Winter Solstice

by Judgeitive

Round 1

Screaming silently in frustration, Mysteria slammed her bedroom door shut. She threw herself down on the bed, quickly burying her head in the pillow. Her frame shook as she sobbed, her tears staining the sheets.

How could Twilight treat her this way?, she asked herself angrily. She was young and inexperienced, but such matters were for her to decide, weren’t they?

As she began questioning her argument, her sobs subsided and she was able to logically what had just occurred. Looking back, she winced, realising that she had handled the situation in the hall rather badly. Hissing through her teeth, she facehoofed, scolding herself aloud.

“Stupid Mysteria! If you had kept your cool and calmly explained your feelings, she might have listened to you - maybe even changed her mind. Now you’ve just reinforced her point.”

Just then there was a slight rap on the door. She braced herself for an earbashing, and hesitantly answered.

“Come in.”

The door opened a crack, and the most wonderfully familiar voice danced through the air to her.

“Well, I would, but it would be terribly scandalous for two young ponies to be unsupervised in a filly's bedchamber.”

Beaming, she leapt off the bed, recent sadness evaporating. She barreled through the door, rushing headlong into an unsuspecting Gently. They landed sprawled in a heap, Mysteria underneath.

She looked up at him through her mussed mane, smiling shyly.
He smiled back, his eyes sparkling with warmth and merriment. He then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, and rapidly got off her.

Her mouth opened in a circular 'O'. Her eyebrows raised inquisitively as she watched him walk away.

He stood at the window, leaning his front two legs on the sill. He bore himself with much more dignity and pride than she had seen before. She had to ask.

“Gently?”

He refused to turn, instead answering in that ridiculous posh voice he sometimes used.

“Lady Mysteria, I have been granted permission to court you. Seeing you are in good health, perhaps we could adjourn to the hall where we may both prepare for the finals.”

She gaped at him - something very weird was going on here, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. She narrowed her eyes and, folding her fore-legs, sat down.

“Only when you tell me why you’re acting weird all of a sudden.”

He turned to her, and answered smoothly whilst tilting his head slightly towards the door.

“Why, Lady Mysteria, you wound me. I am merely showing you the courtesy one such as yourself deserves.”

He pointedly moved his head towards the door as he continued, his eyes pleading.

“Perhaps we could continue to discuss this matter en route to the hall?”

She nodded, understanding his meaning and, taking his offered arm, left the guest rooms. They had scarcely left before Gently turned and embraced her, smiling in relief she melted into his arms, her breathing becoming soft and relaxed.

“I’m sorry for that.” he whispered into her mane, not letting go of her as he spoke. “The only way Twilight would agree to let us talk is if we court officially.”

“I don’t care.” she responded, just as quietly. “I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.”

With her head buried in his shoulder, she did not notice the tear that fell from the stallion’s eye as he held her.

From the shadowy rooftops of a nearby building, a hidden pair of eyes glinted, watching the young lovers embrace.

Nightmare Moon felt a feeling stir within her as she saw the grey mare smile. It was an alien feeling - something that she, as the terror of the night, should not feel about a subject. Love, protectiveness, pride.

Tossing her helmeted head, she turned away, instead glancing enviously at the tallest tower where her resplendent sister stood vigil. The angry voice in her head rose to a continuous scream of primal rage as she saw the alicorn. She winced against her will.

“Hush now Umbra,” she told herself quietly. “I know your hatred. Soon we will both have our revenge on the usurper Celestia.”

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Though they laughed and strolled companionably together as they walked, their stances changed in a moment as they entered the hall. Mysteria took Gently's fore-hoof, and, with head held high, strode in a stately manner into the room. She turned to her companion, then disengaging her fore-leg, bowed low and followed the crowd heading towards the Element of Magic.

The excitement was reaching fever pitch, far more than for the contest yesterday. Fillies and colts from all walks of life milled around, some eager to join, others thrilled to watch.

Mysteria watched them all but felt no desire to join. She knew now that she was fighting for Gently - her victory would show her worth in her teacher's eyes. Steeling herself, she made her way to the suspended crystal, where the bravest unicorns were gathering.

“I, Mysteria seek to enter the Duelling in this Celestial Tournament as a second to Twilight Sparkle.”

Her calm, confident voice cut cleanly through the noise, and was followed instantly by a hush. Ponies made a path for her as she walked forward and touched her horn to the embodiment of magic. A crackling hum emanated from the crystal. It resonated through her horn, causing her to draw forth her magic. The noise crescendoed, and with a flash of red light Mysteria was lost for a second from the world. When she returned she had been marked, for upon her flank, where a cutie mark would appear, was now a small diamond.

The assembled ponies gave a polite round of applause, and she moved on to let the next contestant be marked. No sooner had she left the crowd was she approached by her teacher. Though she still felt some anger towards her mentor for the position she had put Gently in, she was not the sort of unicorn to hold grudges.

“I did it, Twilight.” she called out as she skipped towards the purple mare.

The pony’s joy was infectious, and though she still held reservations about the contest, Twilight smiled. When they met, there was a brief moment of hesitation, where she looked down at the ground. Then, her student stepped forward nuzzling her affectionately.

“It's alright Twilight.” she told her teacher softly, so that nopony could overhear. “I'm sorry about yesterday and breakfast. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Thank you for letting me speak to Gently.”

She then withdrew - from the battlements and balconies, the white guard of Canterlot emerged. They stood for a moment before raising their golden trumpets to their lips. The fanfare peeled forth across the entire castle, and nopony, from the highest advisor to the lowest servant was ignorant to it's meaning. Then, with the calm grace of a thousand years of rule, Celestia ascended the stage.

“The first round of the duelling will commence momentarily. If all combatants could make their way to the antechamber, and all spectators, to the stands.”

The sudden movement of ponies was overwhelming and both Mysteria and Twilight gasped in shock as they were forced both forward and apart. They reached desperately for each others’ hooves but were split apart as the stampede of unicorns rushed forward. Mysteria cried out again as she lost sight of her teacher and looked around in confusion.

Just then, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She wheeled around then sighed in relief seeing it was Gently. He took her shoulder and they made their way into the antechamber.

“Thank you Gently, “ Mysteria told him when they had finally found a seat and recovered from the chaotic surge. “that was horrible.”

They were joined in a few moments by a slightly frazzled Twilight who, smiling maternally at the pair, joined them as they sat, waiting for their names to be called.

One by one, ponies were called out. From outside, the roar of the crowd penetrated the atmosphere.

Slowly, the room emptied. After what felt like hours, a brown mare with a clipboard came in and looked over at their group.

“It's you next, “ she told them, pointing her manicured hoof at the young grey mare. “Number fourteen, Mysteria.”

The selected pony tightly grasped her friend and teacher's hoof, then rose and walked into the arena. Hundreds of ponies rose in tiers around her as she stood at the bottom of this constructed bowl.

Celestia herself sat in the royal box, overseeing the proceedings, delicately eating an offered pear. The crowd cheered again as a light yellow unicorn entered from an opposite door and bowed low at them.

“Let's make this short” he growled quietly to Mysteria, his eyes flashing angrily.

She smiled, and winked at him. “With pleasure.”

The commentator addressed the audience, but his voice was lost on the two unicorns who had now begun circling each other. They only reacted when the gong rang out, signifying the beginning the match.

He moved first, jumping backwards and firing a beam at Mysteria. It crackled through the air, random sparks scorching the ground it passed. She instantly saw that though he had some power, he was showing little control or tactics. Standing directly in its path, she prepared her magic.

Seconds before impact, she leapt forward and up, flipping over in mid-air to land facing him, now mere feet in front of him. His attack crashed into the wall behind, sending chips of stone and mortar flying out.

He stared blankly at her for a second, before his eyes narrowed in anger again. She laughed a little to herself at his short-sightedness, casting her simple spell. With a flash of red light, a shimmering curtain appeared in front of her. Ripples of hexagons swum across its surface and it distorted the light into a rainbow.

The crowd gasped approvingly. Her opponent snarled, his horn flashing brightly as he stared through the magic at her.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” she told him, completely serious.

He snorted derisively and shot his powerful beam of magic directly at her. It shot through the air, met the barrier and curved around. He barely had time to open his mouth in surprise before he was hit by the full force of his own attack. He spun twice in mid-air, and landed in a smoking heap on the ground.

Mysteria gasped, dropping the barrier and rushing over to him. The crowd was cheering wildly but to her, all that mattered was this other pony. She knelt beside him, carefully turning him over.

“Are you ok?” she asked him softly.

His eyes cracked open. Upon seeing her, his vision clouded with rage. He whipped his head to the side, his horn cutting a line across her cheek.

Mysteria cried out as warm blood ran down her face.

He smiled and fell back into unconsciousness. She looked down at his prone form through the haze of pain.

His flank began to glow and a mote of light rose up from his body, and disappeared into her.

She bowed once to Celestia, who looked down at her with concern, seeing her wounded face. Then, with her head held high, tears of blood falling through her triumphant smile, Mysteria strode out of the arena.

Comments

[lilyannarose]

omg omg omg I love i hope you add more to this.