Winter Solstice

Chapters

Beginnings
The Announcement
Machinations in the Moonlight
Cold Grey Dawn
Round 1
Levitation Finals
The Way of the Sword
The Final Morning
The Tournament Begins

Beginnings

Princess Luna cried out as an explosion lifted her off her feet, sending her hurtling into a tree. She struggled weakly in her prone position, wincing in pain.

The full moon shone overhead, the symbol of her power, she bitterly thought to herself. How had she let it come to this? bested this easily, and by her? A shadow fell over her; she glared up at her assailant - nopony had beaten her like this, not even the Elements’ new wielders when she was Nightmare Moon.

“Give her to me, Luna, and I will destroy you myself. It might even be painless. Would you rather I made your sister do it?”

“You can’t have her!” Luna replied snarling, sending a bolt of blue smoke at the other mare. With a slight chuckle, the figure sent a small tendril of red light. It quickly dissipated the attack and curled forward to wrap around the Princess’ horn.

Luna screamed, her back arching as the magic shot through her alicorn frame. She fell limp, her wing tips singed, eyes shut as the unicorn’s magic wormed its way into her mind.

“I’m afraid it is you who are wrong,” The attacker smirked, chuckling again. “My dear Nightmare Moon”

Several days prior...

Mysteria and Twilight shared a smile as their carriage pulled into Canterlot. The city was bustling despite the cold as countless unicorns made their way to the palace. Snowflakes swirled around them, highlighting the designs and styles of the ponies of Equestria. This event attracted them from all over the kingdom and nopony could miss such a gathering.

“Why have the festival now, Twilight?” Mysteria asked her teacher curiously, shivering despite herself.

The purple unicorn smiled, looking over at the well dressed unicorns from Manehatten. As usual they had tried to outdo the others and were bedecked in silks and gems.

“Celestia arranged it so that the annual celebration and meeting for magic would occur during the longest night of the year. This was to bring magic firmly under the authority of her sister, as Princess Celestia handles most of the normal day to day affairs. Since Luna is back among us, we should see her as the guest of honour.”

Her student nodded in comprehension and looked around for other fillies her age. Sighing, she noticed that they all proudly displayed cutie marks. Their dresses and suits shaped elegantly to show their stars, tomes, comets and more.

“Do you think I could get my cutie mark finding out about magic here?” She asked eagerly bouncing forward.

Twilight turned to her pupil who was busily skipping along with her eyes shut. She was reminded strongly of the three young fillies back in Ponyville, desperately searching for their own cutie marks.

“Are you by any chance one of the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, Mysteria?” she asked archly, raising her eyebrow.

“I sure am. They invited me to join when I first came to Ponyville.” She told her teacher, missing the facehoof that followed her statement. “They made me promise to try as many subjects as possible in case they’re my special talent.”

Twilight forced a smile. “Well, that’s certainly one way to go about choosing lectures.”

“Which one’s are you going to?” The grey unicorn asked frowning in consternation.

“Hmm, Oh let me see.” Twilight rummaged through her satchel, removing a checklist. “Individual Magic Effect discussion, Elements of Harmony, Discord, Inheritance Lines, and Magical Containment.”

They stopped in a crowd outside the main gates, Mysteria turned to face the purple unicorn.

“You sure are being specific Twilight, are you sure you don’t want to be more open minded?”

For a moment, she thought she saw a flash of concern cross her teacher’s face, but it was soon replaced with a smile.

“Don’t worry, we’ll see each other at the large meetings and at mealtimes.”

Reassured and with a final nod to Twilight, Mysteria headed towards her first lecture, a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

Twilight watched her go - she knew she shouldn’t be concerned, but she had planned tthe solstice following her report to the princess last month.

Dear Princess Celestia, she had written, on one of the rare times when Mysteria was out of the library. When Mysteria first came here, she had not yet developed her powers to a usable stage. As we know, developing past this point can be explosive or unpredictable, but my main cause of concern was that it was unique in her case. She lashed out with an unexpected degree of power and control, mortally wounding three Timberwolves.

This was followed by a form of possession or submission to instincts which was totally out of character in nature. This state was only alleviated by the intervention of your sister who was able to calm Mysteria.

I shall be investigating this matter further at the Winter Solstice but i felt it best to inform you should you wish to take any steps.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Shaking her head, she brushed aside her concerns, determined to find out what had occurred.

Mysteria quickly joined the throng headed towards astronomy. The normally empty hallways of Canterlot castle were now filled, voices echoing through the tall hallways, reaching an excited crescendo as the doors ahead opened.

“Welcome, Fillies and Gentlecolts, to the first lecture on astronomy. Today we look at the connection between our princesses and their respective celestial bodies, as referenced in the Astronomical Astronomers Almanack to all things Astronomy.

Shaking her head in confusion at the book name, Mysteria followed the crowd into the lecture hall. Benches rose up around a blackboard where a grey colt with a clean white mane, wearing a light taupe sweater stood poised to begin.

She settled down and took out of her saddlebag a notepad and pen. Effortlessly, she levitated her quill and notebook. She grinned ruefully as she remembered the difficulty she used to have before moving to Ponyville - back then it had been difficult to shakily lift a quill, let alone levitate multiple objects, all whilst concentrating on a lecture.

Smiling, she turned to back to the professor, who was surprisingly an earth pony. Oh well, she thought,he can be knowledgeable about a subject and still not have magic . The colt lifted up a piece of chalk and quickly began sketching a diagram involving planets and stars.

“Since their appearance, the celestial bodies of the moon and the sun have been connected to the alicorn Princesses Luna and Celestia. Their unique capability to move the sun and moon without external aid allowed them to develop a closer bond to the heavenly spheres, accounting for their cutie marks and distinct manes. It is also known that not all Alicorns can form such a bond, as is apparent from Princess Cadence. Now, as referenced in the official text, certain celestial constellations are suggested to be conduits for celestial power, which aid in the movement of the sun and moon. Some theorise, however, they may the unique interstellar movements of unknown third party....”

Mysteria yawned, covering her mouth with her hoof to quiet the sound, and continued to take notes. The lecture dragged on for another hour, and though she was sure it could be interesting, the delivery bored her, and it all felt achingly familiar.

She looked at her notes and gasped - focused on the lecture in a daze of boredom, her notes had cut off and below, a diagram depicting the moon and four stars surrounding it had taken its place. On closer examination, the stars were the ends of a single constellation, curving down and around the moon. As she looked at her work, she became aware of another observer. Hurriedly, she shut the notebook and stuffed it into her bag, before wheeling around to glare at the dark blue unicorn staring curiously at her.

He jumped back, a slightly guilty look on his face.

“Sorry about that, I just thought it looked interesting.” He stammered, blushing slightly under her stare. She took a small triumph in his discomfort - she had practiced that stare with Fluttershy and the other crusaders for days.

“I don’t like other ponies sneaking up on me.” She told him icily, her magenta eyes locked on his soft yellow ones.

He gulped but held her stare.

“I was going to tell you that you have excellent drawing skills, and seem to have an interesting take on some of the theories suggested.” He said, all in a rush, breaking eye contact and shuffling his hooves.

Mysteria was taken aback, suddenly feeling very silly.

“Oh, I’m sorry I was so short with you.” She apologised, slowly walking towards the door, “It’s just that I was a little annoyed that I fell asleep, and didn’t get my cutie mark.”

The stallion smiled kindly, keeping pace with her as she left the empty lecture hall and headed towards the grand meeting.

“I know what you mean,” He told her, “I still don’t have a cutie mark, and this is the third Winter Solstice I’ve been to.”

She raised her eyebrows but didn't comment, instead telling him about her friends back in Ponyville and the stunts that they pulled in order to try and get their cutie marks. He was laughing about one of their escapades she had described, as they arrived at the great hall.

“If you’re staying for the entire solstice, I’ll probably run into you again.” he said as Mysteria looked around for her teacher.

Her face perked up and she turned to him.

“Which lectures are you going to?” she asked, eagerly taking her carefully prepared schedule out of her bag. He nodded enthusiastically as they began comparing timetables.

From the other side of the hall, Twilight watched the exchange with beady eyes - Mysteria was being too open with that stranger and she didn’t like it. She thought about the lecture she had just attended and began to prepare a simple spell aimed at the blue unicorn.

“Well I suppose I’ll see you at dinner then,” he told Mysteria as they put their things away. He started to go then turned back to her, shaking his head ruefully. “You know, I think I forgot to introduce myself.” he cleared his throat.

“My name is Gently Star, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. May I inquire as to your name, fair mare?”

She giggled at his overacting, and haughtily responded.

“Mysteria of Ponyville, student of Twilight Sparkle and Cutie Mark Crusader.”

They both kept straight faces for a moment before breaking into giggles again.

Mysteria waved goodbye and skipped away to find her teacher - she needed to tell her about the lecture and her new friend.

As Twilight saw her student approaching, she reluctantly stopped casting the spell, raising her hoof so her student could find her. Soon, she promised to herself.

Gently watched her leave, his smile quickly disappearing as he scowled up at the ceiling.

“No” he whispered, “I can’t do it now.”

He screamed silently, his body lifting off the ground as all his limbs snapped out suddenly. Then as quickly as he had been lifted, he dropped, slumping on the ground.

He looked up again at the grey unicorn through a haze of pain, and his eyes flashed from yellow, to red.

The Announcement

The great hall of Canterlot Castle had been completely redecorated for the occasion. Deep purple banners hung from the rafters over the assembled unicorns, whose horns rose in silent salute as the Princess of the Night ascended the stage.

“Welcome everypony, to the one thousand and eleventh Winter Solstice. We are delighted that so many of you could attend - we are sure you will find this an important and entertaining event.”

She stopped there for a second for as the audience broke out in a round of applause.

“We have decided to bring back an old tradition from the times before the rise of Nightmare Moon.” She paused for dramatic effect, her voice to rising to a crescendo as she continued. “WE HAVE DECREED THAT THE CELESTIAL TOURNAMENT SHALL BE HELD AGAIN DURING THE WINTER SOLSTICE.”

The audience broke out into applause, excited conversation beginning at once to fill the hall. Mysteria turned to Twilight, a slightly curious expression on her face.

“What is the Celestial Tournament, Twilight?”

Twilight thought for a second, then, shutting her eyes, slowly responded.

“I think it was an ancient pony event where ponies would compete in magical and mental events to see who would be that year’s successor.”

“Successor?”

“If something ever happened to Luna or Celestia, and the other was unable to lift the sun or moon, the successor would take their place. Obviously, this undermined their authority, and so the tournament was abolished. There were reports that the last tournaments became increasingly dangerous due to a recurring victor, but that is probably a myth.”

Mysteria nodded and looked around again at the assembly again - it was clear from the topic of conversation that nopony else knew what the tournament was. Theories ranged from near the truth to outlandish.

“The first contest will begin tomorrow morning after breakfast - details of the contest as well as a scoreboard will now be set up.” Luna continued, her voice cutting through the hubbub even without rising to its imperious volume. She ascended into the air, and then vanished in a flash of dark blue light.

Within short time tables were laid out, piled high with dishes of food for the hungry ponies. As Twilight and Mysteria enjoyed some iced tea and biscuits, the conversation turned to their mornings so far.

“The lecture was ok, but then I met this really nice stallion who was looking at my drawing and we got to talking...”

“Hold on a second, Mysteria,” Twilight interjected, holding up her hoof, “Why were you drawing, instead of taking notes in a lecture?”

Mysteria turned away, embarrassed.

“I guess I was just doodling subconsciously.”

Twilight sighed heavily, but let her student continue.

“It turns out we’re going to a lot of the same lectures, so we will probably help each other with our notes. We’ll also try to help each other get our cutie marks.”

Mysteria’s happiness was infectious and Twilight smiled despite her reservations. They ate the rest of their food in a contemplative silence before Mysteria asked Twilight another question:

“Will you enter the tournament?”

“Nope” she replied, barely turning away from her meal.

“Why not?”

“I have no desire to compete against all these ponies - it accomplishes nothing. Anyway, I am Princess Celestia’s student, I don’t need more than that.”

“What about you, Gently?”

“Definitely, perhaps we could do team contests.” A voice replied from next to Twilight. She yelped and jumped backwards, spilling her tea.

The blue unicorn raised an eyebrow and smiled softly.

“Do I have the honour of addressing Twilight Sparkle?” He asked her politely walking over to stand next to Mysteria.

“Yes you do” She brusquely responded, cleaning up the mess. “You’re Mysteria’s new friend aren't you?”

“Indeed I am, there was a little misunderstanding, so I felt it proper to get to know her better. She really is a very special pony.”

Mysteria blushed deeply at the compliment, and turned to Twilight, her eyes pleading. Understanding, her teacher smiled cordially at the stallion. She knew she was feeling over-protective about Mysteria, but she had developed an attachment for the younger mare. Slyly, she asked this new ‘friend’ a tricky question.

“So you plan to enter the tournament - do you know what the contest involves?”

She took a small triumph in his confusion before being astounded as he calmly responded.

“Well, I know I will enter the levitation contest at level three, as I can manage multiple light objects or several heavy ones with ease. I was thinking of applying for creative transformation as I take great inspiration from the ancient art styles. I will also obviously enter the duelling.”

His announcement attracted the attention of surrounding ponies - one curiously asked:

“Duelling?”

He nodded solemnly, yet his yellow eyes twinkled with enthusiasm.

“As some of us saw during the changeling invasion, unicorns are more than capable of using their magic aggressively. The competition is generally until one combatant concedes or is forced unconscious, except...”

“Sometimes ponies would die.” Twilight finished smugly stilling the excitable crowd who edgily turned back to their own conversations.

Mysteria turned to the blue unicorn, concern etched on her face.

“Are you sure you still want to duel, Gently?”

He laughed and ruffled her hair a bit.

“Relax Mysteria, that was hundreds of years ago. These duels will be perfectly safe - I’ll be fine.”

She smiled at him nervously, her concern only abated.

Twilight watched as her pupil left with the stallion. Something about him put her on edge. She was desperate to try that revealing spell she had learnt earlier, but hadn’t found the time.

“Twilight Sparkle?” A voice asked reservedly from behind her. The purple unicorn immediately recognised the voice she had heard, and turned, beaming at the Alicorn.

“Princess Luna” She bowed low, touching her horn to the ground, the ultimate sign of respect.

“Please Twilight,” Luna said holding up her hoof, “Such deference is not expected in this age. We request you come with us to see your teacher.”

“Princess Celestia? Am I late for an assignment? Is she angry that I haven’t been to see her yet?”The unicorn exclaimed in a sudden panic, frantically going through her notes for a message that wasn’t there.

“My sister decided to see you not five minutes ago.” Luna told Twilight, smiling, “Come, we are keeping her waiting.”

They strode away from the meeting, drawing many envious looks from the social-climbing ponies. Luna took Twilight up to the observation tower, where the princesses observed and protected the realm. The glorious alicorn Celestia stood resplendent on the battlements, against the setting sun.

“Ah, my dear student, Twilight Sparkle.” She began, as the two of them nuzzled each other. “It has been far too long since we have spoken outside the confines of a social event.”

Twilight opened her mouth to interject, but Luna cut in.

“If I may take me leave, I must go see to my duties.”

Celestia nodded, closing her eyes as her horn began to glow.

“Of course, though you should return afterwards as we have matters to discuss. The blue alicorn nodded seriously and ascended the sky surrounding herself in a nimbus of magic as day began the transformation to night.

Celestia turned to her student - though she spoke with eyes filled with compassion, her tone was serious.

“Twilight you must enter the duelling competition in the Celestial Tournament. It is imperative that you win the title of successor this year.”

Twilight gasped at her mentor, barely forming enough coherent thought to stammer a reply.

“M...Me, your highness?”

Celestia nodded and walked over to the battlements, now dark as the moon had not yet risen.

“There is danger in Canterlot. I have sensed malevolent presences at work, yet do not know who they are, or what they plan. I am weakest at this time of year, and we need a champion to defend the ponies of Equestria.”

“But I can never be as powerful as you or Princess Luna” Twilight protested, shaking at the prospect of being a champion of Equestria.

Celestia merely shook her head before responding.

“The successor is granted power to elevate them to the power levels of a minor alicorn in addition to their own power.”

She walked forwards until she stood directly in front of her student.

“You have always been destined for this role, Twilight. We only brought the event back because we knew you could win it, so wouldn’t have to grant power to someone we couldn’t trust.”

Twilight frowned in concentration as she digested this latest information.

“Why not just give me the power in the first place, if you were so worried about someone else subverting it?”

Celestia frowned as she answered.

“The tournament is the second part of the ritual that grants these powers. First, the potential successors must be prepared. This involves being marked with the symbol of the element of magic. Until the sigil fades, the unicorn will be imbued with extra magical energy. By defeating the other competitors, they absorb the gifted magic granted, and when all the energy is melded in one pony, they are strong enough to ascend.”

“Ascend?”

“When one reaches the stage at which they can be considered minor alicorns. This third stage is automatic, and like the rest of the ritual, we have no control over this ascension. That is why we had to be sure - once someone has entered the tournament, neither Luna nor myself can prevent the culmination of this ancient spell.”

Twilight hung her head as emotions raged inside her.

“Why go to all the effort of making me a champion, though?” she suddenly shouted at Celestia, her frustration too great to contain. “If I win I would gladly give you the power, I don’t want to be a champion.”

She stared ferociously at her teacher breathing heavily. Celestia turned away ashamed.

“My dear student, I know how much you hate these circumstances. However, at this time of year, even if you passed the power on to me, I could not contain it within me. It would simply dissipate back into the Elements.”

Twilight closed her eyes, understanding of the situation now clear.

“I don’t want to do it, but...Yes I shall fight as your champion.”

Celestia smiled warmly, and nuzzled her student again.

“I know this is difficult for you, and I feel terrible about putting you in this situation, but the fate of Equestria could be at stake. Thank you, Twilight. I have great faith in you

Machinations in the Moonlight

Luna landed in the clearing, her eyes white with magic, her horn crackling with energy. The full moon lit the clearing brightly, and yet the far side was cloaked in impenetrable shadow.

“You can’t hide from me, Umbra.” she shouted. “I won’t let you hurt the ponies I care about - not this time.”

A sinister chuckle emanated from before her, and the voice that had tormented her every moment as Nightmare Moon spoke:

“Very well. As I said before, all I want is the foal.”

With those words, an alicorn stepped forward. She was pitch black save for her eyes, which were a deep red. As she spread her wings, Luna saw that they were not feathered, but instead arrays of spiked bone. The grass around her hooves withered and died, while snaking tendrils of shadow poured constantly from her back.

“How did you escape?” Luna snarled as she saw her old foe once again.

“The same way dear Discord did. My prison became weakened without renewal from the Elements of Harmony, and I was able to break free.”

Luna raised her horn skyward. A bolt of lightning speared down from the heavens, creating a funnel of storms centered around the Princess.

“My answer has not changed, Umbra - I am not your pawn anymore.”

Luna lowered her head as if to charge, releasing the storms in a concentrated burst at her opponent. The swirling clouds and lightning shot towards the mare, who watched it approaching without blinking.

It barreled into her, and she disappeared from view, lost in the center of the powerful malestrom.

Luna gasped - that spell had been powerful enough to destroy anything in Equestria. Even at the height of her power, it was difficult to use.

Peering closer, her eyes went wide with shock: the storm cloud had cleared, revealing an unarmed Umbra.

“Is that all you can offer, Nightmare Moon?” The black mare asked her quietly. Luna hissed, preparing to cast another spell.

“I am Luna, no one else!”

Umbra snorted derisively and a flash of red light filled the clearing. Luna glanced down to see the glow seeping up through cracks in the ground below her. Before she had time to cry out, the ground she stood on exploded, sending her flying back into a tree where she slid to the ground.

“Is that all there is? No challenge, no resistance?” The black mare asked herself as she walked towards her prone opponent.

Alone in the Canterlot gardens, Mysteria and Gently ambled over to the grass and lay down. Side by side, they stared up at the moonless sky.

“So many stars tonight.” Mysteria whispered. She wondered why she was feeling serious all of a sudden. Generally, her new friend made her feel relaxed - she had spent most of her time with him, laughing herself silly.

“Can I ask you something?” Gently asked her suddenly, focusing on the sky.

“Sure” she replied. She picked a blade of grass and began chewing on it subconsciously as she enjoyed the quiet of the night.

“Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were terrified to act - terrified to tell somepony something?

She rolled over onto her side so that she was facing him. He turned as well.

“Yes.” She told him simply. She still struggled with the memories of her first few days with Twilight.

“But you found it hard to tell them, because you didn’t want to upset them or be rejected?”

“Well...” she struggled to find the right words, nodding instead.

He sighed heavily.

“Sweet Celestia, what have I got myself into here?”

“Something nice, I hope. You should never be afraid to tell someone what you feel - most of the time they don’t know and are unaware of what you think.” She said, smiling at him.

He looked at her and smiled in return.

“Now, tell me about the constellations in the sky”

She rolled so she was on her back again, and with a quick grin, Gently followed her lead.
He shuffled himself closer so he could show her more accurately, and began.

“Well if you look right there.”

“Where?”

He took her hoof and raised it up to point at the night.

“There.”

“Thanks.”

“That’s the constellation of Canis Major.”

“Oh right, I always wondered what that was.”

He gazed at her in the starlight. She was utterly relaxed, completely comfortable in his presence. Without thinking, without considering the plan, he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

She gasped in surprise, but did not pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes as a strange tingling sensation shot through her, sparked by this surprising intimacy.

Finally, he broke away, searching her face for a reaction. Eventually, she opened her eyes, staring at him.

“I guess you want to be more than just friends, then?”

He nodded, smiling at her.

She turned back on her side towards him.

“Perhaps you could be my very special somepony?”

They both smiled, Mysteria giggling and moved forward, and kissed again.

Twilight entered her apartments in the palace, yawning slightly - it had been a long day, and she had spent most of it worrying about her student.

Speaking of which, she thought.

“Mysteria? Mysteria, are you still awake?” she called.

Hearing no response, she scolded herself silently: of course the filly was asleep - she was probably tired after today’s exertions.

She padded her way over to the adjoining room to make sure her student was sleeping soundly. As she entered the room, all tiredness left her: Mysteria was not in her bed.

“Where could that foolish filly be?”

She thought back, then it clicked. She had seen Mysteria and Gently headed towards the gardens. She had been so distracted by her student’s question that she had barely registered it.

Rearing up, she began galloping back towards the gardens. That mare was in for it tonight.

Arriving at the gardens, she looked around quickly. What she saw shocked her: the two ponies were lying together under the stars, enjoying an intimate kiss. She felt the rage build inside her, her horn sparking. She moved forwards, and forcefully lifted them off the ground, into the air. They yelped in surprise as she brought them towards her, their bodies illuminated by her purple magic.

“What in Celestia’s name are you doing?” she asked her student in a dangerously calm voice. The grey unicorn gulped and searched for words under the piercing stare.

“Well you see it was...”

“It was my fault, Twilight” Gently overrode her, firmly making eye contact with the enraged purple unicorn.

Her eyes narrowed and he began to feel constricted, as if he was being crushed.

“You think you can bedazzle my student with your false kindness and have your way with her? You think I will allow that?” Twilight yelled at him, each question punctuated by a flash of light which left angry black and green bruises on him.

“You think I didn’t see what you were doing? Didn’t think I worked it out? I know you don’t care for her, and now I’m going to protect her like I should have done from the beginning”

With that she shook her head, sending his slumped form smashing into the garden’s plant life. She turned to Mysteria, her eyes still burning with hatred.

“As for you. You have a lot to think about.” She then unceremoniously dropped the mare and wheeled around. “Follow.” she commanded, striding away.

Mysteria picked herself up, then turned towards Gently, who had extracted himself from the thorn bush. He closed his eyes, and shook his head. She nodded back, feeling a tear pool in her eye before trickling down her face. She slowly left, her head down, shuffling after her teacher.

Gently picked the thorns out of his flank as he watched the mares leave and inspected this bruises.

That unicorn hit hard, he thought, wincing as he prodded at one. He hoped Mysteria would be all right - she looked devastated at her teacher’s reaction.

Sighing, he began to make his way to the castle, then suddenly stopped. The hairs on his head stood on end and a dark mist crept around his legs.

“Umbra” he spat with contempt.

“It has been too long, Gently. Tell me, how goes our wonderful plan?” A voice answered from behind, it’s deep velvet texture at odds with the searing pain through his body as she spoke.

“Great,” he muttered. “Aside from an unexpected event, it is proceeding as planned.”

The black alicorn drew level with his walk and hissed.

“What happened, Gently? We can’t be found out yet - If the elements are mustered, I could be defeated.”

He turned to her, his eyes flaming with rage.

“Would that be so bad? Wouldn’t Equestria be better if you were gone, better if you were dead?”

She laughed at his anger.

“My dear, If you weren’t so useful, I would kill you for such insolence. As it is, you may amuse me more.” She cocked her head to one side, sniffing slightly. “Aha, you truly care for that mare, don’t you?”

She broke out into laughter again as he started walking away.

“Utterly priceless. My pawn, fallen for the very pony he was supposed to seduce.”

“Twilight found us.” He interjected causing the mare to hiss, her eyes flashing red.

“You fool!”

She rounded on him, pushing him easily down to the ground. Her hoof jammed down on his throat - he gasped for breath, his eyes rolling back into his head as he began to fall unconscious.

She gave a disgusted snort and released him, leaving him panting on the ground.

“No matter, she can still be turned, but now your task is harder. Continue to get close to her but do it secretly. Nightmare Moon shall deal with our nosy teacher.”

She vanished as quickly as she had come. He hit his head in frustration, coming back to the issue which had been haunting him for the last two days. He had to be free of Umbra’s plot, but how could he tell Twilight or Mysteria now?

Cold Grey Dawn

The cold grey light of dawn washed over Canterlot, hazy light sluggishly illuminated its towers. Mysteria woke, feeling both happiness and pain as she remembered the night before.

“Gently” she whispered joyfully to herself, hugging a pillow to her chest. She could scarcely believe that she had a very special somepony. I can't wait to tell the other crusaders, she thought.

Twilight watched her oblivious student from the doorway, in frustration. What would it take to cure her of this infernal infatuation? Eventually, she decided to leave the young filly to her daydreams, deciding instead to make her way to breakfast. As she left, she smiled to herself - she could also use the time to lay down the law with Gently.

She strode down to the great hall with determination, but was stopped at the base of the tower. Before her were two of Princess Celestia’s guards. Resplendent in their uniform white coats and gleaming golden armour, they struck imposing figures as they stood, wings crossed, in front of her, their faces blank.

“You must come with us, Twilight Sparkle.” The one on the left told her firmly. Though his tone and stature were firm, his eyes betrayed a flash of fear.

She nodded slowly, instantly realising there was a problem, and followed them up to the observation tower. When she saw inside, she pushed past them to her mentor’s side. Celestia lay sprawled on the balcony, her limbs splayed at odd angles, and her breath coming in pants.

“What happened, Celestia?” Twilight cried, as she bent down over her master. The white alicorn smiled weakly at her student, her normally vibrant mane dull and lifeless on the floor.

“I’m fine, Twilight.” she said quietly between gasps of breath. The purple unicorn shook her head in disbelief, examining her teacher for a wound or symptom. She seemed unharmed and healthy, yet terribly exhausted.

The sun finally broke through the clinging tendrils of fog in earnest. As its light shone down, the princess changed. She stood up, her limbs and wings becoming strong and supple, her now lustrous coat billowing magnificently behind her.

“As I said, my dear student, I’m fine.” Celestia calmly told the slack jawed pony.

Twilight hurriedly closed her mouth, moving forward to stand next to her teacher to watch Canterlot welcome the sun.

“Why did it take so much effort to raise the sun this morning?” she asked, guessing the cause for the princess’ earlier state.

“Tell me, how much do you know about the time after we defeated Discord, before Luna’s exile?” Celestia responded, her gaze distant as she stared at the dawn. Twilight thought a little before responding. Ancient history was not her forte.

“I know, that you and Luna drafted up the laws that all ponies should live by. I also know you established Canterlot as the seat of your power. You made treaties with the dragons over territory, and of course took responsibility for the cycle of day and night.”

“That is all mostly true and correct.” Celestia agreed nodding her head slowly, “But it was not just me and my sister during that period. We were assisted, at first, by a third alicorn who had powerful control over magic. Her name was Umbra and she served as a mediator between myself and my sister. For though we were joined in blood and rule, we were not yet mature enough to work together, as we represented opposites in mindset.”

Twilight stood silent as her teacher dictated this to her. She had never heard of this Umbra pony, and found the notion of the two princesses squabbling ridiculous.

“Eventually it came to our attention that Umbra was tricking us into investing our power in ways she could use, The Celestial Tournament being one example. She wanted to gain enough of our power to surpass us both. We confronted her with this treachery, and since she was not as powerful as our combined might, wielding the Elements of Harmony, she fled. She returned in the night, catching my dear sister off guard, and used her powerful sorcery to warp Luna into Nightmare Moon. I was able to use the Elements of Harmony to trap my sister in the moon, and Umbra in the depths of a black hole.”

“But why tell me this?” Twilight interjected, her curiosity peaked.

“I fear that Umbra is manipulating certain ponies in Canterlot to conspire against me.” Celestia answered darkly.

Twilight gasped - such mental control was forbidden by the core tenets of Equestrian society, and to use it to try and bring down Celestia was treason.

“But how can she control them from within a black hole?” Twilight asked. “You don’t think she’s escaped, do you?”

“Impossible. Though the prison may have weakened over time, it is still strong enough to contain her physical form. She may be able to project her magic out, though.

“What can I do to help, Princess?” came the anxious response, the purple unicorn gazing fearfully at the starry dawn.

The Alicorn smiled benevolently at her student - so eager to please, regardless of thought for herself. She could have easily been the Element of Generosity, Celestia mused before responding.

“My faithful student. The best way for you to help is to become my champion - then you will have the power to protect those you care for.”
Twilight nodded, smiling. However, her expression had Celestia taken aback - where she normally saw kindness or logical thinking, she now saw cold righteous anger.

Mysteria skipped down the stairs. Despite the anger of her teacher, and the danger of being caught, she could not contain her feelings of elation as she considered having a relationship with a stallion.

Her eyes quickly scanned the hall as entered. She looked for that dark blue coat, or a flash of his yellow eyes. A flash of blue in the corner of her eyes notified her of his entrance and turning, their gazes met. Her heart soared in her chest, its beat increasing, and she smiled shyly over at him. He smiled back, but put his hoof to his lips and shook his head. Understanding, she looked away and walked over to her table in a nonchalant manner.

She had been happily making her way through the spread for several minutes before Twilight joined her. The silence became oppressive and Mysteria ate faster so she could join Gently outside. The thought of last night in the gardens was enough to send a tingle through her and she stretched herself happily. This drew an arch look, and clearing her throat Twilight began to speak, though she did so without making eye contact.

“Mysteria, in the light of day, I can understand what you did, but I do believe that spending more time with Gently is a bad idea. You are therefore forbidden to talk to him for the rest of the solstice.”

The grey pony looked at her teacher incredulously and, seeing she had made up her mind, felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

“Why do you think I should stay away from him?” she asked after a moment, struggling to keep her voice under control.

“He is obviously seducing you, and causing you to behave erratically. This is a common symptom of love, or in this case,” and here Twilight looked disdainfully at her student, “youthful lust.”

Mysteria’s eyes narrowed, and she found herself yelling, tears streaming down her face.

“What do you know about love, or having a relationship with another stallion? You lock yourself away from anypony else all day, and still feel as if you have the right to tell me how to live my life? Gently is a far better pony than you, and he truly cares for me.”

The entire hall had gone silent by this point - all eyes were on the two of them. Mysteria took a breath. Then, in a much calmer voice, completely devoid of emotion or compassion finished:

“I doubt you could even care for me at all.”

Then, setting her plate down with a resounding clatter, walked calmly out of the silent room, leaving Twilight, alone and embarrassed, at the table.

Conversations began again in hushed tones, and after a short while she looked up to see Gently standing opposite her.

“What do you want?” she asked her voice resigned and weary.

“I need to apologise for my forward behaviour last night. As you are Mysteria’s guardian, it was improper for me to begin courting her without your permission. Right now, I can see that such permission is unlikely. I ask, nay I beg.” he said, bowing his head to the ground before her.
“Please allow me to continue to share her company. I promise on my honour as a Star that I shall not make further advances without your blessing.”

She sat silently, evaluating this stallion. His concern and emotion seemed genuine, but what really struck a cord in Twilight was the worry in his eyes, the desire to protect, from his stance.

She nodded her head, coming to a decision.

“I may have been overly hasty. Though you acted in an improper manner, you are an honourable stallion. I do not grant you the right to court Mysteria, but you may speak with her.”

He took her hoof and kissed it in gratitude.

“Thank you. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.”

With a last joyful look, he galloped off after her student. He had made up his mind - despite the risk and the danger, he would protect her.

Round 1

Screaming silently in frustration, Mysteria slammed her bedroom door shut. She threw herself down on the bed, quickly burying her head in the pillow. Her frame shook as she sobbed, her tears staining the sheets.

How could Twilight treat her this way?, she asked herself angrily. She was young and inexperienced, but such matters were for her to decide, weren’t they?

As she began questioning her argument, her sobs subsided and she was able to logically what had just occurred. Looking back, she winced, realising that she had handled the situation in the hall rather badly. Hissing through her teeth, she facehoofed, scolding herself aloud.

“Stupid Mysteria! If you had kept your cool and calmly explained your feelings, she might have listened to you - maybe even changed her mind. Now you’ve just reinforced her point.”

Just then there was a slight rap on the door. She braced herself for an earbashing, and hesitantly answered.

“Come in.”

The door opened a crack, and the most wonderfully familiar voice danced through the air to her.

“Well, I would, but it would be terribly scandalous for two young ponies to be unsupervised in a filly's bedchamber.”

Beaming, she leapt off the bed, recent sadness evaporating. She barreled through the door, rushing headlong into an unsuspecting Gently. They landed sprawled in a heap, Mysteria underneath.

She looked up at him through her mussed mane, smiling shyly.
He smiled back, his eyes sparkling with warmth and merriment. He then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, and rapidly got off her.

Her mouth opened in a circular 'O'. Her eyebrows raised inquisitively as she watched him walk away.

He stood at the window, leaning his front two legs on the sill. He bore himself with much more dignity and pride than she had seen before. She had to ask.

“Gently?”

He refused to turn, instead answering in that ridiculous posh voice he sometimes used.

“Lady Mysteria, I have been granted permission to court you. Seeing you are in good health, perhaps we could adjourn to the hall where we may both prepare for the finals.”

She gaped at him - something very weird was going on here, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. She narrowed her eyes and, folding her fore-legs, sat down.

“Only when you tell me why you’re acting weird all of a sudden.”

He turned to her, and answered smoothly whilst tilting his head slightly towards the door.

“Why, Lady Mysteria, you wound me. I am merely showing you the courtesy one such as yourself deserves.”

He pointedly moved his head towards the door as he continued, his eyes pleading.

“Perhaps we could continue to discuss this matter en route to the hall?”

She nodded, understanding his meaning and, taking his offered arm, left the guest rooms. They had scarcely left before Gently turned and embraced her, smiling in relief she melted into his arms, her breathing becoming soft and relaxed.

“I’m sorry for that.” he whispered into her mane, not letting go of her as he spoke. “The only way Twilight would agree to let us talk is if we court officially.”

“I don’t care.” she responded, just as quietly. “I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.”

With her head buried in his shoulder, she did not notice the tear that fell from the stallion’s eye as he held her.

From the shadowy rooftops of a nearby building, a hidden pair of eyes glinted, watching the young lovers embrace.

Nightmare Moon felt a feeling stir within her as she saw the grey mare smile. It was an alien feeling - something that she, as the terror of the night, should not feel about a subject. Love, protectiveness, pride.

Tossing her helmeted head, she turned away, instead glancing enviously at the tallest tower where her resplendent sister stood vigil. The angry voice in her head rose to a continuous scream of primal rage as she saw the alicorn. She winced against her will.

“Hush now Umbra,” she told herself quietly. “I know your hatred. Soon we will both have our revenge on the usurper Celestia.”

Though they laughed and strolled companionably together as they walked, their stances changed in a moment as they entered the hall. Mysteria took Gently's fore-hoof, and, with head held high, strode in a stately manner into the room. She turned to her companion, then disengaging her fore-leg, bowed low and followed the crowd heading towards the Element of Magic.

The excitement was reaching fever pitch, far more than for the contest yesterday. Fillies and colts from all walks of life milled around, some eager to join, others thrilled to watch.

Mysteria watched them all but felt no desire to join. She knew now that she was fighting for Gently - her victory would show her worth in her teacher's eyes. Steeling herself, she made her way to the suspended crystal, where the bravest unicorns were gathering.

“I, Mysteria seek to enter the Duelling in this Celestial Tournament as a second to Twilight Sparkle.”

Her calm, confident voice cut cleanly through the noise, and was followed instantly by a hush. Ponies made a path for her as she walked forward and touched her horn to the embodiment of magic. A crackling hum emanated from the crystal. It resonated through her horn, causing her to draw forth her magic. The noise crescendoed, and with a flash of red light Mysteria was lost for a second from the world. When she returned she had been marked, for upon her flank, where a cutie mark would appear, was now a small diamond.

The assembled ponies gave a polite round of applause, and she moved on to let the next contestant be marked. No sooner had she left the crowd was she approached by her teacher. Though she still felt some anger towards her mentor for the position she had put Gently in, she was not the sort of unicorn to hold grudges.

“I did it, Twilight.” she called out as she skipped towards the purple mare.

The pony’s joy was infectious, and though she still held reservations about the contest, Twilight smiled. When they met, there was a brief moment of hesitation, where she looked down at the ground. Then, her student stepped forward nuzzling her affectionately.

“It's alright Twilight.” she told her teacher softly, so that nopony could overhear. “I'm sorry about yesterday and breakfast. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Thank you for letting me speak to Gently.”

She then withdrew - from the battlements and balconies, the white guard of Canterlot emerged. They stood for a moment before raising their golden trumpets to their lips. The fanfare peeled forth across the entire castle, and nopony, from the highest advisor to the lowest servant was ignorant to it's meaning. Then, with the calm grace of a thousand years of rule, Celestia ascended the stage.

“The first round of the duelling will commence momentarily. If all combatants could make their way to the antechamber, and all spectators, to the stands.”

The sudden movement of ponies was overwhelming and both Mysteria and Twilight gasped in shock as they were forced both forward and apart. They reached desperately for each others’ hooves but were split apart as the stampede of unicorns rushed forward. Mysteria cried out again as she lost sight of her teacher and looked around in confusion.

Just then, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She wheeled around then sighed in relief seeing it was Gently. He took her shoulder and they made their way into the antechamber.

“Thank you Gently, “ Mysteria told him when they had finally found a seat and recovered from the chaotic surge. “that was horrible.”

They were joined in a few moments by a slightly frazzled Twilight who, smiling maternally at the pair, joined them as they sat, waiting for their names to be called.

One by one, ponies were called out. From outside, the roar of the crowd penetrated the atmosphere.

Slowly, the room emptied. After what felt like hours, a brown mare with a clipboard came in and looked over at their group.

“It's you next, “ she told them, pointing her manicured hoof at the young grey mare. “Number fourteen, Mysteria.”

The selected pony tightly grasped her friend and teacher's hoof, then rose and walked into the arena. Hundreds of ponies rose in tiers around her as she stood at the bottom of this constructed bowl.

Celestia herself sat in the royal box, overseeing the proceedings, delicately eating an offered pear. The crowd cheered again as a light yellow unicorn entered from an opposite door and bowed low at them.

“Let's make this short” he growled quietly to Mysteria, his eyes flashing angrily.

She smiled, and winked at him. “With pleasure.”

The commentator addressed the audience, but his voice was lost on the two unicorns who had now begun circling each other. They only reacted when the gong rang out, signifying the beginning the match.

He moved first, jumping backwards and firing a beam at Mysteria. It crackled through the air, random sparks scorching the ground it passed. She instantly saw that though he had some power, he was showing little control or tactics. Standing directly in its path, she prepared her magic.

Seconds before impact, she leapt forward and up, flipping over in mid-air to land facing him, now mere feet in front of him. His attack crashed into the wall behind, sending chips of stone and mortar flying out.

He stared blankly at her for a second, before his eyes narrowed in anger again. She laughed a little to herself at his short-sightedness, casting her simple spell. With a flash of red light, a shimmering curtain appeared in front of her. Ripples of hexagons swum across its surface and it distorted the light into a rainbow.

The crowd gasped approvingly. Her opponent snarled, his horn flashing brightly as he stared through the magic at her.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” she told him, completely serious.

He snorted derisively and shot his powerful beam of magic directly at her. It shot through the air, met the barrier and curved around. He barely had time to open his mouth in surprise before he was hit by the full force of his own attack. He spun twice in mid-air, and landed in a smoking heap on the ground.

Mysteria gasped, dropping the barrier and rushing over to him. The crowd was cheering wildly but to her, all that mattered was this other pony. She knelt beside him, carefully turning him over.

“Are you ok?” she asked him softly.

His eyes cracked open. Upon seeing her, his vision clouded with rage. He whipped his head to the side, his horn cutting a line across her cheek.

Mysteria cried out as warm blood ran down her face.

He smiled and fell back into unconsciousness. She looked down at his prone form through the haze of pain.

His flank began to glow and a mote of light rose up from his body, and disappeared into her.

She bowed once to Celestia, who looked down at her with concern, seeing her wounded face. Then, with her head held high, tears of blood falling through her triumphant smile, Mysteria strode out of the arena.

Levitation Finals

The moment the door shut behind her, Mysteria relaxed, allowing the fussing nurses to attend to her wound. Gently and Twilight watched on in concern.

“Are you alright?” Gently asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

She smiled wanly at him. “I’m fine.”

Just then, the announcer came in, barely sparing a glance for the wounded filly.

“Gently Star, you’re up next.”

Smiling, he rested his hoof on Mysteria’s shoulder for a moment, then walked out to face the roaring crowds.

She winced in discomfort as the skin on her face reknitted under the nurses’ magic. Looking up through the haze, she questioned.

“Do ponies generally get cut like this during duelling?”

Twilight, who had been absentmindedly thinking about who Umbra was controlling and why, found herself snapping out of the reverie to answer her pupil.

“Hmmm? Not generally, such physical wounds are rare, as any magic that causes them is severely frowned upon in modern day pony society.”

Then as a thought occurred to her.

“How did you get that wound?”

Mysteria shook herself, standing up and hesitantly dabbed at her face with her right hoof, feeling where she had been bleeding mere moments before.

“He slashed my face with his horn.”

Twilight gasped - that was a terrible breach of etiquette and was barbaric in its brutality. Not only that, but it also broke the primary non-contact rule of the fight. She found herself taking deep breaths and tried to calm her anger at this thug.

“I shall inform Princess Celestia of this outrage.”

Mysteria nodded, then headed quickly to the auditorium to watch Gently fight. When she got up there, the gong had just been rung and the two competitors were circling just as she had done.

He stood against a white mare who was fluttering her long attractive eyelashes at him.
Mysteria narrowed her eyes as Gently smiled at his opponent, lowering his head at the unicorn in his overly flamboyant way. Wasting no time, she leapt forward, unleashing a barrage of small magical attacks which turned the ground to rubble.

The audience gasped - the explosion had obscured Gently and his fate was now unknown. As the smoke cleared, both the mare and the onlookers gasped in surprise: there was Gently, still bowing, hovering feet above the crater, unharmed. He flickered for a second, then disappeared. An identical pony appeared to his opponent’s side and fired a simple, but powerful beam.

She barely had time to turn before it caught her in the side and flung her unceremoniously against the far wall.

The crowd roared their admiration and the real Gently took a bow before leaving the arena. The assembled ponies were abuzz with his use of an illusion, and how he would be one to watch in the upcoming fights.

With barely a minute between the two, Twilight entered and an unnatural still fell over the audience. The anticipation of seeing the Element of Magic in a fight was immense. The challenger entered cautiously, and instead of circling stood still, preparing a spell.

The gong sounded. Without without a pause, Twilight’s opponent, a stocky brown unicorn, instantly erected a powerful shield, and began adding additional layers over it.

“I see, he’s going for a defensive strategy.” said a unicorn behind Mysteria.

“That purple one isn’t just powerful, but clever as well. He’s probably expecting a trick or some complicated magic.” another responded.

Twilight stared at the casting pony for a moment in contemplation. He was now thoroughly encased in magic which spun and distorted light so that it was as though she faced a shimmering rainbow coloured orb.

Her horn began to glow and she lowered her head. After a moment, a concentrated beam of magic leapt forth, striking her opponent's shields. For a moment, there was a flash as the two met and sparks flew. Then, with a cracking sound the barriers disintegrated. In barely ten seconds, the barriers had shattered and the attack, now unhindered, struck the unfortunate unicorn in the face, sending him head over heels backwards where he landed, sprawled on the floor.

Then, with a nod to the royal box, Twilight walked from the arena, her gaze distant, as though focused on some unknown equation.

“Well, I must say, I expected something a little more than such a basic spell.” The first voice from behind Mysteria complained.

“I agree, all she showed us was her brute power. Is she really one of the Elements of Harmony?”

This was too much for Mysteria. She wheeled around to the two arrogant upstarts.

“Twilight was actually just using strategy! If she showed off her clever moves and tactics now, she couldn’t use them against the smarter and stronger opponents.”

The upper crust unicorns stared at her during this outburst with shame and indignation. As they spluttered to answer, she stood up and briskly left to congratulate her master.

The three companions met up again in the entrance hall of Canterlot Castle, their presence causing a stir amongst the ponies who had observed them earlier in the day.

Twilight had just finished telling Gently and Mysteria how skilled combatants would fight, layering various spells to augment themselves, when a fanfare rang out.

The silver trumpets of the royal guard rang grandly through the vaulted rooms, as they had not rung for hundreds of years, for this tune was that of the tournament.

The levitation finals would be beginning shortly. Mysteria hugged the others in turn with a broad smile.

“Good luck you two.” Then, with a wink and a skip, she hightailed to get a good spot to see.

The two unicorns watched the mare go, with fondness in their eyes, then turned to each other. Gently nodded once to Twilight, but his eyes were red and cold.

“I’ll see you in the contest.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, and frostily responded.

“Best of luck.”

They simultaneously broke eye contact and went their separate ways. Several onlookers watched the display with mild confusion. Just moments ago, the trio had been laughing and having fun like the best of friends, yet now they seemed at each others’ throats. The perplexed ponies put it down to rivalry, and no more was thought on the matter.

Without further ado, in the great hall of Canterlot Castle, the finals began.

Fancy Pants started the contest by raising a dining table. Sitting at the head, the table and its chairs floated above the gathered crowd, and he ascended with them. Plates soon followed in their wake, swirling around in a vortex, joined by forks, knives and wine glasses in the air above the crowd.

The onlooking ponies watched this dance of steel, china and glass in awe as they spun faster and faster, all without a single collision. Suddenly, they froze in midair, a motionless cutlery cloud, as a wine bottle flew up and poured its contents into the air.

The dark red liquid poured down, only to stop as it encountered invisible resistance. It trickled along unseen channels, finding its way into the waiting glasses. Then, with a final flourish, the tablecloth was placed over the table, and the arrangement gracefully lowered down to the ground. The place settings were set perfectly and an equal amount of wine resided in each glass.

The audience went wild - he had showed considerable skill in levitating so many objects, and the movement of liquid was even harder to master. He smiled proudly at the audience, wiping a silk handkerchief over his forehead.

Mysteria whispered to Gently as they waited for the next competitor.

“Just like that other pony, Fancy Pants went with the classic.”

He smiled quickly.

“Well, perhaps Twilight and I might bring something original for these ponies to digest.”

Mysteria’s eyes sparkled with mirth and interest. She turned back to the proceedings: Celestia was overseeing the finals along with a panel of learned judges. Mysteria took hope from the fact that the princess hadn’t seemed blown away by the Canterlot elite’s performance.

The second finalist got to the stage: the brown colt was in shivers, his forehead already beaded with perspiration. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes and concentrated. From the adjoining room came the soft luminescence of a unicorn’s aura.

Dustymane, his eyes still closed, began smiling. His head swayed from side to side, as if in time to a music that he alone could hear. Then, as dancers to his tune, a dozen bags of flour came skipping through the crowd.

They arranged themselves in a circle, then opened their tops. Flour poured forth, gathering in a puffy malestrom above him. He rose to stand on his hind legs, swaying his forehooves in front of him like a conductor.

Before the audiences’ amazed eyes, the flour formed shapes. The specks of white swirled constantly, coalescing into walls and roofs of buildings. Within moments, what had been a formless cloud had now become a detailed replica of Manehattan.

The audience cheered again. Opening his eyes, the finalist smiled, letting the replica collapse into a pile. Mysteria clapped politely, but now began to worry - that had been an impressive display of containment fields. Why a stallion like that was working in a bakery, as opposed to the royal guard, she couldn’t guess.

Glancing over to the royal box, her anxiety doubled. Celestia was arguing with some of the judges and by the look of her expression, was not happy with the outcome. One of them, an elderly unicorn with an enormous mane of tangled hair stood up.

“It has been requested by the next two finalists that they be allowed to perform together. I do not need to tell you that this an unorthodox request,” he then pointedly turned to look at Celestia “but the board has agreed to allow them.”

Widespread murmuring followed, as the two finalists made their way to the performance area. They faced each other, as though it were a duel. Eventually, silence fell - all attention turning toward the two unicorns.

Mysteria grunted in annoyance. Gently had his back to her, so his face was unseen. Still, she silently thought, smirking, it’s not as though he isn’t nice to look at from this angle too.

What she did not realise was that his eyes were a dark red, glinting dangerously towards Twilight. She watched him dispassionately, motionless, yet poised to act.

The old judge dropped a handkerchief and the last contest began. Instantly, both Twilight and Gently’s horns began glowing, red and purple auras mixing over the floor. From outside, a roaring sound began. It grew in intensity, rippling through the crowd. Finally, with a slam and a crash, the doors to the outside were thrust open by their combined magic.

Water poured in like an enormous snake, coiling and writhing in the air above the audience. It rose up and truly became a snake, with open jaws and hissing tongue. Shrieking loudly, it plunged down on the pair, as if to engulf them, but instead swirled around the unicorns in a sphere.

The moment they were obscured, Gently breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes regaining their golden hue.

“Thank you Twilight, you truly are a good friend.”

She glanced over at him suspiciously - his behaviour appeared to have altered, reverting back to normal. Readying a combat spell, she slowly asked him.

“Why did we have to have this discussion in the middle of a spell, in the contest?”

He glanced guiltily at the floor. The light from outside was muted, and most now came from their still-glowing horns.

“I didn’t want to worry Mysteria. As you know, I lost control earlier today. I succumbded to a more primal side. I don’t want her to see me like that. Casting the spell now was the perfect way to sort everything out without raising too much suspicion.”

In his head, he added an unsaid reason with a grimace.Also, Umbra can’t possess or alter my thoughts when I am surrounded by Twilight’s magic.

She nodded her head but did not fully lower her guard.

“How can I trust you with my student if you could change?” she called over to him, having to raise her voice over the roaring water.

He looked at her with complete conviction in his eyes.

“I care for Mysteria. I want to do everything in my power to protect her.”

She studied his face for lies but found honesty and loyalty. Well, she thought wryly, two elements of harmony - maybe I am being overprotective.

She relinquished the spell, continuing to talk. Her voice became far more warm and concerned.

“May I cast some analysis spells on you, Gently? Perhaps I can locate the source of the negative personality, or at least discover how it manifests.”

He shrugged his shoulder as if to say ‘no worries’, but inside his heart lept. Perhaps she would discover Umbra and force her out, or make him immune to her terrible possession. As Twilight concentrated, a wave of light passed through him. All his hairs stood on end and he gave a small grunt of pain.

“Sorry” Twilight said to him, looking up sheepishly. He smiled reassuringly and cleared his mind, hoping that would help her.

After a minute, she looked up, thoughtfully tapping her hoof against her chin. Even through the water they could both hear the murmurings of the crowd and knew they didn't have much time.

“This is odd,” Twilight puzzled, “you are apparently using more energy than you should, which is causing occasional outbreaks of an alternate personality.” she told him, her words falling on his despondent form.

True, she had discovered the cause, but neither the problem nor a solution. Forcing himself to appear positive, he forced a smile onto his face.

“More energy than I should? I didn’t know there was a limit to energy.”

Twilight shook her head.

“No, you don’t understand. You have been using more energy than your body generates for the last three days, at least.” Then, as she thought some more, sympathy covered her face. “You must be exhausted. How have you been able to keep going?”

He smiled proudly at her, needing no external voice to confuse him, or cunning to lie about this issue.

“The Star family is responsible for the Celestial Shadow defenses. For the past thousand years, my family has maintained them. I will continue to do so until my dying breath.”

Twilight chuckled at his bearing - though he acted as somewhat of a joker most of the time, he occasionally came out with these over-the-top serious comments too.

“You must be proud to be a Star.” She smiled at him, moving closer towards him under the spell.

He nodded his head nobly for a second, before his eyes darkened and he hung his head.

“I am a disgrace to the house of Star. I have allowed myself to enter this ridiculous tournament. Now I am held by the power of the Element of Magic to see it through to the end. Furthermore, I must still supply energy to the barriers to prevent shadow magic seeping through. Between the two, I have over-taxed myself, and may soon fail in both my tasks.”

At the mention of shadow magic, Twilight’s eyes narrowed. Re-analysing his comments in her head, she gasped.

“Umbra! These defenses are against Umbra!”

He looked at her curiously, wondering where she got the name, but nodded his head as well.

“It all makes sense now. Celestia is weak because the hours of sunlight have grown smaller. Though perhaps the hours have decreased because she’s weaker? Regardless, she’s also weakened because she is channeling some of her magic into you, so you can use it to perform the defenses. That does beggar the question why she doesn't make the defenses herself.”

Gently found himself dizzy as he tried to keep up with Twilight’s outpouring. Making sense of her last rhetorical question, he raised a hoof to stop her.

“Our bloodline was tied up in the creation of the spell, as we were one of the loyal families in the lunar rebellion. She created the ritual so that only we could renew the spell. She figured that we would never be disloyal to her.“

Twilight nodded, and clapped her hooves together happily.

“The only issue would be your possession, but I am sure I read a book about that being a side effect of extensive magical draining.”

His eyes widened with shock as she barreled into him, catching him in a surprise hug.

“You really are a decent pony aren’t you?” She asked quietly into his mane, “Your family is honourable, and though you were hasty joining the tournament, you have applied yourself with diligence and pride.”

She moved away from him, wiping a tear of happiness from her eye.

“Anyway,” she coughed awkwardly, staring at the ground and shuffling her hooves. “We should cancel this spell or people are going to get really worried.

He nodded in confirmation, and they returned to their previous position, their faces rigid with determination.

The made eye contact, and with a crackle, the sphere rose up into the air above them.

Outside, the crowd had been growing restless as the opaque bubble had spun, and whirled before them.

Mysteria especially worried, as both her friends were now entombed within an orb of water. As the time passed, the audience grew ever more restless until, without warning, the water rose. Its surface crackled with sparks, shifting hue between yellow and purple.

Gently made the first move: whilst still maintaining the water spell, he caused a rushing maelstrom of books from the library to join them. Their pages fluttered wildly, and they flapped, bird-like, around the hall before arranging themselves in a neat pyramid at Celestia’s hooves.

The audience gasped in amazement - to show that degree of power and control was impressive, especially while maintaining another taxing spell.

Twilight closed her eyes and raised out her right hoof - everypony in the audience felt the magic wash over them. A deep rumbling filled the air, causing the gazes to follow Twilight’s hoof outside.

What they saw left many of them baffled.

The train was flying.

Out in the night air, the Friendship Express chuffed its way through the night sky. It swept over rooftops and dodged around chimney stacks. Raising her hoof upwards, the train followed suit, soaring up into the air. It passed over the full moon and then made its way back down into Canterlot.

The ponies who had been rapt with attention broke out into tumultuous applause, cheering and whooping loudly. Gently gave a rueful grin after he and Twilight lowered the spell, joining in with each others’ applause.

Eventually, the judges were able to calm the crowd down enough, and Celestia stood up to address the crowd.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts, we have witnessed remarkable feats of magic in these chambers in the last hour, so the choice of champion was a tricky one.” She paused for a moment before continuing her eyes sparkling with pride. “We are all in agreement however, that Twilight Sparkle should take first place. Her use of levitation while simultaneously maintaining a spell and casting from distance was remarkable. Dustymane takes second place, and Gently Star and Fancy Pants share joint third.”

The crowd roared and stamped its feet in approval, and the finalists took their bows. Mysteria wasted no time once the crowd began to disperse. She pushed past the others and embraced her two friends.

“Well done you two, that really was something to watch!” she exclaimed. She pulled away and looked at them seriously. “Why did you need to cast that spell at the beginning?”

The other unicorns turned to each other, a silent understanding passing between them.

“Mysteria, let’s head to our chambers. The three of us need to have a serious chat.”

Twilight was deadly serious as she said this to Mysteria. No argument or question was raised. The trio ascended side by side to the guest tower in silence.

The Way of the Sword

The three companions ascended the spiralling staircase to Twilight’s chambers. Outside, the moon shone full, as it had done for the past two nights. The purple unicorn gave that fact only momentary thought, viewing it only as a reminder that Luna was out there, still strong enough to raise the moon.

Mysteria looked over at the others. Their faces were drawn and grim, their postures stiff.

“Twilight, what’s going on?” she asked nervously, struggling to keep up with the brisk pace her teacher set. The mare paid her question no heed, striding into their chambers, immediately drawing curtains and blinds.

“It’s about me.” Gently told her, resting his hoof tenderly on her back. He looked up at the busy pony with respect in his eyes. “She wants to help me and you.”

Twilight allowed herself a quick smile as she finished casting a silence bubble around the rooms, then turned to the two unicorns, visibly relaxing.

“Well, now that’s out of the way, we can discuss how to help Gently.”

Mysteria looked at her in confusion. Help Gently? she thought, rubbing her chin. Why does he need help? Why does Twilight now find him ‘acceptable? What happened in the bubble to make her change her mind?

The questions chased through her head as she tried to puzzle it out. Giving up, she instead reverted to nodding thoughtfully in response. Gently laughed lightly and prodded her playfully in the ribs.

“As if you know what’s wrong with me.”

She turned to him, real concern in her eyes.

“Well, what is wrong with you?”

His expression turned grim. He told her about Umbra and his job as a Star. He told her about his weakening magic and how he occasionally lost control. She sat through this quietly, but the moment he finished she threw her forelegs around him, hugging him close.

“Don’t worry, me and Twilight will figure out what to do. Won’t we, Twilight?”

The mare looked over at the two of them. Mysteria was staring with determination at her over Gently’s shoulder, a sight her heart warmed to. Maybe I like the idea of them being together more than I thought. she thought to herself, smiling at the two of them.

“Of course we will, Mysteria. First, we need to create additional defenses in his mind. Then he can tell us how to create his defenses, so we can share the job between the two of us.”

Gently perked up at her comments - both of those ideas would help him be rid of Umbra, and since Twilight had created the encompassing silence spell, the dark alicorn could not control him. After a brief explanation, the two mares got to work, creating walls and shields to protect his psyche from external influences. As they worked, Twilight spoke quickly to herself, hypothesising and then disproving theories that ranged from the logical to the absurd.

All fell on deaf ears as Mysteria and Gently stared at each other. He was letting her into his mind. Such intimacy was enough to make her blush.

In just a few minutes the work was done. Gently rose, stretching his legs. He smiled at the two mares and, throwing his shoulder back as if to deliver a speech, told them the tale of the Stars.

“Long ago, shortly after Umbra was exiled to the eternal maw of the night, she was able to extend her influence out into Equestria. Many ponies soon fell under her malevolent power and she used them to stage a coup against Celestia. Realising the danger, Celestia bound herself and one of the most loyal families.” Here he paused to give a little bow, “to a magical defense ritual. It created an invisible shield which lies between our land and the stars preventing any wisp, any tendril of Umbra’s magic from seeping through. Naturally, this spell has to be reinforced, so generations of Stars have done so in secret these past thousand years.”

The ponies all found themselves staring outside at the cold darkness of space, and shivered, despite the lack of wind. Gently turned, striking his head lightly with his hoof.

“I almost forgot, you should know that she draws her energy from shadows, so is strongest in bright sunlight or on dark nights.”

They both nodded, taking in the information. They knew that this would have to be kept secret - knowledge of a third alicon would cause widespread chaos throughout the land, especially such a malevolent one as Umbra.

Meanwhile, in the royal tower of the palace, Princess Celestia was pacing back and forth before a scarred and armored assortment of ponies of all races. Though different types, they all shared two similarities: all wore eyepatches over their right eyes, and all had the same cutie mark. A sun crossed by two spears.

“Golden Sun” Celestia began, her voice regal, imperious, yet also tinged with concern. “ My dear sister Princess Luna has been missing for two days. I believe she may be trying to seek revenge against Umbra, as shortly before her disappearance I spoke to her about the possibility of the alicorn planning something through the minds of others. Your task is to find the location of my sister and report back to me.”

They all nodded, unfazed by this information, as if alicorns going rogue or trying to escape their eternal prisons was an everyday occurrence.

Two days passed, together the three unicorns raised the shields, attended lectures, and fought tooth and nail in the tournament. Gently and Mysteria won third prize in the dancing, and Twilight delivered a well received lecture on her study of comets and stars. In the contest, Gently and Mysteria fought with a passion, their skill and raw power allowing them to make their way to the semi finals. The next fight with Twilight would decide who the finalists would be, so at dusk, the crowd gathered in the arena was huge.

Twilight walked into the arena, her head held high. The stands heaved with the mass of onlookers, the excitement rising to a fever pitch. Even Princess Celestia appeared animated, leaning forward in the royal box in order to better see the contest.

“Twilight Sparkle,” The commentator boomed with an amplified voice. “Under section four of the Celestial Tournament agreement we do hereby permit both you and your opponent, Greyeyes Silverblade, to apply ‘The Way of the Sword’.”

Confused muttering arose in the audience, no one had heard of such a thing before, or even checked the fine print of the tournament. Mysteria curiously asked Gently what it was, he responded in a voice thick with reverence.

“A very small handful of talented unicorns can project a telekinetic field around their horn, that functions in a similar fashion to a pegasus wingblade. To maintain the spell permanently during combat, as well as to create such a precise field, is very difficult and requires power and concentration above that of most ponies. In tournaments, they serve as excellent game deciders, where skilled unicorns would otherwise teleport or shield for extended periods of time.”

Mysteria’s eyes widened. “Are you saying they might stab each other?”

He shook his head.

“Nope. Since they are magical in creation, they can be made dull, enchanted to only ‘mark’ the opponent.”

She paused, quickly processing the information.

“That means the opponent...” she gasped.

Gently chuckled at her.

“Didn’t you know that Greyeyes Silverblade was Princess Celestia’s blademaster for the last twenty years? He only recently retired from active service.”

They both then gulped apprehensively upon realising the implications of this, turning to stare at the grey unicorn entering opposite Twilight. His coat was a dark charcoal which contrasted starkly with his light grey hair, but what really drew attention were his eyes. They had the look of molten silver, reflective and rippling.

“What’s up with his eyes?” Myseria quietly asked, transfixed by the older stallion.

“Aren’t you full of questions today?” Gently asked her quietly, with a smile. “Legend has it he lost his real eyes in a fight with a changeling, but the Princess was able to craft him new ones of rare metal. Now he can not only see, but also foresee several seconds into the future.”

“How is Twilight supposed to beat someone like that?” Mysteria asked, her voice cracking with fear. Gently could only shrug helplessly, and watch the events transpire before them.

The two unicorns faced each other, silently poised to act. They moved not a muscle, staring into each others eyes, gauging their opponent. Then they began to cast, the air around them warped as powerful magic was focused into a central point. Layers upon layers of augmentation enchantments soaked into their bones, and after a moment glowing fields emerged around their horns. They thinly extended out for three or four feet, finishing in a rounded tip.

The commentator spoke once again.

“The match shall be until one pony loses consciousness or is marked for a fatal wound.”

The gong rang, and instantly Twilight was leaping through the air with a speed that would have impressed Rainbow Dash, but as fast as she was Greyeyes was faster, and had already sidestepped. As she passed he rapidly whipped his head round, bringing his horn past to slash her underbelly. She flipped in midair parrying his thrust with her own hornblade, showering him in sparks as their magical fields grated against each other.

She landed past him, and spun around, using her magic to send a curved barrage of sand towards his position. He spun through the attack, his blade cutting a path through the bombardment. Just before he struck Twilight, she teleported behind him. Moving her head forward, she attempted to pierce him, but he had disappeared with a crack. Now beside her, he moved his blade to strike her flank. She only just managed to twist out of the way, then let out a shout, sending an expanding ring of purple energy outwards.

He stared at the attack for a split second, then dispassionately spoke a quiet word, causing a similar ring of a grey hue to rush out. They clashed, and with a ringing thrum that set ponies teeth on edge splintered into a dozen tornado fragments of grey and purple eldritch lightning. Twilight’s eyes glowed with power and she rose into the air to launch her next attack, whips of lightning and fire arched out of her hooves, ensnaring the fragments of twisting magic. They hung about her, satellites of conflicting magic.

Greyeyes nodded in admiration of her power, but did not move, content to wait for her to attack him. Her eyes narrowed in rage at his laid back approach to this fight. She spun, slowly at first, but rapidly picking up momentum. Soon, all one could see was a purple orb, the orbiting objects halos of a light purple.

One by one she released them from their containment and they careened wildly towards him. He ran towards her as they moved. He dodged quickly to the left to avoid one, then leapt over another as it crashed into the ground ahead of him. He leapt directly at Twilight as she approached.

Coming out of her spin, she smiled, and sent the last one directly at him. His hornblade shone with light and speared the twister, dissipating it instantly. His blade bore down on the purple unicorn, and she was only just able to block it. She strained against his strength as he pushed down on her hornblade, pushing her face towards the ground.

“You fight admirably for an untrained mare.” he grinned at her through the glow of his magic, the light flickering off his teeth. “But I already knew what you were going to do.”

She sagged at his words, defeat clear in her body language. Then, her eyes narrowed in determination. No, she told herself, Princess Celestia is counting on you to win. She stared up defiantly through the haze, then released the pressure suddenly, the force pushing her backwards, her legs skidding over the sandy floor. She let out a shout of “For Celestia!”, then sent out a thick purple beam against the other pony. He leapt over it, running towards one of the walls, his hooves glowing as he put on extra speed. The beam crashed into the opposite wall, pulverising the stonework and sending shrapnel flying.

Twilight mirrored his moves and ran towards her nearest wall with abnormal speed. They leapt forward, all four hooves thudding against the walls. They kicked off, flying rapidly towards each other through the air. They collided, their hooves and blades locking, sending ripples through the arena.

They fought in mid-air, dodging and weaving as their blades danced in front of them. Greyeyes took the lead, striking upwards at Twilight with a flurry of furious blows. She only just managed to dodge as she leapt upwards, her hooves pushing off the air as if it were solid. She lunged down towards him, trying to gain enough momentum to smash through his block, but he had already set his blade to deflect the attack at an angle so she merely stopped at an equal height. This battle continued, a waltz of magic, both competitors ignoring the laws of physics as they ducked and weaved through the air, rising higher and higher above the ground.

As the battle raged on, it became clear that Twilight was tiring - Greyeye’s furious attacks left her little time to launch her own, and so she became increasingly defensive. She knew that if she did not finish the fight soon, he would surely defeat her. Then, whilst pushing against his strike in a battle of force, he struck her in the chest with his hooves. She gasped as all air was pushed out of her lungs, quickly speeding down to the ground to catch her breath. Her grey opponent smiled as he thought to himself,

Without the maneuverability of the sky, she can no longer dodge my attacks. There is nothing I foresee her doing that can change this.

He rose victoriously until he was silhouetted high against the sun, then began soaring down like an eagle towards its prey.

It was at that point that Twilight smiled. For a second, the great Silverblade hesitated.

No, he told himself, there is nothing she can do to save herself now.

The purple unicorn released her magic, causing a funnel of wind to emerge above him. It pushed down on him, speeding him towards the ground.

“You seek to hasten you defeat?” he roared at her over the howling rush. “So be it.”

He shot down at her, but with only a few seconds to spare she leapt. Leaping past him, she rose, her horn extended, ready to dissect him. His eyes widened in shock as he realised there was no way for him to avoid this attack. He desperately tried to block her hornblade, though he knew it was futile. He felt the magic blade strike him from chin to tail. Losing concentration, he smashed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of sand. When it cleared, he lay there twisted on his back, a purple line drawn along his body, and Twilight’s blade pressed against his throat.

“Checkmate.” she calmly told him. Though victorious in battle, her weariness was evident. She offered a hoof to Greyeyes, and with a smile and respectful nod he took it.

The audience broke into tumultuous applause. No one had ever seen a battle like that before, and no one needed the commentator to tell them who was the victor. Mysteria and Gently hoof bumped each other for their friend’s victory.

“I still don’t know how Twilight beat him.” Mysteria mused as they made their way to the hall for supper. “I thought he could see the future.”

“Simple.” Gently said as they pushed past a rather obnoxious white mare, “She put him in a position where even though he knew what she was about to do, he was unable to dodge it.”

“Wow, that’s some cool strategy.” Mysteria smiled.

The three of them ate happily that night.

Tomorrow morning at dawn, Mysteria would purposefully lose to Twilight so that her teacher had her half of the magic granted from the Element of Harmony.

“Who’s the other finalist?”, the younger grey pony asked through a mouthful of grass.

Gently looked mildly surprised as he answered.

“Well, I think it’s me.”

Mysteria’s eyes widened in shock, but Twilight continued eating with a mildly bemused expression on her face. She wrung her hooves in uncertainty, then rested them on both of her friends hooves. They looked up at their friend.

“What?” They asked in unison, concern and confusion on their faces.

“You two will be ok won’t you? Please come back to me safe, both of you.”

They smiled, and Twilight nodded happily. Gently stared into her eyes.

“I promise.”

Sighing heavily in exhaustion, Twilight closed the door to her bedchamber behind her.

Mysteria will be up soon she thought sleepily to herself, It’s kinda sweet how they just sit there, watching the stars. After that first time she had caught them in the gardens, she had observed their time alone like a hawk. Yet her fears were unrealized, as they merely sat there talking.

Twilight was jolted back to the present as the balcony doors were thrust open and a wind blew in, extinguishing the candles. Standing there silhouetted against the moon was a large black and blue alicorn. They wore shining black armour over their dark blue coat, and wore a smirk across their face, sneering derisively down at her.

“Nightmare Moon?” Twilight gasped in shock, reeling backwards in confusion and fear.

The monstrous abomination that was once Luna laughed, a loud, cold sound that reverberated around the room.

“It is indeed I, Twilight Sparkle.” Nightmare Moon responded, walking forwards into the room, ice cold mist seeping from her. “And without the Elements of Harmony, you are no match for us.”

With barely enough time to register the situation, the unfortunate mare was lifted into the air. Her brain froze, shocked by what was happening. She could only stare as the imposing figure made its way towards her.

“How should I repay the one who destroyed me?” Nightmare Moon mused aloud, pushing on Twilight so her frozen form began to spin helplessly in midair. “Unfortunately, I can’t kill you, just cripple you for the tournament tomorrow.” She stopped the spinning so that the unicorn lay on her back. Nightmare Moon’s eyes screwed up in concentration, the horn on her head glowing blue.

Twilight looked around. She still had movement in her head, but could see no change in her surroundings. Then, she felt a prickling sensation on her chest. Slowly, she looked down in horror. Thousands of spiders, shiny and chitinous, were making their way up her body. Chittering, they climbed over and under each other, their legs forming a living sea of movement. She screamed in terror, and instantly they surged towards her open mouth. She cried desperately at her situation but managed to close her lips tightly, with a great force of will. They shook angrily, having been denied entrance to her, their legs digging deep into the softer skin of her face. She screwed her eyes shut as she saw them clamber up her cheeks, and shook her head from side to side. It did no good - they dug themselves in further, piercing her flesh, their skin splattered red with her blood.

Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, they were gone. Twilight’s face was wet with tears, but not with blood, and her chest and cheeks were unblemished. The alicorn next to her cackled gleefully.

“Well that was fun, wasn’t it?”

With a wicked grin she looked for another way to torment this pony at her mercy, her eyes rested on the purple horn on the helpless mares head.

“I always wondered how sensitive horns were.” Roughly grabbing the horn, she began to bend it backwards. Twilight wimpered in pain - her horn was indeed very sensitive. Nightmare Moon smiled at the reaction and continued pushing the horn back.

“Twilight without a horn, unable to cast magic. Now that would be priceless.”

The pain intensified and soon the mare was screaming. The alicorn laughed along with the screams, but just as she prepared herself to snap the horn off, she stopped. A shadow flew across her face, and wincing in pain, she released the magical appendage.

“Though it appears I cannot do anything that would affect your magic.”

She leaned her head in close to sobbing mare and whispered venomously into her ears. “Once this is all over, Umbra has promised me you, and your other friends. How will you feel as I torture them to insanity and death in front of you? I shall make you beg for death, plead for your own demise, then as the merciful princess that I am, I shall oblige.”

Twilight stared in horror at this deranged alicorn, even as Nightmare Moon, Luna had never been that violent.

“Why Luna, why work for Umbra?” she sobbed, staring at the one who had once been her friend.

For a moment Nightmare Moon felt sorrow and shame, then those feelings turned to rage, both hers and Umbra’s.

“How dare you?” she screamed at the immobilised pony, furiously rearing up and bringing her weight down on one of the backlegs. There was a sickening crunch. “How dare you make me feel those weakling emotions?” she hollered over Twilight’s screaming as she brought her weight down again on the other leg, instantly shattering the bone. Eyes flashing she released the broken pony, leaning down to yell in her face.

“Luna is dead!”

A tiny wisp of shadow curved from the end of the alicorn’s horn, flying into Twilight’s mind. The mare turned to leave, sending one last parting comment over her shoulder.

“You are now Umbra’s, and after tomorrow, so is Mysteria.”

The Final Morning

The sun rose red in the morning. Heavy clouds lit from below as light shone into the cavernous hall they had formed over Canterlot. As dawn washed against Mysteria, she stretched in contentment, waking slowly. She was only awake for a minute before she yelped and fell out of bed, realising what was happening today. Skipping her way over to her teacher’s chambers she rapped her hoof twice on the door, clearing her throat loudly, then calling out.

“Twilight, the finals are today.” when hearing no response she sighed, shaking her head. Then, in a lightly scolding tone continued. “Are you still sleeping? The finals are in an hour, so if you’re not awake, it is my responsibility to wake you.”

With a mischievous grin she pushed the door open, leaping into the room. Upon seeing why her teacher had not responded, her eyes widened and she gasped in shock. Twilight lay sprawled against the bed, her head buried in the pillows. Her hind legs sprawled behind her, twisted in odd angles. Mysteria instantly rushed to her mentor’s aid.

“What happened Twilight?” she asked, trying to help prop the unicorn up against the wall, resting a pillow behind her head. The purple mare stirred, wincing in pain as her broken legs dragged along the floor.

“Must have fallen over.” Twilight mumbled, not making eye contact. The younger pony stared at her for a second incredulously, then continued examining the legs.

“Mysteria,” Twilight asked weakly.

“What is it?”

“Defeat me.” The grey unicorn stepped back in shock, her teacher was now in a sitting position, her eyes closed peacefully as she talked to her student. “You don’t have to use a powerful spell, just enough to knock me out. I can’t fight in this state, so as my second, you should take my place.”

Mysteria shook her head miserably.

“I can’t fight Gently, he...” she began apologetically.

“Don’t let your personal feelings get in the way.” Twilight sharply interrupted. ”This isn’t just about you, me or Gently. This is the safety of Equestria. Since I can’t be Celestia’s champion, you must.”

A single tear running down her face, she stepped back and prepared to cast against a pony she respected as her teacher and guardian.

“One last thing.” Twilight said suddenly, cracking her eyes open. “Be yourself.”

Mysteria smiled then sent a small shot of power at her teacher. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as it shot through the air to the sitting pony. It hit her in the small of her neck, and with a crack she slumped. A bright light shone in the room, Mysteria raised her eyes to shield them from the light, but saw in her peripheral vision, the motes of light soaring into her.

The light faded and she looked back at her teacher. Twilight had slid down to the floor and now lay curled up in sleep. Her chest rose and fell with her deep breaths, the pain from her legs unable to touch her in her dreams.

“Thank you Twilight.” Mysteria said softly and left the mare. Far below on the ground, Gently was waiting - the finals were about to begin.

Mysteria leaped into the arena, her hooves impacting lightly on the soft sand. Gently watched her enter with resignation, and readied his augmentation spells.

Celestia watched the two ponies with sorrow and concern. As princess she knew of the relationship between the two of them - making them fight was almost too much for her to bear. Weakly, the grey unicorn smiled at Gently.

“Guess one of us is going to be champion.“ she said softly. He nodded slowly, his gaze distant.

“I didn’t want this to happen.” he said quietly. Then his eyes narrowed, his mind working at super speed.

Umbra can’t possess me at the moment, and If I were to win that would ruin her plan. She can only beat Celestia if Mysteria becomes the champion.

His eyes shot up, locking onto Mysteria’s, his gaze ferocious. He let loose a sharp bark of laughter.

“Might as well have fun.” he told her, smiling. She responded with her own smile, alive with mirth and mischievous fun.

They leapt forward the moment the match began, their bodies shimmering in nimbusses of augmentative magic. They flew past each other, unleashing volleys of small shots which bounced harmlessly off each others’ shields.

Gently landed with his back to her. He closed his eyes for a heartbeat, then ducked. A bolt of crackling red magic shot over him and he laughed.

So predictable, Mysteria.

He leapt backwards, flipping in mid air, whilst sending an array of arcing beams down on her. She raised a shield, causing the lines of light to slide harmlessly over it’s surface. Gently rose higher till he was a good twenty feet above the arena.

Mysteria looked up at him, instantly wincing at the brightness - he was outlined by the sun. He cloaked himself in an orb of blue lightning and shot down towards her. Cracking her eyes open carefully she saw, too late. the crackling pony lightning bolt and tried to leap aside. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough and one of the tendrils scorched her back.

The crowd gasped and leaned closer as she limped round to face her opponent. She was grinning in exhilaration and did not seem to mind the pain.

“How are you so fast?” she asked, gingerly reaching round to touch the scorched flesh.

“I specialise in augmentation magic.” he stated simply, focused on his opponent in case she tried a sneak attack.

Mysteria began to laugh, her eyes shone with amusement and tilting her head back gave a chuckle. Gently didn’t move but raised one eyebrow quizzically at the display.

“Oh really?” She growled happily.

The mares horn began to glow, thrumming louder and louder as more magic was poured into the spell. Sparks and tendrils shot off it, splashing against the ground, but still she continued. Gently looked on with a tinge of concern and began powering up his defenses against the spell she was about to hurl at him. Then, the thrumming and glow stopped completely. Into the silence, Mysteria spoke with a much deeper voice that resonated through the arena.

“Discordius Prime, redblood shine, realm of power and peace be mine.”

Everypony gasped as the young mare spoke the incantation. Spells with verbal components had not been practiced for many hundreds of years. To use one that called upon the powers of chaos was enough to cause widespread confusion and fear.

Celestia’s eyes widened and, within a moment, she erected a band of golden light that encircled the arena, imposing itself between the crowd and the caster. As Mysteria finished she instantly became the center of a rapidly expanding pink cloud, within which red lightning flickered. An echoing laughter emanated from everywhere at once, filling the stands, but as the cloud reached the golden lines it stopped, pushing vainly against them before it imploded in a rush and howl of wind.

When it cleared, nothing seemed to have changed, the two opponents stood as before, Mysteria smiling triumphantly, Gently swaying slightly his eyes wide with shock.

“What was that?” he managed to stammer, trying to collect himself.

“Just a little spell I made after looking through some of those really old books that Twilight kept locked in a chest under the floorboards back home.” Mysteria walked forward as she spoke, then continued in a carrying whisper “It dispels any magical effect it comes into contact with.”

His eyes widened as he realised what she had done: without his mental protection, Umbra could possess him. As if reading his thoughts, which was probably exactly what she was doing, he began to feel her force her way into his psyche.

“Mysteria, you’ve got to...” he began, gritting his teeth as pain lanced through his head. With an effort and the last of his free will he blurted out.

“I’m so sorry.”

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow as her special somepony and opponent gave a scream of defiance the slumped to the ground.

“Gently?” she asked in concern. He looked up at her, then got to his feet chuckling.

“Poor deluded Mysteria, what’s wrong? Did you finally figure it out?” he asked in a soft voice, a smirk on his face.

She looked at him in confusion, not noticing that his eyes were now tinged with a slight red hue.

“Figure what out, Gently?” she asked him, quickly closing the distance between them.

“The truth.” he responded simply.

“Quit messing around and tell me what you are going on about,” she said, frustrated as he skirted around the issue.

He leaned his head and whispered into her ear. “I was only using you.”

“Using me?”

He sneered at her, then walked past so that he stood behind her, facing away before speaking again.

“I knew that if I could get you in the tournament I could beat you - your power level is pitiful compared to mine.”

Neither Mysteria nor the audience knew what was going on at this point. From the onlookers perspective a temporary truce had been called, but at this distance words were indistinguishable. Mysteria was reeling, Gently was saying some really hurtful things to her, seemingly uncalled for.

“Why Gently?” she asked, her voice rising in volume “Why did you want to be my special somepony”

He laughed cruelly, spinning on the spot to face her.

“To get closer to Twilight. As a far more attractive and powerful unicorn, she is more worthy of my attentions.”

Mysteria felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“So you don’t...”

Gently grinned his eyes now completely red.

“Of course I don’t love you.”

Mysteria screamed with rage, with anger, pain and sadness. For the second time in her life the walls in her mind collapsed and her eyes became burning red orbs, casting the arena in a hellish light. She ran forwards towards the blue unicorn, her only thought at this point to inflict pain upon the stallion. To hurt the pony who had hurt her.

Gently felt Umbra leave, but as he regained his senses he was struck under the jaw by Mysteria’s hoof, wrapped in a forcefield of blood red energy. All the breath was knocked from him and he was sent hurtling backwards through the air.

The Tournament Begins

Luna soared gracefully over Canterlot as she guided the moon. Below her, the gathered ponies prepared for the tournament, while her sister explained the part Twilight had to play. She sighed, annoyed that they had to take such risky methods, but if the stars were to be believed, they didn’t have much time before ‘She’ would make her move.

Suddenly, the wind blew sharply at Luna. Fighting to stay steady, she heard it, the laugh that had haunted her nights on the moon, as a symphony of her imprisonment. She felt her blood freeze and stopped flying, despite herself.

“Impossible” she whispered, “I’m not Nightmare Moon.”

With a forceful nod, she flew on.I must get speak to my sister , she thought fearfully. I can’t let the past dictate events, I won’t hurt her, not this time.

The sun rose slowly over the castle, basking the assembled ponies in a warm glow. They waited with baited breath as Luna rose to the stage again. Behind her, a large purple curtain lay draped over something to which everypony’s eyes were riveted.

“Assembled ponyfolk, it is with great pride that I officially declare this one thousand and twelfth Celestial Tournament open!” Luna spoke loudly. With a burst of magic, she raised the curtain upward.

A large golden board was now revealed, before which hung the element of magic, suspended in midair. Twilight felt her breath catch in her throat as she felt the element before her. It called out, as it always did, to be worn and used by her, its keeper.

“There will be contests in a variety of fields, but the overall champion will be decided by the duelling. Anypony who wishes to enter this must be marked by the element of magic to allow us to keep track of your progress, and for your own safety.”

The excitement of the crowd had almost reached fever pitch. Only the line of royal guards kept them from swamping the board, where several nervous clerks waited for them to sign up. Under careful control, the assembled unicorns lined up and began putting their names down.

Twilight made no move, instead looking over at Luna. Once the ponies had turned their attention away from her, she dropped her smile and regal detachment, and practically ran from the stage. Narrowing her eyes, Twilight followed quickly. She found the Alicorn outside the hall looking out at the rising sun.

“Princess Luna, what’s wrong?” She asked, staring sadly at the mare.

“Isn’t the sun beautiful?” Luna replied mournfully. “Was I wrong to be jealous of the ponies’ admiration?”

“The moon is beautiful too.” Twilight said quietly. “We may not play in the dark but we aren’t afraid in the moonlight. They both remove the darkness, but when the darkness is eternal and enveloping, the moon is our companion light.”

Luna smiled sadly, and turned to Twilight.

“Thank you for your kind words, and I do know that now. Yet whilst some things can be forgiven, they are never forgotten.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but the alicorn only shook her head.

“No, Twilight, my pain is mine to bear alone - only I can face the demons of my past.”

“You should always be able to count on your friends, Luna,” Twilight countered, “and as your friend, I want to help you.”

The princess turned, her eyes set and determined.

“This is something I must do alone. Tell my sister I am sorry, but it must be this way.”

Twilight blinked, taken aback, she had never heard such sorrow in Luna’s voice. She could only only stand silently as the alicorn spread her wings, staring at the sun.

“Don’t follow me.” and with that parting remark, she rose out into the sky and away.

Mysteria giggled as Gently began juggling the class textbooks. Seeing her smile, he gave an exaggerated wink and began arranging them in a box around another competitor, with only a hole for the eyes to see out. The surrounding ponies cheered and he took a low bow.

“Wow Gently, you are really good at levitation!” Mysteria gushed when he had extracted himself from the crowd.

“I try.” he responded, giving a modest shrug and looking around at the others.

They were in a vast hall where lines of ponies were being called up to demonstrate their skill at multiple feats of levitation. Mysteria had already been called, and impressed the onlookers by reading a book whilst playing three games of chess against herself.

Gently and Mysteria both went off for something to eat, followed by several envious glances from the struggling competitors.

“It’s a wonder you haven’t got your cutie mark in levitation.” Gently told Mysteria earnestly as they walked.

“Oh, I dunno. I mean, it’s kinda easy but I find it a bit boring. I think you are supposed to get your cutie mark in something you enjoy, as well as being good at it.”

“True, “ he conceded. “What about magic then, like your teacher?”

“I wish, but Twilight didn’t want to do any contests, especially not the duelling. So maybe she has a different kind of magic.”

They arrived at the canteen, taking an apple each.

“Twilight entered the duelling.” Gently said nonchalantly, taking a bite from the apple as he leant against a wall.

“She what!” Mysteria exclaimed loudly, drawing glances from nearby ponies.

“I saw her put her name down as we left to do levitation,” he continued, still munching on the apple.

“I don’t believe it.” the grey unicorn muttered to herself. “After all the talk she gave me last night about it being too dangerous for me to enter, she puts her own name down.”

Gently watched her mutter, feeling the awkward pang again as he continued with his role.

“You could be her second.”

She stopped and stared at him, confused.

“Her what?”

“Second. You fight some of the matches in her stead, but lose to her in the semi finals.”

“I have to lose?”

“Yeah, some kind of silly rule about there being only one victor.”

Mysteria grinned, her eyes twinkling.

“If I can’t enter the duelling for myself, I’m fine with being a second.” A thought struck her, and her face fell. “Does that mean I’ll have to face you?”

For a second, his face grew dark and withdrawn, but then he smiled again.

“Hah, not likely. I’ll make sure I’m in a different set - that way only Twilight will face me in the final.”

“You sure you can make it to the final?” She asked him slyly, the mischievous smile back on her face.

“You doubt my power?” He replied in a mockery of being indignant, then smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll do well.” Mysteria told him, smiling encouragingly, “In fact, if it were between you and Twilight, I don’t know who would win.”

He looked at her curiously. As she turned away, he said very quietly to himself.

“We’ll never know.”

As the last rays of sun peeled away from the castle, the tired ponies from the day’s events gathered again in the hall. Though lectures had taken place, it was the results of the first competition that were on the forefront of everyone’s minds.

The only event on today had been the levitation. Now they would find out the four ponies who would be continuing to the semi-finals.

Twilight, Mysteria and Gently had all taken seats around a small table, where the two younger ones were talking excitedly about the various ponies they had seen.

“I think that white one we saw might go through, you know the one who levitated a table, along with all the cutlery.” Mysteria said, twirling her hoof around as she recollected the memory.

“Well he might have, had he not dropped it.” Gently countered with a smile. They both grinned, to which Twilight could only sigh and bury her head in a book. Their behaviour had begun to get on her nerves, and she felt increasingly like a background character in one of those trashy romance novels that Rarity read.

She looked up at the end of a chapter to find herself staring into Gently’s eyes. He smiled slowly as he asked her a question.

“What did you do, Twilight? I hear you made... quite a splash.”

She rolled her eyes at him but put down her book.

“Ha, Ha. Well I levitated a body of water over the crowd who were yelling that I was taking too long. I guess that should teach them not to rush me.”

Mysteria chuckled.

“I wish I could’a been there when you did that, Twilight. You must have had a laugh.”

Twilight did find herself smiling.

“Well maybe I did allow myself a chuckle.”

She then looked over to Gently, who looked contemplative, rubbing his chin slowly with one hoof.

“What’s the matter, Gently, worried about your title?” She felt little guilt that her voice entertained some snideness in the ribbing.

Gently turned to her his eyes flashing red, snarling for a split second. Then he was smiling, his eyes a soft yellow.

“As if. I suppose it depends on whether ponies prefer power or style, won’t it?”

She nodded numbly, trying to comprehend what she had seen - unless she hadn’t. Perhaps I was just picturing him as I think of him. It must be my subconscious.

Mysteria, oblivious to this interaction, watched as the procession of ponies marched up to the board and began levitating names to the far left side of the board.

“Hey guys.” she said shaking them to get their attention without turning away from the stage.

They all turned to watch the assembly, falling silent as Princess Celestia took the stage.

“Assembled fillies and gentlecolts, it is with great pleasure that I announce the four ponies who will be appearing in tomorrow's finals. I apologise for my sister’s absence but an important matter came up which has called her away.”

Twilight sat bolt upright and caught Celestia’s eye, though they only held contact for a second, it was enough for her to understand that Luna was missing and her sister was worried.

“Fancypants from Canterlot.”

The audience broke into cheers as the well groomed unicorn got to his feet giving a bow.

“Dustymane from Manehatten.”

Again cheers were responded by a nervous looking colt wearing an apron.

“Gently Star from the Everfree Forest.”

He rose to his feet earning polite applause but mostly curious looks.

“Finally, Twilight Sparkle from Ponyville.”

Blushing slightly, Twilight got to her feet as she was met by hoof stamping and cheers. Everyone here remembered the Royal wedding and her defeat of Discord and Nightmare Moon.

“The contestants will demonstrate their skill tomorrow evening after the second round of duels. Goodnight everypony.”

The gathering began to disperse as Celestia left the room, buzzing with anticipation for tomorrow.

“Oh yeah Twilight, about the duelling tomorrow.” Mysteria asked, after an encouraging nod from Gently.

“What is it, Mysteria?” her teacher responded, giving her student her undivided attention.

“Since you’re entering the duelling, can I be your second?”

Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but seeing the smug look on Gently’s face thought better of it.

“Fine,” She grudgingly agreed, “but you must be careful.”

“Of course I will, Twilight, goodnight.”

Mysteria and Gently left her alone as they walked towards the gardens.

“What is your game, Gently - what do you want with her?” Twilight asked herself, closely watching the retreating ponies with increasing suspicion.