• Published 22nd Jun 2016
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Camaraderie is Sorcery - FireOfTheNorth



What if Equestria wasn't all sunshine and rainbows? Friendship is Magic is retold in a dark fantasy setting where kings and queens rule a divided Equestria, sorceresses are persecuted and burned at the stake, and beasts wait around every corner.

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Chapter 1:13 - Autumn, Naturally

Chapter 1:13 – Autumn, Naturally

White Tail Wood. The name deceptively conjures up the image of a small grove of trees, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Covering roughly the same area as the Everfree Forest and nearly as large as all King Alhert of Fillidelfiyaa’s lands put together, White Tail Wood is the largest component of the various realms sworn to Celestia. The region also boasts the largest source of lumber in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and is home to the nation’s only ports.

Given the region’s size and prominence (wars have been waged over control of this densely wooded area between the Equestry River and the Silver Mountains), one might wonder how it got a name that suggests quite the opposite. The answer lies in the languages of Equestria. Nopony knows what the pegasi called the expansive forest that filled the Equestry Valley before the unicorns came, and in clearing land for farms, separated it from the Everfree and much reduced its size. As the crusade to claim Equestria pushed west, the unicorns took note of the vast numbers of deer dwelling in the forest, and so named it Einad Tol’i’r Wouden, 'Great Forest of White Tails' in the Language of the Horns. After the Conjunction, when speaking the Language of the Horns fell out of fashion due to the damage one with magical powers could accidentally cause by speaking it, other languages became dominant, eventually leading to the modern versions of High and Low Equestrian. High Equestrian has a word for “great forest,” grékkewödæ, but Low Equestrian does not, so when the residents of Einad Tol’i’r Wouden attempted to translate the familiar name for their home, they rendered wouden not as “great forest”, but as the more similar sounding “wood.”

Despite the misnomer, the rulers of White Tail Wood were well aware of their own importance. Nobles of varying ranks oversaw the governance of this corner of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, bowing only to Celestia. It was the custom of the four greatest lords of White Tail to hold a tournament once a year on the autumnal equinox, to which ponies from all across Celestia’s lands were invited; this year was no exception. The roads, normally empty apart from merchants, bandits, and travelling minstrels, were busy with ponies both high and low born. The fluttering banners and colorful tents of knights and nobles mingled with the smoky bonfires and raucous noises of the peasantry on the roadsides at night when both rested on their long journeys. Besides the summer solstice ceremony, the White Tail Tournament was the largest celebration in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and it was here that the Brave Companions were headed.

This year, the White Tail Tournament was being hosted by Duchess Periwinkle, whose domain was situated in the northern section of the forest. The end of the second day of the ponies’ trek had brought them among the trees, and the following day—the equinox—would see them at the tournament grounds. At the moment, they had broken camp in a small clearing just off the road, and had erected their tents around a small fire. Applejack and Spike had gone out to fetch firewood under Fluttershy’s watchful eye, leaving the other four ponies back at the campsite. Rainbow Dash was sharpening her blades while Pinkamena strummed away on her lute, reciting a song about baking bread, even though she’d announced she’d be singing a ballad about the Hill Kingdoms. While Rarity fussed over her travel attire, Twilight Sparkle complained to her about the sign posted where the road entered the forest.

“Really, I do not understand the ponies of the Equestry Valley’s obsession with Middling Equestrian,” the sorceress griped, “Either post a sign reading Grékkewödæ voorn Wittætallen or White Tail Wood; do not try to blend the two and create the monstrosity ‘Wite Taile Woode’!”

Rarity, having heard similar complaints from Twilight whenever they walked around Ponieville together and she spotted a sign printed in the mongrel language that was so abhorrent to her, paid only cursory attention. The blacksmith’s head jerked up from her work repairing her clothes, however, as she caught the sound of rustling branches and a low growl coming from the direction Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike had set off in to collect firewood. A moment later, a wolf larger than a pony whose body was composed entirely of wood and leaves bounded into the firelight, its eyes glowing a sickly green.

“Timberwolf! Get back!” Rainbow Dash warned as she rose and grabbed a sword.

The timberwolf snarled as it edged closer to the ponies, watching the fire warily. Rainbow Dash circled around toward it, her sword flashing in the firelight, poised for the perfect opportunity to strike. The timberwolf’s head snapped to the right as a yell came from that direction and Applejack emerged from the foliage. Applejack stopped just short of the monster and spun her body around, striking the timberwolf’s snarling face with a kick from her hindhooves. With the sound of snapping branches, the timberwolf’s head separated from its body and rolled across the tramped down grass. Applejack pounced on the still-growling head and pummeled it with her hooves until only splinters and smashed leaves were left. As the body began to stumble off into the trees, the farmer grabbed a branch from the fire in her teeth and threw it at the body. The headless timberwolf flailed around on fire for a few seconds before becoming still and continuing to burn down to ashes.

“Wow, Applejack, that was amazing!” Pinkamena exclaimed once the commotion was over.

“Indeed, you’re quite the monster killer,” Rarity remarked, “Between this and that criosphinx, it makes one wonder if we really need Rainbow Dash in our entourage at all.”

Rarity had meant it as a jest, but over-inflated egos also tend to be fragile, and Rainbow Dash’s was no exception. There’s no way Applejack could replace me! I underwent grueling training and trials to become an expert at what I do; Applejack just got lucky! I can’t be outdone by a mere farmer!

“I s’pose ‘twas just ‘cause o’ m’ strength from workin’ on th’ farm,” Applejack said humbly.

“That can’t compare to the training I’ve undergone to turn myself into a perfect monster hunting specimen,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, “It was more surprise and luck than anything else. Sure, Applejack has ‘some’ strength, but farm work can’t compare to a Hunter’s training.”

In seeking to defend her ego, Rainbow unintentionally insulted Applejack. Who does she think she is, saying that my work isn’t worth it? Does she really think me weak just because I don’t make a business of fighting monsters like her? I’ll show her that I’m every bit as strong from my struggles as she is from hers.

Across the campfire, Rainbow Dash was thinking the same thing. Blustering alone couldn’t repair her damaged ego; she needed to prove her strength somehow. The perfect opportunity was realized by both ponies almost simultaneously. They were on their way to a tournament, the perfect place to prove their strengths. All they had to do was win several events, and it would prove to everypony that they weren’t weak compared to the other. It was the perfect plan. What could possibly go wrong?

***

Rainbow Dash pranced back and forth, limbering up as she prepared for the mêlée to commence. She was pleased that several other Hunters had also signed up for the event in hopes of earning some quick coin; her victory wouldn’t be overwhelming, and would hopefully entertain the spectators. This wasn’t the first mêlée she’d entered, and she knew that having capable opponents was the most profitable. Facing down half-drunk peasants fighting on a dare and poorly trained hedge knights was comically easy, but unentertaining for the spectators, who would only shower the mêlée’s winner with coins if they felt they’d seen a good enough show.

The Hunter tossed her blunted sword up in the air and caught it a few times to get a sense of its balance. It was a poor excuse for a blade, but better than most of the weapons in the pile she’d pulled it out of. Fortunately, few of the ponies taking part in the mêlée knew a good weapon from a bad one. A few of the ponies, as if to boast how strong they were, retrieved the heavy warhammers from the pile. They could be dangerous in the fight, but only for their first three or four swings before they started to wear out. Bones were often broken in these fights, but the warhammers could kill a pony just as easily as a sharpened sword could, and Dash wondered why one was allowed when the other wasn’t.

As the pony who’d collected the entry fees yelled for the competitors to get into position, they made their way into the nearby roped off area. Though the mêlée ring was roughly circular, the ponies lined up into two rows on either side. The mêlée was probably the simplest event at the tournament. It began with a charge by two opposing sides, but once they met in the middle, the fight would devolve into a free-for-all with the last pony standing declared the winner.

The fee-taker blew a blast on his horn, and the two sides galloped toward each other to the sound of cheers, quickly closing over the short distance. Rainbow Dash’s direct opponent was one of the ponies with a warhammer, and she nimbly sidestepped as he brought the heavy weapon’s head down at her. She jumped without the aid of her wings and landed upon her opponent’s weapon’s shaft, knocking it from his mouth as she jumped from it. As she descended, she struck the pony smartly across the cheek with the flat of her blade, and he fell to the ground.

Spinning around, she deflected the sword aimed at her into striking her attacker’s leg instead. With a strike to her other foreleg, the pony dropped her weapon and yielded. The mêlée had quickly become chaotic, as expected, and Rainbow Dash sought out the other Hunters as she easily knocked away the attempted attacks of the other ponies around her. On the other side of the ring, two of the Hunters were engaged in a rapid back-and-forth exchange. At last, one was able to get past the guard of the other and snapped his foreleg. The injured pony yielded, but the victor wasn’t paying close enough attention to her surroundings and was struck in the back by a third Hunter, sending her gasping to the ground as he kicked away her weapon.

The only other remaining Hunter now looked at Dash; as they made eye contact, they both began to rush toward the other, knocking aside the other brawlers in the way. The other Hunter spread his wings and leapt as he approached, and Dash shrunk down to pass beneath his swing. Their blades clunked against each other as they both spun around, then quickly jumped back. Again, they charged in toward each other and their blades met. Again and again they circled, striking back and forth with their blunted swords, occasionally having to kick or deflect the weapon of another competitor as they tried to attack the duo. Eventually, only Rainbow Dash and her stallion counterpart were fit to fight, and the spectators cheered on one or the other, waiting for a serious slipup.

Rainbow Dash saw an opportunity, and struck out at her opponent’s wings. Though her blade struck true, she also left herself overextended and had to desperately roll out of the way to avoid being hit across the back of the neck by the other Hunter’s sword. She rolled against a competitor nursing a badly bruised side, and had to jump over her as her opponent advanced. Rainbow retreated as the other Hunter continued to strike out at her with his sword as quickly as he could. When she tripped over an axe dropped in the dirt, she found herself on her back with her opponent’s sword poised over her throat. Had this been a real fight, she’d have had no choice but to surrender, or risk having her throat cut open, but he was using a blunted blade just like her. Using her forelegs to push her forward, Rainbow Dash struck out with her hindlegs and swept her opponent’s legs out from under him. Swiftly leaping to her hooves, she struck the stallion in the ribs with her sword and kicked his weapon from his mouth to ensure his surrender.

“The winner!” the fee-taker announced as Rainbow Dash was the last pony left standing in the mêlée ring.

She gladly took the prize money and the additional coins the spectators presented her with for a good show. She could certainly use the coin, but that wasn’t the primary reason she’d entered the mêlée. We’ll see what they think of me now that I’ve won. I’d like to see Applejack do something like that.

***

Across the tournament grounds, Applejack focused on the task ahead of her. The White Tail Tournament had all sorts of sporting events from across Equestria, including some familiar to Applejack from family stories. The land of the Haelds may now be only a semi-autonomous region of the Principality of Stalliongrad, but its culture was still alive and well in events like the caber toss. She adjusted her forelegs around the branchless tree trunk to keep it upright, and looked out at the other throws. Several much larger ponies had gone before her, and she wasn’t expected to meet their throws, but Applejack had a lot of power in her small body from years of doing the work of dozens of ponies tending the Apple lands.

She shifted her forelegs to a lower position and hefted the caber, moving forward on hindlegs alone in an awkward gait. As she reached the rope stretched across the grass, she gave a drawn-out shout and threw the massive log into the air. It flipped over once before the end struck the ground, and the caber continued to tip. Spectators ran out of the way as the end crashed down on the line fencing them off from the event grounds, which had been assumed to be at a safe distance.

Ponies stomped, whistled, and yelled in ovation for Applejack’s surprising accomplishment. Nopony would be able to beat that. Applejack smiled as sweat rolled down her face. Let’s see Rainbow Dash do that.

***

Arrows arced through the air before burying themselves with a satisfying thunk in the line of straw targets. Rainbow Dash pulled the bowstring back and released smoothly, sinking another arrow in the target’s central ring. The other archers around her were quite good, especially at such a distance, but they didn’t have the sight and steady hooves a Hunter needed to do their job correctly. Like a machine, Rainbow Dash fired the bow again, once more landing the arrow within the central ring. There was no doubt she would win this competition. Another win for me, and more proof in my abilities.

***

Applejack looped her hoof through the ring attached to the heavy weight. The onlookers waited with bated breath, but none of them tried to rush her on as she prepared herself and regained her strength. This would be the winning toss, and she couldn’t be expected to throw the weight without a little rest after the eight times she’d thrown it already, passing over a higher bar each time. Once she felt up to it, the farmer swung her foreleg up with a grunt and sent the metal weight flying nearly straight up. She moved away quickly to get out of the way and get a good view as the weight barely cleared the bar balanced between the two high posts and came plummeting back down to the ground. The crowd went wild as she claimed her second victory of the day.

***

As Rainbow Dash watched ponies grapple with the log bobbing in the pond, she carefully removed her armor except for the innermost layer. Her balance would be slightly different, but she’d practiced without armor and didn’t want anything weighing her down. As she tied everything together to deter easy theft, music filled the air. A group of bards walked past, and Rainbow Dash recognized one of them.

“Pinkamena, what are you doing here? I thought you were with the others,” Rainbow Dash asked once she managed to catch the mare’s attention and drag her away from her song.

“I was, but they were going to speak to the lords of White Tail, and that seemed so boring compared to merrymaking, so I left,” Pinkamena said, pausing to strum on her lute a bit in time with the other bards before continuing, “Come to think of it, just Rarity and Twilight went to speak to the nobles. You took off, and Fluttershy met up with some druids, and Applejack went to do tournament events, too.”

“She’s doing what?” Rainbow Dash said with surprise, this being her first time hearing the news about her newly perceived rival.

“The local druid circle and representatives of all the other circles in White Tail Wood got together here to try to persuade ponies to stop cutting down the trees,” Pinkamena explained, “Fluttershy went to go join them, probably because she was too nervous to talk to the margraves and dukes with Twilight and Rarity.”

“No, not Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said with annoyance, “What did you say Applejack’s doing?”

“Oh, she’s doing tournament games just like you, and she’s already won a couple,” Pinkamena said, then was beckoned on by her fellow bards, “Got to go. Good luck!”

Rainbow Dash stood mulling over what she’d just heard. This certainly changed things for her. If Applejack was entering tournament events too, and winning them, then not only did Rainbow Dash have to win events to prove herself, she had to make sure she won more than Applejack. The thoughts were still buzzing around in her head as the pony in charge of this event called for all participants to make their way to the log.

The competitors of this logrolling competition balanced themselves on the log floating in the little pond and awaited the event’s start. At a signal from the pony in charge, the lines holding the log steady were released, and it began to shift and wobble. Several ponies fell off immediately, and more began to splash in the water as the others started spinning the log. Rainbow Dash made no attempt to slow the log’s spin, and even tried to speed it up, as she was confident she could handle something like this.

Soon, only a few competitors were left, and Rainbow Dash was sure she could win, which was, of course, when she slipped up. She could feel her hooves begin to slide off the log, and even a desperate scramble would undoubtedly end with her in the water. No! I can’t allow it! I have to win, or Applejack could win more games than me! The Hunter used her wings to give her only the slightest of a boost, just enough to stay on the log, and a few seconds later the other two participants fell off. Rainbow Dash backpedaled until the log was stationary in the water and balanced for a few seconds as the spectators cheered, none of them noticing that she’d used her wings, even for just the shortest instant, to save herself from falling when others would’ve splashed into the water.

***

Applejack grunted and strained to keep moving forward without pause. Attached to the heavy collar around her neck trailed a large stone. Behind Applejack were many grooves gouged in the dirt of the tournament grounds by similar stones pulled by other ponies. Most of these grooves ended with a pony sitting and resting, having failed to continuously move forward, but one other pony had matched and even exceeded Applejack’s distance. Apart from his coat color, he looked quite a lot like Big Mac, and probably also had significant experience pulling a plow across much more unforgiving ground than this.

Regardless of his resemblance to her brother, Applejack was determined not to be outdone. Big Mac wasn’t always the one who pulled the plow on the Apples’ farm, and Applejack was sure that if she kept pushing, she would succeed. The stallion had come to a stop and was breathing heavily as she crept slowly up on his position. Not trusting herself not to stop when she thought she’d passed him and accidently give up before she had truly succeeded, Applejack fixed her vision ahead. The stone ground slowly on as she blocked out the cheers of the crowd, and kept pulling until the complaints of her legs could be ignored no longer and she came to a stop. As she collapsed to the ground, she looked back over her shoulder triumphantly at the shocked face of the stallion.

***

Rainbow Dash ran through the woods, following the narrow path. There were plenty of logs and low hanging branches in her way, but that was the point of the course. She surmounted the obstacles easily, occasionally with the help of her wings to make sure that she won. As she raced on, she grabbed the colorful pieces of cloth that had been tied to branches. Some of the scraps had been tied high in a tree, and she quickly retrieved them with a quick flight. She told herself that it wasn’t really cheating to do so, since it was natural for a pegasus to use her wings when something was out of reach, but she knew subconsciously that it was a flimsy argument. Winning was more important, though; she couldn’t allow herself to be outdone by Applejack.

***

A rope with a stone at the end hung from the farmer’s teeth. She spun in a circle twice before releasing it, sending the stone arcing through the air. It passed where the other competitors’ stones had landed before bouncing three times and coming to a stop a respectable distance away. The spectators cheered as Applejack took a bow and backed off the stone put field. Victory was hers, without a doubt.

***

Rainbow Dash looked over the edge of the pit skeptically. The tournament organizers this year had added an event that would only be undertaken by the foolishly brave and the bravely foolish. Somepony had thought it a good idea to allow ponies or teams of ponies to fight monsters for prizes. That was right up Rainbow Dash’s alley as a Hunter, but for other ponies, it was merely a good way to meet a premature death.

Given the expected audience for the event, she wondered what monsters had been rounded up, and how it had been accomplished. Had they hired Hunters to catch local beasts alive, or had they captured the monsters themselves? If it was the latter, she wondered just how difficult they would be for her to slay. She was determined to win, and had signed up to fight the most dangerous creature to ensure her victory, but she was forbidden from knowing just what her target was until the fight.

When a pony with a booming voice called her name, she vaulted over the flimsy wooden railing around the pit and landed on the loose dirt at the bottom. She had her sword in her mouth in a flash and stared down the gate at the pit’s other end. She could hear struggling from the other side of the gate, but those noises could’ve been from any number of creatures, all of them foul. All around the pit in the makeshift stands, ponies stomped their hooves and yelled for the match to begin.

The gate began to slowly rise as ponies struggled to lift it, then was knocked aside as the monster saw an opportunity to escape its enclosure. Rainbow Dash immediately recognized the creature as a tauros, which looked like nothing so much as a giant bull with flatter horns and claws at the end of its forelegs instead of hooves. Its sandy coloration and scorpion tail told her that this beast had most certainly not been captured locally, but had rather been captured in the Kingdom of Los Pegasus and transported here at great expense. Queen Helianthus had made arena fights with these beasts a popular pastime for knights in her lands, and the tournament’s organizers were obviously following her example.

With a bellowing moo, the tauros charged Rainbow Dash, its head lowered with the intention of sweeping her up in its horns. She jumped to the side at the last moment, drawing her blade across the monster’s shoulder. The stinger came down at the Hunter, and she jumped back, using her wings to keep herself light on her hooves and ready to dash away at a moment’s notice. Digging it its claws, the tauros made a rapid turn and charged her again. This time, it didn’t lower its horn, and instead struck out with its claws once it was in range. Trying to keep some distance without running into the pit’s walls, Rainbow Dash backed away, and the claws swished through air.

Rainbow Dash switched to a closer fighting style, staying near enough to the tauros that it wouldn’t try to charge her, but far enough away that it couldn’t strike her. As it lunged in her direction, she jumped past its claws and horns and drew her sword across its back. When the stinger came for her, she jumped aside and sliced off the end before jumping clear of the stream of venom. The tauros spun around at her, and she ducked under its swinging claws before diving under it and stabbing up with her sword. Its hide was thick, but her sword was able to cut through it, and with a final jab at a hindleg as she passed, the tauros tipped over, its intestines spilled from the gash in its underside. The tauros moaned and scrambled with its claws as it died, until Rainbow Dash stabbed her sword through its ear and ended its suffering prematurely.

The Hunter wiped blood from her face as the crowd cheered for her victory. Striding over to where the stinger had fallen, she impaled it with her sword and held it up triumphantly as a trophy. Another prize earned, and another win to prove herself.

***

Far from the fields where the peasantry threw tree trunks and beat each other with blunted weapons, the nobility held their own games. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity made their way up the high-quality stands overlooking the jousting field. Twilight had hoped to have all six of the Brave Companions assembled together for this audience, but fate had conspired against her. Despite the bond they shared after defeating Nightmare Moon, they were all still individual ponies with their own personalities and inclinations. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had run off to partake in the tournament games, Fluttershy had joined her fellow druids, and Pinkamena had fallen in with her fellow bards. So, it was only her, Spike, and Rarity that would be speaking to the great lords of White Tail.

Twilight had never met them personally, but the long letter of instruction from Celestia had told her what to expect, and she identified them as she approached their sheltered seats in the middle of the stands. In the center was Duchess Periwinkle, this year’s host, her coat and dress matching her name. Her mane had gone gray years earlier, but time had not softened her spirit one bit. Ever since she’d taken the throne as a young filly, she had been a steadfast and loyal subject of Celestia, even going so far as to deny marriages of her children and grandchildren to nobility outside of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht. This had caused quite a few problems with the adjoining lands of Vanhuv’r, but she had dealt with such matters on her own, never calling upon Cant’r Laht for aid. The duchess wore nothing ostentatious; upon her head was a simple tiara instead of a formal crown like the other lords. There was no need for flash, when her lands all around and the castle in the distance spoke well enough.

To her left was the ruler of the White Tail Woods’ other duchy, Duke Stellar, trying desperately to keep his ill-fitting silver crown from slipping off his young head. When Stellar had taken the throne, he and Duchess Periwinkle’s lands had touched, but the inexperienced duke quickly found his vassals unruly and several successfully broke free of his control before he was able to assert his dominance. Celestia’s sources reported that Stellar was still trying to learn how to govern effectively, and was meanwhile involved in a shadow war with Periwinkle, attempting to threaten and persuade the lands he’d lost to return to him instead of turning to the imposing duchess. Who would be successful was still up in the air; Periwinkle had skillfully arranged betrothals between her family and the lesser nobles, but Stellar had a much more legitimate claim to suzerainty, and the counts and barons wished to keep their independence and direct vassalage to Celestia if possible.

To Periwinkle’s right, seated in a throne nearly as tall and just as ornate as hers, was Margrave Tristan in his finely tailored surcoat and cape embroidered with the symbol of his noble house in vivid colors. Though all four great lords of White Tail were technically the same rank, Margrave Tristan was by far the most powerful. His march contained the only ports in Celestia’s lands, as well as the best lumber. The largest realm within the White Tail Woods, it served the vital role of protecting against any invasion by Los Pegasus from the south. In addition to this, the margrave was closely related to many of the lesser lords and bishops in the Woods. Margrave Tristan was important, and he knew it. He was also related to the dynasty that had once ruled the kingdom of Helfast of which his lands used to be a part, and there were rumors that he entertained the idea of rebelling against Celestia and forming that kingdom once more. Judging by the symbols of that house embroidered on the inside of his cape, Twilight believed those rumors to have substance.

To Tristan’s right, Margrave Brekka lounged lazily across his seat. This one-eyed scarecrow of a pony was actually far from lazy, but not much seemed to interest him other than battle. His march occupied the northwest corner of the White Tail Woods, and he had repelled attacks countless times from the pegasi of the Silver Mountains, the tribes of the west, and the nobles of Vanhuv’r and Los Pegasus. Though he normally had very little regard for anypony without martial skill, he was oddly respectful of mages, and he sat up in his seat and straightened out his long drooping moustache when he noticed Twilight approaching.

“Madam sorceress,” Duchess Periwinkle acknowledged her presence as she reached the great lords of White Tail, “Won't you and your companions please take a seat?”

She motioned with a hoof to the seats next to Duke Stellar, and the courtiers that had been occupying them quickly abandoned them for the duchess’s guests. Rarity seemed nearly beside herself with glee at being able to mingle with ponies of such high class, but for Twilight, this was a familiar experience, albeit with a courser breed of nobility than that usually found in Cant’r Laht. Four crowned heads turned to look at the sorceress once she was seated.

“I was told to expect seven guests,” Duchess Periwinkle stated, looking down her nose questioningly, “Where are the rest of your companions.”

“I am afraid you outdid yourself with this tournament,” Twilight praised her diplomatically, “They all wished to partake of the festivities.”

“Forgive me, but I don’t quite understand why it is that Celestia sent you to us in the first place,” Margrave Tristan said smoothly, though his words were dripping in the same way Mayor Mare’s voice did whenever she was talking to Twilight, “Surely having the Brave Companions attend the tournament is a great honor, but nothing was said about any spectacle for the six of you. It makes me wonder just why it is that you are here?”

“It’s obvious, in’it?” Margrave Brekka butted in before Twilight could respond, “Queen Helianthus’s troops have been massing on both our borders for days now, preparin’ for invasion. If that invasion comes during the tournament, the illustr’us sorceress here is to be Celestia’s eyes, ears, and mouth.”

“Of course,” Tristan said with annoyance once Brekka finished his impassioned speech, “But we still must ask why this is necessary. The three of us have defended these lands for years; surely we have no need of guidance from a lady of Cant’r Laht to succeed?”

Duke Stellar frowned at being left out of Tristan’s statement, but said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the jousting field, moving his head a bit too quickly and causing his crown to slip down. Two knights in full sets of tourney armor charged each other, and one was knocked down with the crash of a lance impact.

“You are both quite right,” Twilight Sparkle addressed the lords once the cheering abated, “Celestia has appointed me as her representative for dealing with you and the other lords of White Tail. An order from me is the same as one from Celestia herself, and to question me is to question the ability of the matron of sorceresses to choose a fitting representative. No, I do not have the experience of leading armies to victory on the battlefield, but that is why you are here. I trust you have heeded Celestia’s orders and raised your levies?”

“You would not have seen them, but my forces are encamped north of Caştelæ Travond,” Duchess Periwinkle replied, “I have issued strict orders to them regarding behavior at the tournament.”

“Mine have also been raised and await orders back at Brightstead,” Duke Stellar chimed in, turning red when his voice broke, “Of course, Celestia must know that we cannot keep the troops assembled without orders indefinitely.”

“Yes, but neither can Helianthus,” Twilight replied, “If she means to make good on her vow to ‘reclaim’ White Tail Wood for her kingdom, then she will need to strike soon. What better opportunity than when the lords of White Tail are all away from home?”

“One might say that Equestria could find itself in a similar situation six months from now if its leaders all attend Celestia’s summit,” Margrave Tristan opined, “We will see; so far, only Kings Hyelliff and Alhert have agreed to make the trip to Cant’r Laht.”

Twilight was finding herself disliking Tristan more and more with each word he said. The skepticism he was professing was nothing new—Twilight’s own parents had expressed doubts whether the summit could actually work—but it almost seemed like the margrave wanted Celestia’s plan to bring Equestria together to fail. She had known plenty of ponies of this type too in Cant’r Laht, those that hoped for an opportunity to expand their own power and authority, especially if it meant the downfall of those superior to them. Even so, ponies had been waiting for Celestia to topple for centuries, and they would probably be waiting for centuries more.

“This is no time to discuss such serious matters; let us enjoy the tournament,” Duchess Periwinkle announced firmly as she gave Tristan a scathing look he unabashedly ignored, “We can discuss these things at the banquet tonight. I hope that all the Brave Companions will be in attendance?”

“I am sure I can arrange it,” Twilight promised.

Following Periwinkle’s lead, the ponies (and dragon) in the front row of the nobility’s box turned their attention to the jousting field. Two new knights cantered onto the field carrying their standards high.

The knight on the right was decked out in gleaming plate under a yellow-and-white checkered caparison. Jutting from his helmet’s forehead was a metal unicorn horn, though the stallion himself couldn’t have been a unicorn; given how long and slender the horn was, it was clearly meant for decorative or combat purposes. His standard was a unicorn slaying a boar, backed by a circle bisected into yellow and white halves.

From the other direction came a knight in armor just as gleaming, but also clearly dented from use, draped in a caparison of green and gold. His standard was a war horn hanging from a shield with a snow-capped mountain upon it, backed by the alicorn cross. After a moment, Twilight recognized it as the standard of House Bersian and wondered if the knight was Ser Lighting Charge, who’d been meant to escort her to the griffons two months earlier. The stallion was in full armor, and every part of his body was covered, including his wings; his tail was hidden beneath his caparison, so the sorceress couldn’t even tell if he was the same color. Lighting Charge was the seventh child of Count Starlit Mere, and likely not the youngest, so there was a good chance it could be one of his siblings.

The crowd cheered and shook the stands with their hoof-stomps as the knights took their places at either end of the tilt. Their squires took their standards from them and placed them in the ground before fitting a lance into the holder at their sides. As the cheers continued to build, the knights pawed at the ground before launching into a charge only a moment apart. In a real charge, the aim would be to strike the opposing knight’s armor in a vulnerable spot and seriously maim or kill them, but there were few jousts now where it was considered acceptable to kill your fellow knight in the charge. Tourney armors were specially reinforced in certain areas to withstand the impact of the jousting lance, and it was there that knights would attempt to strike. The goal was to knock your opponent off their hooves—onto their back if possible—without being knocked down yourself. A favored method was to sweep your opponent’s legs out from under them, but it was considered more skillful to strike their hindleg with the lance directly, which was more difficult, but would almost certainly topple your opponent. Both these knights were skilled with the lance, and they crashed to the ground as they struck each other’s hindlegs.

Their squires rushed out onto the field with their knights’ swords and shields as the two armored ponies rose to their hooves. Each removed their lances and drew their sword from its scabbard, and the crowd burst into cheering again. Since neither had remained on their hooves after the charge, the rules of the joust now demanded they duel with their blades to determine a winner. Just like in the charge, killing your opponent was frowned upon, but wounding them was not if it could compel them to yield.

The unicorn-knight attacked first, his sword bouncing off the other’s shield as he raised it up in defense. His opponent pushed forward with his shield still raised, and the two shields struck against each other. Wood scraped on wood as they jockeyed for position, and the pegasus was victorious in forcing his opponent’s shield and leg down and out of the way. He swung his sword at the unicorn-knight, who easily deflected the swing with his own blade. Continuing to push forward, the pegasus knight brought his shield back up into his opponent’s cheek. The unicorn-knight’s sword fell from his mouth, but he struck back with his shield at his opponent’s head. The pegasus managed to keep ahold of his sword and swung it at the unicorn-knight. Though it bounced off his shield, he continued to be pushed back and was nearing the stands. To finish him off, the pegasus knight hooked his shield behind his opponent’s and forced it and his foreleg to the ground, putting the unicorn-knight into an awkward bowing position.

“Yield! Yield!” the unicorn-knight yelled as the pegasus held the point of his sword at the gap in his helm around his mouth, and he released him.

“Ser Lightning Charge of House Bersian is the victor!” the tourney’s announcer yelled over the cheering crowd, “As one of the final four, you may request a boon of the duchess.”

Lightning Charge helped up his opponent—whose shield-leg was, if not fractured, then at least badly sprained—before returning his shield and sword to the care of his squire. As he approached the duchess’s box, he removed the chanfron portion of his helmet and swept back his mail hood and leather cap to free his sweat-soaked mane of silvery-blue from its confining prison. He was surprised to see Twilight Sparkle seated in the stands next to Duke Stellar, along with Spike and another member of the Brave Companions he recognized from rumors. He quickly made up his mind on what to request.

“Your Grace,” he addressed Duchess Periwinkle with lowered head, “I would ask that at the banquet tonight, I be allowed to dine at the table with the Brave Companions.”

“Ser knight, I feel obliged to tell you that I have already invited the Brave Companions to dine at my table tonight,” the duchess replied, “Do you still wish to make the same request?”

“I do,” Lightning Charge proclaimed boldly, “If you do not see me fit to dine at your table, then it shall be so, but it is my resolve to make such a request regardless.”

“Very well,” Duchess Periwinkle said with a wry smile as she glanced at Twilight, “I shall honor your request, ser knight. Tonight, you shall dine at my table.”

“It seems you will be quite busy with conversation this evening,” Margrave Tristan commented as Ser Lightning Charge trotted away and the field was prepared for the next joust, “I had hoped to have a few words with you and your companions. Perhaps you would care to join me in my box at the race tomorrow?”

“What race?” Rarity asked, breaking her silence for the first time since sitting down among the nobility.

“The Running of the Leaves is a tradition of the White Tail Tournament,” Duchess Periwinkle explained, “The greatest racehorses of the land compete to see who can complete the long-distance course through the forest the swiftest.”

“Though my box may not be as close to the finish line as the one reserved for the duchess, it still has a fine view. I will also have a scryer in attendance so that we may watch the race as it unfolds,” Tristan added.

“I believe we would all be pleased to join you,” Twilight said as Rarity looked at her pleadingly. Games are being played here, and not just on the tournament fields.

***

Though the banquet that night was spread out around Caştelæ Travond, its center was in the great hall of Duchess Periwinkle’s keep. At every spot of the numerous tables sat a pony of great importance, almost wholly members of the courts of the many nobles in attendance. The room burst with color, as every noble had a banner with their house’s symbol hanging over the back of their seat; the only exception was Duchess Periwinkle, whose house’s standard hung as usual from the walls. Twilight’s chair was no exception; from her seatback hung the standard of House Haltrotsun: An impaled shield with a half eagle on the baron side and two seven-pointed stars on the femme side over a red stripe diagonally crossing a white background.

The Brave Companions were seated to the right of the duchess’s place of honor. Directly next to Periwinkle was a very happy looking Rarity, followed by an empty place for Rainbow Dash, and then Applejack. Across from the uncomfortable farmer sat Pinkamena, and to her right were Spike, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lightning Charge, who was seated across from Duke Remere, Periwinkle’s husband. The banquet was well underway by the time Rainbow Dash arrived, but Twilight couldn’t complain about her appearance. Though the Hunter was wearing her armor instead of formal attire, the leather had been polished to a shine, and her coat and mane looked freshly washed and groomed.

“Where were you?” Spike asked bluntly as the Hunter began to dive into the food.

“I’ve been killing these tournament games all day,” Rainbow Dash bragged, and Applejack glowered at her, “One of them got a little messy. When a messenger told me I was expected at the banquet tonight, I was still covered in monster blood, and I thought it would be better to show up late than to show up stinking of the beast I killed.”

“What monster was it?” Pinkamena asked without stopping her undignified rocking in her chair.

“A tauros; can you believe they were going to let just anypony fight that thing?” Rainbow Dash said before taking a long draw from her tankard, “Applejack, I heard you were in some competitions as well. How did it go?”

“I won six o’ th’ events I entered,” the farmer said guardedly, already having heard about Rainbow Dash’s antics in her own events.

“Hate to outshine you, but I won all seven of the competitions I was in,” Rainbow Dash said smugly.

“Only b’cause y’ cheated,” Applejack accused her and the Hunter looked aghast, “I heard y’ used your wings t’ help y’ win half those events.”

“Of course I used my wings, they’re a part of me,” Rainbow Dash deflected, “I wouldn’t accuse you of cheating if you used your legs.”

“That’s different!” Applejack said passionately, drawing the attention of the ponies next to her at the table, “You have legs as well, but I have no wings! Neither did your opponents in those situations have wings on their side.”

“That has nothing to do with it,” Dash hissed, “You think you can outdo me in a physical competition, and you’re just mad that I succeeded in proving you wrong.”

“I would say you proved yourself wrong if y’ had t’ use your wings t’ best me,” Applejack said huffily.

“Well, I guess we’ll never know, since there’s no way to compare us side-by-side in a competition that seems fair to us both.”

“Hey!” Twilight said, getting the two bickering ponies’ attention with one sharp word, “It is important that we put our best hoof forward here, so keep your arguments to yourselves until afterwards, please!”

The ponies looked up and down the table at the surrounding nobles. Thankfully, Duchess Periwinkle was too preoccupied talking to ponies on the other side of her husband to take much notice of the commotion going on in the other direction, but some had clearly seen the heated argument. They had to remember that they were no longer just a Hunter and a farmer from Ponieville; revered as the Brave Companions, everypony would be watching them to see if they measured up to the stories told of them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were not as a whole unreasonable, and they both made apologies to Twilight for their behavior.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, relieved that the matter had passed, “Whatever is going on between you, try to get it out before the Running of the Leaves tomorrow with Margrave Tristan.”

At the mention of the Running of the Leaves, both Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s expressions changed. They had the same idea, and they both realized as they thought it over that it was a good one. Well, maybe from Twilight’s perspective it wouldn’t be, but that wasn’t on their minds.

“The Running of the Leaves,” both ponies said at once.

“It’s not a purely strength or speed-based competition, but a test of endurance,” Rainbow Dash elaborated her thoughts.

“An’ it’s a running competition, so you’re definitely not allowed t’ use your wings,” Applejack added.

“It’s perfect. I wonder if we can still get in,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh, no,” Twilight tried to put a halt to their plans, “We are to be the margrave’s guests, not to be part of the spectacle.”

“Sorry, Twi’, but we have t’ do this,” Applejack said.

Twilight groaned. She’d been hoping to keep the six of them together, but she was already down to four before the next day even dawned. Twilight needed every bit of weight she could throw at the margrave, but it seemed likely it would be just her and Rarity again.

***

Thankfully, Twilight’s fears proved to be unfounded. Fluttershy, Pinkamena, and Rarity all joined her in Margrave Tristan’s booth the next day. Of course, Fluttershy kept asking about whether the race’s course had displaced any wildlife, and Pinkamena was spending more time talking to the margrave’s minstrel than the members of his court, but that was part of their personalities. The sorceress had resigned herself to the fact that Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s personalities prevented her from stopping their foolish plans to enter the race. They both had a drive to prove themselves to their peers, and once they felt threatened, there was nothing that could be done to deter them from their course.

It turned out that the name of the Brave Companions held enough weight for them to convince the race officials to let them enter without fee. The stands were in chaos once ponies learned that these legendary ponies had entered the Running of the Leaves, and many bets were placed on them. Margrave Tristan stood firm in his decision to place his wagers on two of his own trusted couriers, and Twilight did her best to remain noncommittal when asked by his daughter whether she should bet on Applejack or Rainbow Dash to win. The sorceress knew that the chances of either of them winning were slim but possible, if it weren’t for their constant confrontation. She just knew that they would find some way to foul their chances up by paying more attention to each other than the race.

Ponies cheered as the racers took their places at the starting line. Rainbow Dash looked a bit ridiculous with her wings tied flat against her body, but Applejack had suggested it and the Hunter had accepted; if she won now, there would be no doubt she’d done so without flying. The runners readied themselves as the race announcer counted down, and then they were off like a shot. Within a few seconds, the racers had disappeared among the trees and reddening leaves of the White Tail Wood.

Within Margrave Tristan’s box, the ponies turned their attention to the mirror set up at the front. Tristan’s court wizard, a young unicorn sorceress named Fireflight, sat next to the mirror, her closed eyelids twitching as she observed the race with her magic and projected what she saw onto the mirror. The pack was beginning to string out as the various racers settled into their long-distance paces, so Fireflight focused on the ponies in the lead. Though there were other ponies close behind, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were jockeying for the front position.

***

“I have to compliment you on your speed, but you can’t keep this up forever,” Rainbow Dash taunted as she remained neck-and-neck with Applejack.

“Neither can you, an’ I’ve got th’ stamina t’ outlast you,” Applejack huffed back.

We’ll see about that. Rainbow Dash knew she needed to pace herself if she wanted to win the race, but she put on some extra speed anyway to pull out ahead of Applejack. Not to be outdone, the farmer looped around the other side and dashed past Dash. Rainbow Dash grumbled and pushed on, catching up to Applejack and maintaining pace with her as they followed the rough path meandering through the forest.

They continued to push on neck-and-neck until Applejack’s hoof struck a rock and she tumbled onto the ground. Rainbow Dash yelled victoriously as she left her competitor in the dust. Applejack rolled off the path and into the undergrowth as other racers thundered past trying to avoid stepping on her.

“Rainbow Dash tripped me! I knew she couldn’t resist cheatin’!” Applejack exclaimed as she angrily rose to her hooves.

She was determined to be the better mare, though, and wouldn’t stoop to Rainbow’s level. Applejack got back onto the path and galloped ahead. She had a lot of ground to make up.

***

Oh no, Twilight thought as she watched Applejack displayed on the mirror. The scrying had no sound, but the sorceress could tell all the same that Applejack was angry and probably blaming Rainbow Dash for something that was nopony’s fault. The course of the Running of the Leaves was really just a loop of forest paths with signs pointing the right direction when there was a branch, so a rock was not an uncommon occurrence.

“Yeah! Go, Rainbow Dash!” Tristan’s daughter cheered as focus returned to the pony in the lead.

“I must say, I am quite impressed with your companions’ abilities,” Margrave Tristan commented to Twilight, “I understand that they have some sort of competition with each other going on, starting with the tournament events yesterday.”

“Yes, so I have heard,” Twilight said carefully, “They have not said so, but I suspect it has to do with the timberwolf attack we experienced before arriving at the tournament. Applejack defeated it on her own, which led to some words being exchanged between her and Rainbow Dash.”

“Timberwolves are a common nuisance in White Tail, but there are many Hunters living here to take care of them. Of course, just as your peasant friend was able to take one out, our own peasantry is learning how to defeat the beasts on their own. Soon, the Hunters may find themselves short on work,” Tristan replied, “Healthy competition can be constructive, but I don’t understand why you allow those under your command to take things this far.”

“None of them are under my command, as you put it,” Twilight replied, though now that she thought of it, she did serve as the group’s leader more often than not, “Bards and the grapevine may have construed the Brave Companions as a well-organized team, but we are really just six friends who met to stop Nightmare Moon, and look out for each other now.”

“I see,” Margrave Tristan said with a shadow of a smile as he looked back at the mirror, which now showed Rainbow Dash and Applejack neck-and-neck again.

“Do not take anything I have said to mean that we are not united or a notable team,” Twilight defended her friends to the margrave, “You have seen for yourself that we all have impressive skills that, when used together, can accomplish anything, even stopping the onset of eternal night.”

“Forgive me, madam sorceress, but the first time I heard of the Brave Companions, I could not believe the tale,” Tristan said without taking his eyes from the race, “A Cant’r Laht sorceress, a Hunter, a farmer, a blacksmith, a druidess, and a bard all joining together? Such things simply do not happen in the world I know. There are such differences among you, it makes an ignorant outsider like me wonder just how long this alliance can go on before it is torn apart by internal disagreements.”

Twilight had no immediate response to the margrave’s accusation, so she too watched the race, and saw Rainbow Dash trip over a root. The sorceress had wondered about the same things that Tristan had brought up, and she’d be lying if she said that her mind was totally at ease about them, especially given recent events. Rainbow Dash yelled after Applejack, no doubt blaming her for tripping her up when the landscape was once again to blame. Was this the future of the Brave Companions, six totally different ponies who had been thrust into fame so rapidly and now needed to prove themselves?

***

Rainbow Dash quickly gained on Applejack, pains beginning to sprout up across her body as she pushed it too hard for too long. However, that wasn’t going to stop her. If Applejack wasn’t tiring, then she couldn’t slow down either. She pushed even harder to catch up to the farmer, and was rewarded by the stunned expression on Applejack’s face. Not content with staying even with Applejack, in case she tried to trip her up again, she overtook her as they rounded a turn in the course. A branch jutted out over the path, but instead of ducking under it, Dash pushed it to the side and released it as she passed. The branch quickly whipped back around at Applejack, and she barely managed to duck under it in time, coming to a stop on the ground as she lost her momentum from doing so.

“Hey! You call that fightin’ fair?” Applejack yelled after the Hunter, who paid no attention to her.

As the other racers caught up, Applejack angrily chased after Rainbow Dash.

***

Sometime after the incident with the branch, Applejack was catching up again. Rainbow Dash had to admit that it was not just Applejack pursuing her that closed the distance, but also that her own body was slowing down. The only consolation was that Applejack was beginning to tire as well, even though she was still ahead of the other runners.

As a hill loomed up ahead, the path began to zigzag drastically. When Rainbow looked behind her now, she could no longer see Applejack, though she knew that she was close. Spotting a branch in the path, Rainbow guiltily thought of a way she could stay ahead of Applejack without tiring herself out completely. Unlike several of the other places the path branched along the racecourse, there were no cheering ponies pointing the way at this sign.

The arrow had been nailed to a tree, and it was easy for Rainbow Dash to turn it to point in the other direction. To avoid being seen headed the correct way, the Hunter dove into the undergrowth as she heard hoofbeats approaching. Applejack, trusting the sign to point the way, headed off down the wrong path. Once Rainbow was sure she was out of sight, she corrected the sign and trotted off in the other direction, just in time for the other racers to catch up and follow here. Let’s see Applejack beat me now.

***

“Has Applejack been to the White Tail Woods before?” Margrave Tristan asked as the mirror followed her progress alone on a path.

Nopony was quite sure why the farmer had gone off course, as the mirror had been focused on events happening farther back in the pack when Rainbow Dash had perpetrated her misdirection. Still, Twilight was sure that something fishy was going on, probably related to this competition between her friends. She was impressed with their progress so far, but less impressed that they seemed dedicated to messing up each other’s chances (and their own, in the process) instead of just running the race, just as she’d predicted.

“Not that I am aware; why?” Twilight answered the margrave’s question.

“She’s taking a shortcut that passes through a small hamlet before meeting back up with the main path,” he answered.

“Is that allowed?” Fluttershy asked, who had ceased asking questions about the White Tail Woods and was actually paying attention to the race, now that it was nearing its conclusion.

“Certainly, the race is as much about knowledge of the terrain as about speed,” Tristan answered, “The majority of the contestants are couriers, after all. It appears none of them caught that shortcut, or they’re waiting for the larger one closer to the end. I suspect about half of them will take that, since it is a fairly difficult and precarious path, and the rest will put on speed to make up the difference on the main course.”

Oh, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. How will you take it if, even with all the mischief you’ve played on each other, you still fail because you’re not racehorses familiar with the rules?

***

Rainbow Dash was feeling good. A few of the professional racers had passed her, but she could easily overtake them once she recharged and put on a burst of speed at the race’s end. Now that Applejack was sure to lose, it didn’t even matter so much to Rainbow that she win. She felt guilty for misdirecting her friend, but going off the main path wouldn’t disqualify her. At least, she suspected not, since she’d seen other racers branching off onto an unmarked path later in the race. The thought occurred to her that that path may have been a shortcut which she should’ve taken instead of plowing ahead, but it was too late for that now. Then another thought struck her. What if she had inadvertently sent Applejack down a shortcut?

As if to prove her fear correct, Applejack suddenly emerged from the woods ahead of her, looking tired, but not as tired as if she’d had to travel as far to get her as Rainbow had. Cursing herself for the mistake, Rainbow Dash surged ahead, catching up to Applejack. Applejack was beginning to slow down; just like Rainbow had said, she couldn’t keep this speed up forever, and her body was screaming for her to rest. As Rainbow Dash pulled up beside her, she panicked and, remembering the incident with the branch, bumped into the Hunter and almost knocked her down.

It took Rainbow Dash a few seconds to register that Applejack had done so on purpose before she responded by charging back and bumping her as well. The two ponies began to fight it out as they neared the final stretch to the finish line, ignoring the shouts of the other competitors as they ran past. They were stumbling along now, making very little progress as they fought for any advantage. By the time they actually made it over the finish line, they didn’t even realize it until they nearly ran into the other racers.

They both looked around in a daze at the cheering crowd, though a good portion of them who’d betted on the two of them looked quite upset. How had the other runners finished so quickly? Why wasn’t somepony being declared the winner? Who had won?

“Will you concede your defeat now, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash was the first to pant out.

“Why would I do that when I won?” Applejack wheezed.

“Are you crazy? I’m the one who won!” Rainbow replied.

“Here comes Twi’; we can ask her,” Applejack said as the sorceress approached, “Who won, Twi’?”

“Neither of you,” Twilight replied with a tightly controlled voice, “You both crossed the finish line at the same time … last.”

“Last?” the two ponies said disbelievingly at the same time.

“Yes, you both had a chance to win this race, if only you had not focused so much on outdoing each other,” Twilight continued, “What was the point of it all? To prove who is better at physical feats? What does it matter? Why do you need to compare yourselves to each other when you are two completely different ponies with your own strengths and weaknesses? Just be happy with who you are and disregard what others say about you!”

“You’re right, Twi’,” Applejack admitted, “Rainbow Dash was never really sayin’ anythin’ against me when she compared her trainin’ an’ my work on th’ farm. I’m just defensive ‘cause I been looked down on so much for m’ livelihood.”

“And I know you’d never try to outdo me as a Hunter, you were just in the right place to help,” Rainbow Dash admitted, “We sure made a mess of things, didn’t we?”

“Well, yes,” Twilight said, stunned that they had taken her speech so well and realized their faults so quickly, “It would certainly have been better if you had realized this before making an embarrassment of the Brave Companions, but the two of you were too stubborn to do it any way but the hard way.”

“I promise, Twilight, next time you drag us on a diplomatic mission, we’ll do better,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Remind us o’ this if we e’er get carried away again,” Applejack said.

And just like that, things are back to normal. Perhaps the Brave Companions aren’t doomed after all. Certainly, we have our faults and flaws, and more differences than we can count. Despite all that, we’re able to come back together when things tear us apart, and isn’t that the true marker of the strength of our bond? Twilight looked over her shoulder and saw that Margrave Tristan had been watching and listening, and was now turning away, looking slightly less pleased than before. Through this incredibly inconvenient tiff, Rainbow Dash and Applejack have proved to me the endurance and strength of the Brave Companions, and not just to me. That’s good, because our mission here isn’t over quite yet…

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