Team Star

The seats of the coliseum were packed to the brim. Cadence, one of Celestia’s prized seniors: with her team of four, had fended off countless minor attacks on Equestria. Though, a thorough or major attack had not happened in a quarter century, they were well-regarded as the best huntsmen in a generation.

Cossette had supposedly studied at Starswirl’s Magic Academy, though no pony could vouch for ever having seen her in a competition (or even a sparring match for that matter). It was to be the fight of an icon and a true wild card.

STAR sat in the midst of the crowd, chattering among the freshmen. Their classes were dismissed early, in the hopes that they’d observe the match between Cadence and Cossette.

Celestia tapped Trixie’s shoulder, signaling her permission to depart. Trixie hopped happily toward her teammates sat in the freshman section of the bleachers. Her first training session was complicated, confusing, and hard to follow, but Trixie’s spirits remained high… or rather, her spirits were high because the session was over. None-the-less, she seemed her usual chipper self.

“Hey, what is that pony doing with Celestia?” Rainbow Dash grumbled in a spout of jealousy.

“It’s not unlike Celestia to pick favorites.” Fluttershy whispered in response.

Rainbow crossed her front legs in defiance. “Sure, yeah. But we’re only a few weeks into the semester.”

Apple Jack shrugged, paying her jealousy no mind. “It is what it is, Rainbow.”

Pinkie Pie’s eye began to twitch as the pony hopped past her. An uncomfortable sensation filling her body, causing her to stir with a chill, until her body lifted stiffly out of her chair. With a thud, she came back to her seat. “No… Rainbow Dash is on to something…” she mumbled in her ever-high-pitched voice. “Somethings, not… right… and not in a fun surprising kind of way… in a fishy… no fun… kind of way.”

“So, how was training?” Starlight asked as her friend joined them. She patted the empty seat next to her, having saved one for Trixie when she’d return.

Trixie shrugged, “I didn’t really learn much, but it was my first day… of course. I’ve never faced a challenge I could not conquer.” She said triumphantly.

Starlight rolled her eyes. “All hail the great and powerful.” She said sarcastically.

Trixie elbowed her playfully, “shut up.”

Cadence tightened the bandages around her torso. Binding her wings to her side was the only option in maintaining her facade as a unicorn.

“Are you injured, Princess?” The demeaning voice came.

Cadence looked up, her eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. Cossette had such a confrontational air about her. “You know not who you speak to.” Cadence said, raising to her hooves. Her boots clanked against the concrete floor of the locker room. “Mind your tongue.”

Cossette hopped over on a single one of her legs. “You know not who I am to become.” She snickered.

Cadence’s face twisted into a large, cocky, smirk. Knowing fair well this pony would never become the Winter Maiden, for the power was well hidden in the student mare. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re implying.” She giggled.

Cossette’s eyes fell, her arrogance faltering. The look on this pony’s face told her all was not as Starswirl had explained. Something was amiss. Perhaps this student knew of the Winter Maiden, but what business did Celestia have sharing such privileged information. “It’s of no pertinence to you, Princess.” She grumbled in agitation. “When I defeat you, you will know very well the source of my implication.”

“Your manner of speaking, it is so antiquated.” Cadence egged the other mare on.

“As is yours!” She retorted as though it were some kind of insult.

“I am, as you said, a princess.” Cadence began to giggle, as there was a certain irony to the insulting pet-name the other pony had chosen. For, she could never know how true her words were.

Cossette, as the challenger, was the first to enter the arena. Her light green coat shone lighter under the stadium lights. Her large personality shone through her small figure, gobbling up the polite claps she was offered by the students of the School for Gifted Unicorns. Her positively arrogant disposition left the audience with a poor taste in their mouths.

“Showboater.” Apple Jack snarked. “Why, I reckon that pony ain’t half the fighter she’s actin’ like she is.”

Cossette posed in a flamboyantly triumphant fashion. As if the clearly humored clamor of hooves clapping was a genuine applause.

Pinkie Pie’s tail twitched, her curly mess of hair creating a strange distorted swishing sound as she moved. “She’s- really something.” Pinkie insisted, trying to get herself under control. “Something baaaaad.”

Fluttershy patted Pinkie Pie gently on the back, believing this to be a gross over reaction. “It will be okay, Pinkie.” She said softly.

“Yeah!” Rainbow butted-in. “It will be alright when we watch this pretentious loser get pummeled by one of our very own.”

“That’s a big word for you.” Fluttershy said through an approving smile.

Rainbow crossed her arms, narrowing her brows. “What?! I pay attention in class.”

Cadence entered the ring, bandages on full display. She often wore a cloak, it was a convenient article for keeping up her unicorn facade. Though, the fact of the matter was, she had never been a unicorn in the first place. A horn proved much more difficult to hide, so she resorted to the easier of the two.

In seeing her condition, ponies through the audience gasped. “That mare is injured!” Rarity shouted in shock. “However can she be expected to fight in such a condition.”

Trixie hung her head knowingly. “Rarity, calm down, I’m sure she will be fine.” She insisted. “Those bandages are probably just for decoration or something.”

Her trio of teammates turned slowly, as it was evident that Trixie knew more than she was letting on. With her humongous ego and excitable personality, Trixie was a lot of things, but a good liar was not one of them. “I see.” Starlight said simply, settling into her seat. “I intend to know what you mean by that.”

“So do I.” Sunset chimed in, “but I assume now isn’t the best time.” She added, observing the large crowd of people who wouldn’t need to be privy of such information.

Trixie’s sheepish smile told them all she knew she’d been caught. “Let’s just watch the match, alright?”

Cadence moseyed on over to her opponent. She was so smug, but for what reason? Cadence couldn’t comprehend. For all this pony knew, she was up against one of the top students in the school, fighting for the potential of being considered for the power of the Winter Maiden. Though she did not know the power was long gone, impossible for her to obtain. This was merely a spectacle to keep Starswirl placated, to find out what his true plan was. No, this pony had no reason to be so boastful.

Cadence knew this, but Cossette couldn’t possibly. As the bell rang Cossette lunged forward, Cadence easily maneuvered to avoid a strike.

Cossette followed closely, soon enough making contact as Cadence’s swerving patterns became predictable. “What’s the matter, Princess? Afraid I’ll scratch that perfect little face of yours?” She coaxed. As she smiled, Cadence took note of the sharp teeth in her mouth. Strange fangs poking out where none had been before.

Cadence ducked as Cossette attempted to swipe at her face with her front hoof. “Nope!” Cadence retorted as she spun on her front legs, perfectly lining up a shot to buck with her hinds. As she connected, her opponents chin clamped shut, closing her fang-filled mouth for her. Cossette flew back into the rubber-like concrete-colored floor.

Rising to her feet, her eyes glowed with a ring of green that pulsated outwards from her pupils. This pony was unlike any Cadence had ever faced, with her strange attributes, Cadence began to wonder if she was even a pony at all.

Cadence took a stance in preparation for another charge. Bounding off the ground, her opponent returned to the fight. “Don’t count me out yet, Princess. Nothing will stand between me and my destiny!” She shouted the ever clique phrase as ponies in the audience started to grow uneasy.

Cadence grumbled as she slide-stepped away from Cossette, but she had failed to account for one minor detail... A dramatic tearing sound rippled through out the coliseum. Cadence looked to her side, as Cossette rose, horn covered in tattered bandages, as the remainder of her bindings fell in ribbons. “This is the pony your Princess has sent to fight me, to prove my worth!” Cossette shouted into the crowd. “An Alicorn among ponies is never a fair battle, would you all not agree?”

Cadence’s wings hugged her hips tightly, both her and everypony else wishing they were not there.

“That is enough.” Celestia shouted, using her best and most booming Canterlot voice. “You have fought unfairly, we provided a reasonable accommodation, and no magic blows had even been dealt.”

Cossette looked around, quite satisfied with the chaos she had caused. “So, you would have allowed this student to pummel me? Is that it?” She asked smugly.

“Hear me when I say this: you have lost the sparing match. All further discussions on your behalf will cease.”

Cossette’s eyes fell, the crowd then began to boo her. In what she’d believed would be a decisive move against Cadence, she had made herself even more dislikable. “very well.” She said, seemingly accepting defeat. She took her leave before any pony could say another word. In a blast of green lasers, she had gone.

“Did you learn anything from your fight?” Celestia demanded. Trixie and Cadence sat across the desk from her. Behind them were both of their teams: Rarity, Sunset, and Starlight. As well as: Shining Armor, Sunburst, and Twilight Sparkle.

Cadence nodded, uncloaked for the first time in years; For the first time since she’d been transformed and forced to move to Canterlot under a pseudonym. “She is not a pony.”

The crowd gasped. “Silence from the gallery, please.”

“My best guess… an educated guess, would be that she is… a changeling.”