My Little Pony: Fighting Is Magic - Heroes of Open Fights

The air gently pushed Twilight's mane as her thoughts stared at the moving ground below; she hadn't been focusing on anything in particular but just watched as the mountains turned to trees, then the trees to farmlands. “What’s wrong, Twilight? I thought you said you were excited about this. Spike asked as he popped into the corner of Twilgihts vision.

Turning her head to look at Spike, Twilight let out the slight sigh she had unknowingly held onto, “No, Spike, I am not excited about this; not only are we going away from home, but we have to make sure the summer soloist preparations are completed, and on top of that enter a tournament! We are not going to have any time to prepare!” Twilight stated that her anxiety became hard to control as she thought back to the book and the story of the Mare on the Moon.

“Prepare? Prepare for what?” Spike asked, his head turning to the backpack that he had prepared for the trip, looking through it to ensure they had packed everything for this trip. Twilight finally took her eyes off the edge of the carriage as she turned to Spike. Who had pulled out the scroll form before that Princess Celestia had handed the,

“Spike, don’t you remember! Prepare for Nightmare Moon,” Twilight shouted, her thoughts to the mythical mare now uncontrolled as she pointed to the sky. Though Spike followed her hoof, all he saw was the day skies welcoming a pleasant warmth through the skies. “You know what I mean, Spike. We need to stay focused; Princess Celestia might not believe that Nightmare Moon will return, but all the information indicates her return. I must know what these Elements of Harmony do and if it can stop her.” Twilight stated, a firm determination seeping into her talk.

Spike looked at Twilight with an unsure look. “But Twilight, Princess Celestia even said that it’s just an old ponies’ tale. That doesn't make it real,” Spike explained, the look of confident knowledge all over his face as he explained the obvious. “So if the Princess said it, it has to mean it’s not true.”

“I would like to believe that Spike, but Princess Celestia is just too busy to see the incoming danger; this Soloist and the Hoof Tournament is not only going to take the next two days but also going to take place within Ponyville, wherever that is,” Twilight said as she looked ahead.

“Princess Celestia said it’s the small town at the bottom of the mountain next to the Everfree Forest; I even got her letter here.” Spike started, unscrolling the paper and clearing his throat; once ready, he read out loud. “My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying. I am sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location, Ponyville. and to participate in the tournament that will also be held within Ponyville! I look forward to seeing your work and dedication to the preparations and your own combat skills. I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends while you are in town! From Princess Celestia.”

A groan exited Twilight's mouth as she seeped deeper into the carriage. “Hey, look on the bright side, Twilight! The princess did give us a library to stay in! All the books you can have to yourself just like in Canterlot!” Spike cheerfully explained. Though Twilight knew that the cheers were only meant for her, the idea of living in a library seemed to only excite her.

Then, a thought grew within Twilight’s mind. “Yes, yes, it does! Wanna know why? This will make it easier for me to find more information and proof about Nightmare Moon’s return! All I need is time to look at the preparations and a few hours to study!” Twilight exclaimed. Her cheer, though placing a slight smile on Spikes's face, was not infectious to the baby dragon.

“But wait, what about making friends, like the Princess said?” Spike asked, though some of him already felt he knew the answer. Just then, the two felt the decline of the carriage as the two passages turned their attention back to where they were going. Arriving in Ponyville, Twilight felt uneasy as, in the distance, the town, the tournament stadium, could be seen slowly entering into sight. On the other hand, Spike watched the beautiful lands around the city; the forest, houses, apple trees, and more had seemed so breathtaking.

Upon landing, the two gathered their items from the carriage and waved the Royal Guards off. “Thank you, sirs.” Twilight thanked as she turned her attention back to Spike, who held onto the majority of items. In hopes of helping her assistant, Twilight levitated some of her items off of Spike, allowing the baby dragon to get through the town with ease.

“So, will you make friends here at all? Or are we just going to be studying and then the tournament?” Spike asked. Twilight took a small breath as she looked on the map of the town to find Ponyville. Once she found the path the two would have to take, the two started to walk.

“Yes, Spike, She said[to check on preparations. I am her student, and I'll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on friendships. It is not that difficult.” Twilight said as she started to walk toward their newfound residence, her pace faster than Spike would have liked, but with a slight jog, the baby dragon kept up with Twilight.

As the two walked on their way, Twilight noticed the mumbling and whispering of the many ponies within the town. Trying to focus on the plan, Twilight turned toward Spike to check how the young dragon was doing. The struggling dragon moved with the sudden weight back and forth until jumping and ensuring that the bags, boxes, and such would not fall. Using her magic to move the items back in order and make it easier for the dragon, Twilight gave Spike a supportive smile and nodded to continue him forward. “Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about. Come on, Twilight, try!”

Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed, her smile still on her face as she saw a bubbly pink maned pony trot toward the two; clearing her voice and thinking on what to say, Twilight looked toward Spike with an unsure look. Spike gave a confident nod to Twilight as if to encourage her. With a deep breath and smile, Twilight turned back to the pink earth pony. “Uh… Hello, my name is Twilight-“ Twilight started only for the pink pony to jump into the air, and with a prolonged and loud gasp, the pink pony disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Twilight’s confused look was all Spike needed. “Alright, let's do your plan first,” Spike said reluctantly as he started leading the way to their new home. Twilight followed behind the baby dragon.

After the two dropped off the last of their stuff to their part-time residence, they started to trot to the first place on the list that Princess Celestia had handed them. The walk was long, but in time, the two found themselves at the front entrance of Sweet Apple Acres Farm. Twilight looked at the farm and then toward Spike. “Are you sure this is the place?”

“The owners of Sweet Apple Acres would run the Summer Sun Celebration’s banquet; it says here we can speak to a Mrs. Granny Smith,” Spike explained as they gently opened the gate and entered the farm. Before Twilight could continue the conversation, the sudden cheer of a southern “Yeehaw!” Grabbed the two’s attention

At the tree line, Twilight could see an orange blur pass the trees with ease, swooping left and right as a flurry of bucks and kicks landed on the trunk of a tree; each hit sent a wave through the trees as the mare seemingly danced around the tree with each step leading into a new attack. With the last punch, the orange mare turned around and tipped her hat up as apples fell from the tree branches and into the buckets around them. “Woah… do you think she will be in the tournament?” Spike asked under his breath as Twilight could feel her jaw still hanging with astonishment.

Shaking her head to gather herself, Twilight cleared her voice and looked to Spike, “Let's get this over with.” Twilight stated as she started toward the earth pony. The orange mare had begun to bring the buckets of apples toward the nearby barn. Upon seeing Twilight and Spike, Applejack gently placed the buckets of apples down and gave a heartwarming smile. “Good afternoon, my name is Twilight Sparkle-“ Twilight started until the mare forcefully grabbed Twilight's foreleg and shook it with extreme excitement.

“Well, howdy-doo, Miss Twilight! It is such a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” The mare said, the excitement within her practically shaking Twilight with a single hoof. “I’m Applejack; welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! You are the Summer Sun Celebration Overseer, right?” Applejack asked as she let go of Twilight's foreleg.

“Y-yes, we are…” Twilight said, her foreleg throbbing in pain as she looked at her hoof with a surprised look. “She won't be in the tournament, would she?” Twilight thought to herself before shaking her hoof. Twilight returned to her professional manner: “So we are here to see the banquet’s process. If you could please—“ Before Twilight could continue, Applejack had grabbed her throbbing foreleg and started to guide her toward the barn.

“Show you our work? I would be ever so happy to! Come on!” Applejack stated with a confident cheer in her tone while dragging Twilight toward the barn, who was struggling not to fall over into the dirt herself. Spike quietly followed behind as the two mares made it to the side of the house, where Applejack saw her family setting up a table for what seemed to be dishes and various Apple-focused meals. “Hey everypony! Soups on!” Applejack shouted.

Almost as if it were rehearsed, the family of apple farmers had started to scatter into different areas, gathering some of the meals they had prepared. Twilight blinked twice at the sudden movement of what seemed to be a hundred family members moving in unison. “I really appreciate this, um, miss.”

“Applejack,” Applejack answered for her; Twilight nodded as she finally got back onto all four hooves.

“Applejack, but we are kind of in a hurry and need to ensure that everything else is prepared,” Twilight explained. Applejack simply nodded at Twilight's statement and then turned to her family.

“Hear that everypony, we have fast food today! On the double,” Applejack shouted; the family seemingly started to move quicker as food piled onto the table. Twilight opened her mouth to speak only for Applejack to grab one of the many peonies within the mess and bring them over to Twilight, “This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp.” Stopping only to take a deep breath, Applejack continued introducing the rest of her family members as Twilight was again stopped before she could speak. “Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. Up and at them, Granny Smith, we got guests!” Applejack shouted, waking the elderly mare from her sleep.

The elder mare had jumped up in a sudden jolt, Twilight thinking she was brought back from the dead as the elder mare gently trotted toward her. “What’s that soup on? Why didn’t you say so, oh, a guest.” Granny Smith stated as she turned her attention to Twilight, “Why isn't it nice to see a new friend of Applejacks.” Granny Smith stated as Twilight looked at Spike, who had already started to feast on the meal on the table.

Twilight looked back to Granny Smith and forcefully smiled, “H-high, Mrs. Granny Smith, I hope we are not intruding; I am just here to supervise the banquet for the Tournament and the Summer Sun Celebration. It seems all is in order; Spike and I should probably-“ Twilight was suddenly grabbed by the cheeks by the elderly mare.

Granny Smith inched closer to Twilight, looking her in the eyes as if examining a map for directions, “Hm, that's odd.” Granny Smith whispered only loud enough for Twilight and Applejack to hear. Applejack tilted her head and gave Twilight a shy but confused look.

“Um, Granny, I think Twilight would like to sit and eat,” Applejack started gently putting a hoof on Granny Smith's foreleg. Come on, your food is getting cold, too.” Applejack's southern draw now sounded hushy. Before she could guide Granny Smith's hoof off, Granny Smith simply pushed her aside.

“Tell me, younging.” Granny Smith’s tone became similar to that of a doctor questioning a child about an injury. “You ever feel like a shadow watching ya?” Granny Smith started. Twilight had tried to take a step back only to see the elder take a step closer. “Like something got its eye on ya, even when there ain’t a light to cast it away.”

Twilight, caught off guard by the statement, blinked and looked toward Applejack, who seemed worried for her grandmother. “I—N-no, I don’t get that feeling. Why?” Twilight managed to whisper out as Granny Smith looked her over once more. With a smack of her lips, the elder chuckled and soon let go of Twilight's face.

“Ah, it’s nothin’. Just my old rambling going off the rocker! Come, come, let’s get our supper on!” Granny Smith cheered; just as she announced it, the family at the table cheered with her, raising their drinks and hooves alike. Taking the young mare's hoof and guiding her next to the baby dragon, Granny Smith soon left to sit at the end of the table. Twilight momentarily looked at the elder walk away until Applejack grabbed her attention again.

“Hey, sorry about that. Granny Smith isn’t always up there, ya know? She is usually clear of mind. I truly do not know what got into her.” Applejack explained, only for Twilight to shake her head with a forced smile.

“No, it’s all fine, Applejack; I was caught off guard. I would really like to stay, but we have so many more things on the checklist, and I can see the food situation is handled and in good hooves. So I think we will be on our way.” Twilight explained as she reached out for Spike with her magic, stopping the baby dragon from biting into a slice of apple pie.

Turning around to leave, Twilight bumped into a little fully, the red bow tie on her head obscuring Twilight from the filly's face until she looked up. Twilight instantly recognized the filly to be the younger sister of Applejack, whom she introduced as Applebloom. “Aren’t you gonna stay for brunch? We barely even got to say hello,” Applebloom said, her eyes practically begging Twilight to stay for the meal.

Though her willpower was strong, Twilight seemed to struggle to say no to those who held innocence within their hearts. Applebloom gaze was only intensified as the seconds passed until Twilight relented with a garbled sigh, “Fine… lunch wouldn’t hurt. Could it?” Twilight asked no one in particular, and with that, the Apple family cheered as the feast continued. Twilight reluctantly sat back down, resting Spike in the seat next to her as the family passed the food around and took their time in the moment. Almost as if time was slowed with each bite, Twilight watched the family enjoy their meal while discussing family stories; the slow and cherishing bites of the meals felt as if fate had started to mock the young student.

What felt like an eternity but had only been an hour had finally passed as Twilight's stomach rumbled, not from hunger but from the pain of eating too much. “Alright, food has all been taken care of. Next, we got the weather!” Spike's cheerful voice said a few feet ahead of the sluggish Twilight.

Holding back a groan of discomfort, Twilight turned her head toward the skies, seeing various clouds sitting on what was supposed to be scheduled as a beautiful day. Twilight resisted the pain in her stomach as she turned back to Spike, unsure if he noticed the clouds hanging in the sky. “Princess Celestia’s weather patrol stated that there should be a pegasus named Rainbow Dash taking care of the clouds for the day, tomorrow, and the summer sun celebration,” Spike explained, rereading the note.

“Well, it seems that some pony isn’t doing her job up there,” Twilight mumbled as she scanned the sky for any pegasus. Though she had not seen any pegasus moving around in the skies hurriedly, a bright rainbow blur had grabbed her attention. By the time her brain processed that the blur was getting bigger, it was too late to react; a sudden impact slammed into Twilight’s side as the air was shot out of her lungs, and the pain from her stomach seemingly disappeared without a trace.

The air was soon filled with the soft but raspy chuckles of the mare who had found herself on top of Twilight. Upon realizing that she had been standing on Twilight, the rainbow-maned mare stepped off with a small, “Whoops, sorry about that.” With a soft groan, Twilight shook her head. Managing to recover in seconds, she turned to face this newcomer.

“Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked her magic surrounding her body for a moment. A bubble had spread away from her, and the mud stuck onto it until it dropped to the ground, disappearing from her spell. With a slight push of air from her mouth, Twilight readjusted her mane just enough to return to the previous state.

Rainbow Dash quickly posed with a hoof to her chest, her body firm and proud at the acknowledgment. “The one and only! Why, have you heard of me?” Rainbow asked as she gently moved her mane to the side. Twilight wanted to respond with an internalized roll of the eyes.

“I heard you were supposed to keep the skies clear. I am Twilight Sparkle, the princess student, and the summer sun celebration organizer.” Twilight explained to Rainbow, the mare seemingly losing interest in the conversation after Twilight’s initial response. “I was told that the weather was supposed to be clear for the H.O.O.F. tournament and the summer sun Celebration, but lookie here… clouds.”

Twilight poked at the cloud that Rainbow had actually jumped on top of while she spoke, this action punctually connecting to the situation before her. Rainbow looked at Twilight's hoof that had entered the cloud. “Yeah, yeah, I will do it in a jiffy,” Rainbow explained, the answer easing Twilight's anxiety and making her eager to complete the next task. Twilight turned to Spike to ask what the next task was. “Once I finish practicing,” she said.

Twilight’s teeth grinned at the sudden response from Rainbow; her nose let out a huff of air as she turned back to the cyan Pegasus and cleared her voice. “Practicing for what?” Though her tone was a forced kindness, she had a hard time hiding the annoyance that was building within her.

Jumping into the air and doing a back flip only to land before Twilight again, Rainbow stood on her two back hooves and spread her wings while raising her hooves to the air. “The Woncerbolts! They always have their recruits enter the tournament, and then, for the celebration, they perform the aerial welcome to the sun! And I am going to show them what I got!” Rainbow explained in an enthusiastic tone as she returned to all fours.

Twilight's annoyance was quickly quelled as confusion raised in her mind, “I am sorry, the wonderbolts?” Twilight's question had only gained a confirming “yep” from the pegasus as she quickly jumped into the air. “The most talented flyers of Equestria, one of the nation's greatest pegasus fighters?” Twilight asked, unsure if Rainbow had been joking in her statement.

“Yep, that's them!” Rainbow's confident tone responded. Within Twilight, an idea had started to brew; clearing her voice to ensure that the Pegasus was listening to her, Twilight thought about the following words to say.

“Please, they would never accept a Pegasus who struggles to keep the skies clear for two measly days,” Twilight said. Her soft, judgmental tone filled the air as Rainbow's attention was finally turned toward Twilight and Spike.

“Hey, I do not know what gave you the idea. I can't! In fact, I could clear this sky in ten seconds. Flat!” Rainbow said, adding more emphasis to the last word. Twilight’s expression expressed a single statement that did not need to be said: “Prove it.” Rainbow's face twitched with a single flicker of anger as she huffed air out of her nose. “Watch this.”

Within a blink of an eye, the pegasus disappeared from Twilight's sight; a light gasp exited Twilight's mouth as Spike's eyes shot to the sky, seeing the direction the mare had flown to. Twilight’s head turned to the skies only to catch the last few seconds of Rainbow's show as the clouds that were once covering the skies had seemingly been kicked away with great ease by the rainbow blur. The gush of wind pushed against Twight as her mane flew back; looking before her once more, Twilight found the rainbow-maned pegasus mere inches from her. “Boom, what did I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat.” Each word was given its punctual importance as the mare turned to trot back.

Twilight's mouth dropped at speed, her mind barely able to process the scene she had just witnessed, where Spike had to wave his claw before Twilight. The laughter of Rainbow’s voice finally snapped her out of the shock, “You should look at yourself; your face is so priceless. Oh, Twilight Sparkle, you are a riot; well, I hope you enjoyed the show.” Rainbow said, though, laughing. Wiping her eye, Rainbow hovered and started to fly away.

“That was awesome! Twilight, do you think you can even beat her? She said she was going to be in the tournament. Do you think that you will fight her!” Spike asked, excited at the sight he witnessed, which overtook attention to detail as Twilight turned too late to stop the baby dragon from speaking.

Rainbow Dash stopped mid-air as she turned her head to look at the two again. “Wait, you can’t be serious! You? You are going to participate in the tournament!” Rainbow asked, flying back to the two at similar speeds. Twilight stepped back, unsure of how to answer the question. “Oh, don't tell me, are you the special late arrival! I heard rumors that the Princess asked for one last contestant. Is that you? Are you some personal student?” Rainbow prodded, unsure of what to think.

Twilight stammered her response instinctively, taking a step back from Rainbow. “What? I—how did you hear about that? " was all Twilight could say. Rainbow’s already strong smile became wider with realization as she did a backflip and landed on all four.

“You are, aren't you? And I just shocked you with my flying skills! If I can surprise the Princesses Favored Student, the Wonderbolts are sure to be taken by my skills!” Rainbow stated to herself as she looked to the skies, her imagination building a fantasy of Wonderbolts taking awe at her flying and fighting. Rainbow had been too busy giggling at her excitement to realize Twilight’s embarrassed but angered expression.

“I think we are done here, Spike. What is next on the list?” Twilight asked, hoping to get away from the discussion as fast as she could. Spike looked at the two mares with unsure worry. Taking out the notes once more, Spike prepared to answer Twilight's question, but Rainbow had finally been brought out of her daydream.

“Oh, Twilight, don’t you know how great this will be for me! If I show off my awesome skills and beat the Princesses prized student, the Wonderbolts would surely notice me!” Rainbow chuckled with glee in place. Jumping back into the air at quick speeds, Rainbow started to spin around Twilight, “I hope to see you at the tournament tomorrow, miss Twilight Sparkle! Everyone will be watching!” Rainbow joked to the student; before Twilight could respond, Rainbow shot into the air and off to the distance.

Twilight’s eyes watched as the rainbow trail disappeared into the distance; she could practically hear the laughs of Rainbow echo within her mind. Though preoccupied with the threat of Nightmare Moon in the looming future, her thoughts now had an image of her losing the tournament and a disappointed person looking down on her. Twilight felt her heart beating in her throat as she gasped for air, unsure if it was just the high winds finally affecting her or the sudden realization of the meaning of the tournament.

Placing a hoof on her neck in hopes of helping with the sudden loss of air, Twilight’s focus soon became on the fact that if she not only loses the tournament but also is wrong about Nightmare Moon, there could be a high chance of losing Princess Celestia as her mentor. The placement of a genital claw on her foreleg stopped the racing thoughts as she whipped her head to see Spike, who had been speaking to her; the sound around her slowly returned to her ears as she could finally hear Spike. “Twilight, are you okay?” Spike's question broke through the last of the deafening barrier.

“Yes, yes, I am alright, Spike,” Twilight stated, unsure if she had believed the lie herself. Spike’s eyes watered with worry as he wrapped his baby arms around TWilights foreleg and embraced the Unicorn. The action broke through Twilight's fear as she gently brought the baby dragon to her. “Hey, I am alright. You don't need to cry.” Twilight said through the last of her breath catching.

“I didn't mean to make you upset Twilight; I am sorry.” Spike whimpered through Twilight's fur; the mare was shocked at this statement. Sitting down before the baby dragon, Twilight brought him closer, unsure what to say.

“Spike, I am not mad at you. I hope you know that.” Twilight gently stated, unsure if the dragon had taken her recent attack as anger to him. “I just was caught in my mind. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I brought up that you are going up against her in the tournament. I know how worried you are about the tournament and this Nightmare Moon thing, and when Rainbow mentioned participating in the tournament, I wasn't thinking.” Spike hiccupped, finally looking at Twilight, his watery eyes finally breaking through as tears gently rolled down his cheeks.

Twilight shook her head, “Oh, Spike, I know you were excited, but it is not your fault. Rainbow.” Twilight took a moment to look at the direction Rainbow flew off to, “has a lot to prove. I let her get into my head. I shouldn’t; I already know better.” Twilight finished, her tone unsure at the statement, but her thoughts had not lingered on Rainbow for long as she turned her attention to Spike. Gently rubbing his head as she used to, Twilight gently stood up and placed him onto her back. “How about this? Before the next checklist, let’s get some Ice cream. I am sure we can find something here.” Twilight offered, hoping that the statement of a nice treat would cheer him up and her up.

Spike wiped the tears out of his eyes and gently nodded to Twilight with a strong sniff. “A-alright, I would like that,” Spike said, his voice whimpering with the statement. The baby dragon melted Twilight's heart as she gave a reassuring smile and a single nod.