"No! We're not going to start anything until you explain to us what in the wide, wide realm of Equestria is going on," Rarity cried, still keeping Sweetie Belle behind her. The younger filly rolled her eyes and tried to get past Rarity.
"Rarity! *oof!* Relax! Let me through!"
"Yes, do let her through. How else is she supposed to battle? As far as each of us is concerned, right now, she's a rival, not your sister," Discord said with a grin. Rarity went pale. Apple Bloom was just as confused as she was.
"So, uh, what're the rules to this here game, Discord?" she asked. Discord chuckled.
"Be the last one standing. If you lose, you're turned into a spirit. When the game is over, we're all teleported back to Ponyville," he explained. Apple Bloom's confused look turned into excitement; Scootaloo shared that reaction.
"That's it? Just a free-for-all?" Scootaloo said, "That sounds fun! What's the problem?"
"The problem," Rainbow Dash said glaring at Discord, "Is that we don't want you three to get hurt!"
"I second that," Applejack agreed, "You don't just go around beatin' up little fillies, Discord."
"Who said I'd be going after them? Scootaloo summed it up quite nicely; it's a free-for-all. Everyone for themselves. However, if you want, you can form alliances or whatever. Just remember, it's everyone for themselves."
Rarity rolled her eyes before finding a spot on the circle. Applejack and Rainbow Dash sighed.
"Any other objections? Questions? Comments? Concerns?"
Silence.
"Good. Let's begin."
The second he finished that sentence, everything became still. Everyone was waiting on who would throw out the first attack and who it would land on. Sweetie Belle nervously looked around at everyone.
"So...now what?"
"That's up to you. Attack who you want, when you want. And honestly, I'm surprised no one's hit me with anythi--"
He wasn't able to finish his sentence before Celestia hit him with a beam from her horn. Light pink, it made a straight line towards Discord and covered him when it hit. All that was left when the attack ended was a pile of ashes where Discord was originally standing. Twilight was in awe; her mentor noticed this.
"It's an easy spell," Celestia said casually, "I'll show you when we get back."
"Well, that gets rid of Discord. Good riddance. He said we can have alliances, so...Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo? Do you wanna be on a team?" Rainbow asked. Applejack and Rarity nodded in agreement.
"There's safety in numbers, darling. I want to make sure that you three leave this realm without a single scratch," Rarity said proudly. The three fillies looked away.
"What's the matter?" Applejack asked.
None of them spoke. Her sister was the Element of Honesty, so Apple Bloom's response had to be the truth.
"The thing is...we kinda wanted to be on our own team! Like, on our own," she replied. The two other fillies avoided their gaze. The elder sisters looked skeptical.
"Oh," Rainbow responded, "You sure?"
Her question gave Scootaloo chills. She had seen firsthand what Rainbow Dash was capable of, battle-wise. She was at the top of her squad in the Wonderbolts, she knew the ins and outs of the weather, as well as how she could use it to her advantage, she could perform a Sonic Rainboom at will, and on top of that, she's the fastest pegasus in Equestria. In short, Scootaloo knew that she could hit fast and hit hard. Scootaloo just learned to fly and she was a filly. There was no way she could even escape her sister if she were on the receiving end.
Apple Bloom was also concerned. Although Applejack wasn't too fast, she was exceptionally strong. She'd bucked apple trees ever since she was a filly, so the problem her younger sister had was how she could weaken her if they had to face off. She didn't really have an answer for that.
Sweetie Belle's issue was that, although she was a unicorn like Rarity, her sister had grown up in the fashion business. Although it may not seem like a big deal from one side of the spectrum, her eye for fashion has enabled her to see the flaws in almost everything. It wouldn't take much effort for her to spot weak links in Sweetie Belle's attacks and counter them accordingly.
Rainbow's question was still up in the air. The three fillies gulped.
"Yep," said Apple Bloom.
"Sure thing," said Scootaloo.
"You got it!" said Sweetie Belle. Their sisters shrugged.
"Suit yourself!" Rainbow said before flying away. Applejack and Rarity gave the two a smile before following Rainbow Dash away.
Pinkie Pie had been watching the turmoil without saying a single word. Although she was also worried for the fillies' well-being, she had her own troubles to worry about.
"You alright, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked.
"Never better!" She said with a grin.
Fluttershy smiled but had to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. For a split second, shortly after Pinkie looked at her, she thought she saw a completely different Pinkie Pie. The one she saw was similar to Pinkie's appearance when she thought everyone did want to be her friend anymore. Her hair was completely straight, pupils shrunken, and a smile that screamed insanity.
"Are you...sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Spike wondered who he should go after first. He had (literal) firepower while everyone else had magic, flight, or whatever Pinkie Pie had. He wasn't too fast, but he was at the very least faster than Twilight.
"Hm. If I wanna win this, I'd have to think," he muttered.
"What, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Nothing!"
Twilight looked at him quizzically. She knew he was lying; he was likely thinking about the same thing that everyone else was thinking about. Who would be their first opponent? So far, Celestia only had one elimination: Discord. There were pros and cons to engaging everyone, but no one had the courage to make that first attack.
"I think we should spread out," Celestia suggested. "We can fight who we encounter. Remember, we have the option to form alliances, so if you want to be on a team, say so now."
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack went together, signifying one team. The Cutie Mark Crusaders spread out, hoping they wouldn't encounter each other. Or anyone else for that matter. Pinkie just sat there chewing gum. Twilight and Spike separated. Luna sighed and stepped away from her sister.
"Alright. Here we go."
Celestia's horn produced a blinding light that covered the area. As the light engulfed everyone, they were teleported to a random part of the forest. When the light cleared, no one was left in the circle.
The battle had truly begun.
Ten minutes later...
Sweetie Belle slowly traversed the forest, being careful not to make any noise as to attract anyone to her position. She was going up against three princesses, a dragon, three pegasi, a unicorn, and four above-average Earth ponies. What could go wrong? A lot, actually. She was at quite the disadvantage.
"Okay, Sweetie Belle," she whispered, "Stay calm. Just use your magic if you get into a fight. You know some things about magic, right?"
This was the one thing that everyone else didn't know about her. Whenever she found herself in Twilight's library, she did a little bit of reading on spells that she could use. She'd mastered the spells of invisibility, levitation, speed, and damage. Although levitation could lift her in the air, it wasn't high enough to have the advantage on the ponies here. Speed wouldn't really be useful against Rainbow Dash; she had too high of a natural speed for Sweetie to get away. Although the damage spell could amplify any attack she shoots from her horn, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to land the attack. Invisibility was the only one that would be useful. Even that would be temporary, though.
"Oh well," she sighed, "At least you know something about magic."
Creeping around a couple of rocks, she made sure she didn't cause any attention to herself. Looking up into the sky, the thought about what would happen if she agreed to be on Rarity's team crossed her mind.
"Why didn't I agree to be on their team? This may be harder than I thought," she said as she continued to walk forward. However, she quickly closed her mouth when she saw who was walking around the forest in front of her. Princess Luna walked along absentmindedly as Sweetie's horn glowed to activate the invisibility spell. Running behind a tree to ensure that she doesn't get caught, she peeked to around it as Luna walked by. However, her heart jumped to her throat when Luna stopped walking.
Please don't come over here, please don't come over here, please don't come over here... Sweetie begged in her mind.
Luna closed her eyes and listened. The only things she could hear was the sound of running water, birds, and the wind that carried her astral mane. It was calm. Too calm. With a flash of light, she teleported away with a suspicious look on her face.
Sweetie finally exhaled.
"Oh, thank goodness," she muttered, becoming visible again, "She's gone."
She quickened her pace as she made her way through the grove, more worried than ever. Her green eyes searched everywhere, making sure she didn't encounter any signs of anypony, much less encounter them. Her heart rate quickened, she was didn't want to miss anything. Not even the slightest detail.
"Hello, Sweetie Belle."
The filly froze; Luna was right behind her. Turning around, she saw that the princess of the night had narrowed eyes that showed her determination to win.
"H--hi, Luna!"
As Luna approached her, she quivered violently. Tears quickly approached her eyes.
"You're scared," Luna said calmly, "I understand that. But I have a question for you."
"What?" she asked.
"How come I didn't see you when I was just passing by? I couldn't detect you, but I was able to just now," she asked.
Sweetie chuckled nervously as she searched for answers. "Ummm..."
"You don't have to answer."
"Oh." She felt a bit relieved after she said that.
"I'll find out myself," she said with a sinister smile. Her horn shone a dark blue as Sweetie's began to shine out of fear and anxiety.
"Princess, I--" Sweetie meekly began trying not to faint.
"No need to explain, young one. For now..."
Her horn shone brighter.
"...show me what you can do."
On the eastern side of the forest...
Spike was happy to have not encountered anyone in the closest vicinity. He silently flew around branches, logs, and trees. He put his hand on his chin.
"What would Twilight do? Well, if she were in this situation without Discord's deeds, she'd first look for water."
He landed and listened. Throughout all of the natural ambiance, there was a sound of rushing water in the distance. He could practically feel how refreshing it was going down his throat.
"Jackpot!" he said before flying in the direction of the sound. He was feeling a little proud of himself; maybe if he ever found himself in a situation like this in the future, he'd be able to survive. The sound of water got louder and louder. A smile grew across his face. He looked down, expecting to find a stream, only to find...trees. Descending, he scratched his head.
"I could've sworn I heard water. It sounded like a waterfall..."
"You did hear water," a voice said. Spike's heart sank when he realized that he'd been baited.
"I meant to attract Twilight with this spell, but I guess this works just fine," Celestia said with a smile.
"Hey, Princess," Spike greeted with wings spread out to escape when he needed to, "You making your way around here okay?"
Celestia nodded.
"This isn't too difficult. Although that shouldn't be your primary concern at the moment."
The dragon gulped.
"Your first opponent will be me," Celestia said confidently. Spike extracted his claws and bared his fangs.
"Do not expect mercy. I'm not in a mood to be giving it out," Celestia advised before firing her first attack.