Here are the rules:

1) Follow all of the site's general rules.

2) No clop!

3) Each battle will contain two competitors with at least one MLP character selected by the first two people to comment on/reply to the "To Arms!" announcement thread, and approved by the admins.

4) Members whose combatants are selected may not nominate anyone in the next battle.

5) Those interested in writing the story will PM the admin who posted the "To Arms!" thread. The author will then be selected by random lottery from those who have expressed interest.

5) Once the author is selected, he or she will post a "Battle Ready!" thread announcing the competitors and letting everyone know that voting for the victor is open.

6) Members will have a week after the competitors are announced to vote by sending a PM to the author and the admin who posted the "To Arms!" thread.

7) Authors cannot write two fics in a row.

8) The story must be a one shot with a clear victor.

9) Once the story is finished, the author will place the story in the appropriate folder, and post a thread announcing its completion.

10) After eight fics have been written, the victors will face one another through the system mentioned previously until one character emerges from the fray victorious. At that point, the victor will face Tirek.

11) The author of the final battle with Tirek will be chosen based on the author with the most popular story of the cycle. The author's name will then be entered into Tirek's Wall of Victors on the group page, and they will receive Tirek's Seal to put on the fic.

12) As a bonus, the winning author will receive the honor of determining the winner of the match, giving them complete artistic freedom within the guidelines of rules 2 and 8.

13) Have fun!

Alright everypony! I wish you all luck!

Let the games begin!

Please look at the "Questions" thread for further clarification on the rules.