//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: New Blood. Part 3 // Story: Ponies of the Five Rings // by Simon_oSullivan //------------------------------// Chancellor Mare walked towards the young mares and stallions, giving them scrolls as she passed by. “The third trial consists on another written exam, but this time it concerns Etiquette, Law and Bushido. The test goes as follows: first, etiquette, followed by Law and then Bushido. Each section having five question. As with Heraldry, you have to answer correctly at least four out of five to pass each of the sections. Failing in any of them will cause you to not earn the point. The exam starts now!” Most of the contestants looked quite confident when they started it, and it seemed that the trial was going to be easier than the previous one. In fact, both Dinky and Silver Spoon finished ahead of the others and gave the scrolls to the Chancellor, followed by Snails, Twist and Sweetie Belle. Among the ones who were having a hard time, Pipsqueak shook his head, letting out a long sigh of disappointment. Apple Bloom didn’t appear to be in her element either, both looking defeated as Snips, Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara gave their tests to the Chancellor. With sorrowful eyes, the last ponies offered their scrolls. The hall became silent as the judges checked the exams. Pipsqueak and Apple Bloom showed obvious signs of knowing that they had failed. The other contestants, on the other hoof, seemed joyful. Sweetie Belle got close to her friend, tapping her on the shoulder. “Apple Bloom, what’s wrong? I’m sure you did it well.” “Yeah, Ah had no problem with the Bushido part. But Ahm not sure about the Etiquette one.” “Well, there are still several trials left, I’m sure you’ll pass. Just don’t let it get you down.” Chancellor Mare cleared her throat, making all the eyes on the hall to focus on her. “I shall announce the contestants who earned a point in this trial.” The Judges gave her seven scrolls, which she organized and read, calling the contestants who passed. “Dinky Hooves, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snails, Twist and Sweetie Belle. Congratulations to the winners.“ As she announced the victors, several unicorns carried a large container with an archery target with circled marked from one to ten and several bows and arrows. “The Archery trial will take place immediately. Everypony grab a bow and three arrows!” “Aw, yeah, this one’s gonna be a piece of cake!” Scootaloo extended her wings, stretching her body before taking her bow and arrows. “The objective of this trial is to get the maximum amount of points by shooting as close to the center of the target as possible. The five of you who get the highest scores will earn a point.” “I’ll go first!” With an eager bounce, Scootaloo landed in front of the Chancellor, who nodded as she pointed behind her. “Firing distance will be fifty feet.” “No problem!” With a quick flap, Scootaloo took off, hovering several feet over the ground. Pushing the bow’s arc and pulling the string, she loaded an arrow with great speed. When she released the arrow, it flew with an outstanding accuracy, hitting the center of the target. In a series of swift moves, she fired the other two, landing next to the first one, right in the middle. The Chancellor remained silent for a few seconds before announcing the first contestant’s score. “Thirty points, maximum score!” Scootaloo landed in front of the rest, smiling proudly while leaning on the bow. “That’s a Rainbow Scout for ya!” She offered the bow to nopony in particular, winking playfully. “Who wants to go next?” “Let me try it,” said Snails, raising his hoof. Scootaloo let the bow go as a magic aura surrounded it. Positioning himself in front of the target at the required distance, he pulled the string with his magic, aiming carefully as he nocked the first arrow. He held his breath until he released the arrow, biting his lip in anticipation as it flew across the hall, hitting quite close to the center vertically, but about a foot to the left. With the second arrow he turned the bow slightly to the right, trying to improve the aiming but, when he let it go, it almost missed the target, landing on the right edge. He let out a soft frustrated grunt as he nocked the last arrow, looking for a better aim in the last shot. The arrow almost touched the center, but landed a couple inches to the right. Chancellor Mare approached the target, ready to announce the contestant’s score. “Five, two and eight. Fifteen points for Snails!” “I have the feeling that I won’t earn the point here,” he admitted with a defeated frown. Apple Bloom patted him on the back comfortingly. “Not a bad score for a non-archer.” Snails nodded, smiling weakly as he offered the levitating bow. “You wanna go next?” “Sure!” Apple Bloom grabbed the bow with her teeth, positioning herself in the right place. Laying on her back, she tensed the bow just as Scootaloo had done before, but she did it with such strength that she heard a soft crack. Her face turned pale, letting the bow on the floor and turning to the Chancellor with her lowered head and trembling voice. “C-Chancellor Mare… Ah think Ah broke the bow. Ahm terribly sorry! Ah swear Ah’ll pay for the required repairs!” She looked at it and noticed the small crack on one of the edges. She looked at Apple Bloom with a grim expression. “You’re Apple Bloom, member of the Apple Clan, correct?” When the young mare nodded weakly without looking at her, she turned to one of the guards. “Send this one to the bowmaker. The rest can take another bow from the cart.” The guard took a closer look at the broken bow. “The wood’s a bit worn out, hence why it broke. It was a good thing that it happened in a competition instead of during a real battle.” He looked inside the cart, but all the bows were shortbows. Shaking his head, he turned to the Chancellor. “I think we have something for the Apple contestant in the barracks. I’ll go get it.” “Hurry up, then.” The guard winked at Apple Bloom with a honest smile as he trotted away towards the barracks. Apple Bloom didn’t look up after the incident, and Diamond Tiara walked next to her, speaking with faked concern. “Oh, Apple Bloom, what a terrible accident!” Tiara smirked as she leaned her hoof on her shoulder, speaking with a mocking voice. “You should be grateful that they didn’t disqualify you. I guess that they expect that the likes of you can’t avoid destroying everything you lay your hooves on.” Apple Bloom pushed Tiara’s hoof away without looking back at her. “Leave me alone, Tiara,” she replied with a defeated voice. “Ahm not in the mood.” “I’m sure that you can learn a bit of gentleness if you watch and learn from a more sophisticated pony.” Tiara took another shortbow, lying down on her back as she nocked an arrow on it. She barely took the time to aim, but the arrow landed one a few inches away from the center of the target. The other two shots landed a bit farther to the right, earning her fewer points. Chancellor Mare approached the target, nodding at the final score. “Seventeen points for Diamond Tiara!” She chuckled at the Chancellor’s words, smiling arrogantly at Apple Bloom. “And I didn’t even break a sweat. Good luck, Apple.” “My turn now!” shouted Snips. Raising an eyebrow, Tiara threw the bow at him as she walked past him. “This should be entertaining.” He levitated the bow sideways with his magic, which was an oddity considering that most unicorn archers, if not all, preferred using it vertically. Nocking an arrow and aiming at the target closing his left eye, he fired, only to see the shot barely hitting the edge of the target. Snails cheered his friend from where the rest of the contestants were. “Come on, Snips, you still can earn a point if you get two arrows in the middle!” “I’m concentrating here!” Snips complained as he nocked the second arrow. However, that shot totally missed, hitting the wall behind the target. The last one landed a few inches lower than the first one, earning him some extra points, but far from being enough to qualify him unless the remaining contestants missed every single shot. He turned around as he heard somepony snickering behind her to see Tiara, covering her mouth with a hoof. “Five points for Snips.” Pipsqueak patted him in the back, trying to comfort him. “You did the best you could.” Snips pushed the bow towards Pipsqueak and walked back with the other without saying a word, sighing, defeated. Measuring the distance after taking a deep breath, Pipsqueak prepared himself to shoot as the previous earth ponies had been doing so far. He took longer than the rest to aim, though, making some of the spectators a bit impatient. The first arrow landed a bit to the left, which he solved after a few readjustments. Even though none of the arrows hit the center of the target, the last two were close enough, allowing him to get a decently high score. “Twenty-three points for Pipsqueak!” “Yes!” Pipsqueak jumped joyfully as Dinky applauded his success. “Congratulations, sweetie! Can I go next?” “Sure, here you go! Make me proud!” “Oh, I will!” After smooching Pipsqueak’ cheek and making him blush lightly, she levitated the bow and nocked an arrow on it. As the rest of the previous contestants, she measured the distance and tensed the bow, but she closed her eyes after aiming. “Wait until the wind stops blowing,” she said in a low voice. She remained silent and motionless with her eyes closed. However, as her mane and tail stopped waving gently, she opened her eyes and released the arrow, landing about half a foot to the left of the center. She smiled as she nocked the second arrow on the bow. “Not bad, I guess I just need more practice for the aiming.” The second landed a few inches closer to the center, and the third one hit it perfectly. The Chancellor nodded as she announced the final score. “Twenty-seven points for Dinky!” Pipsqueak showed a broken smile as Dinky got close to him. “Even better than me. It’ll be harder to find something I’m better at than you.” “Come on, you’re still the most lovable monk I’ve ever met!” “I’m also the only male monk you’ve ever met.” “Do you always have to be so negative?” The couple giggled, making some of the contestants and spectators whisper to each other. Among them, Sweetie Belle sighed with a broad smile at the scene. However, Silver Spoon cleared her throat in an attempt to call their attention. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but may I have the bow?” Dinky nodded apologetically, offering the weapon to her. “Sorry, it’s just that—” “No need to apologize, Dinky. I understand.” She walked past her, whispering to her ear. “You’re one of the few lucky ones.” Dinky’s ears perked up with those words, but when he turned around, Silver Spoon was already getting ready to shoot the first arrow. The first one landed about half a foot to the left; the second one, half a foot to the right. Trying to look for the middle place between the first two shots, she let the third arrow go, landing a few inches under the center. “Twenty-three points for Silver Spoon,” announced Chancellor Mare. “Not bad for a duelist, I guess,” admitted Silver Spoon. “But this isn’t what I’m trained to do.” She offered the bow to Sweetie Belle, bowing weakly. “Best of luck to you.” “Uhm, thanks.” Sweetie Belle used her magic to raise the bow. Aiming at the center of the target, she fired the first arrow, landing far to the right. The second and third arrows were fired after recalculating a more accurate aim after the previous one. None of them hit the center, but landed a couple inches to the left and up respectively. The Chancellor wrote down her score. “Eighteen points for Sweetie Belle!” “Aw, shoot. I’m not going to get the point on this one.” Twist applauded cheerfully at her friend’s performance “Nice shots, Thweetie Belle!” “Thanks, Twist. Here, take it. Good luck!” “Here we are!” A couple Imperial Guards waved from the distance, one of them carrying on his back a bow the size of a full-grown stallion. The contestants’ jaws dropped at the sight of such monstrosity. The arc was made entirely of solid steel, and the string was slightly wider than the usual sinew they used for the average shortbows and longbows. “Sweet merciful Celestia, what in the name of all that’s holy is that?!” Pipsqueak inquired with widened eyes. The guard offered the huge bow to Apple Bloom. “I’m sure that you’ll do fine with this one.” With a smile, he raised his head and voice for every contestant to hear him. “This is a special training bow we have, similar to the one used by the archers at the Diamond Bulwark. It helps us to strengthen our own archers’ legs. Its power and range being unmatched among ranged weapons, but accuracy still depends on the archer.” “So… that’s the average bow the Apple Clan uses?” Snails got closer to Diamond Tiara when the Guard nodded, whispering to her ear. “You got some nerve to mock her so much.” Tiara pushed him away with a disgusted voice. “Stay back, summoner! How dare you to speak directly to me!” Apple Bloom bowed to the Chancellor with her new bow. “Should Ah go next, Chancellor?” “I don’t see why not. Are you okay with that, Twist?” “Oh, it’th okay. I’ll get my turn thooner or later.” Apple Bloom nodded, lying on the ground as she got the bow ready. With huge effort, she pulled back the huge bow using all the strength she had, taking almost half a minute to do so. The aiming was difficult because of her shaking hooves. With her eyes half closed, she got ready to shoot. Tiara tapped impatiently her hoof against the floor. “Come on, we don’t have all day!” Everypony heard Apple Bloom’s grunt. “Aim… for… the heart…” With those words, she released the string. The arrow flew through the air at such speed that the whole arrow pierced through the target. Only the fletching didn’t go through it, remaining visible. The crowd and contestants became silent. Tiara gulped, her face pale like the marble walls. Apple Bloom breathed heavily, gathering her strength. “Usually… mah targets are… quite bigger…” The second arrow took even longer to prepare, but also drilled through the target. In this case, however, it landed a few inches over the center. The third one, because of Apple Bloom getting exhausted, hit far to the left. With great shows of respect, she bowed at the guards and gave the huge bow back. “An outstanding show of power and skill, Apple Bloom! You honor the blood of your siblings.” The guard bowed back at her while the Chancellor did her best to remove the arrows from the target. After a few seconds she gave up, turning around to face the contestants. “Twenty-five points for Apple Bloom. We’ll remove the arrows when the day’s over. Twist, you’re the last one.” “Good luck, Twist,” said Apple Bloom, breathing heavily. “Ah need to rest for a while.” “Thankth, Apple Bloom!” Twist got in front of the target with the bow, ready to shoot the first arrow. However, the first shot missed the target. With a sigh, she nocked the second arrow, trying to get a hit this time. Luckily, she got a decent score with it, landing only a few inches away from the center. She seemed to be having a lot of problems with the bow, but that didn’t stop her from trying. The third arrow hit the edge of the target, after which Twist gave the bow to the Chancellor. “Twelve points for Twist. This means that the contestants who earned to point of this trial are Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, Apple Bloom, Dinky and Silver Spoon. Now, for the next trial we must go outside, to the Imperial Gardens. That’s where the Athletics trial will take place!” The contestants trotted out of the palace as the clans’ representatives started getting up to follow them. “Finally, Ahm looking forward to seeing this one!” Applejack was the first one to get up, but didn’t move away from her brother. “Apple Bloom’s doing it quite decently for now, but Ahm sure that she’ll be better in the second day.” “Eeyup, Ah know that she’ll pass. Ah just hope that she doesn’t feel down for these. We are to blame for the exam’s failure.” “Ah, quit complaining, brother. She won’t be mad at us.” “Mahbe some teachings about Equestrian etiquette might have helped.” “Ya mean the one that we don’t use because it’s a waste of time? Brother, you know it, the courtiers, chancellors and spokesponies know it, and that’s enough to me. Warriors focus on defending the wall, no time for verbal arguing.” “Even so, knowledge never hurt anypony. Ah’ll speak with her when the Tournament’s over.“ The Rainbow Clan’s attendants trotted several feet behind them. Scootaloo’s lack of victories worried Dash, who sighed in disappointment. “Scootaloo’d better wipe them all out in this one!” “She’s definitely the favorite for this trial, Overlord,” confirmed Spitfire. She and Soarin’ walked next to Rainbow Dash, both flanking her. “I think my Dinky might have trouble with this one.” Derpy didn’t lose her smile despite her thoughts, though. “But she already has two points, so I’m sure she’ll pass and will follow her dreams! I couldn’t be more proud of her!” She flapped her wings hastily with a broad smile, floating in mid-air. “I’m surprised that the Bloodspeaker’s student is doing so well. Three points in four trials.” Spitfire didn’t look pleased with her own words. “Chancellor Soarin’, what’s your opinion regarding his performance?” “I say that he’s worked hard and deserves every single point he’s earned so far.” Soarin’ sounded blunt, and looked nowhere but forward. “But Soarin’! He’s—” “Not given us reasons to distrust him. He’s surely under strict watch, as I’m sure Snips is too. However, courtesy is one of the Seven Virtues, and we must show it.” “He hasn’t given us reasons to trust him either. It could be a trap.” “We’ll be ready if that happens, fear not. Spitfire, I know you’re trying to protect the Empire and our clan, and I appreciate if wholeheartedly. However, we’re risking ourselves to start a political conflict if we make a hostile move against him, especially now that the Party has given them their support in the tourney” Spitfire sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Well, you’re the chancellor. You are the best pony we have concerning politics. If you say so, I won’t try anything against them.” Soarin’ nodded at her statement before taking a deep breath and changing the conversation. “It’s been an interesting tournament so far. I cannot wait to see what they’ll have for us!”   -o- After a short walk through the Imperial Gardens, everypony arrived at a huge obstacle course, consisting on four three hundred feet long lengthy runs separated by three major obstacles that the contestants had to overcome. The first one was a narrow wooden bridge crossing a wide, muddy-bottom stream bed. For the looks of it, only one pony could cross it at a time. The second was more severe, being a large pit filled also with mud, thickened with a variety of herbal compounds. There were several weighted ropes suspended over the pit. The last one consisted on a fifteen foot tall wall with slightly offset wooden boards, adequate for climbing. Chancellor mare raised her voice for everypony to hear her. “The Athletics trial will demonstrate your sheer physical strength and coordination. As with the bare-hoof combat, both magic and flying are forbidden. The first five contestants who cross the finish line will earn a point. Ponies, on your marks!” The ten ponies stepped on the start line, some with confident smiles, others with defeated looks. All the clan representatives were ready to witness the competition, and the Empresses were on the same balcony, with Whooves between them. “Oh, I love Athletics! It’s one of my favorite tests!” Whooves clapped joyfully with anticipation. “What do you expect to see on this one, sister?” inquired Celestia. Luna smiled, pointing at the finish line. ”We would love to see two or more contestants galloping side by side, competing to see who’ll arrive first. The thrill of the moment is breathtaking.” “Well, I sincerely hope that they resist the urge of cheating.” Whooves crossed his front legs in front of him. “There are three places where you could force another pony to fall.” “There’s always one each year,” giggled Celestia. “But it’s true that they’ve become more and more discreet and it’s hard to tell if it was intentional or an accident.” “Alas, we know that underhoofed tactics should be forbidden, but a samurai must be prepared to overcome them. There’s only mud down there and, if their mentors find out that their student won using dishonorable acts, thou should rest assured knowing that they shalt take corrective measures.” “That is good to hear, Luna.” Whooves leaned forward, tapping the border of the balcony with his hooves. Behind them, Zephyrus galloped towards them, kneeling behind the Empresses and Whooves. “My Empresses, whatever had infiltrated the Palace isn’t here anymore.” Celestia frowned. “Any idea of what it could be?” “None, my Empress.” Whooves stopped tapping the balcony, speaking with a serious tone. “What do you know about the creature?” Zephyrus lifted an eyebrow. “Beg your pardon, sir?” “He hath asked thee a question, Zephyrus,” replied Luna, turning around and facing him. “We demand thee to answer him.” “Y-yes, Empress Luna, of course.” He searched for the scroll where his companion had written Zircon’s report. “It says here that they felt a presence, like something or somepony that shouldn’t be there.” “That’s enough, Zephyrus,” said Whooves. “B-but sir, I haven’t finished.” “I already know where it comes from.” Celestia nodded at Zephyrus. “You may leave, soldier. Thank you for the report.” As soon as he left their presence, she turned back at Whooves. “What do you know about it?” “Somepony that shouldn’t be here. A pony from another Spirit Realm.” “Why would he come here?” “I don’t know. One thing’s for sure: if he ran away, it means that he has mortal flesh. And if he’s hiding, it’s obviously because his intentions are far from good. But he has the means to disappear and become invisible, that’s something normal spirits that return in mortal form can’t do by themselves. Oblivion’s Gate is the only possibility I can think of at the moment.” Luna pounded the balcony with her hoof, gritting her teeth furiously. “Whooves, we have to do something!” “There’s nothing we can do at the moment, Luna. I’m sorry. I promise that I’ll try to find out who the responsible is, but bear in mind that my hooves are as tied up as yours. However, this being an anomaly concerning spirits, I think I can intervene a little, at least enough to give you a detailed report.” Celestia leaned her hoof on Luna’s shoulder, smiling tenderly. “You know our place, sister. Let’s try to enjoy the Tournament.” Whooves nodded at her statement. “Yes, if we spotted them, he surely had run away. Besides, if we admit that a spirit infiltrated the Imperial Palace during the Celestial Tournament, havoc will spread like a forest fire. We mustn’t let them know. Not until we know what we’re facing and how to fight it.” He leaned forward with a sour expression on his face. “For their own good. ” -o- “Go!” The contestants rushed as fast as they could through the first straight line. The first one to be left behind was Snips, whose chubby complexion and short legs worked against him. On the other end of the spectrum, Snails’ longer strides put them right behind Scootaloo and Pipsqueak. After him came the rest, most of them not pushing themselves too hard, saving their strength for the obstacles. Soon they reached the first obstacle and, with a short sprint, Scootaloo surpassed Pipsqueak to be the first one to cross the bridge. Trotting at a safe speed to avoid falling, she sprinted again as soon as she got to the other side. Pipsqueak followed suit, but he didn’t lower his speed as he crossed it with feline grace. Snails arrived shortly after, trying not to slow down. However, he tripped and stumbled, about to fall in the mud. In an attempt to save himself he jumped, saving the remaining distance and landing safely on the other end of the bridge. With a relieved sigh, he took off at a gallop again. Diamond Tiara came fourth with a long sprint, arriving at the bridge just before Apple Bloom. She stepped on the bridge first, slowing the pace when she was halfway through it. Apple Bloom was right behind her when suddenly Tiara stumbled and fell on the bridge, kicking the mare behind her in the legs. Having lost balance, Apple Bloom landed head-first in the mud. “Apple Bloom!” Twist cried as she offered her hoof in aid. Tiara got up with an arrogant smirk, shaking her mane. “That’s for the punch back at the bare-hoofed tournament. See you at the finish line, brute!”  With a soft cackle, she trotted away, leaving the rest behind. “Apple Bloom, come on! Get out of there!” insisted Twist. “Let me help you!” Apple Bloom refused Twist’s help with a slap on her hoof. “Run! If you stay here, you’ll lose!” “But Apple Bloom, I—” “Go!” Her voice sounded guttural, primal. Twist stepped back, turning around and returning to the race. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, got out of the mud on her own, her whole body covered with slime. Some of the last contestants that rushed past her heard her growling as she wiped her face with her hoof in order to remove the mud from her eyes. “You honorless piece of– ” She spat some mud, then rushed back to the race, passing most of the slowest runners. “Tiara, when Ah get mah hooves on you there’ll be nopony that will be able to save ya!” Diamond Tiara looked back to see the juggernaut that was galloping at full speed towards her. Her eyes opened widely in horror. “How the hay can she not only be so strong, but also run so fast?” “It’s actually simpler than you think, Tiara.” Silver Spoon galloped next to her with a disappointed look on her face. “Apple Bloom is usually donned in heavy armor most of the time. Do you notice something different?” “Do you think I have time to think about stupid things?” “She’s not wearing armor, so she’s much lighter now. That’s why she can run so fast. Now, what did I tell you a couple hours ago about getting into trouble and the consequences that you couldn’t handle, hmm?” In the lead, Scootaloo and Pipsqueak were running against each other, but they could hear the cries and yells from the ponies behind them, but neither payed a lot of attention. Apple Bloom’s threats did, though. Scootaloo looked back to see that Tiara was right behind them. In front of them lay the second obstacle: the weighted ropes over the thickened mud pit. She smiled with a nod, Pipsqueak raising an eyebrow at her. “You have a plan or anything?” “Nopony makes fun of my friend, monk.” “The name’s Pipsqueak,” he grunted. “Besides, I don’t think Apple Bloom likes the idea of you taking revenge for her. Not to mention that maybe Tiara will get into trouble for that.” ”Forcing ponies to fall down the mud is dishonorable, but not against the rules.” “But it is against the spirit of the competition. And I’m sure that you don’t want to get into trouble.” “Says who?” With a smirk, she looked at the ropes in front of them. “Watch and learn, Pipsqueak” When they reached the pit, Pipsqueak and Scootaloo jumped to catch the ropes. However, when she saw that Tiara was about to grab one too, she flapped her left wing in a rapid, strong move, making it wave violently. Tiara jumped just as the rope blew out of reach. Screaming, she fell to the mud pit below. Pipsqueak looked back at the splashing sound. “Wow, that actually worked!” “I’m a scout, so I’m used to setting ambushes, traps and the like.” Scootaloo winked at him with a smile. “That’ll teach her not to take things personally.” Apple Bloom caught both Twist and Snails, using the ropes to get to the other side. “Glad to thee you back on the race, Apple Bloom,” greeted Twist. “Don’t mention it.” She still sounded angry, though her primal fury had mostly vanished. “Scoots did a good job there.” “Thcootaloo did it? I didn’t thee anything.” “Yeah, she moved the rope with her wing. Let’s hope Rainbow Dash didn’t notice that, though.” Snails looked back to see that Silver Spoon was catching up to them, followed by Dinky, Sweetie Belle. “Girls, we’d better hurry!” Snips wasn’t able to move from the last place, sweating and breathing heavily. When he reached the second obstacle, he jumped to grab the rope, but he missed. Tiara looked up to see him falling down. “No, no!” Snips landed on her tail, splashing mud all over her and sinking her slightly inside the pit. She got out, wiping the slime off her and breathing heavily. “You incompetent failure of a pony! This blasted thing is huge! Couldn’t you fall over there instead?!” she roared, pointing at the other side of the pit. “Hey, I’m sorry, Tiara! I can’t help, I’m already tired, you know?” “I don’t want to hear it! Now stand still while I use you to climb out of here!” “No way! I wanna get out of here as much as you!”   -o- From the spectators’ seats, Rainbow Dash nodded in approval as she looked around her. There had been a few whispers about Tiara’s move back at the first obstacle, and Scootaloo’s actions got noticed by most attendants. “Scootaloo did a great job there, defending her friend’s honor,” pointed out Rainbow Dash. “Not the most discreet way to do it, but effective nonetheless.” “Admirable indeed, Overlord.” Soarin’ had his head lowered tapping the cushion he was sitting on with his hooves. “However, I’m sure that Apple Bloom will have a long chat with Scootaloo at the end of the day. The Apple doesn’t take insults lightly, and that includes others taking care of their personal grudges.” On the other side, Applejack raised one of her hooves in anger. “Those fancy talking Jewel are all a bunch of hypocrites! They talk about honor and just there, one of their clan’s contestants throws mah sis down the pit!” “She’ll face the consequences, sister.” Big Macintosh leaned his hoof on her shoulder. “Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout that.” “Apparently Scootaloo took care of her. Ah don’t care about how well hidden she thought her tactic was, that was far from being an accident.” “Eeyup.” Among the Jewel, however, Rich shook her head at every word that Silverspeed spat. “How could Diamond Tiara do something like that?! Such dirty tactics are not worthy of a Jewel! I shall talk to her mentor! Our reputation will dampen because of her!!” “I hope that she learns something of all this,” said Rich with a tired sigh. Rarity looked curiously at him, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean, Lord Rich?” “She doesn’t seem to understand that we’re supposed to leave in peace, but some alliances are stronger than others. I fear that she might not be able to see this until it’s too late. The Apple and Rainbow are a mixture of allies and friendly rivals, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are both living embodiments of that relationship. If somepony insults one of them, the other will rise to protect the former. Every action has consequences.” Rich watched as Tiara got out of the mud pit, followed by Snips. “I hope she’s able to find that out on her own, for apparently my advice did nothing.” “I’m guessing that’s the reason why Scootaloo tricked Tiara into falling, am I right?” Rich snorted softly. “I think that’s obvious. However, I refuse to say anything against her. We’ve tried to teach Tiara the good way. Maybe this will do more than we could.” “Or worsen her relationship with the other ponies.” Rich nodded weakly as he turned to see the ponies who had been in the lead since the beginning of the race.   -o- Reaching the third obstacle, both Scootaloo and Pipsqueak competed against each other. The climbing looked far from tedious for them, as they surpassed the wall with little effort. With an outstanding sprint, Scootaloo took the lead and crossed the finish line in first place, extending her wings with a triumphant smile. “There ain’t nopony faster than a Rainbow Scout!” With a humble shrug, Pipsqueak replied to her. “You know that you don’t get any extra points for arriving the first, don’t you?” Scootaloo looked at him with a victorious smile and a majestic pose. “It’s rewarding enough to know that I’m the fastest of all!” The next couple were Apple Bloom and Twist, who rushed towards the obstacle and started climbing it. Even though both ponies didn’t have problems with it, Apple Bloom showed more determination, and got through it much faster, being larger and stronger than her friend. When the third group of runner arrived, both mares had already climbed it and proceeded to rush to the finish line. Snails and Silver Spoon, when they arrived, rushed to climb as fast as they could, for there were already four ponies in front of them, so only one more pony could earn the point. However, the remaining ones weren’t agile or strong enough to climb the wall without problems. The climbing was tedious and, to make matter worse, the other contestants were catching them, even Snips and Tiara. Snails’ legs were shaking because of the huge effort, while Spoon seemed to have fewer problems. However, when she reached the top, one of the hoofholds broke, after which she fell from the fifteen foot tall structure. “Silver Spoon!” cried Snips when he heard her scream. The other ponies moved away instinctively when she fell, the spectators gasping in horror. Silver Spoon’s fall came to a sudden halt in mid-air, though, her body surrounded by a magic aura. When the rest of contestants searched for the source of magic, they noticed Snails’ horn glowing, his eyes closed tightly and teeth gritted because of the huge effort it was required for him. As soon as he opened his eyes and saw that Spoon was safe, he dispelled the magic, breathing heavily, yet clenching the hoofholds, leaning his head on the wall. The other ponies cheered and applauded as he went on climbing, exhausted as he spoke to himself. “I have… to prove myself… I have to show… that I’m not like Trixie. That I’m different!” “Snails,” Spoon whispered, astonished. When she noticed some of the other ponies climbing the wall, she got back to the race, following them. Snails got to the top of the wall, jumping down and gathering what little strengths he had left for the final sprint. “Come on, legs, don’t fail me now!” Dinky and Sweetie Belle arrived at the the wall too, but even though they were catching Snails, his long legs allowed him to take longer strides. Even at the edge of fainting, Snails was able to reach the finish line with cheers from the spectators. Once he crossed the finish line, he dropped on the grass, trying to catch his breath. Even though the five ponies that had earned the point had already crossed the finish line, everypony waited patiently for the others to beat the trial. Dinky and Sweetie Belle reached the end a few seconds after Snails, followed by Silver Spoon. Tiara and Snips took quite some time to catch them, but the latter was the one who crossed in the last place. With all the contestants there, Chancellor Mare made the proper announcements. “Congratulations to the winners: Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, Apple Bloom, Twist and Snails.” “He used magic!” Tiara pointed at him, who was still lying down on the cushion. “And magic is forbidden!” “True, Diamond Tiara. However, magic is forbidden only when used to obtain an unfair advantage, and so is flying. Snails didn’t use his power to win the race, but to save a contestant from danger. I’m sure that every single clan leader approves my verdict.” “That’s not fair!” Silver Spoon shook her head, stepping between Snails and her friend. “Tiara, I don’t even know why you’re doing this. Even if he was disqualified, it would be Sweetie Belle who came in sixth place and would earn the point, not you.” “Why do you stand for him, Spoon? He’s the Bloodspeaker’s student, as Snips is!” She showed a small, brazen smile. “What’s the matter, your legs spread for any stallion that saves you from harm?” Silver Spoon reacted instinctively, slapping Tiara’s cheek with all her strength, her eyes wide open in shock because of her comment. Everypony gasped in awe at the scene that was taking place. ”Who in Equestria do you think I am!?” Spoon roared, blind with rage. “I should–” Her words were interrupted by a thundering slam that came from the Apple table. “Ah’ve had enough!” Big Macintosh got up, walking slowly towards the arguing mares. Everypony shrank in fear as he passed by, even his younger sister, hardly used to seeing him in such a dire mood. Silver Spoon kneeled to him, while Tiara stepped back, her lips trembling at the size of the towering stallion. “Get up, Silver Spoon,” he demanded. “Your actions, though slightly excessive, were justified. Ah have nothing to reproach you of.” As she got up and stepped back, getting next to Apple Bloom, he took off his jade necklace. “Snips, Snails, come here!” Both young stallions walked towards him with shaky legs because of fear and exhaustion. Big Macintosh raised his necklace over them, touching their foreheads with its tip. With a satisfied nod, he put it back on and turned to the other ponies. “Jade doesn’t react to them, which means they aren’t tainted. Trixie’s rise as a Bloodspeaker occurred after she was expelled, so these two stallions aren’t like her!” He lowered his head, his voice changing to a deeper tone. “Among mah clan, accusations of ponies being Tainted are never taken nor done lightly. If Ah hear even a whisper about Snips or Snails being Bloodspeakers again, whoever spread the rumor shall be sent before me!” Upset, he stared at every single pony attending the competition. “Did Ah make mahself clear?” The Imperial Garden stayed silent, not even a whisper was heard for a few seconds. Satisfied with their reaction, Big Macintosh nodded in satisfaction before returning to his place, everypony’s eyes following him. Breaking the silence, Empress Luna got up from her seat, extending her wings majestically. “The first day of the Celestial Tournament has come to an end. Thou may rest and get ready for tomorrow! The clan leaders and the other representative may spend the night in the guests’ rooms.” With those words, everypony spread out. Apple Bloom grouped together with Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Twist and Snails. The Empresses and Whooves went inside the palace, closing the door. Each clan’s members walked away to their chambers. Dinky and Pipsqueak went for a walk through the Imperial Garden, while Snips trotted to his room to get some sleep. Left alone, Silver Spoon gave a last stare at Diamond Tiara, who still caressing the check her friend had slapped in a fit of rage. “I don’t know how you turned into a lowlife, Tiara, and I don’t want to know.” With those words, Silver Spoon shoved past her towards Apple Bloom and the others. Diamond Tiara didn’t even turn around. She was biting her lip, pounding the ground in anger, doing her best to contain her desire to cry. There was nopony close to her, and the feeling that not even her closest friend stayed at her side was overwhelming.   -o- In his chambers for the Tournament, Big Macintosh meditated about the events that had taken place during the day. Among all things, her sister was doing adequately in the Tournament, and he had hopes that she would pass the gempukku and become a samurai. Concerning Diamond Tiara, he couldn’t help to think that she’d exact a serious punishment for her behavior. Surprised at the fact that she was still as immature as her sister used to tell him, he thought that the Jewel courtier schools were not as perfect as he presumed. That was positive from his point of view; lack of perfection was the only thing that got the clans together aside from the Empresses. Big Macintosh’s thoughts were interrupted by the knocks at his door. He got up and walked from his bed to the other side of the room where the door was. When he opened it he saw Empress Luna on the other side. He kneeled immediately at the sight of her. “Empress Luna, you honor your humble servant with you presence.” “Thine words charm us, General Macintosh. We’ve come here to discuss something with thee regarding the Celestial Tournament.” “Certainly, mah Empress. Do come in.” Big Macintosh moved aside from the doorway, letting Luna in. With her magic, she closed the door behind her. A humble smile drew on her face as she sat in front of him. “We art glad to be able to talk about our greatest enemy for a chance. Thou art the one we trust the most in our war against Discord.” “Yer words honor me, mah Empress. But you mentioned something about the Tournament.” Luna nodded as she poured some sake in a glass in front of her. “Thine reaction concerning Snips and Snail was far from unexpected, yet admirable.” “They ain’t Bloodspeakers, and Ah won’t allow them to be treated like if they were so.” Luna offered to fill his glass, to which he nodded. “Thank you.” “However, thou haven’t dismissed thine soldiers and spies. We also know that thou’ve talked with your soon-to-be wife about gathering a few Inquisitors.” Big Macintosh raised his glass with a smile. “Nothing escapes yer eye, mah Empress.” He drank the whole content before reaching the jar and pouring a second shot. “Thine fiancée is one of our sister’s most trusted mares. Twilight tells her everything that happens in the Lore Clan. We have access to summoner’s magic too, General. And the Rainbow spies inform us as well. We could feel the presence of Bloodspeakers if there were among us, and we know that those young stallions aren’t such. But we fail to see why thou refuse to let them go freely.” “They’re Trixie’s apprentices. If she wants them, she can get them. We do it fer their own safety. Besides, Snails may be honorable, but Snips ain’t doing well at the Tournament, and Ah fear that her admiration for his former mentor may turn him into a Bloodspeaker as well if he fails.” “Thou have thought about all possible situations.” Big Macintosh smiled, raising his glass. “That’s what Ahm supposed to do.” Luna followed suit, ready to toast. “To the Empire, General Macintosh.” “To the Empire, mah Empress.” Both ponies drank the shot and set the glass on the table. Big Macintosh offered to fill her glass, to which she nodded. “Thine sister is doing well for now. She has the inherited your strength.” “Eeyup, three points. She’s about to pass. But Ahm worried about that.” Luna raised both eyebrows, surprised by his words. “Alas, General, what could possibly worry thee about thine sister?” “Ah dunno if you’ve heard about what happened when Ah retired a few years ago.” “We’re afraid that, concerning the Apple, we’re mostly only aware of their duty defending the wall.” Big Macintosh lowered his head with a sigh, playing with the glass of sake, watching it content swirl around the inside. “We have issues with the clan’s leadership. When Ah left, Applejack became the new Clan Leader, but most ponies didn’t want her to lead them. None of them will say it outloud because Ah named her my successor. It’ a secret to nopony that there are ponies that sympathize with Applejack as a leader and ponies that want me back as their leader.” “Pray tell, what does that have to do with thine sister Apple Bloom?” “She’s our youngest sibling, but Ah’ve trained her mahself. Some ponies among the Apple think that, because of that, she’ll be a far better clan leader than Applejack. Ah fear that a civil war may start because of this.” “Thou have done wonders with thine clan, and we’re sure that thou shalt find a way to solve this conflict of yours. Besides, thou should rest assured that, in a land where monsters come daily to fight, they won’t being a war against each other.” Big Macintosh smiled, nodding weakly. “Ah hope yer right. I’ll do mah best to prevent it, though.” Luna got up slowly, bowing slightly at him. “We’ve enjoyed thine company. We shalt see thee tomorrow.” “Ah’ll report everything that Ah found out concerning the Bloodspeakers.” “So be it. Rest well, General Macintosh, and congratulations for thine future engagement.” “Thank you, mah Empress.” Luna opened the door and turned back to see Big Macintosh kneeling to her. With a charming smile, she nodded as she walked through the doorway, closing the door as she left. Alone with his thoughts again, Big Mac sighed, pouring the remaining sake on his small glass, smiling weakly. “You had to tell the Empresses about mah wedding proposal, don’t ya, Twilight?” He snorted softly, drinking the shot and throwing himself into bed. “Tomorrow’s gonna be an exhausting day for the contestants. Let’s see how it goes.” Closing his eyes, he turned around to face the wall, falling asleep soon after that.