//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Day Three 
// Story: The First Equestrian Games. 
// by S. K. RyDer 
//------------------------------//

FoxTrot stretched, “I’ll be back. I’m going to get some water.” 
The Prince slung his bow onto his back, zipping the quiver into his jumpsuit. He leapt from the safety of the tree, canteens in tow.
“Right,” FoxTrot muttered under his breath, “Water.” He trotted westward, keeping his best under the shadows.
“There you are.” FoxTrot knelt by the stream, hooking all four canteens on a low hanging branch. Casting a wary look, he bent low, pretending to drink.
“Sterilize. Cauterize. Formulize.”
He stood, pulling his bow from his back. Faintly he heard voices, too far off to be a problem.
One two three four. One two three four. One two three four.
“If I were a rich man. 
Ei-dell day-dell dee-dell day dell dumb. 
If I were a, ei-dell day-dell dumb. If I were a wealthy man.
I’d never have to work hard. 
Ei-dell day-dell dee-dell day dell dumb
If I were a, ei-dell day-dell dee-dell ei-dell—“
“Prince FoxTrot!”
Twang
Scream
“Sorry!” FoxTrot dove over the stream, “Sorry sorry sorry.”
Fyre-Flye grimaced, “its okay, you only got my knee.”
“I am SO sorry Fyre. I thought you were--”
The Pegasus wrenched FoxTrot close, “Thunder, Midnight and Forrest have found a weapons stash. They’re coming for you and--”
BANG
Thud
FoxTrot pulled the arrow out of Fyre-Flye, “Wong time to kill, Midnight.”
Twang
Thud.
FoxTrot snatched the canteens up, darting back into his comforting shadows.

“Drink up, quick. They know where we are.” FoxTrot passed the canteens out, “We need to move now.”
“How?” Luna took her canteen, “We are secluded.”
“They found the ammo dump as well, so they’re armed to the teeth.” FoxTrot explained, “So my guess is a third-party source. I sure as hay didn’t tell them.”
“Or maybe they saw us leaving.” Whooves swallowed a mouthful of water, “We weren’t exactly sneaky you know.”
“Or maybe those sponsor-things game them weapons.” Fluttershy muttered, “They can do that, can’t they?”
“Fyre-Flye said they found the cache.” FoxTrot finished stuffing the saddlebag, “SO we need to move before we’ve got campers.”
FoxTrot leapt out of the tree, bow already primed. Whooves helped the mares out before the four took off north ways.
“We’ll head to the atrium. There should be some shelter there now we can commandeer.”
“You sure it’s safe?” Fluttershy set her hoof down, “You said that was the worst place to be.”
“In the first few minutes.” FoxTrot grinned, “That’ll be the last place they’ll expect us to be; out in the open like that.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.” FoxTrot grinned, “Sure as the shot of my bow.”

The four trotted into the clearing, FoxTrot immediately taking in their surroundings.
“And I’m still learning.” He sighed.
“Ah, if it isn’t FoxTrot, and his gang of misfits.” Gruel snickered, “We were just talking about you.”
“How did you get in the weapon cache.” FoxTrot snarled, “Those were for emergency purposes only.”
“You barged in and armed yourself.” Forrest waved a hoof to his small legion, “That was an emergency in itself.”
“There is nothing wrong with protecting.” Luna levitated her revolver.
“Peace, Luna.” FoxTrot placed a hoof on her shoulder, “Let him speak a moment.”
“Wrong move.” Gruel chuckled, levitating his own weapon, “Peace ends now.”
“Not on my watch!” Fire Flinger bucked Gruel in the chest, “Yol TOOR--”
BANG
Thud.
“Attack!” Forrest cocked his rifle, “Everypone for himself!”
“Flutters! DEFENSE!” FoxTrot notched an arrow, loosing it true to Chestnut’s eyes.
Thud.
FoxTrot snapped around, loosing another arrow into Gruel’s stomach.
“Thanks for the weapon!” the bulky Pegasus cackled, pulling it from his own stomach.
Whooves screamed as it entered his chest with brute force.
“Wrong move!” FoxTrot loosed another one, missing Gruel entirely. 
Forrest yelped as Luna’s hooves belted his stomach. She smirked, darting to FoxTrot’s side.
“Flutters!” FoxTrot’s arrow found its target in Nimbus’ heart.
Thud.
FoxTrot cast a look towards Gruel. 
The Pegasus grinned, pointing behind the Prince. 
FoxTrot turned too late. Luna’s head folded in on itself.
Thud.
FoxTrot wiped blood from his eye, “Wrong day to die.” He whispered, “I’m sorry, love.”
An arrow lodged itself in between Gruels eyes with enough force to cleave his head in two.
Thud.
Whooves staggered to his hooves, “Fawkes.”
“Don’t worry about it.” The Prince of Shadows sighed, “She’s safe now.”
Thud.
FoxTrot looked up, “Nice going Flutters.”
“I don’t think that was Fluttershy.” Whooves tapped the Princes’ shoulder, “You best not turn around.”
FoxTrot turned anyway, catching the red eyes of Forrest, hulking over the limp form of Fluttershy.
“Wrong move.” FoxTrot’s eye turned black, “Entirely wrong move Forrest.”
“You killed my sister.” The lumberjack growled, “You killed Scarlet. Do you have any idea what that’s like?”
“I know exactly what that’s like.” FoxTrot snarled, “My entire family BURNED before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do.”
“She died in my arms.” Forrest bared a knife, “she died in my arms. Her last words were not of love. They were of accusations.”
“I am sorry.” FoxTrot flicked his knife open, “Truly, I am sorry your sister died.”
“You killed her!”
“No.” FoxTrot moved over to his left, “Soarin’ killed her. Didn’t you read the cards?”
“She said you did.”
“I killed Soarin’, so if anything, I avenged your sister.”
Thud.
FoxTrot shook his hoof again, “I swear I didn’t kill Scarlet. I only wanted Luna’s safety in these games.”
“And now she’s dead.” Forrest snarled, “She and the rest of your crew.”
“And maybe it was meant to be that way.” The Prince pulled his bow out, “Maybe I’m meant to be the victor and take her nights over. This can be my victory.”
“Last chance.” Forrest pulled his own bow out. “Last chance to be the victor. It’s just you and me.”
“You and me.” FoxTrot repeated, “You and me only.”
“Bow to bow.”
“Bow to bow.”
“Stallion to Stallion.”
“Emissarius ad emissarius.”
“What?”
“You just said it.” FoxTrot shot an arrow at Forrest’s hooves, “One arrow. One arrow to  end this all. One arrow to bind us.”
Forrest notched the arrow, “And I hope this victory will be perfect.”
“Same here, Forrest.”
Twang
Twang
BOOM
Thud.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” Celestia’s voice boomed through the arena, “We have our victor!”
The victor sighed, casting one last look to his fallen foe.
“Enemies only in the end.” He said, laying the bow on his chest. “I’m sorry.”

Author's Note:
I've come across one last blip for this, so it will be just a LITTLE but longer before the final chapter is written. 
Sorry.
But hey, I've redone the interviews, fixing some mistakes and adding a bit more material. So there's that.