Twilight Sparkle looked around on the old boat. The moon had finally rose over, and lit up the entire ocean. Twilight was still nervous about all this, she wondered why the grand master chose her to fight, despite the fact she’s spent most of her life away from her homeland.

She remembers when she was orphaned as a child, and was taken in by the Shaolin Monks, to become a fighter. She was trained by a legendary martial arts master, whom she could not remember the name of. Around when she was eighteen she decided to leave the country to start a new life in Canterlot. She would remain there for years until she received a letter from Master Velvet to come to the temple.

And now here she was. On a boat to a tournament to fight for the fate of Equestria. She knows what this tournament is about, but the only thing on her mind right now, who exactly was she going to f-

She was quickly snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a loud slam, and someone groaning. She quickly ran over to the source of the sound to see some of the other fighters watching something. She made her way through the crowd to see Pinkie on the floor with a bruise on her cheek, next to a laughing Adagio Dazzle, who was accompanied by two other fighters.

“C’mon say it!” Adagio shouted. “I’ll be back!”

“That wasn’t my movie!” Pinkie said, angrily picking up her glasses, that were knocked off.

“Get up Pink’! Ya got no stunt doubles to take the pain for ya here!” Adagio said, she and her two friends getting ready for an early fight.

Just then Twilight jumps in between Pinkie and Adagio, facing the latter. “I’d say the movie star is fairly outnumbered!” She said, starting to circle Adagio in a battle ready motion.

Adagio just chuckled. “Oh yeah? What’s a scrawny looking mare, like you gonna do?“ She asked mockingly.

“I am Twilight Sparkle of the Shaolin Monks, and was sent by the Grandmaster Velvet, to fight for the fate of Equestria.” Twilight said proudly.

“So your a stupid peace-giving monk?” Adagio laughed. “I’d like to see you try-”

Adagio was cut off. While she was distracted by Twilight, Pinkie quickly got up on her hind legs and delivered this weird type of kick to Adagio knocking her over, by lifting up her leg and sliding across the floor, with a glowing green tracer coming behind her as she moves.

The other two fighters reacted to this, and attempted to step in to knock Pinkie down. Just then Twilight does some kind of flying kick and kicks one fighter into the other. Adagio angrily got back up, as did the other two fighters.

“I suggest you leave, cyclops.” Twilight said.

Adagio turned to face Pinkie. “Ya got lucky this time, Ms. Applewood. But at the tournament you’re toast!” Adagio said angrily, as she and her companions left the two.

Pinkie then turned to Twilight. “Hey thanks mare. You probably already know who I am, so I won’t bother introducing myself.” She said laughing.

“I know who you are. Your Pinkie Pie the famous action hero. Though I never watched any of your movies” Twilight replied.

“Why’s that?” Pinkie asked sarcastically. “You think I’m a fraud like everypony else?”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“Despite all the cheesy lines I’ve said and commercials I’ve starred in, I’m no pushover.” Pinkie explained. “While I may use my abilities for the camera, there are no special effects or wire work. I’ve been trained by masters around Equestria to fight. And when I win this tournament ponies will finally know the truth.”

Twilight stood there dumbfounded for a bit, but then simply replied. “There’s more to this tournament, than you may think.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the boat a lone fighter is sneaking around.

She’s an aqua-colored pegasus mare, She wore black leggings, with a solid dark blue vest and loincloth over it. She also had black boots on her hind legs and black gauntlets on her forelegs. She also wore a black mask with a mouth cover the same color as her vest, that covered her entire head with only her orange colored eyes being visible. She also had a bright orange and marigold mane coming out of the back of her mask. Most of her body was covered up.

Lightning Dust was sneaking around the cabin of the boat, to see if there was any information about this tournament she was invited to. She remembers how just last month, she had to save equestria from a sorcerer and her master, but as soon as she got back to her temple she was visited by ANOTHER sorcerer to be asked to compete in this tournament. Lightning Dust agreed, but only because she knew only she could assassinate this sorcerer.

“I don’t know what, this sorcerer is planning at?” Lightning Dust whispered. “But it doesn’t matter, she will-”

“Lin Kuei…”

Hearing her clan’s name, in that familiar voice, sent shivers down her spine.

“No…” Lightning Dust whispered. She turned around to face someone she wouldn’t think she’d ever see again.

She wasn’t a pony but, instead a gryphon with no pupils, just pure white eyes. Her outfit was very similar to Lightning’s. She too, wore black leggings and boots on her legs, black gauntlets on her arms, and a black cowl on her head. She also had a vest, loincloth, mouth cover and shin guards but they were yellow instead of blue.

“It…. Can’t be…” Lightning Dust said disbelieved at seeing this other ninja.

“But it is. It’s me Gilda.” Gilda said quietly, her eyes glowing in the night sky. “You killed me!”

“I had no choice!” Lightning Dust shouted, angrily. "I was told-"

“Words will not save you…” Gilda interrupted, getting into a fighting stance. “You will die right now!”

Lightning Dust didn’t want to fight now, but she knew she had no choice, as she stood up on her hind legs, ready to fight.

Gilda then dashed towards Lightning Dust with her fist in the air, ready to strike. Lightning Dust dodged the incoming punch and countered it with a swift kick to the gut. Gilda pulled back clutching her stomach in pain, as Lightning readied to strike with her own fist. Gilda suddenly disappeared in a flash of fire and reappeared behind Lightning Dust.

“What the?” Lightning Dust was caught off-guard, and received a punch in the back of the head so hard it knocked her down onto the lower part of the boat.

Lightning Dust landed just a few hooves away from where Pinkie and Twilight were talking, her impact causing the two to run towards where the commotion was coming from. As soon as the two caught to the spot, Lightning Dust had already gotten up, rubbing her head in pain.

Lightning Dust turned around to see the other two fighters starring at her in confusion.

“What’s up.” Lightning Dust said, casually.

Just then Gilda, appears right between Lightning Dust, and the other two fighters in a flash of fire, facing the blue ninja.

Gilda proceed to throw punches and kicks at Lightning Dust, she managed to dodge all of them and did a backflip to make to make some distance. She landed on her back legs and then put her fore hoofs together to produce some kind of glowing blue orb, that she soon shot out of both her hooves. It seemed to be some kind of ice-based projectile, and it was heading straight for Gilda.

Gilda simply did a front flip over the projectile towards Lightning Dust, as Pinkie and Twilight jumped down to avoid it also. The projectile hit the mast, and part of it was frozen completely.

Gilda lifted up her leg in midair, ready to kick Lightning Dust in the face. To Gilda it was happening quickly, while to Lightning it was happening slowly.

Just before Gilda’s foot made contact with Lightning Dust’s face, a bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky, (despite there not being a cloud in the sky) and landed right in between the two warriors, knocking them both back.

All four fighters recoiled in the flash of light that appeared before them, and when they looked back a new pony was standing in their way.

This new mare, was a white unicorn, although she looks genuinely taller than most other unicorns. She wore a white karate outfit, with a black belt and white boots on her hind legs. She also wore an asian conical hat over her long pink mane.

Twilight, and Lightning got up and eyed the new warrior recognizing her, while Pinkie just stood there dumbfounded.

The new mare lifted her head up, revealing her solid glowing blue-ish white eyes, no pupils.

“Celestia!” Twilight shouted recognizing this creature.

“Cel-who?” Pinkie asked confused, only to be shot down by Celestia’s powerful stare, her large scale towering over the movie star.

She then turns her attention towards the two ninjas. “That’s enough you two, it is against the rules to engage in kombat, before the tournament.” Celestia states, her expression never changing. “Try anymore and Equestria will be disqualified, and Outworld will win the tenth tournament.”

Celestia then teleports away in another flash of lightning. Leaving the gryphon and three ponies standing there.

Gilda turns towards Lightning Dust. “At the tournament you DIE!” She said, before teleporting away. After Lightning Dust left the two mares, Pinkie turned to Twilight

“W-who was that… Giant mare?” Pinkie asked Twilight, confused and also somewhat scared.

“She is Princess Celestia.” Twilight replied. “And she’s the god of thunder.”

Author's Note

So we almost met all of our main characters.

Quick note: The two fighters accompanying Adagio are NOT Aria or Sonata