//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15 Let the Games Begin 
// Story: Scaled Heights 
// by Zephyr Spark 
//------------------------------//

The sun had already set when Lightning led Spike to the coliseum for training. As the other Crystal Empire ponies began their light workouts, Lightning set up his bow and arrow, humming a little tune.

“You’re awfully upbeat today,” Spike said with a smile.

“Why shouldn’t I be? I got married to the love of my life.” Lightning beamed. “I feel like a pegasus, just walking on air.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Spike with a twinge of jealousy. Lightning noticed the slight droop of Spike’s frills, and surmised the dragon wished he had the love of a certain lovely unicorn. He didn’t dare bring up the subject and intrude. Instead, he pulled a single arrow from a barrel of foam tipped arrows.

“I heard Twilight’s inviting King Thorax and Dragon Lord Ember as her guests of honor,” Lightning said. “That’ll tick Blueblood off, huh?”

“Probably,” said Spike. “But at least he can’t ban me or Ponyville from the competition. So anyways, what are you gonna teach me today?”

“I’ve been talking with Twilight about dragon physiology and unicorn magic,” he began, “I hoped to work out some tactics for us both.”

“And?”

“I won’t sugarcoat it Spike,” Lightning said, “These unicorn archers, especially Silver Shine and Dark Spectre, have magic skills that’ll make them tough to beat. They’re also incredibly talented with a bow. If you want to win, you’ll have to rely on your physical abilities.”

“What, like breathing fire?”

“No, please refrain from burning anyone,” Lightning gave a little chuckle. “You’ll need to use your strength, speed, wits, and,” Lightning nocked the arrow in his bow, “Your reflexes.”

“Okay, but how?”

“I’ll get to that. First, we need to talk about how the match works,” Lightning said, prompting Spike to pull out a notepad to take notes. His rapt attention amused Lightning. “Every archer gets a helmet and a magical quiver that can hold arrows no matter how fast you run. We each start with fifteen arrows, but can pick up any discarded ones we find. If you hit someone with an arrow, they get teleported out of the arena. Headshots and bowshots don’t count; you have to hit some other part of their body. There will also be sandbag barricades throughout the maze that you can use to hide behind. You get all that?”

After finishing a note, Spike looked up and nodded.

“Good. Now, the rules are simple. Basically, almost anything goes.”

“Anything?”

“Any tactic you can think of is fair game, so long as you don’t seriously injure anyone. Remember, it’s not just a battle of skill, but creativity, finding ways to outsmart your opponents while using the environment to your advantage.”

“Have you done Arrow Tag before?”

“I often practice it at Silver’s archery range. He likes to play against entire teams and he usually makes me fight him.”

“Have you ever beaten him?”

“Not even close,” Lightning said with a headshake.

Spike felt another knot in his stomach. “If you couldn’t beat him, what hope do I have?”

“Don’t talk like that,” Lightning said sternly. “If truly doubt yourself now, you may as well give up and go home.” Spike still looked uncertain. “He’s not unbeatable. One pony’s always come close to beating him.”

“Who?”

“Arrow Bolt. But that’s another story. Let’s get back to Arrow Tag. Technically, Arrow Tag is every pony for themselves, but cities will form alliances.”

“Like the four Trottingham archers?”

“Exactly. Chances are they’ll team up against me, since they know I’m a decent archer.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “If by ‘decent’ you mean freaking amazing and unmatched in every way, then yes.”

Lightning laughed. “Well, thanks. I appreciate that.” Spike’s praise left him a little embarrassed. “Anyways, if we both make it to the final match, we can take on Silver together. If I fall, you have to take on Silver. He doesn’t know much about you or your skills, so we have an element of surprise. Now, we need to work on some other skills. That way, at least one of us can catch him off guard and win.”

“Alright,” Spike said as finished scribbling one final note. “So what do we do?”

“Take fifty steps backwards,” Lightning said. Spike did what he said. “Further.” Spike took a few steps further. “Okay perfect. Now,” Lightning drew the bow string, “stand your ground, and …”





Twilight didn’t want to look smug, but she had to admit, Blueblood’s indignant expression was making it very difficult to hide her enjoyment of the current situation. In the middle of the night, Prince Blueblood requested her presence within his Baltimare office. He claimed it was a matter of urgent business. When she finally arrived however, she was immediately greeted with a repugnant scowl. Prince Blueblood swung around in his swivel chair with the most outrageously infuriated expression she’d ever seen. His brows were so narrowed they practically formed a perfect 90 degree angle. The Prince promptly shut the door behind them, before he lifted a newspaper, and pointed at an article headlined: “Princess Twilight Sparkle Invites Dragon Lord Ember and Changeling King Thorax to the Equestria Games.”

“Care to explain this?” He growled, grinding his teeth in a manner unbefitting a prince.

She paused a moment, savoring Blueblood’s outrage a bit more than the Princess of Friendship should. “Well, it looks like a newspaper.”

His eyes darkened, his lips curling into a deeper, unamused frown. “I thought Auntie taught you manners. When somepony asks you a question, you answer it. Now, I’ll ask again.” He jabbed at the article with his hoof once more, “Explain this right now!”

“Alright. Newspapers are a medium that helps everypony stay up to date on current events. They’re typically printed on thin paper made from a combination of recycled matter and wood pulp, with the text generally applied through the use of a machine called a printing press. Do you need me to explain anything else?”

“Do you think this is funny? That this is some kind of joke?”

“No, it’s a newspaper, I thought we already covered that.” She smiled innocently, which only made Blueblood’s actual blood start to boil. He had to take a moment compose himself, before he uttered some inaudible obscenity.

“We are currently undergoing a national crisis. Dragons attacked Fillydelphia a few weeks ago, some dragon-hating lunatics with the power to steal magic are running loose, and you decide to invite the Dragon Lord to the Games?!”

“Dragon Lord Ember is one of our key allies,” Twilight said calmly. “It would be an insult not to invite her or King Thorax.”

“Don’t play games with me, Sparkle,” He said, crumpling the newspaper into a wad. “You did this to make me look like a fool. Ponies are looking to me for safety and protection. How do you think it looks if they see me in a booth with a dragon and a changeling?”

“Well, I suppose ponies might see you as more open-minded and considerate. They might even think you’re brave enough to sit in the same booth as a dragon.”

“Well, I’m sorry but you are quite mistaken Princess. Now let me explain how this is going to go down.” Prince Blueblood puffed out his chest and leered down at her. “You’re going to rescind your invitations and apologize to me this instant.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Princess Ember and King Thorax already accepted their invitations and are planning on bringing dozens of dragons and changelings.” Her gaze sharpened. “It would be quite awkward to publicly tell them they’re uninvited right when they get here. Imagine the political fiasco that would follow. How it could destabilize the peace we worked so long to achieve. That’s not keeping ponies safe.”

Prince Blueblood looked like he wanted to speak, but he couldn’t debate Twilight’s point. He took a moment to compose himself before giving an unnatural, calculating smile. “Very well then. You’re going to make a public statement saying you will not attend the Games. Or I’m afraid Ponyville simply won’t be allowed to compete.”

To his surprise, she didn’t become angry or scared like he expected. Instead, she simply gave a small chuckle.

“I thought you might say that. Just know that if you dare to threaten either Ponyville or me again, I’m afraid I’ll be forced to take drastic measures.”

“Threatening me? That’s a criminal offense!”

“Can you really call inviting one of Fluttershy’s friends to the Games a ‘criminal offense?’ That would seem quite extreme.”

He blinked, confused. “One of— What are you talking about?”

“I’ve invited Thorax and Ember,” Twilight said. “If you do anything to threaten Spike, you’ll force me to invite a guest you could never keep out or hope to control. Someone who I’m sure you’d like to keep far, far away from your precious Games: Discord.”

At that exact moment, a clamorous sound of thunder buckled the window, causing Prince Blueblood to flinch in surprise. To his knowledge, there wasn’t a single cloud in the night sky and the pegasai hadn’t planned a storm. This thunder only started when Twilight uttered Discord’s name. At this realization, Blueblood’s white fur somehow became paler, almost transparent with fear. Suddenly, the thunder sounded more like a cackling laugh. Then all at once, the laughing and the thunder disappeared, leaving a cold silence in the room.

Prince Blueblood glared at Twilight. “You wouldn’t. You can’t invite that monster!”

“You sure you want to call him a ‘monster?’ He is practically omniscient.”

Prince Blueblood’s eyes darted around the room. It looked empty, but he had no idea if Discord was listening right now. Just the thought was enough to unnerve him, but the thought of an invisible Discord standing next to him was terrifying.

“Now,” Twilight said, looking straight at Blueblood, “I’m sure you’d prefer Ember, Thorax, and me over the literal Spirit of Chaos. So let’s make an agreement. You don’t rig the Games tomorrow or do anything I don’t like. And I don’t invite Discord. Clear?”

He wanted to scream and rant at this insolent mare, but he knew better than to make enemies with a troublemaker like Discord. If his Games were to be perfect, he couldn’t afford such a monstrous catastrophe. Thus, he begrudgingly nodded.

“Great!” Twilight said with a smile. “Glad we could come to an understanding.” She gave an overexaggerated yawn. “Well, it’s past time to turn in, and judging by the red in your eyes you could do with some sleep yourself. Goodnight!”

She sauntered out, with a little swagger to her walk, leaving Prince Blueblood to sulk and fume. She won this round, but she knew there would be many more battles ahead. Still, she left feeling optimistic, helped by the sound of Blueblood pounding his table in frustration as she left the room.

“Wretched little brat!”

He would have to make some changes to his plans. While Spike’s loss was preferable, Prince Blueblood had to guarantee a breathtaking finale, and perhaps that drake could help him. Opening a desk drawer, he pulled out a stack of files, and opened it to a particular archer competing in the Games.

Name: Yellow Bolt

Father: Arrow Bolt, founder of the Creed, a well-established anti-dragon movement

Bio: Failed to qualify for the Games three times, due to PTSD. Extremely proficient archer, hampered by medical conditions of strenuous mental stress. 

Relocated at age 15 to Baltimare after severe domestic abuse. Has been living with his cousin for ten years. Later, he returned to Fillydelphia for unknown reasons. Occasionally seen wandering Dragon Town at night.

A smile crossed his lips, realizing he had the makings of a truly remarkable matchup. “Equestria’s favorite Dragon versus The son of the Creed's founder. That could certainly make for a show,” Prince Blueblood thought, as he quickly shoved away the paper and pulled out the file on Silver Shine. “Only one match-up could top that: Equestria’s favorite Dragon versus an Ex-Crusader, a Creed Cofounder at that.” He felt oddly optimistic. Either Fillydelphia contender against Spike would make for an unforgettable experience, a match like the world had never seen. Add Lightning Star to the mix, and ponies would talk about this Game for centuries.

“I wonder,” he murmured to himself, “Can Discord really hear me say his name? He couldn’t, right?”

His office experienced an inexplicable downpour of chocolate rain.





Alone in the locker room, Spike sat on a bench, taking deep, calming breaths. The rest of his teammates were on the other side of the room, preparing themselves. It was a little hard to believe they were finally here at the Games, that they were only a few minutes from showing the world what they could do.

Yet, Spike still didn’t feel prepared, even after his late night training session with Lightning. They drilled for hours on techniques and strategy. Sure, it left him feeling more confident about dodging incoming arrows, but he struggled with one technique that Lightning insisted he would need to defeat Silver. Despite their attempts to perform the maneuver, neither of them could successfully execute it. Naturally, Lightning reassured him it would be something at least one of them could pull off in the heat of the moment, but that did little to ease Spike’s nerves.

Holding a notepad, he reviewed the notes he’d taken last night. Spike learned they made a mask and quiver especially for him after Twilight had what she called, “A little heart-to-heart with Blueblood.” Part of him wished he could have seen that exchange. Judging by the little skip he noticed in Twilight’s step, she must have enjoyed herself. After reviewing Lightning’s notes, he flipped the page to Twilight’s notes, simplified from her magic spell textbooks.

On Honey Charm’s invisibility:

Absolute invisibility is difficult to sustain for more than a minute. Honey Charm may have mastered the technique, but it’s bound to have a few flaws, as she would still have to cut corners. As long as the sun’s out, you can probably track down her shadow. There’s bound to be at least one body part she can’t consistently hide, like a strand of hair or her pupils. Otherwise, you’ll have to use your other senses to find her. If she can mask the sound of her hoofsteps, listen for something else: the sound of her breathing, grass crackling where she steps, etc. Just stay calm and wait for her to slip up.

On Silver’s teleportation:

He will have to conserve most of his magic for late in the match against you and Lightning. Don’t worry about him till then.

Teleportation has its limits. Even the best unicorn can’t cast dozens of consecutive teleportation without experiencing slight nausea. He’ll likely have a cool-down period where he’ll have to wait at least ten seconds before he can move again. Find cover, and exhaust him. Also, remember he has to make the conscious decision to teleport. If he panics or fails to react, he will be vulnerable. You could try surprising him. No matter how good he is, he’ll run out of magic eventually and he’ll need to conserve some to hold his bow, so he can’t waste it all on teleportation.

“Spike,” Dash’s voice interrupted his reading. He turned to see her coming over. “I need to talk with you, alone.”

He put down the notebook and followed her to a far corner of the room out of his teammates’ earshot.

“Listen,” she said. “No matter what happens out there today, I want you to know that I’m proud of you. And if it ever gets too hard or you don’t think you can keep going, I understand. None of us will judge you if you have to skip a few events.”

“I know,” he said. “But all of Equestria’s watching us. If I back down, I’ll prove Blueblood right. Now of all times, I can’t afford to give it anything less than my all. Especially when there are more archery events than anything else.”

“I know,” she sighed. “Backing down isn’t an option for any of us. Just don’t hurt yourself.”

Spike nodded. His glance fell for a moment. “Dash?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”

“You sure?” She sat down on a bench. “If you need to talk, I’m right here. I won’t laugh.”

“Well, it’s just…” his voice trailed off. “I’m still kinda scared.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Spike hesitated a moment, nervous he would embarrass Dash. But his fears won out. He had to ask his leader, his mentor, his friend for one last favor.

“Could I have a hug?”

He expected her to burst out laughing. But she didn’t waste a second wrapping her hooves around him.





In another team locker room, Yellow Bolt sat on a bench, inspecting his bow. His teammates didn’t particularly care for his company, especially when they learned that he met with Spike yesterday. Just as well, he wanted to be alone before the first match.

His hooves were trembling again. Even after his confession yesterday, sleep continued to elude him. The towers kept crumbling, and he kept falling down into an abyss, while his brothers and father watched with disappointment. The nightmares just didn’t stop, and he knew they probably never would. However, he also knew that he wasn’t alone anymore. He turned around and gazed directly into a floating pair of elfin dark pupils.

“Hello, Honey Charm,” he said with a smirk.

“Don’t call me that!” She snapped, shedding her invisibility spell. “You know I hate that name. It sounds like some kind of cereal.”

“And what, would you prefer ‘Dark Spectre’? That needlessly edgy name?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not calling you that when we’re alone.”

She pouted, puffing out her lips in a childlike manner. This earned a chuckle from him, which soon caused her to smile as well.

“So what’re you doing here?” Yellow asked. “I’m assuming you didn’t get lost on the way to Baltimare’s locker room.”

Her face became somber. “I took a look at the crowd, and Princess Ember’s brought a lot of her dragons, some of them were the ones you used to hang out with … including Frost.”

His chest tightened at the name. He had to look away before she saw that he was about to cry—whether through tears of pain or tears of joy he couldn’t tell. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and exhaled shakily. Then, he was still.

“Did you talk to him?” He asked.

“No.”

At last, he looked back at her and nodded. “Thanks for telling me that he’s here.”

“Are you going to talk to him?”

Yellow didn’t answer.

She sighed. “You know, I think he’s still single.”

His face reddened, more from embarrassment than anger.

“Not so loud,” Yellow chided her. “Do you want all of Fillydelphia to know?”

“Sorry. But you know you can’t keep putting this off forever.”

He knew she was right. But he wasn’t sure he was ready. Yellow Bolt rolled off the bench and turned away. “Get back to your teammates before they start missing you.”

She stared at him a moment, before shaking her head. “Ever since you came to live with me when you were fifteen, I’ve felt like I had to protect you.” Her voice wavered, as she struggled with her own emotions. “Your dad was awful and I hated what he did to you. Everything I do is because I love you, and I want you to be happy.”

He wanted to defend his father, but found himself too tired to excuse him anymore. Honey Charm looked at him with a steeled, fiery gaze reserved only for her family. Slowly, a smile formed on his face. “What did I do to get a cousin like you?”

Hoofsteps came from around the lockers. Honey Charm vanished into the air, wordlessly and without a sound. Silver Shine came into view, his gaze locked onto Yellow. “It’s time,” he said before turning around. Yellow picked himself up, and headed out, passing his teammates on his way to the door. Now of all times, it occurred to him that he never told Honey that Spike knew about her abilities. He revealed her powers without even thinking about her, just because Spike told him there would be Arrow Tag. Suddenly, that warm feeling in his chest dissipated into dreadful self-loathing. Once again, without even thinking twice he had betrayed his own family.





The crowd roared with excitement, waving flags to support their respective towns. Cameras scattered across the arena were trained on the entrances, waiting for the first team to arrive, projecting the shadow hall on a massive monitor.

In the royal booth at the top of the coliseum, Prince Blueblood trained his eyes on the field below, as though doing so would force Twilight’s guests of honor to disappear. He sat in his throne, positioned in the center of the booth, left of his most important advisor. On the lowest booth row, delegates from Saddle Arabia and Yakyakistan chatted, eager to begin the Games. On his right, Twilight sat in her throne next to her honored guests: Dragon Lord Ember and King Thorax. Prince Blueblood seemed miffed that Twilight invited two nonponies to the royal booth. Still, he could not deny Dragon Lord Ember and King Thorax entrance; especially given they were Equestria’s key allies. Instead, he sat solemnly, contemplating on his own plans.

Thorax had a few bandages on his sides from his spying mission two days ago. Thankfully, he’d made it through the incident with minimal injuries. When Twilight invited him to the Games, Thorax hopped on the opportunity. Princess Ember was equally determined to show her support for Spike and, if necessary, scare Blueblood into treating him fairly. Besides, no Dragon Lord had ever been invited to the Equestria Games, so she was curious about what contests the ponies would perform. Truth be told, she had entertained notions of holding her own version of Equestria Games—the annual Dragon Games. She’d think up a better title later.

Gazing upon the crowd, Twilight marveled at the countless nonponies in the stands; griffons, donkeys, minotaurs, zebras, changelings, and even a few of Princess Ember’s dragons, waving banners emblazoned with Spike’s messages. Some banners read, “We Like Spike,” “Dragon Ace,” and “Make a Difference,” echoing Spike’s interview from two days ago. She estimated that this year there were more nonponies in the stands than any other year. All together, they made up over a third of the total audience.

“Quite the crowd,” Said Princess Ember. “I didn’t realize Spike was so popular.”

Thorax smiled. “You should see the Crystal Empire. They’re always calling him ‘Spike the Brave and Glorious.’”

“What a title,” she said with a nod of approval. “Did he beat up someone to get it?”

“Err, no. But he did save the entire Crystal Empire from an evil king who wanted to enslave the crystal ponies.”

“Oh. That’s good too.”

Trumpets began a fanfare tune, cutting through the roaring crowd. From the stadium’s leftmost entrance, the teams began filing out. First, came Manehatten’s team to a round of applause. When they took their place at the leftmost side of the stadium, Baltimare’s resident team followed. Their archer "Dark Spectre," composed and dignified, moved across the field with an unchanging, unexpressive stare. It was a stark contrast to her raucous behavior at Lightning and Fleetfoot’s wedding party.

Fillydelphia’s first team marched into the stadium, led by Silver Shine. Many ponies cheered for the Games veteran archer. A mare in the audience lifted a massive silver banner that read, “I Love my Dad.” As he gazed upon the smiling, cheering throng, a smile crossed his face. He bowed his head, as though to hide bittersweet tears. Then came Fillydelphia’s second team, with Sky Chaser leading the group. He took one look at the crowd and smiled with pride. At the end of the line, Yellow Bolt glanced at the dragons in the stands as though searching for a certain face.

Lightning Star led in the Crystal Empire team and Spitfire led in Cloudsdale. Vanhoover’s two teams entered the stadium, followed by Trottingham’s two teams. All together, Trottingham had four archers total, each wearing identical silver medallions emblazoned with an image of Sir Knight of Trottingham, each casting Lightning a hunter’s gaze. In response to their threatening expressions, he simply smiled, undaunted by their challenge. Four more teams came out and lined the field.

Then, at last, Rainbow Dash led in Ponyville’s team with Spike bringing up the rear. The moment the little dragon came out of the tunnel’s shadows, the spectators went wild. Ponies and nonponies alike began chanting “Make a Difference!” adopting Spike’s phrase from his interview days ago. The changelings became jubilant, launching little magical bursts like tiny fireworks from their horns. Ember’s dragons nearly drowned out the crowd in their proud roars. Nine teams looked at him with admiration and respect, while a camera zoomed in on Spike, displaying him on a massive TV screen for all to see. Twilight had a sinking suspicion he was secretly nervous about the Games and overwhelmed by the attention. Still, he conducted himself with so much dignity, keeping his head held high and a confident, proud smile on his face. As he walked alongside Bulk Biceps, Twilight couldn’t help smiling, seeing how much he grew from that little baby she hatched so many years ago.

As the Ponyville team took their position, the cheering gradually dwindled. Prince Blueblood rose from his throne. He walked past Twilight to a microphone stand and cleared his throat.

“Thank you all for coming to this year’s Equestria Games,” he began with a crowd-pleasing grin. While he gave his ceremonial speech, Twilight glanced across the arena, half-expecting an army of hooded ponies to flood the stadium. She hoped they would not be so bold, but if Yellow Bolt’s brothers were in charge, she had a feeling they would be just as reckless as him. She wasn’t surprised he had connections to the hate group. But she couldn’t understand why Spike insisted he was no longer with said group. He said it wasn’t his place to tell her how Yellow went through a lot of pain that drove him away. Though she didn’t trust Yellow Bolt, she trusted Spike. She could only hope he wasn’t being blinded by his feelings.

As Prince Blueblood reached the end of his speech, Twilight brought herself back to the present. “The royal guards are searching for Yellow’s brothers and their hate group, she reminded herself, “Just focus on the Games.”

“We welcome the sixteen teams to this year’s Equestria Games. So without further ado, let the Games begin!”





Spike watched as twelve unicorns cast a spell, raising five stone walls in the shape of a pentagon in the center of the field. They cast another spell. The stone walls trembled and groaned. A section of one wall slid back into the ground, opening a tall passageway into the maze. Three entrances emerged on another wall, and then the next, until there were fifteen entrances total. “Fifteen entrances for fifteen archers,” Spike realized. He glanced at the other archers. They all seemed perplexed by the strange maze, except Silver Shine, who knew this contest all too well, and “Dark Spectre,” whose solemn expression never changed. He caught Yellow Bolt glancing at him, but the stallion’s eyes shifted back to the maze. Lightning Star stared at the coliseum’s flickering TV screen in the stadium, beyond the maze. A pentagon image appeared on the TV, mirroring the maze, its five sides labeled A, B, C, D, and E; each entrance labeled 1, 2, and 3.

“Attention archers,” An announcer’s voice blared on the microphone. “We will enter your names in a random algorithm to determine where you shall enter the maze. When you have your letter and number, please head to your starting point.”

On the side labeled E, three slots above each entrance rapidly cycled through every archer’s name before coming to rest. Two of the names Spike didn’t recognize, but at E2 was the name: Silver Shine.

Spike quietly thanked his lucky stars not to be next to Silver, especially at the start of the match when he was at his best. Attention turned back to the screen, now selecting the participants for D. Eventually, it came to three names, including Yellow Bolt at D1. As the selection continued, Lightning Star found himself in A2 sandwiched between two Trottingham archers, who exchanged smug glances. “Dark Spectre” and two other unicorns that sided with Spike against Blueblood went to side C. That left Spike on B3, next to strong-Blueblood supporters.

He heard Fluttershy gulp nervously, obviously realizing both he and Lightning were matched against supporters of Blueblood. Rainbow Dash meanwhile, murmured something under her breath with a scowl. Applejack simply patted his shoulder and smiled.

“If you’re ever feeling scared, just look at your arm guard,” she said. “Because the truth is written there plain as day.”

Spike looked at the message Rarity stitched onto his arm guard: We Believe in You. A wave of calm surfaced over him. “Thanks. I won’t forget it.”

“You got this,” said Dash. “Even if the odds are against you, I know you can do it.”

“YEAH!” Exclaimed Bulk.

“Good luck,” Fluttershy said.

“Thanks,” Spike said. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know,” Dash smiled. “Now get out there and show them what you got.”

Spike jogged to his starting place to catch up with the other two ponies who’d already taken their spots. A unicorn handed him a unique cylindrical quiver to be looped around his back, and a mask fitted for his draconic proportions. It pinched his face a little too tightly, but the unicorn had already withdrawn before he could ask for an adjustment. Spike turned his gaze back to the maze. He could only see a wide hallway that extended into a room, full of protective barricades. When the bell rang, he would have to race for protection before the other two ponies could corner him in the passage.

He glanced at the other ponies, their horns shimmering with the first hints of a spell. He grimaced, realizing that if they were going to teleport into the maze, they’d pin him down before he’d even make it to cover. Spike looked down the hallway for something that could function as a shield, but he only saw tall stone walls.

That was all he needed.

The bell rang, and they all raced into the maze. The Manehatten and Trottingham participants teleported into the larger room and turned to the hallway, arrows drawn. Yet after a good ten seconds, Spike didn’t come. They peered farther down the hallway yet neither could spot him within the long passageway.

“Where’d he go?” Asked the Trottingham pony with his garbled voice. “I thought you said he couldn’t fly or use magic.”

“Just shut up and start looking,” the other snarled, “That lizard couldn’t have gotten far.” He took a step towards the closest barricade, when he heard feet pattering on top of the wall. As he turned around, a foam arrow struck his chest. The other competitor jerked his gaze to the top of the wall where the arrow had been shot, but found his eyes blinded by the sun. Another arrow raced towards him. He only just managed to teleport out of the arrow’s path, before another arrow came flying inches from his leg. Unable to fire back, he teleported away, running deeper into the maze, deciding to leave the dragon for later. For now, he had to meet up with the other Trottingham archers.

Spike stood on top of the maze wall, a little annoyed his target escaped. “Good thing climbing the walls isn’t against the rules,” he mused. The colossal TV screen showed a tally mark by his name. He let himself feel a moment of pride, until another tally appeared by Silver Shine and then Yellow Bolt.

Realizing he was too exposed on his perch, he began to climb down. He wondered how Lightning Star was doing, before scooping up his arrows. He placed one back in his quiver and nocked the other before heading into the maze after the Trottingham pony.





Nearby, the Dodge City and Tall Tale archers inched down the corridors, moving to the wall they saw Spike standing on top. They counted themselves among Spike’s supporters and hoped they might team up with the drake. However when they reached the spot, they couldn’t find any trace of him. The Tall Tale archer turned his gaze to the grass turf, where the sun cast long shadows from their bodies. Then he saw it: a third pony’s shadow on the ground, with no visible body, drawing an arrow.

“Look out!” His warning came too late, as an arrow hit Dodge City’s unicorn sending him out of the maze. The Tall Tale unicorn ducked behind the closest barrack, looking across the grass for any sign of that shadow.

He fired an arrow where he saw the shadow, only to hit the stone wall. His eyes darted, searching for the invisible archer, who moved without rustling a single grass blade. Sweat poured down his face, as his mind fell into a panic. He never stood a chance. He felt the arrow touch his back, but he never heard it coming.

As the Tall Tale unicorn vanished, Dark Spectre dropped her invisibility spell for a moment and glanced at the scoreboard. For now, she had the lead with two points. After retrieving her arrows, her head swiveled. She studied the grass, detecting the telltale footsteps of a baby dragon pressed on the grass. Her dark grey fur dimmed, losing its color until her whole body vanished into thin air. The last thing to turn invisible were her cold, black eyes behind her visor mask, locked onto Spike’s tracks. Once she stepped around the corridor, even her shadow disappeared.





Meanwhile, Lightning Star found himself at the third empty room with protective barricades, causing him to almost scowl. The Trottingham ponies were waiting to ambush him somewhere, he was certain of it. He wished they would stop playing games and just show up already.

They came from a nation of proud, accomplished archers, who saw dragons as wicked. Lightning guessed he would be their main target, given he was Spike’s mentor and one of the most dangerous archers to them. Unlike Silver Shine, Yellow Bolt, or Dark Spectre, the Crystal Empire was vocally supportive of Spike. If he fell, Spike would face Trottingham and the other dragon haters on his own. Two Trottingham archers started out right next to Lightning, while Spike was on the other side of the maze. It would be far easier for the other two Trottingham archers to meet up with their comrades. More than that, Lightning surmised they didn’t think much of Spike. He just seemed like a novelty, an amusing distraction they could take care of whenever they pleased. He, on the other hoof, was a champion archer. It only made sense to take him out first when they were all at their best, then deal with the small fry later. Lightning darted behind the nearest barricade, wary of his surroundings.

As he drew eight arrows from his saddle-quiver, he stepped out from the barricade, moving far away from the protective cover.

His left ear twitched at the sound he’d been searching for, the flash of a teleportation spell. He nocked and released his first arrow, just as the four ponies materialized around him, bows drawn. By the time the stallion on his left launched his first arrow, Lightning had already sent two arrows out, knocking the offending arrow out of the air, and then tagging the Trottingham pony. Three more arrows were halfway towards him, when Lightning’s arrows intercepted each incoming arrow. Within half a second, his follow-up arrows tagged the ponies to his right and behind him. The fourth archer clumsily ducked, just avoiding the bolt, but Lightning had already fired another arrow.

In some defensive instinct, the stallion swiped the air with his bow, knocking back the incoming bolt. But Lightning gave him no respite, sending three more after him within the second. The Trottingham archer teleported behind the nearest barricade before the arrows could touch him. He panted, sweat pouring down his face, while his heart hammered in his ears. He could barely comprehend what just happened. Lightning took all of his teammates down without any teleportation or shield magic. He didn’t need advanced spells or clever tactics; he was simply skilled enough in archery to keep up. Eyes wide, the Trottingham archer realized Lightning and his lizard student were far beyond him. His only option was retreat.

Lightning hid behind a barricade some meters where the other stallion teleported. He only had two arrows left, while his opponent only fired a shot arrow so far. Rushing in would be foolish. He would have to wait for his opponent to make a move.

He heard hoof-steps and peeked out from his barricade just in time to see the unicorn run down the nearest hallway. Lighting patiently waited, expecting some kind of trap. When none came however, he stepped out of his protection and picked up the arrows scattered across the room. Combining his arrows with his opponents’ arrows, his quiver now held nineteen arrows.

“If I had to guess,” he said to himself, “I’d say it’ll come down to me, Spike, Yellow Bolt, and Silver Shine. In that case, it would be a two-on-two.” He frowned. “Then again, that depends on whether Spike can beat Dark Spectre. If not, then it’ll be a three-on-one and game over for me.” He shook his head. “What am I saying? Of course Spike can beat her… Somehow. Anyways, I need to focus on myself. In the end, we’re all opponents.”

He paused a moment before sighing. “Fleetfoot was right. I do talk to myself a lot.” He shrugged facetiously, and gave an ironic chuckle, “Well, I can’t help it. I’m quite the odd company.”

The scoreboard put him in the lead with three points. Silver Shine was still at one. Lightning guessed he wouldn’t turn on the Trottingham pony he entered next to, seeing as they both disliked Spike. “That alliance is gonna cost Silver points,” Lightning mused. “But knowing him, he’s probably got a strategy worked out so he’ll win no matter what.” He gritted his teeth. With that, he headed down the corridor.





Silver walked down the hallway idly, as though he were enjoying a morning walk. He only wished his old friend Arrow Bolt was still alive to see him win. The thought almost made him feel wistful. Then, he heard a crashing sound just a few rooms ahead, accompanied by a familiar, sharp voice.

“Fine, you want to fight? I’ll give you a fight!”

Silver rushed forward to the next room, and saw the Trottingham archer standing atop the maze wall, firing arrows at Yellow Bolt, who deflected them all with a simple shield spell. The Trottingham archer had a frantic look in his eyes that told Silver right away he was desperate. The archer reached for an arrow, but found his quiver empty. In that moment, Yellow unleashed a shot that easily teleported him out of the maze.

Yellow Bolt tensed as he saw a grey figure moving in the corner of his eye. He drew an arrow, only to find Silver Shine scowling at him. Silver didn’t have an arrow drawn, so Yellow relaxed a little.

“What were you thinking?” Silver Shine said, putting Yellow back on edge. “He was on our side. He would’ve helped us against Lightning.”

“He attacked me,” said Yellow defensively. “I was just defending myself. Besides, he’s not even from Fillydelphia.”

Silver sighed. “Well, I suppose he was too panicked to be any real help. If you were defending yourself, I understand. But I need you to do everything I say, especially if you want Fillydelphia to get a gold medal.” Seeing Yellow deflated, Silver softened his expression. “Chin up. Everything’s still going as it should, all according to our plan.”

“How are you so confident? You’re only at one point. Lightning’s ahead of you and so am I,” Yellow said, pointing to the scoreboard. “How is that ‘according to plan?’”

“It’s called strategy, boy. Shut that mouth of yours and use your head for once.”

“Senile old relic,” Yellow grumbled under his breath. “How about I shut your mouth instead?”

“And get that temper of yours in check.” Silver said, without looking at Yellow’s scowling face. The camera showing them on the massive screen filtered to the other side of the maze, leaving the two archers alone and unmonitored. “It won’t do us any good if you go berserk in the final showdown.”

“If you don’t want me to be angry, then stop insulting me!” Yellow turned red, practically steaming gas from his nose.

“You see, that’s your problem. The moment anypony says anything that even mildly offends you, you get hissy,” Silver said. “You’re never calm. If you were, you’d see the big picture. We stand a better chance against Lightning Star together; you, me, and Dark Spectre.”

“Wait a minute.” Yellow’s eyes narrowed. “You think she’ll join us?”

“Why wouldn’t she? She wants to win as much as we do. Besides,” Silver paused. He glanced at Yellow. “She is your cousin.”

Yellow stiffened, his eyes wide with surprise. After a moment of dumbfounded silence, his scowl tightened and let out a sigh, annoyed by Silver’s intrusions into his personal life. “I’m not even gonna ask how you figured that out. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring it up. Ever. I don’t need royal guards breathing down her neck too.”

“Of course.” Silver gave a faint smirk, “I’ve kept more secrets than you’ll ever know, boy. You learn a lot if you listen and observe.” He turned his attention back to the scoreboard. “With this information, you’ll know when to act. Then, you’re unbeatable.”

Yellow shivered a moment. Silver’s talk reminded him too much of his father’s discomforting obsession with tactics and spying. “Creepy old weirdo.” Yellow turned his attention to picking up the stray arrows across the room and placing them in his quiver. “She’s my actually third cousin twice removed. We barely knew each other growing up, so don’t expect her to be all chummy.”

Silver eyed Yellow. For a moment, Yellow wondered if Silver knew how he truly grew up with Honey Charm after his father disowned him. She was his closest friend for years, until he came back to Fillydelphia hoping to find Frost once again. By then, the white-scaled dragon left Dragon Town. If Silver knew any of this, any of Yellow’s intricate history, he didn’t give any visible indication. That was all the more unnerving.

“Well, ‘chummy’ or not, she’s wise enough to realize she can’t beat Lightning on her own. The moment this match started, it was never a battle against towns. It was a battle between those who side with Ponyville and those who don’t.”

Yellow realized the two archers he tagged earlier were both pro-Spike. When they came after him together, he just assumed they were from the same town. He couldn’t remember their team, but he knew they were on Spike’s side. Did they attack him solely because he represented Fillydelphia?

“Now do you see?” Silver said. “When the time comes, Dark Spectre will be on our side.”

As Silver took a few steps away, he noticed Yellow was not following. The normally brash stallion stared at the scoreboard, lost in his thoughts. Silver snorted and rolled his eyes. “You coming? Sometime soon?”

Yellow didn’t respond. Instead, he kept staring at the board.

“Yellow Bolt!” Silver snapped him from his daydreams. “Let’s go.”

“Yeah, sure.” He said absentmindedly.

“Something bothering you?”

Yellow slowly nodded. “I have to ask,” he said. “Why do you assume she can beat Spike?”

A half-smile crossed his face, skeptical of Yellow’s apparent misgiving. “She has an invisibility spell. Of course she’ll beat him.”

Yellow wasn’t surprised Silver managed to find out that secret. “But is that really enough? I mean, what if Spike has some trick up his sleeve?”

Silver scoffed. “No one knows about her invisibility magic, except us and Baltimare.”

“Right.” Yellow Bolt’s eyes shifted a brief moment, breaking contact.

“Yellow,” Silver said with a menacing shadow in his eyes. “Did you tell him about Dark Spectre’s power?”

“You know Dark Spectre’s not her real name, right?” Yellow said, hoping to change the subject. Silver’s horn flared with blue aura, crackling the air.

“I asked you a question.” Silver said, taking a single threatening step towards Yellow. “Did you tell him about her powers?”

Mustering his courage, he looked directly at Silver. “He told me that the first match would be Arrow Tag. It only seemed fair to tell him something in return.”

Silver Shine’s angered expression did not change. Sweat trickled down Yellow’s neck as the veteran stared him down.

“Where do your loyalties lie, Yellow?” Said Silver. “With Fillydelphia and your cousin? Or him?”

“You’re calling me disloyal?!” He exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me that there’d be Arrow Tag in this competition?”

The blue aura around his horn dissipated, and Silver’s scowl lightened. Emboldened, Yellow pushed on.

“I’m assuming you knew that Prince Blueblood was doing you a favor by having lots of archery matches,” Yellow said. “So if you knew, why didn’t you tell me so I could prepare too?”

Silver slowly shook his head, his eyes closed. “Tut-tut-tut. Listen to yourself making baseless accusations.” Silver opened his eyes and glared. “Can you prove your little theory?”

Yellow had to acknowledge that he was making this accusation without evidence. In any case, he and Silver weren’t on the same Fillydelphia team. The elder didn’t have any reason to tell Yellow, seeing as they were both technically opponents.

Silver snorted. “Now, if you’re done grasping straws. I need to know if you’re with me or not?”

Yellow’s shoulders sagged. “I’m not dumb enough to be against you,”

“Good,” Silver said, “There may be some hope for you yet.” He pointed to Yellow’s quiver. “Hand me half of the arrows you just picked up. We’ll need every shot we can get.”

Yellow scowled a moment, as though he didn’t see why he should surrender what he’d won. But the moment passed, and he handed over the arrows without a word. Silver placed the arrows in his quiver, glad that Yellow was bowing to his years of experience. He reflected for a moment how little Yellow Bolt resembled his father or any of his brothers. They were stoic, careful, loyal to their town, and talented. Compared to them, Yellow seemed like emotional, semi-egotistical bumbling wreck. Silver turned away to hide his disappointment, and headed down the maze hallway, letting Yellow Bolt catch up. Silver wished Arrow Bolt was by his side, not his disappointment of a son.

“Are we gonna go help Honey—I mean Dark Spectre?”

“No. We need to save all our magic for Lightning and the lizard.”

“Spike.”

“What?”

“His name is Spike, not lizard.”

“Fine. We’ll need to save all our magic for Lightning and Spike.”

“I thought you wanted this to become a three-on-one. Not a two-on-two.”

“It would be preferable. But she’s on the other side of the maze. We’d waste too much magic teleporting over there. Besides, even if she loses, my plan still works. I just have to make some adjustments.”





Spike turned around with his bow drawn, expecting to see Honey Charm’s black eyes glaring back. However, there was no one, at least that he could see. He glanced at the ground. No unusual shadows. Not knowing where she was hiding made him feel uncomfortable. But knowing she could be anywhere without him seeing was nerve-wracking and he hated that uncertainty.

His frilled ears couldn’t catch anything unusual outside of the crowd’s occasional cheer or hushed silence. The loudest sound right now was his shallow breathing. The only shadows he could see were his own stretching behind him, the few cast by the clouds and the bent grass beneath his feet. He jumped at a sound, only to realize it was the crowd whistling. Realizing he would wear out his arms, he let his bowstring slink back to rest. Spike reminded himself to remain patient, and let her come to him. He reasoned she couldn’t be nearby, or she should’ve taken him down by now.

“For now,” he said to himself. “I better find some cover.”

He kept moving down the hallway, unaware of the black eyes peering around the corner. As he turned down a passage to his right, a figure ghosted between the shadows of the clouds after him.

He came to a room and meandered over to a white sandbag barricade, quietly sitting down and taking stock of the situation. Nearly ten minutes passed since the Games started, and his head felt pinched, clenched by the protective mask. At first it was a mild inconvenience, but now it was really getting on his nerves. Putting down his bow, his hand fumbled with the strap on the back of his head, hoping to loosen the mask just a bit, but one wrong tug caused the mask to slip off completely. With an annoyed groan, he picked up the helmet. As he started adjusting the strap, he noticed something reflected in the visor. It looked two shadowy dots. He only realized what those dots truly were when he saw the pupils moving.

Spike leapt behind the barricade just as an arrow struck where he stood a second ago. His back pressed against the wall, he reached for an arrow, only to realize his bow was still on the ground, exposed to the archer’s volleys. He silently berated himself for dropping his weapon, just because of some mild discomfort.

He still had his mask, but not enough time to put it back on. Hopefully, she wouldn’t hit his face, but Spike had his misgivings. By now, Honey Charm could be anywhere in the room, even right behind him. He looked across the room for her shadow, but the entire ground was covered in the shadow of a cloud. She really could be anywhere.

He managed to duck an arrow that flew over his head. He rolled to the left of the barrack, just as another arrow hit his last position. He peeked out, but an arrow nearly grazed his ear, forcing him back behind the barrack. If he was going to get his bow back, he was going to need some crazy plan.

In an insane moment of inspiration, he grabbed the edges of the barricade. Using all his strength from pulling back the bowstring countless times, he ripped the barricade from its foundation. Slowly, he pushed it forward, inching towards his fallen bow. Behind its protection, she couldn’t hit him from her position.

Honey Charm was left shocked as Spike pushed the barrier forward until he could pick up his bow, almost forgetting to maintain her invisibility spell, until Spike’s serpentine eyes turned on her. He had already fired an arrow at her, when she darted away and vanished.

He darted back across the room, scooping up his helmet before diving behind another barricade. He doubted she would give him a chance to reattach it, but he didn’t feel comfortable without it.

“Hey, wait, timeout?” He said, “Can I have a second to put on my helmet back on, Honey Charm?”

“Who told you my name?” She snapped, revealing her position. Instinctively, Spike dropped his helmet and instinctively fired at the sound, only for his arrow to hit nothing. Worried that he broke the potential truce, he decided to keep talking.

“Sorry! Sorry! I know I said truce, but shooting was just instinctive. I didn’t mean to, so could I have a minute to—?” She responded with an arrow.

Spike swung his helmet by the strap and managed to knock the arrow to the ground. In another insane moment of inspiration, he tossed his helmet directly where the arrow came. It missed but the incoming projectile startled her enough to interrupt her invisibility spell. As she staggered, he drew and fired an arrow in one swift motion. She tilted her body ever so slightly, allowing the arrow to fly past her. But Spike already sent three more her way, forcing her to make a split-second teleport a few feet away. Another arrow flew inches from her visor, but she bolted behind a barricade. Her grey fur vanished from sight once more.

Cloud shadows still covered the room, hiding Honey Charm’s shadow. Somewhere in the stadium, voices called Spike’s name, making noise that drowned out other nearby sounds. She was everywhere and nowhere at once, impossible to pin down.

“I can’t believe she’s this sneaky,” Spike thought. “A few days ago she was singing karaoke with Pinkie and drinking apple cider by the barrel. Seriously, she drank so much she could be classified as a liquid. And now I can’t even find her.” He ran through his options to track her: sight wasn’t working and he couldn’t hear her. That left touch, taste, and scent. He didn’t like his chances of stumbling into her and he certainly wasn’t about to stick out his tongue and accidentally lick her rump. So he had to use scent. Though, what would she even smell like? Black mane dye? Black mascara? Did girls even have a smell? He lived among girls all his life and even he couldn’t give a simple answer. “Rarity smells like perfume, which Honey Charm probably doesn’t wear. Pinkie smells like chocolate cake.” He sniffed the air. “No dice. Fluttershy smells sorta like a petting zoo. That leaves—.”

Suddenly, his eyes widened, as he realized the most painfully obvious way to find her. He sniffed the air, hoping to find a particular scent. His nostrils flared, seeking a unique floral scent that he knew well from his time in Ponyville. He was starting to worry the scent had long faded. Suddenly, the juicy, tangy sensation flooded his nostrils. He followed his nose, turned around, and found her black eyes a few meters behind him.

A small, unnerving grin spread across his face. Now, she was startled, bolting across the room for cover. He lifted his nose to the air and within two seconds turned his gaze to the corner to her new hiding place.

“I know where you are.”

She ran behind a sandbag barrier but Spike drew an arrow. The mare also drew one and peeked over the barricade. As she unleashed the arrow, Spike deftly shifted his torso to the right, letting the bolt fly past him. Unlike her clumsy dodge, he seemed to avoid the arrow before it even escaped her bow. She was already darting to another barricade across the room when Spike spoke.

“Hey Honey Charm, your invisibility is great,” Spike said. “But you still smell like apple cider.”

The arrow hit her side, delicately, but enough to make her gasp before vanishing from the maze. Spike heard the crowd cheer even louder, impressed by his strategy. Ember’s roar surged above the crowd, along with half a dozen dragons. With the room clear, he took the time to grab his helmet and strap it back on.

“Thank you, Applejack,” he said as he secured the helmet. All those years at Sweet Apple Acres meant he could easily pick out the scent of apple cider. And Honey Charm drank a barrel’s worth at Lightning’s engagement party. Good thing that scent tended to linger on the breath.

He felt a rush of adrenaline from his victory coupled with disbelief that he actually beat an invisible archer. The scoreboard flickered, showing him at two points. Only four archers were left: him, Lightning Star, Yellow Bolt, and Silver Shine. After all that just took place, he already wanted to fall to his rump and take a nap.

“Yo, Spike.”

He saw Lightning Star enter from the hallway behind him. He didn’t have an arrow drawn, but Spike knew he could draw and fire in half a second. Still, he was relieved to run into his mentor before Silver Shine or Yellow Bolt.

“So,” Spike said with a smile, “We both made it.”

“Yeah, we did. And I saw you beat Dark Spectre. Good job, Spike. I’m not entirely sure I could beat her.”

“Thanks,” Spike said, though he knew Lightning was just being modest. “I got lucky.”

“If you say so,” Lightning said. “We’re gonna need some of that luck for the last match against Silver and Yellow.”

“Does that mean we’re going after them together?”

“Unless you wanted to go it alone?” Lightning said with a humorous twinkle in his eyes.

“No thank you.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “I couldn’t take both of them on my own either.”

“So, until we take them both down, truce?”

“Truce.” Lightning glanced around the room and began picking up the arrows from Spike and Dark Spectre’s match. Once he gathered all the fallen arrows, he handed them to Spike. “I’ve got a few extra arrows already. You might as well take all of these.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Spike took the arrows and slid them into his quiver. All together, he now had nineteen arrows. Lightning gestured to the nearest hallway with his chin, beckoning Spike. They entered the corridor, and walked side by side.

“Now you understand if we beat them both, we have to fight each other.” Lightning said with a more serious tone. “Don’t go getting too attached to this alliance.”

In spite of himself, Spike found a smile on his face.

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Only you would be kind enough to warn me that you’ll have to fight me. I almost think you want me to win.”

Lightning rolled his eyes. “Just saying. When the time comes, don’t hesitate and don’t hold back. Cause I can’t.”

“Good.” Spike said to Lightning’s surprise. “Beating you wouldn’t mean anything if you weren’t giving it your all.”

A grin crossed Lightning’s face. At that moment, the microphone blared. They froze, glancing above the maze walls as Prince Blueblood’s tapped his microphone. “Testing, is this thing still on? Good. Attention to the four remaining archers. We will now be breaking down some of the inner walls so you can have your final match immediately. Please stand still for a moment.”

Lightning pulled an arrow from his quiver. “Looks like we’re gonna have that two on two sooner than we thought.”

The corridors around them trembled, sinking back into the soil, opening the broad arena. The walls continued trembling, unsteadily shaking as they retracted. Spike and Lightning were now in a room several meters in length. Both had an arrow drawn, half-expecting an ambush. Spike turned around, searching for any trace of Silver or Yellow. He honestly had no idea where they were in the maze, even as the walls kept falling. Lightning kept his gaze forward and his arrow drawn. Rumbling walls kept slipping down, as the maze turned into a gladiator’s ring. They still couldn’t see their opponents anywhere, even as more walls broke down. Spike eyed a few barricades suspiciously.

An arrow flew. Lightning’s hindleg kicked Spike out of the way, before an arrow could hit him in the back. Spike staggered and turned around in time to see two more arrows coming towards Lightning. The archer leapt out of the way.

Before Spike could figure out where they came from, there was a flash of light in the corner of his left eye. Spike ducked an incoming bolt. He turned and fired, but Silver teleported behind him with another arrow drawn. He turned quickly. Silver’s arrow bounced off his bow shaft. He already vanished by the time Spike fired.

“Spike, stop! Don’t waste your arrows!”

He glanced around, finally noticing Silver had retrieved every arrow he fired. The silver furred stallion materialized on top a wall, behind the blazing sun. Through the bright light, Spike saw more than a dozen arrows in Silver’s quiver, and the archer didn’t waste a single shot. Every arrow he sent at Spike, plus the two arrows Spike fired, were all back in Silver’s quiver. He drew a single arrow and aimed at Lightning. By the time it left his bow, he was already on the move, vanishing from the wall.

Lightning fired an arrow and knocked the incoming arrow out of the air. By then, Silver was already following up with two more arrows. Lightning jumped out of the way. Five more arrows coming from every direction rained down on Spike. He ducked, managing to avoid them. Silver blurred across the maze walls, striking then disappearing. Neither Spike nor Lightning could track him. All they could do was dodge, scramble, and pray they escaped.

Twilight’s teleportation notes seemed like naïve dribble. He could barely recall any of it now. He couldn’t believe he ever thought he had a chance or that knowing anything about teleportation could possibly equip him for this fight. He only remembered Lightning’s advice: Basically anything goes. They needed cover now. His eyes turned to the rows of barricades stretching across the room. That’s when he got his newest idea.

“Lightning, cover me!” Spike said, racing to the barricades. Lightning would’ve said, “How do you expect me to do that?” if he wasn’t dodging for his life. He drew an arrow and shot Silver’s out of midair before it could hit Spike.

With one hand, the dragon gripped the underside of a barricade and ripped it from its foundation. He pushed the barricade next to another, touching them at the corners.

“Whatever you’re doing, hurry up!” Lightning exclaimed as he shot down another arrow.

Spike moved another barricade to the other side, creating a barricade fort. Lightning wasn’t sure whether this plan was brilliant or foolish. He bounded across the field, sheltering behind a barricade with Spike. They bunched close together, making the most of their limited space. With a moment of respite, they could breathe once again. Spike drew an arrow and aimed up, expecting Silver to appear above them with an overhead shot. Lightning turned his bow to the wall behind him in case Silver showed up there.

“Aw mane,” Spike gasped. “He doesn’t even need Yellow to kick our butts.”

Lightning was too busy panting to respond. He shook his head with a self-effacing smile, “Yeah, he’s making mefeel like an old-timer. On the bright side, we lasted a minute. That’s longer than most ponies do.”

Spike took a deep breath, sucking cool air into his pounding chest. “How many times did he teleport?”

“Hay if I knew.”

“Well, sooner or later he’ll have to rest and then—.”

“We have to deal with Yellow Bolt. As long as he’s around, we can’t take out Silver.” Lightning glanced over his shoulder, but Silver was nowhere in sight. Looking away from Spike, he went through their options. He looked at the scoreboard. He and Yellow Bolt were tied. Spike had two points and Silver only had one point. Spike had seventeen arrows. He had ten. Silver would’ve picked up the nine arrows Lightning fired. Yellow and Silver probably had more than fifteen arrows left. At last he turned back to Spike. “Yellow’s got to be hiding around here somewhere. Go find him. I’ll hold off Silver.”

“But you can’t beat him,” Spike said incredulously.

“That’s what ponies said before I broke his Ice Archery record.” Lightning grinned. “Records are made to be broken.”

“But you said it yourself.”

“I can at least hold him off until you find Yellow Bolt. Now move!”

Spike still had his doubts, but Lightning seemed confident. He decided to push his doubts aside until the match ended. He turned around and surveyed the field. Walls were still coming down in a shaky, unnerving descent. Some of the walls still standing looked unsteady, but Spike turned his focus to finding Yellow Bolt. As two walls by the rightmost corner came down, he caught a glimpse of a brown figure darting behind a barricade by the corner of the now square room. An unmistakable mask peeked over the distant barricade.

“I see him. I’m going in.”

Spike pulled two arrows from his quiver and held them in his draw hand. He then jogged off, leaving Lightning to face Silver.

Spike could hear the crowd chanting his name, Lightning’s name, and Silver’s name with equal fervor. Spurred by his fans, Spike rounded the corner and aimed. Yellow Bolt was already gone.

Spike turned around to see Yellow charging, levitating three arrows and his drawn bow. Spike fired both his arrows, but Yellow knocked the arrows out by firing his own arrows. He then raced in close where Spike couldn’t fire, jabbing with his three arrows like knives. Taken by surprise, Spike had no time to jump away. He managed to twist his body so that the arrows hit his helmet. Their shafts had hairline cracks, but Yellow kept swiping and jabbing. Unable to draw an arrow, Spike had to retreat, avoiding those whirring arrows. He kept getting forced back. At this rate, he’d be pushed into the wall. He had to create some space. Spike yanked off his helmet and swung by the straps. Crack! The three arrows snapped in half. He swung his helmet in a wild arc, forcing a startled Yellow back. He then swung the helmet at Yellow, who instinctively raised his hooves in defense. In that moment, Spike grabbed an arrow from his quiver and took aim.

Yellow already had an arrow drawn. Spike could hardly believe Yellow was this skilled. He seemed to spend most of his time napping and occasionally having emotional outbursts. But his rate of drawing could have been on par with Silver, or even Lightning. The only thing holding him back was his shaky grasp. They stood there, waiting to see who would move first. Yellow Bolt’s legs betrayed the slightest tremors.

“You’re pretty good,” said Spike. “You might even be as good as Lightning.”

“Don’t distract me,” Yellow said with disgust. “And put your helmet back on.”

“Now who’s trying distract?” Spike raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously, do want to lose an eye?”

“Are we gonna stand here all day or are we gonna do this?”

Yellow almost smirked. “And Silver calls me reckless.

Spike and Yellow released their arrows at once. As they collided in midair, Spike and Yellow drew another arrow and fired again. And again, they collided in midair, but Yellow and Spike fired again. Then, they came to a ceasefire.

“We’re not gonna get anywhere like this,” Yellow said.

“You could always give up,” Spike shrugged.

They continued shooting, shooting, shooting, but their arrows kept colliding. Spike pulled two arrows and fired them within half a second of each other. Yellow had to cast a hasty shield spell. They would never know why the arrow reacted so harshly to the shield spell. Even Twilight would look back at the first match, unable to explain what in Yellow’s spell went so catastrophically wrong. The moment Spike’s arrow grazed Yellow’s shield, it ricocheted with violent force straight through the maze wall, into the open arena. BAM! The foam tipped arrow made a small crater in the arena wall.

The maze wall, now punctured, crumbled brick by brick onto the archers. Spike covered his head with his arms and moved to safe distance, when he turned and saw Yellow staring at the crumbling building, frozen.

“Yellow! Get out of there!” Spike pleaded to no avail. Yellow was stuck between fight and flight, unable to even move. His expression spoke of a phantom terror.

“My nightmare,” Yellow whispered, “it’s come true. I let it all collapse.”

He thought about shooting the petrified Yellow and sending him outside of the arena, but dismissed that notion. He knew that wouldn’t be fair. Spike rushed back in and grabbed Yellow by the tail. He gave a hard yank, causing Yellow to yelp indignantly.

He pushed Yellow out of the way of the debris, and was about to rush out, when he found with horror that he couldn’t move his right foot. He glanced down. His foot caught beneath the rubble, felt jabs of pain every time he tried to yank it out. He was stuck. Spike covered his head to protect himself from the sprinkling rubble. When it stopped, he tried wiggling out his foot. That action caused a sharp stone to scrape his heel, forcing him to stop moving. He dropped his bow and was about to dig, when he heard an arrow clunking against the sides of a quiver. He lifted his gaze, slowly.

Yellow Bolt had his bow trained directly on the dragon. Spike felt his mouth go dry. His entire body felt heavy, pained by his inescapable loss. They stared at each other, uncertain what to do. Spike wanted to close his eyes, and wait for it to all be over, but he forced himself to face his loss with pride. Seconds passed like hours, but Yellow didn’t shoot.

In the coliseum, spectators gawked at the monitor in complete silence. Not a single creature made a sound, as they watched and waited for the end. Twilight felt her insides twisting into a knot, tortured by the suspense. Ponyville watched on, holding back their tears, as Spike faced a devastating loss. No one dared break the silence.

Spike gazed at the stallion, half wishing he would just end it. But slowly, Yellow Bolt’s body began to quiver. His bow, levitated in a magic spell, trembled as though held by an unsteady hand. Dimly, Yellow knew his teammates and his town were watching and waiting for him to seize victory. Yellow could hear his father screaming, “He’s weak! Take him down! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!” Yellow couldn’t understand his own hesitation. “Why am I hesitating? Shoot him already. You’ll win. It’s what you always wanted.” He’d envisaged this perfect moment ever since he could dream as a child, ever since Crimson Bolt came home with his gold medals. The opportunity was so ripe for the taking. But his body wouldn’t cooperate.

Behind his mask, his face grew pale, almost febrile. Spike couldn’t see how Yellow Bolt’s eyes throbbed with burning tears, his nose dribbling silvery mucus. He closed his eyes, but could still see Spike’s unflinching, fiery expression, braver than anything he’d ever seen. The eyes of the same dragon who put himself in this position just to save his opponent. More importantly, he could feel somewhere in the vast audience Frost watching him, waiting to see what kind of pony he’d become. Suddenly, he was powerless.

His bow fell to the ground. His body heaved with heavy pants that rocked his entire frame. His eyes opened and looked directly at the dragon. Yellow dragged himself over to Spike. Then, he magically grabbed the rocks pinning down Spike’s foot and pried them apart.

Dumbfounded, Spike stood there confused, until Yellow grumbled through snot and tears, “Come on! Move it or lose it!”

Needing no further instruction, Spike slipped his foot out. He fell to his rump and massaged his aching ankle.

“You alright?’

He looked up at the stallion, who managed to compose himself, snorting back his dribble. Spike nodded breathlessly. At that gesture, Yellow slumped down onto the ground next to Spike and gazed at the ground.

“Why didn’t you shoot me?”

Yellow said nothing. For a moment, Spike wasn’t sure Yellow heard him. He couldn’t see Yellow’s eyes behind his visor or any sign that the stallion heard him speak.

“Yellow?”

Still nothing. He was practically in another world. He blinked, as though he just woke up from a lucid dream.

“I don’t want to win like that.”

“Like what?” Said Spike.

Silence. Yellow took a deep breath rose to his hooves. He picked up his bow and grabbed Spike’s. He dropped Spike’s bow directly into his hands. Spike felt something else pressed against his foot. He looked down to find Yellow’s magic aura pushing his helmet that he threw earlier into his lap.

“I want to win because I earned it. Because I’m good enough. Not because I shot down a helpless, unarmed opponent.”

He no longer shook or trembled; in fact, his eyes were now steely with determination.

“Well, thanks,” Said Spike. Yellow gave a dim nod without looking at him.

After strapping on his helmet, he rose to his feet and staggered a moment, limping a bit for a few feet, but otherwise he was fine. He noticed Yellow’s eyes narrowing at him.

“Wipe that stupid grin off your face,” grumbled Yellow. It took Spike a moment to even realize he had even been smiling. “I only gave you the helmet so I could go all out against you.”

“Thanks for your concern,” Spike said widening his smile.

Yellow Bolt opened his mouth to respond, when he noticed a familiar figure atop the left wall. Spike turned around following Yellow’s gaze, just as a bowstring snapped. Spike watched an arrow fly past his periphery vision into Yellow Bolt. The arrow hit the stallion in the chest and sent him out of the arena. Spike jumped to his left, before the next arrow could hit him.

Neither Spike nor Yellow even noticed when Silver tagged Lightning in the middle of their own fight. Neither of them saw Silver draw his arrow. Neither of them realized he fired two arrows.

Now, Spike had no time to comprehend Silver’s actions. Silver didn’t give him that chance. He already rematerialized a few feet away with an arrow drawn, but Spike was quicker. As Silver’s arrow left the bow, he’d already fired two arrows. One arrow knocked the other out of the air, but Silver vanished before the other could strike. However, he magically grabbed all three arrows and added them to his quiver.

Silver teleported behind the barricade fort. Spike had a moment to retrieve three arrows before he darted behind the closest barricade. He drew a single arrow, while holding the other two in his draw hand. But Silver didn’t immediately reappear. Spike guessed he realized he couldn’t beat Spike at close range where he could retaliate. The momentary delay allowed Spike to look around for Lightning, only for him to notice the scoreboard. Silver now had three points, meaning he beat Lightning. And then he got ahead by shooting Yellow Bolt, when he wasn’t even expecting it. Spike felt his jaw tighten, his mouth went dry as furious embers licked the back of his throat.

“You attacked your own teammate!” Spike snarled.

“We were never on the same team,” Silver replied from behind the barricade. “Besides, we’d have to fight each other eventually. I just saved myself the trouble.”

“You could’ve given him a fair chance! He wanted to fight me one-on-one.”

“And let you take him out so you could tie with me? No thanks. Besides,” Silver vanished in a flash of light. “This way I have you all to myself.”

Smoke flared from Spike’s nostrils. Any trace of apprehension had melted away into boiling rage. However, he took a moment to calm himself down, knowing a cool head would keep him in the game. His stomach plummeted as he realized that he only had six arrows: three in his draw hand and the other three in his quiver. He thought about picking up all the arrows from his skirmish with Yellow Bolt. However, he quickly found they were gone, likely taken by Silver. The scary thing was Spike couldn’t even tell when Silver snatched those arrows.

He was running out of shots and options. Sooner or later, he’d have to try that technique Lightning tried to teach him last night. Keeping his back against the barricade, he peeked out over the edge. A teleportation like a camera flash sparked behind him. He turned around and fired, but Silver already vanished. Although he managed to retrieve the arrow he shot, Spike didn’t even realize the elder had snatched three arrows straight from his own quiver.

To his left an arrow came flying down, narrowly missing Spike. By the time he turned his aim where the arrow came from, Silver was on the opposite side of the wall. Arrows rained down, forcing Spike behind the nearest barricade. Silver simply teleported to another vantage point and kept peppering Spike. Silver could fire at least ten arrows from every vantage point, retrieve the arrows in an instant, and continue his merciless barrage. The drake didn’t even have the time to pick up an arrow or retaliate.

“I can’t keep this up,” Spike realized. “I’ve got to get in close and end this now. When he comes to pick up his arrows, that’ll be my chance.” As he leapt out of the way of Silver’s latest barrage, he twisted around in midair and fired right above the scattered arrows. As his arrow left the bow, Silver materialized in the midst of the fallen arrows to retrieve them.

When Spike’s arrow came flying, he had no time to teleport. His eyes widened as the arrow came straight towards him. Time seemed to slow down, as the arrow whizzed through the air. The audience held its breath and stared. Ponyville’s team was on the verge of cheers.

The arrow was inches from Silver’s chest, before it stopped; a blue aura preventing it from moving another inch. A sudden sense of dread swelled in Spike. Somehow, against all probability, Silver caught his arrow. The elder glanced at Spike with a wry expression. He magically pulled all the arrows on the ground into his quiver. Then his lips curled into a smile. It was a smug smile full of condescension but with a slight wrinkle of respect.

“I’ll admit,” he said, “That’s the closest anyone’s ever come to hitting me since Arrow Bolt. Even Lightning couldn’t manage that. You’re talented, boy, real talented. But as you can see,” he flaunted the arrow held in his magical grip, “This was never a battle of equals.”

“You’re right.” Spike balled his fist.

Silver blinked, a frown forming over his face. “So you understand?”

Spike tightened his grip on his bow. “I understand that this isn’t a battle of equals,” Spike snarled. “I’d never stab my friend in the back like you. And I don’t need cheap magic tricks to keep up with you. I have people behind me, riding their hopes and dreams on me. I can’t afford to lose to someone like you.”

Silver felt the air change around Spike. There seemed to be faint emerald embers in his narrowed eyes. He wasn’t afraid. He seemed taller, almost a different person. Not for the last or even the first time, he felt a reluctant, grudging respect for the lizard—no, for Spike. Looking at him filled Silver with a rush of excitement. He thought he lost this thrill of a worthy arrow tag opponent ever since Arrow Bolt retired from the Games almost ten years ago. Now, looking at Spike’s expression, Silver couldn’t help wondering if he was staring at the lingering spirit of his late friend. Suddenly, he didn’t care about winning; all he wanted was to savor this fiery sensation, to cherish his final Arrow Tag match.

“You say we’re not equals,” Silver said as he placed the arrow into his quiver. “Prove it,” Silver challenged through his teeth. Then he vanished.

Spike turned directly around and fired into the open space behind him, just as Silver reappeared. Silver had a second to teleport away, while Spike raced over and retrieved his arrow before leaping behind a barricade, avoiding Silver’s follow up attack, two arrows in his hand. As Silver’s next barrage came down, Spike raced forward. Silver appeared on his left, fired, then his right, and fired. Spike flicked his bow, knocking out the left arrow then the right. He managed to pick them both up, as three more arrows came flying his way. He bowed his head, letting the arrows bounce harmlessly off his helmet. Silver didn’t give him a chance to collect any more arrows. Four more arrows raced towards Spike from every direction. He leapt into the air, avoiding the arrows. Before Silver could follow up, he fired two arrows back, forcing Silver to teleport away. He then darted behind another barricade.

Spike leaned against the barrier for support, breathing heavily from all the quick movement. He was tiring, but so was Silver. The stallion’s teleportations were slowing down, becoming more infrequent. Sooner or later, he’d run out of stamina. Spike guessed Lightning must have worn him down quite a bit already, being too humble to imagine hewas the one wearing down Silver. If Silver ran out of magic, then the game was practically over, assuming he didn’t go into cardiac arrest first. However, Spike was slowing too, with his body aching more than any of his previous training sessions. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this up. As he listened for the telltale sign of teleportation, he felt a dull ache return to his foot. He wasn’t sure he could run anymore, meaning he had to end this fight soon.

The flash of light, followed by an incoming bolt. Spike had already drawn an arrow and fired, knocking down the other arrow. Silver teleported forward to grab the arrows, giving Spike more than enough time to draw and fire. However, Silver was able to grab the arrows and teleport, allowing the arrow to hit the nearby wall, before he again, grabbed the arrow and disappeared. Spike turned at the distant wall to see Silver’s figure casting a long shadow across the field.

He reached for an arrow, only to find his quiver empty, just as Silver drew an arrow and fired. Spike didn’t move or try to dodge. Even though he heard spectators screaming for him to move, he remained in place. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew Twilight was watching him from high above, fretting over him every second. Rainbow Dash was probably staring at the screen, wondering why he wouldn’t move. Lightning Star knew what Spike had to do, but even he wasn’t sure if Spike could pull it off. Everypony stared, knowing if they blinked they would miss it all. Across Equestria, everyone was looking at him, certain it was game over, that he’d lost. It seemed like a dream. He didn’t question or think heavily on the arrow soaring through murky stiff water or his hand pushing through the boggy dream instinctively with clear purpose.





Twilight felt a scream caught in her throat, cut short by a gasp. Princess Ember and King Thorax didn’t say a word, they just looked on with wide expressions. Everypony regardless of their town fell silent and motionless. Ponyville’s team was speechless. Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure if she was watching reality or a dream. How could this happen? Lightning Star knew that he trained Spike for this moment, but even he couldn’t believe what he was watching. Yellow Bolt didn’t say anything. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. Not one bit.

Silver’s bow cluttered onto the stone wall, dropped from his magical grip. His jaw dropped disbelievingly, the fire in his heart came to a freezing halt. Down below, Spike hadn’t tried to dodge the arrow. He didn’t shift even an inch from his spot. The dragon had faced the arrow straight on. While events moved so slowly that Silver could hear his own heart bounding in his chest, Spike’s purple claws had reached out for the incoming arrow shaft … and caught it. As time came crashing down, every action on the field seemed to regain its speed. Spike drew the arrow and fired it back. Silver barely registered the incoming arrow. He couldn’t even lift his bow. His magic was all but depleted. Yet, he surrendered a faint, begrudging smile as the arrow smacked his chest.

“Not bad.”

A horn blared through the arena, signaling the end. Cheers swelled through the arena. Now, they were chanting a single name. “Spike, Spike, Spike!” Despite his heavy pants and exhaustion, he raised his bow over his head in a victory pose. The crowd ate it up, cheering all the louder. He almost slumped over, but somehow found the will to keep standing. Even as the maze walls came down, he held his pose. Almost every creature in that stadium rose from his or her seat to applaud him. Those few who remained sitting looking rueful couldn’t damper his spirit. Not anymore.

A referee grabbed a microphone, calling for everypony’s silence.

“Manehatten comes in second place with two points. First place is a four-way tie between Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, and Fillydelphia teams A and B.”

“That’s rubbish!” A voice in the audience exclaimed.

“Just give the win to Spike!”

“He was the only one who didn’t get hit. He deserves the win!”

Some ponies began to boo the referee but he simply increased the volume of his microphone. “This contest was never a last man standing, it was a point-based competition. Therefore, the points determine the final score.”

“How much is Blueblood paying you?” That comment reddened the referee’s face.

“We said this was a point-based contest at the beginning of the match,” the referee reminded them. “We aren’t doing this to disadvantage anypony.”

Gradually, the protests simmered down. All four champions came together in the center of the field. While Prince Blueblood prepared another speech, Lightning Star grinned at Spike. “I hope you realize how incredible this is. Nopony’s ever beaten Silver in Arrow Tag, much less tied with him.”

At the mention of the name, Spike felt sour. He couldn’t forgive that jerk for attacking Yellow Bolt. Still, he kept a smile on his face. He glanced at the Fillydelphia archers. To his surprise, Yellow Bolt didn’t seem angry at Silver, instead simply standing beside Silver with a numb expression. He looked like he wanted to express his sadness but had to swallow it, along with his pride. Yellow’s teammates probably weren’t too pleased with him for squandering the perfect chance to take out Spike and win. Sky Chaser and a few others from the Silver’s Fillydelphia team wouldn’t cheer for Yellow or even look at him.

“Try not to think about it,” Lightning said, following Spike’s gaze.

“But it’s not fair, how could he—?”

“Spike,” Lightning’s voice became more forceful and stern. “Remember, all of Equestria’s watching you. Don’t make a scene. Prince Blueblood would jump at any chance to kick you out.”

Spike swallowed his frustrations bitterly. Lightning was right of course, but that still didn’t make it fair. Prince Blueblood finished his little speech, sending the four archers back to their respective teams. He cast a single glance at Yellow Bolt, wishing he could speak to him. The stallion stopped. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to turn around and look back at Spike. But the moment passed. He kept walking away.

Still holding his head high, Spike headed back to his teammates, managing a grin.

“Spike, you were amazing!” Applejack exclaimed.

“YEAH!” Bulk pumped his hoof.

Fluttershy gave a little, “Yay.” Coming from her that was an audience roaring. He was amazed he didn’t just collapse to the ground then and there. Rainbow Dash patted his back.

“Take a rest, squirt. You earned it.”

“Thanks. I think I could sleep for a month,” he said.

“You won’t have that much time.” Dash turned back to the arena. “That was only the first event.”