//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Impossibly Lucky // Story: The Harmony Games // by Antares //------------------------------// Spike rushed into the toilets, trying desperately to clear his thoughts before they made him puke. Unfortunately, the more he tried to forget it, the more it stuck in his mind. "Damn it Twilight," he mentally cursed as he reached the sink, knocking past a few unfortunate bystanders. "Perfectly normal, interesting, innocent daydream and you have to do 'that'." The innocent remark may have been stretching it a bit, but he certainly wasn't going to be enjoying that thought again anytime soon. Whenever he tried to picture Rarity's face it mixed with images of Twilight, melting together like some demented chimera. Spike felt his lunch making another escape attempt, and instantly reached for the soap, gargling it in his mouth. Somehow he connected cleansing his pallet with cleansing his mind, and at the very least it would be disgusting enough to distract him. It was as he went to spit out the soap that he finally noticed his reflection. Across his upper lip was drawn a black mustache, accompanied by a monocle around his left eye. On one of his cheeks was also drawn an out of place flower, deterring from the masculinity of the mustache. Spike stared at himself for a few seconds, trying to figure out what he was looking at. He didn't remember ever drawing anything on his... Then it all clicked together: Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's giggling, Rarity and Twilight's weird looks, the feeling he had that everyone was watching him. Ooh, those girls thought they could embarrass him like that, did they? Well two could play at that game. No one out pranks Spike. No one! Spike attempted to yell out this challenge, but unfortunately his mouth was still full of soap. He gripped the sink hard, choking and gagging profusely. Ok, maybe vengeance could wait a while. The Princess of the Sun beamed all around her. To her, beamed was not just synonymous with smiling; her face physically shone with the joy that inhabited her heart. This was already the most exciting contest she had seen in many centuries, and it was still only the first round. The end would no doubt be even more spectacular. "As it should be. Don't you know Celestia, the finale must always be the most spectacular scene. And I will make your end the most perfect and breathtaking the world has ever seen." "You flatter me Discord," Celestia thought back, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "But really, if you succeeded even half as much as you predicted the sun would not have risen for ten thousand years." "Mere taunts my sweet. I have many plans, all cumulating here and now. It is inevitable." Deep inside herself, a ripple of fear touched the princess. Discord seemed...what was it. Confidence? No that could't be it. Even trapped inside her head, the master of chaos had always remained arrogant. But this time...his thoughts had a certainty they usually lacked. Celestia buried her thoughts deep within her own mind with a practiced ease, letting the devil within see nothing more than her regal exterior. "Sweet? You have not called me that in a long time." "It seems fitting. I can only imagine how many artificial sweeteners go through your hair to make it do 'that'." Celestia growled slightly, before reinstating her perfect demur. She flicked her multicolored hair, making it flow like a sunset sea. "You're just jealous." "Jealous?! As if! I am Discord, lord of chaos and disruption, master of creation itself. None can hope to match my skill and mastery of...." Celestia sent his rant to the furthest corner of her mind. There was still one more match for today. Breathing deeply, she pulled upon the power of the Royal Voice, and her dictation resounded throughout the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have been gifted with a most amazing display of talent today." There was a resounding cheer from around the auditorium, and Celestia waited for it to die down. "But we are not yet finished, for now we shall see..." Suddenly a pink blur bounded around the princess. "Oh oh, is it me? Is it me?! I really want it to be me." The blur stopped circling her majesty, beginning instead to bound violently in front of her. "Surely it must be my turn by now because I've been waiting for AGES! People say I'm really bad at waiting, but I don't know why. If I was REALLY bad at waiting, then I'd never be able to wait for anything, and that'd just be silly, right?" Celestia looked down at the hyperactive child, unable to help herself from growing a grin as wide as hers. "You must be Pinkie Pie." Up in the stands, Twilight gawped at Pinkie, then at the empty set beside her where the excitable girl had been seconds before. "How did she..." "Ooooh," Spike said, choosing to be in awe rather than confusion. Having only just returned from the bathroom, now with a clean face and mind, the majority of his mind was still focused upon plotting against the three girls. "She's good. I wonder what else she can do." An evil smirk spread over the Transcendent's face and she readied her pencil and notebook. "We'll soon see Spike. Whatever she does will be caught on record from every possible angle. And when it does, all this nonsense will be out in the open!" Spike gave a long suffering sigh, but let the insanity slide. At least Twilight still hadn't solved the problem of how to obsess over multiple things at once. Yet... Gilda marched down into the arena, her ever present glare now directed at Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash had almost been bested by one of these Earth folk. The thought of Dash being beaten made her snarl. Well she wouldn't fall for the same tricks. Wherever they were going, she'd be painting it pink in seconds. The two couldn't have been more different: Gilda's tall, stoic and intimidating appearance against the overly bubbly and friendly Pinkie Pie. Most of the crowd had already decided how this match would end, a few even calling out for the Princess to end the match before needless harm such an innocent thing as Pinkie. However, these few good Samaritans were drowned out by the rest of the spectators baying for blood.  "I assume you both know the rules by now." Gilda nodded simply, not breaking eye contact from Pinkie. The girl in question didn't reply, as she seemed to have developed a fixation upon Celestia's hair. Her eyes bobbed with the undulating follicles, and with childish glee she leapt after them. The hair, apparently possessing a mind of it's own, tried to dart out of the way, successfully dodging the pink girl's first two attempts as Celestia continued her introduction. "Very well, then let the final match of the day begin!" As the teleportation spell began, Pinkie managed to catch the flowing hair I her mouth for an instant before being sucked away. "Mmmm, sugary." She giggled as she disappeared. The words echoed around the silent arena fora few seconds after she left. "Told you." "Shut up!" A valley of clovers, surrounded by white cliffs of limestone that reached high into the sky. The scene looked almost storybook, a beautiful solitary escape where two could go without fear of being disturbed or witnessed. All of this was lost on Gilda, who was charging forward before she had even materialized. All this contest people had wasted precious time and energy spouting nonsense at one another. Not her. This weakling wouldn't be worth her time. Her plan was solid, but unfortunately her target was not. Due to her hair chasing antics, Pinkie Pie had lagged behind a few seconds in the spell. As such, Gilda reckless punch passed through her, quickly followed by the rest of her and the sky went tumbling through the meadow. "Hey, that tickled!" A snarl pressed against Gilda's lips and she charged again. As she approached, Pinkie froze and eyes grew steadily wider, accompanied by a massive gasp. At the last possible moment she jumped high, clearing the charging Sky with apparent ease. More prepared this time, Gilda managed not to crash again, but the surprising overshot did force her to break suddenly. Still wide eyed, Pinkie Pie rushed forward while still airborne, defying basic laws of physics, and dived into a seemingly identical patch of clovers, popping up again a few seconds later.  "Look, a four leaved clover. Wow, it's been so long since I've found one of these, which I guess makes sense since I lost my last one and they make you lucky and you have to be lucky to find one."  "Stop mocking me!" Gilda roared, throwing her jacket aside to reveal her bulging biceps and powerful brown wings. One beat of these magnificent appendages sent her high in the air and created a wave of air that sent all the clover's in the near vicinity pinwheeling off in a storm of green, including the one clasped Pinkie's hand. This was the only thing to break the brightly clothed girl's speech, causing her to squeal in annoyance and chase after it.  High above, like the bird of prey she so resembled, Gilda sneered to herself. First rule of combat: never turn your back to your opponent. Already seeing triumph before, Gilda dove towards her distracted enemy's exposed back. Pinkie Pie appeared to have noticed none of this, her attention solely focused on the flying clover. But as Gilda approached her she suddenly sommesaulted backwards, landing gracefully on her back. Using the flying sky like a stepping stone she jumped again, catching her beloved clover before landing on Gilda's back again. The entire display, excluding Gilda's look of confused rage, looked like an act from a troupe of flying clowns. Although strong, Gilda's wings weren't built for carrying a passenger, especially considering Pinkie seemed to weigh far more than an average sky. With a squawking cry Gilda was forcefully pushed into the ground, bringing Pinkie down with her. Somehow the Earth child managed to completely avoid all of the debris, riding safely while Gilda cruised through the mud and dirt. As the conjoined duo came to a halt there was an instant of serene silence. Then Pinkie's mouth opened again, picking up her monologue where she'd left off. "But then again, it was really unlucky to lose the first one, which doesn't make sense since I already had the clover. I must have been having a really unlucky day then. So I suppose that makes today a really really lucky day." Gilda was by no means known for her good humor, her patience or her subtlety. It had been years since anyone besides Dash had dared make fun of her, and now this little earthbound cretan was making a farce of her fight. She would not, she could not stand for this. Moving in rage, she grabbed Pinkie's arm and threw her off her back. Although she'd intended for her to hit something, anything, Pinkie managed to right herself and land lightly on he feet. Gilda felt her frustration begin to build, and she let it out with a roar. "Listen to me, you dweeb! Quit acting like this is some sort of game and FIGHT ME!" "Oh, we've started the fight already?" Pinkie said with genuine surprise. "I'm sorry, I must have been distracted by..." Gilda didn't wait to her anymore. With an animalistic roar she charged again, swinging her fists as fast as she could with all sense of accuracy lost. Pinkie's reaction was perfect; her body flexing and swaying just beside each strike. Growing angrier with each miss, Gilda began changing the tempo of her strikes, destroying any sense of rhythm in the strikes. But Pinkie adapted just as quickly, never giving Gilda an scrap of advantage. And at no point did she stop talking. "I can't believe I got distracted again! And I was so looking forward to actually competing too. The all the matches have been so amazing so far. What with Fluttershy going crazy, and Twilight going REALLY crazy. Oohohoh and Rarity's weird diamond thingy. Then of course there was the sonic rainboom, I mean how amazing was that?!" With no apparent effort Pinkie dodged between the last barrage of fists, pirouetting round behind Gilda. "I wonder who I'll be versing next?" The question was spoken innocently enough, but it pushed Gilda even further over the edge. Her rage seemed to shut off, replaced by cold, hard fury. "Don't count me out yet, twerp!" she seethed. Her assault ended momentarily as she jumped back, eyeing off her opponent. Pinkie Pie remained completely loose and apparently carefree, fumbling around with her clover. But it was an act: it had to be. No one could be that ditzy and still be this good. It didn't matter anyway since she was going to end this with one move. Not even this freak could dodge this. Beating her wings hard, Gilda rose into the air again, swiftly gaining altitude. Then, right at the pinnacle of her trip she simply stopped, beginning to fall backwards as gravity took over. Now in a rapid free fall, the white haired Sky began rotating herself with her wings outstretched. Faster and faster she spun until she was at the centre of a powerful wind tunnel of her own design. Sure, she'd probably be ill from dizziness after finishing this, but it would be worth it. "Ooooh, that looks like fun!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Now do a loopdy loop, nono a barrel roll. Do them both: a loopdy roll!" The thundering pillar of wind rolled down at tremendous speed, and mere meters from the ground Gilda pulled it up, sending herself and her creation straight for Pinkie. "Now you're mine!" Gilda thought, not willing to open her mouth for the sake of her lunch. But as she approached, the impossible happened. Gilda's rotating limbs passed around Pinkie, one side passing a hair's breadth in front of her nose and the other just behind her puffy hair. Without moving, Pinkie had managed to dodge the attack. Unable to redirect or halt her momentum, Gilda continued spinning forward till she crashed headlong into the white cliffs, sending a spiderweb of cracks through the hard stone. Only her personal fortitude and burning desire to kill, maim and other harm this mocking thing kept her from falling unconscious instantly. "You should really watch where you're going," Pinkie called out. "You could hurt yourself doing that. Maybe you should..." A sudden set of violent shivers shook Pinkie's lower half, and for the first time that match she looked frightened. "Twitchy twitch, now?! But where, where?" Her eyes darted around, till they came to a sudden halt somewhere above Gilda's head. "Look out!" "Like I'm going to fall for something like that!" Gilda screeched back, stubbornly standing her ground. She never noticed the boulder of white stone collapsing off the weakened cliff towards her. "The match is over! Pinkie Pie is victorious." Once again the crowd applauded rigorously. Without making a single attack, the strange, hyperactive girl had defeated such a strong opponent. Giggling and bouncing, she looked as carefree as she had before the match had started, as if nothing had happened. Gilda sat where she had landed, her brain looped in a state of disbelief. Pinkie noticed this, and stopped her incessant bouncing for an instant to offer Gilda her hand. "That was fun! Let's do it again sometime." Gilda stared blankly at her for a few seconds, but then her rage seeped back into her expression. She slapped away the offered hand, pushing her self to her feet at the same time, and marched out of the arena. Pinkie stared after her for a few seconds, confused, then shrugged and returned to her personal partying. The crowd followed suit, openly celebrating the end of a day of amazing matches. Up in the stands, Twilight did not join in, instead staring at Pinkie, twitching rhythmically. In her lap, her notebook sat empty, her pencil barely remaining in her grasp. "How...but...she...and I...THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!" "What is?" Pinkie asked from behind her. Twilight shot around, finding Pinkie behind her. Her eyes shot rapidly between Pinkie and the center of the arena where she'd been a second earlier, before her mind drew a blank and shut down entirely. She'd lost. The thought was foreign to her. Alien. She didn't lose. It was unheard of. The only person allowed to even be a challenge to her was Dash. That pink Earth shouldn't have even been a nuisance. She'd lost. Worse, she'd been annihilated. She hadn't even been able to touch her.  She'd be an embarassment to all of the sky now. To Dash. A laughing stock. "Umm...Gilda?" A quiet voice pulled the Sky out of her depressive thought cycle. She'd barely made it off the arena before slumping against the wall. The corridor was completely deserted except for her and Fluttershy, looking at her with her kindest smile. "What?" Gilda growled sourly, trying her best to look intimidating. "Oh, I just wanted to congratulate you." For once Fluttershy didn't seem terrified of her, her voice almost ringing with cheer and stutter free. "I thought you did really well out there; you were just really unlucky. Good job." Her smile grew even more sweet, trying to infect Gilda with its enthusiasm. "What's that supposed to mean?" The vicious edge to her voice made Fluttershy's smile falter slightly. "Wh...well I..." "You think you're better than me now, just cause you won your first round so easy?" "No, I was just..." "You think you're my equal or something now?" Gilda was now towering over Fluttershy, tears welling up in the cowering girl's eyes from the verbal assault. All Gilda's self pity had turned into rage "Bu...but I was just trying to..." Her weeping exclamation was cut short as Gilda's hand cracked across her cheek. The unexpected hit sent Fluttershy reeling, her body curling up instinctively into a defensive ball. Gilda looked back to her normal cocky self, standing tall and proud. She felt powerful again. She felt good.  "Don't you start forgetting your place twerp, just because you got lucky. You'll never stand a chance against me." She raised her hand again, ready to strike. A splash of colours flashed between the predator and prey and something caught Gilda's wrist at the height of its arc, twisting down hard. Gilda's body followed, forcing the white haired powerhouse to her knees. Unable to see her attacker she hissed like a wild animal at the intrusion. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" "That's my line!" A familiar, yet harsh voice said. Craning her neck, Gilda saw Rainbow Dash, her face as dark as a storm. Her left hand was heavily bandaged in a sling, and her balance seemed to be favoring her left leg. Her wings were also bandaged, which Gilda could only see because they were flared out threateningly between her and Fluttershy. In fact, her entire presence seemed to give off an aura of dread that made even Gilda cringe. She wasn't used to Dash being this angry. "Dash, you..."  "I come out here to see how you were doing after losing, and what do I find? How could you hit her, when she was only trying to help?!" "Come on Dash," Gilda said, trying to force a smile which only turned into a pained grimace. "It's not that serious." The next twist of her wrist was so forceful Gilda's face was slammed into the walkway. "Not that serious? You've got to be kidding me!" With each exclamation Dash pushed further down on Gilda's arm, straining the ligaments and bone painfully. "How long have you been doing this for? It's disgusting! It's despicable! I should..." A gentle hand touched Rainbow's shoulder, halting her attack for a second. Fluttershy had risen from her hiding, and although she was covering her face with her hair Rainbow Dash could clearly read her intention. The chromatic girl took a deep breath, trying her best to expel her anger. Grudgingly, she let go of Gilda's wrist. "Get out." Dash said bluntly. "I never want to see you again." Gilda stared a her, visibly shaken by the order. Her lower lip quivered in an unGildalike manner. "Dash, you're kidding me, right? Right..." Rainbow's eyes stared at her, cold and unsympathetic. As quickly as the weakness in Gilda had appeared it disappeared, reverting to the arrogant persons. "Fine, what do I need you weaklings for anyway. Seeya losers." With a particularly rude gesture the sky turned and left, taking off with a needlessly powerful wing beat the moment her head cleared the ceiling. With the target of her anger gone, the feeling left Rainbow Dash's body, leaving her empty numb. Behind her Fluttershy looked concerned at her friend's lack of movement, her own injury completely forgotten. She began voicing this concern, but before the words came out Rainbow grabbed her in a tight embrace. "Flutts, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get here quicker. I'm sorry I brought you anywhere near her. I...I...." Rainbow fought back sobs into Fluttershy's shoulder, but it was a losing battle. "I failed you."  Initially surprised, Fluttershy looked lovingly over her friend, and returned the embrace, releasing her wings to wrap around them. "There, there. It's ok now. It's ok."