical scrying crystal ball that was on loan from Princess Luna.

Not knowing if it was okay to just speak up in such a formal seeming situation Ditzy just kept quiet for the time being, but returned Puissance’s nod with one of her own. .

“My champions,” Luna said with a respectful nod of her head, “I hope you are enjoying yourselves thus far and have had time to recuperate from our voyage?”

Trixie, who Ditzy had noticed had seemed rather distracted since she’d returned to the group, returned the Princess’ nod without really looking at Luna as she looked at the other people in the chamber. Ditzy was also noticing just how crowded this huge entry hall was. Dozens of groups of creatures ranging from griffins to diamond dogs occupied the chamber, mingling and chatting amongst themselves. Ditzy almost felt underdressed.

Knowing this was a social function she and her friends had dressed for the occasion. Ditzy had intended to just wear the dress she’d had for the Gala last year; given her limited budget it wasn’t as if she could buy a new one. But as it happened Ponyville’s resident seamstress extraordinaire, Rarity, had heard about the Contest and had offered to make outfits for Ditzy and her friends, free of charge. Ditzy didn’t know if any of her friends had taken Rarity up on the offer, but Ditzy had done so after a brief internal debate. She wasn’t usually up for accepting charity, but Rarity had made it clear that while it was a generous offer it wasn’t driven by pure altruism. Apparently she hoped to get her dress designs noticed by potential foreign buyers. Ditzy was happy enough to help, in that case, and so was wearing a simple but effective dress with a white blouse and three toned blue skirt that went modestly low.

Carrot Top actually was wearing her Gala dress and like Ditzy had a look on her face that said she felt a tad underdressed for the occasion regardless. Ditzy wondered if the farm pony had declined Rarity’s offer or was just holding off on wearing the other dress until later. Lyra had slipped out of the armor she’d been wearing before and was now clad in an outfit she’d claimed as a classic form of ‘bardic’ dress from the Renneighssance period of Equestria’s history. It looked to Ditzy like it might suit a stallion more with its tight fitting dark green pants and vest, a sharp cape, and pointed wide brimmed hat, complete with large white feather, but Ditzy was willing to admit Lyra made it work. Cheerilee and Trixie both looked more comfortable, the schoolteacher sporting a tight fitting satin affair that was trimmed with white lace and embroidered with a number of flowers, and Trixie wearing a rather long trailing cape in a darker shade of violet than her normal star-specked magician’s cape, along with a matching blouse of a lighter shade, both garments decorated with speckles of star dust streaks. Raindrops had opted for an unusual but fetching one piece dress that was a lighter shade of teal than her mane and tail, with a wide, open v-neck collar, and a short enough train that it didn’t restrict her legs at all. Ditzy could only assume these outfits had also been made by Rarity.

All six of them were wearing the ornate pieces of jewelry that represented the physical embodiment of their Element of Harmony, necklaces for five of them including Ditzy, and a tiara sitting atop Trixie’s head. Ditzy knew they didn’t intend to wear the Elements during the whole Contest, but just for this first evening. Trixie had said it’s be a poignant reminder of who they were. Ditzy wasn’t sure what that meant. She had a pretty good memory and was certain she wouldn't be forgetting who she was anytime soon.

“Yes, I think we have,” said Trixie in response to Luna’s question, “It’s been an interesting afternoon, for me at least. On that note, Princess, when you have a moment to spare from all this I really need to talk with you.”

Princess Luna’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but she otherwise maintained a relaxed demeanor as she said, “Of course. The Abbess of this monastery wishes to meet with all of the champions, so we shall introduce the six of you to her first, but afterward you’re free to do as you please so we can speak then, Trixie. Most the other champions and the dignitaries from their respective nations are already here, and you’ll be free to dine and mingle with them as you will.”

Puissance stepped forward, her own sharp eyes glancing over Ditzy and her friends with a critical eye,”You will all be representing Equestria itself at these games, and I, along with the entirety of the Night Court, trust all of you to act accordingly on this auspicious occasion. Of course if any of you wish advice or accompaniment in speaking with the higher profile dignitaries I am available to assist in that endeavour.”

There was a faint stiffness to the Vicerine’s words but Ditzy tried not to think anything of it. The Vicereine was the picture of proper cordiality. Given what had happened back during the winter Ditzy wouldn’t have been surprised at a colder demeanour from Puissance. Ditzy managed a friendly smile for the Vicereine, to which Puissance’s expression of schooled politeness didn’t change, but she did seem to meet Ditzy’s gaze for a few moments longer than she did the others, almost as if Puissance was acknowledging Ditzy more so than the other Element bearers. Princess Luna cast a sidelong glance at Puissance, but made no comment. .

“Yes,” said the statuesque white coated unicorn stallion on Princess Luna’s other side, who Ditzy recognized as Viscount Blueblood, “I suppose we ought to help our Element Bearers put on a good show. Hmph, assuming we haven’t already made fools of ourselves by treating the local terrain like a foal’s playground.”

The last was said while giving a hard glance over his shoulder at another pony in the Princess’ entourage of nobles, an earth pony stallion with a plain grey coat and lighter brown mane, who at Blueblood’s look smiled in an embarrassed, sheepish manner, rubbing the back of his head.

“I did apologize to the monks, Viscount,” the brown stallion said, “And to be fair, they didn’t actually seem to mind me climbing the cliff.”

“What I’d like to know is why you thought climbing it was a good idea in the first place,” Blueblood persisted, waving a hoof, “It’s a cliff for Luna’s sake! Ahem, pardon me, your Majesty. But my point stands, why would a supposedly respectable Baron of the Night Court go charging up a vertical rock incline like its a foal’s jungle gym?”

This time another pony spoke up, a mare who was standing by the Baron. Ditzy was struck at the distinct resemblance to Ponyville’s resident shut in, Fluttershy, though this pegasus mare was clearly more into her middle years. She had the same buttery yellow coat and pink mane, and she was wearing an elegantly flowing dress the color of spring grass.

“Baron Mounty Max’s hobbies are hardly worthy of interrogation, Viscount. Indeed in his home province mountain climbing is a common pastime, and it does keep him in good shape. He can hardly be blamed if he saw an opportunity to indulge a hobby, especially considering the point of this endeavour is to share of our cultures with the other nations. Consider that the Baron was merely demonstrating a part of Nulpar’s culture.”

“That’s stretching it, Duchess...” Ditzy heard Puissance mutter softly, but if anypony else heard they did not’ respond. Princess Luna herself, however, probably did, and she cleared her throat loudly to get the nobles back on track.

“Regardless now that our Knights and champions are here, we can meet with the Abbess and begin our part in the evening’s festivities. If you girls are ready?”

“We are,” said Trixie, though Ditzy couldn’t help but notice the way Trixie continued to appear distracted.

Luna led them deeper into the chamber, the Night Court nobles actually falling in behind them to Ditzy’s surprise. Dinky stayed quietly perched on her back, being well behaved, though Ditzy could sense her daughter’s excitement. The little filly practically buzzed with barely contained energy and Ditzy knew she’d need to cut her daughter loose soon so she could get some of that energy out. She thought that perhaps she should have left Dinky with Raindrops’ parents back in Hero's Rest, but Dinky had wanted to see the monastery. Ditzy’s only condition for bringing Dinky along had been that the filly be on her best behavior, since they’d be meeting with so many other people from different lands.

“Mamma, look, its the deer!” Dinky whispered with a smile, keeping her volume to her proper ‘indoor voice’ as she pointed.

Ditzy looked and indeed saw a number of cervids gathered around one of the large, lengthy tables that’d been set up in the chamber. There were more than Ditzy recalled visiting Ponyville, and surmised that many of them might be nobles or other important deer sent to view the Contest and mingle with other nobles. Among the gathered cervids were the champions who’d come through Ponyville. Ditzy rather quickly spotted Wodan, because it was impossible to miss the giant moose, and she also was fast to spot Sigurd. The dark colored dvergar took note of the ponies passing by and gave Ditzy a small nod, raising a drink in acknowledgment, and Ditzy returned the gesture with a smile.

“HO! Lady of Moon and Stars!” shouted Wodan with a laughing bellow, raising a mug of foaming liquid, “Come, join us! You and all your little ponies! These monks have mead enough here to drown even the bottomless belly of Wodan!”

Luna waved a wing, smiling, “Soon enough, my friend, though you know I do not drink. I’ll let my champions test the limits of your endurance, if they are so inclined.”

“Yeesh, does that guy just subsist on alcohol alone?” asked Lyra.

“Practically,” Luna replied with a soft sigh. Glancing at the nobles of the Night Court she spread her wings, using them to gesture towards the various crowds, “I will lead our champions to the Abbess. I would like the rest of you to resume mingling among your peers from the other nations.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” said Blueblood, holding his head high and with a look as if he was having a hard time fully digesting the word ‘peer’, “Through if it’s all the same to the rest of you I think I’ll keep a minimum safe distance from the cervid delegation. A little too much body tossing going on over there for my taste.”

“Body tossing?” Carrot Top began to ask, then there a roar of laughter followed by a crash as one young elk, possibly Frederick himself by the mane, went flying across one table to smash into another, apparently the loser of a hoof wrestling contest with a female moose almost as large as Wodan. Carrot Top just blinked, “Never mind.”

Blueblood sighed, “So uncivilized.”

Baron Max merely gave the deer an intrigued look, “I suppose I can go mingle with them. I’m used to a little rough housing. Think I might go talk with that Wodan fellow. He seems a friendly sort.”

Beside the Baron the pegasus that Ditzy knew was Duchess Fragrant Posey looked slightly alarmed and gulped, “I’ll accompany you. Just in case...”

She didn’t say in case of what, but Ditzy didn’t miss the way the Duchess’s eyes flicked towards the Baron with a hint of concern that went well beyond the professional.

“I will be mostly speaking with the delegation from Shouma,” said Puissance, “There have long been aspects of their culture I’ve found to be of interest, and our trade arrangements with them could use some discussion. Far too many rare goods that still do not make it to Equestrian markets due to trade restrictions I cannot fathom.”

“Be careful, Vicereine,” Luna said, not unkindly, “Those from Shouma can be a touchy bunch, and the ancient trade agreements with them stand because of the respect shown to their desire to keep certain commodities within their own borders.”

Puissance merely nodded noncommittally, “Of course. I shall be the soul of caution, Princess. I doubt they can object to a few simple questions and light discussion.”

With that the nobles split off to their own areas of the interest and Ditzy along with her friends continued to follow Princess Luna.

The vast chamber only seemed to get more crowded to Ditzy’s eyes the deeper they went. If the cervids were making a racket through merriment and drinking then it was the griffins seemed ready to bring the cavern down around them with their hollering, which seemed to be as much arguing with each other as making merry, almost as if they were one and the same thing. Ditzy caught sight of smaller, more unusual groups as well. A small group of half a dozen zebra were occupying one of the tables, silent and seemingly contemplative, as if doing their best to ignore the noise around them.

Ditzy was kind of surprised to see the zebras here, “There really are folk from all over the world here.”

“Seriously,” said Lyra, smiling wide and practically bouncing on her hooves, “I’ve seen diamond dogs out in the festival grounds and even a dragon or two lounging about. I didn’t even think the dragons would care about this gig.”

“Strictly speaking they do not,” said Luna, “But a few tend to show each time the Contest occurs. Even among the dragons curiosity is a powerful motivation. They don’t bother competing, but they do enjoy observing.”

Finally reaching the back of the room Ditzy could see a vast set of carved tablets, hewn from the very stone of the wall, all flanking a wide set of steps dug into the wall that led upwards at a steep incline. A number of creatures in brown robes awaited them. Ditzy counted perhaps ten of the monks, all of various species. One of them, an elderly and gentle looking unicorn mare whose coat was as gray as her mane, through the streaks of faint rose suggested the mane had once been a different color. The mares eyes were clear and alert, kind but unblinking and oddly intense as they looked over Ditzy and her friends.

“Champions, allow me to welcome you to this sacred place of remembrance,” the old mare said as she bowed her head, the monks behind her mirror her movement, “I am called Serene and I am the abbess of this monastery. It is a true pleasure to meet the mares who have done so much for Equestria.”

She spoke with a slight accent that Ditzy couldn’t quite place, but it wasn’t from anywhere in Equestria’s heartland that she could tell. Latigo, maybe? Not Cavallia. This sounded more northern to Ditzy’s ears.

“Its our honor to be here, abbess Serene,” said Trixie.

“Pretty sweet place you’ve got, too,” said Lyra, looking at the tablets with naked curiosity shining in her gold eyes, “What’re those?”

Abbess Serene smiled, not unlike a grandmother entertaining an energetic grandfoal, “They are our monastery's chronicles. Upon them is carved the names and deeds of all the champions who have come to participate in the Contest of Champions. Your names shall also be carved upon these stones when the Contest has ended.”

Ditzy took a longer look at the tablets now. There were plenty of names, but more than that she noticed each name had a rather long set of deeds chiseled beside them. While a part of her knew that strictly speaking she shouldn’t feel intimidated by that, it was hard not to feel a tad... out of place, realizing her name was going to be carved next to the rest of these names of great champions.

Raindrops had glanced at the tablets as well, but only briefly before turning her attention to the Abbess, “Do you know all the champions who are currently here for the Contest?”

Abbess Serene gave a small tilt of her head, still smiling pleasantly, “Of course. I have the pleasure of knowing the names of all who come to this sacred isle to honor the Contest.”

“Then it’s true there’s a zebra champion here named Tendaji?”

Ditzy raised an eyebrow, recalling the encounter in the streets of Heroes’ Rest. She didn’t quite understand why Raindrops seemed so personally interested in the zebra, or he in her. She knew of the events that’d happened in Oaton because Trixie certainly liked retelling the tale, but Raindrops seemed a little more incensed towards the zebra than such a brief encounter she had with him back then warranted. Then again, Ditzy had gotten pretty steamed at certain mob ponies that’d tried to take her muffin away from her, and Raindrops had always had trouble with her anger, to the point where she’d even let herself get brainwashed by a crazy doctor pony to try and fix it.

Maybe anything that reminded Raindrops of her own anger tended to stay wedged under her hide? Ditzy wanted to give the other pegasus a comforting hug, and made a mental note to maybe talk with her later when things had quieted down for the night.

“Tendaji, yes,” said Abbess Serene, “One of four sent from the tribes of the zebra. He represents the Peacewalker tribe. He is most well known as a healer, actually. Many villages have been spared from disease due to his efforts.”

Raindrops frown was so sharp it could have cut stone, “... I see. Thanks, Abbess.”

At that moment Ditzy felt her daughter’s hooves tighten around her neck in a small hug, “Hey, momma, can we eat soon?”

Ditzy suppressed a small laugh. They’d had a large lunch, but it had been a number of hours since then and Dinky was a growing girl still. More than that, the simple presence of her daughter helped her remind herself that she might not be some grand hero who’d slain dragons or anything, but her deeds consisted of one of the most important and difficult tasks of all; raising a child as best she could.

She nuzzled her daughter, saying, “Soon, muffin.”

Abbess Serene was wearing a kindly and somewhat amused expression, “If you are hungry then I shall not keep you from enjoying the fare my monks and I have provided. I merely wished to welcome each honored champion personally. I will be familiarizing you and your fellow champions with the rules of the competitions to come, but for now, enjoy yourselves.”

Lyra certainly didn’t need further urging, grinning wide and pumping a hoof, “Alright, time to mingle. Wish I could’ve brought Bon Bon in.”

“I did extend her an invitation,” said Luna, looking somewhat embarrassed, “Didn’t I?”

"Oh, you did, no worries Princess,” Lyra said with a sad smile, “My Bon Bon’s just a hard worker, and has a lot of stuff to prep for the festival tomorrow. I’d be out there helping her out, but social obligations of a champion and all that.”

Raindrops rolled her eyes, “That, or an obsessive compulsive need to avoid manual labor.”

“Hey, I’m totally able, and willing, to help with the candy making,” said Lyra defensively, through from the way she winked it was clear she wasn’t taking any real offense, “I just don’t want to distract her while she’s working. I can be quite the distraction, after all.”

“We know,” said Cheerilee, flicking her tail at Lyra’s flank. Trixie just put her hoof to her face and let out a small groan.

Abbess Serene glanced at Princess Luna, not quite raising an eyebrow, “You’ve chosen... interesting champions.”

Luna just gave a tiny, knowing smile at that.

Grimwald was bored. He hated being bored. It left him with that skittering feeling behind his skull, like there was a bunch of little bugs trying to scratch their way free. The feeling would soon spread to his limbs, he knew, and he’d begin the tapping. When his talons started tapping he knew he’d soon need to find a way to... satisfy them, and that wouldn’t do in a nice, clean, polite environment where it wasn’t socially acceptable to stab people.

Alcohol helped some, and there was plenty available. He’d already tried his luck with some of the Elkhiemer’s potent brews and had himself a nice buzz going, but it wasn’t enough. The deerfolk were rowdy and loud, and Grimwald liked that, and if there wasn’t any social niceties to be worried about he was sure he could’ve found a brawl with one of them, or a nice big of sweaty bedroom fun with one of their females, but nope, his wife was watching him like a hawk. Or a griffin. A griffinhawk. Villette. Lovely Villette. So pretty, dangerous, and outright mean spirited that Grimwald found her to the just the right kind of mate. She kept him on his toes and he could fully enjoy enraging her, like he was doing right now by playing a bit of eye tag with the flanks of some of the nearby ponies.

Villette hated it when he did that. And he loved every second of her ire.

Helped fight the boredom.

He was at the end of one of the many tables the creepy brown robed monks had set up. Grimwald could not grasp why anyone would choose to be a monk. Sounded like the dullest life imaginable. They made a good spread, however, he couldn’t deny that. He stabbed a nearby fillet of some southern tropical fish and munched away as his eyes scanned about the crowd casually. This table was largely occupied by an assortment of those fanciful looking kirin types and the ponies who apparently were exotic because they lived on a different continent. Grimwald didn’t really see the difference, aside from clothing and the far too dainty way these folk tended to eat. Except for the dark furred kirin fellow who was part of the royal family. Him and that bird fellow destroyed any food they encountered.

That big fancy “Empress” of the kirin’s was nowhere to be seen through. He hadn’t asked, just listened, because of course someone else asked the obvious questions, so he got his answers just by being a nearby shadow.

“I have heard many great tales of the kirin,” said one quite elderly looking pegasus mare that Grimwald could tell by inflection of tone alone was a high ranking noble of the pony’s so-called ‘Night Court’, “I look forward to seeing with my own eyes your Empress. When might she be gracing this gathering with her presence?”

The dark coated kirin finished downing a cup of clear alcoholic liquid that Grimwald had heard was called ‘sake’ and addressed the old pegasus, “The Empress will be here when she will be here. Which may be soon. Or it may be for hours to come. Depends on her mood and how grand and entrance she decides to make.”

“She is fond of making an impact,” said the black bird. Grimwald considered the strange creature, who besides his upright posture and bipedal nature looked so much like a large crow. The bird, the ‘tengu’ as Grimwald understood his species was called, had an amiable enough, but Grimwald could feel the casual tension inside the tengu’s body. This one was worth watching, Grimwald thought.

The old pegasus mare nodded at the responses she got as if she’d expected them, “A understandable and laudable trait in one of her station. I then shall anticipate her arrival with great interest.”

“Ooooh, what’s this? It smells good,” said a happy, chirpy voice from nearby.

“I... think it’s fish?” said another voice, female like the previous one, “Is this fish?”

The speakers, Grimwald saw now that he craned his neck to look, was a young pegasus mare, gray coated with a long shock of bright blonde mane. On this pegasus mare’s back stood a little unicorn filly, who seemed perfectly comfortable and balanced there despite the way the adult mare moved about. The filly’s coat was a very light, grayish purple, and the similar colored mane immediately bespoke of a familiar relation to the mare she rode.

Grimwald might have guessed the mother and daughter pair if he hadn’t already made himself familiar with who the gray pegasus was.

Ditzy Doo. Bearer of the Element of Kindness.

One of his potential targets. Facts and little bits of information about the mare flitted through his mind from the papers he’d received before coming here. Gray pegasus, around early twenties in age, strabismus, no other known medical conditions. One daughter, unicorn, illegitimate, possible weak point. Occupation; mailmare. No known combat ability. Minimal threat. Potential weak link of group.

He didn’t think much of the ‘facts’ he’d been provided. Real people were rarely so easily summed up. Grimwald smiled to himself.

“That is indeed fish, young friend!” said a pony(?) who was seated across from Ditzy with such a happy, bellowing voice, that it almost made her jump. Blinking at him, only managing to focus one eye on him while the other did its thing, wandering off towards the ceiling, she noticed he wasn’t a pony at all but rather a kirin. His elegant, ivory pair of horns and the scales upon his neck marked him as one of the equines who carried the blood of dragons.

On her back Ditzy felt Dinky lean forward, forehooves plopping on top of her mother’s head as the foal examined the spread on the table, “Why are there fish on the table? Does... does fish taste good?”

The dark kirin laughed, something he seemed to do for literally any reason at all, “Ha! Fish is among the greatest staples of our diet in the Empire! We’ve perfected the art of the many different flavors and styles. By all means, small one, try some!”

Ditzy frowned slightly, peering at the various available bits of food. A lot of it looked undercooked, or not cooked at all. Was that safe? A lot of it was wrapped up in leafy green bands that Ditzy was pretty sure was seaweed, the bits of fish packed inside of little white grains of rice.

Fish was an extremely rare food among ponies. Ditzy didn’t even think any of her Ponyville friends knew that it was occasionally sold in Cloudsdale as a delicacy. She’d eaten it once or twice while she’d lived in Canterlot, mostly as a result of hanging with friends from Cloudsdale. Fish was terribly expensive, and Dinky had certainly never had it. Ditzy didn’t object to Dinky trying some of this Shouma fish, and she was tempted herself. The few times she’d eaten it the fish had always been cooked. As weird as it seemed to eat meat, if the Shouma ponies could do it, well... curiosity overrode trepidation.

She loaded a plate for both herself and Dinky and sat down. Next to her she noticed that Vicereine Puissance was also partaking of the available fare, through only in small amounts, almost as if doing so was simply a formality. The Vicereine did look Ditzy’s way and give a curt nod of acknowledgement.

“Dame Ditzy, I do look forward to seeing you perform in the Contest,” the old pegasus noble said with an even, polite tone.

“Th-thank you, Vicereine,” Ditzy said, giving Puissance a small smile, “I hope I can do my part. By the way, how is Ice Heart and the others in, uh,,, the retreat doing?”

She avoided calling it the ‘Vault’, opting for a more comfortable sounding term in the company she and the Vicereine were currently in. Puissance’s collection of unusual ponies and the isolated lifestyle they were kept in was a sore spot between the two but Ditzy was determined to not let that get in the way of being polite, especially while in the presence of the foreign dignitaries.

Puissance didn’t miss a beat or show any hint of concern about the topic, “Ice Heart is doing very well, as are the others.”

There was a small pause, as if Puissance had to briefly debate with herself, before she added, “Orangerie has asked about you occasionally. Shall I tell her you are well?”

Ditzy found herself smiling brightly, remembering the energetic mare with a special talent, and in some ways obsession, with oranges.

“Tell her I’m doing great. Maybe... I could write her a letter sometime?”

Puissance had a very neutral tone as she said, “Sometime, perhaps.”

Ditzy suppressed a sigh, figuring that was the best she would get from the Vicereine.

Suddenly the dark furred kirin leaned forward, “Pardon the intrusion, but you’re a Dame? As in an Equestrian knight? Are you one of the mares that ruffled Dao Ming’s mane so much?”

Ditzy blinked, glanced at her daughter who was so enamored with figuring out which end of the seaweed wrapped fish to bite into first that she was hardly paying the conversation any mind, and looked back at the kirin, “Um... yes? Was she upset about something?”

Thinking back on it Ditzy supposed the kirin noble who’d met with her and her friends on the ship had seemed a tad put out, though Ditzy had no idea why that would be. The dark kirin laughed.

“Not upset, but certainly put off balance; a state I’ve rarely seen the Imperial Heir in. I think she was expecting you mares who bear the Elements of Harmony and battled the great Amaterasu herself to be a bit more outwardly impressive,” he chuckled, and made something of a impromptu bow from his seated position, “I am Lo Shang, eldest adopted son of Empress Fu Ling, and younger brother to the Imperial Heir, Dao Ming. A honor to meet one of our western cousin’s champions. The tengu to my right who’s pulling ahead of me in our race to devour all the food before us I believe you already know as Kenkuro.”

The tengu raised his beak from a wide bowl of rice, the dextrous feathers of his wing setting aside a pair of chopsticks as he smiled at Ditzy, Dinky, and Vicereine Puissance, “Forgive me for not introducing myself properly. I lose all sense of control and propriety in the presence of good food. I am Kenkuro, Blade of Heaven to the Imperial Throne of the Heavenly Empire.”

Vicereine Puissance gave a barely perceptible tilt of her head as she leaned forward, “Blade of Heaven? I have studied much of Shouma’s history and culture, yet that is a title I am not familiar with. Is it a title of nobility?”

Kenkuro’s eyes were little more than unblinking pools of ink as he said, “No, Vicereine. It is a unique station and responsibility, tied specifically to the blade Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.”

He rested his wing feathers upon the blade sheathed through the blue sash he wore across his robes. It seemed like a plain enough blade to Ditzy’s eyes, with none of the gleaming silver inlay or gems she normally associated with the kind of swords told of in Equestrian fables. The hilt was plain leather, with a black circular guard whose only decoration was a strange looking tree and a long necked bird.

“Unfortunately,” Kenkuro said, “That is all I am allowed to say on the matter. Consider me, for all intents and purposes a... knight, yes, that is what they are called in your realm is it not? A knight, who serves a special purpose for the Empress. That is all that can be said on the matter.”

To Ditzy’s eyes she could see the slight hint of irritation creep across Puissance face but it was masked so quickly it was barely more than a phantom, “I see. I apologize if my prying has given offense.”

Kenkuro shook a wing in a gesture very much like a pegasus might use theirs akin to a limb, “Not at all. I am certain you understand that there may be matters among your own court you could not discuss openly with outsiders but would not take offense if one ignorant to your ways asked such questions. Speaking of which, I am curious, what position of authority do the bearers of the Elements hold in your court?”

“Oh, we don’t, uh, really have any,” said Ditzy. She noticed Puissance gave her a slight sidelong look that... wasn’t quite sharp, but held a hint of concern. Ditzy self consciously cleared her throat, “I mean, we can go to the Princess about emergency stuff, now, and I guess we’re knights, but we’re not nobles or anything.”

“What Dame Ditzy is trying to say,” explained Puissance, “Is that the Element Bearers hold a special place of judicial authority that is separate from titles of ennoblement. They are not a political force so much as a small, elite unit capable of investigating and dispatching potential threats to the overall stability of Equestria, and have the right to directly approach Princess Luna about any such matters while bypassing the... normal channels of authority.”

Kenkuro smiled. Or at least Ditzy thought he did. it was hard to tell with his dark beak seeming to blend seamlessly into the rest of his body, “Ah... perhaps we are not so different, then, you and I, Dame Ditzy.”

Ditzy just mutely nodded, uncomfortable and embarrassed. To hear Puissance tell it, it was as if she and her friends were like the Shadow Bolts or something. She didn’t feel like the description really fit. Then again, she and her friends had been doing exactly what Puissance had described, including the issue between the Vicereine and the wendigo last winter.

She put a wing around her daughter, taking comfort in at least Dinky’s innocent enjoyment of the evening as the filly ate away happily, ignoring the conversation around her.

“Nervous?” asked a smooth male voice next to her and Ditzy nearly jumped as a griffin with white feathers tinged a dark, bronze color, similar to his coat. He wore an iron grey doublet with a purple wing sigil on the breast. His brown eyes looked at her with a twinkle of keen amusement.

“I, um... yes?” Ditzy said, smiling and shrugging, “I guess I am a bit.”

“Whom might we have the pleasure of speaking with?” asked Puissance, her demeanor shifting in a way Ditzy almost didn’t notice as the elder pegasus almost seemed to take a defensive stance, moving slightly closer to Ditzy.

The griffin smiled in a way that sent slight signals of unease through Ditzy’s spine.

“Grimwald Var Norvik, lord husband to lady Villette of the Norvik aerie, and champion of the Kingdom of Shaldwrick, at your service my ladies.”

Across the table Lo Shang laughed his bellowing laugh, “Think that puts us up to, what, eighteen, nineteen griffin champions? How many of you are there?”

Grimwald’s smile didn’t fade as he glanced towards Lo Shang, through Ditzy wasn’t certain it didn’t get just a touch more uneasily wider, “A lot. And the champions here are almost all of the central Kingdoms, aside from myself representing the border Kingdom of Shaldwrick.”

Ditzy blinked, “Why’s that? And, uh, sorry for asking if this sounds rude, but what’s the difference between a central and border kingdom? Aren’t they all pretty much the same?”

A dry chuckle escaped Grimwald, a sound that to Ditzy was sort of like the rasp of sandpaper, “Are all your pony provinces the same? Even all serving the moon-flank, I bet there’s plenty of differences between Equestria’s carved up baronies and duchy’s and whatever other ‘ys’ are out there. Each owing allegiance to a different noble, yes? Not so different for us griffins, only for us each Kingdom has its own king and or queen, and basically runs itself. There’s loose treaties keeping it all together...” his eyes gleamed with a sharp flash of something Ditzy didn’t quite recognize. Amusement? Hunger? “Of course our treaties are as convoluted as a bog and probably worth less than the paper they’re written on.”

“Pardon,” said Vicereine Puissance with a sharp note in her voice, “I don’t think we need to sour the meal with talk of griffin politics. I can well imagine that Dame Doo has little interest in whatever... message, the central Griffin Kingdoms are trying to send with the current arrangement of champions from your lands.”

Ditzy frowned slightly, “Well, I actually kind of am curious, Puissance,” she said, blinking, and adding, “Vicereine Puissance. I just wanted to know what the difference is between the Griffin Kingdoms, and why this ‘central’ and ‘border’ stuff seems important.”

Puissance looked at her, a measuring look, a look Ditzy had seen from the Vicereine before, as if the older pegasus were weighing and judging every hair on Ditzy’s head. Eventually the Vicereine waved a wing as if to say ‘by your leave’ and continued to watch. Ditzy gave her a small smile of thanks and turned back to Grimwald, who was looking at her with a pleased look of his own.

“If you want to know details, well, I’m the bird to talk to,” he said, raising a talon and rubbing two claws together, “When it comes to the dirt behind the thrones I’m well versed. The short and sweet truth of it is that there are really two sets of ‘Griffin Kingdoms’. There’s the central Kingdoms, where a wealth of resources of the old Griffin Empire was concentrated and was divided between the leaders of the coup that fractured Old Yuri’s empire and to this day remains the center of power and culture by most griffin’s standards. Then there’s the border Kingdoms, along your Equestrian border, the border with Elkhiem, and the ocean coasts to the north and east, where settlers, pioneers, and an endless supply of misfits who didn’t fit in so well with the central Kingdoms ended up. The border Kingdoms are rougher, less prosperous, more monster and bandit ridden, and usually smaller and weaker than the central Kingdoms. By griffin cultural standards they’re the runts, while the central Kingdoms are the big girls and boys on the block. Central Kingdomers look down on the Border Runts, and the Border Runts chaff at that. Been that way for a long time, a nice simmering stew that’ll eventually... boil over.”

Lo Shang suddenly leaned forward, the dark coated kirin’s eyes turning intense, “So there is no unity among the griffins?”

Grimwald shrugged, “There was never any unity among griffins. Not in our blood. We fight, tussle, scuffle, and kill for dominance. That’s our nature. Old Yuri tried to change that and look where it got him. You can’t fight instinct.”

Ditzy felt a weight inside her as she lowered her ears, saying, “You make it sound like the griffins will end up fighting each other no matter what. Hasn’t the Griffin Kingdoms held together peacefully for a long time?”

“A long time, yeah,” said Grimwald, “Just long enough to start a little itch in the blood of every griffin who knows deep down that competition and rivalry is what makes us feel alive, not cooperation and sharing. Just you watch, bright eyes. You see what happens tomorrow during the Grand Melee. I guarantee you that my griffin brethren will go for each other’s throats first, and they're even all central Kingdom. They’ll be looking to show which griffin is the top predator, the toughest bitch or badass in the crowd. All as a show to the Border Runts and the rest of the world that the griffins are ready and raring to spill some blood.”

Ditzy didn’t like the way he said that with such finality and eagerness, as if the idea of griffins hurting each other was something both unavoidable and a thing he looked forward to. The picture he painted made it sound like the Griffin Kingdoms were on the verge of... of going to war with each other. The idea disturbed Ditzy to her core and she wasn’t even a griffin. Strictly speaking if the Griffing Kingdoms went to war it wouldn’t necessarily affect Ditzy immediately or directly, but that didn’t mean she liked the idea of any kind of war. There was no guarantee such a war wouldn’t spill over towards Equestria. More than that...

“That’s not why we’re here, is it?” asked Ditzy, and Grimwald gave her a curious look, and Ditzy spoke on, nervous but passionate as she spoke, “We’re here to show each other our best. To make friends and have fun. So you griffins shouldn’t try to hurt each other, right?”

Grimwald’s eyes stared into hers, and he let out a small huff of a laugh, and actually patted her on the head, “You’re adorable.”

Puissance’s eyes flashed with indignation for a second as she said, “Now see here, lord Norvik, you are stepping out of the line.”

Ditzy raised a wing towards Puissance, turning to look at the Vicereine with a grateful smile, “It’s okay, your Grace. I have this.” She then took a deep breath and very gently pushed his talon off of her head with a hoof, maintaining a calm and firm tone, “I’m serious. The point of us being here is to make friends. I’d like to help do that for everyone, pony, griffin, or otherwise.”

“A sweet notion, bright eyes, but you’re thinking like a pony,” said Grimwald, “Not going to get you far when dealing with my kin.”

At that moment another griffin sauntered from the crowd and to the table, a sleek black coated female with dark, stormy gray feathers and the sharpest, thinnest, mean eyed look Ditzy had ever seen on... well... anyone. The griffiness came up to Grimwald and actually gripped his arm with a talon so hard Ditzy thought she might’ve seen blood drawn.

“So sorry to interrupt,” the griffiness said with a forced, thin smile, “But my husband is wagging his tongue more than he should. Besides, husband, your presence is required back at our table. Now.”

If the harsh grip on his arm bothered Grimwald at all he didn’t show it as he grinned at his wife, “Why Villette, my love and light, all you need do is ask and I’ll follow you anywhere. Especially if a bedroom or broom closet is involved.”

Villette actually growled and all but dragged him away, leaving Ditzy looking quite confused.

Lo Shang popped another piece of seaweed wrapped fish into his mouth and said, “That was... odd.”

Kenkuro nodded, “Quite. And I thought the politics of our own courts were strange.”

Vicereine Puissance said nothing, but Ditzy could see in the Vicerine’s eyes that there were wheels turning. Dinky, thankfully, was still happily munching away at the fare on the table, having paid the conversation no mind. Ditzy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she been holding and decided to put the griffin and the disturbing conversation from her mind.

But she couldn’t entirely shake the bad feeling that’d lodged itself in her heart, now.

By the time the room started to tilt slightly to the left Carrot Top considered the possibility that she had perhaps had too much to drink. She wasn’t usually that much of a social drinker, but this was a part and the company was... encouraging.

“Non non non!” said Trixie, her Neigh Orleans accent creeping further into her voice as the evening, and the number of empty mugs on the table, grew long, “There was at least a hundred Salamanders! All of them breathing fire! Right Carrot Top? That’s how it was, oui?”

Carrot Top, having only been paying half attention to Trixie regaling their tablemates with the story of the Salamander incident in Canterlot, or rather beneath Canterlot, last year only glanced up from her own mug of fresh, foamy ale to blink blearily at Trixie.

“Huh? Oh, oh yeah, uh... I guess it could’ve been a hundred? I wasn’t really taking the time to count them. Fighting for my life and all that.”

“Impressive, no matter the numbers, noble Dames of Equestria.”

Frederick’s voice was a tad slurred as well, the elk prince having gone a straight hour battling stomach to stomach with Trixie in a duel of intoxication. So far Carrot Top was putting odds in Trixie’s favor. Her friend might have been delving into her accent slightly but she was still clearly in control as Trixie raised her mug and drank deep, maintaining a pleased and confident smile as she did so.

“We are impressive, aren’t we?” Trixie said, then Carrot Top saw her friend’s expression turn a tad sour, “Not that everypony seems to share that view.”

“What’s wrong?” Carrot Top asked, but Trixie just waved her hoof and was smiling once more.

“Nothing. It’s nothing. Don’t know why I even care what that mare thinks. We’ve proven ourselves so many times already, haven’t we Carrot Top? We don’t need approval from some high and mighty kirin!”

Trixie’s voice suddenly got high and nasalas she apparently started to imitate what she perceived to be the tone of the one who’d earned her ire, “Oh look at me, I’m a kirin from the mysterious east. I’m snooty and judgmental. I walk like I have a ten foot pole jammed up my tail hole!”

“Uh, maybe you ought to slow down with the drink, Trixie. You’re getting a tad excitable,” said Carrot Top with a disarming smile.

Trixie blew out a huff of air, seeming to deflate a bit as she tapped a hoof on her mug, “You’d be excitable too if you spent any time with that mare. Augh, I know I shouldn’t let it get to me. I’m better than this! But its still so irritating. After all we’ve been through I just don’t like the notion that I, or any of my friends, can be looked down upon.”

“Are you sure she was even looking down on us?” asked Carrot Top, having already easily guessed that Trixie was talking of Dao Ming. Carrot Top hadn’t felt all that insulted or anything by the kirin noble’s behavior.

“Felt like it to me, but... pfft... maybe I am overreacting...” Trixie grimaced and then gave Frederick an apologetic look, “My apologies but I’m afraid I have to cede this round to you. Right now it seems me and alcohol won’t mix.”

Frederick had a sympathetic look on his face, holding up a hoof and draining his own mug before saying, “Think nothing of it Dame Trixie. I know better than most that mood and drink need to align, like the stars in the sky. A bad mix of mood and drink can make for a bad evening just as much as a good mix of the two can lead to a wonderful one.”

Trixie inclined her head in a small makeshift bow, “My thanks for your understanding.”

There was a slight crash nearby as a pony went sailing overhead, landing on the table nearby with a loud ‘Oof!’. Carrot Top had to blink a few times before she realized she was looking at the familiar face of Baron Mounty Max as he slowly picked himself up off the table and proceeded to wipe his clothes off.

“Oh, note to self; wear something more stain resistant when engaging in diplomacy with a moose,” the baron said to himself as he hopped off the table.

A bellowing laugh drew Carrot Top’s attention to the approaching form of Wodan, the moose joined by the hovering form of the yellow pegasus Carrot Top had seen with the baron earlier. Duchess... Posey? Yes, Fragrant Posey. Fluttershy’s aunt. The duchess flew up to Max, a mixture of admonishment and relief on her face.

“Are you alright?” Fragrant asked Max with forehooves crossed as she hovered in front of him. The baron had a coltish smile on his face as he rubbed his shoulder.

“Nothing that won’t mend by morning,” he said, grinning at Wodan and extending his hoof, “Nicely done. Hope I at least gave you a challenge.“

“Ha! Was a well fought match! I appreciate running into one of you pony nobles who’s willing to engage in a little fun instead of spending the whole evening talking about nothing! Hahah! We could go again, lad, if you’re feeling keen to get the better of mighty Wodan?”

There was an exchange of looks between Max and Fragrant, a look that Carrot Top noted was held for a good long moment and carried with it weight beyond a simple casual glance between colleagues. Max rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously, “I think certain ponies want me to remain intact for the remainder of the evening. Perhaps another time?”

“I’ll look forward to it,” said Wodan, then looked over at Carrot Top and Trixie, “Ah, Dames, having fun are we? I trust the young prince is behaving himself and only hitting on you every other cup?”

Frederick rolled his eyes, waving a hoof, “Oh come off it old one, I have some sense of decorum. I’ve only hit on Dame Trixie once or twice, and Dame Carrot Top half a dozen. I’m the picture of restraint!”

“You’ve been hitting on us?” asked Carrot Top, puzzled. She hadn’t really noticed anything that she could call advances over the course of the evening.

Frederick’s soft green eyes looked at her with an amused twinkle as he winked, “I confess it is perhaps unfair of me to do so when you might not even be aware of me doing it. I forget the culture of ponies is one of flattering appearance. Were I pony I should compliment how your mane is the lustrous color of fire, or that your dress clings ever so secretly to the curves of your body?”

Carrot Top gulped and self consciously found herself straightening her dress. Trixie made a mock gagging sound.

“No offense prince Frederick, but thank Luna you haven’t been doing any of that,” said Trixie, who then thoughtfully rubbed her chin, “So, wait how have you been hitting on us?”

“Stories,” said Mount Max suddenly, drawing all eyes to him. He looked a tad taken aback by the attention but went on to say, “I read about it when I was studying up on Elkheim culture in preparation for coming to this event. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the cervid races’ courtship rituals involves an exchange of tales of one’s deeds. Um, how many stories have you been telling the prince of your exploits, Dames?”

Carrot Top felt a faint tinge of hat on her cheeks as she said, “Oh, uh... a few. A lot. Actually he’s been having us pretty much tell him everything we’ve been doing since becoming bearers for the Elements of Harmony.”

Wodan clucked his tongue, shaking his massive head, “Prince Frederick, you embarrass us with such foolery.”

“It’s all in good fun,” said Frederick defensively, suddenly sounding much younger than his appearance.

“Is okay,” said Carrot Top, stepping between the two, having to bend her neck a bit to look up at Wodan, “Really, I don’t mind it. Its all in the name of learning about each other’s cultures, right?”

Wodan grumbled but nodded, “Spoken truly. Still, don’t let the young prince run too wild among you. He’s a young buck to be sure but still, prince or no prince, don’t hesitate to give him a good thwack on the nose if he gets out of line.”

Carrot Top smiled pointedly, “Certainly.”

“Very well then, baron, duchess, would you like to come and hear the tale of how I battled the ice wyrms in the Hoarfrost Peaks?” asked Wodan, and Baron Mounty Max raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Wodan chuckled, “No, I’m not courting you. It only counts if I got you to tell me stories of your exploits as well, and we were both drinking.”

“Then I think we’d be honored, Wodan,” the baron said, and with bows to Carrot Top, Trixie, and Frederick the two nobles departed with Wodan.

Trixie nodded to Carrot Top, “On that note I’m off as well.”

“Leaving me alone with the fair flame-haired Dame?” asked Frederick, “Trusting me alone with your friend’s honor?”

Trixie half laughed, half snorted, “I think Carrot Top can hold her own against you. Don’t underestimate her.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” said Carrot Top, giving Trixie a rueful look. Trixie winked at her.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, my friend,” Trixie said. Coming from Trixie that actually was decent advice, at least where Frederick’s advances would be concerned. Granted Carrot Top couldn’t blind the prince with flares of magic light or turn invisible and buck him in the nethers, but Carrot Top was fairly certain the prince was actually harmless. He was a flirtful type, but for all his jesting about her looks she’d noticed that since she’d met Frederick outside her Everfree alchemy cabin that this elk had always looked her in the eyes. His own eyes had never actually roved over her body, as some more wanton types might let theirs. He’d so far, for all his joking, been respectful of her.

She didn’t think she had anything to worry about, so she was able to smile with full confidence as she took up Trixie’s former seat after the magician left and took up Trixie’s own still half full mug of ale.

“Well then, prince, I’ve told you tales of my deeds. Let’s hear a few of yours.”

Night had embraced the world under Princess Luna’s direction just an hour ago. She performed the act in full view of the many champions and delegates visiting the monastery, on the very steps leading to the main chamber where many still drank and dined. It had been a good evening. A good start, but Luna’s estimation, despite there being a few potential... issues.

The griffins were tense. Which wasn’t unusual. Griffins were almost always tense, and rowdy. Luna knew well that there was brewing between the Griffin Kingdoms, and she’d been up north on more than a dozen diplomatic visits to the griffin’s lands to try and help smooth those tensions. She had no desire to see her northern neighbors clawing at each other, especially over something like the growing differences both economic and cultural that was becoming evident between the Griffin Kingdoms along the border and the ones more centrally located. She didn’t think anything would happen soon, however. The proverbial tinder box wasn’t quite ready to light up, and she had high hopes that the Contest would go to help douse any potential sparks.

The zebra who had arrived for the Contest seemed more than eager and willing to mingle and prove the goodwill of their people. Luna had seen a number of them mingling with nobles among her Night Court, who so far had been acquitting themselves well. After the events at the Grand Galloping Gala she’d seen a distinct attempt by the majority of the nobles of her court to improve themselves and live up to the ideals she’d hoped for to begin with. Particularly she continued to be impressed by the efforts of a certain young Baron. She’d been unable to hide a pleased smile when she’d seen him and Wodan having a mock wrestling match to “improve international relations”.

Her own champions had looked as if they’d enjoyed themselves as well, but Luna couldn’t help but worry about the six mares from Ponyville. Luna was the last who would ever underestimate the courage and determination of those six, and had seen time and again them overcome incredible odds, but this was a whole new stage for them. The world might not have been at stake but they’d soon be facing the world’s best as if it were at stake. Luna sincerely hoped her mares would be up to the challenge.

“Princess Luna?”

It was Trixie. Luna had felt the unicorn approach her once the moon had been raised, and everypony had resumed their mingling. Luna, instead of going back inside, remained out on the steps as Trixie trotted up. Luna quickly noted the pensive tension her apprentice and adopted a calming, welcome smile and tone.

“Yes, you wanted to speak with me when we had the chance,” Luna said, extending a wing and gesturing down the steps, “Come, let us walk. The night air is crisp and is good for clearing minds.”

Soon the two were trotting along the waving, grassy fields between the monastery and Heroes Rest. The town itself was now alive with countless warm, orange lights from lit lamps, outlining avenues and buildings. The scores upon scores of tents making up the festival grounds were similarly lit, and among those lights Luna spotted some of the brighter beams of electrical spotlights; some of the newer technological marvels to come out of the minotaur lands.

The sky above was perhaps not her best works, but Luna thought she’d done a decent job with the contestations tonight.

She and Trixie walked in silence for a few minutes, both mares just enjoying the pleasant night breeze and sights, but eventually Trixie halted, sitting down on her haunches at the top of a small ridge that looked over the town.

“Sorry to drag you away from the party, but glad you decided to get us away from it for a bit,” Trixie said, wiping a bit of sweat off her brow, “A tad crowded in there.”

“Don’t crowds please you?” Luna asked.

“Oh, they do,” Trixie said with a familiar, cocky smile, fading after a moment, “Still tiring. Going to need plenty of beauty sleep for tomorrow.”

“It would be wise,” Luna agreed, “But you didn’t wish to engage in small talk, no?”

Trixie nodded, “I don’t know how important this is, or if I’m just being paranoid. But the past year or so has taught me, among many lessons, that you can’t be too careful when it comes to magic. Today something very strange happened and I wanted to get your thoughts on it.”

Trixie briefly recounted how, upon arriving on the island, she’d felt a strange compulsion to wander, and in so wandering had been drawn to a copse of trees and the graves of the thirteen champions who had originally defeated the Warlord and Rengoku Fortress. More than that, Dao Ming had also been inexplicably drawn there, and when Trixie investigated the graves she found strange magic in it that felt very much like Luna’s own.

Luna was quiet for a long time after Trixie was done recounting what had happened, the alicorn’s mind’s eye snapping back through the many centuries, twelve hundred years and more. She forced herself out of that reverie, pushing aside countless rapid images of both people and events long since passed. Trixie was looking at her with a mixture of patience and concern.

“Princess Luna...?”

“I’m fine. I apologize,” Luna said, closing her eyes, “At times the memories I’ve gathered over time can be... overwhelming. The pillars you and Dao Ming found were indeed the graves of the brave souls that gave their lives defending us from the Warlord’s ambition. Eleven buried the day the dark fortress fell, their lives spent in fighting their way to the fortress’ core to face its master. The other two, the survivors; Dazzling Flourish, and Sun Ming. The former was a promising young student under my sister’s tutelage, and the later was the daughter of the Warlord herself, desperate to reclaim her country’s honor and stop her mother’s madness. They survived the battle, and only a long time later were their bodies buried alongside their comrades on this island.”

Luna held up her left hoof and lit her horn with magic, forming a detailed illusionary image of the island hovering above her hoof.

“The magic you sensed inside the pillars is one of several key arrays that form the magical barrier my sister and I created around Rengoku after it fell.”

Several points lit up on the image of the island, five forming a star pattern of a massive magic circle that encompassed the entire island. One of the points was where the graves were located. Trixie noted of the other four one was in the town of Heroes Rest, two were at far points along the northeast and southeast end, one apparently beneath a hill in a forest, and the other in a sea cave. The final point was just east of Rengoku itself on a small peninsula.

“How big is this barrier?” Trixie asked, glancing towards the distant, dark shape of Rengoku that was like an incy blotch on the east horizon of the island. Even as she asked she activated her magic sight spell, to Luna’s cautioning voice.

“You might not want to do that-” Luna began.

“GAH!” Trixie blinked, shaking her head and rubbing at her eyes as her senses had been overwhelmed by what had looked to her like a magical sun sitting right where Renkogu was located, “What... what was that?”

Luna laughed lightly, “That is what a barrier formed by two alicorn Princesses looks like. I thought you said you’d learned to use caution where magic is concerned, my student?”

Trixie just blew a raspberry at the Princess of the Night.

Luna, when she got her laughing under control, said, “The barrier is transparent until one gets close to it. Its self sustaining, partly because of the grounding points in the array. Like pitching a giant magical tent.”

Trixie nodded, finally getting her eyes to, well, not stop seeing spots, but at least allow her to see something other than red and purple magic glow.

“Okay, that explains the magic in the graves,” Trixie said, “But that still doesn’t explain why Dao Ming and I were drawn there. Any ideas, oh great, immortal alicorn Princess?”

Luna gave Trixie a playful smack with her wing but responded in a serious tone, “Truthfully I am at a loss to explain that. I can’t think of any reason you, let alone both you and the Shouma Imperial Heir, would end up feeling an urge to wander to that exact spot at that exact time. However I do not believe in coincidence, at least not coincidences that large. There is no doubt a reason, and since it will help put both our minds at ease once everything has winded down tonight I will go and investigate the graves myself. If there is any unusual magic there, I’ll find it.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Trixie said, taking in and letting out a large breath, “I’ve got a strange feeling about all of this.”

“We should return, before our absence is overly noted,” said Luna, but then she paused as she noticed something unusual. A marked increase in the ambient light. It only took her a moment to realize what was happening as she snapped her head around to look towards the east horizon... a horizon where she’d just raised the moon after the sun had been lowered by her sister, and where the sun was now rising once more.

Trixie’s mouth was gaping as she now also noticed the fresh sunrise, trying to push down a sudden icy panic rising in her as she imagined the kind of widespread hysteria it would cause for the sun to be rising when it shouldn’t be.

Suddenly a large, midnight blue wing flowed around Trixie in a comforting embrace, Luna maintaining a poised, calm demeanor that helped Trixie get her own thoughts in order. Looking at the sunrise again Trixie noticed several things that were off about it. For one the light wasn’t covering the entire horizon like a natural sunrise would. Instead the light seemed concentrated at a limited area to the east, and the way it was getting brighter wasn’t spreading as much as the actual sun would.

Finally, Trixie could narrow her eyes a bit and see that while there was a point of bright light approaching that looked like the sun, it was silhouetted by an object inside the light, some kind of rapidly approaching... ship? An airship? No, there was no balloon. No sails. It looked like a golden, flying ark.

“Is it Corona?” she asked, “This isn’t an actual sunrise. Could it be somepony else?”

Luna shook her head, mainly because she already felt the magic of her sister, and it was close, and getting closer.

“No, there is nopony else in the world whose magic feels like this. A false sunrise to herald her coming. There can be no doubt. My sister has arrived.”

Author's Note

Six months... yikes. I sincerely apologize to those of you out there who've been stuck waiting that long for me to get this story going again. I didn't actually intend for it to take this long, but a perfect storm of real life distractions combined with a number of issues I had writing the chapter itself combined to make this take far longer than it should have. I'd also intended to get to the Grand Melee this time around but a number of pieces needed to be placed on the board before I could do so, hence the name of this chapter. Hopefully this is still an entertaining read and the things I'm setting up for the future will pay off. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out a lot quicker, now that i'm over the hump this chapter put in my way. As always feel free to leave any comments letting me know what you guys think; I'm open to any and all thoughts and critiques. Until next time, Lunaverse.

Chapter 5: The Contest Begins

Chapter 5: The Contest Begins

The golden ark sailed straight over the town of Hero’s Rest and the festival grounds beyond, and Trixie could hear the shouts and cries of alarm from the ponies and other people who saw the shining vessel soaring overhead. The ship had no sails, seeming instead to be riding through the air on a magical aura of golden flames, like a living river of fire that bore the ship through the air. The false sunrise in the distance was dimming, but its light was only replaced by the light brimming from the ark itself. Over a fifty paces long, the ship was a combination of dull white ash wood tooled with shining gold. Its hull was graced with stylized gold engravings of flame, and the head of the ark carried a many pointed sunburst mounted behind a figurehead that looked like the blazing head of a phoenix. At the aft end of the ark was a tower like structure bearing a raised dias, capped with a gold and marble throne. Trixie could just barely make out the sight of a glowing flicker of bright flames that left little doubt as to the idenity of throne’s occupant.

“Trixie, get to your friends, now. I shall delay her as best I can,” Luna said with an amount of calm that Trixie certainly wasn’t feeling. With a dark blue flash of magic a chest appeared in the air next to Luna which she floated to Trixie.

“Take them, and if the worst comes to pass, do not hesitate to use them,” Luna said and Trixie didn’t need to be told what was in the chest. She took up the chest with her own magic, knowing she was carrying the Elements of Harmony now, and turned to start galloping for the monastery.

“Be careful!” she shouted over her shoulder as Luna spread her wings and burst into the air with enough force to send a wave of air pressure over the tall grass that Trixie galloped across. Trixie glanced over her shoulder to watch Luna’s approach to the air, intercepting it before it got halfway to the monastery. She half expected to see balls of fire and gouts of energy to fly from the ark to strike at Princess Luna, but to Trixie’s surprise Luna wasn’t attacked as she approached the vessel, which actually slowed to a halt in the air at Luna’s approach.

Trixie gulped and ran harder. She could see the light of the monastery's entrance getting closer, and she was nearly at the bottom of the stone steps when a bright pink form shot out from the entrance, wings spread. It was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, flying out into the night sky, and Trixie briefly caught the look of stark fear and worry on the Cavalian Princess’ face as she rocketed overhead, going right by Trixie and heading for the ark.

Not pausing in her flat run Trixie started taking the steps up two at a time, reaching the top in seconds only to bump into a tall white stallion who’d been running out. Trixie recognized him quickly enough, though she’d only spoken to him rarely. She was far more familiar with the stallion’s younger sister, Twilight Sparkle, but Shining Armor was a hard stallion to forget even after a few meetings. The Captain of the Royal Guard did leave an impression.

“Trixie?” Shining Armor seemed surprised for a second to see Trixie there, and his eyes flicked towards the chest she was floating by her side. Trixie saw understanding flash into his eyes quickly, confusion giving way to a forced calm as he looked towards the ark, which remained in the air. Trixie could barely make out the sight of Luna and Cadenza actually landing on the ark.

“Get to your friends,” Shining Armor said, face grim, “If the two Princesses can’t stop Corona I’ll have to shield the monastery for as long as I can until the six of you get the Elements ready.”

“As if you have to tell me,” Trixie said as she rushed past him and through the threshold of the monastery's large cavernous main chamber.

Princess Cadenza’s rushed departure had certainly drawn attention, with more than a few members of the various nations delegations and champions glancing towards the entrance as Trixie ran in. She ignored those looks, instead turning her head left and right in search for any familiar faces. Her friends must have seen Cadenza leave in a rush, right? The first face she recognized, however, was not one of her friends, but the sharp features of Dao Ming as the emerald kirin swiftly parted from the crowd and all but glided towards Trixie with fast, graceful movements.

“Something has come to the island,” Dao Ming stated rather than asked.

“That’s one way of putting it,” said Trixie, “If ‘something’ happens to be the millennia old mad alicorn that wants to take over my country.”

That caused Dao Ming’s gold eyes to flicker with a moment of wide shock, “Amaterasu herself is here?”

Trixie frowned, noting that while there was a hint of fear in Dao Ming’s tone, it was overshadowed by awe and interest. She suppressed the urge to shout at this kirin and instead forced her voice to something resembling calm as she said, “Yes, and that means I need my friends in case she’s here to start demonstrating why we Equestrians have been living in abject fear of her for the past thousand years. Don’t suppose you’ve seen any of them?”

“Trixie! Hey Trixie!”

“Nevermind, then,” Trixie said as Carrot Top came barreling along, Lyra not far behind her, a plate of food still floating along beside the bard in a gold aura of magic as Lyra ate and ran at the same time.

“We just saw the Princess of Cavallia fly out of here like the Tyrant Sun herself was landing on our heads,” said Lyra, brushing right past Dao Ming to came up to Trixie, much to the kirin’s obvious ire as her face cringed with annoyance. Carrot Top paused to give Dao Ming an apologetic look.

Trixie wasted no time in opening the chest floating next to her, revealing the Elements of Harmony resting within. Five ornate necklaces with gem-like symbols in the shape of her friend’s cutie marks, and one tiara bearing Trixie’s own cutie mark. Dao Ming gave the pieces of jewelry a bemused and curious look, one golden eyebrow twitching up slightly at the sight of the objects of legend. Trixie wondered what the Shouma heiress thought of the Elements. Trixie had always kind of thought they seemed rather humble for the power they contained. Or channeled. Or however the Elements worked. Trixie was still less than sure just what the Elements of Harmony even were and it at times bothered her that she and her friend were living conduits for a power that could put even the likes of Corona on her flaming flank.

Her two present friends also looked curious for a moment, but the implications of Trixie busting out the Elements of Harmony sank in far faster since they knew what the Elements were and what kind of threat required their use.

“Oh,” said Lyra, “So that wasn’t me being hypothetical, was it?”

“Nope,” said Trixie with as much weight as she could muster as she floated her own tiara to her head, and floated Carrot Top’s and Lyra’s Elements to them. As they secured the necklaces to their necks Trixie saw others coming out of the crowd to approach. Cheerilee and Raindrops trotted alongside Ditzy, who still had Dinky balanced solidly on her mother’s back. Trixie recognized the three Night Court nobles approaching, Vicereine Puissance with a poise of authority, Baron Mounty Max with open curiosity, and Duchess Fragrant Posey with reserved caution.

Great, let’s just get every noble lined up in a row for Corona to torch, Trixie thought dourly, but didn’t let the thought linger long. The nobles had a right to know what was happening, and she supposed she could count on them to at least keep any kind of panic from developing. Assuming there’d even be panic. Trixie had to remind herself that most of the people here weren’t even ponies, let alone had the thousand year history of fear relating to Corona.

Moving along beside the group were two of the Elkhiem delegation; Sigurd and Frederick. The two, standing side by side, were pure contrast. Sigurd, dark eyed, grim faced, and tense, and Frederick, grinning, energetic, and eyes shining with amusement.

By the time the procession reached Trixie she was feeling positively crowded, and there were still more eyes locked on them from all around the room, everyone present starting to realize something was going on.

“Alright, let’s hear how bad it is,” said Raindrops, first thing, once within proper earshot of Trixie.

“Better than ‘everypony panic because we’re doomed’ and a shade or two worse than ‘we don’t need the artifacts of incredible wondrous power’?” suggested Cheerilee, eyeing the Elements as Trixie floated over the rest and her friends put them on gingerly.

“Basically,” said Trixie, “Guess who just showed up for dinner?”

“This is not the time for jokes, Dame Lulamoon,” said Puissance with a cool air of authority, “I would appreciate knowing why the Princess of Cavallia suddenly decided to rapidly depart in the middle of a rather delicate conversation concerning oceanic trade matters with one of the Griffin monarchs.”

“My apologies Vicereine, I’ll just go tell the Tyrant Sun that she has to come back tomorrow, because of trade negotiations,” said Trixie with a deadpan serious expression painting her features like the world’s most sarcastic stone.

That certainly put the Vicereine back a few mental steps, not causing her to sputter or lose her composure, but quieting the barrage of questions and demands that Puissance might have had on standby. Baron Mounty Max in the meantime lost his look of curiosity and replaced it with a look of shock that the stallion, to his credit as a noble, rapidly schooled to controlled severity, “Do we need to prepare to evacuate people from the area?”

“For now I think it’s best we just remain calm and allow the Element Bearers to perform their job,” said Duchess Posey, casting a wary look towards the monastery's cavernous exit, but otherwise maintaining a well held air of calm that Trixie suspected the pegasus mare wasn’t actually feeling. Trixie didn’t blame her. Corona was feared for good reason.

“Calm? I see none panicking,” said Sigurd bluntly, casting an almost scornful look at the Duchess, “You forget that we do not share your fears of your former ruler. If she is here to do battle then it would be the honor of the Elkhiem to answer the challenge; our blood shall shed alongside yours!”

Frederick actually chuckled, “I would be curious to see what this Tyrant Sun of yours can actually do. Legends tell she’s stronger than Luna, and far as I know your Princess is the only pony who has bested Wodan when the Mountain Slayer has fought seriously. Would be quite the spectacle.”

This earned a number of horrified looks from the gathered ponies. Dao Ming remained silent with a look of contemplation on her sharp, emerald features.

“Do you even know that Amaterasu is here to fight?” Dao Ming asked, plainly.

“Hopefully not,” said Ditzy, glancing around with a pensive look, “There’s too many people here who could get hurt if we had to fight her.”

Sigurd met Ditzy’s look with a flat stare, but nodded, “Hope is a fine thing, but temper it with ready steel, friend Ditzy.”

“I don’t have any steel on me,” Ditzy replied with a helpless grin and shrug.

Sigurd frowned, eyeing Ditzy up and down, “Hmm, we shall see about fixing that. How do you feel about a greataxe?”

Frederick looked at Ditzy with measuring eyes, tilting his chin up slightly, “No, no Sigurd, she’s clearly more suited to the use of a saber. She has a killer grace about her that requires a delicate tool of violence.”

“I...uh...what?” was Ditzy’s confused reply.

“I still can’t believe Corona has actually come here,” said Raindrops incredulously, “Is she crazy? Oh, wait, yeah, I guess she is. Still, what she trying to pull? With all these people around?”

“Why don’t we go ask her?” suggested Cheerilee with an ‘after you’ gesture, to which Raindrops chuckled dryly, despite the serious look in her eyes.

Trixie, having had a bit of time by now to think and not just keep her panic in check, said “I somehow doubt she’s coming specifically to start a fight. Even she can’t be that insane and self deluded. She has to know we’re here, and would have the Elements. Plus there’s the champions from all these other nations about. Who’d decide to attack a gathering like this?”

Sigurd gave a firm nod, “It would be a battle to be sung for all the ages to come.”

Trixie wasn’t certain if, from his tone, the dvergar water deer actually found the prospect displeasing.

“Not sure we should put anything past Corona,” said Raindrops grimly.

“Don’t know, Corona hasn’t exactly been torching towns or covering the countryside with armies of sun worshiping fanatics,” said Lyra with a thoughtful look.

Ditzy didn’t much look to Trixie like she knew what to think or feel. Trixie thought she mostly saw.fear in the mailmare, undercut by anger. Which Trixie could understand. Yes Corona hadn’t been burning Equestria down lately, or ever, really, and Trixie wouldn’t deny that the alicorn had treated them... fairly, back on Tambelon during the conflict with Grogar. But Corona was still the enemy.

Trixie watched as Ditzy carefully reached back with a wing to help her daughter down from her back. Dinky’s eyes were wide and fearful but Ditzy pulled her close, hugging Dinky with both hooves and wings.

“I want you to stay here for a bit, muffin,” said Ditzy, glancing up at the Duchess Posey with a meaningful look, to which the Duchess nodded with a small smile and approached, kneeling down next to Dinky.

“I would be honored if the daughter of the esteemed Element of Kindness would be my escort while your mother conducts business outside,” said the Duchess.

Dinky looked between the two adults, and with a heavy smile nodded. Trixie could see the look in Dinky’s eyes, suggesting the filly knew the seriousness of the situation as well as any of them.

“Okay mamma, I’ll stay with the Duchess,” Dinky said, returning her mother’s hug, and whispering something in Ditzy’s ears that made the mail mare's eyes widen for a second. Trixie hadn’t quite caught what was said, but Ditzy laughed.

“You bet muffin, just be a good girl until then.”

That taken care of Trixie exchanged one last round of looks among her friends to make sure they were ready. Seeing their affirming nods, grave looks from Raindrops and Carrot Top, more cocksure and deflecting smiles from Lyra and Cheerilee, and quiet determination from Ditzy, Trixie herself took a deep breath and with her head held high she turned to lead them out. She caught out of the corner of her eye Dao Ming looking at her. The kirin’s stare was almost challenging, as if to say ‘show me what you can do’.

Trixie shoved down a spike of irritation. If Dao Ming wanted proof of the Elements of Harmony's power, and she and her friend’s right to bear them, she almost wished Corona was here to start a fight! It’d give her an excuse to wipe that look of Dao Ming’s face.

They were followed outside by Sigurd, Frederick, and Dao Ming, as well as Vicereine Puissance. Baron Mounty Max stayed behind with Duchess Posey, and Trixie surmised they’d probably be acting as a buffer between any more curious onlookers who might seek to trickle outside, through she didn’t think they’d actually stop anyone from another nation’s delegation that wanted to see what was happening. Shining Armor was right where Trixie had left him, his horn glowing slightly with prepared arcane energies. She could tell he hadn’t cast any spells yet, but he was ready to throw up one magnificent doozy of a shield spell.

“Captain, what is the situation?” Puissance asked as they arrayed themselves on the top steps.

“Vicereine, I... I’m not sure,” said Shining Armor with a slight bow, his concentration focused almost entirely on the sight of the golden ark in the sky, “Neither Princess has appeared since landing on the Tyrant Sun’s ship. I also have seen no signs of battle. Unfortunately, that’s all I know...”

His voice was strained, worried. Understandable, given the circumstances. Puissance pursed her lips in thought at the stallion’s words, while Frederick peered up at the golden ark with an appreciative whistle.

“Corona doesn’t bother with subtlety does she?” the red furred elk said, tapping a hoof on the stone steps. Carrot Top huffed out a short laugh.

“This from the guy who dropped a flight of wyverns onto Ponyville?”

“Hey, I landed them outside your fair township, m’lady knight,” said Frederick with an air of affected modesty that was ruined by his rakish smile, “You’re the one, I recall, that wanted to ride one into town.”

“...Point,” Carrot Top said after a small pause.

Sigurd’s nose sniffed, as if he were tasting the air, and his ears twitched, “Neither sound nor smell of battle. No blood, no flames or smoke.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” asked Raindrops.

“Depends on whether or not that silence means Luna and Cadenza already lost in the two minutes it took for us to chat and come out here,” said Cheerilee. Trixie blanched at the thought.

“No, look,” said Dao Ming, pointing, a gesture that Trixie noted the kirin somehow managed to make look graceful and regal, even though she was just pointing one dainty hoof up into the air, “Your Princesses return.”

Trixie could see it was true, the midnight blue and bright pink forms of the two Princesses flying up from the ark and swiftly winging towards the front of the monastery. At the same time the glowing gold vessel began a slow and easy descent towards the ground. In moments Princess Luna and Princess Cadenza were standing at the foot of the stone steps leading into the monastery, and Corona’s gold ark had come to a gentle rest no more than twenty paces away, floating as if moored in smooth water.

Trixie and her friends were quick to abandon caution and rush to the Princesses. Trixie noted that while Luna was managing to simply look apprehensive but otherwise calm, Princess Cadenza looked... well, frazzled for lack of a better term. She was maintaining her composure, to be sure, but Trixie could tell that the Princess of Cavallia was ruffled by Corona’s presence. Trixie could sympathize. She noted Cadenza casting a look over those gathered, her eyes lingering for a second on Shining Armor, who was also coming down the steps, and the pink alicorn visibly took control of herself, smoothing her features to something resembling control. It was an impressive and fast transformation that left Trixie wondering, casting a glance back at Equestria’s Royal Guard Captain.

Once they were standing before the two alicorn Princesses, Trixie looked to Luna with a tilt of her head towards the ark, “So, I’m taking it by the lack of explosions that we’re not immediately going to need worry about firing off the Elements?”

Luna’s return look was about as guarded as Trixie had ever seen the Equestrian monarch wear. Luna’s capacity for hiding her thoughts and emotions was second to few in Trixie’s experience, and now it was near impossible to gauge just how worried or not the Princess was as she said, “Not immediately, no. My sister claims to have come with peaceful intentions.”

Trixie’s first thought was that Corona’s intentions shouldn’t have any bearing on the fact that she was a still standing threat to the safety of Equestria and that a clear shot to take the alicorn down before she could launch her bid to take over Canterlot would be foolish to pass up. However if Luna was going to go that route she would have said so, and Trixie knew how... poorly Luna would react to Trixie and her friends taking the initiative in this case.

“Guess we’ll hear what she has to say,’ Trixie said, looking towards the ark.

At that moment the phoenix-like head of Corona’s ship appeared to animate, coming to life as the beak opened to reveal an a ramp of gold molded steps that flowed down to form a path to the ground from the ark’s top deck. The sound of metal shod hooves upon the deck rang out loudly as Corona herself descended the steps from her ark. As was always the case with Corona, Trixie could feel a weight of presence that washed ahead of the ancient alicorn like a heat wave. Taller than Luna, coat a pure regal white, Corona wore little beyond her gold horseshoes, torc, an tiara of her Princess regalia, the ensemble glinting in the fading evening light. Her mane lit up most of the surrounding area with a blazing orange glow, the crest of seemingly living liquid flames that topped Corona’s head bright enough to be hard to look directly at.

Corona was not alone. As she reached the ground and stood tall and proud, her eyes unblinking as they surveyed those gathered before her, others descended the ramp. There were four, and among them Trixie immediately recognized the zebra mare Zecora, who was wearing plain brown robes and her strange gold neck and leg loops. Zecora moved with caution as opposed to the confidence of the alicorn she served, the zebra’s steps careful and her eyes beneath the hood of her robes looking about with suspicion, as if expecting an attack to come at any moment. The other three Trixie hadn’t seen before, but she did note the reactions from Raindrops and Lyra, both of her friends stiffening at the sight.

“Kindle...” Raindrops muttered, brow furrowed, mane bristling, and wings outstretched in an aggressive posture. Her eyes were glued to a bright red pegasus stallion among Corona’s entourage, whose blazing orange mane made him stand out along with the bright, stark white robe he wore emblazoned with sigils of the sun.

"Great," Trixie muttered, "Everypony's favorite sun fanatic. Looks like he brought the whole team."

“We've dealt with them once before, we can do it again if need be,” said Lyra with a tight lipped frown.

There were two others descending from the ark with Kindle. One was a nondescript grey unicorn mare whose looked rather out of place amid the grandeur and ego surrounding her. She kept close to Kindle, wearing a plainer white robe and looking around with wide eyes and a skittishness to her steps that made Trixie think the mare might bolt at a loud noise. The other remaining creature disembarking from the ark was the unicorn mare’s complete opposite; a massive, heavily muscled griffin who was clad in gleaming golden armor that encased his muscular chest and parts of legs and flanks.The air shimmered around him as if the armor itself was generating heat.

“Terrorwing," Raindrops grumbled, eyeing the gigantic griffin, “As if I needed more of a headache with Kindle already here.”

“I'm about as thrilled to see Smoke," Trixie said under her breath with a snort, sizing up Smoke, who seemed to be all but hiding behind Kindle, until the pegasus noticed her, paused, and with a bright smile leaned down and whispered something to Smoke that almost immediately had the unicorn standing straighter and walking more openly.

Terrorwing, in the meantime, had pointedly positioned himself between Corona and the crowd on the steps, through upon doing so Corona herself put a wing on his shoulder and gently brushed the griffin aside. Terrorwing didn’t argue, only bowed his head respectfully and stepped aside for Corona to stand boldly before all the creatures gathered before her.

At this time Trixie heard Dao Ming made a small noise, like a foal’s ‘eep’, only more subdued, and she turned to notice they had more company. On top of the steps more of the Shouma delegation had appeared. Trixie recognized the dark feathered form of Kenkuro, but the one the tengu stood beside drew far more attention.

This kirin mare had a clear blood relation to Dao Ming, sharing an almost mirror image of facial features. A similar emerald coat, through darker and somehow richer in color. Her mane and tail were raven black, as opposed to Dao Ming's shining gold, so long they trailed near the ground, even while playing home to complex braided patterns held by jade sticks, the most complex of all seemingly woven into a headdress of gold and jade that looked very much akin to the shape of a cherry blossom tree, with dangling diodes of onyx. Her twin horns swept back above the headdress. She wore a silken dress of black and gold, form fitting and trailing behind her like a dark mist.

Dao Ming suddenly moved in front of her mother, her features cracked with a worried frown, getting out the words, “Mother, perhaps you should-”

The younger kirin was silenced by a single look. The Empress’ jade eyes reminded Trixie somehow of sword points. Dao Ming shrank back from her mother mutely as if slapped in the face by scalding water, her own silver eyes as wide as a terrified foal’s. The Empress Fu Ling said nothing to her daughter, merely breezing past her as if she were of no more consequence than an offending pebble that had been found underhoof.

Dao Ming, head bowed, eyes cast to the ground, merely let her mother walk by silently. Trixie noted that Kenkuro gave the kirin heiress a sympathetic glance as he dutifully followed in the Empress’ wake. Other kirin, ones Trixie guessed were also part of the royal family, followed behind, one of them, a female with a ruby red coat, stayed near Dao Ming, even leaning in to whisper something to the other kirin. From the look on the ruby coated one’s face and the small relief on Dao Ming’s they’d been words of comfort.

Trixie thought on it no more as Corona strode towards them, and Empress Fu Ling reached the bottom of the steps. They stood like three opposing forces, Trixie, her friends, Luna and Cadenza on one end of the triangle, Corona and her gathered minions on the other, and the Empress of Shouma at the third point. Trixie looked the Empress over with a sidelong gaze. If Fu Ling showed any concern or care that she stood among alicorns, among the most powerful beings in the world, she showed no hint of it. If anything the Shouma Empress carried herself with the bearing of one who was among peers.

That meant she was either very powerful, quite mad, or both. Whatever the answer, it made Trixie very nervous.

Corona, for her part, didn’t seem to pay the Empress any attention as she tilted her head to look up at Luna and the Element Bearers. Trixie couldn’t help an urge to look away from the Tyrant Sun’s gaze, but forced herself to stand firm. She was entirely ready to make use of her Element if it became called for.

“Sister,” Corona said, pitching her voice perfectly so that it could be heard by all yet somehow didn’t come off as yelling, “All of who have come to this sacred island, I have come to honor the spirit with which you have all gathered here and as Equestria’s rightful ruler participate in observing the Contest.”

Was... that it? Trixie blinked, not at all understanding. Had Corona come all this way, made such a flashy entrance, just for the sake of watching the Contest? Why? What did she stand to gain by doing that? Trixie wanted to believe there had to be some kind of trick here. Corona’s goal was to make herself sole sovereign of Equestria. What did watching the Contest have to do with that? Trixie briefly glanced at Luna, who was wearing a surprisingly calm expression given the circumstances. Trixie imagined Luna must have gained some kind of assurances that Corona wasn’t here to just burn them all alive, yet Trixie wanted to hear it from the alicorn’s own mouth.

“You say you’re here with peaceful intentions?” Trixie stepped forward, mustering her courage. Knowing her friends were right there at her back certainly helped as Corona turned her piercing, near white glowing eyes towards Trixie. “What manner of proof can you offer of this?”

Corona glowered, the flames that crept along her mane intensifying, “What proof could possibly be required beyond my word? If I wished anyone here harm, Luna, we would not be speaking at this instant. You know I do not waste time on deceptions. I have no need for them!”

“Well, there’s that, but...,” put in Trixie, tapping the Element of Magic lightly with one hoof, “We do happen to have plenty of insurance for your good behavior.”

“There is that, yes,” said Corona with a sour grimace.

“My Queen, if I may?” asked Kindle as he walked up beside her, and through Corona looked faintly annoyed still, she gave him a nod of approval.

Kindle’s smile was wide and filled with fanatical warmth as he bowed deeply to Corona, then he turned his gaze upon the crowd. Trixie knew next to nothing about this pegasus besides what she’d heard from Raindrops and Lyra after they’d returned from a mission to the Griffin Kingdoms a little over a month ago, one where they’d worked to counter the attempts of Kindle, acting as the so-called Voice of the Sun, to bring numerous griffins to Corona’s side. He certainly had a wide, gleaming light in his eyes that spoke of supreme confidence that bordered on madness, and a smile that was warm and charming while at the same time just looking a tad too wide.

“I understand that some among you may question the intentions of my Queen! Yet I ask you to understand something very important about the alicorn who stands here openly before you. This grand event, this Contest of Champions, honors the sacrifices of brave souls who died putting a stop to that!” he pointed at the dark, distant form of the looming fortress of Rengoku, “And among those who battled that evil was this very alicorn! While most of you are here to honor the dead, Queen Celestia knew those who died on that day. She was there. It was her subjects, akin to her own children, who sacrificed their lives to protect all races, all nations, from every corner of the world!”

He swept his eyes across the crowd, across the kirin, rearing on his hind legs and holding his forelegs wide as he used his wings for balance.

“I ask all of you; how can you possibly question her motives for being here!? Out of all who stand here save for Princess Luna herself it is Celestia who has every right to stand here on this island and honor the dead by showing her favor upon the Contest of the very champions who have been chosen to represent their lands. Who here would have the gall to deny her that right!?”

Next to Trixie she heard Raindrops whisper under her breath, “Jerk is still good with words... didn’t knock enough sense into him...”

The silence that followed Kindel’s words was broken by a firm, commanding voice that reminded Trixie of a glacier.

“Finely spoken words, herald,” said Empress Fu Ling, stepping forward without any apparent fear. She wasn’t looking at Kindle as she spoke, but instead had her eyes fixed upon Celestia. The Empress smiled, a flash of white teeth that left Trixie wondering if it was meant to be a welcoming sight or a threatening one. Corona didn’t seem to care either way.

“Amaterasu, you honor all upon this island with your arrival,” the Empress said with an incline of her head that was the kind used between those of equal station, “When word reached the Heavenly Empire of your return to our world I was thrilled at the prospect of meeting you face to face, one day. I suspected the Contest of Champions would be such an occasion.”

Trixie couldn’t help but grimace. Thrilled at the prospect of meeting Corona? Was the Empress trying to make herself sound like a sun fanatic? No, Trixie thought, the look on the Empress’ face wasn’t one of worship, like on Kindle’s. Her’s was a look of curiosity and pleasure, like the way Trixie might look if she happened to meet a fellow magician she admired. Professional and political interest, Trixie was willing to bet, was the Empress game.

Corona actually looked the Empress up and down, face placid, decidedly nonplussed. It was the look one gave a stray dog.

“I see. You’re Ying Shen’s descendant.”

The Empress blinked, immediately recovered, nodding her head, “Yes, though we no longer speak the name of the Warlord in the Heavenly Empire. She cast it in a aura of dishonor that has stricken itself from our records. It has been our bloodline’s long task to repair the damage of the Warlord’s follies. That is why I am so pleased you have come, Amaterasu. Unlike all who have come before me, I can now honor both great alicorns who played a role in ensuring my ancestor’s mistakes were halted.”

Corona gave the barest of nods at that, turning instead to Luna, “Well, sister? Shall you tolerate my presence? Or will you sick your knights upon me? Answer swiftly, for I must plan my day.”

“Its nighttime,” Ditzy pointed out flatly, a deep frown etched onto her face.

Corona briefly turned her eyes to the mailmare, “It is always day, somewhere.”

Ditzy closed her mouth. Trixie said a silent thank you. They really didn’t need to antagonize the unstable alicorn.

More and more people had gathered outside now, staring down at the most unusual gathering. Griffins, cervids, zebras, minotaurs, more ponies, all stared at the Tyrant Sun’s arrival. Trixie noted that among many of the onlookers there was more curiosity than fear. Trixie realized she shouldn't have been surprised. None of them had the history of fear driving them to distrust Corona. The Griffins’, Equestria’s closest neighbors, had still not felt any real bite from Princess Celestia’s fall to being Corona, and to the rest of the other nations it was little more than an ancient pony legend.

Even if Corona decided to fight us here and now, its possible only the Elkheim champions would fight alongside us... Trixie realized, and she looked to Luna.

Luna, for her part, seemed to have read the situation faster than Trixie had, and while there was still that guarded expression that showed little of what was going on inside the night blue alicorn’s mind, Trixie wasn’t surprised at all at Luna’s next words.

“Very well, sister. On your word, and on the trust we once shared, I shall accept your observance of the Contest.”

When the pale light of the real sun finally filled the sky the next morning its rays found Trixie fitfully half-dozing in bed. She was in one of the many guest rooms available to contestants at the monastery, simply furnished but quite cozy and comfortable, with a single window facing out of the cliff face itself. Trixie let out a tired moan, rolling out of bed and rubbing at her face with a hoof. Her eyes were bleary with the remnants of a less than restful sleep, most of her dreams filled with the fearful thoughts of what a certain white, insane alicorn might have done while the Element Bearers rested.

She approached her room’s single window and stared out of it, placing her forehooves on the sill as she leaned her face out to catch some refreshingly chill morning breeze.

Unfortunately any pleasantness of the view was marred by the sight of that giant golden ark that was parked in front of the monastery's entry steps

Corona, here at the Contest. As a guest. The notion just wasn’t ludicrous, it was as insane as the sun alicorn herself. But this was the reality of the situation, and there was nothing to be done about it. At least Trixie could deter some of her anxiety by reminding herself that when it came to alicorns, at least they had two alicorns on their side to counter anything that Corona might try. While Princess Luna was, sadly, not as strong as her elder sister, and the much less ancient Princess Cadenza even weaker still, the pair of them together could possibly keep the elder alicorn in check. On top of that, there was a small army of worldwide national champions on the island, and while Trixie held no illusions at all that any of the other nations champions would be able come close to matching the mythic Corona’s power, the combined might of all of them gathered on the Isle of the Fallen might be enough to give Corona pause.

Then, of course, there were the Elements of Harmony.

If worst came to worst Trixie and her friends could quickly access their Elements. Even with that comforting thought she was still coming to grips with what Corona’s presence here might mean. Was it really possible that Corona was here only to honor the fallen champions of old? She did know them, after all, was there twelve hundred years ago to actually witness the events that had transpired on the Isle of the Fallen. Perhaps it was possible that somewhere in the alicorn’s less than stable mind she was just doing what was natural, nevermind she was doing it during a time where she was actively intending to forcibly take over Equestria and place it under her singular rule.

Trixie rubbed at her face with a hoof, letting out a small groan, “May you live in interesting times,” she quoted from... she wasn’t sure from where. A book, a poem, she wasn’t sure, but she knew the line was a quote from somewhere, an oft used curse upon those who claimed they were bored with the status quo. Trixie could stand to have a less interesting life by her own estimation.

After freshening up in the surprisingly modern bathroom her quarters had (the monastery certainly didn’t look like the kind of place that’d have fully functional indoor plumbing) Trixie went to the wardrobe and swiftly threw on her customary hat and cape. She’d be donning her armor soon, but the Grand Melee was still a few hours away and Trixie wasn’t eating breakfast in armor. No matter how comfortable and spectacular the armor happened to be.

Stepping out into the smoothly hewn stone corridor outside her room Trixie flinched as she heard raised voices nearby, just around the bend of the hallway leading to the common room that connected to the hallway she and her friends had been given for space at the monastery. She knew Carrot Top, Cheerilee, Raindrops, and Ditzy had decided to take the rooms at the monastery, only Lyra opting to stay at a hotel in town in order to have some ‘alone time’ with Bon Bon. Trixie was a bit surprised Lyra had taken the opportunity to drag Bon Bon to this monastery for some sense of location conquest, but perhaps for once her friend was actually considering Trixie’s comfort by sparing her a night of listening to Lyra and Bon Bon’s nightly activities. Trixie wasn’t about to question the blessing.

One of the voices Trixie heard was Raindrops. The other was the smooth masculine drawl that she recognized belonged to Kindle. That caught Trixie by surprise. What was the Voice of the Sun doing here this early in the morning? Trixie tip-hoofed closer, to where the bend in the hallway lead to a wide opening into the oval shaped common room.

“I wish to create a clean slate, Dame Raindrops,” Kindle said, the flaring red pegasus stallion near backed up into the wall by an aggressively glaring Raindrops who appeared as if she was very shortly going to be decorating the walls with pieces of the fellow’s skull. Trixie had seen Raindrops angry a number of times before, but the glassy eyed, still rage simmering in her friend's turquoise gaze was reaching a new level by Trixie’s estimation. It made her pause at the threshold of the common room, not all too eager to rush in just yet.

“The only clean slate you’ll ever get from me, Kindle, is when your ‘Queen’ is locked back up in the sun where she belongs and whatever madness she’s rubbed off on you sees you spending a long time in the most secure mental hospital in Equestria,” Raindrops said in a low, too-controlled voice that Trixie recognized as a fair sign Raindrops was about as livid as was possible without craters being involved.

Just what had passed between her and Kindle, back in the Griffin Kingdoms? Trixie was wondering if Raindrops might not have told the whole story.

Kindle for his part seemed to be maintain an impressive air of self calm as he let out a small sigh, smiling sadly, “I find it regrettable that things have progressed they way they have. Believe me, Raindrops, nopony more than I desires that our first meeting could have gone better. I meant it when I said I wanted us to be friends. I understand you and your friends are doing what you feel is right, but it is a misguided notion to oppose our Queen-”

“Kindle, stop, before I end up doing something we’ll both find ‘regrettable’,” Raindrops said plainly, “I don’t have time for your games and I’m done listening to anything you have to say. If all you came here for was another pointless play to make your madness sound remotely sane, then I’ll show you right out the door. Without opening it first.”

Kindle eyed her, as if trying to gauge how serious Raindrops was, and apparently finding his answer he said, “I can see your conviction. It is among your most admirable traits. For what little it may be worth to you, Dame Raindrops, I have never considered you an enemy. Nor shall I, even come the hour of my Queen’s glorious return to Canterlot. Good day, and my most sincere wishes for your good fortune in the Contest.”

He departed out the door of his own volition, as opposed to an involuntary pony shaped battering ram, and Raindrops stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily and visibly shaking a bit. Trixie hesitated about disturbing her, but Raindrops spoke, startling the magician.

“You can come in, Trixie, I’m not going to freak out or break anything.”

“I, uh, heh, so you knew I was there?” Trixie stepped into the common room, giving Raindrops an embarrassed smile, “Sorry, didn’t want to interrupt the show.”

“Yeah, show...” Raindrops rubbed her neck and went over to flop into one of the plush chairs that surrounded the large stone table that dominated the center of the room, “Ugh, this is crazy. Why are they here, Trixie? We got enough to worry about without having Corona dumped on us at the last minute! I’ll eat your hat if she isn’t plotting something.”

“No, I like my hat,” said Trixie, sitting down across from Raindrops, “You can eat your hat. That dopey looking one you got from Pferdreich.”

“That hat isn’t dopey, its cultural,” said Raindrops, cracking a small grin, which by Trixie’s estimation was a nice bit of progress towards having a nice morning. Raindrops’s smile faded quickly, however, as she glanced at the door Kindle had left through.

“I would’ve expected Corona to push for her little fanclub to participate in the Contest. Some kind of half-flanked play to make herself look more legitimate, instead of a crazymare.”

It didn’t surprise Trixie in the least, and she relaxed into her seat, making an off-hoof gesture as she said, “Corona thinks her claim to Equestria is unquestionable. Far as she’s concerned she has nothing to prove. I don’t know if I believe her claim that she’s just here to honor the Contest, but I think we need to focus on the Contest for now. With us, the Elements, Luna, Princess Cadenza, and a small army of other national champions here I don’t think there’s much Corona can hope to pull without putting herself in a world of hurt.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right...” Raindrops said, not sounding entirely convinced.

Trixie, looking about at the otherwise unoccupied common room, frowned.

“So where’re the rest of the girls?”

“Cheerilee is out having breakfast with a friend she met yesterday. Lyra’s still sleeping in near as I can tell. Ditzy took Dinky out to check out the festival grounds and to meet up with my parents and Snails, since Dinky is going to be their responsibility for the day. I actually don’t know where Carrot Top has gotten off to...” Raindrops’ brow furrowed in thought, “Actually, come to think of it, I don’t think she stayed in her room here last night. Last I saw her she was still hanging out with that elk fellow, their Prince or whatever... Frederick.”

Trixie felt her eyebrow shooting up. Carrot Top had last been seen with that flirtatious elk? Interesting. Very interesting. Also the general dispersal of her friends was a slight annoyance, given their timetable.

“I hope they all know to show up back here soon,” Trixie said, ‘We’re supposed to be getting ready for the Grand Melee. Can’t start the Contest without all of us champions together.”

“I’m sure they’ll be back,” said Raindrops, getting up and stretching her wings, “In the meantime, you want to go grab something to eat? Can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

Trixie, after a moment’ consideration, nodded, “Eat, drink, and be merry; for today we kick flank and chew bubble gum?”

“Fortunately I don’t think they serve bubble gum here,” said Raindrops with a genuine grin.

“Ah, sister, have you tried this rather unusual candy?” asked Tomoko as she and Dao Ming strode among the multicolored tents and stalls around the edge of the festival grounds, “I believe it’s called ‘bubble gum’. I’m not entirely certain why.”

Dao Ming’s silver eyes glanced towards the small pink sphere of shiny coated candy floating in her sister’s forest green telekinetic aura of magic and she tried to force a smile she wasn’t feeling.

“I’m certain the purveyor would be happy to inform you on those questions if we ask her, Tomoko,” she said, turning her gaze to the mare in question, a creme colored earth pony mare with a two toned mane of dark blue and bright pink. The mare was looking at the two kirin standing before her booth with a look that was a mix of ecstatic interest and overwhelmed flusterment. Her booth, which had drawn Dao Ming and Tomoko’s interest with its rather colorful pink and blue banner proclaiming that it sold the ‘Sweetest, Sugariest Pastries and Candies from Ponyville!’, was filled with displays containing trays of fresh baked goods whose enticing aromas certainly seemed to back the banner’s claim.

“You chew it,” the mare said, with a faint quirk of confusion crossing her brows but to her credit she hid it quickly and Dao Ming felt no insult, “My patented recipe helps my gum keep its flavor for hours and it can let you blow the biggest bubbles in Equestria.”

“Why do you blow bubbles with it?” asked Tomoko, eyes intensely gazing at the small piece of candy as if it held long hidden arcane secrets. Dao Ming also had a hard time imagining why one would wish to do such a thing. Wouldn’t the bubble just pop and get sticky gum all over one’s dress? Tomoko was wearing a deep purple dress, not a kimono but a form fitting affair with red filigree patterns of lotus blossoms across the chest. Dao Ming knew the dress was a personal favorite of Tomoko’s, and the idea of getting gum all over it felt vaguely obscene to her, yet somehow oddly... amusing.

Tomoko’s question seemed to alarm the young mare, her eyes blinking rapidly in momentary stupefied manner, “Because its fun? Foals love it.”

Tomoko made a small ‘Hmm’ at that, and Dao Ming took in and let out a deep breath, managing a polite smile to the pony, “We shall take a box. How much in your Equestrian bits?”

The concept of actually having to pay for things was still a concept Dao Ming was having trouble wrapping her head around, but apparently the Equestrians were almost ruthlessly efficient in their economic drive for wealth, which Dao Ming supposed she could admire. She’d acquired a small coffer of Imperial koku and zennies and had a servant make even exchanges of various different national currencies. She now carried several small bags of various objects under her voluminous green and gold kimono, including Equestrian bits, Griffin Kingdom marks, Elkheim wooden credit chits, and the most bizarre of all a ream of Zebrican trade stamps.

The mare looked flabbergasted for a second, mouth opening for a second, then closing as a light of enterprise entered her eyes, “Five bits for a full box of twenty. I can give you a variety of flavors, or you can pick and choose as you will.”

“A variety will do,” Dao Ming said, inclining her head, “You have my thanks, Miss...?”

“Bon Bon! Please, no thanks needed. Its a pleasure to serve you,” said the mare while flashing a happy smile, already moving to package up an assortment of the candies as Dao Ming floated out the agreed upon bits. It felt novel, to the kirin. She’d so rarely had to use money for anything. It was almost scandalous, but since this was part of a cultural exchange it was considered proper, even if the concept of an Imperial Family member having to use money would have been insulting if it’d been a Shouma merchant charging them.

“My, my, you are a very polite one,” said Tomoko with a small smile that she hid behind a red fan she snapped open with her levitating magic, her eyes glittering, “You’d do well as a servant at court, I think.”

The mare, Bon Bon, looked momentarily taken aback, “Oh, uh, well thank you?”

Her tone suggested she wasn’t at all aware of the sheer level of honor Tomoko’s compliment bestowed upon her. It was rare for a member of the Imperial Family to offer such, and many commoners of the Heavenly Empire would be beyond flattered by it. Dao Ming reminded herself this was an Equestrian and they had strange notions in their head.

“Good day to you, confectioner Bon Bon. We may visit again, to acquire more of the fruits of your hard work,” Dao Ming said as she turned from the waving Bon Bon after giving the Equestrian a small nod of thanks.

Dao Ming and Tomoko walked deeper into the festival grounds. Around them was a vast riot of bright tents and open stages, arranged in neat rows and covering an area near large enough to cover the Imperial Palace grounds twice over. The festival grounds were roughly circular, each nation taking a slice of the circle. It’d been like walking through a fog, for Dao Ming, where every step brought a wash of new smells and sights, akin to stepping through a mist through which each slice of the world was revealed. Given how much food was cooking, there was, in fact, a haze of faint smoke that permeated the entire festival.

They were currently in the Equestrian section, but she and Tomoko had already passed through an entire circuit of the grounds before they’d decided to slow down to take a closer look at some of the booths. For all that her mind wanted to be in full panic at her mistake with her mother yesterday, it was hard not to be fascinated by the sights around her. She’d spent her entire life reading of these distant lands, it was almost overwhelming to see so much so quickly.

Naqah’s tents had been vast colorful domes of such kaleidoscoping blends of various colored patches that they almost distracted from the camels’ entertainment, performers providing dazzling displays of dancing with fire, each came dancer intertwining their motions with streams and circles of bright burning flames that formed numerous complex shapes which Dao Ming suspected was aided by the camels’ unique magic. The heady smells of exotic spices from the Naqah tents had then given way to the thick wood smoke of deep cooking pits and the colorful camel tents had fallen behind to be replaced by strong log stalls and totems carved with the reliefs of strong cervid visages.

The festival grounds for Elkhiem were all but vibrating with singing voices of elk, deer, and moose as the hearty folk of that northern realm sang throaty ballads in their kind’s native tongue. Here mead seemed to flow relentless, not a single passer by going long without a mug of the foamy brew reaching their hooves or talons. The griffins certainly seemed to enjoy spending time among the Elkhiem folk, Dao Ming had noted, and she saw more than a few of the avian creatures joining in the cervid’s singing, even if the griffin’s didn’t seem to know the words. Tomoko had had to extricate Dao Ming from spending too much time examining some of the Elkhiem’s smithing techniques; the cervids having set up a fully functional forge to display their impressive craftsmanship to any who cared to observe. The elk clearly loved games as well, especially physical ones. Dao Ming saw half a dozen different wrestling rings set up outside one tent, while another space had been given over to some sort of... log tossing competition? She had to admit, if only to herself, that some of those cervids could get impressive distance throwing entire tree trunks bigger than they were.

The smell of cooked meat had been a new experience for Dao Ming as she’d passed through the griffin’s section of the festival grounds and had paused to watch with curiosity at a large circular part of the field that’d been cleared into a miniature arena where the griffins, all displaying such a varying degree of coloring and sigils among their worn livery that it made Dao Ming wonder just how many different Griffin Kingdoms there actually were and how many noble families filled each Kingdom with so much competitive rivalry. Her readings upon the Griffin Kingdoms covered many of the heraldries she was seeing on display, but the actual number present surpassed what her texts had covered. Was the Heavenly Kingdom’s information so far out of date? Something she’d have to seek to correct as soon as possible, she decided.

The griffins seemed as eager to compete with each other as with the other races and Dao Ming politely turned down more than a few offers of physical challenge; though she’d found herself oddly curious about one griffin game that seemed to involve throwing sticks at carefully arranged wood blocks that’d been set up on raised platforms. Griffins would perform flybys of these block formations, throwing the heavy sticks. As far as Dao Ming could tell the point of the game was to knock over as many of the blocks as possible, and different formations of blocks required different throwing techniques to properly hit them all.

When she’d inquired on the game a grinning griffin had named the game gorodki. The griffins also had a ground based version for non fliers to compete in. It’d be entertaining to watch her brother, Lo Shang, try his hoof at it, but she’d refrained.

She’d soon lost track of the numerous sights she’d seen, and reflected that Tomoko seemed to specifically avoid dragging Dao Ming towards the section of the festival that’d been set up by the Heavenly Empire. Probably for the best. Dao Ming had not originally planned to come out here this morning, instead using the time to meditate and clear her mind and soul, but Tomoko had arrived and all but browbeat Dao Ming into coming out with her other siblings.

Dao Ming was fairly certain she knew why Tomoko was doing this, as well.

“Tomoko, I must thank you,” she said, watching curiously as her sister popped one of the round pieces of bubble gum into her mouth. Tomoko chewed for a few seconds, face a mask of contemplation as she kept pace with Dao Ming.

“Thank me? Whatever for?” Tomoko casked, hiding part of her face behind her fan and giving Dao Ming a coy look.

“I know you brought me out here to help take my mind off of last night,” Dao Ming said, still keenly able to feel her shame from the previous night as sharply as a needle tip. She tried to keep that shame from showing on her face, schooling it carefully to one of stillness.

Tomoko’s face was serene as she gave a demure nod, dropping her fan enough so that Dao Ming could see one of her small smiles that Dao Ming knew could hide many meanings. “My intentions are so transparent? I apologize, then. I hope you don’t take my blunt ploy to raise your spirits as an insult to your intellect, sister.”

Dao Ming shook her head, “No, of course not. Your concern is... unwarranted. Last night’s mistake was wholly my own and I accept that in order to make up for it I will simply have to perform perfectly in the Grand Melee today.”

The mistake in question was one Dao Ming knew she should have had better sense to make, and it made hot shame rise inside her to recall her moment of panic. Perhaps to outsiders it wouldn’t have looked like much. She certainly doubted any of the Equestrian’s had noticed it. However to bar the path of the Empress was an insult akin to a slap in the face. When Dao Ming had dared to step in front of her mother’s way as the Empress had been moving towards Amaterasu, it’d been a horrible misstep. Dao Ming had done it out of concern, but that was irrelevant; she’d insulted the Empress.

The reason Dao Ming had dared do it at all had been because of Amaterasu herself. Dao Ming could keenly recall the sheer radiating presence that had been exuded by the mare, if the term ‘mare’ could even logically apply to one such as Amaterasu. Dao Ming had been prepared to witness something powerful, and she’d been curious to see what the legendary alicorn was like, but one look had all but shattered what Dao Ming realized now had been simplistic expectations. Amaterasu was power incarnate and hadn’t even needed to physically demonstrate that power for Dao Ming to realize how dangerous the alicorn was.

A momentary, foolish fear for her mother’s life had caused Dao Ming to dare bar her mother’s path, and the Empress had shown her displeasure with but a look. It’d been more than enough to set Dao Ming back in both fear and shame. Her mother’s penetrating eyes had that kind of power over her, to remind her of how small Dao Ming was, and how far she had to strive to earn the Empress’s respect.

I will make it up to her today. I will earn back her regard for my blunder... Dao Ming thought fiercely.

Tomoko, looking at her with calm, pool-like eyes, let out the smallest of sighs, “I am sure you’ll do well. I look forward to seeing the spectacle. That is the purpose of the Grand Melee, yes? Some manner of ‘exhibition round’?”

“Essentially,” Dao Ming said.

The rules of the Grand Melee had been explained to the champions the previous night, after the dinner. It was a very straightforward affair. The champions would gather in a location to the north of the monastery, a wide field near the edge of the forest. There, each team of champions, or single champions in the case of countries that fielded just one, would be given ten tokens. The tokens could be placed anywhere on their bodies that was in proper view. The objective of the Grand Melee simple. Each team scored points by gathering the tokens of the other competitors. It was possible to snatch the tokens off a champion, but if one lacked the means to do so, defeating that opponent would likely be the most straightforward manner to gain the tokens. The Grand Melee had a time limit of two hours, upon the end of which the teams with the most tokens were ranked, scoring points for the overall Contest

The tokens were enchanted. The spell on each token contained a spell that measured the force of any strike the bearer took during the Grand Melee. If a blow was strong enough be considered a "scoring hit" then the token would flash and then turn gray, indicating a point earned by the one who struck the blow. The exact amount of force needed for a scoring hit was not quite clear, but the monks explained that anything that would cause a solid bruise or broken bone would be enough. Lethal attacks were prohibited, but the possibility of injury was still high, and accidents were not unheard of. There’d been injuries in past Contests, even deaths, on rare occasion. The monks had trained healers on standby to contend with injuries, but it was still frowned upon to overly injure one's opponents in the Grand Melee. As Tomoko had described it, it was meant to be an ‘exhibition match’ for the champions to get a feel for each other before the other, more specialized events to come.

In essence the magical tokens were a straightforward means of scoring that were meant to keep the competition balanced and fair, since each team of champions, regardless of size, would only have ten scoring tokens with which to distribute among its members. Each champion required at least one token, as if a champion lost all their tokens they were considered out of the Grand Melee and would be obligated to leave the field. This meant that any team of, say, ten champions would each only have one token, requiring only one scoring hit to take them out of the fight. A single champion, in contrast, could wear all ten tokens and have some breathing room to compete against larger groups.

Since Dao Ming and Kenkuro would both be on the field they’d divide their tokens between them evenly, or at least that’s what the tengu suggested. Dao Ming was tempted to take the greater majority, in order to attract more challengers. She had much to prove and wanted to put on a good show for the sake of earning back the face she’d lost with her mother last night.

“Well, try to pace yourself,” said Tomoko, “You don’t wish to embarrass the other champions in the first event.”

Dao Ming knew the comment was meant to be confidence boosting, not that she needed such, but it was hard not to feel nettled. As if she needed to be told to not overdo things in the opening event. She was about to make a comment to that effect when the enthusiastic bellow of their brother, Lo Shang, could be heard.

“Ah! Tomoko, Dao Ming, sisters, come here! You must see this!”

Up ahead Dao Ming saw her remaining two siblings, Lo Shang and Xhua, standing in front of another Equestrian managed booth. Xhua was wearing a kimono similar to Dao Ming’s, through predominantly black in color with a deep blue sash. She wore a similar set of darkly blue ribbons tied into her midnight black mane, twined into complex patterns that Dao Ming knew Xhua did herself. Lo Shang was mostly bare of clothing save for a bright red vest across his muscular chest, left unbuttoned and open. The rest of his body was left unclad, and Dao Ming noted more than a few of the passing females in the crowd, whether they be pony, griffin, or other, would let their eyes wander towards the athletic black furred kirin. Lo Shang no doubt noted the looks and even gave sly winks towards a few of the choice females who passed by. Dao Ming suppressed a sigh, knowing she’d have to have a talk with Lo Shang before this evening, otherwise risk him leaving behind a trail of bastard born half kirin before the Contest was through.

The booth Lo Shang and Xhua stood before had a rather sweet and sugary scent wafting from it, not unlike the one being run by that friendly mare Bon Bon. Dao Ming was starting to wonder if Equestrians were, overall, rather mad for sweets. It seemed half the tents and booths in their part of the festival were for showcasing some manner of food to cater to a sweet tooth. Not that Dao Ming was complaining. She so rarely had an opportunity, or excuse, to try out such sugary treats. It felt almost improper, but since this was a cultural exchange, well... do as the Equestrians, do, she supposed.

This booth appeared to serve the most bizarre looking of candies, even more strange than the gum, which Dao Ming noted Tomoko was having a rather difficult time trying to figure out how to blow into a bubble. The red kirin kept making the oddest faces as she attempted to wrangle the gum into a bubble. Pulling her eyes respectfully away from the sight Dao Ming instead focused on the strange candy in the booth before her. It seemed to be some kind of fluffy, almost cloud-like concoction wound around paper cones. It came in a variety of bright colors, though blue and pink seemed predominant.

Lo Shang already had a cone of the pink stuff gripped in his magic and he was grinning like an eager fool as he took a bite out of it. Xhua had a cone of green... cloud candy stuff, and was looking at it dubiously.

“What is that?” Dao Ming asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They call it cotton candy!” said Lo Shang, “It actually feels like cotton, only it melts most deliciously in your mouth! You must try some, sister! No, we must import this stuff! The Heavenly Empire cannot hold its title properly unless we learn the secrets of manufacturing this cotton candy.”

“It’s pretty easy to make,” said the stallion behind the counter of the booth with a bright but bemused smile, “Shocked you eastern types don’t know how to make it.”

“If you give me the secrets of this marvelous alchemy I shall forever be in your debt, noble Equestrian,” Lo Shang declared with a switch to a serious face and tone that Dao Ming knew was her brother doing his best to emulate his idol, Kenkuro. She briefly wondered what the tengu was currently doing. LIkely either attending to her mother, fulfilling his role as the Empress’ bodyguard, or he’d managed to sneak off somewhere to bother some poor female of... well, whichever species he fancied at the moment. Either was equally possible.

“So, did the Empress punish you further by sending you out to play watchdog upon us, Dao Ming?” asked Xhua, bluntly.

“Xhua!” Tomoko chided sharply, nearly spitting her gum out.

Xhua blinked, “What, I was merely wondering. Isn’t she supposed to be getting ready for the first event of the Contest?”

Dao Ming took a deep breath and steeled herself, forcing her mind to its focused, centered state, “I am prepared. The Empress has seen fit not to administer any further punishment, as is her right. I shall not disappoint her today, this I swear to you, Xhua.”

The intensity in her tone must have sunk through even to Xhua, for she took a step back, then seemed to gather herself and nod politely, “Of course, Dao Ming, I was not insinuating otherwise.”

Lo Shang, face half buried in cotton candy, seemed dutifully ignoring the small spat between his sisters. Instead of commenting on it, he said, “Shall we be going soon then? The Grand Melee stars within the hour, does it not?”

Tomoko nodded, “It does. Dao Ming must be at the grounds within a half hour. I was hoping for us to spend a bit more time together before it started.”

“I’m certainly not done sampling the Equestrain’s many offered delights,” said Lo Shang, and even Xhua gave a small, if tired looking smile.

“I did hear they serve something called ‘cider’ somewhere. Apparently its supposed to be a rather famous drink made with apples, served up by one of the country’s most prominent farming groups,” said Xhua, tone of a mare making a peace offering.

Dao Ming nodded once, “That sounds lovely.”

Yes, she didn’t wish to fight with her siblings. There was no need. She had but one in all the world who she desired to prove anything to. Today her mother would finally see... see that Dao Ming was a worthy daughter.

There could be no other outcome.

By the time the sun had reached well above the horizon, still in its morning ascent towards its zenith, the Isle of the Fallen was alive with thousands of people from across all the realms of the known world. The sprawling festival grounds between the monastery's cliffs and the now bustling port town of Hero’s Rest was akin to a thriving ant colony, host to hundreds of folk purusing booths and tents displaying goods, music, and food from dozens of cultures. Yet as time for the Contest of Champion’s starting event drew near a steady stream of folk began to pour along the paths across the fields to the north, directed by humble and patient monks, to the grounds where the Contest itself would be held.

It was a wide and shallow valley, as if some giant pony from a bygone age of legends left its ancient hoofprint on the island long ago. The valley had a gentle dip on the south end and a slightly steeper ridge on the north where the valley nearly bordered the ocean with a stark white, sandy beach. The valley’s east border ended in the vast, thick forest that dominated that end of the island, only shadowed by the massive, towering form of the fallen fortress, Rengoku. The west end of the valley consisted of several softly curving hills, upon which had been erected a series of large, semi-circular stone edifices.

Trixie considered the stone structures, which were carved to resemble, to her eyes, the seating of a coliseum. Each one stood perhaps fifteen paces tall, and were large enough across to seat what Trixie estimated to be around five thousand individuals. The structures were currently empty, but the crowds of folk who had traveled to the island to view the Contest, along with the delegations of the various nations, would soon be filling those seats. She licked her lips in eager anticipation of the sound the crowd would be making when those seats filled. Between yesterday and this morning a number of more ships had arrived from nearly every nation represented in the Contest, and Trixie had seen the teaming festival grounds from a distance as she and her friends had been lead from the monastery into the cool morning air, a young and eager looking goat monk acting as their guide to the Contest grounds.

All of her friends were present, the group having convened just in time to ready themselves for the Contest by donning the enchanted armor that Luna had forged for them. The fine metal links of the starmetal chain coats felt as light as wearing a cloak of fog, and the exposed parts gleamed under the morning light without being blinding, as if the metal drank in the light and used it to enhance its luster. Each mare wore a tabard over her armor, corresponding to the color of her coat. On the left breast of these tabards an exact replica of their cutie marks was stitched in fine detail, and on the right breast was the symbol of Equestria itself, a dark blue field bearing the symbol of a lighter blue sun eclipsed by the shape of a crescent moon. To top off their outfits the mares were also all wearing their corresponding Elements of Harmony, the five necklaces and one tiara catching the morning light with gleams akin to small stars.

“Were those there yesterday?” Cheerilee asked the goat, whose name he’d given as Gavin. Trixie tilted her head at hearing the question, realizing that she hadn’t noticed the stone colosseum seating before either.

“They got put up last night,” said Carrot Top, who Trixie had noticed had been smiling like a cat with a bowl of cream all morning, a bounce in her hoofstep Trixie wasn’t used to seeing in the carrot farmer, “Frederick told me about them as the monks got it all set up.”

“Wait, what?” asked Raindrops, gesturing with a wing at the structures, which had to weigh thousands of tons, “Those were built in a night? How!?”

“Elkhiem rune magic,” said Carrot Top, “I don’t really get the details, and Frederick didn’t actually show me anything about how it works, but apparently that’s what was used to build these.”

“Quite right, honored champion,” said Gavin, the brown goat billy practically beaming at Carrot Top, “When the tradition of the Contest was started the cervid races of Elkhiem sent their greatest rune masters to etch runes inside the island at these grounds, with the intent of allowing we humble monks to sculpt the earth itself for the sake of the Contest.”

“Hold up, I didn’t think the cervids let anyone see their runes, let alone use them,” said Lyra, who had been acting rather distracted since she’d returned from town. Trixie made a mental note to ask the other unicorn what was bothering her at the soonest opportunity.

Gavin got a sheepish grin on his face, “Of course. The monks of my order count many cervids among our number. It is they who have the honor to use the runes etched into the island to sculpt the earth as needed for the Contest. You’ll see much more of such before the day is out.”

“Pretty impressive,” Cheerilee said, looking thoughtfully at the colosseum seats, which were getting ever closer, “I’ve been wondering, just how does your order gain its members? I’ve seen practically every species present among you monks, including even Cheeronear.”

“What?” asked Ditzy.

“The Cheeronear,” said Cheerilee, then blinked, “Oh, right, uh, I suppose the more common term used in Equestria might be ‘diamond dogs’, but really that’s just a rather inaccurate slang term only referring to a specific denomination of Cheeronear.”

“Correct,” said Gavin, his eyes closed in a pleased expression as he trotted along the path that was taking them towards the colosseum block on the far south side of the valley, “To your question, champion Cheerilee, my order recruits its members from all over the world. Believe it or not, it's only during the Contest that much of the order is present here on the island. During the years between Contests many of the order travel the world, seeking lore and legends of noble and heroic deeds, creating chronicles that are brought back to be stored in the monastery's archives. Another responsibility of the monks who travel is to seek new members, usually from among those who have no homes; orphans or vagabonds.”

“Really? Do you get a lot of takers?” asked Lyra.

“Not many. The order at any time is rarely larger than a few hundred. But truly it's not such a bad offer. I... well, I myself was an orphan. When a monk visited my orphanage and offered to let any who wished join, I leapt at the chance. To gain a purpose and a family all in one instant? I certainly don’t regret the choice.”

He grinned, “I’m glad I got to live to see the actual Contest take place, to see champions like you in the flesh.”

Trixie coughed, trying to hide her grin, “Wait until we’ve actually hit the field, then you’ll see something to be impressed with.”

“Soooo, Carrot Top,” Lyra suddenly spoke up, giving the other mare a sidelong, lidded and suggestive glance, “What were you and that elk prince doing all last night anyway? When I left to spend the night with Bon Bon I noticed you and he were still swapping stories. Isn’t that supposed to be some kind of courting ritual for the cervids?”

Carrot Top didn’t blush, but there was certainly a glow about her as she met Lyra’s stare with a simple smile, and Trixie noticed Carrot Top’s tail actually wagged a bit, “Oh, this and that. You know.”

“C’mon you can’t leave it at that! Give a mare some details. Juicy details. With diagrams, preferably,” said Lyra, all but hopping in place.

“Now Lyra, leave her be,” chided Cheerilee, though she gave Carrot Top a small wink as she said, “I’m certain they didn’t do anything two consenting adults aren’t perfectly allowed to do together.”

‘“Besides, some among us could do without knowing the details,” suggested Trixie, blanching as she looked with flat, unamused looks at her two friends, “Carrot Top, you didn’t actually...?”

Carrot Top looked at Trixie with a rather innocent expression, one that Trixie didn’t think was faked, “If we did would there really be anything wrong with that?”

“You sure you aren’t accidentally marrying into a foreign royalty or something?” asked Raindrops.

“No, no! Nothing like that! Um, at least I don’t think so? We’re just enjoying each other’s company for the Contest. That’s all.” Carrot Top’s tone suggested that’s what she considered the end of the matter. Lyra, despite still looking curious for details, dropped the subject, and none of the other mares pressed for more. Trixie was just glad to have that topic left by the wayside. What Carrot Top did on her own time was her own business, and Trixie had no desire to know about her friend’s love lives.

Gavin had gone silent, apparently not sure what to make of the exchange between the six mares from Ponyville. Soon enough they passed beneath the shadow of the large stone coliseum seating block, and Trixie could see that in the back of the edifice was a pair of large archways leading inside it.

Within they found a dry, comfortably large hallway lit by torches, and apparently leading from one end of the block to the other, as Trixie could see the light from the other end of the block even from the rear entrance. Along the hallway were a number of side paths, and Trixie could see each one lead to a circular waiting chamber, many of them already occupied by other champions. She recognized ponies from Cavallia, Zaldia, Pferdreich, and a number of other nations that bordered Equestria. It seemed most of the champions occupying the waiting rooms of this block were ponies. She imagined the griffins took up another block and the cervids yet another.

When Gavin finally led them to their own waiting room Trixie saw that Luna was there waiting for them, and... Corona.

Both alicorns stood facing each other, giving Trixie the impression of two storm fronts in the process of colliding. Neither was speaking, merely standing in the center of the well furnished waiting room, staring at each other. If Trixie hadn’t known better she’d assume the pair were just some very well made statues. However the moment Trixie and her friends arrived the two alicorns animated, Luna letting out a breath and turning a kind eye towards them, and Corona turning to walk towards the exit with long, purposeful steps.

Trixie could feel actual, literal heat pouring off of Corona’s pearly white body as the alicorn paused by her and her friends. Corona’s eyes turned towards them, resting briefly on each in turn. To Trixie’s happy pride none of her friends flinched back from the stare. Gavin, the poor young goat, looked ready to push himself through the stone wall. His fear told Trixie he was likely a goat who’d lived in Equestria before joining the monks.

“Fight well,” was all Corona said, the sharp, clipped words coming off not as a well wish, but a irrefutable command. Then the Tyrant Sun marched out, leaving a palpable aura of tension in her wake.

“The flying feathers was that about?” wondered Raindrops, ears flat against her skull.

“My sister has been trying to convince me of the so-called ‘wisdom’ of surrendering Equestria to her,” said Luna as she lowered her wings and made a small gesture for them to enter the room and take seats. She had a tired, sad smile on her face. “I almost yearn for her to just launch an attack at me. I know how to respond to that. This... between space, where she seeks to reconcile, but remains as madly focused on her desire to rule Equestria alone, is... difficult.”

“I guess rainbow blasting her is still off the table?” asked Cheerilee, and at Luna’s look she quickly smiled apologetically, “Sorry, trying to lighten the mood.”

“The levity is not unappreciated, at least the spirit in which it is given,” said Luna with a small return smile, taking in and letting out a slow breath, “Today is about the six of you, and your fellow champions. Put my sister from your minds, if you may.”

Easier said than done by Trixie’s reckoning, but she understood what Luna was trying to say. They needed to focus upon the Contest, and not let worries about Corona’s presence distract them. Trixie was fine with that, she was filled enough with nervous energy that it was hard not to let it show too much with random tail flicks or idle hoof tapping. This was akin to the buzz she often got before any performance, but was ratcheted up to a degree that made Trixie feel like she was ready to burst from her skin. It wasn’t a bad feeling. In fact it was a solid endorphin high that put her on high alert. She hoped her friends felt similar.

Looking among them as they all took seats Trixie could at least tell that none of her friends seemed like they were going to have pre-show jitters or serious stage fright. Ditzy seemed the most nervous, but even then that seemed more agitation at Corona than anything else, the mailmare’s eyes flicking towards where Corona had exited every now and again even after they’d all taken seats.

Before long there was a regular, solid vibration through the stone of the room and a distant pounding and din of countless voices. Lyra looked up, grinning, “Sounds like they’re getting the crowd all nice and seated. Heheh, this is going to be a big crowd. Hope they’ll all be able to get a good view.”

Luna smiled knowingly, eyes glinting, “Oh, the audience shall have a remarkable view. The Order of Legends has long ago commissioned magical items that aid in ensuring those that come to view the Contest can see the events unfold with clarity. Enchanted viewing mirrors, operated by the order’s unicorns. Short range, but effective, these mirrors are large enough to provide a good view for half of a stadium, and the order has over a dozen of these mirrors to use. Smaller such enchanted mirrors will be carried by numerous monnk that are linked to the larger mirrors, capturing whatever is reflected in their surface and transferring the images to the larger mirrors. Again, only over a short distance. You’ll probably get a nice close up or two to show your good sides to the crowd.”

Lyra gave a whistle of appreciation and Trixie blinked, “That’s... that’s one way to do it. I’m impressed. The Order sounds like it gets a lot of... monetary support for all this.”

Luna shrugged her wings, “Each nation pitches in some funds to ensure the Order can maintain itself between Contests. They spend little on themselves, and much on preparing for the Contest. Did you think all the ships bringing folk of all kinds here were paid for just by those arriving? Many of those vessels were commissioned by the Order to ferry people to the island for this momentous event.”

Trixie nodded, impressed, then she sighed, “If only there’d been a way to get such mirrors back home. Short range, you said? Well, I’m sure Ponyville will enjoy hearing the tale once we return.”

Luna’s smirk deepened, in that manner only an ancient being that knows more than it should is capable of, “Oh, I might have made.. arrangements in that regard.”

The Golden Oaks Library was quite a bit roomier on the inside than its humble exterior would lead one to believe. Even so Twilight Sparkle found herself shuffling somewhat nervously near the back of the main floor, which had been given over to a crowd of ponies who were mingling together and taking seats on various comfortable cushions. Princess Luna herself, or as Twilight understood it a magically created duplicate the alicorn had sent, was standing along one side of the library’s spacious main floor, her magic effortless floating a large rectangular mirror in the air.

That mirror would be providing those gathered a view from across thousands of miles to the island where Trixie and the other Element Bearers would be competing. Twilight found it fascinating that the order of monks on that island apparently had created these mirrors to both gather and display images. While similar scrying magic was hardly an unknown, the scale of it being employed during the Contest was impressive. Luna, of course, was perhaps the only one in all Equestria capable of linking a mirror over such large distances. Even Twilight knew she could not have performed the same feat. She’d have to grow a pair of wings to have a chance of that.

Some of the ponies in the library she knew from town. Pokey Pierce was seated alongside Silver Script, the pair sharing a joking conversation as they shared a bowl of popcorn. Mayor Ivory Scroll had take a seat next to a large, dark green earth pony stallion with a wide brimmed straw hat nestled atop his sandy mane. That pony was named Sheaf, and he was one of several that Twilight had heard were from a village somewhere to the south named Oaton. Apparently Trixie and a couple of her friends had solved quite the issue for the hamlet and the residents considered the mares nothing short of personal heroes. Aside from Sheaf, his wife, a yellow unicorn mare named Picturesque was here along with their three foals, all of whom appeared to be quite the fans of Trixie if their makeshift hats and capes were any indication.

Then there was a different unicorn mare, blue coat and creme colored mane giving her a striking resemblance to Trixie. This mare’s name was Tarnished, and she was the only one in the room who seemed more nervous than Twilight felt. Picturesque was sitting by Tarnished opposite where her husband was sitting beside Ivory Scroll, and the pair were in hushed conversation. Twilight was trying her best not to listen in.

“Hey, Tenbs, you know you can sit with everypony else, right?” asked Clover Charms as she trotted up from the nearby table where a number of refreshments had been set up. The gray earth pony mare had a cup of lemonade balanced on one hoof and another similar cup balanced on her head, which Twilight gratefully floated off and took a sip from, giving her friend a grateful nod.

“I don’t know, Lucky, I’ve never been all that comfortable in crowds.”

“Don’t sweat it so much. You’ve been given the clear by her Blue Snootiness that it’s all cool for you to be out and about as long as I’m here to escort you. Time to get you used to some crowds, because I’m hoping to take you out to get some fresh air later on. We’re talking parks, outdoors, real sunlight. Can’t stay cooped up here all the time like a vampire.”

“Vampires are not a real thing. At least no scholars since the Gem Age even make mention of such creatures, and even those accounts are more sensational musings than anything backed by logical findings. Furthermore there’s never been a single piece of archaeological evidence to confirm-”

“It was a joke Tenbs.”

“...Oh. Eh, sorry?”

“Heheh, its cool, just unwind. We get to enjoy some popcorn, and watch creatures from all over the world beat the snot out of each other!”

“The Contest only consists of two stages that involve martial prowess, Lucky, the Grand Melee and Contest of Strength. The remaining Contests of Art, Wit, and Magic are more cerebral in nature.”

“What, ponies don’t blast each other during the Contest of Magic?”

“Errr... I guess they can? Magic duels are more about the display than actually harming one another, but there has been precedence for injury when two mages have become a tad bit overzealous in their attempts to oneup each other in spellcasting.”

“So, jealous at all?”

“Huh? Me?” Twilight asked, eyes blinking.

“You know, like, maybe you ought to be there instead of her?”

Twilight paused, then shook her head, “No. I don’t think I’d be there, even if Trixie had never become the Element of Magic. I know I’m talented in magic, and smarter than... than many. But I don’t think that’s what this Contest is about.”

“What do you figure its about then?”

“I think we’ll see for ourselves soon enough,” said Twilight, finally letting herself relax a bit as she trotted forward, “Come on, Lucky, let's find ourselves some popcorn and grab a spot to sit.”

Clover grinned at that, “Now you’re talking.”

Meanwhile Picturesque had been keeping a close eye upon Tarnished. In the months since Tarnished had been appointed as Oaton’s Representative of the Night Court she had been working hard to adjust to the rapid changes to her life. Picturesque had made it something of a personal mission to do all she could to help the young, troubled mare in any way she could.

“Doing alright?” she asked Tarnished as she watched the mare cast worried glances around the library.

“Y-yes,” said the younger mare, an anxious, small smile on her lips, “Just hoping Cheerilee will be okay.”

“Oh, I imagine she’ll be fine.She’s a very capable mare.”

“I know,” said Tarnished, looking towards the floating mirror with a yearning entering her eyes, “I wish my brother was here to see this.”

Picturesque smiled sadly, more than understanding Tarnished’s sentiments. Her own brother had not yet awoken from the coma he’d put himself in after the events that had transpired in Oaton. While Tarnished’s brother was only enjoying an extended stay in a minimal security prison Picturesque had felt a bond of shared loss with the other mare. Perhaps that was part of why she wanted to help Tarnished adjust to her new role as Oaton’s Representative. They’d both nearly suffered permanent loss to their family, and it felt right to bridge that gap by offering a hoof in honest help and friendship.

And like Tarnished, Picturesque wished her brother Sawdust was there to share the day with. She had to believe he’d wake up, one day...

The melancholy of the moment fled like morning mist as a trio of small, bouncing forms came barreling around the two mare’s legs.

“Oooh I can’t wait, when’s it gonna start!?” cried a young yellow filly with a bright mane of blue, Picturesque and Sheaf’s eldest daughter, Bushel.“They didn’t start already, right? I don’t want to miss the start, I just know Trixie is gonna do something big and amazing!”

Next to this filly were two even younger ponies, one another filly, the other a colt, Milkdrop and Breadcrumb respectively Picturesque had to suppress a chuckle as she saw that all three of her foals were all wearing freshly sewn cloaks and hats. The garments were patchwork, and of numerous varied colors (likely from whatever other clothes or sheets the little foals could scrounge) and looked vaguely like the cloak and pointed magician hat of a certain famous unicorn. Bushel had added a few haphazardly patched together stars and colored swirls to her hat and cloak.

“You have not missed anything yet, my little ponies,” said Luna, smiling over at the three foals with a kind softness in her eyes, “The Contest is just about to begin.”

Bushel made a sound that could have been dangerous for a diabetic to hear. She and her siblings exchanged high-hoofs and all sat down eagerly, eyes locked upon the mirror Luna floated in the air.

Not far away from Picturesque her husband was deep in conversation with Ponyville’s mayor, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He’d been a bit uptight about leaving Oaton for any length of time, and had taken some convincing that the village wouldn’t fall apart if he was gone for a few days. Picturesque had suggested that perhaps seeing what a larger rural community like Ponyville was like might help him with ideas for expanding Oaton. Listening to him speak with Ivory Scroll was rather encouraging.

“Was up most of last night figuring out the plans for finishing the train station. Heh, even bloody unconscious and Sawdust still drives me up a wall. All these old notes and plans of his, they’re useful, but that stallion was ambitious. Having to scale things back to something sensible is almost more work than having to draw the plans up from scratch myself.”

“Its an impressive amount of work,” said Ivory Scroll, “It sounds like you’ve had your hooves full figuring out exactly where to expand, but the train station is a good start. Ponyville certainly started to get larger once our train station was finished. Increases trade opportunities and makes it much easier for families to move to the area. My next suggestion would be to consider creating a town hall of sorts.”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it. Sawdust had plans for that as well, but I don't know, our tavern has always worked so well as a meeting spot for everypony...” said Sheaf uncertainly, but Ivory Scroll just gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Trust me, a town hall not only provides a place for folk to meet away from the, eheh, distracting influence of drinks, but also really solidifies the sense of community by giving a venue for all sorts of events from weddings to dances.”

“You may be right. You’ve given me plenty to think about at any rate.”

He excused himself and trotted over to Picturesque and Tarnished, sitting down to lean against his wife with a soft sigh and a peek on her cheek, which she gladly returned.

“I think it's very kind of you to have dug up my brother’s old sketches and plans for expanding Oaton. You didn’t have to use them,” she said, smiling contentedly.

“I... yeah, well, they weren’t all bad. Just overreaching. Stallion was wasted on the Lumber Guild. Should’ve gone into city planning.”

A short silence fell between the husband and wife, only to be broken by the excited cheering of their three foals as Luna’s mirror flashed with luminous blue light and showed a scene of a vast valley field and a series of massive coliseum blocks, now filled with thousands of creatures from all over the world. The mirror came with sound, filling the Golden Oaks Library with the sound of the crowd from halfway across the world.

Tarnished licked her lips, eyes widening, “Oh my, that’s... that’s a large crowd, isn’t i?”

Sheaf settled back, wrapping a hoof around Picturesque as they leaned into each other.

“I wonder if any of they know what they’re getting themselves into out there?” said Sheaf.

Picturesque quirked and eyebrow, “I’m certain Trixie and her friends will do fine.”

Sheaf laughed, “Oh, I wasn’t talking about them. I was talking about the other champions that are going to face them.”

“Ponyville? Well, that’s certainly something” said Carrot Top, face reddening a bit, “Here’s hoping we don’t mess up then, what with all of our neighbors watching.”

“Thank you, Princess,” said Trixie after a momment’s hesitation, “This is incredibly thoughtful of you. Through I could have spun this into an impressive tale to tell afterwards.”

“Will you not do that anyway?” asked Luna with a coy smile.

Trixie, who’d put on a small pout, considered this, then found herself nodding, “Well, yes. And I do rather like the idea of more eyes on me. I fully intend to put on a show that will wow the world. Yes, I suppose it is good to know just who will be watching me out there. Heh, Twilight will enjoy seeing the spells we’ve worked on be employed, and I can only imagine how excited Bushel must be right now. Hmm, knowing Pokey... he’s probably taking bets on how long I’ll last out there.”

“I’m sure you, all of you, will impress us all,” said Luna, trotting for the door. She paused only once to cast a gentle look towards the six mares gathered before her, “You’ve already impressed me, time and again. However this turns out, know that I could not be more proud to have named you Equestria’s champions.”

She winked, “But winning is always nice, too.”

Not long after Princess Luna departed to take her place in the stands, it was time.

Luna’s final words of good luck had already blurred away into indistinctness in Trixie’s mind from the excitement that began to course through her veins like a burning drug. For all her apprehension up until this point, the hidden fears locked down tight in the recesses of her heart, Trixie’s breaths were quickening, not unlike after a workout session with Raindrops. She savored the feeling, this natural excitement Trixie always felt before a performance, before taking to the stage.

Only this stage was broad enough to encompass the world, the performance to stand as a beacon to all of her nation of birth.

So, you know, no pressure.

The walls of the coliseum block were gently vibrating with the collective voices of thousands, the sound mirroring the buzz that Trixie was feeling down to her bone marrow.

“Somepony’s happy,” remarked Lyra with a cocky grin, levitating her lyre beside her.

“What gave it away?”

“The mile wide grin you’ve got plastered on?”

Trixie only smiled wider, nearly bouncing on her hooves in anticipation, “I’ve got a crowd to dazzle. Life could not be better. Now, girls, we all remember our planned entrance?”

“I think I’ve got my pose down,” said Carrot Top.

“Do we have to do this, Trixie? We can’t just march out there like normal ponies?” asked Raindrops, grimacing slightly.

“Oh come on,” said Cheerilee, jostling Raindrops with an elbow, “This will be fun! We got these banners and everything!”

She tilted her head towards her own banner, which was hitched to her side, as were the other mare’s respective banners, by a smooth dark silk harness that fit perfectly over their tabards and armor. Fortunately the high height in the corridor they stood in could easily accommodate the banners.

Raindrops just made a noncommittal noise and Ditzy patted the other pegasus comfortingly on the withers.

“If there’s ever been a time to get into the same spirit as Trixie, now’s the time I’d say.”

“Okay, okay, just... if I’ve got to strike a pose I’m going to try to keep it sensible. Trixie’s idea to have me stand on one hind leg while hoisting her into the air like a living platform is not my style.”

“Why not!?” asked Trixie, “You’re the most sturdy one here and I just need to get a little height to get a better view of my adoring audience!”

“Get Cheerilee to do it.”

“Hey, why am I being volunteered for this?”

“Because... reasons,” said Raindrops.

“Look, I don’t have to use my friends as living platforms,” Trixie said, “It was just a thought. Strike whatever pose you wish, but don’t forget the bit with the banners. Synchronized, yes?”

“Feel like we ought to have rehearsed this more,” said Carrot Top.

Lyra licked her lips, “I’m good to go. Got the music end of this covered Trixie, you just give me some awesome visuals to accompany it!”

“But of course!” the magician replied with a gleam in her eyes.

All six of them now stood at the threshold of an archway that lead out of the coliseum block and into the vastness of the Contest grounds. From their position Trixie and her friends could see that each coliseum block was packed with spectators from the lowest stands to the highest. The very tops of each block contained a series of wider, circular stone edifices that jutted outward over the lower stands. Inside these were covered spaces where the higher ranked spectators could comfortably sit to observe the proceedings. Trixie couldn’t make out the one above her own team’s coliseum block, but didn’t doubt Princess Luna and the other Night Court nobles that had arrived would be seated within.

“Wonder where Corona’s parked herself?” mused Lyra, glancing about, then blinked as light gleamed into her eyes, “Nevermind. There she is.”

The light that’d near blinded Lyra was reflecting from the golden hull of Corona’s flying ark, the massive phoenix headed skyship arriving to float above the coliseum block that Trixie and the others were waiting under. The ship lowered just enough that Corona herself could be seen seated upon her golden throne on the ship’s aft tower, the white cloaked form of Kindle by her side. Terrorwing’s bulk could also be seen stalking about on deck, apparently restless.

“Yeah, because she just couldn’t bring herself to sit with the lesser folk in the stands,” muttered Raindrops.

“Let her watch from wherever she wishes,” said Trixie, “Today we’ll shine bright enough to blind even her.”

“Assuming we actually get this started anytime soon,” said Carrot Top.

The carrot farmer’s words almost seemed to be prophetic, for at that point, one by one the Abbess Serene began to announce each nation’s champions. The roars and cheers of the crowds in the stands surged like ocean waves.

The numerous griffin teams from the various Griffin Kingdoms marched onto the field with military precision, accompanied by each kingdom's individual anthem played by an array of bands that had been allowed to set up at the base of the coliseums. The bands played with precision, blending the ending of one anthem into the beginning of the next in a continuous flow as the griffin champions marched onto the field with wings spread and fierce head held high. Over a dozen different flags of the Griffin Kingdoms snapped in the warm breeze, like a field of wildflowers, the griffins bearing them looking about with sharp and challenging eyes. Trixie had to admit the sheer number of different weapons and armor the griffin champions bore was intimidating. She was glad for the protective wards of the tokens she and her friends wore. While all the griffins seemed to stand at attention as if ready for military inspection, she noticed one among them, a male that she swore he’d seen skulking about the party last night. He was talking to a larger female griffin who looked as if she was doing her best to ignore him.

Nothing short of a cacophonous chorus of heavy drumbeats and the deep call of a massive wood horn accompanied the arrival of the cervid champions. Wodan strode with steps hard enough to feel them tremble through the ground. Beside the giant moose the forms of Andrea and Sigurd were practically miniscule, yet each held attention in their own way. Andrea was wielding a fiddle in her forelegs, keeping stride on her hind legs with remarkable ease as she matched the heavy beats of the drums with an energetic, fast paced beat, the red deer's vigorous movements turning into a bardic dance that seemed to play off of Wodan’s stoic strides. On the opposite side of the moose, Sigurd moved with simple, determined purpose, almost seeming to ignore the crowd and focus entirely on the field ahead of him. What drew attention to the dark furred water deer was when he finally stopped beside his companions and unsheathed his sword, the long, uneven weapon of pale bone looking almost innocuous until Sigurd planted it in the ground before him. Then, with seeming barely a gesture, Sigurd ran a hoof across the edge of the blade, it became covered in a thin blue rime that spread into the ground and turned a dozen paces of grass around him to stark white frost.

Wodan chuckled and Andrea gave Sigurd a dry look. Sigurd looked at them and shrugged. Trixie couldn’t hear what he said, but she imagined it was something along the lines of “What, I can’t show off?”

The minotaurs entered onto the field with what could only have been described as the raw noise of pure bombastic testosterone. Pyrotechnic fireworks that had nothing to do with illusion magic had exploded on either side of the minotaurs champions’ archway as four of the bipedal beings strode onto the field. First had been that massive hulk of muscle and popping veins of Steel Cage. Trixie had the minotaur described to her by Cheerilee briefly, and if the fellow’s extensive flexing and kissing of biceps as he walked onto the Contest grounds hadn’t shown him for who he was, the truly gigantic axe strapped across his back certainly would have.

Steel Cage walked with a strut akin to a king in his court, arms crossed over his chest like a pair of trees crossed over a boulder. He was flanked by two smaller male minotaurs, who while outsized by Steel Cage each were impressive specimens of bound muscle and towering testosterone. Trixie noted these two flanked Steel Cage almost naturally, the clear pecking order established with Steel Cage in front of the group. That was until the fourth figure, one clad in a stark white toga and thick gray cloak, its face obscured by a hood, came up beside Steel Cage and tapped him on the shoulder with a staff that looked as if it was cobbled together from a collection of long pipes and spinning gears. Steel Cage immediately paused, and with a tight jawed look, stood aside for this figure to take a space at the head of the minotaur group.

Trixie’s eyebrows shot up, and she glanced at Cheerilee.

“Who’s that?”

Cheerilee was starring, one of her ears flicking, “Oh my. a gear staff? Huh. Iron Will spoke of them once or twice. She’s a labyrinthe seer..”

“A what?”

Trixie watched as the hooded figure planted its metal staff of pipes and gears into the ground and reached up with slim hands to draw back the hood, revealing a minotaur of feminine features. Her coat was a flashing peach color, with a mane of thick black curls cascading down her back now that it was free of her hood, the entire mane held back from her forehead by a white headband with intricate maze like designs upon it. Gray streaks ran through the mane, indicating this minotaur was perhaps entering late middle age. Steel Cage stood just a shade behind this female minotaur with only a hint of begrudging deference. The two smaller males had stepped even further back, even going so far as to bow their heads.

With a thoughtful expression Cheerilee said, “I didn’t think they were allowed to fight. They’re basically social workers.”

This earned a confused look from Lyra, “That’s not how I heard them being described. I thought they were supposed to be some kind of mystical fortune tellers. Power to see the future and all that?”

“Minotaurs don’t believe they possess magic,” said Cheerilee, “No minotaur would ever claim to be able to read the future. All Iron Will ever told me about seers was that they provided aid to all minotaurs trying to find their place in the labyrinth.”

“Neat,” said Ditzy. Then after a moment she added, “What’s the labyrinth?”

“Complicated,” said Lyra, “I tried reading a few books on it once and it hurt my head. Its what the minotaurs call their whole social order. It was weird.”

“Its not that bad,” said Cheerilee, “There’s just a lot of rules to it.”

“Too many rules if you ask me,” replied Lyra firmly.

More champions made their way to the field, each in their own turn. The zebra entered with a mix of the flashy and the humble. Trixie knew little of the zebra lands and even less of their culture aside from it was tribal in nature. There were only three zebra who walked out from their part of the coliseum block. One was a thin boned elderly looking fellow, whose black stripes were dusted with gray. Yet he moved with spry ease and easily kept pace with the two younger zebra champions.

One Trixie recognized as Tendaji. She might not have had the same up close experience with him as Raindrops had, but Trixie still recalled him from the events in Oaton. He walked out alongside the older zebra with a plain, collected stride. Between the pair they hardly drew the eye, but perhaps that was because the third zebra in the group was doing all of the attention grabbing.

“Ohmygosh! Is that what I think it is!?” cried Lyra, almost vibrating in place.

Trixie, eyes wide at what she was seeing, said dryly, “If what you think it is is a giant, spined, black scorpion monstrosity... then, yes Lyra, it is.”

The third zebra, a male wearing armor that looked as if it was formed from the shaped carapaces of a dozen different large insects, rode onto the field beside his companions astride a creature that looked nothing more than like a fifteen foot long, seven foot tall onyx colored scorpion. A deadly stinger hung from a curled tail and huge pincers clacked as the beast bore its rider onto the green grassy fields. The zebra rider stood atop the head of the scorpion, controlling its movements by apparently stroking the spines that jutted from the beast’s shining carapace.

“Is that cheating?” asked Carrot Top, “I feel like that should be cheating.”

“I guess anything goes in this Grand Melee,” said Raindrops, though Trixie noted that the pegasus’ eyes never left Tendaji and were barely sparing a flicker towards the zebra on the wagon sized poisonous arachnid.

“Eeeeeeee! Its a Death Strider! I only ever got to see one measly picture of them in one of my favorite books on exotic lands, and even that picture was only half drawn!” said Lyra, “Just wait ‘till I tell Bon Bon about this!”

“She’s probably in the stands by now, actually,” said Ditzy, and she blinked, “Oh! And so’s everypony else! Should we wave yet?”

“No, no,” said Trixie, “We wait until our turn comes up, then we knock ‘em all dead! Not literally of course, but you know what i mean. All these impressive champions with their fancy weapons and weird seers and giant death bugs, they still don’t have one very important thing that we do.”

“Friendship?”

“Huh? No. Well yes, but I was going to say style.”

“I don’t know,” said Carrot Top with a small grin, “I think the huge killer bug is pretty stylish.”

“Do you just have a fetish for giant, deadly riding animals?” asked Raindrops, “Because you seemed pretty enamoured with that elk dude’s wyvern too.”

Carrot Top opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and suddenly looked thoughtful, rubbing her chin. Trixie groaned, “Girls, focus please? Our turn is almost up.”

“How can you tell? I’ve been wondering how we’re even going to know its our turn to head out,” said Ditzy, her walled eyes glancing about every which way.

Trixie blinked, “You know, I don’t think that was ever explain-”

“Honored champions of Equestria!” shouted a voice behind the mares, causing them all to jump, “The time has come for you to grace the field!”

The voice belonged to one of the monks, a young stallion who had seemed to crop up out of nowhere. After his announcement he just bowed and immediately trotted back the way he’d presumably come.

Trixie, straightening her hat, gave the gem a small, scathing glare. “I think he did that on purpose.”

Cheerilee chuckled, “Order of monks. They got to get their laughs in somewhere. C’mon girls, the whole world is waiting for us.”

That brought a smile to Trixie’s face, “Let’s give them a show!”

“Let’s see... spleen... kidney... hamstring, definitely hamstring on that one. Oh, looks like we have a jugular in the crowd!”

Gwendolyn blew out a hard sigh and turned one of her eyes on Grimwald, who was peering at the other champions and pointing with one of his talons as if counting up the tally of organs. “Grim, could you stop making pointless jests for, I don’t know, five minutes? Five minutes isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

Grimwald cackled a short laugh, “Jesting? Who’s jesting? That minotaur fellow with the big axe is begging for a hamstring to be cut or two. I mean, look at him! All those muscles on top of muscles, you can’t tell me the first thing you thought when you saw that fellow was ‘I need to cut that guy’s hamstrings’.”

“Did you miss the part of this whole thing where it’s a friendly competition?”

“Hmm? Of course! What’s a few cut tendons between friendly competitors?”

Gwendolyn palmed her face with a talon, “Grimwald...”

“Oh fine, spoil all my fun. You know I don’t remember you being this much of a stick in the mud. Speaking of sticks, have you noted the collective number of them shoved up the keisters of our fellow countrygrifins?” Grimwald tilted his head down the line of several dozen griffin champions standing beside the two of them. More than a few unfriendly glares were being sent her and Grimwald’s way. Gwendolyn suppressed a sigh and held her head high, one talon gripping her sword just a bit tighter.

“I don’t think it much matters,” she said tersely.

“Oh? Well, I suppose you wouldn’t,” Grimwald said, rubbing his beak thoughtfully, “I think there’s a lot of chickens here out to prove something and it’ll be a lovely bit of buggery to watch play out.”

“What are you babbling about?” Gwendolyn began to ask, but her attention was arrested towards the coliseum back two down to the right from where the griffin champions had emerged.

A thick blue mist had emerged from the archway from which the Equestrian champions were to emerge, and to Gwnedolyn’s surprise there was music drifting from there loud and clear enough for practically all to hear; a swelling lyrical tune that was rising and falling, then rising again with greater prominence.

Swirls of color were emerging from the blue mist; orange, magenta, mint, jasmine, gray, and azure. These streaming strands of smoky color billowed upwards, then cascaded down like waterfalls in exact formation to slam into the ground in a burst of prismatic fireworks that perfectly matched the highest swelling of the lyre’s song.

Gwendolyn and Grimwald both had to blink at the bright flash of light accompanied by a crash like thunder. In fact there was indeed forks of multi-colored lightning spreading from where the columns of colored smoke had exploded with fireworks, silhouetting now six shadowed pony figures that strode from the smoke with the rising music..

In some part of her heart still connected to her days as a chicklette reading stories by her mother’s hearth Gwendolyn was reminded of vivid imaginings of tales where the heroes of old would return to the world through the mists of time.

Whoever these ponies were, Gwendolyn had to at least credit them with knowing how to make an entrance.

Steel Cage kept his arms firmly crossed over his thick chest, trying to hide a grudging look of admiration. Those had to be pony illusions, so the bull couldn’t be too impressed. After all, magic was cheating, and too easy. Minotaur pyrotechnics would always have the better practical look to them than this magical lightshow... but it was still pretty good. For pony magic.

The six mares that strode onto the field were wearing gleaming shirts of silverish mail so fine it was hard to tell it was actual metal armor and not silk or some other smooth material. Each carried by her side a fluttering banner of impressive detail. The moment the mares, these ‘Element Bearers’ or whatever, exited the smokey field they each flourished their banners in a remarkably coordinated maneuver that put each of them in a striking pose without tripping over one another. While there wasn’t the same muscle flexing any good minded minotaur bull did, the ponies seemed to favor rampant stances, either kicking their hooves or managing short rolling flips in the air for the winged pegasi. The gray one in particular moved rather fluidly. Each planted her individual banner in the ground before her and the blue unicorn in the middle, sporting a somewhat silly looking violet and pointed hat, was suddenly raised into the air by a magenta earth pony who picked her up as she stood on her hind legs.

The unicorn looked a bit surprised by this, but then gleefully joyful as she balanced on the earth pony mare’s hooves and turned to wave her arms at the Equestrian crowds in the coliseum behind them. The crowd in turn, which had gone rather silent at the earlier display, now roared in a crushing wave of noise as the unicorn sent up a series of firework explosions that burst into the air in the shapes that Steel Cage imagined had to be their cutie marks.

“Gotta admire their flare,” commented one of the lesser minotaur champions, Bronze Belly, who tapped his cloven hooves in appreciation.

Steel Cage just snorted. Then narrowed his eyes. That magenta mare... why did she look familiar?

Suddenly it struck him; she was that pony hussy that had Iron Will wrapped around her little hoof! Anger flashed through him like lightning and he uncrossed his arms, raising his shoulders and blowing steam from his muzzle.

“Why that cocky little runt!”

Bronze Belly and the other of the two lesser champions, Brass Bearings, both glanced his way, questions clear on their faces, but it was the fourth minotaur who spoke. Steel Cage shook out of his rage and felt a tad chilled as the female minotaur who maintained her rightful place ahead of him said, “Something amiss, Steel?”

His jaw clenched. He couldn't not answer a labyrinth seer, even if against all logic the Alphas had sent her here. Why Graysight was here was a mystery Steel Cage knew he didn’t have the brainmeats to fathom, and he wasn’t all that keen on trying, but it irked him nonetheless.

“Ain’t no problem that Steel Cage can’t deal with,” he said firmly.

Graysight’s eyes bored straight into him with only the hint of a small, knowing smile, “I see. Do as you will, but be mindful of your path. You are not here to foster rivalry, nor undo the turns your friend has taken in his own path through the labyrinth.”

Steel Cage decided not to comment on that and let the seer be as cryptic as she wanted. She wasn’t here to guide his path. Or Iron Will’s, for that matter. He’d found his place in the labyrinth many years ago, after he’d knocked out the first runt that’d given him lip. It’d been a straight and narrow path from there, smashing every single scrub that got in his way to greater and greater glories. This Contest wouldn’t be any different.

Maybe after he creamed all these other champions that’d cure Iron Will of his weird obsession with other cultures and get the guy to consider coming back home. Starting with crushing that smug little earth pony!

The spectacle of Trixie and the other Element Bearers entrance to the Contest grounds had not done much to overly impress Dao Ming. She’d recognized the illusions for what they were, and the magic being used to enhance Lyra’s music, and couldn’t see much in it worthy of note. As entertainment for peasants it might impress, but what good were these skills in tackling real problems?

“My lady, you're scowling,” said Kenkuro, the tengu standing next to her with a relaxed stance, one wing casually resting on the pommel of Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

Dao Ming blinked, realizing he was right, and hastily schooled her face back to normal, proper neutrality. “I am sorry, Kenkuro. I can’t afford any such lapses. Not while all the world, and mother, watches.”

“Honored champions of Shouma, the time has come for you to grace the field!” said a voice from a monk who’d come up behind the pair, causing Dao Ming to start slightly, but quickly compose herself. Kenkuro clearly suppressed a small chuckle. Dao Ming turned and gave the monk a small glare, but the pony in question was already trotting away after a respectful bow.

“I think he did that on purpose...’ muttered Dao Ming, then held her head high, straightened her shoulders, and ensured her elegant yet form fitting combat robes were smoothed out.

There was no flash or show to Dao Ming and Kenkuro’s arrival into the bright sunlight and welcoming green valley of the Contest grounds. They both moved with simple, composed reserve, though Dao Ming noted Kenkuro was checking the folds of his kimono for something almost absent mindedly. The crowd of spectators who hailed from the Heavenly Kingdom, who did number less overall than many of the folk from other nations, remained respectfully silent as their champions strode to join the long array of other champions.

Dao Ming resisted the urge to look behind her to see if she could spot her mother or any of the rest of her family. It wouldn’t be proper at all, and she’d heaped enough shame upon herself already. Instead she kept her eyes locked ahead, to the vast valley before her.

“Wonder what tricks those monks have up their sleeves for this?” whispered Kenkuro, “Rather open space for a free for all fight. The griffins will have a distinct advantage over the rest of us.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Dao Ming chanced to whisper back, “Whatever comes, I shall be victorious.”

Kenkuro glanced at her, but kept whatever thoughts were lurking inside his mind to himself. With both of them now here all champions were now on the field. Dao Ming didn’t bother to try counting the number. She caught glimpses of Cavallian knights in full plate mail and sporting lances, and camel warriors from Naqah wearing brightly colored vests and bearing curved blades, and the dozens of neatly ordered griffins who seemed almost like a military parade. Dozens of champions, and she didn’t doubt that each of them had earned their titles...

...except in the case of the six champions of Equestria.

Why did those six seem to get under her hide so? Dao Ming didn’t understand it, and that lack of understanding bothered her. She prided herself on her self control. Was it simply that there was something about Trixie Lulamoon that rubbed her the wrong way?

Her musing on the matter was ended when she noticed that somepony was walking out onto the valley floor. Dao Ming recognized the mare as Abbess Serene herself. The elderly mare slowly trotted out until she was capable of being seen by all in the stands and the champions lined up before her. Dao Ming saw magical mirrors being directed by other members of the Order floating among the stands to give the audience a clear, close up view of the Abbess’ calmly smiling form.

When the Abbess spoke her voice was amplified, clear as silver bells to everyone.

“To each and every one of you, to those who have come to bear witness, and those who have come to bring honor to your nations, you have my sincerest thanks. We begin today the Contest of Champions, with an event that pays homage to the fierce battle that was waged on this island’s shores so many long centuries ago. The Grand Melee!”

With surprising energy, almost bordering on youthful exuberance for a mare her age, the Abbess’ smile widened as she gestured behind her at the vast valley floor.

Dao Ming frowned as she felt a small rumble in the grass beneath her hooves. She flicked her eyes about, trying to detect the source, but it seemed to encompass the entire valley.

Then, like the rolling waves of the ocean, it seemed the entire valley rippled. Earth shifted, and from it stones emerged like sprouting flowers. Whether interlocking or growing in different shapes the stones moved as if by a living will of their own, taking new shapes across the valley floor. Within mere seconds, before even a full minute passed, the once bare valley was now covered in a veritable obstacle course of stone walls, steps, outcroppings, pillars, bridges, and towers. The largest tower was nearly as tall as the colosseum blocks themselves and dominated the center of the newly reborn field of cover and complex terrain.

“What manner of magic...?” Dao Ming breathed.

“Rune magic of Elkheim, if I’m not missing my guess,” said Kenkuro, “The same that created those impressive seating areas. Hmm, this Order certainly has prepared for this for a long time.”

The Abbess spoke again, now that the transformation of the soon to be battlefield had finished.

“Before you lies a proper arena for all nations champions to exhibit their skills. The Grand Melee will continue until only one set of champions remains standing, yet this is merely the beginning! It is my greatest hope the next ten days shall be memorable and enlightening for all the varied people of this world! Now let the Contest of Champions begin!”

Author's Note

This chapter took some doing. I gotta give my thanks to everyone to helped out by putting their input in over the course of getting this chapter ready. Took awhile, perhaps longer than I'd intended originally, but we've finally got this Contest started. Hope you folks continue to enjoy reading, and as always all comments, critiques, and other assorted brainghoughts are welcome.

Chapter 6: The Grand Melee

Chapter 6: The Grand Melee

Panting as her hooves pounded along the soft grass, the roars and cheers of the crowds in the distant stands a dull background noise, Trixie cut across the open arena of standing stones and dove for the cover of a large pillar just as arrows slashed down around her from the pursuing griffins above. There were three of the winged half avians banking through the air above Trixie’s darting body, each of them female. The griffinesses wore smooth, form fitting leather armor under brown and gold trimmed flight jackets. Aside from their bows each wore curved sabers sheathed at their hips. The griffins laughed jokingly with each other a they worked their bows with practiced ease, feathering the ground and herding their prey through the twisting obstacle course the valley had been turned into.

“Hahah! Look at her run, Schwarzenstern! I’ll give ponies credit in one area, they can run fast, can’t they?”

“Pfft, where’d this one’s pals go off to anyway? Could’ve sworn I saw them enter this area in a gaggle.”

“That’s for geese, Gabriela. I think the proper term for ponies is ‘herd’.”

“Ugh, what are you a dictionary, Agatha? It’s a bunch of dumb ponies, what does it matter what I call them!?”

“Who cares, let’s just pick this one off quick-like and get to hunting something bigger. Like that moose! You get a load of that guy? Talk about a huge target!”

“Heh, of course you’d go for the big ones Raquel. You planning on fighting that moose or inviting him to your room tonight?”

“Hey, as long as I work up a good sweat I don’t mind either- HEY! Focus on the target!”

The other two griffins giggled at their red faced comrade.

The three griffinesses had been casually chasing after Trixie from above through one end of stone pillars that formed a circle just south of a larger stone block with a staircase zig zagging up one end, and they all halted in the air at the sight of their quarry suddenly standing atop this stone black. The griffins exchanged glances. Hadn’t the mare just been down below? How had she gotten to the top of this block in the blink of an eye?

Still, these three didn’t stop to question. While from the Griffin Kingdom of Thuringia that had experienced relative peace for a long time these three griffinesses had been picked to come to the Contest because each was at the very top of their classes from the Kingdom’s prestigious military academy and were among the few in Thuringia’s standing army that had any actual combat experience, hunting the rare monster or bandit gang that wandered in from the beleaguered Border Kingdoms. They called themselves the Schwarzenstern, the 'Blackstars', and were the closest thing Thuringia had to an elite squadron of fliers, though they spent most their time performing air stunts or competing in local archery or dueling competitions than actually fighting. They fired their arrows without hesitation, though they aimed for limbs. Their arrows were blunted, but better safe than sorry.

Understandably their shock was rather complete when their arrows passed through Trixie, or rather what they thought had been Trixie. The image of the azure mare rippled like disturbed water, then wafted away in a billowing puff of blue smoke. In that very same moment there was a shout of, “Now!” from below that further distracted the Schwarzenstern, causing them to look down at the sight of the real Trixie grinning up at them from the ground. The unicorn’s horn was wrapped in blue magic, fading now as she dropped not just her illusion, but the invisibility spell she’d been using to cloak herself and her friends.

Rocketing upwards with powerful wing flaps Raindrops ascended, carrying Cheerilee in her strong forehooves. Right behind her was Ditzy with Carrot Top riding upon her back, the carrot farmer’s hooves already snatching a small clay jar from a bandolier strapped across her chest and tossing it up between the three griffins.

Down below Lyra broke out a cocky smile and strummed the strings of her lyre. She had the instrument clutched firmly in one hoof, steadied with a golden aura of her magic while her other hoof rushed across the strings. A resonant series of notes rose instantly into a sharp crack of noise, as if the highest note had become a precision whip of melody, a whip that hit the clay jar Carrot Top had thrown and shattered it. A cloud of blinding and stinging red smoke burst from the jar’s combination of volatile and irritating contents.

The Schwarzenstern found their eyes blinded with intense, heated stings, and their sinuses clogged rapidly by the overwhelming urge to sneeze. The cloud of red vapor dissipated as fast as it had appeared, leaving the griffins distracted, and the air clear for Raindrops and Cheerilee.

Back on the ground Trixie watched with a satisfied nod as her team’s two most capable melee combatants did their thing. Raindrops spun in the air, hurling Cheerilee like a living missile towards one griffin. Cheerilee gave a joyful “Whoohoo!” as she grinned through her flight, tackling one of the griffins, Agatha, square in the stomach and knocking the griffin out of the air to land squarely on top of the stone pillars.

Spinning like an airborne jasmine top Raindrops landed a roundhouse kick on Raquel, catching the griffin squarely in her sternum. The blow blasted the air out of Raquel’s lungs and sent her smashing into the side of the stone pillar, causing her to completely lose all flight cohesion and plummet from the air and land hard, a brief flicker of arcane light showing one of her tokens had registered the blow as a scoring hit as she bounced several times, ending up on the ground in a groaning sprawl.

The third griffin, Gabriela, recovered through a snarl of grit and anger, glaring reddened eyes at the ponies around her.

“Hope you ponies had fun with that sneak attack, because now you’re, what’s the pony term...Oh, right, bucked!”

She moved with impressive speed and fluidity to shoulder her bow and flash out a dangerously curved saber, with which she immediately shot towards Raindrops, who was still recovering her aerial balance after delivering the roundhouse to the griffin’s unfortunate teammate. Steel whistled harshly through the air as the saber slashed towards Raindrops, who yelped and twisted away from the blow with barely an inch to spare.

“Heh, not so tough when on the defensive, are we?” snapped Gabriela with a savage grin, flapping forward, keeping hot pursuit on Raindrops and slashing away, forcing the pegasus into an awkward series of ducks and dives to keep the blade at bay.

Rolling along the stone top of the pillar Cheerilee and Agatha flipped end over end, each scrambling for dominance in their impromptu wrestling match. Agatha kneed and elbowed Cheerilee with brutal blows, but Cheerilee twisted her body with each strike to minimize the damage. That along with her armor kept the griffin’s strikes from feeling any worse than casual hoof bumps. Meanwhile Cheerilee took advantage of her smaller frame to wiggle into a spot where she could grip Agatha’s left arm and start to twist it into a painful angle. Agatha grunted but to her credit stayed focused and raked at Cheerilee’s belly with her free talon. Cheerilee felt the griffin's sharp talons scrape along her starmetal armor, the strong and finely enchanted shirt of armor preventing the talons from doing more than lightly bruise or come close to registering as a scoring hit with one of Cheerilee’s tokens.

Agatha growled deeply in the back of her throat. Taking Cheerilee by surprise, Agatha ignored the pain in her barred arm and lifted her whole body upwards, lifting Cheerilee along with her to flip over and smash Cheerilee bodily into the ground. In an instant Cheerilee lost her grip on Agatha’s arm and found the griffin on top of her, snapping at Cheerilee’s face with a keen beak. Cheerilee had to struggle to get a forelimb in the way in time to keep the beak from hitting flesh, pushing back hard on the griffin’s chest while wriggling to get her hind legs braced beneath her.

“Hey, hey!” Cheerilee sputtered between tilting her head left and right to avoid pecks at her face, “I don’t know who you’ve been listening to but I don’t kiss on the first date!”

“You’re the one that started wrestling me like you were looking for a hug, pony, so quit complaining,” said the griffinness, smiling as she managed to get a grip on the scruff of Cheerilee’s shoulder and before the schoolteacher could break the grip she was pulled up into a harsh headbutt. Both griffin and pony rolled away from each other, groaning.

“Eeeugh, didn’t anypony tell you griffins nopony wins headbutts?” Cheerilee asked as she bounced to her hooves, cracking her neck. Her head swam slightly and she glanced down to check her tokens. Each one was still bright and shiny on the chest of her tabard. She had two of the scoring tokens, as did Raindrops, Lyra, and Ditzy. Trixie and Carrot Top had just one apiece, Trixie because she insisted she was the best equipped to evade danger, and Carrot Top because she refused to wear more than one.

“I think they didn’t cover that one in basic, or if they did, I was too busy headbutting my sparring partners to pay attention,” grumbled Agatha, flapping her wings to gain a bit of height as she scrambled to draw her sword... only to be ploughed into from behind by the combined weight of both Ditzy and Carrot Top.

“Whoa!” Carrot Top rolled off of the mid-air collision, surprisingly managing to land on her hooves not far from Cheerilee, “Hey Cheers! Through you could use some help!”

Ditzy and the griffiness had landed in a mixed heap a few paces away, the gray pegasus rolling away and rising on unsteady hooves. Her bright yellow eyes swirled about like pinballs for a moment before settling in opposite directions. She stumbled away from the dazed and moaning form of Agatha just as Carrot Top whipped out another clay jar. The farmer reared up on her hind legs and cocked a forehoof back to fastball the jar straight at the griffin. With an almost glass like shatter the jar burst upon the griffin’s chest and spread a thick green smoke to engulf her.

Even at a distance Cheerilee and Ditzy gagged slightly at the smell. By the retching noises coming from the griffin it was quite a bit worse inside the cloud itself. Carrot Top merely smiled proudly.

“Do I even want to ask what you put in that thing?” asked Cheerilee.

“Please don’t,” said Ditzy.

“Its a trade secret, anyway,” said Carrot Top, “One earned through many less than stellar nights of experimentation. You think that griffins got it bad, you should’ve seen me when I first started mixing this stuff. I tell you girls, it’s unpleasant to be the only available test subject for your own alchemical creations.”

“Is she gonna be okay?” asked Ditzy curious as she watched Agatha roll around on the stone, gagging and choking at the horrid green fumes that, thankfully, didn’t spread far from the target point.

“Yeah, I think,” said Carrot Top, “It's not damaging stuff, just, er, really, really smelly. And griffins have keen senses of smell, so I figured, well, it’d be double effective!”

“Blaaaarrrrgghlll!” spewed Agatha.

Cheerilee chuckled, “Clean up, aisle six.”

“Oh, I feel bad for her now,” said Ditzy, “Should we just, er, leave her to it and go help the others now?”

“Hold up,” Cheerilee said, taking a deep breath and holding her nose as she pranced forward, sneaking up behind the thoroughly distracted Agatha. Whipping out an object from the fold of her tabard, a small black baton wrapped in thick leather, Cheerilee took careful aim and proceed to club the griffin over the head with the blackjack. There was a flash of light as one of the scoring tokens Agatha wore snapped on in response to the heavy blow, the token going dim immediately after. Agatha tried to defend herself, but was so green in the face she could barely respond as Cheerilee smoothly sidestepped the griffin’s back swipe of talons. Cheerilee then jabbed her baton firmly into Agatha’s chest, eliciting another flash from the second scoring token the griffin wore.

By this point Agatha recovered enough to growl away her nausea and whipped out her saber, slashing at Cheerilee. The schoolteacher’s hooves moved in a fast blur, parrying the slash with her blackjack while her other hoof lightly brushed across the griffin’s chest. The exchange had only taken a second and Cheerilee lightly jumped back from Agatha to stand beside Carrot Top and Ditzy.

“Uggh, good to see some of you ponies got some claws on you, not afraid to actually use a weapon. I’ll give you a notch of respect, but in the spirit of friendly ‘cultural exchange’ I hope you’re reading for a old fashioned griffin-style beatdown!”

Cheerilee grinned widely, cooing, “Sure you want to take on all three of us now?”

“Please, how many more tricks do you ponies got left?” Agatha asked, but her eyes widened as she saw that Cheerilee was bouncing an object up and down casually with one hoof. A bright, shiny object. Agatha checked her body, where there were two dull, deactivated scoring tokens, and nothing where her third token used to be. The third token Cheerilee was now holding.

“I think according to the rules of this Grand Melee,” said Cheerilee, “That’s all your points, and you're obligated to depart the field, correct?.”

“Well... shit,” said Agatha, dully.

Meanwhile Lyra and Trixie squared off against the griffin Raindrops had kicked out of the sky, who by now had recovered enough to provide a sufficiently pissed off roar as she shook herself and pushed off the ground, seeing the mint and azure unicorns before her and narrowing her eyes in hungry, predatory fashion. Raquel drew her own saber with fierce speed, licking her beak.

“Okay, which one of you kicked me?”

“Lyra, I do believe now would be an excellent time to demonstrate that the lyre is mightier than the sword,” said Trixie, making an ‘after you’ gesture for Lyra.

“Just don’t leave all the work to me,” said Lyra, casting glance skyward where Raindrops could be seen flying diving for the circle of standing stones behind them to try and lose her own opponent, “Like to finish up fast here to go lend Raindrops a hoof.”

Trixie also cast a worried glance towards the aerial battle, but put on a confident smirk an instant later, “Not a problem! We’ll wrap up this little skirmish in no time!”

Raquel scoffed and shot forward with a rapid beat of her wings. Lyra stepped forward to meet the charge while Trixie stepped to the side, horn glittering with azure aura. With a few graceful strums upon her lyre’s strings Lyra’s horn glowed and cast a spell that resonated with the harmonic sounds of her notes. The air shimmered with multiple sound bursts that flew at Raquel like pitched softballs. With amazing agility for a griffin her size, Raquel spun in her flight, only a few feet off the ground, and wound her way between Lyra’s sonic attacks.

Raquel reached Lyra and flapped upwards, holding her saber with a two taloned grip, then slammed downward with a blow that, were it not for the shielding tokens, could easily have been fatal. And if that had actually been Lyra standing there. The minstrel's form shimmered out of existence, having been an illusion Trixie had crafted while Raquel had still been dazed earlier. The real Lyra hopped out from behind the bend of the stone pillar a second later to catch the confused Raquel with a real sonic spell, a quick and dissonant note splitting the air with a concussive wave that bowled the unprepared griffin head over hindquarters.

Trixie wasted not a second in finishing her own spell, letting loose a stream of blinding prismatic colors that engulfed Raquel’s head and caused her to screech, flying up into the air haphazardly as she blindly slashed around her.

“Son of a tavern tart! Why don’t you ponies try fighting fair!? Gah!” She let out a grunt as the air was blasted from her lungs by another of Lyra’s sonic blasts, sending the griffin cartwheeling into the nearby stone pillar with another meaty smack. This time there was a flash from one of her scoring tokens being used up.

“We are fighting fair,” said Trixie, “You’re simply underestimating us.”

“Grrrrr!” Raquel’s growl was near feral as she blinked her eyes back to focus, “You two are so freakin-”

Before Raquel could finish something smashed into her head, a clay jar. The jar shattered, spreading a thick gray goop over the griffin, which soaked her limbs and wings, and in seconds hardened into a consistency akin to hard resin. With a few grunts and sharply issued swears the griffin found herself thoroughly unable to move.

Lyra and Trixie looked up to see Cheerilee, Carrot Top, and Ditzy all glancing over the lip of the top of the stone pillar. Agatha’s bruised.form was standing beside them. Divested of her tokens, the griffin just looked at her goo covered comradde down below, shrugged, and flew off.

Lyra cracked a smile, hefting her lyre, “That went well.”

Trixie nodded, “Yes, my tactical mind is akin to a steel trap! Our victory was assured the moment they fell for my cunning ploy!”

Just then a jasmine form landing hard on her back next to them, sliding a half dozen paces before coming to rest with a groan.. Raindrops rose, rubbing the back of her head, her body covered in sweat. “Glad some of us are having fun out here.”

“Aaah!” Lyra dove away with a shocked yelp as Gabriela slashed by, saber nearly trimming some of her two-toned mint mane off.

“Blast it, will somebody get up and start taking these ponies down!” Gabriela shouted, but soon noticed one had already flown off and the other was glued to the ground, “Seriously!? For crying out loud, am I the only competent one here!?”

The last standing Schwarzenstern glanced around, seeing that the contest was suddenly six on one, and her beak curved downward in a grimace, “Screw this. Rather go cross swords with another griffin than play fight with a bunch of ponies!”

“Hey, don’t just ditch me here!” shouted Raquel as Gabriela flew off at top speed, flying out of sight within seconds. “...bitch.”

“Well, that was not the greatest show of team loyalty I’ve ever witnessed,” commented Lyra dryly as she trotted up to the immobilized remaining griffins. With a glow of magic she levitated Raquel's two remaining scording tokens off of her..

In moments Ditzy and Raindrops brought Carrot Top and Cheerilee down from the top of the pillar the the six convened.

“We shouldn’t stay still long,” said Raindrops, frowning deeply as she glanced down at the shield token on her own chest that’d turned dull gray. She still had one more that shone brightly with magic, but the pegasus mare still bristled as her ears twitched. The sounds of battle could be heard echoing all over the field, even if the vast number of various stone obstacles obscured the mare’s view of what was happening elsewhere. “We’ll be the ones getting ambushed if we don’t keep moving.”

“I wouldn’t mind taking a breather, if we find two groups already having it out,” said Cheerilee, stretching her neck to give it a quick crack, “Seems most the champions are observing ol’ Thunderdome rules.”

“Thunderwhat?” asked Lyra, blinking, “Not familiar with that one, Cheers.”

“Oh, uh, it’s not an academic term,” said the school teacher, looking a smidge embarrassed as she looked away, “Picked it up in Manehattan, from some of the ‘street gangs’ that liked to get a little rough. Disputes often settled in circles of ponies around two fighters. The Thunderdome. Two ponies enter, one pony leaves. No interference.”

Ditzy stared at her wide-eyed, “Nopony got badly hurt that way did they?”

“Eh, not super bad, no. More posturing than anything, but my point is that the two fighters had it out without worrying about their respective gangs going at it. It settled disputes without things turning into a huge brawl. I think most are doing the same here. Two teams fight it out, no one from the outside interferes until it's done.”

“I don’t know,” said Raindrops, frowning, “I wouldn’t count on everyone out here being so... polite.”

In the distance there was a crashing noise, like the sound of a battering ram crashing through a castle wall, and all six mares could see a cloud of rock dust billowing into the air a few hundred meters to the west. Ditzy gulped and Carrot Top blinked at the sight. “Whoa, who do you think is fighting over there?”

Trixie, heart beating fast and a bubbling excitement of her team’s first small victory pounding in her chest she found herself grinning, “Let’s go find out.”

Upon the throne of her golden ark, Celestia rested calmly as she observed the contestants battling one another across the vast valley field. She ignored the mirrors that showed close up views of the action, her own eyes and ears more than enough to pierce the haze of distance and show her what she wished. Besides, she only really had any interest in one group on the field, the six mares who were her sister’s chosen champions... and by extension Celestia’s champions for the purposes of representing Equestria.

Witnessing their triumph over the first group that had encountered them in the field Celestia made a small noise of approval. By the side of her throne, a few steps down from the dais it stood upon, Kindle looked at her. He never met her eyes, but instead always kept his head respectfully bowed whenever it turned her way.

“They do well, do they not, most glorious Queen?” he said, the faintest phantom of a concerned frown crossing his features.

“Their skills have improved slightly since our meeting on Tambelon,” Celestia commented with slightly narrowed eyes, “I foresee it is not enough.”

“Hmph!” across the ark, near its bow, Terrorwing scoffed, “Those were the weakest excuse for griffin warriors I’ve ever had the misfortune to clap eyes on. If it were me down there all six of those ponies would be twitching on the ground in pools of their own blood!”

Kindle sighed, “While that may no doubt be true, my bloodthirsty compatriot, do remember that our Queen’s goal is to bring forth her glory without unneeded bloodshed.”

A rise in the temperature caused both Kindle and Terrorwing to flinch slightly as Celestia’s body flickered with rippling flickers of flames. The alicorn’s eyes flashed pure white for an instant, her tone firm, “I do not need either of you commenting upon my intentions. I need not your boasting, Terrorwing, nor your bickering with him, Kindle. When the time comes Terrorwing shall dole out my wrath as I deem necessary. Just as you shall speak of my glory when and where I deem it needed, Kindle. Your interest in the one called Raindrops, for instance, is unnecessary to our goals.”

Kindle bowed his head low, “As my Queen says, so it is without doubt true. Yet if I may speak my thoughts without incurring your displeasure, for just a moment?”

“You would not be my Voice were I not willing to consider your words. Speak, but do not waste your words,” Celestia commanded.

“I am no more interested in turning Raindrops to our cause than I am turning all ponies under your glorious sun to the truth of your radiance. She is merely a pony with whom I feel I share a connection with. Raindrops is, without question, a mare of honesty. She is much like myself. It pains me that a mare so concerned with such personal honesty has been blinded by the lies and half-truths dispensed by your usurping sister. While I seek the enlightenment of all ponies, equally, I cannot deny that to some small degree that with Raindrops the quest becomes something more of a personal matter. After all, if I can convert Honesty itself, then should not all of Equestria naturally follow soon after?”

Nearby, standing well aside from the throne, Smoke listened on with a worried look hidden beneath the hood of her robes. She watched Kindle with a pensive bite of her lower lip, but didn’t say anything. Her own eyes turned towards one of the distant floating mirrors, watching the image of the six mares from Ponyville galloping along towards their next challenge. She paid special attention to Raindrops, eyes intent on the pegasus’ determined look.

Terrorwing paced along the bow, wings twitching, “Converting them is a waste of time. They’re so deep in Luna’s pocket the only way you’d get them to see the light is to shine it straight into their eyes with solar death rays. Better to let me deal with them when the time comes, instead of trying to talk them down. I’ll make sure they can’t get off a single shot of that rainbow cannon of theirs. Really hard to be harmonious or whatever with a concussion, I hear.”

Celestia let out a blazing sigh, “The two of you be silent. Kindle, Terrorwing, I have other tasks for you. Since both of you seem to possess energy to burn, go and begin our real work on this island, while all eyes remain on these games.”

Kindle blinked, then nodded vigorously, “Of course, my Queen! But, will your sister not notice? I cannot imagine her eyes are not watching us as keenly as the Contest.”

“Of course she will notice,” Celestia said dismissively, “I have already had Zecora approach her to explain our purpose. Luna agrees with me, for once, that our rivalry can be put aside for the sake of greater matters.”

“Of course, your wisdom is without equal, my Queen.” Kindle turned to Terrorwing, “Come then, my fiery comrade. We have our Queen’s bidding to enact!”

“Hmph, yes, yes, don’t wet your robes, skinny,” muttered Terrorwing, approaching the pegasus as both spread their wings. Before they took off, Smoke suddenly came forward. She shook slightly as she looked at Celestia, gulping.

“M-m-my Queen? Might I, umm, go with them? I can help with the task, I-I’m sure of it!”

Celestia’s eyes pierced the gray unicorn mare, glassy features not revealing either displeasure or approval. After a heart stilling moment Celestia’s gave the barest of gestures with one flaming hoof, “So be it. Do not slow them down.”

Smoke bowed low, “Thank you! Thank you, my Queen!” She all but scampered over to Kindle and Terrorwing, smiling. Terrorwing rolled his eyes, picking Smoke up like she weighed no more than a pillow.

“Whatever. C’mon runt, and try not to fall off, because I’m not catching you.”

“I, of course, shall catch you if our companion lacks the skills to do so,” quipped Kindle, eliciting a growling grumble from Terrorwing as the pair took off, Smoke as a passenger, and winged of towards the northwest edge of the island... towards certain small forest of trees.

Gwendolyn couldn’t say she was surprised. She hid her disgust and disheartened state under a fierce mask of concentration as she darted through a storm of blades seeking to clip her from the sky. In mere minutes after the Grand Melee began she had been witness to the mass of her griffin kin swarming one another like a flock of mad crows. She’d spotted a few of teams winging groundward to engage the other race’s contestants, but it seemed clear the majority of the griffin champions wanted to compete with each other first. That seemed to Gwendolyn an insult to the other races, and had been diving in search of a foe among the ground races, but she’d been intercepted by a flock of warriors whose gray livery marked with checkered green told her they were from one of Grandis’ neighbor Inner Kingdoms; Harshwaller, she thought.

“What’s this?” said one male griffin with a sneer as Gwendolyn evaded another of his comrade’s spear thrusts, “Does the border runt lover think she’s too good to fight us? Or perhaps the Red Shield’s ‘illustrious’ leader is too much the coward to face warriors from a real kingdom instead of those dirt sniffing, pony humping border dodos?”

Gwendolyn suppressed an urge to screech her rage at this idiot, and instead let her actions speak for her. Whipping her sword from its scabbard the broad blade glinted with a crimson hue in the stark sunlight. As griffins surrounded her, three flanking on either side, she watched with keen eyes as spears and sabers flashed towards her.

Snapping her wings out she slowed faster than her enemies could anticipate, and she planted one hind leg on the overextended spear shaft of one adversary as she lashed out hard with her blade. She struck one griffin squarely across the shoulder. Gwendolyn’s beak curved in a small, satisfied smile. She’d estimated her aim well and had clipped off one of his scoring tokens while hitting with just enough force to badly bruise the shoulder without doing serious harm. She knew the monks had healing staff on site to help with injuries, but she figured she’d spare them as much work as possible and concentrating on pulling her blows.

Spinning, she elbowed another griffin in the face, knocking the female off balance and causing her eyes to spin. Gwendolyn rose rapidly with a few quick flaps then reversed direction and dove while the flock of her enemies were still confused. Amateurs. Poor training. No experience. Gwendolyn let her anger out a bit as she slashed left and right, shattering one spear and clipping the wing of another griffin. Another token flared as she twisted and thrust the tip of her blade squarely into the leg of the male who’d spoken, the token flaring even as Gwendolyn pulled her strike somewhat. She was starting to get a feel for how much force it took to count as a scoring hit, growing in confidence about just how hard she could afford to hit without worrying about badly injuring her fellow countrygriffins.

She didn’t let up on the stunned and reeling griffins, driving an elbow hard into the gut of one foe then springing off of him like a board, spinning and cracking the pommel of her sword across the head of another griffin who’d just been ready to slash with a poised saber. Gwendolyn’s eyes snapped to the left at a fast movement, spotting one of the more burly females thrusting with a spear. Gwendolyn’s sword caught the tip of the spear as she parried the blow, directing the spearhead to her left. It managed to catch her wing and she rolled with the hit, smiling slightly as one of her own scoring tokens flashed out.

She was a little impressed one of these privileged fops actually landed a blow on her. She showed her appreciation by diving in at the heavyset female with the spear, weaving a blinding storm of strikes with her blade. To the other female’s credit she managed to ward off Gwendolyn’s assault for a few seconds, spinning her spear quickly to parry the first two or three slashes before she overextended herself and left Gwendolyn an opening to smash the flat of her blade squarely across the other female’s face.

A tell-tale flash of a scoring token greeted her as the female she’d just hit groaned and shook her dazed head. All six of her opponents were still conscious, but each of them had lost a token by now, and in some cases Gwendolyn could see that’s all they had. As numerous pairs of angry eyes glared at her Gwendolyn also noticed a great deal of unease and uncertainty crossing the features of her opponents.

Gwendolyn spun her sword in a casual flourish, “The Border Kingdoms are where I learned to fight this way, in case any of you were wondering. Go find other Inner Kingdom whelps to play with. Otherwise I can gladly continue to beat you all senseless. Oh, and before you go, don’t forget to toss over your tokens.”

She knew they wouldn’t do anything of the sort. Regardless of their lack of skill, they certainly didn’t lack in griffin pride. The big female was the first to spit at Gwendolyn and charge back into the fray...

A minute or so later Gwendolyn pocketed the tokens of all six griffins, who were busy moaning in pain and trying to barely remain airborne despite their injuries.

Tucking her wings she dove back towards the arena grounds, leaving the flock of recovering griffins behind. If they dared pursued her she’d not go as easy on them as she just had, but to her keen pleasure she saw them take a course far away from her and towards the cloud of swirling griffin warriors from the other Inner Kingdoms that were still battling above the valley.

Good. I did not want to spend this entire time battling my countrygriffins. This is a place to learn of other races, so even if my being here is a shame I may as well fight someone from another race. Let’s see... who would be a good choice?

She scanned the collection of random stone walls, pillars, and miniature forts. Numerous forms moved in that labyrinthine arena, and it was clear there were several pitched fights already taking place. Gwendolyn caught the sight of a few of her fellow griffins being soundly beaten by, of all things, those pony champions from Equestria. Perhaps Grimwald had been right, and those ponies were more capable than she’d imagined. It seemed like those six mares were now making their way towards one of the nearby fights; an intense affair that appeared to be taking place between that mountain of a moose and the nearly as large minotaur champion with the big axe.

Gwendolyn frowned in disappointment. She’d hoped either the moose or minotaur would’ve been free for a fight, and while other champions might have considered interfering, given the free for all nature of the Grand Melee, Gwendolyn wanted a personal challenge. She briefly wondered where Grimwald had gotten off to. It’d be enjoyable to tussle with him, but not unexpectedly he’d managed to vanish somewhere. Sneaky little fellow. She did not envy whoever had caught Grimwald’s eye as a target.

Flying low across the arena, Gwendolyn finally spotted what appeared to be a worthy foe.

The kirin princess was by herself, slowly and regally walking towards the very center of the field. It seemed so far none had come to challenge the mare from Shouma. Gwendolyn smiled. She’d heard a few tales of the magic and fighting arts of the mysterious east. She wondered if this kirin noble was well practiced enough to have earned her title of champion?

Only one way to find out, wasn’t there?

Tendaji perched upon the top of a thin stone pillar, having climbed it nimbly to gain a better vantage to survey the field from. Below him in a large clearing a three way struggle was taking place.

Two titans of muscle and stubbornness were locked antler to horn in a clash of straining pectorals that likely would have drawn Tendaji’s attention more if he was not already set on spying the location of a certain jasmine coated pegasus. The grizzled, scarred mountain of moose that was Wodan was straining his entire body against the ironclad grip of Steel Cage’s arms. The pair had forgone weapons, Steel Cage’s axe still latched to his back, and had challenged each other to a match of raw strength. The nearby crater around which a cloud of dust still settled showed where Steel Cage’s initial charge had been met with a stomp of monumental proportions from the giant moose, but now the minotaur champion had managed to slip in close and get a firm, crushing grapple on Wodan’s front. Now the two strained, muscle against bulging muscle, and both moose and minotaur were grinning like mad equines. Well, one mad cervine, another mad bovine.

“Hah! I thought the moose of renown Elkhiem were supposed to be the strongest of all wrestlers! Don’t go telling Steel Cage that I’ve already got you on the ropes? Are you even trying to push back?”

“Phah, you’re breath smells as fedid as your attempts at insulting the mighty Wodan! I am not even breathing hard. Are you trying to suplex me or give me an affectionate hug? It is impossible to tell!”

Tendaji watched out of the corner of one eye as veins pulsed on the forehead of Steel Cage and his face blazed red. With a snort of steam from his nostrils the minotaur redoubled his efforts, shifting his weight and tucking his shoulder down into the pit of Wodan’s foreleg.

“TELL THIS!” Steel Cage roared as he hauled the somewhat bemused looking Wodan into a shoulder throw that sent the moose bouncing across the field.

Steel Cage, breathing hard, stood and wiped sweat from his forehead, only to grimace in clear irritation as Wodan rolled to his hooves a few dozen paces away. The moose dusted himself off and cracked his neck, then sported a toothy smile.

“Entertaining. I may acknowledge your strength by the end of the Contest, if you can manage to toss me, oh, three times as far!”

With a thin frown Tendaji spared a glance away from that pair and looked to the right, where a little further away two of the smaller minotaurs that had been accompanying Steel Cage were busy trying to avoid the pincers and stinger by the Death Strider that seemed to be playfully chasing them under the direction of Tendaji’s fellow champion, a cackling and enthusiastically aggressive fellow named Siwatu. The tall, mohawk sporting zebra stallion stood with easy balance atop his large, onyx pet, directing the scorpion’s movements with a combination of subtle hoof gestures and sharp whistles and clicks with is tongue.

“Khhk, khhk! Keep at them Sefu! Go for the dangly bits!”

“Hey!” said one minotaur with an indignant air as he used a two handed hammer to knock aside one snapping pincer, “Leave my dangly bits out of this! Your giant murderbug doesn’t need to start aiming below the belt!”

“Bug? Bug!? You call my adorable Sefu a bug!? Khk khhk khk! You are a lucky minotaur that I take no offense! Sefu is no murderbug. He is my companion of many years and right now he is playing tag with you! Show him how good you are at tag, Sefu!!”

“Oh for the love of-!” the minotaur was hauled off his hooves by a pincer clamping around one of his legs, the Death Strider seeming to peer at him with its big black orb-like eyes with almost dainty disgust.

A nearby loud crash indicated to Tendaji that Wodan and Steel Cage had smashed into one another once more, and he spared half a glance in time to see the moose and minotaur champions crashing literally head to head in a wreck of limbs, horn, and antler that reminded Tendaji of two fleshy trains colliding head on.

He vaguely wondered where Master Nuru had gotten off to? His master had certainly been part of the procession and should have been somewhere out amid the clashing champions, but Tendaji had not spied the wizened zebra’s cloaked form anywhere. As soon as Tendaji thought that, he noticed something else that struck him as odd. While the male minotaur champions were gladly engaging in battle, there was one minotaur who was doing nothing of the sort. The female with the strange metal staff. Tendaji believed her name was Greysight. As Tendaji spotted her, Greysight was casually walking past the scene of the Death Strider juggling the minotaur it’d grabbed earlier while the last remaining minotaur was trying to wrestle the giant scorpion’s tail, getting swung left and right in the process, all the while with Siwatu cackling like a madstallion.

Where is she going?

The female minotaur had a simple, serene look on her face, and Tendaji’s ears twitched as he thought he heard her humming to herself as she walked past the fighting and strode deeper into the battlefield, seemingly making for the tallest stone tower that was in the center of the valley.

Tendaji might have considered following her if he had not just then also spotted a familiar flash of jasmine and teal. He immediately forgot anything else, ignoring the clash of minotaur, moose, zebra, and scorpion below him. All of his focus was suddenly on the sight of a certain pegasus mare who was flying towards the battle. Tendaji noted Raindrops’ friends were nearby, either galloping along the ground, or in the case of the gray pegasus flying a bit behind the others. Raindrops, unsurprisingly, was near the lead, flying right above the unmistakable azure form of Trixie Lulamoon.

Tendaji smiled, stretched, and with nimble leaps began to hop the tops of stone pillars towards the mares from Ponyville.

The art of a good ambush all came down to timing. Grimwald had learned this lesson early in life, before most griffin chicks had even figured out what the feathery appendages on their backs were for. Being the local runt inevitably made one the target of the bigger griffins looking to stretch their developing muscles. Most would have learned how to hide in order to avoid the regular beatings. Grimwald had figured out early on he enjoyed them, and his hiding was only for the sake of setting up a good ambush to try and even the playing field.

The lessons applied well across a unseemly career as a freelance organ stabber and economic troubleshooter for any griffin noble with a too many irritations and an equal amount of disposable gold to have said irritations fixed by those of, to borrow a phrase, “alternative moral alignment’.

Grimwald found it all rather amusing. He didn’t actually have anything against the notion of the Contest of Champions. Any excuse for a ten day party where you got to watch people beat the crap out of each other, sample foreign delicacies, and get smash faced drunk in the process, could only earn Grimwald’s approval. But work was work, and coin had changed palms. He wasn’t against mixing business and pleasure, and if his suspicions about his true employers was accurate this job was going to be a lot more interesting than his usual work keeping moronic pirates and bandits in line, only attacking the Border Kingdoms and leaving the Inner Kingdoms generally alone. Gwendolyn would pitch a fit if she knew how much King Gruber was paying to ensure the bandit problem in the Border Kingdoms didn’t go anywhere, and piracy focused solely on Border Kingdom ships.

Oh well, Gwen would figure things out eventually, and like any idealist would go sticking her beak into the fire. Grimwald could only watch and enjoy the show.

Despite his mental musings he was completely alert, and keeping careful watch of his surroundings. Timing. Ambush was all about the timing. He’d been following his target the moment he was able to slip away from Gwendolyn, keeping out of line of sight, waiting for that right moment to get to work.

The six ponies were rushing towards the sounds of a large scuffle on the other side of a series of asymmetrical stone walls, pillars, and overhangs. Grimwald was hidden beneath one of the stone overhangs that extended from a large square pillar from which several openings created a hollow within the pillar itself. His eyes narrowed in concentration and he stilled his breathing.

Trixie sped past his hiding spot. He saw the eager smile on the mare’s face. She was clearly enjoying the Contest so far, and he didn’t blame her. The mare and her team had wiped the floor with the so-called “Valkyries” of Thuringia. He could tell from the looks on Trixie’s friends that their own reactions were as varied as the spectrum of colors each candy colored pony sported. The surly weather pegasus was stiff faced, a pretty heavy mask likely covering up bottled anger. The schoolteacher had a wry and happy half grin, like she was having the time of her life. The carrot farmer had a focused but strained expression, reminding Grimwald of someone whose stomach was loose with fear but was doing well to push it down. The musician had a gleefully exhilarated look in her eyes. Then there was the mailmare. Ditzy Doo. Trailing a bit behind her friends Grimwald could see the wary, flickering look of concern mixed with a heady adrenaline rush making the mare’s crossed eyes dart left and right. She was clearly tense and alert, more so than her friends. It made Ditzy rise a few notches in Grimwald’s estimation.

He hoped she didn’t disappoint him in a few moments. He wanted to stretch out the fun of this task as much as possible.

One by one the mares from Ponyville zipped by his hiding spot, all of them so focused on reaching the battle ahead that they took no note of the single shadow that jutted out ever so slightly from the archway within one of the many stone pillars they passed. Until Ditzy-

-Doo flew behind her friends, unable to shake a growing sense of fear. She didn’t know if it was just a protective instinct or something else, but she was worried about Trixie and the others. They’d done alright so far, but the loud crashes from the fighting up ahead reminded Ditzy just how serious this Grand Melee could be and that injury was a very real possibility.

At least Raindrops looked like she was taking all this seriously, but Ditzy wasn’t so sure about the others. Ditzy just hoped she wouldn’t slow any of them down.

Her eyes tracked around, looking for threats. She expected any moment that some other team of champions might ambush them, and it was this worry that allowed her to spot a smooth flicker of movement out of the edge of her peripheral vision. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but whatever had moved was faster than a striking snake. In less than a second’s span a hard talon had clamped around Ditzy’s mouth, while an arm like a steel cable wrapped around her throat, cutting off both airflow and her voice. She was jerked backwards, whoever had grabbed her clearly a strong flier, and in a disorienting spin Ditzy felt herself get dragged away.

Her friends, focused on running ahead, didn’t see Ditzy get snatched, and Ditzy lost sight of them a second later as her assailant pulled her through a tunnel in one of the nearby stone pillars. She struggled, flapping her wings and striking with her elbows in an attempt to dislodge whoever had grabbed her, but they bent and twisted like an eel, and all she managed was a few grazing blows that hardly slowed her captor down.

Her wandering eye finally caught sight of the one holding her, and she saw a familiar griffin’s face. She remembered Grimwald from the night before, with his strange mannerisms. Seeing him now she was unsettled by the wild look in his eyes, combined with a thin twist of a smile on his beak that triggered all kinds of predatory warnings in Ditzy’s subconscious instincts.

This only made her redouble her efforts to break free and with a violent wrench she twisted her torso and managed to slam a wing into one of the griffin’s wings. He kept his iron grip on her, but they both spun out and smacked into the wall of the tunnel. Ditzy felt her whole body jolt and her teeth rattle. Grimwald let out an ‘oof!’ and Ditzy felt his grip loosen just enough for her to slip free. However she was still disoriented and spinning through the air. She spread her wings and tried to halt in mid-air. She couldn’t see clearly, but she could feel that her momentum was taking her straight for a stone wall just past the tunnel opening and she flapped hard with her wings to level out and roll so that when she hit the wall it was with her hooves outstretched to absorb the impact.

Her legs still jarred from the near crash and she felt her teeth clench at the pain that shot up her bones. She pushed off the wall and tried to get herself oriented, but the moment she did so she saw Grimwald coming straight for her. The griffin had recovered even faster than she had from their tumble. His eyes glinted with that same dangerous light she’d seen a moment ago and he was actually chuckling to himself as he lashed out with a talon almost faster than Ditzy could see. She threw herself to the side, and heard a scrape of metal on stone as Grimwald’s strike hit the wall behind her, and caused sparks due to the knife he’d drawn from seemingly nowhere.

“You’re fast, bright eyes. I like it,” he said, immediately pursuing Ditzy as she rapidly flew backwards, trying to get distance between herself and the knife bearing griffin. It didn’t look like a normal knife to her eyes. The blade had a strange green tint to the metal, and it was curved in a way that seemed almost unnaturally extreme, making the weapon look more like a claw than a blade. She noticed the weapon hadn’t a scratch on it, and the stone wall it’d just struck had a clean gouge in its gray surface.

“Girls! Girls! Help!” Ditzy shouted, hoping to alert her friends. They couldn’t have gotten too far away in just a few moments, could they? Even if they heard her she had to last long enough against Grimwald for it to matter, and he was not giving her any breathing room.

She tried to climb, gain height so maybe Raindrops could spot her, but Grimwald matched her speed and blocked her path with a wide, sweeping slash that forced Ditzy to rapidly descend to avoid the blow.

“No reason to go dashing off. Whole point of this party is to go head to head, so why not try fighting back a bit?” Grimwald said, reversing his grip on his blade and diving after Ditzy. She saw him begin to slash in a diagonal strike that seemed to be aimed for her left wing, but she felt there was something off about the movement. Instinct kicked in and spared Ditzy a nasty surprise when Grimwald reverse his grip once more and turned his slash’s direction to a completely different angle, this one aimed for her eyes! She pulled back just in time to keep the blade from gouging across her eyes, the edge instead taking a few locks of blonde mane.

Had...had he just tried to blind her!? Ditzy had no idea if the shield tokens would be able to save her eyes if that blow had landed. Was that even legal to do at the Contest? Ditzy was suddenly less than enthused by the clear lack of rules, but had no time to consider the matter further. All of her focus had to be bent towards avoiding that deadly looking knife.

“Not the chatty type, are you?” Grimwald mused as he eyed her, Ditzy flying backwards slowly as he advanced to keep pace with her. Her own eyes were darting around for an avenue of escape, or anything she could use to try and get away from the griffin. “C’mon, bright eyes, what’s wrong with a little friendly talk while we grapple? And seriously, could you try throwing a punch or something? I’m starting to get bored, and I was really hoping you wouldn’t be a source of boredom.”

“F-friendly talk!? You just tried to stab my eyes!”

“Slash, technically.”

“I don’t think the semantics actually matter,” Ditzy said, edging towards a pair of stone blocks that had a bridge suspended between them. “This is supposed to be a friendly competition.”

“Oh, but I am friendly,” Grimwald said, easing back from Ditzy, to her surprise. He was still looking at her with that disturbingly predatory gaze, however, and it left her feeling twitching all over, as if the air was filled with little gnats of bad vibes. “If I wanted to hurt you, I mean really hurt you, I wouldn’t be even using this thing.”

He held up his knife, tilting it slightly so its blade caught the sunlight with a faint glint, “This is my play around knife. Its totally unbalanced and kind of crappy, so I only use it when I feel like having fun instead of being serious. Now, if I was using this-”

Grimwald’s left wrist flicked and another knife sprang into it as if from thin air. This knife was very plain in design, if slightly strange to Ditzy’s eyes. Its elliptical, faintly leaf shaped blade seemed normal enough, and the handle of blackened wood was a bit off set from the blade itself. It seemed fairly unremarkable compared to the wickedly curved weapon he’d just been using. But Grimwald held this knife like it was a personal treasure.

“-well, if I use this, it's time to worry. But hey, we’re just having fun, right bright eyes?”

The seemingly plain knife vanished with a flourish of his talon, and he flapped his wings, gaining some height on her, “Now, I want to see some sparks flying. Give me a good, solid punch. I’ll be nice about it and let you have the first one for free. Whatddya say to that?”

“...Have you considered getting therapy?” Ditzy offered, rather bluntly, to which Grimwald let out a raucous laugh that bordered on the raspy towards the end of it.

“The last head doctor I had a chat with decided to go into early retirement, and that was when I was thirteen. So, nah, I’m good. Enjoying our vibe for the moment, but seriously, you going to punch me or what?”

“Do I have to?” Ditzy asked, while trying to get a look around Girmwald to see if her friends were conveniently coming to her rescue. The lack of any colorful cavalry was a disappointment, but Ditzy imagined that something was keeping her friends distracted.

“Depends on whether or not you want to be a burden on your team, I suppose,” said Grimwald in response to her question, shrugging. “You did catch that the whole point of this is to score using these nifty things?” He pointed at the series of scoring tokens attached to the vest of his dark green doublet. He had a full ten of them, which struck Ditzy as somehow incredibly unfair, though granted if he’d challenged her and the girls openly it’s be six on one, so perhaps she had to grant he’d been smart to isolate her like this. But if his goal was just to grab tokens then why not just press his advantage? Why talk with her at all?

“I know the rules,” she said, “So why let me punch you? Playing with me like this doesn’t help you win the Contest.”

“Who counts what as ‘winning’? I’m here to have fun. Could care less about the Contest. I want you to hit me, bright eyes, because I want to see if you got some real shine underneath all those bubbles. Now are you going to hoof it to me or do I need to motivate you some more?”

He held the curved knife up to emphasis what he meant by ‘motivation’. Ditzy had no idea just what to make of this griffin other than the certainty that he wasn’t alright in the head. She felt a little sorry for him, but that was heavily mitigated by the fact that she still sensed a raw edge of danger radiating from him that belied his casual attitude. She didn’t know if playing along with him would be more dangerous than just trying to get away.

Gulping, she cocked one hoof back and prepared to strike, not seeing any other clear way out of this. As she did so she couldn't help but wonder where her friends were..

Raindrops saw him coming well before he got close, not that Tendaji was trying to hide his approach. The zebra was leaping from pillar to pillar, crossing stone obstacles and bridges with the speed and ease of someone running across a smooth, flat road. He practically seemed to be flying, or at least floating, with some of his longer leaps, and Raindrops had to wonder if he was using some weird zebra magic.

“We got incoming!” she shouted as a warning to the others running below her. “Zebra flankhole at two o’clock!”

“Huh? What are you talking about, it's still morning!” Trixie shouted past panting breaths.

Raindrops threw up her hooves in exasperation, “Oh for Luna’s sake are you kidding me!? Trixie you can’t not know what I’m talking about! Two o’clock is-”

Tendaji reached them at that moment, springing off the top of a pillar and air tackling Raindrops out of the air with a shoulder hit straight to the spot between the pegasus mare’s shoulder blades. Raindrops felt the air explode out of her lungs. The blow sent her hurtling towards the ground but she controlled the fall with a powerful flap of her wings, slowing herself enough that she could tuck into a roll that minimized the impact and let her come out on her hooves, spinning to face Tendaji as he lightly landed on his hooves a few paces away from her.

Behind Tendaji Trixie and the others quickly caught up, at which point Raindrops noticed that Ditzy wasn’t with them.

“Are you alright Raindrops?” asked Trixie, warily eyeing Tendaji and aiming her horn at him.

“I’m fine, never mind me, where’s Ditzy?”

The mares all exchanged looks, Cheerilee blinking and saying, “She was just here a moment ago, literally right behind us.”

“How could she have just vanished?” Carrot Top was looking back the way they’d just come, biting her lower lip, “She has to be somewhere nearby! Ditzy! Ditzy!”

“What do we do, Trixie? Go look for Ditzy or beat up stripesy?” asked Lyra, “If we’re voting, I vote we find Ditzy. No way she just fell behind. One of the other champions must have snatched her.”

“I care not what you all do,” said Tendaji, rising onto his hind hooves in a wide legged stance, fore legs up and ready for battle as his eyes remained focused on Raindrops, “As long as she remains behind for us to continue what we started in Oaton.”

“If you think we’re letting our friend deal with you alone you’re sadly mistaken-” Trixie began but Raindrops shook her head.

“Go find Ditzy. I’ll be fine,” said Raindrops, and Trixie grimaced, eyes darting worriedly between her and Tendaji. Raindrops saw the concern simmering in Trixie’s eyes and took a deep breath, managing a small, calm smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t take any chances. Just find Ditzy and get back here, and we can kick this dude’s butt together.”

“V-very well, don’t you dare lose while we’re gone!” said Trixie.

“Go for the gonads, Raindrops, we’ll be back in a jiffy!” encouraged Lyra. Cheerilee and Carrot Top both gave the musician a look, to which Lyra just shrugged, “What?”

“Go for the gonads?” Cheerilee inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Zebras have those, right?”

“Yes, any species that needs to produce gametes has them, Lyra.” Cheerilee explained.

“Girls! Ditzy? Possibly in danger?” Raindrops reminded them.

That got them going, Trixie sparing Raindrops one last look of barely masked worry before joining the others in rushing back they way they’d come in search of wherever Ditzy had gone. That left Raindrops facing off with Tendaji, and the zebra seemed content to stare her down as the distant sounds of various other champions battling echoed in the distance. There was a flash of light and sound of thunder somewhere to the east, and Raindrops could even feel a few tremors shake the ground from loud crashes of earth in the direction she and the girls had been running towards. Despite all that tumult Tendaji seemed to remain calm as he stared at her and she felt her anger flare upwards like a rattlesnake’s vibrating tail.

“What’s your deal? You wanted a fight, well, here I am! Come at me, dammit!” she shouted, wings spread, body tense as she spread her fore legs on the ground in a stance ready to break into a gallop.

“I apologize. I am observing you, and you do deserve more consideration than I would give others,” he replied with an irritatingly serene tone. “I have no intention of underestimating you, Raindrops. I will not improve myself by treating you as just any other foe I would face. You are part of my Path and-”

“I don’t give two flying farts about your ‘Path’!” Raindrops growled, one hoof scuffing at the ground, nostrils flaring and eyes burning holes towards the zebra in front of her, “I’ll give you the fight you want, but after I use your face to polish the stone of one these pillars I want you to walk away and never hear another word out of your mouth again, assuming you are even conscious enough to walk away at all!”

Tendaji blinked. Raindrops saw him adjust his stance slightly, to one less neutral and more defensive. “So be it. Let us begin, but first...”

He reached over with one hoof across his chest, where he had four scoring tokens placed. Tendaji removed two of them and tossed them upon the ground between them. At Raindrops look Tendaji merely said, “You have two, so I shall only fight you with two. This is still a Contest, and I will abide by the rules of that Contest.”

“Fine. Whatever,” Raindrops said, unwilling to show any gratitude, not that she really felt that much for this zebra’s bizarre sense of honor. As if sensing that Raindrops was at the end of her patience Tendaji said nothing further and the pair went into a tense standoff, eyes locked as the seconds slowly ticked by.

Raindrops broke the standoff. With both her wings and her hind legs working together she both leapt and burst forward with a hard flap of her wings, rocketing towards her opponent. While never a fast flier, over such a short distance her powerful wings propelled her remarkably swiftly as she aimed a hard hoof strike for Tendaji’s head.

His movements were swift and fluid as a quick flowing river, his hind hooves smoothly slipping backwards and around in a pivot that took his head out of the path of Raindrops’ hoof with centimeters to spare. She could feel the whip of his braided mane from the near hit, but before she could begin to compensate for his sudden evasion she felt one hoof grip her outstretched arm while Tendaji’s shoulder tucked into the pit of that arm. With just a slight application of force, mostly using Raindrops’ vast momentum, Tendaji threw her into a spiralling collision with a nearby pillar.

The blow disoriented her, but she growled, teeth grinding, and focused past the pain to bounce off the pillar and launch herself at the zebra once more, now with a fierce hind leg kick that slashed out like the blade of a claymore, scissoring down at Tendaji from above.

He spun back from the kick, Raindrops’ hoof hitting the ground hard, digging into the grass and dirt. Raindrops didn’t slow down or let up, however, immediately flinging herself into a spin kick. Tendaji, still moving in a bipedal stance, brought both his fore hooves up to block the blow. Raindrops felt the meaty impact, felt his body move, and for a second felt her anger clench with savage satisfaction at the thought of having managed a solid hit... only to end up flaring up once more in raw ire as she saw Tendaji had rolled with her kick and was standing once more, looking utterly unaffected by her blow!

He was looking at her with narrowed eyes, a faint shimmer of a frown tracing his lips downward. That expression just annoyed Raindrops further and she dove at him, body hovering just a few feet above the ground as she began to launch a series of heavy jabs, alternating her hooves as she tried to force down Tendaji’s guard. He seemed to wave between her strikes, head bobbing left and right as if they were a pair of dancers going through the steps of a simple waltz. Her hooves were catching nothing but air and Raindrops felt the heat build inside her chest with each and every jab that met with empty space where the zebra’s head had just been.

Finally Tendaji struck back, with a lightning quick step that put him directly inside Raindrops’ guard just as she had jabbed with her right hoof, leaving herself completely open. All she saw was a black and white blur and suddenly pain exploded in her chin from a uppercut that sent her reeling.

As she shook her head, recovering her senses, she heard Tendaji speak, his tone confused.

“Something is wrong,” he said, “You were much more challenging, back in Oaton. You were the one evading my attacks, then, and forcing me to push myself. Why is it that I can now see your moves so easily? Are you taking this seriously?”

Raindrops grunted, blinking her eyes back into focus and glared at him.

“Stop complaining! You’re the one who wanted to fight me, remember? And this isn’t Oaton.”

“No, no it's not.” Tendaji looked contemplative, staring at her as if she were one of those weird paintings you have to stare at to see the ‘hidden pictures’ amid all the colors and shapes. Raindrops wasn’t very fond of those. Suddenly Tendaji nodded, “Yes, that must be it. Oaton was very... real. Real threat of danger, no mere competition. I’ve erred in assuming you would fight as well here as you did in Oaton when you and your friends were in true danger.”

He stepped back from her then, going back to standing on all four legs as he bowed his head to her, “I apologize, Miss Raindrops. I must consider how best to proceed, in light of this new information. I shall not trouble you further during the Grand Melee. Hopefully by the time the Contest of Strength is upon us I will have found a solution that will allow me to battle you at your full potential.”

“Hey! You think you can just start this and then walk away!?” Raindrops shouted, eyes wide, pupils dilated, breaths coming in rapid gasps. She wasn’t even certain why she was so enraged, but it was there, like a burning snake in her gut, coiling upwards into her chest until it felt as if a volcano of pressure was ready to burst out. “We’re finishing this here and now!”

Tendaji just looked at her, even as she took to the air above him like some avenging angel. His eyes were like two placid pools as she dove at him, both of her hooves outstretched with intent to smash the zebra straight into the ground. He sighed, shaking his head.

“No, Miss Raindrops, we are not.”

Raindrops didn’t feel the blow nearly as much as she knew she should have, mostly because of her starmetal armor, softening what otherwise would have been a strike she knew may well have broken multiple ribs. The flash of light she saw indicated the blow had definitely counted as a scoring hit and one of her tokens had gone out. Tendaji had ducked under her outstretched hooves and reared up himself, planting both his fore hooves into her chest in a stiff, twin blow that halted her diving momentum completely and sent her flying backwards, bouncing off the ground once or twice before coming to race face down.

Even if her starmetal armor, kept the hit from doing any serious damage beyond what she knew was going to be one wicked bruise, the breath was once more knocked from her and she was stunned for a few seconds, unable to move.

“I apologize once more. I know you hold great anger towards me. It seems to be your Path, though I know ponies do not believe in these things. We will speak again. I wish you luck in the rest of the Grand Melee.”

With that Tendaji turned and trotted away, leaving Raindrops to get back to her hooves, breathing hard, and struggling with her rage that said to follow him and try to pummel him into the dirt again. Shame burned her almost as much, because she realized she’d just gotten her flank kicked, and hard, but she shoved down hard on both the anger and shame until it was condensed in a neat little ball in her gut that she could ruminate on later.

She rose into the air with a few slow wing flaps, flew over to snatch up the tokens Tendaji had removed earlier, and then turned to go catch up with the girls.

Dao Ming inclined her head an inch downward in a formal nod of respect to the griffin standing across from her along a narrow bridge of stone that spanned the space between to larger stone blocks. Their bodies were both beaded with sweat but Dao Ming was controlling her breathing and maintained a poised appearance.

“I complement you,” Dao Ming said with complete sincerity, “Although attacking me without first introducing yourself is somewhat uncouth. However I understand if griffin cultural belief does not extend to formality during combat.”

The female griffin chuckled, red tinged feathers dancing with the movement. Upon her body Dao Ming counted that six of her ten tokens had been used up, five of those from blows Dao Ming had inflicted during the course of their skirmish. Dao Ming’s tokens remained unblemished, though not through lack of expended efforts on her part. She meant her complement honestly, as this griffin had proven skillful, more so than most she had faced thus far. Dao Ming counted a camel from Naquah and a Perfedrich knight among her defeated contestants thus far, both of which had given her good... warm ups. The camel especially had displayed remarkable flexibility in unarmed combat and Dao Ming made a mental note to thank him in a more meaningful manner afterwards for showing her a few maneuvers she had never considered possible, although she imagined being double jointed likely helped.

So far she was vastly enjoying herself. The air was bracing, her focus serene, and her fellow champions had not disappointed her; especially this griffin whose name she was most keenly curious about, now.

“We’re not much on formality, no,” said the griffin, sharp eyes looking over Dao Ming as if seeking a weakness in the kirin’s defenses, which Dao Ming didn’t doubt was actually the case. “This ain’t a real fight, but it's just the griffin way to treat this stuff like it's for real. Makes sure we’re always ready for the real thing. Besides, figured if you couldn’t defend yourself from a divebomb without a warning and introduction then we wouldn’t get much of a match out of each other.”

Dao Ming considered this and decided not to take offense. Even in times of open warfare, which were rare to the point of being mere history in the Heavenly Empire, there were formalities to be observed. Competition was much more the common method of conflict resolution back home, and each social scenario had its own rules to be followed to the letter. The Contest of Champions was, conversely, much more loose, almost scandalously so by Dao Ming’s standards, but she was willing to weather it for the chance to learn and honor herself and prove her worth.

“I trust I have proven that your concern is unfounded? I seem to have made five strikes to your... none, against me,” Dao Ming said, measuring her tone to only allow an edge of her satisfaction to creep in.

Dao Ming found the griffin’s relaxed smile surprising. “Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn Var Basion.”

Dao Ming gave a formal dip of her blade, the long, thin jian style sword much lighter than the broadsword that Gwendolyn wielded. “Dao Ming, Imperial Heir to Empress Fu Ling.”

“Right then, with that out of the way, think I got some ground to recoup on you,” said Gwendolyn, “Think I’ve got a bit of your style figured out.”

Dao Ming’s golden eyebrow shot up, “Then by all means, show me what you believe you know.”

To Gwendolyn’s credit the speed at which she launched into a renewed assault on Dao Ming almost took the kirin off guard. Her jian was held telekinetically with the silver glow of her magic, her twin horns glowing with the same light as she flashed the blade crosswise to deflect Gwendolyn’s first overhand swing, then back again to counter the griffin’s follow up thrust. Yet Dao Ming was forced back several steps as Gwendolyn stepped to the right and using her wings for balance managed to tread along the edge of the stone bridge and come in at Dao Ming’s left side with a lower strike, her red edge broadsword sweeping towards the kirin’s knees.

Lips pressed tightly, eyes narrowing in concentration, Dao Ming flipped, her green and gold dress flowing as she performed the acrobatic maneuver. She kept her focus oriented on Gwendolyn during the flip, which is why she saw the griffin grin at her and fly straight up while Dao Ming was still in mid-flip. Gwendolyn’s sword struck fast, and Dao Ming spun her own blade to meet it, the awkward angel of her flip nearly costing her the parry. When she landed she was unhurt, but there as a clean cut in her dress from where her nearly missed deflection sent Gwendolyn’s blade across the finely spun Imperial fabric instead.

Gwendolyn was still in the air, circling Dao Ming now. “You’re good. Well drilled. Serious focus. How many actual fights have you been in?”

Dao Ming frowned at her opponent, her answer terse, “Fourteen, if we are speaking of battles where my life was in serious jeopardy. Five of them were honor duels where death was a real possibility, even if first blood was the intended result. Six were instances of slaying yokai and youma that threatened Imperial interests. The other three involved dealing with rebellious threats to the peace of the Empire.”

Gwendolyn nodded, “More than I was expecting, honestly. That style has a lot of sweeping motions to it. I take it that sword of yours relies less on force and more on precision. What I’m noticing is how close you keep it to your body.”

Dao Ming blinked, but didn’t lose her focus, jian blade held out an a ready angle as she spread her hooves in a defensive stance, “You are not mistaken. I must keep my jian close to my body in order to execute most of the Emerald Blossom techniques. The rotation of the blade redirects the momentum of a heavier sword such as yours.”

“Yeah, you kept getting me on the riposte, but not that last time...” Gwendolyn spread her wings and then shot into a dive, “And I’m thinking that’s because the style wasn’t meant for airborne foes. Can’t deal with the extra guard space.”

Dao Ming mentally commended the griffin, for she was not at all incorrect. The Emerald Blossom was an Imperial sword school dedicated to defense and counterattack against foes bearing heavy weapons, and was largely designed with the intent of ground battles. It did not account for winged opponents who could strike from more angles due to their extra maneuverability. A diving or rising attack such as what Gwendolyn had switched to using would put Dao Ming at a disadvantage... if she was limited to the Emerald Blossom school. Or indeed, limited to just the use of her jian.

As Gwendolyn’s dive took her over Dao Ming’s back, the griffin’s broad sword flashing out, Dao Ming dropped and tucked her hooves into an elegant roll that took her off the bridge entirely. She tumbled smoothly through the air and landed in a neat roll that let her spring back to her hooves even before Gwendolyn had time to recover from Dao Ming’s sudden evasion and begin to bank in the air.

I had considered holding these back for the sake of this exhibition match, but she has earned this much respect, Dao Ming thought as she levitated an object from the folds of her dress. It was a tightly bound scroll, which unfurled before her, displaying its series of gracefully traced inked kanji. Clearing her mind’s eye and looking to her soul she began the chant.

Mother of flame, flicker in the west

Spread now and shed your light!

It was a much simpler and faster spirit chant than what she’d enacted to bring the Divine Current safely and swiftly to this island. The single scroll chant passed in seconds and a single key kanji flared to red life as the fire kami were summoned forth by her call. The symbol detached from the scroll and flared orange and red, until it burst in a series of flaming butterflies that flew like unerring, tiny darts at Gwendolyn.

The griffin turned sharply to try and avoid the butterflies of flame, and managed to shake off a few, but the majority managed to pelt Gwendolyn with little bursts of fire. Dao Ming knew the spell was not going to do any actual harm, but doing harm was not the intent. The intent was to distract Gwendolyn long enough for her to chant the second, longer spell.

Sleeping giant of the high mountain

Rise to my voice and fill my lungs

With the furious breath of Osano!

Upon the completion of the chant a pair of kanji floated from the scroll and as Dao Ming took a deep breath the floating words seemed to transmute into frosty air and enter her lungs, which expanded her chest, almost impossibly for an instant. Just as Gwendolyn was recovering from the small flaming bursts and gathering her senses she caught sight of Dao Ming and grimaced.

“Oh sonuva-”

Dao Ming exhaled with the magnified breath of a small hurricane. Swirling winds hammered into Gwendolyn and sent her spiralling through the air without any control until she hit the top of a stone pillar fifty or so paces away. Dao Ming saw another of Gwendolyn’s scoring tokens flare to absorb the impact, and the griffin start to fall, still dazed. Dao Ming galloped forward, sheathing her jian in its jade scabbard hanging from her side. Before Gwendolyn hit the ground Dao Ming caught her with her magic and floated the griffin to a soft landing on her talons.

Gwendolyn was shaking her head, holding it with one talon while she loosely held her sword with the other. The griffin tilted her head to look at Dao Ming with one focused eye as the kirin trotted up.

“Okay... gotta ask... what in the name of King Gruber’s inflated ego was that? Unicorn magic?”

“Nothing of the sort. That was the might of the kami, who deign to come to my aid upon the proper beseeching.”

“Well, tell the kami they pack a mean right hook,” Gwendolyn cracked rolled her shoulders and shook herself, “Right, not dizzy anymore. Good to keep going.”

Dao Ming held up her hoof, forestalling Gwendolyn’s renewed charge. “Hold. Consider finding another opponent, Gwendolyn Var Basion.”

“I’m not interested in being dismissed, Dao Ming.”

“Not a dismissal. I acknowledge your skills, but why expend all of our efforts today upon each other? We have taken each other’s measure, have we not?” Dao Ming didn’t quite smile, but did offer an eager look, “I for one have many I wish to contend with, and especially seek the champions of Equestria. I suspect you wish to try your blade upon many others today as well, no?”

Gwendolyn seemed to consider this, eyeing her shield tokens, “I am running low on these things, and it’d be a shame to blow them all on one person. Grimwald would dig that particular barb in deep. Wonder if the minotaur and moose are done with each other yet? Alright Dao Ming, I’ll play it your way and call it here. We can square off again later, next time over drinks.”

“I do not drink,” Dao Ming said flatly.

“Sounds like a personal problem. We’ll have to fix that,” said Gwendolyn, taking to the air once more. “By the way, you said you’re looking for the Equestrians, right? Those six mares with the fancy jewelry?”

“Yes, I am most eager to test their skills, particularly that of the one named Trixie.”

Dao Ming noticed a strange look passed across Gwendolyn’s avian features, “Yeah, my buddy Grimwald seemed oddly interested in that bunch, too. Maybe we both ought to take a look into that lot. I saw them heading towards the melee between the minotaurs and cervids. How about we go together? I can take my pick of the moose or minotaur, and you can take the ponies.”

Dao Ming contemplated that for a moment, then inclined her head in what was almost a bow, giving a quarter inch more than before to indicate her increased respect for Gwendolyn.

“That is acceptable. Show me the way, Gwendolyn Var Bastion.”

“Hey, don’t get too command-y down there, princess. I still had at least one trick up my sleeve that I didn’t use on you.”

Dao Ming pursed her lips, “Imperial Heiress. Not princess. I know I am here to learn from other cultures, but I find the propensity for griffin vulgarity trying, thus far. Besides, how many tricks could you possibly have had left?”

“Throw that fire spell at me again sometime and you’ll find out, until then, let’s go find us those ponies.”

Standing at the very center of the Grand Melee’s arena was the largest of the stone obelisks created with the Elkheim rune magic that had transformed the simple valley field. This tower stood tall enough that it provided a dominating view of the rest of the field if one looked from the top, a place that looked much like a circular castle rampart. The interior of the tower was hollow, consisting of a single open archway that led inside, where a set of steps formed from the walls of the tower and led in a spiral up to an opening to its roof.

Greysight walked calmly through that archway, making her way slowly towards the stairs upward with calm, measured steps. She paused when a voice called out behind her.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but could I trouble you for a moment of your time?”

She turned her head just enough to eye the sight of a fully armored pony standing in the archway behind her, a young purple coated stallion clad head to hoof in polished steel armor. A lance hung attached to the side of his armored barding, and there was distinct enameled violet and rose filigree in the armor in the pattern of roses and thorns. Greysight inclined her head in a polite nod.

“Of course, you are a Cavallian Knight, yes? Order of the Thorns, if I’m not mistaken?”

The pony bowed, dipping his head low, “Ser Silverwreath, at your service, milady. My apologies for approaching so boldly, but as you can no doubt guess I am looking to acquire some more tokens to add to my score.” He indicated a pocket on his barding that jangled slightly as he patted it.

“I of course am willing to allow you to name the manner in which we compete for each others tokens. I just finished a rather rousing joust with a griffin spear wielder. I do not know your level of skill with that... interesting staff of yours, but we can match it against my lance?”

Greysight smiled, in a manner not unlike a patient parent, gesturing towards the stairs with one hand. “I’d be delighted to, in a few minutes. I have business to attend to first, if you will be patient enough to wait? I’m certain once I’ve concluded things up above either I or one of my good friends will be happy to give you a chance at our tokens. In fact, if you would be so noble I would ask you ensure no other champions disturb this place until my business is finished.”

Ser Silverwreath blinked in momentary confusion, “Business? Well, a gentlestallion doesn’t pry. Very well, I shall await you here, and take on all challengers who approach this tower! It shall be my pleasure, in fact!”

“The chivalry of Cavallia’s knights is well earned. You have my thanks,” Greysight said, and proceeded up the long flight of stairs while the knightly stallion took up a sentinel stance in the tower’s threshold.

Once she reached the top of the tower she saw two others waiting for her on the smooth stone roof. Sitting across from one another was Nuru’s aged body, brown robes covering the zebra’s thin but hardened body as he held a small porcelain cup in one hoof and sipped from it, while Kenkuro was pouring himself a clear liquid into another cup from a simple dark green jug. Between the two was a stray mat with another cup waiting, already full. Also on the mat was a small, square board of wood set on squat pegs. A series of black and white circular game pieces covered the board like a salt and pepper tapestry. Beside the board were a pair of scoring tokens, and it didn’t take Greysight more than a second to guess that the pair before her were wagering said tokens on the game they were playing over their friendly drink.

Kenkuro looked up as Greysight arrived, his dark marble eyes blinking as his beak turned up into a welcome grin. He didn’t even look as one wing flowed over the game board and he idly moved one of the black pieces, causing Nuru to let out an annoyed grunt and rub his chin with a hoof.

“Grey-chan! Was wondering how much longer it would take you to show up. Any young, strapping fellows barring your way with challenges on your way?”

“Just the one, I’m afraid,” Greysight said as she walked over and took a seat at her end of the straw mat, taking up the cup without hesitation and downing some of the clear liquid, “Egh, I must be losing my youthful charm. Still, there’s a rather eager knight waiting down below for someone to accept his challenge. Perhaps I shall once we’re finished here, unless you want him?”

“What, that silvery fellow with the lance?” Kenkuro asked, tapping a wingtip to the chin of his beak, “It’s been awhile since I’ve faced a western knight.”

“Near twenty years, now,” said Greysight, licking her lips and setting aside the cup, “I’m happy to see the two of your responded to my letter without any questions.”

“Oh, I have many questions, girl,” said Nuru, “I just knew you’d answer at your own time and pace. So, why here? Why the Contest, and why not approach us yesterday instead of in the middle of all this fuss?”

“I think we champions are being watched,” said Greysight, “And not just by our fine audience through those mirrors. I mean that I suspect we have eyes upon us elsewhere, and that this was the only way we three could meet and talk without it drawing more attention than it should.”

One of Kenkuro’s taloned feet began to tap lightly, “We’re being watched now, but I take your meaning. Three champions sharing a bottle of sake in the middle of this Grand Melee is strange, but you don’t believe whoever is watching us elsewhere will be able to sneak in any eavesdroppers out here amid all the ruckus of the competition?”

“Yes. Right now we’re just three old friends sharing a drink before competing. Meeting elsewhere would have garnered too much attention.”

“Then spit out what this is all about then,” said Nuru, “I’m worried about that blasted boy. He’s been agitated ever since he came back from Equestria, and my little Aisha made me promise to look after him during the Contest.”

“I saw Tendaji as I was making my way here,” said Greysight, “He seemed to be looking for something. Or rather someone.”

Nuru’s face, weathered as old parchment and crinkling just the same as he frowned, “That’d be the firebrand pegasus. The one with the Element of Honesty. The boy has a obsession with her, because she foiled him once. Fool boy. He’d best learn that stoking a fire can have painful consequences if one isn’t careful, but he’s so focused on his Path he can see little else. Pffah.”

Kenkuro’s head bobbed up and down in agreement, “I can more than sympathize. My own charge often reminds me that advice to the youthful can be like water on the back of a duck.”

“That more nonsense from that Ten Zha fellow?” asked Nuru.

“Tien Zhu, and no, he never wrote any advice on parenting,” Kenkuro said, then looked upward as if suddenly realizing something, “It occurs to me one could infer much from the fact that the Heavenly Empire’s greatest philosopher wrote nothing on that particular subject, despite having over a dozen progeny from three different wives.”

Greysight cleared her throat, loudly, and the two males glanced her way. Kenkuro coughed, gesturing vaguely with a wing, “Yes, well, that aside, how have you been, Grey-chan?”

“I’ve been well, all things considered. I stand on the Polyhedral Diet as the prime advisor to the Alpha of Maze. It gives me the responsibilities of ensuring the wellbeing of the largest labyrinthe in the Union. Free time is certainly a thing of the past.”

“We all grew older and gained new responsibilities,” said Kenkuro, one wing lightly resting on the hilt of Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

“Yes. Among those responsibilities is seeing to maintaining our foreign relations, such as they are,” said Greysight, heaving out a full chested sight, “Minotaurs have never been known for getting along famously with our neighbors. Its taken a long time for a certain level of xenophobia to gradually be eroded by the necessity of connecting with the international community. As it stands, things are still tenuous. The current young generation is starting to grow a taste for foreign cultures, but you may have noticed there still aren’t many minotaurs in the crowd. The movement towards embracing outside ideas and goods is increasing, but at a slow and fragile pace. Even a small incident might retard that progress for decades to come.”

“Do you have reason to think there would be such an incident... here at the Contest?” asked Nuru, eyes suddenly flinty as he held out his cup for Kenkuro to pour the old zebra another drink. “You saw something again, didn’t you, girl?”

Greysight pressed her lips tight, bovine features tense, “Minotaurs don’t have magic. That is the official stance of my people, a belief that has stood firm for...ever. But...yes, I ‘saw’ something. Saw it clear and horrible enough that I made the Alpha of Maze take me seriously enough to put me on the list of champions being sent here to compete. I knew I had to be here, to try and stop what may be coming.”

Kenkuro and Nuru were quiet for a moment, then the tengu said, “Your sight has never been completely accurate, Grey-chan. It's helped us a few times, but there are times it’s been wrong, as well.”

“I know that. That’s why I haven’t gone to the leaders of the other nations to spout off my worries. Not until we have evidence. My sight could be showing me something that won’t happen until the next century, or only is loosely connected to the Contest. Without more information I’d look the fool trying to tell the likes of the Equestrian Princess or your Empress that I suspect someone is planning a nefarious fate for this Contest of Champions.”

“And you wish our help in uncovering the truth?” asked Nuru.

“Yes, and any who you think you can trust to aid us discretely. My vision was... annoyingly vague. I saw this island, covered in shadow, wreathed in fire. Amid the smoke I saw a dual vision of a serpent and a hare, either killing one another and dooming this island to the flames, or aiding one another and pushing away the shadows. Other visions bled into one another, I can’t say for sure what related to what. A red feather caught in the wind, either burning away or saved by two vines of different colors. I saw a mad jester dancing amid bubbles, popping them with clawed talons. I saw fire and water intertwining, and I couldn’t tell which was meant to extinguish the other. A flower of iron cutting into steel chains, their sparks dancing like fireflies. And a raven...”

She looked at Kenkuro with worried eyes, “A raven with a spear through its breast.”

“...Morbid,” said Kenkuro with a reassuring smile, “Don’t fret, Grey-chan. I’m more crow than raven, and I know how to avoid getting spears put through me. Had a lot of practice at that during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Yeesh, those peasants could chuck spears like they were trying to make it rain an entire forest! So, you have a very cryptic and perfectly metaphorical vision, as usual. What shall we do about it, then?”

“My hope was merely to put the two of you, the most capable gentlemen I know, on alert for...anything suspicious. We continue to compete in the Contest as if nothing is wrong, but keep our eyes and ears sharp for anything that seems out of the ordinary,” said Greysight.

“Simple enough,” said Nuru, drinking the last of his sake and standing with a series of popping noises as the zebra stretched his legs, “Now I think I need to clear my head somewhat. You said there was a young fellow waiting down below?”

“Indeed, a Cavallian Knight.”

“Oh good, I do enjoy knights, with all their heavy armor and general inability to move faster than a Vivuli Forest sloth.”

“Do be kind, Nuru,” said Greysight with an admonishing tone, “That fellow was quite polite to me and I’ll not hear that you did anything silly like paralyze half of his face.”

The old zebra blanched, “Just remove all of my fun, girl. Fine, fine, I’ll be gentle to your polite knight, but I’m still taking all of his tokens. I’m certainly having no luck with this game of Go.”

“Forfeiting already?” Kenkuro asked with a sly mile and Nuru gave a curmudgeonly snort.

“Bah, take my token for now, crow, but I shall make good the loss off of the knight.”

“Wait, I have an idea,” Kenkuro, standing as well as he put away the sake cups and rolled up the straw mat, “Why don’t we take turns with him? We can jankenpo to see who goes first, then see who can get the most tokens off of him before he’s out!”

Nuru nodded sagely, “Yes, we shall also wager a token ourselves per turn, agreed?”

“Hmm, well I was looking forward to testing out a few new techniques on you, but that can wait until later I suppose. Can’t reveal all of my secrets this early, yes?” Kenkuro said with a soft chuckle, to which Nuru stretched his elderly limbs and let out a huff.

“New techniques? How many different ways can one swing a sharp piece of metal? I shall show you my old techniques with my mere hoof are more than a match for your fancy eastern blade dancing.”

“Oho, is that right? Well I look forward to seeing if there’s anything more to your style then ‘punch things really hard’.”

Greysight put a hand to her face, shaking her head, “I can’t believe there was a time I thought of you two as mature.”

“Hey, let us have our fun. If there really is gloom and doom on the horizon, it's best to enjoy ourselves before it arrives,” Kenkuro said with a smile, “As Tien Zhu wrote; ‘Eat before the rain ruins the meal’.”

Author's Note

Thanks to everyone who offered up their comments and critiques for this chapter's time in the workshop. Hopefully the result has been an engaging start to the action of the Contest, and the Grand Melee isn't over yet, obviously. Next chapter we'll be concluding the Grand Melee.

Now one note some of you might have noticed, due to some suggestions I've altered how the tokens work for the Grand Melee, focusing less on them being shields against lethal harm and more on them simply being scoring devices. I mention this because I did have to alter a bit of the previous chapter to be in line with this new information, but nothing too major.

Anyway, hope you folks are enjoying yourselves, and as always don't hesitate to let me know what you think of things. Until next time.

Chapter 7: Challenge

Chapter 7: Challenge

Ditzy wasn’t remotely a violent pony by any stretch of the imagination. Circumstances could certainly press her to moments of anger, especially where the safety of her daughter was concerned, but by and large the idea of intentionally inflicting harm on another was about as far from Ditzy’s idea of ‘normal’ as the sun was distant from the moon. Grimwald telling her to punch him unsettled her with a chilling feeling in her gut, amplified by the casual razor thin smile on his beak.

“What’s the hold up, bright eyes? I’m giving you a free shot at me, by way of apology for our little near accident...” he said while twirling his curved knife between his talons with an ease that made the weapons look as if it were dancing around via levitation.

Ditzy licked her lips, body tense. A part of her was worried this was some kind of trap, but the better part of her was trying to give this griffin the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he really had just gotten a tad too into the heat of the moment and the whole nearly blinding her thing had been unintentional? She didn’t know that much about griffin culture, so perhaps this was normal etiquette for them.

As a representative of Equestria I ought to try to understand him and not judge so quickly. Best hoof forward...

“Okay,” she said, “If this is what you want.”

“No need to be shy, hit me like you just found me in bed with your spouse.”

Ditzy blinked, head tilting like that of a befuddled bird, "I've never married."

"Yet you have a daughter," Grimwald said, with entirely too sweet a tone as he halted twirling his knife, running a talon over its edge in a manner that wasn't quite suggestive but sent all sorts of signals down Ditzy's spine that were at once warnings and at the same time fiery triggers to every protective, motherly instinct inside her little pony body.

She decided that she could forgo further comment and gave the griffin what he wanted. Her hoof cocked back and she flew forward. Her punch was swift, but awkward. She wasn't used to violence even with the numerous scuffles she and the girls had found themselves in over the past year. Ditzy was certainly no wilting coward, and when her ire was up she could defend what mattered to her, but throwing a punch was still uncomfortable for her, like trying to put on a pair of socks that didn't quite fit right.

Her hoof landed solidly across Grimwald's face, causing a hollow smack and Ditzy's hoof to ache. Ditzy immediately backed away, expecting some kind of counter attack, but Grimwald just rubbed his cheek and smiled. "I'm going to guess you've never really, seriously tried to hurt anyone before, have you? You got that same instinct most folk do to pull back at the last second."

"I'm not here to hurt anypony, griffin, or elk, or anyone else I meet," said Ditzy firmly, frowning, "Why am I getting the feeling you are?"

Few laughs felt quite so wrong to Ditzy as the near breathless cackle that Grimwald let out, chest heaving as he held his sides. When he got control of himself he wiped actual tears of laughter from his eyes and said, “Sorry, sorry, I’m just highly vulnerable to irony and you just bludgeoned me over the head with it.”

"Diiiitzy!" a nearby call reached the pair, Ditzy's ears twitching as she recognized Lyra's voice, amplified by the unicorn's musical magic.

"Ah, your gal pals finally noticed you were missing. Hey, speaking of hurting ponies, do you ever wonder if your kindness holds them back at all? Magical super-weapons of dubious virtue aside how much help does being the local hug dispenser really give your team?”

“I’m not weak. I work a hard job, and look after my little muffin each and every day. Compared to how important that is to me, helping my friends bust the Night Court or face down a lich have been walks in the park!” Ditzy said firmly, but Grimwald just chuckled again.

“Strong words, but can you back them up? Believing in yourself is cute, but belief never stopped sharp metal objects, in my experience.”

To punctuate his words he lunged at her with sickening speed. Ditzy could feel it coming but was only just barely able to throw herself to the side as Grimwald’s knife swiped at her. Her starmetal armor sent out a stream of silver sparks as the knife grazed its fine links, just barely missing one of her scoring tokens. For an instant she saw a look pass over Grimwald’s face, one where his humor seemed to die like melting ice and be replaced for just a second by a look of confusion. The look passed within the space of a blink and he was jokingly confident again, purusing her as she scrambled backwards on fast beating wings.

"You know what you remind me of? The little swallows that flit around the big eyries back home. Cute, small, and only know how to run when there's a predator around. Oh, they're good at it, just like you are. But there's a way to catch a fleeing swallow..."

Grimwald slashed at Ditzy's right side, forcing her to turn left to avoid the seeking blade. Another cut aimed this time at her wing turned her even more to the right and forced her downward at an angle. Suddenly her senses screamed a warning behind her and she didn't have to look to know she'd almost been backed into a wall of stone that snaked its way across the field. Panic tried to grip her and she desperately fought to keep her concentration as her opponent rose above her, wings spread, and eclipsed by the sun so that for an instant he was little more than a shadow. She realized what he was doing a moment too late before he simply twisted his body to let the sunlight past him, the sudden shift from being in shade to looking at the sun blinding Ditzy.

Disoriented and with a wall at her back she lashed out with her hooves, hoping to ward off what she knew had to be an incoming attack. However she didn't feel the touch of Grimwald's knife, instead hearing a sound like cracking gravel and a sudden, vast drop in temperature.

"The bloody feathering frig!?" she heard Grimwald swear, and as she blinked the dazzlement from her eyes she saw that between her and Grimwald a oval barrier of pale white ice had sprouted from the ground. Grimwald’s knife was buried in the ice and the griffin grunted as he pulled it free in a shower of frosty shards.

A trail of ice led from the barrier and Ditzy followed its jagged path to see, standing twenty paces away, was a dour looking water deer. Sigurd had his sword drawn, the bleached bone of the weapon currently stabbed into the ground where the ice trail originated from. Ditzy couldn't be sure but she thought, for a second, she saw strange sharp angled etching of some kind of symbol on the ground fading away with a pale blue light, but it was gone before she could get a clear look at it.

Sigurd looked at her with an almost apologetic grimace.

"I offer no disrespect, friend Ditzy, by interfering in your match. I saw and acted upon impulse, nothing more, though I was looking for you and your fine companions in hopes of matching myself against the lot of you. Strange to find you alone and hard pressed by this... individual."

Grimwald hovered a few paces in the air, eyeing Sigurd up and down, "And here I thought that elk-kind had some kind of code of honor about sticking their noses into other warrior's fights."

"True, but are you a warrior or a knave? Using a knife made from plague steel upon an unarmed opponent is not the act of a honorable combatant worth of respect, is it?"

Ditzy gulped, "P-plague steel?"

"Overly dramatic name for it, only the cervids would come up with it," muttered Grimwald while Sigurd looked at Ditzy with severe eyes.

"Metal forged from but one mountain in all of Elkhiem and only by... by my own tribe in particular. It is rarely used and rarer still to trade it with foreigners, but it has happened that over time bits of the cursed metal makes it way to... unworthy hooves. Wounds from plague steel tend to not heal properly. The metal is infused with cursed magic."

"Yeesh, and none outside Elkhiem believe in that hogwash," Grimwald chuckled, "It's impossible to prove, at any rate. The metal just happens to have a neat green color and is sharper than sin. This whole 'cursed' spiel is just elks being drama queens. Either way, there's no rule against me using whatever weapons I want, so do you have a point, frosty?"

Sigurd turned his cold eyes upon the griffin and placed a hoof upon the leather wrapped hilt of his sword, "Only that if you wish to continue to do battle with this knight of Equestria, then you'll also have my own blade to contend with... if she so chooses."

"You won't hear me complain about help," said Ditzy, hearing another call from Lyra from much closer now than before, "And it sounds like more is coming."

Grimwald glanced between the two and Ditzy could see the calculations running through the griffin's eyes. After a moment he laughed and shrugged, flicking his wrist and sending his knife back into the folds of his clothes in a move that reminded Ditzy a bit too much of Trixie's sleight of hoof tricks.

"Hey, if you two want to double team me, we can save that dance for another day. I'm just a humble competitor here, after all, just looking to enjoy myself and represent the Griffin Kingdoms with honor, ecetera ecetera."

He gave Ditzy one last, smiling look, "Until next time, bright eyes."

The griffin flew off so fast that he seemed to practically vanish, Ditzy feeling a distinctly uneasy twinge in her gut as he left. She let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding and turned towards Sigurd, smiling in gratitude.

“Thank you for helping me. I was in a nasty bind there.”

The water deer rubbed at one of his tusks, glancing away from her with a look somewhere between disgruntled and pleased. “The aid was hastily given and I am merely glad you take no offense for interfering with your duel. Feuds have begun over lesser insults among my own tribe. I acted without thinking.”

“Heh, I’m happy you did,” Ditzy said, then shuddered slightly, wings drooping, “I wasn’t doing very well.”

“Phah! Nonsense, you were evading quite skillfully... though I am more convinced now than ever you could do with a means of fighting back when pressed so. Have you ever even picked up a blade before?”

Ditzy shook her head, “N-not really. I’m not too keen on them.”

Sigurd stared at her for a second, then barked out a laugh, “I cannot tell when you ponies are joking or being serious. So weapons are truly foreign to you?”

“Does that seem weird? I’ve just never needed to even think about it before, and am not too eager to start.” Ditzy said, perhaps a little defensively as she shifted on her hooves, having a hard time meeting Sigurd’s dark eyed gaze. She was only now starting to realize just how differently Sigurd saw the world. There was genuine confusion in his eyes on the very notion of somepony not wanting to pick up a weapon. Confusion and a deeper underlying worry that Ditzy knew well because she got the same look whenever she had concern for Dinky’s well being.

Sigurd lifted his bone carved blade and returned it to its sheath, and Ditzy found herself morbidly fascinated as she watched. What animal had given up a bone for that sword to be forged? As if reading her thoughts Sigurd cleared his throat and patted the hilt, “Dragonbone, if you wish to know. Not uncommon among cervidkind. We’ve had enough wars with the lizards over the centuries that there’s always some leftover for us to use. It's remarkably good at being a focus for runes.”

“It doesn’t bother you? Using a piece of another creature like that?” Ditzy asked, unable to keep a squeamish look off her face.

Sigurd sighed at her question, “The Equestria I’ve seen so far is a kind place, suited for a pony of your nature. Not all the world follow’s Equestria’s example, least of all my homeland.”

He looked as if he was intending to say more, but at that moment Lyra Heartstrings came tearing around the corner of a stone wall, spotted them, and with a cry of “Diiiitzy!” came charging in like a mint colored missile. Seeing that Lyra was aiming straight for Sigurd, who was looking at the oncoming bard with a quirked eyebrow, Ditzy quickly threw herself between them, waving her arms frantically.

“Wait!”

Lyra blinked, and planted her hooves, skidding across the ground in a shower of dirt and grass while leaving a good ten foot furrow behind her. Coming to a stop right in front of Ditzy, Lyra panted for a second, hoof to her chest, then said, “Are you, huff, okay? Did this guy, *huff*, attack you or... what?”

“No no no, Sigurd helped me,” said Ditzy quickly, “It was this weird griffin guy that ambushed me.”

As she spoke the rest of the girls, minus Raindrops, followed in Lyra’s wake and quickly came upon them, all of them with relieved expressions to find Ditzy safe.

Trixie, quickly looking as if she was trying to compose herself from being flustered, cleared her throat and said, "You seem unharmed, but what happened? One moment you were with us, then poof you vanished. I usually only prefer myself to do the vanishing acts, if at all possible."

“She says some griffin bushwhacked her,” said Lyra.

Ditzy nodded emphatically, “I saw him at the party last night. He was acting kind of creepy then, too. I would’ve been in trouble if Sigurd hadn’t shown up when he did.”

Her mind kept going back to that single moment where Grimwald's knife had gone for her eyes. She'd evaded almost entirely on instinct, a sense of feeling the blade coming in that critical instant where thought and reflex were one and the same. If she hadn't dodged the way she had, Ditzy was sure that knife would have taken at least one of her eyes. Grimwald had tried to play it off like an accident, but she wasn't sure how much to trust that. She wasn't certain of anything at all, which was why she chose not to bring it up right then and there. She didn't want to distract the girls from the rest of the Grand Melee... but afterward? Afterward she'd tell them and then at least they'd all know to keep an eye on that strange, potentially very dangerous griffin.

"Where's Raindrops?" she asked, uneasy at the absence of her fellow pegasus.

"Doing battle with her apparent arch rival," said Lyra, seemingly satisfied that nothing was broken on Ditzy and backing up a bit. Ditzy did admit she was a tad sore from hitting the wall earlier, but otherwise she felt fine. Just jittery.

"Arch rival?"

"Crazy zebra stallion with serious fixation issues," said Cheerilee, "I mean, I guess if I were Raindrops I might be a bit flattered by the attention, but this is the same zebra that decided to lob alchemical grenades at us back in Oaton. I can understand why Raindrops isn't too enthused with the situation."

"Alchemy?" piped in Carrot Top, frowning, "I don't remember that part of your guy's story. Dang it, and here I thought I'd be the only one out here with that schtick."

"Honestly I don't think he's as good at it as you are, and he seems mostly all about the punchy kicky arena, with alchemy as kind of a backup skill," said Cheerilee, giving Carrot Top a pat on the withers, "Don't worry, you're still the queen of sticky bombs in my book!"

Trixie cleared her throat and stepped forward, eyes sweeping over Sigurd, “At any rate, you have our gratitude. I suppose we should go our separate ways now? Seems ungrateful to try and score points off one who just helped us.”

Sigurd met Trixie’s gaze and straightened his shoulders, “On the contrary, I’d take it almost as an insult if you attempted to depart without seeking to test yourselfs against me! Are we not here to compete, noble ponies? Do not feel that merely because there are many of you and one of me that we cannot have a fair contest! I was looking for the lot of you for that very purpose, in truth.”

Cheerilee chuckled as Trixie let out an exasperated sigh, the showmare putting a hoof on her hat and matching the water deer’s confident look with a equal gaze of bravado, “I suppose it’d be rude to say no if you’re feeling so confident. Girls? Thoughts?”

“I’d be more keen on it if we knew how Raindrops was doing,” said Lyra, hooves stamping nervously as she glanced back the way they’d come, “I mean, now that we know Ditzy’s safe we should go back and make sure she’s okay too, right?”

“Raindrops should be fine,” said Cheerilee with a comforting pat on Lyra’s withers, “She’s probably already done perfecting her juggling combos with that zebra and is on her way to find us. No worries!”

Carrot Top glanced between Sigurd and Trixie, lips pursed in thought, “Sooooo... did you just want to fight it out like we did with the griffins? Should we walk ten paces away and somepony shouts ‘draw!’?”

A voice suddenly called out from above and they all turned to see the speaker standing atop the nearby stone wall.

“A traditional Elkhiem duel is the holmgang, but that old fashioned ritual isn’t really suited for the festive mood of this here contest,” said Andrea, with Raindrops flying beside her looking on with a somewhat embarrassed expression. Raindrops wasn’t quite looking any of her friends in the eye and Ditzy could see that the other pegasus was agitated as Raindrops raised a hoof and gave a weak wave.

“Hey girls...”

“Raindrops!” Lyra grinned brightly and waved back, “We were worried, girl! How’d it go with your zebra admirer? Did you kick his... butt...?” The bard trailed off as she also took note of Raindrops’ stance with slightly hunched shoulders and not meeting anypony’s gaze.

“Oh, uh, not so well, huh?” Lyra asked.

Raindrops just sighed and floated down on slow wing flaps, tossing a pair of tokens to Trixie, “He... let me have these. Lost one of my own.”

“Did he-” Trixie began but Raindrops cut her off.

“I don’t want to talk about it. We’ve got other things to deal with anyway,” Raindrops said, gesturing up at Andrea. The red elk was wearing the same simple dress of bright forest green and white ivy filagree that she’d been wearing in Ponyville, and held with remarkable ease in the crook of one fore leg she carried a fiddle of deep red mahogany wood. Andrea’s bright red mane flowed behind her like a sheet of flame a she hopped down from the stone wall and landed lightly among the ponies, right in front of Lyra.

“Top of the morning to you all!” she said in a cheerful, winking tone, “Looks like you lot have had a bracing time of things so far. Knew Sigurd would be tracking down you lot, and when I saw your sulky pegasus friend flapping on by I thought to myself ‘Andrea, wouldn’t it just be grand to help her find her pals and see if they want to have some old fashioned group fun?’”

“Um, okay?” Lyra said, pulling back a bit from the far too close Andrea.

“Perfect! How about it Sigurd, you think you're up to teaching these ponies how to play Knattleikr?”

“I was intending more to test my sword skills against them, but...” Sigurd looked ponderous, rubbing one his tusks, “I haven’t had a good game of Knattleikr in ages. Hm, we’ll need a good spot for it.”

“Ball?” Trixie asked incredulously, then glanced at Cheerilee, who shrugged.

“Sorry Trixie, never heard of this one. Lyra?”

“I, uh, think there was mention of a game by that name in one of the old Equestrian ballads about a troupe of performers who went to Elkhiem to entertain a jarl and they got caught up in a game of Knattleikr. Didn’t mention much about rules, just that one of the pony players got a broken leg out of it. I think there was a ball and stick involved?”

“Oh, we’ll take it easy on you girls. Knattleikr easy to learn, especially the version we’ll be showing you. No traditional ball or stick required,” said Andrea, lips thinning to a cheeky smile, “Sigurd, the field where Wodan is playing around with the minotaurs should be just fine. Has enough of these stone pillars about to act as goals.”

“So be it,” said Sigurd, “I shall teach the rules as we go, yes? Lead the way Andrea.”

As the eclectic group started following Andrea’s lead Cheerilee filed up close to Sigurd with open curiosity and a hungry look for fresh knowledge. “So Sigs, what is the deal with this... Knattleikr was it?”

Ditzy was rather curious herself and also quite relieved. She hadn’t been all that eager to fight Sigurd, even in a mock duel. After the close call with Grimwald the idea of more fighting didn’t sit to well with her, although it seemed to her that Sigurd and his fellow cervids were so at ease with it that perhaps she shouldn’t worry. She suspected that even if she and the girls had fought with Sigurd there wouldn’t have been any real danger.

She listened as Sigurd explained the first rule of Knattleikr.

“The game is simple. It is among the oldest of Elkhiem’s games, played by little ones in the street to veteran warriors during a feast in the longhalls. Its first rule is each team has one ‘ball’.”

“Uh, we don’t have any balls around here,” pointed out Carrot Top.

Sigurd’s dark eyes gained a tiny glint as he huffed out a laugh, “Oh? We have many possible balls... depending on which of you wishes to volunteer to be your team’s ‘ball’, that is.”

Dao Ming, upon reaching a field upon which it appeared that many champions had gathered, was stopped in her tracks by the sight before her. Beside the emerald kirin Gwendolyn herself cracked a smile and let out a surprised but amused, “Huh, well that’s weird.”

A vast portion of the Grand Melee’s field was now crowded with a dozen or so champions rushing about the circula space between several stone pillars. Dao Ming could make out the sight of ponies, minotaurs, griffins, and cervids all running about the field in a mad, chaotic rush. The rush seemed to gravitate around pairs from each group of champions where one... rode upon the other.

The titanic moose, Wodan, had upon his broad back a red elk female, Andrea if Dao Ming remembered correctly, who was vigorously playing a fiddle as she balanced on her hind legs, seeming to stay astride her mighty mount as if Wodan’s back was the deck of a ship at sea and she a world class sailor. Wodan was being chased by two pegasi, ones Dao Ming recognized as Ditzy and Raindrops. The pegasi seemed to be trying in vain to wrestle the moose off course from his headlong charge towards a pillar that had been marked with a glowing rune.

It seemed nothing could stop the moose’s charge until a series of clay jars hit the ground in front of him, depositing a slick, oily green substance that sent the moose slipping and sliding off course and crashing to the ground. He seemed to like it, as he bellowed a hearty laugh that Dao Ming was certain could be heard across the whole island. Andrea had, through feats of balance that sincerely impressed Dao Ming, managed to keep upright during the whole spill and continued even playing her fiddle with scarcely missing a beat.

The perpetrator of the clay jar attack were ponies that Dao Ming recognized as the rest of Equestria’s Element Bearers, Carrot Top laughing with enthusiasm while Cheerilee galloped along beside her. Dao Ming blinked as she saw Trixie riding atop Cheerilee, balancing not unlike Andrea had been doing upon Wodan. Holding onto her hat with one hoof Trixie pointed with her other hoof towards the stone pillar and shouted, “Charge, noble steed, to victory!”

Dao Ming couldn’t hear what Cheerilee’s response to that was, but she saw the mare’s rolling eyes even from a long distance off. Right behind the pair Carrot Top and Lyra both followed at a gallop, the a pair giggling like foals as Lyra played a tune on her harp that seemed to blend with and compete with Andrea’s rapid fiddle.

“What is this madness?” Dao Ming asked no one in particular, through Gwendolyn was quick to answer.

“Knattleikr I think, though I’ll be a runt’s punching bag if I’ve ever seen anyfolk other than cervids playing it. Or why they’re doing it here, of all places,” the griffin said with a bemused half smirk, shrugging her shoulders.

Dao Ming’s eyes roved over the field, seeing other groups rushing about in similar fashion to the cervids and Equestrians. The minotaur champion Steel Cage was carrying one of his smaller brethren upon his shoulders while charging headlong through a blockade of eager griffin participants, looking like several different kingdoms champions had banded together to take on the much more massive minotaurs. Again the purpose seemed to be charging towards a stone pillar.

She ran over the list of various encyclopedic facts she had delved into during her research on Elkhiem and recalled only vague mentionings of the games cervids played, and yes, Knattleikr had been a name that had popped up somewhere in there. There’d been very little description of how the game was played. From what she was seeing here it was played via excessive chaos and running around at random. The goal appeared to be to get the individual riding upon the back of another player into touching distance of a marker, in this case the stone pillars, to score a point. Apparently any means to stop your opponents from scoring was acceptable while ensuring your own ability to score.

At least that was what Dao Ming gathered as the griffins piled upon Steel Cage, slowing down the minotaur’s determined drive towards the pillar he was chugging towards, while across the field Wodan had rolled to his hooves, laughing heartily, and slammed his fore legs down to the ground while Andrea played a sharp fiddle tune. The ground literally shook, and Dao Ming felt it from across the field, as what felt like al localized earthquake tripped up Cheerilee and sent her sprawling, Trixie making a surprised (and perhaps a bit too satisfying to Dao Ming) squawk as she went tumbling through the air. The azure unicorn’s flight was caught by Raindrops jasmine form and the Equestrians regrouped as Wodan made another charge for the pillar.

“I don’t understand,” said Dao Ming, “What is the point of this? Are we not meant to fight one another for the purpose of scoring in this portion of the Contest? What is this childish play accomplishing?”

“Wasn’t what I was expecting either,” said Gwendolyn, “But might as well go down there and see what we can see.”

The griffin’s nonchalant attitude did not quite rub off on Dao Ming, who while following Gwendolyn down towards the enthusiastically playing champions, was gaining a dark look of growing irritation upon her features, brow crinkling and eyes flashing. This... this horseplay seemed to go against the greater and nobler purpose of the Contest. Were they not champions of their people? Were the not meant to demonstrate their superiority to one another? Why engage in foal’s games? Her prowess as the champion of the Heavenly Empire would not be demonstrated by playing around like a commoner! She couldn’t even imagine herself either riding upon the back of another or, worse, allowing another to ride upon her, all the while with her family, her own mother the Empress herself there to watch her shame.

I will show these so-called champions what a true champion of the Empire looks like. I am not here to play silly games.

Dinky had sighed with relief when she saw her mother back with her friends out on the field. The neat magical mirrors that floated before the audience stands had been providing all sorts of cool views of the action taking place, and Snail's father, Mr. Dewdrop, was nice enough to let her stand on his back the same way Snails was standing on his mother Mrs. Shutter Bug’s back, so both foals could get a better view. Dinky had felt a knot of worry when her mother had vanished off the mirrors for a few minutes, but now she was playing some funny looking game with the big elk folk and Dinky’s worries deflated as she got into the spirit of things.

“Yay mamma! Tackle that moose!” she cried, jumping excitedly and stamping her hooves, the fore of which were right atop Mr. Dewdrop’s head. Raindrop’s father took the unintentional abuse with a exasperated but accepting grin, giving his wife a sidelong look to which she in turn shrugged and smiled back at him as if to say ‘foals’.

Snails for his part wasn’t as bouncy as Dinky was, but she noted he seemed to be enjoying himself. He’d looked as worried as she’d been earlier, albeit because his big sis Raindrops had gotten knocked around some by one of the zebras, but his good mood was back now that Raindrops was flying along besides Ditzy and the two pegasi were teaming up to try and slow down the moose.

Dinky had thought Wodan was big when he’d been stamping around Ponyville, but seeing his size compared to her mother and Raindrops staring at one of his legs like they were a pair of foals themselves really drove the size difference home. Still Dinky wasn’t worried at all! Not only was her mom and her friends all amazing ponies, but they had Trixie’s magic on their side! And Miss Lyra’s too, Dinky added. If Dinky had a thing for music she’d have totally apprenticed with Lyra, but Trixie was the best teacher for her. Well, Twilight could be interesting when she didn’t use so many complicated phrases and words to try to talk spells, but Dinky liked Ponyville’s new librarian too.

“Oh my, um, I didn’t know elk folk could do magic like that,” said Mrs. Shutter Bug with a wince as the mirrors showed Wodan’s hooves smashing the ground and unleashing a wave of shaking earth that sent the Element Bearers tumbling.

Dinky, nearly vibrating like she was on a sugar high, was chirpily happy to explain, “Its rune magic! Do you see all this nifty marks he has?”

Snails answered first, his head tilting a bit as he peered at the image on the giant mirror floating near their section of the stands, “Uhh, yeah! I seem ‘em. They look weird.”

Dinky frowned slightly, “They’re not weird, they’re cool! The ones we can see are called alu and are channel runes, but they’re totally useless without the futhark, the elder runes. Elk magic happens when a rune caster inscribes a futhark in their mind, while having something physical with the right alu drawn on it. The alu can go on anything! The ground, stone, armor or weapons, or even tattooed or painted onto skin! Then all you need is the knowledge of the right futhark to mentally focus on to then go BAM! Rune magic! Like, earthquakes or magical barriers or summoning water nymphs!”

“Water nymphs?” Mr. Dewdrop asked, looking intrigued, to which Mrs. Shutter Bug gave him a quick elbow.

“How do you know all about this, Dinky?” Mrs. Shutter Bug asked curiously.

“Oh, Trixie told me some of it, and the rest I learned from a book Miss Twilight let me check out of the library. The book talked a lot about the alu, but nothing much about the futhark because the elder runes are super secret and nopony besides elk know them, and even then only special elk get to learn them. It’s like a big secret rune club you gotta train for a lot to get into, and be an elk.”

“Do they have any bug runes?” asked Snails.

“I dunno. I guess they would,” Dinky said with a shrug. Really, Snails could be so one-track with his mind sometimes. Dinky thought it was pretty cool just how much the colt knew about bug stuff, and he did have a really cool pet beetle named Levi that was shockingly strong for something that could fit on a hoof.

As they’d been chatting the game that had started up down in the field had swirled more towards the center as the teams maneuvered to make another run for one of the pillars that they were all using to score. Dinky had quickly picked up on the game though the adults had still sounded confused about it. Five pillars, and each team had to carry a teammate who was basically the ‘ball’ to one of those pillars to score a point. You couldn’t score more than one point from the same pillar twice, so you had to go for another one each time, and it looked like each team also took turns on who was attempting to score and who was attempting to block; kinda like Hoofball only with a pony/elk/minotaur/scorpion as the ball.

She was pretty sure the main reason Snails was so engaged with watching the game was because the zebra with the giant scorpion was out there... and was using his scorpion as the ball. Zebras were weird. She wondered briefly why that one zebra had just scuffled a bit with Raindrops then vanished. She dismissed the thought just as fast as it come, mainly because Trixie was doing some magical pyrotechnics, unleashing a beautiful pinpoint series of firework illusions complete with loud BOOMS and POWS that Dinky loved so much.

The fireworks definitely disoriented the minotaurs that were trying to block Trixie and the other’s path to a pillar while Wodan chased behind them. Dinky leaned forward excitedly, then noticed one of the mirrors was showing a different angle of the field where two newcomers were striding onto the game field, although they didn’t look like they were interested in playing.

One was a griffin, and wow had Dinky noticed there a lot of them around, mostly just doing boring fighting stuff, but this one was walking alongside one of the kirin. Dinky liked the kirins, even if she hadn’t seen much of them. They looked cool and she was really keen to learn about what that magic with the scrolls worked. The world really was filled with all sorts of strange magic and mysterious things, and Dinky felt a growing spark of desire to go learn about it all.

She just needed to grow some, first. Being a foal was fun, but being an adult might be even more fun if it let her learn more stuff. If only there was a way to make the ageing process faster.

Maybe she ought to ask Trixie about aging spells sometime... or maybe Twilight, Twilight might be more inclined to answer. Trixie did have this bad habit of telling Dinky things like “not until you’re older.”

Putting that thought aside for later, she focused her attention back on the griffin and kirin who had walked straight into the middle of the game the other champions had been playing, causing many champions to gradually slow, then stop to watch then newcomers. The pair ignored most the champions, instead focusing right on the Element Bearers.

A uncomfortable feeling entered Dinky, though she wasn’t certain why. She was just suddenly a lot more worried about her mom than she had been a moment ago.

Although Princess Luna had extended an invitation to the families of all of her cherished Knights to come to the island to view the Contest, and many had accepted, she found few of them were comfortable with her further invitation to join her in the highest seats available in the stands. It turned out many were more comfortable taking spots among the crowds in the lower stands, rather than with the nobility seated in the plush enclosed seating boxes that topped each massive stone stand. Luna accepted this with no argument, as she understood that for many of them the sheer volume of the event itself was overwhelming enough. Most of these family members had arrived just in time for the opening of the Grand Melee, and Luna intended to let the Element Bearers time to mingle with their kin as soon as this first event was over.

Her concentration on maintaining her link to her cloned self in Ponyville was only a drop in the bucket, so she had little trouble noting when the small dots of a griffin and pegasus departed her sister’s golden ark, her sharp alicorn eyes spotting that the griffin also carried a petite unicorn on his back.

I hope your words have been truthful ones, Tia. This is not the time or place for our conflict to push aside the purpose of this occasion...

“Are you alright, Princess?” asked Fragrant Posey. Cloudsdale’s Duchess was seated on Princess Luna’s left, while Vicereine Puissance was seated to Luna’s right. The other, elder pegasus glanced over curiously from where she’d been using a pair of complex, clockwork spectacles to view the events of the Grand Melee, despite the presence of a pair of floating magic mirrors showing much closer views of the action. Luna assumed Puissance’s clockwork device was enhanced in ways that allowed the Vicereine to see what she wished to see.

Luna cleared her throat and smiled kindly at Fragrant, “It is nothing, Duchesses,”she said and rapidly changed the subject, raising a hoof to gesture at the field, “Are you enjoying the festivities thus far?”

Fragrant blinked once, a single fluttering gesture of surprise, then turned her attention to the mirrors, where the vigorous game being played between the Elements Bearers and a number of other champions was reaching a feverish pitch, the mirror showing Trixie riding balanced on Cheerilee’s back as she conjured prismatic spheres of light to distract Sigurd as the water deer bounded after them, only to have Raindrops swoop in for above for a blocking tackle.

“It's been rather chaotic, actually,” the Duchess aid, “I’m having trouble keeping track of it all. Yet I can tell many of these champions are quite skilled, and they all seem to be enjoying themselves.”

“Not sure what was with all that tea drinking through,” said Baron Mounty Max, scratching at his chin quizzically, “Just looked like that minotaur lady was having a chat with the old zebra and... uh... bird guy.”

Fragrant sighed, heavily and Luna noted a slight rosy blemish on the Duchess’s cheeks as she said, “He is a tengu, Baron. An honored member of the Shouma Empress’ court. Really, and ‘minotaur lady’? Her name is Greysight, a labyrinthine seer and representative of the largest city in the minotaur realm.”

Baron Mounty Max gulped, and rubbed the back of his head, “Don’t think I met either of them last night, but then again Mr. Wodan insisted we share some drinks and things get a bit fuzzy after that.”

“It’s quite alright, Baron,” put in Luna, “I know Wodan and he would not have let you go in a state where you memory would be functioning fully. As to you observation, I imagine those three are old friends. A decade or so ago I did hear tales of an unusual trio of a minotaur lass, an elderly zebra, and a mysterious avian warrior traveling together to the aid of many across Cissanthema.”

“I’ll make it a point to get to know them, Princess, and many more of my fellow delegates besides, “ said the Baron with a humble bow of his head, which caused Princess Luna a small smile. She was fairly fond of the Baron, and although he, like many of her Night Court, had his stumbling points, he’d been nothing but a boon to the Court and his newly formed province of Nulpar. It was also fairly clear to Luna’s keen eye that the Baron and Duchess Fragrant shared a deal more fondness for each other than they publicly let on, as the quick yet pleased look Fragrant tossed Mounty Max indicated.

“I will say this much,” said Puissance after a moment, “Our champions appear to be doing quite well, despite some minor setbacks. Perhaps we should consider sponsoring a master of the Iron Hoof to aid in Dame Raindrops’ skill development?”

It was not really a jab at Raindrops’ skill, as they had all seen on the mirrors the way the zebra champion Tendaji had readily countered Raindrops in their brief conflict, but Luna doubted that any such offer would be accepted. More to the point she felt no need to endorse the notion to the Vicereine, preferring to no longer encourage any such politicking or favor currying among her Court.

“Let us continue watching, and see what developes,” she said noncommittally to the Vicereine, one eye still watching her sister’s ark.

Much as Celestia had brought her agents to the island, so had Luna, and while she desperately wished to trust her sister’s intentions were as noble as Zecora had claimed, Luna was not going to take chances. She would allow Tia’s servants to conduct their “investigation”, but not without Luna’s own Shadowbolt agents on the island to watch and report on their activities. .

Kindle landed amidst the clearing in a single, dense patch of forest on the northwest end of the island. In front of him a small rocky cove sat at the bottom of a sheer cliff. Upon the cliff were thirteen stones, each engraved with names, dates, and epitaphs. His red coat reflecting light from his mane flickering with the flames of his Queen’s boon he approached the stones and looked over his shoulder as Terrorwing landed, depositing Smoke, none too gently.

“Whoa!” Smoke barely caught herself and managed to land on her hooves after Terrorwing dropped her from not entirely ground level, and she gave the griffin a brief glare to his indifferent shrug, then she turned her eyes to take in her surroundings. “What is this place?”

“The graves of the ones who fought and fell to stop the Warlord,” said Kindle, then with greater flare as his eyes grew intense, “And where our beloved Queen stood firm against the Warlord’ darkness, allowing these champions the time they needed to stop the fortress. Without her aid, all would have been lost.”

“Yeah, so, you going to wax dramatic all day or do the thing the boss wants done?” asked Terrorwing, already looking bored as he picked at the ground with a gold sheathed talon.

Kindle cast a ruffled looked at the griffin, then smiled with a nod of his head, “Of course, to business then. Smoke, since you have come along, you can aid me by providing some magical aptitude, yes?”

He saw Smoke smile warmly at him as she approached eagerly, “Yes, what do you need?”

“Merely your arcane observations as I proceed to investigate the magic contained in these tombstones,” Kindle said, reaching into the folds of his robes to withdraw a small crystal sphere, no larger than a softball. “Our glorious and far seeing Queen has granted me this gift that will show us the nature of any magical spells we view through its depths, yet you know magic better than I and may see something even my eyes might miss. Our Queen has instructed me on what to look for, but any help you provide would be most appreciated.”

Smoke’s eager nod was all the response Kindle needed. He knew her loyalty was more to him personally than to the true ruler of Equestria, but he did not mind using that, as long as Smoke remained loyal to the Queen through him. Devotion to him was not that different than devotion to the Queen, after all, for there were none in all this realm or any other who held greater faith in Celestia’s divine right to rule than her Voice?

The task he had been given may have seemed a simple one, but any order of the Queen was of the utmost urgency, and he wasted no time in beginning his examination. It bothered him not at all that the Queen had not told him why he was examining this site, along with several others on the island, only that he’ been commanded and he would obey without hesitation. Besides, he had his theories as to the purpose of this mission. There could only be so many reasons the Queen would want him to search for tampering with the powerful spells creating the barrier around the fortress Rengoku. It was a delightfully grand and powerful artifact, one of the few things that had caused even the Queen difficulty in the past.

Why wouldn’t she wish to claim it for herself? What could Canterlot possibly do, what could Luna or the Element Bearers themselves possibly do, against such a fortress were it given over to the power of the world’s one true Queen?

Well, he could speculate on his Queen’s motivations all day, but he had a job to do, and he knew not to keep his Queen waiting for too long.

Trixie was infinitely grateful for the fact that stage magicians generally needed to have a good sense of balance and coordination to perform many of their tricks and to add some appropriate flare to their act, otherwise balancing on the back of her friend while Cheerilee galloped around a set of icy patches of ground that formed in front of her while Sigurd chased after them would likely have ended with Trixie planting her face firmly in the turf.

Sigurd, while his sword was drawn and held firmly between his tusked teeth, was not using the blade to attack, but rather as the foci for his rune casting. Trixie hadn’t witnessed cervid runecraft since she was much younger; one of the few trips out of Equestria that the Princess had taken Trixie on in her early apprenticeship. Back then she’d known nothing of the elkfolk’s esoteric magic other than it involved weird little sigils that didn’t seem to do anything for anyfolk other than cervids who were trained to use them. At the time her burning curiosity, and perhaps a tad bit of arrogance that she ought to be able to learn anything as the special apprentice of Princess Luna herself, had led Trixie to convince a young elk buck to show her a few tricks while they’d been playing outside the Equestrian embassy.

Trixie recalled Luna was somewhat livid at the burning down of a local tree, although young Trixie did explain that she and her new friend had merely been battling ice wyrms and all was well. Still, Luna had instilled in Trixie the dire importance of forgetting anything she’d learned of the true secrets behind cervid runecraft, as it was among their most carefully guarded pieces of information, something that perhaps the young elk that had taught Trixie ought to have known better about, but Trixie had always been good at convincing others to do things.

She’d never really forgotten what she’d learned, either. Sigurd’s sword was etched with runes, not unlike how Wodan’s body was scarred with them. But these runes were not the true power of runecraft, rather the foci script used to channel the power of the elder runes. While Lyra had explained the basics earlier, Trixie knew a few things even her bardic friend did not. The key to cervid runecraft were the elder runes. While mentally visualizing the elder runes was necessary to activate the spells through the written script, the alu, that was just the most basic aspect of how the rune spells worked. The visualization could produce impressive but basic effects, like the frozen patches of ground Cheerilee was bounding over and around while Trixie held on tight and retaliated with her own conjured spheres of prismatic, dazzling lights.

However, if Sigurd wanted, he could do more than just mentally visualize the elder rune. Elder runes were complex and layered with numerous metaphysical layers of meaning, and it was when a cervid runecaster mentally encompassed those deeper meanings that could produce far more potent results, which Trixie knew from her own experience back as a young filly in Elkhiem. It wasn't simple to learn those deeper meanings, and only possessing partial knowledge and still trying to use the elder runes could produce uncontrollable and unexpected results. That knowledge was carefully guarded by all elk kind, and it was a testament to how seriously they took keeping those secrets that in thousands of years no other species had learned the true forms and meanings of the elder runes. This included the dragons themselves, which cervidkind had battled for almost as long as there’d been an Elkheim.

What all this meant was that Trixie had a rather strong appreciation for how much Sigurd, Wodan, and Andrea were holding themselves back. Indeed this game of Knattleikr was a lot more fun than having to beat those obstinate griffins over the head earlier.

Before the game had started they’d placed a betting pool of their scoring tokens, five from Trixie and her team, and five among the cervids. This had been joined by the minotaurs, Steel Cage loudly boasting he’d put six of his team’s tokens into the pot, because obviously minotaurs didn’t have to worry about losing in a physical sport. Then that crazy zebra with the Death Strider had shrugged and thrown three of his own tokens onto the pile.

The gathering had attracted the griffins then, easily half a dozen from differing Kingdoms, their tabards all blazing with various colors and heraldry, and before long there was one big pile of scoring tokens now sitting off to the side of the game field being guarded by a honorable Cavallian knight who’d arrived with some other spectating champions, including that tengu fellow Kenkuro. The knight proclaimed he would ensure the pot would remain safe until the game was decided.

And so it was that nearly a third of the champions on the field of the Grand Melee had gathered for this game, while other duels and contests were being fought elsewhere across the landscape adding an ambient noise of distant clashing steel and spells. Trixie had rather found herself invigorated by the mood as Andrea had explained the game.

It was rather bluntly simple and very Elkhiem. Raindrops had brightened visibly as its rules had been laid out and Trixie appreciated that, having been less than happy to see her friend looking drained and agitated after apparently... well, not “losing” per se, but certainly having had trouble with that Tendaji zebra. The jerkface. Trixie had a spell or two for that one if the opportunity arose.

Knattleikr wasn’t complicated. There were a random number of goals, usually wooden posts, but elks used anything from trees to standing stones to whatever else was nearby to act as goals; often three or four, but some games used as many as a dozen. The goals usually were meant to form a rough circle, or square, or whatever else the elks could get a good shape of goals out of, as long as they surrounded a good, mostly open field or clearing. Then the players divided into however many teams they wanted, from just two, to as many as twenty or more (Trixie had a hard time imagining just how chaotic a match with twenty teams might get, but she was starting to learn how!). Each team had a designated “ball” or scoring player, who would then need to be carried by other team members to any of the goals to score a point. In the meantime the rest of their team would need to defend the player who was the “ball” while also trying to stop the other teams from carrying their own “ball” to a goal. It was against the rules to score more than once from the same goal in a row, and more to the point once you scored at one goal you could only score from one of the goals that were directly across the field from you. So any game was a constant, mad scramble from one side of the field to the other, all the while the teams tackling, jostling, wrestling, and spell slinging at each other to gain advantage or deny it to other teams.

So, basically a perfectly friendly and fine excuse for total chaos.

Trixie was loving every second of making the game into a spectacle. Every spell she tossed was as much to awe the audience as to interfere with the opposition. Sigurd was a doggedly determined pursuer, however, brushing through the brightly chromatic spheres and sparkling illusion fireworks Trixie cut loose with.

“A noble effort, but fruitless, Dames,” declared Sigurd as he dragged his sword’s tip into the ground and cut a furrow through the grass, a string of runes along its pale length glowing with pale frost, “Now feel the icy winds of Elkhiem!”

By “icy winds” he actually meant the balls of conjured snow that his runes had summoned above the mare’s heads. The snowballs were harmless, if one ignored their cold wetness as they hailed downard, one ball getting Cheerilee in the face and causing the mare to stumble just enough for Sigurd to catch up. Trixie saw the water deer launch himself into a flying tackle at them, but he was intercepted mid-air by the careening form of Ditzy Doo, who managed to in a haphazard flail of limbs tackle the deer off his hooves and send the two rolling away.

“Excellent block, Ditzy!” cried Trixie, pumping a hoof in the air, “Keep him busy!”

“T-trying!” said Ditzy as she tried keep a grip on the slippery Sigurd.

Up ahead of them Trixie could see she and Cheerilee had made great headway towards one of the goals, a tall, thick pillar of stone that had been marked by a simple, low key light spell to give it a faint shimmer like all the other stones being used as goals. Off to her right Trixie could see Raindrops, Carrot Top, and Lyra caught in a three way struggle with a number of griffins and the ever seemingly unstoppable Wodan, nearer the center of the field as all three groups jockeyed to either get a clear shot at one of the goals or block each other from doing the same. Lyra and Andrea were both going full tilt with their instruments, providing a pulse pounding if shifting skirmish of tunes to the affair. Trixie hadn’t known Lyra could play her harp to quite that fast a tempo, trying to keep up with Andrea’s energetic fiddle. There was certainly some magic in both instruments being played, as Lyra’s harp was doling out softened sonic bursts to scatter griffins or trip up Wodan, while Andrea’s fiddle held the tell tale glow of a few runes... though Trixie wasn’t at all sure what kind of magic the fiddle’s runes might be producing. In less hectic circumstances she might’ve been tempted to use her magic sight spell to examine Andrea to see just what her fiddle was doing, but that was hardly possible while riding on Cheerilee’s back.

It looked as if they were near to scoring a point, Sigurd having been the only one in a position to intercept them before the goal, and with Ditzy keeping him busy Trixie readied herself to reach out a hoof and give the goal stone a good slap. Score keeping was being tracked by one of the spectators, the minotaur female that Lyra had pointed out at the start of the Grand Melee as a labyrinthe seer. So far that minotaur (Greysight was the name?) had been borrowing the lance of that Cavallian knight to etch out the score tallies for each team on one of the stone walls adjacent to the field. So far the score put Trixie and the girls at three points, Wodan and the other cervids at four, the griffins at three, and Steel Cage and his fellow minotaurs at two. If Trixie got the next point it’d get her and the girls tied with the cervids, and as Sigurd explained was customary, most games of Knattleikr went until the first team that managed to score eight points. Eight was apparently some kind of sacred number in Elkhiem, or at least that’s what Lyra had said.

It was only a bare moment after Trixie realized that in her survey of the field she’d lost track of that towering behemoth of muscle that was Steel Cage right up until a shadow crossed over her and Cheerilee, causing both mares to look up at the top of the pillar they were heading for. There was Steel Cage’s broad as a boulder form, arms flexed before him. Trixie saw his two teammate minotaurs coming around either side of the pillar, one carrying the other. Trixie imagined they must have scored a point at this goal already and instead of immediately charging off to the next goal, they’d stayed behind to block the next team to try and score here before doing that. Of the two smaller minotaurs, the one carrying his comrade set the other minotaur down so that they could both flank the pillar, with Steel Cage facing the ponies in the middle.

“Listen up ponies!” Steel Cage shouted, leaping off the pillar and landing in Trixie and Cheerilee’s path with a crash that quite nearly shook Trixie off of her perch on Cheerilee’s back. Cheerilee had to skid to a stop to avoid crashing face first into Steel Cage’s chiseled abs. Steel Cage stabbed a finger at them, a hard glint in his eyes, “You may think you’re on a roll, but Steel Cage is about to teach you what it’s like to run into a real, world-class champi-HEY GET BACK HERE!”

Cheerilee, having stopped to keep from crashing into Steel Cage, hadn’t stayed still long, let alone long enough to listen to the minotaur’s speech. She quickly, with Trixie hanging on tight with a look of momentary surprise plastered on her face due to just how quickly Cheerilee switched gears, dashed around to the side of Steel Cage’s bulk in an attempt to get in at the goal. However her progress was halted by a flash of white and a bulging bicep as Steel Cage threw out an arm that nearly clotheslined Trixie right off Cheerilee’s back. Though she avoided getting a face full of minotaur bicep Trixie still had to let go and jump off of Cheerilee to evade, which caused a problem because a “ball” in Knattleikr couldn’t score a point unless being carried by another player, she wasn’t even allowed to move except in minor ways until Cheerilee or another teammate came by to pick her up.

“Steel Cage wasn’t done talking!” growled the minotaur in question as he stamped a hoof and snorted steam from his prominent nostrils. “He’s got a lot to say to the mare callin’ herself Cheerilee! Now does she got the testicu... oviciu.. groinal fortitude to quit scampering around and face Steel Cage like an alpha, or is she an jelly bellied beta female?”

One of the smaller minotaurs, “smaller” being a somewhat relative term in regards to these pillars of their species, reached out a brown furred hand to try and grab Cheerilee, but the nimble mare cartwheeled in a flash of magenta limbs away from the minotaur's grasp. She came out of her cartwheel at a gallop, heading back towards Trixie, but Steel Cage stepped between the two ponies. He pounded his fists together and roared, “Ain’t letting you ignore me, flower tush. I got words for you and-”

Cheerilee hadn’t stopped her gallop and threw herself into a skidding slide, hind legs first, that took her right between Steel Cage’s splayed, cloven hooves and took her right next to Trixie, who had seen Cheerilee coming and was waiting with a smirk on her face. Cheerilee winked at her friend as she dipped her head and Trixie jumped up, landing easily on Cheerilee’s back and tipping her hat as she lit up her horn and let out a massive burst of blue smoke that engulfed the ponies and minotaurs alike.

Steel Cage let out a sound that was condensed and distilled frustration, “Trying to have a moment here! But fine, you ponies want to play! We’ll play! Boys!”

The other two minotaur champions responded immediately to his call by moving to either side of the stone pillar, groping for it in the smoke. Steel Cage literally jumped through the air with a herculean burst from his legs that despite the distracting blue smoke took him sailing up out of the cloud, right to the pillar with a crash as he literally dug his hand into the stone, then dropped down right back into the path of a very surprised pair of mares.

“Gah! W-what!?” Trixie blinked in surprise, while Cheerilee dug her hooves down to grind to halt, then backpedalled from Steel Cage, who was back to completely blocking their path, with either of his comrade champions guarding the flanks.

“You can’t keep us away from the goal forever,” said Trixie with a confident smile, throwing out a hoof and striking a pose upon Cheerilee’s back, “So what if you have disturbingly impressive leg strength? It's only a matter of time before my magnificent spells and Cheerilee’s incredible agility out maneuvers the three of you!”

Steel Cage nodded, once, with a deep, smug look on his face. His muscles coiled and bunched as he flexed them at the ponies before him, his eyes locked solely upon Cheerilee, somewhat to Trixie’s chagrin at being ignored. It was like he only had eyes for Cheerilee, and to Trixie’s senses it was almost as if there was a physical aura wafting off of the alabaster giant, an oppressive and heavy sense that left Trixie feeling as if a weight was trying to push down on her. She wondered if Cheerilee was feeling the same?

“If you want to talk,” said Cheerilee, addressing Steel Cage finally, “We can talk. After this event. We’ll make a lunch of it. I already have an idea of what you want to say, and I think I can help-”

“Help!?” Steel Cage growled.

He suddenly turned around, wrapping his thick, bulging arms around the girth of the stone goal pillar. His fingers dug into the stone until cracks splintered outwards along the smooth granite surface. Then viens pushed against his thick white hide and Steel Cage began to pull. Trixie thought that Steel Cage had to have been joking or merely trying to maybe tilt the pillar a bit... but that thought went flying out of her mind as she felt the ground shake and saw the dirt dig out as Steel Cage’s arms undulated with the strain of his massive muscles, and slowly, inch by inch, the stone pillar was lifted.

“You want to help? Does Steel Cage look like he needs help!?” Steel Cage bellowed as he hauled the pillar upward, tearing it out of the ground bit by bit until he was straining to hold its stone bulk clutched between his ripped arms, “HELP THIS!”

With an air shattering shout of pure testosterone Steel Cage swung the pillar in a high arc, not aimed at Trixie and Cheerilee but instead aimed off to the side as he threw the huge chunk of stone and sent it sailing a short distance to smash into the side of another pillar, breaking it in half. The titanic crash of noise this produced caused the other champions to all look towards the scene, the game temporarily grinding to a halt as more than a few shocked glances gazed at the smashed pillar and the heavily breathing minotaur responsible for it.

Trixie broke the silence by asking, “Uh, is this against the rules?”

Steel Cage, sucking in breaths from the strain of his feet, slapped a hand to his forehead, “Does everything Steel Cage does just not sink in to you ponies!?”

Off to the side one of the other minotaurs said, “Well, can’t blame ‘em, champ. They ain’t minotaurs.”

“That’s the whole problem,” grunted Steel Cage, baring teeth, “Couldn’t be issuing a challenge more plainly and this little magenta puff ball wants to have lunch and, what, talk about feelings?”

“Well,” said Cheerilee, “I wanted to talk to you about Iron Will.”

“Same here, floral butt, but I was thinking less talking and more telling you to back off from being so damn chatty with him. Iron Will doesn’t need more pony silliness getting into his skull. He’s soft enough already.”

Trixie, looking about, just let out a sigh, “Can this wait? I was on a roll and there’s still a whole pile of tokens to win here.”

“Trixie, this is kind of important,”said Cheerilee, “Iron Will is caught up in some minotaur social politics and I want to help him and Steel Cage sort it out.”

“I told you Steel Cage don’t need no help!” the behemoth minotaur barked, cocking back a fist and throwing a punch towards the two ponies. Cheerilee tensed to dodge and Trixie lit up her horn, preparing to unleash a blinding flash to blind Steel Cage, but it turned out neither action on either mare’s part was needed.

Steel Cage’s fist was encased in a glowing silver aura of magic, stopping it, and him, as solidly as if he’d just been bound in an iron casket. His two companions were similarly encased, both of them unable to move even their heads but their eyes moving around in shock.

“What the blue bull blazes is goin’ on. Champ, can you move?”

“Nnngh,” Steel Cage grunted and flexed, but his body remained rigid as ice, “Blast it all, what’s going on here!? You doing this ponies?”

Trixie blinked. “Not me,” she said, a faint air of disappointment in her tone as she turned her head. The game had halted, and her other friends were quickly coming her way, with Ditzy and Raindrops flying ahead of the galloping Carrot Top and Lyra. Further back Wodan, Sigurd, and Andrea were also slowly approaching, the moose in particular with a stormy expression on his features. The griffins and zebra milled further back, they and the many surrounding champions who had been spectating all looking confused... except for the tengu, Kenkuro, whose attention was riveted to the two figures that were much closer to Trixie and Cheerilee, trotting up at a casual if brisk pace.

One was a griffin female with a blazing crest of red tinged feathers that Trixie didn’t immediately recall the name of but had seen her around the party the previous night. A soldier from the Kingdom of Grandis, she thought. The other one approaching was Dao Ming, whose twin horns were wrapped in the thick glow of silver that matched that of the magic holding the minotaurs in place. Trixie narrowed her eyes, examining Dao Ming closely and to satisfy her curiosity cast her magical sight spell. Holding those as physically powerful as Steel Cage and his fellows still like that couldn't be easy, and Trixie saw the proof of this by the thick river of magic Dao Ming was pouring out to maintain the hold on the minotaurs, a far more tenuous hold than it looked as Trixie could see the magic straining against Steel Cage's bulging limbs. Despite Dao Ming's seeming calm Trixie could tell the kirin was straining to maintain her hold.

Trixie hopped off of Cheerilee’s back, whispering, “Looks like somepony doesn’t want to play.”

Cheerilee gave Trixie a sidelong look, whispering back, “Or maybe she just wants to change the game?”

Slowly the numerous champions gathered together around the scene, Dao Ming and the griffin next to her standing off a few paces away from Trixie and her friends as the rest of them arrived. Steel Cage, still struggling in the aura of Dao Ming’s magic, growled in a deep reverberating tone.

“Let me go you dainty twig head! Steel Cage ain’t going to take this crap for much longer!”

Dao Ming glanced at him like he was a particularly offensive sculpture in a art gallery of bad taste. beads of sweat appearing on her forehead as her magic flickered against his straining form, but held, “I hold you so you don’t interfere with what I have to say. Stopping you from continuing your silly antics is the simplest way to ensure you listen instead of bellow, though perhaps I ought to seal your mouth shut as well?”

“What meaning is behind this halting of a most enjoyable bout of Knattleirk?” demanded Wodan in his deep voice akin to a breaking glacier, “Our sport was proceeding most gloriously until your interference, small kirin.”

With a small toss of her golden mane Dao Ming turned her attention to Wodan, making a gesture towards the female griffin by her side, “My fellow champion Gwendolyn Var Basion and myself are here to compete in the Grand Melee, not play foalish games for fun. You are all champions of your people, yet you consider this sport a fine way to demonstrate your prowess? Did any of you earn your titles as champions by playing games?”

“There is no dishonor in the noble sport of physical competition, champion of Shouma,” said Sigurd, “Even I who desire to test my skills with the blade can see that such a game has its place here.”

Gwendolyn spoke up then, shrugging, “I don’t care if you all want to hold hooves and singe campfire songs, but like you I’m here to test myself as a warrior, and in case you didn’t notice all of the biggest, baddest champions seem to have gathered up right here for this game. So me and the princess here-”

“Imperial Heiress,” Dao Ming corrected.

“-Imperial Heiress here decided we’d all see who wanted to stop playing around and have it out in a straight up, old fashioned bit of the rough and tumble,” Gwendolyn finished while giving Dao Ming a rueful smirk.

“Fine by Steel Cage!” shouted the minotuar, “Let me out and I’ll choke slam you both into the dirt!”

“He sounds like fun,” said Gwendolyn, “You want him or can I take him, Dao Ming?”

“Take who you will, I intend to challenge all of these champions at once,” declared Dao Ming, striding a few paces until she was at the center of the group, turning off her magic and letting Steel Cage and his minotaurs out of her arcane grip. As the other champions looked on Dao Ming struck a wide pose, tail flicking behind her and her silvery aura drawing her thin blade from its sheath. Her voice rang out clearly over the field.

“Hear me! I challenge all of you who call yourselves champions to come at me at once! One by one I shall take your tokens from you and prove to all witnessing the power of the Heavenly Empire’s champion!”

Gwendolyn looked on and ran a talon over her face, but was grinning, “Dao, you trying to steal all my thunder or what? You planning to leave any of them for me?”

“This is madness,” said Sigurd, “You cannot hope to fight all of us at once. There is a fine line between honor and foolishness, and this does more than skirt its edge.”

“Hey, if you don’t think you can take us...” goaded Gwendolyn as she drew her own sword, “Feel free to stand back and watch the show.”

“Lady Dao Ming!” said the sharp voice of Kenkuro as he flew over to the scene, landing a respectable distance from the kirin as he gave a swift bow but then fixed her with a questioning gaze, “I think perhaps this is going too far. The Grand Melee may allow for the challenge you are issuing, and I know you are capable, but perhaps it would be best to wait until these other fine champions finish their game. The spirit of the Contest-”

“Kenkuro, I ask you not to lecture me as if I were a foal,” said Dao Ming, “I know what I am doing.”

Kenkuro’s beak tightened, but he bowed again and stepped back, “As my Lady wishes.”

Wodan let out a snort, “I see little honor in a battle where my foe is so heavily outnumbered. I shall not partake. If you live up to your boast, tiny kirin, and still stand at the end of this, then I shall face you, but no sooner.”

For her part Andrea merely tuned the strings on her fiddle. Trixie had noticed the red elk hadn’t lost a strange, knowing smiling from her face during this turn of events and when she spoke Andrea still had a cheerful lilt to her tone. “Don’t much matter to me if we’re playing a game, having a duel, or conducting a one sided slaughter. My fiddle’s got a ditty for every occasion.”

“If the two of you seek to prove yourselves then my Sefu and I shall not disappoint,” declared the zebra as he sat astride his gargantuan scorpion. The scorpion itself almost seemed to smile, although Trixie had no notion of how it was managing that, as it clacked its pincers happily.

Beside her Trixie’s friends all had various reactions to the proceedings, Ditzy and Carrot Top seeming the most unnerved by the turn of events, while Lyra and Cheerilee seemed more fine with it. Trixie couldn’t quite get a read on Raindrops, except perhaps frustration... but she’d seemed that way since returning from her scuffle with Tendaji. Regardless, Trixie had an idea in her head, and as she looked at Dao Ming’s arrogant, confident pose, the way the kirin’s silver eyes hinted not an ounce of trepidation at challenging such a large chunk of the champions on the field, something sparked inside of Trixie’s heart.

She suddenly very much wanted to wipe that look of confidence off Dao Ming’s face, and she wanted to do it with her own hooves.

Trixie didn’t know if it was pure impulse or something deeper that caused her to step forward, ignoring the questioning looks from both her friends and the other gathered champions as she walked towards Dao Ming. For her part the kirin turned her silver gaze towards the approaching Trixie with a elegant raise of her brow.

“Did you have something to say, Trixie Lulamoon?” Dao Ming asked, and to Trixie’s ears it sounded as if the omission of any title such as ‘Knight’ or ‘Representative’ was intentional.

Trixie halted less than a hoof’s length from Dao Ming and for a short moment enjoyed the ripple of discomfort on Dao Ming’s face, but she didn’t waste more than that second before she smiled and made a sweeping bow to the kirin.

“A brave and confident challenge, Dao Ming,” Trixie said, also skipping any titles or honorifics, and saw the flinch around the kirin’s eyes at it, “However I think that’s getting just a tad ahead of yourself. Why fight every champion on the field at once when, really, it’ll only take myself and my friends to give you all the challenge you could want?”

Dao Ming’s expression snapped into deadpan surprise as she said, “What?”

Trixie held her head high, "I believe you heard me. Several times since we've met you've questioned the right of myself and my friends to even bear the title of champions. Then allow us to serve up proof of our ability, right here and now, so there can be no doubt left in your mind that we have every right to be here as your equals."

Behind her Trixie she heard her friend’s reactions to this in a short cascade.

“Wait, seriously? Us six against her?” asked Carrot Top, blinking in surprise, “Isn’t that still kind of unfair, like, numbers-wise?”

Raindrops scuffed a hood, looking at Trixie and giving a supportive nod, as if she was just eager to get on with things, "She's treated us like we're beneath her since the moment we met. I'm all for taking her town a peg."

“I’m perfectly fine with it if the Shouma girl is serious about taking all of us on. Hey, it's her challenge, so fair’s fair, right?” said Lyra. Carrot Top frowned, but shrugged.

“I... guess so?” the farmer said, but Ditzy gave her an encouraging path on the shoulder.

“It's okay Carrot, this is just how some of them like to do things. Sigurd wanted to fight us all at once too, so maybe the kirin are just kind of similar to the cervids that way?”

“Somehow I get the feeling this isn’t about just wanting to test her skills, like Sigurd wanted,” said Cheerilee, stepping forward first and coming up behind Trixie, looking at Dao Ming cautiously, “What are the terms of this challenge? The rules we’ll be setting?”

Dao Ming blew out a light puff of air from her nostrils, head held at an upward tilt, “I shall be generous. I shall grant you two of my tokens for every one of them you score a telling hit upon me. Other than that, the rules are the same as the Grand Melee was intended. We fight, to the best of our skills and powers, until one or the other yields.”

“So you accept my proposal then? Us six versus just you?” asked Trixie eagerly.

“As if it would make a difference. Yes, I accept,” declared Dao Ming with a firm nod.

“Hey, what about me?” asked Gwendolyn, “I’m not much for spectating.”

Sigurd stepped forward then, his blade held point first towards the ground, but held none the less, “You are a warrior of the sword, so you shall find a worthy opponent in me... however you would do well to learn some patience, young one. Watch this challenge run its course and then you and I can cross blades.”

Gwendolyn gave the water deer a sour look, but blew out a sigh, “Fine, fine. Geez, you sound like my mother. Alright Dao, if I have to watch you kick pony butt then you got to watch me whoop this guy right after. Then we take turns with the rest.”

Dao Ming glanced at the griffin with a thin smile of regard, “So be it.”

“Make room!” boomed Wodan’s voice, and he gestured the other champions into forming a wider circle. One by one the champions that had been participating in the game and the ones who had been watching had combined into a larger spectating circle that left Trixie and her friends along with Dao Ming a wide open area in the middle of the field between standing stones and pillars. Dao Ming stood confidently now across from all six mares from Equestria, who now stood in a line before her with a space about about a dozen paces separating them.

Beside Trixie Ditzy leaned in and whispered, “Um, Trixie, do you have a plan?”

“Of course; improvise. We’re all quite good at that and I’m sure we can work up something on the fly that will take Dao Ming completely off guard!” Trixie declared with confidence that bordered on Dao Ming’s own.

“That’s great and all,” said Raindrops, “But some actual tactics would probably help.”

“Don’t worry so much, Raindrops,” said Cheerilee, “We’ve got something miss SnootyMcPrissy doesn’t have!”

“The magic of friendship?” asked Carrot Top.

Cheerilee blinked, “I was going to say our starmetal armor... but, yes, magic of friendship too.”

“Are you all quite through with bantering?” asked Dao Ming, “I have a Contest to win.”

Raindrops’ eyes narrowed and she said, “You know what? Never mind, Trixie. We don’t need tactics. I’m just going to pound her face in.”

“Be gentle with her girls,” Trixie said, “Remember, we’re all friends here. But, yes, Dao Ming, we’re ready when you are.”

“Very well...” Dao Ming’s sword flourished before her until it made a sharp saluting gesture with a silver flick of its metal edge, “Then for the honor of our nations, let us begin!”

Trixie had expected many things from Dao Ming. Her mind had been furiously at work formulating possibilities even during the brief banter between her friends. Dao Ming could have begun with any number of spells, moved to open up the distance more between herself and the superior numbers Trixie and her friends represented, or stood her ground to watch for the Equestrian mares to make their move.

What Trixie hadn’t expected was the speed, ferocity, and blinding blur of motion that was Dao Ming as she charged straight across the thirty foot distance between them and was suddenly among Trixie and her friends like a emerald fox that had just launched itself into the chicken coop.

Before Trixie had even blinked in surprise a whirlwind of hoof strikes exploded from Dao Ming’s spinning, dancing body that seemed to lash out at all of Trixie’s friend’s at once, although in truth Dao Ming was simply springing from one hoof to the other while using her other three to kick and punch with wild yet elegant abandon. Trixie felt herself shoved aside by Raindrops, the pegasus barely fast enough to get Trixie out of the way of one of Dao Ming’s hoof strikes that Raindrops caught in the chest, stumbling back.

In the span of a mere three seconds Dao Ming had cartwheeled through the group and sprung off to the side, leaving the six ponies dazed as each of them save for Trixie had taken at least one hit from the sudden assault. Trixie noticed that Dao Ming's strikes had been light, perhaps because they'd been so fast, or perhaps because she was toying with them, but either way none of the hits had been strong enough to activate a scoring token. Cheerilee was first to recover, shaking her head to clear it, and with one glance at Raindrops the two nodded and charged after Dao Ming before the kirin could launch into the group again.

“Ditzy, Carrot Top, go high!” Trixie said, recovering her wits and, “Lyra, with me! Back up Cheerilee and Raindrops!”

Lyra gave a affirming “Got it!” while Ditzy went and picked up Carrot Top, hauling the earth pony into the air while she started rummaging in her bandolier for several alchemic clay jars. Trixie trusted those two to time their bombing run with her and Lyra’s spells, while avoiding hitting Cheerilee and Raindrops while they kept Dao Ming pinned in melee. Trixie shook off her initial shock at Dao Ming’s attack and smiled. The kirin was underestimating her and her friends if she thought a few punches, no matter how fast or well timed, would slow them down! They’d surround and overwhelm Dao Ming once they got their momentum going!

Dao Ming’s horns were glowing and Trixie saw a gilded scroll case float from the folds of her dress and unfurl a line of old parchment covered in Shouma kanji, which she kept floating high above her head as she met Raindrops and Cheerilee’s charge. With magenta and jasmine hooves flying in a coordinated storm of blows the two ponies met Dao Ming head on, who remained with a steel calm and confident look on her face as she twisted away from or swiftly deflected the blows coming her way with fast, poised sweeps of her own hooves. Trixie noticed that Dao Ming’s sword remained hovering near the kirin yet hadn’t started striking. A ploy? She didn’t know, but fully intended to not give Dao Ming a chance to use either blade or that scroll.

Trixie felt a deep burst of satisfaction seeing she didn’t need to tell Lyra to flank Dao Ming, Lyra breaking right while Trixie went left. The two unicorns galloped to either side of the hurricane of flying hoof strikes that was Raindrops and Cheerilee’s assault upon the Shouma Imperial Heiress. Trixie was further satisfied to see that Cheerilee and Raindrops noticed her and Lyra taking position and knew just when to break off to avoid what was coming, leaping backwards just as Trixie and Lyra’s horns blazed with their magical auras.

Lyra strummed her harp and a pulse of her magic rippled in time with a melodic yet incredibly sharp series of notes, the magic shaping into a cone of deafening noise aimed straight at Dao Ming. Trixie, at the same moment, cast a spell that unleashed another cone, this one a scintillating bow of sparkling cerulean dust from her horn that she knew could induce extreme drowsiness in anypony that inhaled it.

Trixie and Lyra’s spells were joined by Ditzy flying overhead with Carrot Top, who swiped her hoof to throw a pair of clay jars down at Dao Ming from above.

Dao Ming coiled her legs and jumped straight up, horns wreathed in silver magic that seemed she enhanced her jump beyond physical limits to soar upwards a dozen feet, carrying above the overlapping effects of Trixie and Lyra’s spells while heading straight for Carrot Top’s tossed alchemic jars. Dao Ming’s sword flashed through the air with expertly aimed arcs, not only knocking each of the two jars out of the air, but actually redirecting them to fall towards Raindrops and Cheerilee, who’d backed up out of the way of the spells but certainly hadn’t expected to see their friend’s alchemic attack suddenly flying their way. The jars hit with one unleashing a burst of smokey green gas, while the other spread a burst of orange liquid across the two mares.

“Gaah! Carrot, what is this stuff!?” Raindrops shouted as she sneezed, backing out of the cloud and scratching at the spots on her limbs where the orange liquid had splashed. “This itches like crazy!”

“S-sorry! It is itching oil! I got a counter oil, hold on! Ditzy, take us around!” shouted the farmer mare, and Ditzy started to bank sharply to double back towards their friends. Cheerilee was also sneezing and itching, but had the presence of mind to keep focused on Dao Ming despite it, and hence was prepared for when the kirin rushed them after landing from her previous leap. Dao Ming’s left hoof flashed out, and Cheerilee ducked aside despite being mid-sneeze, bending her body to the side and countering with a right hook that Dao Ming blocked with the flat of her sword.

“Having difficulty keeping up?” asked Dao Ming, “Shall I slow down so Equestria’s champion’s can catch their breath?”

From behind her Trixie, who was galloping alongside Lyra towards the kirin, said, “Don’t trust your eyes so readily, princess, there’s more to us than you can see.”

Trixie met Cheerilee’s eyes for a second and winked, and Cheerilee, sporting a devilish grin, winked back and backed flipped away from Dao Ming. Raindrops, still itching but getting into a defensive stance, saw Trixie and Lyra coming, and Trixie could see that Raindrops didn’t even need to ask to know what the next plan was. Raindrops also backed up a bit, so that Dao Ming was standing in between the four mares just as Lyra and Trixie’s gallop reached her. Trixie saw Dao Ming tense, brows furrowed. Trixie smiled, and her horn spouting a fountain of azure magic that soon turned into a massive billowing cloud of thick blue smoke.

Dao Ming had suspected that Trixie had been planning some trick. She’d caught the magenta one’s wink and noticed how the pegasus martial artist had backed up as well, just before Trixie had unleashed this soup-like fog of cobalt smoke.

They think merely removing one of my senses is enough to deter me? Do they not understand that the training of one destined to be the Imperial Heir involves far more debilitating circumstances than this? They insult me with these presumptions of weakness.

She’d undergone sensory deprivation training while learning the arts of combat. She’d matched her instructors of both hoof and blade while blindfolded and training amidst a howling snowstorm upon the Heavenly Empire’s highest peaks. What good would this smoke do?

This merely proves why I must do this. Trixie and these other ponies are not taking their position as champions seriously enough if they believe these skills sufficient to stand as an equal with the rest of the champions who have earned the title.

She closed her eyes, extending her other senses outward, hearing and smell and the less tangible sense Kenkuro had spent countless months drilling into her, that of her spirit. She had nowhere near the proficiency that the old tengu did with the raw matter of one’s chi, but she could still extend it out enough to feel the world, if only within a fraction circle around her.

With mind, body, and spirit focused, she sensed the world, and felt the movement around her. The stamp of hooves, and brush of air an instant before a hoof struck out of the smoke at Dao Ming’s back. She rolled aside, sword ready in her magic grip, but the presence had retreated into the smoke before Dao Ming could counter attack. She heard more hooves, the pleasant chords of a harp, and Dao Ming leaped into a long front flip to avoid a blast of sonic force from the one called Lyra, yet again before Dao Ming could retaliate the sense of the unicorn mare had vanished into the smoke.

They’re practiced at this game of smoke and mirrors, at least. They’re trying to get me off balance. It won’t work. I have hardly begun to use my own power. Perhaps I should cease to... what was the Equestrian phrase? Sandbagging?

She heard the sound of something uncorking and muffled voices, but it seemed this smoke of Trixie’s subdued sound to a degree, for while she could pick out hoof movements that were close, these voices sounded as if from behind a wall. Still, she decided to aim at them, and floated down the scroll she’d unfurled earlier. Still keeping alert for more attacks she quickly spoke the chant of the spell scroll.

Furious judge poised on the clouds!

Sneer upon those who crawl beneath you!

The chant agitated and gathered the air kami swirling around her, the spirits of air and sky flowing through her and taking of her energy to manifest their will in tune to her chant’s request. Small, spinning crescents of wind flew out in a haphazard pattern in the direction she’d heard the muffled voices. The air crescents were far from a potent attack, rather more meant to knock foes off their hooves or blow them back a few dozen paces, but she knew it’d get the pony's attention and was pleased to hear a muffled yelp as at least one of the crescents must have hit home.

The spell also had the benefit of creating a narrow tunnel of cleared air through the blue smoke, through which she was able to see outside just briefly to notice she’d hit the gray pegasus, Ditzy was it? Ditzy had been knocked off her hooves in a dazed sprawl, but credit where it was due the mare had already started to get back up within seconds. Dao Ming also saw the orange maned one, Carrot Top, pouring some kind of watery blue liquid over Raindrops, perhaps an antidote to the itching chemical from before? The smoke closed up again too fast for Dao Ming to see more but she was satisfied to know that for the moment only three of her opponents were in the smoke cloud.

Hearing more hooves around her, suspecting her spell had caused one of the other mares to decide to take a chance on a firmer attack upon her, Dao Ming turned to swipe with the flat of her sword, hoping to give a telling slap to the face of the pony coming her way. She did see through a swirl of the smoke what looked to be Cheerilee’s face, but rather than Dao Ming’s sword giving the other mare a solid slap with her sword the blade merely passed through the image as if it too were smoke, and Cheerilee’s visage shimmered as if no more than a heat mirage.

At that same instant the real Cheerilee burst in behind Dao Ming and kicked out with a spinning side-buck that caught Dao Ming off guard. She threw herself into a roll to take the impact as lightly as possible but Cheerilee was shockingly strong for such a seemingly common equine and Dao Ming still felt the sting of the hit as she rolled aside. She felt a spike of fear that she instantly quashed and glanced at her tokens. With a suppressed sigh of relief she saw the blow, while solid, had not been telling enough to score on one of the tokens.

But that had been a close call, and Dao Ming did not intend to allow it to happen again. Failure of any kind was not an option. Thousands from every corner of the globe were watching, and more importantly, the entire Imperial family and the Empress had their eyes upon her. Dao Ming decided it was time to stop playing lightly with these arrogant mares from Ponyville who thought themselves her equal.

She didn’t have to look to know which scrolls to draw next, knowing the location of each scroll and the spirit chants upon them as if the delicately inked kanji were etched upon her own soul rather than the treated parchment made from the most sacred trees residing on the Heavenly Empire’s tallest mountains. Two scrolls flew from their place amid her robes and she began chanting before they were even fully unfurled.

Snap awake sleeping giant of the north sea

Rumble and quake through the waves!

Of course her voice drew her opponents to her like a beacon, but Dao Ming had both expected and tensed her body and readiness for the attack she knew would come. She’d already gleaned just how much Trixie seemed to enjoy misdirection as a tactic, and it seemed her friends were both willing and able to work within that paradigm. If nothing else Dao Ming might grant a small amount of credit to these mares that their teamwork was impeccable.

When the attack came it was three pronged and laden with deception.

The first was a gliding flyby hoof strike from above, but Dao Ming sensed the lack of violent intent behind it despite the glimpse of jasmine coat and realised it was another illusion, the real Raindrops instead flying lower for a sweeping kick that would have taken Dao Ming’s hooves out from under her and ruined her spirit chant if she hadn’t anticipated it and jumped over the swift strike. The second prong was a clay jar from Carrot Top, yet it was surrounded by a dozen more illusion jars that would have completely confounded anypony trying to defend themselves, but in Dao Ming's case she twirled her blade in a rapid buzz-saw motion in front of her broke apart the illusions and deflected the real jar, which burst in a splash of goo that was dispersed away from Dao Ming by the force of her blade’s spinning. The third prong came as Dao Ming landed, with a half dozen Lyras suddenly appeared from the fog and unleashed magical notes from their instruments. Dao Ming knew these had to be illusions save for one, but the sound coming from each harp sounded very real and seeded with magical power. She only had a split second to decide which was the real Lyra. With a fifty-fifty chance being higher than one in six, Dao Ming spun herself in a wheeling hind kick that swept towards three of the Lyras... one of which went wide eyed at the kirin hoof flying at her face and barely managed to jump back and avoid what would have been a muzzle crunching blow.

With the immediate assault upon her turned aside, Dao Ming quickly finished her chant. Already the dormant water spirits hanging in the air had been responding to her call, condensing into drops of hanging water around her. Summoning water spirits was much easier the closer one was to the proper source, and while there weren’t any immediate pools or streams nearby, the fact this was an island ensured there was more than enough moisture in the air for her needs.

Flood and reclaim the lands above

Burst forth and sweep all away!

Small droplets of water gathered, tens, then hundreds, which then became a twisting series of snaking water currents that flowing faster and faster around Dao Ming like a series of intersecting rivers. When the bands of water became large around as full grown ponies, their speed spinning so fast as to create a constant drowning roar, then the water burst outward in a fast, harsh wave near fifteen feet tall, rushing at a speed like a hurricane.

Dao Ming heard a series of shocked and surprised shouts and yelps from around her, and the illusionary fog cleared as no doubt Trixie’s concentration on the spell was broken. Dao Ming tucked away her scrolls as the space around her became visible once more.

Trixie and her friends lay sprawled at about fifty or so paces away, when the water wave would have played out. Dao Ming knew their injuries, if any, would be minimal, The spell was normally meant to create a much more powerful and harmful surge of water that could sweep up foes and crush them, but Dao Ming had used her willpower to hold back the spirits from such punishing force and instead had just used the wave to sweep Trixie and her friends back. The spell also served to get rid of the fog and open up the space around her. One by one Trixie and the other mares picked up their soaked forms, Raindrops shaking herself off in a way that reminded Dao Ming of the guard dogs of the Imperial Palace after a harsh storm.

Trixie, wringing out her ridiculous looking hat, plopped it back on her head and gave Dao Ming a withering look. Dao Ming found it strangely... familiar.

Dao Ming stood looking down her gold scaled kirin snout at Trixie and her friends and as much as it was lighting an irritated fire underneath Trixie she also found the look strangely... familiar.

Shaking the feeling off Trixie did her best to look unconcerned with the fact that she and her friends had just been knocked aside by a land bound wave of all things that apparently Dao Ming summoned out of nowhere with excessively flowery chanting. She laughed, wrung out her soaked hat, and got it placed back on her head while giving Dao Ming a scathing look.

“So, Trixie... new plan?” asked Carrot Top, checking her clay jars to make sure none had been broken by the way that wave had tossed them about.

“Yeah, not to sound defeatist but she’s not even looking winded yet,” said Lyra, face carved into a mint frown as she examined her lyre, “Don’t suppose anypony has any amazing secret techniques or aces up their sleeves?”

“Ponies usually don’t have sleeves, do they?” asked Ditzy.

“The phrase comes from historic dealings with the griffins, who traditionally almost always wore armor, and had hidden weapons up their sleeves, even during peace talks,” said Cheerilee, cracking her neck with some audible pops and knocking some water out of her ear.

Historical context aside Trixie did have a ace in the hole, as it were. The spell she had developed with Twilight Sparkle’s help. She was sure if she used it Dao Ming wouldn’t be prepared for it and that defeating her would be a snap. The only problem was that the spell’s real purpose was to be a last ditch trump card in case she and her friends had to face Corona without the help of the Elements of Harmony. With Corona now watching this very contest Trixie was hesitant to use that spell, as it would tip Corona off and remove any element of surprise the spell would have if Trixie had to use it against the alicorn. Trixie wanted to win but wasn’t about to risk the spell’s future use that might save her and her friend’s lives just to erase that arrogant look off Dao Ming’s face.

Besides, Trixie was still confident they could win without needing any trump cards. Dao Ming was entirely too skilled in close combat for a mage, but those spells of hers took time to chant out, and Trixie had already figured that the more Dao Ming chanted the more powerful the spell was. Dao Ming also seemed to rely on keeping a calm, poised mind in order to fight like she did. If Trixie could break that concentration, if only for an instant...

Trixie’s mind snapped back to the previous night, remembering that when the Shouma Empress had appeared to greet Corona that Dao Ming had tried to dissuade the Empress from even approaching Corona, and had been swiftly rebuked. Trixie recalled vividly the immediate deference Dao Ming had showed for her mother and a plan formulated in her mind.

“We can beat her,” Trixie said, “We just have to hit her where she’s weakest.”

“Her kneecaps?” suggested Raindrops.

Trixie and the others looked at her and Raindrops coughed, glancing away, “What? I’m not being serious. Mostly. Not really in my best mood right now.”

“We’ll cut you some slack, but after this we’re all going out for massages and an excessive lunch involving copious amounts of desert at the end,” said Cheerilee firmly and with a wink at Raindrops, who smiled appreciatively.

“At any rate I need you girls to keep her busy for a minute,” said Trixie, eyes narrowing, “I think I know just what will throw her for a loop, but it’ll take a second to get the illusion right. When I do, and she gets distracted, hit her with everything you’ve got.”

Dao Ming hadn’t been able to hear what the mares from Ponyville were discussing, but she felt no need to interrupt. It didn’t matter what plans Trixie and her friends were trying to devise, it wouldn’t work. Dao Ming was confident she’d already taken these mare’s full measure. No doubt Trixie would attempt some manner of devious deception again, but Dao Ming trusted her senses to defeat whatever illusions this so-called “champion” would try to conjure. Then she would take them apart piecemeal and thoroughly demonstrate to all watching, most importantly her mother and Empress, how worthy Dao Ming’s lifetime of training had made her for this moment.

The ponies stopped their hushed talk and took up formation before Dao Ming, five of them forming a line in front of Trixie. Dao Ming raised an golden eyebrow in a small arch, watching curiously. Then all the mares save for Trixie rushed forward, Cheerilee leading the way with Carrot Top and Lyra flanking her, and Ditzy and Raindrops taking to the air. Trixie stayed behind, and while her hat hid her horn Dao Ming didn’t doubt the mare was preparing some kind of spell.

Tch, so be it. Ply your tricks, magician. I shall not fall for them.

Cheerilee dove in first, throwing a fast jab that Dao Ming blocked with her sword, which she realized was Cheerilee’s intent as Ditzy and Raindrops swooped in from above at opposite angles. Dao Ming recognized the snapping side kick from Raindrops as having echos of one of the Heavenly Empire’s older hoof-to-hoof forms, and granted a small twinge of admiration that it was a well executed kick with good focus. The other pegasus, Ditzy, swept in with a hesitant, almost clumsy hoof strike saved only by the swiftness of the pegasus herself.

Dao Ming couldn’t dodge, so instead raised her right foreleg to take Raindrops’ kick, while shifting her stance to the left just enough to absorb the blow from Ditzy. Even blocked Raindrops’ hind hoof hit hard enough to make Dao Ming’s eyes widen in a flash of amazement at the strength of this mare. She’d faced oni in the fog choked bamboo forests of the south provinces that didn’t hit as hard as this humble looking pegasus!

Dao Ming had to twist her body, all but going into a sideways flip, that redirected the momentum of Raindrops and Ditzy and sent the pair of fliers spinning by her. At the same time she swiped out with her blade, forcing Cheerilee back, but only for an instant. Like a berry colored asp Cheerilee slid aside of Dao Ming’s sword and came in with slick, speedy hoof strikes that Dao Ming had to concentrate to ward off with her own fast hoof work and blocks. More and more Cheerilee reminded Dao Ming of the greasy, dirt stained back alley brawlers that seeded the underbelly of some of the Heavenly Empire’s larger cities. Dao Ming rarely encountered such types, but Kenkuro had, as part of Dao Ming’s education, ensured she had some familiarity with such unsavory elements so that she could protect herself form thugs and assassins. Despite the cheery smile and easy manner, Cheerilee’s fighting style was pure, unrefined yet brutal brawling of the kind that made Dao Ming fear for her kidneys.

Still, while skilled and determined, Dao Ming could still tell that she had the advantage of both experience and focus. One on one none of these mares were a match for her, and even all together, while Dao Ming felt... pressured, she remained confident of her chances. Even as she continued to block Cheerilee’s unrelenting hail of hooves she saw out of the corner of her eye that Carrot Top and Lyra had circled around behind her. With the fluid movement that only came from rigorous practice, something Dao Ming could recognize and sympathize with, Carrot Top took out a clay jar and several smaller glass vials and in the span of a few seconds mixed up several colorful and pungent liquids together in the jar, giving the fresh concoction a solid shake between her hooves. Carrot Top then tossed the jar of freshly mixed alchemic liquid in a high arc.

Dao Ming blinked. That arc was far too high, it’d never hit her. Why would-

Lyra was wearing a mischievous grin as she plucked a few choice strings from her lyre, sending just a shimmer of sonic force into the jar at the apex of its flight and shattering it above Dao Ming’s head just as Cheerilee, with a similar smirk to Lyra’s, immediately jumped backwards out of the range of the curtain of sticky goo that rained down on Dao Ming. Or would have if she hadn’t lit her horn up with an intense blaze of silver light and erected a bubble of magical force around herself.

“Oh for the love of-!” Lyra shouted, “I thought you needed those scrolls to do magic!”

Dao Ming glanced back at the mare, “Kirin are part unicorn. Have you not seen me waving my sword around?” she swung her sword about in its levitation field for emphasis. “I call upon the elemental spirits for more potent effects, but my unicorn blood still grants me simple spells such as this barrier. Perhaps if you feel this match is unfair you can stand down and allow me to fight other champions of greater mettle?”

“Hey! We’re doing our best here,” said Carrot Top, “And you haven’t gotten any of our tokens yet either.”

A flat look crossed Dao Ming’s face, “I’m working on that. If nothing else I’ll grant you mares credit that this is taking longer than I thought it would.”

She dropped her shield, as despite her projected confidence the pure magical barrier her horns could create was not very strong. She was certain Cheerilee or Raindrops both had the strength to crack that shield if she relied on it, and she wanted to maintain her mobility. Not to mention keeping the barrier up made it harder to levitate her sword or use her scrolls. It was good for a quick defense but not much else. She stood now with Raindrops and Cheerilee on one side of her, Lyra and Carrot Top on the other, with Ditzy still flying overhead in a slow circle. She’d lost sight of Trixie, but that was hardly surprising; that mare didn’t have the gumption for a head on confrontation despite all her bluster. Dao Ming didn’t doubt the hack magician was invisible, hiding somewhere nearby and just waiting for an opening to distract her. Well, she wouldn’t give Trixie the chance!

She tensed, intending to charge Lyra and Carrot Top and hoping to strike them unconscious quickly before any of the others could respond, but just as she was about ot move she heard the sound of a soft hoof fall directly behind her, and she wheeled around to strike... only to freeze in place.

“You would raise your sword to your Empress?” said the cold, calculating voice of Empress Fu Ling, who stood before Dao Ming in all her regal splendor.

Immediately Dao Ming’s mind froze up, even as the part of it that had been trained for focus screamed at her that this was not real, that it was clearly an illusion. But she couldn’t control herself. For all of her concentration, all of her training, all of her countless sleepless nights and early mornings to sharpen herself into a mare who would be the perfect Imperial Heir, for that one instant Dao Ming felt no more than the awkward little filly who was terrified of her mother’s long, long shadow.

It was only for a single second that she was thrown off, so real was this illusion crafted, so exact in its detail down to the ice sheet hard coldness in the illusions eyes, but that second was all Cheerilee and Raindrops needed. The illusion shimmered as both mares charged through the image that had no substance, and Dao Ming could not react fast enough, her mind too locked up. It was a well timed twin uppercut, both Cheerilee and Raindrops’ hooves impacting with Dao Ming’s chin with such force that it seemed to Dao Ming that the world had just exploded and been send spinning like a child’s top, through it was her and not the world that had been send spinning.

She didn't even feel the pain until she was already staring up at the expanse of the blue sky, laying on her back on the cool grass. From the warm wetness across her muzzle she knew she had a bloody nose, and didn’t even need to look to know that at least one of her scoring tokens must have been activated by that hit. It had been a clean hit. Admirable, in its way. Both mares had capitalized on Dao Ming’s distraction and had acted with such coordination it made Dao Ming wonder if they’d done this same kind of ploy before.

There was a distant roaring and Dao Ming realized it was the crowd. Cheering? Probably. They would have gotten a glorious view of Dao Ming’s disgrace, after all. Those magical mirrors certainly could provide some detail.

No doubt her mother got a wonderful view of her daughter being uppercut by a schoolteacher and a weatherpony.

Faked out by a garden variety illusion spell.

The only thing that burned hotter inside her heart than Dao Ming’s shame was the acidic anger that was as much directed at herself as it was at Trixie-

“Well, I do believe that’s two tokens to us, then? Assuming you can even get up after that.”

...Nope, pretty much all the rage at Trixie. Definitely all Trixie’s fault.

Dao Ming slowly got to her hooves with all the gliding grace she could muster, refusing to wipe the blood away from her muzzle even as it trickled down across her chin and dripped onto her dress, staining the emerald to blotches of crimson. The six Equestrian champions stood in a line, not unlike how they had at the start of the fight, facing Dao Ming at the ready. Trixie stood with a self-satisfied look plastered on her face as she gestured at the illusionary likeness of Dao Ming’s mother, which stood stock still now without any animation to it.

“Not bad if I do say so myself, but I suppose the real critic would be you, Dao Ming. Did I get it right? Any details I missed?”

The depths of an arctic ocean would have held more warmth than Dao Ming’s voice and a sharpened blade less edge, “A perfect likeness. Congratulations.”

Her magic gripped two tokens, one faded, the other not, and pulled them from her dress, floating them over and dropping them unceremoniously at the magician’s hooves. As Trixie bent to retrieve them Dao Ming’s magic switched to the scrolls within her dress, and a pair floated out, unfurling.

Soul of the east winds I beseech you

Fly fast upon golden hooves to me

Become my armor, enclose a wall

Let none silence this servant’s voice!

Dao Ming had chanted faster than she ever had before, the raw anger coiling around her heart and fueling her words. The air spirits responded quickly and vigorously, forming a cyclone barrier that encased Dao Ming before Trixie or any of her friends could do anything to respond. They did react quickly, however, Raindrops being the first to try her hoof at breaking past the visible cylinder of harsh winds, but even her strong wings and hooves were cast backwards.

Dao Ming could still hear the mare’s over the howling wind of the air barrier she’d summoned, and could see clearly by it despite a slight distortion the air spirits caused in the air. Trixie was looking less than concerned, a fact that Dao Ming intended to change shortly.

“Raindrops, back away,”said Trixie, “Lyra, see if you can break it with a sonic spell.”

Lyra gave a swift nod and twirled her lyre, hooves pulling delicately over the strings. A concussive series of magical sound bursts played across the barrier of winds, absorbed as much by the magic of the dutiful air spirits protecting Dao Ming as anything else. It was a good try, Dao Ming admitted. Sound would have normally conducted over air, but the air spirits themselves were beings of magic, and put more than mere wind into the force of the barrier. It’d take multiple battering rams to break it down, or a counterspell.

Before either unicorn mage could think to try that Dao Ming began the next part of her plan to wipe that smug look off Trixie’s face. Shame still stung her, and fear was hidden beneath her anger. She knew she must have already sorely disappointed her mother and shamed herself terrible, but perhaps forcing these mares into surrender would earn some small chance of approval, or at least forgiveness for her failure.

But Dao Ming knew she’d need to do something big to achieve that. Something she’d only ever done once before, and not even her mother was aware she could do.

It is dangerous, but worth it. Watch me, mother, and you’ll see I am your daughter!

More scrolls flashed from her robes, one, two, three, four of them. When a fifth scroll finally joined its peers in an arch above Dao Ming’s head she unfurled all five and spread them out around her like a curtain, their kanji seeming to shimmer in the sunlight.

Dao Ming took a deep breath and began to chant.

Xhua nearly knocked her chair over, sitting up so fast and putting her hooves on the banister of the observation room, her eyes wide as the moon.

“What does she think she’s doing!?”

“Sit, sister,” said Tomoko with a voice barely schooled to calm herself, “I’m certain Dao Ming knows what she is doing...”

Despite her words Tomoko was entirely uncertain of that and felt a pang of deep worry for her impulsive sister. She knew Dao Ming was headstrong, and certainly proud, and no doubt taking a blow from the six Equestrians had damaged Dao Ming’s ego fiercely, but to attempt a five scroll chant...?

“Empress, should we stop this before she hurts herself?” asked Lo Shang, looking sidelong at Empress Fu Ling with eyes that reflected the same worry Tomoko felt.

Fu Ling didn’t even look at him, her eyes fixated with what seemed to Tomoko with almost hungry avarous eyes upon the magical mirror that depicted the battle several hundred meters away. Her voice was steady and cold as a mountain river, “There is no reason to stop anything. She is finally displaying some gumption and I’ll not have it stopped due to a squeamish stomach. If none of you have the strength to watch, then turn away.”

It was a strong enough rebuke to silence anything else Lo Shang might say, through the way his jaw tightened it was clear he wanted to. Tomoko kept her own thoughts to herself, and Xhua settled back into her seat, but looked entirely uncomfortable, as if she’d sat in a bed of ants. Tomoko wondered if it was due ot genuine worry for Dao Ming’s safety or if it was because if Dao Ming failed it’d simply reflect poorly on the Heavenly Empire.

It may well reflect poorly on us if she succeeds! A five scroll chant was not meant for a single kirin to perform! Spells of this magnitude are for breaking down castle walls or slaying the most powerful of oni! Unleashing it upon those ponies under these circumstances is beyond impulsive... and I should have foreseen this. I am sorry, Dao Ming, it seems I am a poor sister who failed to understand just how far you will go to try and impress the Empress.

Not to mention if Dao Ming failed to control the spirit she’d be summoning it may well exact a painful, perhaps fatal toll upon the kirin foolish enough to try summoning it. Either way Tomoko saw no good coming of this situation, but the Empress had spoken, and there was nothing to do but watch.

The mood among the numerous champions who had gathered to watch the challenge between Dao Ming and the mares from Ponyville had shifted several times over the course of the fight, from grumbles issuing from the minotaurs who’d have rather taken the cocky kirin down a peg themselves to the eager cheering and colorful commentary from the cervid champions, punctuated by the rousing and energetic tune Andrea was playing on her fiddle to accompany the action.

Now, with the six ponies having delivered a telling blow and Dao Ming’s response of forming the wind barrier and unveiling additional scrolls for a follow up spell there was a tense silence among most the champions as the challenge reached its clear climax.

Beside Kenkuro he felt his wing get brushed slightly by Greysight’s hand, and he didn’t need to look to know her eyes were fixed on him with a questioning gaze.

“Should you not stop her?” Greysight whispered.

Kenkuro’s heart clenched. He wished nothing more than to do exactly that. He could see her, Dao Ming, even through the barrier of wind. He could see the anger, pain, and fear etched on her still features in a way he doubted even her mother (perhaps especially her mother) could not. This action was foolish to the extreme, but Kenkuro knew without a doubt if he tried to stop Dao Ming that what bond they shared would be almost irrevocably severed.

Yet he knew that if she unleashed the wrong kind of spell the consequences may be worse than losing her trust and respect, and so his black wing fell to the hilt of Kusanagi no Tsurugi and held it firm, the cold hilt reminding him that he had duties beyond even his love for the young, willful kirin he’d tried to raise in lieu of the mother that ignored her.

“If I must, I shall... but I will wait until there is no doubt of the need,” he said, the words falling from his beak like iron.

Greysight’s hand fell from his wing and he felt her small, accepting nod.

Trixie was suddenly out of ideas. None of her friends could penetrate the wind barrier that surrounded Dao Ming, and she knew she’d use up one of her few trump cards with the illusion of the Shouma Empress and that that wouldn’t faze Dao Ming twice. The only other option was the spell she’d held in reserve from training with Twilight, but Corona was still watching the contest... could Trixie risk revealing her newest, strongest spell for a contest of pride when it might help save all of Equestria if it remained a surprise against Corona herself?

Whatever Dao Ming was about to unleash in terms of magic it was clearly more powerful than anything the kirin had used before, evidenced by not only the number of scrolls she was using but the length of the chant and the raw pressure of gathering magic that even made Trixie’s horn start to ache.

Dao Ming’s voice was ringing like a alto gong across the field as her chant resonated through the air.

Beneath everlasting sky the earth quivers and shakes!

Heaven denied the mortal soul that defies its will!

Gatekeeper of the divine winds and spear, awake!

There was a static crackle in the air. The complex kanji inked upon the flowing scrolls began to glow with a fierce azure blue, transmuting into living electricity that poured off the scrolls as if the kanji were becoming serpents. The words twisted upwards, past the barrier of air, wrapping around one another like coils. One by one kanji turned to cobalt lightning pooled into six spheres of growing magical electricity, all forming a semi-circular arch roughly ten paces above Dao Ming.

Beside Trixie Carrot Top took a few steps back, voice laced with worry, “Trixie, uh, what do we do?”

“I...” Trixie tried to think of something but her brain felt like it was being locked down, and she realized that part of that was because of a genuine fear that was sparking to life in her. Still, she had not faced dragons, liches, and a flaming sun alicorn to just be intimidated by an arrogant kirin’s lightshow! Taking a calming breath an forcing her mind to unfreeze she said, “Lyra, you and I will form a barrier! Now!”

“R-right, on it!” said Lyra, galloping over to Trixie with her horn snapping to golden life as she readied her lyre to amplify her spellcasting. The rest of the girls gathered around as first a golden dome of magical protection formed around them, joined and reinforced by a pale blue dome as Trixie’s own horn glowed with multiple layers of magical aura. Trixie knew her own raw power didn’t make for a potent barrier, but with Lyra’s own shield being supported by Trixie’s, she hoped it’d be enough to weather whatever was coming.

“Why don’t we just zap her with the Elements?” asked Raindrops, face a frowning, agitated and frustrated mask.

“You mean use our country’s equivalent of a super-weapon during a friendly competition?” asked Cheerilee.

“Doesn’t look like her royal Imperial Crazypony is holding anything back, so why should we?” shot back the pegasus.

Dao Ming’s chant continued regardless of their conversation, the kirin’s voice resounding louder and louder with each chanted line.

Feel the divine blood that runs through my veins!

Mine is the voice of righteous fury and noble wrath!

Raijin, father of storms, cast your spear upon my foes!

The globes of raw electricity suddenly took on more definition as a ring of raw lightning snapped into existence between them. The orbs took on the detailed shape of massive drums, yete still carved from the raw essence of magical lightning. Then, between those six drums, another form began to take shape as if stepping forth into reality from a veil of fog. A powerful barrel chest with four long, stout hooves, all a dark indigo that crackled with streams of electricity. A mane of billowing white joined an equally long and wild tail and beard, dripping with static charge. The kirin stallion’s face bore a countenance of pure judgement and rage, reflected in twin eyes of pure blue lightning that spilled arcs of power from their edges.

Floating next to the kirin stallion, held in luminous blue magic from twin ivory horns that spilled raw lightning, was a massive iron staff capped in silver studs. The stallion let out a bellowing neigh like a peal of thunder and the staff spun, striking one of the drums and eliciting a strike of lightning from the clear sky that hit the drum and seemed to charge it with even more power. The stallion continued to strike the drums, building power with each hit until the air was shimmering with the arcane might being gathered.

Trixie blinked.

“Lyra, Trixie, can you make this shield any bigger, maybe?” asked Ditzy, eyes wide and for once both focused on a single point, the display of magical might that was looking poised to soon rain down on them.

“Elements?” asked Carrot Top, hopefully.

Trixie gulped, “That might actually be a good ide-”

Unfortunately time had run out. Amid a howling wind and constant thunder that drowned out Trixie’s ability to hear anything the kirin Imperial Heir, with a look on her face that strangely looked like fear and desperation to Trixie’s eyes, finished the last lines of her chant.

Dao Ming was in too much pain to find much satisfaction in seeing the looks on the six Equestrian champions’ faces, particularly Trixie’s. The power of the most potent spirit of the sky and lightning, Raijin, was tearing through her body and soul and taking a most hideous toll. She’d only ever felt this once before, when she’d tested this spell upon a particularly deadly oni she’d encountered during one of her mother’s many trials.

Dao Ming had hidden how she’d slayed that oni because she knew that without witnesses none in the Empire would have believed she’d done it. She hadn’t quite believed it herself. A chant like this usually required the strength of four or five spirit chanters at once, perhaps three if they were unusually gifted.

All would call it madness for one chanter to try. Perhaps, Dao Ming reflected, she truly was mad, for it felt as if her soul was being wrenched apart by the fury and strength of Raijin. Unlike most spirits who came willingly to a chanter’s call, Raijin and potent spirits like him required focus to control and reign in. She could feel the lightning spirit’s ire at being called forth, its indignation at a mere mortal seeking to use its might. Its will hammered into her for every instant of her chant, demanding a toll from her for every second it deigned to remain on this mortal plane and listen to her plea.

Sweat poured from every inch of her and each moment was a struggle to remain standing and focused upon the chant. As she reached the last stanzas she sharpened her will into a pinpoint blade and directed the fury of Raijin where she wished. She had no intention of hitting Trixie and her friends with Raijin’s fury. Only an alicorn would likely shrug off such a blow. No, she only wished to send Raijin’s power in an upward arc above their heads and into the sky, a display of power to frighten and cow, but not harm.

It had seemed simple enough... until Raijin’s rage slammed into her redoubled and she heard the spirit’s voice in her head like the roar of a thousand thunderclaps.

Fool mortal! You do not summon the wrath of the sky if you do not intend to lay low those who stand before you! I am Raijin! I am judgement! You have called upon my spear and shall have it, arrogant one!

Cold fear rushed through Dao Ming as she realized that she no longer hand control of the spell or her body, and her mistake slapped her harder than any physical blow could have. She might have had the will to control Raijin when she was using him for his intended purpose, to slay the foes of the Empire... but to use him in a mere demonstration of power? Raijin had let her use him before, to kill a powerful oni, a worthy use for the spirit.

Raijin did not appreciate being used as a side-show at a festival, and was showing his displeasure by taking away Dao Ming’s control. He would lay all of his wrath upon the six Element Bearers. He’d kill them, and Dao Ming could do nothing to stop it. She still tried. She tried to muster her will and shackle the unbridled fury of Raijin, yet her concentration was broken and while it was tearing into both her soul and body to try, she knew she was failing.

Complete and utter failure. The thought cut deep, but even this she could bear if not for the realization that her failure would have costs beyond her own shame. She couldn’t even mouth the words of apology to the ponies she’d just wronged, because Raijin had hijacked her voice for the last of the chant.

Fell now the judgement of heaven!

The spear that punishes the wicked!

Tenrai no Shiniyari!

As one the eight drums of Raijin became engorged with a river of energy that poured into Raijin’s staff, and with a final thunder that sounded as if it might crack both the ground and the heavens the lightning spirit thrust its staff forward, unleashing all of its gathered might in a single overpowering bolt of the sky’s unleashed wrath.

Trixie felt the blow on her magical shield like a mountain had dropped upon it. She was certain she and her friends were about to become crispy if stylish corpses. There wasn’t the traditional flash of her life before her eyes, not that Trixie really wanted the recap. Pain shot down her horn but not nearly as much as she would have expected from being electrocuted to death...

....which probably explained why she was still breathing and shockingly (pun intended) not dead.

When she finally opened her eyes to look she saw the last magical shards of her’s and Lyra’s shield wafting away into the air, but she and her friends stood completely unharmed by the massive spear of electricity that even now was rocketing above their heads about ten or so paces up and arcing into the sky. The air smelled of ozone and Trixie could feel the prickle of energy in the air raising her fur and probably spiking out her mane and tail, but the current itself had missed them.

How? Not that I’m complaining, but how? Trixie wondered. The bolt had broken through the top of her and Lyra’s shield, but had been aimed high enough to avoid harming the six mares beneath it.

“Did... did she miss?” asked Carrot Top, breathing heavily, eyes dilated a bit as she gulped.

“So glad I took care of nature’s call before the Grand Melee,” breathed Cheerilee.

“Gah, can’t see a dang thing,” muttered Raindrops, coughing, mainly because there was a lot of dirt and dust falling down from where the bolt, before arcing upwards apparently, had torn apart the space between the ponies and Dao Ming. Trixie couldn’t see the kirin yet, though she was taking note of others things.

Like the dark form of the tengu Kenkuro who was standing nearby, no more than a few paces to the side in a stance that suggested he’d... just run or flown in their direction? Trixie noticed that Kenkuro’s feather’s were ruffled and his blue kimono singed slightly, but more than that he was rapidly sheathing the bright edged blade of his katana as if he’d just struck with it, though Trixie had seen nothing, neither the tengu move or his strike. If Trixie was to guess it looked as if Kenkuro had flown between her and the girls and Dao Ming, and as impossible as it might have seemed he had somehow turned aside that gigantic bolt of lighting.

Not going to stare a gift tengu in the beak, but how did he pull that off? Was it the sword? Or are tengu just lightning resistant? Trixie wondered, still too stunned to do much more than stare.

Kenkuro turned to them, eyes grim and with a solemn expression on his face as he bowed to the six mares. It was a quick gesture, ended when the dust cleared and Dao Ming became visible.

Trixie had not known the kirin long, but had come to notice she’d always carried herself with grace and poise. Now Dao Ming looked like a living wreck. In showpony terms she looked like Trixie felt after belting out six consecutive performances with no rest in between. Her dress was a tatters and her mane slick with sweat. Her limbs trembled and her breaths were coming only in short, ragged gasps. Her eyes held a drained, hollow look to them, which when they looked at Kenkuro Trixie saw Dao Ming’s expression turn almost childlike, like a foal who’d just been caught lighting the kitchen on fire.

“Kenkuro,” Dao Ming’s voice was the frailest thing about her, miserable and scared, “I...”

Whatever Dao Ming intended to say, she couldn’t say it, because at that moment whatever little strength was still holding her up failed and she began to collapse. Kenkuro moved faster than the lightning Dao Ming had unleashed and was at her side, catching the kirin before she collapsed fully, completely unconscious.

Author's Note

Been awhile, but I'm happy to keep moving along with this story, now with the holiday season out of the way and Fallout 4 thoroughly beaten and also no longer distracting me.

Fun fact; Knattleikr is a real thing, but nobody really knows the details of what the game was actually like. According to most sources it was a game played with a ball and sticks, but the exact rules are kind of a mystery as it only has a few mentions in various texts about old Norse games. For the purposes of this story I decided to make up my own rules for it, imagining it as the kind of thing any bunch of rowdy elk, young or old, might decide to play on any given afternoon.

As always I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. I have to give my thanks to everyone who gave me feedback in the Writer's Workshop, its much appreciated. Thanks for reading and of course feel free to let me know what you thought so I can continue to do my best writing more Lunaverse for you all. Until next time.

Chapter 8: A Gathering of Shadows

Chapter 8: A Gathering of Shadows

Many years ago...

Ink skies bled lightning from boiling clouds that suffocated the vast mountains that surrounded the Imperial Palace. Rain fell in needle sheets, as if they could wash away the sprawling, regal roofs that had stood upon these heights for centuries, as if the heavens themselves took umbrage at the palace’s presumption of being placed at the same height as them.

Within the silken draped hallways in the maze like sprawl of carved wood a black form flew upon rapid running talons, nearly taking wing in his haste. Kenkuro breathed hard, rain water still sluicing off his charcoal feathers, having soaked his kimono so it clung to him like a needy lover. He was barely able to get a gulp of air in, and not even bothering to pause to exchange any of his normal pleasantries with the servants or guards he swept by.

He had flown for nearly two days straight, leaving the north Tiger Province the moment a swift air spirit messenger had imparted the news to him that the Empress had gone into labor. Having just arrived at the Palace he’d proceeded straight to the Empress’ personal chambers, where he knew she would be. He wasn’t certain if he was in time, but the Empress had ordered his presence and he knew Fu Ling did nothing without purpose, so she must have wanted him here for a reason beyond just moral support... although he would have been fine with that. He knew she had tried hard for a long time to conceive, and that her supposedly barren nature had been one of the most closely guarded affairs that never left the Palace.

Kenkuro had been present the day Fu Ling had confirmed with her personal physician that she was with foal and it was one of the very rare moments he’d ever seen the Empress’s face be graced with a genuine smile.

Like a shadowed wind he flowed swiftly into the grand hall that led to the Empress’ chambers, a steep set of large steps gilded in emerald cloth and flanked by the golden statues of the Heavenly Empire’s past rulers, all staring down with judging metallic eyes. Kenkuro held back a shiver, having always thought it a poor choice of decoration. It was impossible to rule the Empire and even go to one’s own bed without having to pass under the judgmental gaze of your forebears. Such fun.

He was bothered by the general silence as he rose up the stairs. Even with sound dampened walls he imagined he ought to hear some noise from a mare in labor. Was he too late? A veritable army of guards awaited him at the large landing at the top of the stairs in front of huge, thick doors carved in the shape of a regal dragon’s head, its open maw encompassing a smaller portal that could allow easier access to the chambers beyond.

Ceremonial armor made a cascade of soft rustles as the guards moved as one to block Kenkuro’s path. He may have been instantly recognizable to each and every set of eyes among these guards, many of which he’d instructed himself, but protocol was protocol. None could be permitted entry to the Empress’ personal chambers without submitting to inspection. The proper words of challenge and identification were exchanged, Kenkuro not even paying mind to the words as he went through the motions as smoothly as a stone that had traversed the same brook for decades.

The guards must have been under instructions to speed things along for the process of inspection went much faster than proper, but soon enough Kenkuro was sent through the smaller door within the dragon’s mouth, its finely carved wooden teeth brushing the crest of his head, as if he were being swallowed whole.

The chambers of the Empress of the Heavenly Empire was a gold and jade ocean of the finest luxuries the pinnacle efforts an entire continent with several millennia of glorious civilization behind it could produce. The wall reflected light from brilliant emerald crystals that magically suffused every facet of the room with brilliance. Thick silk carpets felt like air on Kenkuro’s feet, infused, he knew, with cloud thread from the grandest gardens across the Empire. Not a single piece of furniture lacked intricate gold filigree patterned by the greatest artists from the thirteen great Provinces, each elegant chair, table, or couch a piece of masterful art in and of itself, any one of which was worth more than some lesser noble’s entire mansions.

Kenkuro moved past it all as if it was no more than an inn’s common room, passing the living area and to the tall ivory doors to the bedchambers. He paused, however, as these doors opened at his approach and to his shock the Empress, Fu Ling, strode out.

Her body was sweat soaked, her face strained and ashen, her normally immaculate raven black mane damp and ruffled, and there was a clear weakness to her steps that was at odds with the mare Kenkuro had known since she was in swaddling and had always held herself with iron cold strength and poise.

“Fu Ling,” he breathed, forgetting protocol, or rather not caring, “Should you be walking? The foal...?”

His question was answered by the sharp, shrill cries of a newborn foal wafting from the bedchambers. Kenkuro could not see the child, but she sounded like she was healthy, if the strength of the cries was any indication. That much filled him with relief, but why was the Empress already up and walking?

“Kenkuro. Good, you’re here,” Fu Ling said, and Kenkuro could hear the exhaustion in her voice, more than he’d ever heard before, “Please, sit down. Have some tea... there should be some around here somewhere.”

Kenkuro took a brief look at his soaked body, but a look sharper than any blade entered Fu Ling’s eyes, a portion of herself returning through her exhausted state, and Kenkuro took a seat on one of the least expensive looking chairs. Fu Ling, barely hiding a limp, went to an opposite chair, moved to sit, winced and seemed to think better of it and remained standing. The foal’s wails continued, though Kenkuro could now see past the open doors to the bedchamber that Fu Ling’s physician and one of her most trusted maidservants was in there, tending to the bundle in silk wrapped cloth. He couldn’t see the foal, just the bundle, but the maid was carrying the foal in a gentle magic aura, cooing to it.

He looked back at Fu Ling, “Is everything alright, Empress? The foal is well?”

Fu Ling let out a long, slow sigh, like from a pierced lung, “She is... healthy. Very healthy. Rincao assures me there is nothing wrong with her.”

Her. So it had happened, the daughter that Fu Ling had so strongly desired was born at long last. Kenkuro knew better than most how long and hard Fu Ling had worked to be able to conceive a foal of her own. So why did the Empress look so nervous and seemed to be intentionally not looking back at her newborn? Kenkuro spoke with cautiousness in his voice. After all, as Tien Zhu had once written, ‘When you don’t know where the tiger is, walk as if you were a mouse.’

“Then all is well, yes? Should you not hold your daughter, spend a night or two at rest with her? Surely there will be a great celebration as all of the Heavenly Empire rejoices at the birth of the new Imperial Heir-”

“She is not the heir, yet,” said Fu Ling sharply, causing Kenkuro to halt mid-word. He stared at her, the Empress’ eyes glittering under the crystal light.

“Fu Ling...?”

She drew in a deep breath, a tremble running through her shoulders, “Kenkuro, I want you to listen. Do nothing but listen to me, carefully. I will not declare this child to be my heir just yet. Do not quote protocol to me, I know the laws of this land better than any, and it is within my right as Empress to postpone declaring an heir until I see fit. It may not be commonly done, not for centuries, but it can be done. This... child, shall be raised as a member of the Imperial Family, as youngest daughter behind Tomoko and Xhua.”

“But they are adopted, this foal is your own blood-”

“I said LISTEN!,” Fu Ling said, voice raising in time with the thunderstorm that raged outside the Palace walls, “...Listen, Kenkuro. I want you to be this foal’s protector and mentor. Do not give me that look, and do not question, this is my order as your Empress. She is your charge now. You are to watch her as she grows, teach her everything you know, but do not coddle her! Test her, push her, ensure she becomes strong. I shall be inspecting your progress with her closely as the years pass, and do not doubt I shall be testing her as well.”

Fu Ling’s voice was strained and tight, as if the words she was speaking were being torn out one by one by sheer force of will.

Kenkuro felt like his head was being put in a vice and he suppressed the urge to rub it with a wing as a headache came on, “I understand the orders, but not your intent. Fu Ling, this is your daughter, not a prized racing hound! Tien Zhu wrote-”

“Tien Zhu can go sit on a pike and keep his philosophical musings out of this discussion,” snapped Fu Ling, fixing Kenkuro with a gaze of jade fire, “And I don’t have to explain myself to you, either.”

“I am the Blade of Heaven,” he reminded her, steel entering his own voice finally, “I am the only one you do have to explain yourself to. Talk to me, Fu Ling, please. Why are you doing this? Have you not always wanted a daughter? You sound as if you don’t even want to have her as a part of your life!”

It was a flash, like lightning, but pain was in the Empress’ eyes. It was gone just as fast as her face became its emerald mask of royal control. “What I want is a worthy heir, one who can protect the Empire and keep it strong. What I want is for my Blade to obey his Empress’ order and train, mold, and protect what may be the Empire’s greatest chance at a bright future. What I want...”

She paused, and finally her eyes moved, sliding towards the bed chambers, to rest upon the bundled form which had finally gone quiet under the maidservant’s tender care. Fu Ling’s lips quivered for a second, then went still as she looked away, “...is for her to never know about this conversation. You will swear to me, Kenkuro, that no matter what you will never speak to her of this, or the role I have charged you with. Pretend your interest in her is merely your own prerogative and no more. Am I understood?”

There was a long pause as heavy as a mountain before Kenkuro let out a sigh and nodded, “As you wish, my Empress. I swear my oath to you that I will never speak of this to her, or anyone else for as long as I draw breath.”

He saw tension flow out of Fu Ling as if a dam had burst, and she slumped onto a chair, “Thank you Kenkuro.”

The maidservant, a short and stocky pink kirin, followed by Rincao, a onyx black unicorn with an equally shadowy mane and metallic silver eyes, entered the chambers. The physician bowed to both Kenkuro and Fu Ling, calm and dour looking as always.

“Empress, I shall return in the morning to see that you are recovering properly, yes?” said Rincao, one of the few besides Kenkuro who could speak so informally to Fu Ling. Kenkuro was unclear as to the unicorn’s origins, other than that he had gained a rapid reputation as the Empire’s most skilled healer and as a result had been invited to Fu Ling’s court several years ago.

Fu Ling waved a hoof at him without looking up, “Yes, yes, Rin, you can poke and prod at me in the morning. I just gave birth, not singled hoofedly invaded the Dark Lands. Mares do this everyday.”

“They also die from it everyday,” said Rincao coldly, “Take the medicine I have provided and do not stray far from your chambers. Internal bleeding can be fatal to Empress or commoner alike.”

He turned and bowed to Kenkuro, then exited the chamber. The maidservant remained behind, waiting the pleasure of her Empress’ orders. Kenkuro couldn’t help but gaze curiously at the silk swaddled bundle in the servant’s grip. Fu Ling noticed this and said, “Mao, you may show her to Kenkuro here.”

The maidservant, Mao, bowed and floated the bundle close to Kenkuro. He gulped, looking down at the squirming form within the folds of fine white cloth. His heart beat oddly faster, as he realized that he’d be responsible for this young, new life’s well being for a long, long time. He’d never had children of his own, at least, none that he was aware of. Then again, he spent so little time among his own kind, the tengu. Most of his liaisons had been with various willing equines across the Empire, for which no offspring could be born.

So he rarely was close to foals, let alone newborns. This one looked normal enough. A tiny, round green face like fresh cut grass looked up at him, silver button eyes looking up at him with wide-eyed curiosity. A tuft of golden mane like a yellow creampuff sprouted from the newborn’s head, and a stubby ivory pair of kirin horns poked upwards from her brow. Kenkuro wondered who the father was. Fu Ling had, in her pursuit of a child, taken many a consort to her bed. He supposed it didn’t matter which stallion’s seed had led to this foal, only that she was here, and now his charge.

“What is her name?” he found himself asking, still staring down at the foal’s surprisingly intelligent looking eyes.

“Dao Ming...” Kenkuro found himself saying, sitting next to her unconscious form as it lay upon a large bed within a stone chamber deep within the tunnels of the Order of Legend’s monastery. Her emerald coat seemed almost waxen with sweat, but her breathing was even and the healers had already informed him that she would likely wake soon. Kenkuro could not have been more thankful for that, for he imagined the Order’s healers had no true notion of how close Dao Ming had come to paying a much higher price than mere exhaustion.

Angering a higher spirit such as Raijin could have crippled her for life. He still could not believe she’d gone so far, risked so much, for the purpose of trying to cow the Equestrian champions. No, there was more to it than that. Kenkuro knew that Dao Ming’s pride was vast, but it was only to conceal a desperate need for the recognition of her mother. When Trixie had used Fu Ling’s image against Dao Ming in such a blatant manner it wasn’t surprising Dao Ming had only responded by upping the ante further.

Kenkuro didn’t know how the rest of the Grand Melee had turned out, as he’d taken Dao Ming off the field immediately after he’d used Kusanagi to ward off Raijin’s wrath, if only barely. He patted the hilt of the blade with the familiarity of a long time partner. It was rare he had cause to draw the sword, but at least when he did have reason he could use it for a good reason; protecting the champions of Equestria and Dao Ming both.

A soft murmur escaped Dao Ming’s lips and she stirred, eyes slowly fluttering open. Kenkuro could see the tension spring into her body and put a wing out to hold her down just as Dao Ming started to spring up, gently but firmly pressing her back into the bed. “Please, remain still, my lady. You must rest.”

“Kenkuro!? What...?” Dao Ming remained tense, but didn’t try to rise, instead looking around herself in confusion, “How did I get to this place? The Grand Melee!? The spirit chant...”

Her eyes slowly widened, silver eyes filling with strained memory. “Raijin. I lost control.”

Kenkuro felt a sting in his heart as he watched her face twist up in momentary fear and self-reproach before she forced her expression to one of stillness, her voice rigid with unsteady calm, “Did I hurt anyone?”

He let out a small sigh of relief, “Thankfully, no. The Equestrian champions were unharmed.”

“How?” Dao Ming asked, “Raijin took control of the spell from me, forced the Tenrai no Shiniyari to be aimed straight for them! I saw Dame Trixie and Lyra erect shields, but they couldn’t possibly have been strong enough to withstand...” she trailed off as she looked at Kenkuro, a spark of memory flashing in her eyes as her eyes settled on his sword, “Ah... Kusanagi...”

She seemed to deflate in on herself, laughing in a helpless manner, “Thank you, Kenkuro. At least the Empire won’t have to endure the shame of its champion accidentally slaying her fellow champions because she couldn’t control a single spell.”

“A spell no single mare should have been able to summon in the first place, let alone control,” he said, squeezing her shoulder both affectionately and a little admonishingly, “What were you thinking, girl, pulling such a stunt?”

He could see her expression close up, like the closing doors of a fortress gatehouse, “It doesn’t matter. I’ve failed, and will face the consequences without making excuse. Where are the... where are Dame Trixie and her companions? I owe them an apology before anything else.”

“You owe no such thing,” said the crips, imperious voice of Empress Fu Ling as the doors to the infirmary opened wide before her and she strode in with long, confident steps. Behind her followed Tomoko, Xhua, and Lo Shang, each of Dao Ming’s adopted siblings with varying looks of concern. Kenkuro stood and bowed to the Empress as she approached with the other members of the Imperial Family.

“Empress...” he said, meeting Fu Ling’s eyes. They were as impenetrable to him as a wall of ice, and he felt a pang of long running regret. How had he lost her trust? When had he stopped being able to see how she was feeling just by a glance? At some point they had gone from friends who held each other’s confidence to... whatever it was they were now.

“Mother!” Dao Ming sat up, then flinched at the sharp look from the Empress and she quickly amended herself, “My Empress... I... I must apologize.”

Dao Ming’s voice was wracked with guilt and pain but she forced the words out as if a soldier forcing a march while wounded, “I have shamed you, myself, and the Empire through my actions. I accept all punishment, but request that I be, at least, allowed to offer a formal apology to the Dames whose lives I put needlessly in danger-”

“Enough.”

Fu Ling’s single, hard word cut Dao Ming off, causing the young kirin to go silent and stare at the Empress. Fu Ling looked at her daughter with a shrewd expression, face framed by waves of her black mane like twin shadows. To Kenkuro’s surprise there was a small upward turn to Fu Ling’s lips, the tiniest of smiles, and her voice seemed to almost soften.

“There will be no need for such an apology, for you have done nothing wrong... daughter.”

That one word had an immediate effect on Dao Ming, causing quickened breath and for her to grip the sheets of her bed, probably without realizing it by Kenkuro’s guess. Dao Ming blinked several times rapidly, then seemed to shake herself out of a daze as she said, “I don’t understand, mo...my Empress. I surely overstepped the intended bounds of the Grand Melee, and lost control for all to see! I fell unconscious, and I cannot imagine that by doing so I placed well in the Contest's opening event. How have I not horribly shamed you and the entire Empire, and how could I not owe an apology to the mares I nearly got killed? I’m sorry, I don’t meant to question you my Empress, but I don’t understand.”

“It is quite simple,” Fu Ling said, voice rapidly regaining its sharp edge, “You never intended to unleash the power of Raijin upon the Equestrians, who I remind you challenged you six upon one in a fair duel in which you readily matched them until one of the honorless rats stole my image to dishonorably take you by surprise. I do not blame you for the blow you took, Dao Ming. To steal the visage of the Empress... hmph, this Trixie Lulamoon has gall beyond imagining, and will pay for it in due time. Regardless, even when faced with such treacherous tactics you stood tall, and revealed your superiority to those so-called ‘champions’ Equestria has fielded.”

Fu Ling’s smile deepened, but not in a way that Kenkuro found he much liked. It was a proud smile to be sure, almost as if Fu Ling was indeed prideful of Dao Ming’s accomplishment, but there was a feverish nature to that smile that unsettled him.

“Summoning Raijin impressed me, Dao Ming. It was a feat of great power, a proper way to demonstrate to all those witnessing this Contest that the Heavenly Empire’s champion is one who surpasses all others.” The Empress’ eyes narrowed slightly, and Kenkuro saw Dao Ming flinch, “Falling unconscious was unfortunate but hardly surprising for having performed a feat never before accomplished by a single spirit chanter. Furthermore you and Kenkuro gained so many tokens before falling that the Empire ranked fourth place in the Grand Melee. I have no doubt you will make up that lost ground in the other parts of the Contest... correct?”

Shock seemed to freeze Dao Ming’s face for a moment before giving way to tempered control, “I shall do as my Empress commands, but if I may ask details... who were the other placing champions?”

Kenkuro saw Fu Ling’s nose wrinkle as if tasting a waft of foul air and she answered the question with a tone that suggested it hardly mattered, “The top place was taken for Elkheim by that mountainous moose Wodan, though certainly his compatriots did much to secure that position as well. Second was... oh I forget her name, one of the griffins.”

“If I may, Empress?” said Tomoko in a quiet, polite voice, bowing her head deeply, “I do believe her name is Gwendolyn Var Bastion, of the Kingdom of Grandis. It seemed her and our Dao Ming had struck up something of a camaraderie during the event.”

Fu Ling’s eyebrow rose slightly, like a black eel twitching.

“Gwendolyn took second?” Dao Ming asked, sounding mildly surprised, then smiled. “I see I underestimated her.”

“I would agree that there is more to that griffin than one would think at first glance. Marvelous sword skills, although had Kenkuro stayed on the field I’m sure he would have bested her,” said Tomoko, shifting slightly behind the Empress. None of the siblings had come forward to Dao Ming’s bed, all of them staying respectfully behind their Empress.

“And the rest?” Dao Ming pressed, anxiousness creeping into her otherwise controlled features. Kenkuro was reminded of a bamboo shoot wound too tightly, ready to snap.

“Of little consequence,” said Fu Ling, “Those brutish minotaurs placed third, then the Equestrians in fifth, just behind you. A small lead that you can easily widen in the next event.”

As Kenkuro understood things the next segment was the Contest of Art, and there would be a day of rest and festivities before that, so Dao Ming would have time to recover fully. He knew Dao Ming had put a great deal of time into developing several skills to use during that portion of the Contest, though none of them yet knew what shape the event would take. He expected the monks would explain the rules on the day of the event itself. In the meantime he only wanted to see Dao Ming rest and center her spirit after what had happened on the field today.

“Will I even be allowed to continue competing?” asked Dao Ming, “I violated the spirit of the Contest. Wouldn’t my actions disqualify me?”

“Do not speak foolishness. As I said, you intended the Equestrian champions no harm and merely were demonstrating your power,” said Fu Ling, eyes like jade needles, “Am I understood?”

“But... my Empress, if I am to tell the truth then I have to confess to losing control of-” Dao Ming began, but a sound akin to thunder silenced her as Fu Ling slammed the floor with a single resounding hoofclap. The Empress seemed to exude a wave of frigid control, like a blanket of snow from a recent blizzard, and Kenkuro knew it was Fu Ling’s chi pressing outward, a rare outburst of spiritual force that he hadn’t seen from her in decades.

“You will obey my commands, Dao Ming. I have already spoken with both Abess Serene and Princess Luna, and have explained your demonstration as just that, a show and nothing more. Do not speak of anything counter to that truth. Do not offer any apology to the Equestrian champions. Do not even speak with them. They are your opponents, nothing more. Your sole focus is victory in this Contest, nothing else. Am I understood?”

Kenkuro felt a bit of bile rise in his craw. He wasn’t about to have it out with Fu Ling in front of her children, but they were going to have words the moment they got somewhere private. She seemed to sense his ire and cast a glance his way. A second passed between them and he saw Fu Ling give the barest hint of a nod. Good, at least he wouldn’t have to try and force a private conversation. The Empress knew her Blade of Heaven had words for her and wouldn’t avoid them. First, however, this awkward conversation needed to be over.

Dao Ming for her part looked as if she were an incomplete statue, a torn, confused piece of masonry that didn’t know what it was supposed to be doing. Slowly, almost like a marionette with a tired and drunk puppeteer pulling the strings, Dao Ming bowed her head to her mother and said, “I will obey your words, my Empress.”

“Good. Tomoko, Lo Shang, Xhua, you may visit with your sister for a time. Kenkuro and I have business to discuss. We are not to be disturbed,” said Fu Ling, turning to sweep out of the room without so much as a backwards glance at any of her children, adopted or otherwise.

Kenkuro paused just long enough to give Dao Ming a comforting brush with his wing and thankful nods to her siblings before turning to stride after the Empress.

“Demonstration my tailhole!” grunted Trixie as she sat deeper into the comfy cushions of the rather plush booth she and her friends occupied at one of the many tents consuming the fields between the monastery and the town of Heroes’ Rest. The tent was a Cavallian establishment, the rumors circulating around the festival that it served some of the most delightful treats to be found in Cavallian cuisine. Trixie felt like she needed about two more bowls of gelato, the Cavallian equivalent to ice cream, before she could settle down enough to actually drink something, which she intended to do soon before she had to think too much more on what had happened. She and her friends had gone almost straight here after the end of the Grand Melee, all of them in need of refreshment and a chance to unwind. They all still wore their starmetal armor and tabards, partially because it was incredibly comfortable and hardly required removing, and partially because Trixie enjoyed the admiring looks that it generated towards her and her friends as they moved among the crowd.

“Yeah,” said Carrot Top, poking at her own bowl of orange sherbert, “ I wasn’t getting much of a ‘demonstration’ vibe out of that last spell of hers either. More of a ‘death approaches, best skedaddle’ vibe.”

“C’mon girls,” said Cheerilee, spooning a mouthful of bright strawberry gelato into her mouth and wagging her tail in pleasure, “Mmm, we ranked pretty decently for our first event and took a rather arrogant kirin down a peg, and have some of the most delicious ice cream in the world in front of us! Let’s not ruin the mood with talking about our near death experience.”

Trixie blew out a huff and took a bite of her own chocolate sherbet banana orange-creme sundae with extra sour gummy worms sprinkled on top. The scintillating combination of flavors helped take the edge off and she realized Cheerilee was right; they’d done very well in the Grand Melee, despite nearly getting fried by an overzealous kirin princess. Trixie did feel a small ounce of guilt, however, as it occurred to her more than once since the Grand Melee that she might have... well, gone a little too far herself in taunting Dao Ming. Still, that hardly gave Dao Ming the right to shove a lethal lightning spell at her friends!

If it hadn’t been for that tengu...

Things had been somewhat awkward after the tengu Kenkuro had taken Dao Ming’s unconscious form from the field. The Knattleikr game was put on temporary hold to give Trixie and her friends time to rest from the duel with Dao Ming, and to allow for Sigurd to have his own bout with that griffin, Gwendolyn. Trixie hadn’t seen how that had turned out, as she’d been busy catching her breath and straightening herself out, but had heard Sigurd had lost a lot of tokens to the griffin, among a number of other champions that had lined up to challenge Gwendolyn while the Knattleikr game had finished up. It’d been... a little depressing, as if after Dao Ming’s outburst a bit of the spirit had been taken out of the Grand Melee. It all left a bad taste in Trixie’s mouth.

“So, does anypony know what to expect out of the next event?” asked Lyra, poking at her own mint chocolate chip gelato.

“It's the Contest of Art, right?” said Ditzy, smiling encouragingly as she looked at Lyra, “That sounds like it’ll be your department, mostly.”

Lyra returned the smile, reaching over to her lyre, which was leaned up against the table, and giving it an affectionate pat, “I’ve got plenty of tunes in mind, depending on just what the rules are gonna be. I bet there’ll be ways for all of you to help out. Art covers a lot more than just music, so all sorts of ways might pop up for everypony to strut their stuff.”

“I wouldn’t mind showing off some dance moves I haven’t had a chance to use in a good long while,” said Cheerilee with a contemplative smirk.

Carrot Top held a pensive look, shifting in her seat, “I’ve never been the most artistically inclined.”

“But you can cook,” said Ditzy, “Better than any of us, and food is part of any culture’s art I’d say.”

Raindrops remained silently, chin propped on one hoof as she stared out of the tent pavilion with hard but distant eyes. Trixie gave her pegasus friend a short jostle with a hoof, “You okay Raindrops?”

“Huh? Oh,” Raindrops glanced at Trixie but quickly looked away as all of her friends stared at her, taking a swift bite of her seasalt gelato to buy her a second, “It’s nothing. Not much I can add to an event about art or whatever. My head's on what’s after that.”

“The Contest of Strength,” said Cheerilee, “You’re worried about that zebra, aren’t you?”

Raindrops’ jaw tightened firmly, her turquoise mane bristling, “He... he didn’t even break a sweat on me in the Grand Melee.” Her hooves shook slightly, a tremor that seemed to stem from her ramrod straight spine all the way to the tip of her hoof, “I couldn’t even touch him! I don’t understand why. He wasn’t that tough back in Oaton. I just...”

She blew out a massive sigh, ears folding downward, “I wish he’d find somepony else to get all obsessed with. Why do I always get these weirdos wanting to duel me!? First that giant in Canterlot, then his stubborn sister, now I’ve got a crazy zebra chasing my tail. Do I just have a giant bullseye on my forehead or something?”

“Hey, it could be worse,” said Lyra, holding up her hooves in a helpless shrug, “He could also be madly in love with you.”

Raindrops shuddered, “Lucky me he’s already married, and his wife is weirder than he is.”

“Of course who could blame him if he had fallen for you,” said a bold voice as Frederick strode across the pavilion to their table, his youthful face beaming with a broad, winning smile. The red elk was resplendent in a brilliant white doublet embroidered with forest green patterns of ivy. A foaming mug was balanced expertly on one hoof as he made a swift bow to the mares at the table, “The six of you are magnificent examples of Equestrian beauty I’d be shocked if you didn’t earn a small army of potential suitors by the end of the Contest.”

Raindrops grunted, unimpressed, while Trixie crossed her forelegs, blanching. Lyra just chuckled, “Already taken.”

Frederick winked, “And all maledom weeps at the loss, Dame Lyra.” He then looked at Carrot Top, who shifted in her seat a bit, “Of course were I to be asked to pick favorites all I could tell them is that I’ve always favored redheads.”

“It's good to see you, Prince Frederick,” said Carrot Top, features brightening with a small smile, “What brings you here?”

Frederick took a long sip of from his mug, wiping away the foam, and leaned down to whisper in a conspiratorial manner, through more than loud enough for the whole table to hear, “I’ve managed to escape the rather dreary fate of having to socialize among my ‘peers’ in the sincere hope I’d find you lovely mares. You see, I was hoping to appropriate a particular one of your number to show me around the Equestrian end of this fine festival.”

He ended with a pointed wink at Carrot Top, who looked back and forth between her friends, each of whom stared back at her. Carrot Top then took a deep breath and took a huge bite from her plate of neapolitan ice cream, reached to her saddlebag and tossed a few bits on the table and said, “That ought to cover my end of the bill girls. I’ll catch up with all of you at dinner.”

“Dinner? You planning on being out... all day?” asked Ditzy, blinking.

Carrot Top scooted out of the booth and joined Frederick, who offered her a hoof which she took after only a second’s hesitation, “Maybe not all day? Right, Prince Frederick?”

“Oh of course not, I’m just eager to see all Equestria has to offer, what with my being all princely and such and needing to expand my cultural horizons. No need to fear my ladies, I am the absolute definition of a gentlebuck. Just ask Sigurd, if you can drag him out of wherever he’s presently sulking in. I promise nothing at all shall pass between me and Dame Carrot Top here except pleasant conversation.”

He smiled and cast her short bow, “Unless she specifically asks otherwise, of course.”

Carrot Top chuckled dryly, knocking him with an elbow, “Pleasant conversation. Now come on before I decide this is a terrible idea.”

The elk and mare strode out of the pavilion side by side, leaving behind five somewhat flabbergasted mares who all exchanged looks. Lyra and Cheerilee shared similar cracked grins while Trixie coughed and made a show of focusing on her sundae. Raindrops just blurred out, “Is elk royalty seriously trying to make a move on Carrot Top?”

“Well, there’s not a problem with that, is there?” asked Cheerilee with a cheeky look. Raindrops shrugged.

“As long as she’s comfortable with it, no.” Raindrops said plainly, “I’d just hate to have to deck a prince and cause an international incident if he pushes things too far with a friend, is all.”

“He seems nice,” said Ditzy, “And Carrot Top knows how to take care of herself. She won’t let him push her around, if it turns out he’s that sort. I don’t think he is. Maybe.”

“Something bothering you too, Ditzy?”asked Lyra, leaning towards the other mare. Ditzy seemed startled for a second, but quickly recovered with a relaxed smile, although Trixie thought perhaps it looked a tad forced.

“I’m okay. Just still a little shaken after the Grand Melee. Lightning and crazy griffins with knives. Think maybe after this I want to check on Dinky and get some rest. Just nap in our room, you know?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Raindrops, “I could use a stretch and I bet Snails would like to wander around the festival grounds some. I’ll go with you, Ditzy.”

They quickly finished up their desserts, paid the bill, and exited the pavilion into the warm, sunny light of early afternoon. The festival grounds were bursting with creatures of every type and nationality, and the air buzzed with excited chatter and a comfortable, bracing breeze. It was near perfect weather and Trixie wished she could find it more relaxing. Something just felt... off after the Grand Melee. Her friends were distracted with various things; Raindrops’ unwanted rivalry with Tendaji, Ditzy’s concern over the griffin that almost injured her, and Carrot Top wandering off with an elk prince for... who could guess what reason? Trixie had worries as well. She still had no idea what had happened to her and Dao Ming yesterday with that gravesite, and Corona was still here and a possible threat.

And on top of all that Trixie didn’t know what to think of Dao Ming. She was angry at the kirin for endangering her friend’s lives, almost to the point where she’d considered making some sort of formal demand for Dao Ming’s disqualification, as lethal attacks had been prohibited during the Grand Melee... yet she already knew that the Shouma Empress had spoken with Princess Luna and Abbess Serene and smoothed all that over. The incident was being brushed off as nothing more than a youthful and eager demonstration of magical might by the kirin princess. Trixie didn’t buy that for an instant, but she understood why it was being made the official story, as who wanted an upsetting incident to ruin the mood of the Contest within the opening event?

It didn’t change the fact that Trixie was not square with what had happened and wanted to confront Dao Ming over it. Unfortunately the mare had been taken away to be treated for what had been clearly over channeling, and while it’d been announced she was fine and would awaken soon, Trixie didn’t know when.

Perhaps I should find out, go and arrange a meeting. I should be able to do that.

“Hey, Equestria to Trixie, you in there?” asked Lyra suddenly, making Trixie jump slightly. Trixie glanced around and noticed that Raindrops and Ditzy had already flown off, the two pegasi receding dots on their way to the cliff face containing the monastery. Next to her Cheerilee and Lyra stood among the passing crowds, Cheerilee chuckling slightly while Lyra smiled wryly at Trixie.

“You were spacing out there for a sec, Trixie.”

Trixie shook her head, “Sorry. Seems there’s a lot on my mind, too. I have a lot I want to say to Dao Ming and I don’t even know if she’s conscious right now.”

“Why not go ask?” suggested Lyra, “Not like it could hurt anything to check. Thing is, what are you going to say to her if she is awake and her uptight Imperial kin let you in to see her?”

Trixie chewed her lip, giving the ground a good, hard stare as if she could force the earth to yield answers to her thoughts, “I don’t know exactly, but what happened has left a sour taste in my mouth worse than waking up from an all nighter with too much bourbon.” Trixie took a slow breath, thinking of what she had been in the past, and what she was trying to be now. “I just know that a champion of Equestria needs to be more than a mare with a grudge. Something went wrong on the field and I can’t make it square by ignoring things and hoping they go away, as nice as it would be to just continue the Contest as if nothing had ever happened.”

She felt a friendly pat on the withers, seeing Cheerilee offering an encouraging smile, “Why don’t we go together then? Offer some ‘get well soon’ sentiments alongside some ‘what in Tartarus were you trying to pull?’ questions? We can double team her!”

Lyra slid up on Trixie’s other side, “Triple team. Total three-some!”

Trixie scrunched her muzzle queasily, “Rule one for our chat with Dao Ming; no innuendos!”

“Geez, take all our fun away why don’t you?” teased Lyra, but only in a joking manner as she nodded, “But have it your way, we’ll play nice with her during the heart-to-heart.”

“Assuming her family lets us in to see her,” reminded Cheerilee.

Trixie then smiled, adjusting her pointed magician’s hat and putting some confidence into her voice, “I can convince them, no problem.”

“No,” said the ironclad voice of the guard, a unicorn pony in the impeccably clean and ornate jade and gold armor of a Shouma soldier. He, along with his female partner, also a unicorn, carried spears with wide, curved blades crossed to bar the corridor leading to the wing of the monastery where Trixie knew Dao Ming had been taken for rest and healing.

Trixie shared a look with Cheerilee and Lyra, Lyra rather unhelpfully giving Trixie a encouraging hoof wave before Trixie sighed and looked at the guard once more. She imagined his face had to have been somehow glued into a permanent fixation of bland, stone stubbornness. In her mind’s eye she saw a secret society of guards spanning cultures and ages that shared the secret techniques of that deadpan, stoic, lifeless expression and the monotone drawl that went with it. This was as frustrating as trying to speak with the Royal Guard, if not moreso.

Holding her head high and meeting the guard’s utterly wooden gaze Trixie cleared her throat and spoke in a clear, concise tone, “I understand there must be rules to abide by, and as such there are also no doubt protocols that allow for the bending of those rules under special circumstances. Surely there is a way we could be granted permission to pass if-”

“No,” repeated the guard, in an identical hard tone like before.

Trixie felt her eyebrow twitch, and removed her hat for a moment to smooth over her mane with a hoof before replacing the hat, perhaps a bit too firmly. “My good stallion, you exist within a hierarchy of authority, I understand. You have your orders. Your superiors. So, logically, if you would just take a message to Lady Dao Ming that Trixie Lulamoon requests an audience with her then she herself would have the authority to decide if she wishes to see me or not?”

The stallion was silent for a second, and Trixie almost thought she had him, when he said, “No.”

Trixie was already halfway through considering how far she could cram the guard's helmet down his throat when the stallion added, as if in pity, “The order for no one to be allowed to see the Imperial Heir is one that was issued by the Empress herself. No authority other than hers can overturn it.”

“Well, couldn’t you just go ask the Empress chick for permission or something?” asked Lyra, to which both the Shouma unicorns stiffened and tightened their telekinetic grips upon their polearms. Lyra blinked, “What?”

“Don’t mind them,” said a somewhat familiar voice as the dark form of Kenkuro appeared from the other side of the guards, as if by some trick of light and shadows, “The warriors of our Empire are dedicated to their Empress, and it's rare that any would dare refer to her as the ‘Empress chick’. They don’t know you mean no offense.”

The guard stallion coughed slightly, “Sir Kenkuro, we were merely turning away these... individuals. The Empress commands-”

Kenkuro waved a wing, smiling in a disarming fashion, “No need, warrior, I know the Empress’ commands better than any. I shall attend these Equestrians. You and your comrade continue to do a fine job and guard this hallway, yes?”

The guards both made slight bows, a motion Kenkuro briefly returned before sweeping past them and, putting a wing around Trixie’s shoulders to guide her to follow him, whispered, “Come, I would speak with you. Somewhere less stuffy and with fewer eyes and ears about.”

Although she had no real reason to trust him, she sensed no ill intent in the tengu’s tone. In fact his mannerisms gave Trixie a ghostly reminder of her grandfather, though she was at a loss as to exactly why that was. She supposed that if he’d wished her or her friend’s harm then he wouldn’t have saved them, as she suspected he had, during the Grand Melee. Trixie nodded for Kenkuro to lead on, and after a quick sharing of looks with Cheerilee and Lyra the three mares followed Kenkuro’s swift form down several more of the monastery’s wide stone hallways. Now that she was walking so close to him and paying attention Trixie noted that when Kenkuro moved it wasn’t a normal walk, so much as it was a fast, elegant hopping motion, his taloned feet leaving the ground and his tailfeathers balancing him with quick, short glides that made him like a kite a foal was having trouble getting off the ground; yet somehow graceful instead of awkward.

Kenkuro led them up several winding stairways until Trixie saw stark daylight above and felt a pleasantly cool breeze. The stairs opened up onto a wide stone pathway cut into the top edge of the cliff that the monastery was built inside. A smooth, carved stone rampart looked out upon the vast fields between the monastery and the festival grounds, the array of tents looking like a colorful ant farm in the distance. Trixie could also make out Heroes' Rest, the town’s collection of buildings hugging the island coast and its small harbor playing home to many more ships than Trixie had seen upon arriving yesterday.

And of course, looming over the island like a thundercloud of ancient stone and metal was the fortress Rengoku, still giving Trixie a cold feeling inside when her eyes glanced at it on the other side of the island. Somehow, for a reason she couldn’t quite pin down, the dilapidated old monolith looked more alive than it had the previous day. Trixie shook the foreboding feeling off and looked to Kenkuro, who was leaning against the rampart and looking at her and her friends with an apologetic gaze.

“Do forgive the guards. They do their tasks well, otherwise they wouldn’t be among the Empress’ hoof chosen elite. She has ordered that Dao Ming receive no visitors outside the Imperial Family, and that will not change until tomorrow I suspect.”

“Why not let anyone visit her? Is she that bad off after nearly toasting us like a bunch of Hay Pockets?” asked Cheerilee, not a small tad of curious sass in her voice.

Kenkuro chortled under his breath, “I can now see how easily and quickly you managed to get under Dao Ming’s skin, if that was the brand of banter you levied against her. First of all, Dao Ming is well. A small miracle considering the power of the spirit she summoned and subsequently angered.”

“What was that thing anyway?” asked Lyra with open interest, “I’ve never read anything about a magical entity like that. I mean, granted I wasn’t able to dig up much on Shouma legends and mythology before we got here, but I didn’t think your spirits got that strong.”

“The ones typically summoned through the ancients pacts of the spirit chanter’s arts are rarely so potent,” Kenkuro said, reaching into the folds of the blue kimono he wore and drawing out a long, curved pipe that he placed in his beak, lighting it with a small tinder box after stuffing a wad of an odd red leaf inside it. “The one Dao Ming called forth was an aspect of Raijin himself, one of the Seven Storms. I’ll skip the history lesson and simply state that among the divine echelons of spirits inhabiting my homeland only the Celestial Dragons hold higher rank than the Storms. To give you context, it was as if Dao Ming had summoned and tried to control an aspect of power from one of your Princesses. As if a sole unicorn had, say, attempted to take control of the moon for a brief period of time. Or simply demanded that Tsukihime herself smite a foe with the moon’s power.”

“Tsukiwho?” Trixie deadpanned.

Kenkuro coughed, blowing out white smoke rings, “Princess Luna. As your Celestia is known as Amaterasu to us in the Heavenly Empire, so is Luna known as Tsukihime.”

Trixie nodded, “Right, so Dao Ming called a big shot spirit to, what, impress me and my friends? Scare us? I saw what happened out there, Sir Kenkuro-”

“Please, just Kenkuro while we’re alone. I’ve never been much for formality.”

“Fine, Kenkuro. What I mean to say is that I know something went wrong, Dao Ming lost control. That spell, that bolt of lightning...” Trixie shuddered slightly at the memory, “It would have killed us. I don’t know if she intended that or not, but that is what happened, and I also know that you did something to stop it. I wanted to talk to her, to confirm if that attempt at murder was intentional or an accident, and maybe... I’m not sure, reconcile it all?”

“Trixie?” Lyra said with cautious concern as Trixie’s voice had grown strained. Trixie just shook her head.

“Let me make this clear, Kenkuro. I don’t care if Dao Ming insists on looking down on me and my friends for not being the perfect image of ‘champions’ that she thought we should be. That’s her problem, and if she wants I’ll gladly prove her assumptions wrong again and again during each part of this Contest. But I need her to know that I didn’t intend to turn this into a grudge match either. That is not what the Contest of Champions is for, it's for forging friendship and understanding between cultures, and while I know I’m insufferable and don’t expect me and Dao Ming to become fast friends, I do want there to be no bad blood between us. So I need to know if that spell was an accident...”

Trixie’s eyes hardened and she stared straight into Kenkuro’s dark eyes, “Because if it wasn’t an accident then I will not let that pass. Not any attempt to bring harm to my friends.”

Kenkuro stared back at her, his body still and his eyes unblinking. Trixie held that gaze but felt a distinct discomfort as the tengu’s black pool eyes continued to fix on her like onyx pearls. Just as she was starting to wonder if she’d taken a step too far in asserting just how she felt about the situation if Dao Ming had sent that lightning bolt at her friends intentionally, Kenkuro finally blinked and took a long puff of his pipe, letting the smoke out slowly.

“Through I hesitate to speak for a member of the Imperial Family, I feel I can safely convey that Dao Ming regrets what happened today.”

“So why can’t we speak with her so she can convey that herself?” asked Trixie.

“It is a... complicated matter,” said Kenkuro, his voice sounding weary, as if he’d already had a similar discussion.

“Doesn’t sound complicated to me,” said Cheerilee suddenly, stepping around so that she was leaning against the wall next to Kenkuro, her face straddling the expressions of sympathy and coy understanding in equal measure, “Your Empress wants to save face, which wouldn’t happen if Dao Ming made some official apology about nearly frying us alive, right? Let me guess, the official story is going to be that what happened on the field was that she missed on purpose, not because of some loss of control?”

Kenkuro glanced at her sidelong, measuring Cheerilee up with a critical eye, “You’re the astute one, aren’t you?”

“I try. So I’m curious, how did you pull off saving our collective flanks?” asked Cheerilee, “I’m not sure how many champions out there even saw you move. I was staring right at that lightning bolt and even I barely caught you moving. Why weren’t you turned into smoking ash, if you don’t mind the inquisitive press?”

“Been wondering that myself,” said Lyra, nodding at Kenkuro’s sword, “Figured it had something to do with that. I’m a bit familiar with it. Kusanagi no Tsurugi, right?”

Kenkuro nodded, beak twisting in a brief smile, “The very same. Its legend has reached even distant Equestria?”

Lyra let out an embarrassed giggle, “Not really. I mean, bits and pieces. When I was digging up lore on Shouma I ran across a few mentions of it. The sword is some kind of gift or something from the spirits of the land to the first settlers, right?”

“In a sense,” replied Kenkuro, face turning oddly solemn, “The blade’s history is less important than its purpose; which is to be the mediating force for the one chosen to arbitrate between spirits and mortals in the Heavenly Empire. In any normal circumstance it is just a plain, simple sword. When drawn against a spirit, however, its edge acts as a deterrent to the spirit’s power, capable of turning aside the magic of even spirits as mighty as Raijin.”

Trixie’s ears twitched. Kenkuro’s body language was largely foreign to her, his avian shape and mannerisms unfamiliar to her equine experiences, but she could still feel a reserved aspect to his voice. He wasn’t telling all there was to tell about the blade at his side, only what he felt they needed to hear to understand what had happened in the field. Trixie wanted to ask questions, but could tell any probing further on the subject would be evaded.

“So you saved us, and your princess gets to avoid responsibility for nearly killing us due to politics, but she feels bad about it,” Trixie summarized, holding up a hoof to forestall Kenkuro as the tengu opened his beak to speak, “I’m not going to make an issue of it. At least not as long as Dao Ming can keep control of herself from here on out. I owe you that much for deflecting that bolt of lightning. I don’t like that your Empress is sweeping this all under the rug, but I spent enough time among the Night Court to know the importance of saving face, and more importantly I don’t want the Contest ruined by some political drama. Been through enough of that in my life lately already.”

Kenkuro was still as a wooden board for a moment, only his kimono stirred by the soft breeze passing over the ramparts. Then he cocked his head curiously, a gesture that reminded Trixie of how a griffin looked at folks with a single eye when wanting to get a clearer glimpse of them. His voice held an optimistic note.

“I can hear the sincerity in you, Dame Trixie. I think, perhaps, you and Lady Dao Ming would both benefit from getting to know one another better. While the Empress will frown on this, I think it would be worth it. If only all things were so simple, but there is more to my reason for speaking with you than conveying Dao Ming’s regrets. It is good your friends are here in part, though it would have been better if the whole of you were here.”

“Why’s that?” asked Cheerilee, “If you want to talk to all of us we could just meet at our rooms here in the monastery, couldn’t we?”

A swift shake of his black feathered head was followed by a keen glance around their surroundings, “It would be too conspicuous, Dame Cheerilee. The other matter I wished to speak of with you is delicate and I prefer few know that we spoke at all.”

“The two guards already saw us heading off together,” pointed out Lyra, “Wouldn’t gossip pretty much spread from that already?”

“You underestimate the elite guards of the Empress. They will speak no word of what they have seen to any but the Empress herself,” Kenkuro said firmly, “Our meeting is a safe secret for now, provided we finish here quickly before any take note of us. These ramparts I noticed yesterday are fairly isolated from the rest of the monastery. We should have some minutes left and what I have to say won’t take long.”

“Well then, say it,” bid Trixie, curiosity piqued by the tengu’s sudden conspiratorial manner.

“I speak only a warning of caution. Friends of mine have given me reason to believe something of a dark nature is brewing on this island,” said Kenkuro in a dead serious tone like fresh ice, making Trixie shiver in slight discomfort, “We have no proof as of yet, so going to the rulers gathered here would do little but stir unneeded fear, but among the champions themselves I felt you and your friends might benefit from this knowledge. Myself, the labyrinth seer Greysight, and the zebra Nuru are old friends, and we will investigate for anything unusual ourselves, but it is my hope that perhaps you mares might also keep an eye out.”

“That’s... exceedingly vague, as far as warnings go,” said Trixie with a frown, “Any specifics?”

Kenkuro shook his head, “Greysight has visions. They are far from an accurate or clear thing, but she is convinced something is stirring here on the Isle of the Fallen, a threat to the peace the Contest is meant to serve. I wish I could tell you more, but that is all I know myself.”

“Okaaaaay, but why tell us?” asked Lyra, “If you think even going to Princess Luna about this won’t help, then why go a step down the badass ladder to us?”

A soft chuckle escaped Kenkuro’s beak, “While I respect Tsukihime’s power and wisdom, and if you wish to tell her of this I won’t tell you not to, I feel the bearers of an even greater power than hers might be of more importance to whatever is to come. Even in the Heavenly Empire we know of the power of the Elements of Harmony. If I cannot trust bearers of such virtues, then I cannot imagine trusting much of anyone at all. Do with this knowledge what you will, I merely wished to warn the only ponies on this island I know of who might be both prepared and motivated to keep a watch out for danger, if indeed Greysight’s visions hold any truth. I’ll be the first to admit she’s been wrong in the past, hence why we haven’t gone to your ruler or any other yet. Even the Empress I have said nothing to yet.”

“That’s a lot of trust you’re putting in us, “ said Trixie, somewhat stunned.

Kenkuro just shrugged, “Empress Fu Ling would not respond well to such tidings anyway, likely putting all of the guard on high alert and causing a ruckus. That or call me a fool for believing in a minotaur’s visions.”

"I thought minotaurs didn’t believe they had any magic,” said Lyra, to which Kenkuro smiled.

“And you’d be right. Greysight and her fellow seers insist they don't have magic either, but then again, their visions are not a thing they share outside their own circles. Her doing so for myself and our friend Nuru was always a sign of trust that I valued greatly. I never expected to find friends of their caliber when I first arrived on foreign shores, so long ago...”

He paused briefly, eyes growing distant for a second before he shook his head, “At any rate I have done what I came here to do. Do with this information what you will. Be well, knights of Equestria, and be watchful.”

Rather than go back down the stairs the way they came Kenkuro flapped his wings and took flight, going over the side of the cliff and drifting off on the breeze to glide towards the grounds to the north. Trixie, Cheerilee, and Lyra looked at each other and Lyra said, “So, uh, that was weird, right? I’m not the only one thinking that?”

Cheerilee held up a hoof and wagged it back and forth, “Eh, on what I count as our present weirdness scale I’d give that conversation a soft six. This kind of thing is starting to feel normal.”

“Still, could that warning have been more cryptic and unhelpful?” said Lyra, face scrunched in thought, “I can’t remember ever coming across any stories about minotaurs with prophetic visions.”

“He did say that they weren’t always correct,” said Trixie, thinking of the strange compulsion that had drawn her and Dao Ming to the graves of the original champions and the uneasy feelings she’d been having since first laying eyes on this island. “Regardless, we should reconvene with the others tonight and figure out what, if anything, we’re going to do.”

“Do you want to bring this up to the Princess?” asked Lyra, “With Corona here it’s possible the threat, if it’s real, might stem from her, and Princess Luna deserves to know if there’s danger on the horizon.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” said Trixie, “Although I’m certain she’s already taking precautions and warning her further probably won’t change anything. Still, while I understand why Kenkuro wouldn’t want to start spreading rumors of danger to all the rulers without being certain the threat was real I also know Luna can play her cards close to her chest. If we tell her the only other pony I imagine she’d spread the information to would be Princess Cadance, and I have zero issue with that.”

“Not that there’s much to tell. Don’t suppose either of you noticed anything strange already?” asked Cheerilee, looking out over the island, one hoof resting on the ramparts, “Everything has seemed pretty normal to me, our recent near death experience notwithstanding.”

Lyra rolled her shoulders in a small shrug, “You got me. I haven’t noticed anything weird since we got here. Trixie?”

Trixie’s eyes flicked between her two friends, suddenly a bit hesitant, for she had experienced something strange, but couldn’t connect it with anything meaningful, let alone draw any lines to possible threats. So far the biggest threat at the Contest had been an out of control and overly emotional kirin princess.

“I... well, let’s wait until we’ve got Ditzy, Raindrops, and Carrot Top here with us, first. Something strange did happen to me after we first arrived, but I don’t know what to make of it, and would rather have all of us present to rub braincells together. Since Carrot Top is... doing whatever with that Frederick fellow I suggest we just try to enjoy the rest of the day, and put a pin in this until tonight.”

“Assuming something doesn’t happen before then,” said Cheerilee.

The many thousands of spectators were largely either filtering towards the festival grounds or the town of Hero’s Rest, or exploring the Order of Legend’s monastery, where many of the monks were happy to provide stories to curious visitors about the history of previous Contests and the many champions that had participated over the centuries.

Just at the foot of the monastery’s large entrance stairs Ditzy and Raindrops met up with their respective families.

“Mamma!” cried Dinky as she jumped from Shutter Bug’s back and into Ditzy’s waiting hooves, who swept the foal up in a spinning hug, beating her wings happily as she nuzzled Dinky.

“Hey muffin! Were you good while mamma was busy?”

“She was very well behaved,“ said Shutter Bug, smiling as she watched Raindrops land and give Snails a pat on the head while he gave her a hug.

“You were awesome out there sis!” Snails spouted happily, “Did you see that scorpion!? I didn’t know there were ones out there that big! I hope I can get a close look at it later.”

There was a faint buzzing noise from Snails’ mane and an insect head popped out, buzzing even louder. Snails laughed and reached up to pet the hercules beetle, “Don’t worry buddy, you’re still my favorite bug, and I won’t let the scorpion eat you.”

“Glad you’re happy bro,” said Raindrops, “Even if I don’t think that was my best showing, exactly.”

“Looked impressive to us,” said Dewdrop, though there was a cloud-like shade of concern on the pegasus’ face as he looked his daughter over, a look Ditzy knew well as the kind any parent gives a child that had just been through a potentially dangerous game, “You feeling alright? Things got a little intense out there. Zebras, lightning, kind of gave me and your mother a bit of a startle.”

Ditzy saw Raindrops’ face grow pensive, tail twitching, “I’m fine. Just glad we did as well as we did.” She looked down at Snails, putting on a relaxed half smile that Ditzy thought might’ve been a bit forced, “So what do you think Snails, want to go check out the festival grounds?”

The gangly colt practically bounced in place, “Yeah!”

Dinky, having found her comfortable perch on her mother’s back, said, “Hey, mamma, can we go too? I want to see as much as I can!”

Ditzy smiled tiredly, “I was thinking of just resting, but... well, okay. I can’t say no to that face. I’ll nap later.”

“If you’re tired, Miss Doo, we’d be happy to take her for a while longer,” said Shutter Bug with an understanding look on her face, “I don’t blame you for wanting to just lay down for awhile. I was only watching that craziness and got tired. Can’t imagine how exhausted you must be after all that.”

“That’s okay, I appreciate the offer, but I can keep on my hooves a little longer,” said Ditzy, flapping her wings as if to show that she was still full of energy, “I’ll treat myself to a good long nap later.”

“Um, you don’t have to if you wanna sleep, mamma,” said Dinky, sounding as if a bit of the air had been let out of her usual bubbly enthusiasm, but Ditzy just gave her another nuzzle.

“Don’t worry muffin, we can enjoy the sights, then when we’re both super tired take a big nap together, hmm?”

Dinky seemed to consider this, then chirped happily, “Okay!”

Hidden out of sight of the congregating families, a shadow slinked around one of the large columns at the top of the monastery’s stairs. The shadow observed Ditzy and Raindrops leaving for the festival grounds with their families, and with smooth motions joined some of the larger crowds of other island visitors, blending into the crowd with practiced ease.

Carrot Top tried not to choke on her ale as she sputtered out a chortling laugh, holding her stomach with one hoof while also trying not to spill any of the sweet drink from her mug.

“Seriously!? His entire coat? How long did it take him to notice?”

“Oh that’s the delicious part,” said Frederick, taking a long quaff from his own mug, grinning broadly, “The priestess had to tell him at dinner, because everyone else was too afraid to mention to Wodan that the pixies had granted his wish, just not in the way he’d expected.”

“Yikes. Remind me if I’m ever traveling through Elkhiem to avoid asking wandering pixies for any favors. Also, poor Wodan. He’s such an nice fellow, those pixies should’ve been a bit more charitable to him I think.”

“Alas, the fickle nature of pixies. Especially the spring variety,” Frederick said while he leaned back against the stout wall of the long cabin they were enjoying a drink in. After having spent an hour showing Frederick around the Equestrian festival tents they’d both built up a thirst, so Frederick had grinningly led her to the cervid portion of the festival grounds, to the longhall they now occupied.

Carrot Top had asked about what exactly the cabin was, for it stood out among the small cabins and tents the cervids had set up. It was longer than it was wide, its exterior carved with beautifully detailed scenes of elk in the forest, or great moose butting heads, or huge congregations of cervids dancing. There were also carvings of strange creatures the like of which Carrot Top had never seen, strange winged balls of light, the pixies, and others stranger still. The cabin’s decorations were painted in vivid colors, and within the hall banners hung from the ceiling with sweeping colors that reflected the light from the huge fire pit at the hall’s center.

Frederick had explained each town in all of Elkheim had its longhall, a place for merriment and meetings alike, where weddings were held and duels as well. It was the center of elk culture, the beating heart of each township’s community and pride, and the decorations of it, the carvings and banners were all made by an individual town’s residents, each longhall unique as the town it would be built at the center of.

Carrot Top found she rather liked the idea and enjoyed the pleasant if rowdy atmosphere within, enjoying the thick ale that flowed so freely here as she watched the cervids heartily welcome any curious members of other nations to this example of Elkheim hospitality. She also considered the elk seated across from her, watching Frederick’s easy manner and listening to his quick laugh. She did enjoy his company, though perhaps not to the extent her friends might be gossiping about. He was perhaps handsome, in an exotic way, with his antlers framing strong features. Still, Carrot Top was mostly just enjoying the elk’s relaxing mood, which offset how nervous she’d been about coming to the Contest. A nervousness that hadn’t gone away, and had only magnified after Dao Ming’s outburst on the field.

Carrot Top didn’t want to admit to herself but she’d been terrified by that display of power, a chill that still was with her when she thought about that lightning roaring towards her and her friends.

And yet it was also easy to be more at ease and forget that with Frederick’s warm laugh and silly stories. The ale also probably helped a bit, too.

“You could you know,” Frederick said suddenly, causing Carrot Top to look at him with eyes blinking curiousy.

“Could what?”

Frederick leaned forward, resting a chin on one of his hooves, “Travel to Elkheim.”

Carrot Top bought herself a second by taking a slow sip of her ale, the warm brew tickling her throat on its way to her stomach. She convinced herself the heat she was feeling was from that. “I don’t think my farm could survive me wandering off to the northern hemisphere. Princess Luna’s kind enough to get some ponies to look after things when I’m actually on a mission as a knight, but if I decide to spontaneously become a world traveler on my own time and bits, that’d mean leaving the farm behind.”

Frederick’s eyes flicked downwards for a second before taking a drink himself, “I suppose not. It is a good, honorable thing to be so dedicated to one’s land.” He then looked back at her with renewed vigor and a playful light, “Of course you did just say that Princess Luna arranges for the farm to be looked after if your trip is of an official nature. Elkheim may have a well deserved reputation for not being the most diplomatically involved of realms, but we have hosted the occasional visiting dignitary.”

He flashed a confident smile, “It would be a pleasure to show you the grand sights of my homeland. Purely for diplomatic reasons, of course.”

Carrot Top set down her own mug and looked at it for a moment, “Do you talk to all the mares for diplomatic reasons?”

He put a hoof to his chest, voice a mock air of despair, his smile never leaving, nor the laugh in his eyes, “You wound me. I have diplomatic thoughts only of you!”

She couldn't quite keep a chortle in, “Ha, I think your idea of diplomacy would make Trixie demand we cease all relations with Elkheim.”

“Ah, yes, I did sense a little, er, unease in your fellow knight,” said Frederick with a ponderous look and slight frown, “I hope she realizes I mean no offense in my manner and would never throw my attentions where they are unwanted.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Trixie gets like that even when she knows it's not directed her way. Just kind of one of her things. We all love her, even the parts we don’t always get. Word of caution, be careful if she ever offers you any food. Her tastes are beyond eccentric.”

There was a slow nod from Frederick as he drained the last of his mug, “You all do seem like good friends. Alemaid! Another!”

His call brought over one of several bouncy does who seemed to be in a state of perpetual motion as they swiftly moved from table to table, supplying a limitless river of ale in mugs they filled from vast stacks of barrels along one wall of the longhall. In mere seconds Frederick had another foaming mug before him, as did Carrot Top, though she was only half finished with the first. She just laughed, shaking her head.

“You elk drink enough to put half of Ponyville under, and I thought we had some pretty dedicated drinking enthusiasts in our town.”

“Ha!” Frederick raised his mug and gulped down the amber liquid swiftly, slamming the mug down, “Even the most milksop fawns develop a taste for fine northern ale. This isn’t even the hard stuff the warriors drink before and after battle.”

Carrot Top blinked as she saw a brief shadow pass over his face, the boyish enthusiasm doused for a second. He quickly recovered, laughing as if to himself, and smiled back at her again. “So tell me, how did it feel to be out there on the field of honor, competing among such noble company as Wodan the Mountain Slayer, or Sigurd the Darkfrost?”

Carrot Top felt her eyebrows raise quizzically, “The Darkfrost?”

“Yes, well, we of cervid kind do love our titles. I didn’t come up with that one, by the by, you can thank Andrea for adding that title to Sigurd’s ballad,” said Frederick, “I do believe he earned it from freezing over the entirety of Lake Jotungrave to trap a pair of fire wryms that...”

He paused, face tightening, “Actually he’d likely wish to forget that. Never mind it. Sometimes our ballads are as much a painful reminder as a glorious recounting. Still, no dodging the question, fair pony maiden with the fiery mane. How did you enjoy the taste of glory?”

Carrot Top shelved her curiosity as to just what he meant about Sigurd’s ballad, focusing on the question. She hadn’t really meant to evade it, but now that she was thinking about it the answer came rather quickly if unsteadily to her mind. “Uh... well, can something be both exciting and terrifying at the same time? When me and the girls get mixed up in these kind of things it’s always a little surreal to me. I’m a carrot farmer. I’ve never felt like much of a heroine, even when the reality of it has slapped me in the face a few times.”

She looked at herself, still clad in her starmetal armor, the fine metal links like soft cloth gliding against her hide, complete with its knightly tabbard. She hadn’t even taken off her alchemy bandolier, with several unused vials and clay jars still mounted upon it.

“The thing is, everypony else seems like they fit in with all this in some way. Trixie is a skilled magician trained by the Princess herself. She gets a big head about it sometimes but I’ve seen enough of her to know there’s real skill and talent backing up the boasts... most of the time. Raindrops is so much stronger than any of us and anger issues or not I trust her in a fight, like she’ll always have our backs no matter the danger. Cheerilee might seem like just a schoolteacher, but her background might well make her more experienced than any of us in dealing with dangerous situations, and she always seems to have herself together even when the rest of us might be freaked out. Lyra knows more about myths and legends than any of us and can weave all sorts of useful spells out of her music, not to mention out of all us she’s the most determined to meet this kind of lifestyle head on, through I think she might see this all as more of a game than some of us do. Then there’s Ditzy, who I would have thought might be the one least likely to take to this kind of life, but she’s weathered it admirably and holds the whole group together by being our moral center.”

She looked at Frederick with a small shrug, “Compared to all that I sometimes wonder if I’m good enough to really stand with them. My whole life has been carrots until Corona showed up and turned everything on its head. Now I just try to be as useful as I can to my friends, so I don’t slow them down.”

“From what I saw you did more than just be useful. You six had the coordination of well trusted comrades. Were you holding your friends back I doubt you could have pressed the kirin as hard as you did,” said Frederick, leaning forward slightly, “I rather think there’s more to you than carrots. I saw it when you were willing to ride my wyvern rather than flee in terror. I think somewhere in you is a flame that enjoys a little danger.”

Carrot Top almost coughed out her drink, “Me? Enjoy danger? The most dangerous thing I ever want to do is keep insane bunnies off my farm, or maybe engage in the occasional spirited debate with Applejack. Danger and me don’t mix well.”

“Heh, I shall respectfully disagree with your present assessment of yourself, Dame Carrot Top.”

“Fair enough,” she said, letting things trail off for a moment into companionable silence as they both enjoyed their drinks and the atmosphere. The music in the longhall reminded Carrot Top of warm summer days in the market, though she imagined the lyrics, all sung in the resonae language of Elkheim, were probably of great battles and duels. Was it strange that the thought made her feel warm and relaxed?

She thought about what Frederick said, wondering as she had often lately, just who she really was. The simple farmer, or the adventurous knight? Did they have to be separated, or was there room in her life for both? Would the simple farmer look at the handsome elk across the table from her and think of... “diplomatic” things to do under a starry night sky? Or was that the adventurous knight’s thoughts instead?

Who was the real her? Which did she want to be the real her?

Finishing her drink she pushed aside the question, “So, back to the festival then? There’s a stage set up for a showing of Hinny of the Hills. Or I could show you around the historical galleries? Ponyville has one set up, if you’re curious how my hometown got its start.”

“As long as I’m in your fine company I do believe I’ll enjoy whatever we do,” was Frederick’s purred reply.

“Okay prince, ease up. You’ve used up your flirtation points for today,” Carrot Top said with a laugh, “You gotta learn to give a mare some space to breath.”

“Alas, the complex maze of multi-cultural courtship,” Frederick said jokingly, “Usually the more blatant and bold the flirtation the more the does take notice.”

He rose from his seat, offering her a hoof, almost hesitantly as his boisterous manner dropped to something more of a hesitant, embarrassed smile, “If my manner ever offends, don’t hesitate to give me a good smack upside the head. I’ve been told by my ‘caretakers’ I have the self-awareness of a mildly drunk summer sprite. I’m enjoying your company, as a friend or whatever else, and don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

She took his hoof, feeling a tiny warm thrill at the touch that she kept hidden behind a friendly smile, “Don’t worry, in Equestria, everything starts with friendship.”

While she rarely went to them, Ditzy had to admit that the rodeos were pretty quintessential parts of Equestrian culture and was happy to see one in prominent display, taking up a good portion of one part of the festival grounds. The wide open, fenced off space had a few wooden spectator stands set up around it, but most ponies and many other species passing by were standing along the fenceline, using bales of hay for seating, to watch the athletic ponies in stetsons and other country wear performing impressive feats of physical prowess with barrels, ropes, and hurdles.

The rodeo was sponsored and paid for by the Apple Trust, hardly surprising given the family’s prominence in the farming trade that so often produced fine rodeo ponies. Ditzy wondered if Applejack was actually here, but didn’t see Ponyville’s resident cowpony anywhere. She supposed things must have been too busy back on the farm.

“I don’t understand the purpose of stacking piles of tied together hay,” Ditzy heard a nearby camel comment to a few of his fellows, their humps covered in bright, decorative cloths with beautiful looking patterns of varied colors woven into them.

“I think it is a matter of physical skill and might,” said another camel, “It looks... difficult.”

“It’s totally amazing!” Said Dinky, who was perched atop Ditzy’s head to get the best view, “That’s the highest I’ve ever seen a hay bale stack before! Oh, hey Snails, do you think they’ll bring out the rodeo clowns soon? Those guys are hilarious!”

Snails, who was more occupied by watching the passing, darting form of a dragonfly, said noncommittally, “I guess?”

“Snaiilllls! You’re not even listening to me!”

“I guess?”

Ditzy exchanged a look with Raindrops, who was sitting next to her little brother with a protective wing stretched around him, and the two mares shared a light laugh. Ditzy found herself gradually relaxing, her earlier worries over the encounter with Grimwald fading away under the pleasant feeling of a warm sun, a friendly crowd, and the contentment of spending time with her friends and daughter.

More than any duty to Equestria or importance attributed to the Contest of Champions, Ditzy felt that the real joy of coming here was going to be moments like this.

She was rocked from her haze by her daughter’s gentle hoof tapping her head, Dinky leaning down and looking at Ditzy upside down with big, blinking eyes, “Hey, mamma?”

“Yes dear?”

“Is it okay if I go get some popcorn? There’s a stand right over there behind us.” Dinky pointed, causing Ditzy to gently crane her head around to see that indeed not far behind the rodeo were a set of concession stands, including one laden with popcorn.

“I’ll get some for Snails too, and I’ll even use my own bits!” Added Dinky, who while not having a large allowance, was fairly frugal with it. Still, given this was a vacation of sorts Ditzy was more than happy to provide a few extra bits, tight budget or not, so she beamed a cheerful smile at her foal and fished out a couple of bits for her.

“Let’s go together and I’ll get some for all of us.”

“Oh, I can do it myself mamma, no problem!” Dinky said, hopping down from Ditzy’s head and bouncing a few times in place, “I’m getting pretty big and I can even float the popcorn with my own magic.”

Ditzy hesitated, looking towards the popcorn stand. It was literally only ten paces away, and the crowd wasn’t even that thick. Not that Ditzy was considering letting her daughter out of her sight. She’d watch, like a particularly paranoid hawk who was also a protective parent. No reason to be worried. Her smile feeling a bit more strained she nodded and gave her daughter the bits.

“Be right back. Don’t want to miss the rodeo clowns,” she said and gave Dinky a quick nuzzle, which Dinky returned energetically before bounding off towards the popcorn stand. Ditzy remained seated where she was, eyes locked on her daughter. Next to her Raindrops glanced over, an understanding look on her face.

“Still thinking about that griffin?” Raindrops asked quietly, causing Ditzy to flinch.

“I’m trying not to,” she said, her mind rebelling against her wishes and recalling in vivid detail the fight with Grimwald. Even more than during the fight itself she felt a cold sense of fear creeping along her at the memories, and his voice echoed in her mind like a falling icicle.

”Yet you have a daughter...”

It’d seemed like such an innocuous statement, but the tone he’d used with it, that entirely too sickly sweet tone, still triggered every protective maternal instinct she had towards Dinky. She didn’t trust Grimwald, and resented he was rattling her so easily... but she’d take being annoyed over being rattled than risk anything actually happening to her muffin.

So she watched as Dinky hopped up to the popcorn stand. Dinky smiled brightly as she exchanged words with the happy looking mare behind the stand, who accepted the bits Dinky proudly floated up and quickly went about filling three white and red striped bags with golden buttery popcorn. Dinky’s face became a mask of concentration as she took telekinetic hold of the three bags, slowly turning to carefully start walking back.

Unconsciously, her eyes started to dart among the passing crowd, intently searching for even the smallest sign of anything or anygriffin out of place. So intent was she on this that she didn’t even feel the first talon poke at her shoulder, and only on the second did she turn to see a smiling beak just a few inches from her face.

“Hi.”

“Whaaaaa!” Ditzy flailed backwards, toppling off her haybale seat, heart leaping into her throat. Raindrops stood up, glaring at the griffin who’d taken a seat opposite Ditzy and was smiling pleasantly at both of them. Grimwald looked around at the sight of several others of the rodeo audience who were looking curiously at Ditzy, who was still trying to catch her breath and her wits, and he just shrugged.

“Didn’t know my visage alone inspired such a reaction. Then again, maybe that’s part of why my wife is always so sour?” Grimwald mused, then offered a talon to Ditzy, “Need a hand up?”

“I’m... fine,” Ditzy said, standing on her own and looking at Grimwald hard.

“What do you want?” asked Raindrops, even as Snails started to take notice of the situation and gave the adults a curious look.

Grimwald shrugged, gesturing at the rodeo, “Just taking in the sights. Love the rustic pony pastimes of stacking blocks of what basically counts as food as high as they can without it toppling over.”

Ditzy’s eyes flicked over to Dinky, who was just closing the last few paces to them, and Ditzy could see the strain on her daughter’s face as she tried to keep a strong but steady hold on the bags of popcorn. A part of her wanted to tell Dinky to stay back, but she didn’t have a reason for any of that yet besides vague fear. She looked back to Grimwald, forcing herself to calm as she sat back down.

“So... how did the rest of the Grand Melee go for you?” she asked in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

“Oh, you know, a little of this and that,” Grimwald said, waving a claw in the air in a dismissive gesture, “Win some lose some. Nothing near as exciting as you mares’ close call with that electrifying kirin, Dao Ming. Quite the light show that was.”

“Yeah, what of it?” Raindrops said, eyes narrowing. Grimwald held up his talons in mock defense, chuckling dryly.

“Yikes, why the hostility, muscles? I’m only trying to have a friendly chat.”

Raindrops looked like she was about to say something quite a bit harsher, but looked down at the confused Snails and promptly took in a deep breath, “Fine, whatever, chuckles.”

“Oooh, pet names. We’re getting to be besties in no time,” Grimwald said, then looked over at Dinky as the filly made the last steps to them. At the last moment, though, Dinky’s concentration on her levitation was lost and she cried out as the popcorn bags began to slip.

Faster than the ponies could react Grimwald snatched the falling popcorn bags out of the air, one after another, balancing one on his tail. Dinky blinked at him, then grinned. “Whoa! Thanks mister!”

“Mister Grimwald, little bright eyes,” said Grimwald with a small bow as he handed the popcorn over to Ditzy and Raindrops, who passed one to Snails while Ditzy gave the third to Dinky.

Ditzy grudgingly managed to say, “Thank you.”

“Well, popcorn is serious business to a filly,” Grimwald said, winking at Dinky, who was happily smiling around mouthfuls of popcorn.

Ditzy didn’t know what to make of the situation, her nervousness hardly abating. There was something in Grimwald’s eyes that still left her feeling like there was imminent danger lingering in the air like a bad odor, made only worse by the fact her daughter was blissfully and ignorantly snacking away on popcorn right next to her.

Maybe if I just... learn something about him. Try to understand who he is, maybe I’ll feel better. This is why we’re here, right? To make friends.

“So, um, Grimwald... what are you enjoying about the festival so far?” she asked, not able to think of too many immediate conversation topics. She even caught Raindrops giving her a cock headed look from the side and she just gave a small, helpless shrug in reply. What could she say? This was extremely awkward!

“The crowds, definitely,” replied Grimwald without missing a beat, “I’m a real people person. Spent a lot of time as a youth just crowd watching. You’d be amazed the things you can learn by watching the day to day of folk’s lives. Their patterns become apparent, and... well that’s useful for all sorts of reasons.”

“Kind of like you’re doing now?” asked Raindrops with a heavy hint of suspicion.

“In a way,” Grimwald said, flicking his wrist and producing a few popcorn bits between his talons, ones that hadn’t looked like they were there before but Ditzy could only assume he’d picked up when he’d grabbed the bags earlier. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you mares a little better. That’s the whole point of the Contest, isn’t it?”

He tossed the popcorn into his mouth and chewed with a grin, while Ditzy said, “It is.”

“Hmm, I can tell I’m unsettling you a tad. Still sore over our little tussle?” Grimwald asked, staring at her with a disturbing lack of blinking.

“Hm? Did you and Mister Grimwald fight?” Dinky said with open curiosity and a strange, half frown on her face, “I didn’t see anything.”

“The mirrors didn’t quite catch us, tiny bright eyes,” said Grimwald before Ditzy could answer, “And yes, your ma and I had ourselves a scuffle that ended in a draw. Thought maybe she was upset at me over it.”

Dinky’s ears flopped about as she tilted her head, looking at Grimwald with an innocent stink eye, “You didn’t hurt my mamma did you?”

Grimwald made a show of shivering and shaking his head, “I went very easy on her my protective little filly. Wouldn’t want to incur your anger, after all.”

Dinky nodded sagely, “Mmmhmm, you play nice with my mamma during the Contest or you’ll have to answer to me.”

“Well and truly noted,” Grimwald said, then to Ditzy, “So is our one on one rubbing you wrong, bright eyes?”

Ditzy was silent for a few long seconds before saying, “I have some lingering... concerns.”

“Figured as much. Tell you what my little pony, it’ll be a few days before the Contest of Strength and we might find a good chance to air things out there. Before then, if you feel keen on the idea, I’m going to introduce you to a friend of mine. Gwendolyn Var Bastion. She’s kind of rough around the edges but she’s an, mmm, artist with a sword. If I ask her I imagine she can give you some pointers before you and I have another go with each other. Should make a fairer competition, eh?”

Ditzy was taken aback enough to find herself staring blankly at the griffin for a time, long enough for Dinky to pause in eating her popcorn to reach up and give her mother a quick boop on the nose. Ditzy shook herself and said, “Do you mean training or something like that? Because I don’t really know anything about how to use a sword.”

“Sword, pike, shield, hoof, rolling pin, chairs, I’m pretty certain Gwen can show you a few things, even a completely helpless novice like you.” Grimwald seemed to only gain more energy as he talked, smiling almost to himself, “Oh yes, I’m liking this idea. Gwendolyn really does shine better when she gets to play mother hen, and you’re just the kind of pet project she’d sink her talons into.”

“Hey!” snapped Raindrops, “My friend isn’t a toy for you griffins to toss between you. If Ditzy doesn't want to do it then she doesn’t want to do it.”

“Actually,” Ditzy said, wings fluttering slightly, her walled eyes starting to brim with a little energy of their own, “I didn’t say no yet, Raindrops.”

“Yeah, but Ditzy,” Raindrops leaned over to her and whispered, “I wouldn’t trust this guy to watch a houseplant, let alone actually help you in any way. This is obviously just something he’s doing for some kind of weird scheme or just get his jollies watching his friend beat you around a training yard.”

But Ditzy was already shaking her head. In her mind she’d already decided. She couldn’t afford to just sit around being scared of Grimwald. She didn’t doubt he had nefarious intentions of some sort. He just oozed insincerity, even with the affable personality. But if she was going to understand him at all, and make something positive come out of this, she had to be willing to extend a hoof. Even if she’d have to use that same hoof to give him a smack across the noggin.

“It’ll be okay Raindrops,” she said, “Trust me, okay?”

She put her hoof out to Grimwald, “I accept. I’ll be happy to meet your friend and try to learn whatever she can teach me.”

“Excellent!” Grimwald said, clasping her hoof and giving it a firm shake, “I think this is going to be the start of something enlightening for both of us, bright eyes.”

Much later that evening seven mares situated themselves around the central living room of their quarters, save for Princess Luna as she glided around the space with soft flickers of light from her horn saturating the walls in several places before she gave a satisfied nod and turned to the ponies in the room.

“I have secured this place from any eavesdropping magic and soundproofed it as well. None shall hear what we discuss.”

Trixie closed the window she’d been looking out of at the forest of lights from the still very active festival and trotted to the center of the room. Her friends were all seated on the couches or chairs situated about, and Princess Luna went to stand between them, looking to Trixie with a questioning gaze.

“Thanks for coming, Princess. I wasn’t sure if this was something that we should bring to you now, but after talking it over with the girls we all think it's best we’re all on the same page.”

“I await what news you bring, my student. After the events of today I,” Luna paused, giving a small, wry smile, “I thought perhaps I may have had to hold you back from starting further quarrel with our Shouma neighbors, but I see you kept a calm head.”

“Given what that kirin almost did I’m not exactly feeling the peace, love, and harmony of Equestrian virtue,” Raindrops said, then glanced at Ditzy, “Some of us are a lot better at giving folks second chances.”

“I was not without my own anger at what occurred,” said Luna, for a moment her blue eyes seeming to glow with a cerulean inner fire, “I made it plain to Empress Fu Ling that any further such ‘accidents’ would not be tolerated without consequence. However,” her eyes locked on Trixie, “I am also willing to grant that Dao Ming was provoked perhaps beyond what was... sporting.”

Trixie coughed, adjusting her hat, “Yes, well, you were the one to teach me about taking advantage of my opponents weaknesses.”

“True, but I was not intending that to be a lesson taken into an event of honorable and friendly competition,” said Luna, but made a sweeping gesture with her wing as if to banish further talk of the matter, “Regardless I know you did not bring me here for discussing that matter, and it is closed for now assuming that you and the Empress’ progeny can get along for the rest of the Contest. So tell me, what do you wish to say?”

Trixie gave Luna the rundown of her attempt to visit Dao Ming and the subsequent encounter with Kenkuro, including the warning of some potential threat to the safety of both the island and the Contest, albeit from the less than entirely reliable visions of a minotaur seeress.

Trixie had already informed Carrot Top, Ditzy, and Raindrops, bringing them up to speed before Luna arrived, so it was only the Princess of the Night who looked mildly surprised and gained a contemplative look for a minute after Trixie was finished speaking.

“I can understand your hesitance to bring this to me. It is not the most clear of warnings,” said Luna, eyes ponderous, “Yet I know enough of the labyrinth seers of the minotaur realm to not discount it.”

“So they can actually get visions of the future, and have it be accurate, like a fortune teller?” Lyra asked.

“Fortune tellers are accurate?” asked Carrot Top, “Last time I went to one she just muttered over a crystal ball I’m pretty sure was bought at a discount thrift store and told me I’d get a cold the next week. Turns out it was a flu. Never did see that fortune teller again.”

Luna cleared her throat, “Ahem, while I cannot speak in any detail of depth concerning the labyrinth seers, I have met several in my time, and while not all of them possess what they call ‘corner sight’, it is very real. As Kenkuro claimed, not always accurate. You see, ‘corner sight’ refers to the ability to only see around the bend of a corner in the grand labyrinth the minotaurs view all of life's decisions as. Whatever this Greysight saw it was only a glimpse of one possible bend in the path. Even my own powers of divination cannot see the future any clearer, though that domain was always more belonging to my sister than I.”

“Do you think Corona is the threat Greysight is seeing?” asked Ditzy, a hard frown darkening her features like a tiny cloud.

“We’ve been over that,” said Trixie, “Much as it galls me to say, I can’t see Corona trying anything here. There’s far too much stacked against her and she can’t be crazy enough to think that taking on her sister, plus Princess Cadenza, and all of us with the Elements is a good idea.”

“On top of that,” said Cheerilee, “The warning sounded more to me like we needed to watch out for something more subtle than Corona dropping solar flares on us. Some kind of threat from the shadows. That’s not Corona’s style at all.”

“Maybe she’s learning from past mistakes?” suggested Lyra, shrugging her hooves, “I mean it's not like going all out worked for her last time, so maybe she’s decided to try the subtle approach? I mean, why is she even here, with her little fan club, if she didn’t have some kind of plan in mind to help her take over Equestria?”

“Allow me to be concerned with my sister,” Luna said firmly, “Our confrontation may be inevitable but I know that her intentions here are, at least for the time being, not hostile.”

“So the question now is what are we to do about this warning, if anything?” Trixie asked the room.

“There isn’t much we can do,” said Cheerilee, “Without more to go on at least. You said you ran into something strange already, Trixie, what was it?”

“I’ve already told Luna this, but when I first arrived...” Trixie recounted her odd compulsion to follow a path leading to the grave markers of the ancient champions who died stopping Rengoku, and how she also encountered Dao Ming there who claimed to feel the same compulsion.

“That’s super weird. You were being mind controlled do you think?” asked Carrot Top, shuddering. “Could it have been ghosts?”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts,” said Raindrops, though Trixie noticed the pegasus’ mane was bristling a tad and she seemed to fidget in her seat as she looked at Luna, “Right?”

Luna’s look was rather cryptic as she said, “Not in the manner you are thinking, no. As for what happened to Trixie and the kirin heiress, my only theory at the moment is that something about the spell interlaced with that site reacted with Trixie and Dao Ming’s own personal magic fields. The spell there is one of the anchors that keeps the barrier up around Rengoku. I hate to think it, but the threat may be tied to it. Thus my suggestion would be to continue the Contest and be focused upon that, but to be watchful of any groups acting strangely in regards to that site and the other anchor points.”

“How many of these anchors are there?” asked Lyra, leaning forward with her tail swishing in interest, “Are they sites like those graves too?”

“In a sense,” Luna said, “Each anchor is tied to the events of that long ago day. One is the spot where Celestia and I stood, using our combined might to keep Rengoku still while our champions assaulted the fortress. The other anchor point is where the Warlord drew her last breath, after her daughter dragged her wounded body from the fallen fortress.”

Ditzy held a hoof over her mouth, “That must’ve been terrible. A daughter shouldn’t have to watch her mother pass like that... why put a spell in such a place?”

“It is difficult to explain, Ditzy Doo, but certain spells as stronger if tied to places of emotional resonance. There are other factors, but please trust me when I say I do not have a reason yet to burden you with such information,” said Luna, casting her gaze around the room, to each mare in turn.

“I shall alert my Shadowbolts to be on high alert, and to watch the anchor points. Until we know more there is little else to be done, but I thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Luna said, then slowly smiled, “I am proud of all of you. You fought well today. The Contest is far from over, and I ask that despite these dark tidings you still try to enjoy yourselves and focus on the events to come. Whatever danger may lurk we shall guard against it, and if it rises, deal with it together while in good camaraderie with our neighboring nations and their champions.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” said Trixie, glad that they’d chosen to tell Luna about Kenkuro’s warning. They might not know what to expect in the coming days, but whatever it was, they’d be ready for it.

Thickly overgrown and with trees bunched densely like a maze, even the moon’s light couldn’t illuminate the darkness that saturated the forest. Hugging the massive fallen form of ancient Rengoku, the fortress cast an even deeper shadow over the forest akin to tar that clung to the forest canopy.

Within this forest three figures met, all cloaked, and when they spoke even their voices were distorted so that even determining male or female was impossible.

“It seems you failed to accomplish your goal this first day,” said the first voice.

“Hardly,” said the second voice, “This was just testing the waters, and oh are they deep. Don’t worry, I’ll fulfill my end of things, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun while doing so.”

“Just try to make sure you actually get the job done while having your fun,” said the third voice, “Also try not to give us away with your playtime.”

“And you, has your task been coming along?” asked the first voice of the third.

“Like our playful comrade I was able to ‘test the waters’, as it were. The sample I acquired was small, but it shows this will work. We’re lucky the third one showed up. It will make this go a lot easier than using our intended substitute.” said the third voice.

“Be careful,” said the first voice, “Do not underestimate our opposition.”

“Stop worrying so much, oh concerned one,” said the second voice, “We have things under control. You just make sure that when the time comes you hold up your end of our grand scheme, eh?”

“In that regard you need not fear. I shall do what I must when the time comes. As for my ‘concerns’, I have brought another. Come, show yourself.” commanded the first voice, and a fourth shadow emanated onto the scene.

“You didn’t say anything about adding another comrade to our little circle,” said the third voice.

“Hey, I don’t mind a fourth amigo,” said the second voice, “But what is their job going to be, exactly?”

“They are something of an insurance policy,” said the first voice, “They are here in case when the time comes for confrontation we need the additional strength.”

“Does this insurance policy speak?” asked the third voice.

“I speak,” said the fourth, “And I listen. We are in danger of discovery. One with the sight has seen the ripples of our actions already.”

“The minotaur, right?” said the second voice, “Should we deal with her?”

“No,” said the first voice, “A body would only complicate matters. We proceed as intended. By the time any on this island do learn the truth of our plans it will be already too late to stop us. Take heart, comrades, soon we shall all acquire what we desire.”

Author's Note

Think I had the most fun writing Carrot Top and Frederick this chapter, mostly because CT remains among the L6 the one I have the most trouble feeling like I have a firm grasp of her character, so she's been interesting to write and figure out my own feel for her. Second up is Grimwald, who I'm enjoying writing his interactions with Ditzy. The flashback scene at the start was also a highlight for me, as I'd wanted to have such a scene earlier in the story but it just wasn't quite the right time to have it happen.

So, no real action this chapter, but a lot of character interactions and setting things up for the future. Hope everyone enjoys and as always thanks to everyone who provided me helpful comments in the workshop. All comments, questions, critiques, or random thoughts are welcome, and thank you all for reading!

Chapter 9: Rivalry and Kinship

Chapter 9: Rivalry and Kinship

The wind had picked up significantly the next day, buffeting the Isle of the Fallen heavily and causing an almost constant whistle of noise across the forests and fields. Princess Luna didn’t mind the faint sense of an incoming storm, as it fit her mood rather snuggly. The morning had been rather... trying. Talking to her sister with the overhanging realization that any courtesy that existed between them was shadowed by Celestia’s ongoing obsession with taking Equestria under her ‘protective’ rule once more was absolutely exhausting.

It hadn’t even been a long conversation. Luna had simply needed to remind her sister to keep Luna’s ruse of being the one to raise the sun, because that morning Celestia had started to get a little ostentatious with her magic when actually raising the sun. Luna had needed to teleport out to her sister’s ark just as her sister’s glow of golden light had started to shine a bit too brightly for comfort’s sake. She’d asked Celestia to keep such displays to a minimum while she actually raised the sun and Luna put on a light show for the benefit of her subjects.

Celestia had not liked that suggestion. Luna felt, in part, it was simply because Celestia hadn’t realized how brightly her magic had been glowing as she’d raised the sun and was covering her embarrassment. Luna was still surprised that her sister had even considered conceding, but it seemed to Luna that Celestia was far more distracted by other matters to argue over who got credit for raising the sun that morning.

”They shall all know who commands the sun, soon enough, dear sister, and who is their one true guardian. Play your tricks this morning, Luna, if you must, as long as you never forget to whom the sun belongs.”

And that was about as polite as Celestia had been thus far, though some part of Luna was almost happy that her sister was here. No matter what illness plagued her sister’s mind, Luna missed Celestia. Even the difficult conversations they had now, with the promise of conflict in the future, had to be better than absolute silence. It was a deep fear twisting at the center of Luna’s heart that she’d be, in the end, forced to see her sister banished once more... or worse...

But not this day, or any day during the Contest, of that much she felt certain. Others might express doubts but Luna knew her sister well enough to believe Celestia’s intentions on the island were not harmful to Equestria. Even after hearing what the Element Bearers had told her the previous night concerning the labyrinthine seer Greysight’s ominous warning Luna felt confident that Celestia wasn’t the source of the threat. Connected, perhaps, but not the source. She had her Shadowbolts trailing Celestia’s servants as they traipsed about the island, just in case, but so far they’d only confirmed what Celestia had already claimed, that she was here to ensure nothing interfered with the imprisoning spell that kept Rengoku sealed away from outside contact.

Standing at the peak of the cliff that harbored the monastery, enjoying a moment of quiet before she’d be called upon to join the formal breakfast the monks were putting on for the visiting dignitaries, herself included, Luna couldn’t help but cast an uneasy glance towards the distant fortress.

Rengoku loomed like the shadow of an old nightmare, only half forgotten. If only she and her sister had the power to destroy it, rather than just place a barrier around it.

With a somewhat self deprecating snort she shook her head, “Follow your own advice for once, Luna, and focus on the Contest.”

This was a time to be both filled with joy and pride, despite all the threats that might cloud the horizon. Her dearest student and her cherished friends were doing well, and the Contest of Champions had only just begun. They were already forming kinships among the other champions, and in some cases, budding rivalries. Both could form strong bonds, and if Luna was to believe in her optimistic better thoughts, then only good could stem from the trials to come.

Luna had seen ponies go through many changes over the course of their short lives, and never ceased to warm her to see ponies grow. The Element Bearers had begun a great journey of change the day they’d first defeated her sister, but Luna was seeing even more change in recent months as those humble (and in some cases perhaps not so humble) mares grow into their roles as knights, and indeed, as champions. It was such a difficult to define title, at times, champion. As nebulous as the word ‘hero’. What made one a champion could be different depending on a hundred factors, from culture to individual deeds, but the unifying element, Luna always thought, was that champions showed the absolute best of what they could be, inspiring others to become better themselves.

In that regard, she thought the mares she’d put her faith in were starting to shine with a light that would not dull anytime soon, and may well leave them all changed by the time all was said and done.

Breakfast had been somewhat awkward for Trixie. Suspicions now of who might possibly represent the mysterious threat she’d been warned of floated across her mind as she carefully watched the various national delegates and her fellow champions during the morning meal. Not everyone was present for breakfast, as there wasn’t actually any obligation for all attendees to be there, and more than a few champions or delegates had their own notions of how to spend the morning. This included some of Trixie’s friends, as Ditzy had gotten up early and left to meet with, of all individuals, Grimwald. Raindrops had volunteered to go with her, just to keep an eye on things, and Trixie was thankful for that. Grimwald all but oozed an aura of untrustworthiness and Trixie couldn’t comprehend why Ditzy was seemingly adamant about... befriending the griffon?

Cheerilee was also absent, though she’d been at breakfast just long enough to snatch some food and jet off, saying she had a friend to meet up with. She hadn’t said who.

That left Trixie, Lyra, and Carrot Top to socialize and mingle with the other dignitaries. Trixie was keeping close track of her friends, seeing Lyra two tables down talking with Wodan, and apparently whatever she was saying was getting the moose to rumble with laughter that carried over the din of conversation like a peal of thunder. Carrot Top was trapped between a trio of nobles, one the Cavallian knight from the other day, Trixie thought his name was Silverwreath, another being Prince Frederick who was wearing a guarded look as the third noble of the group seemed to hedge both him and Carrot Top in with just a few looks and gestures. Vicereine Puissance had that kind of presence. Trixie couldn’t hear what was being said, but the look on Carrot Top’s face suggested she wanted to be somewhere else.

Good luck, Carrot Top, but that’s a bramble patch I’m not sticking my hoof in. Just don’t make the Vicereine more prickly than she already is, thought Trixie, taking a drink from a goblet of wine, and nearly choking on it as she turned to find herself staring at a face full of Dao Ming.

“Come with me, if it pleases you, Dame Trixie,” Dao Ming said, voice polite, but strained, and silver eyes shifting about, looking for the Empress, Trixie suspected. Coughing slightly to keep the wine going down the right pipe, Trixie affected an air of nonplussed aloofness.

“Is it okay for you to be out of bed, yet? Last I’d heard you were under lock and key by the order of your Empress.”

Dao Ming didn’t quite look well, that was for certain. There were faint circles of fatigue under her eyes and the normally immaculate appearance of the Shouma heir apparent seemed frayed in a few places, one or two strands of golden mane out of place, a few rumples among the otherwise smooth green and gold embroidered dress she wore. Still, she managed to maintain a stance of high headed pride as strongly as ever, while somehow seeming more deflated, or at least... nervous?

“At great length I have convinced my-” there was just a tick of hesitation, or perhaps not hesitation, but uneasy satisfaction, in Dao Ming’s voice, “-mother that I am more than well enough to walk on my own four hooves. She has only agreed to this as long as I remain within the monastery for today, however, so I am stuck... obligated to remain here, resting for the most part.”

“I see,” said Trixie, “So what then do you want with me? You made all the impression you possibly could have yesterday.”

It was hard not to keep a sharpness out of her voice. Kenkuro could assure all he wanted that Dao Ming was regretful for what had happened, and Trixie as well knew she didn’t want to carry a grudge, but... well being faced with Dao Ming so soon after nearly being killed by her was quite a different matter. Dao Ming seemed to understand this as well, because it was hard not to see the look of heated shame that crossed her features, however briefly.

“I know that what I did was beyond, well beyond, what was called for. I was... angry, with you,” Dao Ming said, and her eyes cast about, again with a shifty nervousness she was trying hard to hide, “I do not make requests often, Dame Trixie, but please, can we speak elsewhere? Somewhere private? I... I cannot do this in public.”

It was so, so tempting to say no, just to see Dao Ming fidget more. Trixie knew she could leave Dao Ming hanging high and dry, unable to say whatever it was she wanted to say, unless she wanted a good portion of the room to hear of it by the end of the day. Already the two mares standing together were drawing looks. There was just the start of sweat beading on Dao Ming’s forehead before Trixie relented and said, “Very well, let us get some fresh air.”

“But I cannot leave the monastery,” Dao Ming protested, but Trixie held up a placating hoof.

“We’re not leaving, just going to the threshold. It's quiet enough there, and you can say whatever it is you have to say without worrying about being overheard. I’ll make sure of it.”

Dao Ming looked concerned still, but held her head high and followed Trixie just the same as they trotted out of the dining hall and towards the vast stone columns that marked the opening of the monastery, where its large stone steps led out to the fields beyond the cliff. Trixie let out a small sigh at the sight of the pleasant day outside, though in her mind the view was somewhat marred by Corona’s golden ark, floating in a slow, drifting circle in the sky.

Once Trixie was sure nopony was nearby, and using one of the columns to easily hide from the line of sight of anypony in the dining hall, Trixie used a quick spell to erect a barrier against eavesdropping. Dao Ming looked about at the flicker of the transparent bubble with a grudgingly appreciative eye.

“That shall do,” she said, then looked at Trixie with her face twitching through a series of emotions that Dao Ming seemed trying hard to hide behind a mask of formality. “Dame Trixie Lulamoon, I... have done you and your fellow knights a disservice. I am bound by my loyalty to my mother to... not apologize for any of it. Yet I must do something. Honor is a razor’s edge, cutting me as I try to tread it, barring me from saying what must be said yet I cannot ignore my actions as if they hadn’t happened.”

“I’ve already gone over this with your tengu friend,” Trixie said, “He has, in his own way, apologized on your behalf. I also understand that your Empress is saving face by keeping things quiet.”

Trixie stared hard into Dao Ming’s eyes, wanting to have the kirin’s undivided attention, and made sure her next words came through crystal clear, “I am not going to easily forget what you tried to do, accident or not, to me and my friends. Forgive, perhaps, but not forget. You could have killed us with that stunt, and for what, because you felt angry? Power like yours can’t be used frivolously due to emotion, and I swear to you now that if you ever put my friends in danger like that again not even your Empress will be able to sweep under the rug what I will do.”

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and smiling, not exactly in her most pleasant way, but not exactly baring her teeth either, “Now, that being said; apology accepted. I do hope you’re ready to have your flanked kicked in the next event, because Dame Trixie Lulamoon and her fellow knights of the realm are far from out of this Contest, yet.”

Dao Ming was silent, seconds ticking by with icy slowness, until the phantom of a smirk appeared on the kirin’s young features, lightening her fatigue with a flame of challenge, “I can admit to having misjudged you and your friends, upon first meeting. All I saw were common ponies, seemingly unfit for their legend or titles. I... look forward, now, to seeing you prove those misconceptions wrong in the coming events. If you can defeat me, going forward. I have much at stake, and much honor to regain, in winning the Contest of Champions.”

“And I, too, have my pride to consider,” said Trixie, sharing the kirin’s smirk and flicking her tail in a defiantly eager gesture, “With the air clear, I think we can both enjoy the challenges to come, no?”

“Yes...” said Dao Ming, her shoulders straighter, looking far less tired than she’d been mere minutes earlier, “Yes I think we shall.”

As the two departed back into the dining hall, both stepping lighter, Kenkuro, who’d been perched on the cliff above and making good use of his skill in reading lips, took a puff on his pipe and smiled, looking up at the sky.

“Hmm, a good rival for her... good for each other. Fu Ling, if only you could see.”

Ditzy tried hard not to shiver, entering the edge of the forest at the northeast edge of the island. Raindrops trotted alongside her and seemed far more at ease, despite keeping an alert eye out. Noticing Ditzy’s slight shudder her friend said, “You know you didn’t have to agree to this?”

“Yes, but I’m trying to put my best hoof forward,” Ditzy said, almost as much to convince herself as Raindrops, who gave a slight snort at Ditzy’s words.

“Far as I’m concerned you’ve already done that, and there’s nothing wrong with telling the creepy guy to go take a hike,” said Raindrops, eyes scanning the trees. “He did say to meet him here, right?”

“Yup, there’s supposed to be a clearing just ahead. Uh, thanks for coming with me Raindrops. I know you could be spending time with your family right now, enjoying the festival.”

“I have responsibilities to look to, and they understand. Part of that is making sure my friend doesn’t get a knife in the back,” Raindrops replied, not ceasing her wary scanning of their surroundings.

“I don’t think Grimwald would actually do something that drastic... I mean, I hope not...” Ditzy was almost irritated with herself for how unsure she sounded, but it was true that Grimwald had hardly done much to set her at ease.

“You’re giving the buzzard way more credit than I would,” said Raindrops as the pair broke through the treeline into a wide clearing, perhaps thirty or so paces long and half that wide in a smooth oval. There were several broken tree stumps here, each at a slightly different length, and Ditzy noticed that there was a piece of dark stonework, like a large pillar, that rested on one end of the clearing.

“Why hello ladies,” said Grimwald as he seemed to materialize from the shade of a tree not more than a few yards from them, causing Ditzy to near jump out of her fur, and Raindrops to wheel about, wings spread and reared to strike. Grimwald just held up his talons in a pacifying gesture as he sat back on his haunches. “Easy there, muscles. You’d think you were expecting trouble, with how jumpy you are. I thought I made it clear yesterday that I’m only interested in helping your friend.”

“I'll believe that when... “ Raindrops trailed off, tilting her head in thought, “Actually I don’t think I want to set a condition for that one. I just don’t trust people that try to stab my friends and let’s leave it there.”

“Your call. I don’t mind a spectator at any rate, since I’m just here to watch as well,” Grimwald said, as he peeled a knife from some sleeve or pocket that Ditzy couldn’t see and began trimming his talons idly, “Gwen ought to be here any minute. She’s the punctual sort. Won’t admit it but she’s got quite a bit of her mother in her.”

“And if she heard you say that, Grimwald, she’d end up agreeing with you and I’d have to bust your beak and set her straight on the matter,” chimed in a tough yet feminine voice as another griffin walked into the clearing from the left. Ditzy recalled only vaguely that she’d seen the female griffin among the other champions, though she hadn’t spoken to her yet. Gwendolyn’s lean frame filled out her blue and white trimmed jerkin well, and her red feather crests were held back by a steel banded circlet. She wore a sword at her side, broad and long with a gold worked hilt, and she carried over her shoulder a cloth bound bundle that rattled with steel.

Grimwald gave her a wide grin, “My apologies Gwen, and here I thought you and your mother got on famously these days.”

“Cut the crap, Grim. She’s happy enough I came back home at the King’s summons and agreed to do this Contest malarkey, but soon as this is done I’m back to the Red Shields and that’s that,” Gwendolyn said with vehement force, tossing down the bundle in the middle of the clearing.

“Of course, yes, I’m sure King Gruber will be more than thrilled to let you return to your vigilantes... I mean, legitimate unit of awol soldiers,” Grimwald said without even bothering to hide his mocking tone, to which Gwendolyn shot him a hard look, but Ditzy saw a bit of fear in those proud eyes as well.

“I didn’t come here to talk about that, Grim. I’m here because you asked me to help one of these ponies with some combat training. So let’s do that and save the nettling for when we’re both drunk and I can punch you without causing a scene.”

That said she turned curious eyes towards both Ditzy and Raindrops, “Which one of you was I training again? Sorry, I know you ponies are color coded for convenience but I sometimes have a hard time telling you folk apart.”

Raindrops muttered something unflattering under her breath but Ditzy stepped forward, smiling politely and extending a hoof, “That’d be me. I’m Ditzy Doo. Pleased to meet you.”

Gwendolyn looked at the offered hoof for a second, then gripped it firmly with a talon and a solid shake, “Gwendolyn Var Bastion. Likewise. Now, I hope you’re not expecting to become a skilled fighter overnight. I’ve taught folk before how to hold the right end of a spear, but I’m not a miracle worker. Still, I’m used to teaching people that haven’t seen the business end of a weapon most their lives. I can get some basics into you, if you’ve got the mind to learn. Mind if I ask why you’re doing this, first?”

There was a piercing quality to Gwendolyn’s eyes even as there was a remarkably open and inviting tone to her voice. Ditzy felt like she was being measured yet not judged. It helped set her at ease, almost the complete opposite of the way Grimwald set her on edge.

“I wouldn’t have really thought to do this if Grimwald hadn’t suggested it, and you could say I’m mostly doing it for the sake of being friends.”

“With Grimwald?” Gwendolyn asked, and Grimwald himself sighed.

“You don’t have to say it as if it's so unbelievable, Gwen,” he said, still toying with his knife. Gwendolyn didn’t even look his way, holding Ditzy’s gaze.

“W-well, yes... I mean, why does everypony find it so strange I just want to make friends? It’s why we’re here. Besides, while I don’t actually want to hurt anypony, learning how to defend myself better could be useful.”

“You’re a knight of the realm for Equestria, so I’d say that’s a fair bet,” said Gwendolyn, looking Ditzy over from snout to flank, “I haven’t fought ponies often, just a few bandits that have wandered north into the Border Kingdoms. I know enough to not underestimate you ponyfolk. For a species that’s all about harmony some of you can fight like rabid badgers. You got a lot of softness about you, Dame Ditzy, but your body is lean and has an agile look to it. I’ll start you off with the spear. Easy enough weapon for a beginner. We’ll see how you take to that and work from there.”

“Don’t be a fool, a spear doesn’t suit that noble mare at all.”

All eyes turned to the edge of the clearing where Ditzy and Raindrops had first emerged and trotting out from there was the dark furred form of Sigurd, the water deer casting a hard look towards Gwendolyn. Grimwald had an eyebrow cocked upwards and Ditzy heard him mutter, “Now how’d he figure where we were?”

Gwendolyn cast a questioning glance at Grimwald for a second before turning a challenging look to Sigurd, “What are you doing here?”

Sigurd took up a space next to Ditzy, face dour. He was wearing his full armor, all pieces of jointed leather hide, and his bone cared sword strapped over his back. “I chanced upon Dame Cheerilee on the festival grounds and inquired as to if Dame Ditzy was doing well.” He gave Ditzy Doo a slightly apologetic look, “She told me where you would be and what you intended. I decided I should come, perhaps to guard you if need be, or to offer my own services in seeing to your training. A good thing, too, for I don’t think this griffin is suited to the task.”

Gwendolyn let out a snort, “Why is that? Did I not best you on the field the other day, warrior of Elkheim?”

“You scored your points in a fair duel,” Sigurd said levelly, though he sounded as if he were chewing rocks as he said so, “But that was still mere play. You will not find me so easy a foe come the Contest of Strength.”

“An easy excuse, but I don’t actually care either way. What does this have to do with training the pony? You say the spear is a bad choice? What, you’d try to have a novice wield a blade like yours? Ponies are hardly suited to using swords in most cases. Their short muzzles don’t take to hilts so easy, but their fetlocks can carry a spear shaft with surprising dexterity. I’ve seen ponies use spears to deadly effect myself.”

Sigurd scoffed, “Therein lay your mistake. Dame Ditzy is not a mare interested in ‘deadly effect’. She may have a warrior’s soul, but it is married to a gentle heart.”

“Umm... can I interrupt for a second?” Ditzy Doo said, perhaps a bit more loudly than she intended, as both griffin and deer looked at her. She took a deep breath, trying to smile diplomatically, “There’s no need to argue. Why don’t both of you train me? I can do things Gwendolyn’s way for a bit, then switch to Sigurd for a bit, then back and forth. That way you both get to teach me your own way. I mean, I appreciate you coming out here Sigurd, I really do. But Gwendolyn is also being nice enough to take time out of her day to help me, too, so I hope you two can, um, be friends and work together?”

Sigurd and Gwendolyn shot looks at each other, and Ditzy for a second thought she could see sparks dancing between them as if the two were ready to draw swords at each other. Then, slowly and as if only being done by force, both griffin and water deer unclenched their jaws and relaxed their stiff necks.

“That’s fine. I’m certain I can shape you into a better fighter than this overbearing oaf in half the time he’ll take,” said Gwendolyn, while Sigurd laughed in amusement.

“We shall see, boastful bird. I shall teach her a warrior’s way in a manner one as young as you couldn’t see, for all your experience in soldiering. There is more to battle than weapons or tactics. The soul of a warrior must come first.”

“Oh, yes, because that will keep her safe when she has enemies bearing down on her, a ‘warrior's soul’. This is why you cervids have never won a war against us griffins! Too much poetry in battle and not enough actual fighting skill.”

“Hmph, yet the Griffin Kingdoms have never taken any of Elkheim’s lands for more than a fortnight, because you lack the heart and soul to remain steadfast under pressure!”

Suddenly yet another voice cut through the argument, high noted but polite, “I am not interrupting anything of importance, am I?”

Once more eyes turned to find another newcomer to the clearing. The zebra Tendaji stood from the clearing edge opposite where Sigurd had entered, peering at them all curiously. Grimwald groaned and threw up his hands.

“Alright, how do people keep finding this clearing!? This was supposed to be a secret training spot, but apparently I might as well just go throw up a bloody sign and invite the entire island over! Pfft!!” Ditzy found it odd to see Grimwald grousing, although the fact that he did so while pulling out another knife and idling spinning it in his other talon, seemingly without thought, kept her from laughing.

Not so much Gwendolyn, who let out a honest chuckle, grinning at Tendaji. “You broke the Grimwald. I like you. What brings you here, zebra?”

“Tendaji, madame. And I came to speak with her,” he pointed at Raindrops, who bristled.

“You and I have nothing to say to each other,” the pegasus said with a harsh glare. If Tendaji was bothered by the heated eyes on him he gave no sign.

“I won’t force you, yet I cannot avoid you. You are part of my Path, Raindrops. I feel I have yet to garner an understanding with you on that matter, and wish to do so before our hooves meet in combat again. My... my wife also thinks this is for the best.”

“I don’t see how what you or your wife think should matter to me at all,” said Raindrops flatly, but Ditzy Doo put a hoof on her friend’s withers.

“Raindrops, it can’t hurt to just talk to him,” she said, “He’s being very polite.”

“I...” Raindrops looked ready to spit, but Ditzy Doo turned on the pleading eyes, pouting slightly, and Raindrops’ resolve started to crumble, “Okay, not fair to use that look, Ditzy, but fine I’ll go see what he has to say. You’ll be alright on your own?”

“I think I can manage,” said Ditzy Doo.

Reluctantly Raindrops took to the air and floated over towards Tendaji, who gave a formal bow to the group, then to Raindrops, and led the pegasus out of the clearing. Ditzy Doo sincerely hoped the pair might be able to clear the air with each other and start coming to an understanding. Speaking of which...

“Right, so, um, I guess we ought to get started, huh?” she said to her two new teachers, who both glowered at each other for a moment, before turning their full attention to Ditzy. Gwendolyn had a look that was a thunderhead of eagerness.

“Since I’m up first,” the griffiness said while heading over to the wrapped bundle she’d left on the ground, unwrapping it to reveal a tightly packed pile of weapons ranging from straight blades, to broad axes. Amid the weapons was a short spear about three feet long, which Gwendolyn snatched up and tossed Ditzy’s way, “We begin with the spear. By the time I’m finished with you you’ll be able to at least hold that without stabbing yourself.”

Ditzy barely managed to catch the shaft, holding it awkwardly in her front fetlocks while using her wings to hover. It felt strange to hold the spear, and she looked at it with trepidation. Sigurd made a sound somewhere between a grunt and chuckle as he leaned against one of the tree stumps, “We shall see how this goes.”

As Gwendolyn started to put Ditzy through the paces of some rigorous spear drills she looked out of the corner of her eye. Grimwald was now perched on one of the trees, not making a sound, just sitting there with a satisfied look on his face.

Watching.

Lyra had lost track of Carrot Top and Trixie amid the ever shifting tide of folk, dignitaries and champions alike, who buzzed about the monastery's dining hall. She’d anchored herself to Wodan because the moose was literally impossible to miss in the crowd, and he was good company with an easy laugh that could crack stone and a joke or anecdote to match any of hers. If anything she felt privileged to chat with the fellow, her mental lorebook of stories from Elkheim filling up as rapidly as Wodan could drain barrels of ale. Lucky her the traditions of Elkheim courtship didn’t apply here because Wodan already knew she was attached.

“You didn’t actually use a pine tree to pole vault onto an airborne dragon,” she said, “I’m sure physics doesn’t agree with any of that.”

“Physics means nothing to mighty Wodan! It was a hundred foot tall pine, as clear and real as your own eyes, and of course I could see no other way to get up to the same height as the fiery wyrm that was scorching the forest bare! When it soared past the cliff-side, I was there, vaulting like a majestic eagle onto its scaly hide!”

“What Wodan doesn’t tell you of this tale is that he overshot his mark by at least ten paces and ended up on the dragon’s snout, nearly falling into its mouth,” said Andrea, who came up beside Lyra with a foaming mug of mead at hoof, “Of course what good story isn’t gilded with embellishment?”

Lyra smiled past a sip of the cider she herself had snatched from one of the tables. “Got to make the story interesting. Who’s to say what’s true or not, as long as it’s a good tale?”

Wodan bellowed a laugh, giving Lyra a jostle that he probably assumed was friendly and light, but nearly knocked her off her hooves, “Andrea knows well the truth of many of my deeds. She’s been there to witness more than a few of them herself.”

“Being a Skald is fine work, and I must go where there are heroes making their legends,” Andrea said, and smirked, “While making a few of my own, of course. Heh, when the world lets me.”

Lyra glanced at her questioningly, “Not enough adventure following around guys like Wodan here?”

“Ach, few in Elkheim would say Wodan has not forged a great saga of his life, but even this tale of pole vaulting upon a dragon is an old one. Oh, don’t grimace so, Wodan, you know that happened near twenty winters ago!”

Wodan’s face had a shrugging look about it even though he was still as a mountain, voice gravel, “True words spoken, friend Andrea. The world has grown peaceful, but let that never be a bar to the hero’s spirit! One can find challenges even when dragons don’t sweep the skies with flames and ice serpents freeze the rivers solid.”

Lyra nodded in firm agreement, “Equestria’s a pretty peaceful place, but my friends and I keep finding trouble to get into, heh, and out of in ever increasingly ludicrous ways.”

“Perhaps,” said Andrea, looking towards Lyra with her emerald eyes flickering with intense interest, as if she were examining a fruit to pluck, “Grand adventures, to be sure, yet they’ve only come in a time of crisis for your land. A legend of old descending for the sun itself to threaten your peace, or an ancient island whisked from time, bearing old evils. These are the things that forge legends worthy of champions, more than say, a peaceful, quiet life.”

Lyra shifted uncomfortably, not entirely sure what the red elk doe was driving at. Yes, her life in Ponyville had been pretty uneventful and peaceful up until Corona, but that didn’t mean one couldn’t find adventure in the common, everyday events of life. Granted, she spent a lot of her time reading up on the lore and legends of more... exciting times, and now that she was living those same kinds of stories she was finding it both exhilarating, and rather terrifying at many a time, but there was nothing wrong with things being quiet and peaceful. Wasn’t that how it was supposed to be?

Some part of Lyra wasn’t entirely sure.

“Okay, sure, some stories need a bit of danger and conflict to get going, especially for the legendary stuff, but there’s still good things to be found during a time of peace. I mean, you’re a musician just like me, an entertainer, right? The music and stories that convey legends, those are best appreciated in times of peace.”

Andrea’s laugh was a set of wind chimes in a stormy breeze, “Too true! Such a bit of twisted irony that our craft requires times of chaos and war to gain its fuel, yet can only be appreciated fully when the dust has settled and the storm ended.” Her red, curled hair bobbed as she laughed into her drink, taking a long sip, “If only there was a way to have it both ways. What is the Equestrian turn of phrase; to have one’s cake and eat it too?”

“Something like that,” Lyra said, raising her cup of cider, “To finding adventure, even in times of peace.”

Andrea’s grin had a warm quality to it, yet her eyes still seemed sharp and searching as she banged her mug to Lyra’s cup, “To adventure, even in peace.”

The cider went down smoothly and Lyra glanced around, still not sure where Trixie or Carrot Top had gotten off to. Then again, there was no rule that said they all had to be attached at the hip. She was a grown mare and didn’t need to ‘check in’ every ten minutes. Last she’d seen Carrot Top was still hanging around with that Frederick fellow anyway, and Trixie was a natural at taking care of herself. Lyra wanted to get some quality time in with Bon Bon.

“Well,” she said, “Think I’ve managed to pack on as many pounds as politeness requires. I got to give to these monks, they can cook.”

“Leaving are you, then?” Wodan asked, stretching his legs, an act that reminded Lyra a lot of what a pine tree being bent to pole vault might look like, with those thick limbs bending. “Perhaps I shall accompany you.”

“Ah ah ah, “ said Andrea swiftly, “You pulled Prince duty for the day, so no wiggling out of it.”

Wodan’s face remained as impassive as a slab of stone, but Lyra did notice that his ears twitched a bit at Andrea’s words. “I did, didn’t I? I had near forgotten. So be it, I shall remain here, vigilant and watchful. You ladies go and enjoy yourselves.”

Andrea put a hoof around Lyra’s withers, “Oh, we will.”

The pair made swift progress out of the monastery's main hall, Lyra giving Wodan one last wave of farewell before they cantered out into the warm morning air, hitting the trail leading to the festival grounds. Lyra glanced sidelong at Andrea, her curiosity pushing her to ask, “Prince duty?”

The doe let out a light chuckle, like chiming bells, “Just what we call our task of watching Prince Frederick, keeping an eye on the lad while he’s out from under the boughs of Yggdrasil.”

Yggdrasil. That was the capital city of Elkheim, if Lyra’s memory of the nation’s lore wasn’t being too fuzzy. The city got its name from the unbelievably monolithic tree that sprung up from the side of one of the realm’s largest mountains. She knew the royal family of Elkheim made their home within the tree itself, an entire palace shaped within the bark and branches of the massive tree.

“Is it not common for the Prince to actually leave Yggdrasil?” she asked with an intrigued raise of her eyebrow.

“Oh, that’s not the issue. He’s been in and out of the capital plenty of times,” said Andrea, “It’s more that the lad has some bad habits when it comes to certain things, so he needs some level heads about to keep him steered right, so he doesn’t make a fool of himself at best, or make Elkheim short one Prince at worst.”

Lyra wasn’t entirely sure she understood, “Just what are you supposed to keep him from doing? Wait, does this have anything to do with him being interested in Carrot Top?”

Andrea blinked at her, then let out a raucous chuckle, “What? Oh, no, not at all lass! If anything I’m glad your friend is keeping the Prince’s attention. Long as he’s busy chasing her tail he won’t be as likely to do anything else foolish. Lad has a head full of notions on how to get glory and not a lick of the sense needed to do it without getting in over his head.”

“Like pole vaulting onto the back of a dragon?” Lyra put forth with a small smirk.

“Ha! In Prince Frederick’s case he’d have skipped the pole vault and just jumped straight into the dragon’s maw. Lucky us this Contest is such a friendly affair and that the Prince isn’t participating, otherwise the oath me, Sigurd, and Wodan swore on the roots of Yggdrasil to keep watch over him would be that much harder to fulfill,” said Andrea just as the pair reached the edge of the festival grounds. The soft intertwining of a dozen different forms of music filled the air alongside the din of the large crowd of intermixed species moving about the grounds. The music, all blending from different cultures into a pleasant background buzz, made Lyra smile and think of the upcoming event.

“I wonder what the Contest of Art is going to be like?” she asked, not really expecting an answer, but Andrea was quick to answer.

“From what I’ve heard passed down of tales from Contests past it is the least structured of the events. The monks believe too many rules stifle the creativity needed to express a culture’s Art. I believe the last century’s Contest had an event that was made up entirely of improvised pieces.”

“Heh, I bet Trixie would dig that,” said Lyra, “Me? Improv isn’t really my thing. I like to know the piece I’m playing beforehoof, at least a little bit. I can get by with minimal practice, but there’s gotta be some idea of what I’m playing.”

Andrea looked at her with an odd intensity in her eyes for a moment, through her smile was as easy as ever, “Whatever the nature of the event I’ve no doubt you’ll put on a performance that’ll be tough to beat.” Andrea held up a hoof, pointing it at Lyra, “This is the time and place for ones such as us to add to our sagas, Lyra Heartstrings, to make our marks on history that in time will become legend.”

“A legend, huh? Doesn’t sound so bad, but I’ll settle for just winning,” Lyra said with a maverick grin, bumping Andrea’s hoof with her own, “Here’s to putting on a show worth remembering.”

Andrea returned Lyra’s grin with equal measure, “Here’s to making the whole world remember this Contest in tale and song for generations to come.”

Among the numerous tents, pavilions, and stages set up around the festival grounds, it was hard to find one that was as ostentatiously... Cheerilee would use the phrase “in your face”, as the minotaur’s section. It had Iron Will’s stamp of approval all over it, and the sight sort made her grin in a giddily nostalgic fashion.

Of first note was the controlled chaos of the minotaur’s love of fireworks. There was hardly a spot free of something sparkling or popping with something bright and flashy, all positioned to draw attention to various attractions ranging from minotaur strongbulls performing feats of ridiculous musculature, to a rather impressive display of minotaur steamcraft where Cheerilee had to pause and actually watch with fascination at a demonstration of a steam powered jackhammer that put some of Equestria’s best efforts in steam technology to shame. One minotaur was putting on a vigorous performance with metal drums that somehow complemented the din of the crowds rather than overriding it. The constant metal beats seemed to fill the air with a testosterone energy that made Cheeirlee grin because it was so very... minotaur.

When she reached one particularly large front stage, surrounded by shelves of merchandise and one of the largest metal punch bowls she’d ever seen, she finally spotted Iron Will, the minotaur completing a sale of several Steel Cage plush dolls to curious and happy festival goers. The moment he spotted her he gave her a wide grin.

“Cheer!” Iron Will boomed, looking happier than the proverbial clam as she trotted up to his rather colorful booth in the festival grounds. “Come on up here and have yourself an on the house Contest Cup of fruit punch.”

Cheerilee watched with bemused interest as Iron Will handed her an overlarge, bright red clay cup with a rather ludicrous and cartoonish logo stenciled on it with the letters “C o C” flanked by miniature depictions of all the participating species of the Contest in exaggerated battle poses. Cheerilee noted that it was a tad inaccurate to have the cartoonish pony on the cup that looked suspiciously like Trixie with magical bolts of energy flying from her horn, but she wasn’t about to correct Iron Will on his marketing techniques.

The cup had a chilled fruit drink within that was quite delicious as she took a large gulp. “Mmm, punchy,” she said, glancing around Iron Will’s booth, “So, business is good so far?”

“Ha! You wouldn’t believe how fast the dolls have been selling, especially after the Grand Melee,” said Iron Will, walking over and gesturing at the shelves lining one side of his booth, where a line of plush little minotaur dolls sat. Iron Will was looking pleased with himself, chest puffed out and adjusting his cherry red tie with smug satisfaction pouring off his body language like a musk. “I keep up this profit margin and ol’ Iron Will has got a real shot at convincing the Hedron of Alphas to finally get off their butts and approve to opening up our trade borders.”

Cheerilee took another long sip from the shockingly good fruity drink, sliding up next to Iron Will, who offered her a seat on one of the stools set up around the merchandise stage. She noticed he had out far more than drinks and dolls; Iron Will had really gone for broke on selling all sorts of knick-knacks of minotaur flavor. There were innovative little puzzles and games all of labyrinth theme. Dice games, and dice in general, remained a popular aspect of minotaur pastimes and Cheerilee found herself eyeing a set carved from onyx that made her momentarily yearn for a game of Ogres and Oubliettes.

She felt a gentle scratch behind her ears and before she knew it she was smiling contently and nearly waggling her tail before she looked up with a wry twist of her lips at Iron Will, whose hand was the culprit. “Not fair. You shouldn’t start doing that unless you’ve got an entire hour free for me to enjoy that while curled up on a couch.”

Iron Will coughed, retracting his hand and idly cracking his knuckles in a nervous gesture, “Sorry, uh, force of habit. One of the only ponies that ever let me do that.”

“More ponies ought to. Feels nice, and it’s not like it's meant as a condescending gesture. You know I’m not a pet, you just happen to like petting me,” she said, laughing.

Iron Will’s body language shifted again, a sort of ‘at ease’ relaxing of the shoulder muscles that made it look like he was lounging while still standing, “Missed the first event but heard you and your pals did some fine skull cracking out there.”

“I wouldn’t say we ‘cracked skulls’, but we did manage to pull off a decent first showing despite the whole nearly being turned into lightning rods thing. Note to you if you ever decide to head eastward with your business, don’t get on a kirin’s bad side.”

There was an almost imperceptible flick in Iron Will’s small bovine tail, along with a faint tightening in his jawline, “Ain’t seen too many of them Shouma types come through here. A few, but not many. Fanciest one was one of them royal types, though, the red one. Princess Tomoko I think.”

Cheerilee nodded, recalling briefly that among the Imperial Family the red kirin, Dao Ming’s elder sister, was named that. “I haven’t really met her, but I remember seeing her. I don’t think the term ‘princess’ applies in regards to her position. Seems less official than that. I think all of the children of their Empress have some sort of probationary status until an Heir is made official, but I’m not even sure about that much. Their internal politics are a tad hard to get my head wrapped around.”

“Hmm, speaking of the subject, did...” Iron Will hesitated, eyes glancing about, his mood turning serious, “Did Steel Cage do anything during the Grand Melee?”

“Other than make a good impression of a twelve foot tall road block? Not really,” Cheerilee said while mentally reviewing the event, “I suppose he tried waggling his jaw at me during a game we and the other champions had agreed to play, but I didn’t exactly give him the chance to say his peace while I was busy trying to win. After that he got kind of pouty and quiet.”

Iron Will made a sound akin to what one makes when being punched in the gut by something and his whole demeanor shifted gears, muscles tensing and breathing faster through the nose, “Cheer, you didn’t seriously ignore him, did you?”

“What else was I supposed to do?” Cheerilee asked, then realized it must have come off rather facetious. Indeed, she knew what she’d been doing on the field, “I guess I did kind of do it to nettle him. It was all in good fun.”

Iron Will put a palm to his face, fingers rubbing the bridge of his snout, “He ain’t gonna see it that way, Cheer. Not at all. When he sees you next he’s-”

“CHEERILEE!”

Iron Will closed his eyes tightly, “Blow his top.”

The crowd parted in waves before the walking, stomping stormfront that was Steel Cage, followed by one of the smaller minotaur champions like a dingy being pulled in the wake of a galleon. The shorter minotaur, the brown coated fellow with the sandy bronze hair, looked nervous but was seeming to make calming gestures at the crowd that parted before Steel Cage himself, like someone trying to conduct traffic. As for Steel Cage... well Cheerilee didn’t consider herself an expert on minotaur body language, but Iron Will had taught her enough. A minotaur could communicate entire volumes of subtext with just a few muscle flexes, and Iron Will had once told her that during the meeting of the Hedron of Alphas entire conversations could take place without a single word being spoken.

Steel Cage wasn’t speaking with his body. He was roaring with it. She’d never seen that many veins in her life on one body. She was pretty sure they shouldn't be pulsing that much, either, especially not on the forehead. Steel Cage’s muscles were bound and bunched so tightly, flexed in a hunched stalking motion as he stomped forward with hooves shaking the ground, that Cheerilee was afraid he was going to tear something before much longer. She was also fairly certain she wasn’t imagining the steam puffing from his nostrils.

Some part of her, perhaps the more sensible part, was informing her that being somewhere else, rapidly, was a brilliant idea. But the rest of her, the part of her that remembered all she and her friends had faced and endured, decided she was going to stay right where she was and deal with the situation bearing down on her like a rockslide. Holding her head high and affecting a pleasant smile that was perhaps a tad too thin and sharp, Cheerilee said, “Hello Steel Cage. Did you have something you wanted to say to me?”

Iron Will made a small choking sound and a quick, warning hand gesture at her, but she ignored it as Steel Cage avalanched in her general direction, only stopping once his snout was a scant few inches from her face and her mane could be blown back by the force of his snorts. She couldn’t even see his face properly, just those two billowing nostrils.

“You and me got a score to settle, pony!” Steel Cage’s voice was a crack of thunder, one finger pointing towards her chest like a ready spear, “You’ve disrespected the Steel Cage, not once, but twice! There’s gonna be a whole storm of hurt rolling your way in payback, and it’s this man that’s gonna deliver it to you, first class in a box!”

“This isn’t a proposition is it? Because while I think the offer is adorable, you’re not my type,” Cheerilee said dismissively.

The minotaur behind Steel Cage looked aghast, and turned a glare towards Iron Will, while Steel Cage himself seemed still as ice.

“Iron Will what’s with this pony? Don’t she know what she’s doing to the champ?”

Iron Will grunted in a deadpan manner, his entire body hunched in dejected acceptance of the situation, “Well, Brass Bearings, I kept trying to tell you all that ponies ain’t all the marshmallows we think they are. There’s iron under all that fuzzy poofyiness.”

“Not the way I’m seeing it!” roared Steel Cage, not looking at Iron Will but stabbing a finger towards him, “Now shut your trap, Iron, unless I ask your opinion. This mare wants to act like an alpha, she’s damn well gonna prove she’s got the stones for it, just before I grind them into powder and kick her to the trash heap.”

“So was your plan to posture at me, or was there some kind of a point to this? You were trying so hard to talk to me yesterday, but I just assumed you didn’t have anything interesting to say... care to prove me wrong on that count?” Cheerilee asked, raising one sassy eyebrow.

Despite her bravado Cheerilee was finding it a bit hard to talk at all. Her throat felt constricted and it was like there was a mountain of looming, ominous force pushing down on her. Steel Cage wasn’t physically touching her at all, but there was an unmistakable, radiating presence rolling off of him that went beyond simple menacing body language and overpowering smell. It was like he was looming above her, taller than the spires of Canterlot, a dominating force that she was an utter fool to do anything but bow her head to.

Only Cheerilee’s own stubbornness and growing certainty that she had to stand up to Steel Cage kept her from submitting to that feeling. She could see the same feeling of submissiveness overcoming Brass Bearings, for all that he too was a minotaur champion. Both him and Steel Cage were, as far as Cheerilee could tell, alphas, but there was little question as to who was the superior alpha of the pair.

Strangely, Iron Will wasn’t showing the same submissiveness. Once it was clear Cheerilee was ignoring his warnings he’d taken up a tense, but ready stance, as if he was prepared to step in between her and Steel Cage if things came to violence. Steel Cage seemed to notice this too, because his eyes did briefly flick disapprovingly towards Iron Will, and strangely Cheerilee also saw a flash of pain there, though it went away quickly as the full force of his ire refocused upon her.

“You wanna hear what Steel Cage has to say? Here it is point blank. Ponies ain’t nothing to us minotaurs. You got nothing we want, nothing we need, and all you do is cause trouble to decent folk back home with all your soft headed fancy froo froo talk of friendship and harmony! That ain’t us! But here it is that some young bull might get the fool notion in his head to break traditions that’ve been our bedrock since the time of the first labyrinth, notions that make him abandon his place and travel the world like he’s some kind of... of... world travel guy! Maybe others start getting it in their head to do the same, and the next thing you know our whole race’s bedrock is getting tore out.”

“Okay, first of all; ‘ain’t nothin’ is a double negative. It should be ‘are nothing’. Second of all; what does any of this have to do with me?” said Cheerilee, “Personally I think it’s good for your society that some of your people are trying new things, given the historical tendency of societies that don’t change and adapt to inevitably stagnate and fall. However, where does the issue with me come into this? There’s plenty of ponies in the Contest for you to be angry at besides me.”

Steel Cage ground his teeth to the point where Cheerilee could hear the noise like the squeal of a blade on an anvil, “Because you're the one that...” he paused, once more casting a glance at Iron Will, and he snorted, “You're the one that’s got the guts to act like she’s an alpha, challenging me with your disrespect! I ain’t gonna take your sass laying down, sister! Your little gal pals didn’t ignore me, but you did. Ain’t no other pony filled my friend’s head with nonsense, keeping him from coming home like he oughta either.”

“Iron Will can make his own decisions.”

“Not if his alpha says he ain't! Only alphas make their own way in life, the rest gotta fall into line, and Iron, he ain't no alpha.”

The clenched fists and tightened jaw, along with the hardened eyes on Iron Will seemed to suggest otherwise to Cheerilee, but oddly while Iron Will’s every muscle seemed to scream his outrage and desire to set Steel Cage straight, he remained silent, standing to the side.

“It seems to me that what you really need to do is talk things out with Iron Will about these issues you’re having with him... what, exactly?”

“Cheerilee, that’s enough,” said Iron Will suddenly, “This ain’t how we do things.”

“Hmph,” Steel Cage snorted out a billow of steam, “So you remember that much about how to be a minotaur, Iron? Too bad. Your girl here wants to run her mouth, be the alpha of you, then she’s gonna take all the responsibility that entails. Me and her are settling this in the ring, bull to... mare.”

Cheerilee, suddenly a bit more worried now that there seemed to be some genuine concern, even fear, entering Iron Will’s eyes, asked, “Settling things how? What are we settling, other than the fact that you have some seriously misplaced aggression issues.”

“Iron Will is a beta, by his own damned choice!” breathed Steel Cage like a leaking steam pipe, “He ought to be an alpha, but he ain't, so he’s got no say in this. You, on the other hand, want to act like his alpha? Fine, then as an alpha that wants his dumb thick headed skull to come back home I’m challenging you for the right.”

“You can’t do that Steel!” shouted Iron Will, stepping forward, chest out in challenge, “It ain’t right! She’s a pony, she can’t know what that challenge means!”

“If she’s gonna talk like an alpha then she can damn well walk like an alpha, especially if you’re gonna keep insisting on acting like you're her beta. The Hedrons will back me on this one, no matter what profits you rake in for them, because you were my brother, bound in iron, before any of this pony loving nonsense ever entered your stone-thick brain! I’m taking you home, even if I got to drag you back after knocking around this pony like a training dummy.”

He wheeled back to her, “Contest of Strength. Be there. You and me. For him.”

Cheerilee glanced at Iron Will, who had a look on his face as if he’d been pole axed and staked out to dry. She gulped, “And, just so I know, what happens if I refuse.”

It was Iron Will that answered, “Then one of two things go down. One, I either accept the challenge by the laws of my people as being defaulted, and follow Steel Cage back... home. Or, I ignore this, probably get labeled an outlaw for breaking an iron-bound blood oath, and what career I do got as a traveling merchant goes up in smoke.”

“So, what, he can challenge me because I made him a bit angry, and suddenly all this minotaur law comes into play?” asked Cheerilee, eyeing Steel Cage definitely, “Not that I’m not willing to kick your flank in the ring, but how does this pan out according to your laws if I’m not a minotaur?”

Steel Cage smiled in a particularly nasty fashion, “Lemme ask you this. You ever slept with Iron Will?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your-”

“Yes,” Iron Will said, simply.

“Iron!” she gave him a sharp look, but he shook his head, shrugging apologetically.

“He already knew the truth of it, he was just trying to get it from the pony’s mouth, Cheer. Fact is, if you, uh, do that with a minotaur, it's sort of like a softcore version of the iron-bound oath. You’re basically seen as part minotaur. Think of it like being blood siblings, only instead of blood its-”

“I get it, don’t need the added visuals,” Cheerilee said, sighing, “So by your laws, he’s within his right to challenge me like this?”

“By the unnecessarily labyrinthine laws of my people, which I’ve been wanting to do my part to change for years, yes,” said Iron Will.

Cheerilee looked blankly at Steel Cage for a moment, blinked once, then said, utterly straight, “So are we going to fight in an actual steel cage, or would that be too tacky?”

Heroes’ Rest was almost as crowded as the festival grounds, the quaint small coastal town’s inns being packed full and many of its shops busy with a curious tourist crowd. There were several buildings given over to historical museums concerning different subjects, ranging from the founding of the town itself to the campaign to stop the Warlord that ultimately culminated in the final battle on the island.

Raindrops might have otherwise enjoyed the energetic atmosphere, further charged with the stormy winds that were kicking up all day, making her feathers tingle in anticipation of possible rain. However she was stuck following a zebra she had very little reason to like or trust, and was wondering why she’d agreed to this rather than just insisting he take a hike.

Face it, you’re as much a sucker for Ditzy’s pouty face as anypony else. Mare’s hard to say no to when she’s being all softhearted and reasonable. If she can stomach trying to make friendly with the creepy griffon then you can deal with Tendaji.

The zebra had barely said two words to her since she agreed to follow him, only letting her know he was taking her to the town to meet with his wife and father in law for some kind of pow wow that apparently mattered to the zebras quite a bit. Raindrops decided she’d give him five minutes to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

He led her to the back of one of the smaller houses on the south side of the town, where there was a wide garden whose enclosing hedges all but walled the place off from the rest of the town. A small iron gate opened into the garden, and when it closed behind them the noise from the town became muted. Raindrops looked around with curious confusion. An old zebra, one she vaguely recalled was one of the zebra champions, named Nuru, sat in an extremely uncomfortable looking position in the middle of the garden where his hind legs seemed impossibly twisted around his body, his fore legs balanced out to his sides.

Tendaji’s wife, Aisha was seated similarly across from Nuru, and one of her eyes slid open as Raindrops and Tendaji approached. Her braided hair tingled with the bound fetishes tied into its braids as she turned her head towards them.

“You have brought her, husband. Good. I had a wager with my father that you would.”

“Ah, and what did Master Nuru believe I would return with?” Tendaji asked.

“A black eye, boy,” Nuru said with a wry twitch of a smile as he opened one pale eye, “I’ll say I’m glad to be proven wrong.”

“I wouldn’t have been surprised if that had been the result,” Tendaji admitted with a pensive look towards Raindrops, “I do thank you for coming.”

“Five minutes,” Raindrops said, “That’s about as far as my patience is going to stretch, so make it quick.”

Nuru, weathered hide pulled taught across thin features, laughed loudly, “Ha, you do have a savanna cat caught by the tail, don’t you boy? She does act like my little Aisha did when you first met, doesn’t she?”

“Father, please,” Aisha said, eyes ever so slightly narrowing, “Let us not muddy the watering hole. My husband’s Path lays beside the hoofsteps of this mare for the time being and it will be difficult enough to impart to her what we must without you being difficult.”

Raindrops growled out a sight, “Tick tock. Somepony, er, somezebra, start making sense.”

Tendaji cleared his throat, trotting over to his wife and father in law, and gestured for Raindrops to follow, “Please, sit.”

Raindrops rolled her eyes and complied, mentally counting down his time. She had no issue with just flying away if these crazy zebras didn’t start making some level of sense in the next few minutes. She did decide to give them a brief break, however, because her sense of general decency required one answer before any of the rest.

“Are we just squatting in somepony’s back yard?”

“Oh, the owner of this home is a herbalist I’ve been speaking with,” Aisha said, “We who practice herblore, no matter the culture, have much to learn from each other, and the mare has been kind enough to allow me the use of her garden. It is an excellent spot for meditations.”

“The energies here flow cleanly,” said Nuru, smiling his approval as he patted the ground, “The land of this island has suffered great hurts that echo even after so much time, but here, they mend. It is a good feeling. It cleanses one’s spirit, makes things clearer. That is why the boy asked you to come. We shall show you things, Raindrops of Equestria. Things that may change you, but things you must see, for whether you know it or not, your Path on this island is entwined with the boy’s, and I fear neither of you may survive if those Paths remain at cross purposes.”

“...Wut?” Raindrops blurted, blinking.

Tendaji gained a weary look on his face, “Master, she won’t understand through words. Some things can only be shown.”

The elderly zebra gave the younger Tendaji a sharp eyed look, “I can’t force her eyes to open, boy. Be patient. She’s of no use to any of us if she’s forced into this.”

Raindrops, truly exasperated, slammed a hoof on the ground in front of her, not gently, “Into. What!?”

The two male zebra stared at her for a few seconds, then Aisha sighed out a chuckle, “Our intention is to help you see things the way we of the Peacewalker tribe see. To give you a glimpse of the Paths that bind all zebrakind, and for some, such as grandmasters like my father, shape our souls. These are things not spoken of or shown often to outsiders, Raindrops of Equestria. It is a sign of my husband’s dire need that he would go this far, and ask my father and my aide in this.”

“Okay, yeah, that didn’t explain anything...” muttered Raindrops.

“My husband, impatient as he is, happens to be right that this is not an easily explained thing, but rather something that is better shown. But for this to work my father is right, you must be willing to trust us.”

Raindrops folded her fore legs across her chest, “Lady, I barely understand you, let alone trust you. Just tell me plain what you want me to do and I’ll tell you if it's cool, or if you can go sit on a fence post and spin. You’re down to three minutes, by the way.”

Tendaji was the one to cut in, speaking quickly, “We ask your permission to allow us to help you open your inner eyes, allowing you to see the flow of maisha, if only temporarily. You won’t be able to do this on your own. In some ways it isn’t natural for ponies, but is a matter more suited to we zebra, but it is possible to guide you through the act with myself, my wife, and my master helping you. Through this, I hope for you to better understand me, and why I seek to battle you.”

“... I don’t get it,” Raindrops said bluntly.

“Then allow me to begin showing you, young one,” said Nuru, “The boy tells me you practice an Equestrian martial art. Surely that involved some meditation technique?”

“You want me to start meditating?” Raindrops asked, and at the old zebra’s confirming nod she frowned, thinking it over. She couldn’t claim to trust Tendaji or his wife, but this Nuru old timer, she was actually getting a positive vibe off of him. Maybe it was the way he nettled Tendaji and made the dangerous zebra seem less an issue by constantly calling him ‘boy’, or perhaps it was just how relaxed Nuru seemed, but Raindrops found herself trusting him enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Well, alright, but I don’t see what this is going to accomplish.”

It took a minute, but she managed to settle herself into a more comfortable meditative position, hind legs crossed, fore legs held together in her lap, and she slowly regulated her breathing. It came quickly, as meditation was a common practice for her, especially during the recent months of high stress. Emptying out her thoughts like a water barrel with a hole in the bottom of it, she gradually let a calm inner void overcome her. Of course the void wasn’t utterly empty. Stray thoughts were still common, skipping stones across a still lake. And there was her anger, an ever present burn that hovered just out of mental notice like a fire light peeked through door cracks. Other than that, her mind became still.

She heard Nuru speak, “Maintain that mental state. I am going to guide your flows of maisha now, as gently as I can, and for a brief time you shall see as a master can see. Tendaji and Aisha shall assist. Remain calm, and follow the flow within.”

Raindrops didn’t really comprehend what he was talking about, but she felt something brush against the pit of her stomach... but it was strange. It wasn’t quite a physical sensation, more a lightening combined with a warmth that passed through her. Instinct sparked, telling her to push this feeling away, and it was only by force of will she kept her calm, steadily breathing.

“Good... good... the boy was right it seems, you have largely untapped potential. Were you trained properly, you would certainly be his match. Now, feel the flow through your core, let it reach to your throat. That is the gate to the crown, where the flow can pool, and open the inner eyes.”

Was he talking about chakra points? It sounded like it. Raindrops, being the martial arts enthusiast she was, knew that more than a few Equestrian schools of martial arts and even a number of schools of magic talked about points on the body that acted as natural conduits for energy. The stomach, the heart, the throat, the crown, all were such points. This maisha stuff must be a zebra version of the same concept. She couldn’t deny she felt... something flowing through her body, passing her throat like a cool river, and seeming to concentrate at a point between her eyes.

It felt like there was a door slowly, with grinding difficulty, being swung open inside her.

“Now, look, Raindrops of Equestria. Look with your inner eyes,” Nuru said, and as if there was a hoof guiding her from the inside out Raindrops felt her eyes open, but the world around her looked different. It was as if the colors of the world had become brighter, yet at the same time more fluid, as if everything around her had been turned into an oil painting. Everything popped out more, even as its edges seemed to blur, even the zebras right next to her. Then, in between the blurred lines she could see streams of light in all the spectrum of the rainbow. Like small molten rivers the streams intertwined and wove around each other, filling up every blade of grass, every small insect, everything living, including herself.

Nuru’s voice was as clear as ever, “You see it now, with my spirit propping up yours, with Tendaji and Aisha’s weathering the strain so one as new as you can see without being overwhelmed. This is the maisha, the flow of life inside all living things.”

“Magic,” Raindrops said, wondering if this was what Tixie saw when she used her magic sight spell, or at least something similar.

“Some cultures might call it that. We zebra merely see it as the natural flow of the world, a flow that can be directed, at times, in the right ways and manner.”

“I’m... I’m using zebra magic ?” Raindrops felt her mouth go dry.

“No,” said Tendaji, “We are helping you see, that is all. When we are done you won’t be able to do this again, not without giving up years of life in hard training, and even then perhaps not, for zebra eyes were meant to see as you see now, but a pony’s eyes are not. At least, not in this way. If you let another pony ride upon your back as you fly, would they be able to fly on their own afterward? Such as it is, with this.”

“Right... so what am I supposed to be seeing with this?” Raindrops asked, but even as the question left her mouth her glance turned towards Tendaji, and she gave a sharp jerk of her head in a double take.

While the flows of magic she was seeing through Nuru, Aisha, and herself all had a bright luminescence to them, Tendaji’s were muted, as if the colors were less saturated and pale. In some places, around his heart and stomach, the flows were nearly gray.

“What’s wrong with you?” she found herself asking, even as she noticed that the flows of energy she was seeing weren’t segregated affairs, solely contained within individual things. They flowed into each other as well. The flows from each zebra intertwined with each other, forming patterns so complex it hurt Raindrops’ mind to try and even start comprehending them. Then she saw that her flows of energy also entwined with the zebras, and while she couldn’t understand the patterns, she did notice that among the three, her flows were wrapped up tightly with Tendaji’s far more so than either Aisha or Nuru.

Even as she thought that that was strange, Tendaji spoke in a tightly controlled, solemn voice, “You are seeing the result of a disease I’ve carried since foalhood. Only my dedication to my Path keeps it in check. Keeps it from spreading.”

Raindrops’ frowned, examining the flows around Tendaji’s grayed out areas more closely. The flows that still had color looked as if they cordoned off the grayer areas, and her mind recalled a few stories she’d heard of martial artists who did seem to think that the spiritual side of the practice could have health benefits beyond the obvious from exercise, as if the focus of will could have healing properties.

“You have to keep getting better at this spiritual martial arts stuff to keep from dying?”

“And to keep the disease from spreading to others,” Aisha said, the flows of her energy seeming to flare like the light of fireflies. Raindrops could see that Aisha’s own flows were tenderly wrapped around Tendaji’s, an embrace without physicality yet more intimate than hooves on coupling. “My husband would have died young had my father not found him, and trained him to contain what’s inside. Even so, he cannot risk passing it on to anyone else.”

“Uhh,” a cold sweat broke out on Raindrops’ brow, “You do realize that participating in a very physical contest involving punching things probably isn’t a good idea then, right?”

“I cannot spread it that way,” Tendaji said simply, “It won’t spread to anyone else save my...” he took a deep breath, “To any children I might have. I contracted it as a youth, but with it contained, it is now solely congenital. You cannot get it by bleeding alongside me on the field of battle, but my wife and I cannot risk foals, for they would be born with the disease and not survive long past birth. I only live because of my skill in maisha, but no foal could do the same.”

“What is this disease, exactly? Where does it come from?” Raindrops asked.

Tendaji’s face turned stonelike, his flows of energy themselves seeming to stiffen, “It was made. Created by those who wanted my tribe, the Peacewalkers, dead. You do not need to know more than that. It is a matter I settled long ago, and all that remains is the last of the disease residing in my body. If I can purge it, then that will be the end of it.”

“So this is why you’re so obsessed with going hoof to hoof with me? Just doing lots of chin ups and squats ain’t going to cut it with this spiritual training?”

“You can see how our flows are locked together, yes?” Tendaji said and it was as if his words alone were enough to make the energy shift and push, his flows clashing with hers like two separate continental plates grinding against one another, causing an earthquake of change along the flows. “You are part of my Path. I could face a hundred lesser foes and not gain half of what I’d gain from facing you, Raindrops.”

“This is what we wanted you to see,” said Nuru, “But the question is whether or not you understand?”

Raindrops was having a hard time concentrating, her eyes continuously trying to take in all that she was seeing and her mind feeling a bit overwhelmed by seeing the world in this light for the first time, while still also digesting this new information about Tendaji. She wasn’t certain it made her sympathetic towards him at all. Whatever his motivations, he’d still made some poor choices in pursuing his ‘Path’ and she didn’t like the idea of being his mystical rival. It felt one sided. Where was her choice in this?

Aisha eyed her knowingly, as if reading Raindrops’ thoughts, and said, “Father, let us end this for now. There is much she must think on, I believe, and there are some days yet before the Contest of Strength.”

Nuru gave the barest of nods, and Raindrops felt a draining sensation wash through her body, and she let out a small gasp as the vibrant flows of energy around her, the sharp colors she was seeing the world in, faded away. It almost felt like waking up from a deep, vivid dream. She blinked a few times, vision returned to normal, and rubbed her head, which felt light and cotton stuffed.

“It can be strenuous, the first time,” Tendaji said, “If you trained, in time you’d get used to it, the same way your muscles get used to certain motions after enough exercise.”

“Don’t think I’ll be doing that again honestly. It's a bit trippy,” said Raindrops, looking Tendaji over with a furrowed brow, “Okay, so truth be told, I’m not sure I get what just happened. To be blunt, while it sucks that you’re... sick, I don’t see how that should make me okay with the fact that you willingly worked for criminals and could have gotten my friends hurt in Oaton.”

A ghost of a smile played across his face, and he let out a sound that might have been a laugh, or as dry a version of a laugh as Tendaji could make, “I suppose you would not be who you are if you easily looked past such transgressions. I am not asking you to forgive my role in those past affairs. I am asking that you understand why I do what I do, now. My Path of self improvement is mixed with my need to control what’s inside me, and this is, in turn, entwined with your Path. While I know ponies don’t hold the same cultural beliefs we zebras do, all life is connected. All things living have a road to walk. At this time and place, our live’s Paths are at intersecting crossroads, and we can either pass one another having come out for the better... or the worse.”

“What do you mean by that?” Raindrops asked.

“Only that I am not the only one with something to gain,” Tendaji said, pointing a hoof at her chest, right above her heart, “Just as I seek to control what’s inside of me, you seek to control what’s inside of you, do you not?”

Even as he spoke there was a flare of anger inside her, mostly because she didn’t like being prodded at, but it just served to illustrate what he likely meant, and Raindrops only got angrier at the realization, “What, you think this mystical talk about paths or roads or whatever is going to help me have a better handle on my anger issues the same way it’ll help you with your disease? They’re not the same thing.”

Tendaji for a moment looked frustrated, but Aisha’s hoof brushed his flank, and he looked her way. “Husband, I believe we’ve come as far as we can with her today. There’s just some matters that take time. You know this.”

He had a look for a moment as if he wanted to argue, but Aisha just gave him a look with a slight tilt of her head and a upraised eyebrow and Tendaji instead let out a breath and nodded, “Yes, you are right. As usual.”

Raindrops blinked as the three zebras, all in strangely synchronized motion, stood up from their meditative positions. “So... what, we’re done here?”

“Yes,” said Tendaji, giving her a bow of his head, “I know you must still be confused, but I hope you might have a slightly better understanding of me. Soon we will face one another again in the Contest of Strength, and it is my sincere hope that you can fight me with all the strength, tenacity, and focus of will that you did when we clashed in Oaton.”

“Yeah, because you need me to in order to get stronger, to eventually use zebra mystic martial arts to cure yourself. I get it.”

“You get a portion of it, but still fail to see the whole,” said Tendaji, shaking his head, “Perhaps in time, you will see how our Paths are meant to further both of our journeys, despite all of our differences.”

“Okay, boy, enough talking the mare’s ear off,” said Nuru, cracking his neck and stretching his limbs, “All this chatter has left my stomach grumbling at me, and there’s enough scent of delicious food in the air to drive me to criminal acts if we don’t go and eat soon.”

Tendaji flinched, “At least when I perform criminal acts it's to pursue matters slightly more dire than an empty stomach. Partially empty; we only had breakfast a few hours ago.”

“And I’m hungry again. Opening a stubborn pegasus’ inner eyes is famishing work,” said Nuru.

Raindrops just glanced back and forth as the two male zebra continued to argue about getting an early lunch, and she just shook her head, trotting for the gate, “I’ll just let myself out.”

She reached the gate, opening it, but paused as Aisha came up beside her, a strangely pensive look on her face, “One last question for you, before you go?”

Raindrops met her gaze levelly, “Go ahead.”

Aisha glanced back at her father and husband, almost as if making sure the two weren’t paying attention, which they weren’t as apparently Nuru had somehow cornered Tendaji into debating where to go get food rather than whether or not it was necessary. Aisha returned her look to Raindrops and said, “Have you seen the zebra mare who serves Corona anywhere since the day they arrived?”

“Huh? Wait, you mean Zecora?” Raindrops scratched her head, thinking, “No. Not since she hopped off that big golden boat the other day. Why are you asking?”

“I know her, from long ago,” said Aisha, “There is some air to clear between us, but I have not been able to find her since her arrival. I thought perhaps, you being a foe of hers and the one she serves, you and your Princess might have been keeping an eye on her and would know if she was hiding away somewhere.”

“Sorry, can’t help you there,” said Raindrops, “Luna’s giving Corona a pass for now because her sister is playing nice for the time being. As for Zecora, your guess is as good as mine. I don’t know her, other than she likes to rhyme and has a weird notion that Corona’s more suited to ruling Equestria than the sane sister. Don’t suppose you can shed any light on why that would be?”

Aisha smiled, but it was a bittersweet expression, “If she is anything like she was when we trained together then she is convinced of one of her prophecies. She may even be right. Zecora has ever been gifted. However I don’t think she ever understood that some prophecies are only prophetic because they are self-fulfilling.”

An odd look entered Aisha’s eyes, and she whispered in a manner that made Raindrops think this was a thought Aisha didn’t quite realizing she was vocalizing, “Or perhaps she does know that, and is counting on it...”

The zebra mare gave a small start, blinking, “Well, in any case, thank you for coming Raindrops. Whether it means anything to your or not, whether you understand it or not, I am grateful my husband’s Path has cross yours. I was not sure if I approved of you or not at first, but I think I am starting to.”

“I... uh... thanks?” Raindrops said, baffled. Zebras were weird. Zecora, Tendaji, this Aisha... out of all of them Nuru seemed the most normal. Even the other stallion who rode the giant scorpion seemed easier to understand. “I’ll be seeing you.”

“Yes, you will,” Aisha said with just a hint of a cryptic smile that just left Raindrops feeling even more bewildered than before as she left the garden and took to the air, flying back towards the forest and wondering if Ditzy was having an easier time learning combat skills from an irate griffon than she was figuring out how zebras thought.

Zecora rubbed the bridge of her snout, trying to forestall the magnificently horrific headache that was building up. Several colorful phrases came to mind to describe her frustration, but none of them rhymed, and they hardly fit the generally quiet dignity she tried to carry herself with. She was tempted to let loose anyway. Two and a half days of scouring the island had thus far utterly failed to turn up a single clue as to the nature of the prophetic telling that had warned her of the coming doom.

At her core she knew this was as much part of her Path as anything else in her life. Her gift of prophecy was hardly unique, but it was uncommon... and theoretically useful. She knew nothing she foretold (or rather had such foretellings thrust upon her, usually at random and inconvenient times) was ever set in stone, they were meant to be warnings. They spoke of events that could be influenced, and it was Zecora’s Path in life to ensure that the proper course of events were what took place.

It was such a foretelling that had led her to her Queen, or rather to the alicorn who would be Queen, but may in time become so much more. Zecora’s loyalty to the one who was at once both Corona and Celestia was absolute, for Zecora knew the troubled alicorn’s own Path was entwined with hers deeply and that the world itself needed Zecora to guide the alicorn, as much as the sun itself could be guided by mortal hooves, along the correct course.

This bump in the Path of destiny upon the Isle of the Fallen was just another challenge to be met. If only Zecora could figure out what challenge it was meant to take! She was back at the northern beach, walking slowly along the sandy white shore as gradually larger waves began to roll into shore. The wind was high, and while the sun still warmed the sand, the wind was cold and felt as if a storm was coming in, though Zecora saw no stormclouds yet. Her eyes scanned the ground, golden bangles around her neck jingling as she turned left and right. She wasn’t just staring at sand. Her blood coursed with an alchemical potion that, combined with the lessons she’d learned as a young filly training as a tribe shaman, allowed her to view the flows of life energy, maisha, that swirled through the land.

Here the lines of energy swirled around a central point, a place where a great spell had been worked. It was one of three anchoring points for the barrier that Celestia and her sister Luna had placed upon the dread fortress Rengoku, and Zecora was certain that the doom she’d foretold coming was tied to it. After two days of examining all three sites on her own she’d found nothing, but kept returning thinking that perhaps if someone was intending to tamper with the spell, they might show up at any given time.

“You have found nothing, yet, have you?” asked a familiar, imperious voice that while one Zecora now knew well, still made her jump slightly.

Corona, or Celestia as was her true name and not the misguided nickname her own people had given her, stood upon the top of a small sloping cliff along the edge of the beach. Her mane and tail of flames seemed to ignore the growing winds, flickering in regal grace rather than whipping about. Zecora turned and bowed deeply. Celestia always demanded the proper respect, and Zecora had no issue delivering it.

“My Queen speaks true, for I have yet to discover a single worthy clue,” Zecora said, using shamanic chant, as she always did when she spoke aloud, “Please forgive this lapse, for my zeal in fulfilling our purpose shall not collapse.”

There was the faintest quirk of a smile on Celestia’s lips. Zecora was never entirely sure what was going on behind the alicorn’s fiery eyes, what thoughts drifted through her Queen’s mind, but anything that amused her was infinitely better than anything that earned her ire.

“I have always wondered why you cling to that part of your past,” Celestia said, taking wing and gliding down to the beach, landing with all of the light hoofed grace of a hummingbird despite her being easily more than twice Zecora’s height and bulk, “Did your shaman lodge not turn their backs on you when you left to come serve me?”

There was a hint of understanding in Celestia’s tone, and Zecora reflected that the alicorn could perhaps relate to the feeling of having one’s own people turn their back on you, as much as Celestia could ever let herself relate to the mortals she sought to rule and protect. Head still bowed, for Celestia had not given her permission to rise, Zecora said, “I chant for I am a shaman to my core, and if my tribe cannot see that then they I shall ignore.”

“You are who you are, even if the whole world is telling you otherwise.”

Celestia’s words were spoken in such a manner that it was hard to tell if they were meant for Zecora, or merely said in a moment of self musing. Whatever the case Celestia’s alabaster hooves walked slowly across the sands until they reached the spot where the spell’s energies were concentrated, a place where a single circle of stone was embedded into the ground like a platform, no more than a pace wide. Within this circle a blade was stabbed into the stone, a long shafted spear of white ash whose blade was a hoof length and curved.

Celestia looked at the weapon with a derisive sneer, “I should have killed Yeng Shen myself before she became a threat. I saw the signs! I could smell her ambitions! I thought my sister could control her. That their friendship would be enough to quell the thirst for conquest inside that fool kirin’s breast. Just another mistake I shall remind myself never to repeat. Too many of my little ponies paid the price for my softness. It shall not happen again.”

Celestia turned about so fast that Zecora barely had a chance to blink before the alicorn’s horn flared with golden fire and light. The magic was not directed at Zecora, however, but at the squeaking form that suddenly seemed to meld out of the nearby cliff face, an invisibility spell popping like a bubble as a unicorn mare with gray fur and wearing a tight fitting black and violet uniform appeared, gripped firmly in Celestia’s telekinesis.

“You can tell my sister that, spy,” spat Celestia at the bat pony, who was looking rather utterly terrified by Zecora's estimation, “Tell her also I tire of her little ‘Shadowbolts’ running around following my loyal servants. We are not here to be your enemies...” Flames rose in crimson splendour around the alicorn, a heat bubbling the sand beneath her hooves, “That can be changed, if I will it. Pray that it does not. Now go, little spy.”

The unicorn gulped visibly as she was released from the crushing telekinesis, and wasted not a second in galloping away hurriedly. Zecora watched the spy go with a small frown.

“I did not know I was being followed. Has your sister’s faith in your word that you are here in peace become so hollowed?”

Celestia’s anger seemed to simmer, the flames settling down around her, though several embers still derived through the air, “Perhaps the pony was merely keeping watch on this site, but I do not appreciate eavesdroppers, regardless.” Again that small, amused smile, “Besides I always did enjoy keeping Luna off guard, and she may hesitate now to have us watched as closely for fear of setting me off. I need Kindel and you to perform your tasks unhindered.”

Zecora wanted to ask how the Voice of the Sun’s own investigation was going, but couldn’t quickly think of anything to rhyme with ‘hint’ or ‘clue’ so she just kept her silence. That too was a trick to making the shaman chant work, to maintain a mysterious silence. Instead she just raised a questioning eyebrow, knowing her Queen would notice.

“Ah, you may find it irksome, but Kindle has had some small success, him and young Smoke,” Celestia said, and Zecora had to admit she was surprised. She didn’t account Kindle for much. Zealous and loyal he certainly was, and had a way with words, but Zecora had a hard time trusting his judgement. He was too focused upon what he thought Celestia was and not enough on what she was meant to become. Yet Celestia held him in high regard, enough to take confidence in him at times over Zecora’s own counsel... yes, she had to admit that Celestia seemed to understand her well; irksome was the term.

“That news gladdens my heart, to know that my comrades are doing their part,” said Zecora, waiting for Celestia to elaborate.

“Smoke’s skill in examining magical patterns has led to one important discovery that I did not know before, and intend to keep a close eye upon,” said Celestia, “My sister’s... progeny, has magic that interacts with my sister and mine’s spellcraft on an equal level. This ‘Princess’ Cadenza has visited all three sites, presumably out of respect for those that gave their lives defeating Yeng Shen. Each site now has a trace of her magic resonating around it.”

Zecora controlled herself, wanting to break chant and immediately ask what that meant, in plain terms. The Princess of Cavallia was admittedly a very strange anomaly. An alicorn in all ways that seemed to matter, yet her very existence was a matter of most unusual happenstance, born from the magical rituals Princess Luna used to infuse herself with dark magic to face Celestia over a thousand years ago.

“If further insight I am to glean, I humbly ask of you what that might mean?”

Celestia frowned. On any other the expression might seem tiny and insignificant. On an alicorn who could incinerate the very island they stood upon, reducing all to cinders with minimal effort, that frown was quite unsettling.

“I do not know. There was no sign of this Cadenza’s spellcraft at work. She cast no spells here, or at any other site. In fact, I do not think she even knows that she left a trace of her magic behind. The girl is unschooled. Untested...”

Celestia’s eyes glanced towards the ocean, “If she persists in claiming the title ‘Princess’ perhaps I shall have to test her in some suitable fashion. Hm, a matter for another time. For now, Zecora, I wish for you to cease scouring the island. It is clear the danger will not present itself to be found so easily. Instead my command to you is to approach Cadenza and, if not befriend her, seek her confidence. Say that you are looking to know of her and ‘her’ country better so that when I claim Equestria as my own the transition can go more smoothly. Your real task is to keep a close watch on her.”

“You believe that she is part of the doom that over this island dreadfully looms?”

“She was forged from dark magic. Luna assures me she is an innocent soul, and perhaps it is true, but my sister may also be blinded by the love of a mother...” Celestia’s eyes softened briefly, “It is a feeling neither of us have had the luxury of, so perhaps I shall not fault her for it, foolish as it may be. Innocent or not, I would be a fool to ignore the possibility this Cadenza will play a role, intentional or otherwise, in what is coming. I wish to have a trusted and competent servant nearby in case that comes to pass.”

Zecora nodded, bowing once more deeply to her Queen, mohawk nearly scraping the sand, “Then your will shall be done, and I shall ensure I am prepared for whatever is to come.”

Ditzy Doo was a mare who knew what tired felt like. She got up before dawn on most mornings and worked hours that were long and necessary for a single mother to afford raising a foal. There’d been some days she got home to her apartment tired enough to collapse on her bed and be asleep before she was fully done hitting the pillows. She thought she knew what tired felt like.

“My everything hurts...” she breathed, not even sure she could describe herself as ‘sweat soaked’ and more like ‘profusely attempting to create a sweat lake where she stood’. She lay on her belly, wings and limbs splayed in a vain attempt to ease the aches she was pretty sure she’d feel for the rest of her life. Or at least the next twenty four hours. While she knew she had a comfy bed back at the monastery waiting for her, the ground felt so inviting compared to the notion of attempting to move any further.

“You still alive down there?” asked Gwendolyn, standing on one side of her, while Sigurd was at her other side, rubbing his chin with a hoof.

“Mayhaps we ended up overdoing things slightly. The spirit of a warrior you may have, Ditzy, but I forgot that you have not developed the endurance of one.”

“Blargh...” was Ditzy’s carefully thought out response.

With a curt turn of her head Gwendolyn looked at the weapons she’d brought, most of them piled neatly along the ground after Ditzy had finished the exercises Gwendonlyn had run her through. The sharp eyed griffiness’ expression turned reluctantly contemplative, beak twisting in a small grimace.

“Pains me to admit this, but I’m thinking you might’ve been right, old timer,” she told Sigurd, who at first just blinked and whispered “Old timer?” before Gwendolyn went on to say, “Near as I can tell Ditzy here doesn't have any affinity for a single one of these weapons.”

“Proclaiming judgment so soon after just one day of training, are we?” asked Grimwald, who had remained perched up in his tree the entire time, lounging on the branch like a feathered serpent. He’d acquired an apple from somewhere and was casually carving off slices with a plain knife, “Can you really tell so much with so little time?”

Gwnedolyn closed her eyes and shrugged, “Call it my soldier’s intuition, but I also have experience taking raw recruits and turning them into fighters in short order. Sometimes you can tell when someone’ll take to fighting or not, and honestly while this mare could probably learn to be competent with time, she doesn’t have the edge to go further than that.”

“Ha, then you weren't watching closely enough,” said Sigurd, leaning down and giving Ditzy a firm pat on the shoulders.

“Ooowww...” Ditzy said.

“Oh, sorry, friend Ditzy. Don’t be glum, wear your aches with pride! They are signs of just what I’m talking about. Many would have quit under such a strenuous exercise routine, but you remained steadfast through the entire ordeal. It is such stamina of the spirit that Gwendolyn here has failed to see,” Sigurd said, slowly wrapping one of Ditzy’s hooves around his shoulder and helping her up. Her whole body felt like strung out, soggy cabbage leaves, and she could barely stand without wobbling about like a drunkard.

“I saw that she’s got heart,” Gwendolyn growled, “But that doesn’t win you battles by itself. You still need technique, good instincts, and a certain killer edge.”

“Th-that’s okay,” said Ditzy, still trying to catch her breath, “I really only came because Grimwald seemed to want me to. I don’t mind not being a natural fighter, but I do appreciate the training. I know more now than I did yesterday, heheh, mostly about how many places I can ache I didn’t know I had.”

There was almost something akin to embarrassment on Gwendolyn’s face as she ran a talon along her crest of red tinged feathers, “If I had more time I could probably get you to learn the basics. You might not be a terror of the skies, but you’d know enough to defend yourself. Not that you have rampant banditry in central Equestria, eh?”

Ditzy thought back to when thugs had tried to foalnap her muffin, and frowned, “You’d be surprised what kind of trouble can crop up, even in a peaceful place like Ponyville. I appreciate the help, Miss Var Bastion.”

“It’d just be Bastion if you were looking for a spot between familiar and formal. The Var part isn’t used much outside of griffin noble gatherings,” said Gwendolyn, holding out a talon, “And really, I prefer Gwen.”

Ditzy gladly extended her hoof, shaking Gwendolyn’s talon. Sigurd seemed to approve the gesture, nodding with a look of solemn respect as he said, “Perhaps in time Ditzy will surprise both of us. I suspect her skills can still be honed in ways not yet discovered.”

“I certainly hope so,” said Grimwald, popping an apple slice into his beak and rolling off his perch, gliding down to join them with a peculiar smile at Ditzy as he slowly chewed the fruit slice and swallowed, “I don’t want you to feel unprepared for our next... encounter.”

Sigurd’s mood almost instantly shifted to something frosty and hard, Ditzy feeling the steel hard tension in his body, as she was still leaning on it. Sigurd’s voice held a thin edge to it. “Perhaps it won’t be her you encounter.”

Grimwald’s smile only deepened as his eyes stared unblinkingly into Sigurd’s cold gaze, “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to have fun before the Contest is over. I’d look forward to having either you or Miss Doo here as partners in crime for a spot of whatever game suits your fancy.”

“With one such as you, I do not play games,” stated Sigurd flatly, then Gwendolyn stepped between the two before Grimwald could offer a retort.

“Okay, enough waggling what you’ve got between your legs. Both of you,” she said, giving a pointed look at Grimwald, who gave an innocent shrug, and then to Sigurd a more openly defiant look, “I know Grim can be a pain in the tailfeathers, but don’t let him bait you. He likes playing games, but it’s not him you really want to fight, is it? You looking to rematch after the Grand Melee?”

Ditzy glanced between her and Sigurd, who had a dour frown stamped on his features now. Gwendolyn had gotten the better of Sigurd during the Grand Melee, but she’d gotten the impression neither warrior had really been trying that hard. Sigurd merely confirmed this as he said, “The Grand Melee was a good warm up, but yes, the real battle of warriors will be the Contest of Strength. You can see my full measure there and test if your own mettle stacks up to it. However while I respect you, Gwendolyn Var Bastion, I have no such regard for the cowardly cur behind you.”

“Stinging barbs make poor weapons of choice for a true warrior, wouldn’t you say, nobel deer?” asked Grimwald with a sarcastic twinge of his beak, and Gwendolyn looked back at him hard.

“Grim, shut up. Not helping.”

“Well, then let me make it all simple for you both,” Grimwald said, taking wing, rising up into the air, “I’m here to do one thing; enjoy myself. Take that however you will. Do whatever you want. It will still all lead to me getting my piece of entertainment. I saw what I wanted to see for today, and Miss Doo, I very much liked the show. So you have my thanks for that, whatever that might mean to you.”

“Um, well... you’re welcome,” Ditzy said tentatively, “I know this might sound odd, but I was hoping we could be friends.”

Grimwald got a very strange look on his face. It reminded Ditzy of the way Dinky looked when Ditzy put some new kind of food in front of her daughter and Dinky wasn’t sure if she’d like it or not. After a moment the look vanished from Grimwald’s face and the mask, yes Ditzy was pretty certain now it was a mask, of pleasant smiling returned. “I’d be curious to see if you feel the same way once you get to know me more.”

That said, he flew away, quickly vanishing over the treeline. Gwendolyn blew out a rumbling sigh once he was out of sight, “Guy never changes.”

“You’ve known him a long time, I take it?” asked Ditzy.

“Since we were both children,” Gwendolyn replied, slowly picking up the training weapons and bundling them back up in the cloth she’d brought, “If you’re wondering, yes, he’s always been like that. I think I must have been the only one who ever learned to get along with him.”

“How did you ever manage such an impressive feat?” asked Sigurd in a tone dry as a dead leaf.

Gwendolyn barked out a quick laugh, “Because I’m the only griffin stubborn enough to put up with him. Grim’s weird, off putting, outright crazy at times, but he’s got his good points. Never abandoned me in a tight spot, for one. He’s got my love of long odds and lost causes. Decent sense of humor. Not hard on the eyes.”

Sigurd snorted, “You sound as if you would have taken him as a mate.”

Gwendolyn gave a small, jerking start, and for a moment looked astonished. Then she shook her head and chuckled, “A part of me thinks you’re mad for even thinking that, but... who knows how it would have all ended up if his family hadn’t pawned him off in an arranged marriage early on, and I hadn’t stayed with the border guards and formed the Red Shields? Not that I’m envious of his wife, having to deal with him. Although from what I’ve seen of her she’s a special brand of crazy all her own.”

“No dreams of hearth, home, and young ones in swaddling?” inquired Sigurd.

“Hardly. Too much work to be done,” said Gwendolyn with a rough tone, her face turning stormy, “Not really eager to talk personal stuff, anyway, or being reminded of my mother by a water deer twice my age.”

Sigurd laughed, gesturing towards the edge of the clearing, “Then shall we go? Can you walk, friend Ditzy?”

She bent her knees experimentally, wincing hard at the shooting feeling of aching pain running up and down her exhausted limbs, but they did hold her weight once she stopped leaning on Sigurd.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I can also fly, if I have to. My wings aren’t as tired as the rest of me.”

“I ought to show you some tricks you can pull with your wings,” said Gwendolyn, “All we did was ground work today, but there’s a whole different set of maneuvers and exercises for fighting on the wing.”

“M-maybe another time?” Ditzy said, almost pleadingly.

“Not tomorrow, obviously, because of the whole art thing coming up,” Gwendolyn said, frowning in distaste, “Ugh, don’t even know what I’m going to do with that. I know some good war songs, but doubt those’ll go over well with anyone who isn’t a griffin.”

“Hey, if you guys are hungry, then let’s go get lunch, and we can all come up with ideas for each other,” said Ditzy, realizing just how hungry she’d gotten after all that hard work, “I bet we could figure something out for you to do.”

“You ponies really do get into this friendship stuff, don’t you? You do remember we’re competing against each other, right?”

Ditzy just giggled, brushing off Gwendolyn’s look with a smile, “I get the feeling I’m going to be getting asked that a lot before the week is done.”

Trixie had been the first one to return to her and her friend’s rooms at the monastery, not long after dusk. There was still some light outside, even as the sun was already well below the horizon. Wind howled outside, and Trixie looked out the windows to see that the forest trees in the distance were swaying like rolling green waves. No stormclouds yet, but Raindrops seemed to think one was coming.

Hopefully it wouldn’t last long, though Trixie had heard from Princess Luna that if the weather did persist towards morning then she and Princess Cadance could work some magic to clear the sky for the sake of the Contest. Tomorrow was the Contest of Art, and only a couple of hours ago had the monks gathered the champions so that Abbess Serene could explain the rules.

“So, let’s review...” Trixie began, turning to look at her friends who were lounging around the living area of their shared rooms, and she paused as she realized they were still down one mare, “Wait a second, where’s Carrot Top?”

Lyra cracked a smarmy grin and said, “I’ll give you three guesses.”

Trixie pressed her lips tight to only partially suppress a groaning noise, “Seriously? The elk prince? He’s not that handsome.”

“To be fair we didn’t actually set a time to meet up tonight, so it's not like she knows she’s missing something. I can just bring her up to date on anything we plan here once she comes in,” said Cheerilee, looking fairly composed for a mare who’d been challenged to some kind of strange honor duel by a five hundred pound minotaur. Trixie still thought Cheerilee ought to take the issue up with the Princess to get the matter sorted out legally, because there had to be some sort of loophole or form of diplomatic immunity that’d axe that nonsense, but Cheerilee seemed determined to face the problem head on and had made it clear she fully intended to face Steel Cage when the time came. Apparently a friend’s livelihood was on the line. Trixie sympathized, but still thought there had to be a better way to deal with things than watch one of her friends try to go one on one with a minotaur. Then again... Cheerilee wasn’t exactly fragile, either.

“I doubt she’ll be out long,” said Raindrops, her nose twitching and an oddly content smile on her face, “That storm will be here pretty soon. Mmm, I can practically feel the rain coming in.”

“Rain will be nice. It’ll help me drift off to sleep,” said Ditzy with a yawn, the mare practically a pile of gray putty sprawled on one of the couches, face half buried in a pillow. Trixie wasn’t entirely sure what Ditzy had done all day, but she looked ragged.

“Are you going to be good for tomorrow, Ditzy?” Trixie asked, raising a concerned eyebrow. Ditzy waved a noodly fore leg, not even looking up from her pillow.

“I’m good. Just, aaah, need sleeps and I’ll be one hundred percent perky for the art stuff,” Ditzy said, punctuating her statement of confidence with a less reassuring yawn.

“I think that’s the best we’re going to get out of her for tonight,” said Lyra, looking like she was holding back laughter. Out of all of them she seemed the most energized, and Trixie understood perfectly. Tomorrow Lyra was going to be in her element. Not the Loyalty kind, but the kind that involved creative, artistic expression. Lyra was a fine musician, and her talents were going to be the cornerstone of their efforts tomorrow. Trixie of course had quite the performer’s streak in her as well, and had every intention of using her skills as a stage magician to full effect. The real trick would be figuring out how to best utilize the rest of her friends and turn their talents towards supporting the cause. It wasn’t required by the rules that they all participate, but Trixie wanted to see if she could get all of her friends involved. She felt it would lend to a more impressive spectacle, and fit well with Equestria’s cultural theme of the united strength of the pony tribes’ friendship if she and her friends did as much of the Contest as possible together. Of course there’d be exceptions. Trixie was pretty sure she’d be out for the Contest of Strength, for example, but much as they could she wanted to do all of this together with her friends.

“The event's going to be taking place over the whole day, so if Ditzy needs to rest through the morning, she can,” said Trixie, “There’s no rule that says all of us have to participate at the same time.”

The rules weren’t complicated. The Contest of Art had three phases, one in the morning, one at noon, and the final one in the evening at the onset of sunset. In each phase any given champion or group of champions would provide a performance of their choice, which could be of any kind as long as it was clearly related to the artistic expression of their culture. Each phase had to be a different performance than the previous, however. Each performance could involve multiple combinations of elements, such as song, or dance, or poetry, or a demonstration of physical artwork. The point was to provide a variety over the course of the day, with a composition that drew attention while showcasing what made each culture’s art unique.

Scoring would be based upon audience response, as every individual who’d be witnessing the performances would be given a set of three wood tokens, each colored for a different time of the day to correspond to those phases of the event. The performing champions would be able to set up all across the field, and audience members given free reign to wander the field and watch whatever performances drew them, and for each phase of the event, a vote cast with their wood tokens on the performances that impressed the most. That meant that over the day there were three chances to draw an audience and earn points, with the final points totaled at the end of the day.

Exactly like with the Grand Melee, the top five champions or groups of champions earned points to their overall score for the whole Contest. Having come in fifth place the mares from Equestria had earned three points to their total for the Contest, with four more opportunities to score more before all would be said and done. Trixie felt confident of their chances. The higher they managed to rank in each event, the more points they’d get, and while a part of her of course wanted to win the whole thing, Trixie wouldn’t have minded just surpassing Dao Ming. Not out of any residual grudge, but because there was now a sense of real competition between them, and Trixie didn’t want to hold anything back.

“Be nice if Carrot Top were here,” said Trixie, “I was hoping to lead off with her cooking in the morning with me drawing in the crowd with some patented Trixie visual spectacles, backed up with Lyra doing some softer music to set a good mood for the food.”

“She’ll be here, give it half an hour, tops,” said Raindrops. A bit of distant thunder tailed the pegasus’ statement and all the mares glanced towards the window as the wind rose.

Trixie shook her head, hoping Carrot Top wasn’t anywhere out in the open. It even was starting to smell like rain out there. “The afternoon phase I’m open to suggestions on. I was thinking maybe focusing on some Equestrian dances. I know quite a few suitable to court.”

“And I got the more, heh, energetic folk dances covered,” said Cheerilee, “If Lyra can pull off a jaunty tune for jigs I’ve got the moves.”

“I was thinking me and Ditzy could get in on that too,” said Raindrops, “Be your backup dancers.”

“Dancing is fun...” mumbled a half asleep Ditzy.

Trixie blinked, “Okay, so we’ll refine that phase a bit. There are several hours worth of downtime between each phase anyway. Now, the big finisher for the evening phase, that’s where you and me, Lyra, we’re going to do some collaboration. We’ll need everypony, but it's you and me that’ll need to get our timing down.”

“Not easy, given how little time we have to prepare, but hey, I’ll just have to get into the improv mood,” said Lyra, not at all letting her confidence flag as she leaned forward with a warm light in her eyes, a kind of hunger that Trixie recognized as the spark of a competitive spirit. It seemed that like Trixie had an urge to compete with Dao Ming, Lyra had found something, or perhaps someone, to light the competitive fire under her tail.

“Well, I’ll be doing most of the improv, but we’ll plan for it around your musical talent,” said Trixie, sharing Lyra’s enthusiastic smile.

At that moment the wind began to screech outside and the first patters of rain started to fall. Raindrops couldn’t entirely keep a grin off her face. “And there it is. Bit earlier than I thought, too.”

Trixie went over to shutter the window, taking one brief glance out at the island. The stormclouds had rolled in from the south, it looked like. It wasn’t a large, or even very fierce storm. Mostly just a lot of wind and light rain. Neither ominous nor unusual, other than it’d arrived quickly. Just normal weather for a southern island off the coast of Cavallia. Yet Trixie still felt a twinge of uneasiness.

She hoped Carrot Top would return soon.

A rough peal of thunder made Frederick jump, and Carrot Top chuckled slightly as she gave him a pat on the shoulder, “Not a fan of the weather?”

Not unlike the rosy hues of the now gone sunset Frederick’s cheeks painted themselves red and he gave a full bellied laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you think I’m jumpy now, you should have seen me as a fawn. Thunderstorms aren’t at all uncommon back home, but I never could get used to them. Of course such a thing isn’t very respectable for a young buck growing up as the heir of the throne of an entire race that prides itself on the strength of our warriors, so I had to get over my fear of thunder pretty quick. I used to go out in them, terrified as I was, and spent days in the mountain forests outside Yggdrasil. I’d usually come home with a fever. The guards once dragged me back almost half dead from exposure...”

Carrot Top shook her head in disbelief, “That’s... your parents were okay with that?”

“Oh abyss, no!” Frederick said with another rich laugh, “My father tanned my hide each time for being a fool boy playing at gaining courage in the dumbest way possible. I, uh, suppose I never did take to the lesson very well. I still like to stay out in thunderstorms, even if they still scare me.”

“You are flat out odd, you know that?” Carrot Top said with a half smile, looking out south at the ocean. She and Frederick were walking along the edge of the forest, right next to the sands of the long beach on the south end of the island. Waves crashed in, surf breaking over muddy sand, and the noise was comforting to Carrot Top. Nature was usually far more regulated in Equestria, yet after spending time working on her alchemy in her hut inside the Everfree forest she’d come to almost appreciate the patterns of ‘random’ weather.

“Do elk ever try to control their weather, the way we do in Equestria?” she asked.

“No,” Frederick said, shaking his head, “It wouldn’t be our way to interfere with the seasons. The seasons are sacred to us. All part of the cycle of death and rebirth that most cervid kin pay homage to in one way or another. I’m not exactly the most devout, at heart, but as the inheritor to my father’s throne I must know and respect my realm’s beliefs. If you’re curious, I’m a Spring-kith, born in that season. You?”

“Oh, I’m, uh, let’s see, I’m just on the cusp of winter, born late November.”

A flash of an amused smile graced Frederick’s face, “Ah, a Winter-kith! Natural enemy of we Spring-kith. I think tradition demands I challenge you to a blood duel in hopes of having your heart to offer to the Spring fae of the deep forests in hopes of blessings for a good harvest.”

At Carrot Top’s look he just held his belly with another bout of laughter, the wind picking up around them, “Sorry, sorry! Couldn’t help myself. Even at our most extreme I don’t think the old traditions ever got that archaic, but just as your three pony tribes had their time of strife, so did cervid kin. We were divided by the seasonal tribes, more than physical tribes. Elk, deer, moose, that mattered less than if you favored the Fall fae or the Summer, Winter or Spring.”

“Must’ve have made for some interesting holidays,” commented Carrot Top.

“Oh you have no idea. The holiday schedule back home is grueling.”

Thunder rolled across them again, wind whipping manes and tails about, and Frederick and Carrot Top both laughed as they were caught in a sudden downpour of rain. Carrot Top gave a little whoop of surprise as Frederick led her into the forest, the thick canopy from the trees shielding them from the rain.

Wiping water out of her tail, Carrot Top said, “Well, I think that’s the season’s way of telling us to get our butts back to civilization. I’m pretty sure the girls are going to be having a meeting for tomorrow’s artsy event, and last I knew I was slotted for some cooking.”

“Truly? I’ll have to ensure I’m there to sample your work then,” said Frederick, “I’ve never eaten food cooked by a champion before. Wodan is infamous for wiping out flights of dragons just from a whiff of his own attempts at a cookpot. I somehow doubt you’ll see such an attempt tomorrow.”

“Sounds like my lucky day. I’m sure I’ll whip up something to satisfy folk,” Carrot Top yawned, “I’ll have to get up early if I’m going to get a good start at it. Good thing I got practice at this kind of thing back home. Let me tell you sometime about this cooking competition I got into. Now, where’s the way back to the monastery?”

Frederick looked about, “You know I’m not certain.” He sniffed the air, “This way, I think.”

“Did you seriously just attempt navigation by nostril?” asked Carrot Top.

“When in doubt, follow the smell of food,” said Frederick, sniffing the air again, and turning towards Carrot Top, smiling deeply, “Then again, there are more pleasant scents in the air.”

“Charming,” Carrot Top said, giving his shoulder a light punch, “I haven’t even had a chance to bathe today. I’ll need to give myself a good scrub before heading to bed. It's practically a travesty that I’ve let myself go this long without at least washing my mane and tail!”

“Oh, I don’t know, there’s something to be said for a mare with the smell of sweat about her. Something honest, clean, even inviting...” Frederick said, then seemed to hold himself back, “I don’t suppose I’ve used up all my flirtation points for today yet?”

Carrot Top made a show of rubbing her chin, though she was in part seriously considering the situation. It wasn’t actually that late yet, somewhere between eight or nine, she’d guess. Plenty of time to wander back to the monastery, catch up with the girls, clean up and hop into bed to wake up early for the Contest’s next event. She was alone in a forest with a admittedly handsome fellow whose company she couldn’t deny she enjoyed.

“Perhaps not all of them, but even if you had, I could always think up of a bonus round,” said Carrot Top, deciding that if she was going to do anything, it’d be on her terms and with her taking the lead. She reached out to brush a bit of mane out of his face. “That is if you’re okay with taking this at my pace.”

“I never imagined doing otherwise,” he said, leaning forward. She was all too aware of the heat coming off of both their bodies, more pronounced in the now misty cold of the storm. She was also keenly conscious of the fact that the rain was making a natural sound barrier, meaning it wasn’t likely anyone passing by even within a dozen paces would hear much of anything.

There were no real rules to this, and she didn’t think she was ready to go there with someone she’d only recently met, no matter how much she was coming to like him, but there was nothing wrong with a little... fun.

Their lips were nearly touching when Frederick suddenly pulled back, and Carrot Top blinked in surprise. She was about to ask what was wrong when he frowned, holding up a hoof to his mouth in a ‘quiet’ gesture and nodded behind her, kneeling down.

Not sure what was going on she knelt down too, turning to follow where Frederick pointed. At first she didn’t see anything, but then a flicker of movement caught her eye, a streak of blackness in the deeper forest. Narrowing her eyes, Carrot Top followed the movement until a break in the treeline showed her a figure in a dark cloak, moving deeper into the forest. The figure didn’t seem to notice her and Frederick crouched down a score of yards away, and the rainfall drowned out most sound save for the occasional thunder.

“Who is that?” she asked, whispering even though she probably could have gotten away with almost shouting and still not be heard by the distant figure.

“I don’t know, but whoever they are they either don’t like the rain, or want to hide their face,” said Frederick, face musing, “Who would be wandering around the forest like this?”

“Maybe just somepony like us, looking for a bit of private time? The island is full of people and any of them might want to get away from the crowds,” suggested Carrot Top, but her mind immediately started to think of what Trixie had told her and the girls the other day. The mysterious warning, and some potential threat looming over the island.

Did this count as something suspicious worthy of investigation. Survey says...

“Should we try following them?” Carrot Top asked, only to find Frederick giving her a wide, maverick grin.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Author's Note

And with this, the story has become as long as Hero of Oaton. I'm not sure how to feel about that, given that we've still got a ways to go yet, but hey, it seems long running stories are kind of my thing. A large part of it is that I have so many characters here to cover, easily twice as many as were in Oaton, and I want to give a decent amount of screen time to all of them. Each set of characters have their own plotlines, all of which are converging and entangling at once here at the Contest.

My hope is that I can get all these characters and plotlines converging in a way that'll lead to an explosive finish when the time comes. But its up to you guys to let me know how I'm doing on that count. As always thanks to all you guys who helped out with refining the chapter in the writer's workshop. I appreciate it greatly.

Thanks for reading guys, and as usual feel free to leave any comments, critiques, or questions you may have.

Chapter 11: Battle of the Ballads

Chapter 11: Battle of the Ballads

“Alright, so when do we find out how we did?” asked an eager Lyra as the girls took a much needed break after the first segment of the Contest of Art. They had a little over three hours before the afternoon segment was scheduled to start, and while they’d all had a decent breakfast, spending a few hours essentially running a restaurant was surprisingly draining work and so each was partaking of some of the few remaining leftovers from their own efforts along with drinks courtesy of the monks providing refreshments to the champions. They hadn’t left their stage, though Trixie had dropped the illusions making it look like a cozy country eatery, and all sat along the edge of the stone side by side.

“I think the monks only tally the votes when all three segments are done,” said Cheerilee, popping a bit of carrot cake into her mouth and chewing with relish, “Mmph, though if I was going to guess based on what I saw we did pretty good for ourselves this round. You did some fine cooking this morning, Carrot Top.”

The mare in question coughed politely, her face blooming with a tinge of rose, “It was nothing.”

Cheerilee’s eyes gained a mischievous gleam as she smiled cattily and elbowed her friend, “Oh, nothing huh? And the fact that a certain elk prince stopped by to eat had nothing to do with how hard you worked to make the food so fantastic?”

“Come on Cheerilee, I would’ve cooked the same whether Frederick showed up or not,” Carrot Top asserted, stretching her limbs and looking thoughtful, “He did seem to like it, though, didn’t he? I wonder if cervid cuisine is all that different than ours? Hmm, I should ask him just what they eat up north.”

“Potatoes, mostly,” said Trixie, reclining back so far she was practically laying down, a tad sweaty around the brow. She’d used quite a bit of energy in keeping up the illusions for the restaurant, but assured her friends she’d be more than recovered enough for the next performance by the time it came around. That said, Trixie did feel a bit more drained than she’d expected, even for holding such high quality illusions for so long. Putting the thought aside she went on to say, “There’s a lot of heavy roots they put in their dishes, which mostly involve stews in one form or another. Not a lot of dairy up there, but they’re also big on breads. Kind of bland for my palette, but lots of carbs to burn in that cold climate.”

“You’ve been up there before?” asked Carrot Top, to which Trixie raised her head a bit, blinking.

“Haven’t I mentioned that? Could’ve sworn I had at one point or another. Well, yes, I’ve been to the cervid lands. Not for long, and it was in my early apprenticeship to Princess Luna. Just long enough to learn I wasn’t fond of the food and that even when covered in snow, trees are rather combustible.”

Raindrops leaned forward, one elbow on her knees as she raised an intrigued eyebrow, “Sounds like there’s a story behind that.”

Trixie’s smile was a dry one, “It’s a secret.”

“Fair enough,” replied Raindrops.

Trixie reached out with her magic and picked up a cup of some fruity drink mix she wasn’t certain of the contents of, but suited her love of mixed flavors, and took a long sip while considering their next move. She’d already gone over the afternoon performance with the girls and while they could spend some time rehearsing, she trusted that wouldn’t take more than an hour. Mostly because, having lived in Ponyville for over a year now, she’d actually done plenty of practice with each of her friends for various magician tricks, so bringing all five of them into a full show shouldn’t be too hard. There’d been some brief debate whether Lyra’s musical performance would be during the afternoon or evening segment, but Trixie convinced Lyra doing it once the sun was down would be more ideal, given it’d add a more impressive backdrop for some good lighting effects.

Which meant that for at least two hours their time was free, and there was an investigation to conduct.

“Right,” she said, sitting up, drink still floating next to her as she sipped it absently. She frowned slightly as the cup faltered a bit in her magic grip, but she steadied it quickly. Strange, was she more tired than she thought? She might need to catch a nap before the next performance, then. No need to repeat her sleep deprivation antics from Oaton. “We know there’s a group on this island that’s up to no good. I’m not inclined to sit around and let them do as they please, and with them snatching Zecora into thin air it's clear they’re too dangerous to take lightly. So it's time to put our detective hats on, girls, and start looking for clues.”

“I’m all for that,” said Lyra, “But do we have any leads? Kind of hard to investigate if we don’t have a clue on where to start.”

“I did hear from Kenkuro that apparently one of our nobles saw Zecora last night,” said Trixie, her brow creasing in a thoughtful frown, "Didn't say who, though, so not sure that's much of a lead. If word is getting out that Zecora is missing then this noble might've gone to Princess Luna about having seen her, but we won't know for sure until we ask.”

"Why would word of her being missing be spreading though?" asked Cheerilee, "Seems like the kind of thing Corona would keep under wraps, so I doubt she's the source of any gossip."

Trixie's frown only deepened, "I didn't think to ask Kenkuro where he heard the rumors, but he must have heard them from somewhere... or someone."

“Can we trust what Kenkuro says?” asked Raindrops. "What if he's involved in the disappearance? He could be trying to throw us off."

“I think we can trust him.” said Ditzy, “He did save us at the Grand Melee.”

“He could have done that to get us to trust him specifically so he could mislead us,” pointed out Raindrops.

“Then why warn us about the threat to the Contest at all? No, I think the tengu is on the level, at least that’s what my gut tells me,” said Trixie, frowning. She still wasn’t sure what it was about the odd raven-like being that made her feel a instinctive trust towards him. He just had this strange, grandfatherly aura mixed with a hint of mischief that she liked. Raindrops looked at Trixie for a moment, then conceded with a nod.

“Okay fine, so we go ask the Princess if this noble has come forward yet, and if not, ask around and see if we can find them.”

That plan of action set, the girls quickly finished their snacks and drinks and started heading off. They got nearly to the exit to the Contest stage before they were intercepted by a giant roadblock of chiseled muscle and testosterone shaped vaguely like a minotaur. Steel Cage looked as impressive as ever, like carved marble breathed to life. He flexed his mountainous muscles before Trixie and her friends, the two slightly smaller minotaur champions posing behind him like oiled, chiseled backup dancers, and Steel Cage looked down upon the ponies with a flash of smugness.

“Well little ponies, I hope you’ve already resigned yourselves to being at the bottom of the charts, ‘cause this,” double thumbs toward himself for emphasis, “Alpha of Alphas has rocked this opening event! Nobody, and I mean nobody who walked this stage could keep their eyes from feasting upon the banquet that was my form on display!”

The mares all tossed bemused looks at one another, Cheerilee clearing her throat and stepping forward, giving Trixie a slight wink as if to say ‘I’ll handle this’ before turning to Steel Cage, “That’s nice. But the Contest of Art isn’t done yet. Out of curiosity what was your plan for the next segment?”

Steel Cage’s eyes squinted down at her, not so much looming over Cheerilee as acting like a mobile eclipse of the sun, casting a long shadow. “Modern Art,” he rumbled in a voice that somehow managed to make that term sound ominous. However at that moment Trixie tilted her head, one eyebrow twitching up in curiosity. It was pretty clear Steel Cage was trying to intimidate them. From her limited contact with his ludicrously massive ego, he tended to carry an aura about him that bludgeoned most folk over the head without him even trying. It was that theoretical minotaur magic, she suspected, that made Steel Cage’s presence feel like an active weight that followed him around, either crushing down on others and making them feel small, or acting like a form of pure mental magnetism that made it hard to not look at him and hang on his words.

She’d felt it a bit before, but oddly now the effect seemed... not absent, per se, but reduced. And it was clear he was trying to impress them, but somehow she just couldn’t feel it.

As Trixie mused over this, Cheerilee responded to Steel Cage’s pronouncement with a flick of her tail and cheeky smile, “Modern Art, huh? Iron Will showed me some, once. You going freehand on it?”

Irritation swam over Steel Cage’s features at the mention of Iron Will, like a red, angry fog, and by the way he closed his massive hands into fists with the audible cracking of knuckles it was clear Cheerilee was stoking the minotaur's rage. Trixie questioned whether that was wise or not, but then again, he’d started this by posturing at them, so she wasn’t above nettling him back. As long as he didn’t decide to try bending Cheerilee into a pony-pretzel right then and there.

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?” he said, all but blowing steam out of nostrils at the mares before him. Cheerilee just continued to smile.

“You want cute, go hit up a petting zoo. What I am is irresistible. But you know I think we can save the lesson on that for the Contest of Strength, can’t we? For now my friends and I have important things to do, so if you’ll excuse us.”

Chin raised, chest out, Cheerilee moved with challenging purpose, brushing aside Steel Cage as he glared at her with iron daggers in his gaze. But he didn’t stop her, and Trixie looked at the other mares, giving them an encouraging nod before following Cheerilee. One by one they trotted by the minotaurs. One of the other champions, a bronze coated fellow, looked to Steel Cage and opened his mouth to speak, but Steel Cage silenced him with a glance and a single arm flex that had the other champion backing down.

A minute later Trixie and the girls were clear of any minotaurs and Cheerilee let out a breath, her bravado cracking a bit under a relieved grin, “I should probably stop poking the hornet’s nest, shouldn't I?”

“He looked really, really mad, Cheerilee,” said Ditzy, frowning in worry and glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to see the minotaur charging after them at any second, “Are you actually going to fight him in the next event?”

“If we both make it to the same match, yes,” said Cheerilee licking her lips, eyes narrowing in determination, “I mean, sure he outweighs me by a factor of five to one, has superior reach, is probably three times as strong, could literally fold me in half and use me as a back scratcher... but I’m confident of my chances.”

“Me too,” said Raindrops, and at the other mare’s looks she shrugged, “What? I am. I’ve been sparring with Cheerilee for awhile now. She fight’s dirty.”

When Cheerilee gave her a sidelong look Raindrops returned it with a flat stare of her own, “Well, you do.”

“Okay, true enough,” said Cheerilee, “But I don’t think my usual bag of tricks will work on Steel Cage. First of all, totally different anatomy from a pony, so the usual soft spots I’d go for are all out of place. Second of all, this is a contest, not a street fight. I can’t go for the low blows. I’m rather certain the monks will have rules against that kind of thing. No, I’m going to have to take Steel Cage on fairly if not squarely.”

Raindrops’ brows crinkled, “What does that mean?”

Cheerilee merely winked, “Don’t fret over it. You just let me worry about Steel Cage. You’ve got your own secret admirer to deal with for the Contest of Strength, don’t you?”

“Nothing secret about it,” muttered Raindrops, “Tendaji is... complicated. Luckily I think the solution is for us to punch each other until he’s satisfied I’ve helped him fulfill his weird zebra Path. Assuming I can figure out how to hit him.”

“I know it's a ways off yet, but besides Cheerilee and Raindrops were any of the rest of us going to be crazy enough to participate in the Contest of Strength?” asked Carrot Top, “Because honestly I was thinking of sitting it out. Sticky bombs and stink grenades don’t really strike me as suitable for an affair that mostly involves blunt force trauma.”

Trixie grimaced, “I wasn’t intending to compete there, galling as that fact is. I’ll leave the warrioring to the martially inclined types. I prefer my battles swiftly won and without me getting too sweaty.”

“Ah, but where’s the entertainment value in that?” said a nearby voice, causing all six mares to turn as Grimwald waved at them, having been leaning against one of the stages along the edge of the contest area. He certainly hadn’t been there a second ago, Trixie was sure of it. She was more and more certain that this griffin wasn’t simply skilled in stealth. You don’t so easily trick a trickster, and she felt confident in the belief that Grimwald’s disturbing tendency to creep up out of nowhere wasn’t just the result of natural skill. He had to have some kind of magic up his sleeve.

Fortunately she had a way to check for that sort of thing, so while she put on an affected smile and nodded to him, she let her horn, presently concealed by her magician's hat, light up to weave her magic sight spell while she said, “What do you mean by that?”

Grimwald smiled in a way that uncomfortably reminded Trixie of the way she’d once seen a griffin gut a fish for an evening meal during one diplomatic visit or another. She was looking him over with her magic sight, confident he couldn’t tell what she was doing, looking for any unusual auras of magic on him. As she suspected she spotted something, though not quite what she expected. She imagined she’d find some trace of illusion magic, perhaps some trinket that employed basic invisibility, not unlike the necklace she’d enchanted during the Oaton affair. Instead what she found was a magic aura that looked similar and yet somehow quite alien from any magic she’d encountered before. It was concentrated at a spot within his silk green waistcoat, probably woven into some item he had concealed there. The aura was like looking at a fractured piece of ice from the surface of a frozen lake, dripping with a strange hue of color that could have been called purple but was just a few shades off enough to feel like it was a color that shouldn’t exist. It actually made Trixie noxious to look at it, and she actually missed what Grimwald said in reply to her question and had to have Raindrops elbow her to get her to snap back to reality.

“Trixie, hey, you in there?” Raindrops asked, and Trixie blinked, shaking her head for a second. She had to intentionally look away from the aura of whatever Grimwald was carrying on him and focus elsewhere for a moment before turning off her magic sight.

“Yes, I was just, um, remembering something. My apologies, Mister Grimwald.”

He had an irritatingly knowing look in his eyes as he held up a talon in a dismissing gesture, “No need. I’m sure something must have caught your attention. I was merely saying that I figured you, of all those present, would appreciate the notion of putting on a good show.”

“Only when I can set the stage to my liking,” said Trixie in swift reply, “I also perform to my strengths. I’ll leave the one on one battling to those that are suited to it.”

“Ah, but is that in the spirit of the Contest?” asked Grimwald, “After all, art is hardly my forte, but here I am, showing off my deliciously deplorable taste in sculpture. I don’t suppose you mares caught my little display?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t, and I don’t think any of us did.” Trixie said, glancing sidelong at her friends. Most of them shook their heads, indicating that they hadn’t seen any of Grimwald’s sculpture display, but Ditzy actually gave a slightly nervous nod.

“I, uh, took a look over at your display when I had a free second.” Ditzy said, “The sculptures were... very, um, interesting?”

Grimwald laughed in a cutting manner, “It's perfectly okay to call them unrecognizable lumps of clay, Ditzy Doo. I’m a hobbyist by the most generous of descriptions, but I do so love clay. Just the feel of my talons tearing into a nice formless mass and ripping away whatever chunks I don’t like. It has a nice cathartic feeling to it.”

“Don’t make much of your chances of winning this part of the Contest then, huh?” asked Lyra casually.

“Not unless I’ve seriously misjudged the mood of the crowd.” Grimwald said, then winked, “But I’m not here to win. I’m here to entertain myself, and in that regard, I’m coming out ahead of the pack. Which is why I’m sorely disappointed to hear you won’t be competing in the Contest of Strength, Dame Trixie. I rather thought watching that would have been most amusing, especially if you managed to get some one on one time with the Imperial Heiress.”

“You’ll just have to live with the disappointment, then.” said Trixie in a clipped tone, wanting the conversation to be done with so she could put some distance between herself and this bothersome fellow. He was already at the very top of her list of suspects for being involved in the conspiracy against the Contest, and if he wasn’t involved she’d cook up her hat with garlic sauce and eat it with a side of oregano.

Grimwald seemed to take her statement with casual grace, instead dipping his head to her in an almost mocking bow before turning ot Ditzy, “And what about you? Going to put that training session with Gwen to good use?”

“I was thinking I would try.” said Ditzy, “I mean, even if I don’t get far, it might be a learning experience. You’ll be there too, Grimwald?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for all the gold in King Guto’s fabled tomb.” said Grimwald, tipping an invisible cap at the mares, turning to leave, but he paused before taking more than two strides. “Oh, word is seeping out about the unfortunate vanishing of Corona’s favorite striped servant. Many of the nobles are buzzing about it already, the insufferable gossips that they are.”

“Is that so?” Trixie said cautiously, “What of it?”

“Only that if any prospective inquisitives were inclined to seek the misplaced zebra, there’s an observation I made this morning when I first heard of the gossip involving her disappearance. You see, I noticed that the one noble among my fellow griffins who didn’t seem surprised by the news was King Gruber of Grandis.”

He shrugged, and resumed walking way, “Make of that what you will.”

Once he was gone Trixie heard Cheerilee snort, “Oh please, like we’d fall for something that transparent.”

“Huh?” asked Carrot Top, “I don’t get it.”

“Grimwald is about the most suspicious person on the island right now,” said Cheerilee, confirming that she had been thinking along the same lines Trixie had, which Trixie greatly appreciated. Always good to know that your friends can be as paranoid as you are, sometimes, “So you don’t find it equally suspicious he just happens to drop a clue pointed towards some griffin bigwig?”

“You think it’s a red herring,” stated Lyra, “That he’s trying to throw us off the trial by sending us to buck the wrong tree.”

“B-but what if it isn’t?” asked Ditzy. “I know you guys don’t trust him, and I don’t know if I do either, but can we afford to ignore any clue we’re given?”

“By doing what, Ditzy?” asked Cheerilee, “You want to break into a griffin king’s room and search it for evidence? Granted, we could probably pull it off without getting caught, but if we were, can you say ’international incident’?”

“I’d personally use the term ‘diplomatic disaster’.” said Trixie, but suddenly rubbed her chin in thought. “Although I do imagine I could pull it off easily enough, with the right timing.”

“Trixie, you know he’s playing us.” said Cheerilee.

“Yes, but for whose side is he playing?” asked Trixie, “I’m not saying I trust him. Far from it. What I am saying is that we don’t really know what his game is yet and whatever his reason for pointing us towards this King Gruber, it might still benefit us to have a look.”

“You might want to run this by the Princess, before we commit to doing any acts of questionable legality,” said Lyra, “I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m not hyped to cap off my time here with a jail sentence.”

“That’s assuming we actually do anything illegal,” said Trixie, “Which we won’t. The monastery is a huge place. Easy to get lost in. Can’t blame a mare for wandering into the wrong room while lost, right? Assuming anyone notices, which they won’t, because why would they when they’re all going to be here watching your performance, Lyra?”

The unicorn blinked her gold eyes in incomprehension for a second, then said, “Wait, you’re going to do this during the last part of the Contest or Art? But we’re going to need you here for all the big zap, bang, boom stuff that you do!”

“Yes, yes, I know, I’m indispensable for the grande finale, but worry not,” said Trixie, adopting a confident and dramatic pose, “The ballad starts off slow, and I can leave a few smoke bombs to get you started on that part. I can sneak in, take a look around the king’s room, and be back here before you’ve even reached the halfway point. If it turns out to be a red herring, no harm done.”

“Oh no, if you’re doing this, you’re not doing it alone,” said Cheerilee, “I don’t have much of a part to play for the last performance anyway, and I’ll shave my mane before I let you wander off to do some snooping around by yourself when it’s already been established we’ve got spooky cloak people running around ponynapping folk. We let you go it alone, we’ll be down a Trixie before the night is over.”

“Point taken,” Trixie said, “Being ponynapped isn’t my style anyway and two sets of eyes will get the search done that much faster. Now, all we need is Princess Luna’s approval.”

“I completely disapprove of this,” Princess Luna said in a tone flat as a dinner plate.

Trixie pranced anxiously in place, “I know it isn’t ideal, but we really are lacking in the clue department, and while the source of this information is about as reliable as a cardboard teakettle, we can’t just ignore the possibility we might learn something.”

“Trixie,” Luna said, sitting down calmly in her room’s largest and fluffiest looking chair, “You’re talking about invading the privacy of one of the griffin monarchs. Are you truly so certain that you might learn anything that is worth the risk such an action entails?”

Trixie paused, then met Luna’s gaze as evenly as she could, which wasn’t a particularly easy thing to do given Luna had this tendency to make her gaze have the overall depth and intensity of the entire night sky; fathomless and eternal... not to mention with that annoying hint of maternal displeasure that brought out the nervous foal in just about anypony.

“Princess, we know all too little about what we’re dealing with in terms of the threat to this Contest. If me and Cheerilee are caught snooping around King Gruber’s quarters it’ll cause a stink, yes, but one that can be dealt with much like with Shouma’s Empress when Dao Ming lost control in the Grand Melee. The alternative is to ignore a possible lead to resolve a situation that, if left unresolved, could have worse consequences than a bit of political embarrassment.”

She tilted her chin up slightly, “Besides, we won’t get caught.”

“I still do not approve,” Luna said simply, but before Trixie could say anything in protest the Princess continued with a sly wink, "Yet since when has that prevented you mares from doing as you thought best? Anything that can lead us to discovering the true nature of the threat should not be ignored, the sooner the better. I cannot grant you permission to do this, but neither will I tell you not to do what you feel may help your investigation. Just... don’t get caught, please? I’ve already had to deal with more politics in a few days here than I usually have to deal with in a month back home, and I can feel the headaches coming. Not to mention my sister’s presence makes everything so much more strenuous.”

Trixie nodded, realizing just how tired Luna appeared. Alicorns of course had stamina well and above that of normal ponyfolk, but enough stress, enough pressure, could get to anypony. Luna had the welfare of every single living creature on the island to worry about, alongside the fact that there were enough high profile diplomatic figures here that if anything did happen to any of them the consequences of such a thing could negatively impact international politics for decades to come. Not to mention having Corona so close as a constant reminder of the single largest threat facing Equestria, and not being able to do anything about it. Luna had every reason to look a bit ruffled in the feathers.

“Right, so that covers tonight’s espionage antics,” said Cheerilee, “But we’ve got that other lead too. The noble that saw Zecora. Who is it? They’ve come forward, haven’t they?”

Luna nodded briefly, “They have. Practically the moment he heard of Zecora’s disappearance Baron Mounty Max came forward to tell of his encounter with her that evening."

"But how did he hear about her going missing?" asked Cheerilee, leaning forward curiously, "We heard about it from the Shouma champion, Kenkuro, but where did the Baron hear about it?"

Princess Luna nodded in understanding, "I too was curious about that point. When asked, the Baron said he heard about Zecora's disappearance during this morning's breakfast in the monastery's main hall. He can't recall exactly who told him, only that the rumor was floating around during that meal. I have one of my Shadowbolts investigating where the rumor originated from, but as it stands its spread too far to stifle. Regardless, it seems the Baron had been returning from an attempt to scale the monastery’s cliff face when he met Zecora on the trail leading to the top of the cliff.”

“Wait, he was scaling the cliff? In a storm?” asked Raindrops.

There was something of a knowing smile on Luna’s face, “The Baron of Nulpar makes of hobby of climbing, but no, he’d begun his ascent before the storm hit, and abandoned the task when the weather turned.”

“So did he notice anything unusual about Zecora when he ran into her?” Trixie pressed, already wondering what the zebra might have been doing on that side of the island. As far as she knew there wasn’t much back there except for a very slim line of beach between the cliff and the ocean.

“According to him Zecora looked as if she was in a hurry to go somewhere, almost as if she was running, but she’d assured the Baron that nothing was amiss, and he didn’t pursue the matter after she was gone. He didn’t see her again, nor did he notice anything else that night. As far as we know he was the last one to see her before she vanished.”

“It's not a long distance between the top of the cliff and where Corona had parked her ark,” said Cheerilee, looking thoughtful, “If Zecora was in a rush to get anywhere, it would’ve been there. So if she got nabbed, there’s only so much ground where it could’ve happened. Maybe we should give that area a gander?”

“I’ve already set my Shadowbolts upon that task,” Luna said, “If they find anything I shall let you know.”

“What, we can’t gumshoe anything ourselves?” asked Cheerilee.

“I don’t doubt your perceptive prowess in the least, but do you not have the next event of the Contest of Art to prepare for?” said Luna with the guiding tone of one trying to keep others on task. “Besides you already have your own lead to follow with King Gruber’s quarters. Don’t steal all of the fun from the Shadowbolts. I do pay them for this kind of work and I’d hate for them to think they can afford to be lazy with you around.”

“Good point, Princess,” said Lyra, stretching, “Let the spook squad do some of the legwork. In the meantime we got minds to blow at the Contest.”

Luna’s smile turned warm, “Indeed. I’ve been impressed with the performances thus far. An interesting opening, with the restaurant. My compliments to whoever among you did the cooking.”

Carrot Top gulped, shifting uncomfortably as she said, “T-that was me, and thank you, Princess.”

“Ah, I should have realized that fine food was your work. You’ve improved since the previous competition you performed in.”

“I gave it my best. Kind of glad that parts over with,” said Carrot Top, “Not much else for me to do except back up everypony else now. The rest of this Art stuff is going to be on Lyra and Trixie.”

“Ahem,” said Cheerilee, crossing her forelegs, “There’s also going to be me busting out the dance moves. I’ll need the help of some backup dancers, so don’t think you can relax Carrot Top.”

“Can’t I just opt out?”

“Hey, if I have to do backup dancing, you have to do backup dancing,” said Raindrops firmly.

“C’mon Carrot Top, it’ll be fun!” said Ditzy.

“I guess it can’t turn out any worse than the average party back in Ponyville, though I’m usually competing with Pokey at that point for whose got more left legs,” said Carrot Top with a helpless laugh and shrug.

Trixie gave her friend an encouraging elbow, waggling her eyebrows, “Not everyday one gets the chance to strut one's stuff on an international level. You’ve wowed royalty with your cooking already. I doubt you could do much worse with a little dancing while Lyra wows them with her music. Or letting me saw you in half for the wonderment of our culturally diverse audience.”

Carrot Top’s laugh transmuted into a deep sigh, “Such is the burden of being a champion.”

“Well, that was a miserable experience I don’t want to repeat,” grumbled Gwendolyn to herself after seeking the nearest available source of alcohol, which turned out to be one of the many drinking tents in the cervid portion of the festival grounds. She had briefly considered going to the griffin section, where she’d be more familiar with the drinks, but right now she wasn’t in the mood to be around her fellow griffins. Immediately after the first event of the Contest of Art had concluded the competing griffin teams had all but broken down into arguments and near fists fights over who’d performed the best. Gwendolyn held no delusion as to her own performance, given she’d felt like a completely befuddled lark trying to sing battle hymns in front of crowds of strangers. Put a sword in her talon and set her against a band of a dozen bloodthirsty bandits and she was golden, but trying to belt out a tune in front of a bunch of complete strangers and it was all she could do not to flee the stage. Seeing her countrygriffins tearing into each other like over proud chicks on their first hunt only made her mood more foul.

The matter had not been helped by some of the remarks she’d heard slung her way from griffins that needed their attitudes, and their beaks, readjusted.

”Did you hear that screeching? I guess that’s what passes for song in the Border Kingdoms.”

“You can’t blame her for thinking that’s what a proper battle hymn sounds like, she’s been slumming it with the border trash for so long, and those hicks would take any warbling as high art.”

“I heard the only reason she’s even her is because King Gruber wants to put the Border Kingdom’s in their place by showing their heroine’s real loyalty is still to Grandis. She’s not expected to actually win anything, just put on a show.”

“Hah, stands to reason the only griffin of any worth from the borders still comes from an Inner Kingdom.”

Gwendolyn’s talon clutched hard on the wooden mug of mead in her grip, and her attention was so focused on her mental rumination that she hardly noticed her mother taking a seat across from her at the heavy oak table until Beatrice actually spoke.

“Are you actually that bothered by mere words?”

Gwendolyn shook herself, blinking in mute surprise at seeing her mother seated, staring at her. She knew Beatrice was part of King Gruber’s escort on the island, but they’d shared only a few passing words since the start of the Contest and she’d nearly forgotten about her mother’s presence. Letting Beatrice’s words sink in for a second, Gwendolyn took a slow but deep drink of mead, then said, “You’ve been paying attention to what’s been said, haven’t you? Its getting worse, this damn tension between the Kingdoms. What the feathering frig were the Inner Kingdoms rulers thinking cutting the Border Kingdoms out of the Contest!? Why does it seem like they’re trying to increase the tension at every turn!?”

Her mother’s eyes turned strange to Gwendolyn’s view, a look she’d never really seen on Beatrice before, somehow guarded, wounded, and concerned all at once. She was used to nothing but confidence and stoic strength from her mother. This look seemed uncertain.

“You shouldn’t let it get to you so much, daughter. This is always how it’s been.”

Gwendolyn shook her head fiercely, voice just an octave below a frustrated grow, “No, not like this. It’s like the disdain for the Border Kingdoms is being cultivated. Listening to those proud peacocks you’d think they’d been told their droppings were somehow superior to those on the borders! The arrogance was never this bad even a few years ago.”

A small amount of her mother’s sharpness, the familiar whipcord look, returned to Beatrice's eyes and tone, “It’d be better if you just focused upon the Contest. I imagine this Art portion is just getting to you, making your feathers bristle more than usual.”

Gwendolyn took another pull on the mead and then slammed the mug down, hard, on the table. “I don’t give two pieces of busted eggshell over the damn Contest! Aside from reminding me of why I don’t sing unless I’ve had about six or seven more of these,” she raised the mug again briefly, “I’m having a good time of it. I’m getting to cross swords with some of the world’s finest warriors. Couldn’t be happier about that, win or lose. What pisses me off is watching my people, my fellow countrygriffins, acting like a bunch of rotten bastards to each other and feeling like there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it!”

For a second her mother looked truly miserable, before she hid it behind an iron mask, “What will be, will be, Gwendolyn. You are my daughter, but even you can only do so much.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gwendolyn asked incredulously, but her mother simply shook her head and stood back up.

“I wish I had more time to spend with you, but the King only allowed me a moment to check upon you. I know you will do what you feel is right, no matter the advice or others, but please listen to me this one time; stop overthinking things. Just focus on the Contest.”

“Wait, wha-” Gwendolyn started to say, but Beatrice swiftly departed the drinking tent, not even looking back at her daughter. Gwendolyn stared after her for a time, staring at the tent exit as if willing her mother to come back and start explaining things, but eventually just sighed and turned back to her mug...

Only to find Grimwald now sitting at the table across from her.

“For sky’s sake! Grim!” she said, nearly spilling her mead, “Don’t do that! How did you even...” she looked around, seeing that there was only one way in or out of the tent, and she certainly hadn’t seen him come in. Grimwald merely flashed her a thin smile and raised his own mug of mead, procured from where Gwendolyn could only guess.

“Lovely to hear your melodious voice raised in song, Gwen. Our fellow patriots just don’t appreciate the way you can belt out a tune when high on stage fright adrenaline.”

“Stuff it, Grim. What do you want?”

He put a talon to his breast, as if wounded, “Only to look after the interests of one of the few birds in this chaotic sky of life that I’d consider a friend. I heard your brief conversation with your ever so open and forthright mother. I imagine it’s left you more despondent than before?”

Gwendolyn sucked in a sharp breath through her nostrils and let it out in a slow hiss through her beak, “If you’ve got a point to get to, get there quick. My mood would be improved a lot by an act of random violence right about now.”

“You see, that’s what I love about you, direct and bloodthirsty. You should’ve gotten into my line of work.”At Gwendolyn’s low growl he coughed politely, “Yes, to the point then. I know certain things that may be of use to you, but unfortunately I can’t tell you.”

“Then why are you opening your beak at me?”

“Well, I have certain confidences I must keep,” Grimwald said with a helpless shrug, “We all have our codes, and mine requires not directly betraying my contracts. However there’s always a loophole, and I’ve made some arrangements.”

He stood and passed by her, leaning down to whisper into her ear, “Trust the ponies.”

And with that he swept out of the tent even faster than her mother had, leaving behind a baffled Gwendolyn to wonder just what trust the ponies was supposed to mean?

The second segment of the Contest of Art started out smoothly enough by Trixie’s estimation. When it came to performances of stage magic she was as practiced at it as some of Equestria’s best professional magicians, having not let her skills in that arena slip even with the growing pile of other responsibilities in her life, both as Night Court Representative and knight. Her friends had invariably, one by one, all been part to her practice and performances in Ponyville at one time or another. They knew most of Trixie’s routines, if not by heart then well enough to be more than able assistants. This was the first time she’d actually had all five of her friends play roles in a single performance together, however, and she made sure they each got to play to their strengths.

Raindrops, as the muscle mare, got to do all the heavy lifting. More than a few stage props were large, from the boxes Trixie used for disappearances and the titillating yet classic saw trick, to the cannon she intended to use for the finale involving the fire pit. She’d wanted to try an actual manticore, but there weren’t any at hoof, so she’d arranged for a fire pit instead. She was pretty sure she had the skill needed to pull off the short range teleport to make that particular trick work.

Ditzy and Carrot Top got to be the victims...er... lovely and helpful assistants upon whom the majority of Trixie’s more viscerally visual illusions would be performed on. They both had their own innocent, doe eyed appeal that really worked for that kind of thing. Really stirred up the crowd when it looked like a nice pony was the one about to be sawed in half. Trixie was especially pleased when Frederick had popped up in the crowd for Carrot Top’s big scene and actually gasped louder than most when Trixie not only seemingly sawed Carrot Top in half, but let the mare’s two “halves” be separated by a good five pace distance and then appear to be put back together backwards. Not the easiest illusion to keep looking realistic, with Carrot Top’s top half switched backwards with her bottom half, but Carrot Top certainly pulled off the right amount of balance and disoriented chagrin to make it look good.

Frederick’s off color remark afterward about being impressed by Carrot Top’s flexibility had left Trixie’s face redder that Carrot Top’s for the rest of the performance.

Cheerilee had her own rather unique part of the performance to play, as suggested by her, and Trixie was more than happy to switch roles and play more of the assistant spot when Cheerilee’s turn had come. Out of the many skills involved in classic magician acts, the work of an escape artist was one element that Trixie still had lots of room to improve, even she was mare enough to admit that (if only to herself and certainly not out loud to anypony else). Cheerilee on the other hoof had practice in that skill that, according to her, was the result of practical use rather than for entertainment purposes, but it wasn’t hard to adapt one to do the other. So Cheerilee got to demonstrate just how quickly she could escape a locked, glass box while also wrapped up in a straight jacket and hung upside down while the aforementioned glass box gradually filled with sand. The sand wasn’t real, but rather an illusion created by Trixie, but to anypony watching it certainly had looked real enough, especially as Cheerilee demonstrated remarkable finesse with a hairpin and just how far she could bend her joints.

Finally, Lyra was performing the expected musical accompaniment, from tense building notes leading up to a trick’s culmination, to the easing chords of relief after the tension broke. Not to mention in between the set ups for each trick Lyra provided a stirring and enticing set of strings to help draw the crowds in, filling the air with attention grabbing music to let all wandering the Contest know that something of note was happening on the Equestrian stage.

Lyra had fallen into her musical groove, the warm buzz state akin to the feeling of having knocked back a few ciders, where she didn’t even have to think about the play of her hooves over the strings. Music just flowed out as it needed to, and Lyra could feel utterly and completely relaxed while coaxing the notes to grace the air. It meant her attention could afford to wander somewhat, watching the passing crowds or taking note of the other champions, what few she could see from her position.

Dao Ming was still set up on the stage across from them, and the kirin had set up a vast white canvas held up between two stone pillars, where she was engaged in what Lyra would normally have termed ‘dance writing’ if she wasn’t already aware the proper term was caligraphy. Dao Ming was using a giant brush nearly as tall as she was, dipping the stained bristles in a large well of ink before she was levitate the brush towards the canvas, where she’d move her body in sharp, dance-like motions along with the brush to create intricate strokes of black lettering, some of which were so complex that Lyra wasn’t even sure how Dao Ming could make them without lifting her brush from the canvas. The Empress and her entourage did pass by in the crowd, but unlike last time the leader of Shouma hardly stopped long enough to glance at them. Lyra noticed she only looked slightly longer at Dao Ming’s stage, just barely long enough to maybe nod in what might have been approval before moving on.

Lyra also took note that while the Empress had her usual retinue of followers and guards, only one of her other children was with her, Xhua. Lo Shang and Tomoko were oddly absent from the procession. Lyra normally wouldn’t have taken notice or thought much of it if she had, but with Trixie getting everypony into full detective-mode Lyra couldn’t help but wonder where two of the Empress’ family had gone off to?

Her wondering didn’t last too long, however, as she got back into following the groove of her music and looking at the competition. Grimwald was just barely visible out of the corner of her eye, his stage now covered in... what in the name of Luna’s moonshine were those things? More interpretive sculptures? Wait, no, clearly they were devices of some sort, but what could those clamps be for? Then he proceeded to demonstrate on a stuffed dummy he brought up on stage, and suddenly Lyra was perfectly happy to not look that way again. Ever. Apparently griffins had some creative devices for the purposes of... interrogation. Lyra would have been bothered more if she wasn’t fairly certain Grimwald was trying to be disturbing.

In better view was the cervid stage, and Lyra had nearly lost the rhythm of her music when she’d seen the flight of wyverns approach the Contest grounds, leathery wings beating the air in great strokes that stirred the air like a swift wind. They carried one of the cervid’s vast longships, one that was more colorful than any of the one’s Lyra recalled seeing landed on the beaches outside Hero’s Rest. Intricate carvings resembling great serpents of the sea covered the flanks of the longship, alongside near life-like depictions of cervid warriors clad in horned helms riding wyverns. The head of the ship was carved in the shape of a dragon so realistic in its detail that it took Lyra a second to realize it too was carved from wood rather than an actual mounted dragon head. Lyra at first thought the ship itself was meant to be the cervid’s piece of art for this segment, but in short order Sigurd, Wodan, and Andrea demonstrated that the ship wasn’t the art, the ship was the stage.

Wodan led off, his voice blasting out like the crash of thunder between mountains. He was soon joined by Sigurd’s more subdued but somehow much heavier and graver voice, both him and Wodan standing at the head of the longship, their hooves beating a steady rhythm upon the hard wood that echoed loudly. Finally their voices were joined by Andrea, a higher note that somehow wove between the two masculine voices a wave crashing between two stones. Andrea complemented the singing with her instrument, the fiddle eliciting long, slow harmonies that seemed to speak of arduous, bone cutting sorrow.

An Elkheim funeral dirge. This is my first time hearing one.

She knew that the dirges were rarely used for individual deaths, but rather were sung for the closing of seasons or to represent the fall of many warriors, such as what might be sung when honoring the fallen of a particular battle. There was something appropriate in that, given that the Contest of Champions itself was partially to honor those who’d died defeating the Warlord and Rengoku. However, while Lyra was only just now hearing such a dirge performed for the first time, she was fairly familiar with the nature of the theory behind the lyrics. They were all sung in the cervids’ native Elkheim tongue, which Lyra was at best passable at, but when it came to songs she remembered more details than she might for common speech.

As a result she thought it a tad odd that Andrea would choose some lyrics that didn’t fit the normal dirge style for honoring the dead, but rather a much older form of dirge that was more about acknowledging the death of an historical age, marking the change to a new era.

Trixie and Cheerilee made their way casually back towards the monastery, not moving at any hurried pace despite knowing they were on a time limit to do their search. Timing would be critical here, and Trixie had ensured that she and Cheerilee had waited until the crowds had started filing back towards the Contest grounds for the final portion of the Contest of Art before she and Cheerilee got started. Trixie estimated they had around twenty minutes before they’d need to get back to the stage, with maybe five minutes of wiggle room. Lyra could get things rolling on her own. Trixie had shown the mare a few simple illusion spell tricks to get the ball rolling and Trixie was confident she could pick things up from there once they got back... despite how oddly drained she felt today.

“You feeling alright there Trixie?” asked Cheerilee, “You’re looking paler than usual.”

“I’m quite fine,” Trixie said, then reflecting for a moment added, “Albeit I feel like my magic has been... hmm, how to put this? It's like when I first exercised with Raindrops and my muscles weren’t up to snuff for handling the strain. Each workout left me gasping.”

“Oh really?” Cheerilee asked with a quirked eyebrow, “Gasping you say? With Raindrops?”

Trixie put on a sharp frown and flicked her tail at Cheerilee's face, “Stop that. Serious talk time. What I mean is that my magic feels like my muscles did back then. Strained. I’m not sure why.”

Cheerilee slowed slightly in her steps, suddenly looking thoughtful. “Now that you say that, I remember Lyra saying something similar after the show, just after missing a few chords during the big finale.”

“You’re right,” Trixie said, recalling how Lyra’s music had faltered. Trixie had just chalked it up to a little bit of fatigue, or just bad luck, but now her mind churned over other things she’d noticed today. Like how the minotaurs had, when confronting them that morning, had seemed somehow less forceful. She knew the theory of minotaur magic revolving around the projection of their egos had never been proven, but there’d been a clear difference between how my presence Steel Cage usually projected versus what she’d felt earlier today.

“What are you thinking? Some kind of magical draining?” asked Cheerilee.

“If that’s happening then whatever is causing it must be exceedingly subtle, because both Princess Luna and Princess Cadenza, not to mention Corona herself have all been present on the Contest grounds and none of them seemed to notice anything.”

“They’re alicorns Trixie. They might have so much magic inside them that having a small bit of it drained probably wouldn't even register to them.” pointed out Cheerilee.

“This is assume magical draining is what’s actually happening and we're not just trying to add layers to the conspiracy we face because we’re tired and frustrated.” said Trixie, holding up a hoof to forestall Cheerilee’s response, “I’m not saying it isn’t possible, just that we shouldn’t let our imaginations run away with us. When we do tonight's final performance I’ll have my magic sight on the entire time. If anything is draining magic from the area, I’ll spot it.”

“Works for me.” said Cheerilee just as they reached the monastery, heading up the vast stone stairs, passing by the tall entrance columns, and entering the cavernous main chamber beyond. “So, how we playing this?”

Trixie glanced around, just to make sure nopony was nearby. The chamber wasn’t entirely empty, as many of the huge banquet tables remained and were being cleaned by some monks so the tables could be set up later for the large dinner that’d come after the Contest of Art ended. However none of the monks were close, and Trixie didn’t see any other Contest goers around, neither champions nor any of the national delegates. As was to be expected most were already at the Contest grounds, so it seemed like her and Cheerilee’s timing was near perfect. Regardless, Trixie kept her voice down.

“The plan is simple; I make us invisible, you crack any locks between us and getting into Gruber’s chambers, and we take ten minutes going over it with as fine a comb as we can manage to see what we can find. No more than ten minutes, then we’re gone, leaving everything as we found it. Easy. Can’t go wro-”

“For the sake of both of us don’t finish that sentence Trixie.” warned Cheerilee, ears twitching, “Would have figured you’d have learned to not tempt fate by now.”

“I live to tempt fate,” replied Trixie curtly, but not without a small, wry smile at her friend. “But I’ll refrain from sticking my tongue out at it tonight if I can.”

“Thank you. I’ve got enough gray hairs already.”

“Gray hairs? I can’t see any.” Trixie said truthfully, thinking Cheerilee had to be exaggerating.

“Oh, they’re there. A little dye goes a long way.” Cheerilee sighed, “It’s not like there’s that many. Just hitting that age where they start to pop up, like little unwanted weeds. Guess the high stress adventuring life doesn’t exactly help matters.”

“And breaking and entering into a high profile foreign dignitaries’ quarters will probably add a few more. Such is the sacrifices we make for Princess and country.” said Trixie, leading the way towards the wide, carved stone stairway leading towards the guest wing.

Finding King Gruber’s specific chambers wasn’t hard. Princess Luna had already provided the general direction they needed to go, and the griffins, loving their heraldry, had turned their portion of the guest wing into a kaleidoscope of colors as every single room had banners hanging from them displaying their allegiance to any given Griffin Kingdom, while also adding personal knight or noble house heraldry in a dizzying pattern of different icons and color patterns. And as one might expect the heraldry for the visiting kings and queens were the most ostentatious of all.

Grandis’ black, gold, and white colors covered the huge pair of banners that flanked the door to the king’s quarters, patterned in an even split between black and gold, with white borders. The country’s crest was, in a split from normal tradition, below that of the king’s crest. Trixie wasn’t an expert on such matters, so maybe there was a reason for the change in the heraldry. Not that it mattered for the purpose of why she and Cheerilee were there.

Now as she’d expected, while King Gruber and his queen were at the Contest, it wasn’t as if they’d left their chambers unguarded. Granted it was just one guard, and he looked exceedingly bored as he leaned against his halberd, but he could still complicate matters. Trixie was prepared, however, and had already woven a tight illusion of invisibility around herself and Cheerilee, who had to keep a hoof on Trixie’s withers while she maintained the spell.

Cheerilee knew to stay quiet as Trixie worked her magic, having already pre-discussed their plan for handling any guards they ran into.

Trixie felt the strain on her horn, even as she worked such simple illusions. While she had told Cheerilee not to jump to conclusions, she thought that magical drain certainly did explain how tired she felt as she maintained the invisibility and then worked a second illusion. It was a tad harder than some illusions because she layered a scent into it that would draw the guard’s attention to the faint coils of black smoke she created wafting down a bend in the hallway.

In a minute the guard’s beak nostrils flared as he sniffed the illusionary scent of smoke, and he turned his head to stare one huge eagle eye at the visual illusion of faint smoke down the hall. Not prone to panic the guard didn’t start screaming about a fire or anything, but instead did what any curious and safety conscious guard would do; investigate.

The guard plodded down the hall past the two invisible ponies pressed up against the wall and walked around the bend in the hall. Trixie figured he’d spent at least a minute or two looking to see if there was an actual fire anywhere, and when he didn’t find one Trixie imagined he’d chalk it up to either his bored mind getting away with him or somepony in a different room just getting overzealous with their chamber’s fireplace.

The moment the guard was out of sight Trixie led Cheerilee to the door. She then put her hoof on Cheerilee’s withers, so the two kept physical contact, which made maintaining the invisibility over both of them easier. She heard Cheerilee rustle around a bit, then heard the faint click of something metal jiggling into the lock on the door’s handle.

Trixie cast a worried glance down the hall, but didn’t see or hear any sign of the guard returning yet. After a few more seconds of jiggling followed by one or two muttered words that probably weren’t proper for or a schoolteacher to say, the door clicked open with barely more than a brush of noise. The two mares quickly went inside, closing the door behind them. Trixie relocked the door, then dropped the invisibility. A second later she cast another spell, wreathing this side of the door in a shield of silence that’d muffle her and Cheerilee’s voices to anyone on the other side. Fortunately it was a one way shield, so they’d be able to still hear anyone approaching the door or talking outside it.

“Alright, let’s do this fast.” Trixie said, casting her gaze across the room.

The chambers were large, which was to be expected, with a long set of windows flanking a doorway to an actual stone balcony directly opposite the entry. To Trixie’s right she saw an open door leading to what looked like the bedchambers. To her left the room went on for a good thirty paces, consisting of a well furnished living area with dark wood chairs around a circular eating table, several thickly padded couches in front of a tall stone hearth, and a wide number of shelves and cabinets stocked with books and drinks respectively.

“I don’t see much in here.” said Cheerilee, nodding towards the door to the right, “Bedroom, maybe?”

“Go ahead, I’ll join you in a second.” Trixie said, habitually whispering despite the sound shield over the door. By now the guard may have returned to his post, but as far as he’d know nothing had changed and he’d have no reason to try the door. Even if he did, he’d need to unlock it first, the sound of which would buy Trixie time to get another invisibility up.

As Cheerilee trotted into the bed chambers Trixi did a slow circuit around the living room, her eyes gliding over the area with a critical, narrow gaze. She was as much wary of a trap as she was for any potential evidence of King Gruber being connected to anything suspicious. She was all too aware this could be part of a plot by Grimwald to frame her and her friends, and had her horn hot and ready to go invisible the moment she thought something was wrong. She also was willing to try a very risky short range teleport, if needed. She was terrible at the spell and the power required even for short range wasn’t easy on her, but she’d rather get her and Cheerilee clear fast than risk being caught.

At first nothing seemed all that out of the ordinary, but Trixie’s eye was then drawn to a set of papers lain out on the living room main table, held down at the corners by half drunk glasses of wine. Taking a closer look, she noticed they were maps, specifically maps of the Griffion Kingdoms. Trixie frowned at the markings. Something seemed off. She wasn’t exactly an expert, but she knew enough to realize that the borders between the Griffin Kingdoms didn’t look right.

There were too few of them.

“Is this an old map from the Griffin Empire?” Trixie wondered aloud, but no, the names for the various city-eyries of the griffins were of the modern cities, not the ones from back in the Griffin Empire days. The implications of this map gave Trixie an unsettled feeling in her gut. Of course it didn’t actually prove anything. It wasn’t a crime to own a map with... imaginative borders. But it suggested King Gruber, and perhaps other royals among the griffins, were of a mind for forming a new Empire. Or at least a set of Griffin Kingdoms with fewer Kingdoms. Notably the absence of the original Border Kingdoms.

“Trixie,” Cheerilee called from the bedroom, “Come look at this.”

“I don’t suppose they’re carefully written and signed documents concerning King Gruber’s megalomaniacal plan to become the next Emperor of the Griffins?” Trixie asked, moving at a quick canter to join Cheerilee inside the bedchambers.

The bedchamber were more bed than chamber, with a huge bed with four dark posts, with curtains decked in the Kingdom of Grandis’ heraldry, filling up more than half the space. The sheets were heavily rumpled, suggesting heavy activity that Trixie didn’t allow her mind to conjure any images of, but the room did have a heavy scent of musky sweat to it and candle wax. It was hot in the room too, stemming from the coals burning from two braziers in the room’s corner. Cheerilee was standing next to the large wooden desk across from the room’s equally sizable armoire. The desk was strewn with papers and a big ink pot, dots of black ink staining many of the pages.

“Not exactly an evil mastermind’s plans done up in detail,” said Cheerilee, pointing to the topmost papers, “But there’s a lot of orders here being issued to military units, it sounds like. Or rather, letters of confirmation of other Kingdoms moving military force around.”

Trixie began to scan the papers, and realized after just a minute that most of these were letters addressed to other griffin royals already attending the Contest. If the letters held any truth, the King of Grandis was organizing a massive set of military maneuvers with other Inner Kingdom royals... but for what purpose? The movements themselves didn’t seem overtly purposeful. Again her knowledge of griffin geography was limited, working against her, but she couldn’t tell exactly what the aim of moving one or two legions to different fortresses.

But then one order caught her eye. It wasn’t just a movement order, but something else entirely. Scanning it, Trixie’s eyebrows shot up, and she began to read aloud.

“... the fifth, seventh, and twelfth legions are authorized to utilize all force necessary to detain the vigilante group of rogues known as the Band of the Red Shield. Full authority is granted to cross the border into the Border Kingdom of Farhills to locate and apprehend all members of the Band. If interference from Farhills military forces is encountered, authorization is granted...”

Trixie swallowed nervously, then continued, “Granted to engage with lethal force. Cheerilee, color me crazy, but this rather looks like an invasion, doesn’t it?”

“Of griffins invading other griffins, which still counts, but I don’t know what that means we should do,” Cheerilee said with a deep frown, “It looks like this is all about taking down some vigilante group. But then why have all those other forces move around?”

“The Band of the Red Shield... hmm... wait, if I’m not mistaken, which I’m laying odds I’m not, that’s the name of the group led by that griffiness that was with Dao Ming during the Grand Melee. Gwen... something.”

“Gwendolyn. Kind of seen as a folk hero for leading her military unit to fight bandits and monsters in the Border Kingdoms.” Cheerilee said, then met Trixie’s questioning look. “What? I paid attention during the meet and greets at dinner.”

Trixie nodded, conceding the point, and rubbed her forehead in thought, “So why bring her here as a champion if they’re actually planning to arrest her whole legion as vigilantes?”

“At a guess, to get her out of the way. Without their leader it's probably assumed this Band will be less of a threat.”

That made sense, but why focus on this one band of vigilantes? If they were so important, and if King Gruber wanted them arrested so badly, he still could have done this much sooner and likely gotten Gwendolyn out of the way with any number of simpler pretexts than bringing her to the Contest of Champions. No, Trixie knew they were missing something here. There was more to this puzzle than the pieces they were seeing here, but she didn’t doubt that this was what Grimwald wanted them to find. And by her estimate she and Cheerilee had been here too long already.

“We need to go. Princess Luna needs to know about this. And... so does this Gwendolyn griffin.”

Right upon the heel of her words she heard the door to the living room click and start to swing open. Trixie and Cheerilee exchanged briefly panicked looks before Cheerilee put a hoof on Trixie’s withers and Trixie dropped a layer of invisibility upon them. They quickly slipped up against the wall and Trixie chanced a glance into the living room.

She didn’t immediately recognize the griffin who’d entered the room, but she had a vaguely familiar look about her. With rusty red tipped white feathers and a powerful, keen bearing, she looked very much like an older, more weathered Gwendolyn. She wore the burnished steel breastplate and greaves of a soldier, and by the crests on the shoulders Trixie was guessing some kind of royal guard. The deadly looking rapier the grifiness carried caught Trixie’s eye.

“Are you sure you saw no one enter?” the female griffin asked sharply, addressing the guard that Trixie and Cheerilee had bypassed earlier as he stood at rigid and nervous attention at the door.

“I... yes, ma’am. I was only away from the door for a matter of seconds, investigating what I thought might have been a fire. When I returned the door was still locked.”

“And could have been entered and re-locked from the inside, fool!” the griffiness snapped, eyes flashing dangerously, and causing the guard to gulp, eyes wide. “You’re on double shifts as of now, and half rations. Guarding the privy. That’s apparently all you’re good for guarding.”

“Y-yes Captain Beatrice.” the guard said, hiding his clear sulleness under an ironclad mask of discipline, not daring to so much as bat an eye at his superior. Meanwhile the female, Beatrice, began to stalk around the room, very much reminding Trixie of the griffin’s predatory nature as she began to sniff the air, her lion-like tail flicking about in sharp gestures.

Trixie wasn’t sure just how sharp a griffin’s sense of smell was, but she wasn’t about to take the chance of being caught by just staying put. With a small hoof bump to Cheerilee to signal she was about to move, Trixie and Cheerilee both began to silently pad across the room, sticking to the wall and edging towards the corner near the door. Meanwhile Beatrice continued to circle the room, until she reached the door to the bedchamber just a few paces behind Trixie and Cheerilee leaving it. Beatrice’s head came up quickly and her nostrils flared, causing Trixie to freeze in place.

“Ma’am?” the guard asked, walking into the room and clearing the door. Trixie, heart pounding in her chest like a terrified rabbit fleeing a timberwolf, headed for the door, mentally sending a silent prayer to Luna or any other higher powers willing to toss some divine intervention her way.

Beatrice’s eyes narrowed as she sniffed a few more times, and gave the bedchamber a sour look, “The King and Queen have been enjoying themselves a bit too much. Can’t smell a damn thing besides their musk in there. If someone was in here they haven’t left any scent I can pick up. Nothing looks disturbed. Still, going to put guards both inside and outside from now on. As for you, stay here until I send your relief, then get your worthless flank to the privies.”

“Yes ma’am!”

By the time the guard was done shouting his affirmation and returned to the door, Trixie and Cheerilee were long gone.

Evening had arrived with a fresh and warm ocean breeze from the south and the sun coloring the sky with intense washes of red and purple as it made its slow and leisurely path to the horizon. Corona’s golden ark had moved to start slowly circling the island, and while Lyra wondered what the reason for that might be, she trusted what Princess Luna said when she claimed that for the moment Corona wasn’t plotting anything unpleasant. Indeed Corona had come through the Contest grounds with both Terrorwing and Kindle in tow, though Smoke was oddly missing from the group. Nervous as her presence made the ponies in the crowd, Corona had gotten more curious looks than uneasy ones from many of the non-ponies in the crowd.

Lyra had even seen Wodan, during the break time in between performance segments, approach Corona openly and boisterously inquire if the alicorn could hold her liquor better than her younger sister and suggest a drinking contest to find out. Corona... declined the offer, after briefly becoming engulfed in flames hot enough that Lyra had felt them from a distance. Wodan had just taken the response in cheerful stride, bowing and giving a rumbling chuckle that the offer would remain open.

Lyra was fairly certain the moose didn’t have a sense of self preservation.

She’d been worried that Trixie and Cheerilee wouldn’t get back from their little excursion in espionage in time, but just as the crowds were gathering once more and the third and final segment of the Contest of Art kicked off Lyra saw the two mares cantering towards the Equestrian champion’s stage. Both looked a tad frazzled, and Lyra wasn’t the only one to notice.

“What happened?” Raindrops asked with a low, serious tone as Trixie and Cheerilee hopped up onto the stage. The stage itself had been modified to have a tall circular main platform, with one half of the circle having a large bowl-shaped wall that would act to channel and carry the sound of Lyra’s music for the audience directly in front of the stage. It also had a slightly depressed portion in back where Trixie could stand comfortably and work her illusions without being obvious. Normally she might use invisibility to achieve that effect, but having mentioned her magic feeling a bit strained that day, Ditzy had come up with the idea to create a hiding spot on stage for Trixie to use so she could save her magical stamina.

As Trixie made her way towards that hiding spot, she shared a glance with Cheerilee, then looked back towards the rest of her friends, speaking in a quiet, cautious voice. “We escaped without being seen, but what we found was troubling. Not certain how it's connected to the threat looming over the Contest, but the griffins might be gearing up for a civil war.”

“What!?” Ditzy blurted, eyes turning into wide, golden saucers. “W-why!?”

“Shhh!” Trixie put a hoof to her mouth, “Not so loud, Ditzy. Look, I don’t know why. Griffin politics aren’t my forte. All I know is that Cheerilee and I found papers hinting towards the Inner Kingdoms preparing for major military action against their Border Kingdom neighbors. As soon as we’re done with this part of the Contest we’ll take this to Luna and see what she wants to do about it, if anything.”

“If anything? Trixie, isn’t this a big deal?” asked Carrot Top, blinking in confusion, “I mean, it’d be bad to just let a war happen if we could stop it.”

“Assuming we could stop it,” Cheerilee said, frowning, “I don’t like it any more than the rest of you, but if the griffins are determined to have it out with each other there might not be much we can do to stop them.”

Then she looked thoughtful and eyed Trixie, “Although if we informed that Gwendolyn griffin about what King Gruber is planning, and had, say, Princess Luna teleport Gwendolyn back to where her troops are camped, she might be able to get them to safety before the Inner Kingdom legions find them. That’d at least stop the first spark I bet Gruber is planning to use an an excuse for the rest of the war.”

Trixie eyed Cheerilee, then said in a musing voice, “That’s true. Furthermore, we could probably stand to be short one dancer for this part of the performance, if say, a particularly stealthy and intelligent member of our group decided she wanted to go talk to Princess Luna and set things up so Gwendolyn could be informed the second this part of the Contest was over.”

“Why I do believe you’re right on that. I suppose I just feel a bit too under the weather at the moment to do any dancing,” said Cheerilee, coughing, “Yep, must be a cold from the storm. Better go get some rest. After talking to the Princess.”

“You guys do realize we’re the only ones who can hear this conversation, right?” asked Raindrops flatly.

“Hey, somepony might be listening in, you never know.” said Trixie defensively.

“If they were they’d also know what we know.” stated Raindrops, but she shrugged, “But yeah, somepony better go talk to the Princess, and Cheerilee’s the best choice.”

“A real shame, as I had some real nice moves to strut on stage.” said Cheerilee wistfully, “It’s been years since this tush got to shake what it's mamma gave it.”

“Please, don't’ ever say anything about your shaking tush again. Not until I have at least several ciders in me,” said Raindrops.

“Are you old enough to drink cider?” asked Cheerilee with a grin.

Raindrops just rolled her eyes and waved a hoof, “Go on, get. We’ll just have to shake even more rear without you to make up the difference.”

“Oh I don’t know,” said Trixie, “I think I can whip up a decent illusionary facsimile. I’ve seen you practicing, Cheerilee, I can probably duplicate it.”

“Hmm, if you do, could you put me in a sexy little skirt and socks number? Something in black?” asked Cheerilee, to which Trixie just shuddered.

“Ugh, sorry, but I wouldn’t even know what a get-up like that looked like, especially not on one of my friends. Nopony else is dressing up anyways.”

“Actually...” Ditzy said, face burning red as she gestured with a hoof towards the back of the stage where there was a small wooden chest, “We sort of grabbed some outfits the monks were nice enough to help us pick out.”

Trixie blanched, “Oh, well... that’s... great. Hmph, as long as I don’t have to wear one I can survive.”

Raindrops coughed, looking away, “Y-yeah, good thing you don’t have to. Wear anything. Like socks. Because that’d look weird on you.”

Trixie quirked on eyebrow at Raindrops but said nothing, instead giving Cheerilee a final nod. In short order Cheerilee had vanished into the crowd, and would no doubt make swift progress to finding the Princess and getting the information found in King Gruber’s quarters to an authority that could make an informed decisions on just what to do about it. For now the rest of the mares from Ponyville put those graver matters out of mind and focused on the excitement of the final portion of the Contest of Art.

Lyra, taking deep breaths, cleared her head and took the center forward position on the stage, while behind her Carrot Top, Raindrops, and Ditzy Doo arranged themselves in a loose semi-circle. They were indeed now clad in tasteful if somewhat risque get-ups consisting of some very slimming skirt-dresses and silk socks. The colors ranged quite a bit, with a deep navy blue for Raindrops, a bright and colorful green for Ditzy, and Carrot Top’s being predominantly red. Trixie remained out of view in her comfortable floor niche, and in moments had an illusionary copy of Cheerilee present to complete the semi-circle. Lyra had to admit it was an impressive illusion, as realistic as she’d come to expect from the master illusionist. There were times Lyra wondered if Trixie actually realized how frightening it could be to see how real her illusions could be.

And while Lyra imagined it was making Trixie’s blush to no end, she did put the illusion of Cheerilee into a similar skirt and socks number, black with scarlet trim. For a mare who claimed to have no interest in sex, Lyra had to admit Trixie could imagine one sexy set of clothes to dress her friend in.

Lyra’s attention was drawn to the crowds that were already gathering for the start of the numerous champions’ performances. It made her heart glow to see that a lot of ponies and other creatures from around the world were fixing their attention on the Equestrian stage, while at the same time it gave her a small shiver of fear. She’d performed for large crowds before, larger than this one even, but somehow the weight of this performance felt heavier. This was the world watching, in its way, and this was Lyra’s chance more than any other to make a difference for her and her friends’ chances to win this Contest.

The pressure was on, and for a second it felt overwhelming, like having the ocean hanging above her head.

Then she caught sight of a bouncy blue and pink striped mane of gentle curls among the crowd, then a cream white face attached to a pair of the world’s most lovely baby blue eyes. Bon Bon smiled at Lyra from amidst the crowd, blowing a kiss and mouthing the three words that could always life Lyra’s spirits and made her feel ready to tackle the world. Lyra grinned ear to ear and smooched an air-kiss back at her mare, and took a step towards the front of the stage, addressing the crowd.

“Evening folks! Hope you’re all in a swell mood, because I’m certainly stoked! For our final performance of the evening my friends and I got something special in store. We’ll be playing my first ever original composition; the Ballad of the Harmonic Knights. Enjoy!”

There was no more need to wait, as already other champions had begun their own performances on their own stages. The sound dampening spells kept her from hearing anything too loud, but she could still hear the potent thrum of Andrea’s fiddle, and Lyra chanced a glance the cervid’s way. The stage for the cervids had taken on the appearance of a long stone table surrounded by plain lengths of benches. Lyra recognized the set up as being identical to anything you might find inside the large drinking halls of Elkhiem. Andrea stood upon the table, wearing the same simple green dress that Lyra had first seen her in back in Ponyville. The jaunty red deer was playing a tune on her fiddle that Lyra recognized as the beginnings of ballad of her own, although much of the music from Elkheim was very much like a ballad in nature. What caught Lyra’s attention before she started her own playing was that Sigurd and Wodan were sitting at opposite ends of the table, holding large mugs of mead between their hooves, banging them on the table in a steady rhythm.

The sight sparked a hint of memory in Lyra’s mental library of random lore she’d built up over the years. She couldn’t quite recall what it was, however, even when Andrea noticed Lyra’s scrutiny and gave the mare a knowing smile and wink.

Across the way Dao Ming had also taken to her stage, providing quite the sight in a regal black and gold trimmed kimono that reminded Lyra of the style the Empress herself wore. Even the headdress she wore, consisting of a sunburst pattern of glittering gold and hanging strings of pearls was reminiscent of the Empress’ style. As to what Dao Ming was doing, she was levitating a set of scrolls around her and appeared to be orating poetry from them. In fact Lyra was fairly sure the style of poetry was one unique to Shouma, consisting of few lines per poem, but meant to convey heavy imagery and concepts. While making out the specific words was hard, Lyra could tell the crowds watching Dao Ming seemed fairly captivated.

Time for me to doing some captivating too. Lyra thought with a eager smile, and with a deep breath, took her lyre up and started to play.

Her notes began with a soft, quiet strum, harkening a slow build to something larger. Just as they had practiced her friends began a slow and steady rhythm to their dancing, a swaying punctuated by firm hoof beats that fit the pace of Lyra’s strumming. Behind the scenes Trixie went to work, the backdrop behind Lyra and the others darkening until it turned into the deep violet dark's of a night sky punctuated by a blanket of gleaming starlight, streaked with the flashing cuts of shooting stars.

Feeling her heart quiet with the flow of the music, Lyra’s horn started to glow with gentle yellow light, her magic weaving into the notes even as she used her hooves to work the strings. Then she began to sing, her voice reaching a higher resonate pitch than was her norm, striking an almost ghostly quality with its echoing tone.

"There came a night when the sun did rise
and there was, there was, no harmony
When the land did hold its breath in fear
for there was, there was, no harmony."

As she sang the other mares picked up the tempo of their dancing, matching an increased pace to Lyra’s playing. Raindrops was a bit stiff, but beside her Ditzy Doo smiled brightly and gave Raindrops encouraging nods, and soon Raindrops loosened up a bit. On Lyra’s other side Cheerilee and Carrot Top were both grinning, almost seeming to compete with who could put more of a flourishing spin into their movements. Even so, they kept the right pace, their hoofstomps starting to intermix with Lyra’s playing just as she hoped it would.

On the backdrop behind her the night sky that Trixie’s illusion had created now grew bright with the harsh rising of the sun, chasing away the calm and pleasant night with a burning glow. This also revealed the sleepy town of Ponyville beneath the sun, recreated with colors both bright and dark, sharp contrasts that ran together like an oil painting.

"Here comes the mare whose wits were sharp
and she sought, she sought, our harmony
We went with her, we five brave souls
and we sought, we sought, our harmony

A mare strong and fair, true as rain
and she fought, she fought, for harmony
The teacher of foals, kept our hearts light
and she laughed, she laughed, for harmony."

The ballad became more complex as Lyra’s magic surged and she used not only her lyre, but created several magical constructs that floated beside her like a phantom band. This was one of the most difficult aspects of the performance, as she’d rarely ever tried to weave multiple instruments into her music before. Strangely, as she played, both now with a guitar and harp backing her up, she also heard the playing of a fiddle. She didn’t break stride in her playing, but Lyra realized that Andrea had added her fiddle to the instruments. At a quick glance she could see Andrea looking straight back at her, dancing up a storm on her stage while her fiddle seemed to cut right through the barriers of sound dampening between stages and could be heard full force. Her playing didn’t clash with Lyra’s, rather it seemed to slip right in naturally. Yet there was a playful note of challenge to the fiddle’s presence, and Andrea herself gave Lyra an equally cheeky wink.

Once more Lyra’s memory was tickled. She’d read something about this. She knew she had. Andrea was doing something specific to Elkhiem culture, but Lyra couldn’t fish the details out of her brainpan, especially with all her focus needed for her song.

While she played through an instrumental bridge to the next part of the ballad, Trixie’s illusions painted a picture of the story. This was the ballad of Trixie’s coming to Ponyville, the meeting with her friends, and the coming of the Tyrant Sun, followed by her defeat by the Elements. Thus far the illusions played back like a moving picture book, showing a small and stylized Trixie arriving in town for the Longest Night celebration, encountering each of the mares who would in time become bound together as friends that night. Lyra smiled as the memories washed over her, and a fair bit of mirth at some of the aggravating things Trixie did at the start. Trixie rather glossed over that part in the flow of events in her illusion, not that Lyra really faulted her for that as she continued to sing.

"With a smile bright from a kindly soul
And she held close, held close, her harmony
And when one had to give more than most
This mare came forth, came forth, for harmony

One last soul stepped forward, unflinchingly
And she kept faith, kept faith, in harmony
Six winds as one, not knights but simply mares
Drawn together, together, standing for harmony."

Lyra was in complete, simple bliss, largely forgetting where she was as she just let her mind and soul get lost in the music and the memories. Trixie worked her illusions like a maestro, expanding the backdrop into an encircling mist, its picturebook images popping out as if alive and bringing the journey of the six mares into the depths of the Everfree Forest to a haunting level of life for the awe struck onlookers. The other mares had slowed the tempo of their dancing, dipping their heads in a reverent manner as images of their specific Elements settled over them, and their outfits changed through Trixie’s expertly woven illusions to now resemble their suits of armor.

Meanwhile the flow of the illusionary pictures depicted the dangers they had faced within the Everfree Forest, searching for the Elements.

"The sirens’ poisoned chords made a deathly call
Yet the strength of Loyalty would not, would not fall
And to restore her friend the generous soul,
They braved the touch, the touch of poisoned joke

Through ancient castle’s threshold arrived
One forced from sight, another to great height
Whilst a guide of rhyming mein did run
To consort a scheme with the sun."

One after another the ghostly images painted by Trixie’s smooth and expertly crafted illusions showed the flow of events through the Everfree Forest to their arrival at the old Castle of the Sisters. Lyra almost chuckled as she played. Her ballad and Trixie’s illusions weren’t exaggerations per se, but actually having been there and lived through it Lyra recalled the journey had as many instances of her and her friends stumbling about as much as being heroic. Trixie, Carrot Top, and Raindrops getting infected with Poison Joke had largely been because they’d needed to get an ether flower to help Lyra recover from overchanneling when she’d faced the sirens, but everypony had sort of forgotten how easily Raindrops could have flown over the Poison Joke to get it. Life was filled with moments like that, but they didn’t necessarily make for good epic ballads. Maybe if ballads should have blooper verses at the end of them?

The song continued, coming to the end showing the final confrontation with Corona, after the alicorn had returned from assaulting Canterlot to try and stop Lyra and her friends from obtaining the Elements. They’d found them, but Trixie had still been invisible, and nopony had had any clue what the Sixth Element was. The awesome clash between giant Raindrops and a magically aged up baby dragon aside those final moments had been less about battle and more about facing down an insane alicorn with only the virtues and bonds the mares had forged in such a short span of time.

"Laughing in peril’s face, and Honestly embraced
Loyalty proven by deed, by deed in life risked
Generosity through sacrifice, Kindness through mercy
Thus sparked did Magic emerge as friendship’s bonds

It is this the sun could not withstand
For no force bears the strength, the strength, of harmony
So ends this tale, yet another springs from its roots
For these mares, these mares, became knights for harmony

And they’ll always stand, together, for harmony."

When her song finished Lyra found herself taking several moments to just let herself breath and let her senses collection themselves. She was breathing hard and sweat dripped from her chin. Even if the song hadn’t been long, as ballads go, maintaining the multiple instruments had been rough on her magic. Strangely she thought she knew what Trixie meant, however, about feeling drained. She’d practiced this ballad a few times, and had never felt quite this tired afterward. Even so, she also felt exhilarated, a feeling only magnified when the audience that had been watching in rapt silence now burst into a storm of cheers, from stomping hooves to whistling calls, and hearty bellows.

Lyra, face breaking into a beaming grin, gestured for her friends to come forward, and they all took a bow together. Trixie had her hat off, and Lyra noticed she wasn’t channeling any more magic, despite the Cheerilee illusion being right there bowing with them... or so Lyra thought until the “illusion” gave Lyra an elbow.

“Nice job, o’ mighty bard,” said the real Cheerilee, “I knew you were good, but I saw folk getting drawn to this stage from all over the Contest grounds on my way back.”

Lyra smiled, then whispered to Cheerilee, glad the cheering crowds probably masked any chance others would hear, “I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but dang if I’m not glad I gave it a shot. How’d things go with the Princess?”

“Weirdly,” Cheerilee whispered back, “I think she’s planning something, but didn’t tell me what. She just sent me back here to you guys with a message for us to meet her tomorrow morning.”

Lyra shrugged at that, trusting the Princess to know what she was doing. As long as Luna had a plan, things would work out. After the crowd’s cheering and applause died down, Lyra addressed the gathered folk while wiping sweat from her face.

“Thank you all, thank you. If you enjoyed that, we’ll be doing an encore soon, after we get a chance to catch our breaths.”

“Actually lass, I got a right shiny proposal for you if you feel you’ve got the chops for it,” called a familiar feminine tenor as Andrea just glided over the crowd with an impressive bounding step and landed on the stage beside Lyra and her stunned friends. She was still playing her fiddle in a playfully jaunty manner, and eyed Lyra up and down with gleaming eyes. Back on the cervid stage Sigurd and Wodan remained seated, but their eyes were glued to Lyra and Andrea, and they banged their mugs on their stone table with a rhythmic, ritualistic beat.

“Been raring to have a musical go at you from day one, Lyra Heartstrings, and since you didn’t quite notice me challenging you during your playing, I’ll say it plainer,” Andrea stepped closer to Lyra, all but invading the mare’s personal space, showing pearly white teeth as she grinned, “Let’s have ourselves a duel.”

There were nervous looks and gasps from the crowd, and among Lyra’s friends a few stared in stunned silence, while Raindrops looked ready to deck the deer. Trixie, looking flabbergasted, stepped forward.

“Now look here, where do you get off calling for such a thing here!? This is ridiculous!”

“Wait,” Lyra said, holding up hoof to forestall Trixie, “I don’t think she’s talking about a physical duel, Trixie.”

The word ‘duel’ had finally taken the spark of memory that’d tried to ignite in her mind during the ballad and lit it up fully. She eyed Andrea up and down, then matched the red deer’s grin with one of her own. “You’re talking about a Skald’s Duel. That’s what you were doing during my song, breaking into it with your own music as a form of challenge.”

Andrea strummed a sharp tune on her fiddle, “Figured you’d know, just needed a bit o’ kick to get you to remember. It's a tradition as old as we skalds ourselves, back home. It’s something I want to show all the fine folk here at the Contest, but got no fellow skald to challenge. But you, Lyra Heartstrings, got the spirit of a skald in you, so what do you say...”

She hopped off the stage, seeming to create a natural break in the crowd as they gave her room as the red deer danced along with the tunes of her fiddle into the center area between the cervid stage and the Equestrian stage.

“Want to give these folk a real show, lass?”

“You don’t have to do this Lyra,” said Trixie, watching Andrea with a suspicious frown, “She only stands to gain from making a big spectacle out of this anyway, just after we nailed our own performance.”

“This is a matter of Dame Heartstring’s honor, Dame Lulamoon,” said Dao Ming, who Lyra saw hop off her own stage with the smoothness of a heron taking wing, not even ruffling her midnight black kimono as she strode towards them, and seemed to draw along her own crowd with her. Lyra noticed the kirin still carried her poetry scrolls, along with a brush and box-shaped ink well. Dao Ming nodded to Andrea, then looked to the Equestrian stage.

“If I am not mistaken, Lady Andrea has placed her own honor, and the veracity of her performance, on challenging Dame Heartstrings to this duel of musical might. To refuse would be a blow against both of them, would it not?”

Trixie grumbled something under her breath, which Lyra thought involved the words ‘meddling’ and ‘kirin’ along with a few other expletives. Strangely the grumbling wasn’t entirely rancorous, but held a note of respect. Lyra just laughed and patted Trixie’s shoulder.

“It's fine Trixie, I’m actually glad Andrea challenged me. I want to do this!” She turned to Andrea, hopping down from her own stage, lyre held aloft in her magic. “I accept, Andrea! Let’s do this!”

“Kick her flank, hun!” shouted Bon Bon from the crowd, and there were a number of eager voices calling out for their favored to win.

Dao Ming nodded and bowed to both Andrea and Lyra, “And if none of you object, I wish to use your duel as inspiration for my final haiku of the evening. To read poems I’ve prepared already is well enough, but I feel the need to do this last one from something worthy of my inspiration.”

Andrea laughed, “Knock yourself out, lass. Me and Heartstrings here will be shining bright enough for your soul to bust out a thousand poems!”

“So we doing this on your stage or ours?” asked Lyra, and Andrea just twirled her fiddle in her grasp and pointed the stick towards the floor.

“Right there, right now. You know the rules?”

“Only that there aren’t many,” said Lyra, shaking her legs out to get some of the tiredness out and cracking her neck. “Challenger usually starts first, either starting up a well known song or improvising one on the fly. Notes or lyrics, it's all up to the skalds, but it's a back and forth of verse versus verse, each building up on the other. We keep going until the crowds roaring one or the other’s name the loudest, banging mugs so hard on the table it sometimes breaks.”

“We got you covered there, little lass with the summer sweet voice!” called Wodan, his mug making a hearty bang on the table, “Even this table of stone will crack once mighty Wodan’s heart sings alongside the best skald between you.”

“Assuming he doesn’t pass out from drink first,” said Sigurd, taking a long, draining drink from his own mug, which Lyra realized now where both etched with runes and were magically refilling for both the moose and water deer. Wodan bellowed a laugh.

“Ha, more likely you shall drop from drink first, Sigurd of the thin belly! Nay, it is I who shall outdrink you this fine night, whichever of these lovely lasses sing the truest!”

“A challenge I accept, Wodan of the long wind!” Sigurd shouted back, and both took to their drinks, already beginning their own duel before Lyra and Andrea started their own.

“Well, we’d best get to it before one of those fellas passes out, eh?” said Lyra, readying her lyre and facing Andrea. The crowd, which had near doubled in size by now as many were drawn to the unusual turn of events, now formed a circle around the pony and her deer opponent. Lyra’s friends still watched on from the Equestrian stage, joined now by Dao Ming, who had a blank scroll out and her brush dipped in ink, hovering in her gold magical aura and ready to write.

“I believe as challenger, the first verse is yours.” Lyra said, nodding her head to Andrea. The red deer in turn nodded in respect, and smiled.

“Right you are.” Her bow touched the strings of her fiddle, and Andrea’s eyes lit up like fairy lights, almost as if with their own inner fire. “Show me what you’ve got, bard of Equestria.”

Lyra had expected a traditional, slow build up to Andrea’s playing. Instead Andrea’s hoof began to move at a hypnotically fast pace as she unleashed a powerfully quick set of notes that took Lyra by surprise. There had to be rune magic involved somehow, for Lyra couldn’t see how Andrea was getting so many notes in so quickly, with extra layers making it seem as if there were three or four fiddles playing at once instead of just one. There was still a sense of build up towards something larger, but these initial notes hit with such frantic energy that they got Lyra’s heart racing, and she could see the audience was equally drawn in by it. Lyra almost forgot herself, but with a deep and determined breath she lit up her horn and put her hooves to her lyre. She’d be expected to match Andrea note for note, and she wasn’t going to disappoint.

When she felt a natural point in the build up she added her lyre to Andrea’s fiddle, weaving into the other musician's notes with delicate ease, like a fencer making that first probing strike. Lyra felt proud of herself that she managed to get her lyre playing so fast as to blend into Andrea’s quick starting pace... then she saw the way Andrea smirked, and then the red deer demonstrated just what fast meant.

In the span of a breath Andrea’s build up notes exploded into a full stanza, twice as fast as before, with notes strung so close together it was like a raging river of sound, yet it maintained a potent and evocative melody that didn’t get drowned out by its own speed. Lyra couldn't keep up for a moment, taken utterly aback by the sheer speed and power of Andrea’s play, but she recovered swiftly upon seeing Bon Bon and her friends watching from the crowds.

She’d be damned if she’d get outpaced before they even got the first verse of singing! Brows furrowed in concentration, Lyra brought her magic into play, using her aura as a second set of hooves to double her own swift and sweet notes, quickly catching up with Andrea’s pace. Lyra spotted a genuine smile of approval bloom on Andrea’s face as she gave Lyra a wink and then brought her clear, chiming voice into play.

”At the dawn of a new age, the land sits in quiet grace

Unknowing hearts, in peaceful grasp of fate’s cruel embrace

They sleep now, but soon they’ll wake to a new world evermore

The chance for glory shines eternal across a bloody shore!”

It would be Lyra’s turn next, and she had seconds before the natural flow of the music would require the next verse. No time to think, just to let the words flow naturally in tune with the music. The imagery of Andrea’s own verse had evoked a strange feeling of rebellion, like raising one’s hoof against fate. Yet there was a note of violence to it, a hint of the price of bringing a new age about. As if doing so would break the peace of the previous age.

Lyra responded to that with the words pouring out of her in time with her hooves flowing over her lyre.

”Glory fades, and has a high price to pay
What you protect lasts through the age
With the book of history to say
Our lives are all their own page"

Andrea’s smile turned sharp, and she didn’t miss a single beat as her and Lyra’s playing intertwined towards a growing tension that started to make the air feel heavy.

”In the biggest tales of champions travails

There’s ever blood and strife

It's not through peace the greatest heroes rise!"

Their playing reached a higher crescendo and Lyra’s hooves worked as a blur, her magic seeming to pulse and sing along with her voice. She could feel Andrea’s music like a tide that surged against her own, yet despite that the two melodies clashing seemed to forge a larger harmony, as wild, fierce, and beautiful as a natural hurricane.

”Then let our souls leap higher and soar
To seek peace amid our age’s storms
Long as the winds rage, we fight back even more
Even with no sundown, or even with no moonlight
Each of us can champion Harmony!”

Each verse built upon the other, Andrea and Lyra’s voices like twin stormfronts that upon meeting swirled into a larger typhoon. Lyra’s brow was now dripping sweat in small rivers, and she couldn’t even really feel her hooves as they buffeted across her lyre like the wind itself. Andrea was no different, droplets of sparkling sweat flying from the red deer as she flung herself into her playing, the bow of her fiddle a dark flicker across her instrument's strings.

”So in this age we stand on the edge
Where a stray breeze leads to peace or war
It's in our hearts to choose which which way the wind shall turn
So take your stand even as the world burns!"

What followed next could only be described as a direct assault of unmitigated musical power as Andrea’s playing transformed into something nearly physical in the air as she launched into a powerful instrumental solo that slammed into Lyra’s body, mind, and soul like a tidal wave. Lyra nearly lost her footing, and felt her head go dizzy and her vision darken as she almost passed out. It wasn’t just the volume of Andrea’s playing, or its speed, or its insanely striking chords. It was more than that, something Lyra couldn’t explain with logic. It was as if Andrea’s music was alive and surrounding her, seeking to crush her down...

And all Lyra wanted to do was fight back against that tide with her own music, and even though she could barely stand, and could feel her heart hammering in her rib cage, she redoubled her own playing and poured all of the magic she could into leaping into her own counter-solo. She pushed herself and her lyre further and faster than she ever imagined she could, and she felt her own music rise as if it too were a living thing born from her magic, her soul, and her own need to face Andrea as an equal.

Everything dropped away, and Lyra couldn’t see the crowd around her anymore, nor the Contest stage. All that existed was herself, her lyre, Andrea, and the music that surged between them like a tornado of intermixing musical clashes. If one transmuted both mare and deer into warriors wielding blades locked in a duel of masters one could not have found a faster or fiercer tempo of battle.

Time utterly ceased to mean anything. All Lyra could sense was the ebb and flow of her music transmuted beyond the mere notes to become something else, something primal, as she and Andrea’s music surged back and forth. And yet amid it all Lyra sensed an end coming, whether her own or Andrea’s she couldn’t be sure until the final surge of music flowed out of her, overwhelming the notes from Andrea until it was Lyra’s harmony that took control and forced an ending to the confrontation. However, it wasn’t enough just to overwhelm Andrea. This was a song, and Lyra was going to finish as such, so as she took the lead, exhausted beyond belief but feeling more alive than she had in recent memory, she sang the final verses without planning, but simply letting the pour out of her heart with every last golden strum on her lyre.

”Now here we are at the crossroads of lands
So that our hearts might come to understand
That our purpose in life is not mere strife
But to make tomorrow better than today!

So in this age we stand on the edge
Where a stray breeze leads to peace or war
It's in our hearts to choose which way the wind shall turn
I choose to not just let the world burn!”

She finished with one last set of closing notes that rose to a final crescendo then crashed down to a smashing finish.

The silence immediately afterward was numbing, leaving Lyra’s ears ringing. She looked around her, blinking in surprise at what she saw. The crowd around her and Andrea had gotten larger at some point, not merely consisting of Contest goers, but now having many of the champions from across the stage standing in awe of the two musicians. It was as if the entire Contest of Art had halted to hold its breath and come watch the battle between her and Andrea. Lyra saw Luna standing beside Corona and Princess Cadenza, all three alicorns seeming to have forgotten each other to watch the spectacle that had just taken place. Lyra could see pride shining as bright as a full moon in Luna’s eyes, while Princess Cadenza held a look of beaming approval, which meant a lot coming from a Princess ruling a country renowned for its appreciation of the musical arts.

Even the Tyrant Sun herself held a look of grudging respect.

Then an exhausted, but happy chuckle rung through the air, and Lyra turned to see Andrea smiling as she slowly approached, setting her fiddle aside. With a deep dip of her head, Andrea bowed to Lyra, voice breathless.

“Now that is exactly what I’d hoped for, lass. You got me beat, fair and square.” Andrea laughed again as she stretched her neck left and right, with an audible popping, “Ack, proof enough I haven’t had a real worthwhile challenge in forever!”

Wodan and Sigurd both slammed their mugs to the stone table they sat at then raised them high.

“Drinks and cheer in honor of the victor! Lyra Heartstrings!”

As both of them drank, rounds of applause and cheers rose from among the crowd, soon becoming deafening as they shook the entire stone Contest stage. Up on the Equestrian stage Lyra could see her friends jumping and cheering as well, and Dao Ming inclining in her head in respectful acknowledgment as she examined the scroll she’d been writing her haiku on.

Lyra grinned, and would have been more than happy to join in the festivities. She saw Bon Bon jumping out from the crowd and rushing towards her, and Lyra would’ve happily bounced over to meet her marefriend and give her one giant hug and smooch for the occasion, only she couldn’t quite seem to get the world to stop tilting for some reason...

Lyra passed out like a candle guttering out after reaching the very last of its wax.

Author's Note

Note to self; never write music in the future. Man is it not easy, even when basically just taking already existing songs and switching out lyrics. I think I'll strive to avoid having musical numbers as any part of future plots I write, for the sake of my own sanity. Still, for those curious, this was the song used as the framework for Lyra's first ballad:

I should probably consider it ironic that I'm using a celtic ballad as a basis for an Equestrian song when its the cervids who've got that kind of style, but I figure Lyra probably drew a lot of inspiration from other cultures, which is a rather Equestrian thing to do.

Now for the song I used for the framework of Lyra and Andrea's duel was a classic from my youth that I probably listened to entirely too many times when I was younger:

Of course being that we're dealing with two magical bards using string instruments they couldn't neccessarily pull off the actual rock instrument style, but as it happens there's this:

This is more or less how I imagined the actual music playing, just with Lyra's lyre laced in there as well. Basically both her and Andrea had to use magic to generate additional instrumental sounds and increase their speed. Heck, Lyra probably instinctively cast "haste" on herself without even realizing it.

Anyway, with the Contest of Art done we'll be moving on to something that's a bit more my comfort zone, the Contest of Strength, and some very long time coming one on one fights; most notably Raindrops vs Tendaji and Cheerilee vs Steel Cage. Maybe this time it won't take me forever and a day to get the next chapter done. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 12: Forms of Strength

Chapter 12: Forms of Strength

The day before the Contest of Strength, late in the morning after the champions had enjoyed a hearty breakfast courtesy of the monastery monks, Gwendolyn went to work up a sweat and calm her mind by practicing her sword forms atop the monastery’s cliff face. The sky was clear and blue, with a soft wind blowing in from the north that carried just the right amount of chill to help keep Gwendolyn cool as she worked through her routines, blade a steady flash of steel around her. It felt good just to work her muscles and stop thinking for a time, no worries or stress, no one around to bother her.

“Ahem.”

The dainty clearing of a feminine throat made Gwendolyn stop mid-swing and glance over her shoulder. As it happened her swing stopped just short of a periwinkle blue unicorn mare whose countenance Gwendolyn recognized quite quickly.

“Trixie Lulamoon.” she said stiffly, sheathing her sword and turning to face the mare.

“Dame Lulamoon, actually.” Trixie said. Gwendolyn simply continued to stare at her, silently, wondering what one of Equestria’s champions wanted with her. Then Grimwald’s strange words echoed back in her head; ’Trust the ponies’.

If Trixie was perturbed by Gwendolyn’s silence she did well to keep it mostly hidden, only lightly tossing her mane before saying, “I have some information that you may find of extreme interest. If you follow me, I’d like to take you to see Princess Luna.”

That got Gwendolyn’s attention, her crest feathers rising in curiosity as her lion tail flicked behind her. “What does your Princess want with me?”

Trixie’s eyes twitched to the left, then right, and the mare had a faint scent of unease about her that made Gwendolyn’s beak feel twitchy.

“It would be best for us to say what needs to be said in private. All I can say is that this is a matter that I think will be of great concern for you, and that it's best that nopony, or griffin, listens in on the conversation. I give you my word as a Knight of the Realm that neither I or my Princess mean you any harm and that what we have to say is truly something of dire importance.”

Grimwald’s words bounced around in her head in an intangible, nagging ricochet. Trust the ponies? So Grimwald knew they’d be coming to her with some kind of sensitive information? She felt a surge of irritation and fondness combined into a volatile emotional cocktail. Grimwald never did anything the simple or straightforward way. No doubt this was part of some manipulation on Grimwald’s part, but the ponies were likely just as much victims of it as she was. She doubted Trixie was actually deceiving her about anything, at least in this instance.

“Alright, alright, drop the formalities and take me to your shiny moon Princess.” Gwendolyn said, making an ‘after you’ gesture at the mare. “Don’t suppose you can at least drop me a hint as to what this is about, or am I stuck guessing?”

There was a nervous little flutter in one of Trixie’s ears, but otherwise the pony kept her face schooled to a politely neutral and unrevealing look. Her voice was low, not a whisper, but a sort of conversational quiet that would keep her voice from carrying far. “Its for the best that we wait until we’re with Princess Luna. Please, this way.”

Gwendolyn stopped in her tracks, forcing Trixie to halt as well. Gwendolyn's eyes fixed solidly on Trixie’s with a utterly lack of patience for further evasiveness. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me something, Dame. I have just about zero tolerance for pointless skulduggery.”

A flash of keen calculation passed over Trixie’s face and her demeanor shifted, relaxing and dropping the formal tension from her voice so it became far more casual, but also there was a hint of actual fear that that surprised Gwendolyn to see on the face of the otherwise bombastic mare. What little Gwendolyn had seen of Trixie suggested nothing but bravado and confidence, but clearly something had her spooked.

“If its incentive you need, then how’s this; the Band of the Red Shield is in danger.”

Gwendolyn had difficulty controlling the volume of her voice nor the way her talons suddenly clenched at the ground beneath her in an audible scrap of stone. “Explain.”

“Come see Princess Luna, and you’ll get all the explanation you want.” said Trixie, not flinching away from Gwendolyn’s hard stare, “But I can’t tell you anything more out here, in the open. Now, are you going to follow me or not?”

A soft growl escaped Gwendolyn’s beak, but she nodded silently, and Trixie turned with a satisfied look to lead the way once more. It didn’t take them long to wind through the monastery's numerous stone corridors to reach the suite where Princess Luna was staying. Trixie had taken them on a very direct route, and Gwendolyn quickly found herself being led through the doors to the Equestrian monarch’s chambers. The tall and stately alicorn was standing by one of her room’s large open windows, slowly turning her head to regard Gwendolyn and Trixie as they shuffled in.

Gwendolyn had never been this close to Equestria’s famed Princess before, and on instinct born of both her predatory race’s blood and her years of soldiering she couldn’t help but size Luna up. It didn’t take her long to realize that the ruler of Equestria had more going for her than just immortality and magic. Luna, even when standing still, had a physical presence of quiet grace married to ready, poised strength that Gwendolyn felt less the predator and more the young chick in the presence of a manticore. It was a... humbling feeling.

“Lady Gwendolyn Var Bastion, it is a pleasure to meet you face to face.” Princess Luna said in a smooth tone ringing with silver honesty. The alicorn tipped her head in a respectful bow, a gesture Gwendolyn returned with her own curt nod.

“Pleasantries are fine, but your mare here said you know something about my people being in danger. So, no offense Princess, but can we skip the formalities and get straight to what it is you want to tell me?” After a second she coughed and added, “Uh, please?”

There was an almost imperceptible exchange of looks between Luna and Trixie, in which Trixie grimaced slightly and said, “She wouldn’t come unless I told her something, Princess. I’m one hundred percent confident we were neither overheard or followed.”

“Good enough, Trixie.” Luna said, then turned her full attention to Gwendolyn. “Then as you wish, I shall make this quick and direct. It has come to our attention that your King Gruber, along with an unknown number of other high nobles in the Griffin Kingdoms collectively considered the ‘Inner Kingdoms’ are preparing to make hostile moves against the collection of griffin states along the border, what you call the ‘Border Kingdoms’. One of the key opening moves of this plan involves sending legions into the kingdom of Farhills, where I believe your Band of the Red Shield is currently stationed, with orders to arrest the troops under your command under charges of desertion and dereliction of duty.”

Luna wasn’t even halfway finished speaking before Gwendolyn’s breathing started to turn rapid, her avian eyes dilating to black pools. Her talons clenched the stone floor and a terrifyingly deep scowl started to boil across her features as every hackle across her neck rose. Her heartbeat was a black hammer in her chest and the edges of her vision started to bleed with crimson rage. Everything inside her body went dead cold, save for a boiling, volcanic heat in her core. By the time Luna had reached the end of her words, Gwendolyn was already spinning around and marching right for the door out.

A luminous, deep blue glow enchanted the doors, holding them closed tightly as Gwendolyn tried to rip them open. Thus thwarted Gwendolyn’s anger only exploded higher as she screeched and threw herself against the doors like a living battering ram. When that failed to make the magically wreathed doors budge even a centimeter, Gwendolyn whirled upon Princess Luna.

“Let me out!” she roared, “I’m going to kill him!”

Trixie, who had backed up against the wall with an exceedingly tense expression glanced quickly between Gwendolyn and Luna. “Princess, do you have this?”

Luna gave Trixie a look, which seemed to be more than enough for Trixie to gulp, nod, and just keep watching. Meanwhile Gwendolyn had taken several threatening steps forward, her earlier fear of Luna melted away like a block of ice under a summer sun. Her mind was a burning whirlwind of disjointed thinking and overflowing emotions.

“You can’t keep me here.”she hissed, already eyeing the open window behind Luna. The alicorn easily picked up on what Gwendolyn was thinking and the window slammed closed and became coated in a glaze of midnight blue magic, cutting of that route of egress.

“Please Lady Gwendolyn, listen to me carefully, and control your heart.” Princess Luna said with a tone that felt as old as the oceans and with equal capacity for gentle embraces or crushing force. “If you leave this room now, feeling as you do, and attack King Gruber, what do you think will happen?”

It was so hard to think past the heavy fog of heated anger filling her head, but Gwendolyn managed to bite words out past her clenched beak. “I’d rip that rat bastard’s throat out with my own talons!” She then sucked in a deep breath and let it out like the hiss of steam from a over pressurized pipe. “And in doing that, I’d brand myself a traitor, and be either outright killed, or captured to be executed as soon as they hauled my flanks back to Grandis.” Her head hung low, as if a massive stone had just landed on it. “Then the Red Shields would still be destroyed, and a... a war begun with the Border Kingdoms.”

It was suddenly all too much. The thoughts swirling through her mind became like weights, crushing down harder and harder as they piled up inside her. With a frustrated and ashamed growl she bowed her head to the ground under the crushing realization of just how bad the situation actually was, if what the Princess said was true.

“...played me... That sonuvabitch played me. He never wanted me as champion for Grandis. I’m only here because it got me out of the way. Without me, the Red Shields won’t have the leadership to withstand a concentration of legions coming after them. But they won’t back down or retreat either.”

She shook her head, remembering her last night with her troops before answering the summons to go to Grandis. “My last standing orders to them was to protect Farhills and serve at Queen Hagatha’s behest until I got back. Hagatha will see legions entering her territory as an attack, and the Red Shields will respond accordingly. Dammit... dammit, why didn’t I see such an obvious trap!?”

She’d known all along that the Band of the Red Shield, while respected and loved as local heroes to the Border Kingdoms they’d been protecting, were still seen as a band of rogue soldiers by the rulers of the Inner Kingdoms. Gwendolyn’s actions had done nothing but gall and irritate the nobles of the Inner Kingdoms, especially her home country of Grandis. She’d gotten away with it for so long because she thought that the benefits the Red Shields brought to all the Griffin Kingdoms outweighed the technicalities of her breaking legion doctrines and the embarrassment it might have caused her superiors. When she’d been invited to participate in the Contest of Champions... well... a part of her had hoped it meant that finally, after so much effort, sweat, and blood, that she and the Red Shields were being acknowledged.

She’d held onto the hope so tightly that her actions might unite and start healing the gap between the Inner and Border Kingdoms that she’d blinded herself to the clear danger that allowing herself to be separated from her troops represented.

She’d been a fool. An idealistic, blind fool, and now the entire griffin race was going to pay a bloody price for it.

“There’s no stopping it then.” she muttered, hating the defeated tone in her voice. “No matter what I do, even if I did kill Gruber, the legions will still march. Hagatha and the Red Shields will fight. Other kingdoms will join in. It’ll be war. All out civil war.” Tears of pure frustrated anger beaded in her eyes, “My people will be killing each other in droves and I’m the one responsible for it.”

It was almost too much to bear. It wasn't as if she hadn’t known, on some fundamental level, that something like this was coming. Ever since she’d been old enough to pick up a simple dagger she’d dreamed of serving her country, her people, her race as a warrior and defender. Even back then she’d seen how prone griffins were to fight among themselves, the almost instinctual need to compete for everything from territory, to mates, to just who could fly or hunt better. It was just griffin nature. But she’d always believed that somewhere in that nature was also a spark of greatness that could lead griffinkind to being more than they presently were.

Many of the other nations took on such great challenges. The Equestrains, those such soft seeming ponies, held the strength to challenge even the mighty powers of beings like Corona. The cervids did battle regularly with the destructive powers of the dragons, all but single hoofedly keeping the potent beasts of flame at bay from the rest of the world. The kirin of Shouma held in check the encroaching power of their Dark Lands, while maintaining a grand civilization of their own that was a shining jewel to the entire eastern hemisphere.

And what did griffins do? Fight each other and everyone else who looked at them the wrong way, while barely maintaining their loose alliance of fractured kingdoms.

And Gwendolyn held the fragile dream in her heart that if they just were able to unite together towards some common goal that they could turn that competitive nature into something beautiful and strong. A united Griffin Kingdoms, acting as a glorious shield to protect all races of the world, red and shining as a rising sun.

That had been the silly, foolish child’s dream behind the name ‘Band of the Red Shield’.

Instead, that red would only mean the blood that was going to cover the entire Griffin Kingdoms, shattered once more by civil war just like in the days of the fall of Old Mad Yuri’s great Griffin Empire. And this time there might not even be enough pieces leftover to recover.

She abruptly found something warm and fuzzy wrapping around her neck, and Gwendolyn stiffened in readiness to defend herself until a split second later when she realized the gray ball of furry ‘attacking’ her was in fact Ditzy Doo, who’d suddenly appeared in the room and thrown a tight and comforting hug around the griffiness.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Ditzy Doo said softly, “You don’t have to cry.”

“I wasn’t cry-” Gwendolyn started to snap sharply, only to blink and feel a bit of wetness around her eyes that she hadn’t realized had been there. “-...ing? Ugh... damnit.” A grumpy frown puffed out her features as she sat there with Ditzy Doo still hugging her. “This is stupid. I’m stupid.”

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself.” said Cheerilee as she and the rest of the Equestrian champions trotted in from a side room, “Politics makes everyone stupid, in my experience. Um, no offense to you Trixie, or you Princess Luna.”

Luna coughed politely, “None taken.”

Trixie shrugged, “No comment.”

“We’re going to do something about this right?” asked Lyra, hopping onto one of the chairs in the middle of the room, plopping down heavily. She still looked pale and exhausted from her experience in the Contest of Art the previous day. Gwendolyn had witnessed that shocking final duel of musical talent, and was amazed the minty mare was able to move at all after such a draining performance. Lyra was certainly a shade more pallid than usual, with dark circles marking the flesh under her eyes and her form sagging into the chair heavily. Yet her gold eyes still burned brightly.

“That was the intention of asking Gwendolyn here.” said Trixie, glancing at Princess Luna, “Perhaps before our guest gets any more, er, dramatically concerned you might tell her what we can do to help?”

“Yes, thank you, I was getting to that.” Luna said with a hint of icy sharpness that made Trixie’s face tinge red and cough while glancing away. What an odd pair. Certainly not much like any normal subject with their monarch that Gwendolyn had ever seen. Luna returned her gaze to Gwendolyn and spoke in a smooth, understanding tone.

“The situation is certainly dire, and complex. I don’t make light of this information and what its very real consequences may be, not just for the Griffin Kingdoms, but for the entire continent. A civil war among your people would send tidal waves of side effects both social and economic to every corner of Cissanthema. Because of this I am willing to do what I can to prevent such a war from occurring, within the limits of the treaties signed between Equestria and the Griffin Kingdoms.”

Pausing, Luna’s horn lit up and a pair scrolls appeared in the air in a cerulean flash of light. “The first of these is a message addressed to your Band of the Red Shields, warning them of the impending incursion of legion forces from Grandis. I can speed this along with my most capable agents and it should arrive before the designated time for the legions to move.”

Gwendolyn swallowed, taking a shaky breath, “I don’t know how much that will help, but it's something. Galatea, my second in command, is a capable officer but she’s also extremely loyal. Farhills has been our home of operations for awhile now and I can’t see her abandoning Queen Hagatha to deal with Grandis’ legions alone. This is bigger than the Red Shields. Gruber and his allies are after all of the Border Kingdoms. The Red Shields are just part of the spark meant to light up a tinderbox that’s been in the making for decades.”

“I am aware.” said Luna gravely, “I have not been without my own sources of information regarding this situation. I’ve predicted this possibility for some time. I know that the Border Kingdoms are not entirely blameless in this matter either. They rely on the Inner Kingdoms for food production, while the Inner Kingdoms rely on the trade routes through the Border Kingdoms to receive goods from other lands. A constantly rising sense of competition has made both groups try to choke the other on taxing these key areas of trade, which has only continued the trend of the Border and Inner Kingdoms as seeing each other as rivals rather than members of the same alliance.”

She sighed and nodded to the other scroll, “This is a new trade agreement I’ve drawn up, and can ensure is introduced into the Night Court in a manner that should encourage its acceptance. It proposes establishing additional trade routes into the Border Kingdoms through territory previously considered too risky for caravans, but I am willing to assign the forces needed to create and protect these routes to open up trade with the Border Kingdoms, especially in the market of food production, at generous prices. Equestria has had a very good crop yield this year, so we do have a surplus.”

Before Gwendolyn could respond Luna went on, “Furthermore, the trade agreement also seeks to establish a cooperative shipping route to the Inner Kingdoms. The griffin merchant fleet has always been... smaller than most countries, but given how starved they are for certain manufactured goods they can only normally get through overland routes, I think there could be profit for both our nations in creating an increased number of overseas trade routes to provide such goods in case... anything might happen that would cut them off from land bound routes.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes met the alicorn Princess’ levelly, “You’d be effectively playing both sides against each other that way. The Border Kingdoms would need food for their war effort, and the Inner Kingdoms coin from foreign trade. Supporting both could either take the pressure off and prevent the war, or backfire and make it go on all the longer with both sides getting what they need to keep fighting.

“Clearly part of the trade agreement stipulates that any internal conflict within the Griffin Kingdoms would make the deal null and void.” said Luna, “I’m willing to provide for both groups to a degree, as long as they can learn to play nicely with each other.”

She mulled it over, Gwendolyn turning the offer around in her head like she was examining prey spotted while hunting through the sky. Finally she shook her head, “It might work, but all that really does is let off some of the pressure. But this runs deeper than trade, Princess. After so long there’s a lot of bad blood between griffins. Resentment that won’t just vanish with some fancy new trade routes. And if Gruber has gone this far with his plans, he won’t stop for a little extra coin in his pockets.”

“Dude doesn’t get that starting a bloodbath in his own backyard is a incredibly stupid idea?” muttered Raindrops, looking like she wanted to crack a few skulls herself.

Gwendolyn huffed out a helpless sigh and raised her talons in a equally exasperated shrug, “He probably thinks he’s being a damn visionary, and that this war will unify the Griffin Kingdoms rather than the obvious thing it’ll do, which is tear us apart like a pair of manticores pulling apart the same kill. Bottom line is, I don’t know if Gruber or his allies will just abandon their plans for anything short of the rest of the world’s major nations threatening to step in if they went through with it.”

“Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen.” said Luna while giving Gwendolyn a meaningful look, “However you are right that what is needed is something that makes the prospect of war less attractive than working towards a lasting peace. Towards that end I can only offer this final advice to you; use the Contest of Champions to surpass the expectations of all your fellow griffins, Gwendolyn Var Bastion. I may not be a griffin, but I’ve known your species for millennia, and strength is respected, and if you become such a beacon of prowess then your voice will carry weight beyond your station.”

The words struck hard with a truthful ring inside Gwendolyn, who knew that Luna had the right of it. Beyond any of King Gruber’s schemes, and beyond any enmity the Griffin Kingdoms had built up between its disparate parts, one thing about griffins could not be denied; they followed whoever proved themselves the strongest.

She sucked in a long, slow breath and let it out in a determined growl. “So all I have to do is beat every single one of my fellow griffins,until there’s no doubting who’s the best bird around. Sky’s tears, this is a Contest against the world’s best. I don’t even have to win the whole thing to earn all the prestige and glory a griffin could dream of. I just need to beat all the other griffins.”

“We could always find a way to make sure you place high-” Cheerilee began but Gwendolyn made a sharp gesture with a talon.

“Not a chance! I have to do this legitimately, or not at all. Like I said, I don’t have to get first place in the whole damned Contest, just place high enough that none of my own race can deny my strength. That alone gives me clout to challenge Gruber’s plans openly without him being able to order me arrested or executed on the spot.”

She glanced at Luna, “In the meantime getting a message to the Red Shields can buy us time, along with those sweet trade deals.”

Trixie grinned, “For a warrior you seem to have a head for politics.”

“Shut it, I’m just not going to say no to improving my country’s lot. We’ve been needing to get some roads built through those damn mountains for a long time anyway, and I know more than a few Border Kingdoms royals who would be willing to toss in some joint labor to get it done.” Gwendolyn said, her anxiety and fear burning away in her eyes as a fierce intensity took over. She blinked, and coughed politely as she patted Ditzy on the shoulder

“Okay, uh, that’s enough hugging now.”

Ditzy smiled, having not let go of Gwendolyn the whole time, and now backed off with an embarrassed flutter of her wings. “Sorry. You were just way too tense.”

Gwendolyn stood, brushing herself off and took a deep breath as she steadied her nerves. Bowing her head to the ponies present, most of all to Luna, she said, “Thank you. I wouldn’t have even known such treachery was hatching underneath my very beak if it weren’t for you. Now I may have a fighting chance of turning this around. Whether this works out or not, I won’t be forgetting this boon you’ve given me.”

Luna shook her head with a small smile, “This was the right thing to do. Simple as that. War among the griffins benefits none, including Equestria. I wish you the most sincere good fortune in the days to come, Lady Gwendolyn.”

“Captian, if you really have use a title.” Gwendolyn said, “At any rate, if I’m going to do well in the Contest of Strength I need to prepare myself. Not to mention I still need to digest all this. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Farewell for now, and good luck in the Contest! I’ll see you there.” said Ditzy with a bright smile.

Gwendolyn returned the smile, then swiftly departed, her mind still quite troubled despite her confident words.

After Gwendolyn left, Trixie sighed and flung herself onto one of the couches, rubbing her forehead just beneath her horn. “Well, that’s one crisis temporarily dealt with, if not averted.”

“It’s really going to hinge on her being able to take on all her fellow griffins.” said Raindrops, padding around to the other side of the couch and leaning against it, wings stretching. “Going to make things weird if any of us get put up against her. She’d hate us throwing the fight, but I’d feel pretty damn bad for beating her too if so much is riding on her doing good.”

“Well like she said, she’s just got to do good against other griffins.” said Lyra, who then cocked her head in quizzical wonderment. “I wonder how she’s doing overall? After the Contest of Art, I mean.”

Luna strode to the center of the room, casting a look among the six Element Bearers. “Gwendolyn did, unfortunately, place fairly low, but that Contest was not one that plays to her strengths. Her standing in the Grand Melee, however, does keep her buoyed higher in the rankings than most.”

Her horn lit up and she cast an illusion before them, crafting a glittering array of names in a ranked set, glowing luscious blue as Luna smiled deeply. “It warms me to say that after your brilliant display last night, Dame Heartstrings, that you and your friends placed first. Understandably Andrea and the Elkheim team came in second, followed by, surprisingly, the minotaurs.”

“Doesn’t shock me that much.” said Cheerilee, “Minotaurs know how to work a crowd, and honestly their methods of art are pretty novel and memorable.”

“Hmm, they seemed oddly... less impactful than they should have been.” said Trixie, idly spinning her hat on one of her hooves, “Didn’t anypony else feel like they had somehow less presence as the Contest wore on?”

“I think everyone was feeling tuckered out by the end of that night.” yawned Lyra, wincing and rubbing her horn, “I’m still feeling like I got an ice pick in my brain. Ugh, remind me to never go all out like that again unless it's literally life and death.”

“Got to admit the results were impressive.” said Carrot Top with a happy smile as she nudged Lyra with an elbow, “Knew you were good, but that display was something else entirely.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m amazing.” Lyra said with a content smirk.

“And much of the rest of the world knows it now too.” said Luna with a pleased look, “After the minotaurs it was Lady Dao Ming who placed fourth, and finally in fifth place Sir Silverwreath.”

Trixie leaned forward, peering at the rankings. “So overall that puts our friends from Elkheim in the lead on points. Dao Ming’s managed to pull into second place, and the mintoaurs are in third. But with our showing during the Art portion we’ve jumped up to fourth, and the zebras are in fifth. So... how far back is Gwendolyn?”

“Going further down the ranks in terms of points earned, she’s behind Cavalia's champion, but is tied for seventh place with another griffin team from the kingdom of Thuringia.” said Luna, then looked thoughtful, blue eyes shining. “I do believe the Thuringia representatives you’ve already met. Those young griffinesses you faced in the Grand Melee; Gabriela, Agatha, and Raquel.”

“So Gwen’s tied with that trio?” Trixie shrugged, “If they’re all that’s standing between her and being on top of the griffin pile, I’d say she’s got it in the bag, so to speak. They weren’t that tough.”

“To be fair Trixie, we did outnumber them two to one when we tussled.” said Raindrops, “On top of that, the Grand Melee was mostly for show. In the Contest of Strength it's no holds barred, far as I know.”

“Correct.” said Luna, dismissing her illusion of the current rankings and instead summoning an illusion of the new arena that had been constructed via cervid runecraft on the Contest grounds. It showed a true coliseum vast and oval shaped, with a equally oval shaped stone stage in the center. “The Contest of Strength is a straightforward affair. Contestants battle one another one on one. Any physical means is viable, be it weapons and armor or natural claws and hooves. The only forbidden methods are outright magical attacks. Magic can even be used as long as it enhances one physically, be it enchanting weapons or empowering the body.”

“It’ll take all day to get through it if they’re all battling one on one.” said Trixie thoughtfully, “And since I’m not competing, that time can be used to keep investigating our mysterious threat. Any news on the search for Zecora?”

“Thus far the best that my Shadowbolts have found is one of the zebra’s golden bangles.” said Luna, “It was discovered at a place atop the monastery cliff. I’ve already informed my... sister on the matter, and returned the bangle to her. She’s presently in the process of attempting to use the object to locate Zecora while her servants search the area.”

“Don’t like the idea of Kindle and his ilk running around out there without anypony watching them.” growled Raindrops, “Even if they’re legit searching for Zecora, who knows what else they might get up to?”

“Honestly I’m fine with them doing all the legwork to find their own dang missing zebra nutcase.” said Lyra, “Zecora is trouble, and as ominous as this unknown threat is these hooded dudes might’ve done us a favor by nabbing her.”

“You don’t mean that Lyra.” said Ditzy, “An enemy or not we shouldn’t want anypony, or zebra, to be in harm's way.”

Lyra sighed, waving a hoof, “Okay, okay, I take it back, but still... is there anything we can do at this point? With Corona’s team and the Shadowbolts both on the case aren’t we a bit superfluous to the search?”

“Not necessarily.” said Trixie, “This is a big island, and even the Shadowbolts can’t cover all of it. If nothing else it doesn’t hurt for us to keep our eyes peeled. Personally I want to check out where that bangle was found. Even if Kindle is already searching that area, we might catch something he missed.”

“No offense, but I’ll pass on that myself.” said Raindrops. “Not really interested in spending time with the sun-brained cultists if I can help it. Besides, I suck at detective work.” The mare’s wings twitched fiercely for a moment, the back of her mane bristling.

Trixie cast a glance at Raindrops, a current of concern there as she reached out and gave the pegasus a gentle touch on the arm. “Hey, he’s not important. Stop getting worked up over it.”

Raindrops clenched her teeth, but nodded, “I know. Makes me even more angry that just thinking about the guy still gets me like this. If you’re going to go sleuth it up, I’m with you in spirit Trixie, but I’d rather just not have to deal with looking at Kindle’s face if I don’t have to.”

“Hey we understand.” said Cheerilee, “Trixie and I are the best at doing snooping and searches anyway, so we can hit up the crime scene for some old fashioned perception checks while the rest of you rest up for the next part of the Contest.”

At the looks she got Cheerilee said, “Seriously, I’m making you all play Ogres and Oubliettes when we get back, so somepony besides me gets my references.”

“I was always more into card games myself.” said Carrot Top.

“Neeeeeerrrrd!” said Cheerilee, chuckling.

Not more than ten minutes later Trixie found herself with Cheerilee at the top of the cliff, in a round depression carved into the rock where several old worn stone benches suggested this area was some kind of stage or forum from the monastery’s early days. This was supposedly where Zecora’s bangle had been found, and Trixie was hoping she and Cheerilee might spot something previous searches had missed.

She’d expected to see Kindle there with Terrorwing or Smoke, but strangely it was just the later who was present. The demure gray unicorn mare was pacing in a slow circle, muttering to herself when Trixie and Cheerilee arrived. Trixie couldn’t catch what Smoke was saying, and as she approached the other mare realized she wasn’t alone anymore and abruptly stopped her pacing to stare at the two of them.

“What are you doing here?” Smoke asked in a rushed voice.

“The same as you, seeking clues as to where Zecora has been taken.” said Trixie bluntly, eyeing Smoke cautiously, “Where’s Corona’s other minions?”

“Minions?” Smoke huffed, “We’re servants to our Queen, not ‘minions’. Well, maybe Terrorwing qualifies, but Kindle isn’t some dumb, muscled brute.”

“Half right, I’d say.” muttered Cheerilee, then louder said, “Minions, servants, part-time slaves, whatever you want to call yourselves the question still stands; where’s Big Bird and the Fanatic?”

Smoke held up her dainty head and said, “Why should I tell you? We’re still basically enemies.”

“Did you miss the part where we’re trying to help get your crazy zebra prophetess back? Despite how much it benefits us if she got lost down a crevasse or just never showed her face in Equestria again?” mentioned Trixie with an eyebrow raised and her voice dipping deep into the sauce of snark.

Smoke bit her lip, indecision warring with some other deeper emotions that flitted across her eyes. “I... see what you mean. Okay, um, well Kindle and Terrorwing are, um...” she gulped, “They’re kind of searching the monastery.”

Trixie blinked, then exchanged a look with Cheerilee, who in turn shrugged and said, “The monastery? As in, the place with all the monks?”

“Y-yeah, Kindle thinks the monks are the ones that took Zecora.”

“Why in the name of Luna’s sweltering teats would he think that?” blurted Cheerilee.

“Well, it kind of makes sense.” said Smoke, clearly nervous from the way her hooves kept shifting in place. “Whoever took Zecora must know the island really well to be able to hide her so quickly and easily, so that nopony can find her. Who else knows the island that thoroughly but the Order of Legends?”

“There’s plenty of people from all over the place who visit here.” pointed out Trixie, “Anyone could have spent time on the island getting to know its ins and outs. You don’t have to be a blasted monk to do that. Seriously, Kindle is wasting his time trying to search for Zecora with the monks. What’s is he even doing? Going door to door and asking about her?”

Smoke looked away, even more nervous now. “Not exactly.”

Trixie looked at her in confusion, but Cheerilee suddenly burst out laughing. “Oh, hahahah! He didn’t?”

“Care to clue me in, Cheerilee?” asked Trixie, to which Cheerilee got her laughing somewhat under control and wiped a tear from her eye. She leaned down and whispered into Trixie’s ear so Smoke couldn’t hear.

“Him and that giant slab of meat with feathers are doing the same thing we did. I bet he’s ransacking the Abbesses room as we speak.”

Trixie’s eyes shot wide, and she then found herself chuckling as she shook her head. “I’d find that more funny if it wasn’t equally as sad. Poor Abbess. Especially given it's a big waste of time. I will literally eat my hat with a side of coleslaw if the Abbess or any of the monks are involved in this.”

Smoke, face coloring to an admittedly fetching shade of pink, muttered, “Are you two done making fun of us, by any chance? Why did you even come here? There’s nothing to find. No clues, zip.”

“Hmm, let me be the judge of that.” said Trixie, fluffing her hat and flicking her tail as she strode out to observe the area with keen eyes. “Perhaps you and Kindle simply lack the skills to find what you’re looking for. But fear not, for I, the observant and perceptive Trixie, am on the case.”

“And Cheerilee.”

“And Cheerilee.” Trixie conceded with a nod.

Smoke didn’t look particularly amused by the banter, a small huff escaping her as she made a grand gesture at the area. “Knock yourselves out, then. Literally, if you could? Followed by a short fall off the cliff?”

Trixie chuckled darkly, “For today we’re playing nice, but someday soon you’ll get every chance you want to take shots at me and my friends. On that day, when we feed your ‘Queen’ a giant slice of humble pie, do you even think you’re going to be anything more than a speed bump between us and victory? A small speed bump?”

Smoke’s glare could’ve melted stone, but she took control of herself with a slow and deep breath, then proceeded to trot away, not even bothering to look back at Trixie or Cheerilee as she left. After a moment Cheerilee gave Trixie a friendly nudge with an elbow.

“Not exactly the most diplomatic approach I’ve ever seen, but you sure stuck a burr under her butt.”

Trixie sniffed, “I’m not going to forget that Corona and her flunkies are the bad guys just because we happen to be vaguely on peaceful terms for the duration of the Contest. Sooner or later we’re going up against all of them, including that mare. What’s the point of putting up a false pretense of friendliness when I can just tick her off instead?”

“Always taking the high road.” Cheerilee quipped, and Trixie just smirked at her and tipped her magicians hat.

“So, now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s see what there is to see, shall we?”

The two mares began their examination of the area, Trixie starting at one end and Cheerilee at the other, both working in a clockwise direction. Trixie wasn’t certain what she expected to discover that Luna’s Shadowbolts hadn’t. While she didn’t know much more about the Shadowbolts other than they were Luna’s secret spies and special operatives she didn’t doubt their investigation skills. That said, she tended to trust her own observations more than that of other ponies, and for the sake of being thorough she wanted to see if she and Cheerilee could spot something the Shadowbolts had missed, however unlikely the chances.

After the first pass it became pretty clear that there wasn’t much to see. The rains from that night’s storm had washed away any prints or other similar evidence that might have been left behind, besides that one gold bangle the Shadowbolts had already found, and that alone wasn’t much evidence. Unless...

“Cheerilee, let’s say you were being chased.” Trixie began, and Cheerilee gave a brief giggle.

“With my fine looks, I could easily imagine myself being chased.”

Trixie rolled her eyes, “Ick. Now, you’re running, probably after having seen something you shouldn't have-”

“Been there, done that.”

“-so what do you do? Assume you’ll escape, or hedge your bets in case you’re caught?” Trixie continued to muse, ponderously pacing about the area, her horn glowing with soft blue light that soon transferred to her eyes. Her magic sight spell active, she started to more closely examine the area. “Zecora might be a prophetic crackpot who’s backing the wrong horse, but she’s not stupid, and she never does anything without purpose. Taking off one bangle, that wouldn’t accomplish anything. She’d know that. So there must have been a reason for it. You don’t make a trail with just one breadcrumb.”

Cheerilee watched her as Trixie scanned the area with her magic sight, and continued watching as Trixie’s expression grew gradually more and more frustrated as she carefully went from one end of the area to the next.

“Oh come on, there has to be at least a tiny trace of magic around, doesn’t there? Why drop that bangle if it wasn’t at least lightly enchanted to leave a trail?” Trixie groused, to which Cheerilee just came up to her with an understanding smile and patted her back.

“You’re overthinking it Trixie. Not to mention assuming magic is the solution.”

“Well it is one of my main skill sets, can't blame me for focusing on it.”

“Well for what it’s worth I think you’re right, Zecora didn’t drop that bangle for no reason, and I do believe it's the start of a trail. Just not a magical one.” Cheerilee said, and nodded with a head towards the beginning of the stone carved staircase leading down the cliff. “Come on, follow me.”

Trixie did so with a musing expression, following Cheerilee to the stairs.

“Now,” began Cheerilee, “We know Zecora ran up from here, due to that baron fellow’s testimony. Let’s see what we can see...”

Cheerilee started down the stairs at a brisk pace, perhaps more brisk than Trixie would’ve liked given how narrow the stone stairs actually were, without any safety railings for crying out loud! Not to mention how high up they were. Trixie gulped and found herself wishing either Ditzy or Raindrops had come along, just for the feeling of safety having a flier around would’ve given her. She kept her magic sight on, despite Cheerilee’s words. What could she say? She was stubborn.

Down and down they went, until towards the bottom Cheerilee paused. She ran a hoof along the edge of the cliff near the base of the stairs where a sharp outcrop of rock jutted up from the ground. Trixie watched as Cheerilee pulled a small clump of black and white striped hair from behind the rock.

Trixie nearly slapped her forehead. “Did the Shadowbolts not check down this way?”

“Hey, you didn’t think to do it either.” said Cheerilee, “And the Shadowbolts probably did look down here. They may have seen this, or they might’ve missed it. Either way, I'd say we at least know Zecora might've been trying to leave a trail. Now we just need to find the next breadcrumb.”

Looking at the sandy beach Trixie sighed, “Not going to be any tracks on the shore. The storm would have gotten whatever the tide missed.”

“True, but Zecora would’ve known that too. If she left any more clues behind, they would be something that could survive both of those things.” said Cheerilee, pointing a hoof down the shoreline to the south, “I’ll go that way. You go the other. There’s only two possible directions she could have come from, after all, so if we cover both, one of us has to spot something.”

“Fair point.” Trixie said with a brisk nod, “Give a shout if you find anything.”

“You too.”

The parted ways, Trixie trotting up the thin stretch of bright, sandy beach to the sound of gentle ocean waves and the whistle of a warm wind passing by the towering cliff above her. She moved with a slow, deliberate pace, carefully looking for any hint of something out of the ordinary. She didn’t find it until she was nearly to the north edge of the cliff, where it dipped down into a gentle slope to merge with the beach and the grassy fields to the south. There, along the cliff’s stone face, she noticed a portion of stone that had strange markings, like something had pockmarked the stone.

While Trixie couldn’t be certain, she knew Zecora used alchemy as one of the weapons in her arsenal. The pockmarked stone looked to Trixie like what would happen if a corrosive alchemic compound was spread across the stone, as if from a broken vial. She took a closer look, running her hoof over the markings. Then she spotted a few remaining bits of broken clay half buried in the sand, as if from a clay jar.

So Zecora tossed an jar of alchemic acid here? Was it an intentional marking, or just part of her attempt to fight off her pursuers? Either way, this shows she came from this direction.

But why? Trixie’s thoughts became muddled as she looked around. The beach looked as nondescript as ever. There was nothing strange here that she could see. What had Zecora witnessed out here? It was then that she felt a need to start walking. She recognized the sensation quickly as being similar to what she’d felt the first day she’d arrived on the island. It was a subtle thing, not like any kind of charming spell she’d ever felt. She wasn’t even sure it was as spell. All she knew was that she felt a need to start trotting further up the beach, and couldn’t stop herself if she tried.

She didn’t have to trot very far before she found a small cove, just a hoofball field’s length from where she’d found Zecora’s acid marking. Here she found a perfectly circular carved stone rising from the beach about half a hoof’s length. Rising from the stone was a pole arm with a thick, curved blade and an ash white shaft. Trixie had heard about this place from Luna. It marked where the Warlord had drawn her final breath. It also happened to be another of the anchor points for the alicorn forged barrier protecting Rengoku.

“Why am I not surprised that you’re here too?” spoke the voice of Dao Ming behind her, and Trixie sighed, turning her head to see the kirin approaching, her blonde mane and scales turning to liquid gold under the sunlight.

“Let me guess, you suddenly felt like taking a walk, and ended up here?” Trixie asked, and Dao Ming nodded with a reserved look on her face. Trixie rubbed her forehead, groaning.

“I like being jerked around by invisible chains even less than not being able to put together what in Tartarus happened to Zecora.”

“The servant of Amaterasu? The prophetess?” Dao Ming asked in a musing tone. “I had heard the rumors, but hadn’t put much stock in them. So she is missing. Why do you seek her? Would it not be of benefit to you and Tsukihime for her sister’s forces to be reduced before battle for your realm’s throne is joined?”

“Yes, but that’s not the point.” Trixie muttered, hesitant to say more. Kenkuro had brought the information concerning the conspiracy threat to her and her friend’s attention, but not to Dao Ming. Should Trixie risk telling Dao Ming the whole story? Trixie didn’t think the kirin was involved in the conspiracy at all, but who knew if she could keep the secret? What if Dao Ming spoke of it to her mother or siblings?

However she didn’t have to explain the overhanging threat to the Contest to explain her search for Zecora. “The point is that I don’t like loose ends and unexplained events, and this qualifies. I don’t have to like Zecora or care about her safety to be interested in discovering what happened to her.”

Dao Ming seemed to accept this with a small nod. “I believe I understand, as strange as your mannerisms can be. I too dislike unsolved mysteries. However the one I am concerned with is why you and I seemed tied together by these odd impulses. It is no coincidence we continue to end up at these places sacred to the island.”

“Sacred or not, they’re also anchor points for the alicorn barrier.” Trixie said, turning her attention to the stone jutting up from the beach and the spear it held. “Without these nothing would stop anypony form just waltzing right up to that fortress and... doing whatever they wanted to with it.”

“Impossible.” snorted Dao Ming, and at Trixie’s look the kirin amended, “Improbable. Impractical even. Even if one could have the magical talent and might to disrupt a twelve hundred year old magical barrier forged by the might of two alicorns, it would do them no good. Rengoku, may its cursed name be one day forgotten, would never rise for any other than one who carried the blood of the Warlord. Only myself and my mother carry that blood.”

Which means either you or your mother are conspirators, or targets of the conspiracy. Trixie thought grimly. Instead she said, “Its possible somepony might not know about the blood connection. Regardless of that I still can’t grasp why you and I keep getting drawn to these places. You and I don’t have any blood connection, that’s for certain.”

“No, but a connection must be there.” Dao Ming said, also turning her attention to the anchor point. There was a reserved mixture of solemness and distaste on her face, “You and I are the only ones affected this way. A reason must exist. Perhaps we can discover the truth together.”

Trixie let out a light, breathy laugh, and Dao Ming raised a golden eyebrow at her. Trixie held up a hoof, “Sorry, it’s just refreshing to hear you talking so politely without any snootiness or derision, or even condensation. Why I think we might start getting along if this keeps up.”

A dry snort burst form Dao Ming a she brushed past Trixie, approaching the stone, “I would not go betting the stars on that notion, Dame Lulamoon. I admit you are more than I have given you credit for, but you remain rather uncouth, arrogant, self-absorbed, and grating to a fault.”

“Why thank you, I do try.” Trixie said with a wide smile, and strangely Dao Ming managed a small, rueful smile of her own as they both started examining the anchor point.

After a moment Dao Ming frowned, like she tasted something sour. Trixie quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing. It's just... strange to consider. All the turmoil the Warlord caused. Building Rengoku, brutally unifying the Empire, seeking conquest across the world and destroying countless lives. And it all ended here? On this quiet, unassuming beach?”

The kirin mare’s expression turned even more dour as she whispered, “I wonder what she thought of, dying here in those final moments? Did she regret any of it? Sun Ming, her daughter an my ancestor, carried her to this place, after the Warlord was mortally wounded. There was never any record of what passed between them in the those final minutes. I wonder if it was words of hate that passed between those two at the end, or reconciliation?”

Trixie rubbed the back of her head, shading her eyes with her hat, “Not really my place to say, but... well if her daughter brought her here to die, instead of leaving her in that fortress, she couldn’t have hated her mother that much.”

Dao Ming looked thoughtfully around the beach. Quiet, peaceful, with the waves creating a calming serenade with their gentle rush to the shore. The kirin shook her head and resumed examining the anchor point, and after a few minutes she raised her head.

. “I see nothing unusual. Perhaps I could summon a spirit to examine it in depth?”

“I also have my magic sight.” said Trixie.

“I mean no offense, but you used that same sight upon the stone among the graves and it yielded no useful information.” Dao Ming said, her kirin horns alighting with gold magic as she levitated out a scroll from the folds of her dress. “Perhaps you should stand back and allow another to try her talents. Besides, while the barrier is rooted in alicorn magic, it is designed to contain an artifact from my realm. It's possible some manner of spirit craft went into its making as well.”

Trixie couldn’t argue with that logic. Well, she could but even she wasn’t willing to be that petty, so she gave Dao Ming a tip of her hat and took a few steps back to provide the kirin some space while she worked.

Dao Ming unfurled her scroll and chanted in a low, breathy voice.

”Whispering eyes of fleeting wind, hear this humble plea

Come forth with your ancient wisdom, revealing all to see”

Calligraphy wept off the scroll, the ink transmuting in the air itself with motes of glowing green light to take shape into the form of a strange creature. The wind spirit had the body of a small bird, but it hovered on rapidly flapping moth wings and its head was like that of a small foal’s with eyes that were slightly too large. It gave a small tittering giggle and bowed to Dao Ming, who returned the bow before the wind spirit flew over and around the standing stone and its spear.

Trixie gulped and asked, “Just what is it doing?”

“Wind spirits are the most perceptive of spirit-kind, and this spell summons a simple one that absorbs an image of the supernatural flow of energies within any given object or being an then disgorges that to its summoner.” Dao Ming said, in a tone that reminded Trixie almost uncomfortably of Twilight Sparkle. She briefly shivered at a mental image of those two meeting.

“So how long does this take?” Trixie began to ask, but the wind spirit flowed through the stone and spear, then like a phantom popped back out with a small coughing noise and flew up to Dao Ming. The spirit then sucked in a breath and disgorged a green smoke into the kirin’s face, much to Trixie’s shocked look.

But rather than pull away, Dao Ming breathed in the smoke willingly, and her eyes gained a glazed look. She spoke, her voice taking on a dreamy, distant tone.

“The touch of many spirits has marked this part of the great barrier. The magic of the alicorns sings through it, yet Rengoku has its own voice... it ... it never died. It sleeps. Slept. But its awakening. I hear it. Its hungry.”

Dao Ming, as if sleepwalking, raised a hoof towards the ashen spear. “It hungers for its master to return.”

“Whoawhoawhoa! Bad touchie spearie!” Trixie shouted, rushing around the stone to Dao Ming’s side, reaching out to try and stop the kirin from making contact with the spear. She was almost fast enough, but her hoof touched Dao Ming’s at the same time they both touched the spear.

Trixie felt a freezing cold snap of energy lance up her foreleg, into her head, and then overwhelm her senses like dunking her head into an arctic trough. Trixie coughed and sputtered, feeling herself be yanked from physical consciousness into a free-fall state of ethereal chaos that tumbled around her for an unknown number of eternal moments until she could discern her surroundings like somepony trying to open their eyes underwater.

She could see herself and Dao Ming suspended like kites above the island. The anchor points shined bright like the thick strands of a spider web, lines of potent magic criss-crossing the land until they formed a dense dome around a pulsating heart of red and purple energies that coiled together like some giant snake. Rengoku. Trixie didn’t so much see the fortress as she saw the living magic within it, conscious and shifting, yet... not whole. The colossal layers of coiled magical power that ran through every corridor of the fortress walls seemed to breath in and out slowly, dully, as if not fully functional. And at the crest of the fortress was an empty, dark spot. A place that reminded Trixie of an open mouth.

“Dao Ming, what’s happening?” Trixie shouted, or rather tried to. She wasn’t certain she had lungs to shout with, yet she somehow felt her voice was conveyed for soon she heard Dao Ming speak as well, voice uncertain and fearful.

“I do not know. I think this is a vision brought on by something triggered inside the Warlord’s naginata. I felt compelled the moment the spirit sent its wisdom into my mind. How are you here?”

“I tried to stop you touching the dang spear! Didn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Turns out you were correct. Shocking. It seems the spear triggered something the moment I touched it. Some kind of spell.”

“Could you be less vague!?”

“If I could, I would.”

Just then both mares felt a chill, and the weighty sense of another presence. Trixie didn’t quite know how she turned around in her disembodied state, but she managed, it, and let out a short yelp at what she saw. She gained some small satisfaction from the fact that Dao Ming yelped too.

A figure hovered in the air before them, wearing a tattered, heavy cloak with the hood up. It was an equine, for Trixie could see emaciated hooves beneath her cloak, and enough of the figure’s flank and short muzzle to know it was a she. A pony? No, there were scales on her legs. A kirin then. Details were hard to make out but her coat was a faded, washed out and dull color of jade, and her scales a equally tarnished gold. What wisps of mane or tail could be seen were stark white.

“Uhhh... Dao Ming? Friend of yours?” Trixie asked.

Dao Ming mutely shook her head, eyes wide.

The spectre spoke in a dry husk of a voice, “You seek the zebra, do you not?”

“Whahuh?” Trixie blinked, then quickly gulped, “Z-zebra! Yes, the zebra. You know where she is? Wait, who are you, what are you, and how did you yank us here!? Answers now!”

The spectre turned its attention to Dao Ming. “Your friend is loud and obnoxious. Why is she loud and obnoxious?”

“It is a mystery I have yet to solve,” admitted Dao Ming, “But her questions are valid ones, if you would be so kind as to answer them?”

A laugh like crinkling old parchment filled the air. “I am not known for my kindness, and I will not answer questions that I did not bring you here to answer. My time is short...” the specter's form flickered, like smoke being hit by a breeze. “Ugh... too short. Listen closely, I can only see what happens around the points to which Rengoku is bound, but I can feel and call further. You two are tied to me, so I call to you. The zebra came upon those who sought to tamper with the barrier, and was chased. Taken, I presume?”

“She was.” Dao Ming confirmed, “Who were these people, and in what way were they tampering with the barrier?”

“I do not know who they are. My senses are dulled from what they once were and they hid their faces. But I do know they were siphoning power from the barrier. Magic most specific.” the specter said, making a dusty, snorting sound. “Alicorn magic, fresh and somehow new. I never thought it possible, but a young alicorn was here. With so many souls drawn to this island for that foolish Contest Rengoku is stirring, and it hungers.”

Trixie and Dao Ming exchanged looks, Trixie gulping and not even bothering to question how she did that while incorporeal. “That’s one of those ominous statements you might want to elaborate on. I don’t know how often you do this spectral messenger gig-”

“Not often.”

“-ahem, but context really helps. Like, a lot.”

“What part of ‘time is short’ was not made clear? Fine, context. Rengoku’s magic is fueled by feeding upon the magic of other living things. Having so many living souls gathered on this island stirs that hunger, but it cannot move on its own. Not only does the barrier forged by the alicorns hold it but without a 'master' it cannot act on its own. However alicorn magic is needed to defeat alicorn magic, hence why I imagine those hooded individuals were siphoning the magic of that young alicorn from these anchor points. While dormant Rengoku could do little but wait, yet now with the blood of its former master so close it is waking up. It can reach through the anchor points of the barrier to siphon off magic it knows can be used to free it.”

“And Princess Cadenza was visiting every one of those anchor points.” Trixie said with cold shock, “She was unknowingly giving the fortress one of the keys it needs!”

“Can Rengoku break free of the barrier?” Dao Ming asked with no small amount of trepidation.

“No, not on its own. It is like a beast half asleep, turning and stretching its limbs, but it cannot move. It remains chained, even if your enemies gathered all the alicorn magic in the world it wouldn't matter.” the specter's cold, hooded eyes gazed at Dao Ming, “Not without the blood of its master.”

“The bloodline of the Warlord...” Dao Ming shuddered, jaw clenched, “I will not allow that to happen.”

“Good, then you may yet prove worthy of being descended from that blood. I tell you these things as a warning, and the only means by which I can act.” the spectre’s form flickered again, bits and pieces of it being pulled away like wisps of smoke being sucked towards the distant form of Rengoku. “My time is up. I will not be able to reach out to you until my limited strength recovers. If you seek the zebra and those who took her, I suggest looking beneath the island. There are caves...”

The ghostly specter was almost gone, but Dao Ming reached out towards it, “Wait, who are you? How are we connected? I must know!”

The figure’s hood shifted just enough to show the sunken, old face of a battle scarred kirin mare, whose faded white mane still carried a few strands of gold. Her dry, heavy voice spoke only one word before she faded away.

“Blood.”

Then in an eyeblink the ghostly image of the island faded and Trixie felt herself being yanked back to her own body, her eyes blinking as she gasped and sat up on the beach where she and Dao Ming had apparently fallen after touching the Warlord’s spear.

Dao Ming groaned as she rose, sand brushing off her coat. Trixie rubbed her head, licking dry lips.

“Well, okay, that was weird.” Trixie said, “Was that literally a ghost, or just someone with a incredibly over inflated sense of dramatics?”

“It... had to have been her...” Dao Ming said, shaking her head in disbelief, “I think that was the Warlord herself. Her... her soul, somehow still bound to Rengoku.”

“I’m... not going to touch that one.” Trixie said, “Whoever or whatever she is, she just gave us some useful information and I’m not one to stare a gift ghost in the mouth. She said to look beneath the island, that there are caves underneath it. I don’t know about you but my first priority now is to tell Princess Luna about this.”

Dao Ming’s eyes turned towards Trixie with a slight edge to their gaze, “You knew that someone was trying to interfere with the barrier already, didn’t you?”

“Oh, uh, heheh... didn’t I tell you about that already?”

“No.”

Trixie smiled in what she hoped was a disarming manner, “Would it make you feel any better if I only withheld that information because I wasn’t one hundred percent sure you weren’t one of the possible conspirators looking to resurrect a destructive ancient fortress to doom us all?”

“Not really.” Dao Ming said, then hissed out a prideful sigh, “I wish to be more mad at you, but given I am one of two on this island with the blood to reawaken Rengoku I cannot say your fears were irrational. But, my mother...”

“May have nothing to do with this either.” Trixie said, and made a sour face, almost gagging, “And it causes me physical illness to admit that, as no offense but your mother can sit on a cactus for all I care.”

Dao Ming’s eyes flashed sharply, “I do not appreciate your humor in this instance.”

“Tough. My point is, however, that just because your blood can wake the big, dumb, death fortress up doesn’t mean you or the Empress would need to be willing participants. Whoever is behind all this may well be planning a ponynapping and forceful blood donation in the near future. Quite frankly I’m tempted to say we should ruin their day by packing the Contest in and picking this island apart with a fine tooth comb until we find all these hooded jerks and get them safely locked away in the world’s deepest, darkest dungeon.”

“If it were only that simple.” Dao Ming shook her head of golden mane, slowly seeming to compose herself after their little spiritual sojourn. “We cannot simply end the Contest due to these threats. The pride of the Empire alone would never bow to such threats by fleeing in shame. We shall continue the Contest and uproot these fools who seek to disrupt the peace. I shall warn my mother of the danger, and we can both take precautions. You speak with Tsukihime of what we have learned and she can work with the Empress to search for the missing zebra. It is simple as that.”

“Right,” Trixie sighed, having a sinking feeling about all this, “Simple as that.”

The monastery had numerous rooms dedicated to the practical and humble existence the monks lived there, but because it was an order that sent many monks scouring the realms for tales of heroes many of them did need to train to protect themselves, and hence there were rooms set up for various physical training regimens.

Cheerilee busied herself there as the afternoon wore on, juking around a sandbag and pummeling it with her own brand of swift punches and bucks.. Her hooves kept knocking the sandbag suspended from the ceiling by thick cords of rope around, her punches getting harder and swifter. After she'd met up with Trixie again during their search for clues about Zecora they'd gone back to tell Luna and the rest of the girls what they'd learned. Cheerilee wasn't sure what to think about the weird vision Trixie and the Shouma heiress had seen, but at least they had a vague notion that Zecora was somewhere underneath the island. Not that that really narrowed it down that much but it was better than nothing.

Conspiracies and doom fortresses were things she and her friends could handle. But for Cheerilee the Contest was now a personal affair, and one she fully intended to win. If some hyper-muscled, mountainous meathead was going to try to force her friend to do something he didn’t want to do, then she owed it Iron Will to bludgeon some sense into Steel Cage.

A deep and hearty chuckle came from the doorway to the training room.

“Heh, been a long while since I’ve seen you looking that serious, Cheer.” said Iron Will, striding in with long swings of his arms. Even if he was on the short side for a minotaur, he still towered over any pony, and had a strength of presence that’d get anyone’s attention rooted to him. Cheerilee smiled at him, but her thoughts briefly went back to what Trixie had said about Steel Cage and the other minotaur champions during the Contest of Art. Their presence had somehow seemed less, and how that she had Iron Will here to compare, she could tell the difference. It was like an electric charge in the air, one that’d been absent, or at least lessened during the Contest.

“Hey Will. You dropping by just to say hi, or is it you just wanted to see a mare coated in sweat?” she waggled her eyebrows at him with a smarmy grin. He gave her a happy snort, but she also noticed his posture change to a deflecting one. Shoulders turned away, back straighter. The minotaur body language was clear; he was here for serious talk.

“Any other day I’d be happy to admire you work that fine flank, but my mood meter had been firmly set to Not Now O’Clock. We gotta talk.”

Cheerilee’s hoof impacted the dangling sand bag again, bouncing the heavy burlap sack nearly to the ceiling. She sighed, casting a sideways look his way. “You want to talk me out of the fight with Steel Cage.”

He crossed burly arms over his thick chest, one hand idly adjusting his tie. “Ain’t no shame in forfeiting. I’ve been thinking about this hard, Cheer, and bottom line is I care more about you not getting hurt than I do about staying away from home. Steel Cage ain’t gonna be playing around in that ring. Rules or not he’s out to dominate, even break you. You made it personal in a way I don’t quite think you get.”

“What I get is that he’s bullying my friend into giving up on his dreams for reasons that from the outside look a lot like stupid pride.” Cheerilee barked as she gave the sandbag a hefty buck with both hind legs, breaking the sack and spilling sand over the stone floor. With a heavy sigh she wiped some sweat off her brow and looked at Iron Will, “Maybe you could tell me why? Why is he after you?”

“He ain’t ‘after me’. He wants me to come home and stay there.” Iron Will’s stance relaxed somewhat, one hand going to rub the back of his head as he gave the ceiling a thousand mile stare. “Me and Steel came up together. Busted heads and ran the streets of Prime Labyrinth until we got old enough to find our ends in the Maze.”

“Right, you said a bit about this once... the Maze is how minotaurs find their position in society.” Cheerilee said, thinking back to the few times she’d gotten Iron Will talking about minotaur society. “Your youth is spent ‘Wandering the Maze’, kind of like how pony foals search for their cutie marks. You try different things, different jobs or lifestyles until you run into one that just clicks for you. Your end of the Maze. Like a dead end.”

Iron Will nodded, expression turning solem, “Lot of things I don’t much approve of among my folk, and the Maze is part of it. Ain’t supposed to be any leaving your place, once its found. Social mobility ain’t exactly encouraged. Ideas from outside our lands, even less. Back then me and Steel found ourselves poised to rise to the top, though. We were Alphas in the making, maybe even to the point we’d make it into the Hedron of Alphas who run the whole show.”

His shoulders sagged a bit, “Only I knew it wasn’t for me. Knew it, even as Steel was making plans to pair up and run our own Labyrinth. I had a passion in me for finding out about other places, seeing other races, and making my way far away from home. Wasn’t done, you see. Minotaurs didn’t travel beyond our lands often. Only way I was able to make it happen is I had the force and drive to make the Hedrons see the profit in letting me go. Steel though, he never accepted it, or forgave me for it. Thinking maybe the only reason he went and became a champion of the minotaurs is so he’d have the clout to drag me back with his own hands.”

Cheerilee was silent for a second before saying, “Until I got in the way.”

“Until you got in the way.” Iron Will confirmed. “So you see, I don’t think he cares about winning the Contest. Not seriously. Even if he has to break the rules to break you, he’ll do it. Which is why I don’t want you fighting him. I appreciate you sticking up for me, but Cheer, just... just forfeit the match, alright? It ain’t worth it.”

“Where was all this the other day? You didn’t seem to mind me taking on Steel’s challenge then?” she pointed out.

Iron Will’s eyes met hers with a curiously embarrassed look, his posture loosening up even as his tone became defensive. “Been a few times I wonder if you ain’t somehow part minotaur, or maybe all the time we spent together rubbed off on you-”

“I seem to recall plenty of rubbing during our time together. You figured out my belly was ticklish real quick.”

“-ahem...er, what I mean is that when you get all fired up, Cheer, there’s a presence to you that’s straight up Alpha. Even Steel couldn’t have denied that when you took his challenge, and I wasn’t going to be able to deny it either. Only reason I’m here now is because I was able to think it over and work up the nerve to ask you to back out.”

“Well, I won’t.”

“For crying out loud, Cheer, why not!? He’s gonna decimate you out there!”

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Cheerilee replied dryly, giving Iron Will a half-hearted swat on the leg. “But it's simple, really. What you said, about it not being worth it? You’re wrong. I know traveling the world, doing your entrepreneur thing, and delving into other cultures while bringing a taste of minotaur ways to others... that’s your dream, Iron. You’re living the life you want to live, and you’ve earned it for yourself. If you think I’m going to let anyone take that from you then I’m starting to think you don’t know me at all.”

Guilt showed itself plainly on his face as he hung his head, “Thing is, I do know you. You’re the kind of friend who goes all in when it comes to doing what you’ve set yourself to. Which is exactly what’s got me scared. You won’t back down from Steel, and he won’t hold back on you. Immovable object-” he smashed a fist into his palm with a loud, meaty smack, “-meet irresistible force. Only problem is, you both might break in the process, and believe it or not I don’t want to see Steel get busted up any more than I do you. We may have drifted our separate ways, but he’s still a sworn brother. That ain’t a light thing I can just drop, you know?”

Cheerilee took a deep breath and put on her serious face, “I’m not going out there for blood, Iron. I’m going to teach him a lesson, not break him.”

“And if he’s the one doing the breaking?”

“Then maybe I’ll need a nice, handsome, comforting minotaur to nurse me back to health afterward, giving me belly rubs with his magic hands.” she said with a wink, but grew serious again just as fast. “But I’m not going to lose. Trust me.”

After a good, long stare he said, “Should’ve figured I couldn’t talk you out of it. Just had to try.”

“I appreciate the concern more than you might think.” she gave him another playful punch, “Don’t worry big guy, I’ve learned a few moves even you've never seen. By day I may be a mild mannered schoolteacher, but by night, or world-class heroic competitions, I’m a whole different pony.”

He let out a tension filled laugh, “Alright, alright, you got it. I won’t turn myself grey just yet worrying about you, but I’m still going to be biting my nails off in the stands, just the same.”

“Just remember to cheer me on. It’s how I power up my special moves.”

“I’ll be cheering louder than anybody in the crowd, count on it.” he said, seeming to quickly cheer up and flashing her a dynamic pose, as if to prove his mood was improving.

“Good, you're smiling again. Mission accomplished.” she said.

“You were always good at putting smiles on faces.” Iron Will said, glancing back at the door, “Anyway I’d best get going. Been gone long enough and this Labyrinth is big enough to confuse even me.”

Cheerilee nodded, then a second later what he said struck her as odd. “Wait, what do you mean by Labyrinth?”

He cocked his head, blinking, “Huh? Nothing, just, this place is a Labyrinth. Like, a minotaur built Labrinth. Can’t you tell?”

Cheerilee shook her head, “No, no I can’t. Please explain.”

“Uh, well, okay. You remember me ever telling you about minotaur cities?”

“Yes, you guys call them Labyrinths. I remember that much. Let’s see, most Labyrinths only have a small surface presence, which most the actual city underground. They’re built to be literal mazes as much as domiciles, but minotaurs have innate senses of earthworks that let them navigate Labyrinths, even ones they’re unfamiliar with, pretty easily. Its one of the many reasons other races theorize minotaurs have innate magic.”

Iron Will coughed, “Yeah, well, all that aside we do know when we’re in a Labyrinth. Just a feeling we get. And this monastery is a Labyrinth. Not an especially big or complex one, but minotaur hands were part of building this place. It's something I wanted to chat with that Abbess chick about. I can count on my fingers the number of times minotaurs have gone out of the home country, and I never heard of enough of them going anywhere to build a place like this. Not a big deal, really, just makes me curious is all. There’s at least six or seven floors to this place, just under the surface.”

“Whoa, wait a minute, six or seven? But... this training room is on the third basement floor and that’s as deep as the stairs go. Are you telling me there’s more!?” Cheerilee’s mind raced back to earlier that day.

She’d met up with Trixie and Dao Ming after their encounter with the strange spirit connected to the Warlord’s spear. They’d brought the spirit’s information about Zecora being underneath the island somewhere to Princess Luna, but they hadn’t been sure what to do next.

Does the Princess know about there being levels lower than this one in the monastery?

Iron Will was looking at her oddly, eyebrow raised high, “Plenty more. I mean, sure I don’t know exactly the shape of it all, but I can feel the chambers below me, and the rhythm of the corridors. Enough to figure six, maybe seen or even eight levels of stuff below my hooves. Thought it kind of weird I didn’t see any stairs leading to them, but figure the monks know their way around better than I do.”

Cheerilee could barely contain herself as she jumped up on Iron Will, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, “Thanks I owe you, gotta run!”

She then darted out of the room, leaving behind a bewildered Iron Will.

“You’re certain of this?” asked Luna less than half an hour later to Cheerilee after the schoolteacher had tracked the Princess down. Equestria’s monarch had gone to visit with Cavalia’s Princess Cadenza, and now the pair both listened to Cheerilee’s update concerning what she’d learned from Iron Will. They were all seated outside on a stone balcony outside Cadenza’s quarters in the monastery, while Shining Armor, who’d been taking on the task of inspecting Princess Cadenza’s security forces, stood watch a respectful distance away in the main room.

“Iron Will wouldn’t lie about something like this.” Cheerilee said with confidence.

“If it is true then what is the purpose of these other levels to the monastery?” wondered Cadenza aloud, one wing rubbing at her chin thoughtfully. “There aren’t that many monks in the Order, so I can’t imagine it's just more living space.”

“I shall speak to the Abbess concerning this, but I don’t wish to leap to conclusions until we know more.” said Luna, her voice firm but contemplative. “The Order of Legends does more than just organize the Contest after all, so there may be many legitimate reasons for there to be spaces, hidden or otherwise, situated underneath the monastery.”

There was something in the Princess' tone that lacked a certain element of surprise, as if learning the monastery had additional levels didn't come across to her as much of a shock. Cheerilee found that odd, but for the moment didn't feel the need to question it. Mostly because she doubted Luna would provide any solid answers, either way.

“But what about this ‘ghost’ that your student and the Shouma heiress encountered?” asked Cadenza with a note of nervous disbelief in her voice. Cheerilee supposed she understood. She’d thought it sounded a little crazy herself when Trixie had told her about what she’d seen.

Luna frowned, eyes unreadable as they stared out over the balcony at the scenic vista of the island, marred only by the looming presence of the fallen fortress in the distance. “I don’t doubt Trixie and Dao Ming both saw and heard what they claim. However I am uncertain as to the intentions of this so-called ghost. Whomever or whatever she is, she could have been seeking to mislead our investigation rather than aid it. She also only mentioned the notion of looking beneath the island for Zecora. No mention was made directly of the monastery.”

Midnight feathers ruffled as Luna shook herself and sighed, “Regardless we must proceed cautiously. I will secure the Abbess’ permission to search the monastery grounds, including these additional levels. Princess Cadenza, your assistance in that matter would be greatly appreciated.”

Cadenza smiled briefly, “I could always free Shining Armor of his duties to attend me so he can help. I think if he has to ‘inspect’ how secure my bedroom is too many more times that gossip will start to spread.”

Shining Armor coughed loudly from the other room. “There’s plenty of places for ponynappers or assassins alike to hide around here. Got to search thoroughly. For security reasons.”

“Mmm, and I do feel quite secure with you around, Captain, but I think Princess Luna might need your expertise more than I at this point.”

Luna didn’t do a particularly good job at hiding a small smirk at that before turning her attention back to Cheerilee. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If the investigation turns up anything I’ll wish for you and your fellow knights to be prepared for action, if it becomes necessary. In the meantime, however, I recommend you rest for tomorrow.”

“That was the plan.” said Cheerilee, “Just figured you needed to know what I’d learned soon as I could get it to you. I don’t actually figure the monks are involved in Zecora’s disappearance, but that doesn’t mean some other group of baddies couldn’t be taking advantage of the monastery’s design to pull some nefarious shenanigans.”

“Quite so. Now go and rest, Dame Cheerilee. As I understand it you’ll be engaged in quite the struggle tomorrow.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “You heard about me and Steel Cage?”

“Kind of hard not to.” piped in Shining Armor, frowning in distaste, “The minotaur champion has been boasting about crushing you in the ring nearly non-stop to anyone who gives him half an ear.”

“Hey, free advertising. I’ll take it.” Cheerilee said with a rueful grin, “Just means it’ll be all the sweeter when I win.”

“You’re quite confident.” noted Cadenza with a hint of worry in her voice, “This Steel Cage seems like a very strong opponent from what I’ve seen.”

“Monstrously strong, sure.” Cheerilee agreed, but her expression had a pointedly hard edge to it, “But strength comes in many forms, and let’s just say I think he’s underestimating mine. I plan to take full advantage of that fact.”

Cadenza took that with a moment of consideration followed by an accepting nod, through Cheerilee noted the concern hadn’t faded from the alicorn’s eyes. “Then I can only hope for your success.” She paused, then smiled wryly, “But not too much success, if you end up facing my champion in the ring.”

Dawn the next day broke with quiet, pale calm over the island. The storm of a few days past was now just memory, the sky now so clear of clouds its as if some great paintbrush had slathered the color of richest blue from horizon to horizon.

Ditzy Doo yawned and wrapped her hooves around the warmth of her pillow, which yawned right back and snuggled into her chest.

“Huh...?” Ditzy Doo’s eyes flickered open, one of them focusing down on the little filly cuddled tightly against her. Dinky mumbled incoherently in her sleep, and Ditzy watched her daughter for a moment, content and letting sleep’s weariness drain out of her as she started to awaken fully.

Dinky gave a fitful murmur and shivered in Ditzy’s grasp, causing Ditzy to hold the filly a bit closer as Dinky’s murmurs became more distinct.

“...watch out...mamma...no....”

Gulping, Ditzy gave her daughter a gentle shake. “Hey, muffin, it’s okay. Wake up.”

“M-mamma!” Dinky snapped awake with a fearful shout, blinking in confusion, trembling. Ditzy held her tighter, one of her wings protectively encompassing the filly as she whispered.

“Everything’s okay. You were just having a bad dream.”

Dinky started to breath easier, nuzzling closer to her mother. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, muffin.” Ditzy said with a gentle voice, slowly patting Dinky’s head. “Even adults get bad dreams. Its perfectly normal.”

“This one felt so real, though.” Dinky’s breath shuddered. “I saw a scorpion sting you.”

“Really? That’s... kinda specific.” Ditzy said. “Was it like the one the zebra had?”

Dinky shook her head. “No, not like that big one. This one was small and shiny like black metal, and had glowy green eyes. I don’t know why but when you saw the scorpion you smiled at it as it crawled up your leg, then to your shoulder.” Dinky’s whole, tiny body shivered as if in a winter chill. “You were still smiling at it even when it stung you in the neck. You fell over, and kept smiling until... y-you stopped breathing.”

Dinky’s voice turned a shade hysterical by the end of that last sentence and Ditzy made soft ‘shh’ sounds as she stroked her daughter’s mane and pulled her wing in tighter around the filly. “Dreams can be dumb and weird like that. Shouldn’t have let you stay up so late eating popcorn and listening to Lyra’s stories.”

“Promise me you won’t get hurt, mom.”

“Shh, of course I won’t, muffin.”

“But...but you’re fighting today, aren’t you?” Dinky said with a clear strain of worry.

Ditzy nodded slowly, but kept a reassuring smile on her face. “Yes, but nobody is going to get hurt. Um, well okay, not badly hurt. It’s just a competition. Like the big melee thing was.”

“Y-you almost got electrocuted by crazy kirin super lightning.” Dinky squeaked, and Ditzy blanched.

“Okay, you've got a point there but, uh, that won’t happen again. And no scorpions. Nope, I see a scorpion anywhere I’ll just fly away really fast. Um, unless I have to fight the scorpion guy I guess, but I don’t think he’s allowed to use his scorpion in this part of the Contest. Maybe.”

Actually she had absolutely no idea. Now she was suddenly worried.

Dinky’s tiny hooves wrapped around Ditzy’s own with surprising strength for such a little filly. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, mom. I got a really bad feeling about today.”

A knock came at the door, Trixie’s voice floating in. “Sorry if I’m waking you up Ditzy, but we’ve got to get ready. We need to be at the Contest grounds within the hour.”

“I’ll be there in just a minute.” Ditzy called, then turned her full attention back to her shaken daughter, where she proceeded to give Dinky a comforting nuzzle. “Don’t fret, Dinky. I promise you I’ll be perfectly fine today. And if anything bad does happen, mamma and her friends will take care of it.”

There was still a shimmering light of uncertainty in Dinky’s eyes, but she gave a tiny nod and whispered, “Okay.”

A short while later Ditzy Doo had managed to get out of bed, clean up in the washroom adjoining the bedroom, and get dressed in her remarkably comfortable suit of starmetal armor and knight tabard, all in record time. Dinky, seeming a bit more relaxed and energetic now that she was fully awake, headed out to the living room riding on her mother’s back.

The rest of the mares were already up and dressed, although Lyra still looked half asleep on her hooves, mouth craning open in a pronounced yawn. “I really wish they didn’t insist on starting these events first thing in the morning. Some of us aren’t operating at our peak this early.”

“Hey, you’re not competing today, so you could stay in and take it easy.” pointed out Raindrops, adjusting the belt on her tabard. “Pretty sure the only ones who need to be out there are me, Cheerilee, and Ditzy.”

Lyra rubbed at the sleepiness coating her face and managed a tired smile, “Naaaaah, how often do I get to see you really strut your stuff Raindrops? Wouldn’t want to miss you going head to head with your zebra stalker.”

“He’s not a stalker. He’s... complicated.” Raindrops muttered.

Mint shoulders rose in a shrug and Lyra said, “If you say so. Between you and Cheerilee, I’m thinking I don’t want to miss this particular show. I can always catch a power nap between matches. Mmm, yeah, I can just cuddle up on the stands and use Bon Bon as a pillow.”

Trixie, who was agitatedly pacing by the door, said hurriedly, “If we’re all up and ready let’s just get going already.”

“Worried about yesterday?” inquired Cheerilee.

“Yes! Its not exactly normal for me to have a forced vision from a creepy specter! Then there’s what you learned from your minotaur friend. This whole situation is seriously starting to make me nervous.” Trixie said with a slight tick in her eye, “It's not helped by the fact that I’ve had an uneasy feeling since the day we got here. My instincts are starting to work overtime on a major impending doom vibe. I just want to talk to the Princess to see if she learned anything yet.”

“It's been one night. Give it time.” said Carrot Top, “The Princess told us to focus on the Contest, so let’s do that and not hyperventilate.”

“I’m not hyperventilating, I’m keeping my brain oxygenated!” Trixie said between a few heavy breaths, until Raindrops went over to her and rested a wing on the other mare’s shoulder.

“Hey, don’t over think things today. All you have to do today is sit back, and cheer while I punch things. Sound good?”

Trixie took hold of herself with a slow breath and steadied her hat, “Yeah. I can do that.”

“Well then,” said Cheerilee, sporting an eager smile as she dramatically pointed a hoof forward, “Onward to certified and sanctioned public displays of violence!”

The stadium for the Contest of Strength had, much like all the other structures for the different stages of the Contest, been raised overnight via the combined magic and runecraft of the monks. It stood like a gigantic bowl of stone, half of its surface rising up from the ground, while a fair portion of it was actually part of a lowered divot that went below ground level. Countless rows of seating encircled the interior of the stadium walls, with specially made podiums and booths for the more prestigious dignitaries viewing the Contest. At the floor of the stadium a relatively small space of sand led to the arena itself, a perfectly square stone platform roughly fifty paces across from end to end.

As with the Grand Melee there were several of the enchanted mirrors in place both near the fighting arena and around the viewing stands to allow watchers to have closer and better angles to view the upcoming action from, and by mid-morning the stadium was packed with an eager audience. From her position in Equestria’s VIP seating area, well near the top of the stadium but with commanding views of the stage due to several large mirrors near the balcony of the booth, Princess Luna could see much of the island. Nearby Vicereine Puissance sat with still patience, enjoying a glass of wine and pretending to listen to the idle chatter of Viscount Blueblood.

“And I swear she is the most impossible mare to shop for!” Blueblood was saying with an air of exasperation, “She keeps telling me ‘Oh, anything is fine Bluey as long as its from you’. What does that even mean!? Its her birthday and I refuse for a stallion of my stature to get her just ‘anything’. It’d be insulting to my status, and to her as well I suppose. Do you have any advice, Vicereine?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, your pink paramour. Have you considered the wild notion of, oh, I don’t know, paying attention to what she appears to like and get her a gift of something appropriately similar but far more grand and valuable than what she already possesses?” Puissance said with an utterly bored tone which Blueblood seemed immune to.

“But how am I supposed to do that!? She literally likes everything. Its like she has no sense of standards.”

“That explains much.” Puissance replied dryly.

A rough cough from the entrance to the booth caused a pause in the conversation as all eyes, including Luna’s, turned to look. Abbess Serene stood there with a calm and kind expression, dipping her withered head in a bow. “My apologies for interrupting. The Contest of Strength will start soon, but I wished to speak with the Princess before my duties called me to attend to that matter fully.”

“Of course Abbess.” Luna said, rising from her seat and striding out of the booth with the Abbess. She could faintly hear Blueblood’s one sided conversation with Puissance continue on even after the door was closed and she and the Abbess stood alone in the causeway that surrounded the outer edge of the stadium. Luna could still see various spectators still trickling into the stadium below like a procession of ants.

“Is it safe to speak here?” the Abbess asked, and Luna cast a casual spell from her horn, forming an invisible bubble around the pair.

“It is now.” Luna’s eyes met the Abbess, “What can you tell me of what my student and the Shouma heiress encountered? Was it really her?”

“I find it hard to believe, but its entirely possible.” said the Abbess Serene evenly, letting out a sigh that cracked with old exhaustion. “She was bound inside along with the others, but she had access to all the magic of Rengoku before being severed from it. Perhaps a small enough connection remained to fabricate a spell to contact the outside world.”

“Targeting her own blood then. Yet her message was warning us of danger and a clue to find my sister’s missing prophet. Why help us?” Luna said with deepening worry.

“Twelve hundred years is a long time to be trapped somewhere without rest...” Abbess Serene said, “That is why you and Princess Celestia charged my Order with our noble task, so long ago, was it not?”

Luna closed her eyes and gave the barest fraction of a nod. “To free them, yes. But never to risk Rengoku rising again. The situation has become too risky to continue treading lightly. I must ask that you allow my Shadowbolts to have full access to the hidden areas of the monastery.”

“I understand.” the Abbess said with a solemn bow of her head. “They shall have the Order’s full cooperation. I suggest that once they are done sweeping the lower facilities that they begin searching the caverns as well. I can assign guides to help them search. The caverns are extensive. Shall I also give your sister’s people similar access?”

A frown crossed Luna’s face like a cloud over the moon, her eyes twitching. “...Yes. I accepted my sister here under a banner of peace. I shall continue that cooperation. The safety of the people on this island, not to mention all the world were that thing to rise again, is more important than our present... disputes. Tell Celestia everything you’ve told me, and with luck between both our efforts we’ll stop this scheme before it goes any further.”

“Then I suggest keeping a most careful eye upon the Shouma royal family.” said the Abbess, “I suspect that they will be targeted. Perhaps soon. No matter what the conspirators scheme, the fact is that Rengoku cannot move without the blood of the Warlord.”

“I am well ahead of you on that count, Serene. I have a pair of Shadowbolts watching both the Empress and Dao Ming both day and night. As well as they can, at any rate, with the Empress’ own guards in place. They are about as secure as can be made without literally throwing them into sealed chambers and guarding them myself.”

A small smile cracked Serene’s withered lips. “From what I have heard Empress Fu Ling could do with a bit of solitary confinement.”

Luna sparked out a huff of a laugh, shaking her head. “Were that such temperaments always so easy to treat. Thank you for updating me, Serene. I’ll let you get back to running the Contest.”

“Yes, for all the darkness overshadowing this affair, I don’t want anyone to forget the importance of the Contest itself.” the Abbess said with a tired yet wistful tone as she gazed out at the many different people from numerous cultures and species gathering into the stadium. “The champions must continue to shine for their people, to light the way forward in the troubling times we face.”

“Wow, they really went all out with the ambiance for a glorified waiting room, didn’t they?” Raindrops commented dryly, taking in her surroundings. She, Cheerilee, and Ditzy Doo were standing in a large chamber inside the walls of the arena. As they were the only three of the Equestrian team participating in the Contest of Strength the other mares from Ponyville would be enjoying the show from the sidelines. Special seating would be set aside for non-competing champions to watch their comrades participate from beside the arena. Meanwhile all competing champions were gathered in this wide chamber where warm fires burned in wall sconces, between which were murals depicting scenes of epic conflicts between mighty warriors.

While sizable the room was still crowded, filled to the edges with the various nations’ champions. Some waited with quiet, focused patience, while others all but buzzed with the eager anticipation for the competition to come. Wodan’s thick antlers literally scraped the ceiling as he stomped towards the ponies, grinning widely to them as other champions scrambled to make room for the moose.

“Hah! Good to see you here for this fine day, friend ponies! Ah, buy why are there just three of you here?”

“Trixie isn’t much for hoofticuffs.” Cheerilee said, “Lyra’s bushed after her epic showdown with your pal Andrea, and Carrot Top I believe is taking advantage of your Prince Frederick’s special seating.”

Wodan thick features twitched with a bushy eyebrow raise, “Ah, that would explain why the Prince seemed in lighter spirits this morning. And I cannot fault your worthy bardess Lyra for resting. As you can see Andrea herself is absent as well. Her efforts drained her as well, and I can well understand why. Never before have I seen two artists bare their souls in such jubilant clash against one another.” The moose stamped a hoof, shaking the ground and causing many of the present champions to look his way. “If I find an opponent today half so worthy to give me such a challenge I shall die happily and soar to Valhalla with a song on my lips!”

“Yeah, let’s keep the dying to minimum today, eh big guy?” said Raindrops, her eyes peering across the room towards one of the far corners where the shadows clung. There she saw the pale white and dark striped form of Tendaji sitting in a cross-legged pose, eyes closed and meditating. Raindrops sighed, remembering the black tendrils she’d seen of the disease that sapped the zebra from the inside. She still wasn’t certain what good their fight would do him, but she tried to put it from her mind.

Ditzy Doo, also glancing around, turned her face up to Wodan. “Where’s Sigurd? I thought he’d be competing today too.”

The moose’s mouth trembled in a wry half-grin. “I saw him not long before I left to come here, friend Ditzy. He shall be here soon, rest assured.”

“Ooooh I sure hope Mister Dark and Dour shows.”

The smooth, curdled butter tone of Grimwald’s voice made Raindrops’ ears twitch as the griffin seemed to just slide into view from behind the group, making Ditzy visibly shudder down her spine. Raindrops found herself exchanging glances with Cheerilee, and saw in the schoolteacher’s eyes that she hadn’t seen Grimwald approach either.

Ditzy Doo blinked at Grimwald, and after a moment’s hesitation offered a shaky smile. “Good morning. Um, so, good luck in the Contest today?”

A short screech of amused laughter pealed out of Grimwald’s beak and he clapped at talon playfully on Ditzy’s withers. “Why thank you, bright eyes. I generally don’t need luck but I’ll take what I can get. Say, you’re not going into this lovely soiree with your bare hooves, are you?”

“Oh, well...” Ditzy gave a self-conscious look back at Raindrops and Cheerilee, “I figured my friends weren’t using weapons, so...”

“Ah ah ah, come on bright eyes, you’re beautiful when you’re being naive but you won’t last the first round without a weapon.” With a flickering flourish he produced one of his daggers, the one with the curved green tinted blade that he’d nearly taken her eye out with in the Grand Melee. “Why not take my second favorite dagger?”

“Uhhh...” Ditzy started at the deadly looking weapon with extreme hesitance bubbling on her face. Raindrops growled under her breath, wings flaring and about to give Grimwald a piece of her mind when another voice spoke, cutting in sharply.

“She shall not require such a tainted weapon.”

Sigurd approached from the waiting room’s entrance, the water deer’s strides swift and purposeful. He was fully clad in his armor of leather hide and ratting bones, his blade sheathed across his back alongside a large round bundle wrapped in a gray cloth. Sigurd barely gave Grimwald a second glance as he strode past the griffin and bowed his head to Ditzy Doo. Wodan gave a hearty chuckle.

“So you made it. I had wondered if your ever obsessed attention to detail would cause you to forget how high the sun had risen.” The moose’s voice was a joking bellow, to which Sigurd just gave a small roll of his eyes and raised his head to look at Ditzy evenly as he took the cloth bound bundle from his back and presented it to her.

“In honor of the spirit of this Contest and the friendship we seek to forge into an ever stronger bond between my people and yours, I give you this gift, Dame Ditzy Doo.”

She sat back on her haunches and held the bundle in both hooves. It had a rounded heft to it, but wasn’t too heavy. Raindrops glanced curiously at Sigurd while Cheerilee poked her head over Ditzy’s shoulder.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Cheerilee said with a smile, “Open it up.”

Ditzy’s hooves delicately unwrapped the folded gray cloth from the object hidden within, and when the cloth was pulled away the firelight from the wall scones reflected a bright gleam of metal that reflected off of Ditzy’s widening eyes.

“Oh. Wow. Um, this is for me?”

Sigurd’s head dipped in a nod, voice straight as an arrow. “It is. It may not be my finest work, but it is sturdily crafted and should serve you well in the Contest and beyond”

Held in Ditzy’s hooves was a shield. Its rounded body was made from thick, finely grained dark wood, bound together by heavy bands of bright steel that both encircled the shield’s edge and joined in a cross pattern in the middle where a round steel cap marked the very center of the shield’s surface. Upon that cap was carefully etched an exact replica of Ditzy’s Doo’s cutie mark of wafting bubbles. The back of the shield had a strip of soft backing that at first Ditzy uneasily thought might be leather until she noticed the leafy segments. The hoof straps were made from a similarly dark green material that looked like sewn together leaves, and when she gave Sigurd a questioning look his mouth ticked in a small smile.

“I know you would not want animal hide, so for the backing and straps I used treated hard leaf from the ironwood trees of my homeland. Here, let me show you how to adjust them...”

He was surprisingly gentle as he carefully took her right hoof and showed her the proper way to place on the hard leaf straps, neither too tight nor too loose. With the shield on Ditzy found it fit snugly and naturally, the added weight somehow more comforting than anything else. The shield was well sized for her, going from half a foot past her elbow to just shy of the tip of her hoof, allowing her to stand normally without the shield pressing into the ground at all. Experimentally she spread her wings and hovered a few feet off the ground. She’d worried the shield might unbalance her in the air, but it was light enough that she barely noticed any difference, and what little difference there was she adjusted for without thinking about it.

Raindrops had to admit it looked like a solidly made shield, and while it looked a bit odd to see Ditzy with the shield strapped to her hoof, Raindrops felt a bit more at ease knowing her friend at least had something to defend herself with.

“Very shiny.” Cheerilee said with a nod of approval, “Quite the gift, Sigurd. You must’ve busted your rump getting that made in time.”

“It was an effort, but worth the sweat and lost sleep.” Sigurd said simply.

“Oh, I hope you didn’t tire yourself too much for my sake.” Ditzy Doo said worriedly, “You’ll be okay to compete today, right?”

“Bah, of course. My stamina is not so low as that, friend Ditzy.”

“Glad to hear it.” Grimwald cut in, his green curved dagger having vanished back up his sleeve. “Be a real shame if you weren’t at your best today.” He winked at Ditzy, “Shield suits you, bright eyes. Looking forward to seeing what kind of dance you can show me out there. Assuming we end up in the ring together, of course.”

He tipped an invisible hat to the group and moved away with smooth, gliding steps. Sigurd’s jaw clenched and he grunted under his breath.

“I do not like that one.”

“There’s a general vibe of willies where the bird’s concerned, yeah.” said Cheerilee, glancing at Ditzy, “Be really careful if you end up fighting him, you hear me Ditzy?”

“No need to tell me twice.” Ditzy breathed, having been holding her breath for a moment as Grimwald had left. “I, uh, don’t really want to fight him.”

“If that griffin dares to harm you he shall find a reaping of vengeance descending upon him unlike anything he can imagine.” Sigurd declared firmly.

Wodan nudged the water deer, which looked vaguely like a tree trunk nudging a chipmunk, and rumbled. “Sigurd, show faith in the little one. Harm is inevitable in this Contest of Strength, but I think her made of sterner stuff than you imagine. Your gift is a mighty and worthy one, and it shall guard her well, but even if her blood is shed upon the arena doubt it shall be alone. Any foe who underestimates these ponies do so at their own peril.”

“Oh, well, I’m not trying to hurt anyone too badly...” Dity said frowning, “Um, aren’t ring outs a thing in this?”

“Yeah, that or knock outs and tap outs.” Raindrops said, her wings flapping with agitation she was keeping as under wraps as best she could. “You’re best bet Ditzy is to use your agility to keep anyone you fight off balance until you see an opening to push them out of the arena.”

The rules of the Contest of Strength were straightforward enough. It would consist of a series of one on one battles between contestants, the matches determined by randomly drawn lots. Each fight would be given a ten minute time limit in which each contestant was allowed to use any physical means at their disposal, whether it be strength of arms, specific magics that enhanced the body, or innate abilities inherent to the race of the contestant. Any weapon was allowed, but much like in the Grand Melee lethal attacks were prohibited. Magic that was projected beyond the body was also prohibited, such displays to be saved for the Contest of Magic. Only spells and magic that empowered the body or one’s weapons were considered viable. Flight was allowed as well, but there was a strict height limit of thirty feet, enforced by penalties to fliers who went above that ceiling.

If neither fighter had been either knocked out of the ring, rendered unconscious or otherwise unable to keep fighting, or forced to tap out, by the time the ten minutes was up then the match would be decided by a panel of judges from among the monks who would be observing the battles closely and tallying points.

When all would be said and done the champions’ teams would earn points depending on how far their members made it in the matches. To keep some level of fairness teams with multiple participating members could only earn the points of the member who got the furthest.

As a result Ditzy wasn’t too worried about her performance. She knew Cheerilee and Raindrops would very likely get much further than her. She wanted to compete. Not out of any desire to fight or hurt others, but because she wanted to understand the others participating in the Contest better, especially Grimwald. That, and there was a nagging fear inside her that she was the link in her group of friends that might be the weakest. This would be a good way to gauge how much work she might need to do as to not slow everypony else down.

“I’ll do my best.” she said with conviction, nodding to Raindrops.

“I know you will.” Raindrops replied, taking a deep breath to help still her own worries.

The chamber was filled with a groaning clarion ring of metal and wood as the large double doors leading out to the arena grounds opened, allowing pale morning sunlight to pour into the room and illuminate the gathered champions.

Two monks were pushing the doors open while the Abbess Serene stood in the center, smiling warmly as she spoke in a carrying, clear tone.

“Champions, the time has come to show the world your strength, in all its many forms. Come, the arena awaits!”

As the champions marched out into the sunlight under the roar of cheers thundering in from around the stadium Dao Ming’s mind was not where she imagined it would be at this point in the Contest. She thought she’d be solely focused upon obtaining victory, yet her thoughts were splintered in a dozen different places.

“Surprised to see you looking so nervous.”

Dao Ming glanced over to see Gwendolyn had come up next to her. Nearby several other griffins turned predatory and grinning looks at Gwendolyn, some of them flicking their tails at her derisively as they passed. Dao Ming’s golden eyebrow raised.

“You seem to have troubles of your own.”

Gwendolyn hissed out a humorless laugh, “Oh yeah, I’m popular right now. Going to be a fun day. I have to at least beat enough of my fellow griffins senseless to get a certain... point across. But what about you? You look different today. Not as focused as in the Grand Melee.”

Dao Ming kept her stance proud as the procession of champions started to take their seating among the stone benches provided around the edges of the arena. “Its been an eventful few days. I’d tell you about it, but you needn’t burden yourself with my troubles when you must focus upon your own tasks.”

Gwendolyn’s wings shrugged, “Meh, what are friends for?”

“We are friends?”

“Close as we can be at this point, I figure.” Gwendolyn’s talon rested on the ornate hilt of her sword, “Just saying that even if I’ve got enough trouble landing on my back to crush a manticore I don’t much like seeing you bothered either, so I’m up to listening, before we get called to fight. Hate for you to lose to me and claim it was because you weren’t focused enough.”

The last was said with a wink and Dao Ming found her heart lighten slightly at the sight. Friends. She had few besides Kenkuro. The tengu was here, she could see him not far away, dressed in his bright blue kimono with the Blade of Heaven sheathed casually at his side. He looked odd, sitting upon the stone bench somewhat awkwardly. He was amicably chatting with an old zebra. Dao Ming knew the zebra’s name was Nuru, but little else. By Kenkuro’s smiling expression he knew the ancient looking zebra well.

She let her eyes slide back to Gwendolyn and she favored the griffiness with a smile and look that was somehow both imperious and pleased at the same time. “I give you my word that if we are fortunate enough to face each other this day and by some trick of chance you emerge victorious I shall accept it with as much dignity as I am able. I have heard from the Equestrians that ice cream is a grand cure-all for depression.”

Gwendolyn’s yellow eyes widened bit, “Did the Imperial Heiress of Shouma just make a joke? Now I know something’s out of sorts.”

A small laugh escaped Dao Ming as she took her seat beside Gwendolyn, watching as Abbess Serene climbed up the stone steps onto the arena. “Promise not to tell?”

Gwendolyn gave a nod of false gravity, “On my honor as a warrior your secret goes with me to the grave.”

“Good, then afterwards, whoever wins, let us test the theory of the ice cream together.”

The sight of Abbess Serene marching up the stone stairs to the top of the arena stage drew everyone’s attention, Gwendolyn and Dao Ming both going silent along with the other champions as they watched the aged mare stride out to the center of the ring. When she spoke it was with a voice that carried clearly to every ear across the stadium via magical amplifies carefully placed for the purpose.

“Friends from all corners of the world, I welcome you to the third event of the Contest of Champions, the Contest of Strength! It is no mystery what this event represents. While a champion may epitomize many virtues of the cultures they hail from, as was seen in the Contest of Art, one unifying aspect of many of your lands’ most noteworthy tales are the stories of strong, powerful warriors that defend their people and serve as an ideal for many younger generations of warriors to admire. Whether their strength be from solid muscle alone, incredible skill with weapons, the unique mystical techniques of their lands, or even from the bond they create with the beasts of their realm, strength comes in many forms... and today the champions shall demonstrate that strength against each other and to the world!”

The Abbess gestured above her and a magical projection filled the air above the arena, showing a series of brackets in bright silvery script. Names by each bracket matched the competing champions, showing the lineup for the matches to come. Gwendolyn looked across the names, seeking out her own, Dao Ming’s, and especially looking for where Sigurd and Grimwald would be on the lineup.

“Hmm, Agatha...” she said, seeing who she was up against first, one of the griffin warriors from Grandis’ neighbor kingdom. “Not the most exciting first challenge, but guess I don’t mind a warm up. Who are you up against, Dao Ming?”

The kirin eye’s flashed with a distinct look of unease, not saying anything. Gwendolyn saw why a moment later when she spotted Dao Ming’s name and that of her first opponent.

“Wodan!?” Gwendolyn glanced towards the moose. He was easy to spot given the way he towered above the rest of the crowd. Gwendolyn blinked and glanced back at Dao Ming, offering a reassuring smile that was more than a tad shaky. “Well, at least you’re getting the hard fight out of the way first, eh?”

Dao Ming nodded slowly, “I am the Shouma Imperial Heiress. I will not be intimidated by my opponent. Even if he is a mountain made out of several slightly smaller mountains.”

Gwendolyn nodded, “That’s the spirit. Bigger doesn’t mean stronger. Well, okay, it does, but big guys like that use up a lot of energy just moving around. You can win as long as you let him tire himself out first.”

“Yes... indeed.” Dao Ming was trying hard to look unruffled, which Gwendolyn could sympathize with. She knew the kirin was under pressure from her family to perform better in the Contest. Going up against Elkheim’s strongest champion from the get-go was a bad spot of luck.

“Well, wonder who’s up first?” Gwendolyn asked, a question soon answered as the Abbess spoke again.

“Now that we have established the lineup of matches we shall begin without further preamble, as I’m certain you’re all eager to see the spectacle to come. For the very first match of the Contest of Strength I call forth Siwatu of the Xohsa Tribe of Zebra, and his trained Death Strider scorpion Sefu!”

There was a murmur across the crowd as the zebra in question rose from the ranks of seated champions and made a high pitched, trilling call. With a rumble the huge, dark form of Siwatu’s scorpion companion literally burrowed up from the ground, clacking his claws as Siwatu jumped up upon the scorpion’s massive back and rode the creature up to the arena.

“He’s allowed to use that beast in a one one one fight?” Gwendolyn said with a frown.

“From what I understand champions who use trained animals as their main form of strength are allowed to use them, the same as a trained warrior is allowed to use their weapons.” Dao Ming commented with an appraising look at the hulking form of Sefu as the scorpion clambered atop the arena. “Although I do agree this is something of a stretch for an ‘animal companion’.”

Gwendolyn sighed, “So who’s the unlucky sod having to fight that monster?”

“And to face this mighty example of the finest beast taming arts of the zebra lands we call forth Dame Ditzy Doo, of Equestria!” the Abbess finished, and more than a few eyes, including Gwendolyn’s and Dao Ming’s, turned to the stunned looking pegasus mare.

Her drifting yellow eyes suddenly taking a moment to focus on the sight of the hulking scorpion on the arena stage, Ditzy Doo gulped and pointed a hoof at herself. “Uh... me?”

Her heart started to thud in her chest like a hoof stomps of an applauding crowd, only Ditzy wasn’t feeling appreciative so much as abruptly terrified. Beside her Raindrops growled, “This is ridiculous. Why is he even allowed to use that thing in this!? It’s completely unfair!”

Cheerilee shook her head, forelegs crossed over her chest, “It's his specific form of strength, Raindrops. You’re going in bare hooved, same as me, but you couldn’t complain if you went up against someone using a giant sword, or had the ability to, I don’t know, fly?”

“That’s not the point-”

“It kind of is.” Cheerilee said, glancing at Ditzy with an encouraging look, “Look, it's big, but you’ve got wings. Long as you knock that Siwatu guy out of the ring, it's still your win. You don’t have to pummel the bug into submission, right?”

“R-right.” Ditzy said, taking a few heavy breaths as she stood and started making her way to the arena. “This is fine. I’m totally fine. Why, the giant death scorpion is even kind of cute.”

Up in the spectator seats, in a well situated set of comfortable benches for non-competing champions and their close friends and family to watch from Trixie was all but hopping up and down in her seat. “Are you kidding me!? I’m calling shenanigans of the highest order on this!”

“Trixie, chill, the competition is supposed to be non-lethal right? So Ditzy’ll be A-okay.” Lyra said, her arm wrapped around Bon Bon sitting next to her. Bon Bon looked about as worried as Trixie was, pensively gazing at the stage.

“But taking on that thing? I’m with Trixie on this, love. Should it even be legal for something like that to be allowed in the Contest?”

Nearby Carrot Top was sitting beside Frederick, the Elkhiem Prince actively foregoing sitting up in the larger, more ostentatious seating reserved for the nobility of the various nations and instead munching on some popcorn beside the curly headed mare he was leaning against.

“I’ve heard in Contests before this one some of the champions of Elkhiem brought in trained wyverns, like my Deathwing. There’s precedence at least.”

“Not sure how this is supposed to be a non-lethal competition through. We don’t have those shielding tokens like in the Grand Melee.” Carrot Top said with a pensive look, leaning into Frederick.

“Yeah, where’s the safety measures?” said Trixie, glowering.

“I’m sure they’ve got something on standby.” Lyra said, “They wouldn’t start this up without precautions.” The musician’s eyes turned to the other side of Bon Bon, where Raindrops’ family was seated alongside Dinky. The foal was watching the arena intently, Snails right next to her being more preoccupied with his pet beetle than the fight about to start.

Trixie, seeing Lyra’s look, turned a worried gaze at Dinky, but the foal just kept watching the arena silently, barely blinking.

Down on the arena stage Ditzy Doo felt smaller and smaller the closer she trotted towards Siwatu and Sefu, the zebra and scorpion both looming over her larger than life itself. The Abbess remained in the ring, standing between them like a referee, and Ditzy noticed that among the folds of the Abbess robes she wore several talisman and other arcane looking objects. The Abbess eyes flicked between the pair.

“You may fight with all the skills, abilities, and weapons at your disposal as long as you project no magic beyond your own body. You have ten minutes to either force your opponent to surrender, knock them from the ring, or render them unable to fight. Remember you are here to fight with honor and respect for each other, not to unduly injure or kill one another. I shall remain near in case things go too far and provide healing if it is needed. Fight with the virtue of champions...”

The Abbess backed away, providing the pair a decent amount of space. Ditzy Doo felt her blood pumping even quicker in her veins and her mouth going dry as she hefted her new shield and eyed her opponent nervously.

Sefu clacked his claws and made a strangely cheerful sounding chittering noise, while Siwatu tapped the scorpion on the head and grinned down at Ditzy. “Sefu says he thinks you have a lovely mane. He likes shiny things.” He let out an odd sounding laugh, “Khhk, khhk, khhk, I’ll try to not be too hard on you, but feel free to tap out the moment things get too rough.”

Ditzy, despite her fear, found herself licking her lips, fluttering up into the air a bit as she readied her shield. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”

With a weighty gesture the Abbess raised her hoof, then chopped it down.

“Begin!”

Even anticipating it, Ditzy barely had time to react to Sefu’s swift, grasping claw. She threw herself back from the dark, serrated chitin that snapped in front of her, wings buzzing as the scorpion advanced on rapidly clacking legs. Instinctively she flew up, but quickly recalled the height limit and banked hard to the left to skim over the arena floor, trying to circle behind Sefu and Swiatu.

“Khhk! You run fast, but Sefu has caught Lightning Sparrows in mid-flight on the savannah back home. Get her Sefu! Just don’t sting her.”

Sefu’s coiled tail shuddered for a moment, the only warning Ditzy had before it lashed out in her direction. She rolled left, then right, narrowly avoiding the lashing tail. She noticed the stinger wasn’t aimed at her, rather the scorpion was trying to whack her with the blunt end of the tail, but given its size and speed she didn’t imaging being hit but it would be pleasant either. The scorpion pivoted to follow her as she circled it, moving more than fast enough to keep up with Ditzy’s flight.

It’s tail snapped out once more and she dodged back, only to find Sefu launch forward with both its claws, having used its tail to force her to dodge in the direction it wanted. She let out a frightful gasp and instinct once more took over her actions more than conscious thought. Her wings hummed in a gray blur, the air currents tingling across her feathers as she threw her right arm out above her while dropping down and sliding across the ground. Her shield arm jarred painfully as the thick, strong wood and metal reinforced shield blocked one claw, while the blow actually created extra momentum that pushed her back and helped her avoid the second claw.

Siwatu looked at her with a quizzical frown. “Huh. Not sure if that was luck or skill. Sefu, keep after her!”

With menacing clacks of its claws the scorpion charged, and Ditzy’s thought to keep flying back to avoid it, but again her feathers tingled with a sense of the air currents around her. Following her guts, she dove forward, flying beneath Sefu’s bulky body. The scorpion’s claws slammed the ground where she’d just been, but Ditzy found herself zipping up behind the scorpion. Seeing an opening she dove down, shield out, seeking to slam Siwatu off of his scorpion, but the zebra sensed the attack coming and quickly leaned to the side, keeping a firm grasp on the leather straps that helped him keep balance on his mount’s back. Ditzy’s rush missed, but she spun around quickly, feeling the rush of air coming at her back from Sefu’s lashing tail.

The tail hit the shield, the blow sending her spinning backwards, but she recovered in mid-air... just in time to see the scorpion literally leap into the air, trying to slam her with its whole body.

Diving away, she avoided the flying body tackle, but she was yanked backwards as one of Sefu’s grasping claws clamped down around her shield and pulled her back down to the ground as the scorpion landed, slamming her down with it.

Air blasted out of Ditzy’s lungs, and her eyes burst with swirling stars as pain shot through her. Stunned, she lay on the ground, then felt herself being lifted up as the scorpion, still grasping her shield, held her up like a prize.

“Whew, good job Sefu. Now toss her out of the ring so we can get this over with.”

In her daze she felt the scorpion moving, taking her towards the edge of the ring... but she shook her head, cleared her vision, and saw the joint where the claw met with the rest of the scorpion’s arm. Feeling a tad guilty about it, Ditzy kicked hard with both her hind legs at the joint. She felt her hooves crack the chitin, and there was a screech of pain from the scorpion as it let go of her shield. She let herself fall for a second before buzzing her wings and spinning around. Seeing the place where Siwatu’s leather straps attached to the rest of the scorpion via several buckles, she flew over and used her mouth to quickly detach them.

“Whoacrap!” Siwatu lost his balance and slipped off Sefu’s back. To his credit he rolled with the fall and sprang to his hooves quickly... just in time for the gray streaking form of Ditzy to slam into him, shield first. Her shield caught him right in the stomach and the zebra let out a pained “Oof!” as he was knocked to the ground, sliding up close to the arena edge.

Ditzy landed, and galloped towards him, hoping to knock him out of the ring, but she was halted in her tracks and ended up nearly face planting into the floor.

Glancing back she saw Sefu’s tail had shot out, the stinger catching the strands of her tail and pinning her to the ground, the stinger itself embedding into the stone.

Siwatu got back to his hooves, laughing in his odd manner. “Khhk khhk! Close, but not quite. Good save Sefu! Now hold her there and I’ll-”

Whatever he intended to do he never got to say. Ditzy Doo had, in a few moments, unstrapped the shield from her arm and then chucked it with all the strength she could manage. The shield spun out and smacked Siwatu across the face, spinning him around like a top. The zebra’s eyes crossed and he fell over. Right out of the ring to thud into the grassy ground outside unceremoniously.

There was a moment of stunned silence, then the crowd in the stands erupted with a wave of cheers not unlike the crashing of a tidal wave. Abbess Serene, who had kept a fair distance from the fight, now calmly approached.

Siwatu, swaying on his hooves as he stood up, shook his head, which sported a growing goose egg, and blinked at the arena that he was no longer in. “What the-!? Hey! Shields aren’t for throwing!”

Ditzy Doo, breathing heavily, rubbing her own aching limbs, just gave the zebra an apologetic shrug and smile. “S-sorry, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. Uh, good match?”

Siwatu glared at her for a second, but then let out a grunting sigh and hopped up onto the stage, offering her a hoof. “Yeah, good match. Sefu you can let her go now.”

The scorpion reluctantly obeyed, pulling its tail back and freeing Ditzy Doo, who awkwardly grasped Siwatu’s hoof and shook it. Abbess Serene smiled in approval at the pair and spoke in her carrying voice that reached the whole stadium.

“The first match is over! The winner; Dame Ditzy Doo!”

Up in the stands, surrounded by the cheers of the crowd, Dinky felt a moment of relief as she watched her mother take a bow and then depart the arena alongside her defeated opponent. She’d been holding her breath for most of the fight, remembering her dream about the scorpion stinging hr mother. But her mom had defeated the scorpion, so... everything should be fine. There was no more reason to be afraid.

Among the crowd of champions that had been watching the battle, one smiled with a twisted gleam in his eyes.

“Mmm, so that’s how you did it, bright eyes.” Grimwald said to himself with a satisfied laugh. One of his talons stroked the hilt of one of his daggers as he thought it through once more. The way Ditzy Doo had moved the entire fight had been carefully observed, and he now knew how she’d predicted and avoided his attack in the Grand Melee.

She was using the air currents to unconsciously predict objects coming at her.

Now that he knew that their next run in was going to be a special kind of fun. He was looking forward to it.

Author's Note

One day I shall write a chapter for this story that doesn't take longer than it should. Still lots of threads to pull together here as we go into our tournament styled Contest of Strength, which more or less works like any shounen anime tournament you've seen, down to the knockout of the ring equals victory rule. Expect plenty of fast paced action next turn, including some confrontations that've been percolating for quite some time now. Now here's hoping I can do the next chapter in a more timely fashion.

Chapter 13: Crucible

Chapter 13: Crucible

As Ditzy Doo sat on the stone benches beside Raindrops and Cheerilee she rubbed at the numerous aches and bruises developing from her fight with the zebra champion, Siwatu. Raindrops looked her over with concern, but also a note of pride.

“You really went at it out there. How you feeling?”

“Heheh,” Ditzy cracked an unsteady grin, holding her hooves out, both of which were shaking. “Kinda numb? I still can’t believe I won.”

“It was pretty impressive.” commented Cheerilee, nodding up at the vast stands of the coliseum around them, “I think you managed to snag some admirers out there.”

Ditzy's face gained a rose hue as she realized there were more than a few cheers from the stands calling her name and she partially hid behind one of her wings. “I just hope the next round is easier. I don’t want to face another giant scorpion.”

“I think you’re in the clear on that count,” said Raindrops, frowning slightly, “I wonder who’s up next?”

As it turned out the Abbess Serene called the next champions, which was Sir Silverwreath of Cavallia and one of the many griffin champions representing one of the numerous Griffin Kingdoms. Ditzy was distracted from watching the fight by the fact that a monk of the Order came up to her, a young looking green unicorn mare who offered to help heal Ditzy’s injuries. Apparently every champion between fights would receive any needed treatment so that they could go into the next fight as close to full strength as possible. Ditzy gratefully accepted and allowed the monk to do her work, carefully applying gentle, cool brushes of healing magic over her body while only half paying attention to the fights on stage.

They went remarkably fast. While Ditzy’s fight had been on a flat stage, the Abbess Serene called upon her fellow monks to help reshape the stage for each bout, adding different obstacles and pieces of terrain to add variety to the fights. Sometimes it would return to a more flat state, but it was clear the stage was meant to be randomized to a degree to ensure those fighting couldn’t entirely predict what terrain would factor into the competition. Ditzy saw Ser Silverwreath expertly time his lance strikes to counter his griffin opponents dive bombing attacks with a spear until he managed to catch one of the griffin's wings to send the knight's opponent spinning out of control to land out of bounds. More fights followed, mostly with champions Ditzy Doo only somewhat recognized. She saw one of the camels from Naquah display a rather fascinating elegant fighting style with a pair of scimitars against Sigurd’s bone sword. The water deer only barely won out over the surprisingly agile camel, using his cervid runecraft to clad his body and blade in a coating of ice, which was legal since it was a combat enhancing form of magic rather than a direct attack.

There were a number of griffins fighting griffins, and Ditzy couldn’t help but notice that when Gwendolyn was called into her first round it was against one of the griffins she and the girls had fought during the Grand Melee. That fight was shorter than all the others, Gwendolyn ending it in a single stroke of her red tinted sword, severing her competitor’s own blade in half.

Ditzy felt a pang of nervousness when Raindrops and Cheerilee each had their own first rounds, but if anything her own fight with the zebra seemed like the highlight of the opening of the Contest of Strength. Raindrops was pitted against one of the minotaurs, not Steel Cage but one of his two fellow champions; Bronze Belly was the name. Through tall and heavily muscled compared to Raindrops, Bronze Belly clearly underestimated Raindrops’ own muscle power combined with the fact Raindrops could fly. When he tried to get her in a bear hug, Raindrops had literally flown beneath the hold and proceeded to spear both hooves into his gut, lifting him off the ground just high enough to turn over and drive him straight back into the stage.

Cheerilee’s first round was against a unicorn representing Zaldia, a nation to the north of Equestria that was known for having a bit of a bias towards the unicorn tribe of ponies who ran much of the country. Ditzy hadn’t really noticed the country doing much during the Contest, but this champion, who went by the name Mirror Edge, demonstrated a whip based combat style apparently favored by Zaldian police forces. He actually got Cheerilee bound up with that whip, only to find Cheerilee was a remarkably flexible mare and could headbutt with the best of them, even with all her legs tied up.

Ditzy was relieved she and her friends had gotten through the first round, but also had a sinking feeling the real challenges were yet to come.

There was only one match left for the first round, and Abbess Serene called the names with the same hefty weight she’d given every match thus far.

“For the last match of the first round I call forth Dao Ming, Imperial Heir to the Empress of Shouma, and Wodan of Elkheim, Mover of Mountains and Bane of the Third Dragonwar!”

Ditzy looked on with a sense of awe as Wodan rose like a dark mountain, his muscles like gnarled roots as he moved with heavy steps up onto the vast stone fighting stage. From her own seat Dao Ming stood with smooth grace and light as a cloud she all but floated her way up to meet her opponent on the stage. With the pair standing facing one another it was almost comical how different they were in size and stature. Wodan’s rough, scar covered body was all dark, coarse fur that bulged with old, hardened muscle. There wasn’t a single, solitary fiber of his being that was soft or remotely delicate. Utterly towering over Dao Ming, who barely came up to one of the moose’s knees, Wodan was like an ancient boulder chiseled into the lethal shape of a barbarous warrior.

By contrast Dao Ming was ethereal grace and feminine elegance given living form. There wasn’t a portion of the kirin’s jade coat or fine gold scales that wasn’t immaculately groomed, and her shining golden locks of mane and tail gleamed with a liquid sheen under the morning light. Her body was whipcord lean and fit, all of her power contained in delicate but finely honed muscles. She seemed a polished reed beside the massive oak that was Wodan, and it only made it all the clearer to the audience watching from the vast coliseum stands and the other champions observing from the sidelines that this was going to be quite the show.

Dao Ming ignored the crowds, and the scrutiny of the many champions on the side of the arena. The only gaze she could feel on her was the firm gaze of her mother. She didn’t have to see the Empress to feel her mother’s eyes on her, like a magnifying glass amplifying the rays of the sun to burn a spot on the back of her neck. She carefully controlled the urge to reach up the scratch. Instead she focused her attention upon the moose in front of her. Dao Ming managed to crane her neck up without making the gesture seem too much like a concession to her opponent’s size.

He stared down at her, large rounded face filled with a friendly, eager light that was at odds with the rest of his body language, which was sheer menace and violence ready to explode into action.

Off to the side and standing roughly between them, Abbess Serene’s still form glanced questioning eyes between the pair, “Are the two champions prepared?”

“Hold a moment, honorable Abbess,” said Wodan, his crag-like features creasing in a wide smile as he turned his gaze down upon Dao Ming, the sun’s angle casting her in the massive moose’s shadow.

“It’s long been my personal tradition to share a drink with those I’m about to duel, Dao Ming,” Wodan rumbled, yanking a near barrel sized keg strapped to his side and slamming it down between them, “It is a warrior’s vow to fight with honor, courage, and spirit. Will you do this with me?”

Dao Ming eyed the keg with a hint of cautious curiosity, her nose twitching at the pungent aroma coming off it, far more bitter than the sake she was used to seeing Kenkuro drink.

“Did you do this to those you fought in the Grand Melee?” she asked, and Wodan chuckled. From him the sound was like a roaring waterfall.

“Bah, that was just sport and exercise! No proper duel! But here, upon this stage, we shall meet as warriors. I wish us to part the same way, hence why I always offer my foe a drink before battle!”

Without waiting for her response his massive, rock hard hoof cracked open the top of the get with a single stamp, and the moose raised the keg to his own lips, easily draining half of it in one go. Belching like a miniature typhoon, Wodan set the keg down before Dao Ming expectantly. The rough smell of the alcohol within burned the kirin’s nostrils, but Dao Ming held her head high and levitated the keg to her mouth. She didn’t try to match Wodan’s guzzling, but took a hefty swallow of the keg’s contents, and even managed not to cough or sputter as the liquid blazed a burning trail down her throat.

With a dainty lick of her lips she levitated the keg back to Wodan and said, “A strong drink for a strong people. Let us hope you hit as hard as your brew, Wodan of Elkheim.”

“Ha! That and harder, friend Dao Ming!” Wodan said with a pleased grin, tossing the keg out of the stage boundary, “I do believe we are ready, honored Abbess!”

Abbess Serene gave a calm nod, and turned to also nod at several of her fellow monks waiting outside the stage. At her signal the monks, cervids all in this instance, went to work on the stage with their own runecraft. The stone shifted and trembled beneath Dao Ming and Wodan’s hooves, and within moments the pair found themselves standing on opposite cliff-like outcroppings amid a stage that now looked very much like a small copy of a mountain slope.

Dao Ming took in the arena with a quick, calculating glance, while Wodan let out a joyous, whooping laugh.

“Hahah! Mountains! A terrain I favor. I’ve had some grand battles upon such slopes as this. Let us make this one worth remembering, Dao Ming!”

Abbess Serene raised and made a sharp gesture with her hoof, “Begin!”

With a sure hoofed leap, Wodan propelled his multi-ton bulk across the gap separating his and Dao Ming’s cliff side, far faster than Dao Ming could ever have expected such a massive creature to move. With long practiced grace and sinuous speed she back flipped away from his descending hooves. She thought herself clear from harm, but was taken completely aback when Wodan’s fore hooves crushed into the stone where she’d just been standing and that entire section of artificial cliff simply exploded under the sheer, titanic force of Wodan’s blow.

The shock wave alone sent Dao Ming’s elegant back flip into a haphazard tumble, chunks of rock pelting her fur and golden scales as she landed and stumbled, only catching her hoofing after a second of shocked teetering.

“Come now, don’t be shy,” said Wodan, emerging from the cloud of rock dust his blow had created like some monolithic wraith, “At least draw your sword, girl!”

To her chagrin Dao Ming realized she hadn’t even drawn her weapon yet, and with a faint flush heating her cheek as she pulled her sword free with her hoof and reared up, adopting a hind legged combat stance. Normally those who relied on levitation to wield their weapons were still allowed to do so, as it was still considered a martial discipline rather than a magical one to use a weapon in such a manner. However Dao Ming had trained in various hoof-held combat techniques, and wished to meet Wodan in the spirit of the Contest of Strength. She intended to win this on skill alone, and erase the disgrace of her folly from the Grand Melee.

High up in the stands the Imperial family of Shouma watched with varied reactions as the match commenced.

Xhua crinkled her snout, cringing slightly at the sight of the devastation Wodan’s single attack had caused. “What an utter brute. What is he, part oni?”

Lo Shang let out a low, appreciative whistle, fore legs crossed over his chest, “There’s no secret to that kind of strength, Xhua. That’s just what happens when the right kind of warrior’s spirit ends up in a body born for battle. Our sister is in for one difficult fight.”

Xhua frowned deeply, “Dao Ming has been having far too much difficulty at the Contest. She should already be in first place.”

“Be kind, sister,” Tomoko said, still as a statue in her own seat, not taking her eyes off of the match for an instant as she spoke, “Dao Ming will not allow herself to fail so easily. She has something that even one as mighty as that Wodan lacks.”

“Oh? And what is that?” Xhua asked, quirking up a scale ridged eyebrow.

Tomoko smiled thinly, “A higher purpose.”

Xhua said nothing to that somewhat cryptic statement, and the siblings resumed watching the fight in silence. Seated above the trio the Shouma Empress herself sat like a carved, jade statue. She ignored the banter of her adopted children below, her own gaze fixed in a unblinking, intense stare upon her only blood offspring. Few would have noticed the faint clench of the Empress’ jaw or the flinch in her eyes as Dao Ming launched into her own attack, charging Wodan.

For Wodan’s part he continued to laugh heartily as he watched Dao Ming cross the distance between them with a few bounding leaps. He smashed his prodigious hooves down again at the kirin, the impact powdering another chunk of the cliff. Like a leaf Dao Ming leaped above the blow, flowing up and over Wodan as if carried on a gust of wind. She spun, slashing with her slim, jian-style blade. She aimed for the joint between his shoulder and front right leg, hoping to hobble his mobility so she could further increase her speed advantage.

Her eyes popped wide as her sword barely did more than scratch his thick, heavily scarred hide. She landed on a taller outcropping of rock a few meters up the slope, blinking at both her sword and at the grinning Wodan. Her jian was forged from Shouma’s finest steel, and honed to a keen edge that Dao Ming was not lax in maintaining with regular maintenance.

“I see you’re confused, Dao Ming! There’s no need to be,” Wodan patted his shoulder with several hard slaps with his other hoof, “I’m not sword proof. Your blade is a fine one, for one so small. My body is like an ancient pine! It will take a the cuts of a thousand axes to bring me down!”

Dao Ming provided him with a hardened look and a acknowledging nod as she took up a fighting stance once again, taking a slow breath to still her mind.

“Then a thousand cuts is what you shall have.”

She suspected it wasn’t just his pure toughness and musculature that made him so durable or strong. Enhancement magic was no prohibited in these matches, and all those rune shaped scars carved into Wodan’s flesh likely served as triggers for multiple different forms of cervid runecraft. However Dao Ming felt no need to question him on that front. Whether his power came from a form of runecraft, physical training, natural talent, or a combination of all three wasn’t important. All that mattered to her was that she didn’t lose. Not yet. Not until she had a chance to face Trixie one more time.

She jumped down in a smooth flip, landing and immediately leading with her sword in a straight thrust for Wodan’s side. The moose side stepped and turned with surprising ease for his side, turning Dao Ming’s thrust into a glancing blow as he lowered his head, bringing his huge, thick antlers to bear. These too were carved with runes, and she could see a faint, pale light streaming through their curved edges as Wodan charged her with his deadly antlers leading the way.

Dao Ming flung herself forward and into a controlled roll, barely getting beneath Wodan’s antlers and avoiding his stomping hooves as he passed over her. She slung out with her sword as she came out of her roll, scoring another light cut on the inner thigh of his left hind leg, but that hardly slowed Wodan down as he ploughed into the slope of the mountain-like arena where Dao Ming had just been standing.

Cracks and small fissures ran up the length of the slope from the titanic impact, Wodan’s antlers carving into the stone like it was little more than butter. He shook his head, ripping out more stone as he turned around, and Dao Ming saw that he’d intentionally carved out a huge hunk of rock that was now impaled on his antlers as he turned around. With a flick of his head he hurled that stone at her, and Dao Ming jumped above it to avoid getting crushed under the boulder’s weight.

However she was vulnerable for a moment while in mid-air and Wodan stepped in, swinging with the back of his hoof. She rolled with the blow, but couldn’t fully negate its impact as she was hurled across the slope and impacted with another outcropping of rock a dozen meters away. The hit blew the air from her lungs and Dao Ming stumbled to the ground, trying to get her breath back.

Watching the scene play out many of Trixie’s friends flinched, but Trixie herself only leaned forward intently. There was no pleased look on the showmare’s face. Her eyes glinted with fervor as she whispered, “Come one, don’t lose this easily. You can’t be a proper rival if you fall here.”

Next to her Lyra cracked an amused half smile, “You know even if she loses you’ll still get to take her own in the Contest of Magic, right?”

“Hmph, that’s not the point!” Trixie said, looking away with a turned up nose, “I just don’t want to have to console her after a loss, is all. There’d be nothing more disappointing than having to deal with a depressed rival!”

“Heh, if you say so,” Lyra said, then turned her glittering eyes towards the arena, “I wonder if our friends will get to have their own rival matches? Raindrops has that nutty zebra obsessed with her, and Cheerilee’s got some kind of bet going with the head minotaur. Going to be a lot of tension if they end up in the ring together.

Trixie had no comment on that front, only hoping Cheerilee and Raindrops didn’t do anything too reckless if they ending up fighting their respective rivals. Any further thoughts were put on hold as Trixie watched Wodan stampede across the small, artificial mountain slope towards a still dazed Dao Ming.

Despite the ringing clamor in her head and the way the world felt as if it were roiling beneath her hooves, Dao Ming didn’t mistake the impending danger. With a sense of balance between body and mind that had been forged through a childhood of unending training, further sharpened by countless trials back in her homeland, Dao Ming shook off her dazed state and focused upon Wodan’s charging form. The moose bore down on her like an avalanche made flesh, and Dao Ming did what any sane person does when faced with a natural disaster.

She got out of the way.

With nearly supernatural agility she turned and sprang up the face of the near sheer rock outcropping she’d been smacked into just moments before. Her hooves sought out any tiny crevice or hold they could as she jumped up the slope. When Wodan impacted with the cliff face the rock outcropping broke apart like a stack of cards, but rather than merely fall, Dao Ming sprang off of the falling rocks as if they were stable platforms, directing herself down towards Wodan like a striking hawk.

In the span of a few seconds Dao Ming zipped from side to side, attacking Wodan’s flanks and limbs like a jumping spider, every leap showing a glinting blaze of sword strikes. Yet even as the small cuts mounted on the towering moose, Wodan didn’t show the slightest sign of pain or even slowing down as he laughed like bellowing thunder and pitched himself into a full-body roll that nearly crushed Dao Ming had she not managed to flip away at the last second.

Outwardly Dao Ming was calm and collected, but internally a part of her was starting to gnash her teeth and scream.

Blood and spirits damn it all, what will it take to make this walking boulder show some sign of weakness? I feel like I’m trying to chop down a literal mountain. Do I have to...?

She didn’t want to start falling back on using Mantra to summon the spirits with her scrolls. She knew as long as she used only chants that enhanced her warrior abilities it would be entirely within the rules, yet some part of her shrunk from that line of thinking. Was it simply that she was afraid of what had happened during the Grand Melee? Was she afraid to lose control again if she used the wrong chant or angered another spirit? Or was this some matter of pride she couldn’t yet resolve?

Would resorting to her spirit scrolls be like admitting that she wasn’t good enough to succeed with her own flesh and blood? Flesh and blood she desperately wanted to feel was vindicated. Dao Ming could almost feel the cold eyes of her mother on her back.

Not yet... I can push myself further than this. Just watch, mother. I’m not weak. I’ll show you here and now what the blood I inherited from you is capable of.

She raised her sword, ready to rush Wodan once more, but the moose surprised her. He looked at her and she saw one of his thick eyebrows raise, and rather than charge her again, Wodan made a snorting sound through his massive nostrils and looked down at her.

“What’s this? You look distracted. Is your blood not pounding? Is your heart not in this?”

Dao Ming blanched, adjusting her grip on her blade and turning her chin upwards towards him, “What!? Of course my heart is in this! There’s nothing distracting my mind. It is one with my blade, and this battle.”

“Hmph, you say this, but you stiffen and preen like a child swinging a sword for the first time while their parents watch...” As if his words sparked a thought, Wodan glanced towards the coliseum stands, in the direction where the Imperial family watched from. With a knowing huff and shook his head, “So that’s it, then? You’re playing at being a warrior for the approval of another?”

“What are you doing?” Dao Ming said as Wodan sat down. There was a murmur from the watching crowd. The words being exchanged by the pair couldn’t be heard at any distance, but the magical mirrors floating around the crowds provided a clear view and showed that Dao Ming and Wodan were talking, and apparently Wodan had just lost all interest in the fight.

“I’m sitting,” Wodan said, yawning, “I have no interest in fighting a child.”

Dao Ming’s face twisted in insulted ire, her eyes dilating and her eyebrow twitching, “...What did you just say?”

“I said I have no interest in fighting a child,” Wodan said, going from sitting to lying down, turning his back to her and waving one large hoof dismissively, “When you find a warrior with whom I may enjoy a raucous duel with, bring them here. I’ll fight them. Not you.”

“And what was that stupid drink and vow for then!?” Dao Ming shouted.

“I thought I was sharing a drink with a fellow warrior who stood on their own hooves without requiring the acknowledgment of others. My regrettable mistake.”

“I am a warrior, and no child!” Dao Ming insisted, stomping a hoof. Wodan just laughed.

“Those sound like the words of a child. Tell me, if you are what you claim to be, then why are you holding back in an honorable duel?”

“I...” Dao Ming glanced at her side, where her scroll case was strapped to her form hugging fighting dress, “I’m not holding back.”

“That right? I may be an old moose, but I'm not that old yet. You’re not taking this seriously at all, little kirin. If it were just you forgoing using your magic I’d make no bellyache over it, if doing so was your choice to test yourself as a warrior. But to hold back to make another, especially a parent, approve of you? I’ll not dishonor myself by fighting a child who’s too afraid to step out from beneath her parent’s gaze.”

Dao Ming shook with fury, struggling to keep herself composed. The usual stillness and mental discipline that was usually so simple for her to maintain was cracking under the blows of Wodan’s words. “Afraid? I’m not afraid. I have a duty as the Imperial Heir to demonstrate my worth and honor my mother’s blood. What is wrong with that?”

“So that’s all you see yourself as? Your mother’s blood? What about your blood?”

A look of confusion crossed Dao Ming’s face, “My blood?”

Wodan turned over, rumbling to his hooves like a bear shaking off winter’s sleepy touch. “Yes, your blood. The blood you shed today, and tomorrow, and any day you draw that sword for battle! Is it you bleeding or your mother? When you make me bleed is it you striking me or your mother!? I may as well call her down here then, rather than fight her shadow, eh?”

As she stared at him in blinking shock, Wodan reared up and slammed his hooves into the ground, “I climbed into this honorable arena to fight you, Dao Ming, not the Empress of Shouma’s barely weaned child! I shared my drink with a warrior who bears her own name with pride, or so I thought. Or am I mistaken? Is there no Dao Ming, just the Imperial Heir?”

Dao Ming stared at him, seemingly taken aback by his words and struck dumb by them. As her mind worked to process what Wodan said, on the sidelines of the arena Gwendolyn crossed her arms and her beak turned up in a faint smile of approval. Quietly, to herself, the griffin said, “He’s got a point, Dao Ming.”

With a clear look of confusion over the two combatants stopping, Abbess Serene stepped back onto the stage, but Wodan waved her off.

“Give us a second, honored Abbess. I believe the real fight will start momentarily...” Wodan said, and Serene bowed her head to him after a second and backed away while looking at Dao Ming curiously.

For her part the young kirin heiress stood there, face shifting in uneasy introspecting.

Sitting next to each other Kenkuro and Nuru looked at each other, the elder zebra whispering, “Her spirit is in turmoil. Is this normal for your disciple?”

Kenkuro turned his steady gaze back to Dao Ming, his own words filled with a near fatherly concern, yet also confidence, “This is new to her, but this is what I hoped for. She needs to be challenged, to grow. To move past...” he trailed off, not so much glancing up towards where Empress Fu Ling sat, but twitching his eyes that way just enough for Nuru to notice and give a sagely nod.

“Ah, I see. You’re harder on your student than I am on mine.”

Kenkuro allowed himself a brief grin, “That’s why she’ll win.”

On the arena stage Dao Ming blinked and seemed to come out of a daze, her expression shifting from confusion to a steel still mask, her voice speaking with a sudden and keen clarity.

“I understand what you’re saying, Wodan of Elkheim. I thank you for your words... but you are mistaken on one important thing.”

Her kirin horns lit up with a halo of golden magic, her scroll case opening and unfurling a line of scrolls to float around her. Dao Ming continued to hold her sword with her front right hoof, but shifted her stance as she sheathed the sword, but kept her grip on the hilt and spread her hind legs out with the right one leading and the left one braced behind her.

“I am neither just my name nor my title. It’s true I was being foolish, holding back against you, but not because I was merely seeking my mother’s approval. It was foolish because I was forgetting my true duty, and where my loyalty belongs. I was forgetting why I should treasure my skills and take pride in my blood. Not because I am the daughter of the Empress, but because-” her eyes flashed with a spirited heat, “-I am the one who will be Empress! My duty to Shouma surpasses any petty need for parental approval, and prideful displays between warriors. I am the future ruler of my people, and I owe them every ounce of dedication and strength I have!”

She bowed to him, “I apologize for holding back. I swear to you that now you will face all the power I can muster. I hope you are prepared.”

Wodan cracked a toothy grin, popping his neck and taking a heavy step forward, “Now that’s better! Now we can have a proper duel, hahah!”

With a whispering result of parchment the scrolls flowed around Dao Ming as her voice resonated with powerful words of invocation. The ink upon the scrolls glowed with alternating colors of cold blue and fiery gold, the kanji lifting off the scrolls to float around Dao Ming like butterflies.

”Winds of the eastern heavens, carry me to victory
Fires of the western sun, bolster me against defeat
Turn my blood to flame, my body to steel
Until my heart stops beating, fight alongside me!”

What appeared to be small, flaming birds with four wings formed from the golden kanji symbols and flew into Dao Ming’s body, lighting her up with a faint golden aura. From the cold blue kanji tiny moth like spirits of air took shape and wrapped themselves around her legs until a frosty mist, like miniature clouds, encapsulated her hooves and lower limbs.

“What’s she doing, and is it legal?” Lyra asked, and next to her, Trixie shrugged.

“More kirin spirit Mantra, and as long as it's just being used to give her a boost, its within the rules.”

“Wonder why she didn’t boost herself against us?” Lyra wondered.

“She didn’t think we were worth the bother, I’d wager,” Trixie said, grimacing slightly, "Her attitude now might be quite different, if we had a do-over of the Grand Melee. Better than summoning a giant lightning spirit to blast us, I figure.”

“That’ll make her more trouble in the Contest of Magic, won’t it?” asked Lyra, sounding a tad worried, but Trixie waved it off.

“It’ll make things more [interesting,” the showmare insisted, not looking away from the arena for an instant as things heated up there and the battle resumed.

Dao Ming moved first on the rather politely waiting Wodan. The air spirits infusing her legs made motion smoother and faster, as if they were helping her glide across the uneven ground of the mountainous arena area. Her sword flew freely in her magic aura now, but only because she wanted her legs free to strike as well. In a swooping motion faster than a falcon she slide right through Wodan’s first strike, ducking his massive hoof and slicing with her sword at the same instant she lashed out with her two forelimbs, attacking both Wodan’s front legs at once.

Her sword bit deeper into his limb this time, and even her hoof strikes hit with a heavy impact, the fire spirits in her body working to empower her muscles.

Even so, Wodan was Wodan. He took the blows like a mountain weathering a tempest and with skill born of decades of experience he kept balance under Dao Ming’s blows while countering insantly with a deadly rake of his antlers. Dao Ming narrowly evaded, feeling the tips of those antlers brushing her scales as she flipped away. Rock was gouged out and sent out in a spray of stone that pelted her as she landed, but she dove right back into the fray, leaping into a flying kick that caught Wodan across the face.

The moose laughed merrily even as one tooth flew loose from the blow and he hammered her back with a lightning fast hoof strike that drove the air from Dao Ming’s lungs and sent her hurtling across the artificial cliff side, bouncing off the rock like a pinball.

Yet she recovered, bleeding from a cut scalp, bruised over her body, yet she was smiling. She was enjoying herself. She didn’t feel the weight of her mother’s gaze on her back, just the weight of her duty as future Empress, a weight she bore proudly as she fought as a champion in this honorable duel.

She flew back at Wodan, sharing in his laughter. Dao Ming became a storm of blows, sword and hooves a constant rain upon the weathered moose’s hide. He took every blow with a grin, striking back with increasingly reckless abandon with hits that never failed to shatter portions of the arena. While Dao Ming gave twenty blows for every one Wodan gave her, Wodan’s hits were like being run into by a locomotive.

Many of the watching audience began to wince with every exchange, some growing nervous at the sight of the blood both champions were shedding.

Even the Empress of Shouma was starting to gain a darkened look on her face, her hooves gripping the edge of her seat in a rare open display of emotion. Tomoko looked at the Empress with a faintly narrowed eyes, but said nothing. Meanwhile Lo Shang was all but leaping up and down in his seat.

“Get him, Dao Ming! You’ve got him! Don’t give up!”

Xhua heaved a sigh, “Will you sit down? You’re embarrassing us. Show some composure.”

He glanced at her askance, but did settle down, saying under his breath, “She’s doing well. A little cheering doesn’t hurt.”

“It’s nearly over...” Tomoko said, eyes focused once more upon the duel.

Within the Equestrian seating for the nobility and royalty, Luna watched on with a keen eye, paying little mind to the chatter among the present nobles commenting on the match. Most of them were assuming Wodan would be the victory, given his seemingly endless stamina. And in some ways they were correct. Luna had once dueled Wodan herself, back in the moose’s prime, and indeed Wodan had near limitless stamina for a mortal. His physical strength was second to practically none in the realm of mortals either. Even Luna respected it, and could still remember the uppercut he’d delivered to her in their long ago fight. She’d body slammed him through hill afterward, but she’d still had a sore jaw for the rest of that day.

Few could stand against his raw, primal strength, enhanced further with ancient cervid runecraft from the runes carved into his very body.

Yet despite all that, Luna saw the outcome of the match before it happened

For all Wodan’s strength, he tended to lose himself in the joy of the fight, and lose sight of the intentions of his opponent. Granted few opponents could do much against him, regardless of any intentions they might have, but Dao Ming wasn’t the average foe. Above any tricks of magic, skill with a blade, or acrobatic prowess, Dao Ming had a natural talent for seeing and controlling the flow of a fight.

Almost every blow Wodan threw wasn’t just aimed at Dao Ming, but aimed at whatever place Dao Ming had been standing in at that particular moment. Places not chosen at random, but intentionally occupied by Dao Ming at those moments to create her opportunity to claim victory. For despite her ability to inflict ever more injury on Wodan, none of it would make him give out before she did. Wodan was simply more sturdy and had more blood to shed. If it was left purely to a fight of attrition, Dao Ming would lose, assuredly, every time.

But Dao Ming knew that, and so had taken the momentum of the battle and made it her own, picking and choosing the places to let Wodan strike. She was hit often, but more often when she evaded, Wodan’s hooves broke apart sections of the steep mountain cliff the arena had been transmuted into. Ever wider cracks formed along the large incline of stone. Until finally...

Dao Ming saw Wodan rear up for a massive two hooved slam, and she threw everything she had into a mighty back flip that took her soaring over the blow. Wodan’s hooves smashed the floor where she’d been, cracking more stone up the cliff face from the titanic hit. Dao Ming landed high above and a now mostly cracked and broken cliff face, on an uneven outcropping of rock.

Wodan looked up at her, breathing a little hard from his exertions but still clearly enjoying himself, “What’s the matter? Had enough yet, friend Dao Ming?”

Dao Ming wore a small smile of her own, blood coating her face, its beauty now marred with several bruises that she didn’t seem to mind at all. “It was an excellent match, Wodan of Elkheim. You have given me a great gift today, and it is a favor I will not soon forget. I thank you. Now, I hope you do not feel any ill will towards me, but now I must end this so I can conserve my remaining strength for the matches ahead.”

Wodan tilted his massive head quizzically, but Dao Ming answered his look not with words but by striking with her sword. The finely sharpened blade cut through weakened portions of rock at several key points before it flew back to sheath itself at Dao Ming’s side.

A second later there was a tremendous rumble through the artificial cliff as the already weak rock, pounded to near its breaking point by Wodan’s many strikes, and now pushed beyond that point by Dao Ming’s sword, broke apart and became a huge rock slide.

More than a few champions seated around the arena backed away quickly, just in case. Wodan for his part just saw the wall of rocks flying towards him, and broke out into a peal of heavy laughter as he was swept off his hooves and sent tumbling down the cliff along with the avalanche of rocks.

When the rocks settled the dust rose in a thick cloud, and after a moment of silence Wodan, battered but very much alive, pushed himself out of the pile.

“Hahahah! Clever! Very clever! I should have been paying more attention to where my hooves were hitting,” Wodan chuckled at himself as he dusted himself off and looked around. The rockslide had taken him right out of the arena. “Abbess, I think this counts as a ring out, no?”

Coughing a bit under the still spreading cloud of rock dust, Abbess Serene looked at the spectacle before her. Wodan was bruised and bloody, standing atop of the rock pile outside the arena, while Dao Ming had gracefully leaped above the avalanche and stood at the artificial cliff’s apex, equally wounded as her opponent but still very much standing and inside the ring.

With a polite cough to clear some dust form her throat the Abbess somewhat awkwardly clambered onto the now mostly broken stage and raised her hoof, “First round, final match winner; Dao Ming!”

A few moments of stunned silence at the spectacle below them was soon shattered by a storm of shouts and cheers cascading in from the colosseum stands. Amid the hoof stomping and whooping, not many noticed the way Shouma’s Empress let out a long held breath, seeming to sink into her seat in relief.

Lo Shang was tossing aside his composure and cheering louder than any of the nearby spectators, while Xhua was stomping her hoof politely in applause while giving him a sideways glance of annoyance. Meanwhile Tomoko simply wore a knowing, pleased smile as Dao Ming left the arena and approached Wodan.

“A well fought match,” Dao Ming said, bowing deeply to the moose, “Again, you have my thanks.”

Wodan threw back his head with a hefty laugh and then bowed his head in turn, “Bah, no need for thanks, that was as bracing a fight as I could’ve wanted! I’m not even angry at being taken out of the running in the first round, because I doubt many others here could’ve given me half the challenge you just did! Hahah!”

“I my politely disagree,” Dao Ming said, her breaths labored as she put a hoof to her chest, “I’m afraid my skills pale in comparison to master Kenkuro, and there are many other champions here with exceptional abilities. In truth, I only won on the technicality of a ring out achieved as a desperate ploy. Had our battle been a real one, you would have emerged the victor.”

“Gah, you’re worse than Sigurd! Enjoy your victory, friend Dao Ming, and think not on could haves or what fors! I insist that when the Contest is done you join me for a drinks and song, so that we might craft a fine verse to add to your own ballad!”

Dao Ming smiled slightly, “We do not have ballads in Shouma, but perhaps I might let you teach me the basics...” she stumbled a bit as the exhaustion of the match caught up with her, and found the swift, warm hoof of the moose propping her up, shockingly gentle for one so large and capable of such devastating strength.

“Easy there. Perhaps you did strain yourself more than I imagined. Yes! Drinks now. Abbess, there will be a break between rounds?”

Abbess Serene gave Wodan a nod, “I was just about to announce such, in fact.” Clearing her throat, the Abbess spoke louder, her voice carried by amplifying magic to the crowds, “With the first round concluded there shall be an hour break for our noble champions to recover their stamina, have wounds treated, and... heh, for us humble monks to reconstruct our poor arena.”

There was a wave of laughter from the crowds, almost as much as there were sighs of relief, for many needed refreshment after the long number of first round matches. Now with the number of champions in the Contest of Strength reduced by half, the next round would likely go much faster. Many of the champions present were eager for a rest, and as Dao Ming and Wodan parted ways, a number of monks arrived to begin treating injured or offering food and drink to the gathered champions.

“You can of course go to one of the waiting rooms if you wish, or anywhere else you like, just as long as you return before the next hour passes,” one of the pony monks told Raindrops, Cheerilee, and Ditzy Doo.

“Sweet,” said Raindrops, stretching her wings, “Will the next match ups be announced before then?”

“The next round matches will be presented right before they begin, just to ensure its a fair surprise,” said the monk, bowing his head, “Until then, please prepare however you feel is best.”

“Well I for one could go for something to eat,” said Cheerilee, stretching, “Never fight on an empty stomach. You girls want to grab some lunch?”

Ditzy Doo shook her head, “I’m fine. I think I’ll go find Dinky and spend a bit more time with her. She still seemed a bit shaken from this morning.”

“No worries, we’ll catch you when the next rounds start,” Cheerilee said, then glanced to Raindrops, “How about you? Going to make me go get food all on my lonesome?”

“ ‘Fraid so,” Raindrops said with a small smile, “Ate plenty this morning. Think I’ll just sit here and clear my head.”

After a quick shrug Cheerilee said, “Good luck with it then. See you girls soon.”

After Ditzy and Cheerilee had left Raindrops took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With a few deep, rhythmic breaths she let the noise of the crowds, the gossiping champions discussing the matches of the first round, the churning of rock as the monks got to work restoring the arena, she let it all drop away.

It was nothing more than a simple meditation exercise, and she couldn’t quite do it properly with her mind’s nagging desire to wander to thoughts of the next match. It wasn’t much of a surprise to her either when she sensed Tendaji’s approach, the zebra’s too quiet hoof falls stopping just short of her.

“Something I can do for you?” Raindrops asked without opening her eyes.

“Be prepared. Our paths reach their critical juncture.”

“You ever going to stop being weird and cryptic?”

She could almost hear the twinge of a smile in his voice, “A zebra must maintain his mystique, otherwise he insults his entire tribe. But to be less cryptic, I’ve peered upon our paths, in the manner you now know zebra can do. The cords between us shine at their brightest, all but blinding me. Our match will likely be in the next round.”

“Zebras do prophecies now?” Raindrops said, frowning slightly. Corona’s lackey, Zecora, liked to go on about that stuff too. Maybe it really was a zebra thing?

“I wouldn’t call them that, but we see the world, and we interpret meaning. Take it as you will, but I’m almost certain our match will be next. I just wished to tell you that so you were prepared.”

“Color me informed,” Raindrops said, less bothered and more simply eager to have this matter done with. To her the Contest was more than just her weird rivalry with Tenadji. She understood, better now than before at least, why he was so interested in fighting her. But ultimately that didn’t factor into her own desires here. She’d come along at first because it was her duty both as a Element Bearer and as a friend to Trixie and the others. Now she wanted to prove to herself what she could do while keeping her anger from holding her back or controlling her. Beating Tendaji would be a good benchmark for that.

Assuming she could.

“If we end up facing each other, I’ll be going all out,” she said.

“I wouldn’t want anything less,” he replied, and she heard his hoofsteps slowly move away, leaving her to mediate once more.

When Tendaji returned to where he’d been sitting among the now mostly vacant stone benches for the participating champions, he saw his wife waiting for him. Aisha sat in nearly the same pose he’d first seen her in, sitting on her haunches with her fore hooves playfully crossed, her head tilted to match the coy and measuring look in her eyes. Back then she’d even worn the musing smile she did now, which made her eyes shine with hidden amusement.

“A mare could get jealous,” she said, “Are you ready for this?”

“I’ve followed my Path to this place. I can face what awaits me here. I’m not stranger to a fight,” he said, settling next to her, he leaning into her, and she to him.

“That’s not what I mean and you know it. Are you ready for what comes after?”

“...I don’t know.”

Aisha let out a tiny laugh, head leaning into his shoulder as she nuzzled him, “Still the unsure colt I met back at my father’s mountain. I love you, but you could stand to put a bit more trust into what’s in front of you instead of all the ways your Path might wind into the future. Even father can’t see all things. I sometimes wonder if he sees a fraction of them.”

Tendaji came up with a small chuckle of his own, “He has often convinced me he sees more than I. I... want to go home with you Aisha-”

“But you won’t, because of the disease.”

He was silent for a time, then his head hung down slightly, “I’m no good to you as I am.”

“Hmph, is that for you to decide?” She snorted into his shoulder, one of her hooves nudging his ribs, “Perhaps this time I simply won’t return, and follow you on whatever foolish Path you choose next.”

He glanced at her, “I don’t-”

“Know,” she finished for him, “Of course not. I’ll tell you this much, whatever comes after this silly Contest, it is going to involve the two of us together, one way or another, Tendaji of the Peacewalker Tribe. I’ll not have it any other way. So have your match with your angry pegasus, and take form it what lessons you can. I will be waiting for you afterward.”

To this Tendaji said nothing. He only leaned into her more, and let his hoof find hers as they shared the silent moment together.

Sigurd couldn’t quite contain a measured huff of incredulous laughter as he watched Andrea tend to Wodan’s wounds while nearby the Shouma Heiress watched on.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you humbled, Wodan,” Sigurd said, and Wodan rolled his shoulders in a huffing laugh that sounded more like a billows.

“And may you find foes in your matches half as worthy! Why, the very island itself trembled at the might of our clash, would you not say, friend Dao Ming?”

Dao Ming coughed politely, face schooled to a cultured neutrality, “It was a very educational match.”

“Hah! Educational! The skalds could not have said it better, right Andrea?”

She paused in stitching up a cut upon one of his legs and eyed the moose with a friendly but dry smile, “I’ll see what turns of phrase I can manage when the time comes to add this particular passage to the sagas and ballads to be sung of the Contest. It certainly seems you both enjoyed yourselves. Perhaps the most fun I’ve seen you have losing, Wodan.”

“Bah, losing is just deferring a victory to another day! Now that Dao Ming has shown me her true worth I look forward to testing it again when we meet again! And we shall, friend Dao Ming, don’t you doubt it! I demand you come visit Elkheim one fine day and let me show you our soaring mountains and mighty forests, not to mention the truest brewed mead you’ll ever taste!”

“An invitation I extend as well,” said Prince Frederick as he entered the room, Carrot Top trotting alongside him as they both came in. The group was inside one of the many rest chambers built into the colosseum's ground floor, spacious enough for many creatures of various sizes to rest comfortably on a variety of furniture, all well lit from wall sconces. Frederick had come down from the spectator stands with Carrot Top, eager to chat after the first round of matches.

Frederick exchanged a formal bow with Dao Ming, the kirin returning the elk’s gesture with one of her own as she smiled, not just in courtesy but with a bit of extra warmth that hadn’t been part of her demeanor before her fight with Wodan.

“I’d like that, Prince Frederick. I think that I may have much I can learn from seeing the realms of Shouma’s distant neighbors. I-”

She went quiet as she looked behind the Elkheim Prince to see her mother step into the room, her siblings in tow. The Empress cast a cool glance around the room before resting her golden eyes upon Dao Ming. The rest of the room had gone silent, at least for a moment, before Wodan grinned and bellowed.

“Many thanks, Empress, for birthing such a fine warrior as to fell the mighty Wodan in honorable battle! Your pride must shine brighter than the dawn!”

The Empress’ eyes flicked towards him with the glassy sheen of barely contained distaste, and she gave a small flick of her tail as if Wodan’s words were like flies she was trying to shoo away. Her gaze turned towards Dao Ming, and the heiress stiffened but met her mother’s eyes evenly.

“You performed adequately,” was all the Empress said, and turned to leave.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Dao Mings words cut across the room like a knife, silencing any idle conversation and leaving the others in the room awkwardly quiet. Empress Fu Ling paused in leaving the room, her back remaining to Dao Ming like a jade statue, while Dao Ming was as animate as a flickering flame even while standing still.

“What more needs to be said?” Fu Ling said, each word enunciated with a tightened control that made them come out with stony weight, “If you are the Heir to the Emerald Throne then to perform your duty adequately is the only honor you should need.”

There was a polite throat clearing as Tomoko said, “While this is indeed true, Empress, surely Dao Ming has performed a great feat in besting one of Elkhiem’s greatest warriors in the opening round.”

Lo Shang tapped his hoof against the ground with a firm nod, “Exactly! Dao Ming has earned back her honor from what...” he paused, giving Dao Ming an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, sister, I should not speak of your honor out of turn.”

A tired smiled played across Dao Ming’s emerald lips as she gave Lo Shang and Tomoko both a small bow, “There is no need to defend me, my siblings. I appreciate it and you do me honor, but mother... the Empress is correct that to do my duty is the reward I should seek, not praise. And I have still a stain of dishonor for my actions in the Grand Melee to gain back, and have not yet done so.”

A belly snort erupted from Wodan, “I think the interest incurred on Shouman honor is a bit high, friend Dao Ming! How many Wodans must you defeat to make up for one lapse in control?”

Dao Ming shrugged, “Only the spirits know, but I intend to win this Contest, so perhaps by then I shall have balanced the scales.”

Having seemingly regained control of herself, Dao Ming bowed to the Empress, “My apologies for speaking out of turn. Your praise is appreciated, Empress, and I only ask you continue to watch until the end of the Contest. I will not disappoint you.”

There was a hesitant pause from Fu Ling, the Empress of Shouma only turning her head slightly to regard Dao Ming with one eye. The steel only softened somewhat, there, her voice only one octave above a whisper. “I know you won’t.”

She left, a jade phantom of silken motion. Tomoko and Lo Shang paused, glancing at each other, and Frederick cleared his throat.

“Well, all that be as it may, I feel I ought to congratulate you as well, Lady Dao Ming. I never thought I’d see someone who could give Wodan such a run!”

Carrot Top let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck, “After seeing you two in action I’m thinking I made the right call sitting this part of the Contest out. You two okay? You both took some serious hits out there, and I bought a few healing salves if either of you need it.”

Wodan let out a rumbling chuckle, patting his wounds almost affectionately, “Nay, my good pony, the mighty Wodan shall bear his wounds and inevitable scars with pride! They shall be treasured reminders of this fine battle!”

A small, wry smirk touched Sigurd as he glanced sidelong at the moose, “What he really means is that he doesn’t like salves. They sting.”

“What!? Nonsense! The indomitable Wodan is not afraid of a few medicinal ointments!” Wodan declared, then gave Carrot Top a worried frown, “They don’t sting, do they?”

“Not much,” Carrot Top said, “But a little bit.”

Wodan coughed, “Scars build character. I’ll pass, but many thanks for the thought.”

A tingling sound filled the air, which turned out to be Dao Ming’s laughter, “Cervid-kind is quite... interesting. At any rate, I would appreciate the aid, Dame Carrot Top. The monks of the Order offered some healing, but it only seems to have gone so far.”

“Your help is much appreciated, Dame,” Tomoko said, bowing her head, then turned to Dao Ming, “Sister, I know mother doesn’t show it well, but she is proud of you.”

As Carrot Top got to applying ointment of a faintly pungent scent from one of the clay jars from her bandoleer of alchemical supplies to Dao Ming’s wounds, the kirin heiress regarded Tomoko with a saddened mask that was soon schooled to placid stillness, “It matters not.”

“It matters a great deal!” Tomoko said, in a tone much louder than had been heard from her by any in the room, “You deserve...” she seemed to realize she raised her voice, and her red coat bushed redder as she coughed politely and visibly calmed herself, “You’ve done more than enough to warrant her acknowledgment, Dao Ming. It shames me that you don’t get your due.”

Lo Shang was frowning, the big dark kirin clearly uneasy as he shifted on his hooves, “I have to admit I feel the same way. And while Xhua might not show it much, but I think she’s also bothered by this.”

“Be that as it may,” said Dao Ming, “There’s no honor in complaining. My worth shall be determined by what I do, not what others say of me.”

“Well said,” Frederick complemented with a smile, sitting next to Carrot Top as she finished work on Dao Ming’s wounds, “Can’t let expectations of position shove you in a box.”

“Although sometimes having some self-awareness of one’s position has merit, my Prince,” said Sigurd, giving Frederick a meaningful look, glancing between him and Carrot Top, “We all have our place, and that place carries inherent duties and restrictions. Dao Ming seems most aware of this. Perhaps it is an example to learn from?”

Frederick let out a polite cough and looked away from Sigurd, and seemed to unconsciously take an almost protective step closer to Carrot Top, “I’m aware of my duties, Sigurd... but Elkheim is far away.”

“Elkheim goes wherever cervid-kind walks,” Sigurd replied frostily, but he looked at the ground with a sigh, “But now is not the time for suck talk.”

With a quiet rustle of her silken battle dress, Dao Ming turned to her siblings and bowed to them, “Indeed, now is no time for heavy talk. If this Contest is to be a place were all creatures of all nations come together then let us set aside our qualms and quarrels. I’ve caused enough disturbance and have no desire to be the source of more.”

She looked at Carrot Top, inclining her head of golden mane in a deep nod of gratitude, “You have my thanks for helping tend my injuries, Dame Carrot Top. Please convey my well wishes to your compatriot knights, and especially to Dames Cheerilee, Raindrops, and Ditzy Doo, tell them that if we face each other in the Contest of Strength that I will be honored to test my skill against theirs.”

With a somewhat embarrassed and awkward smile Carrot Top also bowed her head in an attempt to mirror Dao Ming’s gesture, “I’ll let them know, your, uh, Heiressness.”

Tomoko didn’t quite hide a small smile of her own as she said, “We shall return to the stands then, Dao Ming, and be ready to witness your efforts with anticipation and pride. Even if the Empress does not cheer, know that I and Lo Shang shall do so enough to make up the difference.”

Lo Shang stamped a hoof, “Quite so.”

“I appreciate it...” Dao Ming said, holding herself with quiet dignity even if there was a faint shadow still on her face, but she cast it aside for a fresh look of resolve that lit up her features, “I certainly won’t disgrace myself any further, neither her or in the Contests to come.” A slight smirk touched her lips, “After all, I still need to defeat Dame Trixie in the Contest of Magic. I’d hate to embarrass myself before I have that opportunity.”

----------

Hovering above the coliseum on a slowly gliding circuit was Celestia’s ark, from which the alicorn watched the proceedings of the Contest with the stillness of masonry, but the intensity of a guided beam of sunfire. Her face mirrored her thoughts of controlled irritation and reigned in fury.

She wanted to find those responsible for the abducting of her loyal servant, and the fact that she couldn’t simply tear the island apart in search of Zecora was rankling beyond measure! She knew she had all the power she needed to tear this island up by the bedrock and shine light upon its every little dark crevice until she found Zecora, but she could not do this. Her sister would pitch a holy fit, and every single world leader present would side with Luna against her if she took such drastic action. How insufferably limiting.

Yet for a rare instant Celestia imagined it didn’t hurt to let Luna do this her way, for now. There were too many innocents on this island, too many ponies and other creatures, for Celestia to unleash her wrath and scour the island to its core in search of her missing servant. That thought more than anything else cooled the otherwise forge of rage that was Celestia’s present temper. Luna could play detective with her knights and Shadowbolts. Once the culprits were exposed to the light...

Celestia wore a frank and razor sharp smile.

“My Queen, we’ve finished our search.”

She’d felt her other servants returning to the ark well before Kindle spoke. Terrorwing and he had flown to the deck, the monstrously large griffin carrying the diminutive Smoke in his talons. Now the three waited behind her as Kindle stepped forward to make his report. She didn’t have to look back at him to sense the unease in his tone, the slight nervous shuffle in the way he flexed his wings. They hadn’t found any solid clues yet, she surmised, but kept the rise of her anger in check. Kindle was loyal, and usually competent.

“Tell me what you have found,” she commanded.

After briefly clearing his throat, Kindle spoke in a swift, professional manner, with a just a hint of his usual embellishment and dramatic flare.

“Upon searching the Abbess Serene’s quarters we could find nothing that linked her directly to Zecora’s abduction, however after a thorough sweep of her affects we did discover an interesting book of accounts. A detailed and very up to date set of reports on a wide number of individuals. This isn’t in itself unusual, as the Order of Legends keeps accounts on many creatures of note for the purpose of cataloging heroics and impressive feats that might make one worthy of being dubbed a ‘champion’. That said, I thought it most interesting that the reports near the top of this pile of accounts were of two groups of individuals.”

A dramatic pause. Not long enough to truly irk Celestia, but enough for Kindle to get in his theatrics. She really should have recruited somepony from outside a theater background, but beggar queens couldn’t be chooser queens.

After an appropriate moment of pause, just long enough to be on the edge of irritating, Kindle continued with dramatic weight in his words, “Specifically the reports at the top of the pile were of those belonging to the so-called ‘Element Bearers’, and those concerning my Queen’s own servants such as myself, Terrorwing, Smoke... and of course Zecora.”

“In what manner is this of relevance?” inquired Celestia. Not that she didn’t have an idea or two of her own, but she preferred Kindle share his own conclusions. No point in having a Voice to speak for her if he couldn’t think straight on his own.

If he was nervous about being put on the spot by one of the most powerful entities in the world Kindle at least had the moxy not to show it, sweeping his wing out in a theatrical pose, “It may not be the proof of a bloody knife, but I found it of particular note that the Abbess was recently reading up on both us and our adversaries. If she was involved in some plot of unknown but nefarious purpose, then both we and the Element Bearers would undoubtedly be the largest threats to those plans. Even if other champions from the other realms boast warriors of greater experience or one on one prowess compared to those mares, none of them wield the Elements of Harmony. As of us, since Zecora went missing her abductors must know we’re searching for her. If I were the zebranapper I’d be reading up on her comrades too.”

“An interesting thought, but mere conjecture,” Celestia said, but she hid the fact that she agreed with his assessment. She didn’t trust the Abbess, who had been appointed to the Order of Legends by Luna. Her sister had never been a particularly good judge of character. This was why she’d sent Kindle to ransack the Abbess’ quarters in the first place. If anypony knew this island well enough to hide Zecora from Celestia’s gaze, it would be the Abbess Serene.

Yet Luna wouldn’t allow any kind of direct action without “proof”, as if one needed proof to punish the obviously guilty! Celestia bit back her rising ire, mostly to keep from igniting her own servants by accident. She remained infuriated by Zecora’s abduction. Perhaps in quieter times Celestia might have reflected that the loss of the zebra pained her on more than just a superficial level, but for the moment her anger simply fumed, with no easy target to unleash it upon. At least not a justifiable target. Suspicion and mistrust hardly equated to a guilty party, even if by Celestia’s reckoning the Abbess and her whole order were potential suspects.

Oh well, no point lamenting the unchangeable.

“Since the Abbess’ quarters offer no further clues, I want you three to begin scouring the monastery's lower levels. I know there is more down there than empty corridors and storerooms. If Zecora is being held anywhere, one of the monastery’s many hidden chambers is a likely spot.”

Kindle bowed low with a dramatic sweep of his wings, “It shall be as you command, my Queen.”

Once the allotted hour had passed the participating champions gathered at the foot of the arena once more, sans those who had already been defeated who now watched from the stands. The air was filled with the steady, murmuring buzz of the eager crowds who watched to see how the next round of matches would turn out.

The stage itself had been rebuilt from the near totally ruined state it had been in from Wodan and Dao Ming’s match, the swift and efficient runecraft of the cervid monks reshaping the stone as needed to make it a smooth and flat arena once more. As before Abbess Serene stood upon the stage with a quiet and reverent bearing as she presented the next set of matches, which were displayed once more in large, easy to ready illusionary script for all to see.

Cheerilee frowned slightly, “Dang, still not matched up with Steel Cage. Looks like I’m up against that Cavallian fellow, Silverwreath.”

With a nervous gulp and flutter of her wings Ditzy said, “I...I’m fighting Grimwald.”

Both Cheerilee and Raindrops checked the match ups again, and saw that it was true; Ditzy Doo’s name was matched with Grimwald’s for the final bout of the second round. Raindrops turned to her fellow pegasus and gave Ditzy’s shoulder a reassuring tap with a wing.

“Don’t let that creepy jerk intimidate you. You can beat him.”

“I don’t really care about beating him,” admitted Ditzy, glancing sidelong in the direction of the griffins, among which Grimwald could be seen eyeing her right back. The dark feathered fellow gave Ditzy a smile and a wink, waggling one of his talon’s in a friendly wave. To this, Ditzy gulped again, saying to Raindrops, “I just wish I understood him.”

“Speaking of reaching an understanding, check it out Raindrops, guess who’s up first?” said Cheerilee, nudging Raindrops with an elbow and pointing. Raindrops let out a small sigh and nodded.

“I saw. Looks like me and Tendaji are settling this sooner than I figured.”

The very first names for the starting match of the second round were none other than Raindrops and Tendaji. Which meant whether she was ready or not, it was time to face the zebra warrior head on. She took a deep breath and stood, stretching her legs and wings as she sought to calm her mind in the way her studies in Iron Hoof had taught her. Even as she stilled her mind, she could feel the rising, hot anger inside her chest. She still hadn’t really forgiven Tendaji for his part in events in Oaton, and she was further frustrated by the zebra’s pushy nature, pursuing a fight with her for his own personal reasons that she didn’t really want anything to do with.

“You good for this, Raindrops?” asked Cheerilee, eyes not hiding the waver of concern in them.

“I don’t know about ‘good’, but I’ve got to do it regardless, so no point in worrying about it. One way or another this’ll be over quick,” Raindrops replied with simple, quiet determination.

Before long Abbess Serene began to speak with her magically amplified voice, sweeping a pale hoof around to take in the crowd and gathered champions, “Honored guests and champions from across the world, let the second round of the Contest of Strength commence! Fight with courage, honor, and a champion’s heart! For the first match we call forth Dame Raindrops of Equestria, and Tendaji of the Peacewalker zebra tribe!”

“Go get him, Raindrops!” Cheerilee said.

“G-good luck,” said Ditzy, both mares waving as Raindrops took the air and flew up to land in the center of the stage on one side of the Abbess.

Tendaji quietly rose from his own seat and strode to the stage, leaping up onto the arena floor with a fluid motion. He wasn’t wearing his usual vest, which Raindrops found somewhat surprising as that meant he wasn’t carrying any of those jars of alchemic concoctions that he’d used back in Oaton. They were probably against the rules of the Contest, she imagined. Either way, Tendaji joined her by Abbess Serene and stood facing Raindrops with a calm, focused expression.

The Abbess looked between them, then turned to the cervid monks waiting by the arena’s edge, “Let us give these champions a stage worthy of their skills!”

With solemn nods the robed monks went to work, and the stage shuddered as it’s stonework changed shape. Multiple hexagon shaped pillars rose up to varying heights, some no more than five feet high while others reached as tall as twenty feet. There were some pillars that were densely packed together, forming clusters of varying heights that could be used like steps, while in other spots there were clearings with plenty of space to fight in. Raindrops could already see in part the purpose of this set up. Being a pegasus she had an advantage in her ability to fly, and while the rules gave strict height limits on how high she could fly, it was still something she could have used to her advantage in a flat arena. Now Tendaji had plenty of spots he could climb to match her height if she took to the air.

Fine by her, she hadn’t planned to avoid him anyway, and she could use these pillars to her advantage too.

Abbess Serene turned back to them, face a placid, kind and smiling visage. “Are you both prepared?”

Both Raindrops and Tenadji nodded silently, never taking their eyes off each other. The Abbess smiled deeper, letting out a soft, amused laugh as she took several steps back from them and raised her hoof, “Then let the first match of the second round... begin!”

Silence. Neither of the two moved, standing like statues of flesh. Seconds fell away in slow, sand-like moments as Raindrops and Tendaji locked eyes, both stiller than the air around them.

Just when the disquiet murmurs of an impatient crowd began to trickle out a stiff breeze billowed across the arena, carrying with it stray blades of grass picked up from the fields outside the colosseum. As if the wind was some unknown signal, both pegasus and zebra exploded into motion, each moving with startling speed.

Raindrops went high, cartwheeling with her wings giving her extra momentum to her spin as she brought one hind leg down in a powerful axe kick. Tendaji snapped in low, stepping into a straight hoof jab like a spear aimed for Raindrops’ abdomen. Both had to react almost instantly to each other’s attack, but the reaction was wholly different on each one’s part. Raindrops drove her kick harder, throwing her whole body into the blow, while Tendaji fluidly turned his forward step into a side-step, twisting his strike while evading the kick.

The result was that Raindrops’ hind hoof struck the ground Tendaji had been standing on, cracking stone with the blow. Tendaji’s hoof caught Raindrops’ on the side, but failed to connect with her soft stomach and instead bounce off ribs, bruising but not doing any telling damage.

With no hesitation Raindrops kept her momentum going, continuing to spin as she planted her forehooves on the ground and spun herself into a sweeping side kick that was meant to take Tendaji’s legs out from under him. He leaped over the strike, flipping in the air and landing on one of the nearby, ten foot tall pillars only to instantly spring off it and launch himself towards Raindrops with his hooves stretched out to spear into her.

With a stiff, heavy beat of her wings she flew straight up, evading his blow. Tendaji didn’t miss a beat, using his forelegs to balance himself and then pushed off with them to send himself flying up to meet Raindrops with a kick from one of his hind legs. She saw it coming, turning her body away at the last second while using her fore hooves to catch Tendaji’s leg. Before he could react she spun around, spinning him with her, and catapulted him back towards the ground.

Tendaji tucked himself into a ball and rolled, expertly bouncing off the ground and landing on his hooves, unscathed from the throw. Raindrops didn’t give him a moment to breathe, descending like a hawk. First was a punishing haymaker, followed up by a bone crunching uppercut, capped off by a devastating roundhouse kick. The combination of attacks would’ve dropped almost any normal person in an unconscious heap.

Unfortunately not one strike touched Tendaji.

Like a river bending through the glades Tendaji bobbed and wove around Raindrops’ attacks, each time bending or shifting aside just enough to let her hoof pass within an inch of him without so much as clipping a strand of mane. After her roundhouse kick Raindrops was left with her side open, and Tendaji stepped right into the opening, planting his hind hooves on the floor and striking out with both forehooves.

Raindrops was knocked back, the breath taken out of her, but with a teeth grinding grimace of resolve she righted herself before she fell and her wings swooped down, sending her flying up and around one of the clusters of pillars. Tendaji pursued, deftly leaping from pillar to pillar, going from shortest to highest as he chased after Raindrops just as she herself banked around the side of the pillars out of his view.

As he came around the pillar, he saw a jasmine bolt of speed doubling back in his face. Raindrops had turned around the instant she’d been out of his sight and launched into a flying kick, accurately predicting when and where Tendaji could come around the pillar. She nearly had him, but unbelievably swift reflexes sent Tendaji into a backwards, almost limbo-like, duck that let him slid under Raindrops’ kick, and he countered with a stiff upward jab at her back as she flew by.

The strike landed, and clearly hit something sensitive because one of Raindrops’ wings suddenly went limp and she tumbled out of the air, much to the gasps of the watching crowds. Raindrops sucked in a breath, reacting fact to bounce her hooves off of the passing pillar and send her downward spiral into a more controlled tumble. She landed with a careful roll, coming out of it on her hooves, but unsteady, with her right wing still limp at her side. She didn’t feel much pain other than a slight sting where Tendaji had hit her, otherwise her wing was just numb. A pressure point. She was vaguely familiar with them. They weren’t really a part of Iron Hoof. Raindrops just knew enough to recognize what Tendaji had done and that for the moment her wing was going to be useless.

Up in the stands Trixie nearly jumped out of her seat, eyes fierce and one hoof clutching a bag of popcorn most tightly as she shouted, “Hey! What did that monochromatic meathead do to her? Foul ball, or something, right?”

“Preeeety sure he’s legally allowed to disable limbs, Trixie,” Lyra said, her eyes peering with golden intensity at the unfolding match, “There’s plenty of tales about old, mystic martial arts types being able to paralyze body parts with a touch.”

Trixie puffed up like an irate peacock but folded her fore limbs over her chest and sat back down, “Raindrops is going to be fine.”

“Uh, I didn’t say she wasn’t,” said Lyra with a quirked eyebrow and Trixie’s cast a half nervous glance at her, then quickly focused back on the arena, her own voice muttering.

“I know that. That’s why I said it. Because I know that and I’m not worried. You didn’t hear anything.”

“I’m... not sure what I heard even if I did,” Lyra said with bemused eyes, turning her own attention back to the match.

Tendaji hadn’t immediately followed up in pressing the attack upon Raindrops, instead slowly hopping down the pillars one at a time as she stood watching him, wing limp, waiting. At the second to last pillar, a solid eight feet off the ground, Tendaji stood and looked down at Raindrops with the phantom trace of a frown on his features.

“You’re still not at the level you were at when we fought in Oaton.”

Raindrops snorted, “So sorry to disappoint you. Now get down here and let’s finish this.”

“We will finish it,” Tendaji agreed with a nod, his eyes hardening, “When I have brought you to the point I need you at.”

“Well too bad, I can’t time travel and make this fight exactly like the one in Oaton!” Raindrops snapped, “Just be glad I’m indulging you at all right now, and get your flank down here so I can kick it six ways from Sunday!”

Tendaji looked at her for a second, then seemed to come a decision as he jumped down, landing a few paces from her. Raindrops tensed as he stood there, eyeing her critically, his voice turning disturbingly flat, “You were angry in Oaton, but so purely focused. You have the focus right now, but not the anger.”

“Oh, I’m plenty pissed at you.”

“Yes, but you’re holding it back. In Oaton you let it out,” he paused, and Raindrops saw his muscles tensing to move, “What will it take to make you let it out?”

Not waiting for a response to his query Tendaji moved like a piece of the wind itself, rushing Raindrops with a furious series of flashing strikes. She was immediately put on the defensive, unable to even think about counterattacking as she ducked and rolled or quickly put up haphazard blocks to keep Tendaji’s stinging hooves at bay. She was quickly driven back in a curving, winding path across the arena, fending off Tendaji’s blurring hooves for the most part but taking several painful jabs and kicks to her legs and midsection in the process.

With one wing out of commission she couldn’t take to the air to evade, but she could use her remaining wing as both shield and an additional limb to attack with, and it was with that wing she managed to force Tendaji to back off with a powerful lower sweep that would’ve taken his legs out from under him if he didn’t break off his own assault and back off a few paces. Raindrops was left breathing heavily, sweat now pouring down her face, along with a trickle of blood from a cut lip.

Tendaji was at least breathing a little hard as well, though he remained largely untouched in the match so far. Were this normal martial arts tournament rules he’d already have made scoring match points. As it was, this was a fight to the finish, and Raindrops was far from done.

“You’re honesty is part of the problem,” Tendaji said simply, “You don’t view your anger as a part of yourself, so you don’t let it take hold. You view your angered self as some sort of... aberration. Not the ‘real’ you. So you bury it.”

“Gee, doc, should I sit on a couch and tell you about my foalhood as well?” Raindrops said with rolling eyes, but Tendaji was not thrown by her mocking tone, and continued with his own calm tone.

“Originally I thought you were afraid of your anger. Afraid of not having control. But that’s not the truth, is it? You’re not afraid of the anger...” his eyes narrowed, “You’re ashamed of it.”

A tightness entered Raindrops’ jaw, her voice tightening to a lower growl, “Shut up and fight. I don’t need the pseudo-psychology.”

She came to him this time, head low, one functioning wing tucked close to reduce wind drag, and charged. It wasn’t an elegant maneuver, but it was a powerful one, with a great deal of momentum behind it. She also knew how he’d likely react, and predicted it when Tendaji stepped in and ducked low to hook her right foreleg in preparation for a body throw. Raindrops countered by rolling into the throw willingly, controlling her momentum so that she landed on her hind legs on Tendaji’s opposite side, her own foreleg already wrapped around his, and ended up pulling him into a shoulder throw that managed to plant him straight into the floor with a meaty smack.

The look of surprise on his face was exceedingly satisfying to see, but Raindrops didn’t have time to savor it. Though her throw reversal had caught him off guard, knocked the wind out of him, and likely gave him quite the bruise, Tendaji reacted with shocking speed. A hind leg drove itself up like a planted sycamore tree straight into Raindrops’ stomach and hurled her back to skid across the arena floor like a hockey puck. Tendaji flipped to his hooves and came after her in a silken ripple of speed, leaping into a diving kick that Raindrops barely managed to roll out of the way from.

He didn’t let up, pursuing her with dogged determination, hooves a white and black swarm of stinging strikes. Tired of just trying to evade, Raindrops weathered the blows as she waded back into him, striking hard with her own hooves and wing. Even within just a few seconds she could tell she was getting the worst of the exchange, but she didn’t back down, taking small moments of satisfaction from any glancing blow she managed.

A note of frustration hit Tenadji’s voice, “Why won’t you face it? How long will you let your shame blind you from seeing yourself?”

“I don’t feel ashamed of myself!” she shouted back, “I just don’t want everypony to look at me and only see the mare with anger issues! And you know who doesn’t see me that way? My friends!”

She managed to catch a hit that was a bit more than glancing on his ribs, rocking Tendaji backwards, but he lashed out with his own backhooved blow that struck her jaw and nearly sent her sprawling. Both of them were left panting for breath, sweat soaked as they faced each other. Tendaji’s eyes still bored into her with knowing intensity.

“Your friends, yes. They accept you. Its a wonderful thing. It gave you strength in Oaton, fighting for their sake, because they see you as you wish to be seen,” he took a deep breath, steadying himself, “But that’s now how you see yourself, Raindrops. You still see yourself as the ‘mare with anger issues’, and no matter how much you deny it, you’re still ashamed of who you think you are.”

Her jaw clenched, heat welling up in a roaring mass that she shoved down coldly as she bit out the words, “Shut. Up.”

“Stop fighting it,” he said, “Stop being ashamed of it. The anger is you.”

“I said shut your mouth! That isn’t who I am!”

“But it is, and that’s the source of your dissonance. You just won’t accept that the anger is just, and right, and irrefutably you. As long as you keep denying yourself, you’ll never-”

She cut him off with a roar and a leaping kick that was fast and powerful enough to nearly create a gust of wind from the way she launched towards him. Tendaji turned aside with two quick steps, narrowly avoiding the kick, and Raindrops ended up hitting one of the pillars behind him. Her blow was strong enough to send spider-web cracks splintering up and down the pillar, raining chips of rock down on both her and Tendaji.

Still, as powerful as the kick had been, it set her off balance, and Tendaji took advantage by moving in fast as a snake and gripped her in a firm leg and head hold. Raindrops thrashed in the zebra’s wiry grip, but couldn’t find any purchase, and soon felt her windpipe being pinched closed from the firm hold.

“Maybe I assumed too much,” she heard him say, a sense of resignation in his voice, “I felt for certain I could make you see yourself, if we only fought honestly, with nothing else between us but our souls and our flesh to speak the truth. Did I misread my Path? If so... I am sorry, Raindrops. I’ll end this now, then...”

Her vision was starting to grow foggy and dim, her lungs burning for air. As she started to feel her body weakening, her mind struggled to control the volcano of anger that bubbled inside her.

She’d never wanted it, that anger. From the first time she’d lost control, she’d done everything she could to keep it in check, to control that explosive temper that had led to a fellow foal being hurt so badly. She didn’t want to hurt others. She didn’t want to lose control. She didn’t want to be looked at like some kind of monster, or a ticking time bomb.

She wanted to be a strong big sister to her little brother, and a good daughter to her parents. A responsible, respected part of the weather team. A friend that could always be relied upon. She wanted to be everypony’s rock they could depend on. How could she be that if she gave in to the anger? They’d always be afraid of her. She’d always be afraid of herself...

...ashamed of herself.

He’s right...I hate it. I hate myself, because that anger is always there, and I can’t get rid of it. I hurt people, and it makes me feel so... so damn worthless...

But her friends had seen her at her most furious and had never backed away from her. They trusted her. They cared about her. They didn’t see the anger as something that needed fixing, even if they were always supportive of her attempts to control herself. Why was that?

Because they know the anger is only a part of me, not all of me, and the love the whole, not just a part.

Her friends cared about every part of Raindrops, anger included. She’d been running from something for so long she’d never thought she ought to love it the same way her friends did. To accept it the same way her friends did.

Stop being ashamed of who you are. Be honest with yourself. It's why the Element chose you.

Tendaji felt the shift in Raindrops the instant it happened, and it still wasn’t enough time for him to react before Raindrops elbow drew back and slammed into his gut with enough force to send the zebra flying off of her and rolling across the ground like a flicked marble.

He managed to drag himself to a halt and stand, coughing and sputtering somewhat. He was near the edge of the stage, and from there he caught sight of his wife Aisha in the stands. She was giving him a knowing smirk that said, ‘Well, now you’ve done it, hope you’re ready, darling.’

He could only grin back at his wife, signally that he was more than prepared for what was to come.

As he turned to face Raindrops, he found the pegasus taking several long, deep breaths to fill her starved lungs with air once again, eyes closed. When she opened them they were shining with a fresh, new light, one that was both radiant in its fury and somehow calm as a still pool in its serenity. Tendaji knew without a doubt, looking into those eyes, that he was now truly in for the fight of his life.

He stepped towards her, and she towards him. Slowly the two opponents walked until they reached each other... then passed one another until both were standing near back to back, yet utterly still.

“So, now you see yourself,” Tendaji said, making a statement rather than a question.

“I do. Feels a little weird, like I just woke up from a long nap and the world’s just a bit shinier than before. Also, kinda pissed off. First time it’s ever felt good. If you don’t mind, going to kick your flank now.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

The pair moved as one, hooves flashing. The hooves clashed, hitting each other with such strength that for a second it seemed like air burst between them before both was thrown backwards from the blow. Gasps exploded from the watching audience, and even Trixie was left a bit flabbergasted at the display.

For more experienced warriors among the crowd such as Kenkuro, Wodan, and Nuru, they had a better grasp of what was being witnessed and each wore various expressions of knowing satisfaction or curiosity. Among the Shouma entourage watching even the Empress lifted a slim eyebrow in mild interest, while Lo Shang let out a whooping cheer at the match, and Tomoko a soft, thoughtful frown.

Princess Luna, amid the banter of the watching Equestrian nobles, watched with unblinking, glittering blue eyes. Even she hadn’t expected Raindrops to reach this level, at least not for many years. Once again the ponies she’d placed in faith in surprised her, and Equestria’s monarch watched with keen interest as Tendaji and Raindrops resumed their battle.

The two both flipped in mid-air from being blow back by their initial clash and the pair all but danced across the arena towards each other the moment their hooves touched the floor. They came together in a unbelievable blurring whirling of limbs. Hoof strikes and kicks passed by in eye blinks, the jasmine and black and white striped bodies of the pair nearly blending together in a hurricane of strikes, blocks, and counterblows.

Tendaji’s form was fluid as river rapids, his body constantly bouncing and flipping from point to point. Raindrops kept on him like a raging brush fire, cracking stone with every relentless step. Like twin whirlpools of fire and ice the two clashed against each other, the air singing with the rough sound of hooves blocking or striking flesh. It was near impossible to tell which was winning, because even as bruises and blood mounted, neither so much as slowed an inch.

Raindrops wasn’t feeling any pain. No exhaustion. She only felt the pure singing of her fury and her unrelenting focus. Never before had she had this harmonious combination of utter mental calm and outright emotional rage. In the past it had always been one or the other. Either the discipline of her mind, or letting the anger take hold. This was neither. This was her blood and heart alive and hammering with a purity of emotion she’d never known, an anger untainted by shame or fear but instead just clean, righteousness. And this pure burning anger was joined by a sharpness of mental focus that she’d only touched on once or twice in the depths of meditation or training in Iron Hoof.

Raindrops felt whole. She felt like herself. The only time she could remember feeling something similar to this sense of inner rightness and peace was when she’d first activated the Elements of Harmony with the rest of the girls and sent Corona packing. Then, it’d been a sensation of being a harmonious part of something larger than herself. Now it was a feeling of being completely at harmony within herself.

She lost track of time, and even the arena felt like it fell away from her and Tendaji. They were all but skimming across it, leaping from pillar to pillar, barely a moment passing where their hooves weren’t entwined in a constant, flashing storm of punches and kicks. Blocking was becoming less and less a factor as each one of them started to find openings in each other’s defenses and their bodies got more worn out. Glancing blows became full bodied hits, and before long both Raindrops and Tendaji were sporting a dozen hard bruises, along with a bloody nose on Raindrops and a split lip on Tendaji.

It all came to a head after a particularly fierce exchange as they leaped up a cluster of pillars towards the tallest one. Raindrops snapped a spinning kick across Tendaji’s face and he immediately countered with a crushing body blow to Raindrop’s side. She ducked a second swing and drove a hoof into his chest. He flipped back, scissoring a hind leg to clip her chin as she pursued him. They reached the top, a single hexagon shaped pillar near fifteen feet high and no more than eight across. There, with no room to dodge or evade, the two went in close and threw everything they had left at each other. For several seconds that to the combatants could have been hours, and to the audience felt stretched to slow-motion minutes, Tenadji and Raindrops tore into each other like two clashing tornadoes. All pretense of style and polish faded to nothing, yet there was something primal and elemental to this final exchange of blows, like the guttering of a forest fire under a rain storm.

The end came with the same simple abruptness it had begun with, Raindrops’ hoof buried in Tendaji’s chest and his smashed against her cheek, both of them standing there for a moment of utter stillness. Then both of them teetered over like falling trees. It seemed for a second like they’d both fall off the pillar together, but Raindrops, gasping a sudden breath and shaking her head of the numb daze that had nearly taken it, planted her hooves to halt her fall and managed to catch Tendaji before he toppled off the side.

As she stood there, holding him up, the zebra sagged and was able to barely move his head to regard her with one swollen eye.

“I believe...victory... is yours.”

Seeing as he couldn’t seem to move on his own anymore, Raindrops wasn’t going to argue the point, even if she was one stiff breeze away from being in the same boat. Regarding him with a tired, but satisfied look, she said, “Did you get what you were after from this?”

He closed his eyes, taking a slow breath as if tasting the air itself before letting it out just as slowly. “I have. Thank you... ugh... although, I hope the next step on my Path involves... more meditation.”

Raindrops let out a painted laugh, her ribs hurting. She was pretty sure at least one was bruised.

As she helped him down to the arena floor, although she was limping almost as much as he was, Abbess Serene approached them with both concern and admiration clear in her placid eyes.

“It seems a victor has been decided?” the Abbess said questioningly, and Tenadji nodded.

“It has. I concede to Dame Raindrops.”

The Abbess nodded and quickly raised her hoof, “Very well, the winner of the first match of the second round is Dame Raindrops of Equestria!”

Her voice carried to the whole colosseum, and there was a rolling wave of cheers that hammered down from the watching crowds. Cheerilee was pumping her hoof in the air and nearly jumping in place as Ditzy grinned and hugged her. Trixie was halfway between cheering and deflating into herself in relief, while Lyra and Carrot Top both eagerly hooted Raindrops’ name as they applauded.

Amid the other champions Nuru and Kenkuro sat side by side, the old zebra nodding in satisfaction while the tengu rubbed the bottom of his beak thoughtfully with one wing.

“The boy did well, but that pegasus has nothing short of heroic endurance,” Kenkuro noted, and Nuru chuckled lightly.

“Tendaji found an opponent who would push him beyond his limit, and the pegasus found someone who’d force her to take a good hard look at herself. Not often young folk like that get the benefit of meeting the right people at the right time to learn from each other.” Nuru let out a sudden sigh, leaning back, “Remind you of anyone, old bird?”

Kenkuro cracked a small smile, dark eyes regarding the aged zebra, “I’d like to think we were never so thick headed and stubborn in our youth.”

“I like to think the sky will one day rain doughnuts, but I’m not dumb enough to believe it,” Nuru said,and Kenkuro let out a thick, cawing laugh.

In short order Tendaji and Raindrops were both led off the stage amid continuing applause and cheers, and then swiftly taken to a room in the coliseum to have their injuries tended to. Cheerilee and Ditzy both wanted to go keep Raindrops company, but with their own matches coming up the couldn’t go anywhere. That didn’t stop Trixie from bounding down to join her friend and watch over Raindrops as she was treated by the monks, which Lyra in particular seemed to find highly amusing.

“You’re gonna miss seeing the other matches,” the bardess teased, but Trixie had just waved a hoof behind her as she left the stands.

“If Cheerilee loses to that Cavallian knight I’ll eat my cape, and I’ll be back in time to see Ditzy’s match at the end. I just need to, um, make sure Raindrops is okay.”

“Uh-huh,” Lyra said, smirking, which Trixie readily ignored.

Meanwhile, after a few minutes to let the crowd settle down, the Abbess Serene trotted back to the center of the arena and resumed the second round of matches.

As the noise of cheering crowds subsided from a oceanic roar to the distant wash of surf, Trixie took a calm breath to steady herself. She wasn’t even certain why she was nervous to begin with. So far the Contest of Strength had been going swimmingly for something she wasn’t actually participating in. Maybe that was part of the reason for her nerves. This was one part of the Contest that Trixie had absolutely no control over, no way to influence or help with. She wasn’t used to being in quite such a helpless position. So far she and the girls had been doing the Contest as a team, pooling efforts. It somehow bothered her to be on the sidelines this time, more than she’d expected to be at any rate.

That said, she wasn’t sure if that was the only reason she was nervous. There was of course the dark plot hanging over the Contest like some guillotine waiting to drop. Zecora missing. The strange vision she and Dao Ming had. She felt very much like an actor on stage, speaking her lines, while being told to ignore the smoke drifting in from behind the curtain that smelled very much like a fire had broken out.

The show must go on. She tried to put those worries aside and focus on what she was doing.

Trotting down a short stone stairway leading from the colosseum stands and into the chambers within, she quickly turned down a few corridors to reach the room the wounded champions would be receiving treatment in. Sliding inside, she quickly spotted Raindrops laying on a cot near the far entrance while two monks tended to her with a combination of magic and conventional means. Even knowing how impressive the skills of the monks were simply by how well they’d treated the champions from the first round, it still made Trixie wince to see how beat up Raindrops was.

Sucking in a deep breath and putting on her best smile of camaraderie and reassurance mixed with just a bit of dry wryness, Trixie said, “I think next time you get into a fight like that you should consider a little more dodging and a little less pretending to be a punching bag, but otherwise you were quite magnificent out there.”

Raindrops glanced at her with an oddly... serene smile, but it soon turned into one of Raindrops’ more natural grins, marred only slightly by a wince of pain as a monk tightened a bandage.

“I’ll admit, I don’t know if I’ve had a closer scrap than that one. I, uh, got a bit into it there at the end. Kinda stopped feeling the pain, you know?”

Trixie let out a sound somewhere between a snort and a relieve laugh as she pranced up to her friend and sat down, trying not to get in the monks’ way. “I was starting to worry neither of you would stop until you both looked like misshapen lumps rather than equines.”

Her voice was joking, but there was a hint of serious concern in her eyes, “I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with you. That was intense, even by our lofty standards of the word at this point.”

Raindrops looked at her and was silent for an uncomfortably long few minutes. Fortunately the monks were exceedingly good at carrying on about their business as if not hearing the conversation, for which Trixie was grateful, and slightly creeped out. Eventually Raindrops spoke, her voice steady and more relaxed than Trixie had heard it outside of a few rare occasions.

“It's hard to explain, but that dang zebra, Tendaji, I guess he saw a few things about me that I didn’t see myself. That whole fight knocked it loose, got me to look hard at myself about something I might’ve been... being dishonest with myself about.”

Trixie frowned at that, but held herself back from questioning or commenting, letting Raindrops get her own words out at her own pace. It wasn’t easy, exactly, but Trixie could keep her mouth shut when she had good reason too. Letting a friend sort her own feelings out more than qualified.

Raindrops paused, then let out a small huff of a laugh, “I guess I just needed to understand why it was there in the first place to really accept it. Even the mistakes.” Her face grew a saddened line, “To let go of the guilt and shame I was always feeling, all the time. Just huge weights on me, making it worse.”

She shook her head looking at Trixie straight in the eyes, “I don’t know by how much, but something’s changed Trixie. The anger is still there, and it always will be, I think. But I don’t hate it anymore. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Does that make sense?”

What could she possibly say to that? It made about as much sense to her as trigonometry, but that hardly mattered. As long as Raindrops was happy, and some burden had been lifted from her, then Trixie was already considering what type of bottle of alcohol zebras preferred so she could send some to Tendaji. With a bright smile, Trixie nodded, saying, “Not really, but so what? If you’re feeling better, then that alone is good enough reason to celebrate! Especially considering that, whatever spiritual awakening you may have had, let’s not forget you also kicked Tendaji’s stripy butt!”

Raindrops blinked at Trixie, then let out a snorting chortle of a laugh, grinning from ear to ear, “Yeah, I did knock his flank all over that arena, didn’t I?”

“Go you!” Trixie held out a hoof, and Raindrops reciprocated with her own, bumping them together.

“Go me.”

After such an explosive first match, the majority of the rest of the second round was almost anticlimactic by comparison.

Gwendolyn faced off against the second of Steel Cage’s companion champions, Brass Bearings, who made brutal use of a weapon that looked someone had taken a slab of iron and beaten it into the rough shape of an axe, the head of the weapon larger than most ponies. Yet despite a fine showing of tenacity, endurance, and skill, Gwendolyn all but danced Brass Bearings powerful swings,, taking him down piece by piece with predatory efficiency. Her sword seemed to almost glow red in the dipping, afternoon sun. More than a few of the more magically attuned in the crowd, including Trixie, couldn’t help but notice the weapon hum with magic of its own.

Upon Brass Bearing’s defeat, Gwendolyn cut a sharp gaze across the griffin champions watching her, then made a point of glaring right up into the stands at where King Gruber sat with his wife and the vast collection of other griffin nobles attending the Contest. The challenge in her eyes was unmistakable, and King Gruber looked back with a dark, sour expression, drumming his talons on the arms of his seat. Not far from his seat, Gwendolyn’s mother watched with a look of mixed pride and anxiousness, casting flickering looks towards her king, then back at her daughter.

Luna looked on knowingly.

Several matches between the numerous other griffin champions quickly whittled down their numbers, leaving only a handful for the next round. Those few moving on all stared daggers towards Gwendolyn, to took their stares with a prideful, dignified tilt of her wings and lash of her tail.

When Steel Cage fought he was paired with a rather unfortunate warrior from Naquah. The camel demonstrated impressive skill with a combined rope and staff combination that was apparently very effective against criminals and bandits back in his homeland, but Steel Cage was... well, Steel Cage. He mostly stood still while the camel lashed out and struck with the staff and tried to rope limbs, but it was an effect not unlike someone attempting to knock over an ancient oak tree with a softball or tie up a boulder. If the red lashes on his bare skin even bothered Steel Cage, he didn’t show it, and gave the brave camel a solid two minutes to freely attack before his hand shot out, grabbed the camel around the neck, and proceeded to throw him out of the ring over his shoulder.

Steel Cage, as he strode from the arena, gave Cheerilee a pointed look, and stuck both his thumbs down while flexing his pecs in a rhythmic bob.

Cheerilee responded with a smile that was as friendly as a flash of cold steel.

"I feel kinda bad for the camels," Ditzy said, face turning to a concerned droop.

"They've had some bad luck," Cheerilee agreed, "That fellow was one of Naquah's top bounty hunters, but that's a bad skill set to match up against a powerhouse like Steel Cage."

"Um...can... can you beat him?" Ditzy asked, and Cheerilee flashed a grin and wink towards her friend.

"We'll see, won't we?"

When Cheerilee’s match with Sir Silverwreath of Cavallia came up, the courtly knight took off his helmet and bowed deeply to the mare as they met in the ring.

“It is a distinct honor to not only face one of the famed Knight Elements, but a mare of such distinguished and rare beauty. Truly am an unworthy stallion to be gifted with the opportunity to meet such a rose in the honorable arena of combat.”

Cheerilee couldn’t help but laugh, though hardly at the knight, only in pleased amusement. She sometimes got a bit self conscious about her age. “Such kind words, but I hope you don’t expect me to hold back on account of them, Sir Silverwreath. This rose does have her thorns.

“Perish the thought, Dame Cheerilee,” Silverwreath said, giving a shining smile as he doffed his helm once more, “I expect nothing less than to feel the prick of those thorns. I saw well your previous match and know you are no wilting flower, but a proud and strong vine, as deadly as she is gorgeous. Know that I shall not dishonor you by holding back one whit of my full measure. The honor of my country and my Princess demands no less. However, if I may ask, it seems that... uh, ‘gentleman’ minotaur seems to have singled you out. If it is not too personal a question, may I inquire as to why?”

“I’m afraid that is something of a personal matter, sir knight. Just know that I have no intention of losing this match, because while not to besmirch your honor, you’re not the one I’m here to beat, Sir Silverwreath.”

He nodded at that with a solemn look in his eyes, and readied his gleaming silver lance, “Say no more, Dame Cheerilee, I understand fully. While I cannot hold back, know that I sincerely wish you the best of luck.”

“Right back at you, Sir Silverwreath,” Cheerilee said.

In short order the match commenced. Sir Silverwreath’s lance gave him great reach over the seemingly unarmed Cheerilee, and while the starmetal armor she wore beneath her knightly tabard was potent, it didn’t cover nearly as much as Silverwreath’s form fitting suit of radiant steel plate mail. Yet Cheerilee was nothing if not nimble, a fact that spared her Silverwreath’s initial charge.

The arena had been shaped for their match into multiple rolling, short rising, like small hills. This uneven terrain might have made such charges as Silverwreath favored difficult if not for the fact that the Cavallian knight was especially trained for being able to charge under precisely such problematic circumstances. There was good reason the knights of Equestria’s sister state were so renowned. The hills barely slowed Silverwreath down as he pursued Cheerilee. She ably managed to keep a few quick steps ahead of the knight’s piercing lance, but to an outside perspective it’d appear that Cheerilee was stuck solely on defense, unable to fight back against Silverwreath’s relentless attacks.

In truth, Cheerilee was simply fighting dirty. By focusing only on avoiding Silverwreath’s lance and not attacking at all, she’d transformed the fight into a simple match of endurance.

And Silverwreath’s armor was much, much heavier than Cheerilee’s.

The match did have a time limit, but it was one Cheerilee was fully aware of, as she kept mentally counting down the minutes. No matter how strong one’s endurance was, and Silverwreath’s was strong indeed, a single minute in battle can feel like hours. Especially when one is constantly charging up and down hills in full plate armor.

Within five minutes he was breathing hard. By eight minutes, his body had worked up a lather of sweat. It wasn’t enough for him to simply collapse, and he kept the pressure on Cheerilee admirably, but he was tired enough to make mistakes. Tired enough to slip slightly when pursuing Cheerilee in a charge down one of the hills.

Cheerilee struck fast as a viper, hooking one of her legs underneath the foremost of Silverwreath’s while ducking beneath his lance. Then, using the lance like a pole vault, she planted it in the ground and sent the knight flying tail over head to land flat on his back with a metallic clamor.

Before he could recover, Cheerilee was on him, kicking his lance so hard it broke off its mounting. She then straddled him, got one forearm pressed up against his throat, and cocked her other arm back for what would be one heck of a punch. Instead of delivering it, however, she just looked the knight in the eyes and said, “Yield?”

Breathing hard, Silverwreath managed a gallant smile, “In any other situation I’d find this positioning quite pleasant, but since you still have a hoof poised to smash my delightfully well shaped muzzle in, I’ll just say yes, Dame Cheerilee, I yield. The win is yours.”

Up in the viewing area for the VIPs Princess Cadance let out a rueful sigh and turned a wry half smile towards Luna, “Those young mares have gotten quite a bit stronger, haven’t they?”

A pleased and prideful light touched Luna’s eyes as she gave a small nod, “Each in their own way. Your knight fought well. I often forget how much stamina it takes to keep up such momentum while in full armor.”

Cadance’s smile turned a tad rueful, “True, but I’m thinking I also should start encouraging more diverse training.”

With her match done, Cheerilee helped Silverwreath up, and once she returned to her seat she sat down with a loud groan, “Whew! That was too close.”

Ditzy Doo blinked, “Really? It looked kind of one sided to me.”

Cheerilee hugged her stomach and laughed, mostly just to dispel her tension as she looked sidelong at her friend, “Ditzy, if I’d gotten hit once by that lance I would’ve been done. That stallion had some serious strength behind those charges. All I could do was run and hope he’d make a mistake. Yeesh, remind me never to genuinely tick off a Cavallian knight. I’m lucky he was taking it easy on me.”

“He was? How could you tell?” Ditzy’s asked innocently.

Cheerilee’s smirk turned a tad lewd, “Let’s just say I know when a stallion’s going full force or not.”

As the sun started to reach the lower dip of late afternoon there were just two matches left in the second round. Kenkuro against Nuru, and Ditzy Doo against Grimwald.

The first was between Kenkuro and Nuru, and it was perhaps the shortest of the day. The raven black, mildly pudgy old tengu lightly flapped up upon the arena alongside the gnarled, aged zebra, the pair both moving with the effortless ease of martial masters. The two regarded each other with the relaxed, amiable expressions of old friends. As the Abbess announced the start of the match, each took on a different stance. Kenkuro’s avian feet spread apart as one one gently went to the hilt of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the feather’s lightly grasping it. Nuru took on an uncomfortable looking stance that balanced upon one hind leg, the other hind leg bent crosswise over the other, while both fore hooves bent inward to form a circle around the chest.

Both of them were so still that even their breathing stopped, their eyes unblinking, locked upon one another like magnets.

For a solid minute nothing but wind stirred the arena.

“What are they doing?” Gwendolyn whispered to Dao Ming, the pair both watching from their stone seating near the arena’s edge.

A short, reverent breath came from Dao Ming as she didn’t look away from the pair of warriors on the arena and spoke to Gwendolyn in a hushed voice, “The old bird does this so rarely, I don’t think I’ve seen it since I was young.”

“Stand still like a bird bath?” Gwendolyn said with an incredulous air, to which Dao Ming puffed her cheeks in a frown.

“As a warrior yourself I imagined you’d understand. Among masters, entire battles can be fought in the mind. Yet such duels are often resolved in a single stroke.”

“So, what, they’re imagining fighting each other?” the young griffin asked, her head tilting as she focused one eye upon the still pair, as if her keen, focused vision might pick up some trace of what she wasn’t seeing. She’d sometimes heard her mother speak about some of her own duels, but either griffins had never produced ‘masters’ like Kenkuro or Nuru, or griffins simply had a different mindset when it came to combat, because she’d never heard of such a thing before.

Given what she’d seen of Wodan and Sigurd, she somehow doubted the cervids had warriors that did this either. She certainly couldn’t picture Wodan standing still staring at his foe as if he were contemplating his navel.

Dao Ming could see the look at Gwendolyn’s face out of the corner of her eye and sighed, “Just watch. Soon, it will be done.”

As it turned out, Dao Ming wasn’t lying.

It happened in an instant that left many blinking in confusion, unable to fully grasp what had just happened. Part of it was the shear, unimaginable speed of it all. Only the alicorns present, with their vastly superior physical abilities over mortals, and a select few other highly experienced warriors present were able to clearly see Kenkuro and Nuru’s moves at all. For much the rest of the crowd it had appeared as if the pair had simply teleported in an eyeblink from their initial stances to now be standing directly in front of each other.

A potent gale of wind blew forth from either side of the tengu and zebra, as if their blows had created a small gust from speed and force alone.

Kenkuro’s blade rested against the edge of Nuru’s throat like a shining sliver of the sun, catching the light. Yet Nuru’s fore hooves were planted firmly against the tengu’s stout stomach and chest, one right above Kenkuro’s heart. There was no blood drawn. In fact both blows had been stopped right before the moment of deadly impact, leaving the pair standing there in front of each other, eyes starring as intently as before.

Then with the same casual air of one popping a balloon, the two backed off from each other and relaxed, letting out heartfelt chuckles as they bowed to one another.

“You always go for the throat, Kenkuro. I do have other vital parts,” Nuru said with a dry, sandy laugh.

“I cannot help it if your neck is long and an easy target. As Tien Zhu once wrote ‘The best path to victory is the short road to the capital.’”

Nuru waved an arm, sending out a good natured snort, “Bah, always with that Tien Zhu fellow. If he was so wise, he would have known better than to try to pass wisdom down through ink and paper. Wisdom can’t be taught that way.”

Kenkuro’s onyx beak turned in an old smile of familiarity as he sheathed the Kusanagi with respectful care. “We cannot all follow oral traditions. For one, who could keep awake during such lectures? Writing things down ensures the lessons can be studied at leisure, and for all time.”

Nuru shook his head, “You mean misinterpreted for all time. I’ve yet to see wisdom from a book that isn’t turned around by the reader, as if the meaning of the words change with each generation. Yet in song and stories there is the soul of the lessons, and if passed down in the same manner from generation to generation are much more difficult to misinterpret.”

“And also harder to adapt or allow new wisdom to flourish, as the works of Tien Zhu have inspired countless philosophers and writers to spread new ideas.”

“Half of them foolish or downright dangerous-” Nuru began, but then just shook his head again and chuckled under his breath, “Well not matter is it, old friend? Shall this be our, what, eighty eighth draw?”

“I do believe this counts as eighty nine,” Kenkuro said, rubbing his stomach with one wing, “And yes, a draw. Your hooves would have crushed my rib cage and made quite a mess of my organs.”

“And your sword would have sent my head flying into the stands and made some poor spectator’s day far too memorable,” Nuru replied, rubbings his throat.

Having been listening to the two banter, Abbess Serene finally stepped forward and with a officious air asked, “Does this mean the two of you cede this portion of the Contest? Normally there can be no draw, and each match, if no clear winner is determined, is scored to gauge the victor.”

“Ah, yes, about that,” Kenkuro spoke with a somewhat embarrassed laugh, bowing deeply to the Abbess with a sweep of his wings, “Nuru and I discussed what was to be done were we to face one another. Do understand that we’ve fought many times, and every time to such an outcome. Knowing the rules of the Contest, we decided that in the event of another draw, that I would proceed ahead.”

The Abbess raised and eyebrow, giving Nuru a pointed look, “Do you agree to this?”

Nuru nodded once, a look passing between him and the Abbess that held for a second or two, “Yes, its no matter to me. I’m here for the boy’s benefit, and to enjoy the sights. Kenkuro has reason to continue the matches. Truly I do not.”

After a slight pause the Abbess gave a courteous nod, “As you wish. Nuru of the Still Peak Tribe cedes the match. Kenkuro, the Blade of Heaven, is the victor.”

As a steady if somewhat awkward round of cheers and applause came down from the audience and the two combatants left the stage, Gwendolyn was left stroking her beak curiously. Dao Ming saw the light of both respect and a fair amount of eagerness in the griffiness’ eyes.

“Do you see now?” she asked.

“Oh yeah,” Gwendolyn said, cracking a fierce smile as she licked her beak, “Means I’m looking forward to the moment I cross swords with your black feathered teacher.”

“I imagine he’d be pleased to hear that,” Dao Ming said, leaning in and whispering with a hushed, distressed tone, “Just don’t let him tease you. The old bird is a noble warrior and I cherish him dearly, but... he has a tendency to act... ignoble around young ladies. Please don’t take his propositions seriously.”

“Why not?” Gwendolyn asked, “He’s strong and not half bad looking for an old guy.”

As Dao Ming blinked in scandalized bafflement at that, the Abbess began to announce the final match of the second round.

“And now shall Dame Ditzy Doo of Equestria, and Grimwald of the Kingdom Shaldwrick step forward!”

Ditzy rose upon nervous, numb hooves, but Cheerilee nudged her with an encouraging hoof, and at the same time Raindrops, freshly healed if somewhat bandaged up, flew out to join them.

“I make it just in time?” Raindrops said.

“Right on time to watch Ditzy kick some more flank,” said Cheerilee, a confidence oozing grin showing upon her face.

“Awesome,” Raindrops said, sitting down and nodding to Ditzy, “Go get him. Don’t let Grimwald intimidate you.”

“Here’s hoping,” Ditzy said with a still somewhat nervous smile as she waved to her friends, carefully picked up her shield and double checked the straps around her foreleg as she put it on, and flew up to the stage.

Grimwald slid out of his own seating and adopted a lazy flight up onto the arena to join her, a thin, easy smile on his beat. As he went, Gwendolyn watched him closely, her own eye narrowing. She’d seen that kind of lazed, sunken posture in him plenty of times in the past. Usually when he was putting up a front. He was tense, or at least as close as what passed for tense with him. Gwendolyn couldn’t figure what Grimwald’s interest in Ditzy Doo was, but she could tell this wasn’t just a simple match to him.

Dao Ming picked up on Gwendolyn’s unease, the golden strands of the kirin’s mane bobbling slightly as she looked between the two griffins curiously. “Is something the matter, Gwendolyn?”

“Don’t know,” the griffiness replied, her eyes remaining narrow and fixed on Grimwald, “But I don’t like it, whatever it is.”

What in Tartarus are you planning, Grimwald?, she wondered with a grim feeling touching her gut, and her talon unconsciously strayed to her sword.

Within the arena Ditzy Doo landed besides the Abbess, and with slow flaps of his wings, Grimwald followed suit. Ditzy felt a skittering cold touch her neck, looking at Grimwald’s inscrutable brown eyes that seemed to blaze like a fire while radiating no hint of actual warmth. She was suddenly acutely aware of the size difference between them, and she couldn’t help but imagine herself as a small, helpless rabbit in the field that just realized a hawk was swooping overhead.

Remembering what Raindrops told her, Ditzy Doo drew herself up, meeting his eyes and smiled with frank, open friendliness as she extended a hoof. “I’m happy we get to meet like this, Grimwald. Let’s have a good match!”

He glanced at her hoof, then back up at her eyes, that strange gleam in them oddly flickering for a second before he extended his talon and shook her hoof. His grip was light, just like a brush of cold breeze.

“You’re an odd one, bright eyes. Makes things harder than they should be. The fun has already started, so nothing to do but to see what shakes out, but... I think I’m gonna like what you show me, one way or another.”

“O...kay?” Ditzy Doo had no idea what to make of that, and turned a questioning glance towards the Abbess, who merely shrugged with a quiet look of confusion, or perhaps disapproval, at Grimwald.

“Well then, let the arena be prepared,” the Abbess declared, and the monks went to work along the sidelines. Ditzy felt the rumble in the arena’s floor, and wondered what kind of stage the monks were going to prepare. Since her first match had just been left with a flat arena she was pretty curious what might appear this time.

She yelped as she felt herself rising into the air, the stone beneath her hoofs rising upwards in the shape of a thin pillar. Grimwald, across from her, rose into the air as well upon a similar pillar. Indeed more such pillars were rising upward all around them, but unlike the pillars from Raindrops and Tendaji’s match, all of these were thin and circular, no longer than needed for one pony to stand upon. And there were far, far more than just a couple of dozen. They pillars rose like a thick forest of stone spears.

Ditzy gulped as from the sides of the pillars various bars and columns of stones shot out at varying angles and lengths, curving or turning around to connect to one another. She flinched as several passed by overhead or close to the side, but remained still until the monk’s work was done.

By the time it was finished, the arena now looked like a massive jungle of stone. A thick forest of pillars was now connected by a dense web of elegantly curved columns, like a web of rock. Despite the thickness of the numerous columns, Ditzy could make out pathways through the forest, and realized that the arena was very much one part obstacle course and one part maze, all designed to challenge fliers. As an experienced flier herself, Ditzy could see the pathways and patterns of flight one could take through the maze, with numerous cul de sacs and more open areas that would allow for more complex maneuvering.

“Well ain’t this a pretty playground?” Grimwald commented, suddenly having his curved, green steel knife in his talon, gently rolling it around his fingers with ease, “This should be fun.”

She gulped, hefting the stout shield that Sigurd had made for her, “Just be careful, it’d be really easy to hurt yourself flying around in this.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, “Isn’t hurting each other the point here, bright eyes? Heh, or were you planning to win by poisoning me with sweetness?”

“No. I mean, I guess I have to hurt you to win, but that’s different than wanting you to hurt yourself,” Ditzy said, blinking, “Me hitting you would be a lot less dangerous than you running into a stone pillar at full speed. So you know, if you’re chasing me, just be careful, because I may not be fast but I can turn really good, and you might hit something by accident, and that’d be just terrible if you broke something by doing that.”

She was being completely sincere. It didn’t take that much force to break a bone while flying at high speed, and if someone hit one of these columns or pillars at the wrong angle, it could even be fatal, which Ditzy most certainly didn’t want to have happen! She was just worried. Grimwald merely stared at her in that some inscrutable gaze he’d often looked at her with since they’d met.

“...I’m going to miss these talks,” he said at last, sounding genuine, “You’re just too good a sort to be involved in this kind of thing.”

Before she could ask what he meant by that, the Abbess’ voice called out from down below, “Let the final match of the second round... begin!”

Ditzy wasn’t as prepared as she could have been and was a little awkward in taking flight, but fortunately Grimwald couldn’t come directly at her due to the density of stone columns between them. Still, his speed shocked her and she nearly lost sight of him as he became a dark flicker of motion, flying up and to Ditzy’s left as he rushed around the narrow pathways of the pillar maze, angling to get towards her.

Ditzy moved as well, flying to the right. Her heart was racing, and her shield was a hefty weight on her left fore leg that changed her flight dynamics, but Ditzy rapidly compensated for it as she banked and weaved through the pillars. Taking measured, quick breaths, Ditzy let her mind slip into the patterns of flight. Just like when she was delivering the mail, her head could get into a comfortable pace that made navigating Ponyville as simple as breathing. She tapped into that now, making sharp turns with the simple ease she might have flown around Ponyville’s narrow streets. Even if this maze of pillars and columns was unfamiliar to her, she could feel the paths through them by following the air itself, sensing the obstacles more than seeing them.

She could also feel more than see Grimwald as she tried to find a pathway that’d let her approach him from behind. He was fast, and moving in a haphazard manner that suggested he didn’t quite feel the pathways the way she was, but his natural speed and agility was more than compensating for that. He was quickly making progress towards her, finding an angle of approach from above. Ditzy saw one particular pillar with a spiral of columns reaching of it like spikes that acted almost like a staircase of air currents, and she dove for it.

Grimwald flashed by her, his green tinted blade coming down in a shining arc. She hit the air currents around the spiral pillar and rose above his diving form at the last second, his knife only catching the golden trail of her tail.

“Making me chase you, bright eyes!? Sounds fun!”

Grimwald was on her, following her up and around the pillar, ducking and bobbing around the side columns as Ditzy rose higher. Ditzy sensed a more open space above the pillar, though it was still enclosed by the overall web of stone itself. Bursting into the space, she turned around and swung her shield, knowing there was only one route Grimwald could take to enter the same area, and feeling the currents of his movements right behind her.

Her shield nearly caught him across the beak, but he bent back just at the right moment so the edge of her shield brushed his crest of head feathers, but didn’t quite touch him. His hind talons gripped a stone column and anchored him as he flipped around and slashed out horizontally with his knife’s wicked, curved edge. Ditzy backpedaled with her wings, pulling her shield back, and felt the knife rasp against the hardwood.

Like a cold tickle she sensed him shift, felt the air currents rush towards her exposed hid legs as Grimwald moved with oil slick speed and shifted his attack to slash below her shield. Her wings moving in a gray blur she rose up and tucked her hind legs in, feeling the cold blade edge brush by within millimeters. Her off eye saw an opening in the space they were in and she turned and buzzed towards it. The last thing she wanted to was to keep confronting Grimwald in an area where he could move as he pleased in.

She felt him coming for her, and without looking she spun her shield behind her, feeling once again a hard rasp against it as she barely blocked a blow coming for her back. Reaching the opening, she dove in and immediately went through several sharp turns through the maze of columns, going through one criss-crossing of stone pillars so narrow she had to turn sideways and shove her shield ahead of her to make it through. It was then she saw that a small knife, not the same kind as the curved green one, was embedded lightly in the shield’s wood. A throwing knife?

Her question was answered as another throwing knife flew past, almost clipping one of her wings. Grimwald was flying amid the columns about ten meters away, following another pathway, since the one Ditzy had flown through was too narrow for him to follow. She couldn’t even tell where he was pulling the throwing knives from as his talons twisted in sharp, fast motions, sending the small metal darts spinning between the thick forest of pillars towards her.

Her walled eyes narrowed in concentration and she let herself feel the knives incoming, not bothering to try and see them. She twisted and made sharp rises or dives, turning her shield in swift, sure motions that combined with her dodging managed to either evade or deflect the projectiles sailing her way. Grimwald’s chuckle echoed amid the pillars.

“Amazing, bright eyes. You’re not even looking at them! Hehehe, my feathers are getting all tingly now. I knew you were something special,” his chuckles continued as he flew down, turning through a narrow set of openings through the pillars that took him on a course that’d go below her current path.

She turned too, banking left towards another open space she sensed ahead, one that’d curve back down towards Grimwald’s position just after he crossed beneath her.

As she flashed over him, his sent a knife hurtling upward. Ditzy turned on her side, the blade scraping past her so close that it tore her knight tabard, and would have cut flesh if it didn’t deflect off of the star metal armor underneath.

Then the moment she sensed the opening in the pillars beneath her she turned and dove, coming in at Grimwald’s back at a curved angle with her shield thrust out like a battering ram. Like an airborne snake he slithered around her dive, but Ditzy had actually anticipated he’d dodge. Gwendolyn, during the brief time she’d trained Ditzy, had said it was important to predict an opponent, and Ditzy knew from experience just how fast and agile Grimwald was. She didn’t think she could hit him normally, but if she anticipated where he’d dodge, maybe she’d have a chance.

So as he evaded her shield, Ditzy felt more than saw which way he was moving, and kicked out with her hind legs as hard as she could as she flew by.

She heard him grunt as her hind legs connected with his gut, and she caught a glimpse of him spinning off towards a nearby pillar. Ditzy had to turn hard to avoid another pillar, pulling as sharp a turn as she ever had in her life, one wingtip brushing the stone as she turned around. She looked for Grimwald, but didn’t immediately see him. Had he hit the pillar? She flew along, eyes turning this way and that as she scanned above, below, left and right. Where had he gone?

As she flew along between the stone pillars, she abruptly felt a disturbance to her left. She didn’t know how but Grimwald was suddenly there on her left, rising from below despite the fact that there were far too many columns and pillars in that direction for him to have flown through. His green steel knife was slashing at her flank and she spun into a barrel roll to avoid it. Turning over, she flew backwards, relying on her sense of air currents to bob and weave around pillars as she kept her shield in front of her to guard against Grimwald as he pursued her, his knife dancing through the air in a series of swift, harsh slashes.

“Got to give you credit, bright eyes, you’re a natural at this,” Grimwald said as Ditzy blocked attack after attack on her shield, “The attitude is all wrong, but you’ve got a body and mind made for more interesting lines of work than carrying mail.”

Ditzy blinked, almost missing a block. Carrying mail? Had... had she ever told him about what she did for a living? She couldn’t remember clearly, but she didn’t think so. Maybe he’d asked around about her? It wasn’t like her occupation was a big secret, but it still gave her a bit of a chill, regardless.

“Uh, thanks?” she said between heavy breaths. They were nearing the center of the arena, where at a glance she could tell there was another open space between the pillars.

“Surprised me, the first time you dodged me back at the Grand Melee. I mean, dodged me when I meant to hit you,” Grimwald spoke in a calm, conversational tone, as if they weren’t fighting at all, “But after watching you with that zebra, I figured it out. Just needed you in the right spot, first. Where we can’t be seen.”

What did he mean by that? Then Ditzy realized it, just as they were entering the area at the center of the forest of pillars. In this space, the density of the pillars and columns from all around would all but entirely block any clear view of her or Grimwald from the spectators. Rather swiftly Ditzy sense of personal danger shot up and she was starkly alert. She immediately looked for a way out of this space so she could fly towards a thinner part of the arena, one more open and easily visible.

Grimwald’s fighting style changed the instant they were in the area, however, and Ditzy Doo came to the swift realization that he’d been playing around with her up until now. He came at her much faster now, forcing her to concentrate all of her focus on dodging or blocking, thoroughly unable to flee in any direction. Mirth had vanished from Grimwald’s eyes and now he looked like a moving statue, all cold, hard lines as he struck like a bolt of lightning. Ditzy’s shield arm was going numb, and she was getting slower, while Grimwald only seemed to be getting faster, and that flat look in his eyes was making her heart hammer quickly in her chest with real fear for her safety.

Yet she swallowed that fear. Whether Grimwald was just trying to scare her, or was planning something more serious, she couldn’t let that fear get to her.

She swung out with her shield, going on the offensive. If she could force him away, even just a few feet, it’d give her an opening to fly for one of the exits out of this area. He easily slid aside from her swing, and came back in with a slash with his curved knife coming up from below. Ditzy felt it coming and without thinking twisted to the left out of the way, bringing her shield down to try and catch his extended arm. To her surprise she managed to hit his arm, and do so hard enough that the green tinted knife fell from his talon and went clattering down amid the pillars.

“Nice hit...” Grimwald said, licking his beak and smiling at her. As he did so Ditzy saw his other talon was holding a different knife from before. It was a dull, dark metal, straight edged and almost plain looking. Yet light seemed to bend around it and Ditzy recalled seeing Grimwald with this knife before at the Grand Melee, but he hadn’t used it. She hadn’t seen him draw it this time either, it was just in his talon suddenly.

That’s when she felt the sharp pain in her right foreleg. It wasn’t serious, just a sudden sting, but she saw the cut on her arm and the slight seeping of blood from the shallow wound. When had he hit her? It must have been just now when she’d disarmed his other knife, but she hadn’t seen or felt anything until now.

“Sorry,” Grimwald said, “You left yourself open for a second, and that’s pretty much all it takes, when you can’t feel it coming.”

“Huh...?” she mumbled, confused. Not just because of his words, but because she was starting to feel strange, like her thoughts were turning into mud. She reached out towards Grimwald, wanting to poke him and ask what he was talking about, but she blinked as her hoof passed through him, as if he was a ghost.

He held the strange knife in front of him, looking at it with an almost irritated expression of accusation, “Honestly this thing makes my work almost too boring sometimes. That’s why I look for ways to make it more fun. And you made this job way more fun than I thought it’d be, bright eyes.”

“I don’t...understand...” she said, or thought she said. Honestly everything was starting to feel very far away and she couldn’t even keep her wings flapping. As she started to sink out of the air she felt Grimwald grab her.

“Switching back and forth between solid and not-solid takes some effort, but you get used to it. What I don’t get is how the poison stays on the blade, even when it shifts state. Fey magic is weird.”

Even his voice sounded distant now, and Ditzy Doo felt like she was being suspended over a large, cold pit of blackness, with only one small thread of warmth connecting her to the world. Grimwald’s words barely reached her one last time as she fell into that disquieting dark.

“Sleep, bright eyes, and by the time you wake up, everything’ll be over.”

Author's Note

Happy Halloween folks, have a surprise chapter update to celebrate the holiday. Although I do feel I really have to apologize for taking an entire year to get this chapter done. I certainly didn't mean for it to take this long, and I sincerely hope to not take nearly so long on the next one. I am still thoroughly dedicated to finishing this story.

At any rate, what can I say about the chapter itself? Well its certainly one heck of a time balancing act to decide which fights require focus during the Contest of Strength and which I needed to gloss over. Mostly I gave dedication to the matches that involved actual character development, while keeping the others mostly to briefer descriptions. Heh, much like Ditzy Doo, I do feel bad for the camels of Naquah, who haven't gotten any real attention in this story, but I did at least want to mention them. As for the bouts of actual importance, I especially enjoyed writing Raindrops' and Tendaji's, as its been building up for awhile and marks an important step in Raindrops' dealing with her feelings towards her anger.

As for what's happened at the end here with Grimwald and Ditzy Doo, I think its not longer a secret that Grimwald is one of the conspirators, but what he's done and how that'll affect things moving forward, well we'll just have to wait for next time. Hopefully a next time that won't take me a whole year to get to.

Anyways folks, I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading a chapter far too long in the coming, and that you'll stick around for more to come. Thank you all for reading, and let me know what you think!

Chapter 14: Proof of Worth

Chapter 14: Proof of Worth

With a thunderous crash the doors to Luna’s private quarters were flung open, the alicorn’s magic nearly tearing the heavy wooden doors off their hinges in her haste and barely contained fury. Five of the six Element bearers trailed in Luna’s storm-like wake in varied states of anxiousness and shock, while the sixth of their number floated in an aura of Luna’s gently sparkling magic, cradled like a sleeping foal. Upon Trixie’s back, most anxious and fearful of all, was the trembling form of Dinky Doo, who looked at the floating, unconscious form of her mother with eyes wide and wet as an inland sea.

“Is momma going to be okay?”

The filly’s question was a whispered barb in the air, and among the mares who called Ditzy Doo friend, all of them exchanged worried looks before Trixie managed to turn an encouraging look upon her apprentice with a smoothly forced smile, “She’s in the care of the Princess herself. There’s nothing to fear.”

A pause, then Trixie glanced at Luna meaningfully, not daring to actually ask what was on everypony’s mind. For her part, Luna strode straight to one of the voluminous couches in the well appointed quarters and laid Ditzy Doo carefully upon it. A look that could have meant a thousand different things crossed Luna’s face as she kept Ditzy wrapped in her magical field, eyes an unblinking wall of concentration.

Ditzy was unwounded save for a small flesh wound upon one of her forelegs, where Grimwald presumably had struck her. Trixie didn’t know for sure because she had no idea what had actually happened during those tense final moments of the match against Grimwald. She, like so many others spectating the fight, had seen Ditzy and Grimwald fly all over the complex maze of stone pillars and criss-crossing columns until they both entered a point at the very center of the maze that had obscured all views of the combatants.

And nothing had happened for several minutes, until it was clear something was wrong. The moment it was obvious something was amiss the Abess Serene and her monks had used the same runic magic that had constructed the arena to disassemble the maze in mere moments. When the maze cleared, leaving the entire arena as a flat, bare stage once more, Ditzy Doo had been laying on the ground, unmoving.

Grimwald was nowhere to be found.

There’d been an uproar of course. Gasps and cries of shock and confusion. The Abess had been very swift to go to Ditzy to check on her while also doing what she could to pacify the crowd. Trixie remembered Luna flying down to the stage with such speed that she appeared as little more than a streak of dark blue, smashing into the arena with enough force to shatter stone.

From there Ditzy had been quickly found to be alive, but quite unconscious, with no immediate form of magical healing able to rouse her. The Contest of Strength was swiftly put on hold while Ditzy was taken by Luna from the field, with Ditzy’s friends and daughter following the Princess as she took Ditzy somewhere she could be more carefully examined.

Now Trixie sat with her friends in a nervous semi-circle around the Princess, at a respectful distance to give the alicorn room to work while she examined Ditzy. Trixie could tell Luna was utilizing a magic sight spell, among other auguries and divinations, more at once than Trixie could ever dream of handling at one time. Every impulse inside her was shouting at her to start asking questions, or have a good freak out in the corner of the room, but Trixie kept firm control of herself. None of that would help right now, and thankfully her friends knew that as well, for as frayed as everypony’s nerves looked, nopony was pestering the Princess with questions and remained silent while Luna conducted her examination.

It didn’t take long, thankfully, and soon Luna was turning kind eyes towards Dinky.

“Your mother will be alright. She’s not in any danger that I can detect. She is not poisoned, and her injury is a minor one.”

“T-then why isn’t she waking up?” It tore at Trixie to hear so much fear and pain in Dinky’s voice, and she reached up behind her to gently stroke the filly’s head on pure reflex.

“She’s enchanted,” Luna replied, her eyes betraying a hint of grave unease, “With magic not of Equestrian making. It has been a long time since I’ve seen magic such as this at work, but I know it well enough. It is Fae magic that has been used to ensnare Ditzy Doo in a deep slumber. She won’t wake until the enchantment wears off or is broken.”

Lyra let out a sharp breath, biting her lower lip as her tail twitched fiercely behind her. “Fae magic? I’ve barely scratch the top of that pool of lore, but I know every story I’ve read suggested the kind of enchantments and curses those kind can sling are... nasty is putting it mildly.”

“Lyra!” Carrot Top elbowed the other mare, shooting a pointed look at Dinky, who still looked anything but reassured, and Lyra blushed, coughing.

“S-sorry, was just saying what I knew.”

“Which is not inaccurate, Dame Heartstrings,” Luna said, turning a focused look upon the sleeping Ditzy, “Whether it be a curse or enchantment, the spells of Faekind are not to be taken lightly.”

“I don’t suppose you could clue us in on what they Fae even are, considering some of us might be a smidge in the dark here?” asked Cheerilee, “I’ve studied a lot of topics, but this doesn’t sound like standard school curriculum to me.”

“They’re not one race, but a hodgepodge of many mysterious entities,” said Trixie, recalling what little she could from her own studies under Luna while growing up. The subject of mysterious creatures and magic had held a certain appeal for an imaginative filly with a flare for the dramatic, but she’d never delved very deep on the topic.

Luna nodded at Trixie, “Yes, and even to those such as myself or my sister, the Fae have ever remained as enigmatic and difficult to define as the seasons from which they take their natures from.”

“Huh?” asked Carrot Top.

“It is of no importance right now,” said Luna, “Perhaps another time I’d be more inclined to lecture upon the nature of the Fae, as generally difficult a topic as that is given they tend towards being mercurial on the best of days. Right now what matters is that Ditzy Doo is affected by their magic, and I’m afraid my skills could prove inadequate to break it quickly.”

“Whoa, seriously?” said Lyra, “But you’re... you know, you. You’re basically magic incarnate compared to the rest of us!”

A flicker of doubt shadowed Luna’s face before being banished by her more stoic features, “I am powerful, this is true, but as you should well understand by now, I have limits. More accurately in this case, this is not a factor of power. The enchantment on Ditzy Doo is comparatively weak to similar things I have dealt with in the past. The issue is that I am not nearly so familiar with Fae magic as I am Equestrian, and since it is a spell affecting her mind, it is a very delicate matter to try and counter the spell. I have the power, but not the expertise. A small mistake could have dire consequences to her mind if I am not exceedingly careful in unraveling the spell.”

Trixie’s gaze fell upon her unconscious friend. It was faintly surreal. Ditzy Doo looked for all the world like she’d just sat down for a quick nap, and nothing more. Inside Trixie a dire fire was ignited as she slammed a hoof to the floor, eyes flashing.

“We need to find that Grimwald. He’s not getting away with this kind of cowardly strike at one of my friends. How’d a griffin like him have access to the kind of magic that would let him do this to Ditzy, then vanish out from under our noses?”

“There’s no way to be certain without tearing the answer from the culprit himself’s beak, but he likely earned some Fae item in fair contest or pact with them,” said Luna.

“Fair contest doesn’t seem like his style. Couldn’t he have stolen whatever item he used on Ditzy?” asked Cheerilee.

Luna wore a grim smirk, “None can steal from the Fae without dire repercussions. Had Grimwald done so, he’d not have survived his actions for long.”

“Uh, crazy idea here,” said Lyra, raising a hoof, “What if he is one of the Fae. I’ve red a few stories suggesting they like to sometimes traipse about in mortal form, messing with us everyday folk.”

“I don’t that’s likely,” said Raindrops, “From what I’ve seen, Gwendolyn knows him pretty well, and for awhile.”

“Should we try asking her some questions about him? Maybe she knows a clue as to where he might have gone or why he did this to Ditzy?” Carrot Top suggested, slowly starting to pace nervously along one side of the room.

“I think the why is pretty obvious,” said Trixie, bitter anger heating her voice, “With Ditzy in this condition, take a wild guess as to who’s free to act on her own without fear of the Elements interfering?”

“You think Corona put Grimwald up to this?” asked Raindrops, “But hasn’t someone already targeted her by nabbing Zecora?”

“I know, but perhaps whoever Grimwald works for, perhaps they benefit from having Corona free to act?” Trixie suggested, but even that didn’t sound entirely right as she said it. Who’d benefit from the Tyrant Sun running wild? Although it was worthy of note that so far Corona hadn’t done anything, despite being present to witness Ditzy being put in this condition. “Is anypony keeping an eye on Corona right now?”

“There’s no need,” Luna said simply, “My sister is coming here, now.”

“Wait, what-?” Trixie started to ask, right before the doors banged open under an intense golden glow of forceful magic and Corona strode in with all the subtle and grace of an oncoming locomotive. Behind Corona was Abbess Serene, looking shaken and pale, but somehow determined as rock to maintain a visage of calm.

“Luna, how fares your champion?” Corona asked, though even as she spoke she barged right past Trixie and her friends as if they weren’t there and proceeded to start examining Ditzy Doo herself, whilst Luna turned cool eyes towards her sister.

“Fae glamour. Complex and thick upon her mind. You can see it for yourself,” Luna said plainly.

Corona’s nose wrinkled as if smelling something putrid, “Autumn Fae by the smell of it. That is no restful slumber, but a death like state. Allow me to attend to her.”

“Not on any conditions,” Luna stated flatly, and Corona’s eyes narrowed into sunfire slits.

“I am superior in the healing arts, sister, and you know it. I can tend to her upon my ark and have her restored within a day.”

“Or you’ll fly off with one of the Element Bearers and we may never see her again,” Trixie spoke up, bristling, “We’ve no reason to trust you.”

Corona fixed Trixie with a look as if ready to reduce the stage magician to ashes on the spot, but Luna stepped between them, her own glacial gaze every inch the match for her sister’s fiery one. “You are more skilled in the area of healing magic, but this is no malady of the body. Ditzy Doo’s mind is wrapped in this glamour, and is a matter of thought and dream to unravel this web. That is my domain, Celestia, and you well know it. You shall not have the Bearer of Kindness, and if you think to take her, if you think the Elements disabled and powerless, know that I will fight to protect them from you.”

“And she won’t be fighting alone,” Raindrops said, stamping a hoof, and soon those of Trixie’s friends who were conscious were lining up behind the Princess of the Night.

Corona looked upon them with regal disdain, but after a second scoffed. “I did not come here to fight, and I gave my word to attend the Contest i peace. I shall not break my given word. I did not intend to break it. My offer to heal Ditzy Doo was genuine, siser. I am not a monster. I am Equestria’s rightful ruler, and she is one of my subjects. All of you are, even if you are too foolish and stubborn to realize it. Have it as you will, Luna, and attend her yourself, then.”

With that, Corona teleported away, leaving Abbess Serene taking a deep breath and wiping her aged brow, “She is ever intense, is she not?”

“My sister has always had a... forceful personality,” Luna said.

“How are things outside?” asked Trixie, and the Abbess let out a long, heavy sigh.

“People are confused and worried, which is hardly a surprise. But there is no panic or the like. All the audience saw was Ditzy Doo lying unconscious before you hurried her off, and Grimwald missing. I’m having my monks canvas the area, but I’m hardly surprised they have found nothing. If he was capable of slipping away so easily, he could be anywhere by now, including fleeing the island entirely.”

“So what happens now?” asked Cheerilee, “Does the Contest continue?”

Looks were exchanged all around, but the Abbess said in a soft voice, “If the ones seeking to bring harm to the island have seen fit to go this far, there’s no telling what else they may have planned. Canceling the Contest would weigh heavily upon the Order, but the safety of everyone on this island must come above all other concerns If need be-”

“No,” said Trixie, and everypony gazed at her, although among them Luna wore less a surprised look and more an understanding one. Trixie glanced back at Dinky, still sitting worriedly on her back, and she gave the foal a comforting pat on the head and a wink before turning to look at the others in the room.

“It's possible that halting the Contest is what these cretins want us to do. Or perhaps it is. But one thing I feel for certain is that if we halt the Contest, we will never catch who’s responsible for this. They’ll just crawl back into the shadows and wait for another opportunity to do whatever it is they’re trying to do on this island. And I don’t know about all of you, but I’m quite tired of their conspiratorial meddling. I say we continue the Contest of Champions, give it the finish it deserves, and catch the one behind Zecora’s vanishing and Grimwald’s attack on Ditzy, then make them answer for those crimes. Whatever they’re planning, we’ll stop it in its tracks, then provide a righteous flank kicking to each and every single one of those responsible for hurting Ditzy and threatening the Contest.”

Her friends were all giving her stares by the end of her short speech, but all of them were approving, and Raindrops even cracked a small grin that lit up her features as she prodded Trixie with a wing.

“Well look at you, and I thought getting righteously pissed off was my job around here.”

Trixie flashed a pleased look, “Nothing says I can’t get my blood riled up when necessary. I might prefer subtly, but sometimes there really is no substitute for a proper flank kicking.”

“Hear hear,” said Cheerilee, “Now if only we knew whose flanks we were supposed to be laying such posterior punishment upon we’d be golden, but we’re still pretty much in the dark, aren’t we? I mean, it isn’t exactly shocking news that Grimwald was up to something. That griffin was practically shooting off fireworks that spelled ‘I’m up to no good’ in the sky. Do we suspect anyone else right now?”

“Sadly there’s been little headway in discovering evidence,” said Abbess Serene, “But I believe that finding Corona’s wayward zebra prophet is the key to this endeavor. There’s few places she could be kept hidden, and fewer by the day as my order’s monks and other forces such as those guards under Princess Luna are working tirelessly to search. If you wish to join that search, then once the Contest of Strength is concluded, and with Princess Luna’s permission, you may join our efforts in searched they... forbidden areas of the monastery.”

It was impossible to miss the hesitance in the aged Abbess’ voice, nor the way she cast a furtive glance as Princess Luna, as if asking permission.

“Wait, what forbidden areas, exactly?” asked Lyra with extreme curiosity painting her tone, and again the Abbess looked to Luna.

After a contemplative moment where Luna’s face was exceedingly difficult to read, the alicorn gave the barest of nods, “You already know of there being areas of the monastery that are hidden from outsiders. There is good reason for this, as the Order of Legends has a purpose beyond what appears on its surface. Tomorrow the Abbess shall show you.”

“Why not just tell us now?” asked Raindrops, unable to keep a faint cloud of suspicion out of her voice. Not that she had any distrust for the Princess, but the pegasus wasn’t fond of having information withheld. Princess Luna only gave Raindrops a patient look, her voice calm and reassuring.

“It is better to see in this case, rather than merely be told. Besides, there is still a Contest to participate in. You would do well to maintain your focus on that for now.”

“Fair enough,” Raindrops replied, not sounding wholly convinced, but accepting the answer for what it was.

“Um, Princess, is it okay if I stay here?” asked Dinky suddenly, peering at her mother from around Trixie’s head, “I don’t want to leave mamma’s side until she wakes up. I won’t disturb you, right? I know magic takes a lot of concentration, but I promise to be quiet.”

The fear and nervousness in the filly’s voice was evident as a foghorn, naked and undisguised. Trixie just wanted to nuzzle her apprentice and reassure the filly. Luna provided Dinky with a kindly smile, her voice soft as a brush of leaves.

“Of course you may stay, little one. Your presence may even help ease your mother’s mind as I seek to free her from the realm of dreams. Do not fear, I give you my oath, as Princess of the Night, your mother will wake to hold you in her hooves again.”

Dinky sniffed and nodded, clearly trying to hold back her tears and act more like an adult. Trixie just patted her on the head and helped Dinky down from her back to the filly could go to her mother’s side, crawling up to rest right next to Ditzy, curling up under one of her slumbering mother’s wings. Luna nodded in approval, and glanced at the rest of them.

“I will be indisposed for some time. I won’t be able to leave Ditzy Doo until I unravel the magic upon her. Until then, keep yourselves safe, and be watchful.”

“We will, Princess,” Trixie said with a bow of her head, her friends following suit.

With that, the Abbess led them out of the chamber, Trixie only pausing once as the doors closed to look back at Ditzy’s sleeping form. She took a deep breath and adjusted her hat on her head, eyes burning with fresh determination. The Contest awaited, and after that... payback.

“Why are you not wearing your hood?” one of the cloaked figures asked of the griffin relaxing against one of the massive stone pillars within the chamber Zecora remained trapped within.

This griffin, seemingly unconcerned with much of anything since he’d arrived in the huge, cavernous room, merely yawned from where he lay with talons resting behind his head and turned a bored look towards the cloaked figure, the only other one present.

“Figure there’s no point. I’ve implicated myself to get the job done, so once things are finished here, I’m either going to have to change identities, or otherwise vanish. ‘Grimwald’ is history. I wonder what name I ought to grab next? Tell me, does my face look more like a ‘Gregory’ or a ‘Guilian’ to you? Honest answers only, please.”

“You’re quite at peace with abandoning your previous life. Did you not have a wife? Children you’ve sired?”

“Oh, yes, and my wife has got to be absolutely furious with me right now, heheh!” the griffin laughed, and Zecora, laying in a feigned attempt at sleep, wondered if it was madness or regret she heard in that laugh. “She’d gut me alive if I went back now. I’m going to miss her, actually. The kids too. They say ‘never get attached’, but I can’t help it, I do enjoy being around interesting folk, and my wife... well, ex-wife now, was quite the firecracker. Going to take me awhile to find another like her. As for the kids, they’re taken care of. Payment in advance, going to suitable nest eggs for each of them. I’m a bastard, but I’m not a irresponsible bastard.”

The cloaked figure was silent for a moment, then Zecora heard a mutter under her breath. It sounded vaguely familiar, and her ears twitched slightly. Had that been a tribal dialect? She couldn’t be sure.

“Speak up, buddy, can’t hear you,” the griffin said, and the cloaked figure turned to leave.

“It is nothing. I imagine you have motivations for your actions I can’t personally fathom, but that is the nature of things between those who are so different, is it not? I came to ensure you knew of your remaining orders, which is to guard our prisoner until our leader gives you other instructions. I must return before my absence is unduly noticed.”

“Break a leg up there,” the griffin replied with a sharp little smile as the cloaked figure left the chamber, vanishing into the shadows. Once the figure was gone, the griffin turned towards Zecora. “Enjoying listening in?”

Zecora paused, her breath halting, then realized that there was no point in pretending to be asleep any longer and sat up in her cage, eyeing the griffin cautiously. “I find little else at the moment that I can do, for surely I have no hope of escaping you.”

A series of manic little snickers escaped the griffin as he rolled to his feet and prowled over to her cage, his eyes gleaming in the gloom of the cavern. “Yeah, sure, let’s pretend you’re not thinking of ways to get out of here every minute you’re stuck in that cage. Seriously I’d be happy if you tried, because it’d give me something to do. Now that my big scene is done with, I’m going to be stuck sitting here bored out of my skull until something goes wrong.”

“You fear your plans may go awry? Then why do you even try?”

“Is the rhyming thing something you have to do, or is it that you really just like having a personal schtick that messes with people? I mean,I can relate to that. Messing with people is one of my few joys in life, hence my profession as a meddler-for-hire, but what’s your deal, lady?”

Zecora chose silence, staring at the griffin with narrowed eyes as she adopted a meditative posture. It was difficult with her broken leg, but she let the pain run through her, and closed her eyes to focus upon clearing her thoughts.

“Oh come on, did I hit a nerve or something with the rhyming question? Well, if you prefer the silent treatment, I’m not going to bug you about it. I figure it's only a matter of time before one of the ‘good guys’ finds this spot, so I might as well catch up on some sleep until then. Or until the real show starts. Whichever comes first.”

Good on his word, the griffin went back to his spot by one of the stone columns and plopped down as comfortably as if he were lounging on a pile of silk pillows. Though Zecora heard his breathing turn towards a rhythm of sleep, she somehow suspected he was as alert as ever to any noise or movement she might make. She had no idea what mischief this one had caused outside this chamber, but she doubted it, or any further plans his cloaked comrades had, boded well for anyone.

The gentle ambiance of the crowd was somewhat subdued as Trixie and her friends cantered back to the coliseum. Abbess Serene was met with several monks near one of the coliseum entrances who whispered to her quietly before she gave a quick gesture and they hurried off.

“Something amiss?” Trixie asked, then frowned and added, “As in, more amiss than what we’ve already had happen?”

The Abbess turned to her with a smile akin to worn out parchment, a combination of dry amusement and tiredness showing in her eyes. “Merely the repercussions of this latest incident being gradually played out. Since it was a griffin champion who has done this to your friend, there has been some... conflict among the various nobles and monarchs here representing the Griffin Kingdoms. Grimwald’s wife has been taken for questioning, and there’s generally a great deal of tension between the remaining griffins who are on edge concerning what this incident means for their own standing in the Contest.”

“Going to go out on a limb and say if the buzzard’s wife was still hanging around here, she probably had no idea what hubby was about to do,” said Cheerilee, “I mean, if she knew, she’d have flown the coop well before Grimwald had his match with Ditzy.”

“Unless she’s trying to look innocent by not running away,” pointed out Lyra, but Carrot Top just shook her head at the bardess.

“That’s probably overthinking it, Lyra.” The farmer turned worried eyes towards the Abbess, “How’s everyone else taking it? The other champions and guests?”

“There’s understandable confusion, but as far as most know so far this was merely an isolated incident of a participant cheating and fleeing the scene of their crime,” the Abbess replied, “As of now I’m uncertain just how much more needs to be told, but I will consult with the Princess tomorrow and decide a course of action. For the moment, the Contest must resume.”

Entering the archway that led to one of the many wide, carved tunnels through the coliseum stands, Trixie caught a glimpse down one of the offshoots of a dark form standing and looking her way. The tengu, Kenkuro, beckoned her with a wing and the group paused, the Abbess casting a concerned look back towards the tengu.

“Deepest pardons, Abbess,” said Kenkuro, bobbing his black feathered head in a deep bow, “I beg a moment of Dame Lulamoon’s time. I shall not keep her long.”

“No need for apologies, honored Kenkuro,” replied the Abbess with a wispy smile, “Dame Lulamoon is not an active participant in the Contest of Strength, so there’s no delay in her speaking with you. Indeed, I’m no one’s keeper, so aside from asking that Dame Raindrops and Dame Cheerilee be present at the tournament stage as soon as possible, all else are free to go about as pleases you. Excuse me.”

Returning Kenkuro’s bow, the Abbess hurried off.

Raindrops touched Trixie’s shoulder with a hoof, casting an uncertain look Kenkuro’s way as she whispered, “Want me to stay? Just in case?”

“I’ll be quite alright,” Trixie said, “He’s shown himself to be trustworthy enough.”

“If you say so,” Raindrops didn’t sound entirely comfortable with leaving Trixie alone, not that Trixie blamed her. With Ditzy in such straights, all of them were slightly rattled. Raindrops being a bit paranoid wasn’t without merit. Still, if Kenkuro had wanted to harm them, or had any connection to the conspiracy, he’d had earlier opportunities to act against them. Trixie trusted him, as much as she was willing to for the time being.

With that Trixie let her friends go on ahead, Lyra and Carrot Top to return to the coliseum stands, Raindrops and Cheerilee to the side of the arena where they would join the remaining contestants in the tournament. Trixie was left with Kenkuro, her eyes keeping careful watch on the avian creature, her horn warmed up with an aura of magic underneath her magician's hat... just in case.

“So, what did you want to see me about?”

She noticed his head remained bowed from his earlier gesture to the Abbess, his voice smooth but somehow tight with a hint of regret.

“First allow me to apologize to you and yours for what has happened to your friend.”

“Whatever for? You’re not responsible.” Are you? She left that part unsaid.

“Perhaps, but I am the Blade of Heaven, and while it is my duty to be both counsel and bodyguard to the Empress and her heir, it was still a failure of my skill in that area that I did not see the danger to Dame Doo until it was too late. My eyes must be becoming clouded by my age, and yet they remain keen and I held suspicions that the one called Grimwald was concealing dishonorable intentions. As I had warned you of the threat to this Contest, I suspected he was connected to it. Yet even watching him, knowing this... I still failed to act in time, and your friend has paid for that inaction. And so I offer my apologies, and swear repayment for this debt.”

There was crystalline sincerity in his words, which a part of Trixie still thought it would be smart to doubt, yet at this point she had no reason beyond an innate paranoia to do so. That, and perhaps the fact that Grimwald had managed to hurt one of her friends on her watch had struck a nerve with Trixie, and hence she wasn’t eager to extend trust. But she just didn’t have a valid reason to doubt Kenkuro’s words. He’d been nothing but up front with her so far.

She returned his bow with one of her own, although she dipped out of it quickly, trying to enforce a more casual note in her voice, “If you blame yourself, then you may as well blame all of us who were there and watching just as much as you were, and weren’t able to protect Ditzy. Grimwald is the coward to blame here, so please, raise your head.”

Kenkuro did so, like a spring being unwound, and he made a sighing chirp of noise as he rested his wings behind his back.

“Thank you, Dame Lulamoon. I can only hope your friend will recover from what was done to her.”

“The Princess is on it. I have complete faith in her.”

There was a hint of flashing thought in Kenkuro’s solid black eyes, and he took one wing to rub at his beak, “We still don’t know what our true enemy seeks to accomplish, yet it’s distressing that both your Elements of Harmony and Tsukihime have been taken out of play, however temporarily. It leaves the island vulnerable.”

“You’re not the first to say as much,” Trixie admitted, “But since we don’t know where the bad guys are hiding, we’re stuck continuing on with the Contest like normal.”

“Then a time for more drastic measures is upon us. As Tein Zhu wrote; ‘Only a fool ignores the silverpike eating his oar.’ I shall drop out of the Contest.”

“Are you certain of that?” Trixie asked. “You’d be leaving Dao Ming alone to represent Shouma.”

A crease of a smile appeared at the edge of Kenkuro’s beak, his voice warming, “She is growing very quickly these past few days. She shall do fine without this old bird perched upon her shoulder. It is more important that I am free to roam the island and spot any mischief I may. Besides, I had my duel with Nuru. That was all I really desired out of the Contest.”

“The elderly zebra? How long have you two known each other?”

“More years than I care to count. Our philosophies may differ, but he’s remained an honest friend and one of the few I have left. Him and Greysight.”

“You did get around back in the day, didn’t you? A zebra, a minotaur, and a tengu. And I thought I had an eclectic collection of friends,” Trixie said, “I’d be interesting in hearing how the three of you met, someday.”

“Assuming some horrible cataclysm doesn’t befall the island and kill us all, I’d be more than pleased to regale you with such tales over some fine tea, Dame Lulamoon,” Kenkura said, bowing once more, albeit in a swifter and less formal fashion, “But for now I suggest we go see what the rest of today’s Contest has in store.”

Cheerilee was trotting besides Raindrops on her way to the champion’s benches when she caught sight of a familiar, burly form walking down the coliseum bleachers, waving towards her.

“Catch up with you in a sec, Raindrops,” Cheerilee said, turning towards the minotaur trying to get her attention and hoping Iron Will would stop elbowing folk aside on his march down to the edge of the bleachers. He was a decent fellow, but still had a minotaur’s mindset when it came to personal space.

Raindrops glanced at Iron Will, then at Cheerilee, nodding her head, “Don’t be long.”

As Raindrops flew further on, Cheerilee moved up to the bleachers at a swift canter. The seating for the coliseum was a good six feet up from the ground level where the stage was, but Cheerilee had little trouble craning her neck to look up as Iron Will leaned over the stone railing.

“Cheers,” he said, and she smiled up at him, although almost immediately she fell into a more subtle form of both reading and projecting body language. Iron Will was nervous. It was clear as written ink in he way he held his shoulders like a tense rock slab, and in the manner he had his head tilted enough so his horns were pointed down, a simple danger response.

She responded with projecting confidence, ears perked, chin up, chest out. A signal of strength and not to be worried about anything.

“Iron. Come to watch me flatten Steel Cage in the ring?” Good, she kept the fear out of her voice. Nice, smooth, and filled with casual confidence. She could see in the way Iron Will let out a long breath through his nose and eased up the whipcord tension in his shoulders that she’d had the right effect, relaxing him.

“That’s the plan. Ol’ Iron Will just wanted to make sure you knew where to look in the stands to see me shouting away for you to win. Of course most of that’s because I’d rather not lose my business and get dragged back home, but it’d also suck if Steel got the better of you out there.”

“Ain’t happening. Steel Cage is about to learn to respect a teacher like me, because he’s going to get taken to school.”

The hearty belly laugh from Iron Will did wonders to ease Cheerilee’s own tension. For all the smack talk, she knew what she was in for when she fought Steel Cage. Chances were, even in a best case scenario, it wasn’t going to be pretty. She had a plan, but wasn’t sure how well it’d pan out. Still, no reason to let Iron Will know about that. He needed to be put at ease, given what was at stake. Minotaur honor could be an odd thing, but however strange their ways might have seemed to outsiders, they took it with ironclad seriousness. If she lost to Steel Cage, he’d make good on his promise to drag Iron Will back to the minotaur lands, and for as much as a rebel as Iron Will was, he’d probably go without a fight at that point.

The only way to prevent it was for Cheerilee to establish herself as the ‘alpha’ here. Nevermind that Steel Cage was, even by minotaur standards, a ludicrously strong physical specimen.

Doubt would end the fight before it even started, however, if she let it take root. In a fight between minotaurs, attitude was everything. If one believed the theory of minotaur ego-driven magic, that concept could even be taken literally. Today, Cheerilee was going to put that to the test.

Iron Will looked at her with a knowing light in his eyes, one that brought her back to when she’d traveled with him. They hadn’t even been together that long, back then, but he’d given her a whole new appreciation for what lay outside of Equestria and she knew she’d given him a taste of what the world had to offer beyond the rigid traditions of his homeland. They’d both helped each other become the people they were now. She’d be damned if she was going to let it go to waste now.

“You’ll win, and when you do, I’ll make sure you get a cut of the profits off of all the ‘Champion Cheerilee’ merchandise i’m going to sell. I’m planning a whole line of action figures here.”

“Make sure you get my cutie mark right,” Cheerilee said, turning back towards the arena with a wink.

Back at the benches, which had a significantly thinned out number of champions present compared to when the Contest of Strength started, Cheerilee sat next to Raindrops. The pegasus gave her an odd look, glancing back to where Iron Will was grabbing a seat near the front.

“Sooooo, how exactly are you planning to beat Muscles Maximus over there?” Raindrops asked in a low voice, tilting a head towards where Steel Cage was sitting a few benches down. The towering slab of minotaur muscle was pointedly ignoring those around him. His burly chest was thrust out in a confident display of projected uncaring, as if the proceedings were beneath his notice. Beside him, the other two minotaur champions that had lost their matches were keeping more of an eye on the other champions. Steel Cage spared a narrow eyed look towards Cheerilee before snorting and going back to observing the other champions.

“The plan, Raindrops, is to hit him in the only place that I can actually hurt him,” Cheerilee said, smacking her hooves together, and Raindrops blanched.

“I guess the rules don’t outlaw going below the belt, do they?”

“Not what I meant,” Cheerilee said with a ghostly smirk, “Although that’s not the worst idea either. No, I’m talking about something else entirely. You’ll see when we fight. Assuming we fight. When are they going to announce this rounds matchups, anyway?”

“Looks like they’re just getting started,” Raindrops said, pointing with a wing towards the arena stage, where Cheerilee could see Abbess Serene walking to the center of the stage.

To Cheerilee's eyes the Abbess looked far more tired than she had in the first days of the Contest. Understandable, given the stress the Abbess must have been under from dealing with recent events. She did wonder just what it was the Abbess was going to show them tomorrow. Some sort of secret worth hiding within secret chambers beneath the monastery. It made Cheerilee’s tail twitch, thinking about it, pushing back a chill shudder. She and the girls had a rough track record with secret things and underground areas.

Putting that from her mind, Cheerilee focused on the Abbess as the elderly pony cleared her throat, a sound that reverberated loudly with voice amplification magic as the Abbess spoke.

“We apologize for the delay and wish to assure all of our guests here today that we are taking all precautions to ensure the safety of both guests and champions during the events of the Contest. Given the competitive nature of affairs, occasionally things can get a tad out of hoof. I have the assurance of Princess Luna that Dame Ditzy Doo is in stable condition and is expected to recover swiftly. For the moment the whereabouts of Mister Grimwald are unknown, so if anyone of our noble guests do see him about, please contact the nearest member of my order that you can. Now, with all that said, we shall continue the Contest of Strength. Many champions have shown us marvelous displays of physical courage and prowess today, and more is to come before a true victor emerges from among our remaining champions. Now, the matches of the third round shall begin.”

As before, magical projects floated in phantom light across the air above the arena, displaying the faces of the champions in each participating match. There were certainly fewer faces up there now, only eight in total. This round of bouts would determine those going into the semi-final round, and while Cheerilee wasn’t all that competitive was mostly in this to teach Steel Cage a lesson, she couldn't’ deny feeling a few butterflies beating around in her stomach as she realized she and Raindrops has made it to the quarter finals in what was essentially a combat tournament with some of the world’s best.

How in the world had that happened? She knew she was good in a fight, far more so than most ponies, and sure she and the gals had been pretty active this past year and the one before dealing with every manner of insanity that Corona and other forces had tossed their way. But to be doing this well, in a world-class tournament. Was it just luck, or had she and the other mares from Ponyville really gotten that good?

Cheerilee was going with luck, honestly, but whatever the reasons were, as long as they lasted just a bit longer, that was all she cared about. Luck or skill, if it could just hold out for one more round... because she saw what she somehow instinctively knew she would see up there. Her face and Steel Cage’s, matched up together.

This was it, she’d be settling things with him shortly. They were the third match in the round. First up was Gwendolyn, up against the only other griffin to get this far. Cheerilee noted with some interest it was one of the griffins from the team she and the girls had taken on in the Grand Melee. What was her name? Raquel?

After that, Sigurd was up against one of Naqah's champions, and from what Cheerilee had seen so far of Sigurd’s fighting, she didn’t make much for the camel's chances, but anything was possible.

Then finally after her bout with Steel Cage, however that would turn out, Raindrops had the dubious honor of going up against Dao Ming.

“Ouch,” Cheerilee said, “I know my opponent’s bigger, but I’m more worried about yours. She beat Wodan, who I’m not going to lie, I kinda placed a bet was going to take the gold in this Contest. I’m out a lot of bits on that one, actually. But I mean, can you blame me, have you seen Wodan? I’m still not sure how Dao Ming beat him.”

“Relax Cheerilee,” Raindrops said with a oddly serene laugh, stretching her wings, “I’m not worried about it. I’m just going to go in there and go for it, and we’ll see how it goes. You’re the one who’s got some kind of crazy minotaur honor duel going on this time around.”

“Point taken,” Cheerilee replied, not sure if she should be relieved or somewhat worried by how generally chilled out Raindrops seemed after her fight with Tendaji. It wasn’t that Raindrops was acting like a totally different pony, but there was a whole load of tension that seemed to be off the pegasus mare’s shoulders, and a sort of ease to her smile that hadn’t been there before.

Cheerilee decided it was a good change, and watched as the third round of the Contest of Strength began.

It was hard for Gwendolyn to feel satisfied with her victories thus far. The air among her fellow griffins was souring by the moment, and in no small part due to her continued displays of martial prowess. Half of the griffin champions were whispering among themselves in respectful, if grumbling mutters, Gwendolyns esteem rising among those who couldn’t ignore her fighting ability and were impressed by it. The other half were filled with spiteful grumbles and cutting glares, incensed by being out done by a griffin who was so renowned to be in favor of the Border Kingdom’s growing need for freedom from the Inner Kingdoms.

And of course, as griffins were wont to do, arguments were brewing between those two divided halves. She’d already seen at least one or two scuffles between arguing griffins, even among the audience members in the stands. Things were getting ugly, even if it hadn’t blown up yet enough for it to be noticed by the other races. Matter were Grimwald sure hadn’t helped, only adding to the tension.

Gwendolyn didn’t know what to think about what Grimwald had done. He’d always been erratic in nature, but he’d clearly targeted Ditzy Doo with a plan in mind, and Gwendolyn couldn’t shake the notion that he’d been hired for the job by an outside force. Could King Gruber be involved? He already schemed to dispose of her soldiers back home, could he have further intentions beyond sparking the civil war Gwendolyn was hoping to avoid?

Yet for all her swirling thoughts, she had to remain focused on what lay in front of her. Winning this Contest of Strength was her only route to gaining the prestige she’d need to call out Gruber and head off the disastrous storm that was brewing in the Griffin Kingdoms. If she didn’t pull this off, chances were the Kingdoms would be in open war with one another before the end of the week.

Fortunately her fellow griffins hadn’t been much challenge so far. Most of the combatants from the Inner Kingdoms lacked the experience Gwendolyn had, and were here mostly for show.

Although the griffin standing before her must have at least been somewhat competent to have made it through two rounds. Gwendolyn recognized her by her faded gray coat upon her lion’s body and the dusty tint of orange around her head crest of feathers. Raquel was the nominal leader of the Schwarzenstern, the Griffin Kingdom of Thuringia’s elite unit that guarded the capital. Gwendolyn had already taken some of Raquel’s measure in the Grand Melee, but wasn’t about to underestimate her here. Too much was riding on this for such childish mistakes.

While Gwendolyn wore little more than her light flight leathers and gauntlets, Raquel was armored up in chain and wearing a black tabard with the symbol of Thuringia emblazoned upon it. The chainmail was not a common armor among griffins, given its weight, and Raquel wearing it was as much a statement of her physical strength and stamina as it was a matter of protection. She carried a short shafted halbert as her weapon of choice, managing the weapon with practiced ease if not expert skill.

Gwendolyn avoided touching the hilt of her sword, determined to show no nervousness. The sword was still a warm presence at her side, however, an almost imperceptible hum seeming to buzz from it to Gwendolyn’s ears. She still didn’t really understand the sword’s magical properties, but she often felt like it was alive, somehow.

“Ready to lose?” Raquel asked in a coy, probing tone.

“Do I even need to dignify that with a real response?” Gwendolyn fired back.

“Loosen up, I’m just joshing you,” Raquel said, her eyes narrowing as her voice took on a note of disgust, “You’re damn king approached me while everyone else was freaking out over the comatose pony. Wanted me to provoke you into a real duel.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes widened for a moment, but quickly she forced her expression back to normal, “Did he now? What did you say?”

“Screw that noise. I don’t need any political crap raining on my parade. Me and the girls have been nothing but getting our tailfeathers kicked this whole Contest. I’m not about to screw up the one chance we got at a good showing by letting this Inner and Outer Kingdoms nonsense get in the way. Figure if you’re the better griffin, you’ll win, and if you’re not, you’ll be eating dirt. Whatever you and your Red Shields do after that isn’t my business.”

“Raquel, if things go wrong, and war breaks out, all of our countrygriffins will suffer for it.”

Raquel just shrugged, “Maybe we could use a good war.”

It was so clear to Gwendolyn that Raquel, like so many other young griffins of the Inner Kingdoms, just didn’t know what war really was. Things had been too peaceful for too long, and the knowledge just wasn’t there anymore. She shook her head with a saddened slowness.

“There’s no such thing as a ‘good’ war. That’s why I’ve got to win this. So our people don’t have to learn that lesson all over again.”

Raquel looked at her with a curious and, for a brief second, contemplative look. Then she just shrugged again and hefted her halbert. “Whatever. Let’s do this. Hey Abbess chick! Start the match already!”

At the side of the stage, the Abbess Serne had been directing her monks towards the crafting of the stage’s shape for the fight. At Raquel’s shout, the Abbess glanced over at them with a tired but warm smile, “We’ve just finished preparations. You may begin as soon as the arena changes form.”

That was a little different than how the Abbess had been announcing previous matches, but Gwendolyn soon understood why as Abbess Serene hopped off the stage and the monks standing at key points around the huge square of stone began the magical transformation of the arena. The faint rumble of stone through the whole stage was soon followed by the edges rising upwards into walls. More walls took form in a smaller square within the arena itself, and pointed towers of stone rose up in a tight cluster around a square rectangular base almost beneath Gwendolyn and Raquel’s feet.

In short order a near exact replica of a Griffin Kingdom’s aerie castle wall and courtyard, complete with small inner keep, was replicated within the arena. It wasn’t to scale, but it was large enough that Gwendolyn and Raquel could easily stand on and fight along the rampart laden walls or fly around the keep towers.

The Abbess couldn’t have been standing in the ring with them and had a means of getting out after the stage was reformed, so little wonder she’d remained on the sidelines this time.

“Not bad,” Gwendolyn remarked, “Reminds me of the keep in Fairhaven-”

She was interrupted by the speedy thrust of Raquel’s halbert, the other griffin spreading her wings and streaking towards Gwendolyn like a quarrel from a crossbow. Gwendolyn had been keeping an eye on Raquel, even as she’d been making her comment, and reacted in time to half-draw her sword and get its edge between her and the spear-point at the tip of Raquel’s halberd.

She finished the draw, deflecting the halberd upwards and immediately stepped into a spinning slash, aiming to sever the halberd’s shaft the same way she’d cut her last opponent’s sword in half. Her blade was wickedly sharp, unnaturally so, and she knew full well how effective it could be will also being wise to how dangerous it was to use in a non-lethal competition. Fortunately Gwendolyn had excellent control and full confidence in her abilities.

Raquel surprised her by stepping into the slash, rolling her whole body up and around with one strong beat of her wings. It was a stupidly risky move, as it put Raquel’s wings dangerously close to the path of Gwendolyn’s sword, but the blade misse while only taking off a few feathers.

“I’m not going to just be a pushover for you!” Raquel said with a edged smile that reflected the steel of her halberd as she spun it and brought it down in a hefty overhead chop.

Gwendolyn snapped into instant motion, rolling across the rampart of the wall and dropping towards the courtyard below, even as the halberd deflecting off the stone and sent small rock chips flying everywhere. Gwendolyn planted her sword in the wall as she fell, using it as a means to slow her descent and then swing herself upwards, wings spreading as she flew right back up, sword poised to strike.

Raquel had come after her over the wall, only to find Gwendolyn flying straight back up at her, and let out a squawk of surprise as she flung herself back, narrowly avoiding the glinting path of Gwendolyn’s red tinted sword. The blade still cut through the stone ramparts with ease, sending chunks of it crashing to the ground below. Gwendolyn caught one of these stones, and with a spin to put her whole body into it, chucked it at Raquel.

Raquel spun her halberd rapidly, deflecting the stone chunk, but that had just been a distraction. Gwendolyn came in hard and fast from above, her body flowing into a harsh and brutal combination of thrusts and slashes meant to do little more than batter down and destroy her opponent’s defenses. In this case, she imagined just cutting the halbert itself ot pieces, but was surprised once more as Raquel started falling back quickly, using her wings in short, swift hops across the wall as she continued to spin the halberd and block Gwendolyn’s strikes.

Each clash brought a flash of green sparks and a shimmer of faint magic across the halberd.

“Enchanted weapon?” Gwendolyn said, “Not standard issue for your group, I’d wager.”

“Hey,” Raquel said, “Just because I told Gruber no about provoking you into a real duel, doesn’t mean I said no when he offered to give me an edge to help beat you in the ring.”

“Do you even get that you’re just being used to get at me?” Gwendolyn asked as she changed up her direct assault to a more calculated set of thrusts, aiming to test Raquel’s guard. Gwendolyn could admit Raquel was better than she’d expected, but every second they exchanged blows she was seeing more and more elements of sloppiness in the other griffin’s fighting. Raquel was strong, naturally talented, and not unskilled, but there was a lack of real fighting instinct and edge that only comes from real experience.

Gwendolyn knew she could win, once she wore Raquel down a bit. But the enchanted weapon bothered her. If King Gruber had tried getting Raquel to provoke a duel, it meant he feared her gaining influence through winning the Contest of Strength. He saw that she was winning over some of the other griffin champions, despite all of them being from the Inner Kingdoms and supposedly being poised to support a bid for control over the Border Kingdoms.

There was no way Gruber was dumb enough to think just giving Raquel a magical weapon would stop Gwendolyn, so what was he really planning?

The answer came sooner than Gwendolyn would have thought. She and Raquel had run out of wall and Raquel took to the air, throwing herself to the side and heading for the replica of the keep. Gwendolyn gave chase, and as Raquel spun around to face her the pair flew at each other, exchanging several blows in mid-air. The two would wheel about, weapons swinging, and the sword and halberd clashed in a rain of sparks.

On the fourth such exchange of blows, Gwendolyn’s sword managed to strike the base where the halberd’s axe blade connected with the rest of the shaft. A gouge was cut in the metal and wood, but the moment that happened there was a surge of magical energy out of the halberd, crackling like arcs of emerald lightning. The energy coursed around Raquel, who gave a surprised and pained shout as she seized up in the air and started to fall out of the sky.

At the same instant, Gwendolyn saw the energy surge from the magic halberd was growing rapidly out of control. She didn’t know for certain what was happening, but knew it wasn’t good, and that she didn’t have more than a few seconds to act.

She rushed Raquel, catching her in mid-air, and then tore the halberd out of the seizuring griffin’s hands. That same energy surged into Gwendolyn, causing a wave of pain to boil through her. She clenched her beak against a scream and focused all of her might on just getting the halberd out of Raquel’s hands. As she did so the weapon was glowing bright green, like a blazing star, and Gwendolyn could feel it scalding her talons even as she hurled the halberd into one of the windows of the replica keep.

She then flew away with Raquel in tow as fast as she could, rushing up to the courtyard wall and ramparts, taking cover just as the damaged magical halberd exploded.

Emerald fire rushed out of the windows of the replica keep, scorching the stone and bursting from the windows in multiple trails of flame and released magical energy. Once it was done, smoke billowed out in steaming tendrils from the keep, some of the stone wall burned charcoal black. Had Gwendolyn and Raquel not gotten rid of the halberd as fast as they had, both of them likely would have been fried by the blast.

For a few moments the pair didn’t do anything except carefully peer over the ramparts, catching their breath as the last of the smoke drifted upwards. The coliseum crowd had let out a collective gasp at the explosion, but had quieted down as Gwendolyn and Raquel stood up, brushing themselves off.

“Okay, note to self; no more magic weapons,” Raquel grumbled, “Nobody said anything about them blowing up like that.”

Gwendolyn clenched her beak, wanting to say that in all likelihood Gruber planned it that way, but she had nothing that could prove that accusation. Magical weapons weren’t always the most stable things, and when damaged, all sorts of problems could occur. Most of the time they generally just went inert, but some were known to explode or have other violent reactions. To anyone watching this would’ve just looked like a simple accident. Even if Gwendolyn said something, Gruber could just shrug and deny he had any prior knowledge to the halberd’s likelihood of exploding like that.

He of course did know about her sword and it's unnatural sharpness, so it probably wouldn’t have been hard to predict what would happen if Gwendolyn fought with Raquel.

Should have seen it coming, but at least neither of us were hurt. Damn you, Gruber, do you want war in the Griffin Kingdoms this badly?

Realizing Raquel was looking at her, Gwendolyn said, “Well, you want to get another weapon or what?”

“Pfft, what do I look like, a newborn chick asking for a ‘do over’ after failing her first flight test? Sucks my halberd blew up, but that’s nobody’s fault by my own for relying on it in the first place. Now, we finish this the way griffins are meant to, down and dirty.”

Raquel flexed her talons, making it exceedingly clear she meant to finish the fight unarmed save for the weapons nature gave her. Gwendolyn couldn’t help but feel her respect for the Schwarzenstern captain go up a notch. She sheathed her blade and cracked her neck, flexing her own talons.

Raquel frowned, “Wasn’t asking for a fair fight. Use your damn sword.”

“If you want to give me orders, then you’d better beat me first. I fight how I feel like, and right now, I’m feeling mighty pugilistic.”

“Tch, suit yourself.”

Raindrops was no expert, but she was pretty sure that ariel suplexing your opponent through a keep’s roof, albiety a small not-to-scale keep, was still outside the Equestrian martial arts tournament regulations. Good thing this wasn’t an Equestrian martial arts tournament and the Contest of Strength had very loose rules of engagement.

As Gwendolyn stood over her unconscious foe, the griffiness raised a talon in a signal of victory, but didn’t even wait for Abbess Serene to be done announcing the win before she carefully, with surprising gentleness, picked Raquel’s battered form up and carried her out of the arena.

“You know, I think she fights almost as dirty as you do, Cheerilee,” Raindrops said.

“Where do you think I learned to fight as dirty as I do?” Cheerilee replied, “Griffins don’t have a concept of ‘clean’ fighting. You either win, or you lose, and anything goes. I’m a little surprised Gwendolyn even decided to fight unarmed after the other griffin lost her weapon.”

“Yeah, that was a close call...” Raindrops said, frowning and rubbing the chest of her starmetal armor, “Hope this stuff doesn’t have the same problem.”

“The Princess is too skilled to enchant a weapon or armor that’ll blow up when damaged. I wouldn’t worry about it. Although...” Cheerilee now shared Raindrops frown, “Seems oddly coincidental another accident that could’ve wiped out another pair of champions just occured, even if it wasn’t nearly as overt as what Grimwald did to Ditzy.”

“You think it was more shadowy shenanigans?”

Cheerilee’s frown deepened, but then she shrugged, “No way to know for sure. Wouldn’t exactly leave me shocked if it was. I don’t think that griffin Gwendolyn took down had a spear like that earlier, so she must have gotten it from somewhere. Pretty coincidental it just blew up like that.”

Raindrops wore a faint scowl, but took a calming breath and brushed it away like a dark cloud. “I can say now with neither unease or restraint that I eagerly look forward to pummeling whoever’s messing with the Contest into unconscious and readily jailable heaps.”

“Right there with you, Raindrops, but for now let’s keep our aggression focused on our opponents,” Cheerilee said as the next combatants entered the arena.

Sigurd walked at a slow, measured pace, his armor rattling with the various bone talisman hanging from it. The water deer’s face had an even darker and more dour cast to it than usual, lips curled down in a deep and grim expression that reminded Cheerilee of the way some of her students sometimes looked when they were facing an exam they forgot to study for. Sigurd’s small tuft of tail twitched erratically, as did his brow. What was distracting him so much?

“What’s eating him?” Raindrops asked.

Beside the two mares there was a thick, ground shaking thud as Wodan sat beside them. The moose’s face was also dour, albeit not as scowltastic as Sigurd’s. Wodan hung his head low enough to be at eye level with Cheerilee and Raindrops as he spoke in a low tone, his own attempt at a whisper that was hardly such.

“Sigurd’s heart is heavy with worry over your friend, the honorable Dame Doo. I too feel no small amount of regret over the fate that has befallen her at the talons of that winged swine.”

Cheerilee and Raindrops both looked at each other, then back at Wodan, Cheerilee saying, “I’m sure Ditzy will appreciate the concern, but it's not like its yours or Sigurd’s fault what happened.”

“You speak true, yet Sigurd has grown fond of Dame Doo, and gifted her the shield she carried into battle. Knowing Sigurd as I do, he takes blame onto himself, thinking his ill luck cursed her to fall prey to the buzzard’s dishonorable strike.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Raindrops said, and Wodan merely rolled his thick shoulders in a hefty shrug.

“If it is such or not is only for Sigurd himself to decide, but I hope it does not cloud his mind in battle. Let us watch, and see how he fares. His foe is formidable in stature.”

That much was true. Sigurd's opponent was another of Naquah's camel champions, Qal Min Hijr. Unlike the previous camel, who had possessed a cobra's sinuous, smooth grace, this camel was a boulder shaped hulk, nearly on par with Wodan's size. The camel carried no weapon, but his forelegs were clad in leather bracers, covered brass studs . As the pair squared off, Sigurd drew forth his bone carved sword, holding it in his mouth with practiced ease, yet even Cheerilee could tell his stance looked too stiff.

The Abbess Serene proceeded to introduce the contestants and ensure both were ready. She then signaled for the arena’s change to commence, which soon revealed itself to be a stacked set of circular rises within the center of the stone stage. To Cheerilee it looked somewhat like a squat wedding cake made of polished stone, with the top portion still wide enough to hold Sigurd and Qal Min Hijr both.

Soon enough the Abbess gave the signal for the match to start, and Qal wasted not even an instant before dropping down like a pro-hoofball player and shoulder charging Sigurd in a clear attempt to bowl the water deer clear out of the arena.

As the freight train of Naquah muscle bore down on him, Sigurd’s shadowed expression didn’t change in the slightest. He hardly even blinked. He simply shifted to the side, while swinging his bone sword down at the ground beside him. A pale blue, luminous set of runes blazed across the sword, and when it impacted with the stage flore there was a burst of frost.

Qal found himself charging right onto frozen stone, so slick with ice that the camel’s hooves all but flew out from under him and he went sailing over the side to bounce off of the tiers of stone one after another.

Normally any magic that projected beyond oneself or one’s weapon wasn’t allowed in this portion of the Contest, but since the frost runes were a part of his sword and only froze what the blade struck, it didn’t count as a projectile attack. Hence it was perfectly legal, even if what Sigurd struck was the ground, and Qal just happened to slip on that ground after it was frozen.

The camel narrowly avoided falling out of the arena, deftly halting his tumble at the last moment and tumbling to an upright stance with remarkable agility for someone of his bulk. Shaking stars from his eyes, Qal shot a angry snort up at Sigurd and then cracked his neck and proceeded to start jumping up the stone tiers towards the water deer with agility that belied his bulk.

Sigurd leaped to meet him, sailing down with blade upraised and swinging. Qal, in a rather bold move, caught the blade between his brass studded bracers. Ignoring the frost runes freezing over the bracers, the Naquah champion let out a roar and swung both blade and Sigurd around, clearly attempting to throw his opponent out of the arena. Sigurd responded by letting go of his sword and letting himself drop to the ground at Qal's hooves. With no wasted movement Sigurd drew the shape of a rune over his chest and his whole body, armor and all, became clad in a swiftly grown armor of ice, complete with spiked gauntlets covering his fore legs.

Rearing up on his hind legs, Sigurd lashed out with the gauntlets, hammering the camel in the chest with hefty blows. Qal, not quick at all to yield, held firm and returned Sigurd’s attacks blow for blow, his own partially frozen hooves smashing into Sigurd's face.

They went back and forth that way for several minutes, ignoring defense and simply delivering blow after bruising blow upon one another. Before long, however it became apparent that as muscular and tough as Qal Min Hijr was, there was something simply different in the unrelenting resolve in Sigurd’s unending endurance.

Or rather, to Cheerilee it seemed less like resolve, and more like self-punishment. If anything Sigurd looked as if he was taking far more damage than his camel opponent was in the exchange of hits, but the water deer just didn’t care about the pain as he soaked punch after punch from his burly foe.

Despite the blood stemming from Sigurd’s bruised and battered face, it was Qal who was looking ever more worn out and sweat soaked. While Sigurd’s own attack were certainly causing Qal to flinch in pain, it was the disturbed and unease in the camel’s eyes that was sapping his resolve. Each punch came a little slower and weaker, until finally Qal’s concentration slipped and he made a misstep, one hoof coming down on empty air instead of on solid stone. He went teetering right off the edge, hitting the ground outside the arena, still looking disturbed as Sigurd stood over him from the arena’s edge, looking for all the world like a blood soaked wraith.

The Abbess announced Sigurd as the winner of the match, while Qal, clearly shaken, accepted a hoof up form Wodan, who’d approached the stage. As the camel slumped back towards the stone benches, Wodan glanced at Sigurd, who had left the arena without so much as a slight shift in his dour expression.

“Your face looks worse than the arse of a mountain troll, my friend.”

To the jibe, Sigurd didn’t even blink, only started to walk past the moose, but Wodan held out a hoof. Sigurd glanced at him, and Wodan returned the look with hard eyes.

“Ease your self-torment. Dame Doo’s condition is not your doing. Do not shame her by acting as if this punishment of yourself does her honor.”

“...You are ever the loud mouth busybody, shoving your oversized muzzle where it is unwelcome,” Sigurd said, and Wodan laughed, though without much mirth.

“I am Wodan. My mighty snout goes where it pleases, including my friend’s business when they are being a thick headed fool.”

To this Sigurd was silent, then let out a single, blood snort, and continued to walk back to the stone benches where he took his seat. Wodan let out a bellowing sigh, and went back to where Raindrops and Cheerilee sat, his expression sour.

“Stubborn bastard.”

Cheerilee patted the moose’s leg, smiling in sympathy, “Everypony gets like that where friends are involved. Believe me, I know.”

Wodan nodded in silent reply. Meanwhile Raindrops stood up, taking a deep breath and stretching out her legs and wings.

“Well, looks like its me and the Shouma heiress up next. I get the feeling this isn’t going to take long.”

“C’mon Raindrops, give yourself a little credit,” Cheerilee said while putting on an encouraging smile, “You’ve got her beat in the strength department.”

“Yeah, but do you remember how quickly she picked us apart in the Grand Melee, when it was all six of us together? Not saying I’m not about to give it my all, but just saying I have a realistic expectations.”

“Well I’ve got a realistic expectation that you can give her at least one good, solid smack for nearly frying us with a lightning spirit,” Cheerilee said, and Raindrops replied with a dry chuckle.

“I think I can manage that much. Wish me luck.”

Trixie was nervous as she watched Raindrops take flight and slowly wing over to the center of the arena, while Dao Ming walked up with dignified steps. It wasn’t that Trixie was worried about Raindrops losing, per se. Certainly she wanted her friends to get as far as they could in the Contest of Strength, but they’d already made it to the quarter finals, which was pretty good and would nab the Equestrian team plenty of points for the overall Contest even if Raindrops and Cheerilee both lost here. And if one of them got into the semi-finals, all the better.

Win or lose, things were going well, Contest-wise, so Trixie was pleased in that department. The worry was more born of a growing knot of anxiety over the underlying threat to the Contest, which Trixie suspected actually had very little to do with the Contest. Whatever the enemy was up to, they’d targeted her friends, and it could easily happen again. Granted she sincerely doubted Dao Ming had anything to do with it, but that was besides the point. Trixie just wanted her friends to be safe, and it was looking like “safe” was not an option on this island any longer.

Trixie’s eyes roved over the crowds around her, especially looking at the various nobles and guests of importance in the higher seating areas. Who among them might be involved? Could King Gruber be more than just a warmonger, which was bad enough already? What about Prince Frederick? He seemed so enamored with Carrot Top, but what if that was all an act? Could the delegates from Zaldia be involved? What about Naquah? Who would have something to gain from causing chaos on the island?

Trixie’s eyes narrowed as she noticed the Shouma delegation. Empress Fu Ling was seated like an arrogant, jade statue, eyes boring down on her daughter down in the arena with great intensity. Trixie’s snout wrinkled in sour suspicion. Might the Shouma Empress be plotting something?

Hm? Where are they going? Trixie wondered as she noticed two of the Empress’ adopted children. The red kirin, Tomoko, had whispered something into the ear of her dark furred brother, Lo Shang. Then both of them stood, bowing and saying something to the Empress before moving with measured steps out of the seating area and down a set of stairs into the lower coliseum.

What was that about? The match between Raindrops and Dao Ming was starting, but Trixie suddenly had other things on her mind. With a careful glance around she looked to see if anypony was watching her. Carrot Top seemed engrossed with talking with Frederick, and all the other onlookers had their eyes glued on the fight in the arena.

Taking her chances, Trixie quickly cloaked herself in an invisibility spell, then silently trotted off in pursuit of the two kirin.

She deftly wound her way through the crowd, careful not to step on any hooves, tails, or other protrusions. Trixie sped up to a canter as she reached the steps that Tomoko and Lo Shang had taken and went down them two at a time. At the bottom of the stairs she paused to listen at an intersection of tunnel pathways, and heard faint voices from the left path. Going down the tunnel she reached the end that opened up along the side exterior of the coliseum and the voices became clearer. Peeking around the corner she saw Tomoko and Lo Shang standing in the tunnel entrance.

They were speaking their native language, and Trixie swore under her breath for not having a charm or spell on hoof to translate. Lo Shang looked surprised and concerned over what Tomoko was saying, whose words were insistent and almost pleading. He shook his head, giving her a confused sounding reply. Tomoko closed her eyes and spoke slowly, pointedly. Trixie heard Dao Ming’s name being mentioned.

Lo Shang laughed, although it was interrupted by Tomoko speaking in a sudden, serious tone that made him go silent. Then with a solemn nod, Lo Shang put a hoof on Tomoko’s shoulder and said something that seemed to put her at ease and she replied with a heartfelt thanks. Trixie didn’t know much of Shouma’s tongue but she did know what the words for “thank you” were, at least.

Lo Shang’s face was far from the energy and boisterousness that Trixie had noted seemed usual for him, and instead he now wore a still and uncharacteristically serious look as he bowed his head to Tomoko. She shook her head, flicking one of his horns with a hoof before drawing him into a fast hug. They exchanged a few more quick words, then both started trotting back the way they’d come. Trixie flattened herself against the wall, making sure to keep her illusion stable as the pair of kirin walked past her.

Once they were gone, Trixie let out a breath and slowly started cantering back as well, her mind churning over what she’d seen.

Strictly speaking, that conversation could have been anything, but Trixie was skilled at reading ponies (or kirin) and mentally went over the body language, expressions, and tones of the exchange.

Tomoko and Lo Shang had both been worried about something. Tomoko had likely asked Lo Shang to do something. Something involving Dao Ming? Dao Ming may well have been the topic of the conversation in some way, or at least related to it. Lo Shang hadn’t been reluctant so much as just taken aback and concerned, but had seemed to agree to whatever it was Tomoko had asked of him. Her gratitude hadn’t looked false, but quite genuine.

So did that mean anything? For all Trixie knew Dao Ming had a birthday coming up that they were planning for, or something completely unrelated to the Contest.

Blast it all, I could speculate all day on this and it wouldn’t do any good, but I’m going to make a point of keeping an eye on those two... Trixie thought as she returned to her seat. She waited until she was sure no one was looking her way before dropping her invisibility spell, letting out a sight as she did so. It’d only taken a couple of minutes to follow Tomoko and Lo Shang, but Trixie saw the match between Raindrops and Dao Ming was already underway.

Raindrops kept to the air, for all the good it was doing her. She turned sideways and made a slow but powerful turn around and make another diving swoop at Dao Ming, who was standing with easy poise upon what was essentially a stone bridge no wider than half a hoofspan.

The entire arena had been transformed into a series of such arching bridges, some wide, others narrow, all criss-crossing and building atop each other. Some had stairs, others had ramps, and the whole affair stretched up a good twenty feet. For a flyer like Raindrops it offered plenty of obstacles to flight, but also cover from her opponent, who’d also have to contend with uneven and at spots downright precarious footing.

But Dao Ming was so unbelievably agile and balanced that she could sprint across the narrowest of the bridges without breaking stride, and even leap between them with the grace of a sparrow flitting between tree branches. Raindrops quickly found herself struggling to find openings to attack Dao Ming, the kirin’s slender blade seemingly always ready for a swift counterattack.

Like now, as Raindrops dove in, Dao Ming readily flipped over the pegasus’ strike and flashed her sword out. Raindrops rolled in mid-air, taking a light cut. Her fore hooves hit the stone where Dao Ming had been standing, cracking the narrow bridge. Dao Ming landed from her flip and thrust towards Raindrops, almost too fast to see.

With her forehooves still planted on the bridge, Raindrops pivoted her lower body like a spinning top and kicked out with her hind legs. One leg swept aside Dao Ming’s sword, while the other flew towards the kirin’s face. However Dao Ming ducked right under the blow and smoothly stepped into a strike of her own, turning her forward momentum into an elbow strike that caught Raindrops in the side.

Raindrops didn’t lose her focus or cool as the blow sent her tumbling. She used her wings to control her fall and landed on all four hooves, immediately galloping back into the attack. Dao Ming awaited her, gold mane shimmering as she reared up to a hind-legged stance and her sword floated evenly at her side.

For a few seconds Raindrops launched into a set of steady but strong kicks and fierce punches, using her wings to ward off Dao Ming’s sword with careful precision. Dao Ming bent and twisted like coils of jade mist, never letting Raindrops get more than a glancing hit. But that was fine by Raindrops’ measure. Her attacks were simply meant to push Dao Ming back to the same point Raindrops had hit before when she’d made her dive.

When Dao Ming’s hooves brushed over the already cracked stone, Raindrops ceased her attacks and instead focused a single hoof strike downward, letting out a loud shout as she brought the punch down with all her might. The stone bridge shattered, albeit only because it was already fairly thin and damaged to begin with. Raindrops flew up as Dao Ming was left falling down. However Dao Ming turned her fall into a controlled tumble, and used one hoof to catch herself on a lower and wider bridge. She flipped herself up onto the bridge just in time to receive another dive bomb from Raindrops.

This time Dao Ming couldn’t dodge, but instead blocked the blow with her sword, bracing it with both her arms as Raindrops hit. The blow forced Dao Ming back, her hooves skidding across the bridge before she managed to plant them and hold Raindrops off.

“You seem to have grown stronger, Dame Raindrops,” Dao Ming commented, pushing back with her sword while throwing her body into a spinning kick that Raindrops couldn’t dodge, taking the blow on her chest. Dao Ming might not have looked all that physically strong, but with spirit chants she was boasting a lot more than her slight frame implied. Raindrops didn’t think she’d cracked any bones, but she certainly felt the impact as Dao Ming’s blow drove her several unsteady paces back.

She regained her balance in time to leap aside as Dao Ming thrust her blade forward, the keen edge once more scoring a light cut on Raindrops, scoring her cheek.

“You think so?” Raindrops said, jumping back off the bridge and using her wings to slam forward and create a whirlwind clap of air with one powerful stroke. The burst of air buffeted Dao Ming, but the kirin maintained her balance, using her sword as an anchor in the bridge.

“You’re more focused, as if your spirit has settled a turbulence within itself. I’m glad. Dame Trixie may be the one I most wish to defeat, but it’s good to be challenged by any of you. Properly, this time, without me making foolish errors or showing disrespect.”

“Not going to lie, I kind of still don’t like you for nearly frying my friends alive,” Raindrops said, circling Dao Ming in the air before choosing her moment and swooping in for a punishing axe kick.

Dao Ming waited until the very last moment to move, stepping into Raindrops’ kicking arc and using her forehooves to catch the pegasus by the leg, spinning to turn Raindrops’ momentum into a powerful throw that sent Raindrops flipping end over end into another bridge. Raindrops gasped for breath, but recovered fast, planting her hind legs on the bridge behind her and using it to spring forward, diving right back in at Dao Ming. Or rather, at the bridge beneath her.

Again Raindrops smashed herself into the narrow stone, shaking it. She didn’t break this bridge, as it was still mostly intact, and thicker than the previous one, but her hit made the whole thing shake like a small earthquake and Dao Ming stumbled. Raindrops seized upon this and flipped up onto the bridge, launching into a fast and fierce series of punches.

Dao Ming was left off balance, but with a deep breath the kirin maintained her focus and let her body move on long practiced and honed motions of instinct. Her sword was left forgotten in the stone as Dao Ming met Raindrops hoof to hoof, her swift, sweeping motions like a crane in flight. These were in stark contrast to Raindrops iron hard, powerful blows, like watching heavy stones fall into a placid pool.

Raindrops was good, none who watched her fight with Tendaji could deny that. Yet Dao Ming’s lifetime of training and practice, combined with supreme focus, was swiftly showing itself to still be the superior form. After a tense minute of hoof strikes flashing back and forth between them, Dao Ming managed to catch Raindrops’ outstretched hoof with her own and flip the mare in a firm body throw, planting her on the bridge. Dao Ming then flowed right on top of Raindrops, bringing a hoof down for a strike that stopped just a milometer from Raindrops’ face.

“It is unfortunate we did not meet under better circumstances, Dame Raindrops. I would have liked having you as a training partner, all these years,” Dao Ming said.

“Heh, really have lost the arrogant attitude, haven’t you? Now if only you could knock some sense into your mother,” Raindrops replied, holding up her hooves in a gesture of surrender.

Dao Ming, coughing as her expression turned scandalized, offered Raindrops a hoof up, “You still speak very boldly, Dame Raindrops. My mother is still Empress. But, yes... perhaps one day I can speak with her on matters more clearly and honestly.”

“Trust me, its usually for the best,” Raindrops said, just as the Abbess hoped onto the stage to announce the victor of the match.

There was little to no sense of defeat about Raindrops, however, as she left the arena with Dao Ming. Instead the air between them was bright and amiable, as if they’d simply just finished a friendly sparring match, rather than a competition. Among a growing number of the watching champions there were nods of approval as well as chatter over they technique of both combatants.

Then Cheerilee and Steel Cage were called to the stage, and almost as fast the amiable atmosphere shifted to one of quiet tension.

Cheerilee’s eyes looked across the seated champions at Steel Cage as he stood up, and his eyes met hers with an intensity of striking thunder.

For anyone paying attention it was clear; this next match would be anything but friendly.

For Steel Cage the feelings of the audience in the stands was practically a physical thing. He didn’t buy into any foreign nonsense that minotaurs has magic built around their egos, but he couldn’t deny that being watched by a crowd was downright invigorating in a way few things could be. He was powerful and damn well knew it, right down to every bulging muscle and vein in his towering pillar of a body.

He reveled in it as he stepped onto the stone stage. It was game time and this was his element. His body was his temple and his spotlight rolled into one, and he began telegraphing his presence the very second he was in the arena. He stomped his hooves with potent force, arresting attention as he swept his arms out, muscles throbbing, and let out a bellowing shot.

“ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THE MAIN EVENT!?”

Crowds were crowds, no matter the species. There were plenty of rousing shouts and stomping talons and hooves that rained down from an audience more than happy to see a spectacle, which was partially what it was all about to a minotaur. Never do anything unless you were going to do it big. It was more than just ego. It was how their race survived. The minotaur homeland was rich in metal ores, but poor in almost every other resource. Their bombastic ‘can do’ nature was matched only by their sense of cultural order. Every minotaur found their place in the Maze, and you damn well stuck with it.

That’s why Steel Cage couldn’t understand Iron Will. Out of all the minotaurs Steel Cage knew, Iron Will had the potential to be one of the best Alphas the minotaur race could ask for, but he had chosen to spend his life away from his homeland traipsing about foreign countries and mingling with the other species. Why? Sure other creatures had stuff they were good at, but the minotaurs had never needed to rely on anything other than their own gusto to get things done.

What did Iron Will see in the ponies and other, weaker species? He was either crazy, or was seeing something Steel Cage wasn’t.

Gonna find out, one way or another, right here and now, he thought with ironclad resolve that he let ooze out of his every muscle and pore.

Cheerilee had entered the arena as well and was walking straight towards him, and just the sight of her triggered all manner of flaring angers and deep rooted resentments in Steel Cage. First of all, it still galled him the way the mare acted. She strutted across the stage like she owned it. Her head held high, her shoulders forward, with a cocksure sway in her hips just bled with confidence and command. The pools of her eyes all but glowed with intensity, and to Steel Cage’s hidden chagrin she matched his bombastic entrance by rearing up on her hind legs, fore legs pumping into the air, and met his bellow with one of her own.

“THE MAIN EVENT WHERE YOU’RE GOING DOWN, BROTHER!”

Steel Cage could have turned nails to putty with how hard he grit his teeth. She even knew how to challenge like an Alpha. Even the use of the honorific ‘Brother’ was correct in the ritualistic challenges between minotaur Alphas, who regardless of gender, age, or actual blood relations, were all ‘Brothers’.

She didn’t really have any pecs to flex, but damn if the mare didn’t have some muscles in those legs, which she showed off unabashedly. In answer, Steel Cage almost instinctively turned sideways and showed off his prodigious back and and muscles in a slow flex, turning his head to keep his glare fixed on her as he yelled, somewhat less loudly.

“Oh is that right!? You think you’re ready to handle these twenty inch pythons running wild on you!?”

Cheerilee’s teeth flashed in a madcap grin as she slammed her hooves down on the stone, “I’m not afraid of those noodles you’re passing off as mussels! I, Cheerilee, the Ultimate Mare, shall demonstrate to you the true meaning of paaaaaaain!”

Steam shot out of Steel Cage’s nostrils as he took another thundering step forward, clenching his fists before him and then matching her hoof pound with a fist pound of his own, shaking the arena and cracking the stones beneath him. “You think you can’t teach me pain!? I’m the grand chef of pain, and by the end of this match you’re gonna smell exactly what Steel Cage is cookin’!”

In response Cheerilee sucked in a deep breath through her snout in a loud, deriding snort, “All I smell, Steel Cage, is the scent of carnage that is about to be unleashed from me unto your pitiless soul! I, Steel Cage, am the true form of your destructor and the thing you most fear! Walk with me, Steel Cage, to the edge of disaster, so that the power of the Ultimate Mare can show you why I am champ, and you’re just the chump!”

To most onlookers the displays might seem ridiculous, but up in the stands, Iron Will watched on with a growing sense of pride in Cheerilee. Fear, too, because he knew damn well how strong Steel Cage was, and he didn’t really like seeing the pony he liked and the friend he’d left behind fighting. But damn if Cheerilee didn’t know how to act an Alpha. She’d paid attention to everything he’d told her about minotaur culture, but she’d absorbed all she’d needed to know about the body language too.

Still, talking the talk was one thing. Walking it quite another.

For Steel Cage, he was incensed as he was confused. This pony really knew how to rile him up. He was at the point he almost respected her, but now that the gauntness was truly well thrown down, he had no choice but to crush her.

With a polite cough, the Abbess Serene, who’d just been standing there watching the two yell and flex at each other, said, “Can I take it you’re both ready to begin?’

The fierce nods from both minotaur and pony was answer enough for the Abbess, and she raised her own hoof in signal to her monks. The stage rumbled and shook as it was magically altered to a new form; a surprisingly simple one.

A ten meter wide square rose with Steel Cage and Cheerilee on it. Four stone posts rose from the corners of this raised square, then extended rails between them. Cheerilee looked at it, then glanced at the Abbess, who smiled and nodded.

“It seemed appropriate. Now, let the match... begin!”

Hooves as inexorable as a locomotive, Steel Cage thundered forward in a headlong charge, his curved horns aimed squarely at Cheerilee. She waited until the last possible moment to roll under and to the side, using her hind legs to grip and trip his left leg. Only Steel Cage jumped her attempt to trip him and with expert control of his bulk he turned and skidded into the thick stone railing of the ring. It wasn’t the ropes of a proper wrestling ring, so he couldn’t bounce off them, but he used the stone railing to brace and propel himself right back at Cheerilee.

She spun to her hooves, but got caught by his thick, ham-haunch of a fist and was hoisted into the air.

“You talking ‘bout pain!? Here’s my patented Power Pain Slam!”

Cheerilee was whipped around like a rubber chicken and then thrown straight down. She rolled with the impact as best she could, but her senses burst with pain and stars filled her vision. She didn’t dare cease moving, however, rolling away in tie to avoid a hoof stomp from Steel Cage and she was up in an instant. He looked shocked she’d taken the hit so well, and she took advantage of that with a wicked smile as she snaked between his legs and got behind him, fast as a viper.

This time she caught him by surprise as she sprang up the stone railing and then launched off it to hit him in the back of the head with a drop kick that left him sprawling into the center of the ring.

Cheerilee didn’t let the pressure up, rushing him as he pushed himself upward, and launched herself bodily at him. She wrapped her hooves around Steel Cage’s head and used her body leverage to slam his face back to the floor.

Landing, Cheerilee cracked her neck and said, “And that was my Magenta Missile Combo! You wanna put me down, you’d better bring it ten times harder!”

“Ask, and you shall receive!” Steel Cage surged up like a leviathan from the depths, veins throbbing on his forehead as he lashed out with a punishing hand chop. At his size, with those meaty hands backed by a lumberyard’s worth of muscel in his arms, each blow was like a dozen sledgehammers. Cheerilee danced away from the blow, letting the poor stone beneath her take the damage instead.

Steel Cage pursued, a titan of strength smashing after her swift, darting motions. Cheerilee came in and hammered at his knees, much easier to reach than his face. He took the blows, but teetered under them. But he smiled savagely as he managed to get a grip on her, and Cheerilee was lifted up once more, flipped around so that both Steel Cages arms held her barrel and poised her over his head.

The suplex rattled her like an earthquake. Coughing, she rolled over and pushed herself up. Steel Cage’s hands were already grasping for her for another grapple, but this time she rolled under it and spotted an opening. Rolling and tucking her shoulder into a weak point at his hip, she gripped his overreaching arm and heaved with all her might.

Shockingly, the tiny mare managed to do a full shoulder throw of the massive minotaur, slamming Steel Cage to the arena floor. Momentarily stunned, Steel Cage groaned, and Cheerilee rushed to one of the side posts and scrambled up to the top.

As Steel Cage stood, shaking his head, Cheerilee launched herself from the top pillar, elbow extended.

Her aim was true, but Steel Cage was a veteran of battles exactly like this, and his instincts kicked in with animal ferocity. He spun, catching Cheerilee by the throat in mid-air. She coughed and sputtered, held up like a doll under a crushing grip from Steel Cage’s iron hard fingers. She knew exactly what was coming if she didn’t do something, so desperately swung her hindquarters up and locked her hind legs around Steel Cage’s arm.

“Humph, what do you think you’re doin-” Steel Cage began to ack, but then, properly braced, Cheerilee proceeded to kick him in the face.

“Ow! Hey! Stop that-”

Another kick to the face left Steel Cage with a face red, both with fury and initial bruising. Ignoring another punishing kick from Cheerilee, he raised her high and then jumped up himself, shouting, “This is over! It’s time for the Meteor Choke Slam!”

He came down like the proverbial meteor he named the move after, bringing Cheerilee down with all of his strength and weight behind the choke slam. The whole arena shook with the impact, and as Steel Cage stood, Cheerilee was left laying on her back, seemingly unmoving.

Steel Cage went to one of the corner pillars and climbed up, facing out to the crowd and throwing his fists into the air as he roared, “THAT’S HOW A REAL ALPHA DOES IT!”

A combination of gasps of cheers rained down from the watching audience, and among Cheerilee’s friends reactions ran the gamut form Trixie practically frothing at the mouth and swearing profusely in Neigh Orleans, to Carrot Top gulping and unconsciously holding Frederick next to her, to Lyra shouting Cheerliee’s name at the top of her lungs, while Raindrops watched on with a keen and measuring eye, hooves crossed.

Then Cheerilee stirred, and the crowd gasped, causing Steel Cage to turn around with disbelieving eyes as the little magenta mare who was a third his size managed to get up. She was bleeding, face sporting a small river of red from her scalp, but she was standing, and spat to the side, smiling.

“Where’re you going, ‘champ’? The Ultimate Mare ain’t done with you, yet, so get your flabby butt back into this ring!”

The provocation did exactly what Cheerilee wanted it to do. The choke slam had hurt a lot more than she was letting on, and she was both dizzy and was pretty sure her back was going to be one giant, purple bruise by tomorrow. But she wasn’t out yet, and her defiance got Steel Cage’s anger boiling hotter than ever before. Which was good, because angry and dumb tended to go hoof in hoof.

He leaped from the stone pillar, a huge boulder of muscle descending towards Cheerilee and blotting out the sun above with his bulk.

Too bad Cheerilee could still move pretty fast, even injured. She darted from beneath his body slam, and Steel Cage hit the floor hard. As he grunted and rose back up, Cheerilee was on him from behind. She wrapped her hind legs around the back of his neck, anchoring herself, and proceeded to start pummeling his head with a rain of punches, one after another. Hardly a ‘professional’ wrestling move, but this wasn’t a real wrestling match, despite appearances. Cheerilee was done posturing. Time to fight dirty.

Steel Cage bellowed and bucked around like the proverbial bull, trying to throw Cheerilee off. She held on even tighter with her hind legs, choking Steel Cage at the same time her hooves fell with hammer blows on his thick skull. He wheeled around until he was in the opposite corner of the ring he’d jumped from a moment earlier, and slammed the back of his head into the stone pillar.

It hurt him more than it hurt Cheerilee, because she deftly rolled over his head and dropped down as he slammed his head back. Stunning himself, Steel Cage was left blinking, and looked down in time to see Cheerilee had braced her front legs and was grinning back at him with malicious glee as her hing legs tensed to strike, aimed right for Steel Cage’s groin.

“You wouldn’t dare...” he breathed.

She dared. She dared with enough force to shatter stone.

Simultaneously every single male creature in the audience, regardless of species, proceeded to wince or cringe at the sight beheld in the ring.

Cheerilee trotted away form Steel Cage, mostly to give the titanic minotaur room to fall. He didn’t even clutch at his groin, instead making a rather accurate impression of an off kilter marble statue with a face frozen in mute agony. Inch by inch he teetered over, making a sound akin to a falling pine tree as his over five hundred pounds of muscle crashed to the ring floor.

Dusting her hooves off, Cheerilee was about to hop up onto the side rails and wave to the crowd, but she heard a collective gasp from the audience and heard a rumbling grunt behind her.

Quite disbelieving, Cheerilee turned around to find Steel Cage stubbornly trying to rise, his face flushed to cherry red.

Dropping all pretense, Cheerilee whispered, “I’ll give you credit, you’re just as stubborn as Iron Will is...”

“No champ, ugh... is going down from... a cheap shot like that.”

Cheerilee nodded in acknowledgment of that, then proceeded to break into a full on gallop at Steel Cage, just as he was getting his legs under him. She caught him with a flying clothesline that snapped his head back, but the minotaur champ took the blow in stride and retaliated by grabbed one of her hind legs and flinging her into the nearest ring corner.

Steel Cage got up, but clearly limped due to his sore groin, and gingerly approached the dazed mare. He slammed her with a chopping strike, right in the stomach, causing Cheerilee to lose her breath and sag even more into the corner as he pulled his fist back for another punch, kissing his knuckles before hammering it down at her.

Cheerilee, whether by accident or instinct, ducked down, and Steel Cage’s fist hammered the stone pillar in the corner instead, cracking it through the middle. She rolled forward, gripping the back of his legs and heaving forward. Steel Cage tripped backwards, flipped into his back by Cheerilee’s roll. She then slithered out and around him, wrapping his right arm in a tight lock and pulled back. Steel Cage grunted in pain from the arm bar, twisting around to try and dislodge Cheerilee, who doggedly held on.

“Give it up,” Cheerilee said through bloodied teeth, “I’ll break the arm if you don’t.”

“Not... happening!”

“Does the idea of Iron Will being free to make his own choices make you that angry?” she asked, increasing the pressure on the minotaur’s arm, bending it further and further towards the breaking point.

With a feral roar, Steel Cage rolled his whole body over, dragging Cheerilee along for the ride, and smacked her into the ground like she was a bug clinging to his limb. Having lost her leverage, Cheerilee let go of his arm, her head swimming from all the hits she’d taken so far. She still managed to stand, facing Steel Cage directly as he tried to use his injured arm to prop himself up. With zero subtly or artistry to it, Cheerilee cocked a hoof back and decked Steel Cage across the face.

“Answer the question! Why do you want to shatter Iron Will’s dreams by dragging him back to your homeland? That’s not what friends do!”

Steel Cage took her punch unflinchingly, and with an equal lack of subtly or grace he used his remaining good arm to swing back and deliver a hefty punch to Cheerilee, splitting her lip and causing blood to fly.

“What do you know about it!? Iron Will belongs back home, doing his part for all minotaurs! Instead he’s abandoning us to hang out with the likes of you!”

Cheerilee spat blood for her mouth and her hoof crashed back into Steel Cage’s face, bloodying his snout and dislodging a tooth.

“What do you think he’s dong wandering around other countries for you idiot!? He’s making life better for the minotaurs by establishing connections to the other races! He’s all about helping his kin! He never abandoned anything in his life!”

Steel Cage’s own blood dripped to the stone ring as he thrust a powerful uppercut to Cheerilee’s chin, lifting her off the ground with the force of it, “He abandoned me! He deserved to be an Alpha! He could’ve been Champ! He tossed all that aside, and for what, to swap spit with a pony and play at being some half-assed salesman!?”

Cheerilee landed on her hooves, blood coating her eyes, but they remained no less fierce, even feverish as she got right up in Steel Cage’s face and headbutted him, loud enough that the crack of it could be heard clearly from the stands. Both her and Steel Cage swayed like drunks from the blow, but Cheerilee still muttered, “Half-assed? Iron Will uses his whole ass, for everything he does. If you got out of his way and just let the man work then you’d see he’s all the Alpha he could be, he’s just doing it in a way that’s new. Different.”

“We minotaurs don’t need different. We need strong!” Steel Cage said, huffing and puffing as he reached out and grappled with Cheerilee. He’d used up so much energy at this point he couldn’t easily pick her up anymore, and Cheerilee met his grapple with her own flagged, but still enduring earth pony strength.

“Can’t you see that those two things aren’t mutually exclusive!? Strength can come from anywhere! From anyone! Iron Will’s stronger than you think, and I’m going to prove it to you if it damn well kills me! Grrrrraaaaaah!”

The mountain of mintoaur muscles contended and strained with the unyielding magenta mare, the two locked hoof and arm together as they strained against one another in a deadlock grapple. Steel Cage’s size should have given him an advantage, but all that muscles also drained endurance fast, and this fight had gone on longer than most that Steel Cage was used to. On top of that, whether he knew it or not, Cheerilee’s words were hammering at his psyche. Doubt swirled within like a dank cloud, and that, more than anything else, sapped the minotaur’s usually indomitable power.

Then Steel Cage happened to look towards the stands. His eyes caught sight of a familiar face, Iron Will’s expression as he watched from among the roaring crowd one of stoic pain and anguish. Iron Will was watching two of his closest friends beat each other to bloody pulps, and it was clearly tearing the minotaur up inside. Yet even then, he cupped his hands and shouted a cheer, Cheerilee’s name echoing over the din of the crowd.

So that was it then. Steel Cage had somehow felt, deep in his gut, if he’d just beaten this damned stubborn pony into the ground, it’d force Iron Will to see the truth, that there was no strength outside of minotaur lands worth noting, let alone leaving one’s homeland for.

But Cheerilee still fought on, and Iron Will’s cheers were for her, and her alone.

Ego was a source of power for minotaurs, whether they knew it or not, and Steel Cage’s ego was deflated in that moment of revelation, his strength fading like air from a popped balloon.

Cheerilee won the grapple, surging up and performing the incredible feat of lifting the massive mintoaur upward, performing a classic body slam that rocked the entire arena. She stood over the fallen Steel Cage, bruised and bloodied, barely able to see straight as sweat dripped from her. She was utterly spent as well, and it took every ounce of willpower she could muster to remain conscious and upright.

Seconds ticked by, and Steel Cage remained on the ground, still breathing, but otherwise barely moving.

With soft steps, Abbess Serene entered the ring and examined Steel Cage. After a few more seconds to confirm the minotaur wasn’t going to make with a sudden, second-wind, the Abbess approached Cheerilee and gingerly let the mare lean against her as she raised Cheerilee’s hoof.”

“The winner of the third match, second round of the Contest of Strength... Dame Cheerilee, of Equestria!”

Silence dominated the arena for all of the few moments it took the crowd to overcome its stunned state, then they positively erupted in an explosive burst of stomps, cheers, and whoops. Cheerilee herself only felt it as a faint vibration past the pounding in her own skull and the overwhelming aches in her body. She felt the Abbess gently lower her leg and pat her shoulder.

“Easy, child. We’ll see you are tended to alongside your opponent. I’ll admit I was somewhat concerned there for a moment the two of you were pushing things too far, even for the Contest.”

Even in her dazed, half conscious state, Cheerilee managed to say, “No...no offense Abbes but this... was never about the Contest. Not between me and him.”

“Yes, that did seem somewhat personal at the end,” Abbess Serene said as she allowed two more monks to enter the ring to support Cheerilee while she went to check on Steel Cage. The minotaur champion was groaning now, his eyes cracking open as he recovered his senses. He sat up with the look of a drained man. As Cheerilee teetered between two monks supporting her, she watched Steel Cage stand up in a wooden, stiff pose. His wounds weren’t actually all that extensive. Despite her best efforts, the hardest hit she’d gotten in had been on his groin, and honestly that had felt like striking a pair of sandbags more than anything else. His face bore bruises and a bloodied nose, but otherwise their fight had left him more scuffed than injured. Compared to Cheerilee, who felt like her magenta coat was going to turn as purple as Twilight Sparkle’s from bruising alone by the time the sun set.

So why had he stayed down so long that it’d cost him the match? The answer was plain in his eyes as he looked over at Cheerilee, ignoring the Abbess checking his injuries, ignoring the crowd still making noise all around them. His expression wasn’t quite hollow, but it was void of his usual bravado. In its place was doubt, confusion, and painful reflection.

Cheerilee couldn’t have beaten a minotaur such as Steel Cage with martial prowess. She was good, but not that good. But the fight had never been about strength of muscle. Strength of conviction, and which one of them would lose that conviction first, determined the winner here.

Cheerilee didn’t have the energy left to say anything, and Steel Cage didn’t give her time to anyway. He simply gathered what little of his pride he could and strode silently from the arena, all the while looking like a man who no longer knew what he thought he knew.

“What do you mean you’re not going to fight in the semi-finals?” Lyra asked, throwing a hoof out, “You kicked that minotaur’s butt all over the place!”

Cheerilee, now making an excellent rendition of a mummy with the bandages and casts covering her, just give Lyra an arched eyebrow. That movement alone caused her to wince in pain, “Look, I don’t care how awesome the monk’s healing magic is, I’m spending the rest of today, and tomorrow for that matter, parking my keister somewhere soft and plush and letting hot young monks serve me grapes and wine. I think I’ve earned some downtime.”

“It is Dame Cheerilee’s right to forfeit her remaining matches if she so wishes,” Abbess Serene said as she oversaw Cheerilee’s treatment in one of the many resting chambers inside the coliseum. “While it is possible our arts could restore her to fighting condition, I will admit she took a remarkable amount of punishment in facing Steel Cage. I cannot fault her wish to recuperate after such an ordeal. Sadly, there’s no time to delay the matches of the Contest, so if she chooses to forfeit, we shall continue as planned.”

Lyra let out a soft groan, but nodded, “Sucks, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Agreed,” said Trixie, “As much as I want to win this Contest, I’d rather my friends’ health come first. Things are already shaky with Ditzy. I don’t want Cheerilee in a coma either.”

“Yeah, I’m all about staying conscious,” Cheerilee said, “Have to watch you ace the Contest of Wits and Magic, after all. Besides, I did what I came to do.”

“So your pal Iron Will is going to be okay now?” Carrot Top inquired carefully, “You had some sort of challenge going on with that Steel Cage guy, right?”

“The deal was I beat him in the Contest, he gives up on trying to get Iron Will to return to the minotaur homeland,” Cheerilee confirmed, settling back in the bed she was laying on, a rough sigh escaping her, “Here’s to hoping Steel Cage sticks to his word on that.”

“He will.”

Eyes turned to see Iron Will stepping into the room, closing the door behind him. He adjusted his tie with a nervous look about the room, and said, “Um, ladies, mind if me and Cheers have a chit-chat alone?”

Looks were exchanged, and Trixie gave a firm nod, “By all means. Let’s give them some space, shall we?”

The other ponies, the Abbess included, left the room and Cheerilee looked at Iron Will with a faint half-grin on her face, “What’s with the sad look, Iron? Don’t tell me this is the part where you tell me you secretly were planning to return home this whole time and I just got my body tenderized like a particularly sexy side of beef for nothing?”

Iron Will let out a laughing snort, shaking his head as he came up next to her bed, sitting down on a stool next to it and putting his hands on his knees. “Nah, nothing like that. Glad you got Steel Cage off my back. He doesn’t see it now, but Iron Will here’s got big plans to make the homeland a better place for all minotaurs to live in, but it’s gonna take time, sweat, dedication, a rockin’ business model, and some serious travel time. Maybe after the smack down you gave him, he’ll be able to pry some openness into that thick head of his.”

“So why do you look like you swallowed one of your goat stage hooves?” she asked, and Iron Will just looked her over, gesturing at the casts.

“Never wanted you getting hurt over me, Cheers. Maze alive, didn’t want Steel Cage and you fighting at all. Makes me realize that, good as my intentions are, it’s gonna be a long and tough road ahead, making changes back home. Steel Cage ain’t the only one who doesn’t think much of the other races, he’s just one of the loudest.”

Cheerilee waved a hoof. Or tried to. The cast made it somewhat difficult to move. “Pssh, I can deal with pain. And you can deal with tough roads. I don’t think I’ve seen the setback that’ll keep you down for long, Iron Will. I bet even if I’d lost the match, you’d still have found a way to make your dreams work, even with Steel Cage breathing down your neck.”

A warm chuckle rumbled deep in Iron Will’s chest, “You sure do know how to pump up a fella’s ego. Beautiful, strong, and can brighten up anybody’s day. How in the Ten Holy Labyrinths ain’t you married, yet?”

Cheerilee laughed, but only for a short bit. It hurt to laugh. “Guess I scare all my prospects off with my stunning array of good qualities. That or I come on too strong.”

“Iron Will can attest to that.”

“Hey!”

“Didn’t say I disliked that about you. One of the reasons I hooked up with you, back in the day. What, too many guy ponies got issues with a gal who knows what she wants?”

“Beats me,” Cheerilee said, then shook her head, “Okay, that’s enough talk about my depressing lack of love life. Did you come just to cheer me up, kiss all my wounds better? Because I’d be fine with that, honestly, but you look like you had something else on your mind.”

“Heh, well other than making sure you hadn’t been given a concussion by Steel Cage’s choke slam, I wanted to let you know that now that this whole business between you and him is out of the way, I was going to offer my help.”

“Help? With what?”

He gave her a seriously look, “I ain’t blind, Cheers. I can tell something’s going on that’s got nothing do do with the Contest. First that zebra goes missing. Then your pal Ditzy get’s hurt and the griffin she was fighting vanishes. Something’s up. I can smell it. Heck, when I told you about those hidden chambers in the lower levels of the monastery, you clearly got spooked. So whatever’s going down, count me in. You need extra eyes and ears about, I’m it. You need extra muscles if something goes down, Iron Will is there.”

She paused for a moment, starring at him. His return look was dead serious. A second longer, and Cheerilee’s face split in a wide smile.

“You’re so incredibly sappy, you know that? Can’t say I know what’s going to happen, but if there’s anything I or the other girls can think of that you can help with, you can bet I’ll call on you.”

It was with a hint of disappointment that Dao Ming accepted that the semi-final match that would have been hers to face off against Dame Cheerilee was not to be. She’d been impressed with Raindrops’ skill and talent, and had been eager to see if Cheerilee’s less orthodox combat tactics would prove challenging. Her match with Steel Cage had certainly been... flashy, and quite the brutal display of endurance on both party’s counts.

While Dao Ming was confident she would have bested the earth pony, it still felt cheap to simply proceed to the final round without having faced her. Then again, Dao Ming couldn’t much blame Cheerilee for it. Healing magic or not, it wouldn’t be a swift recovery from injuries such as Steel Cage had meted out. Strange that the minotaur had simply left the arena altogether after his match. Most champions remained to watch the rest of the Contest, but he and his two minotaur cohorts had left without a trace. Then again, the female mintoaur, Greysight, remained, even if she wasn’t an active participant for this stage of the Contest.

Dao Ming saw the female minotaur quietly conferring with Kenkuro and Nuru about something, far from the other champions.

She raised a curious eyebrow at that, but her attention was drawn back to the arena, where the first and only semi-final match was underway.

Sigurd and Gwendolyn were facing off across a pit of sand. The arena had become like one large sandbox, the stone converted to fine grains by the monk’s runecraft, and simulating a field of small desert dunes. It was a truly difficult plain of terrain to fight upon, one’s hoofing constantly in danger of slipping upon the artificial sand. Gwendolyn was seemingly at an advantage due to her ability to fly, by Sigurd was hardly letting the sand slow him down and was taking advantage of it by flinging sheets of sand into the air anytime Gwendolyn tried to dive in from overhead, leaving her coughing and sputtering.

Soon enough Gwendolyn abandoned striking from the air, and faced the water deer evenly on the ground, matching her fine reddish hued blade of steel with his slightly longer, jagged blade of bone. Sigurd’s devil-may-care fighting style from his match with Qal Min Hijr was still present, the sour faced cervid lacking any semblance of defense as he brutally pressed Gwendolyn with swift, punishing fury. His all out offensive put Gwendolyn on complete guard, forced to give ground while fending off Sigurd’s frost-rimed sword with stalwart parries.

As she scrambled backwards down one short sand dune, Gwendolyn used some of Sigurd’s tactics against him, furiously beating her wings to stir up the sand around them. Sigurd ignored it, pressing his attack blindly, and Gwendolyn danced back from his searching blade, continuing to beat her wings until a miniature sand storm had been kicked up.

The sand made it nearly impossible for the onlookers to make out what was happening as Gwendolyn dived back in at Sigurd. All anyone could see were blurred shapes in the swirling sand. The clash of blades continued to ring out, a rising and falling staccato that echoed out from the concealing wall of sand. As the sand storm started to dissipate, the ring of blade on blade reached a fever pitch, ending with a final clarion call of clashing edges.

This was followed by a sharp whistle as an object came sailing out of the sand, twirling about until it planted itself in the ground, causing several griffin champions to squawk and leap out of the way as the blade stuck between several of their benches.

It was Sigurd’s sword, still vibrating from the blow that had knocked it out of his grip and sent it flying.

The sand storm fell away finally, revealing Gwendolyn standing before Sigurd with her sword poised beneath his chin, point at his throat. Sigurd’s expression remained grim and stoic, but Gwendolyn looked furious. Her eyes were glaring with undisguised rage at the water deer.

As the Abbess climbed up on the stage to announce the winner, Gwendolyn fixed her with a glare, “No! Let him retrieve his sword.”

“Pardon?” Abbess Serene asked, and Gwendolyn repeated herself, voice humid with a livid tone.

“I said let him retrieve his sword. I refuse to accept this as my victory. He’s not even focused on the fight, damn him!”

“You’re wrong, griffin. I fought, and you bested me,” Sigurd said in a flat, tired voice, “It’s as simple as that.”

“Bloody feathers it is! I’ve been watching you this whole Contest, and you were fighting ten times harder at the start of this... before that Ditzy mare got hurt.”

Sigurd’s eyes turned dangerous as thin ice over a winter lake, “I would watch what you say. If you truly wish to see me fight seriously, continue to press this matter, and we can settle things outside of this arena with a true duel. You would not enjoy that, griffin.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes narrowed in challenge, “So you admit you weren’t taking this seriously? Then take up that sword of yours and give me a proper fight! Did your companion Wodan not make it plain enough in his fight with Dao Ming how insulting it is to not fight at your best?”

Sigurd’s face twisted with an ugly smile, but it was also a self-deprecating one, “For the moment, this is the best I have to offer. If you dislike it, I believe the Equestrians have a saying for such moments. How does it go? ‘Bite me’. Yes, that’s it. A good turn of phrase.”

Gwendolyn looked ready to take that advice literally and start using her beak on him, but Abbess Serene stepped in quickly, her gentle voice rolling over them like a cool blanket.

“Peace, Lady Gwendolyn, Sir Sigurd. If Sigurd claims this as his best effort, then you must accept this victory as yours, Lady Gwendolyn. If it eases your ire, do consider that the final match shall be you and Lady Dao Ming. Such a match should prove a more than adequate test of your skills.”

Gwendolyn was silent for a moment, her expression firmly displeased, but considering. Dao Ming sympathized with her, for Wodan had certainly taught her the value of fighting honestly, and it seemed to her that Sigurd had been doing anything but. Yet whatever his reasons were, it was clear the desire to compete had fled the water deer. It tainted Gwendolyn’s victory, true, but Dao Ming simply resolved to brighten the griffin’s day by giving her a worthy match she would not soon forget.

That said, it appeared Sigurd’s day wasn’t about to get any easier. Even as Gwendolyn was declared the winner of the match and he exited the ring, Sigurd was accosted by the towering form of Wodan. Dao Ming didn’t hear if the moose said anything, but Sigurd was summarily grabbed like a small child and hoisted over Wodan’s shoulder with all the dignity of a sack of offal. Face like a storm cloud, ignoring Sigurd’s protests, Wodan dragged Sigurd off towards one of the tunnels out of the coliseum, and Dao Ming suspected there was going to be words between those two.

It was none of her business, however, and she had other matters to occupy her attention as the Abbess stood in the center of the stage and spoke with magic amplified volume to address the entire coliseum.

“It has been a long, arduous, and at times unexpected series of matches that has brought us to this final moment of the Contest of Strength. Through all of our champions’ valiant efforts I hope all who have watched have seen just how many different kinds of strength there are across our wide and varied world. Each race, each culture, produces its own unique warriors who face danger through power, speed, endurance, or pure skill and will. While each champion has shown us such traits, only two have proven themselves against each challenge before them to face one another in the final round. Lady Dao Ming, Heiress of Shouma, who’s grace and talent are unquestionable and who is aided by the very spirits of her homeland! Lady Gwendolyn, leader of the Band of the Red Shield and a peerless warrior among griffinkind! These two shall soon match strength against strength, and show us their own definition of what it means for a champion to have strength. Is it determination? Skill at arms? Muscles alone? Let us watch, noble guests, and see their answer in the Contest of Strength’s final round!”

“Put me down you insufferable, mountainous oaf!” Sigurd grumbled, and for his trouble was roughly deposited on the ground outside the coliseum by Wodan, who loomed over the water deer in a manner not unlike a smoking volcano.

Sigurd looked at the moose’s displeased thunderhead of an expression and dusted himself off as he stood, “What? If you have words to speak, Wodan, speak them now and cease your fuming!”

Wodan leaned down, and proceeded to smack his head straight into Sigurd’s, speaking words in bitten off chunks with head headbutt. “It. Was. Not. Your. FAULT!”

“Gah! You blasted stone headed moose!” Sigurd rubbed at his head, dazed on the ground as he scrambled back from Wodan, glaring at him. “What are you on about!?”

“Our honored friend, Ditzy Doo, her condition is not your fault. I have lost the very last stretch of patience I have for your self flagellation over this matter, Sigurd. What happened was beyond your control, and I’ll not continue watching you piss your honor down the drain over it, let alone piss on the honor of our fellow champions.”

A flash of red hot anger and pain crossed Sigurd’s otherwise shadowed features as he stood once more, prodding the unmoving moose in the chest with a sharp hoof, “Says he who fell in the very first round! Are you saying, half trying, I still reach further than you, o’ mighty Wodan?”

A billowing snort blasted from Wodan’s flared nostrils, his expression unimpressed, “I fell in honorable combat against a foe who proved herself superior. You fell not to your opponents blade, but your own self punishing arrogance, while failing to give that honorable foe her due match against you. You’ve been lacking all honor and you know it, and all because you will not grasp the obvious; that you could do nothing for Ditzy Doo.”

“What do you know of failings? You, who’s ballad contains narry a mar to its sterling praise, nor a dark deed or moment to tarnish it? I know I failed, because I know the feeling as intimately as any lover, Wodan. You say I didn’t fail Ditzy Doo? Prove this, then. My shield availed her not. My senses were too dull to see the scoundrel who brought her low for what he was. In what manner did I not fail?”

“What fool expects himself to see all ends?” Wodan said, stamping a hoof, “And you know full well the shield you crafted for her was a fine and sturdy work that any warrior would be proud to carry into battle; as she did. It is neither the failing of you, or your craft, that the knave who struck her was skilled and underhanded.”

“You waste your time, friend Wodan,” said a melodious voice, and Andrea walked from the tunnel into the coliseum, tuning her lute as she turned her spring green eyes towards both her fellow cervids. “Sigurd is relieving his past, determined to blame himself for the same ending that befell his son. Most foolish.”

“Andrea, word yourself carefully,” Sigurd warned, but Andrea wore a fierce look as she stared at him directly.

“Why, because the truth stings you deeply? You are a friend, Sigurd, but one who is thicker skulled than even Wodan himself! I know the fate that befell your son has always bled beneath that grim face you carry. Do not deny you saw a similar light of kindness within Dame Doo. Seeing her fall has brought you back to the day your son fell to a bandit blade. The blame was yours neither then or now, but unlike Wodan, I understand mere words won’t convince you of that.”

“You both speak out of place,” Sigurd spat, and Wodan growled.

“We speak as friends concerned for another who is hurting himself pointlessly, but I am seeing Andrea has the right of it. Pfah! Come, Andrea, let us leave this sad grouse to his business and go procure some proper drinks! I would hate to miss the final match because I was arguing with a wet stump!”

As the moose stomped back into the coliseum, shaking the earth slightly as he went, Andrea turned to follow him but gave Sigurd one last, pointed look. “I may have said words are wasted on you right now, but I shall leave you with this, friend Sigurd. Blame yourself if you must and heap all the self pity you wish upon yourself, but that will never be of aid to Ditzy Doo, who unlike your son, still draws breath in this world.”

With that she departed, leaving Sigurd to sit alone with his sunken eyes filled with dark contemplation.

The time had come. For Gwendolyn Var Bastion, she knew little else mattered past the next few moments of her life. For her, at least, the rest of the Contest of Champions was of small consequence. She knew she’d have little to offer in either the Contest of Wits, or Magic, even if griffins would be allowed to participate in the later due to having similar weather control magic to pegasi.

No, her fortunes would be made or broken here, in the final match of the Contest of Strength. Already she could tell, just from the looks she got from the other griffins representing the varied Inner Kingdoms that her performance thus far had earned her no small amount of respect. There were still resentful glares, but there was grudging acknowledgment even in those sharp eyed looks. Saving Raquel’s life from her own exploding magic weapon had done more for Gwendolyn’s reputation than she would have imagined. King Gruber had seriously miscalculated his ploy to get rid of Gwendolyn.

Now all she had to do was put on a good enough fight here and she’d have enough clout to properly challenge Gruber on his plans to incite war with the Border Kingdoms. Winning was preferable, and Gwendolyn was fully intending to give Dao Ming everything she had in this match, but even if she lost the simple fact that she was the only griffin to get this far more than established her superior prowess.

She did feel a slight strain of guilt towards Dao Ming, however. Since the very first match the kirin had with Wodan, Dao Ming had devoted herself fully to fighting purely for the purpose of winning, with no ulterior motives other than honoring the spirit of the Contest and showing her worth beyond merely being heir to Shouma’s throne. Gwendolyn wished she didn’t have the dirty stain of griffin politics and the threat of war looming over her people to taint what should have been a clean and pure competition between her and a warrior whom she respected.

She took a deep breath, resolved to fight without the weight of her people on her shoulders. Dao Ming deserved that. Still, it was hard not to catch sight of her mother in the higher VIP stands, seated nearby to King Gruber. Beatrice was watching her daughter with the unblinking eyes of an statue, giving no signal as to whether she approved or disapproved of Gwendolyn’s actions. Beatrice was King Gruber’s personal guard captain. Could she truly know nothing of his plans? Did her mother support the King of Grandis and the notion of war with the Border Kingdoms.

Mother never truly agreed with my actions with the Red Shields. But she’d never support war, or Gruber’s underhanded tactics...

Then again, her mother was a very practical sort. Honorable, yes, but also very loyal to the crown. Beatrice would do what was right for Grandis, more than the Griffin Kingdoms as a whole. However, since war wasn’t good for Grandis in the long run, and if King Gruber was shown to be a dishonorable knave he was proving himself to be an unfit ruler for Grandis, then perhaps Beatrice would side with her daughter.

Regardless, Gwendolyn had to push those thoughts aside and concentrate on what was before her.

Lingering heat remained from the sun, but it had largely set behind the horizion, courtesy of the Equestrian monarch, or so Gwendolyn supposed. Corona’s ark remained hanging in the sky above the collesim like a golden reminder of the sun’s pressence, even as twilight settled upon the island. Light was now provided by shining magical crystals mounted along the edges of the collesiu’s walls, illuminating both the crowds and the arena stage itself in a potent white glow.

As Gwendolyn entered from one side of the arena, Dao Ming glided with soft steps towards her from the other end. Even at a distance, Gwendolyn had to admire the practiced ease of Dao Ming’s motions. Less a predatory gait like Gwendolyn’s and more a motion akin to the flow of water own a stream. Having watched Dao Ming fight over various matches, now, The young kirin’s strength stemmed from the absolute devotion through which she’d trained herself since practically being old enough to walk. Her technique was so fluid because it was so utterly ingrained in her, so each motion required no hesitance before being enacted. It was even tempered by some level of practical battle experience, keeping Dao Ming’s fighting skills from becoming too rigid or predictable.

However Gwendolyn still felt confident she held the edge in a stand up swordfight. She’d trained, much as Dao Ming had, since a young age. Beyond that, she had far more real battle experience, with all the instincts earned in blood that came with it. Physically Gwendolyn was much larger than the admittedly somewhat dainty kirin, but Dao Ming had already shown that muscles and size alone weren’t enough to defeat her when she’d beaten Wodan.

Wodan had experience as well, but cervids viewed battle much differently than griffins did. Cervids fought for glory. Griffins fought to win.

Her victory, if it was to come at all, would be in the difference between the experience of her years of fighting not for glory, or to impress an Empress, but to survive and ensure her comrades survival over countless bandits and monsters that had sought to end her. That raw, blooded instinct would be her key to winning.

She and Dao Ming stopped a respectful five meters from each other, and without prompting Gwendolyn inclined her head, sweping her right wing across her chest in a bow customarily only exchanged between griffin warriors who held one another in high esteem. Dao Ming might have known the specific cultural significance of the gesture, but recognized the respect behind it and responded with a bow of equal formality, dipping her own head low.

“For this final match,” Abbess Serene said with formal gravity, “The arena shall be left as it is. Your strength alone will be what much carry you to victory or defeat, brave champions. Are you both prepared?”

“I am, honored Abbess,” said Dao Ming, her twin horns springing alight with golden magic as she unsheathed her slim jian sword.

“Same here,” Gwendolyn replied, drawing her own larger blade with a clear, steel song.

“Very well, then let the final match of the Contest of Strength... begin!”

The Abbess stepped back, giving them space, and just in time, as both kirin and griffin flashed into motion the moment the words left the old pony’s mouth.

Steel glinted off of steel under the glaring coliseum lights, both Dao Ming and Gwendolyn moving in tandem in a fluid storm of motion. A harsh lateral cut from Gwendolyn was deflected up in a rain of sparks, Dao Ming springing in with a flurry of hoof strikes like green thunderbolts. The griffiness spun away from the blows, sweeping her sword around in a low, wide arc. Springing like a frog, Dao Ming went over it, the ground being cut asunder by Gwendolyn’s sword. Dao Ming managed to use one hind hoof to step off of Gwendolyn’s sword, flipping backwards while thrusting with her own slender blade.

Gwendolyn ducked the blow, losing a head feather in the process, and viciously pressed into the attack, wings flaring out as she took to the air in a swirl of feathers. She dove with a combination of speed and power that made each swing of her sword feel like a direct hit from a catapult, and Dao Ming’s body turned and twisted like a jade serpent to avoid them. Even a glancing parry numbed the kirin’s limbs and sent a ring like a massive bell echoing across the audience stands.

Up in the stands, Trixie watched with silent interest, but with half an eye keenly turned towards the seats above her where the Shouma party sat. There, Dao Ming’s siblings all seemed on the edge of their seats, although even Lo Shang was keeping himself under control and wasn’t hollering as he had before.

As for Empress Fu Leng herself, her face was shadowed by the long falls of her black mane, but from those shadows her eyes were golden arrows, aimed unflaggingly at the arena. Trixie could only wonder what was going on behind those eyes. Did the Empress understand, or even care, about why her daughter had come this far?

Trixie didn’t really imagine the Empress did.

On the ground, amid the watching champion’s, Kenkuro’s own eyes were glued to his student as she fought. Warm pride warred against a tide of unease in the tengu’s gut. As hard as Gwendolyn was pressing Dao Ming, he could see something he never expected to see on Dao Ming’s face while she was focused upon achieving a goal. She was smiling. It was a simple, thoughtless, honest smile of enjoyment, and Kenkuro was infinitely glad to see it. So much time spent trying to achieve perfection for her mother, Dao Ming had so rarely smiled, especially while concentrating on a task.

For once Dao Ming was enjoying pursuing something for herself, rather than for her mother.

Kenkuro would have been ecstatic to see it, if not for the dark cloud that now hung over his thoughts. Greysight had spoken with him and Nuru between matches. She’d been investigating the island herself, and while she had not found anything conclusive, she had discovered something unusual concerning the Shouma party. Greysight’s powers of observation were unquestioned in Kenkuro’s mind, and he knew that if the female minotaur wanted to follow and observe people unseen, she was deceptively good at stealth. She’d been following various champions and high ranking dignitaries, looking for clues. In so doing she’d observed each member of the Imperial Family vanish from view at least once or twice. Even the Empress had been unaccounted for at several points, including the final clash during the Contest of Art.

Furthermore, she’d seen Lo Shang exiting the northern forest the day before that. Kenkuro wasn’t sure what to make of that. There was nothing in that forest besides Rengoku itself, and it was behind an impenetrable barrier. Tomoko and Xhua had mostly stayed close to the Empress, but much like Fu Leng herself, both of them had been out of sight at one point or another during the times Greysight had been trying to observe them.

On the surface it seemed inconsequential, and Greysight herself admitted she couldn’t keep track of everyone, and had seen plenty of other champions be momentarily unaccounted for. She was just one minotaur, after all, no matter how skilled she was. But it remained a possibility someone among the Imperial Family was involved in the events underlying the threat to the island. If that was the case, the duty of dealing with it would fall to Kenkuro, as the Blade of Heaven, a thought he did not relish.

The only consolation he had was that, in truth, his firmest loyalty, deeper even than his sense of honor, was to the young kirin fighting in the arena at that moment. Kenkuro knew without a single shade of doubt in his mind that Dao Ming was innocent, and so whatever may come, he knew his loyalty to her would not be in question.

So he cast his worries aside, and focused upon watching her final match, captivated by both Dao Ming and her opponent. It took a master of the blade to see the subtle differences in their technique and skill levels. To most audience members, perhaps even most of the champions present, Dao Ming and Gwendolyn’s horrifyingly swift and fierce collision of blades would appear like utter, uncoordinated chaos. Yet Kenkuro could see the flow if it like two river rapids smashing together in distinct, channeled motions.

Gwendolyn was pushing to overwhelm Dao Ming’s defenses, but was being stubbornly stonewalled by Dao Ming’s own precise parries and dodges, each one so well timed as to allow only millimeters of room for error. Kenkuro knew Dao Ming’s movements well, for he’d drilled them into her nearly all her life, since she was a tiny doe barely old enough to stand on all four legs.

He could remember getting her up before the sun’s lips even kissed the horizon, the soft trickle of the meditation garden’s stream the only sound besides the crack of their wooden practice swords. Kenkuro had seen Dao Ming grow every year, in stature, grace, and skill. He knew she was good, perhaps good enough to one day match him.

He also knew she’d fought battles against oni in the Dark Lands, and against bandits and rebels on rare occasion. But there was a marked difference between her and Gwendolyn, not in skill but in intensity. There was a tempo to their exchanges of harsh steel that Gwendolyn’s furious beat was gradually overtaking. Kenkuro watched, eyes unblinking, as the hail of strikes reached a blinding crescendo.

Gwendolyn moved so fast she all but seemed to be in two places at once, hammering her sword down then up, breaking Dao Ming’s guard. The griffin thrust forward, and in any other battle it could have been a killing blow.

Yet even Kenkuro had been fooled by Dao Ming. Her steady rhythm of defense, her practiced dodges and expert parries. He saw now the lure for what it was. Dao Ming had moved to bait Gwendolyn into committing fully to a ‘sure kill’ strike, and now that Gwendolyn had, Dao Ming made her own gambit.

Almost all of Dao Ming’s attacks had been using her sword, save for one or two hoof strikes early on. Now she used her sword while stepping into Gwendolyn’s attack in an utterly reckless maneuver, so utterly unlike Dao Ming’s usually calculated moves. Her sword, rather than strike, locked into place to take the tip of Gwendolyn’s sword. The jian bent, and the thrust still struck Dao Ming on the left side of her chest, but the steel of her own sword kept Gwendolyn’s from penetrating. Still, even Kenkuro could hear the snap of ribs in the kirin’s breast, gasping as he heard it.

Yet gritting her teeth through the pain, Dao Ming carried herself forward into Gwendolyn, who by her wide eyes had not expected such recklessness from Dao Ming. The kirin wrapped Gwendolyn around the neck and spun, using Gwendolyn’s own momentum to pull her into a savagely powerful throw that crunched Gwendolyn to the ground and blasted the air from her lungs.

Dao Ming, wincing from her broken rib, inverted her jian and plunged it down, seeking to trap Gwendolyn’s sword arm. Incredibly, Gwendolyn moved, instincts born of countless brutal battles alerting her to danger her regular senses failed to. She rolled, sword lashing out. Dao Ming danced back, her leg taking a deep cut, but she’d gained what she’d wanted... time.

Gwendolyn had pressed the attack so completely that Dao Ming hadn’t time to do any spirit chants. Her entire gambit was to buy herself those few precious seconds, if she could just daze Gwendolyn long enough.

Scrolls flowing out of her side satchel, Dao Ming floated them in front of her and began to chant the mantra. Gwendolyn heard it even as she shook her head to clear the cobwebs and regain her feet. She rushed at Dao Ming, hoping to stop the chant in time, but only reached Dao Ming just as the kirin’s body lit up with the auras of mystic light of summoned earth and wind spirits that fortified her physical abilities, much as they had when she fought Wodan.

Now it was Gwendolyn forced onto the defensive, Dao Ming leaping over her slashing sword and coming down with a powerful heel kick that destroyed the stone where Gwendolyn had been standing. Gwendolyn herself went to the air, wings flapping rapidly to gain height. Dao Ming, physically enhanced, literally leaped after her, flipping in mid-air and swinging her sword. Gwendolyn’s blade parried, but the blow sent the griffin stumbling through the air.

She recovered, just barely in time to evade another leaping strike from Dao Ming. Now a game of cat and mouse ensued, Gwendolyn flying around the arena, just below the legal height allowed to her, and Dao Ming pacing the ground, waiting for opportunities to attack. Gwendolyn would dip low to bait Dao Ming up, and the two would pass each other in a glint of trading sword blows. Gwendolyn knew she couldn’t overpower Dao Ming as long as she was enhanced by that spirit chanting, but couldn’t fly around forever, so she took a deep breath and decided to risk a desperate move.

Flying to get distance from Dao Ming, Gwendolyn went to one side of the arena, then dove low until she was skimming no more than a few feet above it. With powerful wingflaps she propelled herself like a cannonball at Dao Ming, who took up a ready stance, blade held high, ready to receive Gwendolyn’s attack.

At the last moment Gwendolyn dipped her sword low and dug it into the stone arena. The magical blade tore through the stone in a jagged line, tearing rock upwards. She then swung it up in an arc that sent a flurry of rock chunks flying at Dao Ming. The kirin didn’t flinch, to her credit. She spun around, her jian and hooves all working in tandem to deflect the pieces of rock. Yet doing so also left her vulnerable, for Gwendolyn landed in front of her, and brought her sword down in a gleam of crimson steel.

Dao Ming spun in a jade flash. Parried. The angle was just small sliver off, and the jian snapped in a loud ping of shattered metal.

The moment past, and dust from the chunks of flung rock settled around the pair. Gwendolyn’s sword was right at the joint between Dao Ming’s neck and her shoulder, the edge having not penetrated deep enough for more than the lightest of cuts due to Gwendolyn being able to pull back at the last second. Both champions stood panting, starring at each other, as a bit of blood seeped from the shallow wound on Dao Ming.

Dao Ming’s magic floated her broken jian up for her to inspect, and with a remarkably good natured laugh she set the blade down and smiled, inclining her head to Gwendolyn.

“Well struck, Gwendolyn Var Bastion. I concede the match to you.”

Sucking in deep breaths, a bit of blood trickling down her face from a chunk of rock that struck her from her desperate trick, Gwendolyn smiled, “Good, because if you didn’t I think I was a few seconds from having a heart attack. I really didn’t think that last move would work.”

“It was unexpected. Have you used it before?” Dao Ming asked cordially.

“Actually no, I, uh, heh... kind of got the idea from you,” Gwendolyn admitted, “When you carved up the stage to knock Wodan out with that avalanche. Really bloody brilliant move, there.”

“Hah, so you’re saying I lost to my own technique? Hm, trying to assuage my ego, are you?”

“Hardly. Just giving credit where it’s due.”

Gwendolyn took her blade away from Dao Ming’s neck, and lowered it, and raising a talon balled into a fist to hold out to Dao Ming, “Hell of a fight...”

Looking unsure at the gesture, Dao Ming gingerly mirrored Gwendolyn’s motion with her hoof, until Gwendolyn bumped it with a grin. “Indeed. A, ahem, ‘heck’ of a fight.”

“Oh bloody hells, I need to teach you to swear properly, don’t I?”

As the pair laughed weakly, both exhausted now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the audience itself veritably erupted with a cataclysm of cheering and shouts. Both Dao Ming and Gwendolyn let it wash over them in waves, the pair sitting down as they worked to catch their breaths. Dao Ming in particular was drained, with the power of the spirits flowing back out of her and leaving her feel light headed. She even nearly tipped over, only to find a steady wing of black feathers holding her shoulder.

“Kenkuro?” she turned to face him, the tengu having flown up onto the stage, joining Abbess Serene who’d trotted up to the pair.

There was nothing but warmth in Kenkuro’s eyes, even as Dao Ming smiled sheepishly at him. “I lost.”

“Bah, what of it?” he said, beak turning in a smile that Dao Ming could only call fatherly, despite never having known her father. “Your victory was over yourself, Dao Ming, and I could not be prouder of you.”

For a few seconds his words seemed strange to her, until she realized that she’d just lost such an important competition in front of her mother, under the very eyes of the Empress... and it didn’t bother her. She glanced towards the stands, only barely able to make out her mother’s form high up in the seating. She couldn’t see what expression the Empress wore. Whether it was pride, or disappointment. Yet at that moment, having fought with all she had, and only to prove her own value to herself, she realized it didn’t much matter what expression the Empress wore.

She laughed, and leaned into Kenkuro, just a bit, and let the moment linger.

Author's Note

So at long last the Contest of Strength draws to a close. Admittedly this took way, way longer than it should have, but there were several major character oriented fights that I felt couldn't really be skipped over or overly shortened. I'll say this much, the Contest of Wits and Contest of Magic shouldn't take as much time, given their broader competitions rather than a series of one on one matches. We're actually entering the final act at this point, with around four chapters left to go by my estimation. We'll see how that goes. Anyway thanks for reading folks, and feel free to let me know what you think. With luck I might actually finish this story sometime this year. :twilightblush:

Chapter 15: Matters of Honor

Chapter 15: Matters of Honor

Within several hours the crowds of island visitors were corralled from the coliseum so that the monks of the Order could gradually reshape it for the purposes of the Contest of Wits, the day after the next. In the meantime the festival grounds enjoyed a robust surge of guests seeking relaxation and refreshment after the long day of matches they had witnessed. Many others returned to the town of Heroes Rest for dinner at the town’s numerous restaurants, or simply turned in early at their respective inns.

For the champions, the monks threw together an expansive meal in the monastery’s main hall, allowing those who’d fought to replenish their energy and take a well deserved break. While every champion was invited to the dinner, there were some who preferred to retire to their own rooms. Trixie and Raindrops attended the dinner together, while Lyra stuck with Bon Bon, and Carrot Top decided to join Frederick and the other cervids at their table. Cheerilee went to crash early at their room, but told the other mares she’d check in on how Princess Luna was doing with Ditzy before calling it a night.

Abbess Serene had given a brief speech, thanking the champions for their continued displays of prowess and her heartfelt hope that the best was yet to come, but Trixie hadn’t paid the elderly mare much mind, and once the speech was done the Abbess had gone off somewhere to tend to further Contest preparations. Presently, Trixie was ravenously assaulting a poor, defenseless plate of exceptionally seasoned salad and enjoying some rather finely aged wine as she quietly told Raindrops about what she’d seen with Lo Shang and Tomoko.

“Not sure I see anything to be concerned with, Trixie,” Raindrops said, popping some manner of cheesy delectable into her mouth from another plate, keeping her own voice low, just in case of eavesdroppers, “I mean, they’re brother and sister-”

“Adopted, technically,” Trixie pointed out, and Raindrops rolled her eyes.

“Fine, adopted, but still siblings. What’s weird about them talking with each other?”

“It's not that they were talking, it was that they felt the need to go hide out in some side tunnel beneath the coliseum in the middle of the matches to talk that seems strange. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I could tell it was something serious. Not just shooting the breeze or making a friendly bet on who’d win the Contest.”

Raindrops paused, considering, “Okay, fine, slightly suspicious, but that conversation could have been about anything as innocent as deciding what to get Dao Ming as a gift if she won the final match, or literally anything else. Why suspect it has anything to do with the conspiracy against the Contest?”

“Because we’re short on leads and I’m feeling desperate?” Trixie admitted with a side snort, munching furiously on a crouton, “Back in Oaton we at least knew who to investigate, but here there’s such a wide list of suspects it’s rather maddening. At this point I’ll take what I can get.”

“Personally I think we need to relax,” said Raindrops, “We can’t search the whole island, or expect things to just fall into our lap. There’s still three days left in the Contest, and quite frankly there’s ponies more qualified than us already searching around, or have you forgotten about the Shadowbolts?”

Trixie huffed, glancing up at the shadows around the main hall’s vaulted ceiling, “Yes, point taken, but given they apparently haven’t found anything yet, I’m not holding my breath. Whoever is plotting against us must be some kind of mastermind to avoid detection thus far-”

“Aaachoo!” the hooded figure sneezed, wiping at its nose for a moment.

“Are you well?” asked the other hooded figure, barely illuminated by a faint glow of flickering and pulsing green and blue light stemming from the ground, “We can resume work on the ritual later if you’re concentration is slipping.”

“Never mind me,” said the other figure, placing a hoof on the ground before the edge of a vast magical circle, “Just too much dust down here, I suspect. Let us resume.”

“-and we need to be excruciatingly vigilant if we’re going to find them,” Trixie said, eyes scanning the room, “We need to look for any inconsistencies, any tiny detail that might suggest who’s busy doing something they shouldn’t.”

“Well, okay, but what qualifies as an ‘inconsistency’?” asked Raindrops, “There’s so many people here, you can’t possibly keep track of them all, and it’s not like we know anyone well enough to decide what might be abnormal with their behavior.”

“Not entirely true,” replied Trixie, “We’ve gotten to know several people at the Contest quite well. You know those zebra, Carrot Top has gotten pretty familiar with the cervids, and Cheerilee certainly made an impact on the minotaurs.”

“And you’ve got quite the rivalry going on with the kirin,” Raindrops concluded, “And Ditzy was getting to know that griffin champion pretty well before he did what he did to her. She knew something was up with him before the rest of us did.”

“Yes, although he wasn’t trying to hide his twisted weirdness, that’s for certain,” Trixie said, idly waving her empty wine glass for one of the monks to come refill it. Once it was full and she could sip on it, she resumed her train of thought, “I think the reason I’ve honed in on Lo Shang and Tomoko talking like that is because they pointedly avoided saying what they were going to say in front of the Empress, which to me, says warning bells.”

Raindrops saw what Trixie was getting at, and thought herself about what she knew about the zebra, “Well... there is something that’s been bothering me.”

“Yes?”

“Tendaji is a good fighter, but I honestly don't get why he was selected as a champion when it's pretty obvious his master, Nuru, is way stronger. I mean, you saw that duel between him and Kenkuro, right?”

Trixie shrugged, “I suppose. It happened pretty fast.”

“That’s not uncommon when you get two masters in the ring. Things either take forever, or are over in an instant. My point is that it just seems odd to me that Nuru would bring Tendaji along, especially since the only thing Tendaji wanted was to fight me, which he could have arranged in any number of other ways.”

“So what are you suggesting?” Trixie asked, not doubting, just wanting to hear Raindrops’ logic train from her own mouth.

“Only that you don’t bring an extra along unless you have a use for them,” Raindrops said, frowning, “Someone to take attention off you, maybe? I mean, where is Nuru right now?”

That was a good question. A quick scan of the room showed that while Tendaji was at one of the tables with his wife Aisha, and the other zebra champion, Siwatu, the elder zebra Nuru was nowhere to be seen.

“...Good point. Although he is rather old, so he could just have gone to bed.”

“Hey, you’re the one who said look for inconsistencies,” Raindrops pointed out, and Trixie smiled at her with a nod.

“I did, and I agree with you that it’s odd. Let’s add him to the list of people to keep an eye on. Although, speaking of missing persons, I don’t see any of the kirin here, either.”

All it took was a casual glance to confirm Trixie was right, the entire Shouma delegation was absent from the hall, and they were a rather difficult bunch to miss, so Trixie knew she wasn’t just not seeing them among the crowd. Raindrops’ brow furrowed, “Okay, that’s odd.”

“It could be nothing,” Trixie admitted, “Just like with Tomoko and Lo Shang’s talk. Still, I’m thinking I’d like to keep closer tabs on certain individuals. Whoever that individual Carrot Top and Frederick saw in dark robes the other day was, they can’t be in two places at once. These conspirators need to vanish for a time to do whatever it is they’re doing, so whoever isn’t here right this moment, is a suspect.”

“But Trixie, that’s technically true at any other time, too,” Raindrops pointed out, “All of the conspirators might be here in this room, and anyone currently missing is just missing for legitimate reasons we don’t know about.”

“Yes, but blast it all, we have to start somewhere, so let’s make a note of whoever isn’t here currently, and at least try to keep an eye on them over the next few days.”

Raindrops didn’t have any particular objections to the plan, and once they split up and spread the idea to Lyra and Carrot Top, making sure not to let slip to anyone else what they were saying, it didn’t take long for them to compile a list. As dinner was winding down, half an hour later, the four mares looked at each from across a table near one corner of the main hall.

“So aside from the whole Shouma party, we’re missing two cervids, Andrea and Sigurd. There’s Nuru from the zebra, Steel Cage from the minotaurs, and the weird minotaur seer lady, Greysight. Grimwald, duh, but also Gwendolyn and King Gruber weren’t here either. That’s everyone who was MIA from dinner,” said Lyra, glancing over a piece of paper she’d written the list on.

“I feel like we’re forgetting someone,” Trixie said, frowning at the list, tapping one hoof irritably on the table.

“Who?” asked Carrot Top, giving a slight wave to Frederick from across the hall who was waving back at her, “Sorry guys, I might need to go soon. Frederick wants to go on beach stroll. There’s supposed to be a traditional Naqahn fire dance tonight.”

Trixie glanced at her with a grumpy look, “Just don’t get too distracted. Anyway, I don’t know who, precisely, I just feel like we’re forgetting something. It’s one of those ‘hunches’.”

Raindrops sighed, wings stretching, “We were pretty thorough Trixie. Aside from Corona’s party, which we’ve already pretty much decided to ignore this whole time, there’s nobody else to check. This hall was filled with everyone staying on the monastery.”

Something inside Trixie’s brain was poking at her, but for all she tried, she couldn’t divine what was bothering her. Raindrops was right. Aside from the list they had, every other creature staying at the monastery was accounted for. So why did she have this overhanging sensation that they’d overlooked something?

“Is there anything more you mares would like to eat or drink?” asked a monk politely as he passed by their table, “Most the other guests have already retired.”

“We’re fine, thanks,” said Carrot Top, pushing away from the table and trotting around it, “Anyway, you girls enjoy the rest of the night.”

Lyra grinned at her, winking, “Enjoy your dashing Elkheim prince.”

The farm mare shot a half-embarrassed, half-pleased smirk back at her friends, flicking her tail indignantly amid a blushing expression as she trotted off to meet Frederick across the hall, her steps light and bouncy like a school-filly’s. Trixie just shook her head in wonderment as her other friends all smiled.

“Glad she’s having fun,” Lyra said to herself, then glanced to where Bon Bon had been patiently waiting nearby while she and the other Element Bearers had their ‘serious talk’. “Aaaand speaking of which, I’ve got some alone time to catch up on with my Bon Bon, so you two have a pleasant night and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Which doesn’t cover very much, now that I think about it.”

So Trixie and Raindrops were left sitting together once again, staring at each other from across the table. For a second neither talked, until Trixie awkwardly said, “Soooo, um... did you want to patrol the monastery with me? Look for more clues?”

Raindrops raised an eyebrow at her, “Is this going to involve more breaking and entering?”

“...It might,” Trixie admitted.

After a moment’s consideration, Raindrops shrugged with her wings, “Sure, why not?”

Lo Shang paced outside the granted quarters of the Imperial family with agitation in his every step. Two members of the Empress’ Jade Guard were posted outside the thick, double oak doors, silently staring ahead like statues cast from gold. Their lacquered armor didn’t so much as make a single restle or clink as Lo Shang paced by the guards. Oh, they’d never dream of preventing a member of the Imperial family such as himself from entering the chambers beyond, but from the muffled, but clearly risen voices beyond the doors, Lo Shang knew he couldn’t enter. Just pace. Which he continued to do so with growing fury and conflicted feelings.

“It continues?”

Tomoko’s soft voice reached him as she approached from down the corridor, her dark red coat and white scales shimmering under the hallway’s torchlight. Lo Shang noted she looked... tired. He imagined he didn’t look much better.

“It does,” he replied, shaking his head, then looked at her questioningly. “Where’s Xhua? Where you not able to find her?”

“I have, and she is... indisposed,” Tomoko replied simply, and at Lo Shang’s look, she cleared her throat politely, “She is utilizing the ‘facilities’. Apparently some foreign snack she had during the matches does not agree with her.”

“Oh...” he said, blinking, then shaking himself as he looked away, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel like suspecting every shadow of hiding something.”

Tomoko approached, and while politeness dictated she couldn’t simply comfort him, there was something akin to the sentiment of a gentle hoof on the shoulder in her voice. “It is your duty, as eldest brother, to look out for all of us, so I don't fault your vigilance. But try not to suspect Xhua of wrongdoing.”

“She has been the most vocally against Dao Ming since the beginning, and I still cannot account for who I tracked into the woods the other day,” he said, grimacing at the memory. He’d nearly been caught himself, during that incident. He still didn’t know who else had been in those woods on the north side of the island, only that he hadn’t been alone there, and that whoever he’d initially followed there had to have been a kirin from the Shouma delegation. The hoof tracks had proven as much, although with the storm, those tracks would be long gone.

“Concentrate on what I’ve asked of you,” Tomoko said, “Leave Xhua to Xhua. She’ll calm herself, once she understands Dao Ming is destined to be Empress, and ours is the place of supportive siblings.”

“A fact I never doubted at all,” Lo Shang said with an honest chuckle, “Even as a child, she’d shown more talent than the rest of us. I’m little more than a thick headed warrior. You know politics, but cannot command a battlefield. Xhua is.. Xhua. It was always going to be Dao Ming. I just... wish the Empress could see it instead of...” he made a vague gesture towards the doors, where the voice rose to a shouting pitch, if still too indistinct to make out.

Tomoko cast a glance at the doors and the guards. She and Lo Shang had been speaking in Equestrian, rather than Shouma’s native tongue, in order to keep the guards from understanding what might be considered an ‘inappropriate’ conversation. But now she switched to the Empire’s language as she addressed the guards, “My brother and I shall be entering the chambers. Do open the doors.”

The guards, to their credit, only hesitated a moment before obeying an Imperial order. Strictly speaking the Empress hadn’t forbade them from allowing other members of the Imperial family through. They moved with mechanical precision, opening the doors and allowing Tomoko to lead a nervous Lo Shang into the well appointed chambers beyond... and right into the Empress’ regally booming voice. Fu Ling might not have been an alicorn, but when roused to anger her voice carried the clarion ring of a squadron of trumpets.

“You will not make light of your position child! The Jade Throne cannot, will not be treated as a birthright!”

While at its core the room was simply a spacious version of the utilitarian chambers common to the monastery, this one had been lavishly draped in the finery of the Empire. Silken carpets of scarlet interwoven with gold and emerald embroidery in the pattern of a radiant garden covered the stone floor. Similar tapestries painted the walls in spreads of glinting wealth. Not a single table, chair, or couch lacked adornments of gold or jade, with a large shrine to the spirits of Shouma dominated one side of the room, incense sticks burning and adding a smokey aroma to the chamber. The incense did little to calm attitudes, however.

While Fu Ling was standing as tall as an emerald mountain, her golden head dress cresting her like the rising sun, Dao Ming stood before her mother like a defiant and steady ship cruising towards a typhoon. Standing a mere pace apart, it was almost striking the familial resemblance, despite Fu Ling’s charcoal black mane and tail in sharp contrast to Dao Ming’s shining gold locks. Yet their eyes, both set in equally angered glares, their stance, both proud and tall, visages cast in a determined clash of wills... none could deny Dao Ming was her mother’s daughter.

Even Dao Ming’s voice spoke with the authoritative clap of a future Empress, every bit a match for her mother’s.

“I am treating nothing as a birthright. I am committed to taking my place as Empress when, and only when I have earned it by my own merits. What I will not tolerate is the insinuation that I have done anything less than give my greatest effort to that end. Just because I now choose this of my own will, and not to please you, gives you no right to insult me. By Heaven and Earth, mother, I will have a modicum of respect from you!”

Fu Ling’s lips peeled back in a reflexive sneer akin to brandishing a dagger, “Demanding respect is the simplest way it slips out of one’s hooves, child. You expect accolades when losing to a scruffy, half-witted griffon, of all things!? The sheer embarrassment of witnessing my heir be humbled by a-”

“By an honorable warrior whose prowess with a blade was second to none out of all the swordmasters I have ever faced, with the possible exception of Kenkuro himself!” Dao Ming spat back, mirroring her mother’s fierce visage, “And if I hear you refer to Gwendolyn Var Bastion in anything less than the respectful tone a warrior of her skill and stature deserves, we shall see how finely honed you’ve kept your sword skills, mother.”

For a moment Fu Ling appeared too stunned to speak, her mouth just hanging there open for a long, stony second. Then her voice turned from the hot fury of a firestorm to the ice cold chill of a glacier. “You have no idea at all what I have endured as Empress, Dao Ming. You think this is a mere game we play? That once you sit the throne, that the Heavenly Empire will obey your will, follow your tune? Child, all I have ever sought to do is prepare you for the slaughter house that is our duty as Empress. The noble clans each vie for their own power, and are vigilant as hawks for weakness, especially from the throne. All it would take is one instant of indecisiveness, one moment of weakness, and our Empire could shatter and become as it was before it was unified... a hell hole of war and strife. And what then of the Dark Lands? Who would stop their encroachment if the Empire falls to internal bloodshed and conflict? Why do you think I have spent so much effort pushing you to be the best? For my amusement!? To hurt you!?”

A voice of ice cracked into broken, quiet voice that showed the fear beneath the steel, “I have only one daughter, and I never expected to have that much, for how long I seemed barren. I will not let her be eaten alive by the wolves of our political system. I won’t let her be anything less than a survivor, because she is all I have! If you are to endure the weight of being Empress, your shoulders cannot be weak, they cannot even be of common honor and strength. Nothing less than perfection can survive as Shouma’s Empress.”

It was Dao Ming’s turn to appeared stunned for an instant, but she recovered faster than her mother, her head shaking in a wave of golden mane, “Mother, there is no perfection. You alone prove that point. Do you think so little of me that you believe I don’t already know of the Empire’s ills or of how deadly the rivalries at court are? I fought in the Yellow Turban Rebellion when I was barely into my teens. I know what being Empress means. I wish you’d see I’m no child any longer, and that I don’t have to be ‘perfect’ to be worthy of taking on the duties I know I must. But I am done seeking your approval, mother. I do what I do now because it is my choice and no one else’s. Whether I win or lose the Contest no longer matters save for proving to myself what I already know I’m capable of.”

“And what is that, child?” Fu Ling asked quietly, voice tired and bitter.

“Being whatever I wish to be, whether that be Empress, or just Dao Ming.”

A silence fell, until Fu Ling whispered, “Perhaps you will, but I am still Empress yet, and that will not change until I decide you are ready.”

It was then that Tomoko rather loudly yet still with pitch perfect politeness cleared her throat. In another startling mirror of one another, Dao Ming and Fu Ling both gave nearly identical starts, whipping their heads around to stare at Tomoko and Lo Shang. Tomoko put on a winning, charming smile.

“Deepest apologies, my Empress, Heiress. We did not wish to interrupt, yet felt compelled to intercede in case things became too... uncomfortably heated. Please accept our sincere regret if our presence is unwanted.”

Fu Ling rapidly composed herself, like a castle regenerating its broken ramparts as she raised her head and said, “There has been nothing said here that is secret among those of our family. Dao Ming is being rebelliously willful in her manner, but given she’s taken up company with so many outside our culture, I should expect as much.”

Dao Ming glared, but Lo Shang coughed nervously and said in a forcefully friendly tone, “Surely Dao Ming has a point that her performance, while not ‘perfection’, was nothing short of impressive. I doubt I’d have done nearly as well, and whacking things with a spear is what I’m best known for.”

“Furthermore, while it may be true that other cultures lack our refinements,” Tomoko added, “One can’t fault Dao Ming for how swiftly she’s learned to make allies among the rival nations. The Griffin Kingdoms are among our most noteworthy trade partners overseas, and to earn honor among them by demonstrating her prowess while befriending one who will surely become a heroine of great repute among the griffins amply demonstrates Dao Ming’s skill in courtly matters.”

Fu Ling looked between them both, then at a faintly blushing Dao Ming, and huffed out an almost ‘normal’ and undignified snort, “I’ve done this to myself, haven’t I? A rebellious daughter, a goof of an adopted son, and an adopted daughter with a tongue of gold. The irony is, between the three of you, you all might have the qualities to rule the Heavenly Empire. Such a shame the throne only seats one.”

Tomoko bowed her head deeply, “None would dream to replace you so soon, Empress, while you still have many years ahead of you. However, you speak some wisdom in that, while Dao Ming shall one day succeed you, she shall have help in her loyal siblings. Shouma will survive, as shall she, of that I swear to you on my very soul.”

Fu Ling gave her an odd look, but nodded, if barely, as she winced and turned towards Dao Ming. “This conversation has only given me more of a headache than I already had. Dao Ming, I won’t waste further words trying to impress upon you the importance of victory in the Contest. You seem determined to play your own game, here. So I am going to retire early this evening. Do as you will.”

With that the Empress of Shouma gathered herself, and what pride and dignity she could muster, and strode towards her bedchamber in one of the adjoining rooms. Dao Ming watched her go, rigid for a moment, before exploding with a sigh as she nearly sank into one of the nearby chairs.

“Dear spirits... that was... draining.”

Lo Shang came up to her, looking exhausted himself, but wearing a happy smile as he inclined his head in a greeting bow to her, “To say the least! But I am proud of you, sister. I’ve never seen you speak for yourself towards the Empress in such a manner.”

“Indeed,” said Tomoko, going over to a nearby case to remove cups for tea, proceeding to use her magic in a soft, golden aura to warm water and gently add the proper tea leaves, “You’ve grown up quite a bit, Dao Ming.”

Dao Ming turned her head to give Tomoko a sardonic look, “Which seems to imply you thought I had some growing up to do.”

Tomoko laughed as lightly as the tea leaves being sprinkled into the warming water, “You must admit, prior to your experiences here, especially in your time spent with that Trixie mare, you were a tad...”

“Bratish?” Dao Ming supplied.

“I was going to say ‘in need of maturing’. However I’m glad to see such changes in you. While the Empress may have a point that the position is not one any mere mortal can fill, I think she has long shorted you credit on your qualities for the throne. I believe by the end of this Contest... everything will be different.”

Dao Ming gratefully accepted the tea Tomoko provided, and as her siblings sat down beside her and they enjoyed a quiet moment together, she wondered just how many more changes might be coming her way before the Contest of Champions was over.

Gwendolyn had made a trudging march for her chambers almost as soon as she’d been able to break away from the returning crowd of champions, more than a few of which had been jostling her with praise for her victory in the Contest of Strength. Much as she inwardly felt a beaming flare of pride in her accomplishments (one she wasn’t even wholly certain she deserved), her mind couldn’t focus on that, and her body was exhausted from the day of rigorous physical strain. She wanted a bath and then a bed, although she wasn’t sure how well she’d sleep despite how tired she was.

Her mind was surrounded by a miasma of dark thoughts on how to deal with King Gruber. She had to make her move soon, she knew. She could have challenged him straightaway, but decided against the idea. For one, she suspected her challenge would lead to a duel, and she was in no shape for fighting after the day she’d had. There was little doubt in her mind Gruber wouldn’t face her himself, but he’d likely choose her mother as his second. If Gwendolyn was going to beat Beatrice Var Bastion, it wouldn’t be now, drained to the point of collapse after a steady stream of fights.

I can’t wait too long to swoop on my chance, either. Gruber has to know I’ve gained enough clout among the other champions to have backing when I challenge him. He probably suspects I know his plans already, otherwise he wouldn’t have pulled that stunt with the magic spear. Tomorrow morning. Early tomorrow morning, that’s when I’ll confront him. I’ll be rested enough to handle mother then, and it gives the other champions time to really think about what they saw me do today and which side they want to be standing on.

Those were her thoughts as she made the slow walk to her quarters, a very quiet part of the monastery with so many champions attending that big dinner down in the main hall. Gwendolyn didn’t have an appetite, and just wanted to sleep. She’d grab something quick to bite after she woke up, then go deal with Gruber. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too late to reverse his orders to move those legions on the Border Kingdoms and get back to her Red Shields in time to stop a full-blown civil war.

She opened the door to her quarters and went inside, and the moment she did her instincts told her something was wrong.

Perhaps had she been less exhausted, she’d have sensed the danger before opening the door, before going inside, but now that she was the door slammed shut behind her and figures moved towards her from the room’s darkened corners with shocking speed and efficiency. Gwendolyn’s sword sang free of its scabbard and she didn’t even look as she struck, hearing a muffled cry of pain from one of her assailants and a splash of warm blood splattered her face.

Steel whispered through the dark and Gwendolyn spun to parry, sparks flying from her sword meeting another, slimmer blade. More came at her, a veritable forest of swift jabs and cuts that Gwendolyn struggled to deflect. She was surrounded, cut off from escape, and taken off guard. Even at her best, fending off this many foes would have been a challenge. Her griffin eyes cut through the dark to show her winged forms; her assailants were also griffins, all clad in soot black clothing.

She made a lunge for the one that had closed the door, and felt a pain surge through her heart as she recognized the sword that blocked her thrust. She caught the barest glimpse of her mother’s face in the darkness before the parry left her off balance and Beatrice countered with a blindingly swift pommel strike between Gwendolyn’s eyes. Skilled as she was as a warrior, exhaustion combined with the sudden ferocity of the ambush had left her vulnerable. Her mother’s presence was simply the unpleasant icing on this horrific cake, and Gwendolyn felt the world spin as she hit the floor, her sword clattering at her side.

A rain of blows fell on her then. Thankfully not the sharp punctures of swords, but the hefty beating of fists and kicks that rendered her bruised, dazed, and helpless.

“Ease up you fools,” her mother’s voice cut sharply, “If she dies, so do all of you.”

Muffled replies followed and the beating ceased, but only to be very quickly replaced by rough talons grabbing her and tying both her wings, arms, and legs with thick rope. Then she was lifted and shoved into a waiting burlap sack just big enough to accommodate her. With all the ceremony of the sack of potatoes she resembled now, Gwendolyn was hoisted and taken to a nearby window, where her mother and the other griffin ambushers got ready to take flight.

“Can you fly?” one of the griffins, a male, asked. Gwendolyn assumed they were asking the one she’d struck at the start of the ambush. Well, at least she’d gotten a hit in on one of the bastards.

“Y-yes, barely.”

“You’d best keep up, because we can’t afford to leave loose ends behind,” Beatrice said, tone flat as freshly sanded wood. The threat in her tone was absolutely clear, and the wounded griffin gave a very audible gulp.

“I’ll keep up.”

Then with no preamble, Gwendolyn heard wings beating the night air, and she was carried between her captors into the sky.

Trixie’s first thought was to check the quarters of any individual who’d been missing from the dinner banquet. Stood to reason that most of them might have perfectly reasonable reasons for not being there, but if there was anything suspicious to be found, then now would be the time to find it.

It was pure coincidence that the closest rooms happened to be in the area the griffins had been quartered. They may have already searched King Gruber’s rooms before, but that didn’t mean there weren’t new clues there now. Or perhaps they’d overhear a suspicious conversation? Either way, Trixie and Raindrops were making their way past the various rooms of the griffin champions when Trixie’s gaze was drawn to a door that was already open.

“Raindrops, look,” she said, nodding towards the ajar door.

Even more odd, the room’s interior was dark. The two mares exchanged looks, and Raindrops gave a silent nod. Trixie cautiously slipped an invisibility spell around both of them, Raindrops placing her hoof on Trixie’s withers to follow her along as they quietly approached the door. Trixie wasn’t sure who’s quarters they were, although the griffins did like throwing banners with their various kingdom’s heraldry up. This door’s banner was laying curled on the floor, just inside the opening, and Trixie couldn’t make it out. She might have picked it up to examine it, but her eyes immediately gravitated towards the sight of a dark, wet stain that splattered the stone floor. It was dark enough in the room that Trixie could only see it as a dark stain, but she knew it’s true color was the red of blood from the copper scent in the air.

“Trixie... that’s blood, isn’t it?” Raindrops whispered.

“Yes. Be careful not to step in it,” Trixie warned. The last thing they needed was to incriminate themselves at a potential crime scene.

Slowly she cracked the door open wider and gingerly stepped inside the room, her senses on high alert. It only took a few moments to sweep her gaze over the small room and realize it was empty. However a struggle had clearly taken place. Aside from the obvious blood stains on the floor, the rug was scuffed up and thrown about, and one of the room’s few chairs was overturned and had a broken leg. Trixie took a closer look at the blood. It was still wet, and even as she looked at it, soft moonlight stemming from an open window provided enough light for her to see a bit of steam rising from the blood in the cold night air.

“It’s still warm. Whatever happened, it couldn’t have happened more than a few minutes ago,” Trixie said, mind racing.

“The window,” Raindrops said, “Look at the edges.”

When Trixie looked, she swiftly saw what Raindrops was pointing out. The wooden edges of the windowsill had obvious talon marks on them. Someone, likely a griffin, or even several griffins, had come in through the window, and existed the same way.

“There’s no body. Whoever was attacked got taken,” Trixie said, and risked dropping her invisibility spell to more swiftly rush up to the window and look out. Her eyes scanned the dark night sky, its tapestry of stars providing points of light against which she sought any dark silhouettes. Raindrops was at her side in an instant, her much more experienced set of eyes making shorter work of examining the sky.

“There!” Raindrops said, her wing extending to point. Trixie followed it and just barely spied the flitting sight of several shadowy dots in the distance, making their way towards the soft lantern lights of Heroes’ Rest.

“Blast! They’re too far away!” Trixie hissed, “Can’t hit them with a spell from here. Raindrops, could you catch up with them?”

“Not with my speed, but I can still follow them while you go get help,” Raindrops said, clambering up onto the windowsill in preparing to take off.

“There’s no time for that,” Trixie said, grabbing onto Raindrops, “By the time I reach anyone who could do anything those griffins would already be at the docks. That has to be where they’re going. The only way off the island is by ship.”

Her horn lit up and Raindrops looked at her with wide, incredulous eyes, “What are you doing?”

“Teleporting.”

Raindrops visibly paled, “Can... can you pull that off at this distance? With me in tow?”

“...Uh... maybe...”

“Trixie, I do not want my parts scattered over several square kilometers today.”

“There’s only a chance that’ll happen. I’ve been practicing, okay!? And it’s not like we have a lot of other options,” Trixie replied tersely, keeping the magic flowing through her horn. She tried her best ot mentally visualize the docks at Heroes’ Rest, recalling the number of piers (was it four or five?) and the fresh scent of the sea that clung to them. She let the sound of lapping waves and laughter from dockside taverns fill her imagination, completing the mental picture.

She then let the magic flow out of her horn and around both her and Raindrops, willing herself and the pegasus to be at that place in her mind.

“Triiiixieeeee!” Raindrops shouted as reality proceeded to flash around them, instantly creating a sensation of absolute weightlessness followed by an electrified popping noise. The scent of ozone filled Trixie’s nostrils as she found herself dizzily standing upon firm cobblestones. Her mane was a frizzy mess, and she bore a few singe marks from random magical feedback.

Next to her, Raindrops was in similar condition, eyes unfocused and sporting a few, sooty scorch marks on her hide. Her wing feathers were as frazzle as her mane, and as she shook her head and focused on Trixie, her eyes flared up heatedly.

“Give me a second to prepare myself, next time you decide to bamf us!”

Trixie snorted, “Don’t use the word ‘bamf’ for the fine and elegant feat of magical prowess I just performed! I bent us across space and time, with only minimal magical backlash. This is the fruit of my long hours of practice at work.”

“Great for you. So, uh, did we make it?” Raindrops looked around.

They were standing in the middle of a cobblestone street surrounded by one and two story buildings, multiple lantern posts giving the street a warm and well lit glow. There were ponies and other various creatures out and about, most of them giving Raindrops and Trixie odd looks.

“We’re in Heroes' Rest,” said Trixie, recognizing the architecture. “I must have undershot us. The docks should be... um... that way!”

The pair took off at a gallop, pounding down the gently curving street with their hooves echoing off the cobblestones. Both Trixie and Raindrops were trying hard to keep and eye on the sky, seeking any sign of a flight of suspicious... griffins? Truthfully Trixie had no confirmation that griffins had been the assailants, although it seemed very likely a griffin had been the intended victim. In fact, all things considered, it seemed very likely that it was Gwendolyn Var Bastion that had been targeted, given what Trixie now knew about the griffin warrior’s background and the plot of King Gruber to start a war between the Inner and Border Kingdoms.

Logically it stood to reason that since Gwendolyn won the Contest of Strength, Gruber was now resorting to a much more direct means of disposing of the possible strongest opposition to his plans. There was no way Gruber was planning to stay on the island either, not after an incident like this. Trixie’s bits were bet on Gruber already having acquired a ship at the docks to flee on, likely taking Gwendolyn in tow to use as a hostage in the war to come.

Granted, the griffins had all arrived via flight, so Gruber had to have either sized or chartered a transport ship. There were plenty present, given the number of tourists that had arrived to view the Contest of Champions. The problem was figuring out which one. If Trixie and Raindrops could spot the foal(chick?)nappers in the air, they could be followed to the right ship, otherwise they’d have to look for a ship that was already getting ready to set sail. Which wouldn’t be too hard in the middle of the night, given there shouldn't normally be any ships getting ready to make way during the night time.

So focused on scanning the air were the pair that they didn’t even notice who had stumbled out of a well lit tavern in front of them, smelling heavily of cheap ale.

“Whoa, watch out!” Raindrops shouted, skidding to a halt, using a hefty flap of her wings to help slow her.

“Huh?” Trixie actually looked behind her at Raindrops, having not ceased her frantic pace, and ended up crashing head first into a staggering, ale drenched mass of drunk water deer.

“Whozzat?” burped Sigurd, not even really trying to disentangle himself from Trixie as they lay on the street at the foot of the doorway into a raucous active tavern, just short of the docks.

“Gah! It’s me, Trixie! Get off me!” Trixie scrambled to get out from underneath the largely uncooperative cervid, her nose wrinkling, “Just how much have you been drinking?”

Sigurd mumbled something, tossing aside an empty mug as he rolled over and said in a clearer tone, “Not enough yet to deal with your shrill voice, Dame Trixie... ugh... if misery is meant to love company, surely it was not thinking of you.”

“Rude much? You smell worse than an entire locker room of unwashed yaks that just finished practicing for a bean eating contest.”

“Ha... were I less drunk and in better spirits that might pass as a worthy cervid insult,” Sigurd said as he tried, and failed, to get steady legs under him. Raindrops moved over and helped him up.

“Look, sorry for bumping into you, Sigurd, but we’re in a serious rush! Somepony, er, griffin has been taken and we’re trying to stop it!”

That cleared up Sigurd’s ale fogged eyes rather quickly as he blinked and, while still swaying slightly, managed to say in a much more sober tone, “Who’s been taken?”

“I suspect it was the griffin champion from Grandis, Gwendolyn,” Trixie said, “We found a room with blood in it and clear signs of someone being hauled out the window. Then we spotted what looked like fliers in the air heading for town. I think it’s likely they’re going for the docks. If King Gruber is planning to flee the island, he’d need a ship, since flying long distance with a captive would be far too dicey.”

Trixie’s words probably did more than a hundred head dunks into cold trough water would have accomplished. Sigurd’s face gained a thunderous quality as he quickly reached to check that he still had his bone carved blade sheathed at his side. “Then what are we standing here talking for!? To the docks, and by the spirits of winter will any coward who’s struck at an actual champion this night shall know retribution.”

Trixie and Raindrops gave each other dubious looks, but given Sigurd was already charging towards the docks in a drunken stagger, red rimmed violence in his eyes, they didn’t have a lot of choice except to follow and try and keep up. Granted the last thing they probably wanted was an inebriated cervid warrior making matters more complicated, but on the other hoof, it sure would make it easier to deal with any fight that broke out.

The dock front of Heroes’ Rest was nowhere near as crowded as it’s still very active inn, shop, and tavern center. That also meant, however, there was generally less light, with lantern posts fewer and far between, and many of the long piers shrouded in deeper shadows that the lights hanging from the numerous ships did little to dispel. From dockside to dockside the piers were still largely filled with ships of all types and make, but Trixie’s eyes were on the lookout for any merchant or transport vessel that was already unfurling its sails.

They found it at the south end of the dock, a three masted galleon of Cavallian make, with a wide beam and beautifully carved quarterdeck covered in a paint job resembling a field of flowers. In all likelihood the captain of the ship probably had no idea what was actually going on, but Trixie could imagine most merchant captains wouldn’t question things too much if a griffin king suddenly laid a rather large pile of coins at their table for a sudden night departure; no questions asked.

Their timing couldn’t have been better, it seemed, for just as Trixie pointed the galleon out and they reached the entrance to the pier, a group of about five griffins landed on the pier right by the gangplank leading up to the ship’s deck. Between two of the griffins was carried a rather large, squirming sack, and one of the other griffins was showing a considerable limp, one wing twitching terribly. Trixie saw the red stain of blood on the injured griffin’s wings, probably from a sword wound.

Well, no way to play this but loud, Trixie thought, and lit up her horn to fire a series of sparks that went trailing and spiraling into the air. The sparks burst into loud and bright blasts of illusionary, but quite noticeable fireworks that lit up the entire docks. Trixie then proceed to suck in a breath and amplify her voice with magic.

“Halt evildoers, in the name of the Knights of the Elements! I, Dame Trixie Lulamoon, demand your immediate and unconditional surrender, upon pain of a severe flank kicking if you so much as take one more step towards that ship!”

Her projected and amplified voice would have carried all across town, as she fully intended. She wanted as many creatures of authority to descend on this location as fast as possible, especially because as the five griffins turned towards her, all of them drawing steel, she also noticed about a dozen more up on the deck of the ship... and half of them were armed with crossbows aimed squarely at her, Raindrops, and Sigurd!

She was more than ready to throw out some swift illusions to throw off any crossbow bolts that might come their way, but Sigurd, even while utterly smashed, was equally swift on the draw.

After a particularly epic belch, the water dear sneered, drawing his bone blade, “You heard the shrill lass! Give up now and I’ll freeze your nethers into tiny glaciers!”

“You mean ‘or’ instead of ‘and’, right?” Raindrops asked, but Sigurd was already lighting his blade up with a wash of runic light, icy blue symbols crossing over the sword as he swung it down. Ice erupted outward, forming a spiked wall of thick frost that would stop any crossbow bolt.

“Ha! You like that!? That wall is impunitr...impartrinal... imprerti... you’re not getting nothing through it!”

Trixie, rubbing her face with one hoof, nudged Sigurd around to face the griffins, as he’d presently been yelling at the ocean and had formed his ice wall about twenty feet off shore. Sigurd blinked bleary eyes a few times, sniffed indignantly, and pointed his sword at the highly confused flock of griffins. “That was just a warning.”

“Enough of this,” said a female griffin at the head of the flock, one that Trixie only somewhat recognized as having been near King Gruber fairly often. A guard captain, perhaps? Oddly, she did have a faint resemblance to Gwendolyn. Were they related?

The female griffin gestured at the ones holding the sack, “Get her on board the ship, now. I’ll deal with the interruption. The rest of you, shoot to wound! If we end up killing any of these idiots, it’ll be an alicorn on our asses.”

“Hate to break it to you, but that’s probably going to happen anyway,” Trixie said, “Do you really think you can get away with stealing away a Contest champion like honorless thieves in the night? I thought griffins had a much more pride than this, but apparently Gwendolyn Var Bastion really is the best of you!”

The very last thing Trixie wanted was an actual fight. Oh, she was willing, of course, but even with her illusions a stray crossbow bolt still had plenty of killing power if one of those griffins got a lucky shot. Furthermore, the less blood was actually spilled, the less likely this would escalate into an even worse international incident than it was already shaping up to be. Trixie might not have been an expert on griffin culture, but she knew enough to understand pride and honor meant a lot to these birds. She wasn’t expecting much, but if she could make them hesitate for even a few moments, it bought time for more help to arrive. Surely her light show and shouting had drawn some attention. She could at least see there were a few sailors on nearby ships coming up onto the decks, lighting lanterns and looking about for the source of the commotion.

The female griffin in charge eyed Trixie with a mix of heated contempt and, promisingly enough, hesitance and doubt. “Gwendolyn is a threat to the stability of the kingdom, no matter how good a warrior she’s become. Leave, and you won’t be harmed. This is a griffin matter, and you have no place interfering.”

The individuals trying to haul the sack up the gangplank were having trouble, as the one within the sack was now redoubling her struggles, likely having heard what was happening and realizing that assistance was close by. There were shouts of pain as talons tore open the sack and a battered, beaten, and bloody Gwendolyn ripped herself free while also ripping open the shoulder of one of her unfortunate captors, literally stabbing her beak into soft flesh and tearing like a bird of prey.

“Dammit, get her under control!” the female guard captain said, ripping a slender sword free of its scabbard and turning towards the gangplank, but then Sigurd and Raindrops both moved, taking advantage of the distraction.

Trixie swore harshly under her breath in her Neigh Orleans accent as she threw out a wall of colorful, shifting patterns of light, creating a wall of confounding illusion between her companions and the crossbow wielding griffins on the ship. She was just in time, as well, given the sharp twangs of releasing strings, and the buzz of bolts cutting the air and thwacking into the docks. One caught Trixie’s cape, punching a hole in it, but just missing her flesh. She still quickly decided to move, throwing a burst of scintillating lights flaring up towards the griffins to blind and confuse them.

Meanwhile Sigurd and Raindrops both reached the gangplank. Sigurd’s sword whipped towards the female griffin, who turned about with serpentine speed. The steel of her slender sword locked with his jagged bone blade, and ice frosted around them as the runes on the sword glowed with hungry arctic light.

Raindrops flew up, joining Gwendolyn’s brawl as she hammered one griffin with both hind legs, dropping the fellow into the dark waters with a wet sploosh. Gwendolyn heaved the griffin whose shoulder she’d savaged over her head and hurled them up onto the ship, knocking over two other griffins who had rushed the top of the gangplank with swords drawn.

Gwendolyn’s eyes were red rimmed and furious, and the moment she didn’t have an enemy immediately in front of her she sucked in a breath and roared in a volume only achievable by an enraged griffin, magic amplification, or an alicorn who hadn’t had her morning coffee, “Gruber, get your worthless carcass out here and face me! I challenge you!”

Essentially every griffin froze in place as if doused with cold water. Even the female griffin who seemed to be in charge almost immediately backed up from Sigurd, still keeping her blade at the ready, but turned stunned eyes towards Gwendolyn.

Trixie’s knowledge of the finer points of griffin culture might have been lacking, but even she could grasp the nuances of what Gwendolyn had just done. First of all, she’d just issued a duel challenge. That, in and of itself, was hardly uncommon among griffins. Not too long ago several of Trixie’s friends had run into the issue of griffin honor duels when dealing with a political matter that Kindle and Terrorwing had been neck deep involved in. What was different here was that this wasn’t just any challenge between two random griffins, but one being issued directly to a griffin king. A king whom Gwendolyn had just insulted on multiple levels, not merely with harsh language, but by specifically omitting his title and using his name alone, making it clear she didn’t think him worthy of the crown.

In almost any other society such a challenge would be laughed at or at the very least, ignored. But griffins are a different breed, and Gwendolyn had just rammed a blade straight into the heart of King Gruber’s respect, pride, and honor.

Now, given that the griffins present had already been following orders of a less than honorable nature to abduct someone of Gwendolyn’s recent prestige suggested that most of them valued loyalty to their king over personal honor, there was a difference between doing something dishonorable when you think you can get away without anyone noticing, and doing it once half a town has been alerted and started to turn out for the show. By now the docks were starting to gain curious onlookers wondering what the commotion was.

Perhaps more to the point, Gwendolyn, clearly badly injured, but still willing and able to fight her captors and even showing the unmitigated spine needed to challenge her king directly likely was a slap to the face of many of the griffins who might have been on the fence about this whole ‘abducting’ business.

At least half of them backed off, lowering weapons. The other half kept at the ready, clearly more loyal to king and country than any sense of personal honor, but Trixie would take what she could get.

More significantly, Gwendolyn’s challenge brought the bird behind the entire thing out into the open.

“You crow louder than a squalling chick that’s angry she didn’t get an even portion at meal time, Gwendolyn Var Bastion.”

King Gruber stepped up onto the deck from an interior cabin on the ship’s quarterdeck and strutted to the top of the gangplank with a remarkable amount of self assurance for someone caught red taloned in attempting to commit a crime.

Then Trixie’s mind suddenly snapped towards a rather unpleasant notion that, by griffin standards, this might not even count as a crime. They were in an internationally neutral territory, where all visiting nations could maintain their own personal jurisdiction over their own affairs. If King Gruber wanted to...

“Oh, merde,” Trixie swore under her breath as King Gruber looked down at Gwendolyn.

“You have a great deal of gall to issue a challenge to your rightful king while facing severe charges of conspiracy to commit treason against the Kingdom of Grandis, support of rebellion and sedition, and active breach of military protocol by maintaining an independent mercenary unit against United Griffin Kingdoms charter laws. You have been placed under lawful and dutiful arrest for these crimes, Gwendolyn Var Bastion, and I will not accept, nor am I under any obligation to accept, a challenge from a common criminal.”

Several of the griffin warriors closest to Gwendolyn stepped back, talons tensely gripping their weapons, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. Gwendoyn had murder in her eyes at King Gruber’s words, her body lowering like a lion preparing to pounce as her crest feathers rose in rage. Gruber was smiling in simple satisfaction at her, clearly goading her on. If Gwendolyn attacked, he’d have every justification to have her cut down then and there, and there’d be nothing Trixie, Raindrops, or Sigurd could do about it.

So before things went straight down the lavatory, Trixie spoke, raising her voice to that incredibly grating pitch she’d perfected when she wanted to dig under somepony’s hide, or in this case, somegriffin’s feathers. “I’m shocked at you, King Gruber! Is that how griffins traditionally do things these days? Steal into a champion’s room in the middle of the night without warning to ambush her without having the honor or courage to make such accusations in the public eye, where all can hear it?”

She was poking the hornet nest, she knew, but she needed to buy time in any way she could. Time for Gwendolyn to calm down and take control of her thoughts. Time for somepony, anypony with better authority than hers to show up. Every single second counted as more and more folks crowded around the docks, more witnesses, more eyes on the situation. Gruber wanted to be gone, and quietly, otherwise he wouldn’t be doing things the way he had, so every moment made his life more difficult.

He knew she was doing it, too, given the sharp look of contempt that he gave her, “Hmph, ‘Dame’ Trixie Lulamoon, is it? Remind me, while your fellow knights were attempting to show some semblance of honor by facing honest warriors in the ring, what were you doing? Watching from the sidelines, yes? What does a rank, weak little unicorn without the courage to face her foes in physical combat know about griffin honor?”

“More than you, cur!” spat Sigurd, “And Lady Gwendolyn’s honor is beyond any reproach, I swear that upon my ancestors going back to the very birth of Elkheim!”

There was an uneasy stirring among the griffins around King Gruber, and Trixie surmised the shift in the proverbial winds. Gruber could easily shout down Trixie, since whether she liked it or not ponies still weren’t generally seen in high esteem by the aggressive griffin mindset. Didn’t help that Gruber was technically right, Trixie didn’t fight in the Contest of Strength, which didn’t give her words a lot of weight.

Sigurd on the other hoof? He was not just a water deer of the mighty cervid tribes of Elkheim, but he had fought in the ring, and gotten relatively far, only losing to Gwendolyn herself. The griffins did hold cervids in high regard, if only because they’d been long time opponents in the distant past during the days of the Griffin Empire. On top of that Sigurd was a champion, and drunk off his rear or not, his words carried weight.

It still wouldn’t be enough to change any griffin’s mind about doing their duty to serve their rightful king, but it did cause enough pause that it finally gave Gwendolyn the extra moment she needed to get her own head back in the game and off of the idea of just throttling Gruber then and there. Instead she took a deep hiss of a breath and let it out slowly. She then looked towards Gruber’s guard captain, the one who Trixie was starting to see resembled Gwenolyn quite a bit.

“Mother, I’ll ask you this once; do you honestly believe this is what’s best for the Kingdom of Grandis?”

The other griffiness was still as stone, her voice heavier than a mountain with a sense of duty cloaking caverns of doubt, “What you’ve tried to do in the Border Kingdoms is noble, my foolish, brave daughter. But you don’t understand. The Kingdoms won’t survive a war unless it is made to be a short one. Your Red Shields must fall, along with any embers of a rebellion they inspire. The only other path is one where the Border Kingdoms and Inner Kingdoms claw at each other for years, perhaps even decades, and... the death that will bring is beyond your imagining. Surrender, Gwendolyn, peacefully. Bring your Red Shields in. They’ll listen to you, if you beg they lay down arms. You can prevent thousands of deaths by allowing King Gruber to take you in. He will show you clemency. Things will... quiet down, given time. That is what is best for Grandis, for all of the Griffin Kingdoms.”

Gwendolyn closed her eyes and shook her head, opening her eyes again to look at her mother was saddened resolve, “It won’t go the way you think. The only way to prevent war is to ensure the Red Shields are present to prove to the Border Kingdoms that some of us in the Inner Kingdoms care what happens to them. All King Gruber wants is a war that will let him and his cronies among the Inner Kingdoms subdue the Border Kingdoms and turn them into little more than extended territories rather than independent nations. The death that will occur if he has his way here and now is even worse than what will happen if a war breaks out the way you fear. But you are right about one thing, mother... if this is to come to blows, it has to be made short and bloody, to ensure the rot is cut out before it sets in any further.”

She turned to look at King Gruber, who continued to stare down at her imperiously. Gwendolyn sheathed her sword, but then took to the air. Crossbows tracked her, but she didn’t fly away, nor made any attempt to flee. Instead she hovered and pitched her voice so all could hear her words ringing out with clarity.

“Hear me, my fellow countrygriffins! Do any of you know these words? ‘All griffins are equal in the honor they earn by the strength of honest talons, so that none may be higher than another as long as one remains an honorable griffin’? King Gruber, do you know who said those words?”

The King of Grandis narrowed his eyes, “I don’t see what that has to do with-”

“It was Emperor Yuri, last ruler of the Griffin Empire!” Gwendolyn’s voice rang out, “Even before the Griffin Empire fell, he laid the foundations of the laws and traditions that’d endure and unite our people for generations! Even as we split into different Kingdoms, Inner and Border, the one thing that has united all of us griffins has been a singular, unwavering dedication to the ideal that as long as you fought, worked, and toiled honestly and honorably, then you were the equal of any other griffin across all the Kingdoms!”

She shook her head again, laughing bitterly, “Can any of you tell me when we lost that unity? This so-called ‘king’ calls me a criminal? My crimes? Leading honest, good griffin warriors in protecting fellow griffins from monsters and bandits in the Border Kingdoms. Against orders, true, but why should it not have been the natural order for us to fight for our neighbors when they are in need? What seems more honorable to you? This ‘king’ claims I am a traitor? I love my country and fellow griffins to such an extent I’d give my lifeblood for them, and even knowing the danger I came here to represent my Kingdom as champion. And. I. Won. Not the whole Contest, yes, but then again I’m not much of an artist...”

A few griffins chuckled at that. Trixie cold see Gwendolyn had the crowd. Had them. King Gruber knew it too, from the sickened look on his face. Gwendolyn didn’t give time to interrupt.

“I am the champion of the Contest of Strength. I am the leader of a band of free griffins fighting to protect our own kind when our so called ‘leaders’ would rather sit in fine silks and eat off the labors of those they clearly think are beneath them. I am Gwendolyn Var Bastion, and I ask all of you... when I challenge ‘King’ Gruber, as is the right of every freeborn, honorable griffin, do any of you see reason to refute my claim to that challenge?”

A chorus of ‘No’ echoed back to her from the vast majority of the griffins present, and Gwendolyn looked down at Gruber, talon now resting on the hilt of her sword.

“Then I say again, King Gruber, I challenge you. Do you accept, and show at least some small measure of honor... or refuse and prove yourself unfit to rule?”

“Unfit? Unfit?” Gruber let out a mocking chortle, “You’re a child. A naive child. Yes I refuse you’re idiotic challenge! I have nothing to prove to you! Guards, cease listening to her drivel and arrest her already!”

Silence followed his orders, and King Gruber looked among the unmoving griffin soldiers with growing disbelief and fury. “What are you all doing? I am your king and I have given you an order!”

“Not much of a king if you won’t even fight in a proper duel,” said one voice among the guards, and Gruber’s hackles shot up.

“Who said that!?”

One of the griffin guards flew down from the deck to land on the docks, shouldering his crossbow. He ignored Gruber and looked up at Gwendolyn, “Hey, your Red Shields... they recruiting?”

Gwenodlyn grinned down at the guard, “If you’re looking to sign up, I’ll take any griffin with the guts to ask.”

“Good, because I think I’m out of a job with the King’s guard.”

Gruber was fuming, eyes starring murder as more and more of his guard left his ship and joined their comrades on the docks, all making requests to join Gwendolyn’s Red Shields. A small handful of griffins, the ones most loyal to Gruber and the ones who participated in the ambush on Gwendolyn, stayed on the ship, looking dour but closing ranks around their king.

“Damn you, somegriffin shoot that damn wench!” Gruber said, but Beatrice had come up the gangplank and put a stern claw on his shoulder.

“My king, this day is lost to us,” she said, “We must return to Grandis now, and recover the situation.”

It was like her words triggered some kind of second personality in Gruber, the shrillness in the king’s voice vanishing and his expression swiftly composing itself. “You’re right, of course. An unfortunate setback, but it doesn’t change the plan.”

He turned and shouted over his shoulder to the ship’s crew, “Cast off at once! We’re done with this island!”

Given the crew of the Cavallian merchant vessel had no stake in griffin politics one way or another, and had already been paid, the crew swiftly went to it and cast off lines. Within minutes the ship was pulling away from the docks and making sail, with King Gruber starring hateful daggers at Gwendolyn and the griffins around her. Gwendolyn’s mother, Beatrice, remained next to her king, looking grim in the fading light as the ship pulled away into the night.

There was no lack of confusion from the watching crowds along the shoreline and adjoining ships as to what just happened, and the following few minutes were filled with murmurs of speculation while Trixie, Raindrops, and Sigurd escorted Gwednolyn and her new cadre of fellow griffins off the pier.

“How did you know I was taken?” Gwendolyn asked in a low voice to Trixie once they were back on the street.

“Raindrops and I were investigating the monastery for... reasons. Found your door open, blood on the floor, an open window with claw marks. Spotted shapes flying towards town. Put two and two together from there and teleported to the docks to try and intercept. Guess it worked,” Trixie explained in swift, concise words, keeping her own voice low as to not let too much information slip into the crowd.

Gwendolyn’s eyes turned tired and contemplative, her voice firming with equal levels of regret and resolve, “I can’t stay on the island. I can’t afford to keep competing. Gruber’s going to be returning to Grandis, and every second I’m here puts the Red Shields in greater danger. I need to return to the Griffin Kingdoms, ahead of Gruber, if possible.”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Trixie replied, “You might not have to drop out of the Contest, which can still net you extra political pull if you remain in the running while Gruber flees. Let’s talk with Princess Luna first and see what can be arranged.”

Just around that time the constables of Heroes’ Rest, along with a number of monks of the Order of Legends, arrived on the scene.

It took over an hour to get the details of the innocent explained, and to sort things out. It was another hour before Trixie, Raindrops, Gwendolyn, with Sigurd sobering up in tow, were able to return to the monastery. Word of the incident spread, but for most it was a curiosity rather than a cause of serious concern. Griffins infighting and political maneuvering weren’t unusual or unheard of, although it was uncouth to have it turn to night time abductions.

Abbess Serene convened with Princess Luna and Gwendolyn on how to best deal with the matter, while Sigurd, Trixie, and Raindrops remained on the sidelines. Luna was still largely focusing on treating Ditzy’s condition, but had the capacity to discuss matters without taking too much attention away from her work, her horn continuously streaming a soft river of sparkling blue energies in a wreath around Ditzy Doo’s head.

“Am I to understand you believe it best to drop out of the Contest of Champions and return to your Kingdom of Grandis as swiftly as possible?” Princess Luna asked Gwendolyn, and the griffin shook her head.

“Not Grandis. Farhills. That is where the Red Shields are stationed. I need to get to them, and with help from Queen Hagatha, I need to march on Grandis’ capital. If I can take and hold the city before Gruber returns, I can halt his plans before they go any further.”

Luna’s eyes held a note of cold steel to them, “It may not be a simple and bloodless thing you’re speaking of. It boils down to rebellion.”

“The alternative is to wait for Gruber to launch his own attacks on us, which will lead to a disastrous and drawn out war. If I take the capitol in a sure, swift strike, I can expose how unfit Gruber is to be king and turn enough of Grandis against him that he’ll have no choice but to abdicate the throne. Without him, whatever other warhawks are out there among the other Inner Kingdoms will back down, at least for now. It will buy me time to stabilize things with the Border Kingdoms and ensure things down come to an all out war. That’s what I wish to avoid the most.”

Abbess Serene stepped forward, sympathy in her eyes, “Have you considered who will rule if King Gruber does as you imagine and stands down? Only you would be in a position to take the throne. Are you capable of handling such a responsibility? You have shown yourself to be an exceptional warrior, and a leader in the field, but... to be queen is not the same as leading a band of soldiers into battle.”

“I don’t know,” Gwendolyn admitted, having the wherewithal to look more than a little intimidated by the prospect, “But I don’t see any other way forward that isn’t going to turn out to be a worse alternative. I either do this, or accept that within the next month all of the Griffin Kingdoms will descend into war with each other. What else am I supposed to do, but try and stop it in any way I can?”

“Here’s an idea. Gruber’s on a Cavallian ship,” Trixie mentioned, “Would it be possible for Princess Cadenza to pull a few strings to have the ship... inspected? I hear smugglers are a growing issue in Cavallian ports these days. The Cavallian Navy could receive an anonymous tip that this ship is carrying contraband. Might take weeks to divert it to a port for a long term inspection, which in turn could be held up for weeks more. Paperwork for that kind of thing can be so... messy.”

Gwendolyn gave her a thankful smirk, “Devious. That’d sure buy me time to handle matters in Grandis and convince the citizenry I’m not some crazy usurper, but their best shot at avoiding further rule by a warmonger.”

“It’d also buy you all the time you need to actually remain a participant in the Contest, which in turn would only further your clout with the other griffin rulers still present here,” Trixie said, “Even if you don’t win any further competitions, the mere fact that you remain, while Gruber is running with his tail tucked between his keister, after you dressed him down publicly should massively boost your honorable image. You’re going to need that, because... well, technically you are usurping the throne.”

At Gwendolyn’s look she raised a hoof, “Didn’t say I disagreed. King Gruber clearly doesn’t need to be in charge of anything more complex than a manure depot. I’m just saying, I think you got rather lucky at the ship, convincing as many of Gruber’s guards as you did. If you stay in the Contest, you just add to your credit, and that should make it easier to convince even more of your fellow griffins when you take Grandis that you’re in the right to knock Gruber’s throne out from under him.”

Gwendolyn looked thoughtful, her eyes turning towards Sigurd, “I have to thank you, Sigurd, for supporting me at the ship. Do you think I should stay in the Contest?”

Sigurd bowed his head, looking sober and dour once more, “What honor I have left, I gladly lay on the line for those who’ve earned it. Your kingdom is lucky to have one such as you. If you wish to leave now, to go to your comrades in arms, I would not think a single inch less of you, but I do believe Dame Lulamoon has a point. Your honor would only soar higher, remaining here, and if the unicorn’s scheme with the Cavallian port authorities works, you’d delay your foe by weeks. The Contest goes on for only a few more days.”

Gwendolyn’s laugh was filled with more relief than anything else, “Truth be told I didn’t really want to leave right now either. I like to finish what I start. Still, I don’t like taking chances either. To that end, Princess Luna, I know it’s much to ask of you to involve your people, or even yourself, further in the affairs of a foreign nation... but I must return to my Red Shields as fast as possible when the Contest ends. I know you have magic that is more than powerful enough to take me there in the blink of an eye.”

“I do,” Luna replied coolly, but not unkindly, her expression inscrutable as she looked from Gwendolyn to Trixie, “I wonder, how would you assess this situation?”

“Me? I mean, um, of course,” Trixie took a moment to get her head in order. It’d been awhile since Luna quizzed her on the spot like this, but in hindsight Trixie should have expected it. Luna had that look in her eye that said that if Trixie wanted to gallivant off to get Equestria involved in a foreign power struggle, she could also get to think through the ramifications of it, first.

“If we teleported Gwendolyn directly into the Griffin Kingdoms, if that got out one might consider Equestria culpable in aiding a regime change in a foreign power. A bad look for us, really. Granted Raindrops and I showing up to interfere with the abduction could be spun the same way, but I think we can color that for what it was, concerned knights trying to stop what appeared to be an illegal abduction. The fact that it kinda sorta was legal is neither here nor there. Now, if Gwendolyn’s trip back home was expedited in a less grandiose manner... say, teleported to a Cavallian port where she could then book a ship north along the coast, that’d still put her ahead of Gruber by a long shot, especially if he’s detained by an unfortunate misunderstanding over his ship potentially smuggling contraband. Less to trace back to us, at any rate.”

Luna nodded that tiny nod of hers that could have said a million things to those who didn’t know her, but Trixie took as pleased acknowledgment.

“I would think that’s the best course. What say you, Gwendolyn?”

At the alicorn’s question, Gwendolyn looked tense, energized, terrified, and determined all at once. Trixie could only imagine what the young griffiness was really going through, mentally and emotionally. In a few short days she’d essentially discovered her sovereign was plotting to tear their nation apart with a massive war, had fought the most grueling set of duels in her life, then been nearly abducted by her ruler and her own mother, and was now facing leading a coup against that very same king to save her country from a bloody war.

And Trixie thought [i[her Tuesdays were rough.

Eventually Gwendolyn looked towards a nearby liquor cabinet, and with Luna’s head tilt of approval, she went and poured herself a drink. Downing the alcohol in one go, Gwendolyn took a breath and said, “I’m really doing this, aren’t I? Will Princess Cadenza really help with detaining Gruber’s ship?”

“I must speak with Princess Cadenza,” Luna said, “I have little doubt she’ll agree to provide assistance. So you’ve decided to remain?”

“...Yes. It gives me time to get my head on straight and plan. I’ve got ten new recruits, too, who I need to bring up to speed. Can they be brought with me through a teleport?”

“I doubt that will give Princess Cadenza any trouble.”

“Well then, that’s that,” Gwendolyn said, heaving out an exhausted sigh, “I hope I’ll get a chance to say goodbye to Dao Ming before all this goes down.”

“I can ensure you get a chance to meet her before you go,” Abbess Serene said, smiling gently, “And rest assured that regardless of how your efforts in your homeland turn out, you and your honorable deeds shall be recorded in the Order of Legend's records.”

Gwendolyn bowed her head to the old Abbess, “That actually does mean more to me than you might think. I might not have originally wanted to come here, but the Contest has... shown me a lot. I want to finish it, and then finish Gruber.”

“On that note,” said Luna, “I would say it's best for all of you who can do so to go get some rest. Tomorrow may not be a day of competition, but it would be best to be rested for it nonetheless. Just in case.”

Trixie and Raindrops took the hint and headed for the door, pausing only long enough to elbow Sigurd, who’d also gotten into the liquor cabinet. “Seriously, how much can one cervid drink?”

“I’ll have you know the upward limit has yet to be determined,” Sigurd said morosely.

The next day dawned with a serene quiet that hung over the island, with fresh mist rolling in from the south and cloaking everything in a light fog for much of the morning, before the sunlight eventually burned it off. Gossip flew around breakfast time concerning the incident at the docks, at Gwendolyn was the subject of many questions, stares, and whispered speculations. It was generally known now that internal conflict between the griffin’s had caused some manner of incident, and that King Gruber had departed in the night by ship, along with most of his personal retinue and wife. Yet Gweondolyn herself, theoretically Grandis’ champion, remained, and clearly in stressed spirits.

Surprisingly, once the details of the incident began to leak out among the gossipers, it seemed, at least to Trixie’s view, that more than a few of the remaining griffin champions were offering looks and nods, and even words of support to Gwendolyn. There were still some that looked at her with naked ire, but it seemed her performance in the Contest of Strength had truly earned her some respect. For Gwendolyn herself, she seemed to take it all with a weathered sense of urgency. She had agreed to remain and finish the Contest, but her concern over the future of her people was apparent in the ever present tension she carried.

Gwendolyn wasn’t the only one who looked put out that morning either. Trixie noted that the Shouma delegation was practically frosty with one another, with the Empress pointedly sitting apart from her children, and of those children, Tomoko and Lo Shang seemed to sit in an almost protective manner near Dao Ming. Xhua looked plainly confused as to the bizarre separation between Empress and heiress, and sat between the two groups looking lost, and picking at her food cautiously.

Dao Ming was ignoring her mother as hard as her mother appeared to be ignoring her. Only Kenkuro seemed to be trying to break the ice with light conversations and attempts at jokes, none of which was doing any good.

“Wonder what happened there?” Carrot Top said, munching down a slice of spiced pear pie.

“Going to guess the kirin princess has finally gotten tired of her mother’s sh-” Cheerilee began, with Trixie quickly clearly her throat.

“It isn’t our business. I have no love for the Empress, but her family issues aren’t why we’re here. Seeing this just suggests to me that them being missing last night had more to do with a family squabble than any connection to our mysterious conspirators.”

“There’s that, yeah,” said Lyra, yawning still as she all but inhaled her coffee, “Once this caffeine kicks in, I’m off with Bon Bon to go hit the beach. I hear the cervids are planning a longboat race, and I want to get some inspiration for my next song.”

“Frederick mentioned that to me last night,” Carrot Top said with a giggle that, to Trixie’s ears, sounded like it should’ve come from a pony half Carrot Top’s age. Just what were Carrot Top and that elk prince getting up to, anyway? “He invited me to come board his long boat.”

“I’ll bet he did,” Cheerilee said, and Carrot Top rolled her eyes.

“For a ride.”

“That was my implication, yes.”

“A ride, on his boat, for the race.”

“In public?”

“Arrgh, Cheerilee, you’re impossible!”

“Never forget it,” Cheerilee smiled around a mouthful of salad. Trixie sighed and stood up from the table, and Cheerilee glanced at her.

“I didn’t think my teasing was that bad.”

“It’s not that,” Trixie said, giving Cheerilee a smarmy sidelong look, “Although it didn’t help. No, I’m just not that hungry this morning. I think I’ll check on Ditzy, and after that, see the Abbess. She mentioned showing us something yesterday. I’d like to know what.”

“Huh, yeah I kinda remember that,” Lyra said, “The race isn’t until noon, so we’ve got a few hours. I’ll go give Bon Bon her morning hug of my eternal affection, then join you.”

“I got the impression we were all supposed to be there,” Raindrops mentioned, and Cheerilee shrugged.

“That’s not possible with Ditzy down, but since I don’t think any of us have any plans prior to noon anyway, we might as well all go see Ditzy then go find out what the Abbess wants.”

Those who hadn’t finished breakfast quickly wolfed down what was left. Their departure was a tad slowed by Lyra doing as she said she would and giving her marefriend some public affection and letting her know she’d meet her at the beach soon. They also passed the cervids’ table, where Sigurd was still clearly recovering from a severe hangover. Andrea was playing music, while Frederick was getting into a debate with Wodan over whether he should participate in the long boat race.

“By all the spirits and gods combined, Wodan, I know how to steer a long boat!” Frederick said, clearly biting back further words.

“And I keep telling you, my prince, that your parents have charged Sigurd and I with getting you back home alive and intact. You’ve steered a long boat through the Bay of Vidar, once... and you still can’t swim.”

Frederick’s light brown fur glowed red as he spotted Carrot Top passing by, “Why, Dame Carrot Top, lovely to see you drift my way. I was just telling Wodan how I’d invited you to come see how cervids handle a ship! I do hope you’re ready for a memorable ride.”

Wodan glanced back at Carrot Top, then at Frederick, who was grinning encouragingly. Wodan seemed to come to a decision and blew out a puff of hard air from his might nostrils, stirring the tableware, “So be it, but if you drop into the ocean, I may consider letting it take you... briefly. I’ll still fish you out, but your noble pony mare can perform mouth to mouth on you.”

“Hmm, I’ve never heard a more convincing argument for why I should let myself fall overboard,” Frederick chuckle, to which Carrot Top chuckled and gave him a friendly shove on the shoulder.

“None of that now. I want you alive and warm for later. Anyway, I just came to tell you that me and the gals have some business with the Abbess to take care of, then we’ll join you at the beach.”

“The Abbess?” Andrea asked, not breaking beat with her fiddling, but cocking a curious eyebrow their way, “I haven’t seen her all morning. I was wondering where she was. May I inquire what’s happening, and if it has anything to do with why our good friend Sigurd here is trying to pierce his brain with cauliflower?”

Sigurd was in fact in the process of stuffing his ears with vegetables from one of the snack trays, and groaned, “Every bit of noise is like the endless torments of Autumn fey in my head. Must you continue that incessant fiddling, Andrea?”

“This is a reminder to you, Sigurd, that even the mightiest cervid can only drink so much without consequence,” Andrea replied, her fiddling only seeming to grow more intense.

“Well, it's not tied to what went down with Gwendolyn,” Trixie said, “Beyond that, I can’t really say.”

“Hmm, a pity. Sounds like there’s a story brewing here,” Andrea said, but questioned no further and returned her focus to her music.

The mares left the great banquet hall and went to Luna’s quarters. Surprisingly, the Abbess was already there, waiting for them. Luna remained entirely focused upon Ditzy, her magic remaining a steady flow around their deep slumbering friend. Trixie noted that Ditzy did seem to be sleeping easier, her breathing somehow more lively and steady.

“She is making progress,” Luna confirmed, not even opening her eyes from her intense focus. Trixie knew Luna hadn’t slept, and wouldn’t until Ditzy was freed of the Fey spell she was under. The alicorn had more than enough endurance for it, but Trixie was worried nonetheless. Not only were the Elements out of action with Ditzy down, but with Luna stuck here, there might be many things the alicorn might have noticed with her superior senses that now could pass unseen. Grimwald had effectively neutralized two of the biggest threats to the conspirators plans with one deft move. It galled her she hadn’t taken action sooner, done something to stop him, or at least keep a closer eye on him.

Shaking that feeling off, she turned to Abbess Serene, “So, you wished to see us?”

“At Princess Luna’s request, I am to show you something that is, I must confess, a secret kept by my Order,” the Abbess said, “And it is not just you mares alone I am showing. Come, follow me.”

Trixie and her friends all shared confused glances, but Luna spoke in a calm, assuring tone. “Follow her. I asked she show you this secret because I hope it may help you unravel the threat to this island. Even if it doesn’t, perhaps it will help you better understand the purpose of the Contest of Champions.”

“Don’t we already know that, though?” asked Raindrops, “Celebrating the defeat of that Warlord kirin, and the whole cultural exchange thing?”

“Those are important parts of it, perhaps the most important parts,” Luna agreed, “But there is one other purpose to it, one that is not spoken of, for reasons I imagine you’ll soon understand.”

In following the Abbess, Trixie and her friends were led back to the bottom floor of the monastery, and then further down into its basement levels, where light came only from flickering torches mounted in scones or hanging above in iron chandeliers. For such an old mare, Abbess Serene moved swiftly and without any laboring for breath, even with all of the stairs.

“The Order of Legends has had this island as its charge since practically the day that Rengoku fell upon it,” Abbess Serene said, her voice weary, yet somehow fiercely intense, “Generations of monks have passed these halls, ever serving our cause. Collect and record the legends of champions, host the Contest of Champions, honor those who had fallen in defeating the Warlord and Rengoku, and keep watch over the fortress, lest it rise again.”

“Okay, but we know all of this,” Lyra said with burning curiosity, “What’s the big secret then?”

The Abbess led them to what looked to be a completely nondescript, small storage room, just big enough to fit them all without them having to squeeze shoulder to shoulder. Abbess Serene turned to them and gave them a wane smile as she raised a hoof and pressed in a part of the wall that had been a seamlessly hidden panel.

“This.”

The wall moved aside with smooth, buttery ease, revealing a staircase leading even further down. They had already been on what Trixie thought to be the lowest level. She grit her teeth and shot a look at the Abbess, “A hidden level? We’ve been searching everywhere for Zecora, and this place has a hidden floor?”

“I assure you, it’s very unlikely that Corona’s prophet would be on this floor. Only sufficiently highly ranked monks are aware it exists. Come.”

The Abbess turned and began to advance down the stairs, and after a moment, the Ponyville mares followed. It spiraled down, further than a mere floor. Trixie guessed that the stairwell went down perhaps an extra fifty feet before it leveled out into a wide hallway, still brightly lit by torches. Abbess Serene spoke as she led them down it, towards a pair of large wooden doors that could be seen ahead.

“This area is kept hidden because its purpose is not meant to be known to the world. Celestia and Luna, when Celestia was still Celestia, charged the Order with one, final task above all the others. You see, Rengoku could not be destroyed. Its magical core was built to overload, were the fortress ever assaulted by sufficient magic, especially alicorn magic, to destroy it.”

“Why alicorn magic, specifically?” asked Cheerilee, “Seems kind of arbitrary.”

“Not at all. You see, the Warlord didn’t build Rengoku. She merely re-purposed it. We don’t know who originally built the fortress, only that they clearly designed the fortress as a weapon against the alicorns.”

That got the mares to all exchange uneasy looks.

“Uh, you said alicorns, as in, plural?” Trixie said, “I knew that fortress was bad news, but that’s... disconcerting.”

“Indeed,” the Abbess confirmed, “To make matters worse, while Rengoku can be sealed behind a barrier, any attempt to destroy the fortress would trigger a self-destruct signal within its core. The resulting explosion would be catastrophic, to say the least. It wouldn’t destroy the world, but it would certainly cause great harm. Even if detonated in the middle of the largest ocean, the tidal waves would still cause havoc on many continents’coastlines.”

“Okay, but what does that have to do with your Order or the Contest?” Raindrops said as the Abbess reached the doors.

Abbess Serene looked back at them as she raised a hoof to push one of the large, wooden doors open, “Come and see.”

Beyond the doors lay a circular stone chamber with a domed ceiling. It was larger than a hoofball field, and contained a dizzying array of apparatus situated along multiple stone tables. The walls were covered in alcoves within which stacks of books and scrolls were kept in neatly ordered rows, with large sliding ladder allowing access to shelves dozens of feet up. There were a few side doors that were nestled between these alcoves, suggesting further chambers beyond this one. Sharp chemical smells filled the air, along with a constant buzz of magical energies. Aside from torchlight, the room was also lit by the pulsing flickers of dozens of different chemical and magical reactions from various apparati scattered about. Trixie took one look around and knew immediately what she was looking at, although she’d never seen one so large, cluttered, and... eccentric.

“This is an arcane lab.”

“Yes,” Abbess Serene confirmed, and at their voices, not to mention the noise of the door opening, no less than two dozen monks in white robes looked up from their work. The monks were all older ones, clearly senior members of the Order. They hailed from every race. Pony, cervid, kirin, camel, zebra, and others Trixie didn’t even recognize. Each one was deeply engaged in some manner of research work, and as she looked she noticed more of those viewing mirrors that the monks used to display visuals of the Contest floating around.

These mirrors were smaller in design, and were showing recordings of almost every aspect of the Contest so far. Even casually glancing at the nearest table showed her a mirror displaying Dao Ming’s summoning of Raijin, and its powerful lightning attack upon her and her friends. Nearby notes showed countless theories concerning the spirit and how its summoning and energies might work.

“You’re studying the champions,” she said, “Their abilities, their magic, everything about them.”

“Just so,” the Abbess said, and then called out to her people, “Continue your work. They’re here at Princess Luna’s behest.”

“I don’t understand,” said Carrot Top, “Why do all this?”

“In a moment,” Abbess Serene replied, “Our other guest should be arriving shortly.”

The door they’d come through had remained opened, and back down the hallway to the stairs Trixie turned to see a hooded monk leading a confused and intently curious looking Dao Ming towards them!

“Dames?” Dao Ming said as she entered the chamber, clearly baffled as she too took in the sight of the massive laboratory, “What is the meaning of all this?”

The monk that had led Dao Ming here bowed to Abbess Serene and moved to join his fellows elsewhere in the lab, while the Abbess herself cleared her throat and addressed the gathered ponies and kirin.

“I will try to be concise in my explanation, but this may be somewhat difficult to understand, so I only ask you hold your questions until I am finished,” she said, and made a gesture with one, lean hoof at the surrounding chamber.

“What you see here is the central part of a research foundation that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna founded twelve hundred years ago, after the fall of Rengoku. It’s sole purpose is to study all forms of magic that exist in this world, from all species, and from that research develop a means to permanently and safely dispose of the fortress of Rengoku... and free those still trapped inside.”

She didn’t give the mares time to do more than look at each other in confusion. From many of their expressions, especially Trixie and Dao Ming’s, the desire to ask questions was near overpowering, but they did as the Abbess had asked and kept quiet. Abbess Serene smiled and nodded her thanks, and continued.

“I realize how that must sound. When the Warlord, Ying Shen, was defeated, it came at great cost. Of the noble souls who entered the fortress to confront her, only two came back out. Dao Ming’s ancestor, and daughter of the Warlord herself, and a unicorn mare of extraordinary talent. However they’d been accompanied by six other companions, all of whom lost their lives in the battle. Furthermore, Rengoku is no ordinary place. The magics used to create the fortress draws in life energies from anything around it to power its core. That is why devastation was always left in its wake, not simply because of the power of its weapons, but the fact it drained the very land itself. Fortunately this suction wasn’t strong enough to drain sapient creatures, with stronger life force, without excessive exposure. However, if one dies while in proximity to the fortress, then one’s remaining essence, magic, and very spirit are absorbed into the fortress’ core.”

Trixie couldn’t help herself at that point, shaking her head in flabbergasted bewilderment as she said, “You’re saying whatever nut cases built this thing essentially created a flying fortress that eats souls? That’s insane.”

“Rengoku was a weapon meant to fight the alicorns,” the Abbess said, “Clearly no boundaries were considered in whatever eons ago conflicted it was built for. Regardless, the fortress was either never fully completed, or was damaged in that ancient war, but the Warlord discovered it in the Dark Lands and restored it for her own use.”

Dao Ming cut in, eyes narrowing sharply, “When you said ‘free those trapped inside’, you’re referring to the souls of the slain champions who fell in defeating the Warlord?”

“And the Warlord herself, whose soul is also trapped within, after her death on the shores of this island,” Abbess Serene said, “Which is why I asked you to be here to hear this as well, Lady Dao Ming. You and Dame Trixie, you both have experienced... unusual happenings since arriving on the island, correct? Strange compulsions and visions?”

Both mares shifted uneasily, sharing a look with each other before Trixie said, “Yes, we have.”

“The specter we spoke to told us of the fortress’ soul draining nature,” Dao Ming said, her face hardening into a pinched frown, “I suspected at the time she may have been the Warlord, reaching out to us.”

“It is very likely that the one soul trapped within Rengoku who knows the fortress the best has been reaching out towards those with familiar bloodlines,” the Abbess said with grave weight to her tone, her eyes conveying absolute seriousness, “The Warlord herself is likely using the anchors to the barrier as magical conduits to communicate with you. You, Dao Ming, who shares her lineage, and you, Dame Lulamoon, who shares the blood of one who aided in her defeat.”

“Wait, are you suggested I’m descended from this, what was her name...?” Trixie thought back to the grave markers she and Dao Ming had been drawn to, the first day of the Contest. “Dazzling Flourish?”

The Abbess just quirked her lips in a knowing half-smile.

“The Order does keep detailed records concerning the champions it studies, even if Dazzling Flourish didn’t wish records of her name or deeds spread to the public. We know she settled in the region that eventually became Neigh Orleans, and in the years that followed found a husband and had a... prodigiously sized family. You’d hardly be the only pony living today to have some of her blood in your veins, and it’s likely only a small connection. But enough for the Warlord to recognize and reach out to you, the same as Sun Ming’s direct descendant, Dao Ming.”

“And assume we believe any of this,” said Dao Ming, gathering her own wits, “Why would the Warlord do this? To try and raise Rengoku again, somehow? As if I’d cooperate with such a travesty!?”

Abbess Serene quickly shook her head, “While the possibility exists, I doubt that is her intent. I rather think instead she feels the fortress waking up, and also senses the intent of those hiding in the shadows. I think she wishes to stop Rengoku’s rise.”

“Why would she want that? She was the one who originally raised it, and used it to threaten the entire world!”

The Abbess merely shrugged at that, “Twelve hundred years is a long time to consider one’s mistakes.”

“Okay, okay, hold up,” said Lyra, rubbing her head with a hoof as if to forestall a headache, “Why are you telling us this now?”

“Because with the Contest nearing its completion, I fear those who are acting against us will make their move soon, and both Princess Luna and I felt it best that you know everything, including the possibility that one of the enemy’s targets will be this lab.”

At the Abbess’ words, Dao Ming frowned, “You’ve mentioned this mysterious threat several times now, but I’m afraid I’m not up to speed on what that even is. What are you all talking about?”

“Hoo boy, that’s right, no one’s told you anything about that yet, have they?” Carrot Top said, glancing at Trixie, “You, uh, want to field this one? You two seem to be getting more friendly with each other.”

“I care less about who tells me, just as long as someone tells me. This being left in the dark is more than a little consternating,” Dao Ming said, and Trixie nodded.

“Well, here’s the long and short of it...” she said, and quickly went over what they knew. Which wasn’t really all that much. Kenkuro had warned them of the danger first, then Zecora had gone missing, and not long after that Grimwald had attacked Ditzy Doo. Carrot Top added in her own experience with Prince Frederick in the forest, following a mysterious cloaked figure that she suspected was either a unicorn or kirin. The only distinct there was the use of yellow colored magic.

Dao Ming let out low hiss under her breath, “I wish Kenkuro had trusted me enough to say something.”

“He probably didn’t want to distract you from the Contest, or put more worries on your plate,” said Cheerilee, “Between dealing with your... ahem, ‘difficult’ mother, and how seriously you take the Contest, I’m pretty sure Kenkuro was looking out for your best interests.”

After a moment of contemplation, Dao Ming said, “Perhaps, but I’d rather have been told. Regardless, this is precious little information. Aside from the fact that Rengoku is the obvious target, so why, Abbess Serene, do you suggest they may attack here? Would they even be aware this place exists?”

“While only my fellow senior monks know of this research center, I cannot deny the possibility that it’s existence was somehow leaked. Keep in mind, the Order’s monks travel far and wide, gathering stories and legends, and research materials for our studies here. At any time in the many centuries of doing so, its possible information may have trickled out. While dedicated, we monks are only mortal. We make mistakes. Someone, somewhere, may have said something. As for why the conspirators might target here, I only fear it because our research here contains centuries worth of development data on the magical arts of species from all over the world. It's a repository of knowledge that, in the wrong hooves, could be exceedingly dangerous.”

“No different than that gaudy fortress itself,” Trixie said, letting out a frustrated sigh, “An ancient flying death-fortress, or an arcane repository containing magical knowledge collected from all the world’s species for the past twelve centuries. Either one would be insanely dangerous if it was taken by those with ill intent.”

“Sun’s ashes, if these slippery jerks got their hooves on both the fortress, and this lab’s research, then that’s the kind of thing that pretty much screams ‘instant world super-power’,” breathed Cheerilee.

“Whichever it is, it just means we’ve got to protect this place and the fortress,” Raindrops said with conviction, “In fact, I’d say this whole situation just got easier. Instead of looking around for them, I say we keep watch on here and Rengoku, and let them make their move. We’ll be ready for them, and can make this a clean, stand-up fight as opposed to all this scurrying around.”

“I like the sound of that,” said Lyra, “Let them come to us.”

Dao Ming looked around at the ponies, her own expression less than sure, and Trixie said, “What are you thinking, Dao Ming?”

“Only that protecting both locations while still proceeding with the Contest of Champions would be difficult. I presume, Abbess, that you wanted to keep this information limited to just us, and hence we cannot rely on outside forces to assist us, such as the other champions, or the armed forces brought by any given nation.”

“Essentially yes,” Abbess Serene replied coolly, “The existence of this lab should be kept... quiet. While it exists only to develop a means to safely dispose of Rengoku, I fear the nations of the world might not react well to knowing the secrets of their species’s magical talents have been studied without their knowledge.”

“Yeah, that sounds like it has ‘international incident’ plastered all over it,” Cheerilee said with a sardonic snort, “And much as I respect Princess Luna, I can’t say it's super shocking she and her sister would’ve set something like this up anyway. Probably thought it was for the best in the long run, and maybe it is. That fortress has got to go, and without blowing up half the world to do it.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, Dame Cheerilee, I do believe we’ve come very close to figuring out how to do exactly that,” Abbess Serene said, “I won’t numb your mind with the details, but recent developments from this very Contest of Champions has opened up an avenue of research that I’m told by my colleagues may well allow us to diffuse the energies of Rengoku’s core safely. Specifically, your summoning of Raijin during the Grand Melee resulted in some very interesting readings from Rengoku itself, and we suspect Shouma’s spirits may show us a means of dealing with the fortress.”

“Oh, how so?” asked the kirin with keen interest.

“As I said, I won’t go into detail. There isn’t time for that anyway. However you are the very first kirin to summon such a powerful Shouma spirit outside the realm of Shouma itself. Spirits, while magic, are still innately different than most other forms of magical beings we’re familiar with. Given Rengoku spent so much time dormant in Shouma before the Warlord found it, we suspect it’s tied to the spirits of Shouma in some manner. It will require further research, but we’re optimistic as to where this may lead us.”

“That’s great news, but back to the present, what do we do now?” asked Carrot Top, “I mean, what’s our game plan?”

“For now, I suggest we don’t give up on searching for Zecora,” said Trixie, “But we should keep someone here at this lab from now on. There’s two more Contests left, Wit and Magic. I suggest at least one of us sit out each one to stay on guard here.”

Raindrops raised a wing, “Consider me volunteered. I know I’m not stupid or anything, but Wit probably won’t be my strong suit, and I’ve got nothing to bring into Magic besides my weather control, which I’m average at anyway. Besides, I think I stole plenty of the spotlight from the rest of you during the last competition already.”

Trixie considered that for a moment, then gave a surprisingly reluctant nod, “I can’t gainsay your reasoning, Raindrops. Much as I’d like to have you watching me crush the Contests of Wit and Magic, you’re probably the best one to guard here.”

“Hmph,” Dao Ming gave a polite snort, “‘Crush’ the remaining Contests, will you? I have come to appreciate your gumption, but do try to recall you have some competition remaining, Trixie Lulamoon.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten,” Trixie said with a smirk that suggested her attitude was partially to remind Dao Ming of their rivalry and maybe give the kirin a friendly nettling. “I don’t suppose there’s anyone you’d trust to help Raindrops guard this spot?”

Dao Ming didn’t think on it long, “Kenkuro. Assuming the Abbess approves of my telling him of this place, I can think of no other more capable than he.”

“Won’t he want to keep participating in the Contest?” asked Carrot Top.

“He has... withdrawn himself from the Contest,” replied Dao Ming, her face clouding, “He believes he can better serve his duty to protecting the Empress, Shouma, and myself by not being distracted by the Contest."

Trixie recalled her conversation with Kenkuro, "He was feeling responsible for what happened to our friend, Ditzy. I didn't think he needed to withdraw from the Contest, but I wasn't about to argue with him over it, either."

Dao Ming cast a glance at Trixie, "What happened wasn't his fault. But... you're right, once his mind is made up, it's usually pointless to try and change it. Abbess, is it acceptable to allow Kenkuro to help guard this laboratory?"

“That is more than acceptable,” Abbess Serene said with a wide smile, “I will feel much more comfortable with the Blade of Heaven providing his talents to protecting these chambers.”

“Speaking of chambers,” Trixie said, “Has there been any progress in searching the caverns beneath this monastery? The specter of the Warlord mentioned them, but I haven’t heard anything on the search of those areas.”

Serene’s face turned dour as she hung her head, “Sadly, even with assistance from guard elements from Equestria and Cavallia both, my fellow monks have found nothing yet among the numerous caves beneath our hooves. Those cave systems are much older than the monastery itself, and stretch all over the island. They’ve never been properly mapped, either.”

“It’s far too perfect a place for a bunch of ne'er-do-wells in tacky cloaks to be hiding out for some unpleasant shenanigans,” said Cheerilee, “Seriously, what is it with cults and weirdos using caves for this crap?”

“Dark, secluded, and nopony normally goes into them on their own?” suggested Lyra, “I mean, I could recount a hundred or so stories where the baddies use caves for exactly those reasons. Thing is, if our bad guys are using those caves, doesn’t that kinda suggest whoever’s among them knows the caverns pretty well? Abbess, you said they were never fully mapped, right? But that means someone, at sometime, did map the place.”

“I see where you’re going with this, Dame Heartstrings,” the Abbess said, “The last surveyor who charted any the caverns died some decades ago, and we’ve sent none else since then. The maps themselves are not restricted in our records, meaning anyone, at anytime, could have made copies of them.”

“...Well, shoot, thought we might’ve had a lead there,” Lyra said with disappointment.

“As it stands, Abbess, do you object to my friends and I searching these caverns ourselves?” asked Trixie, and at the Abbess’ questioning look, she added, “I don’t know that we’ll find anything more ourselves that those who’ve already searched could, but we’ve got a habit of stumbling across things at opportune moments. The Contest of Wit won’t take all day tomorrow, and that’s tomorrow anyway. Plenty of time for us to take a crack at the search.”

“I would like to accompany you,” said Dao Ming.

“Really?” said Raindrops, “You’re not above crawling through some dingy caves? Won’t your Imperial Sick Up Her Bum disapprove?”

Dao Ming’s eyes flashed for an instant, then swiftly cooled as she said, “What the Empress does or does not approve of is no longer something I’m incredibly concerned with. As for crawling around in dirty caves... I’ve been covered in the mud and blood of battlefields before, Dame Raindrops. This won’t bother me, and my mantra for spirit calling could prove useful in discovering what others may have missed.”

“Good point, and I don’t have an issue with you coming along,” said Trixie, “Your spirits helped us on the beach, they might do the same here.”

“Another consideration,” the Abbess Serene said, her face pensive yet deeply thoughtful, “If our foes are somehow planning their actions around the Contest, we may be able to throw them off their timetable.”

“How so?” asked Trixie.

“The Contest of Wit will not likely take long,” the Abbess said, giving a wry half smile, “Minor spoilers, we’ve devised a series of culturally oriented puzzles and riddles for your teams to solve, with the teams earning points based on how many are solved, and how quickly within a two-hour time limit. It will be done by mid-morning. Normally that would leave the rest of the day and the next for further festivities, but we could merge the Contest of Magic into the same day, taking place late afternoon.”

“What would that accomplish, though?” asked Carrot Top, but Dao Ming was nodding.

“I see,” said the kirin, “If these conspirators have a plan that requires time, by doing the Contest of Magic tomorrow alongside the Contest of Wit, we rob them of further time to prepare whatever it is they’re devising.”

Trixie hopped onto the idea too as she had a different thought, “It might even make them rush their plans in a panic. Force them to make a mistake and reveal themselves before they planned to. Nice thinking, Abbess.”

The Abbess humbly bowed her head, “I try. As it happens we’d already done most of the groundwork for the Contest of Magic as well, so finishing preparations for it early won’t be a problem. I can make the announcement later today, so the other champions and visitors know.”

“Well heck, that sounds like a game plan to me,” said Cheerilee, “So, since Carrot Top’s got a hot boat date with a deer, and Lyra’s got some personal time planned for her and Bon Bon, why don’t we all meet back at the monastery around, say, six o’clock? We’ll search the caverns for a few hours and still have plenty of time to catch some shut-eye before a big day tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Raindrops.

“Tres bon,” agreed Trixie.

“You’re dating a deer?” asked Dao Ming.

“Not dating, just... seeing,” Carrot Top said with a flushed face.

“I don’t understand the distinction. Is this an Equestrian concept? Seeing someone but not actively courting them?” asked the bewildered Dao Ming, to which Lyra just placed a chummy hoof on the kirin’s withers.

“Don’t think about it too hard, Ming. We don’t.”

“...I shall take this advice.”

Sometime later Zecora awoke to find the vast chamber she was in was now almost entirely lit with an eerie mix of blue and green light. The columns lining either side of the gigantic chamber were easier to see now, and bore an architectural resemblance to the harsh geometric angles on some of the exterior elements of the fortress Rengoku. Not precise copies, but remarkably close.

The light was stemming from the expansive magical circle carved into the cavern floor, its intricate symbols and interlocking lines so dense that in some places the light looked entirely solid. The air brimmed with the gathered magical energies, and it made Zecora wonder how nopony could sense it. Was it simply because they were too far underground?

Grimwald remained on watch, and saw her awake. He came over to her cage with a dagger thin smile, and offered her a bowl of still warm stew he’d already half eaten.

“Freshly stolen from the kitchens,” he said, “Figure you must be getting peckish by now.”

Zecora looked to the bowl, then after considering there was little point to poisoning her, she took it and began to eat silently. Grimwald rolled his eyes, “Not even a simple ‘thank you’.”

“You keep my prisoner against my will, and may yet kill me still,” she replied in a curt manner after she was done slurping down the stew, “If it is my gratitude you wish to win, you should sit upon a cactus and spin.”

Grimwald reacted with an honest and hearty guffaw, “You know, that rhyming bit may be getting old, but I can’t say it doesn’t work for you. I think I’ll try it myself, sometime, see if I can come up with any good ones. Seriously, though, what do you do when you have to bring ‘orange’ into a conversation?”

Even if they weren’t interrupted, Zecora wouldn’t have answered the question. As it was, another of the cloaked conspirators entered the chamber, and Grimwald turned to watch them approach.

“Plans have changed,” said the cloaked figure, a female by the voice, “We do this tomorrow.”

“Why the rush all of a sudden?” asked Grimwald, his eyes actually showing a gleam of pleasure, “Things not working out like you planned?”

“There’s merely no reason to delay longer,” replied the cloaked figure, “The search is growing closer, and our comrade has assured us the final component can be brought into place faster than anticipated. There’s no point is putting off what must be done. Be ready. Tomorrow, Rengoku rises, and the final Contest of Champions will be brought to an end.”

Author's Note

With this, we've essentially entered the last act of the story. Depending on how things go, there's likely only to be a few more chapters left, although I'm considering shortening chapter length so I can get these out a bit faster, which in turn might lead to there being more chapters than I anticipate, but either way this story is reaching its conclusion relatively soon.

Chapter 16: At Wits End

Chapter 16: At Wits End

Stepping onto a Elkheim longboat for the sake of participating in a race across choppy, wave strewn waters was normally something Carrot Top would never have considered doing, for rather obvious reasons. The moment her hooves touched the deck she could already feel the sickening sensation of wobbling in her stomach that signaled her seasickness. She’d taken some herbal mix in a swiftly brewed tea not long before, one of her own devising, and it was helping a bit. Enough that she didn’t instantly turn green and hurl herself towards the railing, at least.

But this was going to be tough to do. Tough, but worth it, she thought as she saw Frederick at the longboat’s rudder handle and he smiled at her with pure, buckish charm and enthusiasm.

“What do you think of the boat?” he asked, stomping a hoof on the firm wood of the deck, “No finer craft for coastal sailing than an elk-built longboat. Granted, I prefer to get around on wyvern-back, but there’s something to be said for the rugged appeal of seamanship.”

Carrot Top managed a small smile despite still feeling a woozy sensation creeping up from her gut, and she prayed her herbal concoction would hold up. Giving the ship a curious look, she said, “I saw these when we arrived on the island. They didn’t have sails then, and had these handles on the front and back?”

She’d noticed the change but hadn’t thought much to question it until now, and Frederick gave a knowing nod as if he’d expected the question.

“Your eyes aren't deceiving you. These ships are well suited to coastal sailing, but fare poorly in the open ocean. We cervids circumvent the issue by equipping our longboats with wyvern grips that allow our mighty aerial mounts to ferry our ships over oceans.”

“Why not just build ships more suited to ocean sailing?”

“Oh, a few of the clans do, but traditional longboats are... well, traditional,” Frederick said with a somewhat self-deprecating laugh, “Might as well try to peel the stars out of the sky than peel a denizen of Elkheim from tradition. It’s one of the many reasons I’ve enjoyed this trip away from home.”

His hoof briefly touched her own and she felt a brief thrill at the lower octave of his tone, “I’ve gotten to experience plenty of non-traditional things I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“Oh? Is that the extent of my appeal? That I’m non-traditional?” she asked, then at his look she gave him a playful slap on the shoulder, “Joking, Frederick. I’m joking.”

“Apologies. It just made me realize that there’s only so many days left before we both return to our homes...” he said, then shook his head as if to banish the clouds for his thoughts, “So let’s make them count! Ready to win a longboat race?”

She gave him a coy look, “I seem to recall Wodan saying something about you not being able to swim?”

“Ahem, well, so I might not precisely have a lot of ocean-related experience, but honestly who needs to swim when they’ve got a perfectly fine boat and an even finer mare to share it with?” Frederick said, extending a hoof to her, which she took with a laugh and let him take her into a quick embrace.

Glancing at the shore, she noted that Frederick’s wyvern, along with several other of the great winged beasts, were milling on the beach and watching the gathering of Elkheim cervids and the growing crowd of onlookers from various races with hungry airs. “Um, is it safe for them to be untied?”

“Hm? Oh, they’re fine. We fed them this morning so they won’t get peckish until at least the afternoon. Still, wouldn’t suggest anyone wander too close,” Frederick remarked, going to the boat’s fore and calling over to the shore, “Andrea, you’ll make sure our wyverns don’t mistake any passers by as snacks, won’t you?”

Andrea had been tuning her fiddle upon the shoreline. She gave a small flourish of her cape and bowed, “Fear not, Prince, I’ll keep our wyverns calm as babes. You just concentrate on not crashing your boat.”

“Pfft, crash? You all need to have a tad more faith in me than that.”

“Mmmhmm...” Andrea’s eyes sparked with undisguised amusement and she cast a look towards Carrot Top, “Do look after the fool, will you, since I’ll be too busy watching irate wyverns to do so myself?”

“I’ll try,” Carrot Top replied, “No promises, though.”

Looking at the wyverns, who appeared imposing even at a distance, she asked, “Just how do you keep something like that from eating somepony when it wants to?”

Andrea’s eyes sparkled as she held up her fiddle, “Have you not heard that music soothes the savage heart of the beast? Truth be told, Elkheim wyverns are well trained and unlikely to run amok, but just in case my music really can work wonders with them.”

“And I’ll be trusting you to do so,” said Frederick, “My utmost thanks, Andrea.”

Each longboat was roughly forty paces in length, and perhaps fifteen wide. They were solidly carved from what looked to Carrot Top to be one solid piece of wood, which must have come from a truly enormous tree. Shaped like one long bowl, with seating for oar rowers on either side, the boats had mountings on either end for wooden handles, and a circular mounting in the center for a single tall mast. The wyvern handles were presently dismounted and placed in secure rigging along the foredeck, their wood marked by dozens of claw markings. Presently the mast mounting was up, and from the masts hung sails of incredibly vivid colors, each one bearing a different marking or picture. Some showed fierce beasts like the wyverns, others bore mountains, blades, or helms. These symbols were matched by carvings along the length of the boats, and upon figureheads at the fore of the vessels. These detailed carvings looked near alive with detail, and they further gave each longboat the feeling of a personalized work of art over merely being a conveyance. Most of the figureheads bore the visages of various cervids, some proud and noble, others appearing pious. Shields were mounted along the sides of the longboat, often decorated with similarly intricate symbols and carvings.

“Hey,” she said to Frederick, “I noticed this one here is the only one that’s got a symbol of a tree.”

She nodded at the sail, brilliant sea blue in color, with a stark white depiction of a magnificent tree whose roots and branches spread to cover more than half the sail’s surface. The tree motif was carried over across the longboat, with it’s carvings resembling intricate root systems and branches, and the figurehead being that of a painfully beautiful elk doe with a crown of interwoven branches.

“Ah, Yggdrasil is the symbol of the royal family,” Frederick said, looking upon the tree etched into the sail with a complex look of equal parts reverence and partially hidden frustration, “You’ll find no others in Elkheim who use the World Tree as our sigil. These boats are carved from the tree’s very branches.”

“They’re that big?” Carrot Top said, stifling a gasp. She knew this tree that was so important to the cervids was supposed to be huge, but to be able to carve entire boats from it’s branches? Frederick gave her a joyful smirk.

“I could make a quip about everything growing ‘big’ in Elkheim, but I’ll spare you that and merely promise that if you truly wish it, one day I’ll show you Yggdrasil.”

A silent moment passed between them, Carrot Top gulping as she wondered when that ‘one day’ might be, given the Contest would be ending soon, and who knew when or even if the Prince of Elkheim would have time to see a carrot farmer from Equestria, or indeed if Carrot Top herself would be able to go on a trip to Elkheim.

Rather than give Frederick any kind of answer on that front, she cleared her throat and glanced over the other boats, which were rapidly filling with cervid crew. She noticed Wodan was at the rudder of one boat, and Sigurd was further down in another. The boat she and Frederick were on was also being boarded by numerous cervids, all in excellent shape. Carrot Top watched as they took positions among the benches, grabbing up oars, and the group at the fore of the ship started using those oars to push off from the shore.

To Carrot Top’s surprise, Frederick broke into a swift paced and deep throated chant, with more rumbling baritone than she would’ve imagined coming from him. The other cervids on the crew picked it up immediately, stomping their hooves in time with the strokes of their oars. It was in Elheim’s native tongue, so Carrot Top had no idea what was being sung, but she found herself stomping her hoof along with the tune as she stood beside Frederick and the three longboats moved away from the beach.

From what she understood the race was a lap around the island itself, with whomever reached the same shore they shoved off from being the winner. Carrot Top gulped as the ship started to bob into the deeper waters, its motions of swaying up and down starting to work it's unpleasantness upon her innards. On the shoreline she could see the onlookers cheering the ships on, and tried not to envy them for having their hooves on dry land. After all, she’d chosen to be here, knowing the risks and consequences. Seeing Frederick beaming a smile at her, she told herself it was worth it, and steeled herself for what was to come.

The longboats cut the waves with the efficiency of blades, smashing water across the decks with every wavecrest pierced. For the first ten or so minutes the three ships were evenly paced with one another, but it quickly became apparent that Wodan’s vessel was pulling ahead. Not surprising, given Carrot Top could clearly see the moose controlling two oars that normally took three or four cervids to maneuver just one.

“He’s really unbelievable,” Carrot Top mused, recalling the way the arena had been smashed up during Wodan’s bout with Dao Ming, “It doesn’t even seem natural.”

Frederick’s rough laugh had an edge to it, “Wodan’s strength is legendary, although I’d say his stubbornness matches it. I half expected him to stop me from doing this, just to protect me.”

“Has he always done that? Protected you, I mean?” Carrot Top asked, gulping as her stomach kept doing internal flips. She hoped she wasn’t starting to turn green. Maybe doing this had been a bad idea, after all?

“Not always Wodan,” Frederick said, “Just always someone. Whomever my parents saw fit to have be my watchdog that day, week, or month. I do envy you, the trust your friends have in you, Carrot Top. Makes me appreciate that you’ve trusted me, too. I’d never get the same treatment from an Elkheim doe.”

She smiled at that, but was busy hanging on for dear life on the railing now, and trying very hard not to lose her breakfast over the side. Yup, she definitely needed to work on that herbal blend. What she currently had just wasn’t doing it. Frederick noticed her distress and said, “Are you alright?”

“I’ll live. Just, uh, don’t know if I mentioned this... but I get seriously seasick...urp...”

He blinked at her, “Oh... well, I could turn the ship back to shore-”

“No!” she said, shaking her head and taking a deep breath, “Even if I hurl over the side, just get me close enough to one of the other ships and we can call it ‘projectile warfare’. That oughta slow Wodan down.”

“Hah! You are something else. I’ll spare Wodan the embarrassment of facing your deadly secret weapon, but just hold on and I’ll do my best to keep the ride smooth.”

The ships were curving around the northern bend of the island now. Black and ominous, Rengoku rose from the thick forests coating this side of the island in all its towering might. It momentarily distracted Carrot Top from her churning guts to look at the massive, dark edifice, it’s thick outer ring and odd crystal mountings... seeming different to her eyes than when she’d first seen it upon arriving at the Isle of the Fallen.

“Huh, weird.”

“Hm, what is?” Frederick asked, his eyes focused on steering the longboat.

“Is it me, or does that thing look... I don’t know, shinier?” Carrot Top said, eyes now narrowing at Rengoku’s soaring central towers. She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it or not. It just seemed to her like the fortress walls looked less... dilapidated than before. As if it were somehow shaking off it’s many centuries of dust and rust to leave it’s walls shining with a dark luster.

Frederick now chanced a look at Rengoku, tilting his head in curious contemplation, “I don’t know, but I suppose it does look a bit more foreboding today than usual. Then again, that might just be the sun catching it at an odd angle. What are you thinking? That something’s wrong?”

“I’d like to say it’s just my imagination playing games with me, but there’s been a lot of weirdness going on, so I’m not about to just ignore it when my gut instincts are telling me something’s off...” Carrot Top said, but despite her words she wasn’t certain what to do other than mention this to Trixie when she saw the mare.

Suddenly there was a shout from one of the cervids at the front of the ship, a water deer who pointed off the longboat’s starboard bow with a cry of, “Whale!”

Carrot Top saw the dark shadow breaching the water just ten feet off the ship’s side, a large hump blowing off a spout of water as the great underwater beast breached for a breath of air. The whale must have misjudged the speed or angle of the boat, or perhaps just not noticed it, because it was far too close.

Frederick heaved upon the rudder, steering the longboat hard to port to avoid colliding with the whale, but the sudden jerking of the ship left Carrot Top off balance. A moment of nausea and dizziness from her seasickness overcame her and before she knew what was happening her hooves and head had all but switched places as she tumbled over the side. She had a split second to take a breath before splashing into the deep, cold water.

Darkness surrounded her, and she felt an undertow drag at her from what she figured had to be the whale diving back down, unaware of any problems it might have caused. She scrambled with her hooves, trying to get her bearings. She knew she had to swim, and while she still felt sick, she was oddly much better swimming in the ocean than she’d ever be on the deck of a ship.

She wasn’t panicked, just annoyed with herself for letting herself fall overboard. How embarrassing. With a calm mind she looked for sunlight. It was generally a bad idea to swim blindly, because if she picked the wrong direction she’d just end up going deeper. So she took a second to find where the light was, and started swimming towards it.

The whale’s undertow had dragged her a bit deep, but not so much so that she was worried about drowning. It was a tad eerie, being surrounded by so much dark, endless water. She wasn’t scared of the ocean, but it wasn’t hard to imagine any number of predatory aquatic nasties out there, circling her, even though she knew statistically the odds of that were low.

She was nearing the surface when she spotted the shadow of the longboat circling towards her general location, and then she found herself almost gasping in shock at seeing Frederick leaping into the water!

Did he even know how to swim!?

Nope, apparently not. She saw him flounder about trying to swim down, but he mostly ended up flailing about randomly. Then, when it became clear he didn’t know what he was doing, he started panicking.

Oh sun’s ashes, that idiot’s going to get himself killed!

Her lungs were starting to burn, but she changed directions and went towards her struggling elk. Her ire at him was only somewhat cooled by the fact that, when he saw her swimming towards him, he stopped flailing instantly and wore a look of pure relief on his face.

You dope. I wasn’t in any danger, she thought with rueful fondness as she grabbed him, and started kicking for the surface.

Her lungs were screaming for air by the time she and Frederick reached the ocean’s surface, and both let in grateful gasps that drank in the air for a few moments.

“You... nutjob... why’d you dive in... if you can’t swim?” she asked.

“I, uh... just kind of... acted without thinking,” he said, glancing back at her, “I was terrified of losing you.”

Carrot Top didn’t know how to respond to that, hiding her face as the cervids on the longboat started tossing lines to them, “What am I going to do with you?”

“I have several suggestions, although none fit for doing in public.”

“I can still let you drown, you know.”

Once they’d caught a line and were hauled back aboard, the other longboats had already gained an insurmountable distance from them. It was unlikely the other boats had even noticed the incident. While there were a few grumbles among the cervids on Frederick’s boat about the race, but far more were just happy that their prince hadn’t drowned, and more than a few slapped Carrot Top on the shoulder for being able to drag him back to the surface. She felt more than a little embarrassed about that, given she’d been the one to fall overboard in the first place.

Sometime later, back on shore, after a generally hearty laugh was had over why Frederick’s boat had fallen so far behind during the race, and Wodan and Sigurd both had also thanked Carrot Top for keeping the prince from drowning, Carrot Top and Frederick both went for a stroll down the beach to finish drying off from their dunk in the ocean.

Once they were a decent distance out of view from anycreature, the both sat down to watch the ocean waves roll in. A comfortable silence hung between them, but Carrot Top felt a stab of anxiousness. Frederick seemed to sense it, leaning into her a bit. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” she said, perhaps a little fast, “But, thanks for what you did. Dumb as it was, it was also sweet. Just don’t do it again, okay? Wouldn’t like losing you either.”

What he said next came in a strangely subdued tone, for Frederick, who was usually always speaking so boisterous. “But that’ll happen, soon enough.”

She looked at him sidelong, and Frederick returned the look with a wane, pained smile, “I mean, in a few days, we both return to our lives. And whatever we have here will be like a mere dream, fading with the passing of days.”

For a second Carrot Top thought about that, and hesitantly she said, “We both knew that before we started this, Frederick. Are you wishing we hadn’t?”

There was a shocking intensity to his voice as he said, “No, Carrot Top. That I could never wish. I’m just being an overly dramatic young buck, I guess. Near death experiences bring out the inner poetic in me, perhaps. I’m just realizing now, sitting here with you, that I really am going to miss you, Dame Toppington, when the Contest ends and I return to Elkheim, and you to Ponyville. You really do bring something out of me that no other has, and if I regret anything, it's that I’ll never have the chance to find out just how deep this feeling goes. But even if it did go deeper, even if we both felt that way, it'd never be able to...” Frustration entered his voice, "One day I'm going to have to marry for the sake of crown and bloodline. One day you'll meet a very fine, and very fortunate pony to share your life with. I just wish by the very boughs of Yggdrasil that I'd been born as that pony, instead of as Prince Frederick of Elkheim.

It was about as close to a confession of love as he could get without outright saying the words, and in many ways, Carrot Top understood what he meant. This fling had started at just that, an exciting, and fun experience that Carrot Top had gone for because she just found something endearingly attractive in Frederick and for once she wanted to indulge in something she wanted rather than always worry about whether she should want it. She’d known from the start it wasn’t going to go anywhere, and that it was essentially a temporary thing. Only a part of her, like him, regretted that she might never get the chance to find out if these warm feelings might grow any deeper.

With a soft sigh she leaned a bit more into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Frederick, you know I’m going to miss you too, right? Whatever else happens, that won’t change. I’ll go back home, yes. I’ve got a farm I love, and a life with friends I cherish. But I’m never going to regret meeting this goofy, noble, funny, and handsome elk prince who shared even this small piece of time with me. And, for the record, before you meet the equally fortunate doe you'll marry for crown and blood, and I meet whoever I might share my life with in the future, there's nothing that says we can't meet again to share some more moments with each other."

He wrapped a hoof around her shoulders, holding her close as his chin rested atop her head, his voice a yearning whisper in her ear, "I'd like that. And as it happens, being prince, I do have some pull in deciding when and even who certain envoys to Elkhiem might be for diplomatic visits. I think an Equestrian Knight of the Realm and genuine champion would make for an ideal diplomatic visitor, and why, as prince it'd be rude if I didn't see to that visors every want and need while she was in my homeland."

She nuzzled his chin until his lips met hers, and she drank in that warmth from him for a good, long time.

There was little for Raindrops to do except try to clear her head and catch up with her family. She hadn’t been able to see them as much as she would’ve liked, so far, and was happy to meet up with her little brother and parents at Heroes’ Rest and then hit up the festival grounds. Half the stalls had changed from the other day, many showcasing new cultural exhibits.

“We’re so proud of you,” her mother was saying, her cheeks’ rosy from grinning, “I knew you enjoyed your martial arts, but I never imagined you’d make it so far in a competition like that!”

“Heh, it’s no big deal, mom,” Raindrops said, trying to hide the fact that she was a bit pleased with herself. She hadn’t gone into the Contest with any real desire to win, but to get as far as she had surprised even her. Maybe all the adventures she and the girls had been on, combined with her taking her training more seriously than ever, had ended up paying off more than she thought?

“You looked like you had a lot of fun,” Snails said, although his eyes were locked on an exhibit from Cavallia that was showing off a plethora of colorful species of butterflies and more exotic insects taken from that portion of the continent.

“I guess,” Raindrops said, flexing her wings, “Kinda glad it’s over, though. I’m sore from snout to tail. It’ll be nice to take it easy with just Wits and Magic left to do.”

“I’ve been trying to keep up with which teams are winning, but it’s been a bit hard,” her father said, eyeing a nearby food stall that was selling some rather interesting looking candies from one of the Griffin Kingdoms that looked a lot like caramel coated figs. “I know that kirin lady is still in the lead.”

“Dao Ming,” Raindrops supplied, “Yeah, she’s still in the first place spot despite only coming in second place during Strength. We’ve pulled ahead and are two spots behind her in third, and I think the Elkheim team is in second. Then behind us I think is Gwendolyn’s country, which got a bunch of points with her winning Strength, just not enough to get ahead of us. I don’t know, I haven’t been paying that much attention.”

“Huh, so if you guys win this Wits and Magic thing, would that be enough to win the whole shebang?” her father asked, and Raindrops responded with a flat shrug.

“Dunno. Maybe?”

“You alright, dear?” her mother inquired cautiously, “You look distracted.”

Raindrops hesitated. She hadn’t said anything to her family about what had been going on with the mysterious threat to the island that they’d been investigating, which that Grimwald bastard was tied to and why he’d attacked Ditzy. It went against her better judgment to keep silent about it, but Princess Luna and Abbess Serene had both seemed pretty insistent the matter be kept under wraps, to prevent undue panic. But surely she could tell her parents, at least? They’d know to keep quiet on the matter, wouldn’t they?

Raindrops could almost hear Trixie admonishing her for letting the info slip, and she almost waved a wing at the imaginary, mini-Trixie hanging on her shoulder, telling her to keep her mouth shut.

This all probably fell under the blanket of her knightly duties, but it still grated at Raindrops to keep information from her family. She knew her smile had to look incredibly forced as she told her mother, “I’m alright, don’t worry about it.”

Her mother knew her too well; she clearly didn’t buy it, but also didn’t press the matter. Instead she turned and blinked in surprise, “Oh, it’s that zebra fellow.”

“Huh?” Raindrops looked to see Tendaji emerge from the crowd. She almost tensed, but the feeling washed through her almost as fast as it had appeared. Tendaji wasn’t an opponent any longer, even in a peripheral sense of the term.

“Hey, Tendaji, what’s up?” she asked in a remarkably calm and casual tone, all things considered. He stopped and bowed his head to her, then to her family members in turn.

“I wished to properly and formally thank you, Raindrops, for your help in aiding me along my Path. I also wished to thank your parents, for the fine daughter they have raised.”

“Well, thanks I guess,” said Raindrops’ mother, looking distinctly uncomfortable, “I rather wish you’d done your ‘Path’ thing with a little less punching of my daughter, but I guess you two worked out whatever it was that was going on between you.”

“Ahem, yes, her Path and mine have merged, and now part ways, even if some small convergences remain before the Contest ends,” Tendaji said, inclining his head to Raindrops’ mother before looking back at Raindrops herself, “Which is the other reason I’ve sought you out. My wife, Aisha, knows of your search for the one called Zecora. She wishes to lend you her aid.”

“Looking for who now?” asked her father, but Raindrops just shook her head.

“Wait, how does your wife know about that?”

Tendaji tilted his head, “Her father, Nuru, has been keeping his ears to the ground, so to speak. Very little passes his sight unnoticed. Aisha merely wishes to help recover Zecora, with whom she once tread a similar Path with.”

Raindrops rubbed her forehead with a wing, “Look, I’m not even gonna touch the questions that raises for now, but if Aisha wants to help, then she can meet up with me and Trixie and then Trixie can decide if she wants to accept said help. Got it?”

“Of course. I shall convey your words,” Tendaji said, inclining his head, “You have my thanks, Raindrops.”

Trixie made a mental note affirming the fact that she decidingly didn’t like tunnels, caverns, catacombs, basements, or any other generally underground area. She could think of next to nothing good that ever happened to her while she was underground, and it was becoming the setting for an annoyingly large number of her more unpleasant situations in life as of late.

Granted she hadn’t a reason yet to fully extend this sentiment to the tunnels beneath the monastery, but the generally poor lighting, musty odors, and continuous sensation of being watched did not add to the charm of the brazenly cold and empty stone halls.

“Your companions are late,” Dao Ming noted, the kirin having begun an odd meditative routine in which she sat what appeared to Trixie to be a most uncomfortable fashion, but apparently helped Dao Ming relax. The pair had met up at the doorway that would lead deeper into the monastery’s basement levels, and then to an entrance to the underground tunnels. They’d agreed to the time and place that everypony, and kirin, would meet up, and Trixie did note that they were a minute or so past the hour.

“Relax,” she said, “A few minutes won’t make much difference, and everypony had their own bit of business to take care of before we did this. Aren’t you supposed to be more patient as some kind of well-trained paragon of your people?”

“My training included lessons, many lessons, on punctuality,” Dao Ming replied, but Trixie saw a wisp of a smile quirk the kirin’s lips, “Then again, Kenkuro always did say it was better to be fashionably late than painfully early.”

Trixie paused, considering Dao Ming. Nettling curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted something to distract her from the wait. “Have you always known Kenkuro?”

“Since I was born,” Dao Ming said, “He... did more to raise me than my mother did. All of my lessons came from him. To speak, to read, court manners and etiquette, politics, numbers, martial arts, strategy, philosophy. I don’t think there was ever a time I didn’t have Kenkuro there, watching over me, providing his guidance, even when it wasn’t asked for. Heh, especially when it wasn’t asked for.”

“So he’s basically your father,” Trixie said in her usual blunt manner, not immediately noticing the way it made Dao Ming go stiff as stone. Blinking, Trixie said, “What?”

“I don’t know my father,” Dao Ming said flatly, “Mother doesn’t speak of him, and for good reason.”

There was something in Dao Ming’s tone that held an edge of warning. Trixie raised an eyebrow, softening her voice, “Didn’t intend to step on a sensitive spot, Dao Ming. My apologies.”

“It’s nothing you must apologize for, Dame Lulamoon. It’s simply that you... don’t understand how the Imperial family works. Or how my mother works. My father is no one. A nameless male, one of likely dozens my mother took to her bedchamber in seeking to bear an heir of her own blood. Once I was born, the one who sired me was no longer important. He... could have been anyone, from a guard to a noble to a palace cook for all I know. The Empress does as she pleases, as is her will and the law. It did not please her to take a husband. Nor did it please her to raise her daughter. Instead that honor went to the Blade of Heaven, Kenkuro. It is a duty he has discharged faithfully, and I am grateful for his tutelage...”

Dao Ming paused to take a deep breath, sitting up from her meditative pose, “I suppose he could be considered my father in that regard, but it is something I can never call him publicly. That said, who knows, perhaps when I become Empress I’ll do as I please as well, since by then my mother will have no say in the matter.”

The kirin’s eyes met Trixie’s, “And I tell you this, Dame Lulamoon, when I eventually bear my own heir, it will be I that raises them, alongside their father, whomever he may turn out to be. I will not let my child go without parents in their life.”

Trixie looked back at Dao Ming and flicked her tail, thinking of her own home life in Neigh Orleans. “That’s laudable. A warm home makes for happy foals, I know this much. And blood isn’t required for that, so I say that when you do become Empress, give Kenkuro the honor he deserves as the one who raised you. After all, I have no idea who my own deadbeat father is, but my uncle filled in that role better than I imagine the stallion my mother slept with ever could.”

A moment of quiet understanding passed between the two mares, and when it passed, Dao Ming extended a hoof, “When the Contest of Magic comes, I would like nothing more than to beat you, Trixie Lulamoon, fairly and with no rancor between us.”

Trixie smirked, taking the hoof, “Right back at you, Dao Ming.”

Suddenly a voice boomed from one end of the tunnel hall, “Okay, now kiss!”

Almost leaping out of her own fur, Trixie spun about to see her friends arriving from further down the corridor, Cheerilee in the lead with a smarmy grin on her face. Dao Ming had the presence of mind to look mildly embarrassed, but otherwise remained composed, while Trixie readjusted her hat and shot Cheerilee a glare.

“I’ll kindly remind you, Cheerilee, that I know where you live, and how many pet fish you have.”

“Oh c’mon, I was just cheering on the budding romantic spark between rivals. Fierce competition leading to fiercer feelings, a tender moment alone in the dark corridors with nopony to see-”

“Don’t think I won’t let in the entire stray cat population in Ponyville into your house while you’re teaching class.”

“Yikes, okay, okay, I give,” Cheerilee said with a humored wink, and Trixie sighed. Looking at the rest of the group she noted an additional face among them, blinking at the sight of the zebra mare with her long mane bound up in small yet intricate dreadlocks.

“Wait, why is... uh... she here?” Trixie asked.

“Apparently she wanted to come,” Raindrops said, “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

With a measured demeanor and simple bow of her head, the zebra said, “I am aware you have little reason to know me, so I shall introduce myself properly. I am Aisha, wife to Tendaji. I requested I be allowed to assist you in your search for Zecora.”

“Why?” Dao Ming asked pointedly, the kirin’s expression stormy with suspected, “What is Amaterasu's prophet to you?”

“Also, how did you know we’d be conducting a search in the first place?” asked Trixie.

“My father has observed your actions closely, and surmised your search would continue,” Aisha explained, “Although he knew not where your investigations would take you. He has no personal interest in either aiding or harming your efforts, but I have... personal reasons to seek Zecora’s well being.”

“Such as?” Trixie pressed.

In the gloom of the darkened corridor with only a few lanterns to provide light, Aisha’s face of black and white stripes blended in shockingly well, leaving only her eyes to gleam clearly in the murk. Those eyes shone with a great intensity that matched her voice, “Zecora is... was, what you might have called a friend. One with whom I shared a Path with, long ago. When her Path parted from mine, it left both pain, and many, many questions. I have not in the many years since that parting had an opportunity to ask Zecora any of those questions. I seek to rectify that, now. If I help rescue her, it puts her, however briefly, in my debt. She will repay that debt by answering my questions. That is all there is to it.”

Trixie mulled Aisha’s words over. Zecora was an utter mystery, for the most part. A zebra with strange, prophetic powers, who for whatever mad reason seemed convinced that Corona was worth serving. Her past was utterly clouded, and if Trixie was honest, she didn’t much care. Why Zecora did what she did, or where she came from, was irrelevant to the fact that she was a threat to Equestria’s stability and peace. And Trixie’s own personal safety and that of her friends, which was somewhat of the higher priority for Trixie, truth be told.

So she understood Aisha’s desire to get answers, if indeed the two zebras had been friends back in the day. Trixie didn’t particularly care, one way or another, but that wasn’t the issue. The issue was whether or not she could trust Aisha at all. Raindrops had the most contact with these odd zebras, so Trixie gave Raindrops a look.

“What do you think? Is she on the level?”

“Wouldn’t have brought her if i didn’t,” Raindrops said, shrugging her wings, “Sure, she might be one of the bad guys, but there’s six of us, and one of her. Not worried about walking into an ambush.”

“But she might lead our search astray, if she is a conspirator,” Dao Ming said, “Bringing her here was dangerous.”

“Hmm... What's everypony’s else’s thoughts?” Trixie asked her friends, “I’m a bit on the fence on this one.”

“The way I see it,” Lyra piped up first, “If Aisha here is on the level, then the more the merrier. If she ain’t, then she might slip up and give us a clue she wasn’t planning to. I say we give her a chance.”

“Same here,” said Carrot Top, giving Aisha an apologetic smile, “I’m willing to trust you, and wouldn’t mind the help at all.”

“And to toss my two bits onto the pile, I’m pretty dang curious to see the look on Zecora’s face if we bust her free with the help of an old pal. Crazy mare is always getting the drop on us, it’ll be fun to get the drop on her for a change,” said Cheerilee, cracking an anticipating smile and rubbing her hooves together, “Which reminds me, how come she rhymes all the time, and you don’t, Aisha?”

Aisha actually blushed in the darkness, a moment of rose hue in the dark, “Zecora is very... traditional, in her manner. I’ve long since been out of practice, since I left the shaman’s Path to be with my husband.”

“Drat,” said Cheerilee, “I had bits on it being some kind of magic curse.”

“You can pay me when we get back home,” said Lyra with a chuckle.

“If you’re all quite done, can we commence our search?” asked Dao Ming, “I’d rather not waste any more time that could be better spent seeking our mutual enemies.”

“Lead on, Miss Bossy Tail,” said Cheerilee, and Dao Ming rolled her eyes but did take the lead as the group began it’s long trek into the deeper corridors beneath the monastery.

It wasn’t long at all before the corridor they traveled down ended in an iron gate, one that Trixie had been given the key to by Abbess Serene for the purpose of this search. Beyond the gate, which swung open with a dull iron hiss, was a rough, natural cavern. Lyra, Trixe, and Dao Ming all provided light sources with their horns, but Carrot Top, ever resourceful, had her own light source with a vial of glowing blue liquid made via her alchemy that she hung around her neck from a leather cord.

The first half hour of their search took them down bending and twisting rock tunnels that dripped with faint condensation. Trixie had a map of the caverns provided by the Order, which had a basic knowledge of the caverns’ layout, although nothing terribly extensive. To ensure they didn’t get lost, Cheerilee wisely provided markings via chalk, and just to be sure, Trixie copied them with an illusionary script that’d last half a day, if necessary.

After another hour of walking, it became painfully apparent just how huge this tunnel system was, filling the underground of the island like some vast honeycomb.

“Is all of this really natural, do you think?” asked Carrot Top as they traversed a wider cave chamber that held several hanging stalactites that were low enough to make the mares watch where their heads were.

“How should I know? I’m not a cave expert,” Trixie admitted, a bit of her frustration leaking into her voice. She had a sinking feeling they weren’t actually accomplishing anything down here other than getting sore hooves.

“As far as I can tell they appear normal,” Dao Ming said, “But much like Dame Lulamoon, I am no expert. I do, however, know these caves are similar to ones beneath the Imperial Palace, or the Great Wall to the Dark Lands, so I’ve seen their like before.”

“Huh, what’s this Great Wall and the Dark Lands, anyway? I’ve heard the term, but Shouma’s still a really mysterious land to us Equestrians,” Lyra said, her bardic curiosity sparking brightly in her eyes.

“The Dark Lands are a tainted place, far on our land’s eastern borders,” Dao Ming said, her voice sharp with distaste, “We know nothing of its origins, only that the land is poison, and its denizens monstrous. The Great Wall was built to protect the Heavenly Empire from the Dark Land’s encroachment, garrisoned by some of our finest soldiers. My sister, Tomoko could tell you more. The Wall was built by one of her ancestors.”

“That so?” Lyra had a notebook out, scribbling in it with a quill floating in her magical grip, “So have you ever been to the Dark Lands.”

Dao Ming paused, glancing back over her shoulder at Lyra, “Once, when the Empress visited the Great Wall for an inspection. I didn’t enter the Dark Lands, but I saw them from the top of the Wall. It was as if the land itself was... akin to an infection. Dying, dry, cracked, and gray. Nothing living was meant for that place, not anymore.”

“So nopony lives there now?” pressed Lyra, clearly fascinated as her quill kept scribbling.

“Not anymore. Nopony sane. Tomoko’s ancestors once ruled a province beyond the Wall, but when the Dark Lands grew, that province died, and they built the Great Wall to protect what was left of their land. In exchange for their sacrifice, the Empress of that time gifted Tomoko’s family with new lands and retainer status to the Imperial Family.”

“Wow, makes me wish I could go to Shouma sometime. The stories your land has to be filled with is seriously tingling my lore thirst,” Lyra said, coughing politely at Dao Ming’s stare, “Not to belittle your country’s history or anything.”

“Not at all, I’m pleased you’re so interested. Perhaps one day soon, Shouma will be more open to visitors, and you can see our lands many wonders for yourself, Dame Heartstrings.”

A musing grunt issued forth from Aisha, and everypony halted.

“Something wrong?” asked Raindrops.

Aisha’s face was still with concentration. They’d reached the end of the cavern to find another pair of tunnels moving off in two different directions, and the zebra mare was paused between them. Aisha sniffed the air, and then went to the stone wall between the two tunnels, tapping it with a hoof.

Trixie and her friends exchanged looks, and shrugs, before Trixie approached and said, “Are you seeing something we aren’t?”

“I’m not certain,” Aisha said, rubbing her hoof across the rocky surface in front of her, “This wall seems different, does it not?”

Trixie looked at it, frowning. All she saw was a flat wall, nothing special. Then again, she knew better than most that looks could be quite deceiving. She cast her magic sight spell and let herself look about with it, seeking any stray magical auras. The rest of the group clustered behind her and Aisha, and as Trixie was searching, Cheerilee said, “You know, this bit of wall does look kinda too flat to be natural. Most cave walls are at least a little uneven, one way or another.”

“Yeah, but this looks pretty even,” Carrot Top said, looking at the sides of the wall, “Although not all the way around. At the ends here it goes back to rougher cave wall.”

“Sounds like a secret entrance to me!” Raindrops aid, pounding her hooves together, “Just find the hidden switch, or maybe I can smash a way through?”

“Everypony hold on,” Trixie said, “Let me finish searching, first, before we start smashing.”

After another minute of looking around, she let out an annoyed scoff and ended her spell, “No magic auras.”

“No trigger, either,” Cheerilee said, finishing a careful feel around with her hooves, “If there’s a switch, it isn’t here.”

“Are we even sure this is a secret door, and not just a coincidentally, if oddly, flat bit of normal cave wall?” Carrot Top said.

“No, there is more here,” Aisha said, having sat down in a strange, cross-legged pose, her eyes closed as she took in several deep breaths, then opened them again. When she did, they were somehow sharper than before, almost gleaming. “Others have passed this way.”

“How can you tell?” asked Lyra, but Raindrops stepped forward.

“It’s that weird sight thing you, Tendaji, and Nuru showed me before, isn’t it?” Raindrops said, “You’re looking at patterns.”

“Yes. Threads and patterns, connected auras and paths. I can only see what is recent. All such things fade quickly. Yet there is the smallest trace here of three auras, passing this wall. I cannot know of the switch for certain, but a concentration of aura lingers on the stalagmite to your left, Raindrops.”

The stalagmite in question hung low, at roughly head height, and Raindrops roved her eyes over it and gave it an experimental poke with a hoof. When nothing happened, Cheerilee slipped up next to Raindrops, “Here, let me. Seen a few tricks like this from masons in Zaidia.”

She ran her hooves around the stalagmite, biting her lower lip as she focused on the texture of the rough, stone surface. After a minute she smirked and let out a triumphant, “Gotcha.”

About halfway up the stalagmite a portion of the surface slid away easily with a press of a hoof to reveal a hollow within. Inside the carved hollow was an iron chain, dangling down from further up in the hollowed out stalagmite.

“Whoa, neat,” said Carrot Top.

Trixie was frowning, “Everypony be ready, just in case. Cheerilee, do it.”

Cheerilee nodded with an eager smile, and after giving the others a moment to ready themselves, she pulled the chain. A few soft grinding noises echoed in the otherwise silent cavern, and the smooth portion of wall raised upward, revealing an upward sloping walkway beyond.

“Okay, so... do we investigate now, or go get help, just in case we’re about to walk into the baddies’ main den?” asked Lyra, holding her lyre with her magic and ready to unleash sonic spells at a moment’s notice.

Dao Ming had no sword after hers had been broken during the Contest of Strength, but she still took the lead, withdrawing a spirit scroll for spellcasting. “We don’t know what lies ahead. If we go back, we risk our foes escaping, assuming this even leads to them.”

“Yes, let’s not make assumptions,” Trixie said quietly, her horn’s glow intensifying, “Let me check ahead with Cheerilee and see where this leads. Cheerilee, get close, and move quietly.”

“Invisibility, right,” Cheerilee noted, sliding close to Trixie as the mare wove an invisibility spell around them both.

“We’ll be back in a few minutes,” Trixie said to the others, and led Cheerilee up the ramp that had been exposed by the secret entry.

The path’s upward curve was sharp, but not so much that either mare risked slipping on the increasingly damp floor. Before long Trixie’s nose was twitching with the salty smell of ocean water, but she made no comment, keeping as silent as Cheerilee was.

The path bent to the left after several hundred paces, then went on for almost as long before ending in a similarly smooth wall. However this one’s chain was not hidden, but clear to see on the side of the wall, and after Trixie gave Cheerilee a confirming pat on the shoulder, Cheerilee pulled the chain.

Sunlight nearly blinded them for a second, and both Trixie and Cheerilee had to blink several times to clear the glare from their eyes. The gentle roll of surf greeted their ears, and the ocean smell now filled their nostrils. Her vision now adjusting back to proper sunlight, Trixie saw the opening they stood in was situated inside the cliff face sitting alongside a familiar, sandy beach.

Glancing around to confirm no one was around, she dropped the invisibility spell. “I know this place.”

“You do?” said Cheerilee, looking around until she spotted, far off to the left, the sight of the monastery built up upon the cliff in that direction, “Wait, this is the beach on the west side of the island. Isn’t this where...?”

“Yes,” Trixie said, glancing to where she could see the familiar stone monument that was one of the ‘anchors’ for the spell creating the barrier around Rengoku. “This is the same beach we suspect Zecora ran down before reaching the stairs leading up the cliff to the monastery. This must be where the ones who abducted her came from.”

“Do you think Zecora found this entrance, and that’s why she was taken?”

“Possible. Even likely,” said Trixie, “I’m more worried this entrance leads right to one of the anchors for the barrier around Rengoku.”

“That’s a concern, no doubt. Do you think the monks know about this entrance to the cave tunnels?” asked Cheerilee, a disturbed look crossing her features, “Because I thought they said they didn’t have anything built down in the caves, or even sent people down there. But a secret entrance like that takes decent engineering to make.”

“Here’s another question,” Trixie said, her own face sour, “How many more entrances like this are there that we don’t know about? If there’s more than just this one, and the tunnels are as extensive as they seem, then anycreature with the right knowledge could get around the island undetected with ease.”

“Hoo boy. Well, on the bright side, we at least know we’re on the right track,” said Cheerilee, “If secret doors like this exist, then that means secret chambers can exist down there too, including someplace for our conspirators to hide out and hold an irate, rhyming zebra.”

“Yes, assuming we can scour every inch of what is probably miles upon miles of tunnels to find more hidden doors.”

“Hey, that Aisha was pretty useful for that. Her weird zebra sight thing can pick up on where more doors might be,” Cheerilee pointed out.

“Within a limited time frame, given she said auras fade away after a day or two...” Trixie said, trailing off in thought. She then turned around sharply, “Let’s get back to the others. I want to send someone to go inform Princess Luna of what we’ve found, and I’d like to as the Abbess some questions. The rest of the group can stick with Aisha and look for more hidden doorways. It could take days to just search a fraction of these tunnels properly, but we don’t have days. We’ll have to make do with what we can do tonight.”

Returning to the party and informing them of what was found, and the new plan, the group split up. Trixie, with Carrot Top and Raindrops coming along for mutual protection, would return to the monastery and talk with Princess Luna and Abbess Serene. Meanwhile Dao Ming, Aisha, Lyra, and Cheerilee would continue the search, making sure to leave clear marks of their passage. If they found any more hidden passages, they’d mark them, but not explore them until Trixie and the others could return.

They agreed to meet back at this first hidden passage in three hours, which would place the time at early evening by then.

With that, the group split, and none were the wiser concerning the pair of eyes watching them from the darkness of the second tunnel.

“They’re getting closer,” Grimwald reported with a cheerful air, spinning his dark Fae dagger in one talon.

Only one other hooded figure was in the large chamber, sitting quietly in a cross-legged position near the glowing magical circle that filled the chamber’s center.

“It doesn’t matter,” the figure said, “The ritual is prepared. All that’s left is the last key, which will come shortly enough.”

“Hmm, might be, might be,” Grimwald said, yawning as he flopped down next to the sitting figure, “Then again, maybe those resourceful ladies will find this place before then and ruin the party? That could be a whole different barrel of fun by itself, but I have to wonder why the boss is cutting this all so close. Why not grab the last piece now? Tonight? Wouldn’t be hard.”

The sitting figure tilted its hooded head, as if in contemplation, “I do not know for certain, but I imagine it is because our leader wishes to see the Contest of Champions finished.”

“Didn’t know they were the sentimental type. You’d think, after doing all of this, going this far, they’d toss aside junk they don’t need,” Grimwald said, tossing his dagger high into the air. He rolled over onto his side, propping his chin in one talon while the dagger spun in the darkness above him, “You know, I can’t even be mad. I’m the sentimental type, too. This job started out as just a way to throw the world a curveball, sow a little chaos for the fun of it, but now all I can think about is-”

His free talon shoot out and smoothly caught the dagger before it fell back down to strike his own neck, and Grimwald held the Fae weapon in front of his sparkling eyes, “-when am I gonna get to fight that beautiful mare again?”

“You speak of... Dame Doo? You’ve rendered her into a dreamless sleep with the magic of the very weapon you hold. I doubt you’ll see her again.”

“Pfft, shows what you know. Yeah, I put her down so she and her gal pals couldn’t do the fancy rainbow light show, but let’s be real here, she’s got an alicorn in her corner. Only a matter of time before Ditzy’s naptime is over.”

“It doesn’t make a difference, as long as the ritual is finished before that happens.”

Grimwald licked his beak and rolled to his feet, sheathing his dagger up his sleeve and stretching his wings, “Then I’d better go lay some false trails and set up some traps and ambush points. More I can distract them the longer it'll take for them to find this place. They’ve got a zebra helping them out with a little second-sight, too. Could be a problem, don't you think?”

The hooded figure stiffened for a second, but didn’t say anything. Grimwald glanced at them and put on a smirk, “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t do anything to the zebra. I’m a nice guy, who only stabs when the pay is right, or if I’m bored, or if I really like the person I’m stabbing.”

“Your presence is tiring... if you’re leaving, do so. Play your games, just so long as they keep those searching for us sufficiently busy for a short time longer. And do not kill anycreature."

“I hear you. Non-lethal traps only, non-vital organ stabbing only. I swear, you bunch are the worst sticks-in-the-mud I’ve ever worked with.”

With that, the chamber was silent once more.

----------

The next morning dawned amid a partially cloudy sky and the buzz of many excited, if somewhat confused spectators who had heard the Contest of Champions would be concluding that day with both the Contest of Wits and Magic taking place that very day. As a result, things would be getting started much faster than normal, with the Contest of Wits set to begin within only an hour past sunrise.

Trixie, not precisely a morning mare, was irate over the early start, but that was honestly the least of the troubles in her mind as she went about a swifter than usual routine of bathing and preparing herself to be presentable.

The previous day was frustrating, to put things mildly. Once she, Raindrops, and Carrot Top got to Princess Luna to explain what had been found, Luna had sent a message to Abbess Serene to speak with her personally about the unexpected entrances in the otherwise “natural” tunnels.

The Abbess had been very polite and patient in regards to answering questions, and had expressed seemingly honest surprise concerning the secret entrance that Aisha had helped them find.

”I’ve no knowledge of such things existing in those tunnels and caverns, but it’s possible an earlier Abbot or Abbess had them constructed,” Abbess Serene said, expression troubled and pensive, “I can start searching the monastery’s records to see if there’s anything that can be found. Surely if monks were sent to construct those entrances in times past, there’d be mention of it somewhere.”

“See that you do,” Luna said, her eyes never leaving their focus from the still slumbering Ditzy Doo as the alicorn continued to work her magic on breaking the Fae enchantment keeping Ditzy in dreamland. “I find it most troubling that these tunnels have such secrets. I’ll be sending one of my own personal guards to... assist your monks in searching the record.”

“Of course,” Abbess Serene replied, turning to look to Trixie and the mares by her side, “If you wish, any of you may also search the records. If construction did occur, it must have required Elkheim runecraft to make the kind of hidden trigger and door you found. That should stand out in the records.”

“I’ll help give them a gander,” volunteered Carrot Top, “I’ll drag Prince Frederick along to help out.”

And so Carrot Top hadn’t even returned to their shared quarters until fairly late into the night, and had exhaustively reported having found nothing. Not a single mention of construction down in those tunnels. Which might mean nothing, or it might mean everything. Trixie was suspicious of the Abbess, but Serene was technically right that those entrances could have been built at any time over the course of the Order’s centuries of existence.

And it was ‘entrances’, not ‘entrance’. With Aisha’s further help with her odd zebra sight, the search party had discovered more hidden doors, each one leading to the island’s surface in a different location. One in particular stood out to Carrot Top once it was mentioned, as it led into a small ravine in the northern forest, right near where she and Frederick had encountered a hooded figure examining the barrier around Rengoku.

Other entrances lead to different anchor points for the barrier spell, while others led out near the town of Heroes' Rest, or even alongside small hills near the contest fields.

By this point Luna had brought in Princess Cadenza and even reluctantly spoken with Corona, coordinating an effort with the monks to guard the discovered entrances. If the conspirators were going to make a move, they’d have to get past vigilant guards to do so. That, or use entrances not discovered yet. Not to mention they hadn’t found any actual hidden chambers where Zecora might be held or where the hooded figures might be hiding out. A paranoid part of Trixie’s mind worried that with so many entrances to guard, and no way of knowing that all of those entrances had been found, that they’d stretched themselves thin and left openings the enemy could exploit.

Since they weren’t Contest participants, Kindle had volunteered himself and Corona’s other minions to continue the search today. Trixie wasn’t thrilled about that, but she supposed Zecora was their comrade, so Corona’s team had an invested interest in continuing the search while Trixie and the girls were finishing the Contest.

“You look tense enough to break a boulder with your clenched buttcheeks,” Cheerilee noted as she joined Trixie in one of the shared washrooms, having just finished rinsing her own mane and now going about brushing it out.

Trixie snorted, “Colorful. And yes, I’m tense. How can I not be? We still haven’t found these hooded freaks, and still don’t even know for certain what they’re planning.”

“All the evidence points towards that fortress,” Cheerilee said, “The secret entrances lead to all of the anchor points for the barrier, and you and Dao Ming kept having those visions from the Warlord’s spirit. Seems pretty obvious to me that someone wants the big, bad, flying fortress of doom.”

“But we don’t know how they plan to break the barrier, or when they plan to do it! How am I supposed to focus on the Contest with something like that hanging over us!?” Trixie shouted, but felt Cheerilee give her a playful nudge with an elbow.

“We’ve been here before, Trixie. Time and again, we’ve been put in situations where the bad guys are a few steps ahead of us. Guess what? We still whomp ‘em, every time. Because they might have their plans, but we’re just too damn quick on our hooves and with our wits to do anything other than ruin their plans just when they think they’ve got it all worked out. Happened with Corona, happened with Tambelon, happened with Greengrass, happened dozens of other times. We’ll pull it off this time, too.”

Trixie took a deep breath, looking at herself in the mirror, and managed a small smirk, “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point. We’ll see what happens. I suppose it’s best to put on a good show and win as much as we can in the Contest, than to spend too much energy agonizing over what we can’t change. Ugh, I just hate relying on Kindle of all ponies, along with his second rate illusionist and that oversized turkey to do what feels like should be our job.”

Once they were done preparing themselves they went out into the main lounge of the quarters, where Carrot Top was waiting, somewhat bleary eyed from lack of sleep, and Lyra was turning her lyre while Raindrops waited impatiently by the door.

“About time,” Raindrops said, “How long were you two going to be working on your manes in there?”

“Mmph,” said Carrot Top, “I didn’t have time to do mine properly.”

“You look fine,” said Raindrops.

“I could weave a quick illusion to smooth it out if you like,” Trixie offered, but Carrot Top waved a hoof.

“It’s no biggie,” she said with a yawn, “For once, I think I can live with it being a little mussy. Just wish me and Frederick had found something last night.”

Cheerilee couldn’t help but crack a grin, “From the way you were smiling and glowing when you got in last night, you two sure found something alright.”

Carrot Top didn’t even look embarrassed as she wore a smile that, to Trixie’s keen eyes, looked a tad saddened, “We made the most of our time, and that’s all I’ll say. But you know what I meant. Those records were long, dull, but spotless in regards to any information about those caverns.”

“Records are easy to destroy, unfortunately,” pointed out Lyra, “Maybe I should’ve come to help. I’m not bad at spotting inconsistencies with information like that.”

“Nothing we can do about it now,” said Raindrops, noting the clock on the wall, “We’re out of time, the rest of you got a Contest to finish and I’ve got a secret underground laboratory to keep watch on.”

Trixie felt an odd twitch in her tail and a twinge of worry that she knew wasn’t warranted. Raindrops was more than capable of taking care of herself. Still, Trixie couldn’t stop herself from saying, “Do be careful while you’re down there. I know it makes a certain sense to guard that place, but I also don’t like splitting up.”

She appreciated that rather than look offended, Raindrops just looked calm as she nodded and said, “I know what you mean, but honestly I’m just using this as an excuse to get out of having to bend my brain with whatever crap the Contest of Wits is going to involve, or being bored while you and Lyra kick flank during the Contest of Magic.”

Trixie turned her nose up, but smirked in pleasure, “Bored? Hmph, I guarantee the performance I and Lyra shall put on will be anything but boring to watch!”

Raindrops just snorted good naturedly at that.

“I just wish Ditzy was here...” said Lyra, wearing a stormy frown, “She ought to be with us for this, and because of that damn Grimwald...”

“She’s going to be okay,” said Carrot Top, giving Lyra a comforting pat on the withers, “Princess Luna is taking care of her, and who knows, she might even wake up today for all we know.”

“Yeah, still, it bites that she’s still down and out. I hope Dinky’s holding up alright, too.”

“We all are,” Trixie said, straightening her hat and making sure her cape was tied on tight, “And for them, no matter how the Contest plays out, we’re not leaving this island until those hooded conspirators are all found out and caught.”

The five mares all shared equal looks of determined confidence, nodding to one another before departing their quarters for what would turn out to be the final day of the Contest of Champions. They made their way through the monastery until they reached the main chamber, where Raindrops split off to go towards the underground levels, and the other four trotted out between the massive stone columns flanking the monastery’s entrance and entered into a bright and clear morning.

As before, the contest field had been changed to suit the purposes of the day’s Contest, or in this case Contests. As a result, two completely different and distinct stadiums had been created with the stoneworking of cervid runecraft.

One was a large rectangle of stone, open topped and with so many internal walls that Trixie couldn't imagine it being anything other than a maze. It’s immense size was daunting until she realized that along the rectangle’s southern edge there were multiple arched doorways, each one having a symbol carved atop it corresponding to the national symbol of each nation. So, logically, it seemed that each team had their own separate section of the overall maze to explore.

The other structure was an interesting looking affair. It was a cylindrical tower, but with the majority of its interior made up of open space created by stone discs held up by pillars along its sides and interior. Trixie could make out various staircases within leading up and down the various levels, and could make out other unusual objects, such as spheres or cubes of stone set up in odd positions.

At a guess, she surmised the maze must be for the Contest of Wits, and the tower for the Contest of Magic.

Seating for the island’s crowds of visitors were now arranged on either side of the maze and tower in two smooth, slightly curved lines. As before, the magical viewing mirrors were floating in place to provide spectators a closer look at the events to come, and already the large, stone seating areas were filling up with creatures of all nations by the time Trixie and her friends arrived. The air was buzzing with the ambient murmur of thousands of voices excited to see how this momentous competition was going to end. It struck a sour note in Trixie, as normally she’d bask under suh attention and be equally if not more excited to not only reach the Contest’s climax, but be able to really strut her stuff in the Contest of Magic.

...And yet all she could think about was what terrible scheme those hooded jerks were planning and if she and her friends would be able to stop it, and keep everyone on the island safe.

Perhaps that was a sign she was maturing? Her priorities had certainly shifted over time, and she was more aware than ever of the responsibilities she held. The knighthood, being an Element Bearer, even this most recent accolade in being selected as one of Equestria’s champions, it all meant far more than glory she got to soak in. It meant taking responsibility for the safety of every single creature present, shouldering the weight of being the ones who had to take action when the next crisis emerged.

Good thing Trixie had learned to perform well under pressure.

Upon their arrival, the mares were greeted by several monks who ushered them towards the south side of the maze. There, several other champions were already waiting, including Dao Ming, who was quietly conferring with Kenkuro and the tall, enigmatic minotaur, Greysight. Spotting Trixie, Dao Ming was seen whispering something to Kenkuro, who gave a brief nod and made a swift and inviting motion with one of his wings, beckoning the mares over.

Although Trixie and her friends exchanged brief, confused looks, they made a quick canter to the trio. Trixie noticed Greysight was staring at them particularly hard with an unblinking stare. There was almost a pressure from that stare that left Trixie staring back with an automatic sense of challenge. However, the minotauress inclined her head and spoke in a surprisingly soft voice, “My apologies, I didn’t mean to make you uneasy, Alpha of the Element Bearers.”

“Huh?” Trixie’s eyebrows crawled up towards her mane, while Cheerilee stepped up next to her.

“She means she recognizes you as our group leader, Trixie.”

“Ah, yes, well, good,” Trixie said, clearing her throat, “And I wasn’t uneasy. Just curious why you were staring.”

“Forgive Lady Greysight,” Kenkuro said, “She’s the measuring sort, and does tend to forget to blink from time to time. Did the same with me, back when we first met, isn’t that right Greysight?”

“You were, quite literally, an odd bird,” Greysight replied smoothly, adjusting her grip on a most unusual staff in her hands that consisted of a bronze pole with interlocking gears towards its tip where a larger gear sat between a set of tubes, “It took me some time to get used to you, including your distinct sense of humor.”

“Still haven’t forgiven the bit with the honey and those wild hogs, have you? I swear I had no idea that the herd had entered its rut season!”

Greysight let out the kind of long suffering sigh only possible from one who had long since given up understanding a dear friend’s more eccentric qualities, and instead of responding to Kenkuro, turned her attention back to Trixie and the other Element Bearers, “Ahem, all that aside, it’s a pleasure to be able to speak with all of you. There may have been opportunities earlier in the Contest, but I’ve been busy with other matters, including tending to the spiritual needs of my fellow minotaur champions.”

“How’s Steel Cage?” Cheerilee asked casually.

“Distraught,” Greysight replied with no preamble, “He doesn’t understand Iron Will’s choices, but has no recourse but to accept them, now. Believe it or not, I thank you for that, Dame Cheerilee. Steel Cage may possess great strength in the flesh, but his spirit has long needed tempering, and I believe his encounter with you will do him good, in the long run. It is forcing him to confront weaknesses he wasn’t aware he had, due to ego and a narrow mindset. Perhaps this experience will pry some of that narrow mindedness open.”

“Well, I’m not gonna hold my breath on that one, but as long as he stops bothering Iron Will, that’s all I needed to know,” Cheerilee replied.

“So how do you two know each other?” asked Carrot Top, nodding towards Kenkuro and Greysight, upon which the pair shared a swift glance, seemingly communicating a wealth of meaning to each other with merely a look. Then Greysight nodded, and Kenkuro cracked his beak in a smile.

“Dame Trixie is already aware that I, Greysight, and old Nuru are old friends. We met long ago, when I was on something of a pilgrimage to learn more of the world beyond Shouma’s borders. We had our fair share of dangers, joys, and sorrows faced together, but this Contest is the first time we’ve seen each other in many years,” Kenkuro said.

“And Nuru is Aisha’s father...” Lyra added musingly, “And Nuru’s been keeping an eye on us.”

“As have I,” Greysight added, “I confess, before the rest of you came to realize there was a threat lurking on this island, I... suspected something was amiss. I even told Kenkuro and Nuru of this during the Grand Melee.”

“Is that so?” Trixie felt a knot of suspicion in her gut now. There were already plenty of people to suspect in regards to the hooded conspirators, but it felt decidedly convenient that those three would’ve been aware of a threat and decided to keep an eye on everything. “Then how can we be sure-”

“Please,” Kenkuro raised both his wings together in a gesture almost like a prayer as he bowed, “I ask you not to cast about such suspicions. I vouch for my friends, and if I am wrong then may the spirits themselves punish me for that oversight.”

Dao Ming gave the tengu a sympathetic look, “No one is accusing anything. I do wish you hadn’t withdrawn from the contest, Kenkuro. You deserve the honor.”

“Pfft, I’ve more than enough ‘honor’,” Kenkuro said, eyeing the spectator stands, “What I’d like more of is some good food, a nice perch to rest on, and the company of a fine female of any species. This is your day, Dao Ming, along with other youthful champions to prove themselves. Let the old have some peace and quiet.”

Dao Ming looked ready to argue, but took a breath and instead smiled, bowing her head, “I’ll endeavor to do you proud.”

To this, the tengu offered a warm look, “You have, and will continue to do so, I have no doubt. Now, I’d best get going, lest Dame Raindrops gets lonely on her vigil.”

Greysight raised her eyebrow at that, but made no comment on it as Kenkuro took wing and flew off back towards the monastery. A moment later she said, ``It seems things will start soon.”

She nodded at the sight of more champions arriving upon the field, including her fellow minotaurs. Steel Cage was walking past them, and while his physical size was no less prodigious, there was a distinct aura of defeat about him and the two other champions following him. Trixie could all but feel the vacuum of dejected funk following the minotaurs, and she didn’t really blame them. They hadn’t fared well in the Contest where their physical might would’ve been the greatest help, and the remaining two Contests could prove problematic for a species not known for having magic. They might do well enough in the maze, especially if what Trixie heard about the way minotaur cities were built was true, but she wasn’t sure what the rules for the Contest of Magic would be regarding the minotaurs. Even the griffins had the same weather control pegasi did.

“Hm, looks like our ‘champ’ is going to need a proper kick in the rear to get his mind back in focus,” Greysight said, “If you’ll excuse me. Good luck in the Contest... and any other challenges we face today.”

With those enigmatic words, she strode naway to join the other minotaurs.

“Spirits favor you today, Dames,” Dao Ming said, wearing a small smile of confidence, “Although I do fully intend to win, of course.”

“As expected,” Trixie replied, “Just don’t expect to, with us as your opponents.”

There was no hint of a pricked ego or barbed arrogance in Dao Ming’s laugh, only a clean, honest amusement at a now respected rival’s assertion. “Don’t disappoint, then, Dame Lulamoon.”

The six mares watched Dao Ming go to her presumed starting location in the maze, and then waited for the Contest of Wits to begin. It didn’t take long, once the last of the champions had arrived and the many spectator seating areas had been filled to capacity with an eager audience. Abbess Serene arrived to address both crowd and champions with a magically amplified voice and her face transmitted across the viewing mirrors. Trixie noticed the elderly mare seemed tired, with a dash less enthusiasm in her voice than usual, although she doubted many others picked up on it for the Abbess still spoke with a great deal of projected energy and poise.

“Good morning everyone, both champion and honored guests! It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the beginning of what will be the culmination of this grand competition between such skilled and noble champions. As was announced yesterday, we shall be holding both the Contest of Wits and Magic today, as to allow for more time for revelry in the festivities afterward. And first of those two events shall be the Contest of Wits!”

At a gesture from the Abbess, the doors in front of each set of champions swung open, revealing an odd, magical shimmer beyond. Trixie cocked her head, knowing illusion magic when she saw it. At a glance, she could see a faint waver of distortion overhanging the entire maze. The magical working seemed fairly basic to her trained eye, and she imagined it was layered on by the work of several illusionists among the monks who were unicorns.

Without careful examination she couldn’t determine the extent of the illusions, but she imagined it probably affected perceptions inside the maze, likely tied to whatever challenges of wits were to come.

“The rules for this Contest are quite simple,” the Abbess said, “Each team enters their portion of this carefully constructed maze. Within lay puzzles, riddles, and traps tailored to challenge our competitors minds. Each set of challenges are different for each team, designed to reflect their country of origin. Score is determined by whether they finish the maze, how fast they do so, or if failing that, how far they get within the maze before the allotted time of two hours is up.”

“Hmm, sound simple enough,” Carrot Top said under her breath.

“Yeah, this is straight out of Ogres and Oubliettes,” said Lyra, “I wonder if the Abbess is a fan?”

“She said traps...” Cheerilee rubbed her chin musingly, “I wonder how that’s supposed to work? Going to assume they won’t be, you know, lethal or anything.”

“Probably just designed to slow us down,” Trixie theorized, “Regardless, we’ll need to proceed carefully.”

“Which is gonna affect our time,” said Raindrops, “Kinda clever, I guess.”

The moment they passed beyond the threshold of the maze’s entrance, the absolute silence that followed struck as hard as thunder.

“Wow, this is pretty creepy,” Carrot Top said, her ears twitching as she looked around. They could still see the tops of the stone walls around them, open to the sky, but the noises of the thousands of spectators were now gone, leaving the four mares in a stillness akin to wandering the caverns beneath the monastery.

“A silence spell, and a very well constructed one,” Trixie said, eyeing the area with her magic sight spell.

“Given that we’re supposed to be using our heads here, they spell is probably meant to prevent us from being distracted by the crowd or hearing the other teams chattering at each other,” said Cheerilee, stepping forward to be at the head of the group, “And since we’re on the clock here, we need to get moving.”

“Right on,” Lyra said, glancing left and right, “So, uh, which way, fearless leader?”

The starting portion of the maze had a simple choice between left and right, both pathways showing sharp turns leading towards the other end of the maze. Trixie was inclined to head left, purely on gut instinct, but she was willing to let Cheerilee take the lead for now, since the warning of traps was something Trixie took seriously and didn’t want to second guess the only mare in the group who might know a bit about dealing with that kind of thing. Trixie was geared more to avoiding social pitfalls, not literal ones.

Cheerilee’s eyes flicked left and right for a moment, their green depths glittering... then she turned to the right, “This way. Walk behind me, single file. If you hear a ‘click’ at any point, stop moving.”

They got to moving, Cheerilee taking things at a pace balanced between caution and haste, all of the mares aware of the fact that they were competing for speed but keenly aware that getting caught by some trap would cost them valuable time.

The first trap was right around the corner, as it turned out. Cheerilee immediately halted the second she turned the bend, throwing a hoof out to halt Trixie as she herself froze in place. Cheerilee’s other hoof had lightly brushed a tripwire strung so thinly across the pathway that Trixie had to blink a few times to even be sure it was there. Cheerilee took a deep breath, and very carefully examined the wire before stepping over it. One by one she got the others to follow suit, and they resumed at a slightly slower pace.

“Anypony wondering what that wire did?” Lyra asked, “I mean, none of the traps are gonna be lethal or anything, right?”

“Of course they won’t be,” Trixie said, “Probably have been anything from bathing us in itching powder to a stink bomb, or maybe splatter sticky goo on the floor-” she nearly rammed into Cheerilee, who had stopped again, this time at a T-juncture. Trixie caught herself in time, but Carrot Top, who’d been looking at some unusual patterns carved into the wall, bumped into her. This created a domino effect that knocked Trixie into Cheerilee, who was shoved forward into the juncture just as she had been bending down to examine what looked like an unusual depression in the ground.

Cheerilee’s hoof hit the depression with an audible click, and for a moment all the mares stood stock still. Trixie glanced back at Carrot Top with flaring eyes, and Carrot Top offered a quick, apologetic smile.

Then the pathway on their left suddenly was closed off as stone walls shifted and slammed into place to cut off that direction, and then the same occurred to the path behind them. On the wall that had appeared across the path behind the group, a section turned and opened up, revealing the head of some aquatic, equine creature, reminiscent of the kelpie the mare’s were familiar with. A rumble was heard, and Cheeriee shouted, “Move!”

The mares all scrambled forward as a jet of water blasted out of the stone kelpie head. Most of them got clear, but Lyra was last in line and got knocked off her hooves as the water jet knocked her into the wall. She wasn’t injured, but she was soaked and took a few moments to get out from under the water, helped along by Carrot Top.

The water subsided, and a dripping Lyra spat water out of her mouth, “Okay, that was annoying.”

“And our paths forward are now limited,” Trixie said, frowning deeply, “Probably to force us down a longer route.”

“Sorry,” said Carrot Top, “I was just looking at these weird patterns in the wall and I wasn’t looking at where I was going...”

“No, it’s okay,” Cheerilee said, “I should have paid attention to those patterns as well. Look,” she said, gesturing at the walls of the path they were now on, “There’s more here.”

There were a series of markings appearing periodically along both sides of the wall. At a glimpse they appeared to be just decorative gibberish, a series of circles, half circles, and quarter circles all aligned along with triangular markings of various numeric quantities. Trixie hadn’t even noticed them, since the markings were small and blended in pretty well with the stone.

“I was so focused on looking for stuff on the ground I didn’t realize those wall markings were even there,” Cheerilee said with a hapless shrug.

“Alright, but do they mean anything?” Lyra asked, taking a closer look up and down the wall, “The same pattern seems to repeat, but it’s different for the left or right side of the wall.”

“Let’s move a bit further ahead,” said Trixie, her own thoughts starting to spark with theories, “I want to see if the pattern changes near a turn juncture.”

As it turned out, the pattern itself didn’t change when they reached a four way juncture, but after Cheerilee checked to make sure there was no trap in the center and the mares could examine the walls of all four paths, the pattern did alter depending on which direction they’d go.

“There’s a full circle with four triangle markings on the left path,” said Lyra, “And on the right path we’ve got a half circle with three triangles. The way directly ahead is a quarter circle with two triangles, then behind us the pattern corresponds to the pattern we have on the right and left pathways.”

“Hold on,” said Carrot Top, “The pattern is a little different on the way forward, too, with there being three triangles on the right wall instead of two.”

“So what’s that mean? If I was going to guess, the circles are... what, moon phases?” Lyra suggested.

“That actually sounds pretty plausible,” said Trixie, “But then my incredible powers of deduction falter at teensy bit at the triangles. What does the moon have to do with triangles?”

“Actually, I don’t think it’s supposed to represent the moon,” Carrot Top said. The farm pony was in the center of the four way juncture, looking alternatively behind them with a contemplative wrinkle of her nose, then at each of the four pathways in turn and their corresponding patterns. “When we hit that trap, it stopped us from going left, closing up the walls. But the pattern on the left was a full circle with four triangles... carrots...”

“Carrots?” Cheerilee said, “You mean the triangles are carrots?”

“Well, maybe not, maybe I’m being simple minded here,” Carrot Top admitted with an embarrassed look, “But the circles make me think of the seasons. Like, well, the sun, and how much of it is out during spring, summer, or autumn. And for carrots, harvest time is usually summer. More triangles, more carrots, better harvest... and well, seemed to match what the better path is supposed to be.”

“That’s... kinda a stretch there,” Lyra said, but Cheerilee held up a hoof.

“No, I think she’s onto it. These challenges were made with each team in mind, right? So the monks know about Carrot Top’s occupation. Why not make a pattern a carrot farmer would recognize?”

“Point taken,” Lyra said, “So, that means we’re going left? It’s the most ‘bountiful’ direction to go, right?”

“If, um, If I’m right, yeah,” Carrot Top said, and Trixie took a deep breath and patted the mare on the shoulders.

“We’ll stake our performance on you being right! Onward, to the left!”

That pathway swiftly ended up curving to the north, and then further curving again in an S-shape. Cheerilee led the group at a more careful pace, just in case, but it did seem like Carrot Top had guessed correctly, for the mares didn’t encounter any traps along the pathway. However, just around the next bend they all came to a halt at what appeared to be a dead end.

Carrot Top gained a dejected look at the sight of the stone wall in front of them, her voice softening as she said, “Sorry girls, maybe I was wrong-”

“Don’t second guess yourself just yet,” Cheerilee said, giving the wall a closer look, and after a moment her face brightened with a grin, “Check it out.”

The other mares peered closer to see a symbol identical to Carrot Top’s cutie mark carved nearly imperceptibly into the wall, and Cheerilee made a gesture towards it for Carrot Top. “After you, Dame Toppington. Looks like your guess was right on the nose.”

After a brief hesitation, Carrot Top touched the symbol, and pressed inward. The stone shifted in a small block pattern, then the entire wall grinded out of the mares’ path, revealing a much larger, open space beyond. Carrot Top smiled with a bashful droop to her ears as her friends congratulated her and they advanced into the next area, although Lyra started to muse aloud.

“You know, it occurs to me that if these puzzles are designed for each group, then maybe we shouldn’t have had Raindrops sit this one out. With Ditzy already out of commission, if any of these puzzles were designed with pegasi in mind, we might be in trouble...” she trailed off as she noticed the others had stopped, and Lyra too took in the sight of the next area. “Ah, you see, just like this.”

A short rim of space about five feet wide encircled what was otherwise a deep sloping depression of stone in the ground at least thirty feet deep. The stone walls surrounding this circular area bore odd, square mirrors at regular intervals, with a different colored crystal above each one; red, green, or blue. Then, at the far end of the area, was the portcullis gate, kept closed by an ornate clock with both a black and white gem placed within it. In the center of the large depression a stone column rose, and at its apex, which was at around chest height to the mares, were a pair of mirrors on metal swivels. The mirrors had to have had some magical properties, because it was clear to see that they were reflecting sunlight back at one another to create an even beam, which Trixie estimated required some illusioncraft to create such a steady and coherent lightshow from a simple mirror. One of those mirrors has it’s beam pointed at it’s fellow, reflecting back on itself, but the other was angled so it was already touching the white gem at the gate.

“Okay... so, what do we do?” asked Carrot Top, “I mean, I figure we’re supposed to screw around with those mirrors, but we can’t get to them without wings.”

“Hold on,” said Lyra, pointing at the column, “There’s also some kind of plaque with writing on it over there too. Can’t read it from here.”

“I could probably try climbing the column,” suggested Cheerilee, eyeing the stone edifice with a critical gaze, “Wouldn’t be easy, but I bet I could manage.”

“No need,” said Trixie, turning to Lyra, “Ditzy and Raindrops may be absent, but we’re unicorns. We have a means to get somepony over to the plaque and mirrors.”

To emphasize this point, she lit up her horn and grasped Cheerilee with a soft and steady tint of magical aura, lifting the mare off the ground. Cheerilee looked at herself, then back to Trixie with a sarcastically flavored half-smile, “You know it’s surprising how often I forget how convenient it is to have friends that can just float stuff around at will.”

“Truly those who have Trixie as a friend are blessed,” Trixie agreed, then she glanced at Lyra, “If you float Carrot Top over, I’m sure between the two of them they can do whatever Ditzy and Raindrops were meant to.”

“First let’s read whatever’s on that plaque. Probably a riddle to solve whatever we’re supposed to do with the mirrors,” said Cheerilee, and soon enough Lyra had Carrot Top caught up with her own magical glow, and the two unicorns floated their friends across the open space towards the column.

“Just, uh, keep a tight grip, okay?” said Carrot Top nervously, “I don’t think the drop would kill us, but I’d like to avoid any shattered legs today. Or any day.”

“Oh, relax, we won’t drop either of you,” Trixie said, then grunted slightly, “Although let’s try not to take too long. Our score time aside, this is going to get draining, and I still have a Contest of Magic to win after this.”

Once at the small, bronze plaque, Cheerilee examined the words and read them aloud.

”The ones who are all yet stand alone lead the way forward.

In darkness or light, forever bound by the three they rule.

Red for magic is their lifeblood, blue for the sky they claim, and green for the earth that loves them.

The three that are one make the one that are three, yet one has forgotten and remains forever alone, until she is blinded by her purpose no longer.”

A moment of silence passed after Cheerilee was done reading, and then she said, “Everypony get that?”

“Heard it, still trying to parse it out,” said Lyra, scrunching her face in thought.

“Hey, raise me up to the mirrors,” said Carrot Top, “I want to fiddle with them.”

Lyra obliged, and Trixie decided to raise Cheerilee up to the top of the column as well. There was barely enough space for the two up there, but it gave Trixie and Lyra both a chance to rest their horns while their friends examined the mirrors, moving very carefully to avoid slipping off the limited space at the top of the column.

“Well, this one moves...” Carrot Top said, twisting the mirror that had been pointing at it’s twin on the other side of the column, “How about the other one?”

“Hm, seems stuck by something,” Cheerilee said, trying to budge the mirror in question and finding it holding fast, “And I’m not going to push too hard, lest I break something. Try pointing yours at one of the other colored mirrors and see what happens.”

Carrot Top nodded and carefully swiveled her mirror around, catching the beam on the nearest mirror, containing a blue gem. The light beam was reflected out of the mirror, going off at an odd angle, and was now tinted entirely blue.

“Ten bits says we’ve got to get the right colors to hit those crystals at the gate,” said Lyra.

“Makes sense. The words on the plaque must be our clue to figuring out which colors to use,” said Carrot Top, who then swept a questioning gaze across the other mares. “So, um... any ideas?”

“We could always just try random combinations. There aren’t that many possibilities,” Lyra suggested, but Cheerilee waved her hoof.

“That’d also take time. The riddle shouldn’t be that hard to figure out. Let’s go over it, piece by piece.”

Trixie had already been thinking it over, just making a point of memorizing the lines in her mind and considering their meanings. The first line that had stuck out in her mind was concerning the color red.

“One of the first things I learned about magic during my studies was that in ancient times, red was considered the purest color in terms of magical power,” she said, and Lyra’s lips pursed in a sour look.

“Yeah, but that’s really old fashioned thinking, and only because the first unicorn royals from the original tribe had red magic auras. There’s zero truth to the color spectrum affecting magical talents.”

“Of course not,” Trixie said, nodding firmly, “But I doubt that the one making the riddle for this puzzle cared much about that, and just needed a color to represent unicorns, and it's a color any unicorn with a modicum of historical knowledge would recognize.”

Lyra conceded the point with a shrug, then said, “Which makes blue pretty obviously pegasi, and green the earth ponies. Where does that leave us, though?”

“First two lines have to be referring to the alicorns,” Cheerilee said, adjusting her grip on the mirror she held as she edged back to the center of the column and tilted her head towards the black and white gems at the gate, “I mean, it’s pretty obvious. ‘Ones that are all’, the ‘three they rule’, yadda yadda. Alicorns have parts of all three pony tribes, and we used to have two of them running the show until Her Royal Burninator licked too much salt.”

“You know she might still be able to hear you, even from up there, right?” Carrot Top said, glancing up at the sky where the golden ark of Corona could still be seen, hovering ominously. Cheerilee cracked a smirk and made a rude gesture at the floating vessel of ornate gold.

“Hope she can.”

“Focus, girls,” Trixie said, trotting along the length of the area's rim while still careful to use magic to give Cheerilee support, just in case the mare slipped. She reached the gateway and glanced up at the two gems, “Black and white... so, Luna and Corona.”

“Luna’s more of a really dark blue,” Carrot Top said.

“It’s close enough for riddle-work,” Trixie concluded, “But try aiming that blue beam over here, just in case.”

It took a little doing to find the right way to angle the mirror, but Carrot Top found it was entirely possible to aim the light beam from the mirror into the blue crystal mirror, then angle that beam towards the gate. However when the blue beam struck the black gem, nothing happened.

“Yeah, no way it was going to be that easy,” Lyra said, then her eyes lit up, “Hey Carrot, try aiming the blue beam towards one of the other colored crystals.”

“On it.”

A few moments later she had the blue beam aimed at a mirror bearing a red gem, and the beam of light that shone forth from the mirror that time had become a pale purple. Lyra chuckled under her breath, “I got it. Three that are one. That’s alicorns, right? So we mix all three colors together. See if you can get that purple beam angled at a mirror with one of the green gems.”

“Uh... I don’t think I can from this angle.”

“Then switch it around a bit. Aim at another mirror first. We just need to get the right angle that’ll let us hit all three colors, then aim that at the black and white gems,” Lyra insisted, and Trixie gave Carrot Top a nod of assent. After a few minutes of fiddling Carrot Top let out an exclamation of success as she found the right angle to get the colors of all three pony tribes mixed together, forming a dark beam that struck the black gem and... did absolutely nothing.

“Aw c’mon!” Carrot Top said, “That’s got to be the solution, right?”

Cheerilee was rubbing her chin, and then looked at the other mirror, the one that was stuck aiming a beam of sunlight onto the white gem, “...forever alone, until blinded by her purpose no longer.”

“What was that, Cheers?” asked Carrot Top, and the school teacher glanced over at her.

“Try to aim the black beam at this mirror.”

Understanding popped to fruition in Carrot Top’s eyes, and she quickly swiveled the mirror around, transferring the black beam to the companion mirror across from it. That black beam merged with the sunlight beam, filtering into the white gem. There was a clicking noise from the second mirror, and Cheerilee found she could not move it. With a grin, she got to work, changing that beam’s direction until it too had collected light from the red, blue, and green colored mirrors, and could be redirected to the black gem. In this manner, both the black and white crystals were illuminated by the combined beams of all three tribes.

The gates swung open with a barely audible noise of greased metal.

“Well done everypony,” Trixie said as Lyra joined her and they both floated Carrot Top and Cheerilee back to solid ground, “It’ll take a larger brain teaser than that to stop our forward march to victory!”

“You do realize you’re begging for more riddles, right?” Cheerilee asked, and Trixie snorted, flicking her tail.

“Bring them on. No mere word soup will stop us.”

Lyra and Carrot Top shared a look and chuckled under their breath, but as they passed through the gates they resumed serious expressions, not forgetting that traps also could lay just ahead to slow them down. The maze resumed with its twists and turns, and bold as they were, progress was slowed by the necessity of Cheerilee carefully checking the way for any trap triggers. As impatient as Trixie was getting, knowing that every minute that elapsed was time for their competitors to make it to the end before them, she was extremely grateful for having Cheerilee along to help them avoid time consuming obstacles.

At around the third trigger Cheerilee found, this one a hidden pressure plate buried just beneath the ground, Lyra asked, “Okay, Cheerilee, I know you’re the most seasoned and traveled out of all of us, but where did you learn to do this? Some of your skills I get, but when did trapfinding become standard for world travelers?”

Cheerilee’s cheeks burned to a darker shade of magenta as she stepped over the pressure plate with very careful placement of her hooves, feeling for any additional ones ahead of her. “I, uh... didn’t pick this up from my travels.”

The other mares all looked at each other, Lyra’s brow expanding up in a questioning furrow, “Gonna elaborate on that?”

“She doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to,” said Carrot Top, “It could be personal, you know?”

“It’s not a big secret or anything,” replied Cheerilee, looking as if she was trying hard to repress a heavy sigh, “Just had a coltfriend once who was really into LARP.”

“The bloody hay is LARP?” blurted Trixie, and Lrya raised her head and let out a chiming, full bellied laugh.

“I remember a bunch of ponies in college were into that from the Ogres and Oubliettes crowd I used to hang with. Even went to a few sessions when I was really bored,” Lyra said, “It wasn’t so bad, but not really my scene, either. Way easier to chill around a table with plenty of snacks and drinks rather than dress up and head out into the woods, you know?”

"No, I don't know," Trixie said, as baffled as ever.

“Well, the coltfriend in question was an engineer by trade, so he built some of the ‘dungeons’ he ran us through, complete with actual traps,” Cheerilee said, letting out a snort that was half old remembered annoyance, and actual fondness, “I got tired of getting bags of flour dumped on my head, so I got equally good at spotting his traps as he was at setting them up.”

“What the bloody hay is a LARP?” Trixie repeated, and Cheerilee glanced back at her.

“Pretty much what we’re doing right now, just with less convincing garb, more foam weapons, and a lot of arguing over rules.”

“...I remain confused,” Trixie said, then added, “Which for the moment I’m going to consider a good thing.”

They made what felt like good time across the next few turns in the maze, largely because the symbol pattern they’d initial encountered remained a theme through the maze’s pathways and now that they understood it, the mares could choose the most ideal route. This soon led them to a wider space that was shaped like an inverted triangle. The mares found themselves entering at the apex of the triangle, where the bottom of the triangular shaped room was formed by the wall ahead of them. A large, stone archway there revealed an open field beyond. The exit to the maze?

“Ha, we’re almost there!” Trixie said, rearing up with eager excitement, “Just one more room to clear.”

“Yeah, but what’s the deal here?” said Lyra, noting the floor, “This going to be another riddle?”

Laid out before them was a floor separated into a field of stone tiles. Each tile bore an Equestrian letter upon it, carved out in bold lettering that made them easy to read. Trixie found herself slowly lowering herself from her previous pose and taking a moment to look over the tiles, which started about four paces from the entryway, and went all the way up to the very stone arch that was to be their exit. The letters all appeared to be in an impressive jumble, although she thought perhaps she could pick out a few actual words, here and there.

“I know I said we wouldn’t be stopped by word soup, but I didn’t think these puzzle designers would take that literally,” she muttered.

“Hey, nothing stopping us from just floating our way across it, right?” Lyra said, lighting up her horn and picking up Cheerilee, “We could totally bypass this.”

“I don’t think-” Cheerilee began to say as she was floated over the first few tiles. The moment she passed them overhead, a bell chimed from somewhere, and the open archway was suddenly closed by a set of stone pillars, “-...that’ll work,” Cheerilee finished with a flat look shot towards Lyra.

“Riiiight, guess those monks really do think of everything,” Lyra said, floating Cheerilee back to the starting area, upon which the pillars blocking the archway retracted.

“We’ll have to do this the right way,” grumbled Trixie, “Although I think floating us over should count as a witty solution, but oh well. Hm, must be a clue as to how to get across...”

“Over here,” Carrot Top said, going to the right of the entryway and gesturing at words carved in a simple poem format down the length of the wall. As the other mares gathered around her, Trixie adjusted her hat and smiled.

“Another riddle? No problem. The mind bending logic of Trixie and her intellectual companions shall have this figured out in no time...” she paused, and then glanced sidelong at her friends, “Sooooo... anypony know what this gibberish means?”

“Let me read it,” said Cheerilee, speaking in a slow cadence.

“To begin Equestria,

I bring an end to time,

Within all ponies,

And even zebra-kind,

The finale of life,

But absent at birth,

Necessary to pegasi,

Found in every pony of earth,

Dwelling in Stone,

Water or Flame,

My grandeur so great,

Even Celestia must contain,

Not in the Night Court,

But inside all peasants,

Vacant in Tyrants,

Within every Princess.”

Ponderously the four of them read over the riddle, and Trixie saw varied levels of puzzlement from her friend’s expressions. She wasn’t much better off, re-reading the carved words and considering how they might relate to the chasm of scrabble that stood between them and exiting the maze. It was tantalizingly frustrating to see that open exit so close, yet just that far out of reach, and not even knowing if any of the other teams had made it out of the maze themselves yet. She could just imagine Dao Ming standing out there, looking at the Equestrian team’s exist, and waiting for Trixie to show up with a smug grin...

Well, perhaps not a smug grin, Trixie admitted to herself, quick to remind herself that the kirin’s demeanor had smoothed out considerably since their first meeting. If anything Trixie’s eagerness for a win had little to do with proving anything to Dao Ming, and more just to add to the excitement of the final part of the Contest. Dao Ming was still ahead of them, and if they pulled off a win here, that’d put them near a tie in overall points. Trixie rather liked the notion of everything hinging on the Contest of Magic. A little ego-centric, maybe, but she believed she was allowed to soak in a little self-importance on occasion. She was humbler than a year ago, but she wasn’t dead.

Not that ego would matter if they didn’t figure this riddle out.

“I don’t suppose anypony is seeing a pattern here?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Cheerilee shrugged, “But it’s got to tell us the right path across these tiles, so the pattern has to be there.”

The mares gazed at the titles, and Trixie tried to search out the words she saw occasional pop out of the chaotic mix. Like a word search, some letters lined up either in a line or a diagonal, spaced among the otherwise random jumble. It didn’t take her long to realize that almost every one of those words was inside the riddle itself.

“Look,” she said, “There’s ‘Equestria’, and over there ‘time’.”

“Water is right here,” Lyra said, nodding at some of the tilest nearest to them, “And I see earth further down.”

“Does anypony feel like that’s way too easy a solution?” said Carrot Top, “I mean, if we just had to cross using those words, I mean?”

“No, you’re right, that’d be way too simple, but it’s easy to test, too,” Cheerilee said, and stepped on the ‘W’ from ‘Water’. With a grinding noise the stone pillars closed up the exit, and Cheerilee nodded as she took her hooves off the ‘W’ and the exit opened up again. “See? So we know it’s not the words themselves.”

“Might be the order we need to do them in,” suggested Lyra, “Equestria is within hopping distance, and it’s from the first line of the riddle.”

“Give it a whirl,” said Trixie, and Lyra cracked a smile and edged close to the tiles. With a dexterous spring, Lyra jumped out over the titles and landed with a bit of stumbling grace on the later half of the letters spelling ‘Equestria’. Unfortunately the exit closed once more and the bard let out a frustrated whinny.

“Alright, any other bright ideas?” Lyra asked, trudging back to the group.

After a few minutes of thoughtful silence, Carrot Top said, “I feel like we’re missing something really obvious here...”

“Princess Luna often told me when I can’t solve a problem to change how I’m looking at it,” Trixie said, turning back to the riddle itself, narrowing her eyes at it like she was preparing to size up a particularly frustrating foe. What she was actually doing was reading each word and trying to think about it in its most simple, literal meaning.

It didn’t actually take long for it to click, then.

“Hah, that’s so straight forward no wonder we’d miss it at first,” she said and swiftly cantered up to the tiles while her friends looked at her with curious eyes. Trixie quicky re-examined the placement of the words and the letters around them, and felt even more confident as she realized that for all the myriad of letters surrounding the words, there was one particular letter conspicuously absent from the general stew, and existed only within the words that were spelled out.

“Observe, my friends, as Trixie’s brilliance has decoded this final riddle! With your help, of course. Trial and error and such.”

“Do you always do this third-pony speak when you’re in a good mood? I thought that was more you when you were sloshed,” Lyra said, and Trixie gave her cape a flippant twirl.

“I shall refer to myself in third-pony when dramatically appropriate. Or when I’m in a good mood. I deny all reports of what I do or don’t do during instances of inebriation, which I’ll remind you has not happened lately. Now then, watch and be amazed!”

“It’s the letter ‘E’, isn’t it?” said Cheerilee, just as Trixie’s hoof was lowering with a rather theatrical slowness towards the letter ‘E’ in the word ‘Water’. Trixie halted, stumbled, managed to catch herself and actually stand on the letter ‘E’, which consequently did not cause the stone pillars to raise and block their path... but Trixie just turned and gave Cheerilee a withering look.

“You just had to pop my dramatic bubble, didn’t you?”

Cheerilee did give her an apologetic smile and wink, “Sorry. I worked it out about the same time you did, but figured I’d let you take the lead. Just couldn't help needling you a bit there. You were kind of milking it.”

“Yes, well... I suppose I was,” Trixie admitted, but carefully moved her hooves to step on the next letter ‘E’, this one part of the word ‘zebra’, which would then get her in distance to stand on the word ‘Equestria’ with it’s two different ‘E’s. The exit remained clear as she did so.

“Oooh,” Lyra said, gazing over her shoulder at the riddle, “I get it now. Is it just me or do I feel a little, uh... dumb for not figuring that out, like, right off the bat?”

“I think you’d have had to have run into that kind of riddle before to get it that fast,” said Cheerilee, “Although this feels a little anticlimactic for the finish. Almost too easy.”

“Don’t. Jinx. It,” Trixie said, and gradually all four mares managed to cross the tiles using the numerous letter ‘E’s available across the words. By the time they all got to the open archway which appeared to lead outside, Trixie continued to say, “I’m perfectly happy with getting through this maze without any further trouble. Lest we forget we have bigger concerns than just winning...this...”

She trailed off as she stepped through the archway, which proceeded to shimmer with an illusion that rippled like stepping through a pool of water. On the other side the mares found themselves at a four way split off of pathways, the maze stretching out ahead of them and making it clear they weren’t through with the Contest of Wits quite yet. Trixie turned a flat stare at Cheerilee, who somehow managed an even larger apologetic smile than before.

“Uh...sorry?”

Raindrops leaned against the entryway into the Order of Legends’ hidden research chambers, one eye kept on the passageway leading back into the monastery’s basement levels, while the other was on one of the magical, floating mirrors that hung in the air a few paces from her. One of the monks had been kind enough to bring one down so she could watch the Contest while guarding the laboratory.

It was an interesting sight, she had to admit. She had no control over what the mirror showed, and it kept cycling between the teams every few minutes. Trixie and the girls were making pretty good progress, it seemed, and Raindrops had to chuckle a bit at their apparent antics as they solved puzzles and avoided traps. She had to admit, it looked kind of fun, and she was sorry she’d chosen to sit things out. But, guarding this chamber felt more important. If the conspirators made a go for it, they were going to run hoof-first into a very irate pegasus.

The mirror had shifted from Raindrops’ friends to one of the other teams, the minotaurs, who were doing... better than Raindrops would have expected. That female minotaur with the robes and weird clockwork staff was leading the bunch, and doing all the actual work, while mostly using Steel Cage and his two fellow champions as physical meatshields against the traps or living block shifters.

A lot of the minotaurs’ puzzles appeared to Raindrops to be block and numbers related. She’d seen the female minotaur... Greyeyes or somesuch, Raindrops couldn’t recall the name, gazing at arrays of numbers and letters arranged across blocks and other big stone shapes. The arrangement of numbers made Raindrops’ head hurt, but the minotauress seemed to be able to make sense of them, having her burly counterparts shift blocks into seemingly more appropriate arrangements.

It was like that for every team, it seemed. The nature of the puzzles were different for all of them. The griffin teams seemed to be running into a lot of puzzles involving reading scrolls of history and heraldry, arranging shields iconography or historical texts in the right order, or maybe orders of importance to griffin culture? She wasn’t sure.

Her attention was ratcheted away from the mirror as her ears twitched, picking up a noise from down the darkened hall. She was immediately on alert, turning to face a figure emerging from the dark.

“Who’s that!?” she demanded, wings flaring out, head lowered, hooves poised to leap.

“Fear not, my vigilant friend, it is only I,” replied a familiar voice as Kenkuro resolved from the shadows and stepped into the light of the torches flanking the hallway. “You were told you’d have company in guarding this place, were you not?’

She relaxed, but only a little as the tengu moved in his smoothly gliding, yet strangely hopping fashion to join her. “Yeah, Dao Ming said she’d bring you up to speed. Nice to have someone else here I can trust.”

“You don’t though, do you?” he said, flapping his wings to hop up onto one of the nearby tables to perch himself on the edge in a way that looked like it ought to be uncomfortable, but seemed to suit the raven-like bird person just fine. Raindrops bristled a bit at his question.

“Don’t take it wrong. It’s not personal. I figure you can be trusted, because if you were one of these hooded jerks running around, you’ve had plenty of chances to screw us over by now.”

“Ah, but what if I was being clever by trying to earn the trust of those I intended to turn on when the time was most ripe? As Tien Zhu once wrote; ‘Rare is the enemy that will tell you they’re your enemy before their time comes to strike.’”

She stared into his ink-pool eyes and her lips twitched upwards slightly, “You really like messing with people, don’t you?”

He let out a happy little caw of a laugh, “It’s one of my guilty pleasures, I’ll admit.”

“Yeah, the thing is I trust my intuition, Kenkuro. My gut tells me you’re a good one. Maybe not a decent one, but a good one. You could have let us die at the Grand Melee when Dao Ming screwed up with that lightning spirit. Instead you saved our tails. Thanks for that, by the way.”

He gave a slight bow, wing clipping over his chest, “My pleasure. I do hope you don’t think sourly of my young charge for her overzealousness.”

“I think I got a better idea of the pressure she’s under, after seeing her mom,” Raindrops said, “No offense, but your Empress is a piece of work.”

“She has... her own issues,” Kenkuro admitted, “I’ve known her a very long time.”

Raindrops considered just how old Shouma’s Empress was, a mare clearly in her mid to late forties, at least, then considered Kenkuro. “Uh, just how old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

A mysterious smile touched his beak, and she couldn’t help but notice one of his wings strayed to lightly caress the hilt of his ornate katana, “Old enough.

Raindrops just shook her head at that, turning her attention back to the mirror. Several of the order’s monks were quietly working in the laboratory beyond, but they were remarkably good at blending into the background, and were quieter than most mice. She couldn’t fathom a fraction of what they were actually doing, but considering Abbess Serene’s explanation earliery, Raindrops figured that was for the best. It still somehow struck her as... dangerous and a tad disingenuous to be using the Contest of Champions to study the magic of other races, but she understood the why of it. If Rengoku really was some kind of horrific, soul sucking fortress, it needed to be dismantled, not just contained.

To think it’d been sitting there for centuries, and in all that time the Order of Legends hadn’t discovered a way to dispose of it, or free any souls trapped within was unsettling in a existentially horrific manner that Raindrops hadn’t imagined tangling with prior to adventures like what had occured on Tambelon. She almost pinned for when her biggest concerns were her own anger management issues. Then again, recalling her experiences with her friends, and the recent clash with Tendaji, she couldn’t regret anything that had happened. Crazy as her life had gotten, she felt oddly at peace with it all.

With her attention on the mirror, Raindrops saw her friends rapidly having to avoid a bouncing, magical globe of what appeared to be glue. Cheerilee must have missed a trap. The mares were barreling down a maze corridor, just paces ahead of the spherical, bouncing ball pursuing them, until Carrot Top fished out a clay jar from her saddlebag and hurled it behind them. The jar broke apart and spread what looked like a burst of spider’s web across the hallway, catching the ball and sticking it fast.

“You and your friends have quite the assortment of skills,” Kenkuro noted, and Raindrops nodded idly.

“Some of it we had to pick up once things with Corona happened. Martial arts was just a hobby with me, until I realized knowing how to fight might actually make the difference between me and my friends coming back from a mission alive or not. Same thing with Carrot Top toying around with her concoctions, or Lyra’s and Trixie’s magic. Even Ditzy spent time recently trying to learn a bit more about how to handle herself in a fight, and that Sigurd fellow made that shield for her...”

“Knighthood is not a vocation to take lightly,” Kenkuro agreed, “Especially when a confrontation with Amatarasu is inevitable.”

“Well... we’re kind of hoping the Elements of Harmony will take care of the heavy lifting in that fight,” Raindrops admitted, her voice turning quietly solemn, “No amount of training or experience is going to let us take her down without those.”

Kenkuro conceded that point with a bob of his head, but then said, “Have you considered what to do afterward? Assuming you stand victorious over Amaterasu and lay her ambitions low, what will you do afterward?”

“Not sure what you mean.”

“Will you maintain the mantle of knight and champion, or lay those titles down and return to living as you had before?” the tengu asked, and Raindrops met his dark eyed gaze with a questioning stare.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Call it professional curiosity,” he replied, a smile once more touching his beak, “After witnessing the change your friend Trixie has helped bring to Dao Ming, and seeing the quality of Equestria’s champions, I find myself wanting to know that if Shouma was ever facing a threat it couldn’t handle on it’s own if there’d be help we could legitimately seek from our western neighbors.”

Raindrops considered that, then waved a wing, “I don’t know. Sure, if Shouma was in trouble, and we could help, I’m not going to say no, but the thing is... besides Trixie, I don’t think the rest of us really thrive on this adventuring life. Cheerilee used to, but she’s a schoolteacher now, and loves that job. Ditzy hates violence, and has a daughter she’d always be worried about. Carrot Top likes to flirt with adventure, heh, among other things, but her farm is everything to her. Now Trixie? She’s got her ambitions with the Night Court, and she can be a real loudmouth, but I think she takes to this adventuring stuff like a bird to flight. I almost think she’d be wasted in all that noble court stuff. Get her a problem to solve, people to save, and give her ego a bit of a scratch while you’re at it, and she shines. More than anypony I know, really...”

Raindrops trailed off, face taking on a briefly confused look of self contemplation before shaking her head, “As for me? I might have a knack for this, too, and moon knows my hooves are good for more than trotting. I just... don’t know if this is what I want my life to be.”

“A fair answer,” Kenkuro replied, “A part of me simply hopes for Dao Ming to have friends she might count on, in the future. She’s had precious little opportunity for making any.”

“I hear you, and hey, I don’t know what postage to Shouma is, but I bet she and Trixie can work out a way to pen pal it up-” Raindrops began to say, then paused as her head turned sharply to look down the corridor. Kenkuro had heard it a second before she did, and had already hopped down to stand in the entryway into the laboratory, his hand on the hilt of his blade.

What both of them heard was a sing-song voice, rich and feminine.

‘There was a grand time when the world did dance

upon the edge of chaos and battle’s harsh chance

In such an era do heroes both rise and fall

Chasing fortune, honor, and glory’s bright call

But now the battles are done and order does reign

There is no place for heroes to seek their own fame

So it falls to a bold few to reignite the spark

Of conflict and mayhem, from embers in the dark’

Raindrops had been peering into the flickering gloom to try and see who was approaching, but Kenkuro wasn’t waiting. He darted down the corridor, and Raindrops swore under her breath as she took to the air to chase after him. Slow as she was, she was still able to follow Kenkuro’s loping steps until they both could see a figure approaching, quadrupedal and garbed in dark gray robes. Her hood was up, but by then Raindrops had recognized the singing voice. She’d certainly gotten an earful of it during the Contest of Art.

“Andrea!” she shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Kenkuro pulled short, whipping out his blade, “Don’t talk, strike now, before she-!”

The distance between him and the cloaked figure, no doubt in Raindrops’ mind it was the female red elk skald, had closed fast. But not fast enough. Andrea had taken a step back, over what Raindrops could now see was a rune that she’d already carved into the floor with what looked like a dagger shaped from a dragon’s tooth.

Her face was now just visible beneath her hood, summer green eyes sparkling as the elk activated the rune, which blazed to emerald life. The stone heaved and rose beneath the rune, slamming a wall between Kenkuro and Andrea just as the tengu struck. His katana, miraculously and magically sharp, still cut the stone, but not enough to server through it.

“Blood and ashes!” Kenkuro spat, hacking at the wall again, drawing a thin line through the stone but not nearly enough to bring the wall down, “I should have realized!”

“Realized what?” Raindrops asked breathlessly, “How could you or anyone guess one of these flankholes was one of the cervids? They’re so... you know, honor this, honor that...”

“Well, no, I hadn’t the faintest notion Andrea was in on this, but I should have realized that guarding this laboratory could have been a trap.”

Raindrops looked at the wall, and slowly pieced it together herself. Sure, the lab might have been a valuable target, but it was also a really good place to trap a number of ponies (or other creatures) for awhile. If the conspirators had wanted to divide the forces arrayed against them, they’d just made the smartest move to do that. But, wouldn’t that mean...?

“Kenkuro, if Andrea just trapped us in here, then doesn’t that mean that the bad guys are making their move now?”

“It does,” he said, face grim, and he turned to her with his black eyes casting a serious light reflected from the torches around them as he gestured at the wall, “So, Dame Raindrops, just how strong are your hooves?”

Raindrops blinked at him, then gave the wall a look filled with the kind of ire only Raindrops was capable of as she began stretching, “That depends, just how sharp is your sword?”

“I don’t like it down here,” Smoke said, turning her head about as she kept spying what looked like lurking shadows amid the vast cavern system that she and her fellow faithful were moving amidst in their search for Zecora. With word having reached their Queen of the discovery of hidden passages within the caverns, Celestia had commanded Kindle to lead a search while Princess Luna’s “champions” were busy with the Contest.

Smoke was happy enough to follow Kindle just about anywhere, but she wasn’t happy about being in such tight quarters, underground, surrounded by darkness, knowing full well that dangerous creatures were out there somewhere who had the capacity to capture one as skilled as Zecora was. Smoke rather liked the odd but capable zebra mare. Sure, Zecora wasn’t exactly very sociable, but she had a certain confident wisdom about her that Smoke envied and hoped to emulate. It’d actually hit Smoke rather hard, when Zecora had vanished.

It hadn’t helped, running into Trixie, and having to deal with that prickly unicorn’s attitude. Smoke wanted to find Zecora both because Zecora was a comrade, and also partially to stick it to Trixie, if only a tad.

She just wished Zecora’s captors had chosen a less creepy place to hide out in. At least she was with Kindle and Terrorwing. Kindle wasn’t exactly a fighter, but his relentless confidence was emboldening to the otherwise withdrawn Smoke, and it always helped to have a giant griffin in flaming armor along for protection. Terrorwing alone kept the area well lit, although Smoke still added her own light from her unicorn horn to keep the shadows at bay.

“Fear not,” Kindle said at the head of their little troupe, “Nothing will catch us unawares. Our Queen’s light will illuminate every corner of this dank pit, until we’ve scoured away every last place to hide, found our erstwhile companion, and laid low the fools who were brazen enough to steal her away from us!”

“Keep it down,” Terrorwing hissed through a clenched beak, “Unless you want to give away our position, birdbrain.”

Kindle ruffled his wings in irritation, but cleared his throat and said in a quieter tone, “I was just assuaging dear Smoke’s fears-”

“Assuage when we’re not hunting,” the griffin grunted, “Quite frankly both of you could have stayed back on the ark and done whatever ponies do when actual work needs doing. I can find the zebra on my own.”

“H-hey, there’s no need to be like that, Terrorwing,” Smoke said, “The Queen ordered us to work together, so that’s what we should do. I can spot any illusions the enemy might be using to hide themselves. Could you do that?”

Fierce, predatory eyes regarded her cooly, and Smoke gulped, but Terrorwing just shrugged his wings and said, “No. Just both of you try to keep it down. I thought I smelled something a few tunnels back.”

“I’ll have you know I wash daily-” Kindle began, but Terrorwing growled and silenced him.

“Not that you puffed up pigeon, I mean I caught a scent of another griffin. Might be that Grimwald fellow. Whoever it is, the scent is fresh, and we’re following it.”

Smoke and Kindle exchanged looks, both of them apprehensive and excited at the prospect of catching their quarry. They fell in behind Terrorwing, letting the hulking griffin take the lead as they went down several more twists in the cavern tunnels. Soon they came upon a wider cave, filled with a thick forest of stalactites and stalagmites that criss-crossed the gloom like the shadowed teeth of a hulking beast’s mouth.

Terrorwing sniffed the air, eyes narrowing, and slowly paced forward, his steps now silent as a prowling cat’s. Kindle and Smoke couldn’t possibly match his natural predator’s grace, but tried their best to quiet their hoof falls as they followed him.

They were only ten paces into the cavern when a smooth, laughing voice echoed from seemingly everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“What do we have here? The sun-blind, sun-addled chicken who can't see he’s got something brighter than any sun shining right next to him, a horn-head who’s self-confidence issues could cripple an army if it was ever weaponized, and an overcompensating boy who thinks magical trinkets make up for his lack of talent. If there was ever any proof that Corona’s half-flanked coup was doomed to failure, it’s you three. The zebra’s the only one among you who actually knows who she is and what she’s about.”

Kindle whirled around, seeking the source of the voice as he shouted in as much projected confidence as he could muster, “Show yourself, cretin! Show yourself and be judged under the light of the Sun!”

Smoke moved instinctively closer to him, covering his back, and narrowing the focus of her horn’s light to shine it across the area. She strained to hear any movement that might give away the speaker’s position, but heard nothing other than the voice’s mocking laughter.

“Light of the ‘Sun’, eh? You really don’t got a clue, do you? You really think your ‘Queen’ cares about you? Soon as Luna’s little A-Team gives her another Harmony Zap, she’ll either go back into the sun, or go back to whatever passes for ‘sanity’ among alicorns. And either way, you’ll be left behind. Abandoned. Sad, sad little wannabe priest. I wonder how bad your mind is gonna crack when you realize just how fake your faith really is.”

Smoke could tell how badly the words cut into Kindle by the way his face screwed up with twisted, fiery anger. She quickly started to speak, trying to reach out a hoof to touch his withers, “Kindle, don’t listen! They’re just trying to provoke-”

“YOU WILL BURN HERETIC!”

“...you,” Smoke finished lamely as Kindle broke into a charge in a random direction down the cavern, all but frothing at the mouth. Or would have, if Terrorwing hand’t reached out, grabbed Kindle by the tail, and hauled the pegasus backwards.

“What do you think you’re doing, Terrowing!? I-”

“Will shut up or I’m going to sit on you while my armor is still active,” Terrowing said, making a point of the fact that the ornate plates still flared with magical flames as a few licked closer to Kindle. Kindle himself did possess charms to ward himself from fire, gifts from the Queen, but Terrorwing had made his point and the pegasus took a deep, shuddering breath, clearly struggling to control himself.

“Yes... yes, just a trick. Heheh, trying to trick me. A test of my faith.”

“Kindle,” Smoke said, “If they’re just yapping at us from the darkness, that must mean they’re scared to come at us head on.”

“Of course they are,” Terrowing said, flaring his own wings and drawing his sword from its scabbard, the blade itself igniting in bright sunfire, “I’m here. And ‘magical trinkets’ or not, they’re not stupid enough to show themselves so I can hack their wordy mouth off.”

“That right?” called the mysterious voice, echoing from every wall, “Or maybe I just don’t think you’re worth it ‘Terrorwing’, or should I just call you ‘Terry’. A failed son of a failed family. You already lost to the ponies once before. What makes you think it’ll be any different the next time? One failure after another, and when all is said and done what will you have left to show for it except a life wasted?”

As much as Terrorwing was trying to remain calm, Smoke could tell the griffin warrior was furious from the dilation in his eyes, and the heavy breathing that stemmed from his beak. He clenched out the words in bile ridden anger as he said, “Come into the light, and I’ll show you what’ll be different the next time I deal with those ponies. Won’t be anymore left of you than there will be of them.”

“How about you come and find me first, Terry?” cooed the mocking voice, and Terrorwing growled low, looking ready to spring and make the same mistake Kindle had, but Smoke, summoning up all the courage she could muster, got in front of the griffin and held up a hoof.

She wanted to flee his enraged gaze, but he looked at her and didn’t move, and she swallowed past a dry mouth as she whispered, “Has to be a trap ahead. L-let me spring it, and then you catch them. Force them to tell us where Zecora is.”

A small light of respect appeared in Terrorwing’s eyes as he gave a barely perceptible nod, whispering back, “Got guts for such a little mare. Go for it. I’ll back you up.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Kindle asked, and Smoke gave him a hopeful look.

“Just back up Terrorwing, I’m going to try and make the enemy expose themselves,” she said, and actually felt a spark of joy at the concern that actually appeared on his face. She turned from him and took a few steps forward, and then focused upon her horn as she laid out an illusion spell in front of her. Misty fog poured out of the ground and swelled up, flowing forward into the cavern. Smoke moved into it at a fast trot, heart thudding rapidly in her chest.

The fog cloud would obscure her a bit, but far from perfectly. She was hoping the enemy would still take the bait of her willingly separating herself from Kindle and Terrorwing, and assume she was relying on the fog to protect her, where in reality the spell was just to make it look like she was trying something desperate. Which she was, just not what she was hoping the enemy would expect.

About twenty more paces ahead she saw the cavern slope downward, and felt a tug on her leading hoof as it touched a tripwire. So there had been a trap, just like she’d thought. Fear punched through her as she wondered if these people were looking for more prisoners, or just to eliminate threats. She hadn’t thought this through. However instead of the lethal sting of some arrows or blades, or any other kind of deadly trap, she felt the heavy yet oddly relieving simplicity of a thick net smacking into her from some launching mechanism hidden among the stalagmites.

She knew better than to tangle herself up by struggling, and instead went still as the net bore her down. She wanted to appear as subdued as possible. It appeared to work, as she felt a griffin’s claws grab her and the net, hauling her up as the enemy sought to make her either a prisoner or a hostage.

Smoke immediately cut the magic to her illusion and let the fog vanish like a puff of smoke driven away by the wind. She found herself in the grasp of a mildly annoyed looking Grimwald, whose annoyance at the fog vanishing was replaced by a grimace as Terrorwing, spying his prey, let out a hunting shriek and rushed forward, Kindle loping alongside at an awkward gallop.

“Of for the love of-” Grimwald said, and threw Smoke at Terrorwing, “Catch, sparky!”

Terrorwing didn’t catch Smoke, which sort of bummed her out, but her mood was instantly improved as Kindle did catch her, flying up to take both her and the heavy net smack in the face. Okay, so it wasn’t a flattering catch, and she feared she might have hit him in the face rump first (which caused no shortage of blushing on her end), and she ended up in a heap on top of the dazed pegasus. But he was okay, and so was she, and... now she was tangled in a net on top of Kindle. Any other day or circumstances that’d be fine, but now she started trying to get free as Terrorwing reached Grimwald with a furious warcry.

Terrorwing’s flaming blade came down like a vengeful comet, but Grimwald showed his trademark dexterous grace and wove out of the way. The magical sunblade still cut a molten path through stone, and Terrorwing, neither unskilled or willing to give up the momentum, pursued Grimwald through the cavern. The flaring blade of searing metal and flame cut asunder stalagmites and stalactites into pieces, Terrorwing pressing forward like a blazing centurion. Grimwald kept just ahead of the inferno of flame and steel with deft maneuvers, and soon the two griffins were moving out down a cavern slope, further and further away from Kindle and Smoke.

“Kindle, you okay?” Smoke asked, finally disentangling herself from the net and rolling off of him. The pegasus groaned, raising up propped by his two forehooves, eyes blinking and unfocused.

“Have you been working out?” he asked, and Smoke’s face burned.

“N-no! ... maybe a little.”

Kindle recovered his senses with a shake of his head and stumbled up to his hooves. By now the light from Terrorwing’s sword and armor were about all either he or Smoke could see from the far end of the cavern, “Come, Smoke, we mustn’t be left behind!”

She nodded, taking his offered hoof up, and then both broke into a run. By the time they caught up with Terrorwing, however, they found the griffin alone at the end of the cavern. He was making an impressive display of melting out several carved chunks from the cavern wall, while letting out a string of profanity that Smoke only half understood, as some of it was heavily leaning towards griffin slang that made no sense to her.

“What happened, Terrorwing?” Kindle asked, “Where is the dastardly knave?”

Terrorwing didn’t so much calm down as just... be slightly less murderous as he backed off from the wall and with heaving breaths stared at it for several moments. Slowly he gained enough of his wits to say, “The bastard just... melded with the wall.”

“He what?” Smoke asked.

“He went right into it,” Terrorwing said, “Like the damn thing was water.”

“An illusion?” Kindle asked, casting Smoke a questioning look. She approached the wall and examined it. It was covered in dozens of still heated marks from Terrorwing’s blade, the trails in the stone melted and still somewhat glowing. Careful not to burn herself, she touched the wall and frowned.

“No, it’s real,” she said.

“But then... how?” Kindle said, eyes filled with confusion.

“I don’t know. I don’t know of any spell that does that, and certainly nothing a griffin could do,” Smoke said, “But, this means that Grimwald could be anywhere in these caverns, if he has an artifact that lets him pass through stone.”

“He tried to take you,” Kindle said, “Would that mean he could do the same to anycreature he touched? Could he have pulled you through the stone as well?”

To this, Smoke could only offer an unknowing shrug. Terrorwing spat, sheathing his sword.

“Doesn’t matter. Bastard played us. Led us here, wasted our time, and...” he paused, suddenly stiffening. Smoke saw him lean down and pick something up from the ground. Moving over to him, Smoke peered at what he was holding. A single, singed feather from a griffin’s wing, cleanly severed near the base.

“Is that...?” she began, and Terrorwing grinned fiercely.

“Must’ve clipped one of the loudmouth’s feathers just before he vanished. Hey, remind me, Smoke, our Queen is an ancient alicorn who’s thousands of years old and incredibly skilled at magic, right?”

Smoke, knowing what Terrorwing was getting at, and liking it, returned his grin with her own sheepish, but confident smile, “She is. Skilled enough to track exactly where the owner of this feather is.”

“And with him, Zecora,” Kindle finished, and all three of Celestia’s loyal servants shared a mutual look of satisfaction, but Terrorwing let out a sudden, disappointed grunt.

“But didn’t she already try magicking up Zecora’s location and it turned up nothing? Like something was blocking her spell?”

Kindle’s eyes flared along with his nostrils and wings, “Nothing can block our Queen’s magical might!”

“Kindle,” Smoke said, “It is possible, but that doesn’t make Queen Celestia any less powerful. It’s just that, with magic, certain things can easily obscure even potent scrying techniques, and we have no idea what our enemies are capable of. They could be using forieng magic. I mean, Grimwald just passed through stone, and that’s usually outside most unicorn’s ranges of power.”

With a hefty snort, Kindle gestured at the singed feather of the griffin in question, “Then what good does this feather do us?”

“Well, for starters, it’s possible whatever is blocking Zecora isn’t being applied to Grimwald,” Smoke said, “And even if it is, there’s a world of difference between trying to scry based on familiarity with the target, versus having something that was actually part of their body to act as a foci. Celestia’s scrying on Grimwald will be leagues more effective with this feather than what could be managed for Zecora.”

“Ah, I see...” Kindle said, fluffing his wings and spinning about, pointing a hoof dramatically, “Then let us not tarry, dear companions and fellow faithful! We must make haste at once back to our Queen’s side!”

As Kindle flew off back down the cavern, Terrorwing tucked Grimwald’s feather into Smoke’s saddlebag, which elicited a brief grunt of surprise from her at the sudden contact.

“Safer with you than with me,” Terrorwing said, gesturing at his still flaming armor, “C’mon, Smoke, let’s not let the chicken get too far ahead of us. He’s likely to get himself lost.”

“R-right,” she replied, and the pair hurried to catch up with Kindle.

The final puzzle room greeted Trixie and her friends with an unusually somber atmosphere. The area was done up to partially resemble the throne room within Canterlot Palace, with a remarkable amount of detail put into the details of the walls and flooring, along with an impressive replica of Luna’s throne. However everything had a cracked, aged look about it as well, and there was quite a bit besides that which was off. For one, the room was filled with an impressive amount of junk. Trinkets and random shelves were piled about, along with various spots of furniture in various states of disrepair, and haphazard collections of seemingly random objects. At a glance Trixie saw everything from a school chalkboard, to a unicycle sitting atop a coffee table, to a novelty clock shaped like a cat whose tail bounced back and forth.

The most striking feature, however, was the circular table in the center of the room, made of stone, and surrounded by six stone, high backed chairs. This seemed to stand apart from the rest of the area, mostly because it wasn’t piled with any kind of random junk.

“I am officially confused,” said Carrot Top, “Which I’m going to guess is the point. Where do we even start with all of this?”

Lyra strode out into the chamber, swishing her tail with confidence, “We’ve got to be near the end of the maze! Let’s just start looking around. Whatever this puzzle is, we’ve got it.”

“I like that confidence,” Trixie said, “Alright girls, split up, each of us take a section of the room. Leave no stone, or random trinket, unchecked! As soon as you spot something strong, give a shout.”

“Does the entire room count?” asked Carrot Top, “Because, yeah, all of this is strange.”

“There have to be clues somewhere in here,” said Cheerilee, “Trixie’s right. Just start looking, and try not to get caught unawares by any traps. I don’t think we’ve got time for me to do a full sweep on my own, first.”

The mares all began to wander the room, Trixie heading for the center table while Lyra headed for the far end, Cheerilee checked the left side, and Carrot Top trotted off to the right. The table itself bore a faded but still impressively detailed carving that depicted rolling hills, soaring mountains, and familiar forests and river valleys. A map of Equestria itself. Trixie’s eyes narrowed a tad as she noticed that the table, like much of the rest of the room, was aged and damaged, with cracks running along the surface. She couldn’t help but note the cracks all seemed to originate from Canterlot itself, as if spidering outward from the capital to touch the rest of the country.

Coincidence, or did someone making this challenge have something they were trying to say?, Trixie wondered. Who had been in charge of developing the puzzles and traps for this portion of the Contest, anyway? Putting the question from her mind she turned her attention from the table to the chairs. Each one had a regal aspect to its design, their backs far higher than any pony would need to sit in them. They didn’t look particularly comfortable, either. Trixie immediately picked up on a couple of oddities. One was a slot on the left arms of the chairs, several inches wide. Then there were the markings on the top of each chair’s backrest, carvings in the shape of Trixie and her friends’ cutie marks.

No coincidence there. Must be part of the puzzle.

“Anything yet, girls?” she asked the room, turning to look about at her companions.

“Hmm, well most of this stuff looks unremarkable,” Cheerilee said, sifting over a shelf of seemingly empty, blank notebooks. She then gestured at the blackboard that stood on wood pegs to her left, “But this is kind of odd. The board is blank save for the alphabet of several different languages, starting with Equestrian.”

“Okaaaay,” Trixie said, not sure what that might mean, if anything.

“Nothing over here,” reported Carrot Top, trudging back from her side of the room, “Nothing besides that stupid clock that won’t stop ticking and is getting on my nerves.”

It was true, the novelty cat clock was rather obnoxiously loud with its incessant tick-tock-tick-tock repeating through the chamber. Trixie’s eye was drawn to the clock, but before she could put her hoof on just what about it seemed odd, Lyra’s voice spoke up excitedly, “Hey! Check these out!”

Having searched behind the replica of Luna’s throne, Lyra pulled out a collection of six gleaming swords, holding each within her golden aura of magic. Her friends approached as Lyra met them in front of the throne, and Lyra grinned, striking a pose with the six blades arranged around her, “You know I wasn’t half bad in the one semester I took of magical fencing, before I dropped it for glass blowing.”

“I don’t think magic fencing involves six swords,” said Trixie, “Pretty sure you’re only supposed to use one, at least by Canterlot regulation standards.”

“Do those have our cutie marks engraved on them?” said Carrot Top, blinking at the six swords, and after a moment of examination, Trixie realized the farmer was right. Each of the six swords were long blades of seemingly well made steel, or at least it certainly had a sheen like well made steel. Each had a silver cross guard and circular pommel, within which was not an engraving, but a raised embossment of silver in the shape of each of the mare’s cutie marks. Rather quickly Trixie realized the symbols were about the same size as the engravings on the chairs.

“It can’t be that simple,” she said to herself, giving the swords a pensive frown.

“What?” asked Lyra.

“The chairs around the table all bear one of our cutie marks, too, and on the arms of the chairs are slots wide enough to fit a sword,” Trixie said, “But that seems too easy for what could be the last puzzle.”

“We could always slot them in and see what happens,” offered Carrot Top, “I’m not going to complain if the monks ran out of ideas this late in the Contest.”

“I don’t know,” mused Cheerilee, “Doing things the wrong way might also activate a trap.”

“That another of your ex’s old tricks?” Lyra asked, “Whatever happened to the guy, anyway?”

“Oh, he lost interest in mares, ended hooking up with one of his buddies from another gaming group. I actually attended their marriage just a few years ago, real sweet couple,” Cheerile said with a faintly wistful tone, then with a self-reflective sigh she added, “I miss my fish.”

“So, we trying the swords out on the chairs, or what?” Carrot Top asked, and although Trixie had her misgivings, she didn’t see any immediate other option. There were still a few things about the room that stood out to her, but she couldn’t piece together how they fit yet.

“We’ll see what happens,” she said, “Time’s wasting, either way.”

Back at the table, Trixie began carefully setting the swords while her friends looked around the table, since this was the first time they’d been near it. Trixie flinched slightly when the first sword, her own, made a rough clicking noise when it was set in its place, but no traps were sprung, so she let out a relieved breath and continued on with the other swords. Meanwhile Lyra was looking at the map while Cheerilee was carefully examining under the table.

“Weird design,” Lyra said, “Also really old. The map, I mean.”

“Huh? How so?” Carrot Top asked, peering over Lyra’s shoulder.

“The arrangement of cities and towns isn’t modern,” Lyra explained, “You see how New Pegasus isn’t there? Or how Manehattan is so small? Fewer roads, too, and no railway system. This map is from a ways back. Pre-Corona, I’d say.”

“Think it means anything?” the farmer said, and Lyra shrugged, but then Cheerilee’s voice spoke from beneath the table.

“I don’t know if that means anything, but this might; ‘To restore what was sundered, remember all things have an order, even the Elements of Harmony. Recall the rules of language and time, and do not forget what Harmony stands for, and the path will be unlocked.’”

Trixie had just finished setting the last sword when Cheerilee spoke, and after noting that nothing was happening with all the swords set in place, her brow scrunched up as she ducked under the table, “Where did you read that?”

“Right here,” Cheerilee said. She was laying on her back, having scooted under the table, and pointed up at the underside of the table, just near where a stone support melded to the floor to hold the table up, “It’s carved in.”

“Nasty place to put it,” said Lyra, ducking down under the table as well, “Why’d you think to look here anyway?”

Cheerilee shrugged, “It’s where I’d hide a clue if I was making this set-up.”

Once all the mares were out from under the table they exchanged looks, Trixie sitting in her chair and plopping a chin on her hoof, “So, the swords didn’t do anything.”

“Not necessarily,” Cheerilee said, “I heard those clicks. They must have done something.”

“We’re probably not getting them in the right order,” said Carrot Top, “What did that riddle say again?”

After Cheerilee repeated it, Carrot Top closed her eyes in contemplation, “Rules of language and time... that’s pretty vague.”

“Not sure what it means either, but I don’t think the rest of the junk scattered around here is meaningless,” said Cheerilee, “The clues are there, we just have to put them together.”

As her friends all started quietly musing among themselves, Trixie glanced towards the only other source of noise in the room. The cat clock, which kept ticking in it’s loud, rhythmic pattern, made Trixie want to throw something at it. Why did it keep sticking out to her, besides it’s annoying noise? Slowly she got off her stone chair and trotted towards the clock. It wasn’t hanging very high up. Just within hoof reach, in fact. Looking at it more closely, two things struck Trixie in short order. One was that the cat clock had a paw modeled to be pointing outward, and it was pointing at something across the room.

Following the cat’s paw, Trixie saw it was pointing at the school chalk board that had the alphabet scrawled on it. Why would it be doing that? Was it coincidence? No, all of this was placed for a reason. The clock and chalkboard were designed to draw the eye beyond the mundane junk in the room, while still being camouflaged by it.

Approaching the chalkboard, Trixie peered at the alphabets, eyes squinting as she looked at the carefully scrawled letters and then back at the clock.

“Figure anything out, Trixie?” asked Lyra.

“Maybe,” Trixie said, “Rules of language and time. Could that be it...?”

“Uh, care to clue us in, Trixie?” Cheerilee said as the unicorn hopped on over back to the table and started removing the swords from their slots.

“The map,” Trixie said, pointing at it, “This way here points north, right? Imagine it as the face of a clock. Twelve is at north, which points towards this chair here... ah-hah, thought so! It’s Carrot Top’s.”

“Okay, it is, but what does that mean?” said Carrot Top, a look of bafflement on her face, but Cheerilee was already wearing a sudden, intense grin.

“Oh, I see where you’re going with this. Rules of language. Alphabetical order. Carrot Top, between the six of us, your name comes up first.”

“Also happens to be where time begins on a clock,” Trixie said, “Rules of time; clockwise. Can’t be coincidence that Carrot Top’s chair is at the north end of the map.”

“So you’re thinking we slot the swords in alphabetical order based on our names, starting with Carrot Top’s on the north end?” Lyra said, and in answer Trixie was already going for it. However even as Trixie was slotting the swords in, Lyra said, “Wait, something isn’t right with that. Trixie, hold up!”

“Huh? What?” Trixie asked, and Lyra looked at the map, tapping it with a hoof.

“There’s got to be a reason the map shows Equestria so long ago. It said follow the rules of time. Well, what would be important about this time frame?”

Trixie blinked at the bard, and Lyra rolled her eyes with a groand, “Duh, we’re not in it. We weren’t born thousands of years ago! The order isn’t our names.”

“But Carrot Top’s chair is at the north end. Clockwise, and alphabetical,” Trixie said, but Lyra shook her head.

“The riddle also said to remember the nature of Harmony. As in, what are the Elements of Harmony. Newsflash, Trixie, not us. We’re just the Bearers.”

Carrot Top suddenly spoke up at that, her eyes flashing wide, “OH! Generosity! I’m also Generosity! Which, uh... lemme think... A, B, C, D... I think Honesty would be next after that?”

Trixie paused, holding the swords poised in her magic over the chairs, “Well, that does make sense. Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, then lastly Magic.”

Once the swords were slotted into place, however, nothing happened. Lyra frowned deeply, letting out a frustrated neigh. “Okay, so maybe it was our names?”

“No, I think you had it right,” Cheerilee said, “I think we’re missing something else.”

“Like what?” Carrot Top asked, rubbing her forehead, “I’m starting to seriously dislike puzzles, and I never much liked them to begin with.”

Trixie, too, was a little stumped. She thought that Lyra likely had the right of it on the order, but it was also clear there was one other factor they hadn’t thought of. Thinking over the riddle once more, Trixie decided to cast aside any preconceived notions of logic. After all, this was the Contest of Wits, and wit wasn’t always the same thing as logic. Oftentimes the key to a good, clever trick was in the red herrings and distractions. Play off an audience's assumptions.

So if she was the one designing a puzzle, how would she think of the solution? Yes, all the clues pointed to the right place, but what if the mistake wasn’t in following the clues but in the mechanism of the solution?

Recall the nature of Harmony...?

Trixie glanced at the swords, then at the chairs. She’d thought it was weird that the chairs had the cutie marks engraved in, and the swords had raised embossments of the same size. At a whim, Trixie went to Carrot Top’s sword, and tried tugging on the embossment of her friend’s cutie mark with her magic. Surprisingly, the object came out of the pommel, perfectly connected.

“What the hay?” Carrot Top blurted, “Those come out?”

“The swords aren’t the keys to the puzzle, these are,” Trixie said, “Lyra, help me remove the others. We’ll put them into the chair engravings in the same order we did the swords.”

The symbols fit into their respective engravings with smooth ease, and once the last one, Magic, was fit into place, the entire map table was infused by a soft, white glow. The old, cracked map flowed into a brilliantly colored and whole state, and even reshaped itself so that it became a modern map of Equestria with cities and roads springing up across its length.

A loud grinding noise heralded the throne at the back of the chamber sliding aside, along with the wall restructuring itself into an open archway. Beyond the arch the mares could see open fields; seemingly the end of the maze!

“Think it’s real this time?” asked Lyra, and Trixie gave the exit a glare.

“It’d better be, otherwise we’re going to find out if simply chewing our way out through the walls counts as a ‘witty’ solution to the maze.”

The explosion of noise as the mares exited the archway and came out into the fields in front of the massive and packed seating blocks removed any doubt that this was in fact the end of the maze. Compared to the magical silence of the maze’s interior, the waves of sound stemming from the cheering crowd was nearly an assault on the mare’s ears.

Abbess Seren’s voice spoke in amplified words across the air, “And there we have our second team to emerge from the Contest of Wits! Please everyone, give another cheer for Equestria’s fine champions.”

Trixie adapted quickly to the noise and soaked in the roar of the crowd, standing up on her hind legs to wave her fore hooves to the onlookers. She could see upon some of the viewing mirrors floating around the crowd stands that there were replays occuring of her and her friends solving the latest riddle. Other mirrors showed other teams still struggling with their own challenges within the maze, but Trixie noted one particular champion wasn’t shown and had a sinking feeling she knew who as she lowered back to all fours and glanced to her right.

“Greetings, Dames of Equestria,” said Dao Ming, managing to look somehow both poised and humble at the same time, “I see you came out only a few scant minutes after me. As I’d expect from my... rival?” The kirin said the word with an experimental tone, as if testing it out, and seemingly found she approved it with a nod, “Yes, very close indeed.”

“And just what kind of puzzles did you have to deal with?” asked Trixie, trying not to look miffed, and likely failing.

“Hmm, how to put it? They were... oddly personal,” Dao Ming said, brushing some golden strands of mane from her face, “I didn’t much care for them, to be honest.”

“Well, second place ain’t bad in my book,” Lyra said, stretching her limbs and sitting down, “By my guess that still puts us in the running for overall first place, if Trixie can ace the Contest of Magic.”

“Really? I’ve been having the hardest time keeping track,” said Carrot Top, “Where are we on points?”

“Eh, I don’t know the exact number, but I figure the monks will update us once the rest of the teams finish,” said Lyra, “But we did good in Strength thanks to Raindrops and Cheerilee, and I totally blew it away on Art. I think we’re in good shape.”

“Dame Heartstrings speaks true,” Dao Ming said, approaching Trixie and bowing her head slightly, “By my own estimate, if you do manage to come in first in the final Contest, your victory will be secure. Of course, points-wise, even second place would not allow you to overcome my lead, so it must be first, or not at all for you. I expect a fierce challenge, Dame Lulamoon.”

“Hey, I’ll be there too,” said Lyra, “Don’t count out what I can pull off with this lyre of mine.”

“I shan't, Dame Heartstrings,” Dao Ming assured her.

Over the course of the next ten minutes two other teams emerged from the maze. Shockingly enough the third group were the minotaurs, although by the state of them it was clear enough how that had gone down. Greysight was immaculately clean and composed, as if nothing in the maze had touched her, while Steel Cage, Brass Bearings, and Bronze Belly were all coated in various goo, bruises, bits of tar, and one of them had what appeared to be a small alligator still attached to their rear end. Obviously the trio had been the meatshields against the traps while Greysight had dealt with the puzzles. An effective strategy, given their third place position.

The fourth team was the zebra, but Trixie cocked her head in puzzlement at the team, because she only saw Tendaji and Siwatu emerge from the maze.

“Where’s that eldery fellow, Nuru?” she wondered aloud, and next to her Dao Ming glanced at the two zebra herself, and gave a polite shrug.

“I only saw the two of them enter,” Dao Ming said, “Elder Nuru was absent. Perhaps he felt tired? Despite his skills, one of his advanced age must still tire out faster than his youthful compatriots.”

Trixie made a soft ‘hmm’ at that, suddenly feeling eerily off put by Nuru’s absence. Then again, Kenkuro had dropped out of the Contest completely, having finished his duel with Nuru. Maybe the aged zebra felt the same way?

However she found herself carefully watching the other teams as they in turn emerged over the next short time span. After the zebra it was the Zaldian unicorn that came out, somehow looking both pleased and dejected at being in fifth place. The camel from Naqauh came next, then the cervids... which caused Trixie to let out a concerned grunt.

“What is it Trixie?” asked Lyra, “You sound like you’ve got a case of gas or something.”

Trixie shot Lyra a sharp look, but nodding towards the cervids, “Sigurd and Wodan just came out.”

“Yeah, figured they might be one of the teams bringing up the rear this time around,” Lyra said, “They’re great warriors, but puzzles aren’t their strong suit, save for maybe Andrea. Huh, figured she might have pulled them ahead a bit but... wait.. where’s Andrea?”

“Yes,” Trixie said, voice growing emphatic with greater intensity, “Where’s Andrea? And Nuru?”

“Trixie, what are you saying?” Carrot Top gulped, “You don’t think that they’re...?”

“If they’re not, then no big deal, but if they are,” Trixie said, “And they’re not here participating in the Contest.”

“Then they might be making a move elsewhere,” finished Cheerilee, suddenly gaining a serious look on her otherwise relaxed features, “What should we do then?”

Trixie was about to answer that when she noticed Dao Ming was now looking at the crowd stands with a deeply concerned frown shadowing her features, “What is it Dao Ming?”

“I... don’t mean to cause further alarm, but I couldn’t help but notice something during the disturbing turn of you Dames’ conversation,” the kirin mare said, her voice tight and clipped, “But I don’t see my mother in the stands.”

Trixie turned blinking eyes towards the spectator seating area for the various nation’s delegates, squinting upwards, “How can you tell?”

“You’ve seen my mother’s regalia. Do you see an austentatious, glimmering headdress up there?” Dao Ming replied with dry irritation doing a poor job of masking her worry. She pointed for Trixie’s benefit, “Look there, that booth. There is Xhua and Lo Shang, but my mother isn’t with them. In fact, neither is Tomoko.”

“What does that mean?” Carrot Top asked.

“I don’t know,” Dao Ming said, “But I know I don’t like it.”

A short time earlier...

Empress Fu Ling maintained the exterior disposition of a jade statue. She watched the proceedings of the Contest of Wit with an imperious and guarded air perfected over many years of hard experience in the Heavenly Empire’s court. It was easy enough for her to project that mask, despite inwardly being unable to calm the disquiet bearing down on her ever since her argument with Dao Ming the previous night.

Why was the girl so unbelievably stubborn all of a sudden!? Prior to the Contest, Fu Ling’s daughter had been making wonderful progress. Diligent, dutiful, focused, and quite compliant. Fu Ling had even dared to hope she could finally consider the possibility that Dao Ming would be prepared to succeed her, that all of her fears of the courts eating her daughter alive were unfounded. Then, in a shockingly short span of time, Dao Ming had started to change. Not only did she start making grievous mistakes under pressure, such as foolishly trying to summon Raijin during the Grand Melee, but she was conceding ground to lesser champions such as that dirty, unrefined griffin, or those clowns from Equestria! Dao Ming had even grown so unruly as to directly challenge Fu Ling to her face!

Kenkuro was no help either, assuring Fu Ling that these were good changes in her daughter, but the Empress was having a hard time seeing exactly how this would benefit her daughter in ruling the Empire if she started to abandon self control for... whatever this rebellious streak was.

She couldn’t possibly have gotten this from her father, could she? No, more likely one of those other supposed champions were to blame. A bad influence, intermingling with other nations. She’d have to find a way to cure Dao Ming of this mindset once they returned home. Fu Ling was sorely missing Shouma’ by this point. Perhaps once she and her family were safely back in the Imperial Palace, things could slowly return to normal. She’d calm matters between herself and Dao Ming, once her daughter had cooled off, and maybe then she could reveal her intentions to officially declare her succession.

Her mental wanderings were interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves. She was seated alongside Xhua and Lo Shang in a well appointed VIP seating box at the top of the stone coliseum-style stands, well above the regular crowds. Other notables from different nations had their own seating on this level, much as with the other Contests, with Equestria’s nobility seated somewhere off to the Shouma delegation’s left, and the rowdy griffins to the right. Strangely the Equestrian Princess, Tsukihime, was not present, although Fu Ling’s Jade Guard reported that was due to the Princess of the Moon dealing with the pegasus champion who was injured during the Contest of Strength.

Currently the Equestrian nobles were being entertained by their neighboring nation’s Princess, Cadenza, who was continually escorted by the Equestrian Royal Guard Captain, whose name Fu Ling forgot but did note he was a pleasant enough example of stallionhood. She imagined, from the looks exchanged between him and Cadenza, that the two had an arrangement not unlike a number of Fu Ling’s own affairs, prior to Dao Ming’s conception.

However the hooffalls didn’t come from either of the walkways connecting the VIP boxes, but rather from the stairway leading down into the interior of the steating block. There, she saw Tomoko arrive, the red fur of Tomoko’s coat glistening a bit with sweat as if the mare had been galloping there.

“Sister Tomoko, finally decided to join us?” asked Xhua with a haughty, but only half joking tone, “Your talk with the griffins went well?”

It was an odd occurrence that the griffins had experienced some manner of political trouble over the past night, the nature of which wasn’t entirely clear besides the fact that one of the Inner Kingdom monarchs had left the island in the middle of the night. Fu Ling didn’t care much about griffin in-fighting, but Tomoko had expressed concern over the matter and had said that morning she’d try to gather information among the griffins and join them for viewing the Contest later.

Fu Ling listened with half an ear, eyes unconsciously glued to a viewing mirror showing her daughter’s progress through the maze below, while Tomoko approached and said, “I’m sorry Xhua, but this isn’t a joking matter. I’ve discovered something I think may represent a threat to us. A plot against the entire island.”

The Empress’s attention was snapped towards her eldest adopted daughter, eyes narrowing, “What do you mean?”

Earnesty flowed from Tomoko as she bowed her head of raven hair, “It’s difficult to explain, and it shouldn’t be done here in the open,” Tomoko said, keeping her voice low. She cast a glance towards Xhua and Lo Shang, “Brother, sister, I beg that you remain here and keep an eye on the Contest, while I explain matters to the Empress. Only she can decide how we must proceed, once she knows what I know.”

Lo Shang’s posture turned instantly from casually relaxed to the tense readiness of a warrior, his own training kicking in as he recognized the serious tone in Tomoko’s voice. A look passed between him and Tomoko, one Fu Ling didn’t fail to note, as he said, “I shall ensure the safety of our sisters, Tomoko, you have my word.”

Tomoko nodded, then turned to Fu Ling, “Empress, will you come with me to somewhere we can avoid prying eyes and ears? I don’t know who can be trusted, now, and it’d be safest to discuss this in your chambers at the monastery.”

Long honed instincts told Fu Ling that something was amiss, although she wasn’t certain what. Tomoko was her eldest, and although not related by blood, she had never shown anything less than complete dedication to the safety of the Imperial Family. Indeed it hadn’t even struck Fu Ling as odd that Tomoko would rather investigate the griffins’ squabbles than watch the Contest, such was Tomoko’s usual diligence. If there was a threat of some sort that she’d discovered, she wouldn’t bring it to Fu Ling’s attention without fully believing it was worth doing so.

Besides, Jade Guards were stationed nearby and she could bring a few as escort.

“Very well,” she said, “Xhua, Lo Shang, remain here and observe Dao Ming’s progress. Tomoko and I shall return shortly.”

As she followed Tomoko down the stairs, she nodded to two heavily armed guards at the bottom, “Come with us.”

The guards obeyed her command without question, the kirin falling into step behind her and Tomoko with their armor barely making a rattle. Tomoko was silent as she swiftly led them out of the coliseum block and headed towards the monastery, at least at first. Soon enough she started to speak, still in a hushed whisper, “It’s best we use the monastery, while it's largely deserted. We should be able to talk there without much risk.”

“What is happening, Tomoko? What threat have you discovered?”

“A plan to dispose of multiple nation’s leaders. The griffin sovereign who fled last night caught wind of one of the conspirators being a griffin champion, the very one Dao Ming has gotten so close to.”

“Gwendolyn Var Bastion?” Fu Ling said, almost laughing, “That ruffian?”

“Among others, I suspect,” Tomoko said, “Their plans involve distablising all nations, and putting in their own puppet rulers. Gwendolyn is simply the one chossen for leading the Griffin Kingdoms in this mad plot.”

Fu Ling made a show of nodding her head in thought, but she was carefully observing Tomoko. The younger kirin’s body language was a mixture of tension and controlled poise. Appropriate, given the circumstances. Fu Ling wasn’t quite sure what to make of this yet. The things Tomoko was telling her didn’t fully add up. “Replacing rulers for so many nations would be nearly impossible without a large cadre of fellow conspirators. Also, why do this here, upon the Isle of the Fallen, with so many powerful forces concentrated in one place?”

“Perhaps they thought it’d be easier to do it all in one fell swoop while all the leaders were gathered in one place?” Tomoko offered, “I know not, my Empress, what may be going through the minds of those who hatched this plot.”

“And what evidence do you have, merely from speaking with the griffins, that this plot even exists?” Fu Ling pressed, just as they neared the front steps of the monastery. She did note that, as Tomoko had said, the area was all but deserted.

“Well?” she pressed Tomoko as they ascended the steps and entered the monastery’s main chamber, its grandiose size somehow ominous with the lack of any other creatures but themselves and the two silent guards following behind them.

“It would not be wise to speak of it here,” Tomoko replied, “Once we’re safely inside your chambers, I can explain it all, Empress.”

Fu Ling stopped, “I think I’d rather you explain it now, Tomoko. Consider a command from your Empress.”

Tomoko paused, her back turned to Fu Ling. They were halfway across the main chamber, the tall ceiling and vast walls seeming to drink in all sound so that a deathly silence hung over the kirin for a moment. Fu Ling cast a glance for any monks, guards from other nations, or linering delegates, but the chamber was empty. With the Contest taking place, there’d be no reason for anyone to still be in the monastery.

Tomoko let out an audible sigh, “I’d have preferred to do this in your room, but this is close enough. Also, I suppose this is as good a time as any to get this off my chest. Fu Ling, you are a horrendous mother.”

Fu Ling was already moving even as Tomoko sprang with a dexterity she’d never witnessed in the courtly kirin. Tomoko leaped over Fu Ling, whipping her forehoof out with the silken sleeves of her flowing garment making a metallic ringing noise. Fu Ling was fast enough to draw the hidden, slim dagger from her robes and parried what looked to be a pair of kunai throwing knives that Tomoko had flung at her.

Shinobi!? When did she train for-?

Fu Ling had no more time to think, as Tomoko landed as light as a leaf, and in one fluid motion drew a straight edged ninja-to from her dress and came at Fu Ling in a dizzying storm of steel. Fu Ling was well trained in the martial arts, and her own, shorter tanto dagger was a familiar weapon in either her hoof or her magic. She was able to block the first few strikes from Tomoko, but the younger kirin was in better shape, and clearly much better trained and practiced at her art.

The ninja-to’s thin blade passed Fu Ling’s guard and she felt a sharp bite of pain on her left shoulder alongside the ripping noise of her fine dress. Snarling, Fu Ling used her magic to start pulling out a spirit scroll, intending to unleash no shortage of fury upon this foolish, upstart girl- but then her body started to rapidly go numb.

Worse, she saw that while her two Jade Guards had lowered their spears to accost Tomoko from behind, they would not save their Empress. The reason being that from the shadows between the pillars marking the monastery entrance a cloaked form burst out and with a prodigious jump, and landed between the two surprised guards. Striped hooves moved in strikes faster than any cobra, hitting deftly upon the sides of the guards’ helmets. Eyes rolled up into their heads and the guards fell, out cold.

Fu Ling wasn’t far behind them, her limbs filling with an oddly warm numbness as her mouth started to drool from lack of feeling. Her mind was starting to fuzz as well as she tried to recall what kind of poison Tomoko must have just used. The Soft Death? No, she’d be soiling herself as her bowels loosened if that was the case. White Lotus? Yes, that had to be it. A powerful paralytic, but not fatal. Her entire body would be useless for hours, breathing just barely possible, and her consciousness dulled, but she’d live.

Why? If the plot Tomoko had described was real, was not the point to dispose of her?

“Good timing,” Tomoko said to her robed ally.

“You knew I was following you, otherwise you would not have made your move,” said the cloaked one in a dusty, aged voice. Then the cloak fell back and Fu Ling, even past her fogging eyesight, could make out the lines of the elderly zebra stallion beneath the hood, “I’ll deal with disposing of the guards. You get her to the ritual. We don’t have much time.”

“You needn’t remind me,” Tomoko said, and paused as she picked up Fu Ling’s limp form, “You’re not planning to kill the guards, are you?”

“They’ll be placed somewhere secure and kept from revealing what has happened. It’s doubtful they’ll starve before being found,” the zebra replied curtly, “Now move, before we are seen.”

Despite her mouth being almost utterly num at this point, Fu Ling managed to croak out, “Why?”

Tomoko laid Fu Ling across her back, moving with assured steps deeper into the monastery.

To her question, Tomoko only gave her a brief look, filled with a long simmering and hidden disgust and scorn, “To correct past mistakes, and protect the Heavenly Empire. That, and to dethrone an unworthy Empress so that her more capable daughter can ascend.”

Furyu lent Fu Ling enough strength to form a few more words, even as her tongue struggled against her due to the numbing poison, “You... never worthy...”

A knowing smile crossed Tomoko’s face as she reached a spot along the wall of what seemed, to Fu Ling’s dimmed vision, a random corridor in the monastery. Tomoko touched a spot on the wall, and a hidden door slid open in the smooth, stone wall. “I know, Empress. I wasn’t talking about me. I could never run the Heavenly Empire.”

Her eyes grew fierce, with an almost mad light, a sisterly love of burning intensity, “But Dao Ming can. And will, once I’ve paved the way for her.”

With that, Tomoko entered the hidden entrance, taking Shouma’s Empress down into the dark.

Author's Note

One more chapter down, and the longest one yet, it seems. We're entering the final leg, folks. The Contest is drawing to a close and the antagonists are making their move. There's still plenty to get to still, and while it's taken an ungodly amount of time for me to get to this point, I appreciate that you folks have stuck with me for this long. We're almost there.

Chapter 17: Fruition of Plans

Chapter 17: Fruition of Plans

She who called herself Empress of Shouma, Fu Ling, did not remain in the shrouded grip of unconsciousness for long. The regal kirin snapped her eyes awake with the harsh sensation of cold stone beneath her body, a fury pounding in her heart, and a rigorous headache to match. She refused to cough or groan, or give any sign of weakness as she rose. A part of her knew that feigning that she was still unconscious might have had it’s advantages, but her pride refused to give in to such petty thoughts as to feign weakness when she could stand on her own four hooves.

Of course the fact that her limbs were unbound was not lost on her as she stood and gazed at her surroundings, pouring every inch of noble bearing she could into the look, despite her head feeling as if it had rats gnawing on her temples. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The place she found herself in was a rather enormous chamber, likely deep underground. It was no natural cavern, however, but a place of well hewn stone, lined on either side by sizable pillars. There was light, but most of it stemmed from the eerie, ghostly blue gleam of magical light that shone from the intricate symbols and curved lines of a prodigious arcane circle at which Fu Ling found herself standing at the focal point of.

Experimentally she tried to step forward, and just as she did so-

“I wouldn’t recommend doing that.”

The chuckling male voice didn’t halt Fu Ling’s step, much to her immediate dismay as she felt her limb contact something solid. A flash of light and a sizzle of magical discharge hit her as a cylindrical barrier, one that rose all the way up to the ceiling many meters above, formed around her and shocked the Empress of Shouma like a squirrel touching a magically charged battery.

“Grrr...” she grit her teeth at the pain, her headache intensifying. Fortunately she kept her hooves under her, and her eyes cut sharply towards the source of the voice.

Standing at the outer edge of the large magical circle she was entrapped in was a somewhat familiar griffin. He wore a dark cloak over his body, but his head was not obscured, given the hood was drawn back. She knew him from his performance in the Contest, and a righteous sneer painted her lips.

“You are the one called Grimwald,” she said, “Hmph, so Tomoko aligns herself with petty rogues such as yourself? How... common. Disappointing, even.”

Tomoko’s voice cut towards her from the shadows, the kirin emerging into the light, which shone off her deep red coat and fierce eyes. She stood beside Grimwald, glaring upon Fu Ling in open challenge, “Even now you cannot help yourself, can you, ‘mother’? Trapped and helpless, yet you still can’t cease to judge and demean any you deem unworthy of you.”

“Petty child,” Fu Ling scoffed, “It is not ‘I’ who you are unworthy of, but the Empire itself! Did you listen to not one of the lessons I sought to impart on you!? None are above the needs of the Empire, and so to stand at the very height of the Empire requires only the ones who are worthy of it! Without absolute dedication to one’s pride, to being the best, then one cannot possibly survive the burden of ruling the world’s greatest nation. Clearly you have fallen short of that.”

“Perhaps, oh ‘wise’ Empress,” Tomoko said, half of her face becoming obscured by her black mane as she made a mocking bow to Fu Ling, a sharp smile on her face as she raised her head once more, “But tell me, how worthy can you be that not only do you stand here, prisoner of your supposed lesser, but are betrayed by one of your own children? You told me many times to be wary of those who would turn upon me in court, to be watchful for false smiles and honeyed words. It seems to me you were not up to the task of following your own advice.”

Fu Ling’s expression became brittle as thin ice, and she shut her heart down from the momentary stab of pain there as she remembered the day she’d found Tomoko. A child whose family and home had been stolen by the advancement of the Dark Lands, the last survivor of the great Hiruma Clan, who had defended the eastern border for many generations. Fu Ling had considered it an honor and her duty to raise the last of that family as her own adopted daughter, and Tomoko had done so well in court. Never good enough to become heir, but Fu Ling had been proud of Tomoko, in her own way. But then Dao Ming was born...

“You bring shame on your ancestors, and disgrace the Imperial Family itself with your childish words,” Fu Ling said, “Do what you will to me, but Shouma will not accept you as it’s new Empress.”

“Your memory is as pitiable as your sense of parenthood,” Tomoko replied curtly, “Or did you forget what I told you? It is not I who will be Empress. I have no desire to rule Shouma. It is Dao Ming who will have that honor, as it should be.”

Fu Ling felt a wash of momentary confusion. Tomoko... had said something like that, just before Fu Ling had lost consciousness, hadn’t she? Fu Ling had thought it a figment of her imagination. Why do this? Why risk so much, if not to grab the throne for herself? Tomoko looked upon Fu Ling’s confusion, and her disgust became ever more adamant.

“You... you can’t even grasp the notion that I would do this for Dao Ming and not myself, can you? Not just her, either, but for Lo Shang and Xhua as well! Every one of your children that you’ve treated as disposable pawns in your game to create the ‘perfect’ heir! NO MORE! You’re hold over our lives ends today, Fu Ling! When this day is done, Shouma will awaken to a new, true Empress, one who is far more worthy of leading the Empire into the future than you are!”

There was a naked hate in Tomoko’s voice that was unlike any Fu Ling had heard before, and for a second it actually stunned her to bitter silence. However she had not maintained her role as Empress for so long by having a brittle heart, so easily shaken for long. The heat of regal pride flared within and she stood straight as a spear to cast a look as flat as a shield wall against Tomoko’s dagger filled gaze.

“I do not know where this childish tantrum stems from. I thought you the most practical of those I had adopted, and trusted you to be a firm pillar of sound advice for when Dao Ming finally proved herself capable of fulfilling my role. Never did I adopt one of you without cause. Lo Shang has the strength and loyalty to be an acceptable bodyguard. Xhua has the cunning and deviousness to counter spies and sycophants. You, I thought, had the wisdom to keep Dao Ming grounded in court. Were all of my intuitions so misplaced?”

“Don’t pretend with me,” Tomoko spat back, “You’ve done nothing but grind Dao Ming down since she was born, and given no indication you ever intended her to succeed you before she all but killed herself trying to please you!”

“Shouma must be ruled by an Empress who is capable of withstanding that burden. There is no shortcut to this. No stopgap. I am hard on Dao Ming because I must be!” Fu Ling snapped, her regal demeanor cracking for a moment before she took hold of herself again, “But I see no further point in trading words with one who has already committed treason. Your misguided motivations are irrelevant. I am more curious what you think you can accomplish by abducting me. If you wanted me dead, I’d already be, and there’s no shortage of other questions about this strange plot you’ve hatched... in fact I’m not certain this has been entirely your idea at all.”

There were some very pressing questions in Fu Ling’s mind. If this plot were simply about replacing her with Dao Ming, then Tomoko had any number of other opportunities to enact such a plan back in Shouma. Why wait until the Contest of Champions? Why try this when surrounded by delegations, and security forces, from so many other nations? To pin the blame on one of those nations? Unnecessary. There were at least a few Clans back home that could have served that purpose.

And what was this magical circle for? Surely not just a barrier to keep her contained? Fu Ling may have had great pride in her abilities as a spirit chanter, but no one spell caster needed to be contained in a magical circle of this size and complexity unless they were an alicorn. The magic symbols in the circle were unfamiliar to her, but she’d studied enough to recognize that it was designed to direct far greater magical energies than were being used to keep her bound in place. There was another purpose at work here, and Fu Ling’s eyes were drawn to the other figures in the room.

Grimwald she all but dismissed at first glance. He seemed a boorish mercenary to her, and nothing more. The kind of foreign, coin-operated barbarian she felt characterized the griffins quite thoroughly. Tomoko could have bought him easily. But then who were the others? Amid the shadows of the room she saw two other robes figures besides Tomoko and Grimwald, both of whom had watched her exchange with Tomoko behind the deep cowls of their garments.

“I’ve heard Tomoko’s foolish motives, but that does not explain who the rest of you are and why you’re participating in this madness,” she said, tilting up her head, “Tell me who you are and why you have helped this child in her insane actions, and I may consider some small clemency.”

Grimwald let out a howl of laughter, “I swear, this lady would try to convince you her crap doesn’t stink even as she sits on the privy. So gang, going to answer her before the show starts? I say toss her a bone. Not like the whole world isn’t going to know about what we’re doing here, soon enough.”

One hooded figure let out a dry huff, “While that may be true, I’m inclined to ignore this one’s requests, purely on the principle that I don’t particularly like her or the way she’s treated her children.”

The other figure sauntered forward, however, and a joking and golden chimed female voice said, “Grimwald’s got a point, old one! The real festivities are about to start, so there’s no point hiding ourselves anymore! I for one am looking forward to sparking things off. Besides, I’ve already shown myself to Kenkuro and Raindrops, so I’ve got nothing left to lose here.”

Fu Ling recognized the voice, given the performance that had been given during the Contest of Art, and so she was not so surprised when the figure drew her hood back to reveal herself as the red deer skald, Andrea. Fu Ling’s eyes did narrow slightly at the cervid’s positively jolly expression.

“What does a mere musician from Elkheim have to gain here?” Fu Ling asked, and Andrea’s merry expression turned into a sarcastic smirk as she whipped out her fiddle and produced a sharp tune from it.

“Musician? Musician!? Wench, I am a skald! I was born to produce songs to move the hearts of the most jaded warriors to feats of glory and courage the likes of which your silk-soft Shouma has never seen! It’s the deepest passion of my soul to craft the ballads of heroes and champions to be remembered into the next age of our world!”

The sounds stemming from Andrea’s fiddle were laced with runic magic, echoing like the clamor of blades and spears amid the vast, echoing chamber. There was a flame inside Andrea’s eyes like the depths of a volcano reflecting off jade, her voice filled with the self-same heat, “Our age has produced few heroes. Wodan? A good hearted lug, but his greatest feat was wrestling an alicorn, and he didn't even win. Sigurd? So torn on the inside that he lost to a griffin half his age! Frederick!? Our besotted prince would rather frolic with and bed a pony maiden than go upon a worthy quest or slay a dragon! Our world cries out for a new age of champions, but for that to occur, there must be danger and chaos worthy of creating such heroes! I’ve waited, and waited, and waited for such strife to begin, to create the great crisis of our time... but alas it has not come, and so I’ve resolved to make it happen!”

Fu Ling just stared at the doe in befuddlement, “Just how does abducting me accomplish such a lofty, if asinine, goal?”

“Is it not obvious? The dark fortress of the bygone age that lies sleeping but far from dead and forgotten upon this very island-” Andrea began, but the other hooded figure stood and held up a pale, white hoof with black stripes.

“We shouldn’t be speaking of this. If our last member is not here, then it may not be time.”

“She’ll be here shortly, I’m sure,” Andrea said, cracking a grin at the hooded zebra, “And by then it’ll already be started.”

“You are one of the zebras,” Fu Ling said, and the hooded figure put his hoof down, glancing her way with his features still hidden, “What possible business could one of your kind have in this matter? The others I can at least see the twisted logic, however mad, in their desires. What of you?”

The figure was still for a moment, then slowly removed his hood. Nuru’s old, tired eyes looked at her like the gaze of a stone statue’s, his voice heavy with the kind of bone weary exhaustion that can only stem from burden’s long carried.

“Family,” he said, “And desperation. Each of us have a Path we must follow, and to fulfill mine, it has led me to this place of deceit and shadows. I regret what I must do, but I will not be stopped until I’ve reached this Path’s end.”

An answer that explained precisely nothing, but at least Fu Ling had a full set of faces to go with her captors now, except for one more mysterious member who had not yet appeared. Furthermore, she hadn’t missed the importance of what Andrea had said earlier, and turned her scathing glare upon Tomoko.

“If the cervid’s blather is to be believed, you are here for Rengoku?”

“Correct,” Tomoko said, “Our goal is to raise the Warlord’s fortress into the heavens it once dominated.”

“For what purpose could you seek such a mad goal? How could you even hope to achieve it? It is behind a barrier forged of alicorn magic. Even if you could break through that barrier, the fortress of Rengoku only responded to the Warlord herself!”

...Or one of her blood, Fu Ling suddenly thought with a chill. Looking at the magical circle she stood within, its purpose still unknown, she started to have unpleasant suspicions as to the full breadth of Tomoko’s plan. Her expression must have betrayed her thoughts, for Tomoko leaned forward, a self-satisfied smile on her lips.

“That’s correct, ‘mother’, Rengoku does only respond to the blood of the Warlord. Your blood, as one of her last descendants.”

“As is Dao Ming...” Fu Ling whispered, but Tomoko shook her head.

“True, but it is only your blood that is required for our purposes. If all goes well Dao Ming won’t even set hoof in the fortress.”

“Then what are you seeking to raise that abomination for?” Fu Ling hissed, mind scraping for possibilities, “It’s only function was to bring ruin upon the Warlord’s enemies. If you claim to desire Dao Ming’s ascension to the throne, it might make sense if you intended to give her that power, but she’d never claim it for herself and you must know that. Do you intend to try and use it yourself to enforce Dao Ming’s rule?”

“No, of course not. Doing so would only undermine what I intend to be her legitimate authority,” Tomoko replied with acidic derision burning in her eyes, “You really can’t grasp my intentions? Must I spell it out for you, o’ ‘wise’ Empress? I intend to use the fortress as a means to suppress the Dark Lands.”

A brief, cold shock rushed through Fu Ling. The Dark Lands? The large stretch of barren, corrupted territory that covered Shouma’s far eastern reaches? Her thoughts briefly jumbled a picture together. For centuries the Dark Lands were an encroaching thorn in the Empire’s side. No one truly even knew what the origin of the Dark Lands was, only that the corruption of it was slowly spreading, if only by as little as an inch per year. That was how Tomoko’s Clan had lost their home, due to that slow but steady encroachment. Of course the sages, spirit chanters, and generalist mages of the Empire had been working towards solutions to fight back the Dark Lands, and there’d even been promising results in a few rare cases. Fu Ling, like every ruler before her, did bear the weight of concern for the Empire’s eventual fate, but at its current rate of growth it would still take centuries before the Dark Lands grew into a significant threat to the Empire’s heartland.

But then, what use was the fortress? Yes, the Dark Lands held creatures of lethal aggression and abominable nature, but Rengoku itself couldn’t destroy everything in the Dark Lands. Even the fortress’ power was not so mighty.

Unless... According to the Warlord’s legend, she had found the fortress in the same territory as the Dark Lands, which had not become so vast in those days. Indeed, the Dark Lands spreading had not begun until after Rengoku flew from its depths, all those many centuries ago.

“Ah, I see some comprehension in your eyes,” Tomoko said, sighing, as if in relief, “The Dark Lands exist because of Rengoku. Because of what the Warlord did to tear the fortress and it’s heart from that land, an unhealable corruption spreads. The only solution is to return the fortress from whence it came, and destroy it.”

“Destroy it? That’s impossible. Even the alicorns couldn’t-” Fu Ling began, but cut herself off. No, it wasn’t that the alicorns couldn’t destroy Rengoku, it was that they chose not to due to the consequences of doing so; an explosion of such magnitude that it would create a disaster of untold scale.

“You fear the results of such destruction, as did the alicorns,” Tomoko noted, “But be assured that this is not something I do lightly. Rengoku’s destruction, if taken far enough into the Dark Lands, should not do irreparable harm. There may be some fallout to the Empire’s furthest eastern holdings, but with Dao Ming as Empress she can evacuate those lands to minimize the damage.”

“Madness. It’s pure madness,” Fu Ling said, “You intend to detonate something of that magnitude in our own land!? Do you even know for certain it will cleanse the Dark Lands, Tomoko!?”

For a moment Fu Ling could see a small spark of doubt in Tomoko’s dark eyes, but then the kirin shook her crimson head, “Others who know better than I have assured me of the likelihood.”

“Likelihood!? You gamble the safety of the Empire upon mere likelihood!? Tomoko, you must stop this insanity at once! I don’t know how you mean to use me to control the fortress, nor break the alicorn’s barrier, but if there’s even a small chance your mad plan will succeed you have to see the danger of what you’re about to do! Rengoku was sealed for good reason. If alicorns older than us by thousands of years thought it wise not to blow the cursed thing up, even out on this remote island, then detonating it in the Dark Lands is even more insane! How... how can any of you be in favor of this!?”

Grimwald was happily toying with one of his daggers and flashed her a madcap grin, “Lady, the insanity of it is the selling point for me! I want to see just where this goes and how crazy the party can get. I almost wanted to do this job for free, just to see the fireworks go off!”

Andrea rolled her eyes at him and gave Fu Ling the look of a doe whose eyes were filled with the fire of certainty, “I trust our conspiracy’s final member to have not led us astray as to the chances of Rengoku’s destruction causing catastrophic damage. Instead I’m of the belief that today’s actions will spark off the kind of conflicts that will be sung in ballads for generations, no matter who comes out on top.”

“All I require is what lies inside the fortress itself,” said Nuru, “As long as I can make use of it before it is destroyed, little else matters... and my homeland is quite far away. I trust it will survive what’s to come, even if the worst occurs.”

“Now then,” said Tomoko, “I think that’s enough questions. Andrea, assist me with starting the ritual. I want the circle prepared for when our last member arrives. Once the ritual is done, we will have to move fast, before any of the champions realize what it is we’re doing.”

Trixie had certainly learned not to panic or leap to conclusions over the past year. Most of the time. Every time something occurred that would put her mind into overdrive, she’d gotten better at focusing her intuition upon the problem at hoof, like an expert fencer honing in on an opponent’s openings during a match. So the moment Dao Ming pointed out the missing Empress of Shouma, Trixie didn’t instantly jump into any assumptions and instead took a moment to consider the situation carefully.

She and her friends knew through their investigations that there had to be multiple conspirators and that they’d gone to extreme lengths to conceal their identities, with the one exception being Grimwald, who waited until he was in a position to cripple Ditzy Doo before revealing his true colors. That had clearly been to disable the Elements of Harmony as a threat. Presently the most viable targets for the conspirators to be aiming for was either the research gathered by the Order of Legends in their hidden laboratory and archives, one or more of the national leaders present for the Contest, or the dormant fortress of Rengoku itself. Trixie couldn’t think of any other objectives worthy enough to warrant the risks being taken by the conspirators. Trying to pull anything with this many powerful individuals present, in such a high profile event would simply be insane without an equally high reward to offset the risks.

The Empress Fu Ling was either a conspirator herself, or a victim of the conspiracy. Trixie did allow for the possibility she was unrelated to events, but this was her intuition kicking in that said the chances of that were astronomically low. To Trixie was more a question of whether Fu Ling was missing because as a conspirator she was taking action, or if she’d fallen prey to whatever the conspiracy was doing. It seemed unlikely, however, that the Empress could be the sole objective or target, for if that was the case there’d be no reason to target her during the Contest. It wasn’t as if her security was might lighter here than it would have been in Shouma, and with so much more security around from the other nations it’d be even more risky to attempt an abduction or assassination here than back in Fu Ling’s homeland.

So that probably meant the Empress wasn’t the actual target, but related to the objective. This weakened the argument that the research lab was the target, since the conspirators wouldn’t need Fu Ling for that, although if the lab was the objective it’d make more sense if Fu Ling was among the conspirators...

But that didn’t ring true in Trixie’s mind either. She’d seen the way Fu Ling acted. The unmitigated pride and utter hubris that fueled the kirin Empress’ love of her nation and sense of superiority. She wouldn’t care if the Order of Legends had gathered information on all the nations for so long. It’d be less than worthless to someone who’s personal pride was so great. Trixie knew a thing or two about pride and having a bit too much hubris, after all. Even if Fu Ling knew about the lab and what it contained and was offended by it, it wouldn’t be enough to justify the risk of going after it, especially not in such a clandestine manner that wasn’t befitting a personality as bombastic and full of herself as Fu Ling was.

While it wasn’t conclusive, Trixie felt comfortable in her assessment, which led her to believe that most likely Fu Ling was missing due to abduction rather than being part of the conspiracy herself, and that all other factors considered, Rengoku was the most likely target.

She felt comfortable with this conclusion because on top of everything else, the fact that she and Dao Ming had been contacted via the fortress’ own magic and what appeared to be the spirit of it’s creator suggested that the Warlord herself thought that Rengoku would be under threat.

All of this had spun through her mind in a matter of seconds, and Trixie quickly turned to her friends, Dao Ming included, voice turning serious as a tolling of a funeral bell, “I don’t think we have a lot of time to act. Dao Ming, I need you to talk to your siblings and find out where the Empress has gone.”

“As if I needed you to tell me to do that,” Dao Ming replied curtly but not without an equal look of understanding, “But what will you be doing?”

“Firstly, Cheerilee and Lyra, I want you to go get Raindrops and Kenkuro,” Trixie said. She felt confident the laboratory wasn’t the target, and she’d want both Raindrops’ muscle and Kenkuro’s skill for when the storm broke. “When you find them, bring them to Luna’s chambers. We’ll meet you there. Speaking of which, Carrot Top, I want you to go to Luna and tell her what’s happening.”

“I can do that,” Carrot Top said, a nervous lilt to her voice as she looked at the spectator stands, “What about the other rulers, though? Shouldn’t they know what’s going on?”

Trixie was already thinking of that, “It’s best this comes from Luna than us, and we don’t start a panic. That said, I’m going to Princess Cadenza. With Shining Armor there, both of them need to be ready to act, and he’s our most experienced unicorn for protection magic in case things turn ugly. Dao Ming, soon as I’m done talking with them, I’ll come find you and we can work out where Shouma’s Empress has gotten off to.”

Cheerilee flicked her tail and tilted her head towards the other champions, some of whom were actually looking their way as if taking note of the shift in mood among Equestria and Shouma’s champion teams. “What about them?”

Trixie frowned. Chances were if the conspirators were taking action then there weren’t any left among the champions still present for the Contest. Aside from Grimwald, Andrea and Nuru were missing. With Tomoko also unaccounted for, that’d make for four conspirators. Certainly enough to get a lot of harm done. Could there be more? Trixie shook her head.

“It’s a moot point now. If any of them ask, let them know what’s up, but we don’t have time to waste-”

As if her words were a matter of prophecy, Trixie halted mid-sentence as she felt something through her hooves. The ground beneath her was vibrating, ever so slightly. She leaned down and cocked one of her ears towards the ground, eyes going to narrow slits as she concentrated. Lyra did the same, even more attuned to sound herself, while Dao Ming paused and closed her eyes with a moment of concentration.

“These vibrations,” Dao Ming said, “They are not natural.”

True, this was no earthquake. The feeling was too steady and even, not truly a shaking of the earth as just a gradual build up of deep vibrations from somewhere below. Trixie could only think of one thing that might do that.

“Magic,” she said, “Somewhere down there somecreature is starting up a massive scale ritual.”

“We should probably be doing something about that, then, right?” said Carrot Top.

“Plan hasn’t changed,” Trixie said, “The vibrations aren’t getting worse, and they’re small enough most creatures won’t notice them quickly. Whatever is being built up, I think it’ll take time to do it. So we move fast, get Luna and Cadenza informed, figure out where the merde the Shouma Empress is, then try and find out where these vibrations are coming from before whatever it is actually finishes. Oh, and hopefully keep every creature on the island from panicking once they realize something is wrong.”

“Then let’s get moving. C’mon Lyra, time to shake our legs like the world depends on it... because it probably does,” Cheerilee said, and in short order she and Lyra broke off at a swift canter that soon became a gallop once they had a straight shot at one of the exits to the Contest’s arena. The swift exit of two of Equestria’s champions drew attention, and Trixie could feel the eyes of both spectators and champion alike on her as she, Carrot Top, and Dao Ming began to make their way for one of the stone walkways leading up into the stands.

One of the Order’s monks approached them halfway, a confused looking goat who coughed loudly upon reaching them, “Ahem, honored champions, may I ask where you are off to in such a rush? The Abbess will be announcing the end of the Contest of Wits soon and then shortly the Contest of Magic will begin.”

Trixie didn’t break stride as she said with a half breath, “Don’t mind us, just remembered a hilarious Cavallian joke that I just have to share with Princess Cadenza before I forget it. No worries, we won’t miss the Contest of Magic, and there’s still a few teams doing that puzzle maze, so not like we’re in a rush, right?”

The monk’s mouth worked soundlessly for a second as he barely kept pace with the determined mares and clearly tired to work out a counter argument, but by the time he even got the thought to say anything Trixe, Carrot Top, and Dao Ming were already heading up the stairs into the stands. The monk just stood there for a second and finally muttered, “...This is why I should’ve gone to dental school.”

Trixie took a moment to see if she could still feel the vibrations from the stone coliseum stands. She couldn’t. Chances were the vibrations would need to get a lot stronger before anyone sitting up in the stands would feel them, and Trixie couldn’t tell if the vibrations were localized to this area or were island-wide. Far as she was concerned it was a good thing they were minor for now, since the last thing they needed was a mass panic. That said, her gut instinct was telling her that time was woefully short. The Empress of Shouma missing, the vibrations of a magical ritual... every second felt like it could be the point of no return.

Dao Ming made a sharp turn towards an opening that led towards a separate set of internal stairs that’d lead up to the Shouma delegation's seating, and the kirin paused just long enough to look over her shoulder and say, “Good luck.”

Carrot Top made for a different opening, one that would lead through to the back of the coliseum and towards stairs that would take her down and onto the path that would lead to the monastery, and Luna’s chambers within, “You too!”

Trixie nodded at both of them, moving as fast as she dared up a different set of stairs that led up to the top of the coliseum and a short walkway between VIP boxes. The Cavallian seating area was on the left side of Equestria’s, and as she got to the top walkway Trixie heard a call from the Equestrian seating area.

“Dame Trixie, just where are you off to in such a rush?”

Trixie halted, teeth grinding. She didn’t need this right now. She turned slowly with a forced, if still polite smile “Vicereine Puissance, I hope you’re enjoying the Contest so far.”

The aged Vicereine was looking out at Trixie from the wide, open viewing area of the seating box, having not risen from her own seat but having turned sharp and still quite keen eyes towards Trixie. Ancient or not, the old pegasus mare had both excellent vision and the long experience to note body language at a glance. Puissance’s eyes cut at Trixie with critical calculation.

“That did not answer my question, Dame Trixie. Why did you and your companions leave the Contest grounds in such a rush? With the Shouma Empress’ daughter, no less. Is something amiss?”

Oh, you know, the island might explode in the next five minutes for all I know, Trixie thought with a mental voice drowning in sarcasm, but she kept it off her face. It was a sticky situation, however. A member of the Night Court just asked her a direct question, and by rights, as a knight and as a Representative of the same Night Court, Trixie owed the Vicereine an answer. An honest one.

Well, the Vicereine isn’t an idiot. She won’t want to cause a panic any more than I do.

With that thought in mind Trixie quickly approached the window and leaned into it, gesturing the Vicereine to get closer. Puissance’s eyebrow shot up, but she, with noted dignity in her slow steps, got out of her seat and moved over. However her actions didn’t go unnoticed by the other nobles. Baron Mounty Max glanced their way and in his straightforward and honest way called out, “Everything alright over there?”

Trixie wanted to smack her face with her hoof, but that wouldn’t be productive, and every second wasted could bring them all closer to disaster. So with an annoyed grunt, Trixie flung herself through the open window space, much to Puissance’s shocked annoyance as the Vicereine let out a very undignified grunt as she hopped back to avoid Trixie.

“What is the meaning of this?” Puissance demanded, and by now Duchess Posey and Count Blueblood had both also taken notice of the commotion.

“Did she just crawl through the window?” asked Blueblood, while Duchess Posey, perhaps a bit more keen on the uptake, gained a worried look on her face.

“You look distressed, Dame Trixie.”

“Yes!” Trixie said, huffing as she stood and straightened her hat, “Yes, I’m distressed. Look, there’s very little time to go into it, but we may be entering an emergency situation. I’m going to speak with Princess Cadenza, while I’ve already sent Carrot Top to go inform Princess Luna. Every second I’m delayed could be critical, so no offense intended to any of my fellow honorable Night Court, but if you have questions, kindly save them for now. Or, better yet, follow me. You’ll all hear it while I’m explaining things to Cadenza.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense,” Blueblood said flatly, perhaps more immunized to weirdness ever since his interactions with a certain pink menace from Ponyville began.

“Is there anything we can do to help-” Mounty Max began, but then quickly changed course as he said, “Right, you said hold off on questions. We’ll follow, then.”

“Not until you explain the meaning of this,” Puissance said, “And why Princess Cadenza must be informed of it before the ranking members of your own land’s Court is.”

Trixie rolled her eyes, suddenly less concerned with political politeness than in expediting the situation, “Because Cadenza is a powerful alicorn who can actually do something about the situation at hoof! I don’t have time for pricked egos, Vicereine!”

The Vicereine’s wings ruffled up in buzzed annoyance as her eyes grew cold, “Why the nerve of you.”

A hoof landed gently on her shoulder, and Puissance looked sharply over at Duchess Fragrant Posey, who cleared her throat pointedly, “Vicereine, we have no reason to mistrust Dame Lulamoon’s assessment of an emergency situation, or her judgment in who needs to be informed. Let us dispense with further delay and follow her to our Cavallian neighbor’s seating. I’m sure we’ll hear answers there. Right, Dame Lulamoon?”

Trixie gave the Duchess very grateful nod and said, “Yes, please. No offense was meant.” It was, but the old bird can spin on it for all I care, just as long as she doesn’t slow me down any further.

Puissance still looked like a wrinkled thunderhead, but she maintained her dignity with a stiff nod and gestured for Trixie to lead the way. So it was that Trixie rather unintentionally ended up leading a full procession of nearly all the Equestrian noble delegation towards the Cavallian seating box. All save Blueblood, who remained behind to wait for his “one plus” who’d wandered off to get cotton candy (among other assorted snacks).

There was a Cavallian guard waiting just inside the box, a unicorn stallion who looked at the group coming his way with curious trepidation. The stone boxes didn’t have doors so much as simple open entryways, and the stallion gave Trixie a disgruntled stare as he asked, “May I help you.”

“Need to talk to Princess Cadenza,” Trixie said, pitching her voice loud enough to be heard throughout the box, “It’s extremely important.”

The guard opened his mouth to challenge her, but another stallion appeared from within, looking at Trixie with a far from friendly stare. Shining Armor didn’t have a great deal of cause to like Trixie, but he was nothing if not a professional, so he nodded for his fellow guard to stand aside as he looked over Trixie and the nobles behind her. He’d heard the uneasy fear and genuine anxiety in Trixie’s voice. He’d been in enough emergency situations to know what the signs were, and he and Cadence had already noted the way the Element Bearers had suddenly started to take action.

“The Empress is right this way,” he said, his tone dropping an octave, “This better be as important as it looks like it is.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Trixie said, leading the group in, “I think you’re going to be getting a chance to earn your pay all too soon.”

“Some might call that a threat,” Shining Armor pointed out. Trixie shrugged.

“Some are idiots.”

Shining Armor grit his teeth, but a melodious voice from further inside spoke up, “It’s okay Shining Armor. She wasn’t making a threat.”

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had already risen from her seat and met Trixie and the other Equestrian nobles at the box of the spectator box. The other Cavallian nobles present were pointedly not watching them, although their ears were cocked their way. Trixie was struck by the calm yet maturely serious stillness to Cadenza’s features. Although younger than Luna, Cadenza exuded the firm, solid air of someone much older than Trixie would ever come close to being.

“Now, please Dame Lulamoon, tell me what’s happening,” Cadenza said, as if she already had a fair notion of it.

The instant Dao Ming strode into the seating box occupied by the Shouma delegation, she was met by Lo Shang, who was all but vibrating out of his hide with tension. Xhua was the only one still seated, and her pale blue form was rigid with it’s own poorly hidden agitation.

Before either of her siblings could speak, Dao Ming squinted her eyes in a critical gaze meant for both of them and spoke in a firmly pitched tone, “Where is Tomoko and the Empress?”

“Sister,” Lo Shang began, “They’ve... gone out for a walk.”

“Tomoko came earlier and told the Empress she had to speak with her on some kind of important, vital matter,” Xhua said more pointedly, rising from her seat in a swirl of her finely woven kimono and gave Lo Shang and Dao Ming both suspicious looks, “And now you come charging up here looking for them. Something is beyond amiss.”

“It may be nothing,” Lo Shang said, hastily stepping aside as Xhua all but barged her way past him to stare Dao Ming in the face.

“Nothing my finely combed tail,” Xhua hissed, “Dao Ming, what is going on!?”

“That is what I’m seeking to find out,” Dao Ming replied curtly, “I and the Equestrian knights are all sensing the beginnings of a possible magical ritual beneath our hooves, and too many key figures are suddenly missing, including our elder sister and our Empress. We must find them immediately. Do you know where Tomoko took the Empress?”

“I haven’t the slightest, but Lo Shang has kept looking about like a nervous foal since they left,” Xhau replied, turning her cutting gaze towards Lo Shang. For his part the kirin warrior gave them both look coated with pensive doubt as he brushed some of his wild, white locks of mane from his face.

“Lo Shang, what do you know?” Dao Ming said, punctuating every word with a step closer to him, until her eyes were boring into him, despite his taller stature than her.

“I don’t know much of anything,” Lo Shang protested, “I have no idea where Tomoko and our Empress have gone, other than they left towards the monastery, but they easily could have changed paths.”

“Did Tomoko provide specific reasons for this?” Dao Ming pressed.

“Something concerning a possible threat, I heard,” Lo Shang said, “She wasn’t specific. They didn’t go alone. Two of the Jade Guard escorted them when they left.”

That only somewhat comforted Dao Ming. The Jade Guard were excellently trained and had unflagging loyalty. She didn’t doubt their competence or willingness to lay down their lives protecting the Imperial Family. But then again, she’d never doubted the loyalty of any of her own family as well, and for all she knew any of them were in on the conspiracy. Tomoko was certainly now on top of the list, despite how ludicrous that thought felt to Dao Ming. Tomoko had only ever been kind and supportive to Dao Ming, and had shown no signs of unworthy ambition or disloyalty.

Lo Shang’s nerves were still present by the way he kept looking away from her, and Dao Ming’s gut told her there was more to this. “What more do you know?”

“I... don’t know that it’s important. I didn’t seem important at the time,” Lo Shang replied, voice halting, as if doubting himself, “If I speak of it, I’d be breaking my word.”

“To. Whom?” Dao Ming insisted, nose nearly pressed to his.

“Tomoko.”

“About what?”

Lo Shang swallowed, shifting on his hooves like a foal being scolded for putting his hoof in the cookie jar. “Since... since we arrived, Tomoko told me she feared a plot against the Empress. But she had no proof, so she only confided in me, as her brother. She asked me to keep an eye on any suspicious activity from the other champions and report their movements to her, in case they were planning something. She made me swear to not speak of it to anyone but her.”

Xhua lowered her head and breathed out, “Oh Lo... you fool! Did it not occur to you you’d be acting as her eyes and ears?”

“It’s Tomoko,,” he insisted, voice plaintive, “She’s... she’s always been there for us. What reason do I have not to trust her? What reason do you have? I don’t believe she’s attempting anything other than protecting us. She must be sharing her suspicions with the Empress even now, and you two are overreacting! She made me even swear to protect you two, no matter what happens!”

“Is that so?” Dao Ming said, her mind racing, “She asked you to swear an oath to guard us, no matter what occurs? What if she knew something was going to occur, not simply suspected it?”

“That would be... I mean she wouldn’t...” Lo Shang’s eyes blinked, his tail giving several nervous flicks, “I don’t know. I trust her. I have to trust her.”

“What did you do to inform her?” asked Xhua, “You’re not the best spy, brother.”

He took a second to look indignant, “I’ll have you know I’m actually an excellent scout! I was able to sneak around following that curly, orange manned carrot farmer and the elk prince into the forest! Found them snooping about the barrier around Rengoku. Or, uh, I did until they spotted me, then chased me.”

Dao Ming rubbed the bridge of her snout with a hoof, “That was you they saw!? Spirits curse it all, we thought you were one of the conspirators! But you’ve simply been fooled into informing for Tomoko. With you, she likely was able to help her entire cabal keep track of where every creature was at any given time!”

Xhau let out a heavy sigh, her own eyes contemplative, “Little wonder evading detection has been easy for them. Or how they so readily abducted that zebra. Dao Ming, how long have you known about all this?”

“That doesn’t matter now, what matters is that we find Tomoko and the Empress without delay,” Dao Ming said, “We may already be too late.”

“You speak truly, heir of Shouma.”

The new voice belonged to Princess Cadenza as she entered the seating area alongside Trixie Lulamoon and an aged pegasus that Dao Ming recognized as Vicerine Puissance. The Cavalian Empress’s striking features, normally radiating a youthful beauty, were now as grave and hard as chiseled diamond. Dao Ming was struck by the young alicorn’s aura of command, and it was hard to think of this one as anything less than an equal to the likes of Tsukihime or Amaterasu. It was a shame Shouma had yet to give her a befitting title, and the name Inari flowed through her mind in reference to a spirit of fertility once revered in Shouma’s early history. Shaking the thought off, she cleared her throat and bowed her head low to Princess Cadenza, as was only proper. Xhua and Lo Shang both followed suit, heads dipping low.

“Empress of Cavallia, you honor us. Has Dame Lulamoon informed you of the potential danger we face?”

“She has,” Cadenza replied, “And so too do the nobles from Equestria now know. Vicereine Puissance and Duchess Fragrant Posey have volunteered to organize any potential evacuation of the Contest grounds with the assistance of Baron Mounty Max and Viscount Blueblood, and of course the nobles of my own court are willing to work with them to coordinate such an effort. Above all the safety of every innocent creature on this island must take top priority. However I understand if the three of you wish to focus upon locating the missing Empress of Shouma, and Dame Lulamoon and her fellow knights shall aid in that effort... as shall I.”

“What about the Order and the Contest?” asked Xhua, “Has anyone told the Abbess what’s happening? We have an entire order of monks and several dozen champions who think a competition is still taking place.”

A solemn nod came from Cadenza, “I shall take responsibility for informing the Abbess, and halting the Contest. As of yet we haven’t confirmed that an emergency threatening the entire island is imminent, but the mere threat warrants action be taken. Now, did I hear correctly as we approached, Lord Shang? Your sister asked you to spy upon others on the island?”

Lo Shang tried to keep his head up, but visibly deflated under the unflinching gaze of the alicorn before him. He lowered his head in shame and nodded, “It is true, Empress. I... I trust Tomoko with all my heart. She has never once performed a dishonorable or unkind act in my viewing. I still cannot accept the notion she is somehow responsible for a conspiracy on this island, and I pray to the spirits that when we find her she shall have an explanation, and that this will all prove to be a misunderstanding. Please believe me when I say I only acted out of purest faith in someone I’ve always known to have the best interests of my family at heart.”

Dao Ming felt her heart clench at the conflict in his voice, and the deep fear; not for himself, but for Tomoko. He truly believed in her, and Dao Ming couldn’t deny a part of her felt the same. She truly hoped that they were mistaken and Tomoko was not responsible for what was happening, but Dao Ming did her best to mentally prepare for the worst. Just what was Tomoko thinking? If she had betrayed them, then by all the spirits above, why!? And what had become of her mother?

Despite all that had happened, Dao Ming couldn’t deny somewhere deep in her heart that she wished no harm upon her mother.

Princess Cadenza’s eyes slightly softened upon hearing Lo Shang’s words and the simple honesty in them, a sad ghost of a smile on her face, “It is no sin to trust in loved ones. I also don’t know for certain if your sister is indeed a part of any conspiracy against this island. We shall find out the truth, that much I promise you, and I also promise to do all I can to ensure that whatever that truth may be, all participants are taken in alive to give testimony to their actions and motives.”

“Ahem,” Trixie stepped in, “Which is very well, Princess Cadenza, but no offense intended can we move this along? We have conspirators to catch.”

Puissance looked at Trixie like an irate grandmother about to discipline an ornery grand foal, “Do not be rude. You are a knight of the Court, Dame Lulamoon, so do please act the part.”

“It’s alright, Vicereine,” Cadenza said, “She’s correct. Time is of the essence. Now, Lord Shang, if you wish to make things right, an excellent place to start would be to lead us in searching for your wayward Empress and sister.”

After visibly shaking himself and straightening his lowered head, Lo Shang nodded towards the open back portion of the viewing box, in the direction of the monastery, “I shall. I believe Tomoko led the Empress that way, and whether they deviated from that course or not, we should find signs of them.”

“Then let’s not tarry,” Dao Ming said, “Xhua, stay here and do Shouma’s part in organizing any orderly evacuation. Give the nobles of the other lands our full cooperation, including the aid of the Jade Guard.”

There was a brief, sidelong look from Xhua. Dao Ming had never really dared give her sister direct commands like that, and she knew well that Xhua had never been the fondest of siblings. But now was not the time for pettiness, and even Xhua understood this, so she nodded in respect and said, “As you say. I’ll ensure things go smoothly here while you and Lo Shang find out what Tomoko is up to. If she really has been foolish enough to betray us, give her an extra smack across the face for me, will you?”

“I shall consider it,” Dao Ming said, “But first we must find her. Trixie... Dame Lulamoon, Princess Cadenza, shall we?”

“Hrrrraaaaaa!”

Raindrops’ focusing shout was absent the kind of guttural, self-pushing anger that used to mark her physical exertions. It was a more pure sound of simple unity between the blood pumping through her veins and the absolute focus upon her intended goal, given form in a chest-deep shout as she hurled herself forward. Not fast, but with weight, intent, and power behind each wing flap, she flew down the stone corridor with her forehooves extended.

At the same time Kenkuro stood just off-center to the flat wall of stone blocking off the corridor, the seal that Andrea had created to trap the pair within the Order of Legend’s hidden research lab and archive.

The tengu’s wing rested upon the hilt of the Blade of Heaven, his eyes closed as he took steady, deep breaths. Just as Raindrops was near to flying past him, his eyes snapped open and with an echoing caw he drew the sword in a silver river of unnatural steel.

An edge sharper than any normal metal could hope to achieve, combined with the honed sword skills of a true master, slashed into the stone wall. It carved a deep line in the rock, parting it as silk. A split second later a pegasus whose strength was well beyond the norm for her kind, and whose technique was well trained itself, smashed her hooves into that very same spot the Blade of Heaven had cut. The result was that the wall shook, dust fell from the ceiling, and a spider web of cracks ran out from the rift in the rock that Kenkuro had made.

Raindrops, breathing heavily, hovered back and floated beside Kenkuro, observing their combined work. The wall was still intact. It bore four other slash masters with similar impact points, all organized in a small circle near the center of the wall. It looked weakened, but stubbornly intact.

“Huff... dang Andrea really made this wall thick, didn’t she?” said Raindrops, wiping sweat off her brow. Kenkuro gave a shallow nod of agreement, sheathing his sword once more before rubbing his beak with a wing.

“I shall remember not to underestimate the powers of an Elkhiem skald from henceforth. Such a shame she seems to be quite crazy. She was rather attractive.”

“Is there a species you won’t hit on?” Raindrops asked, looking at him askance. Kenkuro’s beak curved in a smile.

“That’s like asking if there’s a food I won’t try. Really, travel enough, young Raindrops, and you’ll learn just how much the world has to offer. At any rate, it’s difficult to tell if we’re making progress here.”

Raindrops snorted her agreement, giving the wall a severe case of stink eye, “By my guess it’s at least two, maybe three feet thick. We keep up the pace, I think we’ll breath through in... an hour or two. Which will be too late to stop Andrea and her cloak-wearing pals if they’re making a move right now. Don’t suppose that shiny sword of yours has any hidden powers?”

He laughed, patting the blade, “Only when facing the spirits of Shouma or similar entities. Trust me, if I had a power or technique that could fully sunder this wall, I’d have used it already. Right now cutting further gouges into this wall is all I can muster.”

“And smashing it down more is about all I can do, assuming my hooves hold out,” Raindrops said, looking at her limbs. She was strong, and tough, and she knew it, but her flesh still had limits. She wasn’t built to smash through rock the way an Earth Pony might. She could keep this up for a while, but by the time they did break free her own legs might be battered pretty badly. Still, what choice did she have?

The Order monks who had been trapped in the lab with them watched on silently from further down the hall. They had nothing that could help with the situation, and the one unicorn among them had no magic strong enough to be of use. Sadly there were also no alternative exits, which Raindrops thought of as something of a design flaw. Granted the monks probably never thought anypony would find this place, let alone seal them inside. She supposed she could chalk up the lack of an emergency exit as an honest mistake, but she was still annoyed, because she knew her friends needed help and she was stuck here playing the world’s most aggressive game of patty-cake with a wall.

“We’ve at least weakened a decent area around a central point,” Kenkuro said, taking up what Raindrops had heard him refer to as an ‘iaijutsu’ stance again, legs spread at precise angles and wing on the hilt of his sword. “If we now focus upon that center, we may break through faster.”

Raindrops rubbed her sore hooves and started to hover backwards to get distance for another charge, “Here’s hoping. This wall’s certainly not going to break down itself.”

She readied herself, preparing to fly forward at full speed once more, only for the entire corridor to buck and shake from a truly tremendous impact that echoed like the roar of a giant. Raindrops was left blinking in surprise, while Kenkuro wisely took a hopping few steps back from the wall as cracks erupted across its surface. A moment later there was a second impact, even louder than the first, and the wall exploded in a shower of rock chunks and dust.

Raindrops and Kenkuro were left gasping and coughing amid the dust and rubble. It took them a second to clear their eyes, upon which they heard a booming voice fill the hall.

“Hahah! What did I tell you, friends!? It’s always good to have a moose at your side, especially one might as Wodan!”

The titanic Elkheim moose filled the hallway like an adult trying to crawl around in a foal’s play set. Poking their heads out from behind either side of him, Cheerilee and Lyra both looked in past the demolished wall.

“Hey, Raindrops! Kenkuro! You two alright!?” called Lyra, waving a hoof excitedly, “We came to, uh, rescue you?”

“Actually we just came to find you both to warn you that the conspirators were making their move,” said Cheerilee, letting out a short chuckle, “But this sudden wall we found is making me think you already knew that. Guess it’s lucky that Wodan spotted us leaving the Contest grounds and insisted on following us.”

“Verily!” boomed Wodan, “My keen sense of adventure and danger immediately told me something was amiss when I spied Equestria’s fine champions squirreling away with the looks of mares on a mission! Of course I’d come. A good thing, too, given the wall.”

“We would’ve gotten through it,” Kenkuro said, “...Eventually.”

“I say we softened it up for you, at any rate,” commented Raindrops, trying not to feel an inferiority complex. Wodan was roughly ten times her mass, after all. If she was as big as she’d been when she’d fought Corona, she could have demolished that wall in two blows as well! Maybe even one! ...Maybe.

Kenkuro approached Wodan, the tengu’s dark eyes now taking on a very serious light as he said, “You have our thanks for the rescue, but I also have dire tidings, Wodan of Elkheim. It turns out one of your own-”

“Andrea,” Wodan said, his own voice now deep and somber as a grave.

“How did you know?” asked Raindrops, approaching as well to join Cheerilee and Lyra, who’d come out from behind Wodan.

“She was missing from the Contest grounds,” Wodan said, and then he nodded towards the rubble pile that used to be the wall, “That, and I can sense the residual energy of her runecraft here. I know not what madness drives her, but I have no doubts of her involvement. Rest assured I shall ask her vigorously when we confront her and her companions.”

Raindrops pounded her forehooves together, frustration bursting out of her in a snarl, “You and me both! What the hay is she and those other robed nutjobs thinking!? What are they even trying to accomplish!?”

Kenkuro raised a wing towards her, his voice containing the smooth calm of a flowing stream, “Their aims are irrelevant to the fact that they must be stopped. If Andrea sought to trap us here, that means this hidden place was not their target. We must move swiftly to join with your fellow knights and the other champions so we can face what’s coming. As Tien Zhu once said; When the storm arrives, it’s too late to ask if the windows are closed.”

“Did that Tien dude ever actually exist or is this stuff you’re making up on the fly?” Raindrops asked in all seriousness, to which Kenkuro offered her a cryptic smile.

“All I shall say is that in the land of the Heavenly Empire, pen names are as much a thing as they are in Equestria.”

“Soooo, we still chatting, or are we heading back up?” asked Lyra, “Because I don’t know if anypony else is feeling it, but there’s a seriously bad vibe in the air.”

Now that she mentioned it, the others took a second to focus and each of them felt the faint vibration in the stone corridor. A vibration that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, weak enough that one had to be quiet and concentrate to feel it, but was steadily getting stronger.

Wodan traced a rune upon the dusty ground, which glowed with a small aura of green light before fading. The moose snorted, “Whatever ill omen this is, I can’t detect it’s source. It’s as if all the earth around us is filling with tension.”

“Let’s just hoof it back to the surface, or in Kenkuro’s case ‘wing it’,” said Cheerilee, “And do it on the double, because I can’t really recall an instance when an island shaking led to anything good.”

Not only did they depart, but they took the Order’s researchers with them, just in case the vibrations got bad enough to cause any of the monastery’s underground areas to collapse. The researchers were reluctant to leave their life’s work behind, but didn’t put up much argument when faced with the insistence of multiple national champions. Yes, there was the slight possibility that Andrea’s actions were a ruse and the enemy would swoop in after everyone was gone to snatch up the research, but then what was all the vibrating about? It simply made more sense to get everyone to safety first. Tracking down the source of the vibrations would likely lead to the answers they needed... and a chance to finally confront the ones who’d broken the peace of the Contest.

Baron Mounty Max was largely just happy to be doing something useful. Certainly he was extremely worried about what was happening, but the crisis at hoof was well above the pay grade of a Night Court Baron, and Equestria’s finest were already on the case. He wasn’t one to just sit idle, however, and so was grateful to be assisting in whatever way he could. For now that mostly meant acting as a liaison with the Order of Legend’s to begin preparations to evacuate in case the emergency got that far. Fragrant was already speaking with the other champions who weren’t aware of the situation, while Puissance was moving among the delegations from the other nations to slowly spread the word while ensuring no creature panicked.

Admittedly it was a very delicate situation. Already much of the spectators gathered in the coliseum's stands were sensing something wasn’t right. The Contest of Wits hadn’t even been given a formal announcement of the winners, and few had missed the way in which the Equestrian champions along with Shouma’s heir had rushed off. Even Wodan had gone trotting off after Cheerilee and Lyra, leaving only Sigurd behind to confusedly mill about with the remaining champions.

Mounty Max could see Fragrant speaking with gathered champions, Sigurd at the head of them alongside the female griffin who’d won the Contest of Strength. Gwendolyn, if Mounty recalled correctly. The zebra and minotaur champions were hanging back a bit, and Mounty noticed one of the minotaurs, the female one, looking around as if searching for somepony.

He briefly wondered what they were making of the situation, but he had his own task to focus on, which was proving somewhat problematic.

“Look, it’s extremely important you find the Abbess,” he said to the earth pony monk who stood before him, “I’ve already told you there’s not a lot of time to prance about on this. Everycreature here may be in danger, and we’ll need Abbess Serene’s help, along with the whole Order, to keep things calm and controlled with this many creatures here.”

The monk’s face was a pinched mask of unease and confusion as he replied, “I understand, Baron, but like I keep trying to tell you, we don’t know where the Abbess is. One moment she was overseeing preparations for the Contest of Magic, and then suddenly none of us can find her. We’ve been looking since before the Contest of Wits reached it’s halfway point. The Abbess just... doesn’t seem to be anywhere.”

Mounty Max rubbed his chin, his ears giving a contemplative twitch as he mulled this over. “Well that’s... odd. She didn’t tell any of you where she was going?”

“None of us even saw her depart the Contest grounds,” the earth pony insisted, his voice giving off a distinct, lost note. He was all but cantering in place, “It’s most distressing. We’ve sent some to search for her at the monastery, but I can’t imagine why she would vanish like this, during the very final competition of the Contest! Oh, I hope she’s okay.”

“Same here,” Max said, patting the other pony on the withers, “Keep up the search. In the meantime, who’s the second in command of the Order?”

“Oh, um,” the monk blinked a few times, “I think that would be Dusty Scribbles. He’s at the festival grounds, I believe.”

“Then here’s what we’ll do. Go and get Dusty Scribbles and tell him everything I’ve told you. If things go badly here, we need to ensure a clear path is made for creatures to evacuate in an orderly fashion. Work with him to find the most trustworthy members of your Order who can keep a crowd calm, and be ready to act. Then find me, and we’ll work on the plan from there.”

No matter the intensity of a crisis, Mounty Max had learned from plenty of experience to keep a focus on the practical details. Don’t let a problem overwhelm your thoughts, just break it down into simple, manageable actions. Good leadership largely came from keeping a level head and simply helping folk see what needed doing, often things they already knew to do, but might have been too panicked or stressed to see. He knew he still had things to learn, especially in the wider Night Court back home, but for now, with a straightforward emergency to deal with, he felt a bit more in his element.

Not that he wasn’t stressed. With such a large crowd of various creatures present on the island, any kind of disaster would be all that harder to manage. Especially with multiple nobles and dignitaries from so many other nations. If none agreed on who was in charge, arguments could cost lives. He hoped there’d be a bare minimum on such egotistical tomfoolery. And, while it was a little embarrassing to admit, his fears weren’t just for the citizens in general. He had personal reason to fear for a certain somepony, and his eyes flickered back towards Duchess Fragrant Posey.

He knew he shouldn’t let his feelings for her distract him from the task in front of him, but a part of him steadfastly refused to ignore her presence, either. Whatever disaster struck, Mounty Max wouldn’t be going anywhere without Fragrant Posey, that was a certainty set in stone.

Within the confines of Luna’s chambers there was a slight smell of soft incense burning, filling the room with a sharp but sweet fragrance. It was an incense Luna had made herself to assist with easing the mind into a restful and peace laden dream state. It wasn’t all that necessary for her, but it would in theory help Ditzy Doo’s mind find a stable place while Luna gradually worked to remove the magical curse that kept the Element of Kindness in a deep slumber.

Luna stood protectively over her little pony as Ditzy slept on her chamber’s larger couch, her wings spread over the pegasus like a shielding wreath. The alicorn’s horn continued to pulsate with gentle surges of star speckled, deep blue magic that flowed along Ditzy’s form. In small, black flecks, the magical curse was waning, wafting off of Ditzy like ash. But it still remained intact, a snare holding Ditzy’s mind in formless, black unconsciousness. Luna knew she could pull the mare free, with just a little more time, but she sensed an anxiety in the air. A fierce, growing tension. Something was amiss outside. Be it long honed alicorn senses, or a deeper connection to the alicorn magic she and her sister had long ago placed on the island, Luna was aware something was coming and that time was short. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but there was a disturbance in the very stone of the monastery, and it filled even the Princess of the Night with a sense of anxiety.

But she didn’t dare halt her work upon Ditzy Doo. Every second was precious in removing the curse, and without all six Bearers together then the Elements of Harmony couldn’t function.

Luna’s ears twitched as she heard the swift, frantic hoofbeats of somepony approaching her chambers at a fast canter. She wasn’t surprised when she saw Carrot Top fling open the doors, a tad breathless.

“Princess Luna, we’ve got trouble incoming. Trixie sent me to tell you.”

Without looking away from her magic-craft, Luna said, “I felt it already. Things stir within the very heart of the island. Bring me up to speed if you please, Dame Toppington, but know that I can’t cease my work upon our fallen friend.”

“Of course not,” Carrot Top said as if the thought had never crossed her mind, “Definitely take care of Ditzy first. But yeah, here’s the skinny on things.”

Luna listened as Carrot Top went over what little was known, but it was enough to cause the storm-like darkening of the alicorn’s already severe features. She knew enough about Rengoku to understand some of the ramifications of who’d gone missing. “If Shouma’s Empress is taken, or a conspirator, then it means one with the Warlord’s blood is compromised. The fortress was built to respond to one of that bloodline, so if what I sense is the beginning of a magical ritual, it is likely meant to directly influence Rengoku itself.”

“Y-yeah, but that giant fortress is still behind that barrier you made a long time ago, right?” Carrot Top said, mostly as if trying to convince herself that things weren’t that bad, “I mean, who could break through that?”

“While your respect for the power of alicorn magic is laudable, even our might is not beyond challenging,” Luna said, eyes briefly weighed down by sadness, “And the magic my sister and I cast long ago is no exception. Especially considering that since then, another alicorn has come into being.”

“Wait, are you saying that Princess Cadenza would-”

“No, of course not,” Luna cut off Carrot Top’s thought before it could finish, “But just because she wouldn’t willingly aid in removing the barrier that doesn’t mean our foes have not found out a workaround. A way to use alicorn magic without the direct help of an alicorn.”

“Who’d even know how to do something like that?” Carrot Top said, her uneasiness at the very notion making her shift uncomfortably on her hooves, “You’d need to know a lot about alicorns to pull something like that off.”

“Indeed,” Luna replied, her mind working through the options and coming to a dire conclusion, “You’d need the kind of information and research that would take generations of study. Both of magic, alicorns, and the barrier around Rengoku. I’d even posit that it’d be impossible without the resources of an organization dedicated specifically to the study of various forms of magic and the fortress of Rengoku, possibly for centuries.”

“...You mean like the Order of Legends?” Carrot Top said, blinking in surprise.

“Yes,” Luna said with a grim snort, “Or at least, it’s Abbess.”

Abbess Serene entered the ritual chamber with the gait of a mare at death’s door. Her hooves felt like the gnarled branches of a withered oak, and she felt the weight of every step like the impact of a gavel. She’d long ago resolved herself to this course, but to have it happening, to actually be taking these final steps upon the fruition of her plans... it was a burden of unimaginable magnitude.

She was at once fulfilling and betraying the very core of her beliefs. Half of her soul was cathartic in a way she had not known since fillyhood, while the other half was appalled and terrified she was truly going through with this.

But she was, above all other things, steadfast in her determination to see through her plans to the end. This was the culmination of many years of careful work, diligent research, and such a degree of patience that a part of her had genuinely feared she would pass on naturally before being able to enact this scheme.

It had all started with the breakthrough. Mi Amore Cadenza. During a casual bit of field work, a much younger Serene, little more than still an initiate into the Order, had traveled to Cavallia to study the budding potential champions of those days. She had, while being entertained at Cadenza’s palace, broken past her shy demeanor to work up the courage to ask the realm’s newest alicorn if her magic was at all like that of other alicorns. She didn’t truly expect an answer, but Cadenza, ever one to be eager to put others at ease, had volunteered to demonstrate her magic for Serene to study for the time she was in Cavallia. It’d only been a few days, but Serene had not only taken many notes, but had used one of the Order’s numerous research talisman to capture a sample of the alicorn’s magic for further study.

That was how, just over a year later, Serene had come to the discovery that Cadenza’s magic differed just enough from either Luna’s or Celestia’s that it could be used to bypass the barrier around Rengoku. More than that, unlike the previous two alicorns, Rengoku’s saurian nature did not react negatively to Cadenza’s power. It was alicorn magic that could, in theory, be used on Rengoku without creating the overload that Luna’s and Celestia’s would. The saurian race that originally built Rengoku apparently had never anticipated an alicorn like Cadenza. Rengoku’s core had no defense against Cadenza’s magic.

For Serene, it planted a most tantalizing but vexing notion in her mind. Could Rengoku be safely destroyed, without endangering the world?

For a long time the thought seemed impossible. She didn’t even dare bring it up to Princess Luna. Even breathing the notion of freeing Rengoku from it’s prison to try to destroy it, even with the research results on Cadenza’s magic, might have triggered the Princess of the Night’s ire. Serene couldn’t imagine a scenario in which Luna or Cadenza would consent to taking the risk. What if it didn’t work as Serene’s research predicted? What if someone managed to steal the fortress before it could be destroyed? Why take the risk if it was safely locked away behind the barrier?

All of those reasons had churned inside Serene all the long years she spent rising through the Order’s ranks, in due time becoming Abbess. And all those long years, she stewed. Seethed over her powerlessness. Rengoku was an abomination. It needed to be destroyed, one day. It was one of the very reasons for the Order’s existence! Serene sat upon the very key to the possibility of doing that very thing!

So why just sit on it? Why fear other’s telling her ‘no’, when she didn’t need permission at all?

After all, was there not an old saying about it being better to ask forgiveness than permission?

And so she began her plan. The Contest of Champions was coming, she knew, within her lifetime. A situation in which Mi Amore Cadenza would be on the island, and many other individuals from all over the world. The most risky, yet most viable moment in which she could have all the pieces together at once to take Rengoku, and then ensure it’s destruction. Then the Order’s purpose, her purpose, would finally be fulfilled. She didn’t fear the consequences of her actions. She was old, and would gladly sacrifice her few remaining years of life to see this done.

All she’d needed were the right allies. Considering the Order of Legends had long built connections with every nation in the world and kept close tabs on numerous individuals of power, it was almost too easy to find them.

A wildcard griffin assassin who just enjoyed seeing chaos in the world, but would do anything for the right coin.

A bored but talented red deer skald who dreamed of sparking an age of conflict so new legends could be born.

A zebra master of the physical arts who was just desperate enough to find a cure for his son-in-law’s condition that he could be persuaded he could find what he sought inside Rengoku itself.

And a highly intelligent kirin who loved her sister so much, she’d betray her nation to see it’s present Empress deposed and that sister assume the throne.

These four allies had been gained over several years of careful interaction, and the five of them formed a conspiracy the wheels of which began to turn the moment the Contest of Champions began. Now the time had come. There was no going back. They would either succeed or fail based upon what transpired that day, and Abbess Serene had no intention of failing her life’s work.

Those allies who had made the culmination of this moment possible stood waiting for her arrival. In front of them was the grand magic circle she’d spent years carving into the stone floor of this hidden chamber, deep beneath the monastery. The Mystique Sanguis Animarum was no ordinary magic circle. It possessed multiple layers of diligently designed arcane sigils that formed the basis for not merely one, but several different spells. Some of these spells were designed to activate without the need for the will and intent of a spellcaster, merely the pouring of magical energy into the circle such as the potent warding against detection from divination magic. Another layered spell was a delicately woven siphoning spell, one created to gradually and gently drain magic from a given target area.

Specifically the Contest grounds. During the Contest of Art the circle had been slowly siphoning small bits of magic from every living creature that trod upon the Contest grounds. Small bits, so as to not easily be noticed, even by those with enhanced senses like the alicorns.

Another section of the magical circle was a sort of metaphysical decanter, designed to seek out and absorb a specific type of magic from the greater amount of magic siphoned into the circle. Specifically, Mi Amore Cadenza’s magic. Even just a few motes of that alicorn’s magic would be enough to fill that smaller part of the circle; the raw materials needed for the greater magical working to come.

And upon seeing the Empress of the Heavenly Empire standing within the center of the circle, imprisoned by a shielding spell layered into the larger circle, Serene knew that all the pieces were in place.

“Heya boss lady,” said Grimwald with a pleased smirk as the griffin gave her a casual wave, “If you’re here, guessing that means we’re done playing hide and seek?

Serene removed the hood of her dark cloak, freeing her horn and giving her head a brief shake to clear her wispy white mane, still speckled pink in a few places, from her face. She was surprised by the calm steadiness in her own voice. “Yes, it’s time. It won’t be long before my absence is noticed, and not longer after that before we will be discovered, warding spell or no. We will begin the ritual, but before that I wish to thank all of you for coming this far with me.”

“Thanks are unnecessary,” Tomoko said with a gracious bow of her head, nothing but pure gratitude in her words, “What you’ve given me this day is a gift I can hardly pay back. It is you who I owe thanks to, Abbess.”

“Please, do not call me ‘Abbess’ any longer,” Serene said, “That is a title I now forsake for what must be done. You may just call me Serene, Tomoko.”

Tomoko nodded, and Andrea let out a musical chuckle.

“Such resolve! A mare willing to throw aside the trappings and titles of her life to forge ahead to a grand new destiny! My soul stirs with the urge to write a fresh ballad!”

“Perhaps we should talk less and instead get to work on the ritual,” Nuru said, standing stiffly while giving Serene a small nod of acknowledgment, “Not that I lack gratitude, but I still require access to the fortress before my Path can be complete, and it’d be rather inopportune if the alicorns discovered us before we finished the ritual.”

“Just so,” Serene said, and approached the edge of the magical circle, eyeing the fuming Empress within, “Good day to you, Empress Fu Ling. I do apologize for the inconvenience, but I doubted you’d come here willingly to play your role in what’s to come.”

The regal kirin had an impressively explosive and volatile glare, Serene had to admit. Fu Ling’s lips provided a curdling glower to match the fire in her eyes, “Save your words. I do not know what insanity you’ve infected these others with, but you of all creatures should know the madness in trying to free Rengoku, let alone detonating it within my Empire!”

“Your reaction is understandable. I expected the same from Princess Luna and Princess Cadenza, hence why I never bothered trying to bring my plan to them. I knew no matter how well I explained it, they’d never allow me to go through with it. Too much ‘risk’. Would it matter to you if I gave my assurance that I’ve run the calculations countless times? That I’m all but certain that with the magic of Mi Amore Cadenza, I can control the strength of Rengoku’s detonation to minimize the damage?”

“Assurances will mean little if you turn out to be wrong,” Fu Ling said, and Serene nodded, to which Fu Ling only grew more angry, “Risking burning half the world on a ‘possibility’ is pure madness, no matter how accurate you think your calculations are! And Tomoko’s claim that it will help ‘heal’ the Dark Lands is equally ludicrous!”

“Not so,” Serene replied, “You have not studied Rengoku as I have. You may be aware that the fortress partially fuels itself with the spirits of other beings, yes? Did you never consider what spirits must have fueled it initially?”

Fu Ling’s expression turned briefly puzzled, like a soapy film over the core of her rage, “What do you mean?”

“Your Dark Lands are a wound in the land itself, a land whose prosperity is directly tied to it’s kami, or spirits. Rengoku was built by the ancient saurian race, and uses spirits of living creatures to augment its power source,” Serene said, knowing that while time may be short, she did at least owe Fu Ling an explanation for why she was confident her plan would work and was worth all this trouble and risk, “The first spirits to power Rengoku were the very spirits of the land itself. Your Dark Lands were born due to this, the absence of it’s natural spirits. Destroying Rengoku will free those spirits to return to that land, and doing so right above the ‘wound’ will act as a magical form of cauterizing the damage. That is what I intend to do, despite the fact that in order to do so I must be inside the fortress itself to administer Princess Cadenza’s magic to Rengoku’s power core.”

To this, Fu Ling had the presence of mind to look a bit taken above, “You intend to... sacrifice yourself?”

“It is necessary,” Serene said, nothing but solemn resolve in her tone, “The spell can’t be administered at a distance, and only I know the intricacies of it enough to ensure it is done properly. I am old, and have lived as much life as many. It is a small thing to give up, to ensure the long nightmare of Rengoku is brought to an end, the Dark Lands cleansed, and the souls trapped within left to finally find peace. I wasn’t ever about to allow the concerns of those who think my plan was too ‘risky’ to stop me.”

Fu Ling’s face grew still, but she soon gave a firm shake of her head, “Madness or nobility, I can’t tell which this is, but regardless that ‘risk’ you dismiss is very real and far too high. If you’re wrong, the whole world pays for it, the Empire most of all. I cannot allow this!”

She threw herself against the barrier containing her, but it was futile, and she was rebuked by a burst of magical energy that left her staggered. Serene sighed in sympathy, “I understand your fears, but you truly have no choice, Empress.”

She looked to her companions and nodded to them, signaling for them to take their positions. For the purpose of the ritual it would fall to her and Tomoko to do the actual spellcasting, but Andrea, Nuru, and Grimwald would each act as metaphysical ‘anchors’ at different sections of the circle, allowing the magical energies to channel through them and supporting the casting with their own lifeforce.

With a deep breath of concentration, a smooth strand of white magical energy blossomed from Serene’s horn as she began the ritual. Tomoko unfurled a spirit scroll with her own magic and began the Mantra chant, fusing Shouma spirit magic with Serene’s Equestrian magic as both mares poured forth their power into the magical circle from opposite ends.

As this occurred, the sigils of the magic circle burst forth with vibrant streams of interconnecting blue, white, and green lights. The ground had already been ever so faintly vibrating due to the gradual build up of magic inside the circle, but now that shaking intensified with every passing second. The chamber was built to withstand far greater forces than this, but within a few minutes the shaking was enough to cause a dull, groaning roar of rumbling stone to fill Seren’s ears.

This was it. If they were going to be stopped, this was the most vulnerable moment for them. The ritual would only need minutes to succeed, but in circumstances such as this, minutes would spell all the difference.

“Something is definitely going on down there,” Smoke said as she leaned precariously over the side of Celestia’s golden ark, near to the starboard bow side. A strong gust of wind nearly caused her to stumble right off, but the yelping unicorn was stabilized by a reflexive talon grasp from Terrorwing, who’d joined her to eye the activity below.

“No kidding. Was your first clue the way those Ponyville mares started running off in different directions?” the hulking griffin said, cocking his head so he could better view the ground with a single eagle-eye, “And looks like all those monks are scrambling around now, too.”

Smoke gulped and backed away from the edge, “What do you think it means?”

“Means we’d better get ready to move, and hope our boss lady can do something with that bastard’s feather,” Terrorwing replied, then turned to look over his shoulder towards the back of the ark. Rising up from the lower hold, Kindle followed Celestia, the latter sporting a rancor filled glower while the former looked chastened as he stared at the ground.

“K-Kindle, Queen Celestia!” Smoke stammered, “Is, um, everything okay?”

Celestia didn’t even answer. She simply marched to the bow of the ark, spread flame wreathed wings, and took flight. She soared like a fiery comet towards the monastery. Smoke blinked in surprise, while Terrorwing frowned and glanced back at Kindle.

“The flaming clouds was that all about?”

Kindle sat down on his haunches and gave them both a conflicted look, “Our Queen cannot divine the precise location of the dastardly griffin Grimwald by her power alone. Whatever cloaks his presence, as with Zecora, is too strong. However she believes that the feather is a sufficient focus that, with the assistance of another alicorn, she can pierce the veil.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” said Smoke.

“It is...” Kindle admitted, “I just, ah, perhaps spoke out of turn to our Queen, when I suggested her power was so great that she didn’t need the assistance of her traitorous sister.”

He paled and stood back up on shaking legs, clearly trying to compose himself, “I was appropriately reprimanded for my transgression in speaking of matters I do not understand. I shall endeavor to not earn our Queen’s wrath in the future.”

“Well you’re not a crispy turkey, so she couldn’t have been that pissed off at you,” Terrorwing said, but Kindle just shot him a flat look.

“That may have been preferable. I am now tasked with cleaning Solrathicharnon’s chambers for the next month. Do you have any comprehension of just how dangerous and harrowing a task that is? Stop laughing! This is serious!”

Terrorwing managed to cover his beak with a wing, but his sputtering laughs were still quite audible. Smoke affected a humored smile of sympathy, “I’m sure you’ll be okay, Kindle. But, um, did our Queen give us any orders?”

“Only to stand by and be ready,” he said, “For whatever may happen.”

The search of the monastery grounds was a painstakingly arduous process, and Trixie felt a growing sense of anxiety by the second. Even with the help of Cadenza’s knights, several of the remaining Jade Guard under Dao Ming’s direction, and Trixie herself, they could only cover so much area at once. Monks of the Order were providing assistance as well, but they were distracted by their own search for their Abbess, and Trixie’s mind started doing flips as she realized just how bad it would be if the Abbess herself was one of the conspirators.

No wonder they had such an easy time getting around! They had somepony on their side who would know every blasted corner of this island inside and out! Should’ve thought about turning her quarters inside out. How much of this did she plan? What would she even be trying to accomplish?

The questions spun about inside her as she went down one hallway and the next, using magic to feel around the walls for any hidden seams, or casting about for any clue as to where the Shouma Empress could have been taken. Dao Ming was with her, covering the opposite wall. Their search had focused on the hallways nearest to the monastery’s entrance, where Cadence had discovered signs of a scuffle. Cadence herself was covering the hallways on the opposite side, superior alicorn senses being her best asset for finding anything unusual.

“Merde,” Trixie spat, “Anything, Dao Ming?”

“Not yet,” replied the kirin in a voice of tightening frustration, then she paused, “Wait.”

Trixie swung around, looking to where Dao Ming was bent over what appeared to be something small and glittering green on the ground. Trixie trotted over for a closer look. The object appeared to be a very small, green scale.

“A small piece of armor from one of the Jade Guard,” Dao Ming said, lifting the fine metal scale of lacquered jade green, “It must have broken off. One of mother’s guards either came this way, or was taken this way.”

“Then we’re on the right track,” Trixie said, sweeping her magic over the wall. She didn’t find anything at first, but after a few more paces she discovered a seam.

“Here,” she told Dao Ming, who quickly came up and ran a hoof over where Trixie was indicating. Together the pair used magic to pry open the hidden doorway in the wall, one of many like it that led into the hidden tunnels beneath the monastery. Not far inside, the pair discovered two unconscious, tied up kirin; the Jade Guards who had gone with Tomoko and Fu Ling.

“They’re alive,” Dao Ming confirmed after checking them over, “They must have been put here after mother was taken.”

“Which means this probably isn’t the same way Tomoko took the Empress,” Trixie said with grit teeth, “Drat! These two probably can’t tell us anything, either! At least nothing we don’t already know. Urgh, we don’t have time for this.”

“Patience, Trixie,” Dao Ming said, “If nothing else, these two can confirm who took mother, and if it truly was Tomoko. Or if there were others. They may have even seen which direction she was taken.”

“Here’s hoping,” Trixie said, her ears twitching as she knelt down and concentrated on feeling the floor with a hoof, “Because is it just me, or is the shaking getting worse?”

Dao Ming took a moment to focus on the growing rumble in the floor and nodded, “It’s not just you. Hurry, let’s get these two back to the main hall. Perhaps Princess Cadenza has managed to find something as well.”

By the time they got back to the monastery’s vast entry hall, each carrying one of the unconscious guards on their backs, Trixie found her friends gathered there waiting for her. They weren’t alone, either.

“Kenkuro!” Dao Ming exclaimed, energized upon seeing her mentor, “I’m glad you’re here.”

The tengu provided a wave of greeting, but his eyes were heavy with worry as he bowed his head to Dao Ming, “Would that I had remained up here, at the Empress’ side. A poor Blade of Heaven it is that isn’t present when the Empire’s Empress is abducted.”

“No point complaining over spilt whiskey,” said Trixie, nodding to her friends, and to the moose next to them, “I see you’ve barged your way into things, Wodan. Glad to have you.”

“As well you should!” Wodan said, rearing up to flex a mighty limb, “As soon as we have foes before us to smite, you shall have the unbridled smiting capacity of the great Wodan at your side! Assuming we can find the hole our foe has crawled into. How has that been coming?”

“Poorly,” Trixie said, and turned to Raindrops, “Did anything happen down there in the Order’s lab?”

Raindrops’ sour look was what had clued Trixie in that something was up in the first place, and she heaved a sigh, “Yeah, me and Kenkuro can confirm now that Andrea is one of the bad guys.”

“It’s a shame, too,” said Lyra, shaking her head, “She was such a good musician. I don’t get what she would be getting out of helping abduct Shouma’s Empress.”

“We can ask her after we introduce her to a nice, comfy cell,” Cheerilee said, “Although I suppose to do that we still have to find her, first.”

“That’s proving problematic,” Trixie said, stomping a hoof, “Unless we tear this place down brick by brick, we’re rather low on options.”

“The monastery is made of worked, stone, Trixie, not bricks,” pointed out Dao Ming, to which Trixie gave the kirin an exasperated glare, to which Dao Ming merely shrugged. “But yes, I see your point. This is no different than when we were searching below ground. By now my mother must be in the enemy’s hideout, and we’re as bereft of a means to locate it now as we were then.”

“I wish I had better news myself,” said Cadenza, who entered the grand hall alongside several of her knights. There was a tense energy to the alicorn’s steps, reminding Trixie of how she got on some nights when the paperwork piled up and she’d had too much coffee. Chances were Cadenza could feel the growing tremors in the ground even more thoroughly than the rest of them could, mounting the pressure to find the source.

“Nothing on your end, either?” Trixie said, to which Cadenza turned a questioning look at the two unconscious guards, and Trixie coughed and added, “I mean, I suppose these two count as something, but we didn’t exactly find a convenient trail of breadcrumbs to go with them.”

“I did find another hidden passage into what I presume are those tunnels you mentioned,” Cadenza said, “I even noticed the scuff marks from some hooves, but those vanished before I could follow them very far. At this point my thought is to mobilize every available hoof we can muster and blanket those tunnels from end to end until we find the spot these abductors are hiding in.”

“Do we even have time for that?” asked Raindrops, tapping a hoof on the floor, her wings dropping down, “Whatever the hay they’re up to, it feels like it’s building up fast.”

“Surely so much magical force being generated has to leave some kind of trace that can be sensed and followed?” said Kenkuro, gesturing with a wing towards Wodan and then Dao Ming, then finally at Trixie and Cadenza, “We have experts in several different forms of magic right here. An old bird I might be, with little direct knowledge of matters arcane, but what’s that old Equestrian saying about where there’s smoke, there’s fire?”

“You know sayings that aren’t from Tien Zhu?” Dao Ming asked in genuine astonishment, to which Kenkuro tucked his wings behind his back and looked away.

“I do read other books, my lady.”

Cadenza briefly lit her horn up, the long, pink point becoming bathed in light. After a second of closed-eyed focus, she said, “I tried searching for magical sources already, and all I can sense is a vague, widespread aura that is too generalized to mark a specific area. That said, maybe-”

Suddenly Cadenza’s eyes shot open and her gaze snapped upward, her voice growing tense and sharp as a taut wire, “Corona!”

That got everypony to stiffen, Trixie reflexively reaching for her Element of Harmony, despite not actually wearing it. She looked around as if worried the flaming alicorn might be looming up right behind them, which she supposed was rather silly. Corona didn’t really bother sneaking up on ponies. She was more of a “incarnate you to your face” kind of pony.

“What about Corona?” she asked tentatively, to which Cadence simply brushed past her with the kind of speed and haphazard grace of a somewhat panicked swan.

“She’s coming,” Cadenza said over her shoulder, “And she’s heading straight for Princess Luna.”

That certainly put a kibosh on further discussion of plans. Trixie and her friends, along with a bemused Wodan, worried Dao Ming, silent Kenkuro, and several confused Cavallian knights all scrambled to follow after Cadenza’s swift canter towards Luna’s chambers. Trixie didn’t know whether to prepare herself for a fight or not. Corona was fundamentally unpredictable, despite the fact that Luna seemed to trust her sister’s monetary neutrality she’d adopted during the Contest.

It was possible that, sensing what was going on with the odd build up of magic and the island trembling, that Corona was taking drastic action. Like maybe blowing the island up. Or at least giving it a good, solid burning. Trixie didn’t hold much faith in Corona’s sense of self restraint, especially in a crisis situation.

Fortunately it didn’t take long to get to Luna’s chambers, although on the way there Trixie had heard a faint detonation of noise that sounded like the world’s largest hammer going through a pile of chalk. That didn’t seem to her like an ideal sign of things to come.

Cadenza didn’t bother with knocking or gently opening the door. Demonstrating she was as much an alicorn as either of the two sisters, Cadenza used only one hoof to treat the door’s hinges as polite suggestions and heave the frame aside without so much as breaking stride. Trixie noted there was a strange level of determined panic on Cadenza’s face that made her somehow look much younger as she called out, “Luna!”

Luna, frowning as if she was the target of a particularly poor practical joke, turned to stare deadpan at Cadenza and the troupe that barreled in after her.

“Cadence, you didn’t have to ruin the door.”

She then turned and glared at the other alicorn in the room. Corona was standing amid the fading dust of the smashed outer wall of the chamber, having apparently flown into and then through the exterior to stand before the couch Luna was sitting on with Ditzy. Her flaming mane was gradually evaporating the bits of rock dust and chunks that got stuck there.

“And you, sister, could have at least tried to use the door.”

Corona’s eyes, shining pure white, flared brighter as she spread her wings and declared, “I have no time for doors! Luna, our foes are enacting a ritual most powerful, and you waste time sitting here still tending to this little one?”

“Yes, I do, and I would thank you not to shout,” Luna said, “I’m well aware of what’s happening, as Carrot Top was quite thorough in explaining it.”

“Hi,” said Carrot Top, hiding beneath the table next to the couch, poking her head of orange curls out to wave to Trixie and the others. She’d made a dive under there when Corona had arrived by treating the wall as a polite suggestion, and still had a few bits of dust to shake from her mane as she crawled back out.

“Is there a reason you decided to come barreling into Princess Luna’s chambers like a flaming wrecking ball other than to state what everypony else already knows?” asked Trixie, “We’re well aware that something is happening, that’s why we’ve been trying to find out where the enemy is hiding.”

Corona gave Trixie a disdainful flick of a glance, then returned her full attention to Luna, “Your apprentice’s bleating aside, I am here to ensure we can uproot the foulness plaguing this island. You see, my loyal subjects, my competent subjects, managed to locate and engage that griffin ruffian responsible for Ditzy Doo’s condition.”

“They found where those cloaked rejects are hiding?” asked Cheerilee.

“No,” admitted Corona, snorting a few idle flames in Cheerilee’s vague direction, “But they did recover a feather from him before he fled like a cowardly roach from the light of the sun.”

Luna’s eyes opened, her focus not leaving Ditzy entirely, but her attention now more on her sister, “A feather. A piece of the body, fresh enough to act as a direct link.”

“Precisely,” Corona’s horn grew bright with fire that then swirled around in front of her in a small circle, revealing a simple brown feather, “No matter how strong the veil interfering with divination, we can pierce it with this.”

“With my help,” Luna said, then looked down at Ditzy, “But I cannot. Not without undoing my progress in freeing Ditzy Doo from this curse of endless slumber. Indeed, if I stop now, the curse might strengthen itself to the point where even I could not free her of it.”

“There are more important matters than the fate of one pony, Luna!” Corona said with a flame laden stomp of her hoof, shaking the room, “All on this island may be in danger if we do not stop what is happening!”

“And if I do not save Ditzy, the Elements of Harmony will not function. I suppose you expect me to believe that plays no part in your thinking?” Luna said sharply, and the heat in the room intensified as Corona’s body danced with an enlarging layer of blistering fire.

“Always you question my judgment! It’s no different than in the past, Lulu! You just keep questioning what must be done. Save one, doom hundreds! It’s madness! This is precisely why you should have just left things to me.”

“No, this is precisely why I must oppose you, now as well as then,” Luna replied, “We must always explore every option before even considering sacrificing the needs of the few for the needs of the many. You do not need my help to pierce this veil.”

“As much as I’m sickened to admit it, I do. The magic hiding our quarry is layered, built up over many years, and while one of us could penetrate it with enough time, I need the magic of another alicorn to rip through now rather than in a few hours.”

Abruptly Cadenza strode forward, eyeing Corona with an even gaze, “If that is all you need, then I shall provide what is required.”

A flicker of doubt shadowed Corona’s face as she turned her shining eyes upon the Cavallian Princess. Incredulity radiated from her as she said, “Do you truly have what it takes, child? You have our form, but the might within, do you have that?”

Cadenza’s lips curled, not in a smile, but in a challenge, “Try me.”

“You’ll find her up to the task,” Luna said, and Corona gave a brief, reluctant whinny of relent.

“Very well. Stand before me, child. Let us see what your magic is made of.”

“Uh, do we need to do anything, or...?” Lyra asked, and Corona just gave the bardess a look, to which Lyra held up a hoof, “Okay, okay, guess we’ll just sit in the corner while you almighty alicorns work your mojo.”

“Be ready,” said Luna to the mares, “As soon as my sister and Princess Cadenza pierce the veil and locate the conspirators, she will teleport you to them directly. You must be ready for whatever awaits.”

“Once I locate them I should go myself to annihilate this foe alone,” Corona said, but Luna quickly cut her short.

“Take my knights, sister. I want these conspirators taken alive, not as piles of ash. They have much to answer for, and I would hear why they caused this chaos in the first place.”

“More weakness...” Corona muttered, but didn’t argue further as she shook her head and focused on the feather in front of her, and Cadenza. “I shall begin the spell. I merely need you to add your magic to mine, so that we may force our way past the veil’s layers.”

“Believe it or not I know how to aid another’s spellwork,” Cadenza said, “I actually have done this before. Been around a few centuries.”

“Pfft, still a child by comparison. Just try to keep up.”

The ritual began with Abbess Serene. Her horn poured forth a complex weave of magical strands that filtered into the magic circle, flaring up along the circle’s intricate sigils in a pulsating river. At the opposite side of the Abbess, Tomoko unfurled two scrolls and chanted her own spirit mantra, fusing a deep red river of ethereal crimson into the scrolls. Nuru, Grimwald, and Andrea each stood at different parts of the circle’s edge, adding the contribution of their innate magic to help fuel what was to come.

Nearby, Zecora remained in her cage, watching the ill-omened ritual begin with little she could do to stop it. However, she did recognize Nuru, the father of her old friend. Seeing him had caused a brief waver in the otherwise still pool of her features. She resisted the urge to shout questions at him, if only because she knew she’d receive no answers.

Tomoko’s chanting reached a fever pitch, and from her scrolls twin snakes of sanguine red and pearl white emerged. The snakes were only partially opaque, their forms like dense smoke as they coiled themselves into the lines of the magic circle and slithered with bodies elongating from the source of their scrolls. Runes in the circle lit up along their path as they made their winding way towards Empress Fu Ling. The Empress’ eyes flickered wider upon seeing the snake spirits Tomoko had summoned. While she was unfamiliar with the ritual circle itself, she knew something of these spirits.

“Lifestelaers? If you wanted me dead, you should at least have the courtesy to do it with a blade,” she said, trying to mask her fear with imperviousness, and not quite succeeding.

Tomoko had finished her mantra and settled a satisfied gaze upon Fu Ling, “Indeed if I wanted you dead, I would have cut you down already. Fear not, ‘mother’, it is not your death I seek. You recognize these spirits, but you do not know just what they are capable of, when combined with Equestrian magic. Unlike you, I have never discounted the powers of other nations. I instead studied them. How else do you think I met Abbess Serene?”

The snakes, red and white, danced around the smaller circle containing Fu Ling. They rose and coiled around one another until they formed an arch over the trapped kirin’s body. Fu Ling tried to move, but found the circle she was entrapped in left her no room to maneuver. Her voice didn’t quaver, but it held a higher note to it, “If it's not my death you’re after, traitor, what is it you’re trying to accomplish here?”

“Just watch, and you’ll see,” Tomoko said, and made a gesture with her hoof to the summoned spirits. The snakes snapped down like arrows, and with no space to move Fu Ling could hardly dodge their lightning fast fangs. The red snake sunk it’s jaw around the base of her neck, while the white sought her heart. Yet no wound was inflicted by the ghostly fangs. Fu Ling seized up like a frozen fish, eyes bulging, but when her mouth opened no scream came out.

Her body glowed with veins of magic, red and white, each flowing into the snake spirits in equal measure until their bodies gleamed with lustrous crimson and silvery white light.

This went on for just under a minute before Tomoko said, “Enough. That should be enough. Return to me!”

The spirits obeyed, detaching themselves from Fu Ling. The Empress let out a strangled gasp, collapsing to her haunches with a much paled face. She felt utterly drained, and sick to her stomach, although she still drew breath and her heart still beat. Fu Ling tried and failed to speak, watching as the snakes withdrew back to Tomoko. The ritual circle was growing ever brighter as Abbess Serene continued to pour magic into it, and by now a flickering column of saturated blue and green light was rising up into the air until it absorbed into the very rock of the chamber ceiling above. The ground was now shaking to an undeniable degree, causing a low roar to fill the area.

“What...did you...?” Fu Ling finally managed to rasp out.

Tomoko smiled at her, raising a hoof to pet the crimson snake, then the pearl one, “Taken what I needed from you. That’s all.”

Suddenly the snakes struck again, now burying their fangs into Tomoko, in the exact same spots that they had with Fu Ling. Only instead of surprise of pain, Tomoko only smiled and shuddered as red and white streams of light flowed from the snakes and into her, until her whole body was suffused with the essence that had been drained from Fu Ling.

Fu Ling watched, aghast, and now understood what was happening. The lifestealer spirits had not been summoned to kill her, but summoned to drain her and transfer what had been taken into Tomoko.

Upon seeing her look of understanding, Tomoko’s smile deepened as the light of the magic faded from her body. The snakes coiled around her now, as if garments, their heads swaying to either side of her shoulder like twin shrouds.

“With this, I have your blood in truth, Empress. With this, my magic shares your essence, your ‘taste’ if you will. With this I have what I need to control Rengoku and make it my own, at least for the short time I’ll require it before it’s destroyed.”

She reached up once again to pet the snake spirits, “And as an added bonus these little helpers have fed enough on both of us to stick around for a little while and help me with any trouble that might crop up.”

“You... cannot...” Fu Ling said, and Tomoko just raised a dark eyebrow at her.

“The evidence suggests otherwise. Rest easy, your part in this is done. I could take your life so easily, but all that would do is cause chaos back home. I want Shouma to see your weakness, and realize your unfit nature. More than that, they must see Dao Ming’s greatness, which they will when she takes over the tasks you will be unable to perform due to your... reduced state.”

Weakened as she was, all Fu Ling could muster was a glare at Tomoko, which did little more than seem to amuse the other kirin more.

“The time is nearly upon us,” Abbess Serene said, “Now that we have our controller for Rengoku, we must destroy the barrier that contains it! I require all of your focus, my comrades! Let this ritual mark the end of the long, cursed history of that abomination, and the sad legacy that surrounds it!”

Confusion and fear swelled among the island’s visitors and resident population. Gwendolyn was working alongside the Cavallian knight, Silverwreath, to keep the flow of civilians calm and moving through the south side of the coliseum when the island itself gave a violent quake.

“Cursed stars, now that was a harsh shake, wasn’t it?” said Silverwreath, but to his knightly credit didn’t bat an eyelash or lose his calming smile of confidence as he nodded comfortingly to a mare and her foals as he ushered them along, “Now now, not to worry my dear citizens. Continue on to the port and all will be well. You have the finest champions in the realms at your sides.”

Gwendolyn was less optimistic. Her sharpened tactical instincts were screaming at her that they were on bad ground, with the enemy ready to spring an ambush. She knew she had to trust the Equestrian champions to know what they were doing, but she hated not being able to do more than try and hurry along the civilian evacuation. At least things were going smooth in that department, in no small part to the efficient and calming effect the actual leadership of the various nations were having on the citizens. Whether it was the Equestrian nobles, that Elkhiem prince, or even the remaining griffin monarchs, there was a sense of unified focus from all of them in organizing and orchestrating a swift evacuation of the area. It actually impressed Gwendolyn, seeing so little squabbling or argument in a crisis situation.

Her optimism was harshly checked by the fact that another quake hit, this one a whole order of magnitude stronger than the previous shake, so much so that she had to take to the air to keep from being knocked over. Dozens of others nearby all let out startled shouts as they were less fortunate and were sent stumbling to the ground by the intensity of the shaking. Silverwreath managed to keep his hooves under him, but just barely.

Then, a pillar of flickering blue and green light emerged from the ground near the center of the Contest field. It shot up into the sky, where it struck a point several hundred meters up and split into multiple beams that shot off in different directions. Gwendolyn watched as the beams arced through the sky and descended back to the ground, striking particular areas of the island.

“Flaming skies, that doesn’t look good,” she muttered, rapidly descending back to where Silverwreath was trying to get the civilians back on their hooves, “Keep moving them along! I’m going to go try and round up some of the other champions to check where those light’s fell.”

“Capital idea! Although I dare say, looking at the direction that magic flew off to, I think they were aiming for the anchor points to the barrier around that unpleasant fortress,” Silverwreath replied, to which Gwendolyn’s mouth went dry and her wings briefly shuddered in mid-air.

“Are you being serious?”

“Deathly so, I’m afraid. Did you not read up on the island’s history?”

“Not much on history outside the Griffin Kingdoms, which I’m now kinda starting to regret,” she admitted, “And if that magic is targeting these ‘anchors’ then doesn’t that mean-”

Her words were interrupted by an incredible loud thunder of noise. It rumbled across the island like a tidal wave, and punctuated itself with a resounding, ear rending crack like the world’s largest plate being smashed. Gwendolyn set her beak in a grim line as she looked to the north side of the island. There, where Rengoku loomed like an old, darkened skeleton, there was now a visible dome of magical light. It had only been perceptible to most at close range, but now the whole barrier of ancient alicorn magic stood visible to all.

As did the massive spider web crack in its center.

Cracks that then widened rapidly, and pieces of the barrier started to flake away like so much melting snow.

Gwendolyn and Silverwreath shared a look.

“Think I’m going to get the other champions together,” she said matter of factly.

The sound of the barrier cracking had not been lost on the mares inside Luna’s chambers. Trixie and her friends all rushed up to the hole Corona had made in the wall and could clearly look outside to see the distant, fading dome of magic that had once protected Rengoku from intrusion.

“Well that’s just great,” Raindrops said, wings stiffening as her ears flattened to her skull, “Does this mean we’re too late?”

“No,” said Luna, “The barrier isn’t entirely destroyed. Sister, Cadence, hurry! There may still be time.”

Corona and Cadenza had been standing with their horn’s nearly touching, pooling their magic into a spell that formed a complex sphere of magical symbols around Grimwald’s feather.

“We almost have it,” Corona said, teeth bared in a snarl, “A few more seconds and we will have them! If any of you are intending to join me in burning out these fools, gather close so I may teleport us together.”

There was a brief shaking as Wodan, who’d been stuck outside, shoved his head through the door, “Blasted door frame! Do not bar Wodan from joining in the mightiest of flank kickings! Urgh!” The moose shoved his shoulders left, then right, smashing open the door frame wide enough to allow his bulk to crawl in. Even so, he did have to duck his head to cram his whole body into the room’s limited space.

Kenkuro slipped in behind, a black wing already on the hilt of the Blade of Heaven.

“Let us hope we catch our quarry by surprise.”

“I’ll be fine with just catching them, period,” said Trixie as she and her friends gathered around Corona and Cadenza. It was not precisely comfortable to stand next to the flame enshrouded alicorn, but the mares sweated it out for the few additional seconds that the two alicorns remained concentrated upon their spell. Trixie couldn’t fully follow what the two were doing, but she understood the basics. Scrying and divinations weren’t her forte, but the general idea was to use magic to follow the links between things or places. Generally speaking the more direct link one had to the thing, creature, or location one wanted to find, the easier the spell was to cast.

From Trixie’s understanding the main problem that had been confounding them since the discovery of this conspiracy had begun was the fact that the mastermind behind it all had anticipated the need to keep themselves hidden and hence had based themselves out of a location specifically prepared to confound exactly the kind of spell that Corona and Cadenza were performing. As incredibly powerful as the alicorns were, Trixie was well aware even their magic had limits and still had to obey the rules of magic. Finding a location specifically hidden under a well prepared ward against such scrying would’ve been nearly impossible even for the best spellcaster.

Grimwald’s feather changed things as that physical link provided a way for the spell to focus it’s energies, like a spear finding the weak spot in a suit of armor. With Cadenza lending her strength to the spell that was akin to the spear being thrust by two sets of limbs instead of one, making it easier for it to penetrate.

As such, even the best defenses would soon enough crumble. In a sense it wasn’t much different from what the conspirators had done with Rengoku’s barrier, Trixie surmised.

There was no great flash or light nor mystical signal to indicate the divination spell had worked. In one instance the faces of Corona and Cadenza were locked in supreme concentration, and the next a frightful and singular grin of triumph crossed Corona’s face. “We have them!”

She didn’t waste another second asking if everycreature present was “ready”. Instead her horn’s magic burst outward in a blinding swirl of flames that engulfed all around her. Trixie let out a short yelp, even as she could tell the fire wasn’t burning her, but simply encasing her and her friends in a sulfuric smelling burst of light that comprised a group teleport spell.

“It’s done,” Abbess Serene said, feeling the might of her ritual surge upward and strike at the distant anchors across the island surface. She could sense the strain of the old magic laced into the stone of those anchors, the pushback as the ritual infested them with threads of Cadenza’s stolen magical signature.

She’d sensed the first crack in Rengoku’s barrier as it’s magic was being pulled apart from the inside out, Luna and Celestia’s ancient spell unable to contend with an invasive dispelling forged from magic so akin to their own but just different enough that the spell’s innate defenses couldn’t keep up. It was not unlike when a body’s white blood cells couldn’t defend properly against a disease that could fool the immune system into thinking it too was composed of white blood cells.

Rengoku’s barrier was failing, and would continue to do so, even without the Abbess, now. The ritual, now going, would complete itself, and more to the point, with the barrier cracked open she had the opening she needed to get herself and her compatriots onto the fortress itself. She’d studied the fortress exterior extensively in her many years as Abbess. She knew it’s every contour by heart, it’s every line etched into her memory as thoroughly as if she’d tattooed it on her very hide.

“Everyone, to me. We likely only have minutes before we’re discovered.”

“No need to tell me twice,” Grimwald said, twirling his daggers, both the dark steel one of Fey origin, and the curved green one of ill-omened steel.

“I can’t wait to see what our fellow champions will do when they see that fortress take to the sky once again,” Andrea laughed.

“They will try to stop us, no doubt,” Tomoko said, striding past where Fu Ling remained laying half conscious in the ritual circle’s center. She didn’t even spare the Empress a glance, although the two spirit snakes wrapped around her body hissed at the fallen Empress as Tomoko went by. “I know Dao Ming and Kenkuro. They will attempt to come after us.”

“Can they even do that, once we’re inside the fortress?” asked Nuru.

“If its defenses prove as strong as the legends say, they will not find assaulting Rengoku easy,” said Abbess Serene as her co-conspirators gathered around her in a circle, “Let us hope we can provide them with proper dissuasion from interference once Tomoko is linked to the fortress’ control center.”

With a deep breath of focus, she lit up her horn and began a teleport spell to encompass herself and her companions. In the same instant there was a blinding flare of flame that lit up the vast chamber. No more than twenty or so paces away, a dome of fire had appeared, melting stone as it spun away and revealed a large group.

Celestia, her body ablaze with such incendiary heat that Abbess Serene could well appreciate why she’d earned the moniker Corona a thousand years ago. Next to her the young alicorn Cadenza stood, perhaps not wreathed in flames but no less fierce looking for it.

The five Element Bearers stood poised and ready, still missing their vital sixth member. Beside them were Kenkuro and Dao Ming, while looming behind the group was the formidable height of Wodan.

“Whoops, I think that’s our signal to be elsewhere, boss lady,” Grimwald said, while the intruding champions were still getting their bearings. Given the overall darkness of the chamber, combined with the iridescent light from the ritual circle, it was taking the mortals a moment for their eyes to adjust.

Corona’s eyes on the other hoof didn’t require any adjustment and she immediately took stock of the area, it’s occupants, and her available targets. Her horn erupted with a pillar of fire simply from her summoning forth raw power alone as she took aim at the group of figures in front of her... however two things made her hesitate, if only for an instant.

One was that she was genuinely taken by surprise to see Abbess Serene as the one at the center of the conspirator’s group. The other was that Empress Fu Ling was right in the line of fire, and while that might not have made Corona cease to bring forth fiery judgment for more than a moment, that moment of brief hesitance was still enough time for Serene to complete the teleport spell she’d already been in the process of casting.

The Abbess, along with her four co-conspirators, vanished in a flash of light, leaving the gathered champions and two alicorns with a chamber empty save for the barely conscious Shouma Empress... and Zecora, who stood up within her cage and raised a hoof.

“I am glad to see you here to rescue us from our unfortunate fate, but at the same time... did you have to be so late?”

Abbess Serene and her group appeared upon a wide metal balcony where the fresh, chill wind whipped around them. Above them rose the vast, conical and harshly pointed tip of Rengoku’s highest peak, while spread out from the balcony below them was the fortress’ vast, dark bulk. Serene had studied the location through a telescope many times through the years, gone over the teleport spell in her head countless times, but it had still been quite the risk. To teleport to a location one had never been too, but only seen. If she’d been off a bit, she’d have dumped the whole group into open air to fall to a lower part of the fortress.

But it had worked, and they stood upon the balcony that was an observation platform right in front of the fortress’ main juncture, and a passage between various floors, the most important of which would be the control room just one floor up.

“By the roots of Yggdrasil, you did it!” Andrea said, jumping for joy as she looked out over the fortress below, “Incredible! The barrier is crumbling and we stand upon the very fortress of legend!”

“Don’t get carried away,” said Tomoko, “I still need to get into the control room and take the throne.”

“And there is no time to waste,” Serene said, “They will be coming. Come, we must move quickly.”

“Where is the chamber you promised contains what I need located?” Nuru asked, and Serene looked at him with exhausted eyes, but she gave a shallow nod.

“According to my research, it will be in the heart of the fortress. You may go there now. Take what you need. You have done your part, so I’ll ask no more of you.”

“Once I have it, I will remain,” Nuru said, “My son will follow his Path, and it will lead him here.”

“I’m definitely sticking around,” Grimwald said, “This party is just getting started. Not going to miss the real show when those ticked off mares come after us.”

The group moved as they spoke, entering through a tall opening in the side of the fortress’ wall of intermixed stone and metal. The hallway within was barren and cold, like the passage of a crypt, filled with centuries of disuse and dust. It led to a wide, cylindrical passage that ran up and down the fortress’ center, encircled by a wide stone stairway with numerous side passages and crisscrossing bridges. Just above the stairway ended by entering a spherical shaped object about the size of a large house. It was there that Tomoko led the group, Serene taking a step back as the kirin moved with determined steps towards her destiny.

As the reached a circular door of interlocking metal slabs that led into this highest chamber, the air grew even colder, and the walls vibrated slightly. Gleaming strands of magical energy occasionally crackled along the walls. Then, a voice spoke, like a whisper carried by the wind.

“Please stop... don’t wake it...”

“We got ghosts now?” Grimwald asked, “Neato.”

“It is the spirit that inhabits the fortress,” Serene said, “That voice, I don’t doubt it is the Warlord herself. She tried to speak to Dao Ming and Trixie through the anchors. All these centuries, she’s haunted this place.”

Tomoko frowned, then looked up at the fortress around her and spoke loudly, “Warlord! I am Tomoko of the Heavenly Empire’s Imperial Family. I now have your blood in my veins. I have come to take control of Rengoku.”

The voice, gaining a more defined, female quality, and one filled with desperation, spoke louder, “No. Do not. This... only brings death...”

“It is not my intention to bring death with this weapon, but to end it’s blight, and the danger to my homeland along with it,” Tomoko said, approaching the doors and placing her hoof upon an indentation sized to fit such an appendage. As she did so the door lit up with crimson streams of energy, and it’s wedged pieces slid aside, “And it seems the fortress recognizes the blood I now hold. You, spirit, no longer have sway here, do you?”

The voice of what was once the Warlord screamed through the passageway like a howling wind, but all it could do was buffet the intruders, not stop them in any manner. “Leave! The fortress... cannot control it forever!”

“I don’t need to control it forever,” Tomoko said with hardened eyes as she entered through the door, “Just long enough to ensure it’s destruction.”

Within the chamber they found a room built around a large central edifice. It was like a small mountain of semi-organic pipes or perhaps more akin to the arteries of a living thing if forged from metal. Several tall cylinders, like metal tubes, surrounded the central edifice, which rose up over twenty feet like a dark pyramid. There a metallic throne stood, although “throne” didn’t quite fit with what in fact looked more like a vertical sarcophagus with a large seat built into it. Within this throne were several metal claws attached to tubes, and a circlet of black metal fitted just right for a pony-sized creature’s head.

“Welp, looks like it’s your show now, Tomoko,” said Grimwald, flying up to perch on one of the cylinders, “Take your seat and let's get this ancient rust bucket up and running already!”

Nuru looked over at Tomoko, and said in a quiet voice, “This is truly the point of no return for your Path. If you fear it, now is the time to decide.”

“I appreciate your words, Nuru, but this is what I must do,” Tomoko said, “Just promise me that if you see my sister, if she comes as I think she will, you’ll let her pass. I will face her myself.”

“I shall,” Nuru said, “When they come, my fight will be with others, not your kin.”

“Thank you,” she said, and started to ascend the edifice towards the throne. Serene watched her climb, then turned to the others.

“When the fortress rises, Celestia and Luna will seek to stop us, and the champions gathered upon the island will seek to aid them. Grimwald, Andrea, I am counting on the two of you to split them up and limit how many can seek to reach Tomoko.”

“Oh I’ve been looking forward to it,” Grimwald said, “No doubt Gwen will be with them. Been itching to go all out against her.”

And Ditzy, he silently added to himself, but he kept that bit quiet. While his task had been to remove the Elements of Harmony from play but disabling Ditzy, he has a sneaking suspcition he'd meet the plucky pegasus again soon.

Andrea readied her fiddle, smiling, “I’ll do my part. A proper rematch with Lyra will be worthy of writing a song about.”

By then Tomoko had reached the throne, and looked at it’s harsh, unpleasant exterior for a brief moment. Once more the Warlord’s ghostly voice spoke, although this time low enough for only Tomoko to hear.

“You don’t have to do this...”

Tomoko closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, “Yes I do. For one last time, Rengoku must darken the skies.”

She sat upon the throne, and the fortress recognized the blood within her. Rengoku, sleeping for so long, but hungry once more to have a master to call upon it, responded to the warm living body that sat within it’s control throne. Inside it’s core, the Warlord’s spirit cried out, feeling the essence of the fortress she’d long since become a prisoner of wake up.

The clawed, metal tubes within the throne snaked their way into Tomoko’s flesh, and the spirit snakes around her hissed at them, but Tomoko calmed them with a soothing noise. She didn’t so much as grimace as the tubes sent needles into her flesh and felt her blood be sucked out. The control circlet lit up with sanguine light and floated onto Tomoko’s head, opening around her horns and clamping around her brow.

In an instant, Tomoko felt her nerves catch fire, and her senses spread out as she began to mentally and magically fuse her essence with the great fortress of Rengoku, power filling her mind and body in a ruby flood that lit up her eyes with solid, blood red light.

And then, slowly, all of Rengoku shook awake, and started to rise.

Author's Note

Well here we are, the penultimate chapter. One more chapter to go, plus an epilogue, and this long tale will draw to a close. I do apologize for how long it's taken to get these out, but for those of you who've stuck around to keep reading, I can at least assure you that this story is going to be finished. I'm specifically carving out time weekly now to try and get the last chapter and epilogue out in a timeframe that isn't, well, yearly. Fingers crossed.

Chapter 18: Rengoku (Part 1)

Chapter 18: Rengoku (Part 1)

Trixie gave out a distinctly forceful curse that bounced off the cavernous walls. “Did we seriously just miss them!? One more minute and we’d have had them!”

“It appears that indeed you are too late, although I think there is no time for debate.”

“Shut up, Zecora!”

Dao Ming, ignoring everyone else, galloped across the still active magical circle to where her mother lay. She stopped short of the secondary circle that held her mother, although she gave it an experimental touch to determine the presence of the magical barrier in place. With a cutting glare, Dao Ming brought forth a spirit scroll and proceeded to intone a swift mantra chant as she unfurled it. In seconds a heated gout of intense flame formed into the shape of a fan, which Dao Ming took hold of and used to burn a cut into the floor, marring the sigils forming the circle encasing Fu Ling.

The moment the magical circle was disrupted, it sparked and fizzled like a dying flame, and part of the circle surrounding the Empress went dark. The moment this happened, Dao Ming went to her mother’s side, kneeling down and wrapping hooves around the barely conscious Fu Ling.

“Mother? Mother!?” Dao Ming said, handling the Empress carefully, not shaking her, but just speaking firmly to try to see if she was truly injured or not.

Corona was making a stomping line towards Zecora, not glaring at the zebra but rather at the sigil-work of the massive magical circle. Her hoof falls left melted prints in the stone, and the flames bathing her body alone were lighting up most of the chamber.

“This circle is impressive,” Corona commented with begrudging fury, “Serene must have been working upon it for years.”

“I can’t believe the Abbess is behind all of this,” Lyra said, “She seemed so... chill.”

“Why do you think she’s doing this?” asked Carrot Top, “I mean, it doesn’t make any sense, her whole Order’s deal is the Contest, isn’t it?”

“That, and studying Rengoku so a means could be found to dismantle it,” Cheerilee reminded them, her own expression pensive and thoughtful, “Maybe this has something to do with that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Trixie said with iron in her tone, “Whatever their reasons, we’re going to stop them before more creatures get hurt.”

She, along with the other mares, Kenkuro, and the ponderously stepping Wodan, approached Dao Ming. Kenkuro moved like a silken shadow to kneel beside the Empress on the opposite side from Dao Ming, his voice gentle as falling snow.

“How is she?”

“Drained,” Dao Ming said, her twin horns alight with golden light that she swept over the Empress, “She isn’t injured badly, but I can tell her vital essence is weak. I’ve seen this before, from spirit chanters I’ve fought. Lifestealers. Tomoko must have summoned them. Curse you, Tomoko, why would you do this?”

“Is your Empress going to be well?” inquired Wodan, looming tall behind the group. Dao Ming looked back at the moose with a face that was trembling, despite her clear attempts to control herself.

“When a lifestealer spirit drains your very essence from you, it does not recover readily or easily, and with my mother this badly drained I can’t even say if she can recover fully. What Tomoko has done... I...”

“Dao...Ming.”

The voice was a dry, struggling rasp, but it still held a note of Fu Ling’s signature strength behind it. Dao Ming turned to see her mother in her hooves blinking her eyes open. “Mother, I’m here! It’s me.”

“Kenkuro too...?”

The tengu reached out a wing to softly lay upon the Empress’ brow, “I am here, my Empress. Fu Ling. You seem to have gotten yourself into a mess I could not guard you from. I offer my apologies for being such a poor Blade of Heaven.”

“Hmph...” Fu Ling almost smiled as she huffed dryly, weakly, “Not... important. Dao Ming... daughter. Stop Tomoko. She’s... going to destroy it. Rengoku... take it to the Dark Lands... detonate it.”

Dao Ming’s eyes shot wide, her jade hide paling, “Dear spirits, why would she do something like that? She might end up killing thousands!”

“Tens of thousands,” Corona’s voice echoed loudly as she gripped Zecora’s cage with her magic and tore the bars open as easily as if they were made of stray, “If that is her and Serene’s plan, they are both truly mad. Rengoku’s destruction would cause untold devastation. That’s why even I left it alone, all those centuries ago, rather than destroy it myself. Foolishness! Idiocy! You mortals prove time and again how right I am to take control once more! Can’t even enjoy a nice little contest without some moronic mortal trying to do something dangerously stupid!”

Zecora stepped out of the ruined wreckage of her cage, favoring her broken leg, but bowing in thanks to her mistress, “Foolish indeed, my fiery Queen, but whether mortals can still fix this problem remains to be seen.”

“Spare me the rhymes, Zecora. Return to the surface with these others, but I am going to go settle this matter myself now,” Corona said, and lit up her horn with a fiery blaze once more.

Trixie stepped towards her, holding out a hoof, “Corona! Wait!”

But it was too late, the flaming alicorn of the Sun vanished in a burst of fire, teleporting out of the chamber and leaving them behind. Trixie let out a deep snarl and threw her hat at where Corona had just been. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Cadenza giving her a calming smile. “Don’t fret too much, Dame Lulamoon. I can teleport us back to the surface, as soon as we confirm the Empress of Shouma is in fit condition.”

“Do not... concern yourself with me,” Fu Ling said, trying to force herself to stand. She failed miserably after a moment of trembling legs, and Dao Ming and Kenkuro both got to either side of her to hold her steady.

“Mother, you’ve been dra-”

“Lifestealers, yes, I know,” Fu Ling said, turning shaking eyes past a sweat stained brow to Dao Ming, “Daughter, I am not important. You have to... stop her... Tomoko cannot be allowed to... harm the Empire.”

“Here,” Cadenza approached and lowered her horn to touch the breast of the Empress, and a burst of intense, almost painfully blue light washed along her magnificent horn and into the Empress, “Before you do yourself more damage, you stubborn mare.”

“You dare... insult me...?”

Cadenza rolled her eyes, “I know stubborn, and you are the living breathing definition, Empress. Accept the fact with grace. I just bestowed a bit of healing magic to help keep you from orphaning your daughter. Do try to be grateful. Now then, I suggest we waste no more time. Everycreature, get close. I’m teleporting us out of this forsaken hole.”

“Wow, look at you go, Empress Cadenza. Taking charge,” Cheerilee said with a smirk as she slid up next to the Cavalaian alicorn, “No wonder you’ve got that guard captain wrapped around your hoof.”

Cadenza shared Cheerilee’s smirk, “Shining does like it when I take the lead.”

Trixie made a small gagging noise, while Lyra and Carrot Top both chuckled. Raindrops just hovered over to pat Trixie on the back, then the mares did as Cadenza bade them and gathered close. Dao Ming and Kenkuro helped Fu Ling move closer, although the Shouma Empress was doggedly trying to walk on her own, and having even more trouble with it than Zecora was with her broken leg. Wodan, in a show of courtesy, picked the zebra up and sat her on his back.

“Until your leg is made whole, you may ride upon Wodan’s broad back,” he said simply, and Zecora blinked in surprise before giving the moose a grateful nod.

Seeing all gathered close, Cadenza spread her wings and lit up her horn, “Alright then, back to the surface.”

“The Contest grounds,” Trixie said, “If you please, Princess. We’re going to need every champion we can lay hooves on to deal with this.”

“Just so,” Cadenza agreed, and in a brilliant flash of pink, the group teleported away.

It’s towering form rose, at first it’s motions imperceptible from a distance due to the simple size of the vast fortress’ bulk. Yet even to untrained eyes gazing to the island’s northern tip, they’d notice the black spire’s motion. They’d see, at first, the strobing bursts of magic upon the dome shaped barrier, the cracks like broken glass spreading across the once eternal shield enshrouding Rengoku.

Then they’d see writhing streams of red energy lash across the fortress walls, dance and spring from tier to wide, circular tire, until the rivers of power reached the large ring that skirted the mid section of Rengoku’s girth. There, the great crystal spires set into the ring lit with sanguine color, blossoming with power and creating a scream of vibrant energy as the fortress rose faster, and lashed itself against the weakened shield dome with all the might of a whale breaching the water’s surface.

With a resounding crack that echoed across every inch of the Isle of the Fallen, the barrier that ages ago Princess Celestia and Princess Luna erected over Rengoku was shattered, and finally fell apart in its final shower of dissipating fragments.

A hush fell over the crowds of civilians, guests who had come simply to watch a grand contest between national champions. Eyes from a dozen different races across a dozen different countries stared up at the darkened edifice of a long ago age flying up into the sky, until it’s shadow fell over them. As if breaking the spell of silence over the crowd, hundreds of voices screamed in fear, and countless hooves began to stamp in a rush of terror.

A voice cut sharply over the screams, loud and authoritative, amplified by magic, “Do not panic! Everycreature, listen to me!”

The fear didn’t immediately cease, but the initial charge to stampede was slowed as the lead elements of the frightened crowd halted before a group that had headed off their terrified rush to flee. At the head of the group was a stark white unicorn stallion, garbed in the armor of Luna’s Night Guard. Shining Armor held out a hoof, his voice still amplified by magic, “We will escort everycreature safely to Heroes’ Rest, but I ask you for calm. I promise you no one here will come to harm.”

“He speaks the truth!” beside Shining Armor was Baron Mounty Max and Duchess Fragrant Posey, the latter having spoken as she held up a hoof to the frightened crowd, “We will do all in our power to ensure your safety.”

“But what’s happening!?” came one horrified cry from somewhere in the crowd, soon followed by others.

“What is that thing up there!? What’s it gonna do to us!?”

“Oh stars and stones, I’ve got my kids with me! You’ve got to get us off this island!”

A form flew over the crowd, suddenly speaking in a whip crack tone that demanded both attention but at the same time held a strong note of soothing command.

“Control your fears!” Gwendolyn Var Bastion called as she flew over the crowd. And she wasn’t alone, almost every one of the several dozen griffin champions representing the numerous Griffin Kingdoms were flying in formation with her, naturally following the acknowledged strongest among them in a time of crisis and action. Gwendolyn stayed airborne and flew to the head of the crowd, just above Shining armor and the Equestrian nobles, the warriors around her forming an impressive if imposing wall of feathers and blades beside her, “You have the protection of the Griffin Kingdoms, and we will see to it no harm comes to any of you this day. Follow the instructions of Captain Shining Armor. He knows what he’s about, and we’ll keep an eye on things from the air.”

The many faces in the crowd remained, at best, apprehensive, but the aura of outright panic had slightly subsided and Shining Armor threw a smart salute to Gwendolyn before glancing to Mounty Max and Fragrant, “Can you lead these folk to the town? I’ll stay here and make sure if anything does happen, I’m in the best spot to create a shield to guard the evacuation.”

Shining Armor’s prowess in defensive magic was well known, Mounty Max nodding firmly to him, “You can count on us.”

“Vicereine Puissance is still back in the coliseum,” Fragrant said, “She’s with the other dignitaries, organizing the rear of the evacuation. If you’re going back there, please look after them, but make sure they evacuate as well.”

“Of course,” Shining Armor said, and Gwendolyn suddenly dropped down beside him.

“I’m coming, too. I’ll assign some of our number to lend a talon to these two,” she said, pointing at Max and Fragrant before looking at them, “I’ll command them to follow your orders as if they come from me.”

Fragrant smiled, quirking an eyebrow, “Griffins form quick chains of command, don’t they?”

“In a pinch, we do,” Gwendolyn replied, turning to Shining Armor, “Any idea where those alicorns you ponies are so ga-ga over have gone off to?”

Upon the heels of her question, there was a blinding flare of light in the sky, several hundred yards off of Rengoku’s southern side. To onlookers it would be as if a shard of the sun had abruptly appeared in the sky, far closer than the real thing, which still hung in the west. And little wonder the flash of light had appeared sun-like, for not an instant later a concussive voice of wrath wracked the air in a heated boom.

”Thou dares to raise that abomination into the sky of my world once more!? Be prepared to face my judgment!”

From the flare of light streaked a hot white form, cracking the sound barrier in a wave of sonic booms that took the corona of light straight towards the flying fortress.

Shining Armor and Gwendolyn exchanged a look, and the griffin said, “Well, there’s one of them.”

“She’s coming.”

Tomoko heard Serene’s voice, but not entirely with her own ears. Her mind was now linked with all of Rengoku, connected to the whole of the fortress itself. She was riding upon streams of sensation and information that would have been overwhelming had it not been for the fact that the very control throne she was fused with had been designed specifically to allow a single mind to parse out the information being relayed to it and to make use of the fortress’ many capabilities.

The fortress was nearly a living thing itself, adjusting to its new host, it’s new master. From Tomoko’s perspective it was like being suspended in the middle of a grand sphere of ruby light, with small rivers of information flowing into her from all parts of the sphere, yet never enough to drown her out. If she focused upon a stream, she’d instantly know more about it, such as the one connected to the room she and Serenity were in and had relayed to her Serene’s words. She could “see” herself and Serene inside the command chamber, as if she had eyes in the very walls. Serene’s face was placid, calm, and filled with a hardened resolve. Tomoko could make out every tired, wrinkled line in the old unicorn’s face, as if whatever magic contained in Rengoku’s walls could show her those details with ease.

Time itself seemed slower, here, for she felt as if she had no need to rush as Serene’s words registered and Tomoko directed her attention to several streams of light that grew brighter, as if alerting her to things the fortress wanted her to know.

Focusing there, she saw what Serene referred to.

Approach like a flying sword of flame was Amaterasu herself, Celestia’s form cloaked in a blazing aura of raw heat and magical might that made it easy to see what her ponies had coined the name “Corona” for her and held such a mythical fear of this mighty alicorn of the sun. Even enshrined as she was inside Rengoku’s depths, Tomoko felt a small rush of adrenaline, of fear, at seeing such an ancient legend of wrath and power making her angry way right towards Rengoku.

But the fortress itself seemed to calm her, and stoked a potent rush of anger and destructive impulse inside Tomoko. The fortress remembered Celestia! It knew what she was, an alicorn! An enemy of the fortress’ creators. Rengoku was eager to resume its battle with the alicorns from long ago and finish it’s twelve hundred year old grudge match. With an eagerness very much like that of a well trained war dog, Tomoko felt Rengoku all but growl in her mind and the fortress all too readily showed her a series of light streams that led to the fortress many weapon systems.

And with an eagerness that perhaps mirrored the fortress’ a bit too eerily, Tomoko grasped hold of those streams, and unleashed them upon the approaching alicorn.

Celestia let her fury burn bright in her chest. Her mind was utterly alight with the kind of enraged passion that had long ago led to her imprisonment in her own Sun, but she didn’t care. She rode her wrath like a ship might a strong wind, letting it carry her onward towards the object of her rage.

A very small, logical part of her mind was telling her this was foolhardy. Even twelve hundred years ago she’d needed Luna’s help to wrangle this blasted fortress, and a number of that time’s champions had still needed to infiltrate it themselves while she and her sister had kept the thing immobile. Her only answer to that warning inside her was that with a new master, perhaps Rengoku would not be as potent as it had once been. Perhaps this fool Tomoko couldn’t properly control any of Rengoku’s abilities.

That notion, however, was rapidly abated when she saw hatch upon hatch slide open along the numerous tiers of the fortress’ main body, and the air erupted with a series of explosions. Each hatch had a spear-like device pointed out of it, mounted on swiveling platforms and tipped with sharpened, crystal edged points from which charged spheres of magic were generated and fired like cannon balls. Celestia ducked through the hailstorm of magic, each sphere detonating in a brilliant explosion of force that shook the air. Her speed and agility was more than a match for avoiding the thick flak of magic blasts, but it slowed her approach to the fortress itself. Long enough for other weapons on the fortress to become active and target her.

As she swooped around one thick cluster of explosions she felt a surge of power to her left and had to bank hard to just narrowly avoid a thick, crimson beam of light that shot up into the sky that she’d just occupied. Glancing down, she saw one of the massive crystals arranged around the ring still glowed red from its energy discharge, and saw the other titanic crystals were flaring up as well. Within an eye blink Celestia had to contend with half a dozen more searing beams that tried to stab her out of the sky.

Two she dodged with graceful, swift evasions, but as if the fortress had calculated her motions, she found the last three beams converging on her with no angle to escape. With a sharp eyed snort, she conjured her magic and a wall of flame burst into existence before her. Not merely flame, but a true barrier of heat and light, the red beams clashed with Celesita’s wall in a blinding explosion of force.

She had to admit, the old fortress still had it. Even her powerful barrier struggled a bit against those beams, and worse, since she’d had to stop in one spot to conjure it, the fortress cannons and the other crystals were able to converge fire on her.

Rather than take the oncoming punishment, Celestia merely teleported away, blinking out of reality in a puff of flame and appearing on the fortress’ other side. It wouldn’t take the fortress long to reacquire her, but for that moment it was Celestia’s turn to wreak some havoc.

She hadn’t truly cut loose much since her return to Equestria. There’d been a few instances, but by and large she’d restrained herself. Not so, here. She channeled her magic through her horn like a living shard of the sun itself, her eyes blinding star flares and her body coated in such flame as to make her body seem more elemental than flesh.

A jetting ray of pure sunfire, wide as a set of castle doors, erupted from Celestia’s horn and the heat of it blanketed the Isle of the Fallen, raising the ambient temperature by several degrees. The fiery path of destruction cut straight towards the heart of Rengoku, aimed to spear through the fortress’ guts.

Crimson energy burst to life along the fortress’ surface, and the towering crystals along it’s ring turned into ruby beacons of light. The vast network of saurian runes carved across the fortress’ innards channeled it’s deep stores of power in response to the oncoming attack from the very magic of it’s alicorn nemesis. Celestia’s beam of sunfire was met just dozens of yard’s from the fortress’ wall by a concentrated barrier of pure red magic. The pin-point barrier was calibrated specifically for dissipating alicorn magic, yet even then the impact of Celestia’s beam created such a shockwave of force that it shook every inch of the fortress like a localized earthquake.

Although her first beam failed to penetrate, Celestia was hardly done. She flew like a flaming comet in a wide arc around the fortress, generating repeated blasts of burning magic, any one of which would’ve left a unicorn battlemage green with envy or pale in terror. Magic circles appeared around Celestia in a flurry as she increased the rate of her spellcasting, unleashing swarms of fireballs and deadly sunbeams, all in an effort to overwhelm Rengoku’s defenses.

In some aspects, she nearly succeeded. Rengoku had slept for a long time, and it’s new master was still adjusting to controlling it’s systems. No few of Celestia’s spells managed to slip by Rengoku’s hastily summoned defense barriers, striking portions of it’s multi-tiered tower and walls. Some of it’s offensive aparati were melted to slag, while a few holes were burned into its interior. Yet the vast fortress weathered the damage while continuing to rise higher into the sky, and it began a slow movement northwest, away from the island, all the while peppering Celestia with a vast volume of return fire that forced the alicorn to slack her own assault in order to defend herself.

Dark memories flooded back to Celestia’s mind as she recalled the last time she’d fought this infernal fortress. Back then even she and her sister’s efforts combined had not been enough to reliably destroy Rengoku, and she could already sense the same issues repeating themselves. The saurian fortress was too resistant to alicorn magic, yet at the same time it’s power source was inherently unstable if directly assaulted by too much of the same kind of alicorn magic. Too little force and the fortress could not be reliably damaged. Too much force, and it would likely detonate in a catastrophic manner. In her anger, if her initial beam had successfully penetrated the fortress’ heart, she might have ended up accidentally killing everyone on the island.

It was horrifically galling, but she needed help. She needed both her sister, and this age’s champions, if they were to have a hope of stopping this monstrous fortress from making it’s escape.

With extreme reluctance, Celestia changed her plan.

Appearing in the center of the Contest grounds, Trixie took a quick look around to realize that the coliseum seating had been completely evacuated. The reason why was immediately apparent from the sky spanning flying fortress currently engaged in an apocalyptic magic battle with a pissed off sun alicorn.

And it had started off as such a nice, simple and friendly competition between champions. Trixie had rather wanted to win, too. Now she imagined they’d be lucky to survive the day, let alone finish the Contest. Well, pessimism aside, she supposed things could have been worse. She wasn’t sure exactly how, but she was sure they could be.

The Empress Fu Ling, jade coat sweat stained and her breath coming in short, labored gasps, looked at the blot of Rengoku staining the blue skies and turned a fierce look upon Dao Ming, who was still supporting her.

“Whatever it takes... you must stop that thing. Do you understand me, Dao Ming? Even if you must kill Tomoko to do it!”

“Mother, you must rest now,” Dao Ming said, “I will do what I can-”

“What you can? That is not enough!” Fu Ling coughed, her breathing ragged, “This is one thing you cannot fail in. I require more than ‘what you can’.”

Trixie opened her mouth to give the Empress some sharp words, but Dao Ming held up a hoof and shook her head, then with a motion that was both gentle yet still somehow reproachful, she eased her mother to the ground. Weakened as Fu Ling was, she couldn’t really stand up under her own power and gave an undignified squawk as she was laid down like a fussy child.

“Mother,” Dao Ming said, “You need to rest. I will take care of this. All you need do now is recover your strength. We will talk more, once it is all done.”

Fu Ling’s expression was thunderous as an approaching hurricane, but something in Dao Ming’s face and tone seemed to steal any protest she was about to give. Then her eyelids grew heavy with an awkward flutter, and the Empress passed out there on the grass. Dao Ming glanced up at Princess Cadenza, who rather cheekily raised her chin and didn’t hide her glowing horn, which had just cast the sleep spell that had helped ease Shouma’s Empress to unconsciousness.

“I thought it best to help the Empress sleep, before she injured herself.”

“My thanks, Princess Cadenza,” Dao Ming said with a grateful nod of her head, one that was mirrored by Kenkuro.

“Indeed, it’d not do at all to have our Empress straining herself, considering her condition.”

“Just planning on letting her lay there like an ornery lump?” inquired Cheerilee, to which Dao Ming threw the mare a flat look, but Kenkuro let out a brief, strained chuckle.

“That wouldn’t do, would it, Dame Cheerilee? I’ll go find lady Xhua and lord Lo Shang to tend to her, although first I think we need to figure out what we’re to do about Rengoku.”

“Yeah, speaking of that, I’m sure somepony’s asked this already, but do we have any idea of how we’re even going to get into that fortress, let alone stop it?” asked Carrot Top.

“Actually nopony has asked that yet, and unfortunately, strong as I am, I can’t carry all of you,” said Raindrops, who then cast a look at Trixie, “What about teleporting?”

“Oh no,” replied Trixie emphatically, “I’ve met my quota on trying to do that for the moment. I don’t see why Princess Cadenza can’t do it, right, Your Highness?”

For her part, Cadenza’s eyes were locked like crystal blue telescopes upon the aerial battle between Corona and Rengoku. There was a stillness to the alicorn that suggested a brief moment of incredible focus before her mouth curved in a thin frown, “I don’t think teleporting would be wise. I can sense a magical distortion around the fortress that wasn’t there earlier.”

“Huh?” Trixie, curious, activated her magic sight spell and gazed at the fortress. She very nearly had to look away from the insane brightness of the magical auras being given off by Corona and Rengoku, but she was also able to see what Cadenza meant. There was an unusual flickering around the whole of Rengoku, like the shimmer of heat but somehow more angular and dense.

“I... think I see what you mean, but what is that?”

“I can only guess, but it’s probably a defensive field meant to block things such as teleportation, plane shifting, phase hopping, or any other magical means one might use to slip into the fortress,” Princess Cadenza replied, “It likely activated the moment Tomoko woke up Rengoku.”

“So that brings us right back to square one of asking ‘how do we get inside’?” Cheerilee said, pointing up at the sky, which was alight with the flashes of magical detonations, “Even if we could all fly, I’m not liking the looks of our chances to get through all that without getting ourselves blown to bits.”

“Knights of Equestria, it is good to see you returned.”

The call came from behind the group, and all heads turned to see a number of individuals quickly running up to them, led by the dark and dour form of Sigurd at their head. The water deer’s expression was even more sallow and grave than ever before, not that Trixie could blame him. With him were a number of other champions. Tendaji galloped swiftly alongside his wife, followed by Siwatu riding upon his giant Death Runner scorpion, Sefu. Greysight moved with long strides, and was all but dragging a dejected Steel Cage along with Iron Will’s help and the other two minotaur champions bringing up the rear. There was also a smattering of monks who appeared beyond alarmed. Finally, Prince Frederick was accompanying Sigurd, and he was the first to rush up out of the group, skidding to a halt in front of Carrot Top.

“Are you alright?” he asked, “I’d heard you’d gone to try and stop whatever was coming, and when I saw that damned fortress rise, I thought...”

“Heh, relax Frederick, one look is all you need to tell I’m just fine,” Carrot Top said, then gave a nervous glance back towards Rengoku, “Although ‘fine’ is relative at the moment.”

“My Prince,” Wodan bowed his head, “I must apologize. The mighty Wodan was too slow to stop the villainy you see rising into this island’s fair sky.”

“Hey, we were all a little late on the draw,” Raindrops said, “Doesn’t matter. We’ve got to figure out what to do about this!”

“Quite correct,” Greysight said, letting go of Steel Cage and stepping forward to look at Kenkuro. The female minotaur had a saddened cast to her otherwise gentle features, her odd, mechanical staff held in her hands tightly, “Kenkuro, I have not been able to find Nuru anywhere. Did you... by chance see him?”

Kenkuro nodded slowly, his dark eyes closing briefly, “I did. He is with our enemies, including the Abbess Serene. Former Abbess now, it seems.”

A soft and collective gasp rushed out from the gathered monks, several raising voices of protests until Empress Cadenza flashed her horn to get their attention and stepped forward, her voice loud but not admonishing, “I am sorry you all must hear this, but it is the truth; Serene has orchestrated this whole affair and brought Rengoku back to life with the aid of her co-conspirators. Now is not the time to lament or question, but to take action! Rengoku cannot be allowed to fly the skies freely once more, and so I ask of all you champions gathered here, will you lend us your strength?”

Tendaji trotted forward alongside Aisha. Tendaji gave a furtive glance at his wife, who had shaken features but nodded and whispered something to him before he fixed his eyes first on Raindrops, then on Cadenza.

“My wife’s father, if he has taken such action, must be faced by one who would know why he has walked this Path. I will go, and bring him back to answer for his part and this, and so my wife and I may know the reason why.”

His eyes shifted to Raindrops, “If possible, I would join my hoof with yours to face him, together.”

“Hey, no telling what’ll happen once we're in the fortress,” said Raindrops with a shrug of her wings, but she did give Tendaji a calm smile, “But if it does end up that it’s me and you taking Nuru on, I’ll be happy to kick his butt alongside you.”

“And after said ‘butt kicking’ please bring my father back in one piece so I might give him a piece of my own mind,” said Aisha, eyes fierce, “Whatever he thinks he’s doing, he has strayed far from any Path I can perceive.”

“An individual’s Path is a hard thing for anycreature to truly see, even for one as well traveled and practiced as me,” said Zecora, who’d been hanging back behind Trixie’s group, but now stepped forward to reveal herself. She looked straight at Aisha, who stared back with momentary surprise before schooling her face to an even glare.

“Zecora. You are the last I wish to hear lecturing me about Paths. Where has your own taken you? Serving at the foot of Equestria’s maddened former ruler?”

In response Zecora merely looked up towards the sky, at the distant comet of sunfire that was Celestia, still circling Rengoku in an aerial duel of exchanged magical destruction. “It has been many years since we last set eyes upon each other, my friend. Do you really wish to argue over the past, until the world ends?”

Aisha’s eyes flashed with anger, “You don’t even have the right to still speak in the manner of an ordained shaman, but I take your point. This is not the time to hash things out between us, but understand you are not leaving this island until I’ve had my say with you, umngane.”

To this, Zecora merely nodded, and Trixie had to wonder if Aisha would actually get a chance to talk with her fellow zebra later. Zecora had a habit of vanishing at inconvenient times.

Meanwhile Iron Will gave the sulking Steel Cage a sharp look and elbowed him, and Steel Cage grunted, sucking in a breath and giving his face a severe pat, “Fine! Fine! I get it! This is way more important than the damn Contest! Even... even a loser like me will help if that’s what you want.”

Cheerilee let out a happy chuckle and cantered up to him, holding up a hoof while exuding an aura of encouraging confidence in every inch of her body language, “Takes someone pretty damn big to set ego aside to focus on what matters. We’ll need all the muscle we can get up there, and you’ve got plenty. I’ve got the bruises that prove that.”

Steel Cage starred at her hoof, then glanced back at Iron Will, who just gave the other minotaur a thumbs up before Steel Cage grunted and held out his fist to bump Cheerilee’s hoof, “You want to talk bruises, my ego is still in the hospital, but if you’re fine with my help, then Steel Cage will follow you into the ring, Champ Cheerilee.”

With hardened eyes, Sigurd unsheathed his rune carved bone sword and stepped forward, looking at Wodan, then at Frederick, “It is clear, with Andrea still missing, that she is with our foes?”

“Is that true, Wodan?” Frederick asked, voice laced with shock, “Andrea is on that fortress?”

“It is so, although the reason is baffling to me,” said Wodan, shuffling on his massive hooves. “To think of all the times I have listened to her play, and never imagined such treachery could be harbored within a soul so filled with beautiful music.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sigurd said, “She will pay the price for her actions, and it is our responsibility to see it done.”

“Hold up on that, fellas.”

It was Lyra who spoke, drawing the attention of the cervids. Brushing off her instrument, Lyra floated the lyre magically by her side, “Don’t forget it was me who went one on one with Andrea. Maybe not in a fight of hooves, blades, or spells, but our music battled as hard as any warriors might. I think I got to know what her deal was during that, although I didn’t get all the pieces together yet. When we face her, you think you honorable warrior-types can let me take the lead?”

Sigurd and Wodan exchanged glances, but it was Frederick who bowed his head to Lyra and said, “Who are we to deny the champion who won the Contest of Art her desire to face Elkheim’s greatest skald once more? Dame Heartstrings, as Prince of Elkheim, I grant you leave to face my duplicitous kin. Wodan, Sigurd, my orders to you as your Prince are to support Dame Heartstrings in her battle, but I want Andrea taken alive, if possible.”

Wodan and Sigurd both bowed their heads to their liege.

“It is well enough that Dame Heartstrings wishes a piece of Andrea,” said Sigurd, “I have another I’d rather focus upon. That knave, Grimwald, also owes a debt to us for striking down Dame Doo. It would be my honor to be the one to do so, in Dame Doo’s name.”

“Eeeh, maybe you still need to get to know Ditzy better,” said Trixie, “She’s not into the whole ‘revenge’ thing, Sigurd.”

“Besides, if you want to get at Grimwald, you’d better get in line, and that line starts with me.”

Flying above were a number of descending shadows, and in seconds a number of griffin warriors, about half of the total champions who come to the island, landed upon the grass. Half of her force she had left behind to assist Baron Mounty Max and Duchess Fragrant Posey keep order among the civilians being evacuated, but she had talon-picked the remainder to fly at her side. Among them were the three griffins of the Schwarzenstern; Agath, Gabriela, and Raquel, who still sported a bandage or two from her bout with Gwendolyn during the Contest of Strength. Gwendolyn was in the lead of the formation, and she jabbed a thumb at her chest while eyeing Sigurd, “Grimwald’s mine to deal with. I don’t care if a few of you pitch in, but I’m taking him down myself and I won’t be listening to any objections on that.”

“You know, all this talk of who’s going to fight who is kind of moot,” said Carrot Top, “At least until somecreature comes up with an idea on how to get up to Rengoku. Not just flying there, but not getting killed by all that magical firepower.”

“Before that, does anypony know if all the civilians have been evacuated safely?” asked Raindrops, her wings lower as she looked at all the empty seating in the coliseum, “My family, Dinky, Bon Bon, they’re all okay, right?”

“No need to worry about that,” Gwendolyn said, “I’ve got newfound respect for Equestria’s nobility. Your Vicereine really stepped up to get things moving, and that Baron fellow and the Duchess did their part to speed things along. With a few griffins to back them up, they have things well in claw; or hoof as it were. Every civilian is already on their way to Heroes’ Rest, which is probably the safest spot at the moment.”

“And you’re sure Raindrops’ family was with them, and Ditzy’s daughter, and my Bon Bon?” inquired Lyra.

“Eh, I didn’t see them specifically, but where else could they have gone?” Gwendolyn said, but a new voice cut in, strong but comforting as Shining Armor arrived at a swift trot.

“I can confirm they’re safe,” Shining Armor said, “I made sure to confirm all VIPs before finalizing the evacuation.” He turned to Princess Cadenza and bowed his head low, “Princess, I’m glad you’re alright. I figured you might want my help, and Vicereine Puissance seems to have the evacuation under control.”

“Thank you, Shining Armor, your help will be most welcome, although Dame Toppington brought up the excellent point that we don’t have a way to join the battle. I cannot teleport us to Rengoku,” Cadenza said, a perturbed look on her face, “Unless we think of something quick, the fortress will get too far away for us to do much of anything.”

Gwendolyn looked at her fellow griffins, eyes narrowing in consideration, “Not enough of us griffons to airlift everycreature, and trying to carry anycreature at all would slow us down. I’m not liking the look of all that anti-air fire coming off that damn thing. We need maneuverability to even stand a chance, or a way to thwart the magic weapons of the fortress.”

“I can make a potent magical shield,” said Shining Armor, “But the problem is that it has to be stationary. Won’t work if I’m moving.”

“Not normally, no, but if I augment it with my alicorn magic, would that work?” Cadenza asked, and Shining Armor looked at her with a thoughtful eye, and Trixie also noticed a hesitant tightness to his features as well.

“It...might. I’d rather you not put yourself in direct danger, Princess. It’s sort of my job to protect you.”

She gave him a level stare, and he quickly coughed, “Ahem, that said, you know that already and wouldn’t suggest it if you weren’t fully prepared. Uh, in that case, well... we’re familiar with each other’s magic already, so no problems getting our spells to work together I’d think. Yes, that’d probably work. If we had a way to fly there, I think between the two of us we’d have a decent magical shield.”

“Defenses are good, but moot without a means to carry us aloft to our goal,” said Kenkuro, “If need be we may have to consider an assault consisting only of those capable of flight, with the Princess alone carrying her noble guard to create a shield for us.”

“No,” said Dao Ming, “It would be suicide to assault the fortress without as much force as possible. Who knows what defenses are inside the fortress, if the exterior is so heavily guarded?”

Her words were hard, but there was an undercurrent of desperation to them. Trixie didn’t have a difficult time understanding that. Dao Ming, perhaps more than anyone, had reason to want to get into Rengoku and confront the one controlling it. Not only was her sister the one at the fortress’ controls, but it was her mother whose power had been stolen to do it, and her own nation from which this nightmare had sprung. For Dao Ming this crisis couldn’t possibly be more personal.

“As fine a point as you make, my lady,” said Kenkuro, “I just don’t see how we can all reach Rengoku.”

“Think maybe we could use Corona’s shiny flying boat?” suggested Lyra, pointing up at the golden ark which remained hovering above the coliseum.

“Huh,” said Trixie, “That’s actually not an entirely horrible idea, assume we can get those sun-stroked idiots to actually help us-”

She was barely done with her sentence when a stray magical beam from Rengoku impacted with Corona’s golden ark, melting through the back of it. In an explosion of flames the ark lost whatever magic was keeping it up in the air and started to fall to the earth in a smoking trail. Trixie and all others present watched in baffled silence as the ark impacted just outside the coliseum walls, and exploded again.

Trixie blinked, then shrugged and said in a deadpan tone, “Well, anyway, any other ideas?”

“Uh, do you think those guys working for Corona are okay?” asked Lyra.

“Do we care?” asked Raindrops back.

“We’re fine, thank you cursed heretics for asking!”

All eyes went up to see a slightly signed trio making their way to the ground. Terrorwing had Smoke carefully carried in his talons, while Kindle flew beside him while shaking his hoof at those below.

“As for the ark of our Queen, as you can see, it has become indisposed.”

“Gee, how tragic,” said Cheerilee with a full cup of sass, “Maybe if it didn’t glitter like a flashing sign that said ‘shoot me’, it wouldn’t be a pile of flaming wreckage right now.”

“Tch, your terrible sense of humor will be ignored,” said Kindle, dusting himself off after they landed, and Terrorwing set Smoke down gently. “In case none of you have taken note, the rightful Queen of Equestria nobly battles the wicked black fortress while the rest of you sit on your laurels doing nothing.”

“We were trying to figure out how to get up there into the fortress,” Raindrops said, shooting a hard look at Kindle, “And since the golden sky boat is toast, you’re not exactly in a position to contribute much either.”

“W-w-well, that’s no reason for any of you to be so mean about it,” said Smoke, shaking slightly on her hooves, “Seriously, what are all of you planning to do?”

“We are-” Trixie declared boldly, “...um, open to suggestions!”

There was a general silence all around for about half a minute before somepony spoke up in a curious query.

“What about the wyverns?”

All eyes turned to Carrot Top, who gave a startled look back at all the sudden attention and she sheepishly raised her hoof like an unsure foal at class, “Um, I mean, Frederick, your people brought in a whole flock of those wyverns, right? And they carry those boats specially designed for them to haul warriors into battle and stuff?”

Frederick blinked at her, then slapped his own face with a hoof then gave Carrot Top a wide, goofy grin before going up to her and planting a kiss on her. “By the roots of Yggdrasil, Carrot Top, you’re absolutely right! Wodan, Sigurd, how soon can our wyverns be prepared!?”

Wodan stomped a hoof in eagerness, the rune scars along his hide gaining a faint shimmer, “Five minutes to the beach, five minutes to rouse them and carry the wing boats here. Not long at all, my Prince.”

“Even if that flying pile of rocks manages to get clear of the island, the wyverns will be able to catch up with it,” Sigurd assured them, “And they’ll not flinch in the face of any danger.”

“My wyvern certainly won’t,” Frederick said, to which Wodan and Sigurd both gave him hard looks, to which the elk prince stared back equally hard after only a moment of hesitance, “I know what both of you are thinking, but do you honestly expect me to stay here while the rest of you go into battle? What kind of heir to Elkheim’s throne would I be if I went and fled like a coward while my protectors and...” he glanced at Carrot Top, “One I hold dear, goes to risk their lives in my stead?”

“We were charged to bring you home safe and alive,” said Sigurd, but he took a deep breath and his grim features didn’t so much lighten as just relent an inch or two, “But you have the right to take your place in the line of battle. Wodan, I think our Prince is going to be foolhardy this day, we must make sure to be by his side in battle and see to his safety.”

Wodan gave a deep belly laugh, “So be it, it shall be an honor to ride to war with you, my Prince. Just don’t fall off or get squashed, otherwise Wodan will be very hard pressed to explain your fate to your mother and father, neither of whose wrath I would survive.”

With that, the moose spun about and with remarkable speed started making a bounding gallop towards the beach where the cervids had left their wyverns. Trixie watched him go, then looked over the arrayed champions with an approving look. If they really could get everycreature onto that fortress, they’d certainly have numbers on their side. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as hard as she first thought.

“Hey, what’s that?” asked Siwatu, gesturing skyward, “My eyes might be showing me a mirage, but is something flying out of the fortress?”

All eyes turned upwards towards the sight of Rengoku. There, while the storm of magical blasts had kept up a constant stream between the fortress and Corona, something else was now occurring. Numerous black dots were appearing from within the fortress, taking to the air like a flock of birds. In fact, for a few seconds Trixie thought they might be birds, until she started making out larger shapes among the throngs of... whatever it was Rengoku was disgorging.

“I’m not liking the look of that,” said Gwendolyn, her sharper griffon eyes likely making out far more details than Trixie’s could, “Those things are flying in formation.”

“What things?” said Cheerilee, “The fortress isn’t supposed to have ‘things’. Is it?”

Princess Cadenza flared her wings as she, too, looked towards the flock of dark objects flying out of Rengoku and taking up a distinct spherical formation around the fortress, “Whatever they are, they’re another obstacle between us and Rengoku. One we will break through, whatever it may take.”

Before long the air was split with several resounding, reptilian shrieks. The air stirred as the leathery wingspans of wyverns filled the air and their shadows rushed over the gathered champions. Eight of the long necked, scaled beasts flew with heavy wing beats over the coliseum, each carrying in their talons the handles attached to the carved wooden forms of cervid sky boats. Although smaller than the seafaring longboats, the sky boats were still large enough to be able to carry at least a dozen passengers, and would be more than sufficient for carrying the champions towards their destination.

Wodan stood in one of them, making sharp, whistling cries to the wyverns to direct them to land in front of the group. The ground shook at the wyvern’s landing, the beasts dropping the impressively built sky boats just a few feet off the ground before alighting next to them. As the dust settled, Wodan hopped off the skyboat he’d been riding in and made an exaggerated bow.

“Noble champions, our conveyance into the heart of the enemy has arrived!”

“Well done, Wodan,” Frederick said, “Now all that remains is to take flight.”

“Hmph, they may not be as glorious as our Queen’s golden ark, but I suppose they will do,” Kindle said, taking a step forward, but Trixie barred his way, which caused the pegasus’ nostrils to flare. “What?”

Trixie took a very deep breath, trying to banish the rancor from her voice if not entirely from her heart, “You and your... friends, should probably stay here.”

“What!? Why!?” Kindle demanded, wings flaring, “Do you think we’ve not the right to go into battle simply because we are devoted servants of your enemy, you foolish mare!?”

“Y-yeah!” said Smoke, giving a small stomp of her hoof, “We’ve as much reason to fight as any of you!”

“That’s not what I mean,” Trixie said, and she swallowed her pride and looked Kindle in the eyes, “This has nothing to do with us being enemies, and make no mistake that’s what we are. No, Kindle, I’m not so stupidly arrogant as to deny any help we can scrape together for this fight. But that’s not why I want you three to stay here. I... I need somepony here to act as a backup in case we fail. If this doesn’t work, there’s a good chance that fortress could cause incredible damage to the world as a whole. Even you’re crazy alicorn ‘Queen’ gets that! So if we fail, I know she’ll still try to stop it, and probably count on you three to help. So I’m asking you three to stay here, help protect the civilians, and if those of us who go in there don’t pull this off... it’ll be up to you to finish the job.”

There was as much honesty as she could muster in her words, despite the bile that rose in her throat. She did not like Kindle, and wasn’t particularly fond of his groupie Smoke or the muscle headed griffin with them. But if this went far beyond the fight between Luna and Corona for the soul of Equestria. This was about the world, and for a change of pace, the Sun and Moon were on the same side. So it only made sense not to put all their eggs in one basket and leave a group behind who might be able to do something if Trixie and her friends couldn’t.

Besides, that and she didn’t completely trust that if Kindle and his team came along that they might not take advantage of the situation to try to remove one of their “Queen’s” chiefest threats. Battles were chaotic things, after all, and she wouldn’t put it past Kindle at least to do something stupid at a critical moment.

But it was much easier to appeal to his ego and make it sound like she was asking him to do what she could not if she failed, and knowing Kindle, he probably assumed she and her friends would fail and the idea of picking up their slack must have appealed to him.

Indeed she could see him working all that out in his head, his eyes gleaming feverishly as he realized that if Trixie and her fellow Knights fell inside Rengoku, then that was one big problem for Corona out of the way, and then he and his allies could sweep in to take the glory.

“I see,” he said, puffing up his chest, “A wise choice, for a rarity from you, Lulamoon. Very well, we shall pray for your victory, but come the worst to pass rest assured the noble and resolute servants of Equestria’s one true Queen shall take up your standard and avenge your fall.”

Terrorwing gave him a sidelong look that conveyed a world’s worth of incredulity, but he ultimately shrugged and said, “Would’ve been fun to bust some heads, especially of that Grimwald prick, but I can live with sitting on the bench for this one. Try not to get dead, mares. We’ve got our own rematch to look forward to.”

“Umm, well, good luck I guess,” Smoke said, looking as if she didn’t fully get what was going on, but seemingly a bit relieved, regardless. Terrorwing patted her head with a massive talon.

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, we can take bets on which of them make it back. That’d be fun, eh?” he said, and Smoke let out a weak chuckle, then looked at him with a tilted head.

“Wait, you’re serious?”

Trixie just sighed as Terrorwing laughed, and turned away from the three sun-heads to her companions, “At any rate, we’ve wasted enough time. Everypony, griffin, cervid, minotaur, tengu, kirin- ugh, everycreature get on the flying boats! We’ve got a flying fortress to sink!”

Her concentration was divided between a dozen different aspects of Rengoku’s systems, yet Tomoko dynamically navigated the strands of light and sensory information pouring into her like a practiced swimmer getting used to a river’s currents. It was as if every passing second left her more and more connected to the fortress, extending her mind into it until she was operating parts of it no differently than one might walk or blink.

Already she could divide her focus a little from Amaterasu’s assault. The alicorn of the sun was a fantastically powerful foe, but Rengoku had faced two alicorn sisters in the past. One, however potent, was not going to be enough to significantly threaten her. Steel melting beams and blasts of sunfire certainly did their damage to Rengoku’s surface, but the fortress walls were suffused with the magic of ancient saurian design, meant specifically to resist the power of the alicorns. Furthermore, Tomoko had discovered automated repair systems to activate, drawing upon magical machines deep in the fortress bowels to start re-growing damaged parts.

Before long Rengoku was repairing itself almost as fast as Amaterasu could hope to damage it.

And in discovering those repair systems, Tomoko had also found another very interesting feature of the fortress. The saurian race had clearly been a brilliant one, for alongside the same machinery that formed the repair systems was an entire level dedicated to some manner of internal factory, one that could magically replicate parts, assemble them, and infuse them with arcane energy and simple offensive or defensive programming. She nearly laughed aloud at the simplicity of it, and within minutes dozens upon dozens of war golems were being printed off like minted coins! No wonder the Warlord had been so feared! This fortress was incredible!

Why, with its power, she could easily bring all of Shouma in line-

Wait, what am I thinking? I must destroy this place, and secure Dao Ming’s rule after the Dark Lands are healed...

Tomoko wanted to rub at her head, but her physical body was inert, her mind inside Rengoku’s control center. But it felt like her brain had some unseen pressure on it. For a moment there it was like her thoughts had completely run away from her towards some megalomaniacal shore she never even would have dreamed of.

”-et out before-” A voice echoed desperately across the void, ”It will- ver your- lave!”

Tomoko shook herself mentally, unable to pinpoint where the voice came from, but it didn’t matter. She was focusing better now, and the war golems were already deploying in a defensive formation around the fortress. Each construct was a simple and well designed machine of dark metal, cable-like sinews, armored and shaped like the saurian’s themselves, or at least a sub-race of the species. These particular golems were winged, with wide, triangular heads ending in sharp metal beaks, and bearing long metal claws beneath their rounded bodies. Larger versions bore a closer resemblance to dragon-kind, with long, spiked tails and brutal, horned heads. Tomoko cared little for their shape, as long as they provided another means by which to keep intruders at bay.

Although she didn’t doubt they’d be coming. Dao Ming wouldn’t let this pass without taking action. That was part of what made her ideal to take on the position of Empress. Tomoko knew her sister would valiantly take charge and lead the way against Rengoku, and that the other champions would be with her.

It was not long after she had that thought that Rengoku’s magical senses imparted to her an image of the island. The fortress was not moving swiftly. Much of its energy was dedicated to the magic weapons and barriers it was forming to keep Amaterasu busy. It had, in fact, only just barely cleared the north shore of the island and started a slow, steady flight out to sea, when Tomoko saw a number of shapes rise into the sky from the coliseum that housed the Contest grounds.

There you are, Dao Ming. I know you must hate me now. That’s alright, I’ll accept that. Come, and do what you feel you have to. I’ll still finish my work, and leave you the Empire, whether you like it or not.

She could see clear images of the flying beasts from Elkheim as they beat their vast, leathery wings to gain altitude. The wyverns carried in their claws carved wooden boats with handles in place of masts, two of the beasts to each boat, and Rengoku’s enhanced scrying system showed Tomoko that those boats were filled with the champions gathered from every realm for the Contest. In the lead boat stood the tall, jade colored form of Dao Ming, golden mane flying like a war banner behind her. Irritatingly, if not unexpectedly, Tomoko also saw flanking Dao Ming was Trixie Lulamoon and Kenkuro, with the rest of that blastedly persistent Equestrians troupe of knights arrayed behind them. Well, all save for the gray pegasus. At least Grimwald had gotten that part of the plan right.

The wyverns weren’t alone in their flight, with a formation of griffins choosing to use their own wings rather than rely on the Elkheim sky boats. Gwendolyn could be seen at the head of that group, taking a lead over the wyverns, probably with the intent of trying to give the wyverns and their cargo as much cover as possible while trying to approach Rengoku.

And Rengoku was eager to swath the approaching foes out of the sky. Tomoko could feel a keen sensation scrape across her mind, as if the fortress’ very being was urging her to direct every available weapon on that side of Rengoku to open fire.

And why shouldn’t I? As long as Dao Ming herself lives, little else matters. I should sweep away all opposition in front of me.

She hesitated, however. Her thoughts felt off. She knew she needed to prevent Dao Ming and the assembled champions from stopping her plans, but it was never her intention to slaughter them indiscriminately. Throwing up a barrage to dissuade their path and slow them down with a flight of the war golems should be enough. Annihilating the champions was never part of the plan. So why was she suddenly so eager to do just that? Why did the very notion of these fools seeking to curb her glory incite fury?

Something was clearly wrong, but she had no time to consider alternatives. Instead she focused her will, the potent and undying willpower that had seen her through years of service as Fu Ling’s adopted daughter, and used it to push back whatever influences the fortress was trying to wrap her mind in. She was in control, nothing else!

She prepared a section of Rengoku’s weaponry facing to the south towards the approaching wyverns and griffins. Not the heavy magical beams from the crystals, just a few lines from the smaller magic bolters. Her mind also connected with the flocks of war golems, pulling half of them from their pursuit of Amaterasu and swinging them south to intercept the oncoming champions.

This should keep you busy for a spell, Dao Ming. With only Amaterasu present to try and stop Rengoku, we’ll soon build up speed and be too far out into the ocean for you to pursue.

“Hey, is that thing getting faster or what?” said Raindrops, shielding her eyes with a wing as she squinted at Rengoku. Trixie couldn’t tell, herself. To her the flying fortress barely looked like it was moving at all, although it was now floating hundreds of feet up and was about a full length of its own width off shore from the north coast of the island.

“It is,” Kenkuro said, his dark eyes not even blinking, “And at an increasing rate. I suspect the longer the fortress is active, the more of its power awakens. Once it reaches its full potential, it may well become too fast for us to catch it.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Dao Ming said, all but perched on the bow of the sky boat. The kirin turned and shouted to the boat on their immediate right, where Wodan and the other remaining cervids rode, “Can we not urge these great beasts of yours to move any faster!?”

It was Frederick who answered instead of Wodan, the elk actually riding atop his wyvern, Bloodwing, who was carrying the bow handle of the cervid sky boat. “Wyverns are built more for stamina than speed, my kirin lady! Fear not, we’ll still catch that flying boil, on my word as a prince of Elkheim! Look, we’re getting closer!”

That much was true. Despite Rengoku gaining speed, it was still moving slower than the flight of wyverns and griffins chasing after it. As long as they maintained the same speed, they’d catch up before Rengoku gained enough speed to outrun them. Of course Trixie imagined whoever was flying that damned thing knew that as well, and wasn’t surprised when she spotted a change in the motion of the creatures flying around the fortress.

She still hadn’t gotten a very good look at whatever they were, but swarms of them had gone after Corona, giving the sun alicorn a whole new set of problems to deal with besides the magical blasts coming from the fortress. Scores of the flying creatures had converged on Corona like flies, and admittedly they’d been subsequently burned like flies in flashes of pure sunfire that burst around Corona like the world’s brightest and most intensely hot bug zapper. However, while it didn’t look like the creatures could do much to harm Corona, they did distract her and force her to expend valuable time and energy on them rather than resume assaulting the fortress.

Trixie understood why it had taken both alicorn sisters to stop this Rengoku in the past. The thing was tailor designed by the suarians to be a near unstoppable weapon of war, a war that had been fought specifically against the alicorns. In a way Trixie could almost admire Abbess Serene and Tomoko’s desire to see this thing destroyed at any cost. It was a dangerous abomination of ancient magic that didn’t need to exist in the world. If there was even a tiny chance somecreature might get a hold of Rengoku to serve their own ends, it’d be a catastrophe for every free nation.

No matter what, Rengoku had to be stopped here and now.

“Watch out guys and gals, we’ve got their attention!” Cheerilee shouted in warning, pointing out a tell-tale gleam of magical light forming along several tiers of the fortress walls on the side the wyverns were approaching.

On the sky boat to Trixie’s left, she saw Princess Cadence nod to Shining Armor, who lit up his horn alongside hers. The lights of their personal magic intertwined, Cadence giving strength and focus to Shining Armor’s as he shaped his shield spell. While forming a potent barrier while on the move was difficult, with Cadence’s help Shining Armor was able to encase the wyverns and their skyboats in a bubble of glowing purple energy, interlaced with traces of a brighter light blue from Cadence.

This was accomplished just in time, as a thick barrage of magical bolts flew in from the fortress and impacted the shield. Trixie heard a rapid succession of muffled impacts as the bolts of energy burst upon Shining Armor’s shield, which held up under the withering fire more than adequately.

Gwendolyn’s formation of griffins were too far off to be within the shield, but the griffiness was an expert commander and had anticipated the incoming attack, taking her squadron higher and in a sharp evasive maneuver that kept them well out of the field of magical flak.

“Soldier boy has some magical chops on him,” Lyra noted, and Carrot Top nodded.

“Given who he’s related to, not really shocked by that.”

“Will this shield hold up if one of those huge crystals takes a crack at us with one of it’s beams?” Raindrops wondered.

“I was wondering that myself,” said Trixie, glancing towards one of the towering crystals mounted in the ring that surrounded Rengoku, “We’re probably in range, so why haven’t any of those fired yet?”

“You trying to jinx us?” said Cheerilee with a smirk.

“No, just finding it odd. They didn’t hesitate to start blasting at Corona, so why not us?”

“It is probably because I am here,” Dao Ming said with a thin frown, “Tomoko is just trying to slow us down, rather than destroy us.”

“I find that most likely as well,” Kenkuro said, resting a wing on his sword, still staring ahead unflinchingly, “And she may yet succeed.”

He pointed ahead, where a dense wall of the flying creatures the fortress had spawned now formed in front of their path. Now that they were closer, Trixie was able to get a much better look at them, and felt a combination of revulsion and unfortunate deja vu, reminded of the constructs she and her friends had faced at Tambelon.

“Are those golems?” said Raindrops with a sour face, “I hate golems.”

“Not just golems, saurian golems,” Lyra said, readying her lyre, “Flying suarian golems. Trixie, I love being your friend, but can we talk about maybe pacing out the insane situations we get ourselves into? Next year, maybe we just take it easy with nice, simple local issues?”

“Lyra, do you remember the ‘local issues’ we’re used to dealing with?” said Cheerilee, “I think I prefer the golem swarm!”

“Will the barrier hold out against all of that?” Carrot Top said, and Trixie licked her lips as she saw the flock of oncoming golems was seconds from reaching them.

“We’re about to find out.”

Like a cloud of locusts the golems crashed into Shining Armor’s magical shield. Each one was near twice the height of a pony. To Trixie’s eyes they looked like incredibly unnatural things, with black metal plates covering bodies formed of a malleable stone that came to life through bizarre saurian magic that flowed through the stone via metal tubes that bulged out of seams in the armor. Their forms were a strange mix of biped features, arms, legs, shoulders, and head, but the heads were of an avian saurain form with long metal beaks and horned crests. From their backs sprung thick metal wings, glowing faintly with purple and red colored magic that presumably kept them aloft and gave them their flight. Hands and feet both ended in blade-like claws, which scraped and struck at the magical barrier surrounding the flight of wyverns.

Despite the high impact the golems hit the barrier at, only a few were deflected off or broken by the collision. Dozens more clung to the shield, trying to tear their way through with claw or beak.

Then larger forms collided with the magic barrier. These things held a lopsided, longer figure that was more akin to something draconic, although the features remained saurian. Almost as if whatever mind forged the design tried to interbreed the two forms into some ungainly whole. These golems were closer in size to the wyverns themselves, and when three of them landed atop the shield, along with the dozens of smaller golems clinging to the sphere, Trixie suddenly realized they had a problem.

“Blast it all, they’re dragging us down!” she shouted.

Even despite Shining Armor’s shield being able to hold up to the golem’s attempts to break through, the added weight of so much metal and stone was making gravity do its thing. Regardless of whether the shield remained intact or not, the weight on it was forcing the sphere downward, and slowing it’s forward momentum as well. Unless the wyverns wanted to crash into the inner wall of the sphere they had to slow and descend with the barrier.

“It’s like pulling down a balloon,” Cheerilee said, shaking her head, “Clever. They don’t even have to break through to stop us like this.”

“Not the time to be admiring them, Cheerilee!’ said Lyra, “We’ve got to do something!”

Dao Ming had unfurled several scrolls for a spirit chant, but looked hesitant, “Unless the barrier drops, I can’t summon any spirits to reach the outside and combat those abominations.”

“Fortunately we already have allies on the outside, my lady,” said Kenkuro as he nodded upwards. Trixie looked, and saw the flickering shadows of swift flying forms descending towards them.

Gwendolyn led her fellow griffins on a dive that sent them slicing across the flanks of the barrier, and the golems attached to it. Blades and spears cut sparking swaths through metal and stone, and while the weapons could only do slight damage to the robust golems, the impacts of the blows alone knocked off nearly a dozen of the golems to send them tumbling towards the ocean below.

Instantly more golems peeled off of the barrier, flying out to chase the griffins, and within moments a fierce aerial dogfight was taking place. The griffins teamed up two or three at once per golem, using superior maneuverability to keep out of the way of the golem’s wicked natural weapons. Unfortunately while the griffins could keep some of the golems distracted, it really didn’t look as if they could put down any of the constructs with the weapons they had. Well, with the one exception of Gwendolyn herself, who’s magical blade was able to slice metal and stone with equal measure. Soon the griffins were rallying around the griffin commander, providing her cover while she wielded her potent blade to dispatch the creatures one at a time. Even so, there were so many golems that it was clear this wasn’t going to be enough. Trixie could already see more golems incoming, and even with some of them distracted, the magical sphere was still weighted down too much.

Rengoku was going to get away at this rate!

However, Trixie did have one idea. A spell she’d been saving. One she had developed for an entirely different purpose than this, but may well still be effective.

“Shining Armor!” she called out, “Can you open a hole in the shield!? Just large enough for a spell to reach through!”

“What!?” he shouted back, and Trixie rolled her eyes.

“Hole! Shield! Big enough for a spell! Hurry! I’ve got something that might work!”

“Oh! Okay!” he shouted back, and with a moment of focus Trixie could see him pulling a strand of magic back from the shield, slowly opening a hole directly in front of them.

“Trixie, what are you doing?” asked Carrot Top, but Trixie just waved her off.

“Complicated spell,” she said swiftly, already summoning magic into her horn, “Was intending to use it on Corona. Explain later, if we survive.”

As audacious as that sounded, it was the truth. For quite some time Trixie had been wracking her brain concerning the eventual confrontation with Corona. As much as a part of her wanted to put faith in the Elements of Harmony, she knew Corona wasn’t stupid enough to make it easy for them to blast her again with those artifacts. Whatever plans Corona had to retake Equestria would likely be cunning enough to make it hard for Trixie and her friends to bring their best weapons to bear. So ultimately they’d need plans of their own to surprise the mad alicon.

Surprises much like the spell Trixie had been developing.

Now, making one’s own spells was something of an artform, and one many spellcasters aspired to. Unicorns truly dedicated to magic dreamed of having their own personal, named spells enter into the libraries of arcane lore. And Trixie was certainly eager to have her own name go down in history with a nice, healthy plethora of personally developed spells.

In this particular instance, the spell in question had been designed with the intent of being used directly against Corona. Now Trixie was prideful, ambitious, perhaps even a bit foolish, but she knew full well that an alicorn like Corona was on a level utterly beyond what Trixie was capable of facing directly. Good thing she was an illusionist who didn’t do things directly. Trixie was also, not to toot her own horn too much, fairly cunning herself. She knew the best way to deal with a strong opponent was to use their strengths against them.

Hence she’d taken a lot of time to think about alicorns and what made them strong. Incredible reserves of unbelievable magic? Check. Bodies with physical strength and endurance beyond moral means? Check. Enhanced senses that were many magnitudes more potent than regular folks? Check.

And hence, the simple, yet complicated form of her spell took shape in Trixie’s mind.

Three streams of magic flowed from her horn, intertwining into a rapidly growing sphere of pulsating light at the tip. Each stream made the sphere pulsate with a different color; blue, green, then purple. Adding each component of the spell in the right increments was not so much a matter of precise measurement as feeling it out, and the amount of magic being put into the spell was a bit higher than what was usual for Trixie, who admittedly wasn’t a dynamo of magic like some unicorns were. She had to work with what she had, but she did possess plenty of finesse, and that was what was required here.

When the spell was ready, a thing more sensed in her gut than known in her mind, her eyes opened sharply and she aimed her horn at the hole Shining Armor had opened up in the barrier.

Under her breath she chanted, ”Pandemonium.”

The multicolored sphere of strobing magic flashed from her horn and rocketed out through the hole. Once outside it burst like a bubble, a bubble that expanded in a slick, soapy sheen of fluctuating light that blanketed everything around it. It was like bathing in oily fog, it’s colors spinning through a dizzying spectrum of lights that gave the impression of being in an otherworldly space.

Instantly the golems started to behave erratically, flinging themselves from the sphere and spasming randomly. They slashed out in blind confusion, striking each other or nothing at all. Some spun towards the ground while others careened upwards. Many crashed right into one another in crazed, zig-zagging flights. Even the larger, draconic golems flung themselves around at random, lashing out with claw and tail with no rhyme or reason.

Dao Ming looked suitably impressed, turning admiring eyes towards Trixie, “What manner of spell is this? You didn’t use it during the Grand Melee.”

“Of course not,” Trixie said, her horn still alight as she focused on controlling the range of her spell so that it didn’t seep into the magic sphere, or touch Gwendolyn or her griffins. “I meant to use this spell only on Corona. Wanted it to be a secret and such. Cat’s out of the bag now, I suppose. It’s called ‘Pandemonium’.”

“What is it even doing?” inquired Raindrops, rubbing at her eyes, “Just looking at that lightshow is making my head hurt.”

“Oh, it’d be a lot worse if you were actually in the spell’s area of effect,” Trixie said with a proud grin, “Pandemonium completely scrambles the sensory information of anyone or anything inside that cloud. Doesn’t matter if it's ‘alive’ or not, as long as it has senses, those senses get more disoriented than a drunken sailor’s.”

“That’s cool, but how was that going to work on Corona?” asked Lyra, “Couldn’t she just dispel it?”

“Dispelling requires fine targeting, Lyra. Hard to do that when you can’t tell up from down,” Trixie said, “And with an alicorn’s boosted senses, the effect of Pandemonium would be even worse. I mean, it’s bad enough when it hits normal ponies like you or me. Imagine being able to smell ten times better than usual, but the things you're smelling don’t make any sense. Or hearing. Or seeing. I’m not saying this would lay Corona out or anything, but I was willing to be it’d distract her for a good minute. Long enough for us to hit her with the Elements.”

“Not a bad plan,” Raindrops admitted, then sighed, “And chances are with Corona out there, she can see this spell in action right now. She might not know for sure what it is, but she’ll probably be ready for it down the road.”

“Yeah,” said Trixie with a rough sigh, “Kind of why I wasn’t eager to bust this out right now, but didn’t see any other choice. At least it’s working.”

That much could not be denied. The chaotic nimbus of prismatic magic that formed around them like a dense fog had all but stripped the saurian golems from their path, causing mass confusion amid the constructs' numbers. As a result little else was left to bar their path to Rengoku itself, which now loomed close and filled the vision of all present.

“Bet anything that the controls for this oversized boil has to be near the top,” Raindrops said, “So we land as close as we can to it, right?”

“I would think so,” Dao Ming said, then a concerned shadow marred her face as she looked sharply to the left. She quickly shouted, “Everycreature, brace yourselves!”

Trixie was still a little too focused on keeping her Pandemonium spell active to do much else, but still looked to her left to try and see what had alarmed Dao Ming. She spotted it a moment too late to do much more than gasp.

As they had cleared the golems, one of the mighty crystal spires encircling Rengoku had filled with baleful light. Apparently whatever had caused Tomoko to hold back the crystal's firepower earlier was now gone, perhaps because she had not expected the champions to win through the golems so quickly. Regardless, the crystal unleashed a blazing beam of intense light that speared into Shining Armor’s shield. The barrier held, if barely, all the air shaking about them as streams of destructive power washed around the barrier like a hose on full blast against a concrete wall. Alone, Shining Armor may not have held against the beam for long, but he had Cadenza’s magic uniting with his own, the alicorn’s power helping keep the barrier stalwart against the onslaught.

Yet it may not have been destruction that was the beam’s intent, for it’s raw force was angled to push the barrier, and hence the wyvern borne champions within, downward even further. While not enough to slow them, it did prevent them from aiming to land higher upon Rengoku’s bulwark, and instead they were forced directly into the main body of the fortress. Indeed, they were forced there by the beam even faster than the wyverns could fly, and Trixie gasped as she felt Raindrops grab her and shield her with the pegasus’ stout body as the barrier was smashed bodily into the unyielding wall of Rengoku.

The barrier burst and wyvern and sky boats alike went tumbling about, some crashing into the wall while others skidded along the flat rampart walls, bouncing and sliding before coming to sudden rest.

Trixie had felt herself hurled from the sky boat, her senses dizzied as she impacted with the floor. Raindrops’ shielding body helped absorb much of the fall, but Trixie still had to take a second to catch her breath.

“R-Raindrops?” she rose unsteadily, reaching a hoof to jostle her friend.

Raindrops groaned, and rolled over, rubbing at her head, “Ouch.”

“You’re okay, right?” Trixie asked, helping Raindrops up. The pegasus flexed her wings while blinking stars out of her eyes.

“Yeah, think so. What about the others?”

They both looked to survey the wreckage of the sky boats. One had plowed right into the wall, but judging from the fact that Wodan appeared to have used his own head as a battering ram to soften the impact for the rest of the ship, everyone else on board appeared to be little worse for wear. As for Wodan himself, he pushed off the wall and stumbled back a bit, his head bleeding profusely, yet the moose shook his head and gave a quick guffaw.

“Hah! No mere wall shall overcome the skull of Wodan! Now I will...” he tilted over like a tree that had just reached the tipping point from lumberjacks working upon it, “...lay down for a second.”

“Wodan!” Frederick hopped off the head of his wyvern, who had managed to land relatively unscathed. He was joined by Sigurd in checking upon the fallen moose, who while still quite conscious was clearly a tad... concussed.

“Wodan you rock brained fool of a mountain troll, you don’t use your head as a ship’s prow!” growled Sigurd, looking over Wodan’s head wound, who in turn just made a rude noise.

“Pfft, my head can be whatever I wish it to be! Now stop looking over me like some worried nursemaid, both of you!” he tried to stand up, only to sit back down on his haunches as he blinked in an unfocused manner, “I just require a second for the world to stop tilting.”

“And that’s what we call a concussion, folks,” said Cheeerilee, who helped Lyra clamber down from the broken half of their skyship, while Carrot Top yanked herself out from under a fallen piece of mast handle.

“We all look alive, at least,” Carrot Top noted, just as Kenkuro flew down, having jumped off the sky boat at the last second. Dao Ming had followed suit, not so much capable of flight but managing a rather elegant flip mid-air to land upon the rampart walkway.

Further down the other champions were extricating themselves from the crash. Steel Cage was helping up Greysight while Bronze Belly and Brass Bearings used their combined minotaur strength to lift the remains of their sky ship off of the wyvern that had been carrying it, but was now trapped underneath the bulk. Tendaji stood beside Siwatu who was checking over the collapsed form of the laters’ scorpion companion. The giant scorpion had a few legs bent entirely in the wrong direction and was clearly battered from the crash, but made a few pitiable clicks as it stood and Siwatu patted the arachnid’s head.

“Not our best landing,” Raindrops admitted, then frowned, “Hey, where’s Princess Cadenza and Shining Armor?”

It took a few moments of searching for Trixie and her friends to locate the alicorn, as she was somewhat hidden behind the bulk of the sky boat that had bounced and skidded for some distance. When they found her she was holding an unconscious Shining Armor, who, while still breathing, had a piece of broken wood from the ship railing lodged in his side. Cadenza had her horn bent towards the wound, providing a steady stream of magic as her face maintained a half broken mask of focus that did little to hide the fact she had tears brimming in her eyes. The Princess looked up at the approach of the mares, clearly trying to comport herself, “Ah, you all made it. That’s good.”

“Oh crapbaskets, is... is he going to be okay?” asked Lyra, nodding towards Shining Armor. Cadenza’s eyes sparked with a resolute and possessive fury as she focused once more upon the stricken stallion’s wound.

“He is if I have anything to say about it. Yet I can’t risk moving him until I can close the wound, and I cannot do that until I stabilize him enough to remove the debris from him. That will take time, and all of my concentration. I’m sorry, but I do not believe I’ll be able to help you within the fortress.”

“That’s fine,” Trixie said, “You take care of what you need to take care of. With all of the champions here we shouldn’t have that much trouble storming the interior... um, assuming we can find an entrance.”

She looked up and down the wall, trying to take stock of the actual area they’d landed in. Rengoku’s multi-tiered construction gave the impression of a giant layer cake of foreboding iron and pointed metal, with the location they had crashed upon being one of the lower layer’s outer walls. There were numerous hatches that had opened in the wall from which those magic spewing spear-mounts had been, but looking into one nearby Trixie could tell there was simply an alcove where the weapon would reside, but no other entrance into the fortress.

Looking further along the curved wall, she thought she saw something resembling an archway that might lead to a door or similar portal, but before she could suggest looking closer she heard a screech from the air above.

It was a warning cry as the griffins began to land. Gwendolyn had led her forces above the maelstrom that had been Trixie’s Pandemonium spell, and now having witnessed the crash, she and the griffin champions all flocked down to land before the group.

“Thank the good skies you’re all still intact,” Gwendolyn said, shouldering her sword rather than sheathing it, “I’ve rarely seen a spill look rougher.”

She briefly eyed Shining Armor and his wound and grimaced, but didn’t comment and instead looked to Trixie while gesturing behind her at the sky, “That was some fancy magic you pulled off, but it’s only bought us a few minutes.”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me,” said Cheerilee as the group looked at what Gwendolyn meant. In the sky the swarms of flying saurian golems had recovered from the effects of Trixie’s spell, which had since dissipated with Trixie no longer focusing to maintain it. While a fair number had fallen to one another’s claws in the confusion, there were still scores if not hundreds of the things still in the air. They now gathered up and were clearly massing to launch a fresh attack upon the fallen champions while they were still recovering from the crash.

“It’s going to take time to find a way inside,” Trixie said, and she rubbed at her horn underneath her hat, “And hate to admit this, but I can’t just whip out Pandemonium twice in a row. That spell drains me like you wouldn’t believe.”

Gwendolyn nodded, “Had a bad feeling about that. Since there’s no time for debate, here’s what we do. The majority of us form a defensive line here and keep those mechanical bastards busy, while a strike team enters the fortress and takes down those controlling it.”

“A sound plan,” spoke Kenkuro as he and Dao Ming approached, behind them the other champions slowly gathering. The tengu held a wing upon his blade and turned a solemn look towards Dao Ming, “I know you will insist upon going inside, my lady.”

“Yes,” Dao Ming said, “I will face Tomoko and put an end to this. I know it is your duty to protect the Imperial family, yet I ask that you remain here to help form the defense, Kenkuro. With the number of foes approaching, your blade is needed most here.”

“I had a terrible feeling you were going to say that,” the tengu replied, sighting deeply, but bowing all the same, before he dropped formality and stepped forward to lay a gentle wing on Dao Ming’s shoulder. His eyes carried a look most fatherly, “Do be careful, my lady. This will be a most dire test for you, I fear... but I know you are up to it.”

Dao Ming’s eyes looked with surprise, but then fondness as she slowly nodded and placed an assuring hoof on Kenkuro’s wing, “I will return, old crow, be assured of that.”

“Then who else is to brave the depths of this unseemly bastion, and who stays to guard the way back?” asked Sigurd, “I, for one, desire to pit my blade against my traitorous kinsdeer, Andrea, and the cur Grimwald, but if not all of us can go inside...”

Gwendolyn turned around and spread her wings, “Wish we had time to suss out the details, but we’re out of time! Here they come.”

The golems had not remained idle, and had closed the distance to the fortress with remarkable speed. In short order the champions found themselves beset on all sides by a flying horde of sharp, ancient steel. Gwendolyn’s sword flashed and cut the talon off of one golem that made a pass at her, and she called out to her fellow griffins, “Stay close to the ground! There’s too many to take to the sky again! I’ll command the right flank. Raquel, take your Schwarzenstern and form up on the left!”

In short order the griffin champions moved like a single unit, bursting into motion in a feathery swirl of blades and spears to push back the initial snowball of deadly golem limbs.

Trixie had to duck a metal talon nearly taking her hat off and let out a frustrated growl under her breath as she conjured up a burst of illusionary light to blind a few of the golems flying overhead. Lyra went back to back with Carrot Top, strumming her instrument in combination with empowering magic from her horn to bring forth a cone of sonic force to knock golems out of the air, while Carrot Top threw jars of claw to burst sticky alchemic goo upon the stricken constructs. This made it easier for Cheerilee and Raindrops to get in and start smashing the restrained golems while deftly avoiding their sharp, metal limbs.

Sigurd had drawn his runic bone sword and coated it in an encasement of ice as it’s runes burned blue. The water deer leapt upon the wreckage of one of the sky boats to get height before cleaving his sword into a golem’s body, causing it to flash freeze and break into pieces, although he had to jump down a moment later to avoid the cutting wing of another golem.

Frederick in the meantime whistled to his wyvern, and Bloodwing came to its master’s call, roaring with astounding fierceness alongside it’s fellow wyverns. Despite being battered from the crash, the wyverns responded to the threat of the golems with great fury, spreading wings to make jumping pounces upon the constructs. Their potent jaws snapped down on ancient forged metal, and their tails snapped like great whips to break golems in mid-flight. Frederick picked up a piece of debris to use like a club, staying close to Carrot Top as he swung at passing golems.

As one of the larger, draconian golems landed near Cadenza, it was beset on all sides by minotaurs.

“No minotaur champ is gonna feel intimidated by you cheap metal chumps!” Steel Cage bellowed, flexing rippling muscles as he charged in and grabbed the huge golem around its neck and yanked it to the ground. Bronze Belly and Brass Bearings went for the wings, each taking one to pull back and force the gigantic construct to crash to the ground.

At the same time Greysight approached the golem’s main body and held her odd steam and clockwork staff aloft. With the pull of a small lever the staff came alive in the female minotaur’s grip, shaking and vibrating as steam puffed off of it’s many hoses and valves. Gears spun, and the top portion of the staff began to turn like a large, gear-shaped buzzsaw as Greysight took up the staff in both hands and then brought it down hard on the golem’s chest. Sparks flew as the gear buzzsaw ripped into the saurian golem’s metal plating, then began to shred the sensitive inner workings beneath.

Tendaji and Siwatu charged across the wall, Tendaji himself performing a spinning aerial leap and roundhouse kick that crushed one golem to the ground, where the scorpion Sefu clacked it’s pincers and dismembered the golem before it could stand again. When a quartet of golems rushed in behind the pair, seeking to take them by surprise, there was a black flash of motion that passed through the group. Then the golems all fell apart in neatly cut slices, and Kenkuro was simply seen standing a few feet away, already sheathing the Blade of Heaven before seeking his next group of targets.

Dao Ming danced with both blade and scroll, her borrowed sword whirling about in her magical grip to cleanly decapitate a golem while she swiftly chanted spirit mantra with her unfurled scroll. From the scroll rose a sparking conflagration of purple electricity, spiraling into a set of three lances of lightning that struck out to pierce multiple golems.

For a moment or so it looked as if the champions’ combined offense might drive back the swarm of golems, yet there was a surge amidst the constructs as fresh reinforcements seemed to start appearing from every direction.

Steel Cage was heaved off of the draconic golem he was busy smashing the head of, a new golem of the same ilk ramming into him headlong to throw him a dozen yards into the wreckage of one of the sky boats. This forced the other two minotaur champions to struggle in keeping the one golem pinned while Greysight finished sawing through it with her staff, but she was left vulnerable to the second golem’s claws that raked at her back. She twisted aside at the last second, but still took a glancing blow that tore at her side even as she spun and gave a backhanded swim of her buzzsaw staff that cut a sparking blow on the golem’s steely face.

The griffins were pressed hard, the Schwarzenstern finding themselves quickly surrounded by snapping claws of metal, cut off from the defensive line the bulk of their comrades were trying to form. Gwendolyn arced down like a red comet, blade slashing away, but she too was met by a fresh wall of steel as flocks of new golems forced her to pull short and engage them.

However there was a hefty and deep throated roar and Trixie felt the ground shake as Wodan, face still covered in blood, barreled across the field. The runes carved into his flesh were glowing and his head was lowered so his antlers worked like a battering ram. Any golem caught in the moose’s path were treated much like bundles of sticks in the path of a locomotive, and he effectively bulldozed a trail of broken golem limbs right past the beleaguered line of griffins and continued on to impact with the draconic golem that had wounded Greysight. While the golem was larger than Wodan, that seemed to hardly matter to the moose who caught the construct on his antlers and carried it forward on a continued charge straight into the wall with such impact that Trixie could see the golem’s chest cave in like a firmly struck piñata.

As impressive as that was, Trixie had no time to appreciate it, for even with Wodan’s arrival unto the fight, they were still being swarmed, and she had to throw up a hasty illusionary clone of herself to narrowly avoid getting grabbed by a golem that dive bombed her position. Fortunately it just smashed her illusion, which burst in a spray of blue smoke and sparks and left the golem crashing head first into the ground, but Trixie could see more circling towards her and her friends.

Raindrops and Cheerilee had finished smashing the golems that Lyra and Carrot Top had downed, but now all four of them found themselves having to duck and leap aside from similar dive bombing attempts, leaving them all little room to counter attack.

Tendaji and Swiatu charged to give them aid, Sefu’s scorpion tail stabbing at the air while Tendaji timed a jump kick to knock one golem down, only to be rammed by another before he could finish his leap. Raindrops flew up to catch him from a rough fall, but soon the pair found themselves face to face with a set of golems scampering across the wall towards them.

A swarm of flaming butterflies flew past their heads and exploded upon the golems, Dao Ming’s scroll still glowing orange from the summoned flame spirits as she jumped to their defense. More golems swarmed overhead, following the dark streak that was Kenkuro. The tengu was leading many of the golems on a swift chase, doubling back and forth in flashes of steel as his blade cut the constructs down one after another. Yet Trixie could tell Kenkuro was gradually slowing down, and who knew how long he could keep up his present pace before the seemingly endless horde of golems overwhelmed him?

In fact, she could already tell this was a fight they couldn’t win as things stood. Rengoku was seemingly spawning more of these golems, as she spotted fresh flocks flying from places higher up the fortress. No matter how many they destroyed, more would probably come until Tomoko was removed from control of the fortress.

“Everycreature!” Trixie called out, amplifying her voice with magic, “We have to move! I think there’s an entrance behind us to the left! Shift over there and look for a way in! If we can force these things through a gap, we’ve got a better chance!”

“But what about Shining Armor?” said Carrot Top, “Princess Cadenza said he was too wounded to move!”

“Cadenza!” Trixie shouted, “Can we risk it!?” She ducked a golem that tried to claw her head off, grimacing at a tear in her gat, “I don’t know if we can stay put like this for much longer!”

Cadenza looked torn over it, but the golems had already taken a few swipes at her as well, only to find the alicorn, even while in the middle of focusing her magic upon healing, had more than enough physical strength to turn them into scrap parts with a casual flick of her wing or hoof. However she still couldn’t properly join the fight as long as she was keeping her stallion alive. Taking a deep breath, her eyes taking in the increasingly desperate fight around her, Cadenza nodded and very carefully picked up Shining Armor in a sheath of protective magic while not reducing her stream of healing power into him.

“If we’re to move, let us be about it quickly!” the alicorn said, and in short order the champions started to shift as a group.

Gwendolyn organized the griffins, forming a rear guard with Kenkuro to buy the others time to rush over to where Trixie had spotted the archway she hoped was an entrance to the fortress. She and her friends were the first to reach it, and Trixie let out a strained grunt of frustration. It was a way “in”, in a sense, but the archway only led to a short, upward sloping ramp that went only about thirty feet until it terminated in a huge and very closed door of intricately carved, dark metal. The symbols upon the door were largely nonsensical to Trixie, but reminded her of some of the saurian glyphs she’d seen in the past. Aside from brute force, she doubted they’d find an easy way to open the door, and given how thick the metal looked she was equally doubtful strength of arms would get the job done.

“Merde, why does everything always have to be so blasted difficult?” she said, and next to her Dao Ming shook her head, the gold of her mane plastered to her face from sweat.

“At least we can better defend from this position. We shall work a way of opening the door while forming a line here,” the kirin said.

“Form up here!” Gwendolyn called out, hovering just inside the archway’s ceiling, just at the base of the slope, “Use the ramp to our advantage and force these clanking rust piles to come at us through this arch!”

Ice shards flew off of Sigurd’s blade as he swung it through the air, runic magic making the frozen icicles strong enough to spear through several golems as he and Wodan both planted themselves about ten paces up the ramp and turned as one, side by side, to face the oncoming horde. They were joined by Frederick, who had leaped off of his wyvern and commanded the flying beasts to hunker down along the sides of the ramp, using their jaws and wings to block off and narrow the gap through which the golems could come. He then joined Sigurd and Wodan in forming a line with the griffins while the other champions rushed into the archway to join Trixie and the others, Cadenza escorted in the center of them.

“Let no soulless thing of metal overcome our noble warrior spirits!” Sigurd called, ice forming in a sheet around him. Rather than being slippery, the ice seemed to make him, Wodan, and Frederick stand even stouter in place, “Woe to you foebeasts, for you face three sons of Elkheim! My Prince, our enemies do not bleed, but let us spill their innards regardless!”

Frederick nodded, breathing hard, but holding his makeshift cudgel firmly, “Even if we fall, I’d like to make sure there’s a wall of our enemies bodies in front of us, such that no more foes will be able to climb over it! But just the same, let us not fall this day, not while we stand besides such grand company as those who fight with us.”

“Well said, sons of Elkheim,” said Kenkuro, alighting next to them, blade held before him in a ready stance, “As Tien Zhu has often said; there is no better weapon a warrior can count on than a loyal ally at one’s side.”

“You know, in minotaur lands, we got an even simpler saying,” said Steel Cage, ignoring bits of wooden splinters that had lodged in him from his tumble into a sky boat, “Got a lot of foes? Then stand with your bros!”

Beside him, Greysight furnished the minotaur champion with an approving nod, “A sentiment worthy of one’s newfound humility, Steel Cage. I find myself thankful to have supported your coming here, to temper that ego into something stronger once it had known the quenching water of defeat.”

Steel Cage scratched his head as he absent mindedly punched a golem that charged him, “Don’t have a clue what you’re saying, Greysight. All that happened is that Cheerilee kicked my butt and got me thinking Iron Will wasn’t so wrong about outsiders.”

Greysight sighed, then caught Kenkuro giving her a knowing wink as he beheaded a golem with a swift swipe of his sword. “Be pleased enough your charge learned a lesson, even if his articulation of it is somewhat simple.”

“Simple is the minotaur way, however much we refine it with time,” Greysight agreed, bringing the spinning gear blade of her staff to bear against a golem that cleaved at her with a metal wing, showering all with sparks and steam as the gears sawed into the ancient saurian forged metal.

The golems were pressing hard into the gap of the archway, and for every one that a champion was able to sunder or render to scrap, many more awaited to take its place. The griffins were slowly taking casualties and Carrot Top scrambled along with Lyra’s help to pull wounded back, the former pulling out clay jars of healing salves to start stemming the blood flow from deep lacerations or stab wounds. She found herself taking care of one of the Schwarzenstern, Agatha, who had a cut going from one shoulder all the way down to her hip that Carrot Top rushed to bandage up and apply a gooey green ointment that would help the bleeding stop.

“Heheh...” the griffin laughed, “To think my war sisters and I thought you ponies were easy prey during the Grand Melee. Think I’m seeing why we lost so easily.”

“Pipe down, this is going to sting,” Carrot Top told the wounded griffin, doing her best to apply the salve without causing Agatha too much pain.

While the bulk of the champions held the line, Trixie and Dao Ming were trying to work out how to open the doors. As far as Trixie could tell after running her magic all over the frame, there were no secret handles or buttons to be found. Dao Ming, focusing on the doors themselves, discovered that they were sealed shut by the fortress’ own magic, meaning even trying to pry them open via telekinetic force would be no easy feat.

“There’s got to be a way in!” Trixie said past clenched teeth, “The champions of ages past figured out a way in, didn’t they!?”

“Yes, although sadly the tale of their victory of the Warlord neglected to expound upon their means of entry,” Dao Ming said, the golden scales on her face scrunching up with her deep frown. Trixie chanced a glance towards the fight.

She saw that Cheerilee was darting in and out of the fray, always looking for openings where a golem was paying attention elsewhere to deliver strong, haymaker punches or two legged bucks at weak joints in the wings or legs, often providing an easy kill for another champion. Tendaji and Raindrops were working in tandem to dismantle any golem that got close, but both were starting to sport growing injuries. Just scrapes and small cuts for now, but it was as if those injuries got a tad worse with every passing minute. Even the bigger champions like Steel Cage and Wodan were starting to accumulate wounds like stout fortress walls might gather pits and gouges in them from a prolonged siege.

And while the number of destroyed golems was starting to form a barricade in and of itself, the golems weren’t without some intelligence, as some pulled away the broken bodies of their brethren to make room for reinforcements. Reinforcements, Trixie noted, that just kept gathering up outside the alcove she’d led her friends and fellow champions into.

Had her hubris done it again? Had she gotten overconfident and led those counting on her into a dead end from which there was no escape? She shook her head with a fierce denial cursed under her breath. She wasn’t about to toss in the towel here and now! All she had to do was open a bloody, blasted, thrice-damned door!

“Arrrgh, open up you stupid hunk of ugly metal!” she shouted, rearing up and giving the door a solid thwack with her hoof.

Dao Ming looked at the door, then at her, “I suppose it was worth a try-”

Trixie and Dao Ming both quite suddenly felt a familiar sensation in their heads. A sort of pull, as the door became wreathed in a deep purple light and both mares were drawn to reach out and touch the door’s metal surface. Their senses abruptly shifted as they saw for a moment the fortress of Rengoku as not a giant floating construct of metal, but as a thing of living, hungry magic. They could see the conduits of power running all through the fortress like a circulatory system, streaming in pulsating colors of purple, red, and darkness that ran in a pattern from it’s extremities all the way to it’s beating heart deep in the fortress’ center.

And at the edge of that system of power, at the door they stood in front of, they saw the figure in a dark cloak who had once spoken to them after examining the anchor point of the barrier, the gravestone of the Warlord.

“So,” the Warlord, Ying Shen said, or rather her spirit, which pulled back it’s hood, “The two of you could not stop Rengoku’s rise, so you’ve come to ensure it falls once more.”

The Warlord was as haggard and worn out a kirin as Trixie had ever seen. She had the same green coat of jade luster as Dao Ming and Fu Ling possessed, if thin and patchy in places. Her straight haired mane was nearly entirely stark white, although Trixie could see a few remaining strands of it’s original black color here and there, the whole affair tied back in a long tail that hung over the mare’s neck. Her golden scales had lost their gleam and looked more like the scales of a dead fish on her wane and thin frame. What was once likely a powerful body of lean muscle was nearly skeletal now, and gold eyes that may have once shone with the flame of ambitions, pride, and conquest now held a wealth of exhaustion and nearly extinguished hope.

“So we were right to think it was you,” Dao Ming said, stiffening yet clearly trying to maintain her composure, “You, who started all of this.”

The Warlord nodded once, a small gesture that carried centuries of regret upon its motion, “Yes, I don’t deny that. Rengoku darkened the skies at my behest, all those years ago. I’ve had twelve hundred years to contemplate my folly, distant descendant of my beloved Sun Ming. Know that my only desire now is to ensure my mistakes are not repeated by another. You, who bear my blood, may yet put a stop to this. And you, Trixie Lulamoon, who bear the bloodline of the unicorn who aided my daughter in defeating me in the past, I entrust you to be by my descendant in this endeavor, as your ancestor was before you.”

Trixie just blinked at that, “Ancestor? Oh, you mean that Dazzling Flourish who’s grave I saw? Personally I put little stock in bloodline, Miss Warlord. I’m not here because of some ancient destiny of blood or whatever, I’m here because I’m Trixie Lulamoon, Representative of the Night Court of Equestria, Knight of the Realm, and very, very pissed off illusionist with whom none should trifle with.”

Ying Shen’s spirit stared at her for a second, then said to Dao Ming, “I like her. Keep this one as a close ally, descendant.”

“I very much intend to,” Dao Ming said, then cleared her throat, “But that aside, we’ve a problem with the matter of this door?”

Ying Shen nodded and turned to the door, or rather the wall of magical energy that was holding the door in place, “Of course. I shall do my best to open the way for you. I cannot control every system within the fortress any longer. Your sister, Tomoko, has integrated fully with the control throne at the top of the central spire.”

Dao Ming’s face twitched with a combination of concern and resolve, “Can she be removed from this ‘control throne’? By force, if need be?”

“Yes, but it will be painful,” the gaunt ghost said, “And her power will be substantial while connected to the throne. You would do well to damage the throne itself, to weaken her and her connection to the fortress. It was how your ancestors defeated me, when the time came. A shame Rengoku is self repairing.”

The Warlord held her hooves out as if trying to part a great weight, and at her gesture the energies within the door responded and began to separate. Trixie could feel the shaking in the floor beneath her hooves as the huge doors of metal grinded open at the Ying Shen’s behest.

“I will do what I can to aid your path,” she said, “To open further doors and grant you access to the lift shafts that will take you higher. Be wary, Tomoko’s allies wait within, and the fortress had further war constructs with which to terminate intruders. I can stop some of them, but not all of them, and before long Tomoko will likely realize what I am doing and seek to stop me. The way may be open, but your true battle lies ahead. Do not falter.”

In a flash of light Trixie’s eyesight returned to normal and she found herself standing next to Dao Ming in front of a pair of freshly opened doors, a tall and wide corridor of foreboding metal laying just behind the threshold and advancing deeper into Rengoku’s dark interior.

“Aha! Looks like our intrepid friends have opened the way!” Frederick said, letting out a pained grunt as a golem slashed at his chest and managed a shallow blow that forced him back a step before he narrowed his eyes and took up his makeshift cudgel in both fore hooves, rearing up to shove the length of wood into the golem’s eye socket in a burst of sparks. Carrot Top, having finished treating the wounded, rushed to his side and dug into her alchemy satchel, tossing a clay jar that burst into a splash of slick grease upon the ground behind the golem as it reared back from Frederick’s blow. The golem slipped and went tumbling back, tripping golems behind it. Carrot Top pulled Frederick back from the fighting line, anxiously examining his chest.

“Just a scratch, my lady knight,” Frederick said, wincing as Carrot Top started applying salve.

“Don’t be stubborn. I’m not about to have you get an infected wound on my watch.”

Gwendolyn glided above the pair, nearly covered in a tapestry of injury herself as she pried the head of a golem off the tip of her sword and threw the offending object at the head of another golem. Glancing at the opened doors, she said, “Even with the doors open, some of us need to hold here.”

“Hate to be the doomsayer here,” Raindrops said, ducking a golem swing as she countered with a swift uppercut, “But these golems aren’t exactly giving us a chance to pull away from this fight! We need some way to force them back, even if just for a few minutes! Trixie, can you do that spell again?”

Trixie shook her head, “Sorry, it takes too much juice for me to pull off a second time. I’d knock myself out, trying. Dao Ming, got anything in your bag of spirit summoning tricks?”

“I’ll thank you not to call the sacred spirit mantra of my homeland a ‘bag of tricks’, but no, I don’t have anything that could clear the field...” she paused, “Not unless I tried summoning Raijin once more, and that is not an experience I care to repeat.”

“Well we got to do something!” shouted Lyra, strumming her lyre in a concussive display of focused sound waves that helped destabilize the golems in the air trying to push back the griffins, “We can’t keep this up forever!”

”And you shall not have to, champions!”

The voice was loud as rolling thunder and unmistakable to every pony present, leaving Trixie with a flood of relief washing over her heart. This relief further intensified with a moment of stark shock as she saw a familiar shield fly through the air like a thrown frisbee and knock a golem flat on its face. This was followed by a darting gray form that neatly caught the shield on the rebound as she nimbly wove through the surprised golems.

In that same moment a cascade of midnight blue blades of forged magic rained down upon the golems, exploding on contact in concentrated bursts of luminous power. Gusts of wind erupted like localized tornados, sweeping golems left and right from the ramparts, followed a second later by forking storms of lightning that ripped and tore through the constructs like so much wet tissue.

Within mere seconds, the golems were thrown into disarray, their numbers cut down by two thirds by the magical onslaught. With the way clear, the small, darting gray form landing in front of the line of champions, followed by a much larger form of regal blue.

“Hey guys!” Ditzy Doo said, awake as day, carrying the shield Sigurd had forged for her, and wearing her Element of Harmony around her neck, “Everypony and creature okay?”

Beside her, Princess Luna spread her wings wide, turning her horn briefly to erect a sizable barrier of translucent blue energy around the archway to keep the few remaining golems from remounting their attack, “Glad I am I was not too late in arriving. Dame Doo needed to first confirm the safety of her foal before we came here, understandably, of course. Princess Cadenza is with you all?”

Trixie noted a hint of deeper concern underlying Luna’s question than might be considered normal, but that was hardly at the forefront of her mind as she rushed up alongside her friends to surround and firmly group hug their long sleeping friend. As Ditzy struggled for breath against the relieved onslaught of her friends, Princess Cadenza rose from where she still focused upon treating Shining Armor’s injury.

“I am here, Princess Luna. I wish I could do more, but it is taking all I am able to maintain the life of your most loyal and nobly sacrificing guardspony. Know that we all owe our lives right now to his stalwart protection, and I cannot allow him to die.”

Luna nodded, eyes of deep compassion and grave understanding turning towards the fallen Shining Armor, “Say no more, I shall aid you in his recovery as soon as I am able, yet understand that I cannot tarry here long.”

“Wait what!?” Trixie let go of Ditzy, who gasped for breath, “We just got the doors open, Princess Luna! This damn fortress keeps spewing out more golems! With you here, we can invade the fortress now-”

Luna turned an understanding look towards her but shook her head, “ ‘Tis not so simple, Dame Lulamoon. I came to deliver your friend unto you, and create an opening for you to enter the fortress, but I must go to help my... my sister. She cannot, for all her fire and fury, contend with Rengoku for much longer. It will take both of us together to hold the fortress and trap it within a telekinetic barrier. This will buy you and your allies time to deal with the villains within.”

“There’s still, then, the problem of more golems,” Gwendolyn said, but Wodan stomped a firm hoof.

“Fear not! The Princess of Equestria has given us a moment to catch our breath. It’ll be enough for us to reform and hold this spot while the rest go inside to carve a path of glory to the top of this accursed fortress! Hahah, plenty of fun to go around for all!”

“Then all that remains is to split our force and make haste,” Dao Ming said, looking to Trixie and her friends, bowing her head to Ditzy Doo, “Dame Doo, I would be honored if you and your fellow knights joined me in storming the interior.”

Ditzy, finally free to get a breath in, smiled brightly at Dao Ming, then at her friends, “It’s what I came here to do. Sorry I was out like a light for so long. Looks like a lot happened.”

“You have a gift for understatement, Ditzy,” said Cheerilee, giving the other mare a path on the withers, “It’s good to have you back.”

“I was so worried about you,” Carrot Top said, rubbing at her eyes with a hoof, “Even with the Princess looking after you, a part of me wondered if you were ever going to wake up.”

“Huh, that reminds me, is it true Mister Grimwald is in there?” Ditzy asked, nodding towards the open doors.

Raindrops spat, wings fluttering in a buzz, “He sure is. Would love to rearrange his beak.”

Trixie noticed that Ditzy Doo had a rather resolved look in her eyes, as if the mare had gained some manner of additional focus that hadn’t entirely been there before. Ditzy looked over to where Sigurd had been standing silently to the side, respectfully allowing the ponies to reunite with their friend. She trotted up to the water deer, shield still firmly strapped to her left forearm.

“Mister Sigurd, I wanted to thank you for all your help. I’m going in there with my friends now, and I just want you to know not to worry about me.”

As if understanding something more than what was just being said, Sigurd nodded and placed a hoof over his chest, then put that hoof over Ditzy’s own chest, right above the heart, “You need not thank me, honorable Ditzy Doo. I owe you as much and more. A kind heart is no bar to a warrior’s soul. Indeed, it may be part of what makes the best of combinations. Go, I know you will be able to face him again.”

Ditzy smiled brightly, “Yup!”

By now the golems had regrouped to a degree, although their numbers remained somewhat thin from the magical thrashing Luna had delivered on them. Yet several dozen now, with more arriving by the moment, were fruitlessly pounding upon the nigh impregnable azure shield the lunar Princess had erected. It would hold against near any multitude of foes, but as Luna had just said, she couldn’t remain here forever to keep it up and would need to drop the barrier to go to the aid of her fellow alicorn, and with Cadenza still needing to use all of her magic to keep Shining Armor alive, there remained need for some champions to maintain a defensive line here at the door.

Given that the champions had already discussed the matter to a degree prior to assaulting Rengoku, there were far less words now to be bandied about. Dao Ming stood within the center of the door and looked back at the others. Trixie, Carrot Top, Raindrops, Cheerilee, Lyra, and Ditzy lined up on the kirin’s left, while Tendaji, Gwendolyn, and Frederick lined up on her right.

It was agreed that the mares from Equestria, who worked so well as a group, should not be split up, and since Trixie was insistent on going with Dao Ming, that meant all of Equestria’s Knights would be heading in together. Similarly, it was thought best to send in at least one member of each nation who had a foe among those waiting within. Tendaji to face his father, Gwendolyn her old friend, and Frederick his kinswoman.

“Are you certain of this, my Prince?” Wodan asked, but Sigurd simply elbowed the moose before Frederick could answer.

“Be at ease, you towering nursemaid. The Prince has shown his fortitude, and that this is no action of foolhardy bravado in front of his lady.”

Sigurd’s eyes pierced like the ice covering his blade as he shot a stout glare at Frederick, “At least it’d best not be.”

Frederick straightened up, casting a quick look at Carrot Top before meeting Sigurd’s gaze and hefting his makeshift cudgel over one shoulder, “I know I am not the warrior the two of you are, or indeed even Andrea is. I am not going in to make some attempt at fool’s glory. As the Prince of Elkheim the actions of our kinswoman is my responsibility to deal with, and I’m hoping that I can talk sense into her. If not, I trust in the abilities of the fine champions at my side to do with force what words may fail to accomplish, and only lend my aid where I am certain it will be of use and hold none of them back.”

There was a swelling in Wodan as the moose cracked a smile and clapped a hard hoof upon Frederick’s back, nearly toppling the poor elk.

“Truly, my Prince, you speak as a future ruler of Elkheim should! Go and carry the honor and pride of our people with you, and if you get the chance, knock sense into the head of our wayward fool, Andrea!”

Sigurd nodded, turning away to face the exit to the archway’s alcove, where Luna waited to drop the barrier, scatter the golems present, and take flight. Sigurd’s sword blazed with sub-zero light as frost born runes lit along the bone forged blade’s length and he touched the tip to the ground. A barrier of ice began to form between the archway and the remaining champions, a bulwark to provide additional cover once Luna had departed.

“Fight well, my Prince, and champions of Equestria, Shouma, the Griffin Kingdoms, and Zebrica. Know that when you return, we shall still be here, no matter what it may take.”

“We’ll hold the line!” shouted a number of the griffins, rattling spear and sword.

“Strut through that fortress like you own the place, Champ!” Steel Cage said, pointing at Cheerilee, his fellow minotaurs making flexing poses behind him. Meanwhile Greysight gave a meaningful look towards Tendaji.

“Be careful with your father, young zebra. He is one of the most dangerous individuals I know, besides this black buzzard,” she said, tilting her head towards Kenkuro.

Kenkuro gave a sage nod, “True enough, old Nuru will not be easy to match, but I’ve seen what the two of you can do, Master Tendaji, Dame Raindrops. Together, I think you have a chance.”

There was a mask of calm serenity on Tendaji’s face that belied a hint of anxiety in his flicking tail as he bowed his head, “None know more than I the fierceness of my step father’s strength. Yet also I know the strength of my companions. Our Path will lead us where it must.”

“I think that’s his way of saying we’ll kick his butt,” said Raindrops, smirking.

“Spirits willing,” Kenkuro agreed, then turned to Dao Ming, raising a wing to her briefly to give her arm the lightest of comforting touches.

“You’ve...” he paused, as if the old tengu wasn’t entirely sure how to get the words out he wanted, a rarity for the usually verbose crow, “You’ve made me proud, Dao Ming. Whatever else happens this day, know that.”

As few words as those wore, they seemed to strike deep into Dao Ming as the once quite arrogant and haughty kirin simply gulped, lowered her head in a deep bow of respect to her mentor, friend, and more. She didn’t shed tears, but one could not entirely miss the wet gleam in her eyes as she told him, “I hope I always will.”

Then it was time. The nine champions, and one somewhat out of place elk prince, turned towards the dark mouth leading into the depths of Rengoku.

Princess Luna watched as they took their first steps within, while the remaining champions, alongside a few very stubborn wyverns, formed behind the fortification of ice conjured by cervid runecraft. With an affirming nod, Equestria’s Princess lowered her barrier, and at the same time unleased a blinding burst of raw outward force that cut out like a scything, midnight blue blade.

Golems were thrown around like toys, even as more swooped down from above in a savage flock. Luna’s legs tensed, her wings spread, and she became an azure comet, rocketing up through the golems ranks like a flying wrecking ball. Where she flew, golem parts fell as rain. Then she was gone, trailing off into the distance to go assist Corona in hopefully slowing if not outright stopping Rengoku’s advance over the ocean.

The golems started to group up once more, utterly uncaring of their losses, more and more always gathering as they emerged from the factories deep inside the fortress.

The champions left behind would be in for the fight of their lives to hold the door, but the champions that advanced bravely into Rengoku’s depths would have an even greater battle still to face.

Author's Note

One of these days I'll learn to bite my tongue when it comes to predicting how many chapters something will take. I'd hoped to make this the last chapter, but as one can see, things took longer than expected. Hence the "Part 1" of the chapter, much like what happened with Hero of Oaton's "final" chapter. But, seriously this time, the next one should be what concludes the conflict, with a following epilogue to wrap it all up.

Chapter 19: Rengoku (Part 2)

Chapter 19: Rengoku (Part 2)

Trixie had not been entirely sure what to expect upon entering the depths of the ages old, flying fortress of death and conquest. Perhaps walls covered in carved skulls? Blazing torches of malevolent crimson fire? Ominous background music, heavy on the strings? Whatever ideas she had, they didn’t quite match the plain reality of the vaulted, tall and seemingly expansive hallway that stretched before her and her companions. The floor and walls were made of the same dark, grayish metal the entire fortress of Rengoku seemed forged from, yet the walls were largely smooth and unadorned. Only small, pipe-like protrusions broke up the mundanity of it, like channels through which Trixie sensed the trickles of magic that permeated the whole floating edifice.

Light was provided only by the magic the companions themselves could provide, Trixie and Lyra with beams of it from their horns and Carrot Top with a clear jar filled with a green glowing alchemic mixture. Dao Ming lit up her own twin horns with gold luminescence, bearing her borrowed cervid-made broadsword with a small hint of unfamiliarity that did nothing to take away from her alertness.

“Charming place,” Cheerilee said as the group advanced down the hallway. Behind them the sounds of the battle upon the fortress ramparts could still be heard, like the echoes of an ancient tale of war. It was a keen reminder that they were on borrowed time, bought by the sweat and blood of fellow champions.

“Come on, we need to pick up the pace,” Trixie said, breaking into a canter, “All we have to do is get to the top of this gaudy hunk of metal and tear that Tomoko off the controls.”

“A task I am as eager as any to be about, but we’ll avail ourselves or our brave comrades little if we allow ourselves to be tripped up by ambush or traps on our way to the fortress’ apex,” Dao Ming said, matching Trixie’s increased speed with ease, “So while we make haste, let us not be careless.”

“I agree with the sentiments, my ladies, but do either of you know how to actually get to the top of the fortress?” asked Frederick. The elk bore his makeshift cudgel of broken wood with deft skill, able to hobble along briskly despite using one leg to keep a hold of the weapon. Long legs led to a long stride, and he made a point of staying close to Carrot Top’s side.

Trixie and Dao Ming exchanged looks, Trixie giving the kirin a brief shrug, mid-stride, “Supposedly we have a guide.”

“The spirit of the Warlord herself still dwells here,” Dao Ming told Frederick, “Caught in the fortress’ unnatural grip. Yet some free will remains to her, and a small measure of control of Rengoku’s functions. She opened the door for us, and claimed she could lead us to a place that will take us up.”

The Prince of Elkheim took this news with his customary aplomb, mouth opening agape for a half instant before he closed it and took an extra second to consider his words. “I think the less I ask about what you mares have been up to the past few days while the rest of us have been having a Contest of Champions, the saner I’ll feel at the end of the day.”

Carrot Top smiled at him and gave him a playful swat, “Don’t date a mare from Ponyville unless you’re ready to deal with the strange and unusual.”

“I live in a giant tree,” Frederick pointed out.

“So does our librarian,” Trixie commented, to which Frederick had no answer.

“Anypony else wondering why we haven’t run into any more of those flying murder machines?” asked Raindrops, her eyes never ceasing to scan around them for potential danger. Thus far their rapid tread down the sizable corridor had yielded no resistance. Admittedly even Trixie had expected to run into a contingent of golems by now, or some other kind of internal defense system. Even a simple pit trap, perhaps? It would actually be a little disappointing and insulting if Tomoko wasn’t trying to stop them any longer.

“Most likely my sister is either too distracted by the external battle to have realized we’re here yet, or the Warlord is interfering, perhaps masking our presence,” suggested Dao Ming.

“Or she has prepared greater defenses ahead,” Tendaji pointed out.

“Dig the optimism there,” Lyra said, “Really gives me that ‘we can do this’ vibe.”

“I merely tell things as I see them,” the zebra replied curtly, “It is unlikely we will reach the peak of this place without facing opposition. Even if we have the errant spirit of the fortress’ former ruler granting us what aid she can, my wife’s father will have sensed the approaching aura of myself and Raindrops.”

“Auras, huh? That weird zebra stuff you were showing Raindrops a few days back?” Lyra’s eyes looked up as if she were reviewing things in her head, “Your wife did help us out in the same way, so can’t say you don’t have a point. Is your father-in-law so good that he could really feel us coming all the way down here?”

Instead of Tendaji it was Dao Ming who answered, “I would not doubt it. You all saw Nuru’s duel with Kenkuro. Of all the champions here, they possess the most ability on an individual scale. If he stands in our way-”

“Leave him to myself and Raindrops,” Tendaji said, his eyes briefly cutting towards the pegasus, “Together, we can at least hold him off.”

“You think they’ll all be waiting for us?” Ditzy Doo asked, flying alongside Gwendolyn just above the party. Beside her the griffiness let out a deep, throaty huff.

“Oh they will be, if Grim’s got anything to say about it. He wouldn’t miss a chance at a ‘party’ like this. And if I haven’t missed his intent, he’ll be aiming his blades right at you, Dame Doo.”

“I know,” Ditzy replied, voice so steady it surprised even her, “I guess this is what counts as his idea of friendship?”

“I’ve known him for many years, and only now am I coming to understand I never knew him at all,” Gwendolyn admitted, beak set in a grave frown.

“Well whoever shows up to stand in our way, we blitz our way through them,” Trixie said with her canter gaining speed into a determined gallop, “Every second counts now! No matter what we find trying to stop us, break through and keep going.”

“A fine sentiment, but in practical terms some of us might need to fight a rear guard action,” Dao Ming said, “We may not all make it to the top.”

Trixie groused, “Elements of Harmony. We work best as a team.”

“Ideally, but as you said, time is a resource we have precious little of. If the group must split to give some a chance to carry on, then there can be no room for hesitation.”

“Fine, but not until we’ve got no choice,” Trixie shot back, and Dao Ming gave a quick nod of agreement.

Onward they moved, galloping or flying as their limbs allowed. The vaulted passage rapidly split into a trident of pathways, but as they approached the location Trixie saw a ghostly glow emanate from the metal piping along the ceiling of the right branch. Without deciding to question it, she turned and galloped down that way, and the others followed her readily. She could only guess that the glow was the Warlord’s spirit, showing them the path they needed to take. If not, well, right was as good a direction as any.

This passage soon curved left like the edge of a circle, and to the group’s right Trixie saw cylindrical protrusions rising up and down the wall, with circular hatchways built into them. Each had a small port built into the hatch, through which Trixie could catch glimpses of tightly bound wires and pipes, all pulsating with streams of magic energy, filling the cylinders with purple light that soaked into the very metal walls around it. Batteries, perhaps? Trixie couldn’t begin to fathom just what strange arcane techniques had gone into Rengoku’s construction, and given its spirit devouring nature, she was just as glad not to ponder it too much.

More such cylinders, pipes, and other oddly shaped apparatuses awaited them as the passage bent harder to the left, then led to another set of split hallways. This time the guiding, faint blue glow carried them down the middle passage. In following that path, they soon found themselves running up a short flight of steps, only about a dozen of them, that opened into a circular chamber about forty paces wide. However this chamber’s far wall was open to a vast interior shaft, with a platform on one end that was slightly raised from the floor, in the center of which Trixie saw a metal podium with a disc-shaped control device. Or at least what she assumed was a control device. The buttons on it were arranged oddly, like somepony’s hyperactive foal slapped together building blocks with only a vague notion of what shape they wanted to make.

The device was glowing blue, which was indication enough to Trixie that the Warlord’s spirit was guiding them here.

“I don’t like this,” Raindrops said as they group marched across the chamber towards the platform, “That shaft is way too open. It’d be a good spot for an ambush.”

“Agreed, but are you seeing a wealth of other options?” Cheerilee pointed out, “We could spend hours trying to find our way through this place on our own. At this point following the ghostly glow of a long dead kirin is about the only choice we have.”

“I do not think the Warlord will lead us astray,” said Dao Ming, “As strange as that may sound, I do believe her spirit is honest in her intent to guide us true.”

“Which doesn’t mean an ambush still isn’t waiting for us,” Gwendolyn said, her talon keeping her sword at the ready, “So everycreature keep their eyes and ears keen. I sincerely doubt we’re getting to the top of this place without facing opposition.”

“What, did the army of vicious golems that tried to kill us outside not count as ‘opposition’?” said Frederick, and Carrot Top smiled coyly at him and flicked her tail at his snout.

“If this is anything like me and my friend’s previous outings, that was the warm up round, Frederick.”

“Ah, now I’m starting to see why Wodan, Sigurd, and Andrea were all so adamant about keeping me out of trouble. Things do seem to have a habit of escalating. So then, just how do we work this... um... whatever this is?” the elk prince said as the group gathered around the disc-shaped device.

On close inspection the randomly placed blocks did seem to have some semblance of a pattern to them, although Trixie couldn’t quite decipher the logic behind it. Then again, this whole place being built by the saurian race, she could surmise that logic as ponykind understood it probably didn’t wholly factor in. As it happened, there was no need to work out the controls, for once all of the party was standing on the center of the platform a clunk of rattling metal could be heard, along with the hum of awakening machinery. Trixie braced herself as the platform began to move, rising up and at a circling angle to rise along the inner wall of the shaft. She could barely make out small rails of piping that the platform moved along, and looking up and down, she could see the shaft rose a good distance, and fell down almost an equal amount. At a guess, she estimated the shaft covered the lower half of the fortress, but didn’t quite go all the way to the top. If they reached the top of the shaft, they’d end up in the upper third of the fortress’ central tower.

Close to their destination, but yet still so far. Just how long did they have to stop Tomoko? How long could the other champions hold the line outside? And what of Celestia and Luna? From the occasional shudder that ran through the fortress, Trixie knew the powerful alicorns still battled Rengoku itself as the fortress made its slow way out to sea.

The clock was ticking, and Trixie stared upward intently, willing this elevator platform to move faster.

She didn’t know if her internal fuming actually helped, but it almost did feel as if the platform picked up speed, and in short order the ceiling was fast approaching. This in turn caused a few of her friends to exchange nervous looks.

“Umm, so, is there supposed to be a door or something?” asked Lyra, “Because I’m not seeing a door opening up, and we’re coming at that ceiling really fast now!”

Raindrops shifted closer to Trixie, one wing moving protectively towards the unicorn, “Trixie, maybe we should get off the platform, just in case...”

“Wait,” Dao Ming said, pointing with a hoof, “Look.”

A line of blue light split the ceiling in four directions, and like a set of flower petals, the sections opened upward and spread across the floor on either side of the newly opened hole, just seconds before the platform rose up. The platform came to a jarring halt, leaving the group at the bottom of a huge room shaped like an inverted pyramid, with a circular bottom where the platform had ended. On all four sizes of the upward curving room, row after row of what appeared to be metal benches were bolted to the floor. The area could probably seat thousands of occupants, and all the seating was arranged to look upon a single suspended stage from which a long staircase descended from the ceiling. Other stairs led up the walls, going to large doors at intervals along the seating rows.

“Looks like some kind of audience chamber,” said Trixie, gesturing at the suspended stage, “That’d be a lovely spot to give a rousing evil speech to one’s minions, I suspect.”

“And look at this...” Ditzy Doo said, voice slick with a disturbed note as she flew over to one of the benches and picked up something metallic that rattled. Chains. “A captive audience. This whole place feels so wrong.”

Suddenly a voice rang out clear from the stage above. The center of it could not have been seen from the angle granted by the lowest level of the chamber, but now machinery within the stage whirled to life and it lowered and pulled back enough to show Trixie and her companions that the stage was far from empty.

“Yes, the Warlord apparently liked the idea of giving grand speeches to captured troops, before either demanding their loyalty or feeding them to the fortress’ hungry energy crystals! I know she’s had a good twelve hundred years to reflect on her regrets, but that’s still a nasty piece of work you have guiding you to our dear leader.”

Frederick sucked in a breath, shouting out, “Andrea! Stop this mummery! What do you think you’re doing!?”

Andrea, the one who had spoken, stood proudly at the center of her own group. To the fiery red elk’s left lounged Grimwald in a lazy pose. His left talon was casually spinning the pale green, curved dagger he’d used in the Grand Melee, the dark colored Fey blade still sheathed somewhere hidden on his person. He gave a friendly wave to Ditzy Doo and Gwendolyn, utterly ignoring Frederick.

“Hey, Gwen! Knew you’d be one of the folk to come charging in here. And Bright Eyes, I’m happy to see you managed to wake up from the nap I put you in. No hard feelings, right?”

Gwendolyn’s beak twisted in a snarl, her wings spreading wide as she rose a few meters, sweeping her sword out to point at him, “Grimwald! I know you like to play your damned games, but this time you’ve gone too far, do you hear me!?”

He picked at an ear with his other talon, “Yeah, I hear you like a screech from my wife. If you want to lecture, skip it. You know I’ve got no patience for boring things. You’ve got a sword, use that to show me how pissed off you are. But only if Bright Eyes joins the fun...” the last was said with a licking of his beak and an expert twirl of his dagger that pointed it right at Ditzy Doo, “It just won’t be a party without her.”

To Andrea’s other side, Nuru sighed deeply and shook his head at the bloodthirsty griffin, and instead the old zebra shuffled forward and looked down at Tendaji. The younger zebra stared back, eyes like flint.

“Stepfather Nuru, you have chosen a strange Path.”

Nuru gave a humorless smile in return, “You know better than that, my boy. We do not choose our Path, merely how we walk it.”

“Then I do not understand why you walk it in this manner,” Tendaji said, eyes not dropping from his stepfather’s gaze, but lowering a shade just the same, “Your daughter bid me return you, and to make her displeasure known. But first I would know why you have done this.”

“Look, do we have time for twenty questions here?” asked Raindrops, “I know we’ve all got... entangled relationships here, but every second we waste means more trouble for our friends outside.”

“Hah! The honorable Dame Raindrops speaks truly!” Andrea said, rearing up and in a flourish pulling out her fiddle, only now the instrument looked... different. Now attached to its bottom side, and jutting outward, was a pair of outward sweeping blades, like shark fins. A spiked point now also stood out from the fiddle’s other end, essentially turning the instrument into a makeshift weapon. Andrea set bow to string and gestured dramatically down at Frederick and the rest of the group.

“Yet the back and forth between hero and villain is a staple of any saga worthy of song! Without the reasons creatures of passion do battle there is no heart to the conflict! An empty tale, devoid of meaning, if all is cast in stark black and white! Which of us are heroes true and which will history cast as vile blackguards? Victors often write the history, but it is the people who remember and retell the story. We who seek to remove a blighted fortress, a risk to all realms, or you, who would stop us for fear of repercussions? Either way, may this battle spark a flame to stoke the fires of a new dawn of epics!”

Frederick shook his head in baffled wonderment, “By the roots of Yggdrasil, Andrea, is that all this is to you? You joined this mad conspiracy just to... start an epic?”

“My Prince, what else does a storyteller live for?” Andrea replied, her eyes growing cold and bitter, “All I’ve ever done is sing the ballads of others, in a history slowly growing stale with peace. What heroes can rise to carve stories worthy of song if there are no more conflicts to be had? Aye, I joined Lady Serene’s quest because I felt in my skald’s heart that this would be a tale remembered for ages to come, and spark more tales in the making! Whether we win or lose, these moments will go down in song. I would think you’d understand better than most, Prince Frederick, as have you not too yearned for a saga of your own, no longer coddled and protected by the likes of overzealous Wodan or fearful Sigurd?”

Frederick sucked in a deep breath, and next to him Carrot Top placed a hoof on his back, to which he looked at her understanding eyes and felt himself calm down as he leaned into her. Carrot Top then glared up at Andrea, “Frederick doesn’t need to do stupid things like what you’re doing to feel like his life is exciting! He’s noble, responsible, and didn’t come here to be part of some dumb ‘saga’, but to do his duty as Prince of Elkheim and protect his people. I’m proud to stand next to him as a friend and...” she paused, gulping, then added, “And more besides.”

Before Andrea could respond, the sound of a lyre filled the air with a strong wave of soothing chords. Lyra held her instrument with her magic, matching Andrea’s dramatic pose with one of her own, hoof pointing up at the red deer, “I appreciate a good story, like any bard should, but you don’t seem to understand that you can’t make the world to bend to your tune! This world isn’t a plaything, and its people are not bit actors for your staged theater! You find adventure, Andrea, you don’t force it.”

“Heheh,” Grimwald chuckled, “Sounds like you’ve got some spirited playmates, Andrea. I’m almost jealous, but I’ve got myself booked for today. Still, we’ve got lots of folk here, how are we splitting our dance cards?”

Nuru gave his two companions little heed as he strode to the edge of the stage and with relaxed grace leaped off of it. Everypony tensed as he landed neatly in front of the group, but rather than launch an attack or even strike a fighting pose, Nuru simply looked Tendaji in the eye, then turned and began to stride towards one of the sets of stairs leading up the left side of the chamber.

“Follow me, Tendaji. If you would know the answer to your questions I would rather show you than use words.”

For his part, Tendaji paused only briefly before sharing a look with Raindrops, “Only if you consent to Raindrops accompanying me.”

Nuru didn’t even break stride, “Your Paths merge with my own, so she is allowed. Andrea, Grimwald, do as you will, but do not consider interfering with the business between myself, my son and law, and the Equestrian.”

“Perish the thought, Nuru,” Andrea said, smiling brightly, “I only regret that I won't get to witness the clash of master and student! What a sight it will be, but alas, I have my own challengers.”

“Ditto,” Grimwald said, stretching his wings and back like an awakening feline, “Knock yourself out, old zebra. We’ve all got our individual dates set up.”

Trixie let out a snort, “You do realize you’re all outnumbered here, right? We don’t have to care about your personal matchups!”

“Leave it, Trixie,” Raindrops said, giving a calming gesture with her hooves at the unicorn’s intense look, “Hey, it works out to our advantage to split these guys up anyway, rather than let them fight as a team. Me and Tendaji will deal with Nuru.”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Trixie, not entirely able to keep the note of uneasy stress from her voice, which rose from a spot in her gut that she told herself was just simple concern for a friend and nothing more, “I mean, you remember that zebra’s match with Kenkuro, right? He’s... not exactly a normal opponent.”

Raindrops took a deep breath, her own eyes meeting Trixie’s with a warm and calming stare, “It’ll be okay. You just focus on you, go kick some butt here, and I’ll come flying to catch up with you gals once me and Tendaji are done.”

Trixie knew Raindrops was affecting that confidence in part just to set her own mind at ease, but Trixie knew better than to try and pop the bubble of one psyching themselves up for the show, so she just gave Raindrops an affirming nod and shoved down her own fear for the other mare’s safety, “Go knock ‘em dead then, Raindrops.”

As the pegasus flew to join Tendaji in following Nuru away, the stage lowered, allowing Andrea to hop off, while Grimwald took to the air in a few lazy flaps of his wings. The griffin adjusted his dagger grip to an inverted one as he looked at all present, although his eyes still listed towards Ditzy and Gwyendolyn, “So how are we doing this, folks? I prefer to go at it with my selected targets, but if we want to do this as a free for all melee, I’m not gonna say no to that bit of chaos.”

“Suggestion?” Cheerilee said, raising a hoof, and all eyes turned to her, “There’s enough of us here that I can confidently say I think we’ve got you two sorted out, Grimwald, Andrea. We don’t need all of us here, and quite frankly, no time to waste. Trixie, Dao Ming, I suggest once the fighting starts, you two make a break for it.”

“Why would we do that when all of us together could defeat these two faster?” asked Dao Ming, and Cheerilee gestured upward.

“Because every moment counts, and I’d rather the two of you who can see and be guided by the Warlord get to Tomoko as fast as possible to put an end to this. The rest of us can deal with these two jokers.”

Trixie couldn’t deny Cheerilee’s suggestion made sense, and she shot a questioning look at Grimwald and Andrea, who were the ones who could still seek to bar their path... but Andrea let out a musical laugh and Grimwald just grinned wider.

“A most agreeable suggestion, Dame Cheerilee,” Andrea said, “I think our kirin heiress and fretful unicorn magician will find our Lady Tomoko to not be such an easy mark for the two of them alone, but if you have such confidence in your allies I can only respect that. Besides, it will allow me to focus my own attention on my wayward fool of Prince, his lovely if overconfident paramour, and my noble rival in the bardic arts!”

“Same sentiments, different tune,” Grimwald said, nodding to Cheerilee and making a ‘get over there’ gesture towards Ditzy and Gwendolyn, “I’ll take you with them. I might be after Gwen and Bright Eyes, but I don’t mind making it a four way. You’ve got a good enough look about you that I doubt you’ll bore me.”

“Gee, I’m honored, “ Cheerilee drawled, moving to line up next to Ditzy and Gwendolyn.

“Well then,” Andrea said, the bow of her fiddle set upon the strings and a heated light entering her eyes, “Are we ready to begin?”

“Just say ‘go’,” Lyra said, tensing her legs, her tail flicking in readiness as her magic held her lyre close.

As it happened there was no ‘go’ to be said, only Andrea sporting an ecstatic smile as her hooves blurred upon her fiddle, striking the first notes of a battle dirge that signaled all that the fight was on.

Cervid runes flared to forest green life upon the sides of her fiddle, and with each stroke of the fiddle’s bow a lashing whip of force appeared from the very soundwaves of her instrument and cracked towards Lyra. The experienced Equestrian bard responded instinctively with musical magic of her own, the soft notes of her lyre creating a protective melody that formed a bubble of sound around her that absorbed Andrea’s lashing blows.

Carrot Top, followed by Frederick, rushed towards Andrea, with the elk prince brandishing his club while Carrot Top pulled forth a ceramic jar filled with pepper juice and other intense irritants. Andrea swiftly switched targets, dancing back with smooth, swan-like steps as her fiddle played up a storm, the lashes of sound emerging from her tune now slicing towards her attackers. This forced Frederick and Carrot Top to split up to dodge the lashes of sound, the prince trying to circle for an opening while Carrot Top lobbed her jar. The jar, unfortunately, was slapped out of the air by a sound lash, but Carrot Top didn’t stop moving, using some nearby benches for cover as she fished out another jar.

Meanwhile Grimwald had shot right towards his own opponents, a dark brown and black streak of speed that came with a green glinting curve of light as his dagger struck. Gwendolyn was his first target, marked as the strongest of his opposition, what with her having won the Contest of Strength. As wild and half-crazed as Grimwald was, he knew he was outnumbered and that taking Gwendolyn out first and fast was his best move.

She was ready for him. Having known him for as long as she had, Gwendolyn predicted that Grimwald would come for her right off the bat and had taken a defensive stance. Even so, the ferocious speed with which he struck was difficult even for her to parry, even with the extra afforded reach of her sword over his dagger. The first and second thrusts of Grimwald’s dagger met Gwendolyn’s steel in nearly simultaneous clamors of metal on metal, but then Grimwald slithered through the air like a winged snake, using Gwendolyn’s parries to help shift his momentum towards a different target; Ditzy Doo.

Grimwald had drawn his darker Fey blade in his other talon and came at Ditzy in a twisting spin, jamming the dagger at her flank with an inverted grip. Ditzy may have been caught off guard by the attack, but she’d grown accustomed to Grimwald’s motions, and let the instinctual sense of the air currents around him clue her in to where his attack was going to land. While dodging alone would have been extremely difficult and risky, she had the advantage of the shield Sigurd had forged for her and was able to shift it into a blocking position even as she threw herself backwards. She felt Grimwald’s dagger scrap along the shield as the blow drove her back, but failed to reach her flesh.

Not inclined to sit idle and more than ready herself for the griffin’s violent assault, Cheerilee had carefully waited for Grimwald’s attention to be focused on the others before moving in. Grimwald was still flying low enough for the earth pony to be able to reach him with only a minor leap, and she tried to bring a hammer blow of a right hoof down on him from behind. Yet even with his eyes still on Ditzy, Grimwald proved to be as slippery as an oiled up bar of soap and slid right out of the way of Cheerilee’s hoof.

And he still wasn’t looking at her when he switched his grip on the green dagger and sliced it at Cheerilee’s face while still spinning towards Ditzy, like some manner of crazed, knife-wielding top. Cheerilee ducked, feeling some of her mane get sliced off from the narrow miss. Then Gwendolyn flew over her and stabbed out with a swift series of thrusts, trying to pin Grimwald down as he pursued Ditzy, leading all four combatants to gradually move up one of the sets of stairs.

“It’s now or never, Dame Lulamoon,” Dao Ming said, noting that the various battles had moved away from the stage and that she and Trixie had a clear line to it. Trixie looked reluctant to go, her eyes worriedly shifting towards her friends one at a time. Raindrops had followed Tendaji and Nuru to a door at the highest tier of the chamber and the pegasus only gave a final glance back, nodding to Trixie encouragingly before stepping out of view with the two zebras.

Lyra and Carrot Top were both fully wrapped up in trying to penetrate Andrea’s storm of sonic lashes, Frederick circling around to look for an opening, and Trixie caught Carrot Top just giving her a quick ‘Go!’ wave with a hoof before lobbing another jar of alchemic substances at the cervid skald.

Ditzy, Cheerilee, and Gwendolyn were all surrounding Grimwald, but the griffin was a tempest of dagger strikes that was making it look more like the three were being dragged along in the wind of a storm rather than outnumbering their opponent, but for the moment things at least looked even.

Trixie sucked in a deep breath, whispering to herself, “They’ll be okay.” She then looked to Dao Ming and nodded firmly, “I’m ready. Let’s go finish this.”

Together the pair both broke into swift gallops towards the lowered platform that their foes had just recently occupied. As if expecting them, the platform lowered even further, allowing for Trixie and Dao Ming to readily leap upon it. Trixie almost immediately felt the platform start to rise again the moment her hooves touched it, and she imagined it must have been the Warlord’s spirit controlling the machinery to help them out once more.

She did her best not to look back even as the sounds of combat from her friends echoed loudly in the chamber behind her. The platform rose to rest evenly with the walkway and stairs that led further up into the tower, and steeling her heart, Trixie joined Dao Ming in rushing along that path that would take them ever upward... and to what she fervently hoped would be the final confrontation.

The air never ceased to be filled with a scintillating tempest of magical lances and blossoming arcane detonations around the darting forms of the two alicorn sisters. The meteoric flame that was Corona ejected sunbeams of metal melting flame from dozens of summoned eldritch circles that cut into Rengoku, yet the fortress’ very nature was a bane to alicorn magic and absorbed the brunt of such directed attacks, even as the beams melted through some of the fortress’ weapon emplacements. Scores of the horrid golem constructs that continued to emerge from Rengoku’s depths tried to swarm both Corona and Luna, but often found dazzling bursts of magic scattering them from the sky. The few that did manage to get close were smashed by dexterous hooves striking with unimaginable speed and force, or cut to pieces by summoned blades of raw magic, made of searing yellow flames from Corona or brilliant silver streaked moonlight from Luna.

Yet for all the alicorns’ power Rengoku was still stubbornly flying higher into the sky and out to sea, and Luna, slightly less absorbed in rage like her elder sister was, saw what needed to be done. After all, she and Celestia had been here once before, twelve hundred years ago, when they had joined together with mortal champions to stop the Warlord’s rampage with this very fortress.

A cantrip cast so swiftly it was hardly a thought, Luna communicated mentally with her sister; We cannot continue to waste time trying to overwhelm Rengoku conventionally. We must do as we did long ago, and join our magic to chain it in place.

Celestia’s heated return thoughts scorched at Luna’s brain, her sister’s voice a roaring solar flame, Curse the saurians and their entire ill-begotten race! This vile and unnatural construct should be reduced to melting glass! I should bring forth the full might of the Sun down upon-

Celestia! Luna used her sister’s name, spoken sharply yet with an earnesty fueled by desperation to reach through Celestia’s madness, Your full power, our full power, would trigger the very detonation we seek to avoid! You’d doom the world in your blind devotion to save it? You’d condemn the noble champions who even now battle upon and within Rengoku?

She could feel her sister’s mind briefly cool, if only to the simmer of a vocation still awaiting its inevitable eruption, I detest that you are correct, but correct you remain nonetheless. Very well, join your power to mine, and be wise Luna and allow me to lead the casting.

There was a brief hesitancy from Luna, but she swiftly banished it. Mad as her sister was she couldn’t truly bring herself to believe that Celestia would willingly take advantage of the situation to try and eliminate Trixie and her friends by trying to destroy Rengoku while they were still inside it. Even Celestia couldn’t be that far gone. Luna chose to believe this, as she rose high into the air on the opposite side fo the fortress to her sister, a streak of blazing moonlight in counterpoint to the pulsating sphere of flame that was Celestia.

Rengoku fired consuming beams of destructive light from the towering crystals on it’s outer circle, stabbing into the air after the two alicorns, but to no avail for the pair weaved and dodge like living shooting stars around the beams’ course. Then at a point directly above Rengoku and several hundred feet higher still, Luna and Celestia met and sent twin courses of their magic pouring from their horns to meet at an arc above them. Golden radiance as hot as the sun met with a river of incandescent moonlight, merging together in a prismatic pulsation of raw arcane power fueled by two of the oldest beings of magic in the world.

For a moment, sadness gripped Luna’s heart. She wondered if this might be the last time she and her sister would ever work together towards a common goal, a common good. The next time their magic met, would it be in the clash of life and death battle against one another? The Princess of the Night hardened herself against that doubt and pain, and focused upon allowing the steady stream of her magic to fuel the spell that her sister took the lead on, weaving the complexity of the arcane forces together. A magical circle formed, then another and another, all layered together as each circle grew in size over the last. Then, upon a blinding flash of light, chains of solid magic as thick as large trees and colored in alternating onyx black and marble white descended from the arcane circles.

These chains, in their hundreds of multitudes, spread out like the tendrils of a vast undersea leviathan, and then slammed into Rengoku all across it's length and held fast like tethers, ones that injected a focused form of telekinesis into the very stones of the fortress itself. For all of it's built in resistance to alicorn magic, even Rengoku could not fully negate a spell of this magnitude, with the combined might of two alicorns putting their all into it. The chains would remain unbreakable and embedded into the fortress for as long as the magic of the casters held out. Furthermore, Celestia and Luna formed twin, layered barriers around themselves, for Rengoku was not going to take this arresting of it's progress without contest.

Rengoku ground to a halt in the air, the battle of the golems against the champions upon the ramparts continuing, but the fortress itself no longer moving. Beams, bolts, and blasts of magic rose from the fortress’ countless weapons to try and hammer through the barriers that protected the alicorn sisters, bathing them in pure waves of destruction that howled loudly enough to be heard across miles of ocean. Fortunately the barriers held, and the fortress remained halted... for the time being.

Ditzy had no time at all to see how her friends were doing. Every inch of her attention and gut instinct had to be focused on Grimwald. If anything the unpredictable griffin was moving even faster than he had when she’d fought him in the Contest of Strength. Ditzy’s main saving grace at the moment was the fact that Gwendolyn and Cheerilee were both pressing Grimwald just as hard as he was pressing them, diverting just enough of his savage strikes that Ditzy had small windows of breathing room.

Thus far Ditzy had to battle defensively, and Sigurd’s sturdy shield was proving a lifesaver. She didn’t really see Grimwald’s attacks coming so much as she let herself move as the subtle shifts in the air’s currents told her to. The flickering cuts of Grimwald’s daggers came quicker than the beats of a hummingbird’s wings, and it was all Ditzy could do to keep her shield between her and their deadly edges.

Gwendolyn’s sword carved sparking gouges in the ground and benches of the seating areas they flew around, Grimwald twisting in snaking motions to avoid the potent magical blade. One upward swing from Gwendolyn nearly sheared through a portion of an upper tier’s edging and caused a chunk of stone to slide off and crash down the stairs in a clamorous tumble, to which Grimwald cackled, “Just like old times, eh Gwen? Never caught me back then, either.”

“That’s because you never stopped running away, you twitchy bastard,” Gwendolyn hissed past a clenched beak, driving her sword in a swift trio of thrusts. Grimwald deflected one thrust with his dark steel dagger, whilst twisting away from the other two, all the while lashing out with his curved green dagger to force Cheerilee to back up, as the mare had been sneaking around into his blind spot.

“Ah ah, I ain’t about to let you get in any sneaky strikes, sweetness,” Grimwald taunted, to which Cheerilee simply flashed a cutting smile and shifted on her hooves. Her form darted in, left then right, feigning a snapping punch with her right hoof before instead planting it on one of the stone benches to use as leverage to throw herself into a side kick with her hind hoof instead.

Grimwald flipped over the blow, his back talons raking Cheerilee’s leg, to which she clenched her jaws in a hiss but pressed the attack alongside Gwendolyn, ignoring the blood trickling from the slash on her leg as she timed a punch alongside Gwen’s blade, forcing Grimwald to flutter back like a leaf against a wind. He remained frustratingly untouched by their attacks.

“Keep it up, girls. We’re here to have fun, after all.”

“This isn’t really fun for everycreature, you know!” Ditzy stated whilst trying to find an opening to maybe knock one of Grimwald’s wings off balance, but the moment she tried to shift her shield to go on the attack she found her mind screaming danger at her and she had to veer suddenly rather hard to the left and dart into one of the exit corridors to avoid a swipe from Grimwald’s darker colored dagger that would have taken her own wing off.

He pursued her into the corridor, alternating his dagger strikes in a windmill of slashes. Gwendolyn and Cheerilee followed behind, aiming a slash at his back. Ditzy curled herself tightly behind her shield while flying backwards as fast as she could, feeling the impacts of the daggers on the shield, straining her arms.

Cheerilee used the wall of the corridor to spring into an elbow drop, clipping Grimwald’s wing as he rolled aside. He lost his flight for a second and landed on his talons a shade off balance. Gwendolyn took advantage and moved in with a burst of speed, sword slashing in a wide arc. Grimwalld then dived down beneath Gwendolyn’s slash, and literally sunk into the floor. Ditzy paused, hovering in the middle of the corridor they now found themselves in. Gwendolyn grimaced at the sight of Grimwald vanishing and spat out, “Oh for bloody feather’s sake, that Fey dagger is a giant pain in the bu-”

“Behind you!” Ditzty warned as she saw a shadow exploded upwards behind Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn didn’t question the pegasus. She simply acted, throwing herself forward and to the side. She still let out a grunt of pain as a bleeding wound was opened up on her side. Grimwald landed on the ground in a pouncing crouch, holding up the blood covered edge of his dark dagger and made a ‘tut tut’ sound at Gwendolyn.

“Getting careless there, Gwen.”

He punctuated that by taking wing again and this time flying into the wall on his right, vanishing into it. Gwendolyn, Cheerilee, and Ditzy watched in growing anxiety as they heard Grimwald’s echoing laugh, as if it was stemming from all of the walls at once, and saw him dart in and out of the walls like a fish jumping through the water.

“Thinking we shouldn’t just sit here,” Cheerilee said as the three of them put their backs to one another.

“Agreed, we’re easy prey in tight quarters like this,” Gwendolyn said, and Ditzy grabbed the griffin’s shoulder, nodding down the corridor behind them.

“This way!”

“What? Why? We’d be better off in the main chamber,” Gwendolyn said, but Ditzy shook her head. She couldn’t fully explain it but she felt a sensation of cooler, stirring air behind them and had a hunch that this hallway led back outside.

“Just trust me,” she said, to which neither Cheerilee or Gwendolyn questioned her further, both nodding for the pegasus to lead the way.

Grimwald didn’t just let them go as they pleased. As the trio rushed down the hall he began zipping in and out of the walls or ceiling, his daggers cutting lethal arcs at them with each leap. Gwendolyn and Ditzy flew nearly back to back, watching each other’s blind spots the whole way. However Cheerilee, forced to gallop, and with a wounded leg, started to lag behind. This forced Gwendolyn and Ditzy to slow down themselves to cover her. Between Ditzy’s shield and Gwendolyn’s sword, they were able to protect Cheerilee as Grimwald started to dart in and out of the corridor’s walls, his daggers ever relentless cutting. The corridor ahead of them started to brighten with the unmistakable shine of daylight.

Before Ditzy knew it she was feeling fresh wind on her wings as she, Cheerilee, and Gwendolyn burst out onto what looked like a long, curving rampart wall. It was smaller in width than the one they’d crashed on before entering the fortress, encircling one of the thinner tiers of the fortress’ central tower. Ditzy couldn’t even see where the lower tier they’d entered from was. However what she could see was that Rengoku had flown out over the open ocean, with the Isle of the Fallen now residing just a short distance somewhere to Ditzy’s right. The fortress had ceased moving, however, and the reason for this was obvious enough by the sight of hundreds of night black and sun white chains, each as thick as tree trunks, anchoring the fortress in place. While Ditzy couldn’t see them, she did get the impression Corona and Luna had to be somewhere high above, for the fortress’ numerous magical weapons were firing steadily upward into the sky, at a spot above the central tower that Ditzy wasn’t able to get a clear view of, but from which the multitude of magical chains originated.

“Looks like your alicorns have opted not to murder each other today and play nice instead. Kinda dull, honestly,” said Grimwald as he joined the three of them out on the rampart wall, spinning his daggers in each hand, “Was kind of hoping we’d get to see them duke it out sometime during this whole grand show. That’d be a fun sight to see.”

“No,” Ditzy said, shuddering slightly, “It really wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, if you think watching Luna and Corona get into a slugfest would be fun, you must like the idea of living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, because pretty sure that’s how that would end up,” said Cheerilee, shaking her head. To this, Grimwald just grinned, eyes shining.

“Hey, I say bring on the apocalypse. Doubt there’d be a dull moment.”

Turning to face him, shield up, Ditzy met Grimwald’s eyes and steadied her breathing. A part of her knew, deep down, that he really wasn’t going to stop this fight willingly, but at the same time she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was somehow Grimwald’s... truly unfathomably backwards way of expressing friendship. It was a crazy thought, she knew that, but having spent enough time around him, having fought him once before already, the notion just rang with an off kilter note of truth to it.

“Is this really just fun for you?” she asked, to which Grimwald responded with a jovial chuckle that was at utter odds with the predatory aggression in his whipcord frame as he stalked closer towards her.

“Don’t think I’ve ever been unclear on that point, Bright Eyes. Everything I do is for the fun of it. Gwen here will tell you, right Gwen? When has old Grimwald ever not looked for a good time?”

“You’re wasting your time,” Gwendolyn told Ditzy, shifting her stance so that she was standing on her hind legs, sword held in both talons now at an upward angle, wings spread to either side of her, “I’ve always known Grimwald was kind of off in the head, but never knew just how far he’d go to get his kicks. It’s my responsibility to end this, having let him get this far without doing anything about it.”

“Wait,” Ditzy said, moving forward a step, not quite blocking Gwendolyn or Cheerilee, but definitely putting herself in front with her shield. Gwendolyn didn’t drop her stance, nor take her eyes’ sharp focus on Grimwald, but she did go still, giving Ditzy an open space to keep talking. Cheerilee, similarly, didn’t relax her guard for a second, but had a knowing look in her eyes as she watched Ditzy and Grimwald both, simply trusting her friend do her thing. Ditzy gulped and looked at Grimwald, expression neither hard nor soft, like a mother considering how to best discipline a child.

“I don’t claim to understand what’s going on in your head, Grimwald. I just know that I can’t muster up any anger or fear with you anymore. You made me really nervous at first. I was even scared of you. You seemed like somecreature who was so different from me, but in a way I still wanted to try and be your friend. You... felt the same way, didn’t you? You just really can’t show it any other way than this.”

“Who knows?” Grimwald hooted, his muscles and wings tensing as his eyes burned brightly with something akin to both hunger and admiration, “I just see something in your eyes, Ditzy Doo. A spark of killer instinct? All I know is that it's so damned bright that I wanted to see what it was made of. I run into so many dull, lifeless eyes in my line of work, I just can’t help myself when I see something that really shines. If that’s friendship... well, guess we’re friends, even if I end up killing you here and now.”

Ditzy Doo took in and let out a calming breath, feeling her heart beating in a swift flutter beneath her chest, yet somehow she felt smoothly still within, like a placid pool of undisturbed water. She almost thought she could feel Grimwald’s bloodlust, excitement, and even his own beaming contentment like a breeze on her feathers. He really was the sort to wear his heart on his sleeve, and Ditzy Doo was no different. They were both open, passionate individuals who enjoyed a good time, and had an oddly keen sense of their surroundings and other people.

If he just wasn’t so gosh dang crazy, they really would have made good friends.

All she could do was offer him one of her bright, usual smiles and nodded to him, “Then I guess I just have to not die for us to be friends, right? I hope you’re ready to lose this time, Grimwald.”

For once, she made the first move, which seemed to take everycreature present except Cheerilee by surprise. She moved in a gray flash of motion at him, feigning a strike with her shield at his jaw, which he pulled back from instinctively. Ditzy then turned her body like a swallow in flight, shifting on the wind to invert herself and cut low with the edge of her shield, completely reversing the direction of her feint.

The steel edge of the metal band surrounding the wood shield impacted with Grimwald’s right wrist with only a little force, as Ditzy wasn’t a very physically strong mare, but it didn’t need to be a strong blow to loosen Grimwald’s grip on his dark steel dagger of Fey origin, causing it to clatter to the ground.

“Urk! Hah! Cheeky move!” Grimwald shouted, diving for her and his dagger, but Ditzy swept the weapon away with her tail while interposing her shield to take his body tackle. She was still knocked back, but Grimwald used his talon to wrench her shield back and raised his green, curved dagger high to stab at her collarbone.

Fortunately Gwendolyn was faster, her sword intercepting the dagger in a sparking clash of steel. Grimwald was forced to dodge back from Gwendolyn’s follow up slice, after which he darted to the right and kicked out with his hind legs, raking Gwendolyn’s side as she tried to evade. However this left him open as Cheerilee appeared behind him, eyes hard as steel, and she delivered a braced elbow strike to his back. Grimwald grunted, rolling around and slicing with his remaining dagger. Cheerilee threw herself back, taking a light cut across her chest but nothing deep.

Ditzy, no longer on the defensive, rushed in again, using the shield as a battering ram while Grimwald was still trying to recover his momentum. Grimwald ducked under her, slashing with his curved dagger at her belly, but Ditzy could feel his attack coming, sensing the brush of air as he moved. Banking sideways, she just managed to get her shield in place to defend herself, feeling the dagger cut along the wood’s surface in a loud scrape of noise.

Gwendolyn came in from above, blade pointed down in a killing thrust as she dived like a hunting hawk, but there was a flash of green from Grimwald and Gwendolyn let out a cry of pain as Grimwald’s dagger, which he’d just thrown, planted itself in her left arm just below the shoulder.

She hadn’t expected him to just disarm himself like that, and Gwendolyn had to pull out of her dive to keep from outright crashing, and even then she barely landed without spilling herself into a heap. With a pained shout she tore the dagger from her arm, knowing full well the wound wasn’t going to heal easily due to this weapon’s cursed properties as she dropped it. Cheerilee moved to defend Gwendolyn, interposing herself between the downed griffiness and Grimwald.

Grimwald had taken the moment to rush for where his other dagger had been laying after Ditzy swept it away, not quite falling off the side of the rampart wall.

Ditzy rushed him to try to intercept, but the moment she realized she wouldn’t reach in time she let her instincts guide her and took a page right out of Grimwald’s book. In a flash she loosened the straps on her shield and flung her arm out. Grimwald grabbed his dagger and triumphantly spun about to face her, expecting her to be charging at him, but instead he caught a flying shield right to his gut. He crumbled with the air exploding out of his lungs, and before he fully recovered a gray missile in the shape of Ditzy Doo crashed right into him, and both went flying over the side of the wall.

“Ditzy!” Cheerilee shouted, and before she was even done shouting Gwendolyn, clutching her bleeding arm, flew over the wall to give chase. She was just in time to see the pair of Ditzy and Grimwald plummet down about twenty feet towards a lower tier walkway.

The two tumbled about with wings and limbs entangled, both wrestling for control of Grimwald’s dagger. This caused them to shift course to impact with the side wall before falling down the last ten feet to the lower rampart, but before they impacted Ditzy suddenly let go of Grimwald. She’d felt something falling beside her and on gut instinct knew it to be her shield. Grabbing it without looking, she held it with both hooves and brought it down like a giant flying pancake just as Grimwald stabbed upward with his dagger.

The Fey weapon pierced the shield’s wood, coming within a scant inch of Ditzy’s face, but her weight behind the shield, plus the sudden impact with the ramparts below, resulted in Grimwald getting a face full of shield with Ditzy’s full weight behind it.

He let out a squawk and went limp, Ditzy on top of him. She quickly pulled her shield back, swaying about as she got her hooves on steady ground. Looking at her shield, she still saw Grimwald’s dagger planted in it, then blinking she looked at him. Grimwald was laying on his back, legs and wings splayed as his glazed eyes blinked dizzily upward. He groaned and shook his head, putting a talon to a bleeding scalp that was soon blocking his vision in red. Raising up slightly, he found Ditzy standing over him, shield strapped back on, and Fey dagger held daintily in one hoof. Before he could move further, Gwendolyn landed beside him, blade lowered at his neck, ready to strike. Up above on the higher tier of the wall, Cheerilee watched, unable to jump down from that height.

Grimwald grunted, then threw his talons up in a helpless shrug, cracking a blood stained smile, “Looks like your win, Bright Eyes. Heheh.”

“I don’t see what’s funny about this,” Gwendolyn said, “At this point, the best you can expect is a long, boring life in whatever jail cell you end up in, assuming you don’t get the noose. Sky’s sake, Grimwald, was any of this even worth it!?”

“Hehehe, for a guy like me, completely. Every second of this has been a treat, even losing. Got to cause some mayhem, see you perform, which is always a pleasure Gwen, and to top it off...” his eyes glittered at Ditzy, “Found myself a real diamond in the rough. Jail? Small price to pay for one of the best few days I’ve had in a long time. Besides, things aren’t quite over yet. All comes down to what happens up top between Ditzy’s blue friend and the kirin royals. I was just the side show this time around.”

Gwendolyn made a sour face, “Ugh, I hate it when you’re right, but whatever... Ditzy, you and Cheerilee had best go rejoin the rest of your friends.”

“What about you?” Ditzy asked.

“Hmph, somecreature needs to keep an eye on this madbird and- crap!” Gwendolyn suddenly moved in front of Ditzy as Grimwald made a gesture with a talon, and something sprang from the sleeve of his tunic and into his waiting fingers. Ditzy caught sight of some kind of glass vial that Grimwald crushed in his talon, and suddenly a piercing flash of light and sound enveloped them.

By the time her eyes cleared, she and Gwendolyn were alone on the rampart, although at least Ditzy still had a hold of Grmwald’s Fey dagger, so she knew he hadn’t been able to slink away into any solid walls or floors. Instead, from seeming nowhere, as if his voice was carried on the wind, they heard Grimwald’s laughter.

“Keep the dagger, Bright Eyes, as a souvenir. And don’t lose that killer instinct.”

“Argh, that bastard!” Gwendolyn shouted, flying up a bit as she looked around, “Where did he run off too!?” She looked up at Cheerilee, but she in turn just shrugged.

“I... don’t think he’s coming back,” Ditzy said, eyeing the dagger uneasily for a moment. After all this was the mysterious magical weapon of Fey origin that had put her into a near eternal slumber. She wasn’t exactly eager to keep it. Perhaps she’d give it to Princess Luna?”

“What makes you think that?” Gwendolyn asked, and Ditzy offered an awkward smile.

“He just sort of sounded like a friend does when they’re saying goodbye for a while, that’s all.”

“Pfft, crazy bird has so many screws loose I doubt he even knows what he’s saying half the time,” Gwendolyn grumbled, and then grunted as she landed again and looked over her injured arm. Ditzy came up to check it as well.

“I’m not in any condition to fight further,” Gwendolyn said with a pained sight, “I can look after myself. You two better go catch up with the others.”

“Okay, just promise you’ll be careful. This didn’t hit an artery, but it’s still bleeding pretty bad,” Ditzy said in a serious tone, “Go find something to bandage this up with as soon as you can.”

“Heh, not my first battle, or injury, Ditzy. I’ll be fine,” Gwendolyn said, already using her beak to tear off strips of cloth from her tunic to begin wrapping the wound. Ditzy was still a little hesitant to leave her alone, but knew there wasn’t a lot of time to discuss it. Even as they talked, the fortress rumbled and shook beneath them as Rengoku strained against the binding magic stemming from Princess Luna and Corona. It didn’t seem like that standoff could last forever.

With a final nod to Gwendolyn, Ditzy took to the air and flew up to join Cheerilee, and together the pair went back the way they had come, hoping that their friends were faring well in their own battles.

Lyra was blasted back by the impact of sonic force that hit her side like a bowling ball. Pain rushed through her, but she managed to keep a tight grip on her lyre as she rolled with the hit and came up on her hooves up against the edge of the lift platform in the center of the chamber.

Andrea’s forehooves conjured up a storm of violent fiddle beats like the charging of a hundred cervid warriors, the red elk moving in a dancer’s gait as she leaped over a thrown jar from Carrot Top that broke uselessly some distance behind Andrea in a burst of adhesive goo.

“Come my valiant rivals, my blood is only just starting to get hot! You can’t be done yet!” Andrea sang, fiddle’s tempo somehow gaining even more momentum as she turned on the edges of her hind hooves to aim at Frederick, who’d been trying to skulk around behind her with his makeshift club, “Even you, my Prince, I expected more of!”

“Frederick!” Carrot Top cried out as Andrea unleashed a sharp tune and a curved blade of sonic force sliced vertically towards the cervid royal. Frederick let out a yelp as he rolled to the side, the cutting musical force tearing a gouge in the stone floor beside him.

“Andrea, I’m fairly certain that this counts as some brand of treason,” he said, “At the very least, I think you’ll be kicked out of the Lodge of Skalds. Really, what is this madness all for?”

Frederick regarded his club, then Andrea carefully as he spoke, then with rather no warning he chucked the club at her like a frisbee. Andrea let out a chiming chuckle and snapped the club in half with a strum of her fiddle that created a cracking whip of force, “I already told you true, my Prince, I seek only to experience a new age of conflict worthy of... Hey, stop running!”

Frederick had turned about and scampered backwards, snatching up some loose stones from where Andrea’s magic had torn the ground earlier. Meanwhile Lyra had used his distraction to catch her breath and maneuver behind Andrea, prepping her lyre for a new spell song. Her magic spread out around her in a cone, aimed at Andrea. Into the weave of shimmering gold she put forth soothing tunes, her hooves gracing her lyre’s strings in a serene harmony.

Andrea yawned as the wave hit her, but then the red elk shook herself fiercely, amber mane almost seeming to dance about her head like flame as she rounded on Lyra, “Trying to lull me to sleep with such a tepid noise!? No, Lyra, I shan't fall to such an easy spell! Feel the heat of my soul in these chords and know you’ll need to hit me ten times harder to win this duel!”

Her fiddle moved so fast, the bow of it actually sparked, and suddenly flames leaped up in the shape of cervid runes. Those runes burned bright then transformed into solid javelins of fire, about eight of them that launched themselves at Lyra in a barrage.

Lyra stood her ground and conjured forth a string of courageous notes from her lyre, which resonated in front of her to form a vertical dome of sound that acted as a protective barrier upon which the flaming javelins impacted. Even with the barrier in place, the explosions that resulted from the javelins of concentrated rune magic still seared the air around Lyra so that she couldn’t breath, and the impacts drove her back several steps, closer to the edge of the lift shaft.

Still undaunted, Lyra stood firm and quickly broke into a new, fast paced song, its swift chirping beat not unlike the buzzing wings of a bee. Magic coursed from her lyre in golden strings, but rather than attack Andrea, they shot out to touch Carrot Top and Frederick, suffusing them with a soft golden glow. The spell lightened their hooves and filled them with a feeling like having taken a dose of pure caffeine, and abruptly both Carrot Top and Frederick found themselves moving at an enhanced speed.

This meant that Frederick could take his small pile of grabbed stones and begin hurling them like a rapid-fire sling. At the same time Carrot Top was able to quickly close the distance to Andrea, reaching into her alchemist pouch to withdraw one of her few remaining clay jars.

Andrea danced away from Frederick’s stone barrage, using her fiddle’s bladed edge to deflect one or two that got too close. However, the moment she did so to one of them she noticed that a very small rune had been etched upon the stone’s surface, likely by Frederick’s own hoof point. While the Prince was not a skilled rune caster by any stretch of the imagination, he was still of royal blood and been well educated in the basics. The rune spell was nothing special. It merely created a festive burst of harmless sparks upon impact, meant as little more than entertainment for young ones at festivals. But the small burst of fiery sparks and smoke still broke Andrea’s concentration briefly, allowing Carrot Top an opening to all but shove her clay jar straight towards her target and smash open the top.

Her target wasn’t Andrea herself, but her fiddle. And what sprayed out of the clay jar was a slippery liquid of a pale green color, akin to the slime off an eel. The oily liquid splattered all over the fiddle, and as Andrea instinctively wove the fiddle’s bow over it to try and strike Carrot Top with a spell, she found the string’s sounds were all off as the bow slipped over the oil.

“Hah! Let’s see you do anything now! Lyra, get her!” Carrot Top shouted, and Lyra was fast to oblige.

Her hooves wove across her lyre’s strings, golden motes of magic from her horn floating between each resonant note. From the instrument sprang a spiral of misty gold light that snaked towards Andrea and wrapped around her, tight as any binding rope to hold the cervid in place. For a moment Andrea was stock still, limbs frozen, and Lyra started to breathe a sigh of relief as she saw her rival’s fiddle start to fall towards the ground as it slipped from Andrea’s grip.

Yet it was then that fire alit deep in Andrea’s eyes as she let out a melodious bellow like the sound of a big brass horn. It was a defiant note, the beginning of a war song that rang out as loud as a dragon’s roar. Runes began to flare to crimson life upon the fiddle, which burst into flames, aided by the oil that had caused it to slip from Andrea’s grip in the first place. Carrot Top looked at the fiddle, whose flames started to glow brighter in a dangerous intensity, and backpedaled even as Frederick rushed towards her. With Lyra’s hastening spell still in effect he was fast enough to tackle Carrot Top away and shield her with his body as the fiddle’s runic energies exploded outward in a ball of fire that rocked the chamber.

Lyra was far enough away that she was unharmed, other than the ringing in her ears. As the smoke cleared she saw a groaning Frederick, with scorch marks on his back, being held by a shocked Carrot Top.

“F-Frederick, hold on! I’ve got you,” Carrot Top said breathlessly, trying carefully to turn him over so she could reach his burn wounds with a vial of medicinal salve from her alchemist pouch.

Shaking her head to try to clear out the ringing in her ears, Lyra looked towards where Andrea had been, and was bowled over as the red elk, shockingly unharmed by the point blank burst of flames, charged right into her. Lyra was nearly knocked off the ledge of the lift and into the shaft, only barely able to reach with her fore hooves to hold herself as her back end dangled over a very long drop down the central shaft of the fortress. Her lyre lay where she had just dropped it, a bare foot out of reach.

“What the-!?” Lyra half gasped, staring at Andrea, who brushed her jerkin with a hoof and showed a few glowing red runes etched almost invisibly into the fabric.

“Cervid warriors like explosive finishes to their ballads, Lyra,” Andrea said, “I’ve long since woven runes into my attire to keep from injuring myself, although my poor fiddle wasn’t so lucky.”

She used a hoof to lightly kick the burned bit of char that was her fiddle a moment ago, although Andrea didn’t seem that bothered by its loss. “I’ll have to carve a new one, but I’ve means enough to finish this with the power of my voice alone. I am a Skald of Elkheim, after all.”

Andrea began scraping the marks of a rune into the platform with a hoof. The runes on her fiddle had given its notes and her voice power before, and it seemed like she still needed runes to act as a focus for cervid magic, even in song. Lyra, not content to wait to see what Andrea was about to do, lit up her horn brighter and grabbed her lyre with her magic. Lifting the instrument, she conjured a light and swift tune of high and whimsical notes, which brought forth an illusionary set of golden birds. Trixie was the true illusionist of the group, but Lyra could pull a few herself, if nowhere near as realistic as her friend’s phantasms. The flock of gold songbirds still served to swarm Andrea’s face with a storm of flapping wings, enough to distract the red elk a few moments as Lyra strained to clamber back up onto the lift.

Then, lacking any other immediate means of offense, Lyra relied on something rather blunt and unlike a bard. Her hooves. With a hefty shout she did her best Raindrops impression and jumped up and brought her right hoof down at Andrea’s face as hard as she could.

For a wonder, she struck true, and let out a sharp curse as pain wracked her hoof. She wasn’t so used to punching creatures, really. There was a satisfying, meaty smack as the hit landed across Andrea’s snout. However, the red elk did not drop. Instead she looked at Lyra with a momentary pause of surprise, followed by a glint of respect as Andrea wiped a bloody nose.

“Not bad. Thanks for the blood. It’s a pain drawing onto a hard stone surface with a hoof.”

Lyra blinked, then realized Andrea was using her own blood from the bloody snout to rapidly finish the rune she’d been trying to scratch.

“Oh crap-” Lyra started to saw as Andrea let out a deep, melodious warcry and the rune flared up in the deepest colors of red.

A shattering of noise wrinkled the air, the lift, Andrea, and Lyra alike. Lyra let out a soundless cry as she near felt her bones rattling in her skin from the resonating vibrations. Andrea weathered them with raw cervid constitution, but the lift didn’t fare so well, and Lyra gauged that was because most of the noise from the burst of raw sound the rune triggered was directed into the lift itself.

Lyra saw the whole thing bend and twist, then come apart beneath her hooves as Andrea sought to leap back from what was about to be a very long fall.

Lyra was having none of that, knowing full well that Andrea would easily finish off Carrot Top and Frederick if she was allowed to escape. With no other choice, Lyra used her magic to grab Andrea mid-jump, even as she herself started to fall. Andrea grunted a she was yanked back, and joined Lyra and the broken lift platform in tumbling down the massive shaft.

With air rushing past her, Lyra found it difficult to concentrate, but with a supreme effort of will she took hold of her lyre, which was falling by her side. While still keeping a magical grip on Andrea, Lyra brought her instrument close and plucked a few chiming notes, as fast as she dared. Down below she could make out nothing but darkness, but she knew the shaft didn’t go down forever, but only to the bottom of Rengoku itself. She’d have to time this just right to keep from becoming a very messy form of modern art.

Light began to filter in from below, and Lyra spotted the bottom of the shaft, which looked like some manner of interconnected steel walkways overhanging an open hole into the deep ocean that the fortress was flying over. She wasn’t sure what the point of the walkways was for. Maintenance access, perhaps? She did see strange crystals mounted along the walls that glowed with faint violet light, but couldn't’ guess their purpose. Not that she had a lot of time to consider the fortress’ strange architecture. With a grunt of effort Lyra angled herself towards one of the catwalks and finished her spell the second she gauged she was at the right distance.

Her downward motion suddenly slowed, until it began little more than the gentle wafting of a feather. Her timing had been just right to allow her to alight upon one of the four large intersecting walkways of grated metal. With her breathing heavy and her body sweat covered from adrenaline, she turned to where she was setting Andrea down, about a dozen paces down the catwalk. The red elk was looking at her in a considering manner, and Lyra readied her lyre, eyes narrowed to gold blade edges.

“I could have just let you keep falling,” Lyra pointed out plainly..

“Aye. Some would have called that the wiser course of action,” Andrea said, “I’ve no intention of being taken prisoner and returning to Elkheim in disgrace. This day is either ending in glorious victory, or equally glorious death.”

“No offense Andrea, but that’s a load of hot horseapples!” Lyra shot back, glaring, “None of this is a damned story! There’s no glory here! No grand cause or new age! It’s just you and a bunch of other sun-baked idiots putting countless lives in danger without any right to do so! Sure, maybe one or two of you have a noble reason, but that doesn’t matter when your actions put creatures' lives at risk that you have no right to risk! Especially you, who are only doing any of this because... what, you think it’s exciting!? That’ll it’ll make a good tale for the ale halls?”

“Hmph... I thought at the end of it all at least you, a fellow teller of tales, might understand. You’ve lived through grand adventures, Dame Lyra Heartstrings!” Andrea shouted back, head held high even as her voice cracked with something akin to... admiration? Desperation? Both? “You’ve faced a goddess and spat in her eye! You’ve battled tyrants and monsters alike! Unlike I, you earned the title of champion. All I did was become skilled at telling the tales of others, and it was... not enough. But here, in this place, in this moment, I can carve a ballad of my own. Here, I face a champion true, and to whatever end, I can go to that end proudly, for it was my story!”

Lyra closed her eyes with a deeply sucked in breath and then let it out gradually as she steadied her nerves and then opened her eyes to fix Andrea with a cutting stare. “No, Andrea. This isn’t any one creature’s story. The world is everycreature’s story, together, and not a single individual has the right to act like their part in it is more important than any others. Not me, and not you.”

With that, she was done talking. Her body ached, and her stamina was flagging, but she definitely reared up with her lyre held magically beside her and charged forward at a full gallop. Golden magic flowed over her lyre’s strings, bringing forth a chiming battle hymn. A bubble of focused sound shot out upon flaring sparks of magic, flying right at Andrea. The red elk used blood from her snout to draw a rune on her throat, which burned bright red as she sang a bellowing note that created a thunderous wave that clashed with Lyra’s bubble of sound and drowned it out with it’s own force. Lyra hit the wave of Andrea’s conjured sound and was knocked off her hooves, bones rattling.

Stubbornly she kept her magical grip on her lyre, and plucked more strings in a lulling, slow tune. Floating notes shaped from magic rose from the instrument and wafted towards Andrea. If they struck, they would impart a slowing enchantment to make the cervid feel as if everything was moving through syrup, even her own senses. Andrea must have recognized the spell, for she gave a wry half smile and chanted a countersong, the rune on her throat blazing bright.

However, as she did this, Lyra was strumming a different tune on her lyre, yet at the same time she chanted in a swift spell song under her breath. She could already tell Andrea was winning out in a battle of attrition. The red elk still looked fresh to go, while every moment Lyra was getting more and more tired. For all of Andrea’s talk of Lyra being the true champion between them, it was clear the cervid had more constitution for battle, likely from growing up in a warrior culture. Lyra had known she was never going to win this in a head on manner... but that had been exactly why she’d challenged Andrea by charging at her.

Having finished chanting the spell under her breath, she kept playing her lyre more loudly, bringing out another bubble of sound that she hurled at Andrea. This time Andrea looked almost disappointed as she used fresh blood from her bleeding snout to draw runes on her right foreleg and with a drumming chant of her own she encased her right hoof in a glove of raw sound that she used to punch Lyre’s bubble away.

“I know you must be stronger than this. You couldn’t have survived all that you have if this was your limit, Dame Lyra Heartstrings. So come at me with something harder, already!” Andrea shouted, leaping close and coming down hard with her sound encased hoof. Lyra barely scrambled back, dropping her lyre in the process as Andrea’s hoof bent the metal catwalk slightly beneath her blow.

Lyra put a frightened look on as she stumbled back further from Andrea, slowly tugging at her lyre with her magic. Andrea stepped on the instrument, stopping it in its tracks as the red elk looked on with a forlorn look in her eyes. “Are you actually... scared? After all that big talk? A champion can’t afford to be scared. Damn you, Heartstrings, give me more than this! Fight back harder!”

Andrea took a deep breath and started singing a new song, a heated tune that began to conjure flames from the rune on her throat. Yet her hoof was still holding Lyra’s instrument in place...

Just as Lyra had hoped. The unicorn bard’s frightful look vanished, a simple bit of acting on her part, and she smiled, “Not harder. Smarter.”

One benefit of having Trixie Lulamoon as a friend was that Lyra had a fellow practitioner of unicorn magic to sharpen her skills with. They may have had different specialties with Lyra’s music based magic and Trixie’s love of illusioncraft, but there was still enough similarity in the arcane arts for them to mutually grow as spellcasters. In Lyra’s case, pushing even simple spells harder than the norm was just one trick, but even more useful was the ability to cast a spell and then delay it’s activation for the right moment.

She’d used the weakest possible version of her sound bubbles earlier to get Andrea to drop her guard. Now, she activated the strongest one she could, held delayed in her lyre after she’d cast a weaker one earlier to distract Andrea, while the chant under her breath had generated her real attack. Upon a simple command chant, sung in one loud note, the lyre beneath Andrea’s hoof burst with a bubble of golden sound energy three times larger than the previous ones.

The explosion of raw sound force actually deformed the steel walkway, bending it so badly that it turned more into a steep ramp bent on its side. Andrea had been flung back by the blast of force, and slammed into the steel walkway at just the edge of where the steel was sharply bent downward.

“Oh crap!” Lyra didn’t even pay attention to the fact that her instrument had fallen off the walkway to the glittering ocean below, instead focused on rushing over and flinging her hooves out to catch the cervid before the dazed Andrea could fall off as well.

Still, momentum being what it was, Lyra was dragged off as well, even as one hoof wrapped around Andrea’s own limp fore leg. With another swear, Lyra managed to grip the edge of the catwalk with her other hoof, but now she was left precariously dangling along a steep steel ramp her spell had made of the walkway, with nothing but merciless blue ocean spanning hundreds of feet below her and Andrea.

Regaining her senses, Andrea blinked at the position she was in, with only Lyra’s hoofgrip between her and a very potentially lethal fall. The red elk then sighed and looked up at Lyra, who was struggling to try and lift herself and Andrea up. Lyra was nearly entirely out of magic, the bulk of what she had left having been used on her last gambit. She tried lifting Andrea with magic, but she didn’t have enough left to do more than delay her weakening grip.

“Let go...” Andrea said, and Lyra shook her head.

“Not a...arg...chance. Gonna... see you... in proper jail... ugh... stupid gravity.”

“You don’t have the strength to lift us both, bard. Not in your muscles, or any left in your magic.” Andrea said, her voice oddly calm, “There’s no point in both of us perishing. It’s okay. I am willing to face death.”

“Shut...up, gugh... rather you face, mrrrgh, justice instead.”

A rough chuckle escaped Andrea, and Lyra felt the cervid shift as she reached up with her free hoof and got a grip on the hoof Lyra was using to hold her. “If it makes you feel any better about this, Heartstrings, there’s little doubt I would have faced execution for my crimes back in Elkheim. So this... isn’t your doing. This is not your burden to carry.”

“W-wait, stop it! I can-” Lyra started to shout, feeling Andrea’s rather powerful hoof pushing hard enough on her own to loosen her grip. She wasn’t able to get to the whole of what she was going to say before Andrea slipped out of her grasp. Lyra felt herself freeze as she stared at Andrea, seeing the red elk in crystal clarity. Andrea was smiling as she fell, born away towards the ocean below... too far below for any creature to reasonably survive.

“Andrea!”

Lyra’s shout was carried away on the wind, her eyes fixed on the falling form of her foe. Then, she saw something. A flicker of motion against the blue of the ocean. Something flying? Lyra blinked, trying to focus on it. It was dark, and sped across the sky fast towards Andrea. The form intercepted the falling cervid, and when the form spread its wings from its dive Lyra was finally able to make it out.

A griffin!? Wait... she recognized those feather colors. Grimwald!?

Lyra just hung there, shocked as she watched the distant form of Grimwald bearing Andrea away. From the direction he was flying, he wasn’t angling back towards the Isle of the Fallen, or seeking to return to Rengoku. No, it looked like he was flying west. West, towards the mainland. Had Andrea known he was there to catch her? No, she had looked too resigned. But if Grimwald was flying free, did that mean that Ditzy Doo was-!?

“Lyra!”

The heartful shout of worry made Lyra look up instantly, and was greeted by the worried and rapidly approaching form of the very pegasus she’d just been worrying about. Ditzy Doo rushed down, gray wings buzzing as she hovered next to Lyra and quickly grabbed the bard, helping haul Lyra up back onto the stable portion of the walkway.

“Are you okay?” Ditzy asked, hugging Lyra tight and looking her over like a worried mother hen checking a chick for injuries.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright.” Lyra said, sucking in deep breaths for a second or two before wiping sweat from her brow and hugging Ditzy back, “I’m glad you’re okay too. When I saw Grimwald I thought he must’ve got you and Cheerilee. Is she alright as well?”

“She is, but what was that about Grimwald? Me, Cheerilee, and Gwendolyn beat him, but he got away! Where did you see him?”

“Heh... looks like yours got away too, then,” Lyra said with a huff of a laugh, gesturing down at the busted walkway, “I beat Andrea, but the crazy lady would’ve rather taken a skydive than let me capture her. Sore loser. I thought she was done for, but then Grimwald caught her. Last I saw, they were flying west, away from this whole mess.”

“Oh.” Ditzy said, blinking a few times, but then her face lit up brightly with a smile as pleasant as a fresh breeze, “Good!”

“Uh, the bad guys got away, Ditzy. I mean, I’m glad I didn’t have to watch Andrea plaster herself across the waves, but I’d rather we’d caught them.”

“Huh? Oh me too, but I mean good because I hope I got through to Grimwald a little. Maybe I did if he decided to go save his friend?”

Lyra could only look at her optimistic friend and feel a mote of content happiness in that moment, despite the fact that they were still in a dangerous set of circumstances. “Ditzy, did I ever tell you you’re pretty amazing?”

“Umm, maybe? If you did I don’t recall. Heh, don’t mind hearing it. Oh! No time for talking about that! We’ve got to go find Raindrops! Carrot Top and Frederick are up top, and Gwendolyn was bandaging herself up. If we hurry, we can figure out where Raindrops went with those two zebra and help out!”

“Admire the positive outlook, Ditzy, and wouldn’t mind a ride back up the shaft here,” Lyra said, looking around for her lyre and feeling her heart sink when she didn’t spot it. If worse came to worst she could replace it, or maybe ask Princess Luna for a little help in retrieving it from the bottom of the sea, but that would have to wait.

Ditzy grabbed Lyra around the waist and started carrying Lyra back up the long central shaft of the fortress. While Ditzy certainly was eager to go find Raindrops, Lyra had a feeling that whatever had happened between their friend, that zebra Tendaji, and the old stallion Nuru, it was going to be long over by now.

A short while earlier...

Raindrop’s shoulder blades between her wings were itching with the need to take action, but she restrained herself as she followed Tendaji and Nuru through the unnaturally lit corridors of Rengoku. The withered old zebra appeared to know precisely where he was going, which struck Raindrops as odd given there was no way he could have been in the fortress before. As if her mind was an open parchment to him, Nuru spoke softly to her unasked query.

“Tomoko was kind enough to show me a map leading to where I desired to go. It is not far, Raindrops of Equestria.”

“What are you leading us to?” she asked, eyes glittering with suspicion.

“You will see in a moment, and perhaps then, both of you will understand my Path.”

Raindrops flicked a look towards Tendaji, but the younger zebra wore a resolute mask upon his features, no break at all in the rhythm of his steps. She somehow doubted if she tried tackling Nuru now while his back was turned that Tendaji would help. A part of her was curious, but it was hard for her to care about Nuru’s motivations while she knew every second was a moment her friends were locked in their own life or death struggles.

At least it turned out that Nuru was good on his word, as after only a few turns did they come to a smaller version of the elevator platform that had existed in the main shaft. This one was a small hexagonal platform situated in a shaft that went in a curving downward motion. The moment they stepped on it the elevator moved with a mystical whine of energies from the crystals mounted along the walls. In moments they went down several floors before coming to rest at the entrance to a long, egg-shaped chamber that was wider at the far side than it was where the elevator dropped them off.

Nuru stepped out, Raindrops and Tendaji following, and she looked around with a questioning flick of her ears. The walls were lined with metallic pods, each one sized about twice the height of Princess Luna. Strange saurian symbols graced the pods along the lines of right-angled seams not unlike teeth. Each pod was attached to a circular tablet covered in raised symbols that in turn was mounted on the wall. Along the center of the room were several more pods, but these ones were smaller, laying at slight angles on metallic scaffolds, and these pods were open along the toothy seams, making them look like creatures with their mouths gaping open.

Within each pod was a bed of sorts, with snaking tubes lining the upper mouth of the pod that bore unsavory hooks upon them. Along the sides of the pods were glass tubes, within which a bubbling, glowing purple fluid resided.

Nuru approached one of these smaller pods, running a hoof along the metal edge of one of the seams. A tension in his shoulders that Raindrops had not even realized was there until that moment appeared to drain right out of the old zebra as he sat down on his haunches and hung his head in relief. “Right where she said they would be. If they work, then all of this weight was worth carrying.”

“Father, explain.” Tendaji stepped forward, Raindrops right beside him.

Nuru looked over at the pair, his pale eyes watering slightly. Had he been holding back tears? But the moisture vanished and Nuru stood back on all four legs to turn and face them, face a weathered mountain of long held determination. “The saurians who built Rengoku kept warrior slaves to help in the conquest of territory. While I claim no knowledge of what motivated those ancient beasts, it seemed at the least that they liked to keep their servants healthy. Hence they built these devices using their extensive knowledge of alchemy and magic. Healing pods that could restore even a horrifically injured warrior to good health, repairing damaged flesh, cleansing toxins, dispelling magical maladies, and...”

His eyes focused keenly on Tendaji, “Curing nearly any disease imaginable.”

Raindrops had gotten to know Tendaji just well enough to spot when the usually stoic zebra was rattled, and the sweat that beaded his brow now was clear to see as he took a step back as if struck. He opened his mouth to speak, but for that moment no words came out. Raindrops was a bit faster on the mental recovery, although her mind did race.

“So you did all this to, what, cure Tendaji of that disease he has? But how did you know these were even here in the first place? Tomoko?”

“Abbess Serene, actually,” Nuru said simply, “The Abbess knows more of Rengoku than anycreature alive, including the accounts of the two surviving champions who felled the Warlord long ago. It was those accounts that described the healing chamber and it’s pods. Apparently it was how one of those champions survived a fatal wound.”

“Right, so when the Abbess was looking for co-conspirators she must have found out about Tendaji’s condition, and floated the idea to you that if you helped her with stealing Rengoku, you could use these pods? I pretty much got the jist of it?” Raindrops asked, to which she saw Nuru respond with a stiff nod.

“You see my Path clearly, even without the aid of maisha to guide your vision. Yes, the Abbess told me of her scheme, knowing full well what I would do for my family. I had little hesitation in accepting her offer, and now here we stand.”

Finally Tendaji spoke, his normally controlled voice rough with a struggle to contain the note of pain in it, “Father, you would make use of unnatural magic to try and destroy my own Path? You helped cause all of this chaos, put the lives of innocents at risk, just for this!?”

Nuru’s voice was a leathery whip crack, “Fool boy! I do this for Aisha! I told you long ago that the disease in your blood would never be cured by anything short of utter mastery of maisha, a mastery even I have been unable to achieve after a lifetime of effort. Yet you, in all your pride and arrogance, still think you can achieve it? That it is your ‘Path’? Only in legend has a purity of body and spirit to the degree necessary to banish all illness from the self been achievable by practitioners of our martial art. None in living memory have done it. Yet you think you can? All the while making my daughter suffer in waiting for the day the two of you might start a family? No, my boy, no. Your vision of your Path is flawed, whereas my Path is clear.”

He gestured simply with one grayed hoof to the ancient saurian healing device, his eyes narrowed to pale horizons. “Get in the pod, or I shove you in it myself.”

Tendaji looked at the pod’s cold, steel confines, at the bizarre hooked tubes within, and then at his father in law’s unrelenting and utterly serious stare. With a deep breath the young zebra drew himself up and adopted a steady fighting stance. “I’m sorry, father, but I cannot. You may have no faith in my Path, but I’ll not step off of it for the dubious shortcut you offer. I... have always regretted that I cannot yet give Aisha a foal, something I know she desires. Yet she herself took me as her husband in full knowledge of my Path, and in the belief it was her Path to walk beside me. Her love has ever given me the strength to pursue that seemingly impossible goal of cleansing my body through mastery of maisha.” He glanced at Raindrops, a note of apology in his eyes, “It is a Path that at times has led me to dark places, and into conflict with others of nobler soul. Yet I shall continue to walk it, until the end.”

Raindrops managed to give him an encouraging smirk before lifting into the air on a steady wingbeat and took on a fighting stance of her own, “You heard him, Nuru. He doesn’t want what you’re offering.”

“It is no ‘offer’, children, but a simple choice of whether Tendaji would be conscious or beaten unconscious upon entering the pod,” Nuru replied simply, taking a simple step away from the healing pod and brushing some dust off of his hooves before slipping into a relaxed pose with his right forehoof held out and his other three hooves poised slightly back. With his right hoof, he made a ‘come’ gesture, “But I can see that words are lost on you young ones, and I’d rather not waste time. One way or another I am curing my foolish son in law.”

For all her bravado, Raindrops did feel a distinct pinprick of chilly needles down her back as she felt an intense mountain of pressure wafting off of Nuru. He hadn’t even moved, and had a fairly relaxed stance, yet every instinct of Raindrops was screaming at her that to attack him would be a fool’s errand. Suppressing a gulp, she flicked a look at Tendaji and whispered, “Uh, do you think we have a chance here?”

Tendaji gave a very rare, if rather sardonic smile as he whispered back, “Truthfully? Not a good one. He is a master of masters. Our only hope is our numerical advantage, and luck.”

“Luck, huh? Here’s hoping I’ve got some stored up.” Raindrops said, turning her full attention back to Nuru, who didn’t seem to be in a rush to kick things off himself. Indeed the elderly zebra looked quite content to let them make the first move, although there was a distinct sense that if they tried to just run for it that he’d catch them quite easily. Not that Raindrops had any notion to run. Yet defeating Nuru was a daunting prospect. She keenly recalled his duel with Kenkuro during the Contest of Strength. The skill and power those two had displayed put any of Raindrop’s own martial arts skill to shame. She was good, and getting better, she knew this. Yet Nuru was on an entirely different plateau of ability, one that bordered on the mythical.

Even with two on one, Raindrops knew this was going to be the most difficult fight she’d experienced in her life up until that point. The only other time she felt in more danger had been when confronting Corona, although in that instance no amount of punching would’ve ever defeated the Tyrant Sun. At least in Nuru’s case she had some confidence that he was mortal and could be beaten, she just didn’t know if she and Tendaji had the skills to actually pull it off.

Well, only one way to find out, and she wasn’t getting any younger.

She trusted Tendaji to compliment her attacks with his own, so there was no need to signal or give him a heads up as she went straight up with a hefty flap of her wings and arced forward towards Nuru. She turned her body sideways at the halfway point of her arc so that as she dove, it was now with her right hindleg extended in a dropping axe kick.

Tendaji followed her lead, rushing beneath her arc and bending low, using his forelegs to plant himself while spinning into a sideways kick aimed at Nuru’s own legs in a hopeful sweep.

Raindrops barely saw what happened, as Nuru appeared less to move so much as just appear in a new position, one where he was standing perfectly balanced on top of Tendaji’s kicking leg with just his own hindlegs. In that same instant Nuru’s forearms came up and crossed around Raindrop’s falling kick. She felt what was not so much an impact as the simple and utter halting of her motion, and before she knew it she was being spun around like a wet towel and catapulted towards the far wall at the back of the room.

She managed to correct herself in mid-air and spread her wings out to slow her motion, but Nuru had thrown her with such force that even then she still smacked into the metal wall hard enough to rattle her and drop her to the ground in a heap.

Tendaji didn’t fare much better, turning his sideways kick into a rolling uppercut, but Nuru flipped off of Tendaji’s leg and batted aside the incoming hoof like and adult shoving aside an overly playful puppy. A flash of black and white blurs were all Raindrops could see of Nuru’s hooves as Tendaji was battered from all angles and sent sprawling with a punch to the jaw that made her wince, even from across the room.

Nuru, not even breathing hard, brushed off a bit of blood from Tendaji’s snout that had gotten onto his face, then started to advance on the younger zebra as Tendaji struggled to stand.

Raindrops vaulted forward, using her wings to propel herself at first in a straight on dash, but then tried to fake Nuru out by at the last momment using her right wing like a limb to smack the ground and instead change her course to spin to the side and come at Nuru from the side. Her strong right hoof shot in but was met with a firm block from Nuru. It felt like hitting an ancient, thick oak tree. Hard, unyielding. She’d cracked through stone with her strength, but Nuru held against her punch with one hoof as if he was holding back an infant.

Her senses, much keener now than they’d ever been before the Contest, could almost feel the electric tingle in the air that stemmed from Nuru. A pressure that indicated the zebra’s use of maisha, the mysterious inherent magic of the zebra. It made the frail looking old equine feel more like an unyielding mountain, against which she was but a novice just getting her hooves under her.

Yet she knew this was, in part, merely a factor of wills. Nuru was still flesh and blood, like her. He might know more tricks, have more experience, and possess some special know-how with a magic foreign to Equestria, but if she let his presence overwhelm her then she would be useless to her friends when it came to face a real challenge like Corona again. Raindrops was quite past doubting herself, not after all she’d gone through this past year.

So she did not relent, coming in with a haymaker left that was, in truth, a feint. She used the momentum of the haymaker to suddenly snap up with her left knee, hoping to catch Nuru in the chest and knock the breath out of him. He was more than aware of her feint and back stepped with shocking speed, causing her to only hit air. Nuru then came right in at her, so quick that Raindrops thought she could almost see an afterimage of the zebra in his wake. Her left forearm was grabbed and her back legs kicked out from under her and she found herself being planted on the floor with bone crunching force. Nuru started to twist her leg in an arm bar that would rapidly lead to a snapped joint, but at that precise moment Tendaji rushed in from the side.

In a windmill motion the younger zebra spun into a series of kicks that drove Nuru off of Raindrops, spinning in a counter motion to Tendaji that saw him deftly evading each of Tendaji’s kicks with centimeters to spare. Raindrops rolled to her hooves and joined Tendaji, wings buzzing as she threw a set of upper and lower jabs to try and break Nuru’s evasive rhythm. However it was akin to trying to tag mist. Even with her hooves joined in the storming hurricane of blows coming at Nuru, the elder zebra was able to bend and twist his body like a blade of grass against the wind, ever just a hairs’ breadth away from any blow landing.

Then in a single burst of motion Nuru went on the offensive, slipping right past Raindrops and Tendaji’s guard to land twin blows to each of their stomachs, which sent the pair skidding backwards a good twenty or so paces before both were left struggling to catch their breath as they panted and dripped sweat to the cold metal floor.

Nuru, still not having so much as a drop of sweat of his own on his brow, stood calmly on his hind legs and folded his forelegs behind his back, observing them both calmly.

“Are you two done?” he asked. “I’ve indulged your foalish need to assert yourselves, but I do not wish to keep injuring either of you. Tendaji, please just stop this foolishness and get in the pod. Aisha will understand.”

“If... if you believe that, then perhaps you do not know your daughter as well as you think, father,” Tendaji replied, wiping blood from his chin and adopting a fresh fighting stance, “She would not so readily accept what you are doing, and would only be insulted if her husband took a cowardly Path that was untrue to the one he was meant to follow. I desire to give her the family she richly deserves, but not by the unnatural means you propose.”

Nuru’s face grew harsh, his voice dropping an octave, “Then I will console myself with the knowledge that the harm I am about to do to you will be healed along with your disease, boy, once you’re hooked into the pod.”

He tensed, about to attack, but Raindrops had been taking the brief pause in the fight to think, and think fast and hard. Admittedly cleverness was not her strong suit. Trixie and Cheerilee were the planmakers. Yet she knew at this point there was no beating Nuru head on. They needed him to drop his guard, if only for a split second. Skilled as he was, he was still getting on in years, and one solid blow at a critical moment ought to put him down for the count. It was just a matter of actually hitting him.

I’m strong, but I’ve never been that fast. No way I’ll ever hit him as long as he’s a moving target. But... There's something else here. Something he values, and can’t move or dodge at all.

It’d be up to Tendaji to capitalize on what she was about to do, but she figured he was quick-witted enough to know the opening she was intending to make and to take action when the moment came. If not, well... no point worrying over the what ifs. Chances were if this didn’t work they’d both be unconscious and it wouldn’t matter.

Just before Nuru moved to strike, Raindrops turned around and flew into the air. She wasn’t running away, although it might appear that way at first glance. Indeed the mere fact that she appeared to be giving up and trying to flee gave Nuru a second of pause, just long enough for both him and Tendaji to see what Raindrops was really aiming for.

The healing pods.

Raindrops’ talents weren’t that varied, but smashing was indeed among her strongest points. And with wings beating like a tempest and her hooves cocked back, Raindrops did indeed smash into the first healing pod with all of her strength. While the unnatural metal of the pod did not yield to her, the much weaker housing and cables upon which the pod was mounted did, and in a shower of purple magic sparks the first pod went careening off of it’s mount and skidded across the ground.

“W-what are you doing!?” Nuru shouted, his calm finally broken.

“What does it look like?” Raindrops said, rising now high into the air, higher than Nuru could reach, as she aimed herself to dive bomb the next pod, “I’m breaking your stupid pods. Can’t force Tendaji into one if they’re all scrap, can you?”

Of course there were flaws in this apparent plan of hers. There were a lot of healing pods in here, and the chances she’d be able to trash all of them before Nuru would be able to stop her was honestly slim. Yet that wasn’t her actual objective. She didn’t need to smash all of the pods. Just enough to get Nuru to come at her, to be focused entirely on her and her alone, if only for an instant.

And, fueled by a moment of desperation, Nuru did exactly what Raindrops hoped for as she went into a full dive at the next pod. He leaped towards her. It was a damn good leap, too. The kind of flying kick that only a master could perform, and one that she couldn’t dodge.

But it did put Nuru into a committed attack, one wholly focused on her. Because for just that instant, he forgot he had another opponent.

Tendaji came flying at Nuru from the side, in an almost mirror image of the old zebra’s flying kick. And in mid-air there was no way for Nuru, master of martial arts or not, to adjust his course. Raindrops had ensured Nuru would be exactly in the right position for Tendaji to strike, and Tendaji put his all into the kick, pouring every ounce of speed and strength his youth and skill could muster.

Tendaji’s kick landed, hoof connecting with Nuru’s head in a knockout blow that actually made Raindrops nearly cringe from the sound of it. She sincerely hoped Tendaji hadn’t just killed the poor old guy, but trusted Tendaji knew what he was doing. Hopefully.

Nuru dropped from the air ungracefully, bouncing once or twice before coming to rest. Tendaji landed not far away, and instantly went to his father in law’s side, bending down to check on him. Raindrops landed as well, tentatively approaching, equally wary of Nuru still being conscious and ready to fight as she was of the uncomfortably possibility that she’d just helped kill the old zebra.

“Is he...?” she asked, and after a moment or two of checking Tendaji raised his head and looked at her with relief.

“He lives. I held back as much as I could, considering whom I was striking.”

“Thank goodness,” Raindrops heaved out a big sigh of relief herself, then sat down on her haunches and sucked in deep breaths, “And thank the Moon for that plan actually working! I was pretty sure we were getting our flanks kicked for a minute there!”

“We indeed were,” Tendaji agreed, slowly picking up Nuru and slinging the unconscious zebra onto his back, “Had he not been holding back for our sake, and been similarly distracted by your admittedly clever tactic, we’d have stood no chance.”

“Wait, you mean that entire few minutes of us being kicked around like rag dolls was him holding back?” Raindrops used a hoof to check to make sure none of her bones were broken, which she wouldn’t have been surprised to find considering how much she felt like a sandbag that’d been used as a practice target, “I’m going to go ahead and consider my luck for the rest of the year spent. Here’s hoping Corona decides to hold off on any invasion plans until then, because I don’t think I’ve got another near death experience in me until at least Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“You Equestrians are a peculiar bunch,” Tendaji replied simply, but there was an unsteadiness in his light tone as he looked back at Nuru, laying limp upon his back. Raindrops saw the pained contemplation running across Tendaji’s eyes.

“Were you... tempted to go along with his plan?” she asked, “Even for a second, there?”

Tendaji didn’t immediately answer, quiet and contemplative as they returned to the elevator platform that would take them back the way they had come. Once upon it and the platform was moving, Tednaji answered. “If only for a second. What my father in law offered was a shortcut, and one I believe some might call me foolish, perhaps even prideful, not to take. Yet I have learned time and again that on our Paths we each are tested, repeatedly. I can only hope this was another test passed, but I will never know with certainty until I reach the end. And you, Raindrops, I thank. Without having met you, I doubt I’d be anything other than an unconscious heap hooked up to one of those unnatural pods right now.”

She took a deep breath, and offered Tendaji a genuine smile, “Think nothing of it. I think, much as dealing with you has sometimes utterly baffled me, I’ve come out of all this feeling more sure of myself and my own ‘path’, if that’s what you want to call it. There was a lot about the future I was worried about before coming to the Contest. Now, weird as it may seem considering we’re still neck deep in an ancient flying death fortress... I feel like whatever is coming for me and my friends, I’ll be able to help see them through it.”

To this Tendaji just provided a fairly rare smile of his own and nodded in acknowledgement, although as the platform reached the level they’d originated from, he mentioned, “I do hope your friends have fared well in their own battles. If not, we must find a way to bind my father quickly so we may go assist.”

“Won’t hear any argument from me on that count,” Raindrops said as she and Tendaji started a quick trot back down the corridors they had come from, hoping that if any of her friends did need help that she and Tendaji would make it in time.

Trixie had made the unilateral decision that stairs were a menace and once she was in any kind of position of power in the Night Court she would be introducing legislation to ban the installing of any more than one hundred stairs in any given building. Fire escapes be damned. They could install slides or something. She’d heard rumors of some newfangled steam invention called an ‘escalator’, which she’d dismissed as pure fantasy hogwash, but at this juncture Trixie was planning to invest.

“Huff...how...much..mmmfff...longer can...uggggrrr...this cursed staircase...possibly last?”

She was a veritable pile of sweat and panting fur, and she was in no way about to concede that this had anything to do with anything other than the fact that the final apparent stretch between her and Rengoku’s command and control room was the world’s longest and most cruel flight of stairs. The stairs encircled the wall of the uppermost spire’s central shaft in one ongoing, seemingly endless corkscrew. The stairs were wide enough that near ten pony’s abreast could have galloped up them, but Trixie noted the distinct lack of safety rails along the side of the stairs and decided the ancient saurian race were just fundamentally screwed in the head to come up with this as a design. The only good thing was that long, vertical window openings along the inner wall let some breeze in, so Trixie’s profuse sweating was at least helping cool her off. Wasn’t doing much for the smell, but such was the price of heroics. Trixie had learned that being a hero was often sweaty, smelly, and generally unpleasant for all involved. Worth it, in so many ways, but she looked forward to the inevitable long bath once all of this was over and done with!

“I confess I find this unnecessarily long staircase to be an irritant as well,” admitted Dao Ming, who was much to Trixie’s chagrin, significantly less sweaty and having no apparent trouble breathing. “But it does appear to be nearing an end. Look.”

Trixie did, and saw that not much further above a sphere of metal hung down from the ceiling of Rengoku’s top spire, like some kind of metallic root bulb. Disturbing lines of violet energy coursed through the walls and the ceiling and went into that sphere, tracing over it in strange geometric patterns. The stairs continued up along the wall until they reached the same level as the sphere, then the stairs extended like a catwalk to what appeared to be some kind of open entryway. Given the sphere’s size, the chamber within had to be fairly large, around the size of Canterlot’s throne room, Trixie’s gauged.

“Thank the Moon,” she breathed, and composed herself, wiping sweat from her face and adjusting her hat before looking at Dao Ming, “Once we’re in do you want to take a prerequisite moment to give Tomoko a chance to surrender, or are we simply rushing in spells blazing?”

Dao Ming’s expression showed no hint of humor as she used her magic to meaningfully levitate the cervid blade she’d borrowed in lieu of her previously broken weapon. The broad cervid sword didn’t quite look right in Dao Ming’s grasp, but Trixie didn’t doubt the kirin mare could wield it with as much proficiency as any Shouma weapon.

“Tomoko would not have come this far were she not prepared to lose her life. She will not surrender, so there is no point in asking. When we face her, it will be to do battle. We’ve no reason not to seize the initiative.”

Despite her words, Trixie sensed the undercurrent of pain and hesitancy in Dao Ming’s voice, no matter how hard the kirin was trying to sound. Trixie didn’t necessarily blame her. If this had been one of her friends going rogue Trixie wasn’t so sure she could talk about any of them like an enemy with any level of conviction. She couldn’t fully imagine what Dao Ming must have been going through in that moment, but she did feel for the mare. Trixie was a lot of things, and sometimes being insensitive was among those things... but not this time. It was hard to convey comfort with a look, but she tried her best as she nodded to Dao Ming and said, “We’ll beat her, and if possible, take her alive. I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“I...” Dao Ming paused, then just faced forward and marched on, “Yes. Together, let us finish this, to whatever end.”

Upon crossing the threshold into the sphere shaped control center of Rengoku, Trixie noticed that at least the floor itself was flat metal, suggesting the lower half of the sphere was given over to whatever arcane machinery ran through the fortress. The rest of the chamber vibrated with the otherworldly energies that powered Rengoku, the walls so thick with conduits that it looked almost organic. Strange, cylindrical pillars rose in a wide circle around a central, pyramid shaped apparatus that pulsated with dark violet lights, itself formed of what looked like almost organic metal tubes that bunched together to form the tall mount. At the apex of the pyramid, which itself stood near twenty paces tall, was what Trixie could only think of as a black metal sarcophagus, slit down the center.

Awaiting them at the base of the pyramid was Abbess Serene. The aged mare looked upon them with calm, if tired eyes, and made no move to either attack or indicate an interest in running. Dao Ming’s eyes narrowed at the mare dangerously, but Trixie took the first step forward and, while she warmed up her horn with magic ready to cast, she figured she might as well try to act in an official capacity as both a knight and a Night Court Representative.

“Abbess Serene of the Order of Legends, I Dame Trixie, Knight of the Realm and duly appointed Representative of the Night Court of Princess Luna, do herby place you under arrest for... well, all of this!” she made a dramatic gesture at the fortress around her, then she cleared her throat and leveled her horn at the Abbess. “Are you going to come quietly?”

To Trixie's mild shock the Abbess merely nodded and approached slowly before sitting down on her haunches and saying, “I have no intention of fighting you personally, Dame Trixie, Lady Dao Ming. I am an old unicorn, with no skill in martial magic. The success or failure of my plan rests entirely on those I’ve entrusted to see it through. If you and yours win the day, I shall go to face judgment with neither regret nor intent to flee.”

“Well... that’s very reasonable of you, for an insane conspirator who’s put multiple realms in danger,” Trixie said bluntly, then Dao Ming moved to Serene’s side, eyes boiling with rancor.

“Tell me, former ‘Abbess’, what manner of madness did you infect Tomoko with to get her to go along with this?”

Serene’s eyes were as placid as her name as she gazed back into Dao Ming’s heated gaze. “It was not hard. The Order visited Shouma many times, and I on more than one occasion. I saw her chafing under Fu Ling, and the intensity of her love for you. From there, offering her a path to alleviate her troubles was a simple thing to do.”

“That is enough, Serene.”

A loud hiss of hydraulic steam issues forth from the sarcophagus, drawing Trixie and Dao Ming’s attention to it as the large metal obelisk opened along its seam. Trixie felt a stab of unease and a sickly cold feeling run down her neck as she saw Tomoko emerge from within, where she had been sitting upon a massive throne of cold steel. The kirin’s ruby fur was drenched with sweat, her black mane plastered across her face. There were twin snakes wrapped around her body, shimmering with ethereal spirit-light, one a bright blood red, the other shining white as pearl. Both rose and flicked tongues of flame from their mouths the same color as their scales. Black tubes ran from within the sarcophagus’ walls and bit into Tomoko’s flesh along her spine and sides, attached by dark metal claws, and pulsing of purple energy ran from the tubes and into her like heartbeats. Around her brow was a black circlet of metal that similarly glowed with an outline of purple energy, and her eyes glowed with the same light as she stood at the top of the pyramid, looking down upon them.

“If my sister has questions, I’ll answer them myself, assuming she wishes words before we draw blades.”

Serene nodded to Tomoko and stood aside, to which Trixie gave her a hard look.

“You know what? Old mare or not, I’d rather you take a nap for now until we get this sorted out,” she said, and tossed a quick dusting of sleeping magic from her horn and into Serene’s face. The mare almost looked... relieved to fall asleep, not even resisting as she slumped to the floor. Tomoko shook her head at the display.

“That was unnecessary. She had no intention of interfering in our fight.”

“Rather not take the chance,” Trixie replied simply, offering a somewhat cheeky smile, “Underestimating an elderly unicorn is a mistake too many make, in my experience.”

“Tomoko...” Dao Ming strode towards the pyramid, her sword at the ready, and several scrolls for spirit mantra already unfurling from the loose battle-ready dress she wore to float at her side. “I am not going to ask you to stand down. I merely want to know why? I still do not understand. I keep trying to think of what would make you do this, betraying the Empire, betraying our Empress.”

The spirit snakes around Tomoko gave viscous hisses and rose up in response to an ire that wrinkled Tomoko’s snout in distaste. “I do not view it as betrayal. No, my sister, this is me fulfilling my duty to my family, the Empire, and the only mare I shall ever acknowledge as being worthy of being Empress; you.”

“Me?” Dao Ming flattened her ears in puzzlement, blade lowering ever so slightly for a moment before swiftly rising again to point at Tomoko, “You speak nonsense. My mother is Empress. Even if she declares me heir, it will be years before-”

“The Empire does not have years!” Tomoko shouted, voice rising to a feverish pitch. She then let out a helpless laugh, taking a step down the pyramid. The tubes connected to her extended to follow as she moved further down the steps, looking at Dao Ming with a frazzled, exasperated smile. “You have been sheltered, Dao Ming. Kept endlessly training by your mother and Kenkuro. You do not know how many cracks there truly our in the Empire. Yes, you fought the Yellow Turban rebels, but did you ever wonder why they rebelled? Did it not occur to you how close their territory was to the Dark Lands?”

“I... yes, somewhat,” Dao Ming admitted, “I knew the farmers had low crop yields, and rising taxation rates from the noble families in the region resulted in dissent.”

“Dissent that spreads more than your mother would ever let you know, Dao Ming. Crops that fail because the Dark Lands’ corruption grows beyond its obvious borders. Oh it may take some time yet before it truly overruns even a fourth of the Empire’s current territory, but spread it will.” Tomoko was at the bottom of the pyramids’ steps now, but instead of walking along the floor the cables attached to her quivered and lifted her into the air, like a puppet on strings as she held her hooves out wide, “I know this because my family was long charged with combating the Dark Lands, even as it ate our territory into nothing! I was adopted into the Imperial Family as the last scion of a dead house, but I never forgot my duty. To end the Dark Lands and serve the Empire. And it has been agony for all these years seeing that self-absorbed bitch treat the Empire like a toy while treating her flesh and blood daughter like whipped dog!”

Dao Ming faced the acidic explosion of words with a clenched jaw and flashing eyes, but she let Tomoko rant, and when it was done she sucked in a deep, controlled breath and let it out slowly. “And you have stolen Rengoku from its imprisoned slumber to supposedly... heal the Dark Lands?”

“To cauterize the wound that Rengoku caused by it’s creation, which stole the very kami of the land and caused it to become the festering wound it is now,” Tomoko confirmed, voice growing more resolute with every word, “Destroying this fortress will release those same spirits, burn out the core of the corruption, and allow the land to begin to heal.”

“All while potentially unleashing enough energy to cause an entirely different natural catastrophe that could lead to the deaths of millions,” Dao Ming said, “A plan built on blind faith and desperation is not one to bet the lives of so many upon, Tomoko!”

“It will work,” Tomoko promised, “And one way or another, this incident will make it clear that the Empress is weak. If she does not abdicate now, she will be forced to sooner or later, and then you will take the throne as you are meant to.”

“What makes you think that I will?”

“Because you are you, Dao Ming. I know you. Have I not ever been by your side, as a supportive sister? I know that you will never turn your back on your people or your duty. When the Empress falls, you will rise in her place, for you will be compelled to fulfill the role. No other can do it as well as you can.”

Tomoko’s words were filled with an unrelenting faith and fervent hope that it surprised Trixie. This mare believed every single word she was saying as an absolute truth. There was no room for compromise. No room for surrendering. There was no talking this mare down. She was going to take Rengoku straight into Shouma, right into the Dark Lands, and blow it straight to Tartarus, likely with herself along with it, all because she had unbending belief that to do so would save her Empire and force Dao Ming into the role of Empress.

Dao Ming, for her part, briefly closed her eyes in a moment of pain before opening them, clear once again, “I do not know if I am the mare you believe me to be, Tomoko, but regardless you are right about one thing. I will never turn my back upon the people of Shouma, or my duty to the Empire. Which means...I must defeat you!”

“And with that, negotiations are over,” Trixie muttered as magical power poured of of both Dao Ming and Tomoko, the later flicking her hooves out and materializing slim, tanto-style blades.

Dao Ming flew at her sister in a straight gallop, chanting mantra under her breath that caused both of the scrolls in her magic grip to begin gleaming with elemental magic; one silver, the other fiery orange. From the silver scroll a ghostly tortoise appeared, Dao Ming’s words lending it a shining strength.

Guardian of the southern rivers, wisest of elders

Grant your mirror of inner depths to thy student

Protect us from all ignorance with reflected radiance

The ethereal silver turtle spun around her, leaving a mirror-sheen of reflective light that encased Dao Ming like a protective bubble, one that followed along with her movements as she leaped up into the air, bladed bared at Tomoko.

Tomoko’s body moved like an unnaturally swift puppet born on strings of wind, although the harsh cables in her body appeared to quiver like the spirit snakes wrapped around her torso. Kunai knives flickered out of nowhere in a carpet of stabbing blades, the kirin seemingly able to manifest the weapons from seemingly thin air. The small blades bounced off of Dao Ming’s protective shield, but in turn Dao Ming’s first swing of her sword went wide as Tomoko was taken upward by the cables, who then spun around and flashed down, striking with both tanto-blades in a cross slash that hammered Dao Ming’s shield from above.

Then the spirit snakes struck, red and pearl with flashing fangs that sunk into Dao Ming’s shield and started to sap its power, draining it so it flicked in a weak spurt.

Before the shield could vanish entirely, Dao Ming finished her other mantra chant, causing her second scroll to burst into flames and unleash a swarm of fluttering butterflies whose bodies and wings were made of raw flame. Tomoko jerked back, tantos slashing at the butterflies, cutting many in half, while her spirit snakes remained extended in order to continue draining Dao Ming’s shield.

As this had all been happening, Trixie, being Trixie, had opted to circle back and keep a distance from the fight. She wove invisibility around herself and carefully erased her audio cues as well as she slapped magic sight over her eyes to examine the chamber in more detail. She trusted Dao Ming to do the heavy lifting in keeping her mentally unstable death ninja sister busy for a bit while Trixie looked for a way to hamper Tomoko’s connection to Rengoku.

She almost immediately regretted opting to use her magic sight spell in this room, as her sight was flooded with a blinding array of various magical auras. The whole chamber was filled with throbbing rivers of power, all being directed to and from like the world’s largest series of fast water rapids, if all of it was glowing as bright as the sun. Making heads or tails of any of it was a difficult task, but Trixie’s intuition was potent and she quickly realized a few key factors, even at first glance.

One, Tomoko’s attention wasn’t entirely on the fight. Trixie saw conduits of magic running from that circlet on Tomoko’s head that went right into the throne, and then in turn spread out to the six cylinders built around the pyramid that the throne/sarcophagus was mounted upon. Clearly the mare was still busy having to control Rengoku’s various functions, most importantly operating the weapon systems to keep Corona and Luna at bay. Trixie guessed, based on the differing colors and configurations of magic in each of the cylinders that they were sub-systems meant to help direct different parts of the fortress.

Where’s Raindrops when you need her? I could definitely use my smashing mare right now, Trixie thought, not pausing to question the particular possessive use of mental wordage she’d used, as she was too busy trying to figure out how to not die in the next ten minutes or so.

Since she knew she didn’t have the strength or magical firepower to break those big sturdy cylinders, she figured she’d take a closer look at the throne. Perhaps she might yank a few of those cables out?

She took no more than three paces towards the throne before a strong female voice shouted at her, ”Look out! Kunai on your left, about to explode!”

“Huh?” Trixie looked down to her left, just in time to note that one of the many kunai knives that Tomoko had throne at Dao Ming were embedded in the floor next to her, and apparently reacting to Trixie’s proximity the kunai was now glowing an every brighter red and filling the air with an intense throbbing noise.

Trixie threw herself to the side just in time to avoid the kunai bursting into a ball of red flame, hot enough to burn some fur, but fortunately the warning had come fast enough to let Trixie avoid the worst of it. She landed with some grace and managed to pat the fire out from her tail. However her invisibility dropped, and she heard Tomoko laugh amid her duel with Dao Ming.

“Do watch your step, Dame Lulamoon. As a shinobi I know something about counter-stealth tactics.”

“Good for you!” Trixie shouted irritably, readying another spell to cloak herself once more, but paused as she wondered just who had given her that warning. Her eyes scanned about, but saw no other creature in the chamber.

Dao Ming was chasing Tomoko’s darting form, making prodigious leaps to try and cut off the other kirin’s path of retreat as she flipped through the air and swung down with her sword. Tomoko was all but a crimson shadow, the tubes buried into her flesh jerking about as she danced with fluid speed, her shorter tanto blades parrying Dao Ming’s sword in a song of screaming steel. In a flicker of hoof motion Tomoko cast out a set kunai that burst into flame mid-air, forcing Dao Ming to roll back away from them as the weapons impacted on the ground and exploded much like the one Trixie had stumbled near.

Then Tomoko demonstrated she had more than her shinobi skills to rely upon, as with another gesture the very floors and walls of the chamber started to shift and move. To Trixie’s surprise, smaller versions of the spear-like magical bolt launchers mounted outside the fortress now emerged from hatches along the walls. From the ground rose six metallic, jointed appendages that were tipped with pincer blades that sparked with arcs of purple energy.

Rapid expletives in Neigh Orleans flowed free from Trixie’s lips as she proceeded to make full use of her now extensive experience in the field of avoiding death as the chamber was filled with blasting bolts of violet energy from the wall mounted cannons. Her horn went into overdrive as she pulled what little magical stamina she had to spare up from within herself to weave illusions. Copies of Trixie started appearing in poofs of blue smoke and running every which way, thankfully confusing whatever targeting the wall cannons had.

Not that she still didn’t have to duck, dodge, and leap out of harm’s way a fair amount herself. The illusion copies could only do so much, and they started dropping swiftly under the assault. She felt more than one or two close calls, streaks of purple energy singing her fur from the near misses. She’d managed to work her way around to the other side of the chamber, and took partial cover behind one of the metal cylinders rising from the floor where she used a spare second to wave invisibility around herself again.

Dao Ming, at least, was faring comparatively well, at least for now. The energy bolts were mostly focused on Trixie’s illusions, so Dao Ming still just has Tomoko, and the newly summoned mechanical arms to deal with. The large pincer blades on the arms spun and crackled as the arms themselves extended unnaturally and kept bending at additional joints to rush in and stab at Dao Ming. She was able to move with expert grace and side step or flip away from many attacks, although she had to use her sword to block one that she just couldn’t dodge in time. The pincer blades snapped around Dao Ming’s cervid-forged broadsword and jolts of electricity rushed through the sword. Fortunately since Dao Ming was using her magic to wield it, she was still safe, but with her sword now caught, Tomoko rushed in from behind, leaping into a spinning dual blade strike at Dao Ming’s back.

However Trixie had perfect line of sight, and while she was no specialist in evocation, she had plenty of ways to make somepony have a bad day with illusions alone, even with her magical reserves low. A quick spell and she sent out a swift bead of light that flew right in front of Tomoko and burst in a flare of bright light. This blinded the shinobi, making her attack fall just short as Dao Ming, alerted to the attack, jumped aside and launched an unarmed kick at Tomoko’s side, which connected.

Tomoko fell back, but didn’t actually drop as the tubes connected to her lifted her upward and away from the blow. She shook her head and blinked her eyes clear and gave a dry chuckle. “Good as ever, Dao Ming. And I suppose I shouldn’t underestimate one of Equestria’s champions, even if she seems capable of little else than parlor tricks. I can’t afford to kill you Dao Ming, and wouldn’t even if I could, but honestly the Equestrian’s life is forfeit at this point. So I think I’ll stop holding back the wealth of Rengoku’s power now...”

Again, Trixie heard that voice from nearby. For a second she thought she saw a phantom of a ghostly kirin’s image appear above the central control throne, but it vanished just as fast, even as the voice lingered.

”She’s losing herself to the fortress, just as I did, bit by bit. You have to destroy the connections to the throne.

“How!?” Trixie whispered, trying not to give away her position. Even if she got up onto the throne itself, it wasn’t like she had a way to cut those tubes or yank them out. She wasn’t exactly Miss Physical Destruction.

”My descendant's power is enough, if she summons it fully once more. You faced it once, the summoning of Raijin. That spirit can overwhelm the throne, if not outright destroy it. You must buy my descendant an opening, blood of Equestria. There is no other way.”

As if Tomoko could hear the phantom words, she spun around and rose on quivering tubes to peer at the throne, then she laughed again, “You again, Ying Shen!? Can you not accept Rengoku is no longer yours to command? Cease your whispers, ghost, and leave this matter to the living to settle!”

Another gesture from Tomoko caused the throne and the entire pyramid shaped mass of quasi-organic metal tubes and pipes making up the pyramid to suddenly become wreathed in a swirling mass of raw purple energy that pulsated up from below. Trixie heard the voice of whom she assumed was the Warlord cry out in pain and fade away. What Tomoko had done was no clear, but it apparently had been a hefty rebuke against the Warlord’s spirit.

“There, that ought to keep her out of the command system for a time. Now then, back to our business.”

The same flowing pulses of violet colored power were moving through the tubes connecting Tomoko to the throne and entering her body, causing both her and the twin snake spirits attached to her to become enwrapped in auras of magic and to sport vines that gleamed brightly beneath the skin. The snake spirits grew longer and shot out like whips, targeting Trixie, despite her invisibility. Too late did Trixie realize these things, like real snakes, probably had some ability to sense heat from her body.

Reflexively she cast out a conical blast of prismatic colors from her horn, trying to confuse the snake spirits as they snapped glowing fangs at her. She ducked one, which snatched her precious magician's hat off of her head, while she felt the other brush just past her right hindleg in a near miss. However the snake that missed her leg, the red one, still reacted quickly and coiled around that very leg it missed, and before Trixie knew it she was being hauled into the air and hurled around like a toy figurine, thrown right towards the wall.

She felt an impact, but not against the wall. Dao Ming had jumped up to catch her, rolling in mid-air to take the brunt of the fall as she and Trixie landed. Both mares barely got to their hooves as Tomoko gestured to the mechanical pincer arms and arcs of purple lighting erupted upwards along their lengths. Then the arms stabbed into the ground and sent currents of that lightning charging through the floor at Dao Ming and Trixie!

One of the metal cylinders was nearby, and Trixie saw little option but to avoid the lightning arcs by diving behind it and hoping the cylinder would absorb the blow. Dao Ming appeared to have the same idea as she joined Trixie in her leap, while whipping out a scroll and chanting a swift mantra that Trixie didn’t catch the words of, especially given how fast Dao Ming belted it out. The moment she did, the kanji upon the scroll flew out in a circle around them and imprinted on the ground in bold, glowing yellow lettering. A pillar of stone emerged up from beneath them, raising them above the floor just as the lighting arcs struck the metal cylinder and curved around it.

Now Dao Ming and Trixie were on the same height as the top of the cylinder, and could see Tomoko as the mare extended her tanto blades to either side. The purple colored magic drawn from Rengoku that throbbed around Tomoko then entered the blades and grew sheathes of corrupt looking dark crystal, extending the weapons to the size of viscous looking katana. Her snake spirits hissed and shinobi rushed them with the speed of a hurricane, not giving either Trixie or Dao Ming a moment to breathe.

“Oh, screw this!” Trixie said, grabbing Dao Ming and sparking her horn with all the focus she could muster. She was running out of magical energy rather fast, and it was getting more and more clear Tomoko was drawing enough power from Rengoku that this wasn’t going to go her and Dao Ming’s way as long as they kept trying to fight her openly or wear her down via attrition.

Ying Shen, the Warlord, was probably right. They had to take that throne out, otherwise this was just not going to end well.

She hated teleporting. The damned spell was every which way of trouble for her. This time was no different, despite the fact that she was just hopping herself and Dao Ming to the other side of the chamber, to a spot Trixie had direct line of sight to. Even then, the scramble of her senses in that moment of mind popping translocation made her want to dry heave the second she and Dao Ming stumbled back into being on the complete opposite end of the room, just as Tomoko sliced apart the rock pillar she and Dao Ming had just been on.

“Dao Ming, need to use that big spell of yours. Fry the throne!” Trixie gasped between trying not to collapse from dizziness and nausea.

“I know,” growled the kirin, “I heard the Warlord too. But Tomoko is too swift. I don’t have time to make such a chant. I don’t even know if I can control Raijin.”

“Don’t need to control him! Just summon the damned spirit and point him at the throne!”

“I can hear you both, you know?” Tomoko said, wheeling abut on the pulsations of the tubes in her body, flying around like a crazed puppet on a crane as she came flying at them again, “And Dao Ming is right. I’ll not grant you time to summon anything as powerful as Raijin! Surrender while you still draw breath to do so!”

This time the wall mounted cannons joined in, sending out a burning barrage of shots that forced Trixie and Dao Ming to leap apart in opposite directions, both galloping away to stay ahead of the deadly bolts of energy raining down around them. Tomoko ignored Trixie and pursued Dao Ming, her snake spirits striking ahead of her to try and snatch the kirin’s limbs. Dao Ming jumped left and right, staying one step ahead of the snake’s venomous bites. She then used one of the other metal cylinders to leap up and spring off to come flying right back at Tomoko. At the same time she used her magical telekinesis, horns burning gold with arcane power, to yank the cervid blade still held by one of the pincer arms and send the weapon flying to her side.

She and Tomoko crossed paths in the air, cervid broad sword and corrupt dark crystal katana striking in gleaming arcs.

Dao Ming landed, but stumbled as a deep cut bloomed across her right shoulder and leg, blood staining the ground. Tomoko turned, not looking pleased at Dao Ming’s injury but resolved to continue the attack, but paused as she heard a snapping sound as the katana of crystal bound to her left hoof suddenly fell in half.

“Borrowing power from this place has made you feel strong, but your skills were never in battle, sister.” Dao Ming said, gritting her teeth past the pain of her sound and spinning about to face Tomoko, “Even if you wear me down, I’ll continue fighting until my last breath, and then where will your grand plans for my ascension to the Imperial throne be?”

Tomoko threw aside her broken blade and readjusted her grip on the single one. Unlike Dao Ming, Tomoko seemed focused on using her hooves over magic to control her weapon, which made it easier for her to control other things with her magic. This time she yanked the mechanical pincer arms out of the floor with raw force, her own horns burning red and purple with magic as she turned the six arms towards Dao Ming like floating spears.

“If I bleed you enough to pass out, the medical facilities in this fortress will keep you alive. Now cease grandstanding! I can tell you’re running out of breath and magic both, and that foppish Equestrian so-called ‘knight’ is practically dead on her hooves already! I’m winning, Dao Ming. For your sake, and the Empire’s, I will win!”

The pincer arms stabbed down like a bunch of hungry visitors at a pasta restaurant trying to fork up plates of noodles. Dao Ming ducked and bobbed between the strikes, and retaliated by sending her sword flying towards Tomoko. The mare parried several blows from the broadsword with her remaining crystal katana, still maintaining focus on the pincer arms she was controlling to try and box in Dao Ming with an attack that spun the six arms around and tried to use them like bludgeons in fast tandem.

Amidst it all, Tomoko had lost track of Trixie, assuming the wall cannons, which were still firing, were accounting for the unicorn.

Something of a tactical error, on her part.

Abruptly sound cut out in the entire chamber. This broke Tomoko’s concentration, the sudden and utter silence, and she was forced to back off of Dao Ming’s sword lest it impale her in a moment of confusion. Dao Ming, admittedly, was equally confused by the sudden lack of sound, but was faster than Tomoko on the uptake and quickly ducked back behind one of the metal cylinders to avoid the bludgeon pincer arms.

At the same time a thick fog suddenly billowed up from the ground and filled the chamber like smoke. Tomoko’s view of everything was entirely obscured, and she let out an annoyed “Tch!” at the realization that both the appearance of the fog and the mystical lack of noise had to have been Trixie’s doing.

“Childish. The same trick you used on Dao Ming at the Grand Melee won’t work on me.”

She was shinobi, and she had to admit to herself in the pulse pounding infusion of power from Rengoku’s magic and throne, she’d forgotten her basics. Perhaps she’d been too dismissive of Trixie Lulamoon, whose illusions were akin to the arts of shinobi. It was a brand of magic unlike the spirit mantra, with more closer application to the Equestrian unicorn’s school of illusion, but mixed with conjuring and transmutation.

She dismissed the dark crystal around her remaining tanto that had turned it into a katana, and held it in an inverted grip as she lit up her horns and proceeded to call forth shinobi magic. First it conjured kunai. The manner in which she could summon so many was not because she had so many hidden on her, but conjuration magic. In swift arcing throws she started filling the chamber floor with more kunai infused with explosive magic. Then she wove a combination of transmutation and conjuration around herself to blend in with the environment. It wasn’t invisibility, but rather a more active type of magical camouflage that let a shinobi become one with shadow, stone, wood, or even fog.

The tubes in her body couldn’t fully transmute, but Tomoko figured they blended well enough on their own. She lowered herself to the ground and began to stalk the chamber, attuning her senses to smell more than sight or sound, which Trixie had robbed from her. Trixie and Dao Ming could not hide forever, and any motion might trigger one of the explosive kunai. One way or another, this battle would soon be done!

She didn’t hear the kunai explode, but felt the pressure wave of it on her left. She turned and flung more kunai in that direction, seeing fog billow from their passage. Moving that direction, she found... a cape!? Trixie’s cape, torn to shreds by an exploded kunai, but no sign of the blasted pony!

There was motion behind her and Tomoko spun to face Dao Ming coming at her out of the fog. Blended as she was with the fog, Tomoko was still partially visible because of the tubes and the fact that her motions caused some small stirrings in the fog itself. Because Trixie had baited her over with the cape, Dao Ming had known where to go, and what to look for. Dao Ming’s sword came slicing down in a wreath of light blue magic, and Tomoko parried the blow quickly with her tanto.

On reflex Tomoko counter attacked, driving her tanto forward, and felt a moment of excitement at Dao Ming’s awkward parry! Her sister must finally have started to get tired and be worn down by the fight! Tomoko’s snake spirits struck next, one binding the cervid broad sword and yanking it to the side, while the other bit at Dao Ming’s legs, forcing her to jump back and nearly fall. Tomoko took advantage of the off balance Dao Ming, stabbing down with her tanto and impaling Dao Ming’s left foreleg. Even in the silence, she saw Dao Ming open her mouth in a shout of pain, and the blue magic faded from the broadsword that had still been struggling in the pearl snake spirit’s grip...

...wait a moment. Blue magic? Dao Ming’s magical field was golden, was it not?

In a puff of blue smoke, the illusion around “Dao Ming” faded, and Trixie Lulamoon was now in front of Tomoko. Her leg was still stabbed through by the tanto, but that hardly mattered to Tomoko. Where was Dao-

“-Ming!?”

Tomoko blinked in surprise at sound returned during her own unintentional shouting. The fog faded as well, Trixie no longer able to maintain that spell either as a result of both magical exhaustion and the overwhelming pain of having her foreleg so badly injured. Yet despite that the magician still had the temerity of mind to start scrambling away from Tomoko as best she could, biting back both tears and a cry of pain from the agony shooting up her stabbed limb.

Tomoko may have thought to attack the fleeing mare, but her attention was already being drawn elsewhere, back towards the entrance area of the control chamber. At that point, Dao Ming’s rising voice could be heard like a building echo of thunder, as she’d been performing the extensive spirit mantra chant to summon forth Raijin whilst Trixie had been providing a distraction for Tomoko.

The entire plan had been conceived and executed in a manner that would have only been possible due to the two mares reaching a level of trust in one another. Dao Ming had surmised the moment the room had gone silent and filled with fog that Trixie had a specific plan in mind, and had quickly sought her out, trusting it when she’d felt a magical tug of telekinesis direct her to a hidden spot behind one of the room’s metal cylinders. There, Trixie had left a small space open to sound where she had rapidly explained the bait and switch plan, to which Dao Ming immediately recognized as their best chance to win.

So it was that Trixie had taken Dao Ming’s form and went about drawing Tomoko’s attention, while Dao Ming got in position elsewhere to begin the long chant to bring forth the spirit that had the potential to end this battle.

Of course things could still go wrong. Even with Raijin’s chant nearly completed, there was the small matter of directing the incredible might of a spirit whose wrath and pride had nearly lain Dao Ming low during the Grand Melee. Even now as the last words of the mantra left her lips, Dao Ming could feel her whole body ablaze with the furious surge of storm-born power as the scroll she used for the chant evaporated into ash. Bolts of lightning hammered around her body and coursed over her jade fur and crackled through her golden mane, lighting her eyes up blue as Raijin’s spirit manifested. She felt his voice booming in her mind like a hundred mountainous drums.

”Be thee beyond foolish, mortal, to dare summon me twice!? Shall I render your body to charred flesh for this arrogance here and now, or take my time teaching you humility when calling upon forces beyond you?

The spirit’s anger boiled in Dao Ming’s blood and she could feel herself almost begin to cook from the inside out, but she bowed her head deeply, casting aside all pride to implore with all the conviction that had bloomed in her soul since the beginning of the Contest of Champions and the lessons of humility, duty, and indeed friendship that had been planted by her experiences. At that moment she truly did not even mind if the price was her life, Tomoko had to be stopped. Rengoku had to be stopped.

“Please, great Raijin, I know not what worth my life my have, but I’d give it freely to whatever punishment you deem fit, just so long as you look upon where we are and judge for yourself whether or not in this moment your wrath is worthy to be spent upon this battle! Burn me to cinders if you must, but I beg you, use me as a channel to bring forth your spear of heavenly might and cast down this unnatural fortress!”

Tomoko, knowing full well the power of the spirit that Dao Ming had summoned, rose up on the living tubes hooked to her body and flew up to the apex of the mechanical pyramid mound where the sarcophagus throne awaited. She stood before that throne and drew forth pulsations of dark, churning power from the whole of Rengoku. Streams of darkly purple energies poured through the room’s conduits and pipes, pooling into the throne and Tomoko as her own eyes lit up, the pearl and crimson spirit snakes around her similarly becoming pure incandescent violet as they filled with power.

“Do not test me, Dao Ming! To conquer Raijin himself, I’ll use as much power as Rengoku has to give, and I don’t know what will happen to you if I must do that!”

The lightning that coursed through Dao Ming sparked brighter and burst upwards, swirling around to begin taking a more distinct shape. In an earth shaking charge of electricity, a being of living storm took form. It looked as if one had taken a kirin and emphasized all of its draconic aspects to a primal level, stretching out the body in a serpentine manner, enlarged the horns to ludicrous levels, and given claws in place of hooves upon its majestic body. A long, thin mustache and crackling mane, all made of pure lighting, graced an otherwise half-equine, half-draconic face that sneered at Tomoko, or rather at Rengoku in sickened recognition.

His voice no longer in Dao Ming’s mind, Raijin’s roar boomed as the breaking of a hurricane. “I know this tainted construct! Lucky you are this day, mortal Dao Ming, for you’ve found the one thing that makes me more irate than even your former arrogance! It will bring me great pleasure to strike a blow to the heart of this tainted place, and as a reward I shall not smite you along with it for the act of summoning me. Heh, this idiot in front of me, however gets the rare honor of feeling but a taste of Raijin’s fury!”

Not entirely unlike what had occurred at the Grand Melee, Dao Ming herself had little to no control over what was happening. Her body was but a conduit through which one of the mightiest spirits of Shouma could channel forth his power upon the mortal plane. The only difference was that this time he was at least somewhat protecting her from the worst of the backlash as he brought forth his vast magic.

The primal kirin spirit of lightning reared up and raised a clawed hoof above him. Flashing bolts of lightning flew from across his back and tail and gathered in his hoof until they formed a gigantic naginata spear, it’s broad curved blade shaped like a dragon’s head, and the whole weapon forged of solid azure electricity.

At the same time, Tomoko, eyes wild with her own convictions and unwillingness to back down, set her horns ablaze with violet flames of the raw magic drawn from Rengoku. At her sides the two spirit snakes opened their fanged maws, from which pooled gathering spheres of Rengoku’s magic as well. The room howled with the clash of magical energies present, while Trixie threw herself into cover as far from the center of the show as she could, throwing up a small magical shield around herself with the last trickling bits of magic she had left.

The two unleashed their magic simultaneously. From Tomoko’s lowered horns and the mouths of her snake spirits, a wide beam of condensed energies of raw power and flame exploded forth in a tide of deathly purple light. From Raijin he cast forth his brilliant blue spear of divine lightning, which then transformed into an avalanche of flashing white and sapphire power akin to the collective bolts of a thousand storms. For a moment there was nothing that could be seen or heard over the sense wiping roar of sound and clashing of searing lights, rocking and shaking not only Rengoku’s control chamber, but much of the entire fortress.

Even outside the fortress, Princess Luna and Corona both paused in their long focused spells to hold Rengoku in place while still avoiding its aerial defenses. The weapons of Rengoku had gone silent as the whole fortress shook and surged with uneven arcs of power, and both alicorns sensed the immense magic flaring at the very top of the central tower.

Then they saw light surge out from one end in a rending flash of storm power as the trace ends of a massive lightning bolt blasted a hole through one side of the tower.

Inside the control chamber the air smelled of sulfur and ozone, traces of electricity faintly crackling here and there amid smoke and dust kicked up by the clash of the powerful magical attacks. Trixie coughed at the smoke, dispelling her shield, which thankfully held, and cradled her bleeding leg as she painfully got up and looked around.

“Um... Dao Ming? You alive?”

By now she could see that the center of the chamber had a long, blackened mark of partially melted metal from where the immense magical energies had clashed to the point of warping the floor and ceiling. That trail led right up to the pyramid of conduits where the sarcophagus-like throne had been. “Been” being the operative term. The top portion of the pyramid had been torn free and rendered into twisted pieces of metal that were scattered across the back half of the chamber, including the smoking, barely intact remains of Rengoku’s throne that sat smolder near the wall. A wall that had a large, roughly twenty pace wide hole blown clear through it... and presumably several more walls besides that, if the sunlight trickling through was any indication.

Trixie stared at that for a second. She saw no immediate sign of Tomoko anywhere. Had the kirin been unfortunate enough to just be entirely vaporized by the blast? Trixie gulped, recalling vividly at having had Raijin’s power pointed at herself and her friends during the Grand Melee. Hearing a sputtering cough from the vicinity of the chamber entrance, Trixie moved in that direction as quickly as her injuries would allow her. She saw Dao Ming slowly rising from having collapsed after the summoning of Raijin. A few traces of electrical energy still played in the air and sparked upon Dao Ming’s sweat soaked body.

Upon seeing Trixie, the kirin’s eyes briefly lit up, despite the clear exhaustion in them. “I see you survived, Dame Lulamoon.”

“I think we’re at just the ‘Trixie’ stage at this point, Dao Ming,” Trixie said, biting back a yelp of pain as the wound in her leg throbbed. Dao Ming’s eyes softened.

“I am sorry you had to play the decoy, Trixie. I would never have been able to finish the mantra to summon Raijin had Tomoko been able to focus upon finding me.”

“Oh, trust me, I know. Aaaaah, just, really wish I’d had enough spell energy left to at least hit myself with a pain numbing spell. Not that I know one, but believe me, I’m going to go learn one ASAP.”

Dao Ming tried to muster a smile, but it faded fast as her eyes fixed upon the ruined throne and she began a slow trot around the room, eyes searching. “Have you seen Tomoko? I... Raijin was beyond any ability I had to control, let alone hold back. This was the full measure of his power. She...”

Trixie couldn’t really imagine what might be going through Dao Ming’s mind, understanding fully that the situation had been more than a tad complicated and far from starkly black and white enough for Dao Ming to feel nothing over the prospect of having just killed her sister. Even if things had been black and white, with Tomoko being nothing more than a cackling nut case after something silly like world domination, Trixie wouldn’t expect Dao Ming to feel happy at this moment. Trixie wasn’t exactly thrilled over that outcome either, but compared to the alternatives of being killed herself, or letting Rengoku’s detonation potentially kill millions, well... Trixie could live with it, and if she had a bad night or two over the matter she had friends and alcohol to ease her mood and conscience with.

Her own ruminations over things, however, were soon interrupted as Dao Ming went around the other side of the partially destroyed pyramid and let out a gasp, quickly rushing out of sight. Trixie blinked, and with a pained roll of her eyes she began to hobble in the same direction, still cradling her leg.

“Yup, pain numbing spell, possibly also healing magic. Screw teleportation, medical spells are where it’s at. Owowow, why does being stabbed have to hurt so much? Oh wow, this is really a lot of blood. Am I supposed to be bleeding this much? Whew... my head is getting light, too. Not a great sign. Dao Ming, I don’t suppose you know any healing spells...oh.”

Around the corner, hidden from Trixie’s previous view of the room, Tomoko lay at the bottom of the opposite side of the pyramid. Guessing from the angle of the hole in the wall, Trixie guessed Tomoko had fallen back behind the pyramid just as her own beam of Rengoku’s magic had been overwhelmed by Rainjin’s lightning. She’d still clearly taken at least a partial blow from the passing wave of electricity, but not enough to outright destroy her body, as Trixie had initially feared.

The kirin shinobi still looked like she’d hugged a thunderstorm. One of her horns was shattered entirely, the left one, and that side of her body showed enough burn marks that even if healed she was never going to precisely be a ‘looker’ ever again. The cables and tubes that had kept her attached to the throne were torn free from her flesh and left in smoking pieces on the ground nearby. The spirit snakes that she had summoned lay in charred forms around her, their forms gradually dissipating into motes of light as Dao Ming knelt down next to Tomoko. Dao Ming checked Tomoko’s breathing, confirming the faint rise and fall of the other mare’s chest.

“She’s alive. Barely. I will need to summon a spirit of water to stabilize her. But how did she survive?”

”That was my doing.”

Both Dao Ming and Trixie looked up at the disembodied voice. Floating in the air, just above the ruined pyramid, was the ghostly blue form of the Warlord. Shen gazed down upon them with her the hood of the robes that had hidden her body now fully drawn back to reveal a kirin mare who had such a strong resemblance to Dao Ming it was a tad uncanny, if not for the fact that Shen’s features were now incredibly aged, as if her very skin was a translucent thing barely clinging to her phantom bones.

“Warlord...” Dao Ming breathed, then shook her head and bowed in apology, “No, Ying Shen. My ancestor. We owe you many thanks for your aid this day. Were it not for you, we could not have gained victory over my sister.”

Ying Shen’s smile was as faded as her ghostly form, her single breath of a laugh one of long wished for relief more than anything else.

”Thank me? You, who are descended from my blood, and you who are kin to my daughter’s closest friend? No, I owe both of you gratitude I can never truly express. Twelve hundred years my soul has dwelt here, tormented by my mistakes, unable to do anything but watch the world turn. Because of you, I finally was able to do something, however small, to atone for my grievous errors. To stop this fortress from corrupting another as it did me.”

“So you saved Tomoko? But how?” Trixie asked, “I thought you had no real power here, other than some minor control over a few of Rengoku’s systems.”

"Indeed, young Lulamoon. But even that small control was enough, especially when Tomoko was directing all of her focus on trying to overcome Raijin’s might. A foolish act, as she should have known that Rengoku can only project so much power through a newly minted Warlord. Had it been I, during the height of my own folly, I may well have won. My daughter and her friends defeated me by severing my connection to the throne, which is exactly what I did to Tomoko when she was distracted. I took control over the connection cables and yanked her off the pyramid just in time. Then I disconnected her from the system the moment the throne was destroyed. Tomoko is free, and even if she dies, her soul will not be claimed by the fortress as mine was. She has not been connected to the fortress long enough for that, or for its influence to warp her mind even further.”

“Was it doing that already, even for such a short time spent connected to this cursed thing?” Dao Ming asked. “Could it do that even before she was connected?”

Ying Shen’s features took on a sympathetic cast, her voice gentle. ”The corruption would not have begun until she was in the throne, so her actions prior to that remained her own, my descendant. Yet the longer she stayed connected to Rengoku, the worse her mental state would become. I know from experience. I had no desire for world conquest when I first raised Rengoku. My only interest back then had been to unify Shouma. But Rengoku is a hungry beast, and desires to be used. Tomoko, for all of her and Abbess Serene’s noble goals, would have fallen in time to the fortress’ influence. By the time they would have arrived in the Dark Lands to destroy Rengoku, the fortress likely would have convinced Tomoko that its power would be better spent elsewhere... in conquest. That is the way of it. Why this fortress can never be used by any creature. One day it must be destroyed, but only by one who can do so without succumbing to it. That day is not today.”

Her spirit moved like a churning mist towards the remains of the pyramid that the throne had been mounted atop, sinking into the structure slowly. ”Even this damage Rengoku will recover from. It is nearly a living thing, rebuilding itself over time. With Tomoko no longer in command of the fortress, I can briefly wrest greater control and return Rengoku to the Isle of the Fallen.”

“So, it’s over then,” Trixie said, nearly collapsing then and there. She couldn’t even begin to guess at just how much sleep she was going to need to get over this set of events. Then her tired mind struck her with a thought, “Wait, my friends, do you know if they’re alright? They were in the middle of dealing with Tomoko’s crazy co-conspirators last I saw them.”

The phantom Warlord showed a bare smile as she nodded towards the entrance of the chamber. ”You may see for yourself, for they come swiftly, now that their own battles are ended.”

Trixie turned to see the relieving sight of her five friends charging into the room as if each was ready to throw themselves into another fight, despite each one looking nearly as exhausted and injured as she was.

“Trixie! We’re here to... help?” Raindrops’ declaration started strong, then trailed off to a faintly surprised end as she took note of the devastated chamber, an unconscious Tomoko and Serene, with Trixie standing beside Dao Ming. “Huh, you know a part of me feels like I shouldn’t be surprised at this.”

Cheerilee stifled a snicker and said, “Oh come on, you were freaking out the entire run up here.” She briefly mimicked Raindrop’s voice, “C’mon everypony, gallop faster, we have to save Trixie!”

“Okay first of all, I don’t sound anywhere near that gruff. Second, of course I was worried! No offense, Trixie, but a part of me felt sure that you and Dao Ming trying to take Tomoko alone was crazy... wait, oh crap, you’re leg!”

Trixie blanched as Raindrops was at her side in moments, fussing in worried flutters of her wings at Trixie’s leg injury. Which Trixie didn’t mind so much because it did hurt like crazy. “I-I’m fine. Well, not fine at all, I’m in quite a bit of agony, actually, but I don’t believe I’ll be bleeding out. Um, medical attention would not go unappreciated.”

“On it,” Carrot Top said as she trotted in with the rest of the mares, Ditzy pausing to glance between Serene and Tomoko.

“Should we be tying them up?”

“Did you happen to bring rope?” asked Cheerilee, and Ditzy blinked, then shook her head, to which Cheerilee added, “Then best we can do is drag them down to where we left Nuru with Frederick and Gwendolyn and hope these jerks stay in la-la land until we can get off this hulking deathtrap.”

Trixie was about to as Ying Shen how fast she could get Rengoku on the ground, by the Warlord’s spirit had already vanished. She wasn’t even sure if her friends had been capable of seeing the phantom for whatever brief moment she had been there. However, Trixie did feel a shift in Rengoku, a subtle change in the vibration of the floor. Ditzy and Raindrops, both pegasi, sensed even more as they looked at each other.

“I think the fortress is moving again,” Ditzy said, “But not out to sea anymore.”

“Yeah, feels like it’s heading back towards the island,” Raindrops confirmed.

“My ancestor’s spirit has regained some minor control of the fortress once more,” Dao Ming said, using soft and gentle magic to levitate Tomoko’s body and place her sister upon her back, “Ying Shen returns Rengoku to its resting place upon the Isle of the Fallen.”

Carrot Top glanced up from where she was taking her time inspecting Trixie’s leg injury and preparing bandages and salve from her bag of alchemist supplies to administer some basic first aid, “Can we trust her not to pull some kind of last second ‘inevitable betrayal’ crap on us?”

Dao Ming’s look was clear as glass but solid as stone, “We can trust her. Rengoku no longer holds her mind, even if it continues to be the prison of her spirit. Rest assured, knights of Equestria, we have won the day. It...” quite suddenly the young kirin looked ten times more drained than any of them, the weight of it all finally pressing in fully as she looked back at her defeated sister upon her back. “...it’s over.”

Those words proved true. There was some small discussion here and there, but by and large the tired and battered heroines slowly rejoined Frederick and Gwendolyn in the chambers below. Trixie's injured leg slowed her, but Carrot Top had done well in cleaning and dressing the wound, not to mention administering an anesthetic salve that reduced the severe pain to a slightly less severe ache that Trixie could manage grit her teeth through as she walked, with Raindrops' help to lean on. Once the whole group was together, the captured conspirators were as bound tightly as possible with Gwendolyn sacrificing some of her tunic to act as cloth straps, although few imagined that would hold the likes of Nuru or a trained shinobi like Tomoko for long, if they awoke before better restraints were prepared.

“Can’t believe that psycho Grimwald got away,” Raindrops grumbled as the group made its slow, injured procession down the last corridor towards the place they’d first entered the fortress interior from. They knew nothing about what the state of affairs outside were. Had the golem-like monsters created by Rengoku be rendered inert upon Tomoko’s defeat? What of the other champions?

“I can,” Ditzy said, laughing lightheartedly, “And he saved Andrea.”

“Yeah, great, good on him, sure that means he’s totally turned over a new leaf,” Raindrops said, not hiding the layer of sarcasm coating her voice, but Ditzy just kept smiling.

“Hey, I’m glad enough for it,” Lyra said, her own mood picking up, despite the leaden weariness dragging her hooves, “Not like those two will be able to do anything without Tomoko to run the show.”

“Either way, Andrea will forever remain a criminal and outcast in Elkheim from henceforth,” Frederick said, his own tone showing he took no pleasure from the fact, “If she does show her face in her homeland again, she can’t expect a warm reception.”

“As for Grimwald, I doubt he’ll be surfacing again anytime soon,” Gwendolyn said, “Slippery bastard always did have a habit of vanishing for long periods of time, even when we were still friends. Like Andrea, he’s going to be labeled a criminal back home, assuming home doesn’t erupt into war in the next couple of months. At the very least he’ll probably end up with a price on his head, not that I imagine he’d care. Sky’s blood, bastard will probably enjoy having bounty hunters coming after him.”

“Tendaji, you holding up okay back there?” Raindrops asked, looking over her shoulder back towards the zebra, who was carrying Nuru on his back. Tendaji’s eyes met hers unblinkingly, his voice still as an undisturbed pool.

“I am well enough. My father in law remains out, which is well. I do not look forward to discussing what will be done with him with Aisha or your Princess.”

“Yeah, we’ve got ourselves some interesting international overlap here,” Cheerilee noted, “No doubt they’re all criminals that could be, at the very least, charged with endangering lives, attempted murder, abduction, terrorism, conspiracy, treason, I could make a list longer than my tail. Question is who gets who?”

“Tomoko will be tried in the Empire,” Dao Ming said flatly in a voice that suggested she would accept no other result, “Her actions are an Imperial matter and will be dealt with accordingly.”

“A sentiment I share for my father in law,” Tendaji explained, “I will request to be allowed to take him back home to be tried under tribal law.”

“Hm, well I can’t say for sure how Princess Luna will respond to that, but at the very least I can promise I’ll give her my recommendation to allow it,” Trixie said, her mind so clogged with the siren call of needing a million years of sleep that she couldn’t really recall what laws applied in situations like this. “We’re in international waters, with the island being a neutral territory. But with all the national dignitaries here, there’s all sorts of potential for nasty jurisdictional tangles. Easiest fix is just to let each individual nation deal with its own and call it a day. I know I’m ready to do just that.”

“Hear hear,” Lyra said, wistfully looking ahead, “As soon as I see Bon Bon I’m going to curl up with her into a snoring pile of coma for the next week.”

“I second that,” Ditzy said, “Only I’m curling up with my Dinky for a looong nap.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Raindrops reminded them, “Still have to see what’s going on outside, clean up any possible remaining threats, oh and deal with freakin’ Corona, who might cause problems now that the big scary fortress is dealt with.”

“Nooooooo,” Ditzy said, “Stop reminding us of things and stuff, Raindrops. I wanna sleep!”

“Didn’t you get enough sleep from Grimwald’s freaky fae dagger?” asked Cheerilee and Ditzy shook her head.

“Doesn’t count. That thing gave me weird dreams.”

“Well whatever awaits us, we’re about to find out,” Trixie said, noting that up ahead light from outside filtered through the large doors they’d entered. They were still too far away to make out what lay beyond, but they’d be at the threshold in just a minute. A part of her dreaded every step, wondering what they might find. They had left the remaining champions locked in desperate battle against a veritable horde of deadly constructs, and things had looked a bit grim when Trixie and her allies had marched into Rengoku’s depths. She steeled herself for the worst as they finally trotted through the very same entrance they’d used to enter the fortress. What greeted her was a shout so loud and booming that she nearly leaped out of her own fur.

“The conquering champions return victorious! As I told you they would, dour Sigurd! Bwhahaha!”

Wodan’s voice was even louder in the confines of the short tunnel between fortress entrance and ramparts than it would have normally otherwise been, a practical peal of thunder in Trixie’s ears to match the shaking floor as the vast moose bounded their way. She stared at him, for he was a grotesque collection of such injury that it was scarcely possible to tell where rune carved flesh began and bleeding wound ended. Yet despite being coated in his own blood like an overly enthusiastic foal helping paint a barn, Wodan grinned upon them and stomped one of his mighty hooves in jubilation as he looked to Frederick.

“My Prince! Glad I am to see you and your fair mare alive and well! Does the fortress lay conquered?”

Beside Wodan, the far more subdued Sigurd approached, sporting no less injury than the moose warrior, yet still standing firm as his eyes traversed the group. The water deer’s gaze rested upon Ditzy Doo, and there was a visible draining of tension from him, and a phantom smile upon his lips as he looked sidelong at Wodan. “A foolish question. Had they not succeded I suspect we’d still lay neck deep in unnatural beasts of metal.”

Indeed, Trixie saw that a practical wall of shattered golem pieces was strewn in front of the archway that the champions who had remained behind had formed a defensive line around. Trixie couldn’t even begin to count how many golems must have been destroyed in what was likely a truly vicious and grueling melee. Yet despite all of the broken golems, she saw many and more that simply lay dormant, as if they had become mere puppets with their strings cut. No doubt when Tomoko had been defeated, or soon after when the Warlord had regained control of Rengoku, the golems still intact had ceased functioning.

As Trixie looked, she also took stock of the other champions. Siwatu and his deadly scorpion Sifu were resting against one another by the edge of the wall, the scorpion’s great stinger almost broken, and the zebra himself cradling a foreleg that was twisted at a poor angle. Steel Cage’s bare chest was marred by dozens of claw marks, his face bearing a distinctive cut across his muzzle that was likely to turn into an incredible scar. He carried the arms of a draconic golem in each hand like giant bludgeons, and the flattened remains of several golems in front of him spoke of the minotaur’s bloody prowess. His two fellow minotaur champions lay wounded not far off, their injuries being tended to by a conspicuously uninjured Gray Sight who used bandages of cloth torn from her own robes. Similarly numerous griffins were having their own injuries being looked after by their fellow countrybirds, the collection of griffin champions all sporting various degrees of injury, but not a one of them lacking new scars to boast of.

“Kenkuro?” Dao Ming asked, looking for the tengu, and Trixie noted the bird was nowhere to be seen. At least until he detached from where he’d been perched watching from the rampart wall just above their level and flew down in a smooth, dark glide.

The tengu bowed deeply to Dao Ming. He was ruffled, bearing a few cuts and scrapes, but otherwise was largely unharmed. His eyes swam with worry like disturbed pools and he noted the unconscious form of Tomoko tied to Dao Ming’s back.

“My lady, my heart’s clouds part to see you alive and well,” he said, a father’s pride in his voice even as he tried to maintain decorum, “I knew you could do it, Dao Ming.”

“Yes,” Dao Ming said, a sticking in her voice belying her own attempt to hold back her emotions as she smiled at Kenkuro, although the smile didn’t last long as she looked back upon Tomoko, “Would that it hadn’t come to battle, but she would not relent.”

There was a great deal of weight behind Kenkuro’s small nod, “Tien Zhu once said ‘None is fiercer than the heart that believes itself just’. I could have told you there would be no talking her down. Glad I am, regardless, that you captured her alive. To stain one’s blade with the blood of family is no light burden to bear.”

Dao Ming gave her own solemn nod at that, and then Kenkuro turned to Tendaji, the tengu's dark eyes alighting upon the still form of Nuru. A brief sadness shadowed Kenkuro, but his tone was light as he bowed to Tendaji, "I must commend you, young Tendaji. To have defeated one such as Nuru is not a small deed."

Tendaji's expression was as glass, both still yet transparent to the fact that within him there was still great pain over his father in law's actions, but he returned Kenkuro's bow. "A deed only achieved through Nuru's own self-doubt, and the fact that I did not face him alone, but with a strong and noble soul who shared my Path."

Raindrops coughed, looking vaguely embarrassed as Kenkuro bowed to her as well, showing his respect.

It was then that Cadenza appeared, looking as haggard and exhausted as the alicorn had ever appeared, but uninjured despite it all. Trixie noted that Shining Armor remained where she’d last seen him, although his grievous wound was now closed and she could tell he was breathing, if still unconscious himself. The ruler of Cavalia gave the entire group as quick once over, her eyes relieved, but also shrewd. “I’m glad you all made it out alive. I also note you have three of the five conspirators captured. What of the other two?”

“Indeed, I see neither our poor fool of a skald with you nor that feathered fiend, Grimwald,” Wodan said, the moose’s face adopting a grave glance towards Frederick, “Were they slain in battle?”

“Nay,” said Frederick, turning to bow his head to Lyra, then to Ditzy Doo, “It was a magnificent battle, by all accounts, led by these fine mares. Yet despite them emerging victors, Grimwald managed to give us all the slip, and in so doing also spirited away Andrea. Where they are now, I cannot say, but likely already far from here.”

Sigurd snorted, ignoring the blood that dribbled down his snout, “Andrea will find her name cursed in every corner of Elkheim before long. She’d do well not to show her face in our lands, lest she face the wrath of Elkheim justice.”

Wodan didn’t look all that pleased, but gave a grim sigh of his own, “Aye, that shall be the way of it. Would that I could understand the madness that took her upon this foul and foolish course.”

At that Lyra spoke up, “I think I... understood her, if just slightly. I’ll tell you all the tale, once we’re off this cursed floating deathtrap.”

“And a fine huzzah to that!” Wodan shouted with a grin, spirits returned.

Cadenza, still appearing pensive, gestured for all of them to join her further out on the ramparts. To Trixie and her friends she said, “A mess of this scale is going to take some time to wind down and work out just what must be done, but all of you have earned rest and accolades ten times over. Still, I must ask, why is the fortress still moving, if Tomoko no longer sits upon its throne?”

“You can thank Ying Shen for that,” Dao Ming said, to Cadenza’s somewhat bewildered look. The kirin elaborated, explaining the spirit of the Warlord’s condition, and that she had gained just enough control of Rengoku in Tomoko’s absence to move the flying citadel back to the Isle of the Fallen. Indeed Trixie could look over the rampart walls and see that the island was closing in, Rengoku moving to make a slow but steady landing back in it’s resting place upon the island’s northern shoreline.

She felt her legs give out from under her, the utter exhaustion of it all finally hitting her like a literal building falling upon her back. A strong, warm wing caught her and held her up, and she saw Raindrops at her left side, smiling gently.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

At the pegasus’ words, Trixie gulped and nodded, “Thanks. Um, yup, I’m good now. Just feeling... woozy.”

On her other side the rest of her dear friends stood, gazing over the ramparts as well to watch Rengoku finish it’s landing, while the many other champions that had had both fought against during the Contest and fought alongside to bring this crisis to an end all gathered to gaze out over the island where so much had occurred.

“It’s really over, isn't it?” said Ditzy Doo, half collapsing herself at this point, “We did it.”

“Chalk this one up as another win to go into the songbooks,” said Lyra, “Going to need a few weeks, or months for that matter, to digest it all before I start penning any ballads to go with this.”

“And, no offense to any of the excellent company we’ve met during this whole fiasco, but I am so ready to go home and get back to my farm.” said Carrot Top, although the way her eyes glanced towards a certain elk prince suggested there was a small bit of regret in her words as well.

“Well let’s not make any profound closing statements just yet, girls,” said Cheerilee, looking up into the sky rather than down at the island, “The fighting might be over, but there’s still a lot to be sorted out before we get to pass out in our own beds.”

Trixie looked up as well to where Cheerilee’s gaze had gone, and spotted what the schoolteacher had. Two alicorns, rapidly descending side by side towards where Rengoku was about to land. Trixie gulped, finding it utterly strange to see Luna and Corona flying side by side, and more than a tad wondering just how things were to play out now that indeed the battle was over.

What of the Contest of Champions? Did the conclusion of that competition even matter in light of this incident? And what was to become of the perpetrators they had captured? Indeed, with their very Abbess being revealed as the ringleader of the whole affair, what was to happen to the Order of Legends? And Rengoku itself? Could the barrier that once sealed it away be restored?

Many questions, and Trixie found that, at least for this moment, she could not have cared less of a whit about them. She just let herself relax, and unconsciously leaned into Raindrops, and closed her eyes, if only for a moment. It was a moment long enough for the thoroughly drained unicorn to fall asleep on her hooves, not even waking when Rengoku touched down once more upon the island that was to remain its final resting place.

Author's Note

Hard to believe it's been over a year since the last update, but at last we're here, near the end of it all. With this chapter written there only remains the epilogue, which will wind everything down and wrap things up with all of the characters and last plot threads. But the battles are over, and with any luck the epilogue itself won't take nearly as wrong to write as this rather sizeable chapter took. I do hope all of you folks enjoyed it, and look forward to the ending in full, which again hopefully won't be taking me a whole year to do.

Epilogue: No Such Thing as Endings

Epilogue: No Such Thing as Endings

Trixie awoke to the sweet smells of breakfast. Or supper. It was somewhat difficult to tell until she sufficiently got her wits together to throw off the covers of the bed she found herself in and actually sat up. It was her room among the shared quarters she and her friends had been given at the monastery. Moving to the window, she poked her head outside to feel a stiff morning breeze complemented by a sun sitting somewhere between the seven or eight o’clock range. Which meant it had been just about a full day of sleep for her. Not terribly surprising, given how utterly she’d drained herself, both physically and magically.

Trixie took a moment to just sit there on her haunches and let the strong winds coming in from the ocean cool her off and stir her mane. She felt every single ache on her body, and her left foreleg in particular throbbed with a steady heartbeat of pain that she knew would be months in the healing. Her leg was covered in a clean set of bandages, and given that she could put at least a little weight on it she wouldn’t have been shocked to learn some magic must have gone into helping the healing process along. Still, she’d best get used to hobbling about on three legs for a bit, given magic would only do so much to help with her recovery, and she didn’t want to make things worse.

Her eyes trailed across the island from this high vantage point of the window. The Contest grounds remained, still and silent now. The festival area that was not far from there was almost as quiet, but Trixie did spot various creatures moving about there, although it didn’t look like the previous crowds of guests but rather individuals from either the Order of Legends or the various delegations that were working on taking things down.

Guess that means the Contest of Champions has been put off or canceled entirely, Trixie thought, not entirely bothered by the fact. A prideful part of her had still wanted to finish things properly with Dao Ming in the Contest of Magic, and even if she and the gals didn’t win the whole shebang, Trixie at least wanted to see where they ended up placing.

But she could rather easily understand that given what had happened the other day that no one was in the mood to just go back to competing like it was nothing. It wasn’t exactly every day a bunch of crazy creatures tried to hijack an ancient flying death fortress from under the snouts of the majority of the world’s national leaders. Trixie could already imagine the way this story would spread all over every land, the rumor mill aggrandizing like mad. There would probably be dozens of variations of the tale by the years end, and Trixie both somewhat looked forward to and equally dreaded doing rumor control while still gladly accepting the accolades.

Her musings halted when she saw a golden glint in the air, and her face immediately went sour.

“How in the buck...?” she whispered, seeing Corona’s golden ark hanging in the sky. Hadn’t that stupid, gaudy thing been destroyed?

But of course it was Coronoa, here. The mad alicorn could probably reforge a dozen golden arks if she wanted, or had at least a few in some spare pocket. Trixie rubbed her forehead to forestall a headache, then looked about for her hat. To her surprise she found not just her hat, but her magician’s cape as well! Both hung from the posts of her bed, and she went up to them both and ran a fond hoof over the garments before putting them on. She knew her cape had been shredded during the fight with Tomoko, but she supposed if Corona could rebuild her ark in a day, then Luna could easily remake a cape. Or Cadenza, perhaps? One of the alicorns, probably.

“A champion must look her best, after all,” Trixie said, trying not to wince from the pain in her leg as she checked herself in the mirror briefly before heading out the door and into the hallway that would then lead into the main room of the shared quarters. This was where all the delicious smells were wafting in from, and Trixie was made quite aware of how hungry she was by a deep gurgle from her stomach.

“Hey! You’re awake!” cried Ditzy with a swift grin lighting up her grey features. She was sitting on the couch facing the hall that Trixie trotted out of, and waved with a merry wing while using her hooves to stuff her face with what appeared to be a set of fresh baked muffins taken from a tray of assorted sweets. Other foods ranging from bowls of salad, stout sandwiches, chips and nuts, along with no shortage of drinks, were piled up on the main table between chairs and couches within the living quarters.

All of Trixie’s friends were there, in various stages of ravenous eating. Upon Ditzy’s exclamation they all looked Trixie’s way, Cheerilee first besides Ditzy to speak after downing a deep quaff of what smelled like fruit punch.

“The sleeping beauty herself stirs! We were wondering how long you’d be out. Pay up Raindrops.”

“I’ll do it when we get home,” Raindrops said, waving off Cheerilee’s snicker as the pegasus rose from her seat and went to meet Trixie. Careful eyes roved over Trixie, leading to equal parts vaguely uncomfortable self awareness and a weird bit of pleasant warmth as Raindrops appeared to make sure Trixie was intact with no bits missing. “You look alright. You feeling alright?”

“About as alright as I can after I nearly died several times and was stabbed through the leg, but otherwise fairly chipper, if starving,” Trixie replied, making her way to the table and finding an empty chair to snuggle herself into before serving herself up a generous plate of breakfast. “Just how long was I in dreamland?”

“Long enough to cost me a few bits, but that hardly matters, I’m just glad to see you up,” Raindrops said, and across from her Lyra gave off a light chuckle.

“We’ve all been checking up on you, but I think Raindrops has done it the most. At any rate, you pretty much slept through all of yesterday after we got out of Rengoku. Luna said it was a combination of blood loss and draining your magic to the breaking point.”

Trixie lifted an apple to her mouth and bit into it with great relish, chewing it down and then rapidly devouring the rest of it before considering Lyra’s words. “I suppose I can add this to the growing list of reasons to continue developing my skills. I’d prefer not to have to make every misadventure such a close call with the grave. I’ve a great deal of growing old I mean to accomplish.”

“To life goals!” Carrot Top cheered, raising a glass, to which Trixie gladly did the same, the others joining in swiftly. The mares continued to share a meal and conversation, mostly bringing Trixie up to speed on the state of affairs on the island now that the excitement of Rengoku was over and done with.

The Contest was suspended, if not officially ended quite yet. The monks of the Order were scrambling to work out affairs with their now very much former Abbess, who was being kept under very close guard in her quarters. The other two prisoners, Nuru and Tomoko, were under similar heavy guard and from what Trixie’s friends had been able to glean from talk and rumor heard over the past day, the fates of those two would indeed be conducted by their individual nation’s laws and customs. What that might entail remained unknown, and Trixie’s interest in the matter was fairly small save for a consideration of how Dao Ming might be feeling at that moment.

“So are we just waiting to hear whether or not the Contest is called or if we’re finishing up?” she asked, and Carrot Top was first to answer.

“I talked about that with Frederick before we all went to bed last night. Seems the Order as a whole feels it’s up to us champions to decide what we want to do, and nocreature wanted to make any decisions until we’d had a sleep on it and not to mention had you awake.”

“Why me?” Trixie asked, and Cheerilee snickered, elbowing her lightly.

“You even have to ask? You’re the mare of the hour! Well, I mean we all are, but Dao Ming has been singing your praises up and down the halls all yesterday. Thought that kirin was going to bash in the door just to plant herself next to your bed until you awoke, if Princess Luna didn’t chase her out so you could rest. By now the tale has spread from champion to champion, not to mention most of the island, that you’re the one who led the charge into Rengoku. And to hear Dao Ming tell it, she’d never have beaten Tomoko if not for you. So we’re all big damn heroes, but you’re sort of sitting at the top of the praise pile. Hence why all the champions agreed we’d make no decisions about the Contest until you were up on your hooves and feeling better.”

Trixie was trying very hard, and failing, to keep an exceedingly pleased smile off of her face as she finished off a sandwich. She rather squirmed happily in her sweat, tail near to wagging, ears perked high under her hat, and she let out a perky neigh. “Oh, praising me are they? I’ll, um... have to humbly remind everypony that it was a group effort, but I’ll not say no to some proper adoration for my role in things. Heheheh.”

“Trixie, if you let that head get much larger, your hat will pop off,” Raindrops reminded her, and Trixie gave a loud cough and composed herself.

“No worries! No worries! I’m not about to become insufferable just because of a little, or a lot, of fame! I learned my lesson on that count! Still, it’s nice to know everycreature decided to wait for me before making any big decisions. Hm, I wonder if we should continue the Contest?”

“Honestly a part of me really just... kind of wants to go home now,” Ditzy said, shoulders and wings sagging slightly, “I mean I know everycreature came here for a contest and show, and for some champions to be crowned winners, but...”

“I get what you mean,” Lyra said, lazing back on her side of one of the couches, “Be weird to just get back to it after all of that crazy fortress business. And I am soooo ready for sleeping in my own bed, with my own Bon Bon.”

“Yeah, I don’t see a lot of reason not to just postpone this and do the Contest again another year when we don’t have a bunch of wackos mucking things up,” said Raindrops, “Who really cares who wins in the end, anyway?”

“I do, a bit,” said Trixie, mumbling, but she couldn’t deny her friends all had a point. It still left a bit of a bad taste in her mouth. Carrot Top leaned forward and then hopped off her couch, shaking her tail out with a stretch.

“How about we see what the others think first? Now that you’re awake, we can head on downstairs to the main hall. Most of the champions agreed to meet up there, and far as I know Princess Luna wanted to be told the moment you were awake, anyway. Setting aside time for you to eat and get cleaned up, of course.”

“That sounds fine to me. Where is the Princess, anyway?” asked Trixie, to which her friends all took on slightly nervous looks.

“Having a chat with her sister,” answered Cheerilee.

Even the golden deck of the magnificent, and freshly rebuilt, ark of Celestia seemed to quake a little under the combined presence of three alicorns.

From the doorway into the below chambers, Celestia’s servants were rather wisely keeping their distance from the “discussion”, which was much closer to an “argument”. Smoke quailed a bit with her head partially hidden behind one of Terrorwing’s protective wings, the dour and broad griffin making no hint his was actively shielding the young unicorn as he watched proceedings with a grim expression. Across the doorway, head poked out from the other side, Kindle watched with a perturbed scowl.

“This would be the perfect chance to cast down the pretender Queens,” Kindle said, and Terrowing scoffed.

“Be my guest. I’ll get a box for your ashes.”

“Please, Kindle, just stay calm,” begged Smoke, “L-let Celestia handle this.”

Not that any of them had much choice, and indeed it was a tad hard for them to hear themselves over the growing shouting match between Celestia and Luna, while Cadendza stood nearby with such a glower that it largely spoiled her otherwise feminine charms.

“You must beyond mad, Luna! You keep accusing me of insanity yet here you are defending the lives of such utter cretins! Each and every single one of them deserve nothing more than the swiftest and brutal of punishments for their transgressions, and to suggest they be allowed their lives is pure idiocy!”

Celestia was so bathed in flame it was hard to even see her white fur or ivory wings beneath the curling tongues of wrathful fire. Luna stood within that unbridled heat without flinching or showing a hint of discomfort, only a steadfast determination to face her sister’s fury with her own unflagging resolve. Her words were spoken in the same percussive volume as Celestia’s, but less the explosion of a thunderous rage and more the pointed lances of hardened determination.

“Even if these were citizens of Equestria, which I remind you that they are not, it is not, and never has been, our way to deal out death upon those who commit wrong. The Equestrian path is ever that of correction and reformation first, incarceration second, and death as an absolute last resort when no other means of halting another’s evil is possible. Nuru sought to cure his son in law of a deathly illness, while Tomoko’s ultimate goal was to heal a similarly ill land. Such motivations cannot be treated as rank evil, and it is likely they’ll face harsher judgments in their own lands than I would choose to deal out to them. As for Serene, she was misguided, but also desired to do some measure of good with Rengoku’s destruction, even if she failed to understand the price would be too high. I have spoken with the Order and she will be stripped of title and kept under permanent house arrest on this island, never to leave it again until her natural dying day. You will be satisfied with this, sister.”

“Oh shall I!? Perhaps my satisfaction will be better had by ending this farce myself and delivering the judgment that you clearly no longer have the will or clarity of thought to enact!”

The air between the two alicorn sisters grew ever more dense with scorching heat and the bristling boil of a storm ready to burst.

It was Cadenza who pricked the bubble of fury by approaching with wings spread and landing a hoof solidly upon the space of the deck right between the pair. It was not thunderous, but somehow pointedly loud enough to draw the eyes of Luna and Celestia both, and Cadenza met those gazes with her own mustered wall of calm and reason.

“Will you taint the victory won by mortal hooves this day by stripping it of that victory’s meaning?” she asked Celestia, “The reason all gathered upon this island was for a celebration of unity of purpose between vastly different cultures and species. To understand what draws us together while embracing that which makes us different. This too, with the ways in which those who have committed wrong are to be dealt with. It is not in the spirit of this place, or the momentous challenges our champions have risen to overcome, to take away the right for each nation to see to its own, within their own laws and customs. Or do you intend to spread Equestria’s dominion to every corner of the world, in the event you retake your throne? Is the world itself to bow to Celestia and Celestia alone?”

There was nearly an audible crack from the way Celestia’s jaw clenched, and curls of steam rose from her nostrils. Yet just enough light fell from her eyes that the pupils could now be seen, drilling hard into Cadenza with equal amounts surprise and careful measure. “You, like my sister, still think me a mad tyrant. I am not.” A pause, a shiver over her ivory features, voice lowering, “I am not. I merely see what the too young, or too kind, or too... mortal cannot. But you are... right. Conflict taints what was done this day.”

That cloud of doubt melted soon enough as Celestia spread her own wings into a fire-bloomed halo, voice rising, “So be it! I shall take my leave. Know this, before we part. Cadenza, you are too young to bear the burden you do, and I shall find a means to put you to the test.”

Luna opened her mouth to say something, perhaps more swiftly and sharply, and with more concern than may have seemed normal to Celestia had she not been too focused on her own words to see it as she cut Luna off. “And you, Luna, I need not hear any more! The time of our reckoning is drawing close. Too long have I had to watch you and your chosen Element Bearers barely scrap out victories against threats against Equestria, only avoiding disaster by inches. Equestria cannot survive like this, and requires its true ruler upon its throne, to look after, guard, and control our little ponies before another catastrophe befalls them!”

Luna’s lips pressed into a dark line as hard as any blade, and she said simply, “Come and try us at your leisure, sister. I can only promise you that one way or another, this matter between us will end.”

There was pain in her words, but the strength of resolution as well. The Princess of the Moon was ready to face whatever finality arrived when the fated hour arrived, when her sister came with all of her minions and power to be pitted against Luna and all she could muster in Equestria’s defense. A part of Luna still fervently hoped to somehow break through that wall of unquenchable flame in her sister’s heart, for she saw the glimmers of the good mare who once ruled with benevolence and wisdom peeking out from behind that shroud of fire.

If only... if only...

Without another word spoken, Luna turned and spread midnight wings to take flight. Cadenza hesitated only a moment longer before casting one last look at Celestia, and followed Luna into the sky, leaving a blazing Corona to stand upon her golden ark like a lonely bonfire.

With the business of food done with, Trixie and her friends started making their way downstairs through the monastery corridors, heading for the main hall. Not long ago they had seen out of their room window that Corona’s ark had taken a sudden and swift course away from the island, and there was some talk as to just what had gone down between Princess Luna and her sister.

“Well, nothing exploded, so I think we can assume that at least for now Queen Flamesalot is going to go sulk in whatever hideout she’s carved out for herself and get back to plotting how to take over Equestria,” Cheerilee said, “My bits are on her next scheme involving flaming, sentient donuts.”

“Why donuts?” asked Ditzy, and Cheerilee shrugged.

“Because I’m still hungry, and I’m an optimist.”

“Would flaming donuts even taste good?” wondered Lyra, sounding serious as she genuinely seemed to ponder the question, “Hmm, melted icing, maybe if they weren’t charred by just a tad extra browned? Might be tasty.”

“They’re already fried by default. Not sure frying them more would add anything,” Raindrops said, then Carrot Top laughed suddenly.

“Well there’s a restaurant in Hoofington that I hear will fry anything you want them to. Like, literally anything. We ought to try it sometime.”

Trixie let the pleasant banter of her friends wash over her like a soothing balm. After the last few days she’d had, it was nice to just let something completely mundane and silly be the focus of attention for a change. She was starting to think a genuine vacation was in order. A real one, with zero interruptions, accidents, mysteries, battles, explosions, assassination attempts, or contests. Just somewhere pleasant, quiet, and filled with enough overpriced food and drink to stuff a small army.

“You look happy,” Raindrops said, having come up to trot next to Trixie.

“I certainly am. You know I like winning, and Contest aside, this day feels very much like a win. And the only thing better than winning, is celebrating it by treating oneself. After a victory this stunning, I think we’re all due for some extra special treatment, and I think I can probably convince Luna to put it on some sort of ‘Hero Expense Budget’.”

“Does the Night Court even have something like that?” Raindrops asked, and Trixie shrugged.

“If it doesn’t, it needs to. The amount of heroics we get up to has to be paid for by somepony! Including vacation benefits!”

“Not sure that’s how it works, but hey, I’m not the Representative around here,” the pegasus said, smiling at Trixie as if she knew full well that if such a budget didn’t exist, Trixie would probably start proposing legislation for it.

Upon their arrival into the now familiar warmth of the monastery’s main hall, light from morning spilling in past the line of pillars lined across the entryway, Trixie and her companions were struck face first by a wall of cheers. Even Trixie, quite accustomed to applause, was still taken aback.

The hall was packed with the remaining champions of the gathered nations, be they equine, cervid, griffin, kirin, or otherwise. The feasting tables were lined with those stomping talons or hooves in raucous greeting to the six mares descending the stairs from the back of the chamber, many raising frothing mugs in salute and toast. From the crowd emerged several robed members of the Order of Legends, all with humbled looks on their faces as their lead, a middle aged goat, bowed low to Trixie and her friends. He spoke as the cheering slowly quieted, “It is good to see you awake after your ordeal, Dame Lulamoon. You and your companion champions both.”

“Glad to be awake. Also to be near deafened by such a hearty welcome,” Trixie said, and from the nearest table, the humongous and heavily bandaged form of Wodan bellowed and laugh and slammed a hoof onto his table, nearly breaking the unfortunate piece of furniture.

“Bah, we could have made it louder, but some folk seemed to think we ought to show a little restraint! As if Wodan knows what that silly word even means.”

Next to Wodan, the level faced Sigurd grunted, “It doesn’t do to burst to ear drums of the mares of the hour. Yet one and all, it was decided you would be greeted thusly.”

“Can’t say I’m complaining,” said Lyra, trotting forward while taking in the sight of the crowded chamber, “After a day like yesterday some serious revelry is exactly what’s in order. Bon Bon, you out here hun?”

“Gimme a sec!” Bon Bon had to extract herself from among the crowd, having been swishing around a mug herself until her Lyra arrived. The pair came up and quickly nuzzled each other, Bon Bon hugging Lyra tight.

Bon Bon was hardly the only one besides the champions in attendance, a small blur of motion and energy bursting outward from the sidelines and tackling Ditzy hard, “Hey mama! We’ve set up a big party for you and your friends.”

“Aww, my sweet muffin, your hugs are all the party I need, but I’m happy to see everycreature together and in such a good mood,” Ditzy said, throwing a wing around her tiny daughter. As the crowds started to mingle once more, Raindrops’ family also emerged, parents and brother both swiftly surrounding their daughter.

“C’mon mom, dad, you guys checked me over yesterday. Still got all my pieces intact,” Raindrops complained half heartedly, while Snips just smiled at his sister with a unruffled calm.

“Everypony says you were really awesome sis. You helped the zebra beat an even stronger zebra. Was it fun?”

“Eeeeh, on a scale of one to ten on the ‘fun’ scale, we’re talking more a ‘terrifying’ than anything else, but don’t worry, your big sis is made of tough stuff.”

“Heheh, I know,” Snips said, a pool of relaxation next to the still worried tempests of his parents.

Despite having just ate, there was still plenty of room for snacks and some extra drink in the six mares, and there was no air of urgency so Trixie and her friend found themselves able to find plenty of spots to sit and relax for a moment. Cheerilee soon found herself flanked by two familiar minotaurs, although not entirely the pairing she’d expected.

“So, uh, you’re Greysight, right?” she asked the somewhat enigmatic female minotaur bearing her staff of gears, who shared a look with Iron Will, the minotaur who’d sat on Cheerilee’s other side.

“I am,” Greysight said, “Our opportunities to speak have been few these past eventful days. I’m here on behalf of Steel Cage.”

“Where’s the lug head? He pulled his weight yesterday, an I’m over our spat, personally,” Cheerilee said, and Iron Will cleared his throat, adopting that tight shouldered body language she knew how to read as a minotaur’s embarrassment, like they were trying to shoulder all of their emotions at once.

“Left with the other two the other day,” Iron Will said, snorting not in a derisive manner, but in a minotaur sign of consternation, “Never seen him so out of sorts. Told him he ought to stick around, have a few drinks with you, talk it out. Told me that you and him did all the talking you needed to in the ring, and now that the crisis is done, he had no reason to,” he began to air quote, adopting Steel Cage’s vocal grunts, “Let the pony make me feel even more weird feelings. She won, I lost, I’m minotaur enough to admit it, so I’m going home.”

At Cheerilee’s look, Iron Will coughed, “He might have said a bit more than that, but that was the gist of it. Think you made a serious impression on him.”

“It will take Steel Cage some time to sort out his feelings. For males like him, it always does,” Greysight said, her thick lips curling into a soft smile, “I merely wished to thank you, Cheerilee, for having the strength to knock a few bolts loose in his head that may have been screwed too tightly.”

“Water under the bridge, as we Equestrians say,” Cheerilee said, then paused, hoof going to her chin, “At least I think that’s an Equestrian saying. Or did we get it from Cavalia? They’ve got plenty of rivers and bridges.”

Greysight gave off a silent shake that may have been a laugh and she rose to an impressive height, “I must go find a companion of mine. Enjoy your hard earned victory.”

“No problem,” Cheeirlee waved as the female mintoaur breezed away, took a drink from a mug somepony had put in front of her, then paused and glanced at Iron Will, “Wait, does she mean victory as in us taking down Rengoku, or something else?”

Iron Will just flashed her a very mischievous grin, winking and saying nothing.

Meanwhile Carrot Top had wandered towards the cervids, giving Wodan and Sigurd nods of greeting. Before she could even ask, Wodan used a massive hoof to clap her on the shoulder and all but send her bouncing towards an empty space further down the table, where Frederick sat with two tall mugs of ale at hoof, one of which he pushed towards her. Carrot Top took it with a nod of thanks and drank deep, wiping her mouth off and taking a moment to glance about to ensure no other creature was too close to her and Frederick.

“So, um... looks like everything will be winding down soon,” she said, “You Elkhiem folk must have a long journey back home ahead of you.”

Others might have had trouble reading Frederick’s still features, but she knew him well enough by now to practically feel the reluctance warring with his desire to keep a light mood as he drank from his own mug before answering, “Wyverns will make the journey far more brief than what most returning to their homes will undergo. Yes, I suspect it will only be a few days before I walk within the vast roots and boughs of Yggdrasil once more. My parents will be thrilled to hear Wodan’s tales of battle, but Andrea’s fate will darken many hearts in the longhalls of Elkheim. As for myself, it will be back to a routine of princely duties, few of which will be even remotely as memorable as what I’ve done here.”

“Y-yes, I imagine it’s going to be hard to top an adventure like taking on a giant flying magical doom fortress,” Carrot Top quipped, and Frederick turned to look at her dead on, a melancholic smile on his charming lips.

“I was thinking not of the battle, but of those I’ve met. Especially you, Dame Carrot Top.”

Suddenly the room was significantly warmer and Carrot Top hid her burning face behind her ale mug, drinking deep. Sadly, she still felt the blazing rush in her face and he was still looking at her by the time she reached the bottom of the mug and there was little else to hide behind. Wiping her mouth, she finally managed to say, “I’m... not likely to forget you anytime soon either, Frederick. I mean, heh, if you ever happen to be wandering by Ponyville sometime down the road...”

She was doing her best to not let the pain of this parting enter her voice. She didn’t want it to be any harder for him than it had to be. Or for herself. An elk hoof touched hers, and she looked at his limb wrapped gently around her own. She heard his voice, strong and warm, and struggling to subdue it’s melancholy to put forth the envigored tone of a friend parting only for a time.

“You can rest assured Ponyville will be a top priority of mine if ever I can manage to escape my royal obligations for any reasonably lengthy vacation. As I just said, wyvern travel is fast, so Equestria is not so far a jaunt for me. And of course, know that Elkheim’s borders will always be open to you, it’s every hall knowing to give all honors and luxuries to Dame Carrot Top and her friends. If you find yourself under the eternal shade of Yggdrasil, I’ll be there personally to greet you as a treasured guest of the royal family...” his smile turned into a suggestive smirk and he winked, “And I can assure you the beds are both quite comfortable and durable.”

She snorted out a loving laugh and bumped his side with her flank, “Easy there, Prince, what would your parents say?”

“Knowing mother, she’d check your teeth, make sure you were in good health, and throw both of us onto my bed with explicit instructions to not come out until morning. Father is a bit more polite and well behaved than that, but I suspect he’d find you as charming as I do. It may be uncommon for a cervid royal to have a paramour outside of Elkheim, but it’s not unheard of...but...”

“But it’s no real relationship. Not like I want, and not truly, I think, like you want,” Carrot Top said, the blunt truth there and plain. “I have a farm and a home, and a life with friends I love dearly, in Ponyville. You have a life, a family, friends, and a duty waiting for you back in Elkheim. There’s no real room in either of our lives to fit the other, not in any serious way. I mean, eventually those parents of yours are going to expect a royal heir, and being a pony mare, I can’t exactly deliver on that front. And even if I could... I can’t just abandon my life in Ponyville to go live as some oddball elk royal. I like you, Frederick, a lot. I might even...love...”

“You don’t have to say the words, Carrot Top. I know,” Frederick said, finishing off his own ale and not even hesitating to grab another for both himself and her from nearby, “I feel the same. I’ve had flings before. This isn’t that. The way I feel about you is much more than simple fun between the sheets. And you’re right, our lives don’t fit together. Not like that. Eventually I’ll need to marry some doe and make sure the royal line keeps going. If I’m lucky I might even love her, whoever she turns out to be. But you’re... always going to be the first I fell in love with, and I... I think I’m strong enough now to live with that and still move on. So, to us, and to the future, and may we both find our happiness somewhere along the way and meet again to share it with one another, even if only briefly.”

Carrot Top raised her mug to meet his, not othering to wipe away the tear that fell from one of her eyes, “I’ll drink to that.”

The celebration of feasting was ongoing, and while Trixie certainly did mingle, she was particularly curious to find Dao Ming, whom she hadn’t seen wandering around anywhere. A few inquiries with the monks quickly told her that that the kirin entourage was almost one and all within their personal chambers, tending to the recovering of the Empress. Even moreso than Trixie, the Empress Fu Ling was wounded and exhausted from the ordeal of the ritual that had been enacted upon her, draining life force to give Tomoko the means to control Rengoku.

While the Empress’ life was in no danger, there was still a great deal of recovery to do and it was in question whether or not she’d ever recover in full.

Trixie decided that Dao Ming probably needed her personal time with her mother then, and she could catch up with the kirin later. This did leave her drifting a little, at least until she spotted a particular griffin flagging her down from near the main hall’s exit to the outside, between the tall stone pillars that led to the steps away from the monastery. Trixie approached, winding through the crowd until it thinned out at the stairs, “Gwendolyn, I’m almost shocked to see you’re still here. I thought you’d leave as soon as things wrapped up, get to your Red Shields.”

Gwendolyn Var Bastion certainly looked dressed for travel, with a fresh cloak, leather armor, and her sword belted at her flanks. Golden eyes regarded Trixie with respect and more than a little anxiousness, “I’ll be departing in a few hours. Cadenza has informed me that King Gruber’s ship has met with an unfortunately timed ‘inspection’ at a Cavallian port, delaying his journey back to Grandis. This bought me time to make sure everything was well enough here, and soon as Cadenza finishes tending to her male, she’s agreed to also teleport me to a port further along the north coast so I can take a ship and beat Gruber back to the Griffin Kingdoms.”

“Her male? Oh, you mean that guard captain. How is Shining Armor?” Trixie asked, not out of too much real concern, although she supposed she didn’t wish him any ill will. He’d taken quite the wound and did his part in aiding in the crisis. Trixie didn’t know what to make of the affection apparent between him and Cavallia’s ruler, but that wasn’t really her concern.

Gwendolyn shrugged, “Alive, due to the alicorn’s tender care. Hmph, I sometimes wonder where we griffins would be if we had rulers of such power among us... but I suppose all things considered, it’s for the best. Griffinkind doesn’t do well when too much power is centralized.”

“A thing to keep in mind, considering where you’re going,” Trixie reminded her, and Gwendolyn flinched, beak grinding slightly.

“As if I don’t know that. Skies above, at least you get to go home and put this Contest business behind you. I’ve got a war to stop, and I don’t even know if I can. Or if I do, what happens after? If those idiots try to make me into some kind of Queen, I swear...”

“It’ll be a briar patch and a half to waltz through, no denying that,” Trixie admitted, “I have barely touched griffin politics but can tell that your people are driven by passion and honor above pretty much anything else. You’ve gained a lot of reputation here, and you’re going to both very popular and very focused on in your land’s politics from now on. Nothing for it but to make the best of things while you’ve got the crowd on your side.”

“This isn’t a stage performance, it’s the lives, liberty, and future prosperity of every single griffin in the Kingdoms on the line,” Gwendolyn said, suddenly very much looking her age, and making Trixie realize that between the two of them, Trixie was the elder by a few years. “If I screw anything up, the blood of thousands...”

“If there’s anything I think you proved this past week, it’s that you can take the pressure. More than that, you know your people better than any griffin I’ve met, which may not sound like it’s saying much, but my point is I think you can trust your instincts. You know what you want, the Griffin Kingdoms whole and safe. It’s just a matter of finding the path to that. Do it as a commander of the Red Shields, or do it as Queen of Grandis if that’s what it comes to, just don’t lose sight of what who you are and what you want in the process.”

Gwendolyn considered Trixie, this mare whom at first glance would seem frail and perhaps a tad pompous, and whom Gwendolyn had now come to see the insight and claws beneath the soft exterior. The Night Court was going to have it’s hooves full with this one, Gwendolyn suspected. “You know, you’ve got a point. Come what may, I’ll always have by troops at my back, and a storm in front of me to fly through. I don’t mean to become a Queen, but it’s clear the Griffin Kingdoms needs someone to act as a... balancer. A group that owes no allegiance to any specific Kingdom, but to the prosperity of all, and can take to task those who’d destabilize the Kingdoms as a whole. Perhaps... it’s time for the Red Shields to evolve into something new.”

Noting the way in which quite a few of the other griffin champions still partying and feasting would give looks of deep respect towards her and Gwendolyn’s direction, more than a few saluting the young griffiness, Trixie gave a sly smile, “Considering your popularity, I think you’ll have your fair share of new recruits, and enough clout to make that happen. Just remember that Equestria is always interested in friendly relations and new trade agreements.”

“Eh, I’ll leave that stuff to the more stuffy politicians. I’m still a military gal,” Gwendolyn laughed, and with a note of seriousness looked at Trixie’s wounded leg, “How’s the leg by the way? Wounds like that don’t heal up fast or easy.”

“Eeegh, it’s going to ache and smart for awhile yet. Probably shouldn’t get up to too much for the next few weeks, but I’ll live,” Trixie said, “All things considered, I’ll take it over being dead.”

“Yeah, heard that fight with the kirin royal was pretty intense. Grimwald gave me and your friends a rough time, but sounds like you and Dao Ming had it worse,” Gwendolyn said, frowning, “Hope the best for Dao Ming. Taking on your own blood isn’t pleasant, and can’t imagine there’s any good fate left for that one once they get back to Shouma. That mother of hers better have some damn respect for Dao Ming now, that’s for sure.”

“Agreed,” Trixie said, sharing Gwendolyn’s worry for Dao Ming’s present emotional state. And the fate of the defeated did hang in Trixie’s mind, and as coincidence would have it, Ditzy came by at that moment with Sigurd in tow. Dinky was riding on Sigurd’s back, and the dour water deer seemed a few shades less grim with the smiling foal using his head as something to lean on.

“Hi guys!” Ditzy said, “Enjoying the fresh air?”

“Mostly,” Gwendolyn replied, “Was just chatting with Trixie about home and what plans I might have. That, and wondering what’ll become of some of our beaten foes.”

Sigurd grunted, “It is a shame Andrea and Grimwald fled.”

“Not shocking, from where I’m sitting,” Gwendolyn said with a shrug of her wings, and a helpless shake of her head, “Grim is tougher to grasp than a shadow in a deep fog. I don’t think I ever really understood him, and he’ll only pop up again when he wants someone to see him. Can’t imagine that skald of yours is going to find him fantastic company.”

“I don’t know,” said Ditzy, “I want to believe Grimwald is, well, a bit less crazy than he puts on. I mean, there are plenty of times he could have killed me if he really wanted to, but didn’t. And he could have let Andrea die, and he didn’t.”

“I think you give him too much credit, Dame Doo, but I respect your ever undiminished optimism,” Sigurd replied, and Ditzy smiled at him and gave him a quick hug, to which he grunted almost as if the gesture was scalding, “What was that for?”

“Thank you, Sigurd. You really looked out for me. Your shield, it kept me safe during that fight. Even Grimwald’s dagger couldn’t get through it to me.”

“Mmph, that was why I forged it. It is good that it served you well. I hope you never have need of it again, but if you do, know that I never craft anything that does not last. The soul of an Elkheim smith is engrave in that shield, so may it serve you and your family for as many generations as is needed.”

“Ooh, does that mean I get the neat shield when I grow up?” asked Dinky, to which Ditzy laughed, perhaps a tad nervously, and patted her daughter on the head.

“We’ll see, muffin, but momma really hopes with all her heart that you only ever have to look at it hanging on the wall over our fireplace.”

“Nah, that’d be boring. I want to smack bad guys in the face with it like you did!”

Ditzy hung her head with a sigh, while Sigurd craned his head to look back at the exuberant foal. “A enflamed spirit will carry you far, young one, but always know that it is a parent’s duty to ever be concerned for their child. Never make your mother worry for you without just cause. If you choose the path of the warrior, take it with respect, and only when needed.”

“And it’s my hope to make a world where it never will be needed,” Ditzy swore, a strength in her voice that would likely make even a dragon balk at staring her down, “That much I promise you, Dinky.”

Dinky tilted her head with the innocent thoughts of the still very young, “Okay, but just remember, I wanna protect you too, momma. And be strong and amazing like you, too. I mean, one day you’ll be old, and it’ll be my turn to keep everyone safe, especially you.”

“True, but only when I get really old, okay?”

“Okay!”

Gwendolyn coughed with distinct awkwardness, whispering to Trixie, “How in flying feathers do you manage to not die from sweetness overload with those two around?”

“Ponies are very well adapted to high sugar intake. Why do you think half of our diet is exclusively sweets?” Trixie replied, to which Gwendolyn gave her an scrutinizing look as if unable to decide if Trixie was exaggerating or not.

It was strange. Raindrops felt Tendaji and Aisha’s presence before she saw them emerge from the crowd. Raindrops had already eaten and drank her fill, so she’d mostly just been pleasantly enjoying the atmosphere within the hall, watching her family eat and chat, noting Trixie wander off to talk with Gwendolyn, or Cheerilee having her pow wow with the minotaurs. She saw Carrot Top having what looked like a serious conversation with the Elkheim prince, and Raindrops’ heart went out to both of them. Lyra was with Bon Bon, nuzzling in between calls for Lyra to play a tune or two, which she did with her lyre freshly recovered, courtesy of Luna and an efficient spell for locating objects.

All was winding down, ending well by all accounts, but Raindrops felt in something deeper than her bones that this was a time for her and her friends to tie up loose ends. So was it prediction or something more than left no surprise in her at all to see the male and female zebra appear before her.

“I’ll be right back, this won’t take long,” she told her parents and brother, who saw who had arrived and were taken a little off guard.

“Okay honey,” said Shutterbug, “Um, have a nice talk?”

“See you soon, sis,” Snips said, and waved at Tendaji and Aisha, “Hi nice zebras. Want to see this cool guy I found crawling under the table?” Snips had made a new friend in the form of some manner of stick bug that had wandered under the table, and he held it up with a content grin.

Aisha smiled at him, bowing her head, “Another time, young pony. We’ve only a few things to speak with your sister about. I promise to return her to your side shortly.”

Raindrops nodded and got up from the table to follow them. They led her to a side hallway, away from the noise, just enough for some privacy. Raindrops watched the pair and noted both had what seemed like a small ocean of tension drained from them, yet in it’s wake was as much exhaustion as relief. Tendaji looked to his wife, and she raised a hoof to caress his neck for a moment of reassurance before turning to Raindrops and bowing once more.

“I wanted to give you my personal thanks for helping my husband stop my father’s foolish actions. He was convinced of his Path, but alas, it seems even the eldest of us can become blind to where we are walking.”

“I did what needed doing,” Raindrops stated, but her voice softened a bit, and she looked at Aisha with solemn understanding, “I wish it hadn’t been necessary. I don’t know how I’d feel if one of my parents tried to pull something like that. I’m sorry for what you’ve had to go through.”

Aisha’s eyes misted over, but she kept her calm focus, “I’ve vented my... thoughts on the matter to my father already. He knows my displeasure. His actions will be judged by a council of elders from my tribe. Knowing the laws of my land as I do, I know the likely outcome for him will be either confinement or banishment. Lifelong, in either case. It is no small thing, but I and Tendaji will endure, for our Paths remain for us to walk.”

“Right. So, Tendaji, this disease of yours, do you think you can really cure it with this Path and understanding maisha more?” Raindrops asked, “I mean, I only saw that stuff through you guys a little, but I felt like... I don’t know. The things Nuru could do were crazy. He was strong. We only beat him through a good bit of luck and taking advantage of him not going all out. If a master like him couldn’t cure what ails you...”

“I know,” Tendaji said simply, voice carrying a long held weight, made strong but equal resolution that would not break, “I must somehow surmount the pinnacle Nuru reached, and perfect myself beyond that. Only then might I cure my body and... live a life with my wife as I have always wished. Raindrops of Equestria, you have my truest gratitude. You have helped me walk my Path. I can only help in doing so, you have found clarity in your own.”

At that she could only close her eyes for a moment of quiet calm within herself, recalling the sense of inner peace that had gradually come to take root in her heart after fully confronting herself in her clash with Tendaji during the Contest of Strength. Again, almost barely at the edge of her perception, she thought she could feel a spark of sensation that let her feel Tendaji and Aisha’s presence... plus another? It faded quickly, and she set it aside, thinking it was all likely just her mind playing tricks on her. While she felt stronger, that was a whole separate matter from using that crazy maisha stuff the zebras were capable of.

Opening her eyes, she gave Tendaji a friendly smile, “I don’t know about clarity, but I feel like the ground beneath my hooves is more steady than before, the road ahead just a bit more sure than it was before I came here. And I know I owe a part of that to you. For what it’s worth, I forgive you for your part in what happened in Oaton. I also hope, eventually, you find what you’re looking for on that Path of yours, Tendaji.”

In a rare moment of emotion, the zebra returned her smile and bowed his head low, almost to the floor, “Then walk strong and proud, Raindrops of Equestria. Paths willing, ours will cross again, on some distant road.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Anyway, I’d better go make sure none of my friends are getting up to too much trouble. If I don’t see either of you before we head back home, well... take care,” Raindrops waved, and turned to fly away, never one much for long or overly sentimental goodbyes.

Tendaji and Aisha watched her leave, and the pair waited a few seconds after Raindrops was out of sight before turning around to face down the corridor, where there was a turn down another hallway. Aisha flicked her tail and called out, “Are you intending to remain hidden there forever, Zecora?”

A moment later there was a jingle of rings as Zercora emerged from the turn in the hall, approaching the other zebras with a bit of a limp. Even with Celestia’s great healing magic, her leg injury was not entirely gone.

“I thought it best to give the pegasus some to leave, for my goodwill is something she would not believe. I know it has been long since we last talked at length my friend, so I thought it best to see you before I departed in the end.”

Tendaji glanced at his wife and wisely kept his peace, knowing it was best to allow her this moment to speak her mind. Aisha’s expression was still as a winter pond, but that tail flick continued nonetheless. She approached Zecora, and with a faint quiver in her lip just shook her head and threw a hoof around the surprised Zecora.

“Still with the rhyming! You’ve not been a shaman for many years, Z. For once, can’t we talk as friends, especially considering we’re not likely to see each other again after this?”

Zecora wore an uncomfortable wince, slowly and hesitantly returning Aisha’s hug, but soon stepping back, keeping the other zebra at hoove’s length. With a struggle on her lips she managed to say, “To keep to the old speech is a form of armor for me. Something that keeps my mind focused upon the Path that I see. Our friendship of old I still hold as a treasure most great, but it is best we not rekindle it lest you share in my fate.”

Aisha sucked in a breath and let out a withering ninny, “Yes, you’re blasted pony Queen! I don’t know whether to admire your willfulness or curse your ego, even to this day! You walked out on us, just like that, Zecora! I know we all must follow our own Paths, but one of the first lessons we learned as shamans was to not allow ego and desire to cloud our sight. To believe that your Path merges with the return of Equestria’s deposed alicorn monarch, to have the audacity to think it is your role to help guide her Path? Even the most learned of our Elders saw no signs! But no, proud Zecora would not relent, would not bend. She told off all of the Elders and walked right out the Lodge to pursue her destined Path, for her visions couldn’t possibly be wrong or influenced by her desire to do something great and powerful. Nevermind all of the family and friends she left behind in the process...”

Zecora was silent for a moment in the face of Aisha’s outburst, then her eyes went downcast, “I know I caused heartache most grave. Yet even so, it is the future that I look to save. My vision was not something for the Elders to deny, and to ignore it would be to tell my own soul a lie. My Path is one of fire and pain... but at the end of it there is so much more of worth to gain. For the Queen of Fire and Fury needs a steady guide at her side, otherwise she will fall once more into the depths of madness and pride. I do not know if in redemption or disgrace my Path will end, but from its course I shall never bend.”

Aisha shuddered slightly, wiped her face with a hoof, and looked at Zecora with a tired and knowing grin, “You’re as stubborn as I’ve always known you to be. I should have known there was no talking you out of this. I felt like I had a million more things to say to you, and an endless amount of reproaches... but I just can’t gainsay you, Zecora. I couldn’t when we were foals, I couldn’t when we studied together as apprentices, and I can’t now. You just always do your own thing.”

Zecora said nothing, but gave an apologetic look with a shrug that jangled her neck rings. Aisha let out a helpless laugh and said, “Then there’s nothing left to say. Your Queen left not too long ago, didn’t she? How were you planning to get back to wherever it is you and her are holed up?”

A mysterious half smile touched Zecora’s face, “To that query it is best that I do not say. Celestia is an alicorn, so rest assured she provides a way. I asked her that I remain for a brief time, and she had no cause to deny this request of mine. Fare you well, Aisha and Tendaji, whom I hope to one day again see...”

She paused, frowning... rubbing her chin in thought, then abruptly a pink whirlwind appeared from the hallway’s opposite end. Pinkie Pie threw her hooves up in the air like she was letting out party poppers and declared, “But you must leave quickly for you have to pee!”

Three sets of zebra eyes stared at Pinkie Pie, who grinned as if she’d just given them all a great gift. From further down the hall, a haughty voice was calling out, “Pinkie!? Oh Moon preserve me where did that tornado of a mare go? Pinkie Pie my sugary sweet bombshell, wherever did you get off to!?”

Pinkie blinked and spun around, “Oh, that’s Bluey! Heheh, he really doesn’t get how hide and seek works at all! Anyway, bye zebras! Have a fantastic day!”

The pink menace vanished in the same flash of speed with which she appeared, and Zecora frowned at the mare shaped cloud of dust Pinkie left behind. Eventually she sighed. “Perhaps rhyming is overrated anyway.”

“She is awake.”

Those words gave Dao Ming very little comfort, but she gripped the storm within her heart and held fast to her will to form a bulwark against all she was feeling. The news was delivered by one of the Jade Guard, who entered the quarters of the Empress only after a thorough inspection by the numerous other guards watching outside. The living chamber was occupied only by Dao Ming, Lo Shang, and Xhua, all of whom had been quietly waiting for word of when the Empress would be awake. Recovering from the ritual that had been inflicted upon her was a matter of some question, even with the assistance of the finest magical and medical experts available among the Order and the Shouma entourage.

Dao Ming had never doubted her mother would recover enough to awaken, but it was a delicate matter of how permanent the overall damage was. She nodded to the guard and said, “Is she able to receive us?”

“She called specifically for the three of you to be brought in as soon as she opened her eyes,” the guard replied, and Lo Shang nearly jumped out of the cushioned seat he’d been fidgeting on.

“Then let us not waste a moment!”

“Indeed,” said Xhua, who had been all but standing like a statue near the drinking cabinet, barely touching a cup of sake she had poured for herself an hour ago, “Lead us to her.”

The guard bowed and motioned for them to follow him. The hall was all but packed with guards, all vigilant as hawks as the three children of the Empress were led down past several doors until reaching the large double doors that led into Fu Ling’s bedchambers. Even the humble stone walls of the monastery seemed opulent when covered in Shouma silks of gold and emerald, and the bedchamber was no less lavish, but somehow the sight of the Empress, pale, sweat covered, and barely holding herself up in a sitting position in her vast bed of silks made everything seem darker to Dao Ming’s eyes.

Yet as plainly exhausted as Fu Ling was, she smoothed out her black mane of hair and forced herself straighter by pure force of will as her eyes locked upon Dao Ming, although they sparked a moment for Xhua and Lo Shang as they approached the bed. The Empress’ voice was brittle, yet still sharp, like a chipped sword. “Guards, leave us. I will speak with my children alone.”

The bulkiest of the Jade Guard who were watching over the Empress only gave the smallest moment of hesitation before obeying the order and leaving, closing the doors behind them in a jangle of armor. Dao Ming looked around, and found that the Empress was still not without protection. Kenkuro melted from the shadows, perching on a stood next to the Empress’ bed, the Blade of Heaven kept firm at his side. Fu Ling looked to him, and chuckled under her breath, “You know I could order you out, too.”

“But you know I would not obey, Fu Ling, so let’s just focus on what matters now,” Kenkuro replied, which caused Xhua’s eyes to twitch.

“That is disrespectful even for the Blade of Heaven, to speak to the Empress so.”

“It is his right,” Fu Ling said with a whip crack in her tone that caused Xhua to blink, and Dao Ming to frown in brief bafflement, while Lo Shang tilted his head.

“Empress, I’m just glad to see you well, and... and I have to apologize,” Lo Shang said, shame in is voice, “I should have realized something was wrong with Tomoko. I failed to confirm her identity when I searched the forest near Rengoku, and when she spoke to me at the Contest of Strength I didn’t see through her motivations.”

“Enough, Lo Shang,” Fu Ling said, look to him with a rather uncharacteristic look of forgiveness, “If you were a match for Tomoko’s wit, I doubt she’d have approached you as she did. She had a task for you, did she not?”

“Yes she... wanted me to protect Dao Ming, no matter what happened. I thought it a strange request at the time, for I see it as my duty to protect all of my family, but she was so adamant... I just thought she was being a concerned sister.”

Dao Ming had not heard this, and looked to Lo Shang as the unease and tension inside her rose with a clenching heat in her chest, “I too wish I could have foreseen our sister’s intentions. That she would go so far, and for my sake...”

“Your sake,” Xhua shook her head with a slight flare of her nostrils, “As if she could have deposed our mother as Empress and just installed you, just like that!”

“With the power of Rengoku, it would not have been impossible,” Kenkuro reminded them, and he gave a sad shake of his charcoal head, beak clicking, “Yet it seems that was not her goal. Her intention was Rengoku’s destruction, and with it, in theory, the Dark Lands. It was her assumption that Fu Ling would be forced to abdicate the throne on her own to Dao Ming, in due time.”

“A foolish notion in and of itself,” Xhua stated, but then Fu Ling threw a shock of cold, metaphorical water on all of them a bare second later.

“Perhaps not so foolish.”

“...Mother?” Dao Ming blurted, while Xhua stared with wide eyes, and Lo Shang grunted.

“What do you mean?” Lo Shang said, looking back and forth between the Empress and Dao Ming like a suddenly lost puppy.

Fu Ling tried to get out of bed on her own, but stumbled, and Kenkuro was there to hold her in a flicker of motion. She grimaced, but nodded in thanks to him as she leaned on the tengu, walked forward a few steps to face the three young kirin in front of her with as deathly solemn a look as Dao Ming had ever seen her mother wear.

“For many years, I have held myself to the image in my mind of the ideal Empress. Strong and unbending. Proud and... harsh. Shouma is a land that needs a ruler who has the strength of mind and will to control the feuds of the nobility, and guide the desires of the commoners towards the greater good of the Empire. To sit the throne is to take on the heaviest of burdens, and I believed only absolute perfection could be tolerable in an heir. Thus, I adopted most of you for your talents, and sought to hone them remorselessly.”

Her eyes seemed to be struggling to maintain her own pride, like a leaking dam losing water through a thousand small cracks. The dam’s cracks grew even wider as she looked at Dao Ming, “And even when the spirits blessed me with a child of my own flesh and blood at long last, I thought it was only right to treat her the same as those I adopted. To expect nothing less than perfection. To push her into every trial. To demand her to rise to every challenge. I did this, believing that deep down, it was being done out of both love and necessity.”

The Empress went silent, then, her lips shaking as if struggling to pull forth the next words. Understandable, perhaps, for she had almost never been forced to speak them.

“I was wrong. My actions have not been for the betterment of Shouma or my children. They were simply acts of pride. For how could I ever accept a child of mine who was not perfect? This blindness has nearly cost our homeland, and many lands beyond, greatly. Had Tomoko succeeded, the consequences could have been tragic. I cannot pretend as if my own choices did not play the largest role in Tomoko’s actions. Traitor or not, she has laid bare my mistakes. Now that I am awake, I have a duty to begin correcting those mistakes.”

It took her some effort to raise her hoof, but Fu Ling fought through the strain to place it on Dao Ming’s shoulder, and Dao Ming felt frozen by it’s presence almost as much as the look in her mother’s eyes. She’d never seen anything like the blazing mixture of shame, anguish, love, and pride all burning at once in the way her mother looked at her.

“As of now, I name you heir to the Imperial Throne, Dao Ming. I will stand down as reigning Empress one year from now, to give you time to be fully prepared for the responsibility, and for me to set certain affairs in order, but soon Shouma will have a new Empress, and it shall be you.”

“Wait, I... what? But mother, you can’t-”

“I can and I am,” Fu Ling said, a wisp of a smile turning the corners of her mouth, “You are more ready than I ever could have imagined in my narrow minded view. I should have done this long ago, before it ever got to this point. Shouma does not need a prideful, blind nag who can’t see the value in her own children. Our Empire will fare well with you on the throne.”

Sharp eyes cut towards the still shocked silent Xhua and Lo Shang, “And she will need able advisors and protectors to help her in this task. Can I still count on the two of you?”

“I...I...” Xhua babbled for an instant before gritting her jaw tightly and clearly struggled to swallow her wounded pride, “I shall do what is best for the Empire, of course.”

Lo Shang was far more confident, even relieved in his response as he touched a hoof over his chest and bowed, “My loyalties are never in question. I will protect and serve Dao Ming as Empress with all of the fervor within my heart.”

Despite his words, Dao Ming sensed a heaviness in his eyes, and a tinge of sorrow in his voice, and knew very likely what troubled him, for he had been even closer to Tomoko than she had been. While still struggling under the monumental weight of the responsibility that had just been thrust upon her, she sucked in a calming breath, her nerves somewhat aided by a reassuring and encouraging nod of pride from Kenkuro.

“Mother, if I am to succeed you as Empress, I must know what your intentions are for Tomoko.”

Raw pain shot through Fu Ling’s eyes, and Shouma’s still present, if now temporary Empress pressed her lips together so tightly it was a wonder her jaw did not break. “For a crime such as treason, very few punishments exist outside of execution, the method of which has ever been up to the Imperial Throne to decide.”

Lo Shang made a low grunt in his throat, although he spoke no words and did well to keep his face neutral despite the pained twitch in his eyes. Dao Ming took a deep breath, “As one who is to be Empress, and as the one who faced her directly and halted her plans, perhaps it would best fall to me to arbitrate her punishment?”

Fu Ling gave her daughter a shrewd look, slowly nodding at the strength in Dao Ming’s voice, “Indeed. I doubt few lords in the Imperial court could deny you the right, and any that tried would risk a great loss of honor if they could not prove any meaningful reason to prevent the heir to the Imperial Throne and Champion of Shouma from administering whatever punishment she thought fit. I do warn you, daughter, that it must still be a fitting punishment, whatever plans dance in your head right now.”

To this Dao Ming only gave a wane smile, “Do not fear, mother. I believe I have an idea that will serve the interests of both justice and the needs of the Empire.”

“Then that is all I can ask of you,” Fu Ling said, settling back in her bed with a faint and rare groan, “Although some further rest would be... nice.”

“Yes,” said Kenkuro, “I think it is best our Empress be allowed some time to recover more, before our departure tomorrow. Besides, do you not still have to be present when the good news is given to our Equestrian friends concerning the Contest of Champions?”

Dao Ming blinked, “Oh... I’d nearly forgotten that. I bet the others are still waiting on me. I’ll go at once.” She gave off a rapid fire set of bows, “Mother, Xhua, Lo Shang, be well.”

After she hurriedly excused herself from the chambers, Fu Ling, still laying flat on her back, turned her head towards Kenkuro with one of her thin black eyebrows rising, “Should I even inquire what that was about?”

Kenkuro’s beak curled in a small, dry smile, “Well, before all the craziness there was a Contest that still needed settling...”

All things considered, Trixie didn’t think she could physically eat another bite or take another drink. She didn’t consider herself a slouch at parties, and she could socially mingle with the best of them, but her leg still burned with a low-key ache and a part of her was tempted to slip away back to her room to sleep away the rest of the day.

However that soon became impossible for Princess Luna entered the main hall alongside Princess Cadenza, both alicorns drawing the full attention of the attending champions. Considering both Princesses made right for the table Trixie was sharing with her friends, it was rather clear from the meaningful look Luna especially was giving them that Trixie’s window for slipping out had closed. Oh well, at least it looked like the two alicorns were in relatively good spirits, so it didn’t look like any fresh crisis was about to drop on them.

“Ah, I see my champions have been thoroughly availing themselves of the Order’s continued hospitality and enjoying the company of their fellow champions,” Luna said, wearing that oh so not-so hidden coy twinkle and half smile that Trixie knew meant the alicorn wasn’t just pleased, but had some secret she was looking forward to springing. Beside her, Cadenza wore a rather similar expression, one so similar in fact that it made Trixie almost do a double take between the younger alicorn and Luna. Sometimes those two shared just enough to seem... well, whatever, wasn’t Trixie’s business.

“Yes, now that everypony and everycreature is hopefully quite well rested,” Cadenza said, raising her voice so it easily pitched across the cavernous hall, to which many champions who’d still been busy chatting fell quiet to listen, “It would seem that due to the rather unfortunate events of yesterday, we all still have a Contest of Champions that remains quite unresolved! While Princess Luna and I both certainly extend our heartful thanks and praises to all of you brave souls who saved this island, and indeed the wider world from great peril, I must ask... are any of you content to simply leave the very Contest you came here for without a proper conclusion?”

Surprising none present, Wodan was first to respond, a huge hoof slamming the table the mighty moose sat at hard enough to put a hole in it as he bellowed, “NAY! Would be a shame beyond shames to not finish a proper competition between such great champions as are gathered here! My Elkheim blood boils as the notion of not honoring the true champions of this Contest!”

Sigurd, his shadowed features creasing in a uncomfortable but genuine smile, raised a tankard, “So speaks the densest moose in the realms! But he speaks true! Let the Contest be decided!”

Be the cervid, griffin, pony, zebra, minotaur, or any other species, hooves, talons, and hands alike pounded tables or raised foaming mugs as voices rang out the same cry, “Let the Contest be decided!”

Waiting just long enough for the shouting to die down just a shave, Trixie decided it was best to play along, although she wasn’t completely certain where the Princesses were going with this. Hopping up on the long table so she could be better seen, Trixie suppressed a grunt of pain as her injured leg let her know in sharp, certain terms that it wasn’t fond of her jumping around. Sucking in a breath past that pain, Trixie waved her good hoof and spoke in her crisp, clear stage voice. “Good creatures, champions and friends, it certainly sounds like from your raucous cries that everycreature present wants to finish what we all began. Can’t say that I don’t feel similarly. Trixie Lulamoon has never been one to leave a competition half finished.”

“Unless you're losing at a game of Poneopoly, in which case I recall you suddenly had to leave my house mid-game because of ‘Night Court’ responsibilities that you conveniently remembered just as I was about to win,” snarked Cheerilee with a good natured wink, to which Trixie made a dramatic motion to take off her hat and place it over her chest.

“I haven’t the foggiest clue what you mean, Cheerilee. I am a paragon of sportsponyship.”

A chorus of chuckles washed over the room, and Trixie placed her hat back on her head, looking to Princess Luna and Cadenza, “Of course finishing the Contest might be a bit problematic what we some of us still recovering from battling our way into a magical flying fortress just yesterday, and I was to understand many of the island’s visitors and delegations were departing tomorrow?”

“Ah, good, I made it in time.”

Trixie turned to see that Dao Ming had entered the chamber, in something of a rush, and while still as composed as ever, Trixie could still tell by the faint twitch in the kirin’s tail that quite a bit was on Dao Ming’s mind. Understandable, all things considered. Trixie could only wonder at what Dao Ming must have needed to talk about with her family, and couldn’t imagine the difficulties in working out how to handle the resolution to Tomoko’s actions. Still, Trixie was surprised a little at how warm her heart felt upon seeing the kirin. When they’d first met Trixie had found Dao Ming to be a most vexing and arrogant rival. While the rivalry remained, it had transmuted into one of mutual respect and even friendship, and Trixie was a tad shocked to realize that she was going to miss Dao Ming a little, when the kirin returned to her homeland.

“Dao Ming, glad to see you,” Trixie said with genuine sincerity, offering the approaching kirin a respectful nod, “I would have sought you out earlier, but I understand you were busy with what imagine is some complicated personal affairs.”

A spark of knowing crossed Dao Ming’s eyes as she breathed out a light laugh, “You could say that. Less complicated than I feared, yet more weighty than I could have imagined. I’ll tell you later. Right now there’s something that must be settled, no? Who among us is the victor of the Contest of Magic, and in turn, the Contest of Champions itself?”

“Look, even if I kinda get the desire to settle things between rivals, can we maybe just take a break? Still half dead from all the major league heroics yesterday,” said Lyra, leaning a bit into Bon Bon, who sat at the table next to her, “And in serious need of quality time with my Bon Bon.”

“Aww, I’ve got the best mare in Equestria, don’t I?” said Bon Bon, snout gently pressing on Lyra’s neck in a happy nuzzle.

Dao Ming, cheeks a tad red, coughed politely and bowed her head to the pair, “Indeed. I wouldn’t wish to interrupt any of these well deserved festivities. In fact I doubt any champion here has a mind to demand a resumption of the Contest, especially after all that was discussed prior to the arrival of you Equestrian champions to this very hall today.”

“Discussed?” Trixie asked, silver eyebrow shooting up. She caught the two Princesses’ well informed smirks and understood that quite a bit must have gone on before she’d woken up from her exhaustion and injury induced nap. She also noted that the vast majority of the other champions in the room all happened to be sharing a varied round of conspiratorial winks, half grins, and pleased murmurs among themselves. Even the ordinarily withdrawn and composed monks of the Order appeared to be trying to look innocent and were failing at it as many bore happy smiles.

“Perhaps Princess Luna would like the honor?” Dao Ming suggested, but the alicorn shook her head and made an ‘after you’ gesture with a hoof towards the kirin royal.

“It was you who spearheaded the notion, and garnered such favor for the idea among all present. The honor is yours, Lady Dao Ming.”

“Aye!” shouted Wodan, pounding a foaming mug on the table, “Get to it, you fancy eastern lass! No need to be formal with it, we all agreed and are eager to see their reactions!”

“As you would have it, then,” Dao Ming replied, then gave Trixie and her friends each a look in turn, “It seems I then have the honor of informing you all, Dames Trixie Lulamoon, Raindrops, Ditzy Doo, Lyra Heartstrings, Carrot Top, and Cheerilee... that you are the victors of the Contest of Champions. Congratulations.”

“Huh?” Trixie said, half opening her mouth to protest, then half closing it as she considered that she wasn’t adverse to winning by default, but...

“Whoa now, uh, how was that decided?” asked Raindrops, essentially voicing the question Trixie had nearly asked herself.

“Yeah, I mean, that’s nice and all to say, but wasn’t there still one Contest left to be decided?” Ditzy said, rubbing her head in confusion.

Before more questions could be asked, Dao Ming held up a hoof to forestall them, “If I may? You are right that the Contest of Magic had not yet taken place when sadly my kin, Tomoko, the now former Abbess Serene, and their co-conspirators enacted their plan to steal away with Rengoku. I need not remind everycreature here that had they succeeded, the likelihood of a great calamity befalling not only my homeland of Shouma but of many lands beyond was quite high. It is no exaggeration to say that the bravery of the champions gathered here was proven and the title ‘champion’ earned anew for all present due to the swift actions taken to end the crisis.”

Her eyes fixated upon Trixie, and the kirin bowed her head low, “For what you have done to save so many of my people from such a disaster, I, and the Imperial Family, owe you an eternal debt not so easily repaid. Know that you will always be welcome on Shouma’s shores, should you find yourself in either need or desire to travel to our lands. You will be received as the champions you are.”

Trixie tried very hard to be magnanimous and not grin too widely at the simple pleasure of such praise, especially coming from a mare who a week ago had a very different opinion on Trixie and her friends. Dao Ming must have known what was going through Trixie’s mind, for there was the tiniest hint of apology in her smile as she raised her head back up and continued, “Now, to answer the question of your victory, it is quite simple. The Contest of Magic was intended to determine which champions bore the strongest magic from their homelands. It was decided that there was no need to make use of the originally planed version of that Contest, for the truth of the matter was made clear in Rengoku itself.”

Trixie shared a look with her fellow mares, most of whom looked a tad baffled themselves, “I... don’t quite follow?” Trixie said, and Dao Ming gave a small bell of a chuckle.

“Remind me, my fellow champions who charged Rengoku’s mighty defenses, who was it that led that charge?”

“I remember it vividly,” said Sigurd suddenly and with a loud, clear ring to his otherwise dire tone, “Monsters spawned from the fortress’ depths, magical lances of destruction piercing all around us as we flew forth in wyvern borne longships. Surely we would have perished ‘ere we even made a landing upon the fortress if not for the powerful magic cast by the Dame Lulamoon, which confounded the beasts and guarded us until we got close.”

Trixie felt like she ought to have pointed out that Shining Armor did as much or more in that regard, but she was glad her Pandemonium spell was getting some recognition. She’d worked hard on developing it, after all, even if it’s intended use had been as an anti-Corona deterrent.

“And once inside, how is it that we defeated the potent foes arrayed against us?” Dao Ming continued to ask the crowd, and Frederick rose to his hooves, raising a mug of ale high.

“With six extraordinary ponies binding us together to face the dangers! Andrea was a skald and master of runes whom I’d have fallen against in mere moments if not for the undeniable courage of Dame Carrot Top and the bardic prowess of Dame Heartstrings. Music woven into battle with such skill I have never seen!”

From her place observing the party from one of the pillars at the entrance, Gwendolyn chimed in loudly, “For all my skill I’m not sure I’d have been able to take down Grimwald on my own. But I had two skilled ponies watching my back in Dame Ditzy and Dame Cheerilee. When it comes down to it, it was Ditzy herself who didn’t just beat Grim in the fight, I think she beat his philosophy in a way that may well have left a change in the bird brain. If that’s not magic, I don’t know what its.”

“And I,” said Tendaji, simply seeming to appear amid the crowd as if he’d been there all along, drawing a bit of a surprised start from Raindrops, “Know for a certainty that I would have been defeated by my stepfather, Nuru, were I to have faced him alone. It was only due to Raindrops’ strength, ingenuity, and tenacity that together we triumphed over a master such as Nuru.”

Dao Ming, hearing all of this, nodded in agreement and suddenly leaped up onto a table to be seen by all, her voice echoing off the vast hall’s stone walls, “And I too have a similar tale to tell! At the very apex of Rengoku, in its beating heart where its dark throne lay, my sister Tomoko had control of the entire fortress. There, I and Dame Lulamoon confronted her and did battle... much like our ancestors battled the Warlord so long ago. Much magic was cast back and forth in that most dangerous of duels. While it was my summoning of Raijin that struck the final blow, it was only made possible by the clever illusions cast by Trixie herself, who sacrificed her safety to buy me the moment of distraction I required. The scar on her leg is a badge of honorable proof of her courageous willingness to face harm to purchase victory.”

Dao Ming paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing, “But it is not simply her skill in magic that I cede the Contest of Magic to Trixie Lulamoon and her comrades. It is because I saw in action the strongest of magics. Not the powers of Rengoku, nor the mighty summoning of spirits. Not the mystic unarmed arts of the zebra or the runic skills of the cervid. It is a much more primal magic, one that all of us are capable of using, but it seems the Equestrians are uncommonly talented at. They have this entire Contest not only demonstrated why they themselves deserve to be called champions, but how each of us can better ourselves and one another via this most simple yet powerful magic...”

She looked to Trixie and her friends, “Friendship.”

Trixie couldn’t help herself, laughing a little at the corniness of it all, but knowing full well how true it was, too, “Dao Ming, that was unbelievably sappy, even by Equestrian standards.”

Dao Ming’s face colored a bit, “W-well it did seem appropriate, and it is what you Equestrians are always babbling on about and I just thought-”

Trixie leaped up onto the table with Dao Ming and gave the sputtering kirin the biggest hug she could possibly manage. Amid the sudden roar of cheers and happy jibes from the numerous champions in attendance, Trixie whispered to Dao Ming, “It was beautiful, Dao Ming. And if you ever find yourself dropping by Ponyville sometime, I’ll put on some tea for you. Don’t have any Shouma style, but I’ll order some, just in case.”

Dao Ming’s voice hitched slightly, then almost as if the gesture was unfamiliar, yet somehow eager for it, Dao Ming hugged Trixie back, “I would like that.”

While the monastery of the Order was not equipped to be a prison, that meant little when there was an alicorn or two around. Luna had placed freshly carved enchantments upon a cleared out set of storerooms which now served as makeshift, but quite formidable cells for Serene and her co-conspirators. Tomoko and Nuru were in their own separate rooms, to be taken away by their respective countries in due course. At that moment Luna was aware that Nuru was being visited by those he’d once called companions, Kenkuro and Greysight. What the three were discussing she did not know, but suspected it was something akin to what she was doing now herself; seeking insight.

“I am of a mind that the Order itself is best suited to decide what should be done with you,” Luna told Serene. The old mare had been sitting in the same nearly statue still position on her bed since Luna arrived in the makeshift cell. Luna had long centuries to learn how to read others, and saw in Serene only a slack surrender to fate.

“What becomes of me matters very little, now,” Serene replied, eyes not challenging, nor rancorous at her plan’s defeat. “Knowing the Order as I do, they will select a new Abbot or Abbess without difficulty. If left to their own devices to decide my fate, I suspect I shall remain a closely watched prisoner, until my dying day. Given my age, that shouldn’t be far off.”

“That too was my assessment,” Luna replied with a cool edge to her voice, “An ignoble end to such a long career.”

A tiny fraction of a dark humor passed Serene’s face for a bare second before fading, “I will not waste words going over my justifications once more, Princess Luna. I regret that my goals ultimately failed. It grieves me to know that Rengoku remains, and shall likely continue to entrap the spirits inside it for centuries more before a ‘safe’ means of its disposal can be uncovered. I was willing to give my life, such as it is, to see that abomination destroyed.”

She took a slow, shallow breath, bending under unseen weight until she looked straight at Luna and let all that weight fall off of her, looking once more like an exceedingly tired old mare, “It is no longer my fight to fight. It is now for those younger to take up the burden. I have heard the spirit of the Warlord herself aided in your champion’s victory?”

Luna nodded, although a part of her was a tad disturbed by the account of events that Trixie and Dao Ming had given. She’d known that Rengoku held a number of spirits under its sway, but not that Ying Shen remained so consciously aware within the fortress, nor able to control some of its systems still. But the fact that the Warlord had helped those who’d come to stop Tomoko was encouraging.

“It is true, by all accounts,” she told Serne, “I can only hope that one day we do find a way to end the cursed fortress for good, without running the risk of causing catastrophic harm to the world.”

“Ah, ‘one day’, such a comforting yet frustrating phrase,” Serene sighed, “One that I, in my old age, grew to be quite tired of hearing. I pray Ying Shen finds some peace, as she shall have to wait for that ‘one day’ to arrive before rest is granted to her. So, Princess Luna, have you learned what you came to learn from this old mare?”

“I believe so,” Luna said, “Your actions have cost you the freedom you may have enjoyed in your twilight years, and I see no further good that could come from harsher punishment. I shall leave the Order with my recommendation that you remain under imprisonment here, but not under any more stringent conditions than necessary. You will not hold any position within the Order, nor be allowed to leave this island. I will be stationing a pair of my Night Guard to observe you, just on the off chance you get any ideas, but otherwise I am content for you to spend your last days in quiet contemplation.”

Serene absorbed that with the same tired acceptance she’d held since the end of her plot. “Then all that is left is for me to wish you and yours luck in what’s to come. My part is done, but you still have no shortage of challenges ahead of you.” She paused, and a hint of genuine wonderment came over her as the old mare in front of Luna, for a moment, sounded much more like a small, uneasy foal, “Tell me, how do you do it? Keep going, looking for the ‘one day’ that never seems to come?”

For a long moment Luna considered, but her answer was ultimately a simple one.

“I don’t think anycreature can keep going forever. We all stumble and fall, eventually. I certainly have, many times over the course of my long life. There is no special trick that gets me back on my hooves, or helps me walk onward through each day. Instead it’s a matter of choice. I decide with each sunrise to believe that today can be better than yesterday.”

“Ah...” Serene gave a wane smile, “Who could have guessed Equestria's Princess of the Night was such a stubborn, hardcore idealist at heart? I suppose I just didn’t have the strength to make the same choice. Now, all I want to do is... rest.”

“You’ll have time for that, if nothing else,” Luna said, giving Serene one last nod before turning to exit the makeshift prison chamber, leaving the former Abbess of the Order of Legends to her own thoughts.

“You planning on speaking to us anytime soon or do me and Greysigh have to continue to stare at you, you daft old zebra?” Kenkuro perched on one leg in the corner of the small room where Nuru sat with shackles on his legs. The zebra was still in a calm sitting pose with his hind legs crossed, eyes closed as if in meditation. Or asleep.

Next to the door, Greysight heaved her heavy chest and tapped her clockwork staff with one, gong-like tone, “Nuru, you at least owe us acknowledgment. We remain your friends, as dubious as that may sound after you deceived us.”

Nuru opened one eye at her, “I offered no deception. I merely did not share all of my mind’s thoughts.”

“Word games like that might suffice for the tribe elders of your homeland, but we traveled with you too long for that to fly,” Kenkuro stated firmly, blowing a long whistle of disapproval from his beak, hopping a tad closer, “So much could have been avoided if you’d simply told us what you knew! Do you think we would have judged you!? For wishing to save your son-in-law from disease? To give your daughter happiness?”

Nuru’s second eye opened and he looked to Kenkuro, voice drained of emotion save a long held tiredness, “I did not tell you both for I knew your friendship with me would have tainted your Paths. You would have been torn between duty and a desire to aid me, or seek some other Path to walk the line between deception and friendship. I knew from the start I had to walk my Path alone, and whether to risk the plan falling apart or my friends being foolish enough to try and help me, neither was worth changing course. I accepted what would happen if I failed, including incurring the justified anger of you both and an end to our friendship. For that, if nothing else, I am sorry.”

“Ugh, your stubbornness was always as deep as tree roots, but this still defies reason,” Kenkuro said, the feathers on the back of his head rising and falling with his breaths, “I suppose it’s pointless to tell you how stupid it was to do what you did? That the boy wouldn’t have ever accepted the cure you offered?”

“I knew he would not,” Nuru said, his voice briefly trailing off as he looked down, a brief sliver of a twitch at the corner of his lips, “In some small manner I am... proud he refuted me so completely.”

Greysight’s eyes narrowed, and the tall minotaur leaned down over him, one hand on her hip, “You suspected you were going to lose, didn’t you?”

“Your predictions are rarely wrong, Greysight. While the fog of your vision did not show you the face of the threat, it never showed that disaster would befall us,” Nuru replied, “I believed it was very likely Serene’s plan would ultimately fail. But Tendaji... I sensed his own Path was intertwined with mine and that of the pegasus Raindrops. I knew from the start that we would fight. I did not know the outcome, but knew that if they did defeat me that it would only strengthen the boy. Push him further along the way of mastery that could very well surpass me.”

Nuru didn’t laugh, but there was a small exhale of breath, a form of letting go, “My fate was irrelevant. Only his and my daughter’s happiness mattered. One way or another, my Path would end and theirs would continue.”

Kenkuro ruffled himself, running a wing over his beak, “Paths. If you wanted to push the boy I think a simple sparring match would have sufficed, but perhaps that’s just me. Still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have told us. But I can see you’re content with this and berating you might make me feel better but it accomplishes little. Any idea what will become of you upon returning to your tribe?”

“By zebra law my greatest crime would be attempting to control the Path of my son-in-law. We care little for the opinions and relations with other nations, so my role in the incident is not the infraction of importance, but my assault upon one of our own.” Nuru tilted his head ever so slightly, “Tendaji will be within his right to demand exile, death, or imprisonment. Whatever he chooses, I will accept.”

“Given his disposition I don’t imagine him demanding much, let alone death,” Greysight said, “But I also don’t imagine you’ll have any freedom from henceforth, whatever the result. We may well never see each other again.”

“I know.”

Kenkuro growled, “You could at least make it obvious that it bothers you, stubborn fool.”

Nuru nodded once, “It will be strange to miss your constant squawking.”

He looked to Greysight, “If nothing else, I am glad you two came. I can say farewell properly. This is not how I wished our friendship would end, but I will still remember our time together fondly.”

With a soft grunt, Greysight kneeled, and placed a big meaty hand on the zebra’s withers, “Even if your Path is so short that ours does not cross again, I’ll still miss you.” She followed this up with a light bonk of her staff upon his head, “But that is still for being stupid and not telling us what you should have. Take care, Nuru.”

Kenkuro huffed out a long sigh and crossed his wings, “I’d like to toss out some wisdom from Tien Zhu, but no quotes come to mind. So I’ll just say that I’ll miss you too, you damned stubborn idiot. I hope your son and daughter manage to surpass every expectation you ever had of them.”

To those words, Nuru slackened what tension was left in him and said, “As do I.”

It was a windy mid-morning that saw Trixie and her fellow victorious champions waiting upon the docks of Heroes’ Rest. The ship that had brought them to the Isle of the Fallen had already been boarded by Princess Luna, Raindrops’ family, and a number of other Equestrian dignitaries, but Trixie and her friends had opted to relax a bit on the docks until their ship got the all clear to depart. Given the small nature of the harbor, ships needed to leave one or two at a time to prevent collisions. Other vessels had been departing slowly, one after another, bringing away the many travelers and entourages that had come to the island in the first place to view the Contest of Champions. Despite the crisis of the previous day, spirits had been high among many of those who had traveled far to witness the various nations’ champions in action. After all, what greater proof of their valor and ability could there have been than for them to rise up against the very same threat that had led to the creation of the Contest in the first place? Rengoku’s silence as it lay at rest once more upon the island’s northern forest was testament to the strength of this age’s champions, no less than those who had come before.

On top of that, despite the Contest’s interruption, the winners had been called, their names engraved upon the great tablets within the Order of Legend’s main hall for all to see. While some small part of Trixie still was a tad wistful for a proper one on one between her and Dao Ming to settle things, she couldn’t fault the kirin’s logic nor the other champions’ reasoning for ceding the victory to her and her friends. One could hardly say they hadn’t put in the work, after all.

“Think the thing I’m looking forward to most when we get back home is cooking from my own produce,” Carrot Top said, back hoof tapping rapidly, “I know my farm will be alright, but I know my fields are missing my personal touch. This week has been a bit too much eating out.”

“I’ll bet,” said Cheerilee with an eyebrow waggle, and nodding towards the beach where the wyverns of the cervids were getting ready to lift off the now loaded longboats, “Surprised you didn’t spend last night with the Prince.”

Carrot Top’s ears perked, a bit of red at their tips as the mare cleared her throat and lightly flicked her tail at Cheerilee, “Oh hush up, you. We parted on good terms, and making more tearful goodbyes wasn’t what either of us wanted.”

She did glance towards the scene, however, when the fierce cry of many wyverns filled the air and the great winged beasts took to the sky, bearing forth longboats packed with cervids. While making out individual details at a distance was next to impossible, Carrot Top thought she caught a brief look at a certain elk Prince standing beside a towering moose and a dour, grim water deer, all three looking ahead rather than behind. Even so, Wodan’s voice carried long, like a peal of thunder.

“Fare thee all well, champions of all lands, and especially of our pony neighbors! May the gentle shade of Yggdrasil one day find you all, so that we may meet again and revel with great gusto!”

Raindrops shook her head, “Whew, the lungs on that one...”

“Heheh, I hope we get to meet them again someday,” Ditzy said, hoof patting Dinky as the filly anxiously bounced on her hooves.

“How much longer until we get on the boat?” Dinky asked, and Ditzy smiled patiently.

“Soon, muffin. Too many ships leaving at once causes accidents, just like how momma has to be careful when flying when there’s lots of other pegasi in the air, too. Our turn is coming.”

Trixie did see that a number of Equestria’s visiting members of the Night Court were boarding the ship, indicating that it probably wouldn’t be much longer before it was their turn to hed out. Vicerine Pussiance, along with Duchest Fragrant Posey and Baron Mounty Max were all heading up vesse’s gangplank. By all accounts each of them had helped keep the civilians calm during Rengoku’s rise yesterday, even Pussiance, whom Trixie’s opinion of was not particularly high. Still, nice to know the Night Court could handle themselves in a crisis. Hmm, but wasn’t that Blueblood fellow supposed to be around here, somewhere as well?

“Oh for moon’s sake, we’ve nearly missed the boat, Pinkie! Did we truly need to make a final run past the bakery?”

“For another chance at these absolutely delish triple raspberry fudge scones from Zaldia? How could we not, Bluey!? It’d be a crime to not get a bag or four to tide us over on the long trip back.”

Seeing Blueblood carrying several bags worth of baked goods for the energetic ball of pink at his side was an odd sight indeed, and Trixie could only scratch her brainpan in wonderment at that truly bizarre pairing. What was truly weird was that for all his complaining, Blueblood looked almost as if he had some pep in his step and even had a tiny smile of endearment on his face as he lifted one of the aforementioned scones from the bag and floated it over to the exuberant Pinkie, who squealed happily as she munched on it from his telekinetic field.

“Not exactly the most dignified display,” said Puissance under her breath as Pinkie hopped up the gangplank with Blueblood in tow.

Next to her, Fragrant Posey coughed politely, “I do believe they make for an interesting pairing, myself.”

“I’m for anything that might smooth out some of that fellow’s rough edges,” Mounty Max said, then blinked and shook himself, “Of course it’s not really my place to judge, either way.”

“Hmph, well I suppose as long as it means he has something to take up his attention,” Pussiance said quietly and disappeared belowdecks alongside her own small cadre of servants.

Next to leave port was the sharp sailed, narrow vessel that had borne the zebras to the island. Tendaji and Aisha were already upon it, as was Siwatu and his giant scorpion, Sifu. Notably Nuru was not in sight, but from what Trixie had heard from Princess Luna, the elderly zebra was kept tightly bound and watched in the ship’s hold. He would be judged by his peers back in the zebra’s own tribe, and Trixie was content enough to leave her knowledge of the affair at that.

The ironclad ship of the minotaurs belched forth great gouts of steam and followed after the zebra’s swift ship, and Cheerilee sighed a bit, until a deep and gruff voice spoke behind her.

“What are you sighing about, Cheers?”

“Iron Will, you’re still here?” Cheerille spun about, as their friends all looked over to see the well built mountain of masculine bovine grinning down at them as he carried a few big packs over his shoulder, while a team of goats lined up behind him bearing various sized trunks and crates.

“Course I am! You gave Steel Cage enough of a boot to the behind to get him to back off of me going home, so no need for me to hop on that ship.”

“I knew that, but I figured you might have already gotten on another ship,” Cheerilee said, smiling, “Although I am glad to see you one last time.”

“Hardly for the last time, either. I’m getting on your ship,” Iron Will said with a wink.

“Wait what?” Trixie blurted, “You’re coming to Equestria?”

He turned towards her and Trixie felt the sweltering aura of eager energy coming off of the minotaur from his bright, hundred bit grin. “You better belive it, Champ. After you mares won the Contest, merchandise of you lot are gonna sell for a trainload! An absolute trainload! I’ve already got a route planned out from Canterlot to Las Pegasus! A bit of extra work for some new ‘Champion Knight’ dolls, complete with authentic battle damage,” he nodded towards Trixie’s injured leg, “Plus T-shirts, mugs, commemorative plates, I got a whole line planned.”

“And you’re going to do this all without our permission?” asked Lyra pointedly, Bon Bon giving a firm nod next to her mare.

“Yes, it’s unethical to try to make so many bits off of us-” Raindrops began, until Lyra went on.

“I mean, how much royalties are we talking here.”

Raindrops shot a look at Lyra, who just smiled in sheepish fashion, “What? I’m a bard. I get how merchandising works. Ten percent royalties and I say we’re in.”

“Perhaps we should discuss the details after we get home?” Trixie asked, eyeing Iron Will, “Consider it time to refine your business plan while accounting for the fact that some of my friends may wish to keep their personal images off of mugs and commemorative plates.”

Iron Will stared her down, but Trixie, having learned a little minotaur cultural skill from watching Cheerilee, stood her ground and squared her shoulders. After a moment, Iron Will gave her an understanding nod, “I can respect that. I’ll draw up a few different plans on the trip, and forward them to you fine ladies in Ponyville and hold off on doing anything without signed approval. Work for you?”

“Quite,” Trixie replied.

By now the harbor was getting more and more empty of ships, with the last few involving Cavallia’s swift royal vessel, the two Equestrian ships, and the massive, square sailed rig from Shouma. The griffins had long since taken wing on their own for their own long flights back to the Griffin Kingdoms, Gwendolyn having teleported out the other day after the party. Trixie worried what news might eventually filter into Equestria about the situation among their winged northern neighbors. She fully intended to keep a close eye on the papers for any rumblings of war from the Griffin Kingdoms, and silently wished Gwendolyn all the best at quelling the unrest in her homeland.

Finally it looked as if the number of ship left to depart had thinned out, and one of the few left was the Equestrian ship, and the particularly large Shouma vessel that had nearly run them over when they’d first arrived. Trixie recalled the strong, mystical fog that the Shouma ship had traveled out of, and imagined Dao Ming would perform a similar spirit chant to speed herself and her people along across the comparatively much vaster distance to the kirin homeland.

In grand Shouma fashion, the departure of the Empress and her retinue was accompanied by great ceremony and flare. Drum beats rang out as armored kirin and non-kiriin of the Jade Guard formed two neat lines escorting gold and emerald palanquins that bore the members of the Imperial Family. Trixie noticed something odd, however. Where Empress Fu Ling usually took the lead in any procession, she rested on a palanquin that was actually a notable step behind the one that bore Dao Ming. Xhua and Lo Shang followed behind them, in turn followed by a thick wooden cart upon which a tall casket of iron stood. The casket had a forward facing lid, bound by chains and locks. Kenkuro sat at the head of this cart, one wing never far from the Blade of Heaven, but maintaining a jovial air as he saw them and waved with his other wing.

“Two guesses who’s in the box,” Cheerilee said, shuddering a bit, “Not a comfortable way to ride home. You think she’s even alive in there?”

“Um, can we not be morbid in front of my kid, please?” Ditzy asked, giving the casket an uneasy look.

Dao Ming saw them on the docks, and as the Shouma procession approached their own ship, she raised her hoof to signal a halt. Trixie saw her turn and step off her palanquin, and go to her mother. Fu Ling and Dao Ming exchanged a few quiet words, to which Fu Ling, to Trixie’s surprise, gave a different nod to her daughter. Less surprising was the spearing look that the Empress sent towards Trixie and her friends, but Fu Ling only did so for a moment before turning her head away and went about pretending the six Equestrian champions didn’t exist.

The rest of the Shouma delegation waited with the placid patience of those dedicated to waiting upon the Imperial Family as Dao Ming walked along up to the Ponyville mares.

“So, not to pry, but something seems different,” Trixie said at Dao Ming’s approach, to which the kirin brushed her golden locks aside and her face showed a tremor of nerves that were softened by a coy smile.

“It is no secret, and indeed I feel you deserve to know. Mother has made my status as heir official, and more than that, intends to step down as Empress within the year.”

That, admittedly, took Trixie off guard. “Is that normal? Stepping down, rather than...”

“Croaking of old age or assassination?” provided Cheerilee.

“It is uncommon,” Dao Ming admitted, the tension in her eyes belying just how uncommon it was, “But it seems Tomoko’s actions, and my own in response, have given her a new perspective on things. She believes the Empire will be served better with me on the throne. I do not know if I fully share her opinion, but it is not my place to balk at the duty before me.”

“It’s kind of weird,” Raindrops said, eyes turning towards the casket of iron that Kenkuro remained vigilantly near, “Wasn’t that one of the things your sister wanted? You on the throne?”

“It is,” Dao Ming admitted, her voice quieting, eyes flicking for a moment towards the casket as well, “I suspect she calculated for this result. I wonder if she’ll expect what my intentions are for her, once I sit the throne?”

Trixie had a hard time keeping her curiosity in check, and decided to press, “If it isn’t too hard for you to say, what do you intend to do with her?”

Dao Ming’s face went still, but only for a moment before a surprisingly mischievous, if still very small smile touched her face. “I’ll simply say that I don’t intend to see her executed. Nor will I waste her talents languishing in prison. She will not enjoy freedom, nor even normalcy, but I think... I think Tomoko will, perhaps, understand the form of recompense I shall bestow upon her. It will be the last thing I can give her, as her sister.”

There was pain in Dao Ming’s voice, so whatever this “recompense” was going to be, Trixie could tell that Dao Ming didn’t particularly relish it, but whatever it was it was probably better than death. Probably.

“Well,” she said, “This will likely be the only time you ever hear me say this, Dao Ming, but your mother is right. I believe you will make a marvelous Empress, and I look even more forward to the day I get to visit Shouma now.”

“I’ve always wanted to see Lyra in one of those fancy dress robes you folk wear,” Bon Bon said, and Lyra gave her mare a grin.

“Wouldn’t mind seeing you in one, too, love.”

“I can certainly ensure the palace seamstresses are placed at your disposal upon the happy occasion of a visit,” Dao Ming said, and took a step back with a bow, “But I’ve delayed our departure enough. We both have our own nations to attend to now. I’ve a year to learn what I must in full to handle the responsibilities of Empress, and all of you... I wish you good fortune and the blessings of the spirits in your trials to come.”

Dao Ming’s eyes turned fierce as she gave Trixie a serious look, “Do not dare lose to Amaterasu. I’ll accept no mare in this world, even an alicorn, getting the better of you besides myself, Trixie Lulamoon.”

To this, Trixie wore a confident smirk and tipped her magician’s hat to the kirin heiress.

“That goes completely without saying.”

So it was that not long after Trixie and her friends stood on the stern castle of the ship sailing forth from the Isle of the Fallen and the town of Heroes’ Rest. Clear skies and fair winds sped them along swiftly, and next to their ship sailed the vast hull of Shouma’s vessel, bearing upon it Dao Ming clearly visible on the back deck.

The two ships began to slowly pull apart as they sailed around the west side of the island’s cove, and out of the corner of Trixie’s eye she saw the small forest where once, on her first day on the island, she and Dao Ming had come across the grave markers of the champions who had battled Rengoku in the past. Where Dao Ming’s ancestor Sun Ming, and Trixie’s own, Dazzling Flourish, were buried. The thirteen grave stones of metal briefly reflected the sunlight, and there before them Trixie saw a familiar cloaked figure.

For a brief second, the specter of the Warlord, Ying Shen, stood there and watched the champions of this generation sail away. Trixie knew it was impossible to see it at this distance, yet she somehow felt the small nod of gratitude that the Warlord’s spirit gave them before turning and vanishing.

She looked towards Dao Ming, just barely able to see the kirin on the Shouma ship’s stern looking back at her. A silent nod passed between them, acknowledgment of what they’d seen, and a shared relief that while Ying Shen’s spirit remained trapped within the cursed fortress, she was at peace. One day, perhaps Rengoku would be undone in truth, but until that day, the world had worthy champions to safeguard it, and they were sailing home.

Many hundreds of miles away, on the northeastern coast of Cavallia, there was a sandy cape where waves crashed into cliffs drenched in sea spray. A large forest covered the top of the cliffs, stretching back towards the Cavallian countryside, but within this cape the wilderness was thick and stretched for miles. It was here, inside a small clearing just beyond the cliff, that a sulking red deer was pelted with berries from on high by a companion that swooped in from above.

“Eat up, sniffles!” said Grimwald, landing and tossing the remaining berries he’d found to Andrea, while he himself took a wiggling trout he’d caught from a nearby stream and proceeded to plop down next to the red deer as he dug into his catch without bothering with the business of cooking or cleaning.

Andrea glanced at him askance, but quickly munched the berries after giving the a courtesy sniff to see if they looked like the poisonous variety. She figured if Grimwald was going to poison her, however, he’d not bothered with catching her after she’d forced Lyra to drop her from the bottom of Rengoku.

“I have not been ‘sniffling’. I’ve been contemplative.”

Grimwald made a face, “Ew, contemplation. How horrible. No wonder you look so dissatisfied.”

She stared across the clearing towards the cliff edge and the ocean beyond, “Stories deserve reflection, at the end. Even if the ending wasn’t what one hoped for or expected. I forced Lyra to drop me, thinking it’d be a shame for both of us to die for the ballad I tried to forge. Was that, too, just me being selfish? Stories are supposed to have lessons, in the end, but I can’t figure out what mine is. All I desired was to be part of something grand. A song to move the world. I thought I could force it to happen, but Lyra made it clear that’s just not how it works...”

“Zzzz...zzzz...”

“...I am going to hit you.”

“What, I’m awake! Was enthralled by your deep self reflection there, Andrea. Have you, perhaps, considered that life isn’t a story, but pure, random chaos in which we are all born at random, die at random, and any fun we manage to scrape out of it in-between those two facts is the only meaning there is?”

Andrea looked at the nihilistic griffin dead in the eye and asked, “If that is what you believe, why did you save me?”

He grinned back, his beak slick with the fish bits he’d been devouring, “Alive is more fun than dead.” Then his eye twitched, and a bit of his bluster faded, “Besides, when I saw you falling, I had this nagging sensation that... catching you would be something that Ditzy Doo would have done.”

A surprised blink came over the red elk, “It would seem I’m not the only one those mares affected.”

“You’ll find no denial from me on that account,” he admitted with clear consternation, but there was a fondness in his tone, as well, “I am looking forward to the next time my path crosses with that bright eyed pegasus.”

“A difficult prospect, considering our status now as wanted fugitives. It is not as if we can afford to walk in and out of any town we please from now on,” Andrea said, “Are you not concerned over your wife and children? You did have those, yes?”

Grimwald barked out a laugh, “My beloved wife will be overjoyed to have an excuse to finally be rid of me for good. She’s enjoyable company when the claws come out, but it was never... love. As for the kids, I suspect my offspring will grow up better without me, and let us be honest, I’m a bastard devoted to my own whims.”

“Then what now?” Andrea asked, “We will find no safe place in the world, criminals that we are. I’d intended to either ride or die in glory upon Rengoku, and had not accounted on... this.”

“Oh I’ve thought about just flying off and leaving you to flounder by yourself, but I think I’ll get more entertainment out of nettling you for a time,” Grimwald said, eyes glittering in a manner that rode the line between amiable and frightening, “I can go my own way whenever the desire takes me, but a disgraced Elkhiem skald might make for an interesting companion. As for the ‘what’, I’d like to make our way back to the Griffin Kingdoms.”

“Why?” Andrea inquired with a furrowed brow of curiosity, “That would be the most dangerous place of all for you to go.”

“Exactly,” he smiled, tossing now now thoroughly fleshless fish aside as he then began to play with one of his daggers, “No matter how hard my dear friend Gwendolyn tries, I suspect the Kingdoms are at too much of a boiling point for peace to last. We griffins just can’t help ourselves. We love to fight, and even if she does her best to hold us all together, even if she goes the full, crazy step of trying to become the next Emperor Yuri, war will still come to the Kingdoms eventually.”

“A dour prospect but I find no fault in your prediction,” Andrea said, her own face thoughtful, “My question remains; why go there, then?”

There was a small spark in his eyes, the dagger he was playing with glinting as he spun it over and over again on dancing fingers, “I’ve built up a long list of contacts in the Kingdoms. Wanted or not, few I know in the circles I flew with would turn me or you in. I also know enough of the players in those games to grasp which way the winds will turn as war breaks out. Gwendolyn is strong, canny in her way, but she has blind spots. Too many blind spots to survive long against folk who won’t meet her in open battle, but aim daggers at her back.”

The dagger in his talon stopped turning, and he pointed it upward at some unseen point in the sky, “Ditzy Doo might be disappointed in me for my methods, but maybe she’ll appreciate the motive. Because I’m thinking I’ll stay in the shadows of the war that comes, and ‘remove’ any daggers that point at Gwendolyn’s back. She’d hate me for the dishonorable methods, I think, but what Gwen won’t know what hurt her any more than any that make such a clandestine play against her.”

Andrea took a minute to consider that. Out of all the nations, she suspected the griffins would be among the ones least concerned with whether or not she was a wanted doe. Each individual Griffin Kingdom had its own laws, and the Kingdoms as a whole were still on fairly chilly terms with Elkheim anyway. The odds of her being turned over seemed minimal. Furthermore, she found Grimwald’s plan appealing, in its way. Slinking through a soon to be war torn land, fighting in the shadows against those who would plot against Gwendolyn Var Bastion, as she rose to potential prominence? What red blooded skald wouldn’t be interested in such a tale?

“That may well suit, yes,” she said with renewed vigor “If you think you could use the skills of a skald, I’d like to lend them to the cause. Lyra said I cannot force others to be a part of a story, and she may well be right. I shall accept my place as a secondary character then.”

“So got some more pep in your step then? Good! Because I’m not carrying you anywhere, and that means a lot of walking for you, and plenty of easy gliding for me,” Grimwald said, hopping to his feet and spreading his wings, but he soon found Andrea grabbing a talon of his and pulling him back to the ground.

“Wanted criminal, remember? Less flying you do, the better. You’re walking, just like me.”

“Ugh,” Grimwald hung his head, “You’re going to be as bad as Gwen, aren’t you? Fine, then, we walk. But once night settles in, I’m flying.”

And so two rather unlikely traveling companions left the clearing, making their way northward through the coastal regions of Cavallia, to whatever unknown experiences and stories still laid ahead of them, but both marked in their own ways by the story they had left behind.

The culture of Shouma often stood on ceremony, and ceremony took time. Yet Dao Ming had insisted on getting this matter over with swiftly, for to take time with it was to invite questions, and questions could bred opposition and discontent. The faster a change was made and a matter settled, the sooner everycreature could get on with other affairs. For a change, her mother did not resist, or object, or obstruct. Indeed Dao Ming’s mother had become like an open flowing river, clearing away obstacles and debris from Dao Ming’s path.

Her announcement of Dao Ming’s ascendancy to the throne was made almost immediately after their return to the Imperial Palace. The whispers and candid conversations of the various clan courtiers had followed the returning Imperial family like a wildfire, but Empress Fu Ling knew how to wrangle the court. She would remain Empress until the year was done, but like a general commanding her troops, she cracked proverbial whips to begin making arrangements both political and social to prepare for Dao Ming’s coronation.

In the meantime the story of what had transpired at the Contest of Champions was largely downplayed, although not hidden. Dao Ming, Xhua, and Lo Shang all together went with their mother to tell the tale to the court, with Kenkuro presiding over the affair in his official capacity as the Blade of Heaven. It was... a briefly ugly affair, for the shock and horror of the clan leaders was prominent. The idea that one of the Empress’ own daughters could even conceive of treason was one met with understandable fury.

Dao Ming, with her mother and sibling’s help, and Kenkuro adding his weight to the affair, cut down the indignation and made things clear.

Tomoko was to be punished, but only in the manner in which Dao Ming, as future Empress, prescribed. Fu Ling threw her full weight behind it, and Kenkuro assisted in planning and laying out the actual logistics of Dao Ming’s plan.

It was a plan met with a hefty combination of incredulity and intrigue, but Dao Ming made it clear she was not to be swayed, and that this plan would serve the greater needs of the Empire, needs that Tomoko, in her misguided by in some ways noble cause, had made abundantly clear.

So it was that it was barely six days after her return to her homeland that Dao Ming found herself standing at the front of a massive yet run down and dust coated fortress. It was a building of ancient Shouma make, pagoda styled fortress-castle, surrounded by high walls. The might and splendor it would have once exuded was long given over to the ravages of abandonment, but it's size remained impressive nonetheless. It was three tiers tall and was supported by a long wall and expansive courtyard, filled with once active barracks and armories, abandoned for several years once the clan that once owned it was forced to give the territory up to the Dark Lands.

Tomoko’s family prior to being adopted by the Empress, the Hiruma Clan. A fortress now residing within the Dark Lands. Dao Ming had seen them at a distance, but now she stood within them. It was uncomfortable, the air itself tasting stale and faintly of death. The ground was barren and brittle, what little vegetation that could be seen along the wide expanse of short hills was stunted and brown. Even so, Dao Ming could imagine what it may have once looked like before the Dark Lands took it, a fertile river valley with many winding streams and green hills. Could it be such once more? Or was this dusty, dead expanse to be the eventual fate of all the territories of the Heavenly Empire?

Not if Dao Ming could help it, and today was the first step.

Behind her stood a long column consisting of nearly five hundred soldiers and nearly twice that number in volunteer crafts folk and servants. The soldiers were drawn from volunteers from every other clan in the Empire, but they bore no banners or heraldry from those clans. At the head of the column was a contingent of ten Jade Guard in their green royal armors, bearing tall pikes, and standing between them was Tomoko, unshackled but under guard.

Tomoko’s eyes looked at her family’s dead ancestral home with a combination of long hidden hurt, a faint sense of longing, and a great deal of anxious uncertainty. Dao Ming had told her sister nothing of what was intended, because she wanted this to bear upon Tomoko with some weight.

Dao Ming looked back at Tomoko in silence, then back to the castle, “He should be here soon. He insisted on scouting ahead first to ensure all was in order. No surprises.”

As if on cue, a piercing caw cut the air, and a dark shape detached from the ruined castle’s highest point and swooped down. Some of the soldiers tensed, for in the Dark Lands such things could readily indicate an attack by a beast of the Dark Lands. Fortunately the Hiruma Clan’s lost castle and lands were among the most recently claimed, and not far from the real Shouma border where the walls and border forts resided, so things were fairly safe in this region. Relatively speaking.

The form that dropped down and landed before Dao Ming with a bow was none other than Kenkuro, looking in rather good spirits as the tengu hopped from one foot to the other and dusted himself off, “My Lady, I am pleased to report that despite the expected signs of wear and tear from the elements, the castle is largely intact. A few leaky walls and ceilings, but nothing outside of our fine crafters to repair in good time. I saw no signs of monstrous habitation, at least not recently. Going to need to give a few rooms a nice scrubbing to remove some oni droppings, but as Tien Zhu once said; a fixer-upper’s price is in the clean up, not the coin down.”

Dao Ming cleared her throat and nodded to him, “Very good, Kenkuro. Now then, if you would accompany me as I address the prisoner?”

“But of course, my Lady,” Kenkuro replied with a sweeping bow, then eyed Tomoko, “I’ve rather been looking forward to this.”

Tomoko still didn’t look as if she had any notion of what to make of any of the present circumstances, but she did manage to hold herself composed, head up and meeting Dao Ming’s gaze. Dao Ming approached her, Kenkuro hopping along at her side, and she gestured for the guards to step away to give them some space. She then took a calming breath. She had not said much to Tomoko since the events nearly a week prior. Her heart was still filled with a tempest of conflicting feelings. She still loved Tomoko as a sister, and understood all that had driven her to do as she had. Yet the reckless endangerment of not just the Empire, but potentially much of the world beyond, was not readily ignored.

It fell to Dao Ming to proclaim the punishment, and the shape of Tomoko’s atonement. She prayed to the spirits that what she planned would work, in the long run.

“Tomoko, you have been charged with acts of treason against the Empire and the Empress, acts for which your guilt cannot be contested. Yet, as the one who defeated you, as the next Empress of the Heavenly Empire, and as your sister, it is my right to decide your fate.”

Dao Ming saw confusion on Tomoko’s face, yet also a shrewd, quick thinking alignment of logic. Tomoko had been told nothing of Dao Ming’s soon to be ascension to the throne, and Dao Ming could all but see the moment Tomoko realized that; the relief giving way to love and pride. Tossing aside etiquette, Tomoko bowed her head and whispered, “Thank the spirits... mother actually recognized your worth... I can die without anything to regret, then.”

Dao Ming, also willing to break etiquette, proceeded to use a hoof to lift Tomoko’s chin and share at least a slight smile of softness, “I did not drag you back to your former clan’s castle to simply execute you, Tomoko. You’re far too smart to think that.”

“I... well there would have been a certain proper finality to me meeting my end here, where it all began,” Tomoko said, managing a weak, uncertain half smile, “Perhaps you had developed a sense of poetic justice?”

“I have, but not in the way you are thinking,” Dao Ming said, stepping back and resuming her louder, more authoritative tone, “Your actions were fueled by a desire to see the Dark Lands destroyed. So be it then, that shall be your charge. As future Empress I hereby proclaim you shall henceforth take command of this castle, and with it be placed in charge of a new clan whose sole purpose will be to fight back the Dark Lands and reclaim what the Heavenly Empire has lost! These troops and workers are but the first who have volunteered to form the nucleus of this clan. To battle the Dark Lands, each clan will provide a yearly tithe of troops and supplies to fuel the effort. Furthermore, spirit chanters and healers will be dispatched to take postings here to aid in studying the nature of the Dark Lands corruption and seek ways to drive it back. You, Tomoko, are given this charge and duty to fulfill at all costs, until your dying day. With horn and hoof, spell and blade, to your last drop of blood, this will be your unending task. Will you accept it?”

Tomoko could not have appeared more stunned if she had just been dunked in a frozen river, yet the wide eyed shock passed rapidly as it was replaced with a loving fervor. Tomoko by pride alone kept herself from breaking out into tears of pride as she slammed a hoof to her chest and bowed deeply to Dao Ming, “For you, my Empress, I bind my heart, body, and soul to this task. The Hiruma Clan shall be restored.”

“No,” Dao Ming said, and Tomoko looked up, “Not the Hiruma Clan. This is to be something new.”

She turned and nodded to Kenkuro, who approached and unslung a pack he’d been carrying on his back. He unfurled from it a banner, red as blood, red as Tomoko’s own coat of fur. Upon it was painted a streak of white in the shape of a cresting wave. “As Blade of Heaven, I beseech the spirits’ blessings upon this bloodline. Today, the Akikage Clan is born under it’s first daimyo; Tomoko Akikage.”

He presented the banner to her, and Tomoko took it after a moment of reflection. “Red shadow... appropriate.”

Dao Ming motioned for Tomoko to follow her, and Kenkuro stayed close as the three walked a bit away from the column of waiting soldiers and workers, moving towards the faded glory of the Hiruma Clan’s former castle. “The formalities aside, there is much to be done in iron out the details, Tomoko. There are many in the Imperial court that were not happy with this plan. To some, they see this as a reward for treason. They don’t... understand the truth of what I’ve just done to you...”

“Do not be sorry, sister,” Tomoko said, holding the banner close as she looked upon the castle as if it were not a ruin, but a light in the darkness, “I understand what this means. It is both a fitting end, and a fitting beginning. Even if the task you’ve shouldered me with may prove impossible, I will see to it with all that I am. Akaikage...heh, was that one your idea or Kenkuro’s?”

“Oh, I take full credit,” said the tengu with a grin, “And it was a bit of brilliance if I do say so myself. By stripping you of your original family name, the whispers in court will be less severe, and we can paint this new Akaikage Clan as a sort of pressure release valve for undesirable elements in the Empire?”

Dao Ming flinched, “You don’t have to put it like that.”

“Ah, I see,” Tomoko said with a knowing smile, “Your ‘tithe’ of troops will involve no shortage of criminals desperate to avoid execution or prison, so they shall be sent here to serve the Akaikage Clan in fighting the Dark Lands.”

“It was a needed piece of the plan to make it sufficiently palatable to the court,” Dao Ming admitted, “I am sorry sister, but this remains punishment, and it is the best I can do-”

“You need not apologize,” Tomoko said, shaking her head, “Never to me. I...” pain entered her voice like a hot river, “I wish I had not fought you. I may not regret my plans or desires to make use of Abbess Serene’s plan for my own ends, but hurting you... I never wanted...”

“I know, sister. But that is past us, now. You have a great deal of difficult challenges ahead of you. The days shall not be filled with peace for you. Pain, bloodshed, and endless toil for the good of the Empire is to be your recompense. I pray to the spirits you understand and accept the enormity of that.”

To Dao Ming’s words, Tomoko only smiled and gestured to the castle, whose very gates were halfway off their hinges, “You have given me more than I could have hoped for. Mother sees your value now, and I will gladly spend my remaining life fighting to restore these lands to the beauty they once had, and if I shall die before it is done I shall ensure the Akaikage Clan can continue the work until it is. I swear this to you on my very soul, Dao Ming.”

Some in the court would still doubt Tomoko. They would worry that this might be simply giving an untrustworthy individual military power to attempt another coup down the line. But Dao Ming heard the ring of truth in Tomoko’s words, and knew that her sister would indeed take this charge as seriously as any in all the Empire could. It was a terrible burden. A life of conflict, that would know no real peace. And Tomoko was right, it may well be impossible to fend off the Dark Lands, let alone reclaim them. Yet Tomoko would spend her lifeblood to do it, Dao Ming knew, and that was why this “punishment” had come to her mind as the most fitting.

And, perhaps, thinking about a certain group of Equestrian champions had played a role in Dao Ming considering a form of corrective punishment that would allow for some manner of atonement. She wondered what Trixie might think of all of this? Dao Ming imagined whatever it was, that the insufferable unicorn would have a snarky comment or two, but the thought just made Dao Ming smile.

Ponyville was thankfully quiet for once, for it helped Trixie concentrate on a task of greatest importance.

“Now the trick with this one is to make sure the audience’s eyes are anywhere and everywhere exception where the banana actually is,” Trixie said with utmost seriousness, flourishing her hat with dramatic significance, “Make sure they’re looking at where you want them to, the spectacle. That way-”

With a similar motion of grace and speed she flipped her hat back onto her head, where moments ago she appeared to have put a banana she’d borrowed from the kitchen for this demonstration. Then, with a similar flourish, she took off her cape, where the banana had been secretly slid into hidden pocket of earlier, and laid it on the coffee table in her living room. With just the right jiggle, the banana was out of the pocket, in perfect palace for the reveal as she pulled the cape way to make it look as if the fruit had appeared there, “teleported” from her hat as if by magic. But this time the magic was just sleight of hoof and showmareship!

“-voila, the illusion is completed and the audience cheers and claps. Aaaaah, aaaaah, how amazing!” Trixie said, mimicking a crowd's cheers and doing a few hoof stomps.

At the other side of the table, Bushel looked on with wide eyes snapping between Trixie and a notepad she was carefully taking notes in with her mouth speaking awkwardly around her pen, “Okay, okay! I think I got it! But, um, teacher, why a banana?”

“It’s just what I had on hoof. I don’t even like bananas...” Trixie blinked at the inexplicable fruit on her table, “Why do I even have this? Well never mind that! Let us see your hoof at it, my eager apprentice!”

Bushel took to it with great enthusiasm, sweeping her own cape in dramatic pose and readying her hat. The first few times the eager young filly had visited Trixie, she’d still lacked magician accouterments, but certainly had design ideas. With a little help on Trixie’s part, Bushel had generated her own ensemble that, while echoing Trixie’s own signature hat and cape, still had a flare that was Bushel’s own. Perhaps in honor of her roots in Oaton, Bushel favored a felt cape of forest green, although with similar stars to what Trixie’s cape bore, albeit in bright yellows and whites. The hat on Bushel’s head was more pointed towards the brow and thinner in brim, not to mention a bit large for the filly, but Trixie could tell she’d grow into it in due time.

A half hour of demonstration and Bushel showed her sleight of hoof was indeed improving. Trixie could, with her practiced eye, still spot the moments of misdirection where the banana passed from hat to hidden pocket, but she’d been at this for years. Regular ponies would likely have trouble spotting the switch, and Trixie’s hoof claps were quite genuine as Bushel finished the trick.

“Bravo, bravo! I dare say another year of hard work and you’ll be able to take a show on the road.”

Bushel’s face beamed red with equal levels of pleasure at the praise and embarrassment. “If ma an pa ever let me, I’d be over the moon to do just that. Not sure I’d be able to leave Oaton, though.”

Trixie perhaps could understand both the reluctance and eagerness, both. Even for her, excited as she’d been to begin her apprenticeship with Princess Luna, there’d be a pang of regret to leave Neigh Orleans. Trixie ruffled Bushel’s head and noted the time. It’d be only another quarter hour before Bushel’s train would be leaving.

“How are things in Oaton?” she asked as she helped Bushel pack up her small saddlebags.

“Just swell!” Bushel said, tail wagging, “The Guild ponies have been real nice to everypony since things have settled down, and Miss Tarnished has worked very hard as Representative to make sure the town is safe. A new store opened that sells all sorts of neat stuff from the big cities, and pa says our harvest is going really well. Everypony seems happy, and there's even been a few weddings between townsponies and Guild ponies.”

Trixie’s eyebrow twitched a little, “Dare I ask if that Bootheel fellow was one of them?”

“Nope. He got turned down by every mare in town, and also some of the stallions,” Bushel said, then looked up with an innocent expression, “Mister Lock n’ Key kept calling him ‘thirsty beyond hope’, but he drinks a lot so I don’t know why he’d be thirsty-”

“It’s best not to worry about such things. You’ll understand in around ten years, give or take,” Trixie said, rubbing at her head briefly before glancing at Bushel’s own forehead, “Have the lessons on controlling your inverted horn been going well?”

“They’ve been great! Miss Inkwell is really smart and patient. Kinda quiet, but she really seemed to like it when I performed some of the tricks you’ve been teaching me for her. It was hard at first, um, with the horn,” Bushel went pensive for a moment as they finished getting her packed for her trip back to Oaton and left Trixie’s residence. Pokey was waiting outside, waving a hoof. It was Sunday, a day off for him, but he never failed to show up and greet Bushel.

“Heya kiddo! Keeping our Representative on the ball with those magic lessons? Going to be stealing her spotlight before you know it.”

Bushel giggled as she hoof bumped Pokey, “She’s amazing! Hey, do you like bananas?”

“Absolutely love them. Pointy fruit, the only fruit for me,” Pokey said, “I always keep a few around for my breaks.”

“Mystery solved,” Trixie said, now grasping the existence of the phantom bananas. Attention back on Bushel she added, “So no issues with headaches anymore?”

“Oh no, not since I learned when and how to take in magic,” Bushel replied, flushing with further embarrassment, “Everypony in town helps, but it still feels a bit weird. Like I’m a magic vampire.”

“Nonsense,” Trixie insisted, “Your condition is perfectly natural. Never let yourself feel otherwise.”

“Also kind of awesome, historically speaking,” Pokey put in, “After Trixie and the crew went to that Contest thing, I got curious and looked up info on previous champions. Turns out an inverted horn is pretty nifty for winning some of those competitions, being able to suck in magic. Two Equestrian competitors in the past had them.”

Bushel’s eyes had gotten saucer wide, “Really? I’d love to compete someday! Oh my gosh, if I won, my name would be on that tablet thingy right next to Trixie’s!”

“W-well, I mean, the Contest only happens every hundred years...” Trixie said, but Bushel was undaunted.

“Oh that’s nothing! My great-grandma Woolshear lived to be a hundred and thirty something! I bet I could live at least that long, and all the time before that just gives me opportunities to do super amazing adventure stuff so I can get nominated like you were.”

Well, never let it be said that the young filly lacked ambition. Trixie could hardly fault her. By then the trio had trotted to the Ponyville train station, where the train was already present and beginning to board the early arriving passengers. The station near Oaton had been expanded beyond a mere platform at this point, although still small in comparison to Ponyville’s. Still, service ran more regularly down that route and Bushel’s journey was a matter of mere hours. These visits had been happening regularly every other Sunday, and Trixie was as ever both heart warmed and a little sad whenever she had to see Bushel off.

“I’m sure you’ll make a fine champion for Equestria one day, if it’s a goal you truly want and work for,” she said, giving Bushel a hefty hug which the filly returned with equal measure and then some.

“I want to be it all,” Bushel said, not breaking the hug, “I want to travel and be a magician, I want to adventure and help ponies, and make my hometown prosper, and even go to that island and represent Equestria like you did. It’s kind of scary, to want all that, but I see you and your friends and it makes me feel like I can do it all.”

She then let go of Trixie as the train conductor made the last call for passengers. Bushel wiped at her face a bit and went up the short steps to the passenger car, but turned one last time to wave at Trixie and Pokey, “You’re my hero, Trixie. I’ll make you proud of me, just you wait and see!”

Trixie waved back, unable to keep a starlit smile off her face as the doors closed and soon enough the train began to pull out of the station. “As if I could ever be anything other than proud of you, Bushel.”

“She’s a heck of a foal,” Pokey said, glancing sidelong at Trixie, “I’d say this champion business might be going to both your heads, but for once I’m willing to say you earned some right to it. I didn’t even watch all of what went down on those magic mirror dealies that Twilight had up at the library, but half of what I did see was pretty wild. You and the others really outdid yourselves.”

“But of course,” Trixie said, allowing a bit of ego through, but at the same time as she and Pokey left the train platform, she took a deep breath and let herself ease off the pedal on self-satisfaction, “It was an enlightening experience.”

“Enlightening? Doesn’t sound like the Trixie I started working for,” Pokey said, halfway jokingly. Trixie smirked at him and flicked her tail at his nose.

“The world is bigger than me,” she said simply, “Bigger than I ever really understood. So many nations, filled with their own conflicts, cultures, values, and magic. I think my friends and I needed a taste of that, because...”

It was hard for her to put it into words, the thoughts that had been building within her since her return from the Contest. Since she and her friends’ return from the Contest of Champions she had noted certain things.

The shield that hung over the fireplace in Ditzy’s home, glanced at by the mailmare once and while whenever Trixie came over for a visit, and the quiet strength that seemed to beam from her pegasus friend upon looking upon the protective weapon Sigurd had forged for her. There may have been a hesitance once at having such an item in her home, and all the implications about her life that came with it, yet that was now gone.

Often now Trixie would see Raindrops in a quiet meadow where she knew the pegasus was fond of, sitting with her hind legs crossed, meditating in a way very much like a zebra. While Trixie could still tell there was much on Raindrops’ mind, there now too was a steady ease and certainty of purpose in the pegasus’ voice and motions, as if burden had been taken off her shoulders.

Carrot Top was as ever seen working diligently on her farm, but with an even greater sized patch in her back yard set aside for alchemically grown plants and an expanding workshop in the shed in that same backyard, now also strewn with books on Elkhiem’s culture and language. On one or two nights over the past week Trixie had seen Carrot Top looking fondly to the northwest, where that far off country lay, and there seemed a newfound eagerness in the farm mare to be ever ready for travel.

The songs emanating from Lyra’s home were many, and while Trixie recognized the popular songs that Lyra would play for concerts, these now were interlaced with ballads of battle and spellsong that seemed to reinforce a fierce desire in the bard that burned bright in every note she played. Trixie hadn’t failed to also note that Lyra was practicing her own magic quite a bit more often now.

As for Cheerilee, she taught classes as diligently as ever, but Iron Will had spent a few days visiting with the mare, and Trixie had seen Cheerilee spending more of her after hours time working out with a burning fervor. There was indeed a new air about the teacher, as if her time with the minotaurs had rubbed off an element of that unusual force of raw charisma and personality that the species exuded.

To Trixie, it was plain to see she and her friends had each taken something from those they’d met at the Contest, and in their own ways incorporated it into their lives. Trixie suspected that, in turn, those they had competed with and fought both alongside and against had done the same.

“Because whether we planned it or not, our lives aren’t the same ones we had a year ago. First heroes, then champions, and whether or not we earned those names in the ways one might expect, it means ponies are counting on us now. It’s not a responsibility we can just toss aside, not anytime soon. Even after we defeat Corona... that won’t really be the end of it.”

The truth of that dawned on her as harsh as the sun above, but Trixie didn’t balk from it. In fact she was energized by the notion! She knew that more threats would come, even after Corona was dealt with in one manner or another. The Griffin Kingdoms were on the brink of war. Shouma still had a vast and creeping danger in the form of the Dark Lands. And who knew what other possibilities lurked on the horizon, just waiting to spring upon Equestria in ways Trixie could hardly imagine? If a hero was one who stood beside others in their time of need, then she’d learned that champions were those who took it even a step further and lifted others up, showing them their full potential. Trixie was a better pony for having met so many such champions, and knew her friends were now, too, each in their own small ways.

It gave her all the assurance she needed that they’d be able to weather all that was to come, and she smiled with wide and honest gratitude at the thought.

“What’s got you all grinning over there?” asked Raindrops, causing Trixie to shake herself out of her reverie as she saw trotting down the road towards her were all of her friends. They’d agreed to do lunch together after Trixie had seen Bushel off.

“Aw, did we miss her?” asked Cheerilee, “I would’ve loved to see the tyke off. I’m seriously thinking of arranging some kind of schoolhouse for Oaton, and I could take one day on the weekend to go teach there.”

“Workaholic,” Lyra ribbed, to which Cheerilee winked at her.

“Yes, but it’d also give me an excuse to go see Tarnished, and read the letters Shiny sends her.”

“Hi Trixie,” Ditzy said, easily gliding over with a wave, “Raindrops is right, you look like you’re in a really good mood.”

“I know, it’s terrifying,” said Pokey, and Carrot Top gave him a half hearted snort.

“Oh leave off, Trixie is due some good vibes. Wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for us, last week.”

“I think I’ve only heard the story about twenty times already,” Pokey said, smiling despite his false complaint, and a note of actual concern did hit his eyes as he glanced at Trixie’s leg, “Seems like you’ve healed up a lot.”

Trixie waggled it, and grimaced at the still present ache of dull pain from the sword wound that she’d received at Tomoko’s hooves. “It’s mostly just an irritant, now. I can trot just fine, although a full gallop is going to be most uncomfortable for at least another week.”

“Well then let’s get trotting so we can get eating,” said Lyra with gusto, strumming her lyre a few times, “Got a new song I want to run by you all. Working title is ‘The Lyra Six and the Floating Fortress of Doom’.”

“I can see why that’s a working title,” Raindrops deadpanned, and then shook her head and took up a spot next to Trixie as the group got moving, perhaps a shade closer than was common for friends, but Trixie hardly noticed or minded. “So you didn’t answer my question. What was with the big ol’ grin?”

“Nothing much,” Trixie replied, at first thinking to leave it with an air of mystery, but truthfully, she was so relaxed with these friends of hers now that she didn’t feel the need, “Was merely thinking of the future. How we’re ready for it. For Corona, for anything, really. Everything that comes after.”

Raindrops’ huge cyan eyes stared at her with a brief moment of astonishment, but then swiftly warmed to blue pools as she, seemingly unconsciously, bent a wing towards Trixie. Not quite touching, nothing intimate, just enough to shade the unicorn a bit from the sun.

“You know what, I’d say you’re right.”

And so the six mares trotted onward through their beloved hometown, off to a simple lunch together. To some, an ending, but to them, there was no such thing. Instead there was a string of endless new possibilities that stretched out ahead for those who stood to uplift others as only champions could.

Author's Note

Nine years is a long time. Far longer than I ever expected, when I first started this story. Much has changed in my life over that timeframe, yet at the same time, I am still very much the same person who enthusiastically began to write that first chapter, and now brings to you the final, an "epilogue" that is really quite the sizeable chunk of words. But much needed closure in this story, and I can only hope that for those of you who have stuck with it to the end find enjoyment in this conclusion. For your time, and most especially your patience these long years, you have my deepest gratitude, dear readers.

I must especially thank Rainbow DoubleDash, because it remains that the Lunaverse is a place I love dearly and it is a setting that retains a warm place in my heart, perhaps even moreso than the original source material itself.

As for what's next? Well I certainly have no intention of ceasing to write Lunaverse stories, and ideas have rattled in my head of the next one for a number of years as I was going through the process of finishing Contest. For those who remain interested, do expect to see more from me in the future, although perhaps not a story quite as long as this one. Indeed I think my next tale will likely be focused on a smaller scope, if nothing else for ease of my own sanity.

But truly, thank you all once again. Until next we meet, in our turbulent world, take care.

Chapter 1: A Call for Champions

Contest of Champions

Chapter 1: A Call for Champions

The grove was absolutely silent save for the steady, soothing rush of the small waterfall that fed the glass clear pool in the grove’s center. Dense bunches of flowering bushes and short trees with long, draping branches of cherry blossoms surrounded the grove in perfectly arranged symmetry, every single piece of the scenery down to the last tiny leaf specifically crafted to provide an absolute barrier from intrusion, to create the illusion that this grove was a place apart from the rest of the world.

Upon the grove’s pool a kirin mare stood, balanced upon a single hoof that rested on a moss covered rock protruding just barely from the pool’s gently rippling water. The kirin’s coat was a lustrous, shining jade, covering her entirely except for where patches of golden scales flowed along the sides of her neck and the base of her hooves. Her mane and tail were both smooth as spun silk and long enough to almost dip into the pool, and were the same golden shade as her scales. Two horns of bone-white ivory, each shaped like twined together bolts of lightning, curved backwards from the crest of her head, and were glowing brightly with a pure silver aura of magic.

Around her globes of water spun, perfectly shaped, dancing intricately around one another, weaving in a complex pattern, never touching each other or once losing their flawlessly spherical forms.

The mare’s face was a still mask of focus, despite a tired paleness to her features and a series of sweatdrops beading upon her brow. At her hip rested a thin, elegant blade, sheathed in a scabbard of jade, a sinuous long serpentine dragon etched along the scabbard in gold. In a single, shining flash this blade flew from the scabbard and spun around the kirin mare as she jumped into the air, gracefully flipping once around the lightning flashes of her sword. She landed upon a single hoof, different than the one she’d been balancing on before, and in that same instant her sword was back in its sheath. Around her the spheres of water parted down their centers, rejoining after a second or two of continuing upon their paths.

Upon the horizon, where mist shrouded mountain peaks formed a verdant and distant wall, the sky started to turn a light cerulean, gradually welcoming a glowing orange hue as the sun lazily made its way upward into the heavens.

It took all of Dao Ming’s concentration not to smile as she felt the first heat of the sun’s morning rays warm her face. There was nothing like an all night meditative training session to put her in a good mood, despite how much it strained her endurance. Alone, quiet, and with only herself and her limits to push. It was peaceful in a way she did not get to indulge in nearly enough for her liking.

A harsh flutter of wings reached her ears, and even though her eyes were closed, she sensed the arrival to her grove as he landed on the soft grass by the pool. She heard him tuck his wings behind his back and the soft rattle of wood and porcelain as he sat and removed what she surmised was a wooden lunch box and a soup bowl.

“MmmMmm, nothing at all quite like the smell of fresh miso soup in the morning,” said a chuckling, twanging voice that held the same note of barely contained jovialness covering steel that Dao Ming remembered from the first time she heard it when she was just a filly.

She did not deign to respond, trying not to frown. She was still trying to meditate, and he bloody well knew it!

“Oh, this is so good,” the voice said and loud slurping noises could be heard, accompanied by the rich smell of soup, cooked rice, and vegetables, “Lady Ming, you’ve not broken your fast, yet, have you? Ah, of course, meditating, you probably haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. Must be hungry, I imagine.”

Loud clacking, from chopsticks no doubt, accompanied the slurping of soup, and no small amount of exaggeratedly loud noises of someone enjoying their meal far too much.

Even so, Dao Ming continued to focus on her mediation, maintaining her magic and the intricate dance of water spheres around her, though practiced eyes would be able to see that the flow of the spheres was becoming erratic.

“You know, I have read in the scrolls of Tien Zhu that when you are doing one thing, be concerned with only that one thing. However I’ve always found that distraction is life. To seclude oneself from distraction does not breed focus, only an inability to focus when life comes calling. Mmm, oh the cooks do love me so, to make such a fine meal for a humble monk like myself.”

“Many are the things one could accuse you of, Kenkuro,” Dao Ming finally said, her voice a strong, resonant tenor filled with equal parts disdain and grudging fondness, “But ‘humble’ is not among them. Fly to some other place, old crow, and trouble another with your cawing.”

She only had a second to feel a wash of satisfaction at her barb before her lack of concentration caused one of her spheres to burst. She rushed to compensate, but her magic flared strongly, too strongly, and in seconds spheres of water flew apart like blown piles of leaves in a hard wind. One of the spheres splashed right atop her head, soaking her mane and plastering some of her gold locks across her face.

She sighed in a puff of irritated air as she opened her silver gleaming eyes and looked at the tengu, who was laughing heartily at her. For a second she glared at him, then with a small smile she levitated up a stream of water and sent it flying at the tengu, soaking him, his soup and rice, and half the bushes behind him.

Kenkuro looked at his soaked self, and his equally soaked breakfast, and gave Dao Ming a wry laugh as he took off the wide straw hat he wore and shook the water off it, plopping it back on his head with a small flourish.

“Perhaps I should have foreseen that coming. Alas, my breakfast, I don’t think it will survive. As Tien Zhu wrote, ‘Accept loss, so that it does not cause more loss.’”

Dao Ming gracefully walked across the water, a simple spell freezing the now rippling pool into a slim bridge of ice for her to walk to shore upon. When she got to the grass she wove another spell, sending a wash of drying heat across her own body and that of Kenkuro’s. Then, from where they’d been laid in delicate, precise folds under one of the cherry blossom trees, Dao Ming levitated her black and gold silk robes, wrapping them around her body even as she approached the tengu with a warm smile.

“I’m certain you can acquire more food, old crow. You always do,” she said, eyeing his somewhat rotund stomach.

Any who looked upon Kenkuro would likely just see a tired looking, slightly overweight, old tengu. The bipedal bird still had feathers covering his form that were black as a clear, midnight sky, but the gray dusting across the feathers on his face belied his age. Black beady eyes still shone brightly however from a always grinning face, and despite the heft around his middle and the seeming creaking nature of his wings, Dao Ming well knew the strength hidden within her old mentor. The daisho blades at his hip, sheathed within the gold obi sash of his dark blue kimono were more than symbols of office. Dao Ming had seen him wield the katana in ways the most fit and youthful of the Jade Palace’s Imperial Knights could not match.

Kenkuro’s laugh was light and comforting, and banished any ill feeling Dao Ming had towards his impromptu interruption to her training. He was simply difficult to stay mad at, and Dao Ming, much as she was loath to admit it, probably did need to eat by this point. Still, it was strange...

“Kenkuro, is something amiss? You enjoy finding excuse to drive me up a wall, I well know, but you usually are not up this early. Some other business must have forced you to avoid your usual sleeping in.”

“My Lady Ming remains perceptive, even upon this hour that the heavens themselves should not condone. I’m fairly certain the Scrolls of Wisdom must say something about the unnatural manner some folk feel the need to be awake at such an early hour! Bah, even if they do not, perhaps I’ll add that passage myself.”

“Assuming the monks of Tien Zhu would ever allow you to set foot upon their sacred temples. Were you not thrown out of the Temple of Eternal Knowledge just last month?”

Kenkuro waved a wing dismissively, “They should not have such pretty priestesses tending their libraries, if they do not want others to look appreciatively! Did not Tien Zhu write ‘to acknowledge there is beauty in the world is the first step towards enlightenment’?”

Dao Ming suppressed a sigh as they left the grove, following a fine gravel path through the Palace gardens, winding their way towards the gilded, elegant halls of the Jade Palace proper. Around them, peeking through distant mists, the rounded cliffs of the high mountains the Jade Palace rested in surrounded them, like islands rising from an ocean of white.

“Somehow I doubt Tien Zhu meant that one should seduce innocent shrine maidens into acts of questionable moral character. Now, cease changing the subject, old crow. What is the occasion. I have this sinking feeling I’m forgetting something. Today... today is important...”

Then it hit her like a stone square between her eyes, which widened as she immediately picked up her pace towards the Palace, “It’s today! How could I forget!? No, no, no, this won’t do! Kenkuro, why didn’t you call upon me earlier!?”

Kenkuro lazily took to the air in order to keep up with the now flustered, half-galloping kirin, “Truthfully? I assumed you were aware of the date, and were merely getting in some final, mad training in order to prepare yourself. Or at least that is the story we shall tell your disginguished, exalted mother, when she asks where you’ve been all morning.”

Dao Ming forcibly took hold of her breathing and pushed down her rising panic. It would not do for a member of the Imperial Family to be seen lacking such control. Her face flushed with embarrassment she was glad only Kenkuro could see as she slowed her pace and took a few deep breaths, forcing herself into the poised, graceful trot expected of a member of the Imperial Family. Still, there was a tremor in her eyes as she looked at Kenkuro.

“Years I’ve been preparing myself for this day, and it slips my mind what morning it is! Mother would send me to a month of penance with the Silent Ones if she knew.”

A smile grew upon her face, though, as they went up the elegant wood steps leading to a sliding wood and paper doorway into a back entrance of one of the Palace’s many long halls. Now that she knew what day it was, and where she would soon be going, a tingling buzz of excitement was working its way through her. The Contest! At last, the Contest of Champions was here!

A few servants who were cleaning the smooth wood flooring bowed deeply and scuttled away at the passage of one of their exalted nobles, foreheads touching the ground. Dao Ming navigated her way through the many junctions of seemingly endless corridors of white washed wood and thin paper paneling, wood beams gilded in gold and carved with designs of birds in flight or dragons rearing for battle holding up high ceilings.

“It does not surprise me, Lady Ming, that you’d misplace the day,” said Kenkuro, “When you train, you tend to lose your sense of time.”

At her sharp look he held up a wing, “It was not meant as a barb, my Lady.”

Her smile returned and she nodded to him, “It is well enough,” a pause, “If mother doesn’t press too hard about where I’ve been. She must be too busy with preparations to have bothered sending anyone to search for me. Heh, I bet my siblings are less prepared than I am, and she’s having to corral them like ducklings.”

Entering a grand hall, lined with stern looking unicorns and lesser kirin with single horns wearing the jade lacquer armor of Imperial Knights, Dao Ming went silent. She gave the guards passing glances, but otherwise no more acknowledgement that she’d give statues as she glided up to wide, wood doors covered in golden script. Opening them, she entered what was one of several massive bedrooms that served as personal chambers for her. Kenkuro strode in behind her after only briefly pausing to give the guards a grateful nod. Normally it would be forbidden for any to enter the chambers of a member of the Imperial Family, let alone the Imperial Heiress, without specific permission of the Empress herself. All the guards knew Kenkuro held such permission.

Inside her lavish chambers Dao Ming went into a flurry of activity, her ivory horns aglow. Shelves, cabinets, and dressers of ornate and elegant design flew open and in seconds the room was a wild storm of floating clothing as the kirin began packing with a speed and efficiency that even an army of servants could not match. Kenkuro found a safe spot to stand out of the way, perching upon a luxuriously carved blackwood stand, a cross piece of polished wood designed to easily allow the tengu’s clawed feet to comfortably grasp. Dao Ming had made the perch specifically for his use when he visited her, and Kenkuro warmly recalled the embarrassed way she’d presented it to him all those years ago. He watched the frantically moving kirin mare with an amused crease to his beak. Behind closed doors the Imperial Heir dropped her air of measured calm, and all but vibrated with a potent mix of childish excitement and nervous anxiety. He knew he was one of the few who ever got to see her this way, one of the few the Imperial Heir displayed such trust.

“You could have the servants do this, my Lady,” he pointed out casually, reaching into the folds of his kimono and withdrawing a long stemmed pipe, placing it in his beak without bothering to light it. He didn’t smoke. He just, oddly, liked chewing on the pipe. Few questioned the old swordmaster’s choice; at least never more than once.

Dao Ming made a scoffing sound as she floated an arrangement of elegant, shimmering dresses by her inspecting eyes, “Not if I want it done right, and fast. Doesn’t Tien Zhu have some dusty old piece of wisdom to say about doing things oneself? You know I never let others do for me what I know I can do better myself. Besides, if mother seeks me, she’ll send a runner here first, and I can’t afford to... irritate her. Not today. Not for the next ten days.”

For a moment a look of real fear crossed Dao Ming’s features, her eyes widening a fraction as she paused, if only for a split second. The moment passed and she continued her packing, doing it at a speed that Kenkuro had to admit was admirable. Her good mood and energy was back in full force by the time she had three full trunks arranged before her, filled with ensembles fit for the highest of Imperial court functions... or impressing foreign royalty.

Making sure each trunk was securely locked, Dao Ming allowed herself a sigh of relief and went to a vanity mirror, floating a brush over to begin fixing her mane and tail. As she did so she glanced at Kenkuro, “I’m almost afraid, you know.”

Kenkuro nodded, unsurprised, though slightly so that she’d admit it, “Tien Zhu did once write that fear is the soil from which other emotions bloom. It would be strange if you were not somewhat afraid. The Contest of Champions will certainly test you. In more ways than one.”

“I will win,” Dao Ming said immediately with the tone of self-assurance, “There can be no other result.I have prepared for this moment for so long. Mother expects nothing short of my total victory. I could not tolerate no less from myself.”

Kenkuro’s black eyes flickered with a hint of carefully guarded worry, “Remember the purpose of the Contest, Lady Ming, is not victory, but understanding. The world’s nations come together to show each other what they are at their best, so that we may learn from one another.”

“Of course, of course, but it is a ‘Contest’, Kenkuro! And a Contest must have a winner,” she smiled at him, setting her brush aside, and inspecting herself in the mirror, “I can’t wait, old crow. All the doubts to my worth, all of the challenges I’ve been tasked to face, all for her acknowledgement. Now, I face my final test. Mother has long said that were I to bring us victory at the Contest of Champions she would make my appointment as the Imperial Heir permanent. She will finally acknowledge that my blood is her blood.”

Her eyes bored into the mirror with a fire Kenkuro had seen many times, and sadly, also a fear that he’d seen just as often. Dao Ming’s voice was tiny at her next words, like the voice of the filly he remembered meeting eighteen years ago; so tiny she had barely come to his knees.

“I am her daughter... she will see. She must.”

Dao Ming shook her head, as if dispelling a cloud from her thoughts, and broke out into a chiming laugh, “It is going to be a glorious thing, Kenkuro! At this very moment the greatest of all races, from all realms, are preparing to gather at one place! We will test our might, our magic, and our wits against one another! I will face legends, and prove my worth against them, old crow, and mother will see my worth. I can finally... finally remove all doubt that I am the one, true Imperial Heir.”

Dao Ming went to the side of her chambers, opening the huge sliding paper door, and strood onto a wide red painted balcony. She looked out across the vast golden curved rooftops of the sprawling Imperial Palace; spear-like pagodas rising in dozens of spots across a complex of buildings that hugged the mountains peaks in a dizzying maze. Beyond that, an ocean of mist and cloud hid the massive valley in which the ancient Imperial City rested. Further still, beyond the mists, was the shining blue ocean, the vast bay already dotted with dozens of ships whose talls white sails looked like specks to Dao Ming’s eyes. And beyond that ocean, somewhere beyond that horizon, she knew Equestria waited.

Dao Ming smiled at the sight.

“The Equestrians have uncovered the very Elements of Harmony themselves. I’ve even heard that they fought Corona herself! Can you imagine it Kenkuro? I will face mares who can challenge a living goddess, and win! Surely one among them will be a foe worthy of testing myself against, who will push me to my limits. An archmage of incredible power, or a swordmaster to match you, old crow!”

The kirin’s eyes glittered with an eager light of anticipation.

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

“I’m walkin’ on moonlight, whooooa! I’m walkin’ on moonlight, whooooa! And don’t it feel good!”

Trixie’s somewhat off key singing matched the happy bounce of her hooves as she finished up her shower, shaking her tail back and forth in time to her tune. With a flourish she shut the shower off and hopped out, happily levitating a towel from the rack to dry herself as she continued her song in a humming format, dancing her way to the sink.

Examining herself in the bathroom mirror she flashed a smile, starting to brush her teeth while tapping her hooves along with her humming. Satisfied with the near twinkling of her freshly cleaned teeth she took a brush to her mane and tail with a vigorous vengeance, schooling the freshly dried hair into the smooth, elegant waves she prefered.

“Who’s the best looking Representative in Equestria?” she asked herself with a smile while striking a pose, “You’re looking at her, naturally!”

Satisfied at her freshly cleaned up appearance Trixie exited the bathroom and trotted with bouncy steps into her living room, still humming to herself.

In her office Trixie’s assistant, Pokey Pierce, walked out with a stack of scrolls and envelopes tucked tightly in his own magical levitation field.

“Good morning Pokey. Finished the morning paperwork already? Fantastic! Have I ever told you how much I appreciate the speed at which you destroy mundane clerical tasks? How much do I pay you these days?”

At Trixie’s upbeat and cheerful voice Pokey paused, glancing at her sidelong with one eyebrow slowly raising, “The same as you’ve always paid me. Don’t take this the wrong way, but what’s got you in such a good mood?”

Trixie paused on her way to the kitchen, looking at him over her shoulder, “What? It’s not that weird that I’d be in a good mood, is it?”

“It’s been known to happen, I suppose,” said Pokey, starting to tuck the scrolls and envelopes into a bag that he’d later take to the post office to be sent out, “Just, given we’ve still got a half-crazy alicorn of the sun at large, and stepping up her activities as of late, I’d figure you’d be more tense, is all.”

Trixie came back out of the kitchen, munching on a sandwich containing what Pokey suspected was jalapenos, peanut butter, and marmalade.

“Doesn’t do me or the girls any good to be freaking out every day on what Corona may or may not be doing. Cheerilee nearly drove us to death trying to prep us for our next showdown with Crazy Sunbutt, and it just went to show that there’s only so much we can do to prepare. I think everypony’s improving in our own way, bit by bit. It’ll be enough. I’m sure of it,” Trixie spoke with a firm air of confidence, one that had only been growing over the past few months. Recent successes, from overcoming the machinations of the Night Court, to surviving the trials on Tambelon, to more recent adventures involving runaway golems, bushels of Carrot Top clones, and numerous other incidents had given Trixie a well of confidence that she and her friends could take care of whatever Corona was going to end up throwing their way.

We’ve got your number, Corona! Just try and take Equestria from Princess Luna. Trixie Lulamoon and Friends will be the impenetrable shield of Harmony against whatever flaming doom you want to throw down against us!

“Trixie, you’re posing and talking to yourself again,” Pokey pointed out, and Trixie blinked, looking down at herself and noting she’d reared up on her hind legs, one hoof pointed defiantly at an imagined Corona. She coughed, setting herself back down on all four hooves.

“Yes, well, I’m just saying that I have every reason to believe in my friends, and we have no reason to worry ourselves maneless over whatever is to come. Our Harmony levels are at maximum!”

“You have been spending a lot of time with Raindrops and the others lately, even that Twilight mare,” Pokey noted.

Trixie coughed, choking down a bit of sandwich and suddenly finding a light fixture to be extremely fascinating, “We’ve all been taking some time with Raindrops to exercise and learn a little hoof-to-hoof. And its partially my job to keep an eye on Sparkle, even though there’s really no need. She’s been nothing but a help to the town since coming here, and a help to me. Our magical talents may lie in completely different directions, but we can learn a lot from each other.”

“Like how to deal with a small army of foals, eager to learn magic?” Pokey said with a dry and knowing smile.

“I would’ve been fine if I’d had time to prepare!” Trixie said, flustered face tingling red.

“Hey, hey, no need to sound defensive. Besides, I was just noting that you’ve been spending a lot more time with your friends than you did before, is all,” Pokey said with a shrug, “Might be why you’re smiling more these days, despite the impending invasion of ‘Sunbutt’ and her minions.”

Trixie nodded once, floating her signature purple, star-speckled magician’s hat and cape from their wall pegs and fixing them upon her head and back as she joined Pokey by the door, “Could be. It’s also that today is a particularly auspicious day for me and my friends! Don’t tell me you forgot?”

As they opened the door, the hinge squeaked loudly, and Trixie winced. Pokey glanced at her and smiled apologetically, “Sorry, I keep trying to fix the hinges on the new door, but it just keeps doing that.”

“You should have just used the old door, after fixing the lock,” Trixie muttered, “Can’t believe you actually tried picking it with your horn.”

“Was less ‘picking’ and more ‘awesomely destroying it with my unrivaled piercing might’!” Pokey said, chest puffing out, running one hoof along his unusually sharp horn, “Besides, I couldn't use the old door. Its a trophy. A sign of my conquest!”

“Trophy?” Trixie blanched, “Don’t tell me you’ve got my old door hanging over your fireplace or something.”

“Of course not, that’d be silly,” said Pokey, “I mounted it over my bed.”

He grinned at Trixie’s groan, then said, “So, let me think... auspicious day...? Somepony’s birthday?”

“No.”

“Anniversary of you moving to Ponyville?”

“No.”

“It’s National Bourbon Drinking Day?”

“Ugh, NO! Pokey, I told you last month what was going on! You couldn’t have forgotten! It’s been practically national news for weeks!”

“I don’t read the paper,” Pokey said, then rolled his eyes up in thought, but the dark blue stallion was truly stumped. Life in Ponyville, and especially life as the assistant to Trixie Lulamoon, Representative to the Night Court of Luna, and bearer of the Element of Magic, was busy enough that it wasn’t unreasonable he could forget any number of things the bombastic azure mare had told him a month past. And he didn’t exactly have his hoof on the pulse of national news either.

“Sorry Trixie, I’m drawing a blank here.”

Trixie sighed, but quickly composed herself, and took on a dramatic, elegant pose, holding a hoof to her chest, “Today is the day that I, along with my esteemed colleagues among the Elements of Harmony, depart Ponyville to journey to Canterlot, whereupon Princess Luna herself will take us out of the country to participate in the upcoming festivities at the Contest of Champions as Equestria’s chosen Champions!”

They paused in the street as Pokey halted, “Hold up, the contest of what?”

Trixie rolled her eyes, “Ask Lyra if you want details; she’s been researching it since Luna told us we were going. Basically, imagine the Equestrian Games if it was a worldwide event, and also involved a cultural exchange between every race participating. Every nation designates ‘Champions’ to compete, not just in simple battles, but in all manner of games and contests.”

“And you six got chosen?” Pokey asked, looking at Trixie askance, “Was this the Princess’ idea?”

“But of course! Who else could have named Equestria’s Champions? Why? Don’t t you think we’re up to the task?” Trixie asked, sounding both insulted, hurt, and incensed all at once.

“That’s not what I mean. I just think its weird that the Princess would send all six off somewhere while Corona is still at large, and could hit anywhere in Equestria at any time. Right now you mares are the only line of defense we’ve got. Can you really afford to be off playing games in another country while that kind of threat is bearing down on us?” Pokey glanced worriedly up at the morning sun, as if partially afraid to see Corona herself already descending on Ponyville.

Trixie didn’t blame him for his worries. Even though she and her friends had confronted Corona on more than one occasion by now, and knew well how effective the Elements of Harmony were in de-powering the mad alicorn, most of Equestria’s citizens had every reason to be fearful of Corona and her plans. While Trixie was filled with confidence of her and her friend’s ability to take on Princess Luna’s crazed elder sister, she couldn’t deny that Pokey had a valid enough reason to be worried.

“Princess Luna is going to be with us the entire time,” Trixie explained, “The moment Corona tries anything, anywhere, the Princess can teleport me and the girls there immediately once we get word. It’ll be no different than it is with us staying here in Ponyville,” she said with a reassuring nudge of her hoof at Pokey’s side, “Honestly, with Luna at the Contest, we can probably respond to Corona related emergencies faster than we can while here in Ponyville.”

He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her logic, “Where is this Contest taking place anyway? Now that I think about it I’ve seen a few family’s here in town getting ready for trips. I assume its going to see the Contest?”

“I imagine so. The Contest of Champions was announced last month right after Luna told me and the others we’d be participating. Its open and free for all who wish to come and see the contest and view the festival. I don’t know the specifics, but its taking place on some island called the Isle of the Fallen. I bet if you looked it up in any of the fliers or newspaper articles you’d learn the details. I personally have been more focused on what’ll happen once we get there, rather than where it is or how we’re going.”

Pokey accepted that as they got across the street to the post office, upon which he paused, frowning, “So... if you’re going to be gone... horseapples, that means I’m doing all the work around here while you’re out having fun and acting all chamiponish!?”

Trixie smiled and patted him on the shoulder, smiling wide and not at all with a slightly wicked gleam in her eyes, “Did I ever tell you how much I appreciated all the hard work you do for me?”

Pokey lowered his head and grunted, “How long...?”

“Ten days.”

“Double pay.”

“Time and a half.”

“... Deal.”

“You’re my favorite assistant.”

“I’m your only assistant.”

“I expect to still have a door when I get back this time around.”

“I make no promises.”

My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahhh...
My little pony
Friendship never meant that much to me
My little pony
But you're all here and now I can see
Stormy weather; Lots to share
A musical bond; With love and care
Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete!
You have my little ponies
How'd I ever make so many true friends?

Reaching the post office the pair went on in, greeting Silver Script, the postmaster of Ponyville. The older pegasus stallion gave the pair a warm smile and a wave from behind the desk, “Hello there Representative, Pokey. Looks like you’ve got a lot of post to send out this time around.”

As Pokey started to unload his bag Trixie came up to the desk, “I’ll be out of town for a time, so I made sure that a number of backlogged work and a number of missives explaining to the necessary ponies that I won’t be available are being sent.”

Silver Script nodded, “I heard, I heard. I remember the way my great grandmother told the story once, when the Contest came around last century and her family went there when she was a tiny filly. Sounded like quite the event, though I’m more an Equestria Games stallion myself; at least that happens every year and I can get into it. You girls going to be alright? Way my great granny told it it was a pretty serious competition, with those other races really taking it serious-like.”

The postmaster gave a worried look up at the ceiling, and Trixie could surmise he was thinking about Ditzy Doo, who rented out the apartment above the post office. Like all the other Elements of Harmony, the Element of Kindness, Ditzy, would be going with Trixie as a Champion of Equestria. Trixie wasn’t too worried. While often a soft hearted soul, and among the nicest ponies Trixie had ever had the pleasure of knowing, Ditzy had never failed to come through in a pinch when matters got serious. Besides, these were just games.

“I wouldn’t worry,” she told Silver Script with a confident nod, “It’s a contest, not a war.”

Silver Script didn’t look entirely convinced, a small line of worry forming on his forehead, “I suppose. Just, great gran said that it was the only time she’d ever seen somepony get real hurt, during that contest... I’d hate to think of anything happening to Ditzy, you know? Mare’s got a heart bright as the moon, but she’s not exactly what I’d call the competitive type.”

“Where is she anyway?” asked Trixie, paying out the needed amount as Pokey finished sorting the mail that needed sending and Silver Script counted up their postage cost.

“Out doing her rounds, ”Silver Script said with a sigh, “I tried to get her to take the week off, but she insisted working up all the way to today.”

Trixie frowned slightly, “Her choice, as long as she’s ready to go by this afternoon.”

“Oh, she will be, don’t worry Miss Trixie!” said a chirping, cheerful voice from the stairs, and down bounced the light lavender form of Dinky Doo, carrying the first of several bags in a shimmer of magic. Trixie was impressed, the young unicorn filly’s magical skill was improving. Probably in no small part in thanks to Trixie’s tutelage, but also, Trixie had to admit, because Twilight had also started to help with teaching some of Ponyville’s foals some of the magical basics. Dinky wasn’t overtaxing herself or gripping too hard with her magic, at least not as often anymore, and Trixie felt a small burst of pride at the way Dinky easily carried a full suitcase down the stairs behind her with seemingly minimal strain.

“What’s with the suitcase?” asked Pokey, “You help your mom pack, kiddo?”

Dinky pouted a little as she set the suitcase down, “No. I mean, yes, but this bag is mine! I’m going with all of you!”

Trixie blinked. Ditzy hadn’t mentioned bringing Dinky along. Then again, Trixie supposed there wasn’t any reason Ditzy couldn’t bring her daughter to the Contest. It just seemed odd. Who would watch Dinky while Ditzy was participating in the Contests’ events?

Pokey seemed to be thinking the same thing, from the way he looked at Trixie questioningly, and Trixie went up to Dinky with a warm, but quizzical smile, “Did your mother agree to this, Dinky?”

“Of course she did,” Dinky said, just a little defensively, but meeting Trixie’s eyes, and certainly not sounding like she was making anything up, “I’m supposed to be on my best behaviour, and I will be! I won’t run off, or get in trouble, or anything. I really wanted to see griffins! Oh, and do you think there will be any minotaurs there? Miss Cheerilee was teaching us about them yesterday and they sound so cool!”

“There probably will be,” Trixie said, “Uh, did your mother mention if anypony was supposed to be looking after you while we’re there?”

Dinky nodded, “Uh-huh! When I’m not with mom, I’m supposed to stick around Mr. and Mrs. Drops and do what they say.”

Ah, so that was it. Trixie didn’t have any immediate family in Ponyville, but some of her friends did. Of course Raindrops would want her parents and probably her little brother there to cheer her on, and she imagined that Bon Bon would probably accompany Lyra as well.

“That’s good then,” said Trixie, patting Dinky on the head, “Your mother will be able to do twice as good, knowing you’ll be in the stands rooting for her.”

Dinky’s smile was the kind that could turn the most gloomy room into a shining place, “I’ll be sure to cheer for all of you, but I’ll be cheering for mom the loudest! I just know you’ll all do great! I don’t think there’s anyone out there who's as cool as my mom and her friends!”

A crisp, cold wind swept through the mountain tops, their peaks ever frosted with snow even with spring in full swing. A sprawling vista of deep forested valleys was covered by sky bound lakes of rolling white clouds. As the wind flowed past curving mountain spires it flowed into the midst of a grand city spanning three close knit mountain peaks that towered into the cerulean sky.

Arcadius, capital roost of Grandis, largest of the Griffin Kingdoms.

Once, in ancient times, the ramparts of the many stout city towers, laced together with fortified walkways and sky bridges, was the home of the Emperor of All the Griffs. That was when the land was unified and ruled by a single griffin bloodline, however, centuries in the past. Even in the modern day, though, much of the old architecture of the fortress roost remained intact, a testament to a time when the right to rule among the griffin’s was synonymous with the might of the ruler. Arrow slits and old ballistae mounts still dotted tower tops, even in the oldest and most dilapidated parts of the city. City streets could still be barred by thick portcullis gates and interior corridors were still marked by murder holes and dead ends. Walls carved from gray mountain stone enclosed city blocks like the rings in a tree trunk, fortifications and towers stacked one atop the other in a interwoven lace of defensive structures that were both occupied and well maintained in every quadrant of the city.

Despite its militaristic appearance the city had long since been converted to a place primarily concerned with being the beating commercial heart of the Griffin Kingdoms, with a quarter of a million residents bound in its ancient stone walls and deep mountain corridors. The banners that flew from rampart tops and hung over arched doorways were the royal blue and white of Grandis, alongside the gilded black and gold of its royal family, the House of Kraus.

The lower tiers of the city were a bustle of activity, the vast open markets a churning sea of griffins going about their day to day, merchants wheeling and dealing with locals and travelers alike, and huge quantities of coin exchanging talons every hour. Other species traveled to Arcadius as well, tourists, merchants, and even a healthy stream of adventurers and mercenaries. Unlike its southern neighbor of Equestria, the Griffin Kingdoms was often still be a dangerous place. Much of its deeper mountain valleys were untamed wilderness, where wild monsters roamed, and dangerous bandits made roost to prey on the unwary. The existence of many still unexplored ruins from the old Griffin Empire drew explorers and adventurers seeking to make their fortune from many corners of the world, and the ever present threat of monsters and rogues against struggling settlements created a booming market for sellswords who made their living through the second oldest profession.

Above the teeming residential and market sectors was the regimented military sector, with barracks and training grounds carefully kept pristine amid neatly ordered defense towers that were still armed with catapults and ballistae. Here hundreds of griffins flew in ordered ranks, going about daily training and patrols, the warriors of the House of Kraus training separately from Arcadius’ less prestigious but more numerous City Watch. Here was the kingdom’s largest concentration of military forces, housing and maintaining no less than half the kingdom’s army in its squat stone barracks, a force that would make even the most determined potential invaders hesitate to target the city.

Higher still than the military sector was Arcadius’ highest tier, the final stout towers of the noble sector. Here each noble House from across Grandis had a residential manor, and every one of the other Kingdoms that made up the alliance of the Griffin Kingdoms had an tower of their own for their chosen ambassadors. The streets were a riot of colors as each House and Kingdom displayed their own heraldry prominently, and griffins in the finery of their own Kingdoms strode through the polished stone streets with purpose in their steps. The finery they wore was, while ostentatious as could be expected, also durable and practical; much like the griffin’s themselves.

Finally, at the very peak of Arcadius’ highest peak, was the Talon; the former palace fortress of the Emperor, now the royal seat of King Gruber Kraus and wife, Queen Helga. The Talon was a solid triangular tower of stone and iron, as if someone tried to forge the blade of a sword out of the very mountain peak itself. Its surface was carved with elegant, yet deadly purpose. Hooked barbs the size of houses ran its height and jutting buttresses, like massive arrowheads, stemmed at regular intervals from the fortress walls; places where the griffins newest and most deadly iron-cast rapid-fire scorpion launchers were emplaced. These deadly weapons were larger than four griffin’s standing abreast, and were loaded with barbed steel shafts longer than a dragon’s talon, an intentional similarity as the scorpion launchers were designed with the notion of defending the fortress from dragon attack.

It was at the peak of this fortress palace, amid a large balcony garden, that griffin’s gathered in a former circle around two other griffins who were locked in a graceful but violent dance.

The air sang with the voice of steel meeting steel as members of the nobility looked on with eager eyes, many making loud comments amongst their companions as to which combatant was likely to win.

An elderly griffin, her crest of feathers tipped with equal parts red and gray, swug a sinuously thin blade with the speed of a pouncing mountain cat. She wore the royal black and gold of the House of Kraus upon a surcoat, and the clasping talon crest of the House’s personal guard upon her breast.

Her opponent parried her viciously fast assault with a broader bladed sword, one with a blade that seemed to drink in the morning sunlight and turn it red. The wielder of this sword was a young griffiness, no older than twenty summers, with a crest of feathers tipped a darker shade of red than the elder griffin, and a fun loving gleam in her orange eyes. She wore a simple green doublet with a gold sword and wings patch upon the shoulders; the sigil of the Border Legion.

“Slowing down in your old age, mother?” the younger griffiness teased, “You don’t seem as fast as I remember!”

The young griffin threw a fast side swipe to knock aside the elder griffin’s thinner blade and followed with a fast upper slash. However the elder griffin smirked and side-stepped, a beat of her wings sending her airborne for a moment as she twisted her tail around the younger griffin’s wrist and pulled. With a startled yelp the young griffin found herself on her back on the soft green grass of the garden. She quickly rolled aside before the elder could get the point of her blade to the young one’s throat.

Brushing grass off her coat, the young griffin eyed her elder more warily as the two circled each other, the elder laughing in a rich tone that showed the energy of a woman much younger than her older years would suggest.

“Fast enough for you,” she said, green eyes flashing dangerously, “Do not mistake me for one of your bumbling bandits. You will not find me as easy a target.”

The younger griffin snorted, but smiled, “My apologies, mother. I suppose I’ve spent so long from home, doing real fighting, I’ve forgotten that some of the old guard still know which end of the sword to hold.”

There was a murmur of voices among the watching nobles, a few heads of neck feathers ruffling from the young griffin's’ comment. Many a set of golden eyes narrowed at the young upstart as she continued to spar with her elder. Soon the constant melodious clang of steel reached a rising crescendo, long blade and thin blade becoming glinting silvery bands of steel in the morning sunlight as they danced. With a final crossing of edges the longsword was sent flipping end over end into the air, landing point first in the grass a few strides from its owner, who had the thin blade of her parent’s rapier tipped under her chin.

“Well...?” the elder said with a coy smile.

Gwendolyn Var Bastion held up her talons and grinned with a rueful gleam in her eyes, “Fine! Fine! I yield.”

Beatrice Var Bastion’s beak curved in a warm smile and she sheathed her sword, putting a talon on her daughter’s shoulder as the gathered noble’s clapped their applause at the display of sword skill, “Retrieve your blade, young one. That was a well fought match.”

Gwendolyn hopped over and grasped her sword, the faintly red bladed longsword sinking into an ornate black leather and gold filagree sheath attached to her flank, “So, seriously, how much were you holding back?”

Beatrice’s laugh was a rich, full thing, a sound that was filled with a kind of hearty warmth that had won over many a recruit to the Kraus’ military forces. The two female griffins went among the crowd, the nobles parting for the pair while they strode to a table of ready refreshments. Beatrice poured herself and her daughter fresh cups of wine and offered once, Gwendolyn taking the steel goblet gladly and downing half in one go.

“Not as much as I would have liked, to tell the truth,” Beatrice said, but her smile didn’t dwindle as she regarded her daughter, “You truly have become a skilled fighter, Gwen. I’m proud of you.”

Gwendolyn choked down the rest of her wine, hiding the rosy tinge on her beak by wiping it with one arm and pretending to look out over the city below, gazing over the old stone railing of the wide balcony, “Yeah, well, I didn’t do it just to earn praise from the higher ups.”

Gwendolyn’s tone took on a faint hint of anger as she gazed back at her mother, “My unit has been cleaning up a lot of messes along the borders, and we haven’t had an easy time of it. The problem is made worse by the interference from those feather-brained lords who think that merely because they hold a higher station than I, that they have the right to meddle.”

“They do, my headstrong daughter. You and your band have abandoned your duties and ignored orders. By rights that would make you all criminals,” Beatrice pointed out, naturally looming over her offspring in that manner any displeased parent learns to perfect, “That stunt you pulled with the Equestrians was one thing, as you managed to scrape some benefit for us out of that fiasco, and were not technically going against orders. Now, however, you’ve actively disobeyed orders on several occasions. You and your soldiers are fortunate that your success, and the friendship you’ve forged with that waif of a border queen has earned you consideration when most in your place would be looking at charges of treason.”

Gwendolyn smiled thinly, going back to the table to get more wine, “I do what needs doing, its nothing special. I’d be nothing without those who follow me.”

“Ah, yes, your precious Band of the Red Shield. Saving towns and kingdoms alike from bandit hordes and roving monsters, all the while flaunting the command of the kingdom you originally swore fealty to.”

“Hey, I’m here, aren’t I. I came at the king’s call,” said Gwendolyn defensively, “The Band isn’t disloyal, but we do operate far away from the capital, and we do rove between borders of other kingdoms.”

“Expressly a thing forbidden by treaty, as I recall,” said Beatrice, tone growing sterner, “No member of the Alliance of Griffin Kingdoms will send military units into the lands of their brethren, unless by official sanction by the Council of Sovereigns.”

Gwendolyn shrugged, “Hagatha asked for my help. Then asked the Band to stick around in her lands for a spell, as her kingdom did have a bit of a problem.”

“Problems that her own kingdom’s army should have handled, not a vigilante unit of young griffins from our kingdom’s border guard,” said Beatrice sharply, sipping her own wine slowly, “You do remember you’re a border guard company of this kingdom, right?”

“If it helps fellow griffins what does it matter?” retorted Gwendolyn with a sharp snap of her own, glaring out at the other nobles, most of which were pretending to carry on with their own conversations while listening in on the guard captain and her prickly daughter. Gwendolyn continued, raising her voice, “The Alliance of Griffin Kingdoms is cracking! Nobles who spend too much time in their mountaintop roosts are forgetting the common griffin’s plight, struggling against growing populations of monsters, and more and more young griffin’s turning to banditry to feed themselves; entire roosts turning against their own kind! Its not noticable yet here in the central kingdoms, but border kingdoms like those of Queen Hagatha’s Farhills are growing desperate. They cannot be blamed if they seek aid from wherever they can, and you know what, our kingdom should’ve been the first to offer aid! Me and the Band are doing what’s right.”

“And the people sing your praises for doing so,” said a boisterous and loud voice from across the balcony. Entering onto the wide balcony was a wide chested and tall male griffin with dark gray and black spotted feathers and a regal gold lion’s coat. He wore a shining gold breastplate over a fine silk black doublet, an equally black and gold trim royal cape flowing from his back. King Gruber Var Kraus, King of Grandis, strood with long bold steps among the higher ranks of his nobles. At his side was Queen Helga, almost as wide as her husband and a good head taller, wearing a fine shimmering gold dress spun with black patterns of birds of prey in flight. Her light white feathers complimented her husband’s dark ones, and her coat matched his save for being a shade darker.

The king approached Gwendolyn and Beatrice with a wide, welcoming smile, though Gwendolyn noticed one of his talons never strayed far from the broad bladed sword belted to his side, “From one corner of Grandis to the other I hear the cries say ‘The Band strikes against the corrupt and protects the people!’. From every tavern door I hear young, drunk griffins sing songs of your gallant battle at Brairthorn Mountain against the wicked sorceress Catrina! My own nobles at court whisper of how the griffins in Farhills take up arms, desperate to join your Band of the Red Shield to defend their homes against kobolds, hobgoblins, cave lurks, and dreaded dire wargs. Queen Hagatha herself has written me, imploring that we not look upon your actions as treason for disobeying your commanding officers, but instead see your heroics for what they are; true testament to the spirit that unifies the Griffin Kingdoms!”

Gwendolyn respectfully bowed her head to her king, though perhaps not quite as low as she should have, and received a brief elbow from her mother because of it. She raised her head slightly, though shot a slight irritated glance at Beatrice.

“You are kind to say so, your majesty,” she said, voice betraying none of the rancor boiling inside her. Being forced to show respect to the king should not have been a matter a young griffin would take issue with, but a natural matter of course. The king should have been the griffin in all the kingdom most worthy of such respect, earning his position because of what he did, not because he’d been born into.

“I am? Of course I am! Hah, don’t act so stiff, young Gwendolyn,” King Gruber said, smacking her on the back, and causing the watching nobles to grin along with their king, and Gwen to almost stumble. Much as she disliked the king, she couldn’t deny he was a big griffin, and had enough muscle to back that size, “Come, come, let us talk. You too Beatrice! For once I’ve given you a day off of guarding my prodigious flank and you spend it with your sword still attached to your hide like its a part of you. Today is a great day, and one to celebrate.”

“Ahem, of course, your majesty,” said Beatrice, somewhat stiffly, “Though I’ll remind you that you too are wearing a sword, even on such a fine day.”

“Yes, well, you’d chew my head off if I didn’t. Gwendolyn, did you know your mother has been sparring with me herself, ensuring this sovereign doesn’t get too flabby in the arms.”

“I’m certain you give her quite the workout, your majesty,” Gwendolyn said dryly.

“I do at that, though you couldn’t tell from the way she keeps insisting I practice! Phah, I’m certain my father didn’t have to put up with such a nag as a captain of his guards, but she’s too good at her job for me to justify firing her,” the king said, though the grin he gave Beatrice was joking and well meaning. Gwendolyn clenched her beak shut. King Gruber’s manner was much as she remembered before being posted to the Border Legion. A good natured fellow, with a lot of presence... but he never took anything seriously.

Like the state of Grandis’ less fortunate neighbors along the border lands.

“Dearest, perhaps we should tell the young Gwendolyn why we summoned her here to our fair city, before she combusts,” said Queen Helga with a coy smile, having acquired a fine crystal cup of wine that she drank while watching Gwendolyn with glittering eyes.

“Huh? Oh, yes, yes, I’m surprised none here have let it slip already! Beatrice, you didn’t tell your daughter what she’s been brought all the way from Farhills for?”

“I have not, your majesty. I thought perhaps you would like the pleasure of revealing it for yourself,” said Beatrice, who was giving Gwendolyn a strange look, one Gwendolyn couldn’t quite decide if it was pride or concern. Both?

“Ah, and right you are Beatrice, I was looking forward to telling young Gwendolyn the good news myself,” said King Gruber, a wry grin on his face. Gwendolyn paused, giving both the king and her mother a curious look, and also noticing the way that Queen Helga was hiding a smirk behind her wine goblet.

“Gwendolyn Var Bastion,” the king intoned, and the other nobles hushed up their conversations to listen in, gathering around, “It is by my royal decree and with great pleasure I hereby declare you as a Champion of the Realm, to represent in all honors the Kingdom of Grandis and the Griffin Kingdoms at the Contest of Champions!”

The king paused briefly after his proclamation, and Gwendolyn didn’t miss the sidelong glance he gave his wife. Queen Helga didn’t nod or acknowledge the look, but did smile at Gwendowlyn. Next to her, Beatrice was giving Gwendolyn a look of solemn pride.

Gwendolyn could only tilt her head in confusion.

“I’m the what doing what in the where now?”

“Don’t know why you’re so worried Carrot Top,” said Lyra as she casually flipped through a thick, blue colored tome, her horn’s magic turning the pages as she lounged on the couch in her unique slouch that to most ponies looked both unnatural and uncomfortable, but for Lyra felt entirely relaxing.

Across from Lyra, sitting on a plush sitting cushion, Carrot Top gave Bon Bon a thankful nod as the other earth pony mare brought in a tray of fresh jelly-filled pastries.

“I’m not that worried, I just wonder what’s expected of us, is all,” Carrot Top said, taking one of the pastries up in her mouth and munching it down, then smiling at Bon Bon “Mmm, thanks, these are great.”

“No problem. Just had some leftover mix and didn’t feel like letting it go to waste,” the confectionist said with a grin, taking a seat next to Lyra and leaning into her affectionately, a move Lyra returned with a relaxed smile as she continued to look through the tome.

“Nothing too tough, I figure. We go there, represent Equestria like a bunch of bosses, eat lots of good grub, take in some cultural flavor, then come on back home.”

Carrot Top frowned, munching on another pastry, “Didn’t sound quite like that when Luna told us we were going last month. She made it sound, I don’t know... like it was going to involve some fighting.”

A small grimace played across the farm pony’s face and Lyra’s easy grin faltered a bit, her expression sobering.

“Well, yeah, but its just friendly contests from what I gather. Each nation sends its Champions, who compete in a bunch of events, some of which are, yes, martially oriented. C’mon Carrot Top, its not like it’ll be like on Tambelon, or your run-in with that crazy Lemon Hearts mare.”

The carrot farmer nodded once, unable to keep a troubled crease from forming on her brow as she thought of the dangers she and her friend’s had faced in dealing with the powerful necromancer, Grogar, or her own close call encountering a mad mare who’d stolen a rather nasty artifact from vicerne Puissance. Each instance had held moments of pure terror for Carrot Top, though she’d come through all those times, and many other troubles that’d come into her previously simple life since becoming a bearer for the Element of Generosity, relatively unscathed. Carrot Top loved helping others, and wanted to believe she’d be willing to give anything of herself to be able to keep doing so, but recent events made her wonder if she was really cut out for a life that would always be fraught with life threatening danger, or just how much she could really help. Lyra sought to dismiss the gloom by smiling brightly and leaned forward, fixing Carrot Top with enthusiastic eyes.

“This is going to be fun, Carrot Top, I guarantee it! We’ll get to meet a whole bunch of folk from different lands, and see a slice of their culture; the music, the food, the dances! A little sparring with a few of their Champions won’t be so bad for basically getting an all expenses paid vacation for ten days! Plus, who knows, we might do well! We’re not exactly wet behind the ears ourselves. Luna chose us for more than us being the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. We’ve come a long way, this past year, and the Princess knows it. Personally I can’t wait to see a cervid skald in action. Their storytelling skills and music are practically legend. In fact, that’s kind of the point!”

Carrot Top couldn’t help but laugh warmly, sharing her friend’s smile, and pushing away her lingering doubts, “You’re right. I’m just... nervous. I’m a farm mare, not a warrior, and have seen more combat than I’d ever wanted to already. I’m not really comfortable being shoved into more like this. I bet Trixie is just loving this though. A massive festival with all eyes on her, as an official Champion of Equestria on top of being a Knight of the Realm? That’s right up her alley. She’s got a free licence to show off to her heart’s content.”

“Looking forward to this myself,” said Bon Bon, “I’ve gone to a few baker conventions, to show off new recipes, but this is going to be way bigger than those. The Princess is setting me up with a booth right alongside some of Equestria’s best chefs. Its a pretty huge opportunity for me, even if the main reason I’m going is so I can be cheering you guys on.”

Lyra nuzzled Bon Bon, “And I’ll be fueled by the power of your love to conquer all and achieve total victory!”

Bon Bon snorted affectionately and gave Lyra a playful bonk on the head, “Be serious, hun.”

Lyra grinned, giving Bon Bon’s ear a nibble, “I’m always serious.”

Carrot Top coughed politely, “You two want some, ahem, ‘alone time’ before the train leaves this afternoon?”

Bon Bon and Lyra, suddenly both realizing they still had a guest in the room, pulled away from each other a bit, though Carrot Top noted not so far they couldn’t still keep their hooves around one another.

“N-nah, sorry Carrot,” Lyra said, “Anyway, you came to ask me about the Contest, but was there anything you specifically needed to know, besides what we’d be doing?”

Carrot Top sighed, fidgeting slightly on her cushion. She had a hard time putting proper words to her worries, because so far her anxiety was a vague sense in her consciousness. It was just that, ever since Princess Luna had gathered her and the other Element bearers in Canterlot last month and told them of the Contest of Champions and that they’d be competing Carrot Top had a sinking feeling in her gut that she hadn’t been able to shake. She hadn’t shared her worry with her friends until today, on impulse coming over to ask Lyra if she’d learned any details about the Contest, since Carrot Top knew Lyra was studying the Contest.

“I wish I could tell you something concrete Lyra,” Carrot Top said, “I just... I don’t know, I just got a bad feeling. Like when I know there’s something wrong with my crop, even if I can’t see the rabbit in the field. Its a gut feeling, that’s all. I was hoping maybe you’d found something in your studies that’d explain why I got such a vibe off of this.”

“What, like the Contest is secretly a sacrificial ritual to some demon from Tartarus?” Lyra laughed, “I think we’ve already covered our yearly quota for uncovering ancient evils. Nah, from what I can tell, the Contest is just to honor the fallen champions from a war that happened about twelve hundred years ago. Details are sparse in Equestrian texts on what really happened. Seriously, I’ve been through half a dozen tomes like this one,” she waved the book around in her magic for emphasis, “And I can’t even get any names! Who wants to hear a story where you don’t even know the heroes’ names? Anyway I’m really hoping I’ll meet lots of storytellers from the other nations at the Contest, so I can piece together the story from them.”

Carrot Top accepted Lyra’s words with the barest of nods, seeming to relax as she ate another pastry, but she just couldn’t shake that gut feeling coiling around her heart like a icy snake. Perhaps it was just nerves. Perhaps.

“You’re set upon this course then?” asked the zebra mare, her mane, braided with beads ranging from ocean blue to blood red, waving in the heated desert breeze.

Tendaji, not looking back, nodded once, “I am.”

The mare walked with steady, smooth steps beside him, and Tendaji couldn’t help but tense, both in a thrill of fear, and love; a heady combination. Would she try to stop him? She was within both her rights, as his wife, and had the ability, as she’d proven on many occasions. In every way, Aisha was his superior.

“Some wives would be enraged when their husband obsesses over another mare,” she said, in that light, teasing tone that was halfway between a laugh and a warning. It was one of many qualities of hers that he’d fallen in love with.

Still, he kept his eyes firmly set upon the road ahead, “It is not this pony’s qualities as a mare that holds my interest. It is the quality of her spirit, and that it may speak to my own in a way you well know I seek in others, and rarely find.”

Aisha made a small clucking noise, shaking her head, braids swaying again, and lightly brushing his neck, “Then I must accompany you. I would like to meet this pony whose ‘spirit’ has drawn my husband’s eye.”

Tendaji’s first instinct was to forbid it. He then immediately recalled to whom he was speaking and realized that if he wished to not have to replace any teeth with a potion he’d best accept his wife’s words. Besides, having her along might not be a detriment, though it irked him to think that Aisha would undoubtable take an unhealthy interest in the object of his quest before Tendaji would have the opportunity to challenge the pony properly.

His mind went back to the mare in question; the pegasus named Raindrops. As he’d told his wife, his interest was not based upon anything as plain as lust. Certainly, by the standards of ponies, he supposed Raindrops might have qualities that were desirable, but his interest was more a spiritual and martial matter.

Raindrops had thwarted him in physical combat. It had happened months ago, when Tendaji had been working for a criminal organization in Equestria that used him as a ‘problem-solver’ and expert in the behavior of animals. Among the organizations many avenues of making profit in the otherwise peaceful and seemingly crime free nation of ponies, things such as the smuggling of animals for illegal races, exotic pets, and less... pleasant was a business that could earn no small number of bits. One such operation in a remote village in the south of Equestria had required Tendaji’s personal attention due to complications involving some local wildlife, a crazed noblemare, and some of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

To Tendaji the details were not important, his job had simply been to ensure the smooth continuation of the smuggling operation. But he had failed in that task, in no small part due to the bearer of the Element of Honesty, Raindrops.

Though unskilled and seemingly only inducted in the very basics of Iron Hoof martial arts, Raindrops had still proved to be a confounding opponent who’d evaded his attacks multiple times.

Rather than be bitter over this, Tendaji was... engaged. There was something in his spirit that resonated with the pegasus mare, and he wished to explore that connection. He’d quit his employment with the criminal organization, after needing to... convince them that retaliating against him for his permanent severing of employment would be unprofitable. Returning to his homeland and his wife, Tendaji worked to prepare himself for his next meeting with Raindrops.

Fortunately he knew exactly where he would meet her again.

“Your father has gotten quite far ahead of us,” he remarked, nodding down the long, sandy road they walked. In the shimmering distance of the wide, dry plain another zebra, an elderly male in a tattered brown cloak and sporting a start white mane done in a single long, intricate braid was walking along with a spry gait utterly belying the wrinkles of his age.

The old zebra turned and called to the two younger ones, “Pick up your hooves and your pace! I could have been halfway across the continent in the time it takes you two lovey-dovey foals to snuggle and snog! And boy, you’d best not be thinking of doing any of that whilst on the train! I am not pretending to sleep through that.”

Aisha chuckled, “Father is eager. I cannot recall the last time he had an excuse to go out in public, at the behest of the Gathering of Chieftains no less.”

“We can thank the return of the pony’s unpleasant self-proclaimed Queen for this turn of events,” Tendaji said as they picked up their pace to try and catch up with the rather quick old zebra, “Were it not for Corona, and the suspicion she has cast upon us zebra for her association with one of our own, we would not be going to this auspicious Contest of Champions.”

Aisha looked as if she tasted something sour, and Tendaji resisted the urge to run a hoof along her neck to relax her.

“One zebra’s stubbornness has cost our people much then,” Aisha said, shaking her head, “I cannot imagine what she is thinking!”

“Perhaps you’ll one day have a chance to ask her,” Tendaji said. Aisha spat.

“I’m as like to give her a solid whack upside the head. Zecora... bah, she followed her own path when we were foals, she does so now, no matter what the consequences may be.”

“But that is why we go to the Contest,” Tendaji reminded her, “Nuru is among the most respected masters of our fighting arts, and many a Chief has sought his wisdom in matters of statecraft. He is a natural choice to represent us.”

“As are you,” Aisha said, calming from her short bout of fury, and now giving Tendaji a small smile of pride, “They chose you as well.”

Tendaji shrugged as if the fact was of no consequence. Which to him, it wasn’t, outside of the useful fact that it allowed him to pursue his goal in a more interesting fashion than if he just arrived in Ponyville out of the blue to challenge Raindrops to a finishing of their bout there in the town square.

...He had considered doing precisely that practically the day after the incident in the village of Oaton, but he’d already heard rumor that master Nuru would be chosen to represent the zebras at the Contest of Champions. Knowing that, it was easy to surmise that he, the master’s greatest pupil, would also be chosen. It was also no small feat of logic to guess that Raindrops, as one of the vaunted Element Bearers, would be one of Equestria’s chosen Champions.

There was no need to go to Ponyville.

A much grander stage was already being set for them.

“Yes,” he said, “They chose me. How I wonder what my family would think, were they alive? The Chieftains who refused to aid us in our time of need, now calling upon me, the last survivor of my village, to represent all of our people as a Champion? You and I both know I am anything but a Champion.”

Aisha’s hoof hit his side lightly, barely more than a brushing tap, but it had the instant effect of paralyzing his legs and making him drop like a threshed wheat. He saw her irritated tail flick as she continued to stride down the road as he lay there, still fully capable of breathing, but with limbs that wouldn’t be working for at least the next hour.

“When you are done pitying yourself, husband, do catch up with us,” she said in a clipped tone, giving him a sharp eyed look with her painfully sky blue eyes.

When she was out of earshot Tendaji let himself laugh, only reminded further of why he loved the mare so much. She did keep him honest.

While he waited for his extremities to regain feeling he contemplated the future, and what it held for himself and very unsuspecting jasmine coated pegasus mare. .

Raindrops twisted to the left, springing off the ground with her hind hooves while keeping her fore hooves up in the ready position to strike. However her opponent hadn’t fallen for her feint, instead following Raindrops’ movements without relaxing her own guard. Gritting her teeth in frustration Raindrops went ahead and threw a hard right jab, only to find that she overextended herself.

Her opponent took full advantage of Raindrops’ overbalance and in seconds Raindrops felt her hoof grabbed, wrenched, and her whole body flipped end over flank until she was deposited back first on the soft grass, staring up at the irritatingly (to Raindrops at least) cheerful visage of Cheerilee, the blue sky above framing her smiling face.

“You okay down there?” Cheerilee asked, harmless mirth mixed with mild concern in her voice.

“Yeah, yeah,” Raindrops said, propping herself up with one hoof while rubbing the back of her head with the other, teal mane ruffling as she shook her head, “Not even bruised. I’m good to keep going.”

“Actually, we should call it here,” said Cheerilee, offering a hoof to help up Raindrops, which the pegasus gladly accepted. Cheerilee glanced up at the sun, just cresting the trees to the east, “Trixie would throw a fit if we showed up in Canterlot looking like we’d been through a tavern brawl. We can take the rest of the day to clean up, relax a spell. You coming to my sister’s for breakfast?”

Raindrops took a moment to consider, stretching her tired, sore limbs. She and Cheerilee had been sparring for most the morning. It was not uncommon these days, that one or more of Raindrops friends would join her for exercise, and on some occasions some actual hoof-to-hoof combat training. Raindrops wasn’t sure how she felt about that. For one thing, she hardly felt qualified to be teaching anypony Iron Hoof, or even just the basics of hoof fighting. Cheerilee was, in many ways, more experienced. No formal training, but Cheerilee had a certain edge to the way she fought. There was no hesitation in her strikes, and she seemed to know where all the weak points on a pony’s body were at. Cheerilee never ceased smiling, and never sought to actually hurt Raindrops, but... there were times Raindrops was fully reminded of why Cheerilee was a mare she never wanted to fight for real. The other thing was that, not too long ago, it was just her and Trixie sharing morning exercises in Raindrops secluded area of the Whitetail Forest.

Why that actually mattered Raindrops didn’t really know, but for some reason it did slightly irk her. Not that she minded helping all her friends with keeping in shape and staying sharp with learning some needed fighting skills, but she’d kind of liked it when it’d just been her and Trixie’s little thing.

But she couldn’t deny the need. With every passing month it seemed like her and her friends couldn’t go without some disaster befalling Ponyville, or calling them out somewhere to face danger, if not from Corona and the alicorn’s growingly dangerous schemes, then from some other source.

Some part of her still hadn’t accepted it, but the truth was the truth.

We’re Knights of the Realm, now. We can’t pretend anymore that we’re just normal ponies going about our daily lives. How long can I keep playing at being a weathermare, like my life is ever going to be normal again? Corona is coming... and even if we beat her, what’s next? What other dangers will be out there? Another Grogar? Something worse? Life is never going back to normal, and I think everypony is finally starting to realize that.

“Helloooo, Equestria to Raindrops? Anypony home?” Cheerilee asked, waving a hoof worriedly in front of Raindrops’ face.

Raindrops blinked, realizing she’d been staring off into space. Giving Cheerilee a reassuring nod she said, “Sorry. Just thinking.”

“A practice I fully endorse,” Cheerilee said with a warm smile, “About anything you’re up for sharing, or super-secret private stuff? I do love some juicy inner monologue.”

A soft laugh escaped Raindrops as she shook her head and nodded towards the forest path that’d take them back to Ponyville. As the two mares began to trot their way down the scenic path Raindrops said, “Not private or secret. Actually I feel like we’ve all been thinking about this lately, even if it hasn’t really come up much.”

She took a second to try and figure out how to phrase what was in her head, while Cheerilee waited patiently with an encouraging smile.

“I was thinking about how much has changed, and how much things are going to keep changing,” she said at length, looking up at the sky with a searching gaze, as if it’d hold some answers for her in its cerulean depths, “There are some days I wake up and expect to find out this past year was all some weird dream. Corona never returned to threaten the whole dang world. We never got chosen by some primal elemental powers of harmony to protect Equestria. I certainly never fought hoof-to-hoof with a basilisk, or a runaway golem, or a phoenix for moon’s sake! We’ve even been Knighted. It’s just... I don’t know. Cheerilee, you can’t tell me you thought this is what you’d be doing, a few years back?”

Cheerilee’s laugh was light, understanding, and lifted some of Raindrops’ anxiety, “Oh no, no, no. My plans for this time in my life involved leading the next generation of young minds into discovering the joys of education, completing my collection of exotic south equatorial fish species, and maybe, finally, finding a special somepony to share my life with. Monster fighting and Knighthood weren’t anywhere near the top of the list. We’re talking number twenty or twenty one on the list, tops.”

At the other mare’s joking wink Raindrops chuckled, “Right, so I’m the only crazy one, then? No worries about the future from you?”

“Of course I’m worried,” Cheerilee said, for a second her expression and tone turning serious, “Trust me, I know that our lives are getting more dangerous. I think we all figured that out on Tambelon, Raindrops. Just because the others hide it doesn’t mean they don’t have the same concerns you do.”

Raindrops didn’t feel entirely satisfied with that, but nodded her head anyway, “Guess I should’ve figured that. I just hope that a day’ll come when I don’t have to wonder, somewhere in the back of my head, if today’s the day something happens, and we can’t handle it.”

Cheerilee’s eyes softened, giving a sympathetic nod, which Raindrops was grateful for. She knew Cheerilee had quite the adventurous lifestyle before settling down in Ponyville. Maybe out of all the mares who bore the Elements of Harmony, Cheerilee understood the fear of a future laced with danger, and the possibility of losing friends.

As they reached the edge of Whitetail Woods and turned down a wider road towards Ponyville Raindrops’ mood brightened. There might not have been any rainclouds in the sky, but even Raindrops would appreciate a clear sky every now and again. For a minute Raindrops just let the soft breeze and pleasant warmth of the morning seep into her and help her unravel some of the worry that’d been building in her like a twisted spring.

Then she heard the distant cry of a mare and her eyes snapped open from the dreamy, half-lidded look of relaxation she’d gained.

“Did you hear that?” she asked Cheerilee and the other mare nodded as she squinted, peering ahead of the road towards Ponyville.

“That sounds like Ditzy... in fact that looks like Ditzy!”

Raindrops looked where Cheerilee was concentrating, and indeed saw a small, flying gray dot rushing away from town, and heading right up the road towards them. Behind the gray dot was another figure, this one trotting on the road. Raindrops couldn’t quite make it out, but the figure was obviously chasing the gray dot, which soon enough resolved into the form of Ditzy Doo. The gray pegasus mare was in her deep blue postmare’s uniform and cap, a brown satchel of mail hanging from her back and trailing a few envelopes as she flew full-tilt towards Raindrops and Cheerilee.

Seeing her friends, Ditzy Doo immediately angled towards them, crying out, “Cheerileeeeeee! Raindropsssss! Heelllllp! Heeeee’s craaaaaazy!”

Raindrops and Cheerilee exchanged confused looks. He? Without needing to say a word to each other, however, the two mares immediately broke into a gallop to go to their friend’s aid, whatever that might entail. Soon enough they met up.

Ditzy, heaving heavy breaths, face flushed red, and wings flapping in an erratic fashion, looked at Raindrops and Cheerilee with frantic exasperation, “Thank goodness! You have to help! He’s out of his mind!”

“Ditzy, calm down, catch your breath,” Cheerilee said, not unkindly, worry clear in her eyes as she looked towards the figure approaching them at a calm canter, the one who’d been chasing Ditzy apparently, “Explain what’s going on.”

Raindrops frown was back in full force, etched on her features as she instinctively lowered her head and went into a tense, ready stance, “Yeah, who’s messing with my friends?”

Before Ditzy could catch her breath and gather her wits to answer the figure arrived, and Raindrops got a detailed view of who, and what, it was that was accosting Ditzy.

It was a cervid. One of the elkfolk, through Raindrops couldn’t tell for sure which tribe. She hadn’t seen more than a few, and knew next to nothing about them. A dusky gray coat was hidden mostly under a darker forest green cloak that was ratting with a macabre array of bones. Dour, sunken blue eyes glittered out of a hood that shadowed most of the cervid’s features save for a pair of pale white tusks jutting from the top of his mouth. Upon his back a blade was sheathed, longer than a pony’s foreleg, and its hilt clearly carved from the same kind of bones dangling from his cloak. When he spoke it was with a voice hard as rock, and cold as an icy mountain stream.

“I am not messing with the cowardly gray one,” he said, drawing back his hood, revealing a scraggly brown mane that fell around his head in a disheveled mess, his eyes boring into Ditzy, “I am Sigurd, of the Devergar, and she has challenged me! If she stops running, we can have our duel here and now!”

Author's Note

Welcome folks, welcome to Contest of Champions, my Season 2 Lunaverse story! Whether you've been reading the Lunaverse for awhile or just discovering it, I hope you'll enjoy. Not much else I can say in the opening chapter here other than give a big thanks to all the fine folks in the Lunaverse group whose stories about this awesome alternate MLP universe keep inspiring my creative juices, and preemptive thanks to everyone who reads. Like or dislike, comment or not, anyone who takes the time out of their lives to check out my story has my sincerest thanks for doing so. As always, comments, questions, and critiques are all welcome and highly appreciated.

Chapter 10: Art Amid Adversity

Chapter 10: Art Amid Adversity

Thunder roared overhead, swift wind and rain pelting the dense forest canopy. The noise was so complete that Carrot Top could barely hear hers and Frederick’s hoofsteps as they crept as swiftly as they dared without risking being spotted by the cloaked figure they followed. Water managed to break through the thick tree cover in miniature waterfalls, Carrot Top ducking aside from one only to get splashed by another. She shook with cold shivers, glancing at Frederick. The elk had taken the lead, lips pulled back in a eager, almost coltish smile. He was clearly enjoying himself, tracking their shadowy target through the undergrowth. She wondered if he understood this might actually be dangerous? He didn’t appear armed, the blades she recalled him possessing upon their first meeting back in Ponyville nowhere to be seen.

“Hey,” she asked, not really able to whisper with all the noise of the storm, but not worried that she’d be heard by the one they followed if she spoke up enough for Frederick to hear, “Where are your swords?”

He looked back at her, giving her a questioning look and pointing at his ears, shaking his head. She sighed and pointed at his flank, then made a chopping motion with her hoof, mimicking a sword swing. He blinked, then looked away, face briefly shadowed with embarrassment before he leaned in enough to say, “Left them in my chambers. Didn’t think I’d need them for spending time with a lovely mare.”

“Fair enough. Any idea who we’re following?” she said, this time raising her voice a bit, hopefully not too much.

Frederick rolled his shoulders in a shrug, “Someone equine? Too small to be a griffin, I think.”

“I’m pretty sure there are small griffins,” Carrot Top retorted, but from what she could make out of the cloaked form she thought perhaps Frederick was right. The proportions seemed about right for a pony, whereas griffins by and large were noticeably lager as a species. The figure was moving on all fours, so not a minotaur. A zebra or donkey, perhaps?

The forest started to thin out, up ahead, and both Frederick and Carrot Top hunkered down behind a prickly looking bush as their target went down a sudden, steep slope where a number of trees now bent at various horizontal angles, their roots sticking up from the earth, yet overgrown with old vines and weeds. Carrot Top wondered at the odd change in terrain until she and Frederick snuck a bit further forward, keeping to the bushes or thicker trees. Then she saw that the slope wasn’t natural, but instead the edge of a huge crater that extended far to the left and right. The origin of the crater became apparent as she saw through the thinning forest roof the looming, dark mass of metal walls, spanning over a hundred paces above her head. Carrot Top gulped, continuing to look up. Those walls were just the outer ring, she realized. The grander portion of Rengoku loomed even higher, a seemingly impossible construct, standing so close, no more than a hoofball field away.

One of the gigantic crystals that were situated around the fortress’ outer ring was nearby, to the right, like a huge spear thrust into the ground. The crater, and the destroyed tree line, were all the result of the fortress’ fall, all those centuries ago. The cloaked figure was approaching the crystal, but stopped a good twenty paces away. Carrot Top wasn’t certain why until she saw the figure raise a limb, she couldn’t make it out past the cloak, to touch something in the air. A shell of energy flowed and fluctuated for a moment, a mixture of transparent blues and opaque sun colored yellow. The energy vanished in an eyeblink, but it was clear to Carrot Top what it was. The magical barrier keeping anypony from entering Rengoku.

The figure in the cloak backed away from the barrier, and seemed to then become intent on the ground, seeming to scuff it with a hoof.

“Well, no bravery, no ballad,” Carrot Top heard Frederick say, even past the thick wind howls and rain, which were worse now without as much tree cover to keep it off. She was starting to get a tad soaked. Before she could say anything to him, like ask what he planned to do, Frederick just gave her a wink and then began charging down the crater slope like a stampeding cow.

“Oh for the love of-!” Carrot Top went after him, wondering if he actually had a plan other than just tackling the cloaked figure.

Apparently not. Frederick took full advantage of the raucous cacophony of the storm to get remarkably close to the cloaked figure before he launched himself into a flying tackle. The figure, however, seemed to flow aside with surprising speed, leaping out of the way of Frederick’s tackle and leaving the elk falling flat with a grunt. The figure backed away, keeping its head down so the cloak kept obscuring its face. Carrot Top thought she caught sight of a flicking, dark tail, before the figure turned and fled at a full gallop.

Breathing hard, Carrot Top lowered her head and broke into a hard gallop herself, glad now that she’d kept her potion pouch on her. She reached into it without breaking stride, using her mouth to pull out a small clay jar she’d labeled with a few ‘Z’s. The combination of herbs and chemicals inside would create a gas that’d quickly induce fatigue, and then sleep. In theory. She’d only tested it once on herself, and it’d seemed to do the trick. She wasn’t sure how well it’d work on someone who’s heart rate was up from galloping.

She gave it a toss, just as the cloaked figure was reaching the tree line. The figure seemed to sense the incoming projectile, and only briefly turned its head. The jar was coated in a yellow glow of magic and was deflected aside. Carrot Top growled in frustration, but at least that proved one thing; this individual had magic. Probably unicorn magic. Maybe kirin magic. It was impossible to tell which.

Just before the figure reached the trees something exceedingly odd happened, causing Carrot Top to slow in her gallop if only for the shock of seeing the trees suddenly seem to bend, branches moving to reach down towards the figure like grasping... huh, kind of like those weird appendages Lyra had gained from Trixie’s botched spell the previous year. With the storm obscuring vision along with the growing gloom of deepening evening the grasping trees had a shadowy, unnatural look about them as their gnarled branches reached to try and grab the cloaked figure.

Whoever the figure was, they were athletic, for they juked and wove through the snagging, living branches with incredible agility. Even when one branch did wrap hard bark around the figure’s mid-section, the figure lashed out, too fast for Carrot Top to make out what the hoof looked like or what color it was, to smash the branch in half. The cloaked figure was then gone beyond the moving tree branches and vanished into the deeper forest, well before Carrot Top managed to catch up.

Panting, staring into the gloomy forest, she couldn’t see a thing, and after a second gave up trying to spot where the cloaked figure went and turned to go check on Frederick. She found him standing, but kneeling over the ground where he’d drawn something in the dirt with his hoof, but he hastily rubbed out whatever it was before she got there.

“He... she... whoever it was, got away,” she said, a little breathlessly. She wasn’t actually in bad shape, but the cold from the rain was getting to her. Frederick, wincing slightly at the crack of thunder above them and looking rather wet and miserable himself, stamped a hoof and gave a bitter laugh.

“And here I was hoping we’d catch some nefarious plot in the works and have quite the story to boast of. I was so close, too. The trees nearly had him! Or her. Hmm, I wonder which I’d have preferred...?”

Carrot Top raised an eyebrow at that, “The trees were your doing? I was scared the forest was just haunted and nopony bothered to put up warning signs.”

Frederick scratched the back of his head, hoof brushing over the spot he’d been doing so to earlier, and Carrot Top could only make out the barest remains of some kind of mark, but it was far too distorted to discern. Frederick wiped out the rest of it. “Runecraft. Not my strongest skill, but being the Prince I have a few tricks most don’t.”

He shook his head, looking up at the sky, “At any rate, we’d better get somewhere dry and warm, before we’re both laid up in bed... hmm, not the worst fate, now that I think about it,” he wagged his eyebrows at her and Carrot Top rolled her eyes, chuckling.

“You’re incorrigible. Next time let’s try to work out a plan before we go charging off, okay?”

“Oh, but charging off is masculine and impulsive! Some of my best qualities!”

“Perhaps,” Carrot Top said with a coy shift of her hooves, “Just try not to do it without running a plan by me first. We might have caught whoever that was if you’d given me a sec to prepare.”

His expression became a bit dour as he looked away, “You’re... probably right. Come, let’s return to the monastery. Aside from drying off we’d best tell somepony about what happened here. I’m sure your Princess would like to know that someone has been sniffing around this place, and they’re probably not a tourist.”

“Should we go look for her, you think?” asked Lyra, casting worried eyes at the door, a door Carrot Top still hadn’t come through despite it being some time since the storm outside had started.

Trixie had been flopped on one of the plush chairs of the lounge, horn glowing, soft blue light cradling a quill as she’d been jotting down the last few ideas she’d been going over with Cheerilee concerning the next day’s event. Given Carrot Top was key to the morning routine Trixie had planned she had also been wondering what was keeping the farmer so long, but then again Trixie didn’t want to think too hard about what Carrot Top might be doing with her elk prince. However Lyra’s tone brought a shiver of deeper worry to Trixie’s spine, making her put down the quill.

“It won’t be easy to find much of anything in that rain, but I’m not too keen on waiting much longer either,” Trixie said, glancing at the snoozing Ditzy on the couch, “We’ll all need our rest to give our best performance tomorrow, but that won’t much matter if one of us goes...” she waved a hoof vaguely, her voice unsure, “...missing.”

Cheerilee looked thoughtful, glancing towards the windows, “I’d lay pretty strong odds she’s with that Frederick guy, but they probably just got caught in the rain and had to find a spot to bunk down until it slacks off. We can look for her, but does anypony have an idea on where to start?”

Trixie sighed, “I knew I should have hoofed out those earrings. The moment things started going weird around here. Then we could just ask her where she is.”

“Enchanted earrings are nice,” admitted Cheerilee, “But they have a limited range, so even if she had a pair on she might not be able to use them.”

“True, but I’m distributing them first thing in the morning,” Trixie said with a firm nod to herself, “No reason not to. Now, about Carrot Top, I can understand if you’re worried about her Lyra. I am too, but wandering around looking for her at random isn’t likely to prove fruitful.”

“Well, about that,” said Lyra, floating her lyre case over to herself and slinging it onto her back as she made for the door, “I’d feel better looking around anyway, even if the chances are low of just stumbling into her-”

At that moment the door opened, slamming into Lyra and knocking her on her haunches, dazed. Carrot Top stood in the doorway, dripping wet and looking a bit muddy and haggard, but she quickly saw Lyra and put a hoof to her mouth, “Ohmygosh! I’m sorry Lyra, here, let me help you up.”

Lyra, rubbing her muzzle with one hoof while accepting help up with the other said, “No worries, was just about to go looking for you. Glad you’re not foalnapped or anything.”

A charmingly energetic masculine voice said, “Not that I wouldn’t be tempted to whisk her away in the dead of night, you ladies needn’t fear. I return your comrade to you intact and unravished.” Frederick stepped into the doorway, flashing white teeth in a decidedly coltish smile, even after Carrot Top flicked her wet tail at his face, giving him a rueful look that, Trixie noted, didn’t actually carry much honest sting to it.

“Behave.” Carrot Top said, then padded into the room, Frederick following behind. He too was equally soaked as Carrot Top, though Trixie noticed both looked like they’d been more than just out in the rain. Frederick in particular had a fair bit of mud staining his otherwise nice clothing and trim fur.

“Where have you two been, if I may ask?” Trixie said, mentally wondering if she really wanted to hear the details. Then a closer look at Carrot Top’s expression put a halt to those kind of worries and replaced them with all new ones, “What happened?”

Carrot Top, accepting a towel that Cheerilee had retrieved from the restroom, along with one for Frederick, began to dry herself off and said, “We were out by the beach when the storm came in. Took cover in the forest, the big one that hugs that crazy huge fortress. We, uh...” Carrot Top paused, a brush of lightest crimson touching her cheeks, “We were just about to head on back when Frederick spotted someone moving through the forest.”

Carrot Top then gave a rather quick and concise summary of the encounter with the cloaked figure, leaving no details out, largely because there were so few details to give. Trixie took it all in hungrily, eager for any information that might be a clue to the mysterious threat Kenkuro had hinted at. A cloaked equine examining the barrier around Rengoku was definitely out of the ordinary.

“Could it have been Kindle or any of Corona’s crew?” suggested Raindrops. Carrot Top shrugged.

“Definitely wasn’t Terrorwing. Guys a dang hulk and this pony, if it was a pony, was nowhere near that big. Not small, either. Kind of average build. Really hard to tell because of the cloak.”

“You said you saw a dark tail,” Trixie said, “Could it have been Zecora?”

“I doubt it. Whoever it was used telekinesis or something close to it in order to deflect one of my sleeping bombs.”

“What about that unicorn, Smoke?”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so. She’s kind of on the smallish side, and on top of that when Frederick controlled the trees to try to catch them-”

“He did what?” blurted Lyra but Carrot Top went on.

“-this cloaked figure just smashed the branches. Smoke isn’t really the martial type that could smash a thick tree branch with one hoof. Honestly I don’t think it was any of Corona’s ponies.”

“On top of that Princess Luna has already made it pretty clear that Corona isn’t likely involved,” said Trixie, rubbing her chin, mind starting to shift into high gear. “This isn’t a lot to go on but it's more than what we had. Somepony with a dark tail and martial skill. Has magic or something that simulates it. Athletic enough to easily outpace you. Hmm... well, we all still need rest for tomorrow. I suggest we all get to that. I’ll go inform Princess Luna about this first, then come back to get some sleep myself. Carrot Top, me and Cheerilee were working out our plan for the morning performance and was hoping you’d look it over?”

Carrot Top gave her a look, then trotted over to the list and notes Trixie had written down, giving it a once over. Her eyebrow shot up, green eyes looking at Trixie incredulously, “Got a lot of faith in my cooking, don’t you?”

“You did well in competition before, and this list is easy, compared to that,” said Trixie, “Trust me, if I know how people think, regardless of culture, when it comes to being up early in the morning the first thought on any of their minds will be food. What better way to kick off a display of Equestrian art than showing everpony the fine art of the perfect breakfast?”

“But what will the rest of you be doing while I’m cooking that up?” asked Carrot Top, and Trixie just winked.

“Trust me, I have it all worked out.”

Gwendolyn knew she ought to be in bed, but it wasn’t easy to work up the desire to return to her quarters giving to her by the monks at the monastery. There were entirely too many other griffins there, and she wasn’t much in the mood to deal with her fellow countrybirds at this moment. Not that their rowdy attitude bothered her, she was long used to that and might not even mind a quick brawl to settle her nerves. No, she just wasn’t enjoying being reminded of everything she wasn’t doing while she was stuck here on this island, participating in this frivolous Contest.

Her people, her real family and friends in the Band of the Red Shield, were thousands of miles away, still in Farhills with Queen Hagatha. She knew Hagatha would look after her troops, but it still left Gwendolyn feeling like she had spiders crawling along her back every minute she wasn’t there with the Band. She’d given her second in command, Gabriel, instructions to continue assisting Queen Hagatha with any local bandit troubles, and to otherwise lay low, but she couldn’t stop a distinct feeling in her gut, like spreading frost.

Something was going to go wrong. She just knew it, and couldn’t shake the feeling. Training, or at least exhausting that pegasus, Ditzy Doo, had been an okay distraction. She had no idea why Grimwald was so interested in her, and hoped the birdbrain wasn’t going to do anything too... him. She kind of liked Ditzy, enjoying the mare’s rather plucky determination to try to befriend an admittedly creepy oddball like Grimwald. It took a bizarre sort of courage. Perhaps that boisterous deer Sigurd felt the same way? Thinking of him just caused Gwendolyn to huff out a tired laugh.

Cervids. If they didn’t have such a flare for the poetic and dramatic they’d be unstoppable. Fortunately when whatever forces crafted the races of the world were handing out traits, it seemed all the pragmatism and common sense they kept from the cervids, they’d given to the griffins. Except for Grimwald. They’d skipped over Grimwald.

Her night wandering had taken her through the rain of the storm with little care. She’d seen worse back home, and wings made excellent natural umbrellas. The festival grounds were, unsurprisingly, all but deserted. A few late night revelers stayed up and about in defiance of the storm, or perhaps going out of their way to enjoy it. A few tents and pavilions still had lights on and the sound of drinking and general merriment, but it was a different noise that drew Gwendolyn’s attention. A steady ring of steel that at first she thought might be a clash of blades, but after a moment longer she realized was the steady, pounding clang of a smith’s hammer.

While Gwendolyn wasn’t the most eager of participants at the Contest, she had found some enjoyment in wandering the festival grounds. The only place in the area where a smithy could be found was in the Elkhiem portion. Curiosity drove her steps through the rain, until she reached a sturdily built cabin with a wide wooden awning, with detailed carvings of flames and hammers decorating the exterior. Firelight bled out into the night from a few strong torches standing sentry against the night and storm, and more of the warm glow of fire poured from a thick stone kiln, its coals spewing embers.

During the day a strong muscled female moose had been working the forge, doing demonstrations of forging technique and even making small iron trinkets for the youngsters in the crowd, usually prefacing any work she did by draining a tankard of ale or mead. Now, however, it was Sigurd that Gwendolyn found at the forge, his attention focused heavily upon his swift but steady hammer strikes at the anvil. Gwendolyn examined the water deer for a few moments, standing at the threshold of the awning. He was shorter than most his kind, but his frame was sturdy, muscle not entirely evident at first glance now rolling with each raise of the hammer. He was older than she thought, too, not that she got a good enough look to see the gray salting his fur here and there. His face was tough as an old pine tree, hard with concentration.

“Are you going to stand there for all the night’s hours, or step in out of the rain?” Sigurd said, not taking his eyes from his work. Gwendolyn only hesitated a moment before doing so, shaking her wings off first before giving the rest of herself a quick shake as well. A few droplets hit the fire and hissed away. She approached him slowly, looking at what he was working on. It looked like some kind of small, metal cap, about two talonspans across. The metal looked like solid steel. She noticed several metal strips nearby, cooling on a table alongside a round ring that still open at one end, its edge bent inward as if meant to be slotted with something.

“What are you making?” she asked, though her mind’s eye was already putting some of the pieces together, taking in more of the smithy and noticing other materials laying around. Strips of leather, likely cured from the hide of a smaller frost wrym, if she was gauging by the soft white color tinged with blue. Then there was the wood planks, looking as if they were cut from fine, hard oak.

Sigurd paused only briefly in his hammering to hold up the metal cap, turning it to examine his work with a critical eye. “A shield,” he replied with simple, curt frankness.

“For her?” Gwendolyn pressed, noticing that the overall size of the shield, if all the pieces were put together, would be about right for a pony’s use.

Sigurd didn’t respond immediately, eyes narrowing at some perceived flaw in the metal cap as he put it back on the anvil and went back to hammering it out. After a minute of loud, thunderous clangs, he said, “It took me a long time to realize that there was more to being a warrior than wielding a blade and slaying one’s enemies. It is a lesson not many young bucks of Elkheim get the chance to learn before becoming too old to appreciate it.”

“I thought you cervids love battle. Isn’t it the only way your souls can reach Valhalla? Glorious death and all that?” Gwendolyn asked, and flinched a bit as Sigurd’s hammer struck perhaps with greater force than intended. His face held a strange light in it as he glanced back at her, a glimmer of something akin to a scabbed over wound in his eyes.

“No warrior of Elkheim dreams of dying old, in bed, that is true. Yet that does not mean we seek to die pointlessly, or too young, before we’ve truly tasted the fruits life has to offer,” he said, looking away from her again. “I had a son. He’d be not far off your age. Younger, certainly, than Ditzy Doo. Yet she makes me think of him.”

The steady pound of the hammer went on for some time, Gwendolyn standing there awkwardly watching Sigurd work. Gradually she worked up the nerve to ask, “What happened to him?”

She wasn’t certain why she asked. Certainly it was personal, beyond what two bare bones acquaintances should probably be discussing, but she found herself wanting to... how had Ditzy put it? Meet him halfway? It seemed strange, but that little pony had a way of making an impression. Besides, she wasn’t a stranger to tales of death and woe. The entire reason she’d forged the Band of the Red Shield was because there was too much of both in the border kingdoms of the griffins, and she and her comrades had decided to do something about it.

She hadn’t expected Sigurd to actually answer. Maybe give her the stink eye and tell her to mind her own business. Instead he gave the metal cap he was working on one last swing, then after seemingly being satisfied with his work he took up some tongs, and brought the cap to a bucket filled with glittering water, dipping it in. After the hissing and steam eased off he set the cap next to the other pieces of the soon to be shield, and turned to look at her.

“Was twelve winters ago. I was swordsworn to the jarl of Scornhold. My son, Svengar, had just earned his right to join the warrior ranks with the other youngbloods. The dragonraids two winters past had still left many without homes or fields, and the inevitable rise of banditry had been a thorn in Scornhold’s side that my jarl had tasked me to root out.”

Gwendolyn could hear the emptiness creeping into Sigurd’s voice, like watching rot creep up an old tree, drying out the branches and killing the leaves. There was a dull sheen to his eyes, looking back through a window to a grayed out time. It wasn’t an unusual story, and Gwendolyn could guess at its path easily enough. She’d heard the same kind of story a hundred times over from fathers and mothers all across the border kingdoms who had lost children to banditry and roving monster attacks. Her familiarity with the nature of the tale did nothing to quell the familiar hurt and rage that came with it. She knew some of Sigurd’s pain. While she was not a parent, she was, in a way, mother to all the young warriors of the Band. She’d buried griffins younger than she was, people she knew and fought alongside, and whose lives had been placed in her talons to lead.

She silently watched Sigurd, giving him the space to continue or leave things at that. He must have seen something in her eyes, because he gave her the barest of nods, saying, “You can imagine what comes after, can’t you? A band of young, eager warriors, their first opportunity to test their blades against a foe. Svengar was... different. As eager as any, but not for the battle, but for the purpose. He wasn’t dreaming of glory, just of protecting hearth and kin. He even thought of the bandits as such kin, and it was his voice that called for parlay, to try talking the bandits down. He...” Sigurd sighed, a bitter exhale, “He tried to reason with me all night before the morning of battle. I was... set... in a different way of thinking. Yet my son still belted on his sword that morning and did his duty alongside his fellow warriors, despite wanting nothing more than a peaceful solution.”

He shook his head, “Ditzy Doo would have no part of me, I think, if she knew I was a father that led his own son to his death.”

“I can’t speak for her, I barely know the pony, but...” Gwendolyn waved a talon, grasping for words. Put her in a command situation, with a clear objective, and faith in the troops at her back, and she never lacked for the right words to inspire. At times it felt like her only natural environment was a battlefield or an army camp. Any other social situation and she felt like she was scrambling in the dark. How do you comfort a surly water deer who was being inexplicably open about a deep personal wound? Gwendolyn winged it as best she could, “...but from what I saw of Dame Doo, she doesn’t have a judgmental bone in her body. I mean, she’s trying to befriend Grimwald! She either has a heart of pure steel, or the innocence of a saint. Maybe both.”

Sigurd grunted, his eyes seemingly lost in thought, “I would not see her come to harm. Tell me, how dangerous is your... friend?”

“Grim? He’s...” Gwendolyn laughed helplessly. Storm’s teeth, how did she explain Grimwald? Even knowing him since childhood she wasn’t sure she really understood him. Was he dangerous? Definitely. She more than suspected he’d done work as a professional assassin for several high ranking nobles among the Inner Kingdoms, and she wouldn’t be shocked if he was on the island as part of a job more than any desire to participating in the Contest. He was fixated on Ditzy Doo for some reason, but that might just have to do with his odd personality and have nothing to do with work. If he had been contracted to do some kind of job against the Equestrian champions... well, he was being more sloppy about it than he’d been in the past when it came to that kind of thing. If he seriously wanted any of those mare’s dead, they would have been before the first day on the island had been done.

She looked at Sigurd frankly and shrugged, “I can’t claim Grim’s not got something up his sleeve. He’s cagey, crazier than most I’ve met, and his sense of morals is ambiguous to nonexistent. For all that, he’s always had a weird sense of honor, and he’s had my back in more fights than I care to admit.”

“You trust him, then?”

“...I didn’t say that.”

Sigurd regarded her for a moment, then turned back to his work on the shield. His motions were solid, somehow more vigorous, yet his voice held a piercing edge, “I didn’t trust my son to try the path of peace, once. I will give Ditzy Doo the benefit that my pride denied Svengard, and pray that she finds her success with your unusual friend.”

He held up the piece of the shield he was working on and the forge-light made his smile seem somehow more foreboding to Gwendolyn than perhaps it should have been.

“And if friendship happens to fail, she will still have steel to fall back on.”

Zecora cursed the storm. The rain and darkness were blinding her, and she had to rely on finely honed senses of direction and what she’d managed to memorize of the island’s topography to guide her as she galloped headlong through the sheets of rain.

Kindle and the others had already retired back to the Queen’s ark before the storm hit, but Zecora had chosen to stay out a time longer, unwilling to give up on her search. It had born fruit, but in so doing had placed her in terrible danger! She’d found what had to be the threat she’d received the vision of, and in a place she had hardly expected to find it. Unfortunately she’d been found as well, and now she ran, to escape pursuit, and warn Celestia of the magnitude of the danger.

She was on a rocky portion of the north beach, and the steep gloom of the monastery’s cliff side rose ahead of her. She knew there was a narrow pathway of carved stone that would lead all the way up to the top of that cliff, and there she could see the faint glimmer of old from her Queen’s ark, which was using the top of the monastery cliff as a safe landing area to weather the storm.

Zecora wasn’t certain how close her pursuers were. The rain made it just as impossible to see behind her as it was to see ahead. She didn’t not doubt they were coming after her, however. They couldn’t afford for her to escape and tell of what she’d seen. Despite the storm she managed to find the foot of the carved path up the cliff and began rushing up it, slipping slightly on the wet rock, but not letting herself slow down despite the treacherous steps ahead and the growing height she reached with each switchback.

She was halfway up the cliff when a figure emerged ahead from the gloom. Zecora reached for one of her many offensive potion brews she kept in her medicine pouch, but halted the moment the figure resolved into the shape of a stout earth pony stallion. She did not know him, but did recognize him as one of the Equestrian nobles viewing the contest. He was gray coated, with a plain brown mane matted down by the rain, despite the wide brimmed hat he wore. He had a rope slung over his shoulder that looked to be part of a set of climbing gear.

The stallion blinked at her as she all but crashed into him.

“Whoa there! Be careful miss, it's dangerous out here with the rain! Heh, crazy storm came on fast. Thought I’d make it to the top of the cliff the old fashioned way, but the rain beat me to it. Fragrant’s not going to like me being soaked, but hey, can’t predict the weather, right? Hey... uh, are you alright miss?”

Thoughts ran quickly through Zecora’s mind. If she began to babble on what she’d seen to this stallion there was a very real chance he wouldn’t even understand what she was saying in time to properly carry it along. Worse, if she said anything to him her pursuers might target him as well. A clammy feeling tingled its way down the back of her neck and Zecora felt certain she was being watched. Her pursuers had caught up, but they were hanging back, out of sight, watching and listening to see what she would do. This poor stallion’s fate depended on whether or not she spoke of anything that her pursuers would deep worthy of silencing. He was still looking at her with warm, open concern.

“Miss...?”

Zecora shook her head, “Nothing is amiss other than the harshness of this storm’s kiss. I seek only to find a place warm and dry so the night may pass me by.”

“Oh, well why don’t you let me escort you to the top then? I don’t have an umbrella, but I could lend you my hat?”

“That won’t be needed. I seek only to hurry to a room that is heated,” she said, and shouldered past him, breaking back into a swift trot that quickly escalated into a gallop. The stallion called after her, but she ignored him, praying that the ones following her would realize she had told him nothing and hence would leave the poor stallion alone. After all, if he was a Equestrian noble then harming him would bring more trouble than it was worth. The same would logically apply to Zecora as well, as she couldn’t imagine her Queen responding well to her disappearance (alive or not was another question entirely), but Celestia would be more bound towards caution simply to keep from conflict with her sister and the Element Bearers.

Of course she intended to evade capture if she could, but Zecora was no optimistic fool. Her odds were not good. She could feel the eyes of her pursuers on her as she pounded up the remainder of the steep cliff path, her hooves splashing through the rain with barely maintained balance. The top of the path led to a bowl shaped carved area, like a auditorium, complete with stone stands and a pair of shorter carved stairs leading to the top of the cliff itself. She could see more clearly the warm glow of Celestia’s arc, and the shielding bubble of magic her Queen put around the ark to keep the rain off.

It would have only taken another minute or so to reach her goal, but a grappling hook attached to a length of dark chains snaked their way out of the storm behind her, wrapping one of her hind legs and causing Zecora to fall skidding to the ground. She tucked and rolled with the fall, immediately reaching into her medicine pouch to remove a small bundle of leaves and twine that she smashed onto the chain binding her leg. The powder within hissed and bubbled, reacting with the air and rain to generate acid that started to melt the chain, but not before two shadowy figures emerged from the storm to flank Zecora on either side.

“You’re one impressive runner,” one shadow admitted in an amused male voice. He was the one holding the grappling hook and chain that’d caught Zecora, the chain vanishing into the arm of his black robes, “Too bad you weren’t as good at stealth.”

“Don’t waste time with words,” said the other shadow in a hard, unamused male voice, sounding like an older individual to Zecora’s trained ears, “Take her quickly. We’re exposed out here.”

“Yes, yes, you’re such a stick in the mud.”

A stick the mud, perhaps, but smarter than you, Zecora thought to herself as she took advantage of the few seconds of her foes’ banter availed her to pull out another bundle from her pouch to smash into the ground between the two shadowy, robed figures, while simultaneously shielding her eyes with her other hoof. A bright flash of light accompanied this, like a bolt of lightning, and she used the temporary blindness that should have caused to yank hard on the chain on her leg. The acid powder had done its work by then and melted enough of the steel links that they snapped at her tug, and she scrambled back into a run.

It seemed she’d underestimated her opponents, however, for at least one of them recovered far faster from the flash of light than she’d expected. One moment she was galloping away, and the next one of the black robed figures was in front of her, rearing up on his hind legs. For just a moment she recognized the kind of stance he was taking, the angle of his limbs evoking memories of home.

She also knew from that stance that her chances of escape had just evaporated. Even so, she tried, dredging up old teachings she hadn’t made regular use of in years. She threw herself into a flip, lashing out with a hind leg kick that she knew was sloppy even as she executed the move. She really was out of practice, and had never been a dedicated student to the unarmed arts in the first place. Her foe turned her leg aside with the smooth ease of wind breaking upon a boulder. He also hit back like a boulder, an instant strike with both fore hooves that hit her straight in the barrel. The blow knocked the air right out of her and left her stunned upon the ground, struggling to remember how to breathe.

“Heh, take all the fun out of the chase, why don’t you?” said the other robed figure as he walked up behind her. The one that had struck her set back down on all fours and approached Zecora as her hoof moved towards her medicine pouch again. He stamped down on her leg, hard, and Zecora bit back a scream as she felt the bone break.

“Enough. We must move, before that noble sees us.”

“Right, right. Can’t go around offing Equestrain nobility, now, can we?” the other figure chuckled as it bent over Zecora, chains rattling. In mere moments she felt her hooves, even the broken one, being wrapped and bound with expert speed and skill. She struggled, but knew escape would be impossible. However, there was something else she could do, and in this case the storm worked in her favor. While her captor was binding her, with the sheets of rain and sound of thunder helping to obscure her actions, she used her teeth to remove one of the gold earrings she wore and tossed it away from her. Neither robed figure spotted the move or heard the ring clatter, all thanks to the tumult of the storm.

Mere seconds later Zecora found herself bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Then she was hauled away like a sack of grain into the night.

Trixie and the other mares from Ponyville woke up in the quiet hour before dawn. There was a lot of work to do, and Trixie, usually as far from a morning pony as was possible by the laws of biology, was energetic. Comparatively speaking. She wasn’t shuffling around like a member of the trotting dead, but actually felt alert and rested. Outside the window she could see the storm had passed the island, leaving the skies clear for the newly arriving day. The air still had that wet, charged scent storms tended to leave behind, and the Trixie could see the fields beyond the monastery glistened with fresh puddles. When the sun rose, those fields would be glittering like gold...

A bad omen? Trixie shook off the thought. Frederick had informed Luna the previous night of the encounter in the forest, and the Princess had pulled some of her Shadowbolts off of other areas of the island to sweep the forest more thoroughly. Perhaps they found something? Trixie and her friends had gone to sleep before hearing if the Shadowbolts had found anything, but Trixie imagined the Princess would let them know if anything turned up. In the meantime they had a Contest to win! Trixie was even more excited for this than the Grand Melee, mostly because the Contest of Art would involve less punching (in theory) and let Trixie do one of the things she did best; inspire and awe an eager audience.

“Alright, I’ll need Ditzy and Raindrops helping Carrot Top in the kitchen,” Trixie said, “I spoke to the monks yesterday and you’re free to use all the equipment you’ll need. Meanwhile myself, Lyra, and Cheerilee will get our routine down and set up our area.”

“I’m glad somepony was paying attention to what that Abbess said the other day, because I’m still not clear on how this is all going down,” said Raindrops, stretching her wings and limbs to limber up for the day to come.

“The event opens up at the stroke of ten,” said Lyra, already tuning her lyre with fine, minute workings of her hoof combined with a little magic, “We’re allowed to go stake out and set up any area we want on the event field, and the monks will provide anything needed. They literally got massive underground storehouses filled with all sorts of stuff that champions can use for their art performances.”

“That’s neat,” said Ditzy, yawning slightly and still not quite getting up from the couch, “So it's like the back rooms at a theater with all the props?”

“Oh it's way more than that,” said Lyra, “I had a bit of time yesterday and had one of the monks show me around. That same goat fella from the other day. Billy? Anyway there’s a freakin’ mountain of rooms and chambers beneath the monastery, a lot of it given over to storage of all sorts of cool stuff the monks have gathered over centuries. We’re talking some major collections of art, artifacts, books, you name it. Honestly if they liquidated that stuff it’d be worth a fortune. But they got mundane, everyday equipment there too, for exactly the purpose of letting champs requisition anything they need for pretty much any part of the Contest.”

“Sounds like the perfect place to hide out if you were a cloak wearing ne'er do well who wanted to be out of sight,” said Cheerilee, rubbing her chin with the sharp, narrow eyes of investigative suspicion.

Lyra shrugged, “If somepony was hiding down there, it’d be easy enough to do, yeah. Place is a maze. I’d have been lost if not for Billy. Heck, I think he got lost a bit too. This monastery is so old a lot of the monks themselves don’t know that much about every nook and cranny of it.”

“I doubt the Princess has neglected to consider that possibility,” said Trixie, affixing her cape around her neck with a waft of magic and plopping her hat upon her head, checking in a mirror to make sure the floppy magician’s number was perched at just the right kind of sloppy angle to look debonaire, “Just in case, we’ll run it by her. I was planning to check in with her before heading out of the monastery anyway.”

She winced suddenly as light broke over the horizon, bright and shining in a solid band of golden sunlight. In the time it took Trixie to blink away the spots and think for a few seconds, Cheerilee had already said, “Wait, is that the sun? Could have sworn it was an hour away at least.”

Trixie’s mind did a little spasm as several rapid fire implications of an early sunrise galloped across her brainpan. The most immediate of those thoughts was that Corona had taken control of the sun as part of a preemptive attack and at that very moment the Tyrant Sun might have been moving to ambush Princess Luna before she or the Elements could react. Other, perhaps more rational thoughts, also occurred to her. Like Luna being a tad off with the sunrise. It’d happened before. Not... often, but Trixie was sure there was a historical document somewhere that mentioned a time when Luna was late or early with her job of guiding the giant sky rock and sky fireball.

“I guess the Princess’ clock is a little fast,” she said, trying to sound calm as she turned towards the door to her room and started trotting for it, “Perhaps I’ll go see if everything is alright. Best put the Elements on, girls, just in case.”

“You think Corona has taken control of the sun again?” asked Ditzy with a nervous tremor, all but flying off the couch, suddenly awake and alert.

Trixie had already gone into her room and come out with the lockbox with the Elements inside, unlocking it and flipping it open to reveal the glittering necklaces and single tiara within. “I don’t know, but since we can’t be sure, no reason not to go equipped to deal with it.”

She floated out the Elements to her friends, and the necklaces went on with a soft series of metallic clicks. Trixie finally set the gleaming Element of Magic tiara snugly upon the brow of her hat, and she led her friends out into the hallway. There they found a haggard looking stallion approaching their rooms already, the white coat and blue mane combined with his dark Royal Guard uniform making him quickly recognizable as Shining Armor.

“Wow, that was fast,” Trixie said as the Captain of the Royal Guard arrived. However Shining Armor looked at her with blinking, confused eyes.

“What was fast? Nevermind, the Princess sent me to escort you to her to discuss the issue of the mysterious figure encountered yesterday by Dame Carrot Top,” the stallion said with a faintly exhausted air. He didn’t look like he’d slept much the previous night. With a twitch of her nose Trixie noticed a faint remnant scent of some kind of flowery perfume in the air.

“Oh? So you’re not here because the early rising sun might mean Corona’s about to do something?” asked Cheerilee, pointing back into the mare’s room at the window clearly showing the sunrise. Shining Armor gave them a bewildered look for a second, then poked his head around the door just long enough to peer at the window. He blinked, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Right, well... in that case, follow me to the Princess quickly,” he said, doing a remarkable job of keeping a calm tone despite a sudden sweat breaking out on his brow. He lead them at a swift pace just short of a canter down the dry, dusty monastery halls.

Princess Luna’s accommodations were situated not far from the Equestrian champions’ room, just a few hallways away. It was a large, circular chamber, with a domed ceiling and lavish furniture all of dark leather and cushions of dark or light blues. There was a tall fireplace sprawling over one end of the circular wall, while a wide expanse of window, with latches to open up onto an exterior stone balcony, dominated another portion of the room. Sunlight poured in from there, but that wasn’t the only source of light.

Shining Armor led the mare’s into the room and barely got out half of a, “Princess, the Element Bearers are here as you requested-” before he choked his words off rather quickly. Trixie didn’t blame him. She wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt two alicorns standing nose to nose with each other either.

“I told you sister, I don’t know where your pet zebra is!” Luna said, clearly trying to control herself, voice barely level, wings spread out to her sides as she stood before Corona. It still amazed and quite frankly intimidated Trixie to see the clear height difference between Luna and the older alicorn, as Corona’s towering form of flame made the normally larger than life moon monarch seem so very much like the little sister she was by comparison. Corona’s mane and tail were in full flame, the intense orange and golden fire bristling with heat that seemed to dry out all moisture in the room. The stone of the floor beneath her hooves was bright red and bubbling.

”We hath heard thy pleas of innocence, yet find it most difficult to believe our wayward servant doth remain absent without thy interference! Whom else possesseth the means and motive to detain my loyal subject and obscured her from my sight!? Only thee, dear sister, only thee!”

Despite the crawling, ice cold fear in her gut at the sheer madness of stepping into this situation, Trixie gulped, made sure her hat and Element were on straight, and stepped into the uncomfortable oven hot room. She spoke as loud as she could manage without making her fear obvious from any stuttering, “Ahem! Excuse the interruption, but could you kindly and with all due respect, back off from my Princess?”

Corona’s head tilted ever so slightly their way as Trixie and her friends strode into the room, forming a solid line against her. Her voice was like a roaring volcano.

”You presume to hold any authority to make demands of me, mortals?”

Cheerilee coughed, and pointed at her Element necklace, “Not to pop your highly fortified bastion of delusion and ego, but I can point out six compelling reasons as to why we can presume to do exactly that. Like Trixie says, back off.”

“Unless you want to get your daily dose of prismatic medicine,” added Lyra, ears flat and mane like the raised hackles of a cat, “We’ve been pretty tolerant of you being here at all. Just give us an excuse and that kindness can be revoked.”

Corona glared literal pools of fire in their direction, but did hesitate at the sight of all six Elements gathered before her, and Luna took advantage of the brief moment of hesitation to collect and calm herself, and speak in a much more disarming and earnest tone.

“My sister, I swear to you I did not know your servant was missing until you teleported into my chambers and accused me of stealing her away. You are as aware as I am that there is a shadow hanging over this century’s Contest, and that it is entirely possible an outside force has abducted Zecora. Or perhaps the storm itself took her, if she was outside in it the previous night. Anything is possible, but I ask you do not leap to conclusions and calm yourself.”

For a very long moment that to Trixie felt stretched to eternity and then some, mostly due to the unbearable heat causing her to start sweating a small ocean, Corona remained still and crackling like a bonfire. Then, bit by bit, the flames of her mane and tail seemed to steady and flicker lower, the temperature in the room going from a sweltering oven to something more akin to just a very hot summer day. Corona turned back to Luna, face lined in a deep scowling frown that made her look ready to chew through the entire monastery with her teeth, rather than just raze the island to ash.

Her voice, also, lowered to something resembling normal volume.

“You claim no part in this, yet thy magic is the only thing upon this island that could contend with mine strongly enough to obscure Zecora from a scrying spell. If I cannot find her, then what am I believe, sweet little Luna? That she is dead from the storm? Doubtful. Zecora is not so incompetent. Shall I believe then another is capable of blinding my magical scrying? Who could perform such a feat besides you, Luna?”

“You do realize magic has had a thousand years to advance since your sunny vacation, right?” spoke up Lyra, more than a little sarcastic sass in her tone, “Is it that hard to buy someone out there might’ve gotten good enough to block your flaming butt?”

Carrot Top coughed slightly and elbowed Lyra, “Can we not antagonize the arch-nemesis, please? This is kinda serious if Zecora has just gone up and vanished. I mean, what if the cloaked figure from yesterday has something to do with this?”

Corona’s eyes fixated on Carrot Top rather instantly, like a pair of homing lasers. “What cloaked figure, my little pony?”

Carrot Top froze, gulping visibly. Luna took a deep breath, closing her eyes, “I had meant to inform you today, sister, that the other day Dame Carrot Top and the Prince of Elkheim encountered a strange individual in the forest surrounding Rengoku. A figure that seemed interested in the barrier enclosing the fortress.”

“And you did not inform us of this immediately, why?” inquired Corona in a tone of voice that suggested images of charred nations in Trixie’s mind. However Luna merely shrugged at her big sister.

“I wanted to give my Shadowbolts time to investigate the matter themselves before you burned down half the forest in a knee-jerk reaction. They are rather good at such work, when not being magically choked by irate alicorns.”

Corona snorted, “Better to have let me burn the forest. If there are forces of ill intent lurking within then nothing would ferret them out faster than the fire of my wrath. I see no reason not to do so right this instant.”

“No, Celestia. There will be no burning of anything,” Luna said firmly, both proverbially and physically putting her hoof down, “You’d cause a panic across the entire island, likely burn away any evidence that there might be to find in the forest, and even worse risk the lives of your servant and anypony who just happened to be there. The forest is a public area that any number of island visitors might have gone too simply for the scenery and even this cloaked figure may have just been an overzealous and curious tourist that Carrot Top and Prince Frederick surprised so badly that they ran away. So, no, no fires. Please... let us...” Luna struggled for words, lips pressed tightly, voice wavering, “Just let us cooperate, if only for a little while, sister. I will welcome your help investigating this matter, but only if you can restrain yourself.”

The two alicorns stood staring at each other for several painstakingly tense moments. Finally Corona gave a single, reluctant and shallow nod.

“Very well. We shall play this your way for now, little sister. I will send Kindle, Smoke, and Terrorwing to... assist in the investigation. If need be I shall tear this entire island apart piece by piece until I discover what has become of Zecora.”

It might’ve been just Trixie’s imagination playing a trick on her, but it almost sounded like there was a genuine streak of concern in the Tyrant Sun’s voice. Not just outrage or ire, but true worry. Did the crazed alicorn actually care about what might have happened to her loyal zebra supporter? Trixie couldn’t be sure, and was less certain it mattered, really. Corona was still crazy and supremely dangerous.

That aside, what could have happened to Zecora? Trixie considered the zebra mare about as crazy as her alicorn mistress, and Zecora had proven on more than one occasion to be a formidable foe. While Trixie was loath to agree with anything Corona said, it was true that it was hard to believe a mere storm could have killed Zecora. Far more likely that something else had befallen her, but what? And why?

“We shall find your zebra, sister,” said Luna, face grave. “Send Kindle to speak with my Royal Guard Captain here, and they can coordinate the search together. Now, I must speak with my knights. Will you depart in peace?”

Corona gave the room one last scowl, then said, “As it pleases me.”

With a flash of gold light and flame Corona teleported away, leaving a still red glowing spot on the floor. The room seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief, and Shining Armor approached Luna with a shaken but steadfast look. “Are you unharmed, Princess?”

“Of course, Shining Armor,” Luna said with a reassuring smile, despite a tired look entering her eyes like a veil, “My sister’s wrath is a harrowing thing, but to her credit, she did not attack me.”

A bitter laugh, more filled with sorrow than humor, escaped Luna, “It was almost a civil discussion, melting floor notwithstanding.”

“Luna!” a frantic, yet sharply edged female voice shouted as yet another alicorn entered the room, all but barreling past Trixie and her friends. Princess Cadenza looked around at the scene, at Luna, the six gathered Element Bearers, the frazzled Shining Armor, and ultimately the smoking spot on the ground where Corona had been a few moments before, and she blinked.

“Is...um... everything okay?” Cadenza asked with trepidation heavy in her tone, “I sensed Corona’s magic flaring up, and it took me a minute to realize you were in the same location and I thought... well... what happened, exactly?”

Luna gave the other alicorn an understanding nod, “A misunderstanding, Princess. Still, I am glad you are here. I’d like you to be informed of these recent events as well, in case Cavallia can lend us assistance.”

The formal tone Luna used seemed to Trixie as if it was some kind of secret signal to Cadenza, whose worry and concern faded behind a mask of regal understanding. The rosier alicorn inclined her head in an accepting nod, her worried voice of a second ago replaced by a strong, formal one, “I understand. Please, tell me what’s transpired and I will do all I can to assist.”

It didn’t take long to get Cadenza up to date. In about five minutes time she, along with Shining Armor and the mares from Ponyville, were all comfortably seated, and Luna had cooled off the room considerably with her magic, until it was pleasantly chill.

“I have a small contingent of my Amber Eyes with me,” said Cadenza at last, once she’d heard of all that had occurred, “While they might not have the same reputation as your Shadowbolts, but I’m sure you’ll find them more than capable.”

“You have my thanks,” Luna said, bowing her head with a warm smile at the other Princess, “I’ll have Shining Armor act as liaison between your forces and mine, and together I’m certain we can get to the bottom of this mysterious threat.”

“Hey, um, not to sound like a big doomsayer, but is this the kind of situation where we might want to consider suspending the Contest?” asked Ditzy, chewing her lower lip, “If things are actually getting dangerous, with folk disappearing, maybe we should postpone the whole thing?”

Luna shook her head, starlight mane glittering, “While the safety of every individual on this island is my highest concern, I do not believe we have reached the point where calling off the entire Contest of Champions is feasible. As of now we know nothing other than a zebra is missing and a strange cloaked figure was seen. I’m afraid far more dire circumstances would need to arise to convince the rulers of the world’s nations to pack it in, so to speak. Rest assured, Dame Ditzy, we shall do everything we can to discover the truth. Which brings me to why I had Shining Armor ask all of you here this morning.”

Luna’s horn flowed with soft but luminous blue light and Trixie saw haze of misty magic shimmer into being in the middle of the room. From that shimmer a near perfect image of the Isle of the Fallen appeared, as if Luna had miniaturized the entire island in painstaking detail and bottled it in front of them. Trixie had to admit the illusion was magnificently crafted, though she felt confident she could match it if she wanted to... assuming she’d been familiar enough with the island to match the details.

“Yesterday, Dame Carrot Top, you ran into a mysterious cloaked figure here,” Luna said and a green dot lit up on the illusion next to the south western end of the rendition of the massive fortress of Rengoku. “My Shadowbolts investigated the area after you brought that information to my attention, and managed to find tracks. Unfortunately the trail was a short one, ending at the edge of the forest.”

Trixie frowned, “Was the trail washed away by the storm or was magic involved? A teleport wouldn’t leave any trace. Not a physical one, at any rate.”

“They also could have flown off, if it was a pegasus,” added Raindrops, brow furrowed.

“Searching the area for residual magic didn’t reveal any lingering auras that would indicate a teleport was used, nor do my experts on tracking think the rain washed the tracks,” said Luna, “Normally that would indicate the possibility Dame Raindrops brings up, that our mysterious figure was a flier.”

Carrot Top frowned, “But I’m almost one hundred percent sure this cloaked whosit wasn’t a griffin. Unless there’s something that’ll let a non magic user pull off something like telekinesis?”

“At this point we can’t really rule anything out,” said Cheerilee, rubbing her chin, “You said they were investigating the barrier around Rengoku, right? That suggests knowledge of magic. Or at least an interest in alicorn magic. I’d say ‘unicorn’, but it could be anypony with a little magic know how and access to an artifact that lets them manipulate that kind of power.”

Raindrops shot a look Cheerilee’s way, “So what you’re saying is that it could literally be anybody, because someone could just be using magical doodads to simulate having magic? That doesn’t exactly narrow down our suspects list.”

Princess Cadenza leaned forward, eyes peering intently at the map, “Let us not forget that there are many races gathered on this island right now, many of them with unique magical abilities of their own. Some from Naquah can summon djinn with all manner of unusual capabilities, including carrying the summoner in flight. The limits of cervid runecraft are still largely unknown to those outside their secretive circles of runecasters. Then there's the kirin and their spirit chanting, and who knows what the limits of that power is? Our strange cloaked friend from yesterday could have escaped the forest in any number of ways, depending on who they were.”

Trixie let out a sigh, realizing that Cavallia’s Princess was right. “There’s just not enough information to narrow down our options. It's even possible it was a unicorn who just happens to be skilled at masking their magical aura, hiding any trace of a teleport. At this point all we’re doing is wandering about sunblind, guessing without any concrete ideas.”

Luna nodded, eyes narrowed gravely, “I’m afraid I reached that conclusion as well, but I wished to see you all reach it as well so we were all on the same page. However it is not quite as bad as you say, as at the very least we can likely say the figure had access to some kind of magical ability.”

“What about Zecora?” asked Ditzy with a hesitant fidget, “Are we going to look for her, too?”

“As much as we can,” said Luna, “For now, the six of you must focus on the Contest, but I free you to conduct any investigation you wish to do on your own. Stay in touch with each other as well. Trixie, you did bring your impressively enchanted earrings?”

Trixie nodded swiftly, “Was going to hoof them out first thing after this meeting. I don’t want any of us without them until this Contest is over, and we figure out who is skulking around here and why.”

“A wise notion,” Luna said, smiling, “Now, I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in today’s event. Go, and do Equestria proud, my little ponies.”

The Contest grounds had changed in the day between events. The same cervid runecraft that had created the large stone stands to view the Grand Melee and the various obstacles for that event had now been used to reshape the field so that a vast stage of stone dominated the area. It was large enough that it took up nearly two thirds of the field and was surrounded by easily a dozen smaller versions of the stone stands from the Grand Melee, evenly spaced around the edge of the stage. Numerous raised portions of the stage were set up at various locations to serve as platforms for performance or displays of any given champion’s or group of champion’s work. At a champion's request portions of the stage could be altered to accommodate their needs, and in this final hour before the Contest of Art began the champions of all the nations were hard at work making final preparations.

For Trixie those preparations involved triple checking her illusions to ensure the spells she was maintaining were not only flawless, but could hold for the next few hours. Her magical stamina was never the best, though she felt that over the past year of flexing her arcane skills that she was getting a bit stronger. Still, even with illusion spells being her bread and butter maintaining multiple realistic looking illusions at once was taxing. Lucky her she didn’t need to make them seem tactile. That made things easier.

“Yup, that looks like a diner alright,” said Cheerilee, looking somewhat bemused, standing next to Trixie. The area Trixie and her friends were set up in had been shaped to Trixie’s specifications to consist of a circular central platform with a series of small stone tables raised up around it. Trixie’s illusioncraft turned that simplistic set up into something like a slice out of Ponyville’s town square itself. The central platform became a homey looking open front restaurant, with colorful awning, sloped thatch roof, and even a few illusionary clouds to complete the picturesque set up.

Of course the warm, enticing smells of fresh cooking food from within was no illusion, that was Carrot Top working her own, culinary magic. Ditzy and Raindrops were in there as well, assisting, while Lyra tuned up her lyre from a comfortable spot on the side of the restaurant, like a miniature veranda.

“So, the plan is to woo our audience with food?” asked Cheerilee.

“This is merely phase one of my marvelously constructed plan!” declared Trixie, “First of all, food is perhaps one of the first art forms any culture develops, and Carrot Top is our best cook. But just having her serve food would be boring, so instead we’re treating this like a real restaurant, complete with musical accompaniment! A double attack upon our audience’s senses! They shall have their tastebuds ravaged by deliciousity while being entranced by calming lyre music, perfecting the picture of an ideal Ponyville morning! We are showing the soul of Equestria itself in this simple, humble setup! I amazed myself at the simple efficiency if the idea.”

“I’ll admit it’s not a bad idea at all, it's just from you I figured you want something with more flash,” Cheerilee said, to which Trixie just grinned at her friend with a smug sidelong look.

“Oh, the flash comes later tonight. This is to get our audience to relax and enjoy their morning with some honest Equestrian hospitality, as true and wholesome a part of our culture as any I could think up. After we’ve got them lulled into calm security, then we can wow them with the explosive follow up in the evening.”

“An interesting choice of opening performance,” said the smooth, cultured tone of Dao Ming as the kirin trotted up behind the pair with the gliding, easy motions of confidence. Trixie noticed that the kirin was wearing a distinctly different outfit than her usual regal, form fitting dresses. A tightly bound, snow white upper robe with voluminous sleeves was complemented by an even more broad set of starkly crimson ceremonial pants. Her gold mane was done up in a surprisingly simple looking bun, with two sets of braided locks falling around her neck, all held together with red sticks wound into the bun. Dao Ming bowed her head to the two mares, her voice a hesitant attempt at sounding casual as she cast a look between Trixie and Cheerilee, “I look forward to seeing how well you perform today...” her eyes glanced to the side, as if searching for something.

“Well, the weather’s cleared up, so little chance of rain... or lighting, right?” said Cheerilee with a raised eyebrow, just the smallest hint of sass in her voice. Dao Ming’s face flushed red and Trixie gave Cheerilee a quick, light elbow.

“Of course not. We’re all friendly competitors, and I’m certain Lady Dao Ming is as eager to see us perform as we are to see her,” Trixie said, putting on her best diplomatic face, which wasn’t hard as she wasn’t interested in a repeat of the Grand Melee. She and Dao Ming managed some level of understanding with one another, and she wanted to keep it that way. “Speaking of which, might I ask why you’re wearing that particular outfit?”

Dao Ming seemed happy to change the subject, holding herself up with a proud and primp air as she ran a hoof over her clothing, “The official robes of a spirit priestess. While I do not fulfill the actual duties of a priestess on a regular basis, I spent a year of my youth training in one of the temples as part of my path to becoming a spirit chanter. I know all of the proper ceremonies, and decided that for this morning’s performance I would grace the Contest with an accurate rendition of a proper morning prayer, complete with a formal chant and dance to call for the spirits to bless the day with good fortune for all.”

“Generous of you,” said Cheerilee.

“I am... feeling such, today, and wanted to wish you all luck,” said Dao Ming with a reserved tone, eyes still shifting about, “I may not be able to speak with you again, when my family arrives to observe the event. My mother wouldn’t...”

Trixie held up a hoof, “We understand. Good luck to you as well.” A gregarious, bright smile flashed across her face, “Of course that doesn't mean we’re not going to sweep the event today, so you’d best not hold back.”

Dao Ming held her head even higher, turning her nose up with a snort that was somewhat softened by the fact that her smile managed to mirror Trixie’s, “Hold back? As if I would dishonor you in such a manner, Dame Lulamoon. Be prepared to fight for your victory this day, if indeed you gain the good fortune to win through while I am one of your competitors.”

Trixie laughed eagerly, “Fortune won’t have anything to do with it.”

Dao Ming just bowed her head slightly, still smiling as she turned and strode off towards her own stage, which resembled a pair of stone pillars holding up a curved archway, with a wide stone brazier underneath it. Cheerilee watched her go, then turned a curious glance towards Trixie. “You two are looking awfully chummy.”

Trixie shrugged, “Had a chance to chat with the mare yesterday and it’s cleared the air some. Still let her know I would destroy her world if she pulled a stunt like the Grand Melee again, but I think I do believe her when she says she’s sorry for what happened. For now I merely intend to enjoy beating her thoroughly in the Contest, but not out of some petty revenge but because I just honestly want to win.”

“Can I still enjoy beating her out of petty revenge?” asked Cheerilee with a smarmy grin.

“Sure, knock yourself out.”

Cheerilee nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the illusionary restaurant, “Well, we’d best check on the food. We’ve got less than an hour to go before showtime.”

The interior of the place was almost as thoroughly realistic as the exterior, though minus some of the more homey details a real open front restaurant might have. Since there wasn’t any intended seating inside the interior was mostly taken up by a huge space for the “kitchen”. Multiple grills, real grills, and wood fire stoves were set up, courtesy of the monks vast stores of random equipment made available to the champions. Carrot Top had acquired all the ingredients she’d need the previous night and had spent most the morning after the meeting with Luna doing the cooking with the assistance of Ditzy and Raindrops.

The smells had been enticing outside, but now standing right in front of the action, Trixie was regretting having such a light breakfast.

Carrot Top looked up from a pot on the stove that she’d been stirring, managing a tired smile for Trixie and Cheerilee. She had her orange mane bound by a thick mesh net, along with her tail, and wore a bright green cooking apron decorated with a few patchwork carrots.

“We looking good outside?” she asked.

“My illusions are without compare, so of course we are,” said Trixie, “Ponies and non-ponies alike will think they’re walking past a little slice of Equestria itself, and with Lyra providing mood music and the way this place smells so enticing, we’re sure to impress.”

“Sure hope so. I’ve got the first round of dishes near ready to go, and they should be nice and fresh for when folk start coming by,” Carrot Top said, going down the line of stoves, each of which had some tablespace in between them that was one part illusion, but mostly real equipment brought in from the monastery. “We’ve got carrot casseroles, pancakes and waffles with ten different flavors, stripes of haybacon and egg, hash browns flavored with carrot sauce, and of course cinnamon carrot cake!”

Ditzy was checking one of the ovens, “Speaking of which, the cake is rising nicely!”

Raindrops was giving uneasy glances at the two stoves she was monitoring, “I don’t think anything has caught on fire yet, so all good on my end.”

“Good, good,” Trixie rubbed her hooves together, licking her lips, partially in hunger, but mostly in anticipation, “It’s all coming together. Keep up the good work! We’ve got a long day ahead of us and we’d best get it started with a bang!”

As the final hour counted down each portion of the huge stone stage became filled with the bustling activity of the various nations’ champions setting up for the Contest of Art. Trixie observed it all with a keen eye, though it quickly became difficult to see it all. She spotted the cervids off on the west end of the platform, where it looked as if Wodan had piled up over a dozen large barrels in neat pyramid stack beside him, with Sigurd taking up a position nearby with only a couple of barrels. Their stage had been raised to look like a craggy mountain slope, and Andrea, her brilliant red mane being billowed out by the breeze, stood at the top of it, holding her fiddle at the ready while Sigurd and Wodan waited below. Trixie couldn’t fathom what they intended for their opening performance.

Other set ups looked far more understandable. The Cavallian knight Silverwreath had a simple yet very elegant gallery set up with a wide range of clay sculptures which he’d apparently worked hard to make the previous night, and judging by their detail and vibrant colors the stallion had a great deal of practice at the craft. One of the champions for Naqah had covered his stage with brightly colored cloth and had a series of raised torches set up around him, from which he summoned forth small billowing djinn of smoke that looked like odd, puffball shaped beings with thick arms of smoke that could still somehow hold a series of instruments, all of which bore the distinctive curves of Naqah aesthetic design. The griffins with their myriad kingdoms being represented has a riot of various set ups running along the east end of the stage, bearing everything from those displaying paintings to others warming up instruments. More than a few had gathered together to apparently have a personal dance competition among themselves, using tall stone poles to do some kind of ‘sky dance’ that apparently was distinctive to each griffin kingdom. From the chatter Trixie heard from that end the griffins were more concerned with who would one up who rather than winning the event itself.

Trixie spotted Grimwald among the griffins, her eyes narrowing at him. He was sitting casually on the edge of his stage, with three objects set up that were all cloaked in black cloth that to Trixie looked like they had to be large paintings of some kind. Even from a distance the griffin seemed to notice that he was being watched and slowly turned his head to stare at her across the way. Unblinking he watched her watch him, and Trixie licked her lips, unwilling to break the stare, but really wishing she had an excuse to. Then Grimwald waved in a friendly little wave and looked away first, though Trixie got the impression he was laughing, by the shake of his shoulders.

Creepy little jerk she thought and turned away, observing the rest of the area and the other champions. She couldn’t see what the zebra were up to, though she had seen that odd fellow with the giant scorpion hauling several straw dummies across the stage towards the south end. As she turned around to see if she could catch a glimpse of the minotaurs, she nearly jumped out of her fur as Kenkuro was there, standing just a few feet away.

“Good morning to you Dame Trixie,” said the tengu with a polite bow of his head, “I was hoping you might want to share a spot of tea with me before the ceremonies commence?” He withdrew a small, fold out table from his kimono, the kind one might keep a portable tea set in. Trixie raised an eyebrow at him, getting her breathing under control.

“Sorry, but no, it's a bad idea to take too much liquid before a performance.”

“Ah, of course. Well, then just a moment of your time to speak,” he said.

“Yes, what is it?” she asked, eyeing him curiously. Kenkuro was dressed much as he normally was, so she imagined he wasn’t aiding Dao Ming with her priestess ceremony. She wondered what he’d be doing for an art piece?

“I heard a most interesting rumor concern the disappearance of that most unusual zebra accompanying Amaterasu,” Kenkuro said, expression kept conversational and friendly, perhaps in case anyone was watching them, “And I thought to myself, why it's entirely possible those fine mares from Equestria might be soon investigating that matter.”

Trixie kept her own face schooled to neutrality, “We may. How did you hear of this? We only just learned a short time ago when Corona got her tail in a twist over it.”

“The Empress has her own eyes and ears about, the same as your Princess, so it was not hard to learn,” Kenkuro said, “As it happens I enjoy a good storm, and spent some time out last night, presumably during the time this Zecora mare had vanished. While I didn’t see her, I did see one of your nobles near the cliff face, and he seemed oddly distraught. I thought I’d mention this to you in case you wanted to use it as a stepping point in investigating.”

“An Equestrian noble? Out in the storm?” Trixie frowned, she didn’t know many nobles who would have wanted to risk getting caught in that weather, “Can you describe them?”

“It was rather dark and rainy, but it was a stallion. Brown coat, wearing a hat. I couldn't quite pierce the veil of the storm to see much else, and didn’t even think much of it until I learned of the zebra's disappearance,” Kenkuro said, using one wing to rub the chin of his beak, “It may mean nothing, or it may be a useful clue. I know the Empress cares little for this news of a vanishing and hasn’t had her own people do any investigating, but I and my circle of friends will be looking, and I imagined you and your fair knights would be as well.”

“Then I thank you for the heads up,” said Trixie, “As soon as the morning performance is done I was going to get an investigation going, and given the description... I think I might know who this noble was. Thanks, Kenkuro.” She managed an awkward Shouma-style bow, which Kenkuro returned with a small, friendly laugh.

“Think nothing of it. It seems you and Dao Ming are... less hostile towards each other than a few days ago.”

“We’re finding new ground,” said Trixie, managing a thin smile, “Though I fully intend to surpass her in the Contest.”

“Best of luck then. Dao Ming has long needed a challenge, and I hope you shall provide it for her, Dame Trixie. Good luck,” Kenkuro said, and with a final nod spread his wings and flew off. Trixie watched him go, and then turned to get ready for the event. The Contest of Art would be starting in barely half an hour.

Dinky all but bounced off the walls with excitement that morning. This trip had been so much fun so far and today she’d get to see her mother do cool artsy stuff alongside a whole bunch of other folk from all over the world! Dinky thought of herself as pretty smart for her age and was looking forward to seeing what kind of neat things the champions would do. She was, of course, with Mr. Dewdrop and Mrs. Shutter Bug, along with Snails. They’d had a quick breakfast before heading out towards the Contest grounds with a whole crowd of folk who formed a wide line marching in both from Heroes’ Rest and the monastery. Friendly monks from the monastery kept the crowd ordered and moving smoothly, directing folk into a neat series of lines arranged along the western side of what looked to Dinky like a incredibly huge raised stone platform that covered most of the field from the other day, surrounded by a number of tall, sloped seating stands that looked like slightly smaller versions than the huge ones from the other day.

At the head of the ordered lines of waiting spectators Dinky could see the colorful and glittering sight of a number of Equestrian nobles and what she assumed were royalty or nobility from the other nations. She jumped a few times, trying to get a better view, before Shutter Bug saw what Dinky was doing and dipped down to offer a shoulder up for the filly.

“Do you want up too, Snails?” Shutter Bug asked her son, but Snails was less interested in the crowd and was more poking his nose around the grass as he absentmindedly said, “Nah, I’m good.”

Now raised up on the older pony’s shoulders Dinky could see that there was a small balcony formed into the back of the stone stands facing the crowd, and that on that balcony stood the kindly looking form of the elderly mare that was the Abbess of the monastery. Serene, Dinky thought the mare’s name was. The Abbess must have had some kind of magic to amplify her voice, for when she spoke it reached the whole crowd as clearly as if the old mare was standing right next to them.

“Welcome, one and all, to our next esteemed event! The Contest of Art! Here you shall see champions from all of your fine nation's displaying numerous forms of art from all of your many distinctive and diverse cultures, for what is a champion if not an exemplar of all that is good in your people’s lands and what is a land without its art? Art comes in many forms, from the beauty of music and poem, to the simple pleasure of well cooked food, to the intricate subtleties of dance. Indeed more than martial prowess one could say that art is a true sign of the power of a nation, for the influence of its art can last even beyond the nation’s lifespan. All today your champions will perform, this morning, this afternoon, and into the evening, so that you might all see the varied artistic pleasures our world's many cultures have to offer. Now as you enter the Contest grounds the monks shall pass to you tokens, three for each of you. Each champion’s stage has a place for these tokens, to place as you will for the forms of art that most move your soul. Take your time, enjoy what you will, and may the Contest continue to bind us together as a diverse world, yet with one harmonious heart!”

There was a raucous and cheerful response from the crowd, with plenty of stamping hooves, bird-like trills, and happy shouts. Abbess Serene held up her hooves with a grandmotherly smile, her voice carrying over the din, “Your enthusiasm warms my aged heart. Now, without further ado, may the Contest of Art commence!”

Several monks raised long, wide copper horns and blew powerful and reverberating notes that could probably be heard from every part of the island, no doubt signaling the champions that the crowds were coming. The monks continued to keep order as the crowd surged forward, providing tokens to all passing as they made their way to wide stone stairs leading up to the massive, wide stage. Dinky held her own tokens in her magical aura, deciding it’d make good practice on her fine control. The tokens looked a lot like the kind the champions had worn during the Grand Melee, and Dinky wondered if there was any magic inside them? She wasn’t skilled enough to tell, and her attention got taken away from the small tokens besides holding them as the Drops family made their way up the stairs and onto the stage, where Dinky’s eyes widened and her ears perked up with sensory overload.

This was like the festival grounds condensed and intensified. Dinky could see a vast array of different mini-stages raised up from the vastly larger stage, and each one had something going on. The very first and closest one she could see was a tall stone platform upon which the three gigantic minotaur champions stood, the biggest of them all standing in between his fellows. The two smaller (‘smaller’ being a rather relative term in this case) held objects in their hands that looked like croquet mallets that’d been welded from solid pieces of metal rather than carved from wood, and they used these mallets to pound on huge metal drums situated around the edge of the stage; creating a constant pounding beat that had an infectious rhythm to it. Meanwhile the biggest minotaur... well he didn’t dance exactly. More like he posed and flexed with style, sweat glistening off his body. At first Dinky didn’t think it seemed all that impressive, but strangely the longer she watched, the more hypnotic those rippling muscles seemed, and there was a strange kind of primal coolness about the constant flow of flexing poses the minotaur assumed, especially complemented by the rhythmic metallic drumming.

“Ahem, well, let’s just move right along then, “ Mr. Dewdrop said with a hint of irritation as he noticed his wife starring perhaps a bit longer than was needed at the display.

“Oh, but this is fascinating to watch, honey, and we have all day so there’s no rush, “ Shutter Bug said, eyes still glued to the flexing minotaur. Dinky, curious, took note that more than a few individuals, both male and female, from several species were also seemingly drawn in by the minotaur’s display.

Still, she didn’t want to miss anything else going on, and she tapped Shutter Bug’s head, “Its really cool, but we can always come back. There’s so much to see!”

“I suppose so,” Shutter Bug said, turning away with an embarrassed look, “I do wonder how they get their muscles to do that.”

Dewdrop muttered something under his breath that Dinky couldn’t quite hear, but sounded like it mentioned needing to ‘work out more’ and they trotted further along the Contest grounds. Curiously Dinky noticed the noise of the minotaur’s drumming got quiet almost immediately once they were a few paces away, not gone per se, just quieter, as if there was a sound dampening spell in place. She wondered why that would be, but looking at the many other stages containing what looked to be musical performances it made sense to her. Of course they couldn’t have performances trying to drown out each other, so each stage probably had a sound dampening spell around it so folks could enjoy each performance without being overwhelmed by any noise from nearby stages.

As they trotted along Dinky was amazed by the diversity of what she saw. The minotaurs were cool, but so were the zebra, who looked like they were putting on a play! With the help of the giant scorpion! Each of the three zebras, and the scorpion include, wore complex masks of wood carved and painted to look like different animals. More amazingly, the scorpion also doubled as a source of music, because it kept a steady beat to the action by tapping its claws on an instrument that looked like a specially carved log that produced notes that made Dinky think of a xylophone. Though Dinky couldn’t see their faces she could guess which zebra was who by context. The one riding on the scorpion’s back had to be the guy who tamed it, otherwise he couldn’t direct it; especially not while playing some kind of wind instrument that looked to be made from bamboo and was intricately painted with a dizzying array of colors. The older zebra was easy to spot due to the gray in his mane, leaving the third to be the weird Tendaji fellow that Miss Raindrops didn’t seem to like.

Watching the play for a time Dinky picked up on the story quickly. It was apparently an old tale about how the cleverest of animals, Jackal, used his wits to trick every other animal of the jungles to give him gifts of food while doing nothing himself. When the Tortoise confronted the Jackal over his trickery the Jackal claimed he had every right to the food, for his cleverness had earned him the right to grow fat. However when a drought came and all the animals but the Jackal died for lack of food, the Jackal had no more people to trick food from and in the end starved himself.

“In the end,” said the old zebra wearing the Tortoise mask, “The Jackal learned you cannot eat cleverness.”

Dinky wasn’t sure she understood, but it was a neat story, and it looked like the zebras had many such stories to tell because the went right into another play without missing a beat.

Moving from there Dewdrop and Shutter Bug began to wander cross-wise across the area, and Dinky saw a rather dizzying array of sights. A Naqah camel lead a beautiful dance of colorful fire and water djinn, the summoned spirits weaving in and out of each other’s path so that the water djinn caught both beams of sunlight in scintillating patterns, and the fire djinn created steam from the water djinn’s moisture to form wisping patterns of mist that refracted that sunlight even more to create glittering patterns.

A handsome Cavallian knight not only had a wide display of incredibly life-like sculptures on display, he was providing a life demonstration of his sculpting skills, using only his hooves to mold clay with elegant sweeps of his hoof. To Dinky it looked as if he was breathing life into the plain gray material with each touch of his hoof, forming a detailed rendition of Cavaillia’s Princess Cadenza reared up with her wings spread magnificently.

Then there was the kirin. Dinky didn’t know if ‘princess’ was the right title for her, but she knew the kirin mare was part of their royal family. She’d certainly looked the part every time Dinky had seen her, but something seemed different this time, and not merely because Dao Ming had changed in a far simpler outfit of white and red robes. No, Dinky couldn’t quite place her hoof on it, but Dao Ming was behaving different, less... snout up her bum. There was just a more relaxed, almost humble quality to her stance, as opposed to the feeling Dinky had before like the kirin was looking down on others from some high mountaintop. Maybe that was just because of the ceremony she was performing. As Dinky watched from atop Shutter Bug’s head, Dao Ming was carefully lighting sticks of incense while performing a chant in the language of Shouma that had a resonate, almost otherworldly quality to it.

Each stick of incense was set upon a thin stand of red painted wood, four apiece, set at each cardinal direction around a large stone brazier. As Dao Ming finished lighting the incense her chants took on a different tempo, faster and flowing into a stronger beat. The kirin began to dance in time with her chanting, moving with sweeping motions that turned her into a whirlwind of motion and color. Smoke swirled up from the lit sticks of incense, with glowing ember sparks following the trails like fish swimming upriver. As Dinky watched in fascination the coiling smoke trails from each incense stick reached the brazier and spun around one another. The embers within each sought each other out and became larger sparks, then full blown flames until the brazier roared to life with a dancing fire that moved like a living thing.

In fact Dinky thought it was alive. Then she heard music begin to play, a soul tugging set of intense strings that were as simple as they were beautiful. She noticed now, sitting upon a small wood perch, his talons resting upon them like any bird might rest on a branch, was the tengu. Dinky faintly recalled his name was Kenkuro. He was using the large feathers of his wing arms to play the strings of an unusual instrument that looked to Dinky sort of like a horizontal harp, with strings bent across a length of slightly concave, darkly varnished wood. The way his feathers moved were not unlike the way a pegasus could use their wings like extra limbs, and the music that poured from the instrument matched Dao Ming’s chanting and dance. That, and the dance of the being taking shape in the flames of the brazier.

It had the vaguest shape of a butterfly, but with too many sets of wings, all blazing with scintillating patterns of color that left Dinky staring. It spun and twisted in the fire, a fluttering dance to compliment Dao Ming’s gliding motions. Then the dance changed, taking on a slower, more serious tone, the music shifting to match as Dao Ming began to incorporate careful bows to the butterfly of flickering flame. From the folds of her robes Dao Ming withdrew something with her magic, offering it to the flames of the brazier, and as if the fire was alive it reached out with coiling tendrils of licking flames to grasp them from Dao Ming’s magic. To Dinky the objects looked like bundles of rice.

While Dinky was fascinated by the flaming spirit, Snails seemed even more entranced by the sight of the flame formed butterfly.

“It's so pretty,” said the colt, then tilted his head, “I wonder why the kirin lady is feeding it rice? Their proboscis can only drink fluids.”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” said Shutter Bug, shaking her head.

“It is an offering to the spirits of fire that warm us in the morning and guard us through the day. The spirits do not eat as we do, but consuming the offering of rice in its fire empowers and appeases the spirit of warmth and flame,” said a voice next to them, and Dinky looked over to see another kirin standing next to them. She bore a similar tall and regal bearing to Dao Ming, but had fur of deep, dark crimson, her mane and tail black as soot and combed straight as silk save for an intricate bun at the top of her head held together by several shining gold hairpins. She wore a form fitting dress of ocean blue, with patterns of white made to look like the surf of waves upon it, matching the white flecks of scales on her neck and legs. Her twin kirin horns curled up from her head like bowed branches of an ash tree.

The kirin turned to them with a smile and small bow of her head, “My apologies for interrupting your enjoyment of my sister’s performance. I am Tomoko, of the Imperial Family. I am honored to meet family of Equestria’s honored champions. Correct my error if I am mistaken, but you are Mrs. Shutter Bug, Mr. Dewdrop, young master Snails and lady Dinky?”

Dinky, friendly as ever, offered Tomoko a dazzling smile and said, “Hiya! You’re not wrong, I’m totally Dinky. Hey does your mane hurt all bunched up like that? It looks pretty, but kind of uncomfortable.”

“Dinky, manners,” said Shutter Bug, quickly bobbing her head in a somewhat awkward bow to the kirin, “It's, um, an honor to meet you... your Highness?”

“Ah, ‘my Lady’ is the most applicable of Equestrian titles. Lordship in Shouma is not quite divided into the same strata your Equestrian nobility is,” said Tomoko with a polite smile, “Do not worry, I take no offense to even merely being called Tomoko, if you wish. And yes, lady Dinky, I confess the bun is a bit uncomfortable, but I appreciate your compliment.”

She bowed to them in a graceful dip, and came up with a smooth motion, her expression turning more serious,”I do not mean to disrupt your viewing of the art performances, but my time is short and I merely wished to extend my most sincere apology for the incident two days ago. Officially we are not allowed to do this, but I know Dao Ming feels great regret for the danger she inadvertently placed your kin in. I’ve taken upon myself to apologize on her behalf to those she cannot speak to.”

“I see,” said Shutter Bug, and Dinky could feel the older mare’s tension under her small hooves. She exchanged a look with Dewdrop, who just gave his wife a small nod, as if that communicated something between them. Dinky didn’t get it, but apparently some old couples were capable of some weird mental communication via just looks. Kind of creepy, actually. Shutter Bug turned back to Tomoko, saying, “My husband and I accept the apology. Our Raindrops is a tough young mare, but I confess we were both... worried, when we saw what happened. I hope we won’t see a repeat of such a misunderstanding during a friendly competition, yes?”

Tomoko nodded with solemn understanding, “Of course, and you are most gracious, Mrs. Shutter Bug, Mr. Dewdrop. While I look forward to seeing the skills of art on display today, I express even greater anticipation for the Contest of Strength. I have heard rumor that your daughter is the most physically potent among Equestria’s champions. I eagerly await viewing her in action.”

Shutter Bug smiled, through it was a bit strained with worry, “I’m just proud to see her come so far. It doesn’t even matter to me if she wins, I never imagined my daughter being a part of anything like this. I’m just going to cheer my head off for her in the stands, come what may.”

“The pride of a mother can inspire the most potent of strengths in her children,” Tomoko said, then in a quieter aside, as if to herself, “Even if just the dream of a mother’s pride.”

“Pardon?’ Shutter Bug said, now tilting her head in confusion, but Tomoko merely smiled and waved a dismissive hoof.

“Nothing. Merely musing to myself.”

“Hoi, Tomoko!” shouted a louder, boisterous voice of the noise of the crowd, and another kirin, this one male, came trotting up. His coloring was darker than Tomoko’s, black as charcoal with a wild mane of hair that was a bit shorter than Tomoko’s but still rather long. He had a ready grin on his face, but it looked a bit strained as he came up, bowing slightly to her and the ponies present, which stretched the tight white and blue lined vest he wore over his chest. “Yo, sorry to interrupt, but the Empress is calling for you. She wishes your company while viewing the art displays. She was a tad... put out that you vanished on your own there.”

“Ah, my apologies Lo Shang, I shall attend the Empress at once. I merely had a desire to see the beginning of Dao Ming’s performance,” said Tomoko, nodding to Shutter Bug and Dewdrop, “It also afforded me the opportunity to properly meet esteemed kin of Equestria’s champions.”

“Oh?” Lo Shang turned to them, grin widening as he extended a hoof in greeting, “Then let me try my Equestrian greeting phrases. Ahem... S’up?”

Tomoko blinked, “S’up?”

“Hey, I’m told it's a formal greeting among ponies. Um, it is, isn’t it?”

Dinky found herself laughing and reaching out to shake the black kirin’s hoof, “Sure it is. Nice to meet you. I’m Dinky!” She blinked, looking at his hoof more closely, noticing some odd bruises on his leg, “Are you okay, did you hurt yourself?”

“Huh? Oh, just got bruised up sparring with Dao Ming,” said Lo Shang with a dry chuckle, nodding at the kirin in question as she continued her ritual with the fire spirit, “She wanted to warm up after getting out of bed, and roped me into being her partner. My body feels the aches from that decision.”

“Is she super strong?” Dinky asked, curious.

“Only outdone by Kenkuro and the Empress,” replied Lo Shang with a proud smile, “I mean, I can take her maybe one out of four matches. Tomoko does better than me.”

“You honor me, brother, but I am no warrior. Now, we should return swiftly to the Empress’ side before we incur her ire,” said Tomoko, turning briefly to give the ponies a parting bow, “A pleasure to meet all of you. Hmm,” she looked thoughtful for a moment, then with a glittering aura of white levitation magic she removed one of the gold mane pins holding her bun together and floated it over to Dinky, where in a few seconds Dinky felt the kirin’s magic gently twirl her own straw blond mane up into a neat bun, securing it with the pin. “A gift, for the compliment, young lady Dinky. May it bring you good fortune.”

“Gold usually isn’t seen in a light of good luck,” said Shutter Bug, but Tomoko waved the words off with a kind smile.

“Perhaps not in Equestria, but in Shouma the color remains one deeply connected to the spirits of fortune and the royal bloodline. Please accept it in the spirit with which it is given.”

Dinky beamed, managing an awkward bow while still balancing on Shutter Bug’s back, “I will. Thanks, Lady Tomoko.”

Tomoko’s smile was small, but warm as she matched Dinky’s bow, “May your kin meet with the greatest of fortune in the competition. Although...” she chuckled and levitated one of her tokens into one of the waiting stone receptacles built into the side of each platform for casting one’s votes, “I must show support for the home team, as it were.”

Dinky giggled, looking at Dao Ming, whose ritual had moved on to dancing with the butterfly spirit, the two twirling around each other to the increasing tempo of Kenkuro’s music. “She’s pretty good. But I bet my momma and her friends will be even better. Although...”

She used her own levitation to send one of her own tokens into one of the bowls for Shouma’s champions, “I must show support for other teams as well.”

Tomoko let out a rich laugh, filled with mirth, “Ah, but you are a fine young courtier in the making. If only I could take you back home with me, I could train you to have the other court ladies eating out of your hoof.”

Lo Shang made a polite coughing noise, gesturing with his chin back into the crowd, where Dinky would see the other Shouma nobles, including the tall and regal form of the Empress, passing by. Tomoko sighed, nodding, “Yes, of course. Farewell for now, then.”

After the kirin left Shutter Bug looked to Snails and Dinky, patting her son on the head and saying, “Well, shall we go see what Raindrops and her friends have gotten up to?”

Snails sniffed the air, “Hmm, smells like pancakes.”

Dinky wasn’t sure what he meant, but now that he mentioned it she did smell some rather enticing scents from not far away. Just what were Trixie and the others up to?

Lyra was finding herself thoroughly enjoying the way the morning was going. How well she and the girls were doing was barely a factor, because she’d gotten lost in the gentle, relaxing ebb and flow of her music. The platform she played on was equipped with a plenty comfortable cushion and she had a perfect view of the set of tables situated outside the faux restaurant Trixie’s magic continued create the illusion of. Lyra was impressed. The illusion had a realistic patch of grass around the building and added lots of little details, like the birds that flew around to perch on the restaurant's awning. Lyra could also see several other champions and their performances, though the spells on each platform kept her from hearing more than some of what was going on over there.

As she let her hooves pluck across her lyre’s strings, letting her heart dictate the whim of her playing of a multitude of easy going tunes, she found her eyes drawn towards the platform where Andrea and the other cervids were conducting their own performance. While the restaurant had attracted quite a bit of attention, especially given a number of folk had skipped breakfast to get to the event, there were nearly as many people gathering to watch the spectacle Wodan, Sigurd, and Andrea were putting on.

The reason their platform had been shaped like a mountaintop was readily apparent from the way all three treated it like a stage. Andrea herself was impressing Lyra as she stood on hind legs so she could use her forelimbs to work the ornate fiddle she used while making great, bouncing steps from one part of the stage to the next. Though the sound was subdued, the music coming from Andrea was as upbeat and energetic as the red elk’s bounding steps and swishing hips. It was a sharp contrast to Lyra’s more laid back, relaxing notes, but Lyra found she liked what she heard. Moreover Andrea’s playing was a good mesh for Wodan and Sigurd’s... competitive chanting? Lyra was only catching bits and pieces of it, but it sounded to her like the moose and water deer were belting out lines with the kind of baritone gusto that’d put many an opera singer to shame. The content of the songs were unfamiliar to her, but after a bit of listening she realized that they were ballads. Not just any ballads, but the most sacred kind to a cervid warrior; their personal ballads. From her studies she knew that every cervid, but most commonly their warriors, took great stock in forming the ballad of their lives. The songs only got longer with age, and totted the warrior’s greatest deeds, or espoused lessons learned from hard failures.

In this case the ballad singing had the edge of competition to it as both Wodan and Sigurd took turns with their verses, each trying to one up the other. They threw in great sweeping gestures or mimicked actions to emphasize the tales they told, and the energy of their movements and their coltish grins made both cervids look many years younger. It was hard not to want to go over and hear more, and Lyra found herself laughing, if only because she felt a simple kind of joy that could only come from having honest fun. She wanted to win this event, but for now she was simply going to enjoy herself.

“You’re in a good mood,” Ditzy said cheerfully, coming back from serving a group of eager and curious camels their food. Raindrops was also acting as an impromptu waitress while Carrot Top kept the kitchen going with Trixie’s help. Lyra had no idea how Trixie handled the multitasking of maintaining her spells and helping with the cooking, but she was impressed. Meanwhile Cheerilee offered samples to those who couldn’t sit at the tables, and did a wonderful job attracting more passing spectators while managing the flow of the traffic. All in all the girls were working like a well strung together symphony.

“It's been a good day so far,” she said, and then whispered so only Ditzy could hear, “The bit about looming doom notwithstanding.”

Ditzy smiled nervously, “Everything will be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

At the heel of Ditzy’s words there was a murmur and parting in the crowd as a number of folk made a pathway for a group that slowly approached, and Lyra found her eyes drawn to the sight. She found herself tensing slightly, almost missing a few notes in her playing. Ditzy turned to see what Lyra was looking at and blinked.

“Oh, um, is this good or bad?” the pegasus asked with a gulp. Lyra just tried to keep playing her lyre steadily.

“I have no idea.”

Striding through the crowd in the same manner a ship breaks through the waves was nearly the entire Shouma Imperial family, sans Dao Ming. An entire cadre of attendants accompanied the four royal kirin, the Empress herself at the head of the procession like a jade and gold albatross at the head of her ship. The voluminous, multi-layered dress she wore contained gleaming shades of green ranging from bright emerald to dark, nearly black forest green. Gold scrollwork etched along the hem in patterns of writhing flame, and ended in a long tail of spun gold that followed behind her like a short river. The Empress’ black mane was one up in twin tails of smooth dark strands held up by a headdress of a complex gold sunburst. Compared to her the Empress’ three attending children were humble in their outfits, Tomoko, Xhua, and Lo Shang following behind their mother at a respectful distance.

The Empress paused just in front of the restaurant without looking at it directly, her gaze slowly sweeping the event area with judging eyes. Lyra noted she barely looked more than a second or two at the platform where Dao Ming was performing her ceremonial dance and rituals, and if the Empress felt any approval at her daughter’s hard work it didn’t show in any expression on her face. When the Empress finally rested her eyes on the mares from Ponyville and their offering for the opening of the event, it was with the air of one just taking note of a stray cat at their hooves.

And the Empress apparently wasn’t fond of cats.

Yet even with her chin upturned in a expression of long sufferance, the Empress somehow made it look like a supreme gesture of good grace to approach the restaurant. As she did so a number of folk already seated seemed to decide to quickly polish off their food and vacate the area, leaving a vacancy or two. Cheerilee was the first to greet the newcomers, stepping up to the Empress with a smile of politeness so forced that Lyra was surprised it didn’t somehow magically manifest a pair of hooves to buck the Empress upside the head.

“Why good morning your Highness, would you and your family, and small army of attendants, like to sample the fine art of the perfect Equestrian breakfast?” Cheerilee somehow managed to make her voice carry all the courteous air of a highborn noble addressing an equal, while having the hidden sharpness of a wasp stinger.

The Empress responded with a smile like the unsheathing of a blade, her voice solid gold arrogance, “I believe we shall deign to see what quaint pleasures your rustic establishment might offer us.”

Like the darkly clad stage hooves Lyra had seen at many a Equestrian play, moving around silently to arrange the stage props as needed by the actors, the attendants of the Empress and her family flowed around them in swift, smooth motions to clear the seats already around one of the vacant tables. As if by one of Trixie’s magician tricks the attendants, many of them being either the scaled and leather winged forms of longmas or the single horned lesser kirin tribe, quickly produced a series of ornate fold out wooden chairs. Each chair was tooled in combinations of gold, silver, jade, and obsidian, and had plush silk cushions. Across the table one attendant drew out a long emerald tablecloth, patterned with a gold threaded pattern in the shape of a long, serpentine creature that Lyra recognized as an eastern cousin to the dragons she was familiar with.

The Empress and her children took their seats, Tomoko offering a deep bow to Cheerilee as they passed, and Lo Shang giving her a open smile and wink. Xhua seemed more subdued, taking her cues from the Empress and maintaining a standoffish air. Lyra kept her playing going, doing her best to maintain the casual atmosphere. Ditzy gave her a worried look but quickly went into the restaurant, and just moments later Trixie emerged, smiling politely but one eye twitching slightly.

“Your Highness, what an honor for you and your family to stop at our humble-”

The Empress cut Trixie off with a simple raised off, her voice taking on an arctic edge, “The proper form of address is ‘Your Imperial Majesty’. Start over with the proper address, and I shall hear what you have to say.”

Tomoko, her face going very still and her voice taking on a carefully neutral tone said, “My Empress, please, we must extend understanding and courtesy to those we seek to understand-”

“Must?” Somehow the Empress made the word sound like a dirty thing, eyes flashing hard at Tomoko.

“We... should, as a matter of honor, extend leeway to others and be gracious, as is befitting of you, your Imperial Majesty, and your Imperial family,” Tomoko said with each word stiff as a block of wood. Xhua and Lo Shang exchanged covert glances, both looking less than comfortable with the situation.

Lyra wondered if Trixie was about to explode, given the tell tale signs of the short ear flicks and twitching eyelid, but Trixie showed a great deal of maturity and self control as she bowed her head, “It is quite alright, Lady Tomoko. I should address your Empress properly.” She turned to the Empress with a knife edged smile, “Your Imperial Highness, you honor us with your presence, and of your gracious children. Would you further honor us by trying our humble offering for the opening of the Contest of Art? The finest of food of Equestrian style, in a setting evoking the very image of our land’s most valued traits of peace and taking joy in the pleasures of the simple things in life.”

The Empress was silent for a few slow seconds before she gave the barest of nods, “We shall. Bring us your finest works, and I shall determine their worth.”

The scene had gathered a bit of a crowd, onlookers watching almost as if the scene itself was some kind of performance. Lyra didn’t know if this would turn out to her and the girls’ benefit or not, but at least nothing had blown up in their faces yet. As Trixie went back to inform Carrot Top of their new guests and to whip up a few platters to suit them, Lyra concentrated on her playing, while keeping an eye on the crowd. As she did so she also caught sight of the cervid champions once again, noticing that Andrea, while not at all ceasing in her playing, had taken an interest in what was going on with the Empress and her entourage. And it might have been Lyra’s imagination, but it almost sounded like Andrea’s playing had gotten somehow... not louder, per se, but more resonant. Lyra’s ears twitched, unable to shake the feeling that something had changed about Andrea’s playing, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what.

Her mind had that itch that said it had an important bit of information that was trying to worm its way to the surface, but she just couldn’t get it to the front of her mind. Perhaps if the Empress wasn’t being such a distraction she’d be able to think clearer. Lyra shook her head, taking a deep breath and clearing her head as she focused on the flow of her notes. Whatever her inner brain pony was trying to tell her, it’d just have to wait until later.

Raindrops had come out with Ditzy, the pair focusing on serving the ponies who were still sitting at the other tables, while Cheerilee went back to enticing the crowd with samples. The Imperial family remained quietly seated, only Lo Shang seeming to gradually grow at ease as he made the occasional friendly comment on the decor, or even offering up a compliment to Lyra’s atmospheric playing. However the Empress seemed intent to remain silently watching.

Carrot Top must have doubled timed her work, though whether that was in eagerness to please or eagerness to get the Empress out of there all the faster Lyra could only guess, and soon Trixie returned with several large plates floating in her azure magical aura, each piled with an assortment of the delectables they’d been serving that morning. The smell alone caused Lyra’s stomach to growl a bit, despite her having eaten plenty for breakfast already.

As Trixie set the food down and started to back away, the Empress extended a hoof to the side of the table.

“Join us.”

It was said not as an invitation, but a command. In a mere second one nearby attendant produced another unfolding, ornate wooden chair from seemingly nowhere and had it in front of Trixie. With a carefully schooled expression Trixie only hesitated a moment before sitting at the table. The Empress silently observed the food, then paid it absolutely no mind as she turned her full attention to Trixie, eyes like jade spears.

“I have heard that you’ve spoken with my daughter. I find this most interesting, given the rivalry that exists between you.”

Lyra watched as Trixie managed to produce an innocent smile, “In the spirit of the Contest we are working towards understanding each other. Dao Ming is an... exceptional young mare. You must be proud of her, despite her lapse in judgement during the Grand Melee.”

Lyra felt a growing unease and a sense of danger in the way the Empress’ eyes seemed to freeze over, if not in the literal sense so close to it that Lyra wouldn’t have been shocked to see actual frost appearing on the tall kirin’s features. “Where it not for my daughter’s exceptional self control it is unlikely you would be standing here to speak with me at all. Be grateful that you were bested by not only a superior warrior, but by a superior mind.”

“You speak highly of Dao Ming, yet I don’t see you paying her performance any mind. Is that the act of a proud mother?” asked Trixie, an undeniable burst of snark sneaking past her affected polite tone.

If a smile could be any sharper, Trixie would have been beheaded by the Empress’. “I do not need to watch Dao Ming to know that she is performing flawlessly. She will be victorious in the Contest, and leave those that would hold her back, such as certain second-class illusionists, far far behind.”

“Or perhaps she will find that the only thing holding her back is valuing the approval of those who do not appreciate her.” Trixie replied, not unlike an arrow fired from a taut bow.

The Empress rose from her seat. Lyra gulped. The Empress was tall, even for a kirin, and yet somehow she made even the small movement of standing seem like she’d just tripled even that impressive height. There was a method to looming, and while Lyra had seen better and more immediately intimidating from Corona, she had to give the Empress of Shouma credit; she did a fine job of coming close to the Tyrant Sun’s sense of absolute dread.

As if sensing their mother’s near loss of control her children all reacted with almost clockwork swiftness.

“Perhaps we should resume our viewing of the other performances, my Empress?” said Tomoko, “The morning heat seems to be affecting the moods of all of us and the walk shall do well to calm minds.”

“I would love to see what the cervids are doing over there,” commented Xhua, unable to keep a nervous note out of her voice.

Lo Shang, licking his lips at the food yet untouched, said, “Yeah, walking is good. Can we get a to-go box, at least?”

The Empress didn’t look at her children, eyes boring instead into Trixie. Lyra almost didn’t catch the Empress’ next words, as they were spoken with a hard, hissing whisper. “You will not poison my daughter against me, Trixie Lulamoon. Know that in Shouma we make an artform of teaching our enemies the meaning of regret. Step wrong, and you will learn much of my own artistry.”

With that the Empress turned and swept away from the table with long, dismissive strides. The children of the Empress rose as well, Tomoko barely hiding a miserable look as she turned apologetic eyes towards Trixie, bowing her head once before following in the Empress’ wake. Xhua did the same after a pensive moment, leaving Lo Shang to eye the food regretfully, and then with a conspiratorial wink at Trixie, he snatched up one of the waffles in a yellow hued magic aura and trotted on after his siblings.

After they were gone Lyra let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and resumed playing, having not even noticed she’d stopped when the Empress had made that threat.

Trixie sat on her hunches, taking her hat off for a moment and wiping her brow, “Well, that was fun.”

“Really?” said Lyra, “Because I thought it was kind of extremely unsettling, myself.”

“You okay?” Raindrops asked, flying over and giving Trixie a comforting wing pat, eyeing the other mare with concern.

“Yes. Of course. Just a verbal sparring match with one of the most powerful equines in the world. Just another Tuesday in the life of Trixie.”

With that Trixie plopped her hat back upon her head and took on her energetic and enthusiastic mien once more, “Well what are you all staring at? We still have a lot to do, and hungry folk to awe and amaze with the best breakfast experience producible by equine hooves!”

And just like that Trixie seemed back to normal, the crowd flowed back in, and Lyra was able to get back to playing, slowly relaxing once more and hoping the day could only get better from here.

Zecora awoke feeling the throbbing ache of pain in her broken leg, yet less than she expected. She blinked her eyes open, finding herself in a cage of stone. She’d been divested of her pouch of herbs and alchemic potions, and even her jewelry had been removed. She wasn’t bound any longer, and looking at her injured limb she saw it had been tended to, placed in a splint. Even her more minor bruises and scrapes had been looked after. While she couldn’t put any weight on the broken leg, she found she could stand with her other three.

The cage she was in was seemingly formed from the stone floor, with thick pillars of shaped rock rising around her in a small dome, with spaces only a few inches across in between each pillar. Light trickled in from several distant lanterns hanging from the walls of the larger room she was caged in, illuminating her surroundings well enough for her to see. There was a bowl of fresh water, a small plate of vegetables, and a chamber pot off to the side, not far from the simple floor mattress she’d been laid out on. Basic accommodations, but far more than she’d expected after she’d been captured.

Now, where was she?

Peering out between the stone pillars of her cage she saw that it was tucked into one corner of a much larger space. An underground cavern? The walls were too smooth and straight. This place had been carved out, and now that she was looking Zecora could see stone columns holding up the roof, which was too high for her to see clearly. The style of the columns, however, gave her an idea of where she was.

This was inside the monastery. Or at the very least it was someplace built by the same architect who’d designed the monetary, because the columns were of the same style as the ones at the monastery's front entrance. This didn’t surprise Zecora, as she’d seen what she suspected was the secret entrance to this area already, although she’d been spotted, chased, and captured before making it this far in.

But what was the purpose of this chamber, and what were the cloaked conspirators trying to accomplish?

She thought she saw one large piece to that puzzle when she examined the ground of the chamber and saw a vast magical circle carved into the smooth stone. Her knowledge of magic ritual was limited, but having devoted her service to an alicorn for some time now she’d picked up on a few things. Enough to tell her that the massive and intricate circle of interlacing symbols filling up nearly half the chamber was using script of an alicorn nature.

“It is good to see that you’re awake,” said a voice from nearby, nearly causing Zecora to jump. She hadn’t sensed anyone approach. Now she was looking at a cloaked figure, hood up, keeping the speaker wreathed in shadow.

Zecora controlled her expression, keeping her face blank, “Do you not feel safe within this place? What then is the point of hiding your face?”

“Call it a symbol, if that helps ease your mind. We hide our identities, not merely for fear of discovery, but because what we do should go beyond the ego of identity. The cause is what matters, not the individual.” The speaker paused, letting out a tired laugh, “Of course I doubt the others share that sentiment. Each of us does this for our own reasons. Some for the joy of causing chaos. Some for dreams of a more glorious world. Some for love of another. Regardless, as long as the work is finished, I am content with their motivations. Your leg troubles you little?”

Zecora chose not to answer the question, instead casting her attention towards the magical circle, “What are you attempting to do, using a ritual that contains magic of an alicorn hue?”

“You will have to wait for your answers along with the rest of the world, my friend,” said the cloaked figure, “I merely came to see that your injury hadn’t gotten worse and that you were well. I have no desire to harm others, and what happened to you was unfortunate, but necessary. Rest assured you will be freed once our work is complete.”

The cloaked figure turned to depart, sighing as it trotted away, pausing just long enough to say, “By the way, please do not try to escape. The bars of your cage have been infused with magic of a rather explosive nature. I have no guards to keep watch on you, so such extreme measures were necessary. You’ve been given enough food and water to survive the next few days, and I’ve ensured that regardless of the outcome of my endeavors, there will be someone who will know where you are and can rescue you. So remain still, and watch history unfold.”

Author's Note

Figuring out the Art portion of the Contest was a lot of fun but also quite the challenge. I've drawn elements from folklore and historical context, then added a lot of my own thoughts and spins on things, and we're only getting started. Next chapter should bring the Contest of Art to a hopefully explosive conclusion.

In any case I hope you guys are enjoying the read, and by all means leave any comments you want, as I appreciate any and all feedback I can get.