Winter Solstice

by Judgeitive

Levitation Finals

The moment the door shut behind her, Mysteria relaxed, allowing the fussing nurses to attend to her wound. Gently and Twilight watched on in concern.

“Are you alright?” Gently asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

She smiled wanly at him. “I’m fine.”

Just then, the announcer came in, barely sparing a glance for the wounded filly.

“Gently Star, you’re up next.”

Smiling, he rested his hoof on Mysteria’s shoulder for a moment, then walked out to face the roaring crowds.

She winced in discomfort as the skin on her face reknitted under the nurses’ magic. Looking up through the haze, she questioned.

“Do ponies generally get cut like this during duelling?”

Twilight, who had been absentmindedly thinking about who Umbra was controlling and why, found herself snapping out of the reverie to answer her pupil.

“Hmmm? Not generally, such physical wounds are rare, as any magic that causes them is severely frowned upon in modern day pony society.”

Then as a thought occurred to her.

“How did you get that wound?”

Mysteria shook herself, standing up and hesitantly dabbed at her face with her right hoof, feeling where she had been bleeding mere moments before.

“He slashed my face with his horn.”

Twilight gasped - that was a terrible breach of etiquette and was barbaric in its brutality. Not only that, but it also broke the primary non-contact rule of the fight. She found herself taking deep breaths and tried to calm her anger at this thug.

“I shall inform Princess Celestia of this outrage.”

Mysteria nodded, then headed quickly to the auditorium to watch Gently fight. When she got up there, the gong had just been rung and the two competitors were circling just as she had done.

He stood against a white mare who was fluttering her long attractive eyelashes at him.
Mysteria narrowed her eyes as Gently smiled at his opponent, lowering his head at the unicorn in his overly flamboyant way. Wasting no time, she leapt forward, unleashing a barrage of small magical attacks which turned the ground to rubble.

The audience gasped - the explosion had obscured Gently and his fate was now unknown. As the smoke cleared, both the mare and the onlookers gasped in surprise: there was Gently, still bowing, hovering feet above the crater, unharmed. He flickered for a second, then disappeared. An identical pony appeared to his opponent’s side and fired a simple, but powerful beam.

She barely had time to turn before it caught her in the side and flung her unceremoniously against the far wall.

The crowd roared their admiration and the real Gently took a bow before leaving the arena. The assembled ponies were abuzz with his use of an illusion, and how he would be one to watch in the upcoming fights.

With barely a minute between the two, Twilight entered and an unnatural still fell over the audience. The anticipation of seeing the Element of Magic in a fight was immense. The challenger entered cautiously, and instead of circling stood still, preparing a spell.

The gong sounded. Without without a pause, Twilight’s opponent, a stocky brown unicorn, instantly erected a powerful shield, and began adding additional layers over it.

“I see, he’s going for a defensive strategy.” said a unicorn behind Mysteria.

“That purple one isn’t just powerful, but clever as well. He’s probably expecting a trick or some complicated magic.” another responded.

Twilight stared at the casting pony for a moment in contemplation. He was now thoroughly encased in magic which spun and distorted light so that it was as though she faced a shimmering rainbow coloured orb.

Her horn began to glow and she lowered her head. After a moment, a concentrated beam of magic leapt forth, striking her opponent's shields. For a moment, there was a flash as the two met and sparks flew. Then, with a cracking sound the barriers disintegrated. In barely ten seconds, the barriers had shattered and the attack, now unhindered, struck the unfortunate unicorn in the face, sending him head over heels backwards where he landed, sprawled on the floor.

Then, with a nod to the royal box, Twilight walked from the arena, her gaze distant, as though focused on some unknown equation.

“Well, I must say, I expected something a little more than such a basic spell.” The first voice from behind Mysteria complained.

“I agree, all she showed us was her brute power. Is she really one of the Elements of Harmony?”

This was too much for Mysteria. She wheeled around to the two arrogant upstarts.

“Twilight was actually just using strategy! If she showed off her clever moves and tactics now, she couldn’t use them against the smarter and stronger opponents.”

The upper crust unicorns stared at her during this outburst with shame and indignation. As they spluttered to answer, she stood up and briskly left to congratulate her master.

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The three companions met up again in the entrance hall of Canterlot Castle, their presence causing a stir amongst the ponies who had observed them earlier in the day.

Twilight had just finished telling Gently and Mysteria how skilled combatants would fight, layering various spells to augment themselves, when a fanfare rang out.

The silver trumpets of the royal guard rang grandly through the vaulted rooms, as they had not rung for hundreds of years, for this tune was that of the tournament.

The levitation finals would be beginning shortly. Mysteria hugged the others in turn with a broad smile.

“Good luck you two.” Then, with a wink and a skip, she hightailed to get a good spot to see.

The two unicorns watched the mare go, with fondness in their eyes, then turned to each other. Gently nodded once to Twilight, but his eyes were red and cold.

“I’ll see you in the contest.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, and frostily responded.

“Best of luck.”

They simultaneously broke eye contact and went their separate ways. Several onlookers watched the display with mild confusion. Just moments ago, the trio had been laughing and having fun like the best of friends, yet now they seemed at each others’ throats. The perplexed ponies put it down to rivalry, and no more was thought on the matter.

Without further ado, in the great hall of Canterlot Castle, the finals began.

Fancy Pants started the contest by raising a dining table. Sitting at the head, the table and its chairs floated above the gathered crowd, and he ascended with them. Plates soon followed in their wake, swirling around in a vortex, joined by forks, knives and wine glasses in the air above the crowd.

The onlooking ponies watched this dance of steel, china and glass in awe as they spun faster and faster, all without a single collision. Suddenly, they froze in midair, a motionless cutlery cloud, as a wine bottle flew up and poured its contents into the air.

The dark red liquid poured down, only to stop as it encountered invisible resistance. It trickled along unseen channels, finding its way into the waiting glasses. Then, with a final flourish, the tablecloth was placed over the table, and the arrangement gracefully lowered down to the ground. The place settings were set perfectly and an equal amount of wine resided in each glass.

The audience went wild - he had showed considerable skill in levitating so many objects, and the movement of liquid was even harder to master. He smiled proudly at the audience, wiping a silk handkerchief over his forehead.

Mysteria whispered to Gently as they waited for the next competitor.

“Just like that other pony, Fancy Pants went with the classic.”

He smiled quickly.

“Well, perhaps Twilight and I might bring something original for these ponies to digest.”

Mysteria’s eyes sparkled with mirth and interest. She turned back to the proceedings: Celestia was overseeing the finals along with a panel of learned judges. Mysteria took hope from the fact that the princess hadn’t seemed blown away by the Canterlot elite’s performance.

The second finalist got to the stage: the brown colt was in shivers, his forehead already beaded with perspiration. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes and concentrated. From the adjoining room came the soft luminescence of a unicorn’s aura.

Dustymane, his eyes still closed, began smiling. His head swayed from side to side, as if in time to a music that he alone could hear. Then, as dancers to his tune, a dozen bags of flour came skipping through the crowd.

They arranged themselves in a circle, then opened their tops. Flour poured forth, gathering in a puffy malestrom above him. He rose to stand on his hind legs, swaying his forehooves in front of him like a conductor.

Before the audiences’ amazed eyes, the flour formed shapes. The specks of white swirled constantly, coalescing into walls and roofs of buildings. Within moments, what had been a formless cloud had now become a detailed replica of Manehattan.

The audience cheered again. Opening his eyes, the finalist smiled, letting the replica collapse into a pile. Mysteria clapped politely, but now began to worry - that had been an impressive display of containment fields. Why a stallion like that was working in a bakery, as opposed to the royal guard, she couldn’t guess.

Glancing over to the royal box, her anxiety doubled. Celestia was arguing with some of the judges and by the look of her expression, was not happy with the outcome. One of them, an elderly unicorn with an enormous mane of tangled hair stood up.

“It has been requested by the next two finalists that they be allowed to perform together. I do not need to tell you that this an unorthodox request,” he then pointedly turned to look at Celestia “but the board has agreed to allow them.”

Widespread murmuring followed, as the two finalists made their way to the performance area. They faced each other, as though it were a duel. Eventually, silence fell - all attention turning toward the two unicorns.

Mysteria grunted in annoyance. Gently had his back to her, so his face was unseen. Still, she silently thought, smirking, it’s not as though he isn’t nice to look at from this angle too.

What she did not realise was that his eyes were a dark red, glinting dangerously towards Twilight. She watched him dispassionately, motionless, yet poised to act.

The old judge dropped a handkerchief and the last contest began. Instantly, both Twilight and Gently’s horns began glowing, red and purple auras mixing over the floor. From outside, a roaring sound began. It grew in intensity, rippling through the crowd. Finally, with a slam and a crash, the doors to the outside were thrust open by their combined magic.

Water poured in like an enormous snake, coiling and writhing in the air above the audience. It rose up and truly became a snake, with open jaws and hissing tongue. Shrieking loudly, it plunged down on the pair, as if to engulf them, but instead swirled around the unicorns in a sphere.

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The moment they were obscured, Gently breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes regaining their golden hue.

“Thank you Twilight, you truly are a good friend.”

She glanced over at him suspiciously - his behaviour appeared to have altered, reverting back to normal. Readying a combat spell, she slowly asked him.

“Why did we have to have this discussion in the middle of a spell, in the contest?”

He glanced guiltily at the floor. The light from outside was muted, and most now came from their still-glowing horns.

“I didn’t want to worry Mysteria. As you know, I lost control earlier today. I succumbded to a more primal side. I don’t want her to see me like that. Casting the spell now was the perfect way to sort everything out without raising too much suspicion.”

In his head, he added an unsaid reason with a grimace.Also, Umbra can’t possess or alter my thoughts when I am surrounded by Twilight’s magic.

She nodded her head but did not fully lower her guard.

“How can I trust you with my student if you could change?” she called over to him, having to raise her voice over the roaring water.

He looked at her with complete conviction in his eyes.

“I care for Mysteria. I want to do everything in my power to protect her.”

She studied his face for lies but found honesty and loyalty. Well, she thought wryly, two elements of harmony - maybe I am being overprotective.

She relinquished the spell, continuing to talk. Her voice became far more warm and concerned.

“May I cast some analysis spells on you, Gently? Perhaps I can locate the source of the negative personality, or at least discover how it manifests.”

He shrugged his shoulder as if to say ‘no worries’, but inside his heart lept. Perhaps she would discover Umbra and force her out, or make him immune to her terrible possession. As Twilight concentrated, a wave of light passed through him. All his hairs stood on end and he gave a small grunt of pain.

“Sorry” Twilight said to him, looking up sheepishly. He smiled reassuringly and cleared his mind, hoping that would help her.

After a minute, she looked up, thoughtfully tapping her hoof against her chin. Even through the water they could both hear the murmurings of the crowd and knew they didn't have much time.

“This is odd,” Twilight puzzled, “you are apparently using more energy than you should, which is causing occasional outbreaks of an alternate personality.” she told him, her words falling on his despondent form.

True, she had discovered the cause, but neither the problem nor a solution. Forcing himself to appear positive, he forced a smile onto his face.

“More energy than I should? I didn’t know there was a limit to energy.”

Twilight shook her head.

“No, you don’t understand. You have been using more energy than your body generates for the last three days, at least.” Then, as she thought some more, sympathy covered her face. “You must be exhausted. How have you been able to keep going?”

He smiled proudly at her, needing no external voice to confuse him, or cunning to lie about this issue.

“The Star family is responsible for the Celestial Shadow defenses. For the past thousand years, my family has maintained them. I will continue to do so until my dying breath.”

Twilight chuckled at his bearing - though he acted as somewhat of a joker most of the time, he occasionally came out with these over-the-top serious comments too.

“You must be proud to be a Star.” She smiled at him, moving closer towards him under the spell.

He nodded his head nobly for a second, before his eyes darkened and he hung his head.

“I am a disgrace to the house of Star. I have allowed myself to enter this ridiculous tournament. Now I am held by the power of the Element of Magic to see it through to the end. Furthermore, I must still supply energy to the barriers to prevent shadow magic seeping through. Between the two, I have over-taxed myself, and may soon fail in both my tasks.”

At the mention of shadow magic, Twilight’s eyes narrowed. Re-analysing his comments in her head, she gasped.

“Umbra! These defenses are against Umbra!”

He looked at her curiously, wondering where she got the name, but nodded his head as well.

“It all makes sense now. Celestia is weak because the hours of sunlight have grown smaller. Though perhaps the hours have decreased because she’s weaker? Regardless, she’s also weakened because she is channeling some of her magic into you, so you can use it to perform the defenses. That does beggar the question why she doesn't make the defenses herself.”

Gently found himself dizzy as he tried to keep up with Twilight’s outpouring. Making sense of her last rhetorical question, he raised a hoof to stop her.

“Our bloodline was tied up in the creation of the spell, as we were one of the loyal families in the lunar rebellion. She created the ritual so that only we could renew the spell. She figured that we would never be disloyal to her.“

Twilight nodded, and clapped her hooves together happily.

“The only issue would be your possession, but I am sure I read a book about that being a side effect of extensive magical draining.”

His eyes widened with shock as she barreled into him, catching him in a surprise hug.

“You really are a decent pony aren’t you?” She asked quietly into his mane, “Your family is honourable, and though you were hasty joining the tournament, you have applied yourself with diligence and pride.”

She moved away from him, wiping a tear of happiness from her eye.

“Anyway,” she coughed awkwardly, staring at the ground and shuffling her hooves. “We should cancel this spell or people are going to get really worried.

He nodded in confirmation, and they returned to their previous position, their faces rigid with determination.

The made eye contact, and with a crackle, the sphere rose up into the air above them.

Outside, the crowd had been growing restless as the opaque bubble had spun, and whirled before them.

Mysteria especially worried, as both her friends were now entombed within an orb of water. As the time passed, the audience grew ever more restless until, without warning, the water rose. Its surface crackled with sparks, shifting hue between yellow and purple.

Gently made the first move: whilst still maintaining the water spell, he caused a rushing maelstrom of books from the library to join them. Their pages fluttered wildly, and they flapped, bird-like, around the hall before arranging themselves in a neat pyramid at Celestia’s hooves.

The audience gasped in amazement - to show that degree of power and control was impressive, especially while maintaining another taxing spell.

Twilight closed her eyes and raised out her right hoof - everypony in the audience felt the magic wash over them. A deep rumbling filled the air, causing the gazes to follow Twilight’s hoof outside.

What they saw left many of them baffled.

The train was flying.

Out in the night air, the Friendship Express chuffed its way through the night sky. It swept over rooftops and dodged around chimney stacks. Raising her hoof upwards, the train followed suit, soaring up into the air. It passed over the full moon and then made its way back down into Canterlot.

The ponies who had been rapt with attention broke out into tumultuous applause, cheering and whooping loudly. Gently gave a rueful grin after he and Twilight lowered the spell, joining in with each others’ applause.

Eventually, the judges were able to calm the crowd down enough, and Celestia stood up to address the crowd.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts, we have witnessed remarkable feats of magic in these chambers in the last hour, so the choice of champion was a tricky one.” She paused for a moment before continuing her eyes sparkling with pride. “We are all in agreement however, that Twilight Sparkle should take first place. Her use of levitation while simultaneously maintaining a spell and casting from distance was remarkable. Dustymane takes second place, and Gently Star and Fancy Pants share joint third.”

The crowd roared and stamped its feet in approval, and the finalists took their bows. Mysteria wasted no time once the crowd began to disperse. She pushed past the others and embraced her two friends.

“Well done you two, that really was something to watch!” she exclaimed. She pulled away and looked at them seriously. “Why did you need to cast that spell at the beginning?”

The other unicorns turned to each other, a silent understanding passing between them.

“Mysteria, let’s head to our chambers. The three of us need to have a serious chat.”

Twilight was deadly serious as she said this to Mysteria. No argument or question was raised. The trio ascended side by side to the guest tower in silence.