Quidditch Equestria Cupby BronyDanChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1"Absolutely not Luna!” Celestia bellowed. She was pacing up and down the length of the throne room as the sun began to set, breathing heavily, “I don’t know where or why you got such a ridiculous suggestion, but I’m putting my hoof down and saying ‘No’!” “But why, sister?” asked Luna, “It would make an interesting spectacle.” “So would having Discord whip me through the streets of Las Pegasus, but I’m still not allowing it!” “Now, now Celestia, let’s not go that far.” said a slow, snide voice that seems to resonate throughout the entire room. They looked up at one of the tapestries that hung over the throne, just in time to see it shift and morph into the face of an old ‘acquaintance’, with the hangings turning into an antler and a misshapen goat horn, “After all, I think Manehatten would be far enough.” “Discord.” Celestia groaned, as the face disappeared from the tapestry and the draconequus himself suddenly materialised in the centre of the room, “Now is really not the time for…” “Discord, try to speak some sense to my sister!” said Luna, looking up into Discord’s yellow eyes, “She is refusing me to set up an event which I believe could be quite beneficial to Equestria.” “Oh, really?” said Discord, twiddling his fingers as he looked over at Celestia with a look of mischief on his eyes, “And what, pray tell, is this idea my dear Princess Luna?” “It is none of your business, Discord.” said Celestia, with an icy stare at her younger sister, “This conversation is between me and Luna.” “Not my business?!” cried Discord, dramatically clutching at his heart and doubling over, as if in pain, “Oh, your words hurt me, Celestia! They get me, right here! How can you say such a thing, to somepony who has known you for many years, to somepony who is a close friend, and even dare I say, unofficial advisor to your student Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, the embodiment of the Element of Magic, somepony who has seen the error of his ways, and only wishes to do good in this world of ours…” “Alright, we understand.” said Celestia loudly, bringing an end to Discord’s long-winded speech. She gave a deep sigh and began to explain, “If you must know, Luna wishes to stage some ridiculous sport I have never heard of here in Canterlot, and I or course have told her it is out of question and…” “Oh, a sport!” said Discord, jumping up and down in excitement, “I do love to see a good sport, especially if they sound ridiculous. Please explain the logistics of this new sport Princess Luna.” “It is called ‘Quidditch.” said Luna, looking quite pleased that somepony was actually taking an interest in her idea, and she burst into explaination about the rules of Quidditch, that the players have to be on broomsticks that can fly by themselves, the different type of balls used in it, what each player’s different role is and what the scoring system is and how the game ends and what type of fouls and special moves that can be made during a match. She spoke solid for a good ten minutes, going back over points she had already made to counter balance her recent argument, and when she had finished, breathing heavily for talking so long without taking in breath, Discord just stood, looking blank. He turned to Celestia, who was still looking unimpressed and said, “You’re right, it does sound ridiculous. We must start making the preparations for it at once!” “WHAT?!” cried Celestia and Luna together in unison, “Discord, are you serious?!” I most certainly am.” said Discord, looking down at the excited face of the Princess of the Night, “I feel that this is a rather excellent idea, it could be an interesting way to bring ponies together, a new experience that could open up to newer ideas. Who knows where this could lead to? We might even be able to strike a deal with the Griffon Embassy for them to start their own team, of course I’m contemplating whether they should sign an agreement clause that allows them the rights to use this and…” “You are not seriously suggesting that we sell this concept to other nations?” Celestia asked, looking shocked at what was going on in front of her right now. “We must think big with these things, Celestia!” said Discord as he continued with his suggestions, “Now obviously, we shall have to invite the representatives of each nation to come see the match for themselves, we can’t honestly sell this on the idea alone, let them witness it live for them to get a taste. My dear Princesses, we could be on the verge of a brand new phenomenal international sensation!” “Discord, before you start running off with posters and contracts,” said Celestia, silencing Discord again, “perhaps I should remind you of the impossibilities of what Luna is asking of us. How are we supposed to get flying brooms, fifty-foot poles, an actual pitch capable of this sort of thing and these ‘Bludgers’ and ‘Snitches’?” “Ah, ah, ah, worry not Celestia,” said Discord, wagging one of the talons of his eagle foot hand at Celestia, “I shall handle all the niggly, tricky details. I shall get all the information I need from your sister, and I shall be able to have everything we need before you know it; you won’t have to lift a hoof.” Celestia however, was still not looking convinced, so Discord gave a deep breath and tried a different approach, “Celestia, I know that this whole thing may sound out of place, but what’s the point of not trying it anyway? Just give us this one match, and we’ll see what the outcome is.” “I still don’t think…” said Celestia quietly, as she looked at her sister, her eyes wide and saucer-shaped, like a puppy who was begging for a treat from its master. Celestia closed her eyes tightly as if in deep concentration, until at last she said, “I guess I don’t have any other option. Fine, we’ll do it.” Luna gave a shriek of delight as she hugged Discord and Celestia tightly, screaming “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” and began souring around the room as if she were a young filly again. “But,” Celestia called up to her, causing Luna to fly back down to the ground, “you’re organising this whole thing, you are the one getting the teams together, you’re the one finding the location and you’re the one who has to invite the representatives; I don’t want to hear of you, both of you, slacking off, because if I do, I will end this!” “I promise you sister, I shall show nothing but dedication to this cause.” said Luna as she turned to her new partner, “Now Discord, if you will accompany me to my room, we shall start planning, I already have ideas for the opposing team and a few suggestions for ours.” Celestia watched as Luna and Discord closed the large doors to the throne room behind them with a dull thud. When everything was silent, she sat down in her throne, breathing heavily, “I honestly hope I’ve made the right decision.” she said to herself, looking at the setting sun though one of the stain-glass windows. She then found her answer to be ‘No’ when the doors opened again and Luna stuck her head back in to shout down the hall, “By the way sister, you’re playing as well!” Chapter 2Luna giggled with excitement as she led Discord into her room. When he had closed the door and Luna had lit all the candles around the wall, Discord decided now was the best moment to ask he sat down on her blue sofa, “Now Luna, I hope you will not consider me nosey when I ask this but, where exactly did you get the idea for this remarkable sport.” Luna paused as she closed the curtains. “I… merely thought of it myself.” she said, proudly. Discord gave one of his hearty chuckles, “Oh please Princess Luna, you know you can’t hide anything from me. Could this be the result of your occasional use of that delightful mirror over in the Crystal Empire, over to the realm of those ‘Homo-Sapiens’, as I like to call them? Luna turned to face him, looking rather pale, “Ah, so that’s it.” said Discord, grinning wickedly, “My, how will Princess Celestia react when she finds out that her own sister has been illegally crossing dimensions, and picking up ideas from other…” Discord didn’t get very far, as Luna charged at him and pinned him to the wall, her horn at his throat, “You will not say one word to my sister.” she hissed, “You are to assist me in the preparations of this game and that is what you will do. If word gets to me that you have mentioned that to my sister, so help me, I will make sure that you’re turned back to stone, and I’ll crack you in half!” Discord looked down at the horn that was close to piercing his skin. “Don’t worry, lips are sealed.” he said calmly, although there was a little bit of a quiver in his voice. Luna backed away from him, looking at him suspiciously, and when she was far enough, Discord breathed in heavily and said, “But, in all fairness Luna, if we are to be working on this, I must know where exactly you got this idea.” Luna sighed as her sudden anger subsided, “I see I have no alternative.” she said quietly, “Very well, but again, not one word to my sister.” Discord nodded in agreement, and Luna made her way to the back wall of her room and pulled back the blue drape, revealing the blank stone wall behind it. Discord looked in confusion as Luna tapped a few of the bricks, but his expression changed to mild surprise and interest as the bricks began to shake and shift around to reveal a large archway. “Well, are you coming in?” Luna asked as she walked in. Discord slowly followed. No words could be used to explain this incredible sight that lay before Discord’s eyes. He had never experienced such an amazing phenomenon; a large room, solid white, with shelves stacked up to the ceiling with either thin rectangular boxes and cartridges, ranging from grey to black and he could have sworn he saw a tint of gold in there as well. Luna looked back and saw his expression, “Just a little hobby of mine.” she replied, nonchalantly. “This seems to be a bit more than a little hobby.” Discord thought to himself, as Luna had gone on ahead. He could see her flying up to one of the selves and pulled something out. She returned and presented Discord with one of the thin rectangular boxes. Discord looked at the cover: “This is what gave me the idea.” said Luna. “I guess after playing it for a while, I made me think that we could possibly do this as well. Would you like a demonstration?” “Demonstration?” said Discord, finally taking his eyes off the box, as he then saw Luna pushing something large out of the room. He followed her back into bedroom and stared at the large television set that was pushed in front of her sofa. He then saw Luna’s horn glowing and her room was bathed in the same colour blue as her aura. “Just a simple sound barrier spell.” She explained to Discord. It lasted for a second until it stopped, and Luna sat down on the sofa, patted one of the cushions next to her, indicating she wanted Discord to sit down next to her. She levitated the box out of Discord’s claws, opened it and pulled out a silver disk and placed it into one of a sleek black device. This certainly was an interesting experience. Discord watched in awe as Luna controlled these tiny people on the screen to do whatever she wanted; fly in any direction, attack each other, all for the purpose of just to win a sport. “Are you quite sure you haven’t got omnipotent powers of control?” Discord asked. Luna shook her head as she scored another goal for Gryffindor in their match against Hufflepuff. After an hour or two of gameplay, (which had resulted in Discord having a go himself and playing against Luna in Multiplayer Mode) Discord just couldn’t stop grinning, “And you believe we can do something like that?” he asked as Luna got up from the sofa. “It’s not a matter of believing it’ll work,” said Luna as she sat down at the table on the other side of the room, “It’s a matter of knowing it will work! Now that you’re experienced what I want, let’s finally get down to business.” Discord appeared next to her (In a high back chair with red velvet) and she pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill. “Now, the first thing that we need is a pitch.” “Couldn’t we just ask your niece if we could use the stadium in the Crystal Empire?” asked Discord. “We could, but the problem is the size.” said Luna, and she used her magic to produce a blueprint of the Crystal Empire Stadium, “You see, the average size of a Quidditch pitch would be 500 feet long and 180 feet wide to give the players an advantage in speeding on their brooms. The Crystal Empire’s one however is only 390 feet long and 160 feet wide, so that may have an effect on the player’s speeds and reactions. So the obvious answer would be to build our own stadium here in Canterlot, but where?” Discord’s eyes wandered over to the balcony and he could just make out the palace labyrinth. “Why don’t we get rid of the maze and build the stadium there?” he asked. “That may still not be big enough.” said Luna, but Discord was already pulling out a tape measure and taking a roll of parchment with him before disappearing. He returned a minute later, “Well, the entirety of that labyrinth, given the exact measurements that you have given me, comes down to it being 472 feet long and 173 feet wide.” he said, showing Luna the measurements and a sketch of a birds-eye view of the labyrinth with a stadium next to it, “However, if we were to add up all the free area that surrounds it, and if we turn the pitch in a certain direction, we might be able fit it in.” “Discord, this is perfect!” said Luna as she looked at the notes Discord had taken. “Now that we’ve got the problem of the stadium out of the way, let’s now deal with the balls. I trust you will be able to make those as well?” “Just give me the necessary details and they’ll be done within the second!” said Discord, picking up the quill and parchment again. Luna began describing the balls in great detail, from what they looked like to what their exact shapes and sizes needed to be. Discord scribbled down all Luna told him, and by the time he had finished, he had patches of ink along the end of his snout, which were also dripping onto the parchment. “Well, if that’s everything I need to know,” said Discord, placing the parchment into a pocket he magically made appear on his chest, “I suppose the next question will be who are we getting to play?” “That will take some thinking.” said Luna, but Discord could make out a small smirk, “I will need to think about our side, but I do have a strong idea about who I want for the opposing side.” Chapter 3Twilight sat back in her throne, still staring at the letter with a confused expression. It was early afternoon in Ponyville; the sun was shining through the high windows of the crystalized castle she had received from the Tree of Harmony after her defeat of Lord Tirek, casting colourful reflections across the floor. She got up and began pacing around the large room, the sound of her hoofs echoed around her as she walked over to the balcony. As she looked out over the town, watching ponies going about their daily routine, she just couldn’t help feeling suspicious; was this simply just another trick of Discord? She knew that deep down he was reformed, but he still wasn’t over his trickster ways, whether it was having her and her friends change manes during their meetings, or having the long pieces of parchment Spike had been writing on wrap themselves around him so that ‘nopony will trip over them’. Small things, but nevertheless, were really irritating. She had originally decided to let this slide as another joke, but something about still made it seem real. Regardless, Twilight had still asked Discord to summon the Friendship Council, just on the off chance that it was true. As she walked back to her throne, there was a flash of light and Discord appeared, wearing the tuxedo he wore at Fluttershy’s when they first tried to reform him. “The Council of Friendship!” he called out in a mocking interpretation of a snobbish Canterlot accent, “Mistresses Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Master Spike!” “Yes, thank you Discord.” said Twilight as she gestured her friends to sit at their thrones, circulated around a large crystalized table. Each had their own thrones, indicated by their cutie marks engraved on the top, Spike had his own smaller throne on Twilight’s right and he was there ready with his quill and parchment. On Twilight’s left was Applejack, with Rarity next to her. Pinkie bounced up and down on her throne while Discord helped Fluttershy onto hers. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at this as she sat next to Spike. “Now then,” began Twilight when her friends were comfortable, “I have called you all here this afternoon, for this.” she levitated the letter so that everypony could see it, “According to our ‘advisor’, this letter is a royal summons from Princess Luna for us to come to Canterlot on matters that could possibly change international relationships here in Equestria.” “Well, tha’ sounds like mighty important news, Twilight.” said Applejack. “Not until you actually start reading it.” said Twilight, in a dark tone, and she scrolled open the parchment and began to read: Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am writing this letter to you on a matter that may seem unusual to you, but could lead to a new era of Equestrian history. During the last hour of the sun, my sister Celestia had allowed me permission to develop a new sport here in our castle, which if successful, can very well strengthen our political relationships with the various governments of our land. When you have received this message, I would like you and the rest of your council to meet me in Canterlot as the sun sets up in my quarters in the Eastern Tower, I will be able to properly explain everything there. Yours sincerely, Princess (of the Night) Luna Twilight finished reading the letter and looked at her friends. “So what’s the problem?” asked Rainbow Dash, “Princess Luna wants to open some new sport, I say go for it!” “With a letter like this, I would insist we head to Canterlot right away,” said Twilight slowly, “but then I had to take into account on who the messenger was.” she looked over at Discord, who was now standing behind her throne, looking innocent. “Oh really, Twilight.” said Fluttershy, sounding quite irritated at her accusation, “you mustn’t dismiss the letter just because of Discord. It may really be from the Princess.” Twilight knew this response would come. Fluttershy was always the first pony to rush to Discord’s defence if anything went wrong, occasionally saying that pranks were the perfect way to get his chaotic stamina out of his system. “I’m not saying that we should dismiss the letter,” she said reassuringly, “but it’s just that I don’t think we should jump straight into it until we can be sure.” “But how can we be sure?” asked Rarity. “Yeah, you can’t exactly write a letter to her saying, ‘Dear Princess Luna, before we do anything and come up to Canterlot, did you actually write this letter? Thanks. Princess Twilight Sparkle’.” Rainbow Dash sniggered. “And you can’t ignore it, because she may think you’re being a meanie ignorer pony who doesn’t answer back to her letters and then she may actually strip you of your title of Princess and banish somewhere far away, where your punishment will have to ignore ponies as some ironic fate of justice and punishment.” Pinkie Pie rambled on in one breath. Everypony stared at her and then looked back at Twilight. “Well it would seem like you’re in an unfortunate position, Princess.” said Discord, casually leaning over the back or Twilight’s throne, “Either you go up to Canterlot and risk being the victim of a harmless, but embarrassing joke, or ignore the letter completely and risk facing the wrath of a fellow Princess.” Twilight looked up at Discord’s grinning face above her, and then she looked back at her friends, who were waiting for her decision. Finally, she gave a long sigh and said, “Let’s just get to the train station.” Arriving at Canterlot at around sunset, the Mane Six and Spike walked from the station and through the streets until they reached the castle, ponies bowing to them as they passed. When the guards allowed them access, they entered the foyer, just in time to see Celestia walking along the top of the marble staircase. “Oh, hello Twilight.” said Celestia, sounding quite surprised to see her former pupil standing there, “Do what do we owe the pleasure?” “Actually, we believe to have received a letter from your sister about meeting her tonight on matters that seem rather confusing.” said Twilight, and she thought she could see Celestia’s brow furrow. “I see.” said Celestia, sounding quite cold now, “Well, you will no doubt find my sister up in her room, with her new… business partner.” “Actually, she is right here.” came a voice from behind Celestia. Luna was walking down the steps heading to the east side of the castle bowing when she saw Twilight, “Twilight Sparkle, how nice to see you and your new council again.” “Thank you, your highness.” said Twilight, uncertainly, “Well you see, about this letter you sent…” “Ah yes!” said Luna, quickening her pace down the staircase to talk face to face, “A matter that is of great importance, one that is having mine and my sister’s absolute confidence…” “I only gave permission, I am not getting involved!” came Celestia’s angry voice just before the sound of a door slamming. Luna paused for a second, and turned back to Twilight, “Deep down, she is as ecstatic as I am.” she said reassuringly. “So, does this mean that you really are planning some new kind of sport?” asked Rainbow Dash. When Luna nodded her head, Rainbow Dash gave an unusually high pith giggle of excitement. “I am glad to see somepony is as enthusiastic about this as I am.” Luna smiled, “If you will kindly follow me outside to the labyrinth.” When they arrived in the palace gardens, the moon was already up. As they approached the labyrinth, they saw Discord standing next to a worker’s table with what looked like the plans for the stadium. He was also wearing a yellow hard helmet, with blue overalls and a high visibility jacket. He had a belt around his middle, where an assortment of tools hung from their straps. “Ah, good evening, dear princesses!” he called out proudly as Luna and Twilight approached him, “Just about to start work on the stadium.” and he pulled out a whistle and blew into it. Out of nowhere, five other Discords began to appear, all wearing hard helmets, overalls and jackets. They lined up in front of the real Discord, “Alright you bringers of chaos,” he barked out like a Drill Sergeant, “This is an important assignment for us. I don’t care if you chip a nail, or break a spanner or so help me, break your neck after falling down the steps from the sixteenth row on the left side of the pitch after failing to mend the chair with the dodgy flip seat, we will stop at nothing to get this stadium finished. But it will not come to that, because be Celestia’s sun, I know that in your hearts, you know, the one that’s situated where your kidney should be, you will be strong enough to get this job done! AM I RIGHT?!” “Sir, yes sir!” the Discord clones shouted back. “Well then,” said Discord as he clicked his fingers again and a starting line appeared behind the clones, “when I count to three, I want to see you working harder than you ever done before!” The clones all turned around, their tools in their claws, “One,” they placed their cloven hooves just on the line, “two,” they leaned forward in anticipation, “and… three!” Discord snapped his fingers, and the clones instantly disappeared, so did the labyrinth, and in its place, was a large stadium, made of silver bricks that glistened in the moonlight. “I find motivation always helps to get a job done.” said Discord as he led the party through one of the archways that were carved into the side of the stadium. They walked in silence until Discord led them through another opening which led onto the pitch itself. Their jaws dropped. The inside was enormous; about eight cathedrals could have been fitted in comfortably. The stands rose high into the air, Twilight felt you could have fitted the entirety of Equestria in here, and possible have some room left over. The grass under their hooves was a strong and healthy green, with a large thick white strip painted around the edge, and a large white circle in the middle. But it was the poles that got their attention, made out of pure gold; there were three on either side of the pitch and fifty feet high with a hoop at the top, looking like the sticks that Pinkie Pie used to blow bubbles. “Well, what do you think?” Luna asked. “I honestly don’t want to leave.” said Rainbow Dash in a low and awestruck voice. “The architectural design is simple fabulous!” Rarity giggled. “It’s really impressive, I must admit.” said Twilight, “But I still don’t understand why you called us here.” “Oh, well,” said Luna, still grinning, “the reason for calling you here is because I want you to get yourself acquitted with the pitch before training starts.” “’Training’?” said Twilight; she was beginning to get understand, and she wasn’t liking it. “Oh yes, you will all be playing on this pitch, in two months’ time.” The Mane Six and Spike said nothing, they just stood there, their mouths still hung open. Finally, Twilight said, “Princess Luna, you can’t honestly expect us…” “To say ‘No’ to such an offer!” interrupted Rainbow Dash, her eyes wide with excitement, “When can we start?” “Hold on!” said Twilight, holding her hoof up, in case Rainbow Dash started to lap the pitch, “We are not just jumping into this, this requires a serious meeting and at the end, we’ll take a vote and we will follow the will of the majority.” “Fine.” grumbled Rainbow Dash, then she turned to everypony else, “Anypony who objects to the decision for us to play in this new sport say ‘nay’, nopony? Good, its unanimous.” she said all in one breath. “That’s not how it works!” shouted Twilight. “Now, hold on, Sugarcube,” said Applejack, “Ah admit tha’ all this is sudden, bu’ Ah for one won’ miss an opportunity to partake in a new sport, so Ah wouldn’t mind havin’ a go.” “While, I’m not exactly an athletic type,” said Rarity, “I simply cannot say ‘no’ to a royal decree. Besides, I may get the chance to design our uniforms! “I’ll do it!” said Pinkie, waving her hoof frantically in the air. Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, hoping to get some backing, “Um, I not sure if I’ll be any importance,” the yellow Pegasus said, quietly, “but I don’t want to let anypony down. I suppose I could give it a try.” Twilight just gaped. She couldn’t believe that her friends, her council, had so easily decided on this decision without using the proper method. “Aw come on, Twilight.” said Spike “This could actually be rather fun, so come on, can we do it?” Twilight looked at her friends, then back to Luna. She sighed and said, “Fine. I suppose we’ve decided. But who’s going to be the opposition?” “My team.” said Luna. “WHAT?!” the Mane Six cried out together. “I want to be involved as much as you ponies,” said Luna, “and I must admit, I have managed to make a crack and undefeatable team.” Chapter 4“Now I’ve just got to make a crack and undefeatable team.” said Luna as she entered her bedroom an hour later. She went over to the desk and pulled out several scrolls of parchment. There was a blinding flash, and Discord materialised in the middle of the room, finding Luna hunched over the desk, scribbling away. “Am I to take it that you don’t exactly have a team yet?” he asked, in a cool and collective voice. “No Discord, I haven’t.” Luna groaned, as she began scribbling out a name that she just written frantically, “Trying to find somepony willing to do anything remotely physical in Canterlot, is like trying to find the lost species of Three Headed Applefish of Baltimare.” “In what way?” “They don’t exist.” Discord conjured up his large throne, and shuffled it up closer to the desk, “Well, then, let’s get brainstorming. Have you considered, possibly, getting the Wonderbolts? I’m sure they would be happy to assist.” “I’m sure they would,” said Luna, “however, they may wish to start their own team should this be a success. No, we shall have to think of somepony else.” Just then, a light bulb appeared over Discord’s head. He then removed it, threw it into his mouth and began to chew it. After he had swallowed it, he said, “You know, I’ve just had a thought. Is your sister still participating?” “No matter how many times she denies, she will be playing.” said Luna, not looking up from the scroll on the desk. “Excellent. Because I have just thought of a strategic plan that could strengthen your chances to win.” said Discord. He shuffled his throne closer to Luna and whispered in her ear. Luna’s eyes widened with interest and gave a rather wicked chuckle at the suggestions Discord was giving her. “Alright girls,” said Twilight the next morning as everypony sat down on their thrones, “since we all ‘unanimously’ agreed to take part in Princess Luna’s little sport, she has kindly sent us a copy of the rules.” Twilight’s horn lit up, and the large map of Equestria that took up the whole of the round table in front of them disappeared. She then levitated a small blue book onto the middle of the table. The rest of the group looked down at the cover, it had written in gold lettering Quidditch Through the Ages and a picture of a golden ball with two long wings coming out of it. Twilight then cast another spell, causing the book to enlarge until it was the size of a Tome. “I think the first thing we must do is familiarise ourselves with the basics.” said Twilight, turning the page to the chapter content. “Does anypony else want to know the history of the sport, because that takes up the first half of this book?” she asked. “No.” said Rainbow Dash. “’fraid not, Sugarcube.” said Applejack. “Not right now, darling.” said Rarity. “Sorry, Twilight.” said Pinkie Pie. “Not exactly.” said Fluttershy. “We can always read it later, Twilight.” said Spike. “Damn.” muttered Twilight. She then used her magic to turn the majority of the pages over, until she landed on page 49. “Right, well apparently, there are seven players on each team. Well, we’ve got that covered. There are three Chasers, Two Beaters one Keeper and one Seeker.” “And what do they do?” asked Rarity. “Well, it says here,” said Twilight on the subject of each individual played, “that the Chasers are responsible for passing something called a ‘Quaffle’ to each other and try to score with it.” Confused, Twilight turned a few pages to find something on Quaffles, “Oh, it’s like a soccer ball that we have to carry. That seems easy to understand. Now the Beaters have to… ‘Guard their team members from the Bludgers, which they do through the aid of bats’.” Twilight turned back to the page on balls, “Which are small black balls that fly around and try to knock players off their brooms.” Twilight looked up from the book and looked at her friends, who all had the same confused expression that she did. “Let’s just carry on, shall we?” she said returning to the book. “The Keeper has the job of defending the goal hoops and has to prevent the other team from scoring with the Quaffle. Well, that’s self-explanatory. And now we have the Seeker, and they have to try and catch something called the Golden Snitch, which ends the game and scores their team an extra 150 points.” “150?!” Rainbow Dash cried out in amazement. “Who came up with these rules?” “I don’t know, but there they are.” said Twilight, “So, now that we know what the players do, I think it’s time we decide who’s going to be which player.” “I don’t think it’s necessary Twilight.” said Rainbow Dash leaning back in her throne, “I could win this game for us easily, just give me the place of Chaser and Seeker and we’ll think about the rest.” “Actually, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I was hoping that you would play as Beater.” “What?!” Rainbow Dash spluttered. “Actually, I was hoping that both you and Applejack would do it.” Twilight continued, “The Beaters need to be the strongest players on the team, in order to hit those Bludger things.” “Well, tha’s mighty thoughtful of ya, Twilight.” said Applejack. “So, I’m not allowed to actually score, or anything?” said Rainbow Dash, her ears drooping. “I’m afraid not.” said Twilight, “But, the position is still an important one, you’re the ones who have to protect the Chasers, and you do get to try and hit the other team.” “Really?” said Rainbow Dash, looking a little more interested now, “Well, alright then.” “Um, Twilight?” said Fluttershy, raising her hoof, “Could it be possible that I get a position that doesn’t require a lot of physical contact?” “Well, I suppose Fluttershy, you could be our Keeper.” said Twilight, “You have to stay within the scoring range and attacking the Keeper is considered not allowed.” “So, I should be fine then?” asked Fluttershy. When Twilight nodded, she agreed to do it. “So, I guess that leaves me, Rarity and Pinkie Pie to be the Chasers.” said Twilight, a nervous tone to her voice now. She herself was not exactly the quickest when it came to catching things with her hooves, Pinkie would probably be alright, however, she was sure that Rarity had never so much kicked a ball, much less catch one. “Which means…?” said Spike. “Yes.” said Twilight, turning to look at the dragon sitting next to her, “You will have to be the Seeker, Spike. You’re the lightest one out of all of us, and that is a key essential element to being a Seeker.” “Great.” said Spike, but he didn’t sound very confident. The whole chances of them winning was now pushed onto his shoulders, and he knew that he struggled when performing under pressure, after what happened at the Equestria Games. “Right then,” said Twilight, closing the book, “now that we know what roles we are to play in this game, I think tomorrow, we should head up to Canterlot, and get practising on the pitch. We don’t want to look unprofessional.” That evening, Spike stood outside Twilight’s bedroom, wringing his claws together. Eventually, he raised a fist, and knocked on her door. “Come in.” came Twilight’s voice. Spike pushed the door open, and saw Twilight sitting on her bed, reading the Quidditch Through the Ages book. “Ah, Spike,” she said smiling, “I’m just looking at the history of this sport. It is really fascinating, did you know that the ball you have to catch was in fact based on a small yellow bird called a Snidget?” “Wow, that’s… really fascinating.” said Spike. He gave a sigh and walked over to the bed, “Listen Twilight, can we talk about this?” “Of course.” said Twilight, making room on the bed for Spike to sit next to her, “What’s the matter?” “It’s just…” said Spike, as he tried to find the right words to say, “I don’t know whether I can do this.” Twilight looked down at Spike, “What do you mean?” she asked. “I mean,” said Spike, slowly, “I’m not sure that I could play this ‘Seeker’ thing. You saw what I was like at the Equestria Games, I just froze up when I appeared in front of all those ponies. I don’t want that to happen again.” “Oh, Spike.” said Twilight, putting her wing over Spike and pulling him closer towards her, “I didn’t realise that that was still troubling you. I’m sorry, look, if you think that you can’t do this, I’ll understand, I could always find somepony else to do it.” “No, no!” said Spike suddenly, “You don’t have to do that. I still want to be involved, and I’m happy that you chose me to do it, I’m just nervous about letting everypony down again.” “Spike, you can never let me down.” whispered Twilight, giving Spike a hug, “If we lose, we lose. It’s all for fun at the end. Now, run along to bed, I’m gonna write to Sunset and see if whether or not she could give us any advice on this game. This is clearly a sport played over in her dimension.” Spike grinned and jumped off the bed. As he was about to open the door, he heard Twilight’s voice behind him, “Spike, have you seen my communication journal?”
Chapter 1"Absolutely not Luna!” Celestia bellowed. She was pacing up and down the length of the throne room as the sun began to set, breathing heavily, “I don’t know where or why you got such a ridiculous suggestion, but I’m putting my hoof down and saying ‘No’!” “But why, sister?” asked Luna, “It would make an interesting spectacle.” “So would having Discord whip me through the streets of Las Pegasus, but I’m still not allowing it!” “Now, now Celestia, let’s not go that far.” said a slow, snide voice that seems to resonate throughout the entire room. They looked up at one of the tapestries that hung over the throne, just in time to see it shift and morph into the face of an old ‘acquaintance’, with the hangings turning into an antler and a misshapen goat horn, “After all, I think Manehatten would be far enough.” “Discord.” Celestia groaned, as the face disappeared from the tapestry and the draconequus himself suddenly materialised in the centre of the room, “Now is really not the time for…” “Discord, try to speak some sense to my sister!” said Luna, looking up into Discord’s yellow eyes, “She is refusing me to set up an event which I believe could be quite beneficial to Equestria.” “Oh, really?” said Discord, twiddling his fingers as he looked over at Celestia with a look of mischief on his eyes, “And what, pray tell, is this idea my dear Princess Luna?” “It is none of your business, Discord.” said Celestia, with an icy stare at her younger sister, “This conversation is between me and Luna.” “Not my business?!” cried Discord, dramatically clutching at his heart and doubling over, as if in pain, “Oh, your words hurt me, Celestia! They get me, right here! How can you say such a thing, to somepony who has known you for many years, to somepony who is a close friend, and even dare I say, unofficial advisor to your student Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, the embodiment of the Element of Magic, somepony who has seen the error of his ways, and only wishes to do good in this world of ours…” “Alright, we understand.” said Celestia loudly, bringing an end to Discord’s long-winded speech. She gave a deep sigh and began to explain, “If you must know, Luna wishes to stage some ridiculous sport I have never heard of here in Canterlot, and I or course have told her it is out of question and…” “Oh, a sport!” said Discord, jumping up and down in excitement, “I do love to see a good sport, especially if they sound ridiculous. Please explain the logistics of this new sport Princess Luna.” “It is called ‘Quidditch.” said Luna, looking quite pleased that somepony was actually taking an interest in her idea, and she burst into explaination about the rules of Quidditch, that the players have to be on broomsticks that can fly by themselves, the different type of balls used in it, what each player’s different role is and what the scoring system is and how the game ends and what type of fouls and special moves that can be made during a match. She spoke solid for a good ten minutes, going back over points she had already made to counter balance her recent argument, and when she had finished, breathing heavily for talking so long without taking in breath, Discord just stood, looking blank. He turned to Celestia, who was still looking unimpressed and said, “You’re right, it does sound ridiculous. We must start making the preparations for it at once!” “WHAT?!” cried Celestia and Luna together in unison, “Discord, are you serious?!” I most certainly am.” said Discord, looking down at the excited face of the Princess of the Night, “I feel that this is a rather excellent idea, it could be an interesting way to bring ponies together, a new experience that could open up to newer ideas. Who knows where this could lead to? We might even be able to strike a deal with the Griffon Embassy for them to start their own team, of course I’m contemplating whether they should sign an agreement clause that allows them the rights to use this and…” “You are not seriously suggesting that we sell this concept to other nations?” Celestia asked, looking shocked at what was going on in front of her right now. “We must think big with these things, Celestia!” said Discord as he continued with his suggestions, “Now obviously, we shall have to invite the representatives of each nation to come see the match for themselves, we can’t honestly sell this on the idea alone, let them witness it live for them to get a taste. My dear Princesses, we could be on the verge of a brand new phenomenal international sensation!” “Discord, before you start running off with posters and contracts,” said Celestia, silencing Discord again, “perhaps I should remind you of the impossibilities of what Luna is asking of us. How are we supposed to get flying brooms, fifty-foot poles, an actual pitch capable of this sort of thing and these ‘Bludgers’ and ‘Snitches’?” “Ah, ah, ah, worry not Celestia,” said Discord, wagging one of the talons of his eagle foot hand at Celestia, “I shall handle all the niggly, tricky details. I shall get all the information I need from your sister, and I shall be able to have everything we need before you know it; you won’t have to lift a hoof.” Celestia however, was still not looking convinced, so Discord gave a deep breath and tried a different approach, “Celestia, I know that this whole thing may sound out of place, but what’s the point of not trying it anyway? Just give us this one match, and we’ll see what the outcome is.” “I still don’t think…” said Celestia quietly, as she looked at her sister, her eyes wide and saucer-shaped, like a puppy who was begging for a treat from its master. Celestia closed her eyes tightly as if in deep concentration, until at last she said, “I guess I don’t have any other option. Fine, we’ll do it.” Luna gave a shriek of delight as she hugged Discord and Celestia tightly, screaming “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” and began souring around the room as if she were a young filly again. “But,” Celestia called up to her, causing Luna to fly back down to the ground, “you’re organising this whole thing, you are the one getting the teams together, you’re the one finding the location and you’re the one who has to invite the representatives; I don’t want to hear of you, both of you, slacking off, because if I do, I will end this!” “I promise you sister, I shall show nothing but dedication to this cause.” said Luna as she turned to her new partner, “Now Discord, if you will accompany me to my room, we shall start planning, I already have ideas for the opposing team and a few suggestions for ours.” Celestia watched as Luna and Discord closed the large doors to the throne room behind them with a dull thud. When everything was silent, she sat down in her throne, breathing heavily, “I honestly hope I’ve made the right decision.” she said to herself, looking at the setting sun though one of the stain-glass windows. She then found her answer to be ‘No’ when the doors opened again and Luna stuck her head back in to shout down the hall, “By the way sister, you’re playing as well!”
Chapter 2Luna giggled with excitement as she led Discord into her room. When he had closed the door and Luna had lit all the candles around the wall, Discord decided now was the best moment to ask he sat down on her blue sofa, “Now Luna, I hope you will not consider me nosey when I ask this but, where exactly did you get the idea for this remarkable sport.” Luna paused as she closed the curtains. “I… merely thought of it myself.” she said, proudly. Discord gave one of his hearty chuckles, “Oh please Princess Luna, you know you can’t hide anything from me. Could this be the result of your occasional use of that delightful mirror over in the Crystal Empire, over to the realm of those ‘Homo-Sapiens’, as I like to call them? Luna turned to face him, looking rather pale, “Ah, so that’s it.” said Discord, grinning wickedly, “My, how will Princess Celestia react when she finds out that her own sister has been illegally crossing dimensions, and picking up ideas from other…” Discord didn’t get very far, as Luna charged at him and pinned him to the wall, her horn at his throat, “You will not say one word to my sister.” she hissed, “You are to assist me in the preparations of this game and that is what you will do. If word gets to me that you have mentioned that to my sister, so help me, I will make sure that you’re turned back to stone, and I’ll crack you in half!” Discord looked down at the horn that was close to piercing his skin. “Don’t worry, lips are sealed.” he said calmly, although there was a little bit of a quiver in his voice. Luna backed away from him, looking at him suspiciously, and when she was far enough, Discord breathed in heavily and said, “But, in all fairness Luna, if we are to be working on this, I must know where exactly you got this idea.” Luna sighed as her sudden anger subsided, “I see I have no alternative.” she said quietly, “Very well, but again, not one word to my sister.” Discord nodded in agreement, and Luna made her way to the back wall of her room and pulled back the blue drape, revealing the blank stone wall behind it. Discord looked in confusion as Luna tapped a few of the bricks, but his expression changed to mild surprise and interest as the bricks began to shake and shift around to reveal a large archway. “Well, are you coming in?” Luna asked as she walked in. Discord slowly followed. No words could be used to explain this incredible sight that lay before Discord’s eyes. He had never experienced such an amazing phenomenon; a large room, solid white, with shelves stacked up to the ceiling with either thin rectangular boxes and cartridges, ranging from grey to black and he could have sworn he saw a tint of gold in there as well. Luna looked back and saw his expression, “Just a little hobby of mine.” she replied, nonchalantly. “This seems to be a bit more than a little hobby.” Discord thought to himself, as Luna had gone on ahead. He could see her flying up to one of the selves and pulled something out. She returned and presented Discord with one of the thin rectangular boxes. Discord looked at the cover: “This is what gave me the idea.” said Luna. “I guess after playing it for a while, I made me think that we could possibly do this as well. Would you like a demonstration?” “Demonstration?” said Discord, finally taking his eyes off the box, as he then saw Luna pushing something large out of the room. He followed her back into bedroom and stared at the large television set that was pushed in front of her sofa. He then saw Luna’s horn glowing and her room was bathed in the same colour blue as her aura. “Just a simple sound barrier spell.” She explained to Discord. It lasted for a second until it stopped, and Luna sat down on the sofa, patted one of the cushions next to her, indicating she wanted Discord to sit down next to her. She levitated the box out of Discord’s claws, opened it and pulled out a silver disk and placed it into one of a sleek black device. This certainly was an interesting experience. Discord watched in awe as Luna controlled these tiny people on the screen to do whatever she wanted; fly in any direction, attack each other, all for the purpose of just to win a sport. “Are you quite sure you haven’t got omnipotent powers of control?” Discord asked. Luna shook her head as she scored another goal for Gryffindor in their match against Hufflepuff. After an hour or two of gameplay, (which had resulted in Discord having a go himself and playing against Luna in Multiplayer Mode) Discord just couldn’t stop grinning, “And you believe we can do something like that?” he asked as Luna got up from the sofa. “It’s not a matter of believing it’ll work,” said Luna as she sat down at the table on the other side of the room, “It’s a matter of knowing it will work! Now that you’re experienced what I want, let’s finally get down to business.” Discord appeared next to her (In a high back chair with red velvet) and she pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill. “Now, the first thing that we need is a pitch.” “Couldn’t we just ask your niece if we could use the stadium in the Crystal Empire?” asked Discord. “We could, but the problem is the size.” said Luna, and she used her magic to produce a blueprint of the Crystal Empire Stadium, “You see, the average size of a Quidditch pitch would be 500 feet long and 180 feet wide to give the players an advantage in speeding on their brooms. The Crystal Empire’s one however is only 390 feet long and 160 feet wide, so that may have an effect on the player’s speeds and reactions. So the obvious answer would be to build our own stadium here in Canterlot, but where?” Discord’s eyes wandered over to the balcony and he could just make out the palace labyrinth. “Why don’t we get rid of the maze and build the stadium there?” he asked. “That may still not be big enough.” said Luna, but Discord was already pulling out a tape measure and taking a roll of parchment with him before disappearing. He returned a minute later, “Well, the entirety of that labyrinth, given the exact measurements that you have given me, comes down to it being 472 feet long and 173 feet wide.” he said, showing Luna the measurements and a sketch of a birds-eye view of the labyrinth with a stadium next to it, “However, if we were to add up all the free area that surrounds it, and if we turn the pitch in a certain direction, we might be able fit it in.” “Discord, this is perfect!” said Luna as she looked at the notes Discord had taken. “Now that we’ve got the problem of the stadium out of the way, let’s now deal with the balls. I trust you will be able to make those as well?” “Just give me the necessary details and they’ll be done within the second!” said Discord, picking up the quill and parchment again. Luna began describing the balls in great detail, from what they looked like to what their exact shapes and sizes needed to be. Discord scribbled down all Luna told him, and by the time he had finished, he had patches of ink along the end of his snout, which were also dripping onto the parchment. “Well, if that’s everything I need to know,” said Discord, placing the parchment into a pocket he magically made appear on his chest, “I suppose the next question will be who are we getting to play?” “That will take some thinking.” said Luna, but Discord could make out a small smirk, “I will need to think about our side, but I do have a strong idea about who I want for the opposing side.”
Chapter 3Twilight sat back in her throne, still staring at the letter with a confused expression. It was early afternoon in Ponyville; the sun was shining through the high windows of the crystalized castle she had received from the Tree of Harmony after her defeat of Lord Tirek, casting colourful reflections across the floor. She got up and began pacing around the large room, the sound of her hoofs echoed around her as she walked over to the balcony. As she looked out over the town, watching ponies going about their daily routine, she just couldn’t help feeling suspicious; was this simply just another trick of Discord? She knew that deep down he was reformed, but he still wasn’t over his trickster ways, whether it was having her and her friends change manes during their meetings, or having the long pieces of parchment Spike had been writing on wrap themselves around him so that ‘nopony will trip over them’. Small things, but nevertheless, were really irritating. She had originally decided to let this slide as another joke, but something about still made it seem real. Regardless, Twilight had still asked Discord to summon the Friendship Council, just on the off chance that it was true. As she walked back to her throne, there was a flash of light and Discord appeared, wearing the tuxedo he wore at Fluttershy’s when they first tried to reform him. “The Council of Friendship!” he called out in a mocking interpretation of a snobbish Canterlot accent, “Mistresses Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Master Spike!” “Yes, thank you Discord.” said Twilight as she gestured her friends to sit at their thrones, circulated around a large crystalized table. Each had their own thrones, indicated by their cutie marks engraved on the top, Spike had his own smaller throne on Twilight’s right and he was there ready with his quill and parchment. On Twilight’s left was Applejack, with Rarity next to her. Pinkie bounced up and down on her throne while Discord helped Fluttershy onto hers. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at this as she sat next to Spike. “Now then,” began Twilight when her friends were comfortable, “I have called you all here this afternoon, for this.” she levitated the letter so that everypony could see it, “According to our ‘advisor’, this letter is a royal summons from Princess Luna for us to come to Canterlot on matters that could possibly change international relationships here in Equestria.” “Well, tha’ sounds like mighty important news, Twilight.” said Applejack. “Not until you actually start reading it.” said Twilight, in a dark tone, and she scrolled open the parchment and began to read: Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am writing this letter to you on a matter that may seem unusual to you, but could lead to a new era of Equestrian history. During the last hour of the sun, my sister Celestia had allowed me permission to develop a new sport here in our castle, which if successful, can very well strengthen our political relationships with the various governments of our land. When you have received this message, I would like you and the rest of your council to meet me in Canterlot as the sun sets up in my quarters in the Eastern Tower, I will be able to properly explain everything there. Yours sincerely, Princess (of the Night) Luna Twilight finished reading the letter and looked at her friends. “So what’s the problem?” asked Rainbow Dash, “Princess Luna wants to open some new sport, I say go for it!” “With a letter like this, I would insist we head to Canterlot right away,” said Twilight slowly, “but then I had to take into account on who the messenger was.” she looked over at Discord, who was now standing behind her throne, looking innocent. “Oh really, Twilight.” said Fluttershy, sounding quite irritated at her accusation, “you mustn’t dismiss the letter just because of Discord. It may really be from the Princess.” Twilight knew this response would come. Fluttershy was always the first pony to rush to Discord’s defence if anything went wrong, occasionally saying that pranks were the perfect way to get his chaotic stamina out of his system. “I’m not saying that we should dismiss the letter,” she said reassuringly, “but it’s just that I don’t think we should jump straight into it until we can be sure.” “But how can we be sure?” asked Rarity. “Yeah, you can’t exactly write a letter to her saying, ‘Dear Princess Luna, before we do anything and come up to Canterlot, did you actually write this letter? Thanks. Princess Twilight Sparkle’.” Rainbow Dash sniggered. “And you can’t ignore it, because she may think you’re being a meanie ignorer pony who doesn’t answer back to her letters and then she may actually strip you of your title of Princess and banish somewhere far away, where your punishment will have to ignore ponies as some ironic fate of justice and punishment.” Pinkie Pie rambled on in one breath. Everypony stared at her and then looked back at Twilight. “Well it would seem like you’re in an unfortunate position, Princess.” said Discord, casually leaning over the back or Twilight’s throne, “Either you go up to Canterlot and risk being the victim of a harmless, but embarrassing joke, or ignore the letter completely and risk facing the wrath of a fellow Princess.” Twilight looked up at Discord’s grinning face above her, and then she looked back at her friends, who were waiting for her decision. Finally, she gave a long sigh and said, “Let’s just get to the train station.” Arriving at Canterlot at around sunset, the Mane Six and Spike walked from the station and through the streets until they reached the castle, ponies bowing to them as they passed. When the guards allowed them access, they entered the foyer, just in time to see Celestia walking along the top of the marble staircase. “Oh, hello Twilight.” said Celestia, sounding quite surprised to see her former pupil standing there, “Do what do we owe the pleasure?” “Actually, we believe to have received a letter from your sister about meeting her tonight on matters that seem rather confusing.” said Twilight, and she thought she could see Celestia’s brow furrow. “I see.” said Celestia, sounding quite cold now, “Well, you will no doubt find my sister up in her room, with her new… business partner.” “Actually, she is right here.” came a voice from behind Celestia. Luna was walking down the steps heading to the east side of the castle bowing when she saw Twilight, “Twilight Sparkle, how nice to see you and your new council again.” “Thank you, your highness.” said Twilight, uncertainly, “Well you see, about this letter you sent…” “Ah yes!” said Luna, quickening her pace down the staircase to talk face to face, “A matter that is of great importance, one that is having mine and my sister’s absolute confidence…” “I only gave permission, I am not getting involved!” came Celestia’s angry voice just before the sound of a door slamming. Luna paused for a second, and turned back to Twilight, “Deep down, she is as ecstatic as I am.” she said reassuringly. “So, does this mean that you really are planning some new kind of sport?” asked Rainbow Dash. When Luna nodded her head, Rainbow Dash gave an unusually high pith giggle of excitement. “I am glad to see somepony is as enthusiastic about this as I am.” Luna smiled, “If you will kindly follow me outside to the labyrinth.” When they arrived in the palace gardens, the moon was already up. As they approached the labyrinth, they saw Discord standing next to a worker’s table with what looked like the plans for the stadium. He was also wearing a yellow hard helmet, with blue overalls and a high visibility jacket. He had a belt around his middle, where an assortment of tools hung from their straps. “Ah, good evening, dear princesses!” he called out proudly as Luna and Twilight approached him, “Just about to start work on the stadium.” and he pulled out a whistle and blew into it. Out of nowhere, five other Discords began to appear, all wearing hard helmets, overalls and jackets. They lined up in front of the real Discord, “Alright you bringers of chaos,” he barked out like a Drill Sergeant, “This is an important assignment for us. I don’t care if you chip a nail, or break a spanner or so help me, break your neck after falling down the steps from the sixteenth row on the left side of the pitch after failing to mend the chair with the dodgy flip seat, we will stop at nothing to get this stadium finished. But it will not come to that, because be Celestia’s sun, I know that in your hearts, you know, the one that’s situated where your kidney should be, you will be strong enough to get this job done! AM I RIGHT?!” “Sir, yes sir!” the Discord clones shouted back. “Well then,” said Discord as he clicked his fingers again and a starting line appeared behind the clones, “when I count to three, I want to see you working harder than you ever done before!” The clones all turned around, their tools in their claws, “One,” they placed their cloven hooves just on the line, “two,” they leaned forward in anticipation, “and… three!” Discord snapped his fingers, and the clones instantly disappeared, so did the labyrinth, and in its place, was a large stadium, made of silver bricks that glistened in the moonlight. “I find motivation always helps to get a job done.” said Discord as he led the party through one of the archways that were carved into the side of the stadium. They walked in silence until Discord led them through another opening which led onto the pitch itself. Their jaws dropped. The inside was enormous; about eight cathedrals could have been fitted in comfortably. The stands rose high into the air, Twilight felt you could have fitted the entirety of Equestria in here, and possible have some room left over. The grass under their hooves was a strong and healthy green, with a large thick white strip painted around the edge, and a large white circle in the middle. But it was the poles that got their attention, made out of pure gold; there were three on either side of the pitch and fifty feet high with a hoop at the top, looking like the sticks that Pinkie Pie used to blow bubbles. “Well, what do you think?” Luna asked. “I honestly don’t want to leave.” said Rainbow Dash in a low and awestruck voice. “The architectural design is simple fabulous!” Rarity giggled. “It’s really impressive, I must admit.” said Twilight, “But I still don’t understand why you called us here.” “Oh, well,” said Luna, still grinning, “the reason for calling you here is because I want you to get yourself acquitted with the pitch before training starts.” “’Training’?” said Twilight; she was beginning to get understand, and she wasn’t liking it. “Oh yes, you will all be playing on this pitch, in two months’ time.” The Mane Six and Spike said nothing, they just stood there, their mouths still hung open. Finally, Twilight said, “Princess Luna, you can’t honestly expect us…” “To say ‘No’ to such an offer!” interrupted Rainbow Dash, her eyes wide with excitement, “When can we start?” “Hold on!” said Twilight, holding her hoof up, in case Rainbow Dash started to lap the pitch, “We are not just jumping into this, this requires a serious meeting and at the end, we’ll take a vote and we will follow the will of the majority.” “Fine.” grumbled Rainbow Dash, then she turned to everypony else, “Anypony who objects to the decision for us to play in this new sport say ‘nay’, nopony? Good, its unanimous.” she said all in one breath. “That’s not how it works!” shouted Twilight. “Now, hold on, Sugarcube,” said Applejack, “Ah admit tha’ all this is sudden, bu’ Ah for one won’ miss an opportunity to partake in a new sport, so Ah wouldn’t mind havin’ a go.” “While, I’m not exactly an athletic type,” said Rarity, “I simply cannot say ‘no’ to a royal decree. Besides, I may get the chance to design our uniforms! “I’ll do it!” said Pinkie, waving her hoof frantically in the air. Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, hoping to get some backing, “Um, I not sure if I’ll be any importance,” the yellow Pegasus said, quietly, “but I don’t want to let anypony down. I suppose I could give it a try.” Twilight just gaped. She couldn’t believe that her friends, her council, had so easily decided on this decision without using the proper method. “Aw come on, Twilight.” said Spike “This could actually be rather fun, so come on, can we do it?” Twilight looked at her friends, then back to Luna. She sighed and said, “Fine. I suppose we’ve decided. But who’s going to be the opposition?” “My team.” said Luna. “WHAT?!” the Mane Six cried out together. “I want to be involved as much as you ponies,” said Luna, “and I must admit, I have managed to make a crack and undefeatable team.”
Chapter 4“Now I’ve just got to make a crack and undefeatable team.” said Luna as she entered her bedroom an hour later. She went over to the desk and pulled out several scrolls of parchment. There was a blinding flash, and Discord materialised in the middle of the room, finding Luna hunched over the desk, scribbling away. “Am I to take it that you don’t exactly have a team yet?” he asked, in a cool and collective voice. “No Discord, I haven’t.” Luna groaned, as she began scribbling out a name that she just written frantically, “Trying to find somepony willing to do anything remotely physical in Canterlot, is like trying to find the lost species of Three Headed Applefish of Baltimare.” “In what way?” “They don’t exist.” Discord conjured up his large throne, and shuffled it up closer to the desk, “Well, then, let’s get brainstorming. Have you considered, possibly, getting the Wonderbolts? I’m sure they would be happy to assist.” “I’m sure they would,” said Luna, “however, they may wish to start their own team should this be a success. No, we shall have to think of somepony else.” Just then, a light bulb appeared over Discord’s head. He then removed it, threw it into his mouth and began to chew it. After he had swallowed it, he said, “You know, I’ve just had a thought. Is your sister still participating?” “No matter how many times she denies, she will be playing.” said Luna, not looking up from the scroll on the desk. “Excellent. Because I have just thought of a strategic plan that could strengthen your chances to win.” said Discord. He shuffled his throne closer to Luna and whispered in her ear. Luna’s eyes widened with interest and gave a rather wicked chuckle at the suggestions Discord was giving her. “Alright girls,” said Twilight the next morning as everypony sat down on their thrones, “since we all ‘unanimously’ agreed to take part in Princess Luna’s little sport, she has kindly sent us a copy of the rules.” Twilight’s horn lit up, and the large map of Equestria that took up the whole of the round table in front of them disappeared. She then levitated a small blue book onto the middle of the table. The rest of the group looked down at the cover, it had written in gold lettering Quidditch Through the Ages and a picture of a golden ball with two long wings coming out of it. Twilight then cast another spell, causing the book to enlarge until it was the size of a Tome. “I think the first thing we must do is familiarise ourselves with the basics.” said Twilight, turning the page to the chapter content. “Does anypony else want to know the history of the sport, because that takes up the first half of this book?” she asked. “No.” said Rainbow Dash. “’fraid not, Sugarcube.” said Applejack. “Not right now, darling.” said Rarity. “Sorry, Twilight.” said Pinkie Pie. “Not exactly.” said Fluttershy. “We can always read it later, Twilight.” said Spike. “Damn.” muttered Twilight. She then used her magic to turn the majority of the pages over, until she landed on page 49. “Right, well apparently, there are seven players on each team. Well, we’ve got that covered. There are three Chasers, Two Beaters one Keeper and one Seeker.” “And what do they do?” asked Rarity. “Well, it says here,” said Twilight on the subject of each individual played, “that the Chasers are responsible for passing something called a ‘Quaffle’ to each other and try to score with it.” Confused, Twilight turned a few pages to find something on Quaffles, “Oh, it’s like a soccer ball that we have to carry. That seems easy to understand. Now the Beaters have to… ‘Guard their team members from the Bludgers, which they do through the aid of bats’.” Twilight turned back to the page on balls, “Which are small black balls that fly around and try to knock players off their brooms.” Twilight looked up from the book and looked at her friends, who all had the same confused expression that she did. “Let’s just carry on, shall we?” she said returning to the book. “The Keeper has the job of defending the goal hoops and has to prevent the other team from scoring with the Quaffle. Well, that’s self-explanatory. And now we have the Seeker, and they have to try and catch something called the Golden Snitch, which ends the game and scores their team an extra 150 points.” “150?!” Rainbow Dash cried out in amazement. “Who came up with these rules?” “I don’t know, but there they are.” said Twilight, “So, now that we know what the players do, I think it’s time we decide who’s going to be which player.” “I don’t think it’s necessary Twilight.” said Rainbow Dash leaning back in her throne, “I could win this game for us easily, just give me the place of Chaser and Seeker and we’ll think about the rest.” “Actually, Rainbow,” said Twilight, “I was hoping that you would play as Beater.” “What?!” Rainbow Dash spluttered. “Actually, I was hoping that both you and Applejack would do it.” Twilight continued, “The Beaters need to be the strongest players on the team, in order to hit those Bludger things.” “Well, tha’s mighty thoughtful of ya, Twilight.” said Applejack. “So, I’m not allowed to actually score, or anything?” said Rainbow Dash, her ears drooping. “I’m afraid not.” said Twilight, “But, the position is still an important one, you’re the ones who have to protect the Chasers, and you do get to try and hit the other team.” “Really?” said Rainbow Dash, looking a little more interested now, “Well, alright then.” “Um, Twilight?” said Fluttershy, raising her hoof, “Could it be possible that I get a position that doesn’t require a lot of physical contact?” “Well, I suppose Fluttershy, you could be our Keeper.” said Twilight, “You have to stay within the scoring range and attacking the Keeper is considered not allowed.” “So, I should be fine then?” asked Fluttershy. When Twilight nodded, she agreed to do it. “So, I guess that leaves me, Rarity and Pinkie Pie to be the Chasers.” said Twilight, a nervous tone to her voice now. She herself was not exactly the quickest when it came to catching things with her hooves, Pinkie would probably be alright, however, she was sure that Rarity had never so much kicked a ball, much less catch one. “Which means…?” said Spike. “Yes.” said Twilight, turning to look at the dragon sitting next to her, “You will have to be the Seeker, Spike. You’re the lightest one out of all of us, and that is a key essential element to being a Seeker.” “Great.” said Spike, but he didn’t sound very confident. The whole chances of them winning was now pushed onto his shoulders, and he knew that he struggled when performing under pressure, after what happened at the Equestria Games. “Right then,” said Twilight, closing the book, “now that we know what roles we are to play in this game, I think tomorrow, we should head up to Canterlot, and get practising on the pitch. We don’t want to look unprofessional.” That evening, Spike stood outside Twilight’s bedroom, wringing his claws together. Eventually, he raised a fist, and knocked on her door. “Come in.” came Twilight’s voice. Spike pushed the door open, and saw Twilight sitting on her bed, reading the Quidditch Through the Ages book. “Ah, Spike,” she said smiling, “I’m just looking at the history of this sport. It is really fascinating, did you know that the ball you have to catch was in fact based on a small yellow bird called a Snidget?” “Wow, that’s… really fascinating.” said Spike. He gave a sigh and walked over to the bed, “Listen Twilight, can we talk about this?” “Of course.” said Twilight, making room on the bed for Spike to sit next to her, “What’s the matter?” “It’s just…” said Spike, as he tried to find the right words to say, “I don’t know whether I can do this.” Twilight looked down at Spike, “What do you mean?” she asked. “I mean,” said Spike, slowly, “I’m not sure that I could play this ‘Seeker’ thing. You saw what I was like at the Equestria Games, I just froze up when I appeared in front of all those ponies. I don’t want that to happen again.” “Oh, Spike.” said Twilight, putting her wing over Spike and pulling him closer towards her, “I didn’t realise that that was still troubling you. I’m sorry, look, if you think that you can’t do this, I’ll understand, I could always find somepony else to do it.” “No, no!” said Spike suddenly, “You don’t have to do that. I still want to be involved, and I’m happy that you chose me to do it, I’m just nervous about letting everypony down again.” “Spike, you can never let me down.” whispered Twilight, giving Spike a hug, “If we lose, we lose. It’s all for fun at the end. Now, run along to bed, I’m gonna write to Sunset and see if whether or not she could give us any advice on this game. This is clearly a sport played over in her dimension.” Spike grinned and jumped off the bed. As he was about to open the door, he heard Twilight’s voice behind him, “Spike, have you seen my communication journal?”
