Eyes On You

by UnlicensedBrony

18 - Complications, Part One (Twilight)

“Eyes On You”

Chapter eighteen: Complications, Part One

Twilight found it strangely easy to focus the following morning, for as long as she had something to keep her occupied at least. She and Trixie awoke together in smiling silence, neither of them sparing a word to spoil the moment of closeness that obviously meant as much to Trixie as it did to Twilight. It was a much preferable wake-up to the panic attack the night before – maybe it helped to have talked with the Princess, or perhaps it was just because of the soothing, sleepy smile that Trixie wore.

The silence drew out for most of the morning, but it didn't become uncomfortable at any point. They freshened themselves up, shared a few words over breakfast and, in what seemed like no time at all, they found themselves climbing up onto the royal chariot which awaited them outside the hotel.

It was only then, as the chariot took to the sky and Twilight was left with nothing to do besides sit and wait, that she began to feel uneasy. The thoughts from the night before began to resurface, and she found herself staring wistfully across at her partner.

She knew that it was far from the best time for this conversation, but that didn't change the fact that she really wanted to know what Trixie thought. Against her better judgement, she opened her mouth to speak.

“Hey, Trixie...”

The showmare gave her an attentive smile. “Mhm?”

Twilight hesitated and glanced down at the chariot floor. “...What do you think you'll do after the Display?” she asked, trying to make herself sound casual.

Trixie blinked. “Afterwards? I...” She trailed off and her smile quickly disappeared. “I... haven't really thought about it.”

“You haven't?”

Looking off to one side, Trixie adopted a thoughtful frown. “I'll probably stay in Manehattan for a while. Make the most of being here, I mean. There's a stable on the other side of town that I like...”

Twilight gulped consciously. “And... after that?” she said, finding it difficult to get the words out of her mouth. “I'm guessing you'll want to take your show back on the road.”

With a slow nod, Trixie lowered her gaze to the floor. “Probably... And I assume you'll want to go back and see your friends in Ponyville.”

Twilight hung her head with a solemn frown. “Yes...”

There was a long pause, during which the only sound was that of the wind gently brushing past their ears. That confirmed Twilight's worries, at least. Like her, Trixie hadn't even considered what would happen to them after the Display. Now, at least, they both realised the implications of no longer having a physical reason to stay together. Was that good thing? It certainly didn't feel like it.

“...So?” said Trixie gently. She was giving Twilight an expectant look. “And? But? What is it, Twilight?”

Hurriedly, the lavender unicorn shook her head and forced a smile. “N-nothing! Nothing at all. I just, um--” She averted her eyes, in favour of looking out over the edge of the chariot, feeling particularly cowardly. “W-we should focus. We'll be there soon,” she said, by way of deflecting the conversation.

Trixie offered no response. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight could've sworn that she saw the showmare drop her gaze to the floor again.

'Oh, Trixie...'

As the chariot began its descent through the cloud layer, Twilight forced her mind back to the task at hoof. If the second event was anything like the first, it was going to take all of her concentration to win it. She could think about this later. That's what she told herself, at least, but putting it from her mind wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Almost as soon as the fog had cleared from around them and the city had once again become visible below, Twilight's eyes were drawn towards the stadium. On a reflex, she pushed herself upright and leant forwards, sure that her eyes must have been deceiving her. “...What is that?” she breathed.

What looked like some sort of giant, stonework pillar stood tall in the centre of the arena, where they had faced down the chimaera the day before. It was wide and perfectly circular, rising higher than the stands themselves. With no windows, portals, or anything standing atop it, its only obvious function was to stand there and look intimidating.

Trixie sidled over to stand beside Twilight. “Obviously it's the second event,” she mused. “They must've put it up overnight.”

“Put it up?” Twilight repeated. “How? That couldn't have possibly been built in one night, not even with magic.”

Trixie grunted. “I didn't say they built it. But since the stands are full, it's obviously supposed to be there.”

They drew nearer to the stadium, and sure enough, the ambient sound of hundreds of ponies' excited chattering filled the air. Just as the day before, the royal guards pulling the chariot took them in a spiral down towards the stands. Twilight kept her eyes locked on the pillar as they got closer, eager to take in as much detail as possible, in case this was indeed their next trial.

But there was very little to take in. Its base covered about half of the arena floor – so there was still a decently-sized ring of flat stone between the pillar itself and the stands. Around the edge, spiralling all the way up from the base of the pillar to its pinnacle, was a gradual ramp, presumably to allow ponies without wings to reach the top. For what purpose, Twilight could hardly guess.

Pegasi circled the gargantuan structure, all clothed in the red hats and scarves of Display hosts. Some of them were prodding at the pillar with their hooves, as if to check whether it was solid, and others seemed to be checking things off of notepads as they did.

Unlike the day before, there was no great increase in ruckus as the chariot touched down atop the wall overlooking the arena. As she and Trixie hopped down onto the stone, the image on the water screen across the way distorted to show them, but no announcement came with it. Feeling a little self-conscious, Twilight offered a smile and a wave in the camera's general direction, whilst the much cooler Trixie simply offered her trademark smirk and pretended to be adjusting her cape's neck clasp.

The chariot rattled off and took to the sky again, and in its wake, the small, red-uniformed mare from yesterday hurried over to guide them to their seats. But this time, instead of stopping at the box, she led them further, towards a set of stairs leading down into the stadium's interior.

“I'm to take you straight to the waiting room,” she explained. “Once everypony has arrived, somepony will come by to explain the event.”

Trixie grunted. “That's... efficient,” she muttered.

Twilight managed a little smile. “Somepony obviously heard your comment about musical chairs yesterday.”

Trixie gave a snort of a chuckle.

They were taken down to the same, medieval-looking waiting room as the day before. The mare left them at the door, so they let themselves inside as she headed back to wait for the next pair.

Trixie hesitated as soon as she got over the threshold, and Twilight didn't notice why until she drew up alongside. Already waiting inside were four of their competitors – Earth Twister, his brother, Desert Rose and Flaire. He was smiling at Trixie, but she was not smiling back.

A moment passed before the door clicking shut behind them shifted her into gear. She stepped forwards viciously, and Twilight hurried to follow her. As they passed Flaire, Trixie kept her eyes front, but Twilight couldn't help offering a sheepish grin as the stallion welcomed her with a warm smile. For all that Trixie painted him to be, he actually seemed kind of sweet... Either Twilight was missing something big, or Trixie was just really biased against him.

“Hey, what's up?” Earth Twister greeted as they took places against the wall beside him.

“Good morning,” said Twilight with a smile.

“Did you see that massive pillar out there?” Twister asked excitedly.

Trixie made a derisive noise. “No, we must've missed it...”

“Be nice, Trixie,” said Twilight, though the remark had brought a wide smile to her lips. “Yes, we saw the pillar. What do you think it's for?”

Twister shrugged. “Beats me. It's cool though, right? One of those red-uniformed girls told me that it came up from the ground. Oh man, I wish I could've seen it.”

“From the ground?” Twilight repeated. “How is that possible?”

“Apparently, it's part of the stadium – they were built at the same time,” said Twister sagely. “I guess whoever designed this place was a pretty forward-thinking bunch. They only bring it up when an event calls for it, so most years you don't even hear about it.”

“So, it's been raised in the past?” said Twilight, shooting Trixie a reprimanding look. “Sounds like something my research would've turned up.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “I told you – no two events have ever been the same. There are a hundred different things that pillar could be used for...”

Twilight opened her mouth the argue, but Trixie cut her off.

“And don't even think about mentioning process of elimination,” the showmare said firmly.

Twilight's mouth closed itself. Trixie gave a self-satisfied smirk.

The wait for the other competitors was short, but the wait for the whoever was supposed to come and meet them felt a lot longer. One of the downsides of arriving early, Twilight supposed.

When, at last, the door opened again, all eyes turned eagerly towards it. A small, spiky-haired stallion entered, with a one-sided saddlebag slung across his back. It took Twilight a moment to recognise him without his sunglasses, but it was, without a doubt, the same, energised stallion who had come up to her hotel room to present her with the entry forms.

“Alright guys, sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, trotting brazenly into the room and letting the door swing shut behind him. “If you'll all gather 'round, we'll get right to business.”

Everypony exchanged a glance with their partners before doing as they were asked. They formed a vague line in front of him, with Twilight and Trixie at one end and Flaire and Rose at the other.

The small stallion looked around at them all wordlessly for a moment. A smile tugged at his lips. “Wow...” he said. “Sorry, it's just so awesome to see you all standing there, like, waiting for me to... I mean, I met you all before but after seeing how you took on that chimaera, it's like... whew!”

Trixie cleared her throat loudly, and the stallion mercifully seemed to get the message.

“Okay, so here's the deal,” he said. “We're going to divide you all into pairs--”

Twilight started as Trixie suddenly pressed up against her, making it blindly obvious who she wanted to be paired with. The gesture brought a hint of red to Twilight's cheeks.

“...Rival pairs,” the stallion explained, shooting them a look.

From the other end of the line, Flaire cast a glance and an obvious smirk in Trixie's direction. Instead of sliding away in embarrassment, the showmare defiantly held her place against Twilight's coat.

“...And then, basically, the pairs will go out, one at a time, and take a place at the bottom of the ramp leading up the side of that big pillar out there. I'm guessing you all saw it on your way in. Yeah? Good. Okay, then all you've got is wait for the signal, then race up the ramp. First one to the top wins.”

An expectant silence fell over the room in the wake of the explanation. Twilight and Trixie glanced at each other awkwardly, wondering whether this was some kind of pause for effect.

“...That's it?” said Earth Twister, at last. “Just race to the top?”

“Yep,” the stallion confirmed. “There are thirty checkpoints leading up, and you've got to pass through every one of them before getting to the top, or else your win doesn't count. Oh, and don't fall off. I mean, there are protective spells and safety stallions in place – so don't worry about turning into a pancake or anything – but if you touch the arena floor after passing through the first checkpoint, you'll be disqualified.”

“Wait, back up a sec,” said Twister. “What's this got to do with magic?”

The stallion blinked at him for a moment, then his eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh, right. Well, there's a bunch of traps, pitfalls, magical enchantments and stuff laid all the way up to try and throw you off. The idea is to use your magic as creatively as possible to get through. Sorry, I thought that was a given.”

Twister grunted. “Huh. Fair enough. Doesn't really seem as exciting as a chimaera though.”

With a shrug, the stallion started rifling around in his saddlebag. “Eh, if you want to spice things up a little, you're free to use your magic against your opponent. Like I said, there are Safe-fall spells in place, so go nuts.”

Trixie stirred at Twilight's side. The azure unicorn was tense again, but it wasn't the same as it had been the day before. She didn't seem angry. In fact, as silly as it sounded, it felt more like she was anxious.

Twilight's subtle attempts to meet her eye were fruitless though, and since they were already pressed up against one another, there wasn't really anything else she could do to offer comfort. Nothing that wouldn't draw an uncomfortable eye from the others, at least.

“Aha!” said the small stallion, emerging from his saddlebag with a slip of paper in his mouth. He laid it on the floor and bent down to give it a look over, before drawing himself up again. “Okay, so listen up. Here's the list of pairings, in reverse order, 'cause that's always fun. First, we've got... Cherry Blossom against Trixie--”

Trixie seemed to shrink down a little, as if she'd just let out a breath. Twilight was half-expecting her to kick off and demand that she be paired against Flaire – considering how badly she wanted to show him up – or at least to complain about having to go last again. But... nothing.

“--Then it's Sandstorm against Violet, Desert Rose against Bay Dasher, and Earth Twister against Nightshade...”

A second passed before Twilight's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. The stallion looked across at her.

“...That leaves you and Flaire up first, Twilight Sparkle,” he finished. “That'll be one to watch.”

“What a lucky coincidence,” said Flaire, looking down the row. “I'd been hoping we might get a chance to test our magic against one another directly.”

Trixie scoffed loudly and threw him a dirty look. “Ha! You don't stand a chance against Twilight, Flaire. You'd be better off hoping that she goes easy on you.”

Twilight's mouth moved hopelessly as she glanced between Trixie and Flaire – who didn't seem fazed in the slightest. “I... Um...”

“Hey, save it for when you're in front of the audience, yeah?” said the small stallion, bending down to pick up his list. “I'm going to go check how things are doing. You guys wait here and... talk amongst yourselves or something.”

With that, he hurried past and trotted up the stairwell leading towards the arena. As his short, spiky tail disappeared from view, everypony split off from the line to talk with their partners.

Flaire held his eyes on Twilight, smiling that same, warm smile he'd been giving her since yesterday. She couldn't quite bring herself to offer more than a tiny, timid lip-twitch in response, but the gentleness of his gaze helped to make her a little less self-conscious about competing against him.

Trixie shoved her firmly to one side, breaking Flaire's eye contact. After shaking her head to clear it, Twilight looked up at the showmare, who had an unnervingly severe frown on her face.

“Trixie, I--” She stopped as soon as she started, not quite sure what to say. She knew that she was supposed to say something, but...

“He won't be easy to beat,” said Trixie seriously.

Twilight shifted her hooves. “...I know.”

“Don't get me wrong, your magic is in a completely different league to his. Like I said, he doesn't stand a chance against you in an all-out battle of strength--” Trixie turned to glare over at Flaire as he talked in a hushed voice to his partner. “--But you can bet that he won't play fair.”

That struck another chord in Twilight's mind, but she pursed her lips to keep from saying anything. It wasn't that she didn't trust Trixie, but her memories of Flaire were clearly a little outdated. Twilight knew that she'd have to take any tactical advice with a grain of salt.

“Just keep your guard up,” said Trixie, meeting her eyes again. “And don't let him fool you with his chivalrousness. He'll act like a gentlecolt until he sees his chance to win, then he'll leave you in the dust.”

“...Is that what he did to you?” Twilight found herself asking.

Trixie's expression wavered, and her gaze fell to one side. There was an uncomfortably long silence, and Twilight knew that she'd hit a nerve. She opened her mouth to apologise, but no words availed her.

“Just... keep your guard up,” Trixie muttered finally, looking up to meet Twilight's eye again. “And try to focus. We can't let ourselves think about anything other than winning right now.”

“R-right,” said Twilight, before she'd even really registered what had been said. She knew it was true, and she scolded herself for trying to take the conversation in a personal direction. But even so...

'She said we,' Twilight mused. 'She is thinking about us too. At least, I hope she is...'

“Hey!” came a yell from the stairs. All eyes turned to the small stallion, who had once again appeared. “Almost time, guys. The first pair are going to want to head up now. That's you, Flaire and Twilight--” He pointed to each of them in turn, pausing on Twilight and tilting his head. “--You definitely looked cuter with the bed-mane, by the way.”

A number of the others – Trixie included – raised an eyebrow at Twilight. In an attempt to laugh the comment off, the lavender unicorn managed only a nervous “Ahaha...” She kept her head low as she started forwards, until she felt their gazes soften as they brushed the comment off.

Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, she stopped to cast a look towards Trixie. A pair of supportive eyes stared back at her. The azure unicorn gave a tiny nod, though she didn't seem to be able to manage a smile. Unsurprising – she was probably peeved that Twilight was to be the one facing her rival. Or maybe she was just worried.

Settling for the nod and the stare, Twilight turned back towards the stairwell, only to find Flaire waiting for her at its base. He smiled and bowed his head slightly, gesturing for her to go first.

With an uncertain gulp, Twilight slipped past and started her ascent. Flaire followed without a word, and they made their silent way to the very top of the stairs, coming to a stop when they reached the portcullis leading out into the arena. The same stallion as before stood by the lever on the wall, flashing them a smile as they entered.

Twilight shuffled her hooves in anxiety as she stood before the gate, but it wasn't the sounds of the murmuring crowd drifting in from outside that did it. Nor was it the size of the massive pillar which dominated her view of the opposite arena wall.

She kept casting glances across at Flaire, trying to size him up without him noticing. He was wearing a confident smile, looking particularly calm where, in his place, Trixie had been visibly excited. That said, she could see the similarities between them – the way they stood, held their heads up... it made sense that they had the same origins.

Unfortunately, noticing that served only to make Twilight less confident, knowing that she was standing next to a professional. And without Trixie to back her up...

“Nervous?” said Flaire, catching one of her glances.

“N-no, of course not!” said Twilight immediately. Flaire stared at her for a moment, until she turned her eyes away. “...Maybe a little.”

Flaire gave a quiet chuckle. “I wouldn't worry, not after how well you did in your first performance. I daresay that Trixie might be right – I may not be much of a match against that magic of yours.”

Twilight flushed. “W-well, it all depends on what kind of trials we're up against...”

“True enough,” said Flaire, nodding. “In any case, I hope you won't go easy on me. I'm eager to see what you're capable of.”

“O-okay,” Twilight managed, flashing a quick smile before facing outwards again. It certainly was getting warm... she suddenly found herself very eager to get out into the nice, cool breeze.

Another minute or so passed before there came the sound of a horn blast from somewhere overhead. On cue, the red-uniformed stallion pulled his lever, and the portcullis began to rise.

“That horn is what we've all been waiting for, folks,” came the announcer's echoing voice. “It's my pleasure to present to you our first competing pair of the afternoon...”

Flaire didn't hesitate. He stepped forwards, out into the arena, with his calm smile perfectly intact. Twilight was quick to follow, though she deliberately kept a comfortable distance between them.

“As you've no doubt already noticed, we here at the Manehattan Display are fond of starting things with a bang. That's why, today, we're starting with two of the most potent competitors from our first event! Fillies and gentlecolts, please welcome Flaire and Twilight Sparkle!”

The announcement was met with applause and a great deal of cheering, and Twilight couldn't help but smile beside herself. She knew, of course, that she wasn't here for the praise, but it was a happy perk all the same. Not that she'd ever admit openly that she enjoyed all the attention.

As instructed, she and Flaire made their way to the bottom of the ramp and waited, neither of them setting hoof upon it. It was wide enough that six ponies might be able to squeeze on, side-by-side, and its slope was rather gradual, so keeping a grip wouldn't be something to worry about. Twilight also acknowledged that there was a wooden door at the base of the pillar, presumably leading to some kind of interior, which meant that it wasn't completely solid. That probably wasn't important, but she made sure to take note of it, just in case.

At her side, Flaire flicked back his mane. “Good luck, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, over the din of the stadium.

Twilight offered a smile and a nod. “You too.”

“Alright, everypony, settle down please! Competitors, stand ready – at the sound of the horn blast, you may begin. Best of luck to both of you!”

Flaire rolled his neck and lowered his head slightly, ready to dash. His face held a confident smirk, much like Trixie's, and his eyes were fixed on the ramp in front of him.

'Where mine should be,' Twilight reminded herself, with a shake of the head.

She lifted each of her hooves in turn and planted them firmly on the stone, narrowing her eyes at the path ahead. The cheering and muttering in the air died down until only a faint ambience remained. This was it...

'Don't let your guard down... Do whatever it takes... For Trixie.'

The focused silence drew out for what felt like forever, but Twilight's determination didn't waver. And then...

A horn blast rang out across the stadium.

Like a shot, the two of them broke into a sprinting start, hooves clopping loudly against the warmer stone of the ramp. Flaire pulled ahead almost immediately. His stronger legs carried him faster, giving him a distinct advantage.

The announcer yelled something about the stallion taking an early lead, but Twilight didn't let it dishearten her. She had a number of magic tricks up her proverbial sleeve that would get her ahead when she needed to.

The first checkpoint – a pair of red flagpoles – came up much more quickly than she'd expected. She passed through it barely a second after Flaire.

“And now the race begins, fillies and gentlecolts! From here on out, touching the arena floor will mean disqualification, and the heat is on for our competitors to look out for traps designed to throw them off. Whoa-- and it looks like Flaire has just tripped the first one!”

Up ahead, Flaire ground himself to a halt as a cloud of white seemed to explode in front of him with an ear-splitting hiss. Some kind of vent had opened on the side of the pillar, and steam was pouring out across the ramp, blocking the path.

Twilight quickly drew up alongside and came to a stop, casting her eyes about for some way past. The cloud of steam was completely opaque, so moving around inside it would be dangerous. Not to mention scalding hot. She didn't know any heatproof spells... maybe a shield would work...

Flaire had already figured it out – his horn lit up a deep magenta and he narrowed his eyes at the cloud. In another moment, Twilight's mane was blown back into her face by a sudden gust of air, as the stallion zipped forwards at lightning speed.

He cut a swath through the steam and left a path in his wake, through which Twilight could see him shaking the moisture from his mane on the other side. Steam was fast moving in to fill the gap, so Twilight had to shake off her surprise and act quickly.

She fixed her eyes on the spot where Flaire had stopped. Magic poured into her horn. She blinked.

When she opened her eyes, she was on the other side of the steam cloud, right behind Flaire, who had wasted little time in running onwards. Twilight was quick to give chase.

“And that's the first obstacle down in a flash!” said the announcer, as they passed the second checkpoint. “Excellent use of a Haste spell from Flaire, followed by Twilight Sparkle's signature teleport...”

The announcer continued to comment and compliment their different spells as they ascended the pillar. Twilight forced herself to stay focused on looking for traps and overtaking Flaire.

At the fourth checkpoint, Flaire triggered a magical glyph that was embedded in the ramp. There was a loud bang, and the stallion stopped in place as his hooves almost slipped out from under him. The entire section upon which he was standing had been covered in a thick layer of slippery grease, as Twilight found when she stepped upon it.

Luckily, she was far enough behind that she hadn't been caught in the middle, and she could see the other side well enough. Another teleport spell saw her overtake Flaire and dash onwards to the next checkpoint, whilst he carefully picked his way across the slick ground.

From there, it was anypony's game, as every other trap they ran into put the lead pony behind the other, only for the places to be switched back a few checkpoints later...

At the sixth checkpoint, a flock of bats burst out from a hole in the pillar, almost startling Twilight off the edge.

At the seventh, she nearly fell through a trick floor – she might well have done if she hadn't seen Flaire bound over it a second earlier.

At the ninth, Flaire was caught by another glyph which covered him in a sticky green goo, holding him in place. Twilight tripped it too, but she thought quickly and used a heat spell to disperse it. She took the lead.

And so it continued, all the way up the pillar. Traps got more and more frequent as they rose and the arena floor seemed to fall away beneath them. Twilight made sure to keep to the middle of the ramp wherever possible, so that she didn't get a chance to look down.

It was just after the twenty-third checkpoint that Twilight started to really feel the tension. Her legs were already quite achy from the climb thus far, but they were nearing the end, so she knew that she had to speed up soon, rather than slow down. Especially since Flaire had just taken the lead again.

A metal grate shot out in front of Flaire, literally barring his path. As he struggled to push it back into the pillar with telekinesis, Twilight took her chance and teleported past. Not exactly creative, but certainly effective – as the announcer commented. Creativity wasn't high on Twilight's to-do-list though. Just like Trixie had said, winning came first.

'Come on, twenty-five down, five to go!' she told herself. 'You can do this!'

“Gah!”

Twilight scrambled to a halt as a wall of blistering flames shot up in front of her, covering the entire path. She lifted a hoof to cover her face, shielding it from the light and the burning heat as she backed away.

Once the initial shock had passed, she cast her mind about for a way through. A shield spell wouldn't hold up against a fire that intense. She couldn't see the other side, so teleporting through would be too dangerous – she'd either end up inside the flames or off the edge of the ramp. A wind spell would only fan the flames...

'Argh! Come on, think!'

She heard hoofbeats behind her. Turning, she saw Flaire galloping up around the pillar. Her mind started working in overdrive. She couldn't let him take the lead, not now! But what could she do?

'Nothing' was the answer. She could do nothing but watch in horror as Flaire slowed down, smirked at the flames, then sped up again. He ran straight through without so much as lighting up his horn.

Twilight gawped as the fire dispersed in his wake, and an unscathed Flaire hurried onwards. Sparkling traces of magic faded away into the air...

A second passed in silence before Twilight figured it out. 'An illusion!' she cursed, sprinting after Flaire. 'Of course it was an illusion, how could I be so stupid?'

Knowing that she had to regain some ground, she lit up her horn and reached out to the wind, bending it so that a breeze blew at her back. It was a minor boost, but she needed everything she could get.

She passed checkpoints twenty-six and twenty-seven – dodging around a pressure pad and teleporting over another glyph along the way – before she finally caught sight of his tail again.

“They're so close to the end now!” the announcer yelled, excitement clear in his voice. “And Flaire has a huge lead. But it's not over yet!”

Twilight growled and worked her legs harder. 'No, it's not!'

She poured more magic into her horn, upping the intensity of the wind at her back.

Flaire's flanks came into view – Twilight was gaining ground. She kept her eyes locked on the spot just ahead of him, determined not to give up.

They passed the twenty-eighth checkpoint, and then...

It all happened within the space of a split-second. A deafening bang, a burst of compressed air, and Flaire was blown off of the ramp.

Twilight's eyes went wide, but she didn't have time to think before a vent appeared on the wall beside her as well.

Acting on primal instinct, she twisted her wind spell into a shield, streamlining her body just as another bang heralded the second burst of air. It caught her straight in the side, and she ground her hooves into the stone, fighting with all her might against the onslaught of force pushing her towards the edge.

Wind rushed past her ears. She could feel her back hoof slipping. She held her stance.

And then it was over.

Shaking with exertion, Twilight released her spell and collapsed to her knees, letting out a pained breath. Her head was spinning, her legs ached, she couldn't remember feeling so exhausted since the Ursa Minor incident.

Gentle, steady breaths sped her recovery, as did the voice nagging at the back of her mind, telling her to keep going. Listening the the voice, she craned open her eyes to find herself teetering on the very edge of the ramp, with one hindleg hanging off the edge. She hurriedly pulled herself upright, rubbed her head with a hoof and shook it, reminding herself not to look down.

She heard a loud grunt.

Just ahead, a pair of pale green hooves scrambled to keep their grip on the edge of the ramp. Twilight let out a gasp as she saw Flaire's snout drag its way up into view, whilst the rest of his body dangled helplessly below. His confident smile was gone, and now his teeth were gritted with effort as he struggled to pull himself up, to no avail.

Twilight rushed forwards to help, only to stop herself a few strides away. Whilst half of her mind yelled at her to pull him up, she found herself staring blankly.

'Whatever it takes...'

This was her chance. She could run on now, tackle the last two checkpoints and victory would be hers. There was no way Flaire could pull himself up in time to overtake her, if he even managed it at all. It wasn't like she'd be leaving him in real peril – there were spells in place to make sure he'd land safely.

As if to support her, Trixie's words rang in her mind. 'Don't let your guard down,' she'd said. 'He'll act like a gentlecolt until he sees his chance to win.'

It could be a trick. He was probably just waiting for her to get close to he could throw her off and take the victory for himself. Well, Twilight wasn't going to fall for it.

Decided, she turned her eyes on the path ahead and trotted onwards, past his scrambling hooves with her lips held in a determined line. She had to leave him – it was the only way that she could be sure to win. There was no other choice. Why then, did she feel as if she had a frog in her throat?

“Argh!” came Flaire's wrenching growl from behind her. By the sound of his scrambling, he was losing his grip.

Twilight's hooves stopped moving. Her gaze fell to the ground and a frown made its way onto her face. 'What am I doing?' she asked herself. 'I can't stop now, I'm so close to winning. But...'

She turned to Flaire. In his struggling, his eyes were clenched shut a lot of the time, but there was one moment in which she caught sight of those deep blues that seemed so eerily familiar. They were frustrated, determined, but most prominent of all was the hint of dread within them. They weren't asking for help, but they needed it.

'...I'm not that pony,' Twilight finished.

She spun her body around, strode right up to the edge and reached down to wrap a forehoof around Flaire's. Feeling the weight lifted off of him, Flaire looked up to meet her eyes. In the moment of staring silence that followed, Twilight offered a gentle smile. His gaze flicked confusedly between her eyes, as if he wasn't sure what to make of the gesture. But then, after a patient few seconds, he tightened his grip on her hoof and accepted her help.

With great effort, and a little magical assistance, she dragged him up onto the ramp again. She was aware of the noise the crowd was making now, but she didn't pay it any mind. When Flaire's four hooves once again rested on solid stone, he let out a relieved, chuckling sigh and took a moment to steady his breathing.

“Thank you,” he said.

Twilight nodded and batted her eyes in acceptance. “You're welcome.”

“Well, would you look at that!” came the announcer's voice. “Educated, well-read and considerate. What a good sport, fillies and gentlecolts!”

The crowd offered a cheer of approval, bringing a warm feeling over Twilight, much preferable to the cold sensation she felt when she considered leaving Flaire behind. The stallion himself seemed genuinely grateful, and he was clearly in no hurry to continue the race...

'Ah, the race!'

Remembering herself, Twilight hurriedly faced front and got ready to start running, but Flaire didn't take his advantage. Instead, he slowly did as Twilight and lowered himself into a ready position, as if waiting for a silent signal.

Twilight blinked at him in surprise, but quickly refocused by telling herself that there'd be time to figure things out later. She bent her back hooves, kicked off and broke into a brisk run. Flaire followed immediately after.

“And they're off again! We're coming up to the final stretch now, and what a touching way to start it off. This is what it's all about, folks – two honourable sportsponies competing for fame and glory, but never once forgetting-- Whoa, watch out!”

Twilight tripped a pressure pad and her section of ramp tipped to one side, throwing her off balance. She quickly teleported forwards and resumed her run, whilst Flaire carried himself over with a pair of powerful, magic-imbued bounds.

They passed the twenty-ninth checkpoint together, so high up now that Twilight could see over the top of the stands. She became doubly aware of the aching in her legs, but she forced herself to keep pace.

Slits opened up in the pillar wall just ahead, and there was a loud clunking noise as water started flowing out onto the ramp in droves. Much of it ran off the edge, but much more came straight towards the pair of unicorns. The knee-height wave of water – that was the pillar's final trap – would be upon them in seconds.

Thinking fast, Twilight mustered up a low-level water-walking spell and leapt up to literally run forwards across the wave. At her side, Flaire's horn lit up with a powerful light, which cut a narrow path through the water ahead of him – parting whatever liquid it touched to either side.

As they neared the source of the trap, Twilight put a small, localised shield up around the geysers – stopping the flow of the water for the second or so she and Flaire needed to get past. She stumbled as her hooves hit solid stone again, and released her spell as soon as she was past.

The sky overhead became visible as they came up to the final section of the ramp. Just one more circle around and the race would be over.

She and Flaire were still neck and neck – his pace had slowed a little, whilst hers had quickened. A quarter of the way around, Twilight pulled ahead. Another quarter, Flaire took the lead. Another and they were tied again.

The final checkpoint was in sight – two golden flags marking the very top of the pillar. Twilight focussed on the spot just before the finish line and channelled her magic, preparing for one last teleport.

Just as Twilight made to cast, she saw Flaire trip beside her and fall straight onto his knees. Excitement and adrenaline took over as she saw her chance and grasped it – throwing herself forwards and firing off the spell.

She practically soared over the finish line as she came out of the teleport, landing and skidding to a halt on the far edge of pillar's flat pinnacle, to an overwhelming roar of applause.

The announcer's voice tore across the stadium, barely audible above all the hollering. Admist the comments of “Incredible”, “Amazing” and “Unbelievable”, the words “Twilight Sparkle wins!” rang out the loudest.

Twilight's eyes roamed across the stands before her, taking in the hundreds of ponies looking up at her, stomping their hooves and shouting in awe and approval. Exhausted as she was, she couldn't help but let out a relieved and joyful chuckle as she felt the elation welling up inside her.

'What would Trixie do now?' she asked herself in excitement. 'Besides turn her nose up and smirk...'

A playful little urge took hold, and she performed her best impression of Trixie's mane flick, whilst raising a hoof to wave to her crowd. They seemed to like that – among the cheers, it actually inspired a number of whistles too. Twilight couldn't remember ever being so proud to be up in front of so many ponies... except maybe at her graduation from school, since her family were there to see her.

Hoofsteps told of Flaire's approach from behind her. She turned her head – expecting to see a dejected or grumpy stallion looking back at her – only to find that he was smiling. He didn't say anything, he simply sidled up alongside and bowed deeply before her, showing his recognition in front of the audience.

A suspicious, nagging thought tugged at the back of Twilight's mind as she looked down at him, and her lips curled into a thoughtful frown.

He seemed to pay it no mind as he opened his eyes, flashed her one last smile and then turned to wave at the crowd. Despite his loss, they seemed to appreciate his efforts, and continued to cheer loudly. Not that Twilight could really tell which one of them was being cheered for, but she liked to think that she heard a couple of “Yay, Flaire!”'s in there.

“Yes, yes, congratulations to Twilight Sparkle for her victory, and to Flaire as well, for his valiant effort. Thank you both for a fantastic show!”

A loud thud drew both unicorns' eyes to the centre of the platform, where a clean circle of the stone floor had shifted down about a hoof's distance below the rest. It slid to one side, leaving a dark hole leading to the pillar's interior. Twilight and Flaire exchanged a questioning glance.

A moment later, another platform, slightly smaller, rose from within to fill the gap. Atop it stood a red-scarved pegasus mare, who smiled warmly at them. “Congratulations!” she said.

Twilight opened her mouth... and promptly closed it again, not sure how to react to the mare's sudden appearance.

As if sensing Twilight's confusion, the mare gestured to the platform beneath her and explained. “We need to clear the pillar for the next pair, so if you'll please step onto the lift, it'll take you down to a waiting room.”

“Oh!” said Twilight, shaking herself. “Right. Of course.”

Flaire gave an unsubtle chuckle at her side, which Twilight did her best to ignore as she stepped up onto the 'lift'. Flaire joined her, and the pegasus mare stepped off, unfurling her wings and nodding to each of them.

“Thank you! Please keep your hooves on the platform at all times. Enjoy the ride!”

Twilight cocked her head and managed a little, questioning smile as the lift started its slow descent...

* * *

Comments

[Lancer]

Just a quick question. Twilight doesn't have any problem teleporting numerous times so why doesn't she simply teleport past every trap or just straight to the top? I know for some of them she couldn't but it does appear she made a meal of the task. I do understand that her just telporting to the top would have been an anticlimax and not overly interesting for the sake of the story but still. Maybe if teleporting was banned then the race would have made more sense to me.

[FancyPhoenix]

2551539
I'm guessing you didn't notice, but there was a rule stating that the competitors have to pass every single checkpoint or they'll be disqualified, so just teleporting to the top wouldn't be accepted as a victory. Also, at the point where they faced the illusionary flames, Twilight couldn't teleport through because she couldn't see to the other side. Well, she could have teleported, but it would have been too dangerous, as she'd have had no way of seeing where she'd end up.

Now as for the chapter itself, it was awesome Keep it up!

[RTStephens]

Complications... Ominous...

I didn't comment last time so making up for that now. Interesting mechanics for this event, clever and inventive. Even Twilight had to push herself in order to get through.

And that Flaire. Gotta wonder what he's up to and if the last "trip" was really an accident.

I'm guessing Trixie isn't going to be too pleased with Twilight helping the competition, especially the stallion she hates the most.

Also, was that one stallion that explained the rules ever given a name? Seems weird that he would introduce himself.

Moving on!

[Tatsurou]

Am I the only one somewhat disappointed that Twilight didn't use the gravity spell?

[Assasin_Asha]

2552366
Nope, as soon I read about pillar with a spiral around it I imagined Twi doing just that, maybe teleporting to every checkpoint.
Alas, it was not enough of a slope to do so, apparently.

[Chiruno]

2552609
What about the last trap?

[Mattricole]

Loved it!

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Twilight... you idiot.

[KibaWR]

memeorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/admiral_ackbar_says_its_a_trap.jpg

[ChaseArni]

2552366 Well this is supposed to be taking place not too long after Trixie's first visit to Ponyville. Twilight didn't study gravity spells until Celestia called her for the Crystal Empire "test."

[ZeroSpawn]

“True enough,” said Flaire, nodding. “In any case, I hope you won't go easy on me. I'm eager to see what you're capable of.”

28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lg5za3ZKz01qblj9eo1_500.gif

[Emperor]

Great job, Twilight. Of course, Flaire might be exactly as Trixie said he was, but he certainly doesn't appear stupid. Certainly everypony would be cheering against him if he were to win after Twilight's act of selflessness in saving him.

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

That was exciting. Why do I think Flaire is Trixie's brother?