Honor, Guts, and Glory

Chapters

Invitation
Preparation
Reaction
Preliminaries
Strength of the Moon

Invitation

Invitation

“SPIKE! SPIKE!”

Spike started to fall out of bed, catching himself a second before he did. Even though it wasn't hard to do, he wasn't that far off the ground since he slept in a basket and all. Spike quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, not looking forward to waking up.

He considered shouting back in annoyance, until he noticed that it was past 1:30. The sun was high up in the sky, meaning Spike had slept most of the day away. He felt horrible for not doing his morning chores. So instead of moaning a complaint, Spike answered her in his usual manner.

“Yes Twilight? You need me to do something?”

“Yes actually, I want you to find me more books on offensive magic. I'm going out with the girls, I'll be back later!”

Spike heard the door open and shut before he could ask her where exactly they would be. He shrugged it off, they usually ended up going on strange adventures at the most unusual times.

Spike had been pleasantly surprised by the absence of a lecture on being responsible. But why hadn't she woken him up in the first place? Twilight would usually shake him awake in the mornings, have breakfast together, and then get to work. His mind drifted as he focused on trying to solve this mystery.

Spike shook it off, he had a job to do.

“Alright now to get looking for those books, what was it? Something about combat magic? Twilights been studying that stuff for awhile now, I wonder what caused her to become so interested in it.”

Before he could come up with a reason for her sudden interest in combat magic, Spike realized why he wasn't woken up at six in the morning.

It was Saturday.

Twilight walked in the direction of PonyVille. Her and her five friends had agreed to meet up at a local restaurant to eat together.

Twilight started skipping to her destination. She had been so lost in her studies the past week she forgot to make time to hang out with them. Of course she felt guilty about it and thought of this as her chance for redemption.

'Ah-ha! This is the place,'

Twilight entered the cozy-old fashioned diner and searched for her friends. She spotted Apple Jack, the only one who had arrived besides her, sitting at a table near the far left corner of the diner. At least she wasn't alone this time, usually she was the one who showed up earliest for most of their activities. Such as Winter Wrap up.

Apple Jack looked bored, she had her head on her hand and was playing with the straw in her drink. Apple Jack saw Twilight out of the corner of her eye and gave her a quick, happy wave.

“Howdy Twi! C'mon over here and grab yurself' a seat!”

"Hey AJ! It's been awhile."

Twilight shouted back while she ran over to the table, a smile on her face. She took the seat next to Apple Jack and got comfortable before she continued conversing with her friend.

“Hows the farm Apple Jack? Business been good? How have you been?”

Out of all her friends Apple Jack was the one she missed the most, not because she was closer to her. She just hadn't seen the Element of Honesty in the longest amount of time. Twilight also felt some of her best, and most enjoyable, conversations were with the rough and tough female.

The two friends got to catching up, talking of this and that. Namely about how their personal lives, studies, and jobs had been going.

“Seems like you have been makin lots a progress Twi. Not surprised with how smart ya are. Hear anything from the Princesses lately?” Apple Jack took a sip from her drink, and draped her arm over her chair.

"Actually no, not recently. I'v heard talk of some big monumental event going on in Canterlot soon and all, but I haven't heard about it directly from the Princess. At least not yet." Twilight shrugged, face one of slight disappointment. Even though she knew the Princess would tell her if something was going on, she always worried.

Apple Jack shook her head in understanding. Before she could say anything to comfort her friend, Flutter Shy and Rainbow Dash walked in through the door, greatly enjoying whatever conversation they were currently engaged in. After a short laugh shared between the two of them, they noticed the two of their friends already sitting down at a table.

“Hey guys! What's up?”

Rainbow greeted loudly, dashing over to the table and claiming the seat she desired. Flutter Shy walked over to the table,

“Hi girls, I hope you weren't waiting too long.” She gave both of them a sweet little smile, sitting down next to Rainbow Dash.

“Hey you two.” Apple Jack waved.

“Rainbow! Flutter Shy! Great to see you two again. How's everything been since I last saw you?” Twilight lit up even more at the sight of her friends, perhaps she could hang out with them more after lunch.

The four of them continued to catch up on the past week or so, Rainbow boasted of her abilities and new tricks. Fluttershy told them about her busy week at the cottage, taking care of so many animals was hard work.

“I'm glad you all have had a great past couple weeks. I'm sorry I haven't made time for you recently. Busy finishing up my studies.” Twilight stared down into her drink, and took a sip.

“Oh come on Twilight! We knew you were just busy with something important. Besides we all need a break from society every now and then.” Rainbow Dash assured her they were not upset at her for it- at least she wasn't.

Twilight smiled at her, while Flutter Shy and Apple Jack voiced their agreement with Rainbow Dash.

“Thanks girls. I appreciate your understanding.”

"Of course we understand." Dash answered as she shoveled their appetizer into her mouth. AJ rolled her eyes at Rainbow's gluttonous appetite.

Everyone turned to their menus, they were here to eat after all.

AppleJack leaned closer to Twilight. “Don't you think those two are, closer recently? I mean not just hangin out wise, but haven't those two been more touchy feely recently?” AJ whispered in Twilights ear, Rainbow and Fluttershy were busy talking about what they should order.

Twilight's face became thoughtful. She looked over to her two other friends. Rainbow Dash had her arm around Fluttershy's shoulders, she quickly removed it.

“Eh no not,really. Maybe a little bit..."

"I mean, Rainbow Dash walked here with Flutter Shy."

" That is a bit odd. They have been friends for a long time.”

"True, but on top of it all, Rainbow is actin all sappy with her!" Apple Jack looked to see if the other two were listening.

"Everyone has their days, ya know?"

Apple Jack shrugged. “Ah don' know. Maybe ah'm just tired.”

AJ was unconvinced, but her train of thought was interrupted by non other than Rarity the popular fashionista. Her hair was a mess, and she was sweating bullets.

“Forgive me ladies, I lost track of time while I was busy styling my mane, and left a tad late. Not only that, on my way over here I ran into Pinkie, who just had to tell me how excited she was to eat lunch with us. Over. And over. And Over.

Anyway, the two of us ran the rest of the way. But she went far too fast and I have no clue where she disappeared to, so instead of entering the diner I have been trying to find her for the past fifteen minutes. Has she not arrived? ”

“Yeah, no Pinkie Pie. On the other hoof, you look out of shape Rarity. Your boutique is only about a five minute run from here you know.” Rainbow Dash teased her sensitive friend, not worried about Pinkie. She would show up sometime or another, who knew what Pinkie could be doing.

Rarity huffed in response, and prepared to make a comeback, when unexpectedly the very pony they were talking about, appeared from behind the fashionable Equestrian and yelled out in excitement-

“Hey girls! I got distracted by the sweet shop next door and just had to go buy some candy! I can share it with you all if you want.”

None of them replied immediately, still surprised at her sudden, and unexpected entrance. Pinkie just continued speaking after observing her friends reactions.

“Okay sounds good. Hope I didn't get here too late, I mean, Rarity was behind me by a lot so I thought I had time.”

"It's fine Pinkie. You arrived just in time." Twilight smirked at her friends eccentrics.

Of course, not missing this opportunity, Apple Jack ,accompanied by Rainbow Dash, slowly began to comment

“More importantly, did she just-”

“Come out of Rarity's-”

“GIRLS! That's so distasteful! And just plain out disgusting! Why would you think of something so vulgar?!” Rarity interrupted before they could finish.

The four girls held in their laughter, Twilight and Flutter Shy doing a much better job of it than the other two, Rainbow Dash held her stomach with both arms and bit her lip. Pinkie seemed to be unfazed from what had been said, lightly giggling at her friends antics.

"You didn't let me finish! I was gonna say handbag!" AJ and Rainbow Dash exploded into laughter. Rarity on the other hand, sat down in embarrassment.

For the next ten minutes the six of them caught up on recent events. Rarity talked of how everything at her boutique was going quite well. She was slowly becoming more and more successful, her boutique much more well known compared to previous years. Pinkie, well she talked about anything, including having a party to celebrate the end of Twilights week long study session.

The waitress interrupted their conversation and joyfully asked them what they wanted to eat and drink. She definitely enjoyed her job. Some people can be happy with anything.

They all began to order their meals, this took longer than usual because of Pinkiepie's unusually large appetite. Afterwords the Six Elements talked about whatever came to mind. Telling each other stories, cracking jokes, and they even started planning to do something more together after lunch. This all changed in the next second as Spike came running in to the diner, nearly knocking over a waiter

"Twilight! Twilight! I have a letter from the Princess! " Spike handed Twilight the letter. He knew Twilight had been looking forward to getting a letter from her mentor, he decided to be considerate and give it to her.

It was a success, Twilight's face lit up once she was handed the letter, she started opening it immediately.

"Oh, thank you so much Spike! You didn't have to run all the way here to give it to me, you could have just waited till I got back you know."

"I know. But you've been waiting to hear from her for a while now." He replied, puffing out his chest

Twilight proceeded to look over the letter he had just delivered.

The others silently waited for Twilight to begin reading. You could hear the clock on the wall ticking, Rainbow shifted impatiently, AppleJack popped a fry in her mouth, Fluttershy sneezed, and then the moment of truth finally arrived-

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Greetings my dear and faithful student! I have some news I just know you will want to hear!

You, the other five elements, Spike and The CMC are all invited to come and stay in Canterlot Castle for the duration of The Official Canterlot Combat Tournament. Warriors, Mages, and all different kinds of fighters from all over the world will be attending! I'm sure you will find it quite exciting.

Not only that, your brother Shining Armor and my lovable sister, Luna, will be participating in the tournament. I am sure they will both appreciate it if you all come to cheer them on!

It is the first tournament of its kind to be held in over eight hundred years, it is a monumental point in Equestrian history. Be sure to pack for at least a month, and be here by tomorrow, so as to avoid getting stuck in the crowd.

From Princess Celestia. "

Each of them were silent as they processed the information in the letter. Rarity spoke up first, obviously because Canterlot was involved.

"Oh my! An invitation to stay in Canterlot for such an extended period of time! And for such a, uh, big event? Twilight dear, I am quite ecstatic about going to Canterlot and all, but I never knew the Princesses held competitions like this before."

Twilight gave Rarity a sympathetic look, why was it that she was the only one who knew every little detail about the past thousand years of Equestrian history?

She is the only one who reads for fun, constantly, among her six friends.

Already having an answer prepared in her mind she opened her mouth to give a detailed and enlightening, explanation.

"A-"

"Well it's like it said in the letter, nothin like this has happened for eight hundred years. Of course most of y'all wont know about em." Unknowingly, AJ interrupted her friend, giving her own simple answer to Rarities question.

Rarity narrowed her eyes at Apple Jack's remark.

"And I suppose you know what this is all about? Why don't you fill us in then my dear Apple Jack?"

"For a matter of fact, ah do. Granny Smith used to tell me stories, that were told to her by her parents, about em when I was just a little Filly. Really- its just what it says, a tournament held in Canterlot, made to determine the strongest warrior in the world. Its supposed to take place every year, but was cancelled two hundred years after Luna turned into Nightmare Moon if Ahm correct. Because of the War and all." AJ looked off in the distance remembering the days she used to sit on Granny Smiths lap and just listen to her tell wonderful, unbelievable tales till she fell asleep. No one else in Ponyville could tell stories quite like she did.

"Actually, you both should have learned at least a little bit about it when you were in school. On the other hand, I'm surprised Granny Smith would tell you stories like that while you were just a little filly. Most of them contained lots of blood and violence from what I remember. " Twilight smiled at both Rarity and Apple Jack.

Rainbow Dash interrupted noisily, losing patience with all their historical talk.

She slammed her hands down on the table. "Who cares about the details, they told us what we need to know already! It sounds awesome! I mean come on, we get to watch people beat each other till the other falls to the ground in defeat! PLUS, Luna and Shining Armor are competing, AND we get to stay in Canterlot castle for a whole month! Maybe longer!"

"Yeah! I bet there will be some fun parties that we can have a great time at too!" Pinkie bounced around in her seat.

The others laughed at Pinkies comment. She was right, though they probably weren't the type of parties she was thinking of.

"Ah would think so, this being such a big event and all." Laughed Apple Jack.

Interrupting their excited chatter, Flutter Shy's soft voice reached their ears. Twilight and Rainbow Dash's comments did not help her look forward to this trip.

"Do you think they will be okay? I mean well, um, it sounds v-violent and dangerous." Each one of them turned their attention to the kind girl, her face etched with worry.

Flutter Shy received a gentle smile from Twilight.

"Of course they will be okay! It will be dangerous, violent, and kinda brutal but still. Shining can take care of himself and Luna, well lets just say I would be more concerned for the safety of whom she fights. Besides, it's not like any one is going to die, it's just a rough competition. These people are highly trained, so I doubt anything horrible will happen."

"She's right, they also have some rules to follow. It'll be kinda similar to something like the Best Young Fliers competition. Except it will be fighting instead of flying. Besides, most of them will be bound by some code of honor or something, you know?" Rainbow Dash spoke up to try and help ease Flutter Shy's worries, knowing all she needed was a little encouragement from her friends.

"They are correct darling, It may be a tad barbaric but considering the fact that it's an official tournament held in Canterlot by the Princesses, it can't be all that bad." Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder.

Their words seemed to do just that. Her features visibly relaxed and became much calmer.

"So, every pony wants to go?" Not one of them even had to think about her question before giving her their answer.

"OF course we do! Any pony that says they don't is just being silly!" Pinkie responded energetically.

Everyone agreed with Pinkie Pie, Twilight laughed at their enthusiasm.

In the middle of their excited discussion, an important detail from the letter came rushing back to Rarity, reminding her that it might not be as relaxing a trip as she had hoped.

"Wait, are we going to be taking our sisters? The letter mentions the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Twilight looked the letter over a second time, paying close attention to the names of those who were invited.

"Hmmm,Yes they are invited as well. It would be nice to bring your sisters, AND Scootaloo. I think it would be a fun, educational experience for them," She had almost forgotten that RD was not the Fillies older sister.

"We just need to keep a close eye on them is all." Twilight rolled up the letter, and put it in her bag.

"Guess we should ask em if they wanna go. As long as they don't get any stupid ideas like 'Cutie Mark Crusaders Tournament Champions yay!!' Everything should be perfectly safe." AppleJack laughed at her own joke.

This earned a couple giggles from the other five present. Rarity sighed before voicing her distress, she wasn't looking forward to watching the eccentric little Equestrians.

"I guess it wont be as relaxing as I hoped it would be. My sister will want to go and it wouldn't be fair not to ask her. Oh, I hope she doesn't set the Castle on fire, or give the Princess some of her poisonous food."

"I'm 120% sure a filly cool as Scootaloo will want to see something this rad. Especially if her friends are going!" Rainbow Dash proudly spoke up for her number one fan.

"Don't forget about me! I'm going too!" Spikes voice interrupted their exchange. They had almost forgotten he was there since he had been so quiet and reserved.

"Of course we wouldn't forget you Spike. Why would we forget about my number one assistant?" Twilight patted Spikes head, and gave him a fry.

"Well I hope so." He mumbled.

They all laughed at his answer.

"I'm guessing this means I have to tell the Princess all ten of us will be attending?"

She received nods from each of her friends, sealing the deal.

"All right! I'm so happy we get to all go together! I have read up on the old tournaments, and they are supposed to be spectacular. Lets hope this one is as good as they were! Just with better security. And less death. Now all I have to do is write a letter to the Princess to let her know every pony will be going. Including the little ones. Remember to pack tonight, we leave tomorrow!"

"Well ah guess this means Rarity has to start now. Since she has to take her entire house with 'er." AJ put a hand to her head, mimicking her friends dramatic actions from the past.

Rarity huffed,

"Well of course Apple Jack, after all if I don't pack for more than one person, you wont have anything to wear, or a toothbrush to use with how little you pack."

The others laughed at their friends back and forth conversation, any future comments were interrupted by the waitress. She had finally come out with the hungry Equestrian's food. Apologizing about the length of time it took for it to be finished.

For the rest of the afternoon the six friends, plus Spike, talked of the next few weeks. Each one of them placed bets, all agreeing Luna would win the entire competition, and Shining would place relatively high. Perhaps even second.

Every single one of them had no idea just how dangerous the next few weeks would become, but until then they could enjoy the peace and serenity, of enjoying lunch with close friends.

Preparation

Preparation

Princess Luna, the recently freed Princess of the Night, was out training for the tournament with her sister. Whom had agreed to help her out for a few hours. She couldn't wait until she was able to cross blades with the new fighters of the age, couldn't wait to feel the thrill of combat against powerful warriors again.

Though she was sad, knowing she wouldn't see many familiar faces. Many of the beings she remembers fighting have long since withered away into nothing. She brushed these thoughts away, knowing it would just depress her to think on the past and all she missed. Just because she was jealous of her sisters popularity.

The Lunar Princess had always been more of the fighter. She would rather act than talk, actions speak louder than words after all they say. In her spare time, she constantly thought of ways to improve her magic and physical skills. She considered herself the first arcane warrior, someone who mixed both magic and physical ability together. One helping the other become much stronger. Luna had always been physically stronger and much more aggressive than her sister. This is not to say she wasn't intelligent, no they were equal when it came to that.

Its just their personalities were as different as day is to night.

Celestia was the thinker, calmer, and didn't find battle quite as exciting as her sister did. She could be terrifying when she unleashed her power on an opponent, having a vast number of spells and immense magical energy at her command. Considered to be the most powerful mage in existence, she knew spells that no pony even remembers any more. Including her sister.

One of her past times included dualing with Luna. Especially when she needed to prepare for something, such as the tournament.

This was what the two sisters were currently engaged in. Luna asked Celestia to help her polish her skills before it all started, Celestia had of course said yes. Always happy to help her little sister, especially with something nostalgic as this.

Luna lept forward- striking fast and hard at her partners head. Celestia dodged just in time, planning to counter with a slash at her sisters torso. But she didn't execute fast enough. Luna threw a swift front kick into her stomach. Celestia was thrown off balance.

'She still kicks hard as I remember...Maybe harder?' Celestia used her naturally calm mental state to prepare a clever defense...

Luna thrusted her sword towards her training partners heart, confident this would make contact.

Instead of doing what she wished, her thrust ran straight into a bright golden shield her sister had created. This took her off guard. She mentally kicked herself for not remembering whom she was fighting.

It burst into a bright light, blinding Luna for a short while. Knowing it was a bad idea to stay so close to an enemy in her current state, she lept backwards and used her wings to lift fifteen feet off the ground till her eyes cleared up. Celestia read her movements and, launching off her back leg, flew into the air after her sister. She slashed horizontally at Luna's stomach, her wings giving her extra momentum.

Luna recovered by the time Celestia had begun her attack, and blocked her sisters cut just in time. She countered with a slice to the neck. Celestia dropped down out of the air, just barely dodging the dull blade.

Luna was disappointed she had not been able to finished it right there, and with this thought, landed a few feet away from her elder sibling. Celestia stood up straight and stared into Luna's eyes.

The two of them looked at each other for a minute. Both silently agreeing to stop for now, the princesses had been at it for more than four hours, and they hadn't even gotten to using offensive magic.

Both Princesses put away their training swords and sat down on a nearby bench. Both were still silent, lost in their various and unique thoughts.

“Do you think we shall come across a challenge?” Luna broke the silence, a bored expression on her face and a question she had been dwelling on for a while.

Celestias eyes shifted towards her sister, amused by her inquiry.

“You know, someone as great as lets say, Persephone?” The Princess of the Night did have a hard time with that challenger. Persephone was small, quick, and possessed incredible god-like reflexes. This made her incredibly hard to hit with or without magic.

Celestia giggled, growing more amused with each word that came out of Luna's mouth.

“I highly doubt you will meet anyone that good. But I doubt my own doubts.”

Luna looked at her more interested than before, also confused by her word choice.

“What do you mean, sister?”

“Some of the dragon competitors are quite old and powerful. Besides, if everything goes as I think it will, you might meet someone more dangerous than most other fighters you will, or have, encountered.”

Luna narrowed her eyes at Celestia, sending her a silent message that she did not appreciate being teased.

“Do you mind telling us who this warrior is? Or will you continue to keep your own sister in the dark?” She had grown interested by now.

Luna received a radiant smile from her sister as a response.

“Don't worry, you'll know who it is once you fight him. If you fight him. Oh! By the way, I received a letter from Twilight yesterday. All six of the Elements, Spike and the young ones will be attending the tournament. They should be arriving some time later today!”

"That is wonderous news sister!"

A Joyful smile graced Luna's features. So far the only friends she had made were the ones mentioned above. She was grateful to the Elements, for stopping her from going past the point of redemption. It had been the greatest moment of her life thus far, to be able to see the world as she had over a thousand years before.

Her smile quickly faded as the memories of the past crushed her momentary joy.

As Luna got more used to her freedom, she started realizing how much the world had changed. How many old friends had disappeared with time, how much she had missed and lost. The pain, guilt, and loneliness Celestia struggled through without her there by her side. The first time Luna realized it, she had cried uncontrollably in the middle of the night, which ended up waking her sister. Who tried to calm her for hours. It made her even more upset to know that the current elements would grow up and disappear one day as well, and all they would have when that time came, would be the memories- and stain glass windows created in honor of their deeds.

Celestia seemed to sense her sisters dark thoughts, so she gave her sister a light hug to help cheer her up.

“ Give me a smile, It makes me sad when you make a face like that. Anyway, we need to get ready to have dinner with some of the 'important' royalty from the other countries.”

Luna forced a half hearted smirk, wanting to cause Celestia little pain as possible. She knew nothing would change if she thought about it, she just had to move on and make the most of it while she could. She could not let memories, or anything else for that matter, drag her down.

“Fine, but when we meet their little noble sons and daughters, or they themselves in combat, they better not expect us to go easy on them for their sake.”

This earned her a laugh from her older sister.

“Of course not! Most of them are too afraid to say anymore than hello to you anyway. I'm sure they will try their best NOT to be annoying.”

Luna feigned insult, placing a hand over her heart. “Afraid?! Of me!? Tis a lie!”

Both of them giggled and proceeded to stand up and get ready to go inside. They did need to get ready for the dinner the two of them were supposed to show up to, it wouldn't be a good thing if the two of them insulted the royalty of the other countries right off the bat.

The Elements, Spike, and the CMC finally arrived in Canterlot. After a long and frustratingly loud train ride, Rarity was more than happy to be free of that enclosed space.

The CMC had been so bored they ran around trying to be the conductors of the train when no one was looking. Rarity still had no idea how they managed to do that successfully without causing any serious damage. To top it all off, they were trying to think up ideas of what to do when they got to Canterlot, being ever so loud about it. Drawing pictures, making ridiculous plans, even going as far as saying they should become the co-rulers of the country. Crazy foals. She couldn't take a nap the whole time.

In reality it hadn't been half as bad as she expected it to be but still, they should learn to be patient and sit still every now and then.

"Well we made it!" Rainbow Dash announced happily as she stretched her limbs.

Twilight nodded at her before announcing her plan.

"Alright every pony, first things first. We need to go to the castle to let the Princesses know we are here. Then we go to our rooms and unpack. After that, we could have dinner. Sound good?" Twilight laid it out simple as possible, so they wouldn't be confused as to what to do, but she still wanted to make sure her friends were satisfied with it.

Fluttershy shook her head yes. "Sounds nice."

"Ah agree with Fluttershy. Lets get started then everypony, seein that it might take a while to make it through this crowd." AJ waved her hand across the scene in front of them, to make her friends aware of just how packed the city was.

Not only were there an abnormally high number of Equestrians, there were, like the Princess mentioned in her letter, many other different races. Minotaur, Griffons, The civilized type of Diamond Dogs also known as Canis, a couple dragons here and there, and every now and then a pure blooded human.

The CMC and Spike looked on in wonder. Never in their lives would they have dreamed of taking in such a sight!

"Woooowww- This is soooo incredibly awesome!" Scootaloo shouted to the other Crusaders.

"Ah know! Ah'v never seen a dragon this close up without thinking ah was gonna get eaten." Apple Bloom replied with a fillies excitement, still awestruck at the sight she was currently absorbing.

"I hope we don't get lost!" added Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking as she spoke. She stayed close to her friends.

"Man its crowded! There's so many people here its hard to fly!" Rainbow Dash cried out as she landed next to Twilight after a failed attempt to take off with out the risk of running into someone.

"Oh, quit yer whinin and lets go already." Applejack and Twilight led the group in a circle formation, Twilight leading the way, while AJ took care of any rude people in their path. Fluttershy and Rarity were on the sides, being sure not to lose their friends, or the fillies in the middle of the group. Rainbow and Pinkie watched the back, alert and aware of any pony walking by that looked suspicious. Many of these people did not look trust worthy. Spike rode on Twilight's back.

The ten of them were making wonderful progress with this efficient formation. At this rate they could make it to the castle in ten minutes. They would be able to settle in, relax, catch up with both Princesses. Possibly see her brother for awhile, enjoy a nice dinner.

That's what they all hoped for anyway, yet in just a couple seconds, all their hopes for the rest of the evening were crushed.

An angry shout resounded throughout Canterlot, many people stopped to see what all the commotion was about, and others just couldn't get by the two angry people.

The sight they took in was unexpected. A broad- lightly armored Equestrian Knight, fixed his angry gaze upon a very large, dark man of the south who returned his glare. Standing on the other side of the street, the tall warrior stared right back at his possible opponent, never blinking once.

"How dare you come in here and insult my family name! It would do you well to remember where you stand prince boy, you are in Equestrian territory now! Comments like that could get you killed!" The knight screamed at his opponent, obviously not pleased with whatever the Southerner had said.

He didn't seem to realize that in this day and age, you were not allowed to dual to the death on a street full of civilians.

The southern man, apparently a leader of some sort, did not talk quite as loud. Still trying to be civilized around so many commoners.

"Your family has never beaten one of mine in the past. I stated a fact, it may have been insulting, but your racist comment was unneeded as well, no? Perhaps you've had too much to drink." He growled, ready to draw his weapon at any time. He could sense his enemies rage slowly boiling up to a dangerous level.

"You conveniently forget that we have beaten you barbarians! Don't change the past to your own liking!"

"Fine. You have beaten us once, but that happened over a thousand years ago! Never again!" He slashed his left hand in front of him, while he gripped the pommel of his sword with his right.

Both fighters began to subtly circle one another. The Royal guards decided to intervene, not wanting it to get any worse than it already was. They were hoping it would stop at the level of a shouting match, like most other nearly violent cases, unfortunately this was quickly getting closer to the point of bloodshed. One flew away to get back-up, so if it did escalate into a physical fight it would be easier to handle.

"Dualing is not allowed in the middle of a populated street. Either take it outside Canterlot, or just walk away. I don't want to have to do this the hard way, and I don't want anyone getting hurt." The tough-veteran guard commanded.

While the Southerner considered the guard's words, the Equestrian Knight seemed to take it as an insult.

"How dare you, a lowly guard command me, one of the direct descendants of Broadsword the Strong and son of Celestias High General Whitefire!" His common sense seemed to be being quickly swallowed up by his anger.

"Great, another snob who thinks they're above every pony else. The only difference is this snob's got a weapon and knows how to use it!" Rainbow-dash yelled out in disgust, causing her friends to flinch.

The situation started getting much too intense, and to their dismay the ten travelling Equestrians could not find a way out of the crowd. So they had to sit there, watch, and hope to Celestia it wouldn't get any worse. Especially with the younger Ponies around.

"HA! See how this little brat acts? He is nothing but a spoiled child! Quick to judge, he thinks he is above everyone else!" Accused the angry Southerner. His patience had run out.

"Shut up you two! Calm yourselves. Look we all know this will end badly if you decide to fight here. Do you want to face the Princesses because you disobeyed the law? What if you kill someone?" The guard gripped the pommel of his sword as well. He knew these two were highly trained warriors. Because of this he had a slim chance of subduing them both at the same time.

AJ whispered to Twilight-

"We might need to lend that guard a hoof if his back up doesn't arrive soon. You can use yer magic to stop them for a time right?" Applejack sounded dead serious- her voice tense and unsure.

Twilight nodded her head. At least she thought she could, but these two looked like they were registered for the tournament. The two of them together would be hard to handle. Especially considering they must have experience against magic. On top of all that, she couldn't do anything real fancy since they were in such a highly populated area.

This idea was quietly thrown away when Shining Armour himself arrived on the scene. He did not look pleased.

"What in the name of Celestia is going on here!? Don't the two of you have any common sense?! I demand you to stop this instant!"

Shining's voice resounded throughout the city streets, quieting all for a few seconds.

"Ah- so even my friend, Shining Armor wants to get in my way!? Why should I listen to any of you?! Why don't you understand!! He insulted my honor and my family, he deserves to be punished!" His face was red as a tomato, his neck muscles tense.

"If you want to fight so badly, why don't you prove it with actions instead of words Coward?" The southerners comments caused the knight to take a quick step forward, Shining blocked his advance.

Rainbowdash's temper festered over time. She finally spoke up,

"What do these two clowns think they're doing? Do they have no concern for the people around them?! Those punks need a beat down!! Just throw em in jail already"

A few in the crowd shook their heads or cried out in agreement.

"Now don't go do anything brash Rainbowdash. It will just worsen the situation." Rarity warned her friend harshly.

Twilight turned her head towards them,

"Don't worry, I'm sure my brother has it all under control!"

A loud angry roar wiped the confident smile off her face.

"At least I hope he does." The Element of Magic looked back in her brothers direction, hoping to Celestia he would be alright.

"Now move Shining! I don't want the first swing to be at you, my target is him!" Shouted the angry knight.

He started drawing his broadsword.

"He threatens not only me, but his own friend! I will teach him a lesson in manners!" The southerner yelled in response, also drawing his wide, curved weapon.

"Both of you HAL-" Shining Armour was ill prepared for what happened next.

They both charged and swung, their swings too fast to see. Shining stood in the direct path of both attacks. And did not have enough time to move or block with his own weapon. He didn't even have time to erect a magical barrier to protect himself.

The guard who was handling the face off originally, desperately attempted to get him out of the way. But wasn't quick enough to beat their speed. No one was able to react fast enough!

Twilight screamed in a stroke of panic.

She didn't want her brother killed!

"Shining!"

AJs face turned to one of shock. Rainbow Dash yelled out in alarm. Fluttershy yelped, and Rarity looked much the same as Applejack. Even Pinkie hadn't expected this.

Reaction

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I couldn't believe my eyes, my own brother, in this moment of time, stood in the direct path of two razor sharp weapons. I tried my best to use magic to save him. But I could not conjure anything fast enough. Not even telekinesis would reach him in time.

I panicked.

No pony had enough time to react to this sudden and violent development. Images of my brother falling lifeless to the ground plagued my mind. A pool of blood would start to form and the two killers would continue fighting. Unaware of the crime they had just committed.

By some miracle everything I imagined happening in the next few seconds left my mind. It was fast. Too fast for me to see clearly. A blur of a man appeared in between the two warriors. He stopped both of their swings with his arms, they cut into his gauntlets. He redirected both of their swings to the sides, narrowly missing Shining Armor. Both were caught off balance, the warrior struck the knight in the face with his fist, and threw him over his shoulder. He slammed right into the Southerner, and both fell to the ground. A loud thud, accompanied with the clanging of two sharp weapons hitting the street were the only sounds to be heard.

No one dared to move as the two competitors lifted themselves off the ground. Stumbling every now and then, dazed from the impact. The person who had stopped them stared at them angrily, he had already confiscated their weapons and given them to my brother.

Though, Shining seemed just as out of it as the two angry fighters.

The two of them looked at each other, then at the stranger who had stopped them, confused looks on their faces. Neither of them completely understood what happened just yet. Honestly, neither did I.

"Honor? What honor do either one of you possess? All I saw were two immature children getting angry at the other for calling him names." My brothers savior stared straight into both of the warriors faces as he ridiculed them, not blinking once, his arms crossed in disapproval.

Applejack put her hand on my shoulder and for a moment I thought the two of them would try to beat the guy with their bare hands.

Instead, both of them bowed their heads in shame. Neither one of them made another move.

I felt so relieved. My brother still had his head, and no pony had gotten hurt. After taking a few seconds to breathe, I looked back and smiled at my friends. I received their smiles in return, each of us relaxing now that no one was in mortal danger. My head shot back in the direction of the two would be criminals as the strong voice of the Equestrian Knight reached our ears.

“I. I do not deserve to be named after my great ancestor Ser Broadsword, nor to have the title of 'Knight'. I have dishonored my family, my friends, my Princesses, and myself.” The young knight, apparently named after his hero, looked on the verge of tears. I felt kinda bad for the guy, now that my brother wasn't about to get sliced in half by his sword.

We all turned our heads as the deep-powerful voice of the Southerner captured our attention.

“I have shamed my ancestors, my parents, and especially myself. I apologize for insulting your family and you yourself young Knight. Captain, I will accept whatever punishment you see fit, I had lost patience and nearly cost you your life, as well as disobeying the law of the land. It is unforgivable.” The southerner bowed towards my brother. He wasn't a bad guy, perhaps they were both just having a bad day.

“I apologize as well. I did not have to make that foolish and insulting comment about your race. I apologize to you too Shining, you are my friend and yet I still put you, and these innocent people I am sworn to protect in danger.” Broadsword kneeled in front of him.

I looked over at the strange looking warrior who had interrupted the fight, his eyes never left the two warriors he stopped. He looked ready to kill at any given moment, it frightened me.

My brother got over the shock of how quickly they calmed down faster than the rest of us, and replied angrily.

“You two should be sorry! Not only did you lose your tempers, but you could have not only hurt me, but these innocent bystanders as well. You know how strong and well trained you are, it would take more than just a couple average guards to stop you. You have a responsibility! Lucky for us, your stupidity was stopped by this man,” Shining waved his hand towards the warrior causing the two of them to direct their gaze on him."before anything irreversible could happen. For this reason, I'll let you off with a warning. That is all. Be on your way and don't even look at each other until the preliminaries start!” His voice dripped with venom and disappointment, he was still getting over the shock of nearly dying.

Surprisingly the two were let off real easy, I expected some sort of fitting, and well deserved, punishment. Even if it does not excuse what they almost did, both seemed sincere in their apologies. They even stood up and shook hands before departing in opposite directions.

“If you're a warrior trained to kill, you can't just start drawing your weapons in the middle of the street! It's irresponsible! Dumb! And just downright dangerous!" AppleJack kicked the ground. "I'll respect his decision for now. But if it happens again, I'll personally beat them till they can't move and put 'em in jail for a couple months at least!”

Rarity shook her head in agreement, and a few in the crowd voiced their agreement.

"I agree with you completely. Those ruffians better think about what they did long and hard before they show their faces around me again! Hmph!" Rarity flipped her hair.

I, on the other hand did, not know what to think just yet. Pinkie didn't seem to mind either way.

I looked back at my brother, he looked just as relieved as every pony else. I couldn't help myself anymore, I ran and embraced him in a tight hug. Happy that he was still able to return it.

He smiled at me before speaking to the one who saved him from a visit to the hospital, or the grave.

“I thank you sir, for keeping my head on my shoulders. If you hadn't stepped in I wouldn't be speaking right now, and would be unable to do my duty to the Princess for a while.” I eventually let go of my brother and decided to inspect the strange looking warrior.

He looked different from anyone I had ever seen.

His eyes were a deep dark blue, his skin covered in scars received from battles untold. He wore pure white, Eastern armor, two curved swords hung on his right side, one shorter than the other. His arms dripped from shallow cuts received from stopping the two warriors swings, if he hadn't redirected their energy so quickly, they would have been cut off.

Impressive.

But that wasn't what surprised me the most. Everypony knew that if someone was from the east, that usually meant they were a pure blooded human. On top of that, he had to have traveled through part of the Everfree forest to get to Equestria in the first place! Not many would make a trip as dangerous as that willingly, it seemed odd in my opinion.

“Dude, you moved so fast even I was impressed! It was rad!” Rainbow Dash enthusiastically praised the hero of the night, I have to admit she's right.

“Yes, it was quite impressive. We are all thankful for your swift and noble actions in the face of danger. Is there anything, or anyway, we could possibly thank you?“ Rarity beamed.

Pinkie Pie bounced around him in circles, saying thank you multiple times. Until Rainbow Dash pulled her off to the side.

“Good j-job...” A voice that quiet and sweet could only belong to Fluttershy.

He smiled at us, including the CMC and Spike, before he began to respond.

“You have nothing to thank me for. I did what I thought was right, nothing more. I thank you for the compliments and... entertaining song," A friendly smile graced his features before he continued "I am lucky I was able to execute my throw correctly before anything bad happened." His smile slowly dispersed.

“I don't care if we don't have to thank you. There are few people who would willingly put themselves in danger for the sake of complete strangers, people like that must be thanked anyway,” Rarities generosity shined through in her words.

My older brothers head shook up and down, telling the Easterner he agreed.

“She is right. I couldn't live with myself if I did not do something in return.”

“Seriously, we couldn't just let you walk away without a proper thank you. You just saved my brother from getting maimed, or worse!”

His gaze focused on me as I spoke.

“I understand..." He stared at the evening sky for a minute or two.

Rainbow Dash shifted on her feet, itching to hear his answer. She didn't like waiting for any period of time.

"I guess the only way you could thank me, is making sure you fight past the preliminaries, Shining." Now why would that be his request? The confusion must have shown on my brothers face as well.

Either the Easterner did not notice it, or just ignored it. "Unfortunately I can not stay and talk for much longer. I still need to find a place to stay for the next month or so for the Tournament.” He wore an apologetic smile in place of his usual grim expression.

“You want me to pass the preliminaries? As a show of gratitude? Why? ” Shining questioned.

"Ah have to say, that is a mighty strange request o' yours. We would all like to know the reason why." Applejack crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the Easerner.

Shes been acting real strange this whole conversation.

“Why? Why not? You are the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard are you not? You know how bad it would look for security if you couldn't even make it into the main tournament.”

He looked up at the recently risen moon for about 15 seconds, then he proceeded to bow to us. “I must be going. It would be unfortunate to have to find somewhere outside of Canterlot city to stay, and with the number of people here it is possible that if I don't reserve a spot soon, they will all be taken. Good evening!”

He did have a good reason to leave, but I wanted to stop him anyway. We could at least take the time to ask him his name.

“Hold on a second, why don't you join us for dinner? Its the least we could do for you,” Rarity decided to persist, she could be incredibly hard to shake at times. I would know from experience.

The human stopped and looked back towards Rarity. “I thank you for the offer, but I have to go,”

“Hey whats your name silly!? You still haven't told us and that's not fair!” Pinkie stuck her tongue out at the end of her sentence.

“Ah, yes I'm sorry, I have not introduced myself yet. I am Kagutsuchi, a Samurai from the east.” Aha! My powers of deduction are still sharp as ever!

Logically this would mean, since he is a Samurai, he must be representing his clan or leader. Who could possibly be here in Canterlot right now. Books and all their useful knowledge.

“Well Kagutsuchi, I have an offer. If you grace us with your presence while we eat, we will ask the Princesses to take care of where you stay.” Rarity winked at me. What? Is she pushing the job of asking the Princess a favor over to me? She's the one who suggested it!

Kagutsuchi stopped to think for a minute before he rejected my fabulous friends proposal.

“I could not impose on the Princesses. Besides I don't think it would work out too well. Hopefully we will be able to have dinner together some other time in the near future. For now I will take my leave.” With that he walked away, determined to get on with his business.

Though I had no reason to be suspicious of him, I could not shake the feeling something was off.

There must be something he's hiding beneath that friendly exterior.

But why? He saved my brother, and maybe even a few others from harm. So I shouldn't be thinking such horrible things about him.

I must still be paranoid for our safety because of recent events, I'm sure he is a great person. I have nothing to worry about-

“I'm so glad every pony is okay. I don't know what I would have done if someone had gotten hurt!”

Fluttershy's quiet voice reached my ears and crashed my train of thought. Is that a new trend around here?

“Yeah, we got lucky,” Rainbow patted Fluttershy on the back. “Now how about we move on and put all this behind us. I'm getting hungry.”

I nodded my head showing I agreed with Rainbows proposition, and started walking, my friends following close behind.

Shining walked next to me, so I took this as an opportunity to speak with him about something other than his recent near death experience.

“So, could you elaborate on how this whole tournament is going to work? Whats the schedule?” Having this information early on would give me an advantage, making it easier to organize my time.

“The start of the preliminaries is tomorrow. Since there are so many different beings wanting to fight in the tournament, we need to eliminate at least seventy-five percent of them. Only the strongest, most capable fighters will be allowed into the main tournament. We will have a five day break to recuperate and prepare before the main Tournament. During the main Tournament they will hold about two- three matches a day. The rules for the tournament are: Whoever faints, gets knocked out, gives up for whatever reason, can't stand, loses far too much blood, is incapacitated, or just can't lift their arms to fight anymore- loses.” Shining finished his explanation.

He seemed more nervous than his first day training in the military academy.

I gave him an encouraging smile. “Don't worry, you'll do fine. Actually, I suspect you will place fairly high!”

His nervousness did not disappear like I had hoped, he looked away from me so he wouldn't have to look me in the eye.

“I don't know Twilight, I might not be able to make it past the Preliminaries, but I guess I have to now." He sighed.

"Right now that's my only goal, if I can accomplish that, I'll be happy enough,” Shining closed his fists in frustration. "He was right Twilight, If I can't even make it to the main tournament, others will take it as a sign of weakness. That could cause bad things to start happening, and that is unacceptable!"

I did not say a word, lost in thoughts of my own. He did have a tough job, and Kagutsuchi- did he just want to fight my brother? Or was there something more to what he said?

I must be real tired to be thinking like that about someone who just saved my brothers life.

We walked through the entrance to Canterlot castle, we were able to go straight on through since Shining Armor was with us. Its grand main hall greeted us first thing, causing the CMCs mouths to drop open.

“I just can't get over how beautiful this palace is in person! It's just sooo grand.” Rarity praised the beauty of Canterlot Castle for the hundredth time.

I couldn't blame her either. It is considered one of the most breathtaking Architectural accomplishments in all of Equestria, also one of the top ten buildings in the world. Isn't that awesome?

Shining cleared his throat. “I will stay with you guys until the Princess arrives, afterwords I must be on my way to write up my report. I'm confident she will want to hear about what took place today.” I shook my head in understanding.

Celestia arrived shortly, interrupting our idle chatter.

Luna was absent. I hoped she would be there as well, I miss her. We haven't been able to speak since Nightmare Night.

“Hey princess! Whats up!?” Rainbow flew right up to Celestia.

“Howdy Princess Celestia, its been a while.” Applejack took her hat off in respect.

"Yes indeed Applejack, I've been very busy preparing for the Tournament. Honestly, responding to those friendship letters took up most of my spare time."

“I must thank you for allowing us to stay in the castle, again, for such an extended amount of time. It's such an honor!” Rarity bowed to the princess in a very formal manner, her eyes sparkling like a fillies.

"There's no reason to thank me, you girls are welcome here anytime."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fluttershy give her a small wave, one the Princess returned with a smile.

"Hi Princess."

All three of the CMC greeted her in a shy manner, completely out of character. Celestia giggled, probably thinking about how cute they were.

Shining bowed to her before stepping to the side so we could speak directly to one another.

“Hello Princess, I'm so glad to see you again! It's a shame Princess Luna isn't around. It would have been great to see her again.” Finally I was able to give my own greeting, capturing her attention.

“Yes, shes been extremely busy getting ready for the tournament and currently, the dinner party. She is over zealous with her training, but it's her first tournament in a thousand years and she tends to get excited about these events. Besides, I'm sure she would love to speak to you all in a little bit. Meanwhile I should show you to your room. Shining, I'll be looking forward to that report this evening.” My Mentor gave my brother a smile, he nodded his head and gave a quick 'Yes mam.'

Celestia looked back at us. “follow me, and do tell me all about what happened tonight. I heard from one of the guards. A fight broke out between two prestigious warriors, Broadsword and Wangai?” She gave me a sideways glance as we walked, eyebrow raised.

“Ah yes they did. Luckily another guy stepped in and well. Stopped them in a very effective manner. It was quite impressive. Basically, he saved my brother from getting sliced in half.” I made sure to mention Kagutsuchi, thinking the Princess would have information on him.

“I see. I will have to talk to these two upstarts, maybe punish them. I should thank the man who stopped it. What was his name?” My mentor continued the conversation with interest. I obligingly gave her a full answer, accompanied by a question of my own.

“He introduced himself as Kagutsuchi. Told us he was a Samurai from the east, isn't that rare? Besides, wouldn't it be challenging to make it through the Everfree?” I hoped on the inside, that Celestia would have the answers. Otherwise I would be up all night thinking about this.

She stared off into space for a minute before replying to me.

“It is unique, a Samurai I mean. Especially one who doesn't give you his last name first. The trip through the Everfree, though unexpected, happens more frequently than you would think. Some areas of the forest are less dangerous and more open to travel than others... Ah-ha! here we are. All ten of you will share this room, I made sure it was large, comfortable, and warm since so many of you decided to attend. I am sure you will find it nice and cozy. Now, I must go and greet the royalty at the dinner party with my sister, you girls can join us whenever you feel ready. If you want to join us at all that is, it wont be exciting.” Our princess gave us a soft and comforting smile before departing. I guess the answer she gave would have to do for now. I should just get some sleep before thinking about anything else.

"Awww yeah! Time to unpack and get ready to chow down! Even if it is filled with snobby rich people, the food has to be great! Come on everypony!"

Dash slammed the doors open with so much force I thought the hinges would break off. Luckily that did not happen, unluckily someone else's hinges sounded like they did.

"Rainbow I wouldn't-" Rarities voice was drowned out by a loud crash followed by a sickening crunch, causing all of us to flinch. Every pony, except for Fluttershy and Scootaloo whom looked overly concerned, and Pinkie who started snickering, walked through the doors shaking our heads.

Preliminaries

Preliminaries

Luna breathed in slowly, an attempt to hide her excitement. Today was the day it all began, the preliminaries were just twenty minutes away from starting. Thousands had gathered in the mountain top arena, where they were to hold the first matches of the day. She was one of the fighters today, her match took place at twelve o' clock sharp. The preliminaries officially started at ten.

Luna took her seat beside Celestia, both of their high generals sitting on either side of them, High General Whitefire and High General Coldheart. The Princesses seats overlooked the entire stadium, giving them a good clear view of all ten rings.

Luna had just gotten comfortable with her surroundings, when she remembered the failure of a dinner party last night. Twas for her at least. An insult, confrontation, then someone got injured.

The Princess shook those unpleasant thoughts from her head. Instead she decided to look around, there were thousands of spectators. To her, it felt like she was looking down on an anthill.

Hopefully they would have enough room to hold them all.

She looked down towards the rings and spotted the Overseers. The ones who watched and made sure the rules were followed during each match, also there to stop the match if they deemed it necessary. Then, nearby were the fighters and whoever accompanied them to the rings for support.

These familiar sights set off many memories of past tournaments, it felt like such a long time ago. Everything had changed, even the walls of this stadium looked to have become a different color. This grieved Luna. All that time, wasted.

The Princess noticed that the Elements had taken their place near her and Celestia. It was a place of high honor, one they deserved. Unlike many of the others sitting in the general area.

“You excited as I am?” Celestia whispered into Luna's ear, her younger sister grinned, at least her sister wouldn't disappear on her.

'Now and forever.'

Celestia wasn't ignorant, she saw the pain in her sisters eyes each and every time she started thinking of long gone days. The thousand year nightmare she went through on the moon, as time passed by and killed everyone she knew and loved.

The fierce Princess of the Night blushed in embarrassment. “We believe we are even more excited than you are, sister,” She replied in a loud whisper.

The Elder sister smirked. “I doubt that. Which competitors fight first?” Celestia took out a list, not a grocery list, but a list that told them the order of the matches. Multiple ones would take place at a time, so she searched for ones she thought would be interesting.

Luna laughed. “You do not know? Shouldn't you, The Princess of the Day and Co-ruler of Equestria, have found out a long time ago?”

Her sister scrunched up her nose.“Luna, you know I'm not good at this type of thing. Besides, you have no clue either,”

Celestia continued looking through the list, trying to find one they would both enjoy.

“Ah! This one sounds good. The Samurai Twilight talked about yesterday will be participating in one of the first matches. He is paired with Young Neos. You should enjoy that one, be sure to watch it,”

Luna nodded. “He is the one who crushed Broadsword and Wangai before they could harm ShiningArmor, are we correct?”

Celestia shook her head yes.

“Then we do not believe thisYoung Neo's has much of a chance,” Luna sat back in her chair, absent mindedly drumming her fingers on the arm rest.

“I wouldn't be so quick to judge. Neo's has been quite the promising Mage you know. Well versed in the ways of Combat Magic.” Celestia spoke up in defense of her student. He graduated top of his class in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns two years ago.

Luna grew still and silent for a moment, before replying in a tone telling she was still unconvinced.

“We shall see.”

Twilight observed everything around her filled with curiosity, the stonework was ancient, the doorways humongous, and there were enough seats to hold at least 50,000 people. The stadium was literally a monstrosity,

and many Dragons and griffins flew overhead, trying to find a spot able to hold their large bodies. Minotaur's lumbered past, many wearing heavy armor.

Her inner note taking and wanderings were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. She turned towards the one trying to get her attention.

Applejack,

“Twi, ah wanted to talk to you bout this yesterday, but couldn't find tha' time. I'll be blunt since we're out in public. We should steer clear of that Easterner.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“Um, I don't follow.”

“There is sumthin off b'out him. Mah instinct was tellin me he was awfully dangerous...”

“Applejack, he saved my brothers head. And acted incredibly polite while dealing with us and everypony else. Can you go into detail, and explain why he felt so... bad to you?” Twilight appreciated her friends honesty, she had felt like there was something off about the man. Perhaps Applejack could point out something she missed.

AJ sighed, she expected an answer like that. She couldn't expect anything else, cause they were right. He had done nothing wrong, and had been very well mannered.

“Ah don't know, all I am gonna say is, some men can act just as well as I can buck apples.”

Before Twilight could answer, the horn signaling the beginning of the preliminaries sounded. The current participants entered their designated rings, and the Overseers started going over the rules. Twilight decided to try to listen in on what they were.

“I am parched!” Rarity yelled out as she struck a pose. Why couldn't she have said so before the matches were about to start?

“ It is unbearably hot out today. Spike, would you be a dear and go grab us some drinks?”

“Of course Rarity, I'll be back in no time!” Spike bowed to her, showing just how whipped he was.

He ran down the steps courageously, he must get his love a drink. Spike the dragon would stop at nothing to succeed!

Spike's fantasies disintegrated into thin air, remembering he had no idea where to go get the drinks in the first place. He smacked himself in the face.

'Come on Spike! You know better than to run off into a large crowd of people without knowing the way around!' Twilight would definitely reprimand him for his stupidity. Did she even know he left?

His confidence wavered, he might get lost if he kept going. He could just ask someone for directions. No he was too intimidated to do that. Far too many strangers for that to be a good idea. Maybe he should just go back and say he couldn't find any. He was sure they would understand.

' NO! I can't just turn back now, I need to find some kind of drink stand or something! I will not disappoint them.'

With these thoughts steeling his resolve, Spike continued on his mission, walking much bigger than he was. He searched and searched, finally breaking through the crowd into a large corridor containing many vendors on either side. Many sold weapons, armor, or strange wares from various countries.

There were also many tourist traps.

Now all he had to do was find one that sold food and drink. Spikes eyes darted back and forth, searching each vendor for any sign of refreshments.

Because he had been busy searching every stand for drinks, Spike did not notice the man in front of him stop dead in his tracks. Well, at least not until he ran straight into his backside.

“OW! Sorry!” Spike went to glance at the man, or creature, whatever he ran into, and continue his search.

He could not will himself to look away-or move. He was stuck in place.

Spike had no idea why, the man looked strange, but he didn't look to be a scary person.

Nothing of what he wore caught the eye. His hair was jet black and long, his eyes blood red. Yet all this is not what caused him to freeze.

His presence felt evil, unnatural, cold as ice. More so than any other villain he had encountered so far, Spike could feel the malice emanating from the mans body.

“Apology accepted, as long as you answer me one question, what is a baby dragon doing walking around all alone in a crowd this big? You could easily be stolen, or worse- Dragons do sell for quite a lot you know, especially young ones.” His smile sent a shiver down Spikes spine.

“W-well, I am going to order drinks for my friends. S-since th-they are thirsty and it's h-hot out.” His words stumbled out of his mouth, his fear was too great for him to conjure up a better sentence.

“How kind of you. But don't you think you should have brought someone with you? Someone to watch over you? It's always safer in pairs they say.” The man seemed to grow further away with each word, all but the man in front of him faded into darkness.

He could not see, nor hear anything else. This evil being was the only thing that existed anymore.

Spike couldn't look away. His body turned colder with each passing second, still-he did not panic.

He began to reply, but his mouth would not move. He felt tired, and decided it would be a great time for a nap.

Spike began to fall forward, lucky for him- before he could hit the ground, one impressively large-strong 'hand' picked him up.

“Be gone Necromancer, do not bother the innocent, lest you wake my wrath!” A deep, menacing voice shook Spike right out of his daze.

The Necromancer smiled. “Why are you becoming so hostile? We were just having a pleasant little conversation, till he decided to faint out of the blue.”

A deep, angry growl was the only response the Necromancer received. He did not sound like any Equestrian Spike had ever met.

“Last chance. Back away.”

The Necromancer smirked, and went on his way without speaking another word.

Spike felt himself lowered back to the ground. Once he was back on his own feet, Spike looked up at his rescuers face. He was huge, around ten feet tall, and broad as two large Equestrions fused together. He wore dark red armor, all over his body. His hands looked more akin to claws. A long, thick tail trailed behind him-

Realization dawned on the young dragon, and a new sort of nervousness swept over him.

This 'man' was not a 'man', or Equestrian, but a Dragon. A dragon powerful enough to morph into a smaller form when he wished for it.

He knew very few were able to do such a thing in this day and age.

“Th-thank you sir.” Is all Spike could squeak out.

“You're welcome. What is your name, young one?”

“Spike, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I ask you yours?”

“Ah! It is great to see at least one of my younger brethren has manners. My name is Amarth, the Warrior Dragon of the West.”

Spikes jaw nearly fell to the floor. He remembered his talk with Twilight about Dragon history, and Amarth tended to show up quiet often the past two thousand years.

“I-I-I am honored to meet you, Elder.”

Amarth laughed.

“There is no need to be so formal, come let us get those refreshments you seek and return you to your guardian.” His massive arm guided Spike toward one of the nearby stands. One that sold food and drink of course.

In another part of the mountaintop arena, everyone quieted down as the announcement signaling the beginning of the preliminaries swept over them.

“Greetings my fellow beings! Today is the first day of the Preliminaries! Many brave and strong fighters from all over the world will be contending for a spot in the Main Matches of the Canterlot Combat Tournament! Pay close attention, make bets, and cheer for your favorite competitors. The first matches of the day start In just one minute!”

Rainbow-dash sighed, and slumped back into her seat. Taking a sip of the lemonade Spike had brought back. He was receiving a lecture from Twilight, reminding him of how lucky he was to have come back at all.

She couldn't help but be a tad impatient, she liked the storm, not the calm before it.

Well, most of the time anyway.

Since she had nothing better to do, RD's eyes drifted towards her best friend.

Flutter-shy.

She couldn't deny how cute Flutter-shy looked, patiently waiting for the beginning of the big event. Her big teal eyes glowed as she nervously observed the competitors.

Dash wanted to hug her right then and there.

'GAH! Stop it Dash! She's just sitting!'

“Rainbow! LOOKLOOK! It's our friend from yesterday! The one who was all cool!!'” Pinkie yelled in her ear.

Dash leaned forward in her seat, to get a better look at the two competitors closest to them.

Ironically, the man the ten of them met yesterday was one of the two. The other a young mage in a long white robe, a picture of the sun sown on its back.

“Dude this is gonna be totally awesome! Can't wait to see how much ass he kicks!” Rainbow replied in ten seconds flat.

“Of course. Hope he likes cupcakes!”

Rainbow squinted her eyes in Pinkies direction, and then turned towards Flutter-shy. Whom still looked overly worried and nervous. Rainbow-dash suspected her friend was having second thoughts about attending the tournament.

“Cheer up Flutter-shy! This is gonna be fun, you'll see!” .

The above mentioned Pegasus gave her friend a bright smile.

“Your right Dash, I should relax and enjoy my self. I'm sure it won't be all bad.”

Dash's heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah. It'll be awesome.” She turned away from the other Pegasi, to try and hide her face.

Flutter-shy noticed, but remained silent.

Then, the moment they had all been waiting for,

“Ready to see some actiiooooonnn!” The announcer screamed over the loudspeaker.

The crowd roared, and stomped their feet. Rainbow loved it, the start of the competition.

“Match START!”

Luna watched Neos and Kagutsuchi bow to each other before their fight.

She had a feeling this match would not last long.

Neos shot a short burst of flame towards his enemy, at the same time he retreated a few yards back. He needed as much space and time he could get in order to use a powerful finishing spell.

His eyes widened in surprise, he had to have missed somehow! The Eastern warrior closed the distance.

Kagutsuchi stood a few feet in front of him. He went on the offensive with a front kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of the young mage. He followed it up with an elbow to the back of the head, one Neos barely avoided. He had succeeded in jumping back a few paces before his opponent could destroy him up close.

Kagutsuchi did not move, deciding to wait and see instead. Neos took advantage of the situation and turned the ground all around his opponent into ice. That should slow him down considerably.

The Mage knew he should use the surroundings to his advantage, since he was a magic user and all. He summoned a relatively small rock golem to fight for him, he needed something to buy him time while he prepared something much more powerful.

Being inexperienced, Neos made the mistake of relaxing once his minion started doing his bidding, Kagutsuchi destroyed it with one powerful strike, purposely directing the shards towards his enemy. It took all he had to swiftly erect a barrier to block the shrapnel, but unfortunately, this shield would not last long. The Easterner approached while the promising mage was distracted by the previous attack.

With one swift straight punch Neos's shield shattered around him. Kagutsuchi wrapped his arm around Neos and applied force on top of his elbow, he moved his body so it faced the same direction Neos did, and slammed his hip into his ribs. He finished the technique by dropping his weight, and taking a step forward, sending him sliding across the ground. Kagutsuchi waited for Neos to rise and fight again.

Though Neos was normally quite the saint, being thrown around like a rag doll pissed him off more than anything. He realized he had been played with, the man hadn't even drawn his weapon yet. He hated that. He hated feeling weak and vulnerable, like a newborn child. Many unpleasant memories of the past surfaced.

He struggled to stand up, nearly falling back down twice. Once he finally got back on his feet, his hands began to glow.

A huge fireball formed in his hands, it's heat could be felt from the highest points of the stadium. All six of the elements stared in wonder, Spike's mouth hung open in awe at the size of it.

It flew through the air, Kagutsuchi stood there and let it land, confusing the masses. The flames engulfed him and charred the earth in a ten yard radius. Sweetie-belle cried out in alarm, Scootaloo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and Apple-bloom froze in place.

The Princesses and the Elements watched, anticipating to see a burned and broken body laying on the charred earth.

Instead, some of his clothing and armor still afire, he walked out of the devastation. His steps took him forward at a surprising speed, he wasn't a tall man.

Neos tried to speak, but no words could find their way out. He started to panic a little and took a small step backward.

Sadly, before he could gather his courage to continue fighting, Kagutsuchi reverse punched him straight in the jaw. It happened in an instant, and just like the night before no one had seen him move.

Neos fell backwards, unconscious. But before he could hit the ground, the Samurai caught him, threw him over his shoulders and carried him out of the ring. He handed him over to the medics. Once this was taken care of, he returned to the ring, till he was announced the victor.

The Princess of the Night turned towards her sister, a wide grin plastered on her face. Celestia returned it with an expression of surprise.

“Well Tia, do you still doubt our judgment?” She found it funny to see her sister caught off guard right at the beginning of a Tourney. Usually Celestia could never be surprised.

Luna did all she could to hide her laughter, and Celestia grinned sheepishly whilst rubbing the back of her head.

“No. You were correct. I had heard about his impressive capabilities yesterday, but I did not expect him to be... this capable.”

“Yes, we were pleasantly surprised our self. We thought the fight finished when he was swallowed by the fire. Tell me sister, why do you think he did not just move, or end It beforehand?”

“ I have many thoughts and theories for that one. But that is not what confuses me, how do you think he did not get burned, let alone survive, a fireball that big?”

Luna stopped to think. Very thoughtful was she, before she shrugged, no explanation coming to mind.

“Perhaps he is more than we expected.”

Strength of the Moon

Strength of the Moon

Luna called Twilight over to her, eyes contemplative. Twilight was interested in what she wanted her for, if anything.

“We must ask you a favor, Twilight Sparkle. If you do not mind that is.” Luna politely made eye contact with her, the gears in her mind turning quickly.

Twilight smiled. “Of course, anything you need princess Luna.”

“Could you go and intercept the warrior who saved your brother? Tell him me and my sister desire his presence at tonight's dinner. He will be a guest of honor for his selfless actions.”

Celestia nodded her head, she on the other hand, looked skeptical and suspicious.

“Yes, we would like to reward him for yesterday, and ask him how he survived such attacks without any effort. It's unheard of.”

Twilight bowed and started walking off. “I'll be right back!” Her friends waved, AppleJack followed her. She didn't want Twilight alone in a crowd this big.

Luna focused back on her sister, her face full of concern.

“Dear sister, what is worrying you?” She placed a comforting hand on Celestia's shoulder.

Celestia smirked, her eyes betrayed her worry. “That samurai. Something is odd about him. Didn't you notice yesterday, at the dinner?”

Luna gave her sister a look. “No. As you should remember, we were too busy fighting with some of the royalty to enjoy our selves at all.” Her eyes narrowed at the memory.

Celestia did not falter. “I looked around, to see if there was any nobility from the eastern lands. There were none. At all.” She looked back down at Kagatsuchi, he was exiting his ring.

Luna raised an eye brow. “And this means what, if I may ask?”

Celestia looked back to her sister. “It means he has no master. He isn't representing anyone Luna.”

Luna smirked, her entire body relaxed. “Dear sister, you worry yourself too much. Sure he might be a ronin. So what? That can't be all there is to it, for you to worry about it like this.” She knew her sister was holding back on something, and it concerned her.

Celestia frowned. “I. I guess you're right Luna. I will stop my silly worrying.” Celestia went silent, then looked back to her sister.

“Your match is up soon Lulu. Go get ready!” She playfully shoved her sister from her seat. Luna laughed.

“Tia! We must remain professional in public.” Despite her lecturing, Luna pushed her sister back and flew off to prepare herself.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight and AppleJack waited outside the preparation rooms, watching for Kagatsuchi. After a few minutes, they spotted his form, armor and weapons still equipped.

Twilight nodded to AJ, AJ's mouth tightened. “Hey Kagatsuchi!” Twilight and AJ waved towards him.

He looked in their direction, and walked toward them. Each step carried him forward at an alarming pace, one they did not expect from him.

“Anything I can do for you two?” He asked, his posture straight and strong. His right hand rested on top of the blades he wore at his side.

Twilight smiled. “Yes. We have a message from the princesses, they have requested your presence tonight at the castle, for dinner.”

AJ nodded. “Ya can't say no this time.”

Kagatsuchi smirked, and crossed his arms. “Strange for them to ask for my presence. I haven't done much of anything.”

AJ laughed. “You saved their Captain of the Guard, and friend, from death. That aint nuthin if ya ask me. “ Twilight nodded in agreement.

Kagatsuchi looked at the two of them, before laughing. “Which Princess asked for my presence?”

“Both of them did sir. You can't refuse two princesses!” Answered Twilight, a friendly smile still on her face.

He looked out into the crowd, before turning back to answer. “It would be an honor to dine in their presence. Tell them I will be there early.” He relaxed his pose, arms now at his side.

“Glad ya decided to show. Don know how they would take a refusal without a good reason.” AJ relaxed and let herself smile. For some reason, he felt more genuine today.

Twilight laughed. “I agree. We will tell them the good news, I'm sure they will be happy to hear you can make it.”

Kagatsuchi bowed. “It's an honor. The Princess of the Night fights soon does she not?”

Both of the girls eyes widened. “Gosh darn it! We better get back to our seats Twi.” AJ turned on her heels, and began walking back. Twilight said goodbye to Kagatsuchi, and followed after AppleJack.

Twilight approached the princess, and AppleJack sat back down in her seat.

“Kagatsuchi has accepted the invitation, your highness. He said he would show up early.” Twilight gave a short bow, and looked into her mentors eyes.

Celestia smiled back at her student. “Wonderful. I'm sure Luna will be pleased.” She reached out and ruffled Twilight's hair affectionately.

“I sure hope so! It will be interesting.” Twilight went back to her seat, and started socializing with her friends.

Celestia smile turned apprehensive, 'Oh. Yes. It shall be interesting indeed.'

__________________________________________________________________________________

Luna calmly waited for the announcer to admit the fighters into their rings. She inspected her weapons and armor, making sure they were all on right. Luna took a practice swing of her beautifully crafted sword, she was to fight a Minotaur warrior for her first round. Her thoughts drifted to Kagutsuchi's fight, and how it awed the crowds. 'We will not be bested by some Eastern warrior. We will give our people a taste of how much strength we possess.'

Luna shot straight out of her thoughts, awoken by the announcement for the fighters to enter the ring.

___________________________________________________________________________________

“There she is, in the most visible ring of course.” Commented Celestia to the Elements of Harmony and the kids, giggling to herself.

All eleven of them cheered for her as loud as they could, until they were forced to calm down so the tournament could continue.

“Ready for some Actioooooon!” The announcers voice echoed through the stadium, everyone's cheers shook it's walls.

Luna analyzed her opponent, large and powerful. Proud, and unafraid, he would charge forward and go at it with everything he had. That was what Minotaur warriors were known for, absence of fear and enormous amounts of power. He held a large great sword, she could tell he knew how to use it by the way he handled it so effortlessly.

The Overseer looked back and forth between them asking if they were ready to start. Both nodded their heads yes, and took their stances.

Once the bell tolled, Luna charged forward to meet the Minotaur in the middle. Their swords met, sparks flew in all directions. The Minotaur pushed with all his strength, and it looked as if he would best the Princess of the Night.

Luna smirked at him, and applied a burst of power that spun the Minotaur around, and made him fall over onto his side. The crowd gasped, all eyes were on her and the Minotaur, despite all the other matches going on in the stadium.

Charger, whom was the Minotaur Luna had taken down, stood up angrily. He had heard about her incredible strength and skill, and in this moment he knew he would not win.

But if he was going to go down, he would go down with honor.

He jumped up into the air, and came back down with a crushing blow. Luna dodged to the left, his sword smashed the area she had filled moments before. She kneed him straight in the face, blood flew out of his mouth. He saw red and started swinging his sword about in a crazy manner, trying his best to hurt the Princess before him. A few connected with her sword, surprising her.

Luna had had enough, and simply stepped forward underneath one of his swings, and smashed his jaw with the pommel of her sword. He collapsed to his knees, his arm still swung this way and that, until Luna side kicked him onto his back. He was out cold.

Luna smirked 'This should send the message.'

Celestia laughed, clapped, and cheered, along with the others. Her sister hadn't lost much of her power. Perhaps, she had even gained more through her terrible experiences. The Minotaur she fought was one of the stronger competitors, who had the terrible luck to get stuck with her right off the bat.

Luna had took it easy on him, but she made sure she did it in a way to let him go down in honor. Now that was true strength.

Rainbow flew into the air yelling in excitement. “I had no idea Luna was so awesome! Well. I knew she was awesome, but not awesome like this!” She pumped her fists wildly. Even Flutter shy let out a small smile. Though she couldn't help but wonder if that Minotaur would be okay.

“Ah have ta say. I am mighty impressed with how Luna handled that guy. I had no idea she was so strong.”Aj upper cutted the air in front of her absentmindedly.

Twilight stayed silent, still shocked with Luna's power. She hadn't even used magic during her match. Twilight realized all she knew about combat, was meager compared to her mentors.

“Twilight dear, is something wrong?” Rarity waved her hoof in front of her friends face, her smirk barely contained her excitement.

“Oh. No not at all! I was just. Admiring Luna's ability.”

Rarity giggled “I understand Twilight. I was shocked such a graceful lady could possess such barbaric strength.” Rarity dramatized every word and action.

RD and AJ rolled their eyes at Rarity, Apple Jack quickly turned her attention back to the princess. “Anymore interesting fights happenin today?” Inquired AJ. To which Princess Celestia shook her head.

“The first day doesn't contain as many matches as the rest. We have a few more to go. No more big names or people you know are going to fight today. But you are welcome to stay.” Her smile radiated warmth.

“We don't have anything else to do. Might as well.” Rainbow Dash slid back into her chair, eager for the next matches to start.

The rest of them voiced their agreement, and got comfortable.

Luna exited the preparation room, her first match had been successful. Every pony was looking at her with a different sort of respect now, and it felt great. She proudly marched onward, the crowd parting for her.

As Luna made her way back to her seat, she spotted Kagatsuchi buying some refreshments, and was tempted to get an idea of what kind of person he was.

But that could wait until later, no matter how tempting it was. She took off, Celestia and the others congratulated her on a job well done once she got back. Luna felt embarrassed by all the praise.

"Please, it was not a big deal. We did our best is all."

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Whatever Luna. Let's pay attention to the rest of these matches like responsible adults."

This caused their guests to giggle, they had never seen the princesses act like this.

It was eye opening, to say the least.