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Chapter 1: Anticipation1,520 words
Chapter 2: Hesitance1,932 words
Chapter 3: Encounter2,547 words
Chapter 4: Acceptance2,253 words

Chapter 4: Acceptance

“So what happened next?” Announcer asked, trying not to crack up. Discord sat across from her as they shared a pot of earl gray tea.

“Well, they all went a bit nutty really. All I’d done was make a few renovations to Ponyville. I bet they would have gotten used to it after a while. But even after I put spells on them, they still came back to defeat me with the Elements.”

Discord stroked his beard with a slight frown.

“I guess it goes to show that you can’t be in charge forever - these things have a way of correcting themselves.”

Discord snapped his fingers and a small plate of baked goods appeared on the table in front of them.

“Would you care for a scone?”

Announcer looked up into Discord’s content, smiling face, down at the baked goods, and finally towards the line of monitors.

“I’d better start typing up the battle report. The boys at QA will want to see something for all this time.”

“If you insist,” said Discord, in good humor.

“Let’s see . . .” the Announcer started, as battlefield noises rolled in over the tinny speaker. “The battle has been pretty well matched so far. The team has kept together as well as I could expect them to.”

She paused for a minute, populating a summary table with the tippy-tap of her nails against the keyboard.

“And the color puffs are good learners. Impressive, in fact. You’re positive they haven’t fought before?”

“Sunshine and lollipops, the whole way,” reassured Discord. “Well, whenever I’m not around.”

The typing went on for a few more moments and then came to an abrupt stop, acknowledged by a beep from the computer. The Announcer leaned over and pressed the microphone toggle on her desk.

She spoke loudly and clearly, with a sly undertone in her voice: “The cart has almost reached the final terminus.”

Announcer reached over for some more tea, leaned back in her office chair and watched the rest of the battle unfold.

• • •

As the cart rounded the final corner of the map, Rainbow Dash instantly recognized the goal at the end of the tracks. Both teams were beginning to wear down in spirit, but as the ponies drew slowly towards the finish, they were reinvigorated by the knowledge that it was almost over.

Twilight and Applejack pushed the cart as Rainbow patrolled the air. Rarity slinked through the shadows near the enemy respawn, and honestly none of them really knew where Fluttershy was.

A ways down from the action, Pinkie Pie bounced out of the spawn door, humming her own little tune that harmonically conflicted with the gunshots in the distance. Taking a few meters in each bound, Pinkie made good pace back towards the battlefront.

Bounce, bounce, bounce, *clomp*, bounce, bounce . . .

Pinkie stopped bouncing and looked back reflexively. The entire path back to spawn had been perfectly packed dirt, and yet her cadence had been somehow thrown off. A shiver went down Pinkie’s spine as she retraced her steps to investigate. The gravel resonated with the pitter patter of her hoof prints connecting her chain of landing spots.

Squish.

Pinkie stepped on what appeared to be another flat patch of ground, but instead of the rough sound of shifting gravel, she was met with a soft squelch. Even more shockingly, her hoof wouldn’t touch the ground. It was as if there were some unknown force keeping her from touching down all the way. With a blank expression on her face she put all four hooves on that same spot, and then looked down to find herself a few inches off the ground. She looked at her legs, amused. She was standing in mid air!

Just then she heard a sharp moan come from under her feet, and she shrieked and jumped off to the side.

“Eugh,” muttered Spy, as he decloaked under where she was standing.

“WHO ARE YOU?” Pinkie yelled at Spy, growling under her breath.

“Well let’s just say I’m not on your team,” said Spy, still lying face down on the ground, “I bet you probably figured as much.”

Spy carefully righted himself in the dusty crossroad, and took a moment to brush dirt off his suit. The sun hung low in the late afternoon sky, and the buildings cast long shadows across the narrow path.

“Your pony friends have been befriending our team,” said Spy emotionlessly. “I heard it with my own ears.”

The two of them faced each other as the first hint of evening chill blew through the basin.

“I saw Heavy holding the yellow one,” continued Spy, “and Scout with the blue. I sat and listened as Engineer poured his heart out at two others.”

Pinkie stared at Spy with a mild look of distrust, which quickly changed to a snarl. “No way I’m letting my guard down,” she said with a sneer. “There’s no way my friends would do that. They know what’s best for us, and that’s pushing this cart so we can go home.”

“I think not.”

Spy matched Pinkie’s stare with a calm, calculated glance, and faced towards the battle.

“And the strangest thing,” Spy added, “I think it will be to your advantage.”

Pinkie stood across from him, her aggressive stance slowly dissolving into confusion.

Spy brushed himself off and adjusted his watch and tie. In an abbreviated gesture, he disappeared silently in plain sight.

“Wait!" Pinkie yelled. But Spy was already long gone.

• • •

Blue spawn filled with a flurry of colors as the ponies and men battled at the crux of the cement stadium. Frigid evening air swept through the battlefield, rattling patches of loose sand across the concrete. Spawn after spawn, the ponies would push the cart up, and the blue team would defend it, rolling back their advance. The sun could be seen only on the mountaintops of the distant desert backdrop, and the first stars began to appear in the sky. Both teams fought incessantly to prevent the other from winning, but they were beginning to fatigue after the day of battle. As the last of the evening warmth faded over the horizon, the pit was suddenly illuminated by the bright blue glow of fluorescent fixtures. This was the last stand for both teams, and they knew that the fight would be over soon.

“Ding.”

Everyone looked over at the cart, which sunk into the ground and shot a small, singular flare into the air. The battlefield immediately went silent, and all that could be heard was the faint whistle of the wind blowing through the rickety buildings that surrounded them. Everything was quiet, and for the first time, everything was peaceful. Both teams, chaotic a few seconds prior, now looked at each other without vitriol, without the contempt and criticism that drove them a few moments prior.

The loudspeakers scratched indecisively before relinquishing control to the Announcer.

“Bravo, well done, all of you,” she said straightforwardly, chasing her praise with a series of claps.

Her broadcast echoed starkly, trying to escape from between the cement structures. The teams looked at one another in anticipation.

“Well, I guess you can all go home now. Enjoy your three day weekend and I’ll see you back here on Tuesday morning.”

The microphone hummed faintly with feedback for a few seconds, and ended eventually with a click. The teams were getting a bit edgy, looking at each other with uncertainty.

The loudspeakers came alive again as Discord added a finishing remark.

“That goes for you too, ponies.”

Upon hearing those words, Twilight lost her composure, and her heart started racing. Adrenaline shot through her limbs and a blunt pressure rushed to her head. She tried to think of a reply to Discord, such as “You broke your word,” or “Take us home,” but instead she stood on the cement, silent and helpless, her friends surrounding her in a similar state of turmoil. She pictured herself battling in the same dilapidated compound every day for the rest of her life, or maybe for the rest of eternity. Fluttershy burst into tears followed by Pinkie, the two of them holding each other as Rainbow paced back and forth worriedly. Twilight attempted to collect her thoughts, still shaking from the prospect of being trapped.

“I don’t know what to do . . .” she murmured defeatedly, her head hanging low.

The blue team stood a few feet away from the ponies, beginning to recognize the gravity of the other team’s situation.

Heavy hesitated for a moment, then began to step cautiously yet deliberately towards the ponies. They had been demilitarized by Discord’s threat, and none of them so much as flinched at his approach. Heavy glanced back at his team, who were frantically signalling for him not to advance. He continued towards Fluttershy, kneeled down, and began softly stroking her mane. He stared back at his team with the intensity of a thousand suns, a tear of suffering rolling down his face, falling to the ground in martyrdom. Fluttershy looked up at Heavy, fighting through her tears and mustering a tiny empathetic smile.

Sniper was bold enough to make the next move, taking off his hat in somber recognition of the loss. He was followed by Engineer, who walked over to embrace Applejack, and in turn Scout stepped towards Rainbow Dash, who stopped pacing and looked up at him, the two of them sharing some sort of communion over the turn of events. One by one the two teams converged, attempting to carry the burden of the overwhelming sorrow in the air. They stood in each others’ presence for an indeterminate while, waiting as time tempered the intensity of their emotions.

Heavy was once again first to break the silence.

“I quit,” Heavy said with a disgusted look on his face, speaking sternly to convey the message to his teammates. He spoke adamantly, drawing energy from the tension in the air. “I have fought many battles,” he continued, “And when I fail, Announcer gives me will to keep going.”

Heavy took a moment to rest his voice, and to collect words for his next few sentences.

“Our goal is to win. Our team is forceful in spirit and battle.”

Heavy’s voice trailed off, and his nose crinkled in disapproval.

“But this,” Heavy gestured weakly with his hand, “Our team does not stand for this.”

Taken one for one, the team members were of negligible value to the company, but together they felt the professional power of being an irreplaceable team.

“I quit too,” Sniper said briefly, and tossed his hat off to the edge of the battle-torn arena.

“Yep,” added Scout, “I don’t need the money enough. I’m outta here.”

“Seems like as soon as you meet new friends in this place,” continued Engineer, “Announcer does something to muck the whole thing up.”

One by one the team came to agreement. None had realized how fed up the others were until everyone’s feelings came to an unguarded climax.

“How 'bout we all hit the bar,” suggested Engineer, feeling rather proud of the team’s accomplishment that evening. “There’s still plenty left of the night so far . . .”

Engineer’s voice trailed off as he looked back at the ponies, who still looked miserable on the cold cement. His train of thought was interrupted by the Announcer, whose voice blasted suddenly from the loudspeaker.

“YOU CAN’T DO THAT,” Announcer screamed, trying and failing to command authority in her voice. “I promise I’ll be better to you. I promise you’ll get more breaks, and I promise the battles will be easier. Leaving the company is not an option. What else can I promise you?”

Announcer’s voice conveyed genuine fear over her employment.

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” replied Engineer, and the rest of his team mirrored his decision in friendly glances.

They heard a loud bang over the intercom, and a door slam in the background. Another voice took over the microphone.

“Well you’ve got me in a bind, ponies,” clamored Discord, “Without Announcer on board, there’s not much I can do. Sure I could keep you here, but what’s the point if there’s no one else to play with?”

Twilight took the opportunity to speak up.

“How about you take us home then, Discord? You said yourself there’s no point in staying here, the least you could do is take us back to Equestria.”

“I guess I did say that . . .” Discord reiterated, trying to buy more time to think. “I suppose we can go back now. It just seems like such a shame that things turned out the way they did.”

Before Discord could teleport the ponies back to Ponyville, Twilight did so first, putting them near Twilight’s house and giving them a head start towards the Elements of Harmony. Discord followed shortly after.

The blue team stood under the stadium lights for another minute as static came in over the main loudspeakers. Contrary to what they expected, they felt closer to one another now that they weren’t forced together as a team by the company. Even if they were drawn apart by distance, as time would certainly guarantee, they would always remain together in spirit.

“Less get drunk,” murmured Demoman, and they all walked towards the bar down the road.

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