• Published 28th Nov 2011
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The Moonstone Cup - Cyanide



Twilight is invited to Canterlot to compete with some of the greatest unicorns in Equestria!

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Chapter 2

Twilight’s group materialized near the road outside Canterlot. It was dark, and the ponies looked around, momentarily confused, until Spike pointed up at the sky. "Twilight, look!"

Twilight followed Spike's request and looked up, gaping. "Oh, wow," she gasped. "This is incredible!"

A huge mass of nearly black clouds hung heavily over Canterlot, and the few scattered rays of sun were further obscured by the swirling mass of beings flying above the castle town. Pegasi, gryphons, huge birds, even a pair of enormous dragons filled the sky, some sweeping down toward the town and castle, some away, flying up over the rim of the cloud mass for some unknown purpose.

"Surely, Twilight, you've been in Canterlot for the competition before, you must have seen this in years past." Rarity adjusted her saddlebags daintily as she spoke. "Though I will admit that it is quite the sight."

Twilight shook her head. "I've never seen it like this before. The Moonstone Cup is important, but it’s usually a much lower-key event than this. I wonder what's going on this year?"

"Guess we'll find out, sugarcube," Applejack said with a grin as she began walking toward the road. "But we'd better get goin' otherwise you're not gonna find out much o' anythin'".

There was a general chorus of agreement, and Spike jumped up on Twilight's back as the ponies joined the procession of traffic toward the castle town.

---

Normally the area around Canterlot, beyond the drawbridge that led into the castle town proper, was quiet and pleasant, a green meadow bounded by rolling hills, beautiful old growth forests and the cliff face into which Canterlot itself was actually built. Today, however, the familiar meadows were practically buried; an entire town had grown up overnight. A colorful sprawl of tents, covered wagons, yurts and every other kind of portable housing blanketed the landscape in every direction. In the center of it all, an orderly column of small groups filed across the drawbridge and through the gates into Canterlot itself under an enormous banner reading "WELCOME COMPETITORS".

Applejack drew another long breath as the ponies stepped off the road to take in the sprawl. "Wish you'd'a told me about this beforehand, Twi," she slowly drawled. "I'd'a brought my apple cart."

"I don't know why it's like this! The Moonstone Cup has never drawn crowds like this!" Twilight's already frazzled nerves were wearing thin. Were all of these people going to be watching her compete? "I don't know what could possibly be happening this year to be this kind of a draw!"

"You didn't hear?" A harsh, gravelly but vaguely feminine voice spoke up from nearby. One of the gryphons from a nearby camp had wandered over toward the ponies. She was tall, much taller even than Gilda had been, and easily twice any of the ponies' height at the shoulder, with a smooth, golden coat and black and tan feathers on her head and wings. "They say the bearer of the Element of Magic is competing this year!"

Spike opened his mouth to speak and was tackled to the ground by Pinkie Pie, who was making entirely unsubtle silencing gestures. Twilight just giggled nervously, her eyelid twitching. "Oh, they do? Say that? Really?"

"Yeah! Twilight Sparkle!" The gryphon went on, oblivious to Twilight's nervousness and Pinkie's Pinkieness. "She's an alicorn sorceress from Manehattan. Purple, kinda like you." The large gryphon leaned her head down and lowered her voice, conspiratorially. "Rumor going around the aeries is that she's actually another sister of Celestia and Luna and the Manehattan story is just a cover. You really didn't know about this?"

Twilight shook her head slowly. "No, no, I really didn't. It's very interesting. Um..." Twilight's eye twitched again. "It's very nice to meet you...?"

"Oh!" The gryphon stood up straight, extending a talon that could have engulfed Twilight's whole head. "I'm Gianna. You?"

"Um..." Twilight giggled nervously again, tail twitching as she extended a shaky hoof. "I'm, uh, T-Twilight Sparkle. Hi."

Gianna narrowed her eyes, and spoke when no punchline appeared to be forthcoming. "What, seriously?"

"Yep. Twilight Sparkle. Bearer of the Element of Magic. That's me." Twilight gestured vaguely in the direction of the other ponies. "There are my friends, the other Elements of Harmony."

Gianna looked at Twilight, then at Pinkie Pie who was extracting her hoof from Spike's mouth, then over at the other ponies. Rainbow Dash was waving with a smug grin on her face. Applejack tipped her hat. Rarity was a tableau of studied indifference. Fluttershy was not in evidence except for a small tuft of pink mane sticking out from behind Applejack's legs. Gianna looked again at the group, thought for a moment, and came to a decision.

"Whoa."

Twilight tittered again, her head tilting at an odd angle, and she silently wished she could trade places with Fluttershy.

"It's really something to meet you," Gianna said, a bit more breathlessly than earlier. "Hey, uh, if you haven't registered yet you probably want to head inside." Her voice dropped again. "If you stay around here, you're gonna get mobbed."

"You heard the lady!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she grabbed Twilight's rear hooves and began dragging her away toward the castle.

Gianna shook her head as she watched the group of ponies retreat toward the drawbridge, then turned and sauntered back toward the other gryphons.

"Hey, guys, you'll never believe who I just ran into!"

---

The group approached the Canterlot gates. Like each group ahead of them they were stopped and challenged by the royal guards. Twilight produced the letter of invitation, which floated over to one of the guards.

"Twilight Sparkle. And six guests."

The guard glanced over the letter and the pikes were withdrawn. The group walked across the bridge and stepped into the bustling castle town of Canterlot.

Canterlot's white and gold buildings normally shone in the sunlight but were only slightly less incredible in the dingy overcast. Traffic in the streets was slightly heavier than usual, but with only the competitors and the competitors' guests invited into the town proper it wasn't the same awesome crush that was seen outside.

The white stone street led a short distance to a public square with a raised pedestal, which was normally adorned with a solid gold statue of Celestia. Today the statue was missing, replaced with a large sign bearing a long list of the competitors, starting times and brackets, as well as a short program of events for the coming days. A number of unicorns and other creatures were clustered around, looking for their own names and chattering back and forth. As the group approached little bits and snatches of conversation could be heard.

"...defeated an Ursa Major!"

"...think she'll really be here..."

"...Celestia's daughter..."

"...y mom said half the stallions in Canterlot..."

Twilight cringed as more and more it became evident that she - or whatever bizarre caricature of her rumors had painted - was the topic du jour. She timidly looked for an opening in the crowd where she'd be able to fit in, but a Fluttershy-worthy "pardon me" or two was not cutting it to break through the animated throng.

Rainbow Dash sighed and lofted up above the group, flying forward to look at the sign more closely.

"Rainbow!" Twilight called after her friend, worriedly.

Rainbow Dash ignored the call, perusing the sign quickly. "Hey, Twilight, I found your name!" she shouted above the noisy chatter. She then looked back at the sign, rereading something. "Whoa! And guess who else I found here!"

All conversation ceased. Twilight suddenly felt the pressure of Celestia only knew how many pairs of eyes on her.

Pinkie's Pinkie Sense had nothing on Gianna's fortune-telling ability.

"It's her!"

"Can I get your autog..."

"...not an alicorn! So how did..."

"...ery pretty unicorn..."

"...really defeat an Ursa?!"

Fluttershy squeaked and curled into a small ball as the mob descended on Twilight and her friends. Leaning up from his position on Twilight's back, Spike attempted his most threatening, draconic snarls but succeeded only in adding the occasional "He's so cute!" to the general barrage. Rainbow hovered uselessly overhead as Applejack and Rarity closed in nearer to Twilight and the small pile of Fluttershy on the ground. Pinkie Pie vanished into the crowd and out of Twilight’s view.

"Please, one at a time, one at a time!" Twilight shouted, eyes tightly shut, horn glowing in preparation to make a quick escape. It didn't seem to do any good or even slow the tide of yelling.

"...eally from Manehattan?"

"...obviously nepotism..."

"...ow did you stop Nightmare M..."

"...ou like stallions, or..."

"I brought help! I brought help!"

The last shout, Pinkie Pie's shrill voice, cut sharply through the din. The group mobbing Twilight began to pull back slightly and the cacophony of voices dulled to a nervous murmur. Twilight opened her eyes slowly, and let the glow fade from her horn. On the opposite side of the now muted crowd she saw Pinkie jumping up and down and yelling next to the imposing, brilliantly white form of Princess Celestia.

"Princess!" Twilight said, smiling shakily. "Oh, thank you so much."

Celestia smiled and looked over the group. The crowd that had been mobbing Twilight looked up in trepidation while Twilight Sparkle and her friends carefully extricated themselves and walked over to the princess.

"It's good to see you, Twilight," said Princess Celestia, amusement evident in her voice. "I'm glad you could make it. And I see," she spoke up, turning to face the erstwhile mob, "that some of the other competitors and their guests have been introducing themselves."

The group looked much less imposing when they were no longer pressing in on Twilight. Fifteen or twenty unicorns, a handful of gryphons and what appeared to be a washed and rather better-dressed diamond dog made up the entire group. Most of the conversation had gone away but for some vaguely dissatisfied-sounding muttering.

"I am sure Twilight and her friends would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have," the princess continued. "But for now I'm sure they would like to get registered and settled in before the opening ceremony. You all should do the same."

The muttering reasserted itself momentarily before the knot of ponies and others split off into groups and went away from the sign. Others, seeing that there was room again, began approaching the sign to find themselves while Princess Celestia led the seven friends away from the square and toward the registration tent outside the great ballroom.