Chapter Two
Celestia’s Cruel Joke (ending one)
Twilight twist and turned in the cot she was assigned. She couldn’t stop thinking about the upcoming tournament, Celestia’s Insane Game. Her princess couldn’t have picked a better name for it. In a couple of hours, Twilight expected a guard to come and retrieve her for the opening ceremony. Finally giving up on sleep, she opened the saddlebag she had brought along and read up on the history of Celestia’s behavior. After learning nothing about death matches her ruler assigned, somepony knocked on the door and entered. It was her friends; Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie.
“Restless night as well?” Twilight asked.
“Oh Twilight,” Rarity started, “It was simply Awful! I couldn’t get one wink of beauty sleep thinking of how horrid the princess’s mane and tail looked.” That’s Rarity. One to worry about the smallest detail instead of the big picture.
“Oh can it, would ya?” Dash said, “Our lives could be at stake, and you worry about how her hair looks?”
“This sounds like fun,” Pinkie said, unenergetically from no sleep, “except for the whole death and pain and fighting. Games are supposed to be fun.”
“I just want to go home.” Fluttershy piped up, “I couldn’t possibly think of what would happen to Angel and all my other woodland friends if I wasn’t around to care for them.”
“Well,” Twilight started, “Princess Luna gave me a sliver of hope to hold on to, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”
“What is it?” Everypony inquired at once.
“The princess informed me that her sister, Celestia, had been known to troll, or entice anger and sometimes fear, ponies and that this might be just one cruel joke of hers.” Twilight filled them in. “We can only pray that Luna is right.”
A guard, as expected, came to Twilight’s room and lead the group into the ballroom once more before the beginning of the games. Once everypony filed into the ballroom, and they all got situated, the trumpets sounded, like yesterday. The curtains were pulled back again to reveal the princess, still as insane-looking as yesterday, only she seem more relaxed.
“My little ponies,” She started, “Today is the day of the first matches in Celestia’s Insane Game. The Roster is as follows.” She guided with her hoof to a giant board with everypony’s name written on it. “Three matches will go on at one time, and after each match is finished, the victor will…” She stumbled on her words, giggling slightly, “Will be taken out of the field and the next pair will start. The first three pairs are; Ditzy Doo vs. Carrot Top, Rainbow Dash vs. Fancy…” Stumbling again, but laughing at a moderate level. “Sorry. As I was saying; Rainbow Dash vs. Fancy Pants, and finally Braebu…” Bursting out laughing, Celestia couldn’t hold it any longer.
“Sister,” Luna asked, rushing to her sister, “What is wrong?”
“Does she think this is funny?” A pony in the crowd exclaimed, “A bunch of unnecessary deaths is her idea of a good laugh?”
“What is going on?” Rarity inquired to the now smiling Twilight Sparkle. “Why are you smiling?”
“Because,” Twilight started, but was soon interrupted by a calmed form of Celestia.
“I’m sorry,” Celestia started, giggling a little, “It’s just that I was joking!” She said, smiling a crazily happy smile, gazing at all the puzzled ponies. “There is no C I G. There going to be no slaughter. It was all a joke, and you fell for it from the start!” She finished, laughing some at her sick joke. Everypony laughed some too, but for a different reason. They were laughing because they didn’t have to die in some crazy competition.
“Well,” Twilight said, “It’s over. We can rest easy knowing death isn’t hanging right above our heads.”
“Yeah,” Dash said, “That was some sick joke she pulled. I could learn something from that.”
“You didn’t really think I would pit my subjects against each other to the death now, did you?” Celestia said to the crowd, and more specifically, Twilight and her friends. “I may be mad, but not insane!”