//------------------------------//
// Bonus Chapter - Contest of Cadets 
// Story: A Pony Displaced: Homeward 
// by NoLongerSober 
//------------------------------//

Dusk had barely begun to cross the black sky of Canterlot as dawn prepared to spread its light over the sleepy city.

Even at this early hour, there were some ponies that were up and at attention. They were the cadets of Squad 982 and they stood at attention for their captain, who had a look of supreme annoyance upon his face.

“Cadets, there shall soon be a new challenge for thee to face,” Barrier barked at the five teens, who seemed ready to take on whatever could be thrown their way. “Apparently, Princess Luna has thought it best to pit thee in a competition of five of the most skilled cadet squads in the hopes that a friendly rivalry will encourage thy growth.”

“Sir,” Swift spoke up and stepped forward. “May I ask which squads we shall be facing?”

“You may,” Barrier grumbled, lamenting that it was far too early to begin drinking. “Squad 964, under the command of Captain Longshot. Squad 973, under Captain Hardtack’s command. Squad 999, under the command of Captain Tender Glow. And lastly, Squad 971, under the command of Captain Butter Squash.”

“Sir, won’t things be somewhat unfair for us?” Hatty asked as he held up his hoof. “I am our team’s sole pegasus while the other squads all have two fliers on theirs.”

“I understand thy concerns, I in fact asked the same thing of Princess Luna, but she assured me that scores will be tallied in a way that will make things fair.

“This competition will judge thee on multiple skills, such as armed and unarmed combat, skills with various weapons, magic, flight, stealth, speed, and resourcefulness.” Barrier marched along, seeing the slight tenseness in his cadets. “The ones that score the most overall points will be the winner.”

“Sir, shall there be some sort of prize for the winner of this competition?” Gem asked, almost taking a step forward before moving back into formation.

“Personal satisfaction, a somewhat adjusted training schedule to try to make up for where thou art lacking, and an additional ten bits in thy pay.” The last of Barrier’s words made the cadets' ears all perk up. “I plan on making sure thou art in the best state possible for this competition next week. Now, put on thy weighted armor and saddlebags. We shall begin today’s training with running ten kilometers in full gear.”


***


Eventually, night had fallen and the cadets of Squad 982 were resting in their barracks. Their muscles were sore from their training, along with the fact they had pushed themselves far harder in preparation for the coming competition.

“My friends,” Swift began as she stood by her bed. “Our pride as guards, and to a lesser extent, my pride as a member of the noble Falchion house will depend on this contest. To this end, we shall do everything we can to tip the scales in our favor.

“It is said that a battle is often decided before it starts, and any information on our opponents could be invaluable to our success. Now, dost anypony here have information on our rivals? Particularly Squad 973.”

Both Verdant and Hatty raised their hooves in answer.

“Verdant, if you will.”

The shamrock stallion sat down on his bed before speaking. “Squad 973 consists of the unicorns, Hocus Pocus and Toil ‘N Trouble; the pegasi, Hotstreak and Sandstorm; and the earth ponies, Card Sharp and Night Tulip.”

A cocky chuckle came from the noblemare. “I doubt their unicorns will prove much of a threat. I learned of them before we were assigned together. They art the bastard children of nobles. Hocus Pocus is merely a stage performer whose mother’s a simple low-wage maid who only recently returned to Canterlot. Toil ‘N Trouble, on the other hoof, was tossed off to an orphanage in Hollow Shades, far from professional magical tutors. I have little doubt Forge and I will be able to best them thanks to our superior upbringing and education.”

“It would be highly unwise to underestimate them, Swiftsword,” Hatty said from his spot at Gem’s side. “I have been talking to Hocus Pocus about her tricks and she not only is able to shrink things with her magic and make smoke bombs as well as I can, but she can also teleport.”

“And Toil ‘N Trouble is far more of a threat than you give her credit for,” Verdant said as he rose off his bed. “She’s not only about seven years your senior, but she is the one that’s been teaching me about poisons and herbal remedies. On top of that, she’s apparently been practicing self-levitation.”

“Hmm… Those are good points. They could be serious threats to Forge and I.” Swift brought a hoof to her chin in ponderance. “What of the others who are on that team?”

“Well, Sandstorm was a friend of mine back when I stayed with my parents’ trading post.” Gem stretched before trotting towards Swift. “She’s rather skilled at combative weather and desert camouflage.”

“I believe I would do better in a stealth challenge against her,” Hatty said as he stretched out on his bed. “Hotstreak, however… Well, of all the pegasus cadets I’ve seen, she’s the fastest one here. Not to mention that she’s got a bit more hoof-strength than the average pegasus.”

“That’s probably due to her being a pepper farmer before she joined the guard,” Forge’s ear flicked as he remained standing firmly by his bed. “Now, how about the earth ponies on their squad?”

“Well, Card Sharp is somepony I met on the road to Canterlot,” Hatty said as he sat up on the bed. “She grew up in a different part of Manehattan than me, on the streets. She’s got exceptionally quick hooves and her mind and mouth are even quicker.”

“And her hind end?” Gem asked with a grin on her face, making Hatty blush and the other three roll their eyes.

“No comment. I only knew her for about five days before we arrived in Canterlot,” Hatty replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Back to the matter at hoof.” Verdant’s words drew the cadets eyes away from the purple pegasus. “The other earth pony on their team, Night Tulip, is one of the strongest earth ponies in the cadets as a whole. She could probably pick up a unicorn or two and toss them like javelins.”

“Thankfully, that mare’s pretty much all muscle but next to no skill,” Gem replied. “If one of us had to fight her, the best way to take her down would be to move as quickly as possible and try to land some hits on her knees while dodging.”

“Sounds like the basis of a plan,” Forge said before turning his attention to Swift. “What about the other squads?”

A faint chuckle came from the noblemare as she stood tall before addressing her friends. “I rather doubt the others will be of too much consequence. The closest one would be Squad 964, and that’s only because Prismatic Radiance is clearly the most powerful unicorn cadet here. Far better than the bastard riff-raff of 973 or even I.

“However, while she is truly exceptional, she is still only one mare and obviously the one carrying her entire team, despite her lack of physical skills. That is her fatal flaw; should we defeat her, her squad will fall like a house of cards.”

“I really wish thou wouldst stop insulting them because they are bastards, Swift. Especially when it comes to Toil ‘N Trouble,” Verdant said as he rolled off the bed and started for the bathroom. “Despite what you may think, they are far more than you give them credit for and it would be unwise to insult Hocus Pocus in front of Prism since she really cares for her half-sister.”

“On the contrary, I believe I should insult the bastard in Radiance’s presence,” Swift replied as she looked towards the emerald earth pony. “Remember the captain’s words. ‘Anger is a weapon only to one’s opponent’. If she’s blinded with rage, it will make her movements sloppier and make her more likely to expend her power, leaving her vulnerable.”

“If thou truly believe so. Just don’t blame me if she badly injures you.” Verdant looked over his shoulder as he reached the bathroom door. “Forge, would you help me prepare the bath for tonight?”

The cobalt stallion rose from his bed and followed his friend into the bathroom with a silent nod.

Once sure they were out of earshot, the three remaining cadets leaned closer to one another.

“So, who wishes to bet that the reason Verdant’s so defensive about Toil is because he wishes to fornicate with her?” Gem quickly whispered to the two.

“I shall not,” Swift replied before once more chuckling. “Tis rather obvious he does.”


***


The stars were twinkling in the moonlit sky as Barrier made his way through the halls of the palace, hoping to meet up with Ember when the sound of hooves landing on the stone floor behind him made his ears stand at attention.

“Captain Barrier,” the sound of a mare’s raspy voice made Barrier want to groan. “I wish to speak to thee about the coming cadet competition.”

“Go on, Captain Hardtack,” he said as he turned to face the bat pony. Her coat was a shade of blue so pale it could be mistaken for light gray while her leathery wings had a faint purple tinge. In contrast to her coat was her short and messy mane, the hair such a dark shade of purple that it looked black, even in the daylight. Completing the look were her sharp, olive-yellow eyes which twinkled in the moonlight, alongside her fangs. Hidden by both the darkness and her wings was the image of a hardtack cracker on her flank.

“I was simply wondering how thou believe thy cadets will be doing next week,” she said with a clear note of pride in her tone. “Perhaps I am somewhat overconfident, but I believe my squadron will be able to best thee.”

“Mayhaps, but there’s no doubt my cadets will put everything they have into their efforts,” Barrier said before pulling his flask from his saddlebags and taking a quick swig. “No doubt Swiftsword’s pride as a noble will urge her to best your unicorns, refusing to admit defeat to bastards.”

The bat pony brought a wing to cover her muzzle and hold back a chuckle. “Forgive me, but I believe this competition will be good to deflate the egos of some upstart nobles. While I hold no illusions that my cadets could best her in a sword fight, I find it will matter little in a contest where multiple kinds of magic will be tested.”

“And what of thy cadets who are not unicorns?” Barrier’s brow rose as he spoke. 

“We shall see, but I truly feel confident in my team. It will be nice to see a noble bested by somepony they look down on as having tainted or degraded blood.” Hardtack flicked her tail as she started to trot past Barrier. “Have a pleasant evening, Captain. And be sure to at least try to be quiet with Sergeant Ember.”

Barrier quietly sighed as Hardtack flared her wings and flew off down the corridor.

“This whole thing is such a pain in the flank.”


***


The week seemed to pass by in a blur as Barrier found himself looking down from the stands that he and the other captains would observe the five squads from. Even now, they could see them facing off in anticipation of proving themselves.

A flash of green came from behind Barrier as Sombra arrived. “Good morning, my friend.”

“And to you, General.” Barrier and the other captains threw out a salute as he came up to the stand’s edge. “I am surprised to see thou art here to witness this competition.”

“At ease, all of you.” Sombra gave a quick salute before taking up a post at the edge of their booth. “As much as the princesses wished to be present, some other business required their attention,” the stallion replied as his eyes swept over the twenty nine cadets that stood at attention. “It will be interesting to watch these bright young individuals show us which is the best batch of griffin slayers.

“The first of these contests will be a race for the unicorns to test not only speed, but also balance and magical skills.” The dark gray unicorn spoke loudly, his words echoing out as he looked down upon the cadets before pointing towards a course that had been set up. “Proceed to the line carved in the ground and we shall begin shortly.”

The unicorns of the groups broke from the lines and made their way towards the starting line. As Swiftsword drew closer, one particular unicorn stepped ahead of her. The mare’s coat was a sickly looking green while her mane and tail were a bright purple with a pale violet streak going down the center. The image on her flank was of a dark metal cauldron with three purple bubbles rising up from it.

She looked at Swiftsword with a smirk as she gazed into Swift’s eyes with her own amber orbs. “Prepare thyself, Swiftsword, for thy ‘noble’ line shall be bested by the bastard daughter of a gardener.” The way she said ‘noble’ made it sound as if the word were a disgusting toxin that needed to be immediately spat out.

“I believe the saying thou wouldst understand is, ‘Do not count thy chickens before they hatch’, Toil.” The flat look she gave the green mare made her face turn into a vicious sneer. “Thy loss at my hoof is almost certain. I will not be bested by a low-class wretch whose existence is a sign of failure for a once dignified noble house to control their libido.”

Before Toil ‘N Trouble could say anything, a silver coated mare with a short, yet well brushed golden mane placed a hoof on her shoulder. Upon the silver coated mare’s flank was the image of a top hat with a silver star beside a wand tipped with a gold star. “Calm thyself, Toil. We both know she’s wrong.”

Toil took a deep breath to calm herself as the three of them reached the starting line. “You have my thanks, Hocus. I will try to keep focused.”

Soon the remaining unicorns had reached the line drawn in the soil. As they moved into ready positions, Swift had her eyes locked on one unicorn in particular. She wasn’t difficult to spot. While her coat was an off-white, her flowing mane was a vibrant red, orange and yellow. Her mane was contrasted by her equally flowing tail, the hair sporting green, blue and purple in equal amounts. The rainbow colored mare briefly gave Hocus Pocus a smile before focusing on the course ahead.

Prismatic Radiance. Swift took a steadying breath as she focused ahead. There would be no shame in losing to a mare of such noble standing and power as thee… But I still intend to win.

“The rules are simple.” Sombra’s voice echoed out from the stands. “Race to the finish line. Thou may not use thy magic on thy opponents or the pieces of equipment on the course. Ready...”

The race’s beginning was signaled by a shot of green magical energy striking the ground near the starting line and kicking up a burst of dirt. The ten unicorns took off immediately along the dirt course. Swiftsword took a quick lead, though a yellow coated unicorn whose name she couldn’t recall was not too far behind as the first obstacle came into view.

It was a climbing wall that was over twenty feet tall with many rough wooden outcroppings speckled along the wall’s surface.

With a running leap, Swift launched herself at the wall and started to make her way up. However, before she could reach the halfway point, she heard a loud noise and spotted a flash of rose colored light from the corner of her eye.

Quickly looking over her shoulder, she spotted several other unicorns approaching the wall. Hocus Pocus’ horn was glowing with a light purple while Toil ‘N Trouble’s was such a dark shade, it was nearly black. However, what stood out the most was that there was no sign of Prismatic Radiance.

Just as Hocus Pocus was about to crash into the wall, the light around her horn expanded and became a near blinding flash. In the instant after the light faded, she saw that the silver-coated mare was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, bugger!” Swift quietly said through gritted teeth as she tried to scramble up the climbing wall. As she went higher, she could faintly make out the sounds of stampeding hooves coming from the other side of the wall. Note to self, eventually learn how to teleport.

Swift had just passed the fifteen foot mark on the wall when a loud magic hum approached from her side. Looking down, she was stunned to see Toil was quickly rising up without a hoof touching the wall. Her forelegs were stretched out to her sides while her hindlegs were extended behind her, enveloped by the same dark aura radiating off her horn.

The blue noblemare was stunned as the lime-colored mare flew past her and went over the wall’s top.

“This cannot be!” Swift growled as she pushed herself to get over the wall. After a few more moments, she reached the top where she saw a rope that led to the wall’s other side. Swiftsword tossed herself over the side and slid down the rope. She ignored the burn from the rope’s friction before she landed on her hooves and ran forth, seeing the three mares that were still ahead of her.

It didn’t take long before she managed to catch up to Toil, though that still left a large gap between her and the two unicorns in the lead.

After a few minutes where she was only able to get a slight advantage over Toil, she spotted the next obstacle. There was a long, deep pit filled with mud. There were five, narrow wooden beams that spanned the gap of the pit.

Ah, a perfect challenge for me! A smirk crossed Swift’s muzzle as she reached one of the beams and then effortlessly mounted it, trotting across with a well-practiced ease.

Looking to her sides, she saw that both Prism and Hocus had been forced to slow down to cross the beams. While Prism was able to keep her stance mostly steady, Hocus’ was much shakier.

Years of practice with heavy books upon my head have finally paid off. Swiftsword fought down the urge to chuckle as she managed to pass Hocus and grow closer to Prism.

“Whoa!” A loud exclamation and a thick splat from behind made Swift’s ears stand on end and nearly trip. Looking behind her, she spotted Forge just as he reached the beam behind her, along with Toil barely managing to cling to her beam with her entire bottom half stuck in the mud as she tried to pull herself up.

The sight of her foe’s struggle was too much and Swift began to loudly laugh like the noblemare she was. She had to pause to rein herself in when a flash of pink light came from her side.

She found herself blinded for a brief moment before her sight returned and she saw Prism was now past the end of the pit, running along the dirt course.

Oh, rut me sideways! Swift quickly took off, pushing herself hard as she reached the end of the beam in an effort to catch up to the noblemare.

Her forelegs started to tremble slightly as Prism grew ever closer, but she choked down the aches starting to form as the third and hopefully final obstacle came into view. It was a collection of large rocks that littered the path, leaving only narrow gaps for the racers to weave through.

Despite the pain in her legs, Swift quickly began to move between the rocks. This forced her to slow down greatly, but thankfully Prism was also slowed by the stones.

Swift had soon closed the gap between her and Prism, allowing a grin to cross her features at the thought of securing the lead.

However, this grin was shattered as the distinct tingle of magic came from behind her and came quickly. Before she could look over her shoulder to see the source, Toil ‘N Trouble flew overhead. While she wasn’t moving as quickly as when she was running, it was still far swifter than Swift and Prism trying to maneuver through the rocks.

In a matter of moments, Swift and Prism managed to slip past the rocks and continued onto the dirt path. She spotted Toil was a decent bit ahead as she and the multicolored mare took off.

Swiftsword pushed as hard as she could, but her entire body was aching from how hard the contest had been thus far. Despite how hard she was running, Prism, who wasn’t the most physically adept unicorn, was taking the lead and drawing closer to Toil’s tail.

I must do something! I refuse to be bested by Toil! Swift looked over her shoulder. Her brief glance revealed that Hocus Pocus was starting to catch up to her while Forge and the others were a few meters behind her.

Turning back to face the leaders of the race, she spotted there was a large branch ahead of the part of the path they were on.

Well, the general said not to use magic on either thy opponents or the equipment. However, he made no mention of the trees that line the course. A pale blue light appeared around Swift’s horn before firing several volleys at the branch. After her series of strikes, the branch broke loose, falling down in front of Toil and Prism, allowing the blue noblemare to pull ahead while they ground to a halt.

A minute smile crossed Swift’s face as she spotted the finish line up ahead with the stands containing their superiors awaiting the coming cadets.

Swift wished to push herself to reach the finish line more quickly, but she had little left. Her legs felt like they were made of gold coated lead while her chest felt like it was on fire.

As she drew closer to the finish, a flash of pink light appeared ahead of her, revealing Prismatic Radiance who quickly took off as fast as she could.

Swift knew there was no way she could pass Prism with how far ahead she was and how much her own body was strained. In spite of the growing pain, she would still push herself as hard as she could.

A tingling sound reached Swift’s ears, making a chill run up her spine. “No…” she could only hoarsely whisper as the sound drew ever nearer.

What zoomed past Swift was Toil ‘N Trouble, her horn glowing brighter than she’d ever seen it glow before and a large amount of sweat pouring down her face as she rode the levitating branch that once blocked her path like a broom.

“Witch!” Swift viciously spat as she glared at the green unicorn. Toil seemed to ignore her words as she grit her teeth and poured everything into her magic.

In a matter of moments, Prismatic Radiance had managed to pass the finish line, with Toil crossing shortly after before the light from her horn died. The branch fell to the ground before skidding to a halt.

Before Swift could finally reach the finish line, a flash of violet light appeared in front of it, soon revealing Hocus Pocus as she tumbled across the dusty ground.

Swift felt a great deal of shame as she finally crossed the finish line. Once she crossed, she paused to catch her breath before moving off to the side of the track. I lost… I lost to two lowly bastards… all my family’s efforts; my education, my training, and it wasn’t enough to best two low class wretches… or even earn the proverbial bronze medal…

A brief sniffle came from the noblemare as her teammates ran up to her side, including Forge after he placed fifth, to try and offer her words of comfort.

“Hey, Swiftsword!” Toil’s shout made the noblemare turn to the source, where she found the green and purple mare shaking her rump in Swift’s direction before giving it some hard slaps and cackling.

“Come along, Swift,” Forge said as he rested a foreleg on her shoulder. “We should rest up to prepare for the next event they have planned for us.”

“You all did very well in your first challenge, young unicorns,” General Sombra barked from his spot in the stands. “Have thy rest for now. Earth ponies, prepare for thy first competition.”


***


A collection of ten earth ponies clad in dark lead armor stood and observed the obstacle they would all have to face. It was a tall frame that was over thirty five feet high with ten ropes that dangled down from the top. Near the end of each rope was a sizable bell.

“Now, earth pony cadets.” Sombra’s voice rang out from the stands where he and the captains watched on. “The challenge thou shalt face is a rather simple one. Simply make thy bell ring. Thou art clad in armor and weapons much heavier than one would normally carry, though thou are not allowed to use the weapons upon thy opponents. This challenge will test thy strength, speed, and possibly intellect.

“And now…” A blast of emerald magical energy struck the ground near the wooden frame, making the ten earth ponies all charge and leap onto their ropes. Rather slowly, the cadets all started their ascent.

“Now, Captains,” Sombra more quietly said to the ponies with him in the stands. “What dost thou think of this particular challenge?”

“To be fully honest, General, I do not see this as too great of a challenge,” Captain Hardtack replied as she leaned a bit closer, where she saw that a dark purple mare with a smooth, black mane named Night Tulip was neck-and-neck with Winter Gem as they reached the ten foot mark. “It simply seems like a more dull version of the race we put the unicorns through.”

“Then clearly, thou art missing a great deal, Hardtack,” Barrier said as he moved over to her side, seeing the intense strain on his cadets’ faces. “The armor and weapons the cadets wield must be some of the heaviest in Canterlot, solely to make this far more challenging for them. If the earth ponies are struggling this much with these armaments, I suspect the unicorn or pegasus cadets wouldst be able to barely lift them, much less do this well. I expect some of them wouldn’t even be able to stand.”

“Barrier has an excellent point, Captain Hardtack,” Sombra said as he looked away from the vertical race. “I chose these armor and weapons specifically to make the challenge more intense for the cadets. I had hoped this would make them push themselves much harder… Or perhaps work smarter.”

Hardtack’s brow raised in confusion as she turned her attention back to the climb and noticed none of the cadets had reached the fifteen foot mark.

Minutes passed as the already tired and sore earth ponies kept climbing. Fatigue was clearly setting in on the cadets as the leads of Night Tulip and Winter Gem reached the thirty foot mark.

Verdant was nearly two feet behind Winter Gem as he felt his strength reaching its absolute limits. He gritted his teeth, his legs all feeling as if they’d been set ablaze.

The shamrock stallion tried to pull himself just an inch higher, but his grip slipped.

A cold panic shot through his body as he started to feel himself drop. The gasp of the ponies on the ground was drowned out by the wind whistling in his ears. Some of the medic pegasi tried to rush towards him, but the aura of Sombra’s magic kept their wings pinned to their side.

Adrenaline and instinct quickly overtook the falling stallion’s body as he quickly drew the heavy bow and an arrow from his back. Even as the ground swiftly drew closer, he pulled the arrow back and fired it upwards.

The arrow managed to strike Verdant’s bell just as he struck the ground with a powerful *THUD* which was followed by a scream of agony.

“Verdant!” Gem shouted as she saw her teammate strike the ground below. She could faintly make out any movement as Toil ‘N Trouble, Swiftsword, Hatty, Forge and some medical staff rushed to his side.

“Continue thy climbing, Cadet!” Sombra barked from the stands as Barrier teleported to Verdant’s side.

“Sir, requesting permission to accompany Cadet Range to the sick bay!” Barrier exclaimed up at Sombra as he, Toil and one of the medics quickly tore bits of Verdant’s armor away.

“Denied, Captain,” Sombra firmly replied, looking down at the unicorn with a glare. “Return to the stands. The medics shall take Verdant to the sick bay. I’m certain his injuries are not life threatening or at risk of causing permanent harm. Thou art to remain here to monitor thy cadets’ performance and see where they can improve.”

“General Sombra, s-sir.” Toil shakily spoke up as one of the medics picked up the injured earth pony. “R-r-request permission to accompany Verdant to the sick bay. I have been teaching him toxicology and some field medicine and I am concerned about his well being.”

Sombra sneered and rolled his eyes. “Very well, but return before the next unicorn event starts, lest thou wish to be disqualified.”

“Understood. Thank you, sir,” Toil said before darting off after the medic carrying Verdant.

“There shall be no further requests to accompany Verdant to the sick bay,” Sombra barked just as one of the bells was rung by Night Tulip. “I will not allow any further interruptions for these tests.”

Sombra let out a breath as Barrier teleported back up to his side and Winter Gem rang her bell. “If it is of any consolation, thy cadet managed to take first place thanks to his quick thinking during the fall. If he or any of the others had thought to do so from the beginning rather than taking the obvious and difficult route, he’d not have been injured.”

“With all due respect, Sir,” Barrier said as more of the bells rang and he watched Winter Gem slowly climbing down her rope with Hat Trick by her side, hoping to aid her should Verdant’s accident be repeated. “I wish the lesson had not come at the cost of his physical well being.”

The charcoal stallion then let out a sigh as he watched Gem safely touch down on the ground. “Hopefully I’ve not lost yet another member of my understaffed team.”

“Speaking of, I’ve been curious about something,” Hardtack said as she peeled her eyes away from the last few cadets who were yet to ring their bells. “Why is it that Barrier’s squad only has five cadets instead of six as per usual?”

“I believe Princess Luna has said that originally, a Cadet Hookline was meant to act as their second flier but she suffered a career ending injury in a training exercise shortly before she was to be presented to Barrier,” Sombra replied with a slight glare as he focused on the cadets who’d yet to finish their ascent. “It was too late to assign another pegasus or thestral to the team and by the time a new batch was ready, Princess Celestia was concerned adding a sixth cadet would muddy the squad’s team dynamics.”

“Understood, General,” Hardtack said as she turned her focus back to the earth ponies on the ropes, rather embarrassed that Card Sharp was one of those yet to reach their bell.

“Hopefully the next event will be far quicker to resolve and more… entertaining,” Sombra said just before Card Sharp managed to ring her bell, followed closely by another. “This round is over. Pegasi, prepare for the next challenge.”


***


Four posts stood tall out of the ground, forming a large square perimeter. By Hatty’s estimate, the posts had to be at least fifty feet apart from one another. Two feet from the bottom of the posts were ropes that connected the four together while five feet from the ground rested nine fluffy white clouds.

Hatty swallowed just before Sombra’s voice boomed out another explanation. “Now we shall have the first pegasus event. The challenge is to remain in the air as long as possible while knocking thy opponents below the two foot mark on the posts. Those that fall below that point will be considered defeated.”

Just as Sombra had finished speaking, Hat Trick saw that Toil ‘N Trouble had returned from the sick bay.

“Cadet,” Barrier barked at the purple-maned mare. “What is the status of Cadet Range?”

“Doctor Tender Love ‘N Care said he’ll need to stay off his hooves for the next three days, but he will fully recover within a week,” Toil replied as she trotted towards her non-pegasus squad mates. “When I asked how he felt, he said he ‘felt like a rainbow’, though I assume the drugs had an effect on his statement.”

“Very well,” Sombra stated as his horn ignited. “Tis a pity that Squad 982 is down another pony, but the games must go on. With that being said...”

Sombra fired a blast at the ground, making the pegasi take to the air like a flock of frightened crows.

Hatty was feeling a great deal of pressure now resting on his shoulders. He was the sole pegasus for his team, so one third of his team’s score would be based on his performance alone. This wasn’t helped by the fact that with Verdant out of the picture, he felt he would need to push himself even harder to help pick up the slack.

Despite the worries weighing on his mind, Hat Trick kept himself alert while he tried to keep track of the nine other pegasi flying about.

A red and yellow blur zoomed much higher and faster than the rest. Hotstreak. Probably the biggest threat here. Hatty thought to himself as the mare rose more quickly than the purple pegasus could even dream of being.

However, even with his biggest threat soaring ever higher, Hat Trick made sure to also have an eye on those below him as well. It was then he spotted a sky-blue mare with a dark grey mane hovering near one of the wooden pillars with a dark cloud held within her grasp and a wicked grin on her face.

Nice try, Storm Cloud, Hatty thought as he ducked behind one of the pillars. This allowed him to narrowly avoid being struck by the rapid bolts of lightning that Storm Cloud launched, striking three enemy pegasi; the force of nature immediately stunned them and brought them plummeting to the ground.

As Hatty hid, flying silently behind the pillar thanks to his soft, owl-like wings, Storm Cloud turned her attention to the speeding mare with a sandy yellow coat and a dusty brown mane. She was able to avoid the lightning volleys, but each shot was getting closer and closer. It was then Hatty saw a golden opportunity as Storm had her back to him, her focus locked on the sandy mare.

Thanks for the distraction, Sandstorm! With a burst of speed, Hatty launched himself towards the lightning launching mare. As he drew closer, he started to spin his body around. With his right foreleg, he managed to land a powerful blow to her right wing before his left hind leg struck her in the head, sending her tumbling. Storm Cloud’s injured wing and disorientation kept her from being able to right herself and she fell to the ground, landing upon her injured wing.

Before he could let out a sigh of relief at taking out one of his opponents, the sound of hard flapping wings approaching from behind made his ears stand at attention. As Hatty tried to move out of the way, he felt the tip of somepony’s hoof manage to graze the end of his hindlegs. 

Swiftly turning about, Hatty saw Sandstorm rapidly turning around to make a second attempt to strike him down.

Hat Trick flew higher as Sandstorm tried to catch up with him. His wings beat hard, but hers beat even harder as she drew ever closer. He tried to dive and maneuver around the pillars, but Sandstorm kept up her pursuit.

When he tried to pull up, he looked back and saw she was now less than three meters away from him and gaining. Just as she was about to come within two meters of the purple pegasus, a yellow blur zoomed between the two. A burst of air quickly followed the blur that sent both Hatty and Sandstorm tumbling, both flapping their wings furiously to regain control of their flight. 

Looking down at where the blur had been, Hatty was stunned to see that two pegasi, both of whom he’d have sworn were nowhere near them, were on the ground as the blur rose back up into the sky.

Holy Zacherle, was that Hotstreak that did that?! Hatty felt sweat start to form on his brow as he watched the blur fade away in the distance. Is that her plan? Fly into us super fast and slam us into the ground? Can’t say it’s not effective.

Turning his attention back to Sandstorm, he saw she was still distracted from Hotstreak’s sudden strike and decided to take advantage of this. With a smirk, he charged towards her to try to tackle her into one of the pillars.

However, the sand colored mare snapped to attention, managing to sidestep and grab onto his waist before spinning around and tossing him towards another pillar.

At the last second, Hatty righted himself in the air and touched the wooden surface with his hooves. He then launched himself off the pillar and back towards Sandstorm.

The two started to throw a series of rapid blows at one another, but they both managed to block or dodge each strike they tried to launch.

Hatty gritted his teeth as he tried to attack faster, but no matter how quickly he threw out his hooves, she was able to avoid or stop his hits.

Eventually, the two heard a loud wooden creaking coming from beside them. The two took an instant to look at the source and saw the wooden pillar was starting to fall directly towards the pair of them.

“Crap!”  Hatty exclaimed as he and Sandstorm pushed off of each other to try to avoid the falling mass of wood. Hat Trick felt the pillar graze the end of his tail while Sandstorm’s right wing was clipped by the falling wood, sending her spiraling downward as the pillar crashed against the ground.

Looking to where the pillar once stood, Hatty saw a somewhat winded looking light-brown pegasus with a darker shade of brown for her short, messy looking mane.

Wow. I didn’t think Fixer Upper was that damn strong! Hatty briefly thought before the yellow blur returned, striking Fixer Upper down before rocketing back up towards the sky.

“Right… Now it’s just me… and her…” Hat Trick swallowed as he saw the blur that was Hotstreak ascending ever higher.

If her strategy is to crash into me, using her momentum as a weapon, The stallion took off hard, quickly flying towards where he’d seen Hotstreak go. then my best option would be to close the distance between us so she can’t build up as much momentum and speed. If I can strip her of her biggest advantage, I might have a chance.

Briefly glancing down, the ponies below were vanishing from sight while the training courses were starting to look like a child’s models.

Looking about, Hatty was having trouble seeing where Hotstreak could have gone when he spotted something just as it pierced the cloud above him. He just barely managed to face the cloud-piercer when he found himself tackled hard.

Directly in front of Hat Trick’s face was a white muzzle on the bright yellow face of Hotstreak. A vicious look was held in her emerald green eyes as the flaming red and orange of her mane fluttered in the wind as the two of them fell towards the ground.

“Tis over, Hat Trick!” she barked at him as her wings pushed the two of them towards the ground faster and faster. “There’s no way for thee to win now!”

Looking over his shoulder, Hatty had to fight against the water forming in his eyes as the ground drew closer and closer, courtesy of Hotstreak’s incredible speed.

There’s only one way to turn this around, Hatty hastily thought as he looked back at Hotstreak as she continued to barrel the two of them downward, starting to look like a falling comet. Almost… Almost… Almost… Now!

With the right point reached, Hat Trick spat in Hotstreak’s eyes. The instant she shut her eyes and yelled, her grip on Hatty’s shoulders faltered. He took advantage of this to flip the two of them over before punching her hard in the stomach, winding her.

With his blow landed, Hatty flared out his wings to slow his fall while all the momentum Hotstreak had built had been turned against her, sending her straight through one of the low clouds and directly into the hard ground.

Hatty had managed to come to a stop less than ten feet from the ground as the medics rushed up to Hotstreak’s side.

“Excellent work, pegasi,” Sombra barked from his spot in the stands. “This shall be the end of the contests for today. Return to thy barracks and prepare for tomorrow. Rest assured, the games have only just begun.”

The moment Hat Trick touched down against the ground, Gem, Forge and Swift all rushed up to him. Gem pulled him into a tight embrace before kissing him on the cheek. 

“Thou wert amazing, Hatty,” she said before nuzzling his face.

“I was most impressed, Hat Trick,” Swift said with an air of formality as she started to lead her squad back to the barracks. “I did not expect thee to be able to turn things around in such a spectacular way.”

“I’m… I’m simply speechless, my friend,” Forge said before patting him on the back. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“Some pain medicine for my wings?” Hatty shakily replied. “I feel like they might fall off at any moment.”


***


Three days had passed as Verdant and Toil ‘N Trouble were walking through the palace halls, slowly making their way towards the training fields. 

“Art thou certain thou art in good condition?” Toil asked as she carefully looked over the forest green stallion.

“Fine enough to walk, Toil,” Verdant replied, offering her a small smile. “Admittedly, I’m still somewhat sore, but it’s better than I’ve been in days and I appreciate thy concern.”

“Be sure not to push thyself too hard,” Toil said before giving his face a light nuzzle. “I do not wish to see thee hurt again.”

“Rest assured, I won’t. I believe Barrier will assign me some light work, so that won’t be too hard.” Verdant returned Toil’s nuzzle before pulling away. “By the way, I have been meaning to ask, which team won the competition?”

A faint chuckle came from Toil before she patted Verdant on the top of his head. “My team managed to take first place while thy team placed second. 964 placed third and 971 took forth.”

“Oh, I’m certain Swift is upset over this,” Verdant muttered as they rounded a corner and headed onto the field towards the barracks.

“She certainly is,” Toil said as the barracks came into view, where she saw Swiftsword glaring daggers at her. “Especially when my magic blasts were proven to be stronger than hers.”

“Ohh…” Verdant rubbed the back of his neck as they grew closer. “Perhaps it would be best for thee to return to thy squad now.”

“Agreed. Be sure to take care of thyself, Verdant,” Toil said before pulling away from Verdant. Just as he was in line with his squadmates, she called out. “Enjoy thy silver medal, thorough-inbred!”

Swiftsword quietly growled before Barrier appeared in front of the group with a flash.

“Cadets, at attention!” Barrier’s bark made the five shoot upright and snap to attention, ready to respond to their captain’s commands in an instant. “For the most part, I am pleased with how thou performed in the competition and have already singled out some areas where thou can improve.

“Swiftsword, I want thou to practice firing off magical blasts until thou art unable to even make thy horn glow at the target range. This should help to build up thy mana pool.” Less than a second after Barrier finished speaking, Swift darted off towards the target range, no doubt picturing Toil ‘N Trouble’s face on the targets.

“Iron Forge.” The cobalt unicorn stepped forward at Barrier’s word. “Head to the armory and retrieve a chest plate from the earth pony competition before doing twenty laps around the palace. This will build thy speed, strength and endurance.”

“Winter Gem, the same but with leg guards. Thy speed is rather lacking,” Barrier said before Forge could take a single step forward. “Hat Trick, thou and I will be doing target practice. Thou art the target.”

Hat Trick gulped as Barrier walked past him, coming up to his green coated companion. “Verdant, report to the kitchens immediately. Until thou art fully recovered, thou will be doing whatever low strain tasks the cooks ask, from chopping potatoes to preparing food. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir!” Verdant replied before heading back towards the palace. Barrier noticed he was moving slower than before, but only sighed. “Right, ready for target practice, Hat Trick?”

“Y-yes, sir,” the purple pegasus shakily said as he and Barrier started to trot along.

“Calm thyself, Cadet,” Barrier said, not bothering to look over his shoulder. “The blasts will be fairly weak and thou will be flying no higher than thirty-five feet. At least, I will be shooting weaker blasts. I can make no guarantees about Swiftsword.”

“Understood, Sir,” he said as he spotted Swift in the distance.

This new training should help the cadets plenty, but what more training could I do for them? Barrier pondered as the target range became visible in the distance. Dropping from a chariot to practice landing in hostile territory? Hmm… Perhaps. Still, something less strenuous would probably be a good idea after their most recent exertions

Hmm… perhaps cold weather training would be a good idea as well. A very faint smile came across Barrier’s face as they drew closer. It would give them survival training, and an excuse to see the sights of the Crystal Empire. No doubt that would be a Faust-send compared to that contest. I will likely have to wait a long while to implement this, but I’ve no doubt it will be a trip they shall never forget.

Barrier had no idea how right that final thought was.