Battle reports

by Gowak


01 - Twilight Sparkle - Blood Games

“Trust is never given. Trust is earned through your deeds. Trust can only be built upon the guaranty that everyone will do their duty to the best of their capacity.”

Before Ponyville, before the Elements and the change they brought, Twilight Sparkle was one of the ten thousand blades in charge of the Empress’ protection. Thought Canterlot had been at peace for centuries – or at least unbothered by the constant war surrounding it – the equustodes stationed in the palace stayed vigilant and prepared through rigorous training and exercises.

The blood games were one of these exercises. In these, equustodes tried to pass the defences they helped put in place in an attempt to reach the Empress. In addition to helping them spot potential flaws in the bastion of the Empress, it built a healthy rivalry and, more importantly, keep them ready and efficient. The benefit of it seemed obvious to everyone... save for one.

At that time, Twilight Sparkle was still young by the standards of the equustodes. Her feats of fame were still few and far between, and her names – tokens of the Empress’ satisfaction – were so too. At that time, she had already formed the mix of ambition and anxiety that would drive her. Already then, she dismissed her own accomplishments and yearned for more occasions to prove her valour. To prove that this time, she had not just been lucky. Hoping that this time she would be the warmare her Mistress needed.

When she had been summoned to the Throne, she had believed her hour had come at last. At that time, it had not mattered that she had been summoned to a fake replica of the throne room. The decorations and statues, shining in the bright lights of the copy, had as little relevance to her as the myriads of shackled ponies feeding the Empress in the darkness of the real one. All that mattered to her was to be in Her presence. Even if it was merely a projection of her being. Twilight instinctively kneeled as soon as she felt the supernatural warmth of Her presence probe at the edge of her consciousness.

“Twilight Sparkle.” The voice of the Empress echoed in the throne room, not carried by air and sound waves, but by thoughts and sheer power. Twilight’s bow had deepened at that moment.

“My Empress,” she answered her head still low.

I was told that you were not a participant of the last blood games.”

There had been the slightest hesitation in her voice as she had answered. “I was not.”

May I inquire why?”

“My Empress, I am sorry if I displeased you...”

You have not yet, my faithful equustode.”

“I just don’t understand their goal. To imply that you need to be defended... it doesn’t feel right to me.”

Twilight could not see it, but at the edge of the real throne room, dozens of ponies died. The almighty Empress did not even reacted to it. Still bowing, Twilight couldn’t read the expression on the face of her mistress. But the psychic aura emanating from her was enough. There was the slightest trace of amusement... And a growing amount of disappointment.

Twilight Sparkle.”

“My Empress?” she had fretted.

Do your servitors have to stop checking your gears because of the genius of those who made them? Should our archivists stop their work for other ponies had witnessed the fact they so dutifully write? Should we stop defending our worlds because ultimately it is our destiny to rule the galaxy?”

Twilight had stayed silent. In that moment, she thought how lucky it was for her that her face was facing the ground so the Empress would not see the shame on it.

As powerful as I may be, this Imperium is the work of trillions of ponies. Not only mine. I merely had a vision and put it into motion, but every last one of my citizens is to strive to make it work. I ask of them to do their very best, just as I do my best to keep it safe. To this endeavour I created warriors to extend, pacify and protect the Imperium... and me. From those exceptional beings I expect even more. Ponies are flawed. You have been engineered, trained and conditioned not to be. I expect better from you.”

Twilight was mortified, but the Empress was not finished yet. She breathed deeply. It was not a sigh, nor the simple mark of exasperation that common ponies used. It was the effort of a greater mind trying to reach a smaller one with simple words. ”Trust is never given. Trust is earned through your deeds. Trust can only be built upon the guaranty that everyone will do their duty to the best of their capacity.”

Months had passed since that day. Twilight Sparkle had sworn to think on her actions and do better for her Empress. Then, she had locked herself in her meditation room.

It was a cold, dark and silent place. Here, those entities were dense enough to have a life of their own. Even for Twilight Sparkle's senses, the place provided few stimuli. And this was a thing she was grateful for. Right now, she needed some peace. Before her coming trial.

It was odd to think that for the past few weeks, she'd been waging war against herself, only to stop and wage it in the physical world instead. Had she been more literary inclined, she would have enjoyed the poetic irony of the situation. But as curious of books she had been so far, she had always prioritised more pragmatic knowledge than poetry.

In the distance, clawsteps interrupted her thoughts. It was already time. A soft knock at the door confirmed the arrival of Spike. She didn't answer. The dragon waited. Seconds passed. Almost a minute. Every day it took him longer to dare to open the door. Yet he still came in and checked on her.

Twilight felt prouder and more relieved than she cared to admit.

"Your meal, my Lady," he said laconically.

"Thank you, Spike," she answered with a neutral tone.

"Will you eat it?" he asked. There was still this glimmer of hope in his voice. Even after a month of fast, he would still ask.

Such an admirable dedication,she marvelled. Her resolve didn’t falter, however. "Not today Spike."

The dragon sighed, then walked toward the exit. He stopped before he reached it.

"I heard some rumours," he said, not even facing her. "I've heard that tomorrow, you'll participate in the Blood Games. I heard it was a way for you to atone for your faults. You know how rumours are... so I chose not to believe in them," he continued, his tone now increasingly agitated – the closest to angry that he would dare to reach. "Because there is no way even a brilliant Equustode such as you... especially a brilliant Equustode such as you, would do something as stupid as defying the entire defence of the palace right after one month of seclusion and fast."

The dragon finally faced her. His face was showing conflict, frustration, anger. All at once and none really. As his control over himself had slipped up, green flames would come out of his nostrils from time to time. Twilight observed him with attention. She could have taken offence over his reaction. She had every right to. Some might even say that she should have to if only to maintain the decorum between them. But she didn't.

"I am sorry to have worried you, Spike," she finally apologised. "It is true that I will participate in the Blood Games tomorrow. It is true that I am not at the peak of my abilities right now. I am sorry for putting you through these worries. I guess I underestimated how loyal you are, and for that, I once again apologise."

Twilight got up, and Spike could barely keep a gasp. weeks without any sustenance had left her weak and emaciated. Her weakened muscles on elongated bones now made her look feeble and weak rather than massive and tough. She still stood with the nobility of the golden guards of the Empress, but her body was obviously rebellious to the mind. Spike wondered how much willpower it took her only to get to him.

"I know what you're thinking. But I swear on the Empress's name that I know what I am doing. Stop worrying for my sake."

"But can you promise you'll be okay?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"You know I cannot promise that..."

"This is why I cannot stop worrying."

"Whatever did I do to merit such a loyal servitor?" she taunted him with a smile.

"I know right?" he answered, finally smiling.

Twilight smiled at her impertinent servitor.

"Don't push it too far, Monitor," she gently scolded him.

His accomplice smile was short-lived but sincere. Calm and confidence took its place. "Take care of yourself, my Lady. And may the Empress guide your path toward her tomorrow."

Having nothing more to add, Spike left the room.

The day came to the imperial palace. For the first time in weeks, Twilight admired the unique spectacle of Canterlot sunrise. There were as many sunsets as there had planets on the galaxy, but none was as beautiful as the sun rising on the Imperial Palace. It was not the light of the yellow sun on the golden walls. Nor some tricks in the orientations of the constructs, the particular beauty of the star or some natural feature of the planet (most of them had been lost to the aeons anyway). Other planets could claim similar settings. What made every morning so unique was the very presence of the Empress. Every morning, Her psychic manifestation would rise above the palace and greet the sun. The meaning of this display had been lost to the ages, but it had been so for as long as ponykind could remember. It had been so for as long as historic documentation would go. Every morning, the Empress would greet the rising sun. Or rather, it was as if the sun would rise to her command. Such was Her power as if the stars themselves answered to Her will.

Twilight basked on the first rays of the morning sun. It filled her with faith and righteousness. Then, without a word, she penetrated the labyrinth of the Imperial Palace.

Despite its size, the palace of Canterlot offered few entrances and even fewer exits. Thousands of military geniuses, including primare'chs, had seen to that. And each Blood Games offered the opportunity for a warmare of the Legio Equustode to eliminate them. One by one.

Still, the outer perimeter of the palace in itself was already a challenge. One that Twilight had passed with difficulty, but without being noticed. Discretion, careful planning, an analytical mind and perfect knowledge of the architecture of the outer structure were a good start. Now another challenge, harder in every way, began. Discretion would not last past a few minutes. Careful planning and analytical mind were one of the many prerequisites for simply being an Equustode, and though she was gifted in those particular areas, she was not the only one. She was also alone against hundreds of her peers. And more importantly, academic knowledge of an ever-evolving defence mechanism lead to speculations at best.

Twilight was alone and deprived of several of her best weapons. But she was determined to get through it. She would stop when and only when she had reached the throne.

Hidden in the shadows, Twilight focused on her plan. In addition to the Equustodes stationed all around the place, several automated and magic defences, magic nullifying fields and sensors, not mentioning secrets and lost technologies that had been included in the place. In order to penetrate deeper into the palace, she would have to somehow pass all that. The first perimeter would need coordination and speed, which she lacked due to her weakened state. Fortunately for her, she had other ways to pass through them.

The patrol of Equustodes passed before her position without noticing her. She waited four seconds before she started to follow them. She had waited here for two reasons. First, this path had the best ratio speed/efficiency for her plan. Second, the sensors in the room created auditory distortions. It was not enough to fool the warmares more than a hoofful of seconds. Even less considering their apparatus and various helps. But it was enough. Her steps followed the repetitive rhythm of her peers' footstep. The mares left the hallway, never once realising that they had been shadowed by the unicorn.

Several hallways went like this. Twilight avoided as many strong points as possible, waiting and contouring the concentration of soldiers as she could. And by doing so, she was willingly getting herself into an elaborate trap. She knew this well, this part of the palace had been built for this intent. Dozens of them in fact. Potential assassins would try to avoid the guards, lose more and more time, putting themselves in an increasingly difficult position until they ended caught in the web, stuck in the grave they would have dug for themselves. Twilight knew that perfectly. How many time had she been the one to catch a new recruit in a similar knot? But every fortress had a weak point. And the best trap could make even the best hunter overconfident. Even her sisters could, and would, make a mistake from time to time. Twilight had had several weeks to rethink the place, checking the problem from several angles, from the safest and most probable roads to the craziest ones. Somewhere in the middle, there were paths no one had seen before. Those were the one that had the most chance of success.

So Twilight progressed, slowly and discretely, purposefully, avoiding the ever so numerous Equustodes' patrols, traps and sensors, getting closer and closer to the jaw of the trap. Twilight checked her magic. Still inactive. But soon.

The palace was a nightmare for unicorns and magical practitioners. Gathering too much magical energy would, at best, raise several alarms. At worst, it would end with a severe backlash which consequences would range from unconsciousness to the utter destruction of the user. Several magic patterns, including most teleportation spells and specific race-based patterns, were simply blocked by technological or magical means. In some places, the walls themselves were made in magic repellent metals to forbid any unforeseen access. If that was not enough, several anti-magical spells and nullifying wards had been put into place. Thus, teleporting inside the palace was almost impossible. Almost. For anyone willing enough and able to carefully manage their magical surges, there were a few places were such a feat was feasible. It would not be as efficient as the normal usage of the spell but it would permit to go through a wall for instance. Or cross a few dozen metres without being seen. It would still require very extensive knowledge of the place as well as being able to cast old and obsolete variations of certain spells. Of course, it should come from somepony whose magic would have not been tainted by the corruption of the warp or mutation. And even then, one would have to cast the spell precisely at the moment when the nullifying fields would be at their lowest, which happened seemingly randomly when it happened at all.

It sounded impossible. But Twilight had found a flaw. A single minuscule flaw where all those securities overlapped. There were paths in the palace, where magic flew. Not a lot, and narrow ones at best, but enough to indicate teleporting roads. All she needed was to be able to predict the nullifying shield patterns. And she had done so. It was far from perfect... but it was enough. It was predictable and she was intended to use it if possible. Right now, the field was still stable, but she could already feel the ripples in its interference. Magic built into her horn, not yet able to unleash its physic-bending effects. Not yet, but soon. She stood at the ready. A few more seconds...

Flawless Mist wandered alone in the corridors, a confident smile in her face and a golden spear carefully holstered against her side, right under her wing. The current Bloods Game was featuring Twilight Sparkle. Twilight "Bookworm" Sparkle. This was something that would probably happen once this century and she wouldn't miss it for the world.

So far, there had been no news of her. Which was a good thing. It wouldn't have been fun if the purple unicorn had been caught immediately. Considering her capacities and the time since the beginning of the game, it was safe to assume that she'd had penetrated the outer defences. Probably even passed them. Which meant she could be very close now. The golden-armoured pegasus smiled at the thought, revealing perfect white teeth. The chances that her prey would really be here were almost void, but she had a feeling there would be something interesting to see in this part of the palace. And her intuition often hit just. Often enough for her to consider it a gift from the almighty Empress.

Her steps had led her to a crossroad in the innumerable roads of the palace. The outsiders lucky enough to stride those passageways called it "the worthy's path", due to its long, turning ways, which forced ponies into hours of walking before they could finally meet their omnipotent ruler. The Equustodes merely called it the "nagger's path", for only the most insufferable ponies were to lose their time here. More direct ways existed for the true servitors of the Empress. Their time was their Mistress's. It was not to be wasted.

She patrolled aimlessly here, waiting for something to happen, or for her instinct to switch on again. For something was about to happen. She just knew it.

Twilight Sparkle was frustrated in more ways than one. The sector was supposed to be situated between heavily guarded nodes, he patrols were supposed to be less frequent and highly regular since continuous patrols here made no strategic sense, so she had simply neglected them. She had not been carefree enough to think that everything would go smoothly, but this was supposed one of the safest parts of the defence and thus, she had deemed the possibility of such a hitch negligible. And now she was forced to listen to the incongruous hoofsteps with impatience.

But as irritating as this situation was, it was but the tip of the iceberg. The truly unnerving fact was that she was stuck in a wall. And this, more than the unforeseen patrol bothered Twilight to no ends. It didn't matter to her that she had to launch her spell in the split second the reboot in the magic nullifier took. Or that she had to teleport in a hidden hole hundreds of metres from her with no visibility. Or that she was still weak from starvation. It only mattered that she was stuck, her hooves, mane and tail fused to the walls because she had miscalculated her jump. Her Twilight was close to berate her foolishness out loud...

The hoofsteps got closer to the wall. Twilight stiffened. The situation she was in dawned on her. She had not been caught yet. But she would if she didn't find a solution. She needed to get unstuck and another path. She had only one minute before the next opening.

Now focused on something other than her shortcoming, Twilight's mind worked overtime.

Flawless Mist instinct was working overdrive. Something had happened. There was something there. She could feel it. She just didn't know what. She could ask the closest hub for a checkup, but she didn't want to share the glory of her discovery. The Equustode grinned and closed her eyes. What she was looking for was not visible. This sense was useless to her now. Smell would likely not matter either, so she stopped breathing. She stopped moving as well. She was focused. If there was anything she'd feel it... She just had to wait.

Twilight had a plan. It was risky and went against several Codex recommendations, not to mention a few imperial regulations on magic usage... but it would work. The field was weakening again. She had two seconds to move. Magic flowed with its typical high pitch sound.

The sound was so faint Mist wondered if she'd really heard it, or merely thought it. She didn't lose time to ponder on it. Her spear left its maglock in a fraction of seconds. The blade whirled around her quickly, flying above her dexterous wings... then stabbed the wall in front of her with force. Even without its force field, the blade stabbed the wall with ease, until only the shaft remained. Mist slowly retracted the blade. It was pristine. No resistance, no trace of blood... nothing. A frown spread on her face.

She, barely, resisted the urge to stab again, out of frustration this time. Instead, she angrily sheathed her spear. The golden weapon maglocked at her side. The shock made the blade vibrate, making a few strands of lavender fur fell into the ground. Mist almost didn't notice it.

Almost.

A smile slowly conquered her face. There was not a lot of lavender ponies in the Equustodes. And only one participated in the Blood Games. The bookworm had been here! She couldn't be far! The pegasus licked her lips with anticipation. Her wings stiffened slightly, overdosed with chemical and sheer excitement. Not without doing an over the top kick, Flawless Mist charged deeper into the building, hoping to find her prey.

"Girls?" she said into her communicator. "Bookworm's inside our perimeter!"

Twilight caught her breath through gritted teeth. She mentally cursed at her injuries, using her fur and robe to mop up the blood slowly dripping from her hooves. Her metabolism was already closing the injuries but the outer, solid part of her limbs would take time to heal. She now had another handicap to add to her struggle. A particularly graphic anathema left her muzzle at the thought.

In order to leave her hiding place, she had had to willingly fail her spell and leave parts of her, in this specific case the bottom half of her hooves. Willingly fail her spell had proven harder than casting it but it was either that of trying to teleport herself and the entirety of the palace which would have, at best, fumbled lamentably and killed herself in the process. The prospect of such a pointless and purposeless death sounded almost heretical.

A few minutes passed. Enough for her to walk without hobbling. Every moment standing hurt more than words could describe. A normal pony would have fainted many times over. Twilight, however, could stand. One would barely notice the difference. Her metabolism and training were enough to make the pain tolerable. In fact, she used it as a driving force. It fuelled her determination and focus. This pain was the result of her mistakes and the reminder of her failure. She welcomed it. She made it hers and made it an ally. She needed a new plan to get going.

A few other minutes passed. Twilight's mobility was close enough to one hundred per cent. She could not afford to wait longer. Her hideout would not stay safe indefinitely. She waited for the next drop in intensity of the field and disappeared again.

The Palace was in high alert.

It would have been hard to see for the untrained eye, but Twilight couldn't miss the signs. The patrols were irregular, yet more frequents. Their patterns were different too. Also, even if the guards were trying not to be obvious, their body language suggested they were actively looking for something. Twilight guessed that auxiliary system would be put at full efficiency soon if it was not already the case.

There were many explanations possible, but the most plausible one was that she had been detected, but not seen. Had she raised an alarm? Did somepony pick up her magical pattern? It didn't really matter. This had always been a question of 'when' she would be detected rather than 'if'. Still, the configuration she was in was one of the worst she had anticipated, and there was but one option left for her.

Fight her way to the throne.

The patrol strode silently under her. She watched them pass from above, without a word, trying to identify them. They were two. An earth pony and a unicorn. The first one wore her helmet and no decoration. The distinctive signs of a young Equustode. Her trot was confident, full of assurance. Probably more than two names, but likely less than five.

Probably Rock Steady… or maybe Flashing Light, she assessed.

Her companion was an enigma. She also wore her helmet, and from her position, she could see no decoration. However, her hoofstep was calm and composed. It was the way of walking of somepony who had seen their fair share of battles and Blood Games. This one could become a problem. Twilight hesitated a second. Should she wait for another, easier-to-handle patrol? She cast away her doubts. The time for careful planning was gone at the same time as her hooves. It was time for a leap of faith.

Twilight fell silently. The mysterious Equustode heard her... but too late. Way too late. The fight was too fast for the naked eye. It took less ten heartbeats for the unicorn to incapacitate her sisters.

Twilight fell right behind the unicorn. She rolled swiftly, transferring most of the kinetic energy of her fall into a charge. She hit her sister hard on the flank. The difference in weight between the two warmares faded as Twilight hit her centre of gravity, making her lose her hooving. She managed to catch herself, but not without jostling her comrade.

She didn't give them any time to recover. A heartbeat after her fall, she sent a small flash of magic to hit the maglock of Rock-Steady-Flashing-Light's weapon. Various securities normally blocked the device, preventing it from activating by accident. However, some new blood kept it unlocked, trying to coax a few milliseconds in battle. The process was widely frowned upon, for anything could provoke an accidental activation. A shock, a lucky shot... or a well placed magical surge. Whether or not Rock-Steady-Flashing-Light was doing it was pure speculation... but it worked. The weapon fell. A few centimetres falls, nothing a normal pony would notice. But enough to trump the trained reflexes of an Equustode. She tried to reach for her spear and missed. She corrected the movement immediately of course, but this small hiccup was all Twilight needed. Her magic flared again, struggling against the recalcitrant weapon. She didn't even try to activate it, for the weapon would refuse anyone but its rightful owner, she just used it as his basic form intended. The spear hit several times, the point and shaft stabbing the weaknesses of the armour.

Rock-Steady-Flashing-Light fell before she could react.

The other warmare fared better, but it was still not good enough. She followed her sister on the ground in an instant.

Twilight caught her breath with difficulty, both her hearts struggling to keep up with her sudden burst. She could not stop here nonetheless, for time was of the essence. She took a last glance to her sisters and went deeper into the palace.

"Are you telling me that she got you both, all by herself?" Flawless Mist laughed.

"Come on Mist, give it a rest," said a voice in her vox.

"She was unarmed!" she answered, still laughing. "And she didn't even have her power armour! Can you imagine?"

"Mist..." the voice the other side of the vox sighed. "Anyway, you don't know that."

"There are marks of hooves on the ground where she fell. The mark's not deep enough for a warmare in armour."

"Okay maybe. How do you know she was unarmed though?"

"Oh you know... just a hunch."

"Dead Equustodes don't talk Mist." the voice warned.

The pegasus laughed at that. "I know, I know. Don't worry I did not cheat."

"You'd better not," the voice threatened just before its owner ended the communication.

Mist smiled broadly. Even her grumpy sister could not spoil her amusement today. She made a dismissive sign to Discreet Glory and Rock Steady and started to follow the trail of the intruder unicorn. The tried not to gloat as their misfortune as they left the hallway in silence. They were not to talk until the end of the Game.

Maybe they'll even make a vow of silence after such a humiliation, she thought bemusedly.

She was running now. This game was definitely very fun.

"Girls. I think I know where she's headed."

Twilight ran, trying to escape the ever-vigilant gaze of the palace sensors. She needed a place to gather her strength, even for a few minutes. She was running on fumes and her predictions concerning the anti-magic field were off by several minutes, forcing her to run and jump aimlessly in the hallway. For the first time in her life, she felt the weight of mortal existence. Things were going out of control, her own body pushed into its limits and beyond, her hooves and very bones hurt like Tartarus. She had not felt such punishment since she'd been moulded into an Equustode. And it felt good. She felt as if she was reconnecting with her roots, improving herself once again. So she ran, trying to escape the inevitable, knowing well that if the field didn't recede in the next few seconds, she'd have another fight on her hoo...

"Intruder! Seize her!"

By the Empress glorious Mane!

The three Equustodes moved instantly, in the strange individualistic unison that characterised them. Twilight rose her stolen weapons and prepared to hold them back while she gathered her magic. The spears moved inelegantly, in a very pathetic display compared to Twilight's standards. The weapons were reluctant to her magic touch and manipulating two at the same time was a chore, not mentioning trying to teleport. It would be barely enough to defend against them, let alone defeat them. The blades collided once. Twice. On the third time, Twilight's horn was on fire, maybe even literally. She tried to teleport, only to feel her magic fumble against the remnant of the field.

Come on! Hur...

A fourth strike, deviated by her spear, she felt like her head was splitting in two. One of the golden warriors tried to get passed her defence. Twilight stopped her. Two more blows rewarded the effort. Each one of them felt as if directly aimed at the tip of her horn. She was unsure if the liquid that trickled down her face was blood or sweat. Another blow shook her to the bone.

Just... a little... more...

Going all out, Twilight lunged at them, the blades pointed menacingly forward. They easily avoided the attack and surrounded her.

"Surrender now!" one of them said.

Twilight answered with an exhausted but victorious smile. Her horn flashed. She saw the frustrated face of her sister, realising too late what was happening, she felt her body being sucked up by the spell, she felt the drag of the weapons, resisting even the teleportation, she tasted the blood in her muzzle and nostrils and smelled her singed mane.

Then all faded to darkness.

Twilight hobbled a moment on her bleeding hooves, the understimulation feeling almost like sensory deprivation. Her lungs painfully reminded her to breathe, and her muscles forced her to lay down. As she rested on the stone ground, she thought how calm and peaceful her retreat was. It was a small study, place into a small archive deep into the palace. It was a small, empty, square room. The decoration was almost nonexistent: a small table and empty shelves. It was cold, dark and silent and those entities were soothing companions after Twilight's struggle.

Twilight had discovered the place decades ago and made it into a study room for her personal use. Almost nobody knew its existence and those who did didn't really care about it. Hence the relative laxity of the defence. She was alone and hidden for a few minutes at least. She was safe. It felt so strange that she'd had to wage war against the entirety of the palace defence to find peace once again. Twilight was sure there was some kind of deep teaching hidden here, and she was sure it would reveal itself to her sooner or later.

But not today, she thought bitterly as she heard hoofsteps approach. It's way too soon! How did they find me?

But already her training kicked in. Swiftly, methodically, as silently as possible, Twilight readied herself. Seconds passed and stretched into minutes. Then the intruder made its entrance.

"Wow... you look awful."

Flawless Mist stood proudly in the entrance of the room, her golden armour capturing a few rays of lights from outside. Her spear rested casually on her wings, shifting naturally from resting place to resting place every time she moved. With minimal efforts, just by being here, she was showing the extent of her martial prowess. Something was wrapped into her tail, but the fugitive had no way to identify it yet. Twilight observed attentively the warmare, looking for openings. There was none.

"No seriously... you could give fashion advice to a World Eater." Twilight cringed at the evocation, but remain silent. Flawless smiled at that and continued. "No scratch that. You've got more of a Word Bearer vibe. You know, with the fuming horn and all..."

"Why are you here Mist?" Twilight finally asked.

"Cutting right to the chase huh? You don't even want to know how I found you?" she teased. "No? That's fine, that's fine." She let out a satisfied sigh. "I wanted exactly three things," she announced, spreading her wings excitedly. The blade smoothly circled around her body, finding its new position in perfect equilibrium atop her wing folds. "The first was to give you this."

She effortlessly threw the thing in her back with the sheer strength of her tail. The weapon spun into the air then stabbed the floor to the hilt.

"Come on," she said with a mocking smile. "Take it."

There was no mistake possible and Twilight didn't need to check it twice. The pegasus could see it in her eyes. She recognised the weapon immediately. The patterns, the inscriptions and engravings, the length of the blade, reforged to fit her grip and fighting style. In her brain, she could probably feel the sensation of the blade enraptured in her magic. It was hers.

"Why do you have my spear?" she asked, her calm façade sightly eroded.

"Can't you guess? I'll give you a clue. It's related to the second and third things I want." Twilight didn't answer. Flawless gave her a few seconds to play along, but the unicorn was a stubborn and frustrating interlocutor. "Oh come on Twilight Sparkle! You're the clever one between us. I. Wanted. To. Fight. You," she articulated, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Why not defying me on the training ground then?"

"Really? We both know you're never serious on the training ground! You just fight enough to keep your ground and never more! You've never been serious once there! Think you can fool me?"

"There's no need to get serious..." she started. She didn't finish her sentence, finally realising her sister's point.

The pegasus smiled brightly, enjoying the smell of victory. "Exactly."

A silence born a rising understanding installed itself in the room. The unicorn was the first to break it. "If I were a real assassin..."

"If you were, you'd have your weapons ready and this whole discussion wouldn't even have happened. And we'd already been fighting which is exactly what I want. Come on Sparkle, I want this duel and you want to get passed me. We can both have what we want or we can both end up frustrated. Make your choice."

"And it doesn't bother you that I'm actually this weakened for our big fight?"

"We take what the Empress provides," she shrugged. "Besides, you did pretty well so far against very unforgiving odds," she added with a wry smile.

Twilight and Flawless faced each other in silence once again. Despite her best effort to look unphased, Twilight couldn't help but frown at her situation. She was, literally, cornered. In more way than one, her only way out was passed Flawless Mist. She was all smile, as if already victorious, which she technically was.

The unicorn slowly got closer to her weapon, her gaze still fixed on the pegasus. Her horn lit up and her magic slowly engulfed it. She almost affectionately tucked it out of the ground, weighing it, taking some kind of familiar comfort in the sensation.

The defender put herself into position, ready to fight. The intruder did the same. The weapon hovered at her right, pointed toward her foe. The tension rose slowly in the room.

And then Twilight resigned."You caught me. You've won. I forfeit," she stated without energy.

"You... What?"

"I said I quit," she insisted. "You won. Congratulation Flawless Mist."

"You can't do that..."

"Well, I just did, so your assumption has already been proven unfounded." And just to prove her point, Twilight's magic dissipated as she threw her weapon at the hooves of Flawless, unbound by magic, inert and useless.

In that instant, Flawless instinct went on, screaming through every fibre of her being that there was a danger. In most occasions, she'd have reacted immediately and jumped back, but right now, the warmare was slowed by conflicted emotions and incredulity. Next thing she knew, she felt two blows on her wings. She didn't immediately register the pain, she just stood there, wondering what in Tartarus had hit her.

Twilight didn't have any bolter or weapons except-

The unicorn was on before she could consciously register it. But her body reacted. Reflexes honed to perfection took over. Flawless Mist shifted her weight to place herself, her wings and hooves moved on their own accord... and failed. She was stuck. She was unexpectedly and incomprehensibly stuck. Something caught in her wing kept her in place.

What kind of magi-

Twilight collided with her. The shock was not that intense, the mare was emaciated and armourless, nothing she couldn't handle. She braced herself and took it. And then it hit her again. Two sharp pains in the wings.

What did she do to me‽

She took a quick glance while she tried to prepare for the incoming assault. The answer came spear-shaped, stabbing her wings and stuck on the ground.

When?

But she didn't care. Questions were not her deal. Action was. It was time for payback.

Twilight had to press her advantage as much as possible. Her surprise attack had worked wonders, she had almost nullified her disadvantage but it was not enough, she had to put an end to the fight as soon as possible. Her spear came alive once again. It sliced through the air, a golden blur in the dark. Faster than even the blade, Flawless Mist grunted and moved. The armoured warrior went out of the way and parried the attack, using the very weapons that had immobilised her. Then, using her and Twilight's momentum she sent two quick jabs with the shaft of one of impaling spear. Twilight tried to dodge, but at such a range, with such a speed, all she could do was minimising the impact. The shaft hit her squarely in the muzzle. She felt something break and blood filled her nostril. She riposted with a quick attack, more destined to gain some distance than to hit. To her satisfaction, it worked. Flawless stood back and so did she.

The two adversaries were looking at each other with renewed consideration. The spear in Flawless Mist's left wing was almost out, dislodged by the two attacks. It hung limply off her wing while the other stood, proudly erect, out of the limb. Despite the obvious pain, the pegasus looked more annoyed than hurt. One dismissive shake of the wing made the spear fall off. Then, with the same nonchalance, she took the right-wing weapon in her mouth and took it off, like she would an oversized splinter, then kicked both weapons out of the room. She didn't even consider the bloop spilling from her wounds. Her body would shut them off soon enough.

The apothecary is going to be pissed.

"When Golden Stitch lecture me, I'll tell her it's your doing," the pegasus said as if reading her mind.

Twilight smiled. It was a genuine smile. The same as the one on Mist's face, she guessed. The fight was almost over. She had the advantage of reach and manoeuvrability but her opponent was in better shape and protected. Furthermore, Flawless Mist was one of the best fighters the Equustodes counted in their ranks.

The first series of assaults were probes, tests. Soon they became more resolute. The pegasus was the first to become aggressive. Despite her injuries, her spearmanship was frightening to behold. The blade swirled around her with a fluidity even Twilight's magic could not reproduce; her wings, her neck, her whole body moved as one well-oiled mechanism, shifting seamlessly for optimal efficiency. Her spear was a blurry cloud surrounding her. A flawless mist of golden death. Every strike from the unicorn was countered by two more. It was as if Flawless Mist sensed the attack before they'd even taken form. Maybe she did. In fact, she probably did, realised Twilight. A new sense of awe arose in some part of her brain as the skill of her foe was made manifest. The gap between the warmares closed, slowly but inevitably. A hoof closer. Another hoof closer. Another. Another. One more and Twilight would lose her edge.

Flawless Mist moved closer.

The next attack came from the right. An obvious feint. Twilight dodged rather than block it and riposted in kind. The armoured warmare deflected it with ease and intercepted the vicious blow that followed it. Her attack was coming, Twilight could predict it. A slicing one from her right. She could not dodge it, but she was ready. On the other side of the wall, a spear came to life, aimed directly at Flawless Mist's hearts. Instinctively the pegasus jumped out of way. She realised too late that she'd been had.

"You rely too much on your intuition!" Twilight shouted somehow. She didn't have enough energy to launch such an attack, she knew this well and she had no intention to. All she needed was an opening. Her spear glowed more brightly, ready to pierce the pegasus while she was still mid-air and thus unable to avoid efficiently her attack. She barely had enough magic to propel it. It was likely her last attempt.

"You spend too much time thinking!" her opponent answered.

Still defying gravity, the pegasus counter-attacked. She repeated the attack, faster, stronger even than before. Twilight could see it clearly. She wouldn't hit in time. She had not enough strength. Flawless Mist was too strong and fast. She could as well stop it now. She had made a good effort. She had participated in the Blood Game, wasn't it enough already?

"Trust is never given," She had told her. "Trust is earned through your deeds. Trust can only be built upon the guaranty that everyone will do their duty to the best of their capacity."

Those words echoed in her mind. They echoed with force, erasing pain, doubt and exhaustion. She had been about to slip. She had almost failed. A failure worse than death. This was not about her. It was about trust. About her bond with the Empress she was to protect. Nothing else mattered.

Her magic strengthened, gathering from the few remnants of energy in her body. She felt her own vitality empty to fill the aura around her weapon. It was not much, but it was enough: the spear went faster. It was not much, but it was faster than Mist's. There was a shrill sound as the spear stabbed through the armour, deep into the flesh than through the amour again. She flew back, caught by the inertia until she met the wall.

Before Mist could do anything to prevent it, she was impaled and immobilised, the tip of the shaft standing out of the warmare chest as a proof of her defeat. It was a serious injury. Serious enough to immobilise her, but clearly not to kill her. No before several hours of agonizing pain anyway.

"Heh," she articulated painfully, almost incredulous, "looks like you won."

Twilight didn't answer. She was too weakened to say anything worthwhile.

"Hey tell me," Flawless Mist grunted. "How long have you been planning this?"

Dead mares did not speak. That was the tacit rule of the Blood Games. But Flawless had always been the kind to bend those.

"What?" Twilight painfully let out.

"I mean this. This room, the traps."- she moved her hoof around -"This."

"I didn't... study room... never planned on... fighting here."

Mist laughed at this, a long and honest laugh, sometimes interrupted by pained coughing. "Somehow this is so like you... and totally out of character! What about the spears?"

"I took them when I took my staff."

Mist laughed harder, causing blood to spill out of her mouth. "What do you plan to do about this cozy hideout after the games?"

"Seal them."

"Heh. That too is like you and different. Go on Sparkle. Go get caught or something. I've got some loser shit to do. Like learning to think without speaking out loud."

"Good luck... with that." Twilight joked painfully. "I'm borrowing this," she said, enveloping Mist's spear with her magic. "Take care of mine. Exchange later."

The pegasus didn't answer. She was not in a position to refuse anyway. The unicorn left the room in a haze. The three spears following her limply, scrapping the ground. She went through the archive without really realising it. She was ready to keep going until she met another patrol. She didn't expect Mist's squad to be waiting for her. They had surrounded the place, placed anti-magic devices, auspices and sensors all around. The pegasus was not as carefree as she looked... her victory had never mattered at all. Twilight sighed tiredly. Was it even her victory in the end?

"Twilight Sparkle, you've been caught," one of the Equustode stated.

Twilight said nothing. She let them restrain her. She had, truly, given her all.

"Follow us, please."

That she did. They escorted her through the corridors, deeper and deeper inside the palace. It took her a few minutes to realise they were not going back to the Equustodes' quarters and a few more to formulate hypotheses about where they were headed. Her suspicions became certitudes when the hallways became big enough to let siege weapons pass. Her certitudes became facts when she reached the sacred entrance to the hearth of Canterlot. The Eternity Gates. The pony Imperium glory laid bare in the form of banners in the name of thousands of heroes, chapters, military corps and groups; in the form of hundreds of soldiers, Equustodes chosen for their extraordinary military prowess and dedication, soldiers who'd spend their entire life protecting the Empress sanctum, and the hundreds of servitors, themselves weapons crafted from birth with the finest care, to attend the needs of the soldiers. It was the glory of an Imperium which had faced its worse crisis and stood proud and victorious, its heart preserved from harm by the sacrifice of its citizens and the ingenuity of its savants.

And behind those doors, the Empress herself. Not merely her projection. The Empress. Mother, ruler and protector of the strongest empire of the galaxy. The group escorted her, on the vigilant watch of Equustodes in tactical dreadnought armours and stopped a few dozen metres to the doors. Time stood still. Then it happened. The light rose from the gates like a rising sun. Without the protections of her helmet, Twilight had no other choice but to close her eyes to bear the sight.

When she opened them, she was there, or at least, her psychic manifestation. A shudder of devotion crossed the room. Twilight and her escort bowed instantly, following the natural answer of their body. The guards in presence, deprived of such a luxury by duty, merely nodded.

The alicorn spoke three words to Twilight, and the power behind it was like a balm on her bruised body.

"You may speak."

Twilight's bow deepened. "My Empress..."- the spears floated slowly in front of her -"here are the weapons of those defeated in battle during these games. I present them to you as an atonement for my past failures. I-I only wish I would have been able to arrive here on my own to present them to you."

At that moment, the aura of light surrounding the Empress had dimmed, getting bearable for mortal eyes. It warm and welcoming... it was a maternal feeling, it was... pride, acceptance, appreciation and more. Still Twilight did not raise her gaze. The following words, she never knew if the Empress spoke them aloud for everypony to hear or if she sent them directly inside her mind.

"You did well, my dear Equustode. You need not atone. You have my most sincere appreciation. I do hope to see you show the same dedication in every and each of your actions. Remember that day Twilight Sparkle. Remember it well, whenever doubt or contempt tries to take root inside you. Now I think you have a rendezvous with Golden Stitch. I think she will require some explanation from you."