Katniss tossed herself to the left again, and felt the knife just barely knick her.

Great, another cut. I can't keep losing blood like this.

Her father prepared for another strike, but she quickly dove forward into a slice of her own. Once again, his knife was suddenly there, and her blade clattered off.

It's like he knows my every move… which I guess makes sense. Considering he taught me.

"Come on, Katniss. Come to your senses," he said, throwing a punch toward her head. She ducked, only to find that his other arm was waiting with an uppercut. Katniss reeled backward, attempting to shake herself out of the daze. A swift kick connected with her side, almost crumpling her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Holly and the others arrive.

"Katniss! We're here to help!" called out the elf.

Her father turned, giving her friends a glance.

"I guess that's it, then. You win."

The girl wiped the blood off her face. "No."

"Did she just say, 'no'?" questioned Holly, albeit rhetorically.

Katniss winced through her words. "This is something… I have to do."

Her father turned back to her, drawing his knife again.

"Well, kid. You asked for it."

Katniss readied her knife as well. For a moment, the two simply watched another, waiting for the first move. Then, a sliding foot, or a breath taken early- the two read the signals, and struck simultaneously.

The onlookers watched the fight unfold. It was not the deadly grace of a swordfight, but brutal efficiency. Every thrust of a knife was countered with a grab or punch, every slice jumped at in parallel to minimize injury. It was not the style used by two dueling rivals, but by a hunter trapped by a bear. And both Katniss and Mr. Everdeen were simultaneously hunter and bear.

Katniss attempted a two-handed thrust, but her father's knife appeared to parry the attack, just before it would have sunk into his stomach. He countered with a haymaker, which Katniss sidestepped. She was about to follow through with a stab when he delivered a roundhouse to her hand, sending her knife flying.

Her father prepared to strike, lifting his knife into the air.

It's over, Katniss thought. I can't counter him with a knife, and I can't counter him without one. But I have to do this. I have to win. I have to show him that the life I did lead made me stronger. That despite the consequences, my actions made my world a better place. He can say all he wants, but in the end, his motivation is greed. He wants HIS daughters to live the life HE wants them to. At the cost of everyone in Panem. I can't let that happen. I have to attack. But how, if my arsenal of moves is his?

The answer, however farfetched, dawned on her. Her father was still in mid-swing. She had the time.

Okay. Here goes nothing.

She drew back her fist, her eyes fixed upon its target. Holly realized what was happening.

"No. She wouldn't…"

"She wouldn't, what?" Twilight asked.

Katniss tensed her muscles, and shouted with all of her strength. "MOCKINGJAY!"

For a moment, her father realized as well. This was not something he recognized.

"PUUUUNNNCH!"

As Katniss' arm began to travel forward, thousands upon thousands of residual magical particles in the air listened to her cries. They rushed to her fist, and enrobed it in raw power. Of course, Katniss was not aware of this. She saw, without warning, her fist burst into flames, which erupted further into a vaguely bird-like shape. The punch sailed through the air like a comet, trailing its superheated aura behind it. It buried itself in her father's stomach.

"Now that's differ-" he squeaked, before the flames surrounding the punch exploded.

The explosion was compact, but forceful. The grass underneath their feet was burnt away, and dust was kicked into the faces of the onlookers. The recoil knocked Katniss' fist back, and sent her father flying across the clearing, into the burnt forest. A trail of ash clouds rose in his wake, the sound of snapping tree limbs following it.

Katniss fell onto her knees, cradling her still-smoldering hand. Her friends rushed to her.

"What in Frond's name was that?" asked Holly.

"It was a punch," said Ryu. "A really strong punch."

Holly gave him a dry look. "I see why you pursued martial arts as a career."

"That," stated Twilight, "was the Residual Magical Genesis field. It noticed Katniss calling out the attack and figured it was an incantation."

"Attention, all combatants," said the disembodied voice of HAL 9000. "Since no teams remain to oppose their claim, Team Mockingjay has won by default."

"My deepest condolences go to Katniss Everdeen," cut in GLaDOS, "For her father's death. At her hands. The card is in the mail, I assure you."

The remaining warriors began to sink into the ground. All Katniss could do was look at her hand.

"Then… I really did it. I really-"

The darkness surrounded her, and once again she found herself in the common room, surrounded by the other warriors. Holly gave her a hug. Ryu was saying something about giving her lessons in "ansatsuken", whatever that was. She saw Harry emerge through the crowd.

"Listen, I-"

"Don't worry. I spoke with Gandalf," he said. "He explained what the Ring does. I'm surprised you were able to resist as well as you did."

"I, ah, thanks, I guess?"

She saw the Master of Games at the back of the room, speaking to a man she didn't recognize. He was a thin, muscular looking blond, with odd fashion sense and an apparent fondness of the color yellow. She could see why the two got along…

Holly had to shout to speak over the crowd.

"Have you seen Twilight?"

"No," replied Katniss.

"She probably had some nerds to go and talk to. I'm sure we'll see her again soon."

Katniss nodded for her friend, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something about Twilight was just… off. Other than her being a small, magical, talking horned horse. Something about the way she had made such fast friends with Holly… It didn't matter. Katniss was tired. She pushed her way through the crowd to find her room. She collapsed on her bed, and looked up at the coal drawings on her wall.

I only hope I made the right choice.

***

Twilight stared up at the vaulted ceiling, with its tangled mess of cables and coils. It was true, it really was bigger on the inside. Energy pulsed slowly along the walls, and that humming sound was starting to get very annoying. She was glad they told her that it would be a short meeting. In the dim lighting she made out a table where the others were seated, and she took her seat on a cushion placed at the far end. Around the table, the shadowed members of their order sat, whispering about astrophysics, quantum computers, and that their Tesla stocks were doing very well. At the other end sat the boy, his huge bodyguard flanking him. He raised his glass, and tapped it lightly with a fork. The murmurs died down.

"Thank you," he said, setting the glass down, and re-arranging the silverware at proper right angles.

"Once again, you all have my gratitude for joining me here. I give special thanks to The Doctor, for lending us his vessel to use as a meeting place."

The man- or at least, he looked like a man- rose from his chair, bowing. Light applause followed.

The boy continued. "As you all know, I have arranged this meeting to clarify our current status, as well as to hear the report of our agent, Twilight Sparkle. First, I would like to state that we have no immediate plans for intervention. We are too small in number, and breaching the defenses of the Nexus of Carcosa will be no simple matter. Thankfully, we have our inside man, or shall I say, inside mare."

Twilight slid off of her cushion and placed her front hooves on the table.

"Initial analysis indicates that the majority of combatants are unaware of the true nature of the Combat, and are unlikely to respond to direct explanation. Outside of myself, the mage Gandalf is aware. However, his efforts to raise awareness are too small on their own to spread."

"Very well, then," said the boy. "That concludes our meeting. I shall send you a message when we will convene again. You are dismissed. And Miss Suzumiya, do tell Dexter to remember the meeting next time. I have a particular project that requires his technical expertise."

The figures rose from their seats around the table. They extended their arms forward, forming their thumbs and forefingers into triangles as they said the oath in unison.

"Action in Thought. Vigil in Contemplation. Illuminati forever. Illuminati for always."

As they spoke, the boy gave a nod to Twilight. While the rest finished their oath and disappeared back into their own dimensions, she remained. He walked over to Twilight's place, his bodyguard accompanying him.

"So you've been in contact with Holly?" he said, his orderly demeanor broken by a touch of hope.

"Yes," replied the unicorn. "She seems fine, but-"

"But?"

"Well, I detected trace amounts of a Ry'leh distortion emanating from her. She's definitely been in contact with…"

"Then it's as we feared," he said, fear replacing the hope in his voice. "You can go, Twilight."

"I'll try my best, Artemis," whispered Twilight.