The world of Equestria has seen its fair share of events over the years. Some have been simple one-time affairs while others evolved into widespread events that had captured the collective attention of the populace. One example of the latter was Beyblade, a relatively new sport where two participants, called bladers, would face each other in battle by having their beyblades, often called beys for short, clash with each other. While plenty of people loved having intense battles with their friends and rivals, others seemed content with simply observing and taking notes on each battle they witnessed.

One person who fell into the latter category was Twilight Sparkle, assistant and student of the ruler of Equestria herself, Princess Celestia. Twilight had always been fascinated by the mechanics of beyblades and how they functioned. She had taken many trips with Celestia to inspect beyblade manufacturers all over the world and was astounded by the process undertaken to create such objects. Despite that, she never found herself to be interested in playing the game herself, finding it more interesting to observe and analyze. Having seen many battles herself and the connections that breed from them, Celestia began to come up with a plan to change that in her student.

One day, Twilight was in her room along with her little brother, Spike. Unlike Twilight, Spike was a very passionate blader who sought to get better any chance he got. Oftentimes, his enthusiasm wore thin on Twilight as evidenced by regular insistence that he take his excitement elsewhere. As Spike set to leave, a knock on the door was heard.

“Twilight,” said Celestia in her motherly tone, “may I see you for a minute?” Being closer to the door, Spike opened it and allowed the princess to enter. “Thank you Spike,” she said to the young blader before addressing her studious assistant again. “Twilight, are you familiar with the annual Summer Beyblade Festival?”

“Yes I am,” nodded Twilight. “It’s supposed to celebrate the day when beyblade became one of Equestria’s most renowned games and the location varies year-to-year.”

“That’s correct,” Celestia confirmed. “And this year it is to be held in a small town called Ponyville.” Celestia then pulled a map from one of Twilight’s drawers and held it open. “It’s located right here, not far at all from canterlot,” she explained while pointing to a small patch of land further down the mountain. “And I would like you to oversee its preparations.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this. “But don’t you usually oversee things like this?” she asked curiously. “Or at least one of your delegates?”

“Yes,” said Celestia, “but I have another meeting to attend today, one where my usual delegates are required to attend as well.” She then placed the small briefcase she had been carrying onto the desk. “And to help you in this important task,” said Celestia as she opened it, “I am giving you your very own beyblade.” Along with the bey in question, the case also contained a launcher and grip.

Spike was in full awe of the bey while Twilight’s expression became even more curious as she turned to her mentor again. “Princess,” she said respectfully, “while I wholeheartedly appreciate this gift, I fail to see the reason I would need something like this for a simple inspection.”

“Well you see Twilight,” Celestia explained, “Ponyville is quite passionate about the game, possibly more so than most other towns and cities we’ve visited. This simply ensures you won’t be given any strange looks once you enter.” Celestia then took out the bey to give Twilight a better look at it. “The bey I am gifting you is called Light Striker R145EWD.” Twilight looked at the bey and noticed the purple coloring as well as how the fusion wheel appeared to have six blades on it. “It is a balance-type and should prove quite useful in your overseeing of the event, provided you do a bit of training with it before you leave.”

“Awesome,” said Spike, excited at the prospect of training with his sister. “I’ll be waiting in the gym, Twilight.” He then raced off before Twilight or Celestia could get a word in. Despite that, Twilight thanked Celestia and took the case before racing to catch up with her ecstatic brother.

Soon, the two had arrived in the gym and were prepared to battle at a stadium situated within the facility.

“3!” said Spike enthusiastically.

“2,” said Twilight with disinterest.

“1, let it rip,” they both said as they launched their beys into the stadium. Twilight’s Striker went straight to the center while Spike’s beyblade circled along the bank.

‘Okay,’ thought Twilight. ‘Spike’s bey is an attack-type, which overwhelms the opponent through brute force at the cost of a solid defense or lasting endurance.’ She then observed her own bey spinning in the center. ‘Meanwhile my Light Striker is a balance-type, which combines the power of an attack-type with the stability of a defense-type and the endurance of a stamina-type.’

“So are you gonna make a move out there, Twi?” asked Spike impatiently. “Because if you won’t, then I will!” Spike’s bey then dove into the stadium and attacked Striker with a fast-paced barrage. “I’ll put a quick and easy end to this battle,” Promised Spike as his bey continued its attack.

Meanwhile Twilight simply continued to observe the battle. ‘This is just like Spike,’ she said analytically. ‘He always starts off with a fierce barrage of attacks. Normally, it’s a good way to quickly drain the opponent’s power. However…’ She paused as she saw Spike’s bey losing stamina rather fast, much to the younger blader’s shock and horror. ‘This Striker is no ordinary bey.’ Twilight then instructed Striker to attack and sent Spike’s bey flying out of the stadium where its rotation came to a halt.

“Aww man,” moaned Spike as he went to retrieve his bey. “But that strategy always nets me a win. What happened?”

“What happened,” informed Twilight, “was that you relied too much on a familiar strategy against a new opponent.” She then held out her hand and took back Striker. “You should have taken some time to learn about your opponent and what their abilities are before going in for the kill, as it were.”

Spike nodded and made sure to remember that advice for next time. “So Twilight,” he said with a somewhat coy smile. “How did it feel to battle for the first time?”

“It was… somewhat enjoyable,” she decided after a moment of thought. “Though I might need to test the abilities of my bey with a few more opponents before I come to a proper judgement.”

Spike nodded and said, “Well I happen to know of an event coming up where you can test your skills against plenty of new opponents.”

Twilight immediately saw where Spike was going with his words. “Okay, fine. I guess I’ll compete in the tournament.” She then turned to her brother. “But only if you enter as well. After all, this is a chance for you to meet other bladers your own age as well.”

“Actually,” said Spike, “that was gonna be my plan from the start.”

Twilight sighed and left to inform Celestia about her decision. Afterwards, arrangements were made to have Twilight catch the morning train to Ponyville so that she’d have plenty of time to oversee the festival preparations.

Twilight and Spike soon disembarked from the train with Twilight wearing a sweater vest along with a simple purple skirt and leather boots that offered support yet still remained stylish. Spike was wearing a green t-shirt under a light purple hoodie as well as loose jeans. Spike then pulled out a list from his backpack detailing their assigned tasks, the first of which was heading to the local farm to oversee food preparation.

Upon arriving at the farm, called Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight and Spike felt the ground shake quite a bit as they looked over and saw a tall, blonde girl wearing an open Gingham shirt over a sweat-stained white t-shirt and jeans that were showing some wear and tear. Her look appeared to be tied together with a stetson hat atop her head. The shaking seemed to be coming from her beyblade as it raced around the area, bashing into every tree that it passed and knocking the apples hanging from it loose as a result.

Impressed at her abilities, Twilight walked over to introduce herself. “Hello there,” she said politely while holding out her hand. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well howdy there,” greeted the farmgirl while shaking Twilight’s hand rather aggressively. “Name’s Applejack and I help run this farm with mah family.” She let go of Twilight’s hand and gestured to a muscular young man with a red leather jacket over an orange t-shirt and a younger red-headed girl with a yellow long-sleeve shirt, both of whom were wearing jeans with similar wear and tear to her own.

After recovering from the vigorous greeting, Twilight took a breath before speaking again. “I’m here on behalf of Princess Celestia to oversee preparation for the Summer Beyblade Festival. I understand you’re doing the refreshments?”

“Yes indeedy,” Applejack confirmed. “Care to sample some?”

Twilight was about to refuse until she heard a faint growling coming from her stomach and saw tha Spike was feeling similarly. “I suppose we have time for a quick bite,” decided Twilight.

Applejack gave an appreciative nod and asked her family to bring out their best treats. As Twilight and Spike ate, Twilight decided to talk to Applejack about what she saw when she came in. “I must say,” said Twilight in between bites, “I’ve never seen a beyblade used in such a manner. It’s quite unique.”

Applejack smiled and pulled out her bey. “Yep, Dark Bull here’s been my partner for as long as I can remember,” said Applejack. “It was actually my Pah’s bey from when he used to compete in a whole mess of tournaments.”

“Oh my,” said Twilight in fascination. “Well it seems like you’ve done a fantastic job maintaining it after all these years.”

Applejack smiled in appreciation. “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit,” she said. “There’s a shop in town that sells beys and fixes them up to boot. I reckon you’ll meet the owner or see it for yourself soon enough.”

Twilight made a note to keep an eye out for it as she and Spike finished their meal. They complimented Applejack and her family on their well-made food and left for their next destination, which was a small beyblade gym near the town center. Once they stepped inside, they were surprised at what they saw. All around the facility, there were young bladers training with a wide variety of equipment ranging from dummy beys meant to practice attacks on to weight machines used to strengthen one’s arms for their launches. In the middle of everything was a young-looking muscular woman wearing a sports bra and exercise shorts, both of which were soft cyan. Her most distinct feature seemed to be her rainbow-colored hair.

“Keep it up, you lightweights,” she barked. “Physical strength is one of the core components to beyblade. If a blader’s body is weak, how can they expect to win?” She then noticed Twilight and Spike by the entrance and walked over to them. “Hey there,” she greeted. “Here to sign up this little guy?” she asked, referring to Spike.

“Actually, no,” said Twilight. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle and this is my little brother, Spike. We’ve been sent to oversee preparations for the upcoming Summer Beyblade Festival.”

“Oh, gotcha,” dash said while nodding in understanding. “Well I help to make sure that each and every blader here is in peak physical condition so they can kick major ass at that festival’s tournament.” She then turned towards the bladers who were continuing their exercises. “After a little while, these kids will end up kicking major ass in any tournament they enter.”

Twilight seemed impressed at the dedication some of the bladers seemed to be putting into their workouts. She admitted to herself that she put more thought into the technical aspect of beyblade than anything else. Seeing Spike’s interested gaze also told her that she should put a bit more research into a blader’s strength alongside that of the bey.

“Well, I’d better get back to these little shrimps,” said Dash as she went back to attend to the bladers. “Hope to see you in the tournament, Twilight.”

Twilight and Spike smiled as they exited the building. “Man,” sighed Spike, “I wish Canterlot had a place like this.”

“What’s wrong with the facility at the castle?” asked Twilight with a Raised eyebrow.

“Nothing, really,” said Spike. “It’s just that no one there really feels the same way I do about beyblade.” He then looked back at the gym. “They really seemed dedicated to getting stronger and improving themselves as bladers. It’s just so cool.”

Twilight smiled as she and Spike made their way to the next destination: Town Hall, where the tournament itself was to take place. Just outside the building, they saw a girl with fluffy pink hair wearing a painter’s jumpsuit jumping around a long canvas sheet with a paintbrush in her hand and a beyblade jumping around alongside her that seemed to also be coated in paint.

“That’s the way, Capricorn,” said the girl to the bey. “We need to get this banner nice and decorated for the tournament.” She then saw Twilight and Spike standing off to the side. “Ooh, looks like we’ve got new friends,” she said excitedly. “You keep painting there, Capricorn. I’m gonna go introduce us.” She then walked over to the duo. “Hi,” she greeted happily. “I’m Pinkie Pie and I’m helping set up for the tournament.” She then gestured to the bey jumping around the sign splattering paint all over. “And that’s my little Storm Capricorn.”

“Umm,” said Twilight slowly. “Won’t painting the sign with your bey make the paint splatter all over the place?”

Of course it will, silly,” said Pinkie. “That’s the idea.” Twilight and Spike simply tilted their heads in confusion. “Well a sign like this is bound to be more fun and get bladers more excited for the tournament, don't you think?”

“Well I for one think it’s a ludicrous idea, Pinkie Pie,” said a voice from the entrance to the town hall. The trio turned to see a somewhat pale girl with stylish purple hair wearing a simple yet elegant white sleeveless top and purple corduroy pants. “If you cover your precious Capricorn in paint, you’ll absolutely ruin it.” She then caught Capricorn as it was making another jump and placed it in a small bag. “I shall be holding onto this until it has been thoroughly cleaned.”

“Aww, Rarity!” pouted Pinkie. “That’s not fair! The tournament is tomorrow!”

“Well you should have thought of that before you decided to cover your bey in paint and make it completely filthy.” The girl, now known as Rarity, then saw Twilight and Spike. “Oh, hello there,” she greeted politely. “My name is Rarity and I am also in charge of setting up for this tourney.”

“Umm, nice to meet you,” said Twilight, still unsure of what had happened. “I’m Twilight Sparkle and I’ve been set to oversee preparations for the Summer Beyblade Festival.”

“Oh wonderful,” said the pale girl as she held open the door to the building. “Well then come on inside.”

Twilight and Spike shrugged as they entered the town hall and marveled at what they saw inside. Everywhere they looked, they saw banners and posters depicting beyblades in a fierce clash, quite fitting for a tournament. They also saw a rather large stadium situated in the center of the building that seemed to be made out of wood.

“This is so cool,” said Spike as he went to check out the stadium. “And this stadium’s awesome, it feels almost as sturdy as the ones back in Canterlot.”

“Yes,” said Twilight who was equally impressed, “it really seems like you guys know what you’re doing.”

“Well would you like to see for yourself?” proposed Pinkie who seemed to come in from out of nowhere. “We could have a little trial battle right here and now to test out the stadium, make sure it’s ready for the tournament.”

“Wasn’t your bey just taken away because it was covered in paint?” asked Spike.

“That’s why I was gonna suggest that Rarity be the one to battle,” Pinkie stated as if it were obvious. “The only question is which of you wants to battle her.”

Spike looked at Twilight expecting her to volunteer. “Very well,” she sighed. “I’ll be your opponent. I could use a bit of practice anyway.”

“Wonderful,” said Rarity as she pulled out her bey and showed it to the pair. “My bey is the beautiful and elegant Earth Virgo, based on the maiden constellation of the same name.”

“Wow,” said Spike. “A bey as beautiful as its owner. Don’t see that every day.”

Flattered by the young blader’s comment, Rarity waited politely for Twilight to show her own beyblade. She did so and the two took their places in the stadium. After counting down, the two girls launched their beys and the battle had begun. Virgo simply made for the center while Striker circled along the bank.

‘This bey seems like a textbook stamina-type,’ thought Twilight. ‘I’ll test the waters a bit and see what happens.’ With her plan in mind, Twilight instructed Striker to dive in and strike virgo with a series of attacks. However, it seemed that Virgo was unfazed by the assault and continued to spin as if nothing was happening. “Hmm, seems to have pretty impressive defense for a stamina-type.”

“Why thank you, darling,” said Rarity. “I do what I can to ensure my bey can take anything the opponent can dish out.” She then smiled with determination. “But you haven’t seen anything yet. Do it now, my beautiful Virgo!” As if responding to its master, Virgo began chasing Striker around the stadium.

“Wow,” said Spike. “I didn’t think a stamina-type could move that fast.”

“That’s because you’ve never seen how Rarity battles,” said Pinkie in a somewhat cryptic manner.

Virgo soon began to close in on Striker and prepared to attack. “Now then Virgo,” Rarity said, “let’s educate these two on the true elegance of a bey battle.” Virgo then made contact with Striker, but it didn’t seem to do much and was knocked aside with relative ease.

Seeing her opponent’s surprised expression, Twilight saw fit to explain. “My Striker is not a bey to be underestimated,” she said. “It’s spin track is made of rubber, which allows it to not only absorb the opponent’s incoming attacks, but send them back with a little extra.”

“I see,” said Rarity with intrigue. “Then this battle will be one of endurance. Very well then.” Virgo then began to move about the stadium as if it were dancing and attacked Striker repeatedly.

As the beys continued to clash, Twilight eyed Rarity curiously. ‘This is highly unprecedented,’ she thought. ‘Her bey is better suited for a drawn out battle of stamina. Why is she entering a head-on clash with my bey?’

“What’s the matter darling?” asked Rarity when she saw that Striker wasn’t fighting back. “Are you not going to retaliate?”

“I don’t really see a need to,” admitted Twilight. “Being a stamina-type, your Virgo doesn’t have much power to wield, making its attacks rather easy to deflect.” She then watched as Virgo continued to move around the stadium gracefully during its attacks. “But despite that, you keep attacking and trying to overpower my bey. It doesn’t make much sense, strategically speaking.”

“You’re quite right, darling,” said Rarity. “I admit, I am taking a bit of a gamble in attacking your bey like this. However, I feel that this battle would be rather boring if I simply stood by and waited for your bey’s stamina to wear down.”

Rarity’s words seem to resonate with Twilight as she observed the battle again and saw how much fun Rarity seemed to be having as she continued to attack. Deciding to go for it herself, Twilight waited until Virgo pulled away and escaped the barrage. She then instructed Striker to meet Virgo’s next attack. The two beys clashed in the center of the stadium, the force of which caused a small shockwave that blew around the entire building. Once everything had died down, the two beys were shown to still be spinning.

“Now then,” said Rarity, “wasn’t that more exciting? Seeing the beys clash to see which one is stronger and more deserving of victory?”

Twilight took a moment to observe herself. “What just happened?” she asked as if demanding an answer. “It almost felt like I was a part of that clash.”

“Well that does tend to happen,” explained Rarity. “Clashing with your opponent head-on to see who is more deserving of victory, it fills you with so much excitement and anticipation for the next clash to see what might happen.” As Rarity spoke, Twilight looked at her own bey again and could sense that it was feeling just as thrilled as she was just then.

Deciding to roll with it, Twilight encouraged Striker to attack Virgo again. Rarity responded by instructing Virgo to meet Striker’s attack. The two beys were soon clashing fiercely with neither one giving an inch. Twilight’s growing excitement seemed to resonate with Striker as its attacks seemed to be getting more and more powerful with each clash. Seeing this sudden change in her opponent, Rarity decided there was no point in holding back at this point. She instructed Virgo to pull back and build rotation speed. Twilight tried to have Striker chase it down, but Virgo seemed to be moving too fast.

“What’s going on?!” asked Twilight in her excitement. “How can a stamina-type like your Virgo move so fast?”

“That’s due to the spin track, my dear,” answered Rarity. “You see my Virgo’s spin track has two ball bearings inside of it that, when moved to the outside, allow Virgo’s rotation speed to increase and grant it more power in the process.” Twilight marveled at such a design feature as Virgo then began to shine brightly. “And now you shall feel that power firsthand!” Rarity declared. “Special move: Flashing Brilliant Star!!” Virgo’s symbol then flashed before everyone as the light it shined intensified until everything became pure white. Once the light had died down, Twilight stared in shock as her Striker lay at the stadium center completely motionless while Virgo spun off to the side before jumping back into Rarity’s hand.

Twilight fell to her knees dumbfounded. “I-I can’t believe I lost,” she said. “I’ve studied beyblades for countless hours, but I never could have anticipated anything like this.”

“Well that’s what tends to happen in Beyblade,” said Pinkie as she and Spike came down from the stands, “the unexpected. You can never tell what’s gonna happen in a battle, so it’s best to be prepared for any situation by gaining as much experience as you can.”

Twilight looked back at her bey thoughtfully as she went down to retrieve it. Upon doing so, she thanked Rarity for the battle and asked Spike what their next assignment was. “Umm, looks like we’re supposed to check in with the person we’re staying with, a girl named Fluttershy,” he informed his sister.

“You’re staying with Fluttershy?” asked Rarity as she pulled out the back she had placed Pinkie’s Capricorn in. “If so, then could you please give this to her?” Twilight agreed and took the bag before placing it in her backpack and walking away.

As they went on their way, Spike proceeded to ask Twilight her feelings on the battle. “It was certainly unexpected,” Twilight recounted. “I never would have imagined a stamina-type would have that much power. Not to mention that Rarity seemed to know exactly what she was doing from start to finish.” She then looked forlornly at the ground. “Unlike me who seemed to just get caught up in the excitement.”

“Come on Twilight, don’t sell yourself short,” consoled Spike. “It was your first real battle and Rarity’s probably had several battles with all sorts of opponents.”

“Thanks Spike,” said Twilight as she hugged her brother in appreciation. “I feel better now. So, is our destination much further?”

Spike checked the map in his backpack. “Umm, looks like it should be another couple houses up the street.” The pair soon kept going and happened upon a building that seemed to be made out of a tree.

After getting over their initial shock, Twilight knocked on the door and it was answered by a thin pink-haired girl wearing a green sweater and yellow sweatpants. “Um, hello?” she greeted softly. “May I help you?”

“Um, yes,” said Twilight unsuredly. “My name is Twilight Sparkle? Princess Celestia made arrangements for us to stay here for the Summer Beyblade Festival.”

“Oh, yes,” said the girl as she opened the door wider. “Please, come inside.” Upon entering the building, Twilight and Spike marveled as what they were seeing. Inside the building was a wide variety of beyblades as well as individual parts lined along several shelves. There also seemed to be a surprising number of books on the shelves as well. Seeing their stunned expressions, Fluttershy explained. “Oh, well. I love doing research on beyblades and seeing which parts work best together. But more than that, I love helping people in town by taking their beys and fixing them up good as new.”

Hearing that reminded Twilight of another reason she was here. “Oh, yes,” she blurted as she reached into her pack and pulled out the bag Rarity had given her. “Rarity asked us to give this to you.”

Fluttershy took the bag and looked inside. “Oh no,” she sighed. “I’ve told Pinkie not to use her bey for arts and crafts, but it’s like she never listens.” She then made her way down a staircase with Twilight and Spike close behind.

Once they got to the bottom, they were amazed to see a veritable workshop complete with a computer and a collection of other tools and machines that the pair surmised were used to maintain beyblades.

“Oh, it looks like the paint’s mostly dry already,” said Fluttershy as she inspected Capricorn before turning to Twilight and Spike. “Would one of you please bring me a basin of hot water and a pair of rubber gloves from the kitchen?” Spike volunteered and ran back upstairs while Twilight stepped closer and observed the repair process. “This is gonna take me a while, but I should have it fixed up by the time the tournament starts tomorrow,” noted Fluttershy.

Twilight continued to watch with interest as Fluttershy disassembled Capricorn and was soon chipping away at the dried paint. At that point, Spike returned with the water basin in his hands and the gloves over his arm. He set them down next to Fluttershy and she soon dropped the paint-covered parts into the basin. She then added a paint remover chemical before putting on the gloves and reaching in to scrub Capricorn thoroughly with a brush.

“So you fix up beyblades as a career?” asked Twilight curiously.

“Sort of,” said Fluttershy. “This beyblade shop’s been in my family for a few generations. Once I started helping out, I saw people who were bringing in beyblades that were heavily damaged and demanding a refund.” Twilight shook her head in shame at such behavior. “So I offered to start a service where I would repair any bey that needed it. It took some learning and a bit of money to get everything I needed, but it was worth it because soon everyone wanted their beys fixed up and we ended up making even more money.” Twilight smiled in admiration at Fluttershy’s dedication to her dream. “Soon we made enough for my parents to retire, leaving the shop in my hands and my brother’s. But Zephyr wanted to pursue other interests, so I mainly call in some of my friends when I need help.”

Twilight and Spike now had utmost respect for their host and her desire to make beyblade a game where anyone and everyone could have fun. Soon, Capricorn was clean as a whistle and Fluttershy placed the parts on a towel to dry off. Afterwards, Fluttershy went upstairs to show her new guests to their rooms. Once Twilight and Spike settled in, Fluttershy took them back to the town center where the festival began in earnest. The pair were amazed as they looked around and saw a wide variety of stalls and booths from ones that sold food to games, to even craft booths. Spike immediately went to get some food while Twilight and Fluttershy checked out the craft booths. They even met up with the other girls Twilight had met earlier that day. Soon, everyone was having fun playing games, eating food, and purchasing various wares as they waited for the festival to start.

It didn’t take long before a voice came over the loudspeaker. “Attention everyone,” the voice boomed, “we will soon be holding the exhibition battle that will signify the official start of the Summer Beyblade Festival! Please proceed to the stadium immediately.” Following the voice’s instructions, the citizens gathered inside and took their seats. “Welcome everyone,” came the voice from earlier once everyone had taken their seats. It came from a woman in a business suit with tanned skin and gray hair speaking into a microphone from a balcony high above the stadium. “My name is Maybel and I have the distinct honor of being both your mayor and your master of ceremonies for this event. Now who’s ready to get things started?” The crowd cheered, signifying their preparedness. “Right then. Tonight we shall have an exhibition match between two very gifted bladers to build excitement for when the tournament begins tomorrow.” The crowd cheered once again in excitement. “First and foremost, we have the esteemed ruler of our great nation: Princess Celestia!” The mayor gestured to the corridor where Celestia stepped out from. The princess was wearing a simple white dress that flowed elegantly as she walked up to the stadium. “And her opponent,” announced the mayor again, “a mysterious blader shrouded in infamy and darkness, please welcome Nightmare Moon!” The mayor gestured to the opposite corridor and out walked a slender woman with long blue hair adorned in a black jacket and dark blue pants with a light blue mask over her face. As she walked towards the stadium, many spectators gasped as they recognized her from sparse yet various appearances she made in other tournaments.

Both bladers stepped up to the stadium and stared each other down. “So we meet once again, Nightmare Moon,” said Celestia with a hint of smugness. “It seems like you could use a fresh dose of sunlight.”

“Joke while you can, Celestia,” retorted Nightmare, “I shall emerge the victor in this bout and I will take my rightful place as the strongest blader in the world!”

“My my,” commented Maybel, “it seems the battle is heating up before the beys have been launched. So what’s saw we get right to it, shall we?” The crowd cheered once again in excitement as Celestia and Nightmare readied their beys. After everyone counted down, the beys were launched and circled the stadium with incredible speed.

“Time to shine your brilliant light,” declared Celestia. “Go, Sol Blaze!”

“You light will soon be swallowed in my darkness,” Nightmare countered. “Charge, Nightmare Rex!”

The two beys charged at one another and clashed head on, the force expanding outward, causing those in the stands to feel it as well. The clash continued until both beys propelled away from each other and circled the stadium again.

“It seems you’ve improved quite a bit, Nightmare,” Celestia remarked. “I’m quite impressed.”

“Trust me Celestia,” said Nightmare with determination, “this is but a mere taste of my true power.” As she spoke, Rex began to spin faster and attacked Celestia’s Sol Blaze with a steady yet constant barrage.

Up in the stands, Twilight was impressed at how hard this Nightmare Moon was fighting against Celestia. Fluttershy then pulled up Nightmare Rex’s stats on her computer. “It looks like Rex’s spin track set to attack mode, allowing it to strike with intense power,” she explained. “The only question is whether it will be effective or not.”

Her question was soon answered when Celestia smiled. “I see,” she said. “Well then perhaps it’s time I showed you the true power of the sun.” Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Sol Blaze’s spin track shifted. Afterwards, it went to meet Rex’s attack head on and managed to stop it cold.

Twilight gasped as Fluttershy brought up her data on Sol Blaze. Much like Rex, Sol Blaze’s spin track could change modes as well. But unlike Nightmare’s bey, Celestia’s could do so mib-battle and change how it fought on the fly.

The battle soon intensified with Celestia and Nightmare Moon clashing head-on and trading blow for blow. After another while, it seemed that both beys were reaching their limits. “I suppose that’s our cue to end this,” Celestia said tiredly.

“It seems I am forced to agree,” said Nightmare who seemed equally exhausted. “Let’s finish this, Rex.” As if responding to her words, Rex shined a deep blue as it began to build power for a final attack. “Special move: Transcendent Shadow!” From the light Rex was emitting, a large ethereal dinosaur emerged and dived towards Sol Blaze with frightening intensity.

Celestia smiled as Sol Blaze began to emit a golden red light and was soon enveloped in flames. “We can’t let this clash be one-sided, now can we Sol Blaze?” The flames around Sol Blaze grew hotter and more intense as if the bey itself was responding to Celestia. “Special move: Nova Flare!” Sol Blaze then charged at Rex full speed as it was being engulfed in its own flames.

The two beys entered their final clash, causing an explosion of force that shook the entire building along with a burst of light that nearly blinded the audience. Twilight seemed worried until Fluttershy assured her that the town hall had been structurally reinforced to withstand the force given off by two beys clashing. The light and force soon died down with both bladers struggling to remain on their feet. The winner became clear when Rex was seen laying motionless at the bottom of the stadium while Sol Blaze circled around the outside with a slight wobble in its rotation.

“And the winner is Princess Celestia!” shouted the mayor excitedly with everyone else joining in and cheering for their princess. Twilight also found herself cheering with enthusiasm, an action that did not go unnoticed by her brother who shot her a simple look that said he was right.

Meanwhile, Celestia watched as Nightmare slid into the stadium to retrieve her bey. “You’ve grown much stronger since our last encounter,” she complimented. “If you keep improving the way you do, you may just beat me one day.”

“That day will come soon Celestia,” declared Nightmare as she picked up her bey. “Mark my words.” She then climbed out and exited the building as the audience gave both bladers another round of applause.

As everyone left to go home for the night, Twilight was feeling ecstatic and was now looking forward to entering the tournament itself tomorrow. Meanwhile, Celestia had retreated to a separate alleyway where she met up with her defeated opponent. “It seems our mission was a veritable success,” said Nightmare Moon, “wouldn’t you agree sister?”

“Oh absolutely,” Celestia confirmed. “Thank you again for doing this Luna.”

Luna took off her mask, allowing the moon to illuminate her face. “It was no trouble,” she said modestly. “Though I must admit, I am a touch dubious about this plan of yours.”

“What’s wrong Luna?” asked Celestia as if she had been wounded. “Do you not trust your big sister?”

“Of course I do,” Luna confirmed. “It’s just that I’m not sure if our battle today produced the desired effect in Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well we at least fanned the flames that were ignited during her battle with Rarity earlier,” said Celestia. “She will learn the true meaning of Beyblade soon enough. It just takes some of us longer than others to find it.”

Luna looked towards where Twilight and Spike were staying in the hopes that her sister was right about her plan.

Author's Note

Hey everyone,

Yes, I have a new beyblade story. I'm honestly more excited to be writing this one than I was my previous one and I hope you guys are excited to read it. If you guys have any ideas for customized beys, let me know in either the comments or through PM. Make sure to include the bey itself, what parts it has, and which character it would be most suited towards. Thank you all and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best wishes,
Speculore