Doctor Whoof: Battle Royal

by Muleicous

(Part 1) Pure Chance and Pain

Pure Chance and Pain

“Oh no no no no no no no!” Rarity’s voice cried out from her Carousel Boutique. The alabaster unicorn raced around her workshop, tossing thread and mannequins every which way as she frantically searched for something. “It must be here, it simply must! Oh!” After tossing her cash register clear out the window, Rarity finally sat on her fainting couch to rest. She panted softly, no used to such physical activity, that was Applejack’s forte. “Now... Calm down Rarity,” the fashionista said under her breath, “just try to remember what you did with it. Let’s see... Last week there was that party Pinkie had for Octavia becoming the opening act for Sapphire Shores, then there was the Appleloosa incident with The Doctor and Apple Bloom, and before that the Crystal Kingdom escapade. No... no no, no, I didn’t wear it to anything recently, so that must mean...” Rarity paused as her eyes widened, then she suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

Down the street a bit, Sweetie Belle and the CMC’s were playing a nice game of hoofball, taking a break from their usual day of searching every activity they could think of to get their Cutie Marks. Sweetie rushed past Scootaloo, kicking the ball quickly as she darted around Twist and Dinky Hooves (who the three friends asked to play with them), and even getting around Pipsqueak to score a quick goal. “Yes!” the small white unicorn cheered, the other foals congratulating her just as a high pitched scream erupted in the lane.

“What the heck was that?” Apple Bloom asked, leaving her post as the CMC’s goalie.

Sweetie Belle sighed and turned to her friends, “I gotta go guys, I think Rarity needs some help again.” The other foals groaned, then said their goodbyes to Sweetie before she rushed down the street as fast as she could. The fillie slowed down as she reached the door to her house, mostly because of the large metal cash register sitting around the broken glass near the door. Sweetie walked into a scene of pure chaos: thread on the ceiling like it was streamers, mannequins fallen in all sorts of positions (one, oddly enough, was sitting up with Opal in its lap), a broken window, and her sister sobbing on the fainting couch in the middle of it all. “Rarity! Are you ok? What happened?!”

Rarity looked up from her crying session at her little sister, “Oh Sweetie, it’s just so horrible! I... I can’t even say it!”

“Did The Rani escape from jail?” The little unicorn asked.

“No...”

“Did Discord or Blackspine come back from the time vortex?”

“N...No...” her older sister replied.

“Did Spike turn into a giant dragon and attack half the town again?” Sweetie continued to ask, her head whipping around to try and catch sight of anything about to jump out at them.

“Worse!” Rarity sat up, tear streaming down her face, “I... I forgot to pick up my new dress from the designer in Canterlot!” Rarity fell on her stomach this time, sobbing with her hooves covering her face.

Sweetie just stared at her big sister, a mix of annoyance and relief on her face. The smaller unicorn rubbed her older sister’s back with a hoof and sighed, then a question springed to her mind. “Why don’t you just go to the shop and get it? the marshmallow colored foal asked.

“I... I...” Rarity stopped sobbing and sat up again, a dumbfounded look swooped into her eyes as she face hoofed, “I didn’t even think of that. Oh Sweetie Belle!” Rarity jumped off the couch and embraced her sister in their usual hug, “What would I do without you?”

“Cry on the couch saying that everything is the worst possible thing?” Sweetie asked sarcastically as she hugged Rarity back. Suddenly, the foal felt herself fall as the older unicorn dropped her.

“My dear,” the fashionista said as she brushed her coat free of the small bit of dirt Sweetie transferred over from hers, “what in heavens name where you doing before you came home?”

“Um... Playing Hoofie.”

“Hoofsy! Sweetie, aren’t you a little young for that?” Rarity started to say, her tone just a little bit condescending, “You aren’t even old enough to date, let alone be playing silly games like that. I just hope it isn’t with anypony unsavory...”

“Hoofball, Rarity, I was playing hoofball.” Sweetie said, blushing and eyeing her sister angrily.

“Oh... Well that’s just fine.” Rarity smiled, unaware of her little sister staring daggers at her. “Now get a bath and then pack, you’ll be staying with Apple Bloom while I head off to Canterlot.”

“Really?!” Sweetie’s face lit up as she raced upstairs to get washed up.

Rarity giggled, it was always easy to get Sweetie to hurry as long as you mentioned one of her friends... Or ice cream. Either way, it gave the fashion conscious pony time to pack for the long trip ahead of her. “After all,” she said to herself, “one does not simply got to Canterlot for a day or two. Oh goodness no, I’ll be staying a week.” As Rarity finished her though, a beam fell from the ceiling and landed on the reception deck near the front of the store. “That should be enough time for Big Macintosh to repair the shop... again.” Rarity said with a nervous laugh.

***

The purple maned unicorn smiled as she laid on the train bench, soon she’d be in the greatest city in all of Equestria. All her affairs were in order: Opal was at Fluttershy’s enjoying the free range she had in the yellow pegasus’ house, Sweetie Belle was at Sweet Apple Acres playing with Apple Bloom, the boutique was going to be renovated by Big Mac and a few carpenter ponies that Rarity had hired, and who knows, maybe she’d pop by the palace and see the princess. Rarity closed her eyes sighed, looking forward to a quick nap before her journey began. Then she heard a very familiar voice.

“Hello miss Rarity!” The Doctor said, settling on the bench across from the fashionista. Next to the brown colt was the familiar wall-eyed mailmare, Derpy, and a small pinkish-grey coated unicorn filly.

“Oh my, well if this isn’t a surprise.” Rarity replied, “It’s nice to see you again Doctor, hello Derpy,” the designer pony’s eyes then settled on the tiny foal, “and who’s this?”

“That’s my daughter, Dinky,” Derpy said, a proud smile on her face as her hugged her little muffin close, “I’m surprised you’ve never seen her before, she plays with Sweetie and her friends all the time. She told me that they were playing hoofball this morning, when Sweetie had to go home. Something about a loud cat yelling or something...”

Rarity blushed, “Oh, um... yes, Opal got her tail stuck under a mannequin stand and made a mess of my shop.” The white unicorn smiled as she lied through her teeth, “So, why are you two heading to Canterlot?”

“We’re going to see the princess” the voice of Twilight Sparkle replied as she walked down the aisle and sat next to her fashionista friend, “The tournament’s this week too, so they’re staying to watch me compete.”

“Oh Twilight, you’re in the tournament this year? I must’ve forgotten.” Rarity said, apologizing and hugging her friend, “Now I have even more reason to stay the week in Canterlot.”

Twilight smiled, then opened her mouth to start to say something before being interrupted by The Doctor. “I was actually wondering, what exactly is this tournament you’re in Twilight?”

***

“The Battle Royal Tournament,” Princess Luna said, pacing the training room she had set up in the southern tower of Canterlot Castle, “held every year between the Summer Sun Celebration and the holiday now known as Nightmare Night. Each year, a few members of the Equestrian Royal Family come together to pit their students against each other in combat.” The princess of the night sat on one of the various mats placed in the training room by her loyal Night Guards, and faced a figure cloaked in shadow, “Spells are put in place to keep the fighters from getting injured, but not from getting knocked out. Apparently, since my... absence from Equestria, Tia- I mean my sister, has won every tournament for the past three hundred years.”

“And you think that we can win this year?” the figure in the dark asked.

“Yes, my sister’s usual combatant, Shining Armor, will not be fighting this year.” Luna’s eyes looked at the figure across from her, a twinge of excitement in them, “I’ve been training you in secret since I met you in the Everfree Forest just for this tournament. Celestia has no idea that I have a student of my own, who is just as powerful as Twilight Sparkle.” Luna’s student laughed coldly at the mention of the Bearer of the Element of Magic’s name, “I take it you still haven’t forgiven her for... what happened.”

“No,” The Great and Powerful Trixie said, stepping out from the shadows, “Trixie will never forgive that little mule Twilight for embarrassing her in Ponyville two years ago, and thanks to you, master, I will humiliate her just as she did us!”

Luna smiled, she had hoped that her own faithful student would be able to get over her grudge against Twilight, but this could possibly be the chance she needed to win the tournament this year. Suddenly, a sharp pain drilled into Luna’s skull, as if a mole had burrowed its way into her mind. The princess of the night screamed out in pure red hot pain as she fell to the floor, her student rushing to her side and holding her up.

“Master! Master Luna, are you ok? Shall Trixie get the guards?” the light blue unicorn’s eyes were filled with panic, her teacher had had headaches on and off this past month but it was never like this.

Slowly, Luna felt the pain in her mind leave as she stood on her own two feet once more, “I’m... I’m fine my student...” But the dark blue alicorn knew this was a lie, something was trying to get inside her head. Something familiar, familiar and dark.

Comments

[Spirit Shift]

Lol the first thing i thought of was the moonstone cup while reading this
Im a bad follower