Equestrian Throwdown

Chapters

A Dream Come True- The summoned.
Rules of the Game- The First Rookie challenge begins.
The Everfree Forest- part 1
Nacht Jäger- The finale of the Everfree Forest
Peace times 1 part 1
Peace Times 1 part 2
Peace times 1 part 3
Study Session: The Tale of Athelina
Balrog: The Secret of the Nacht Jäger
Party of Joy
Labyrinth: The Second Challenge begins!
The Fall of Skylark?
The Serpent's embrace; The Sun's request
A desperate battle, the ally from within
True Nacht Jäger: The finale of the Labyrinth
Locked in, no regrets
A week's reprieve: The Survivors part 1
A Reckless Choice- The Survivors Part 2
Magic 101
Desperate measure- The summoning
A brief rest: The story behind the games

A Dream Come True- The summoned.

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Rules of the Game- The First Rookie challenge begins.

"Alright- as the lot of you- ponies and familiars alike- are new here, I'll explain the rules to you." The orientation pony began to speak, only for the cobalt unicorn to burst out in anger.

"Hold on! We already read our manuals! What is the point of us listening to the rules again?!" the cobalt unicorn asked, and Miles crossed his arms.

"Just because the ponies read it does not mean us 'familiars' have been brought up to speed." Skylark replied as the orientation pony nodded.

"I gotta say, you are quick to figure things out." the orientation pony complimented Skylark, who smiled. "Well, there are alot more rookies than we had been expecting, as such- we will be kicking things off with a set of preliminaries." the stallion started to explain. "You are only five out of fifteen rookies, the five of you are on the yellow block and will be competing against the red and blue blocks. The series of events serve to dwindle down the amount of rookies so that only the best will make their way to the actual games."

"That's a load of bull!" the minotaur shouted, only for the cobalt unicorn to sigh.

"It can't be helped, Taurus. You'll just have to fight your way to the top." he replied, and the orientation pony continued on.

"The first challenge will be the most dangerous- only those capable of surviving under harsh conditions will be able to pass through to the next round." the orientation pony stated before Miles rose his hand.

"Excuse me, but exactly how many challenges are there? And how long will this competition go on for?" he asked, and the pony smiled.

"That's the thing- these games could go on for weeks, depending on how interesting things get. The amount of challenges vary- the Rookie Preliminaries will end once only the top three performers are left. Then you, along with the veteran players, will compete in another set of games."

"So for all we know, we could be competing for a month?" he asked rhetorically, but then the orientation pony spoke up.

"For all we know, this competition would last all year long." he replied, and soon took out a quill and paper. "I would like all summoners and, if possible, the familiars to give their names. I would also like to know what species each familiar is." he instructed, and the cobalt stallion stepped up first with his minotaur.

"Cobalt Horn." The unicorn stated while the minotaur slammed his fist into his palm.

"Taurus, Minotaur!" the minotaur introduced himself, prompting the emerald green mare to step forward.

"Emerald Warbler. And this is Erubetie- the slime." she replied, the brown mare joining them.

"Citrine Glimmer, and with me is a manticore." Citrine stated, while black stallion stepped forward.

"Onyx Heart, and I brought a Displacer Beast." the black stallion introduced itself, and finally, it was Lyra's turn to speak. She swallowed nervously, stepping forward.

"My name is Lyra Heartstrings...and this..." her hesitation was enough to prompt the human to step forward.

"Miles Skylark, human." he introduced himself, much to the surprise of the other ponies. The shock didn't seem to deter Taurus, however, as he laughed.

"Don't think that a puny little runt like you will be able to get through these games!" the minotaur laughed, and Miles smirked.

"Never know until I try, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow before the orientation pony nodded and cast a spell- transporting the familiars into another room- revealing the fifteen rookies. While Miles could not figure out every single one of them, the displacer beast could not contain its excitement, clawing at the barrier that kept each one separated from the other.

"Ladies and gentlecolts! Today, we will be starting off with the rookie preliminaries! These fifteen participants will race through the entirety of the Everfree Forest. It is a simple test of survival- The game will end once all survivors make their way to the other side of the forest- where we will see them emerge- and when those participants still in the forest perish." an announcer called, while the ponies who watched them began to cheer. They were all within the Colosseum- but through a series of magical projections, were able to see the contestants. "Once every one of them are inside the Everfree Forest, the barriers surrounding them will dissipate. Attacking one another will be free game- they may kill each-other to reduce the competition, and they may even run into native creatures from the forest itself." The announcer continued as Taurus called to Miles.

"Don't think I'm gonna hold your hand during this!" the minotaur warned the human, who nodded.

"Don't think I need it!" he replied quickly, but then began to think about his plan. This should be a fairly straight run. All I have to do is bolt it- no looking back, no delays. he thought to himself. His legs tensed up slightly before relaxing as he took a deep breath. Just focus on running straight ahead. Focus on your legs. Focus on winning this round, for Lyra! he reminded himself.

Meanwhile, Lyra had just taken her seat next to the other rookies, feeling odd as she noticed just how many ponies were excited to watch them eliminate each-other from the competition. She was particularly wary of Onyx Heart, who's Displacer Beast looked the most ferocious- even more so than Citrine's manticore.

"Shouldn't you be worried about your own familiar rather than me?" Onyx questioned the mare, having sensed her fear. The unicorn looked away, only at the forest entrance where she could only hope her human would get out safely.

"Alright! Shall we begin the countdown?" the announcer asked, and a large group of the ponies cheered.

"TEN!" they shouted in unison as Miles got into a position to start running. His right foot was forward, staring intent at the forest edge.

"Nine!, Eight! Seven!" the audience shouted as the fifteen familiars were all preparing themselves.

"Six!" the displacer beast bared its fangs, tentacles tensing up.

"Five! Four!" Erubetie focused on her own plans.

"Three!" Lyra put her hooves together as if she were praying.

"Two!" Taurus smirked as he stared at the forest.

"One!" Miles tensed up, ready to go.

"GOOOOO!" and with that, all of the familiars went on a mad dash towards the forest edge. The displacer was the first go get there, followed by a dog, then Erubetie. Taurus and Miles got in their simutaneously, and once the rest of the fifteen got in there, the glow from their barriers faded- leaving them vulnerable in the forest.

(to be continued)

Author's Note

Kind of a short chapter, but I had plans for the next two and I didn't wanna exposition in along with the entirety of the first challenge. I admit, I did not reveal all of the rookie-familiars because I did not think of all of them yet.

The Everfree Forest- part 1

His bare feet against the forest grass was a bit unnerving to the human as he was weaving through the trees. The sounds of the other familiars running served only to motivate him to keep going, but he had to keep an eye out. Taurus might try to prove his point and go for me first...and that displacer beast didn't look too happy either. he thought, ducking to avoid a rather low reaching branch. He could hear Taurus' grunt-like breathing, imagining it was a piece of cake for a minotaur to run in conditions like this. The human, on the other hand, began to slow down, his hand traveling to his stomach- which felt like it was burning up. Stopping near a tree, Skylark looked around at his surroundings as he tried to catch his breath. Gritting his teeth, the human shook his head, but to no avail. Memories flooded his mind as he put his palm against his forehead.

"Little bro? Please, just hold on a bit more- we're almost there!"a woman's voice echoed, the sounds of heavy breathing and hurried foot steps flooding his ears. He shook his head again, before he continued to run. For what seemed like forever navigating through the trees, the human kept glancing around until a sickening sound was heard, coupled by the pained roars of something deep in the forest.

"And it seems like one of our contestants has just been eliminated!" the announcer called as the magic-image of the manticore had flickered then faded- much to the mixed surprise and joy of the crowd as they went wild. Fluttershy, who was sitting with her friends for Lyra's sake, let out a soft whimper and trembled. Applejack, who was sitting right next to her, gave her a gentle hug in her attempt to comfort her.

"Why are these ponies enjoying this?" she asked, doing her best not to cry out of her fear as she buried her face against Applejack. "They're cheering for the death of innocent creatures.." she whimpered, and the orange earth pony rubbed Fluttershy's back.

"These ponies are insane, Flutters." AJ replied bluntly, but smiled softly and nuzzled her friend. "But I'm sure we'll be able to put an end to this soon...I just wish we could have done so three years ago- it'd save so march damn trouble." she sighed, and Twilight Sparkle let out a dejected sigh from hearing that.

"If the Elements of Harmony weren't dampened, we would have stopped these 'games' from starting to begin with. But we can't forget about the friends we all have. We need to support her through this- and to save all of our other friends from this insanity." the purple unicorn said as Bon Bon kept her hooves together, as if praying for Lyra's sake.

Lyra, who had zoned out from her intent stare at the forest, flinched a little when Onyx Heart decided to speak. She looked at the black stallion, who had a cold, yet curious look on his face.

"That was an interesting creature you summoned...He called himself a 'human', right?" the stallion asked, but did not wait for an answer. "I'm no expert on humans, but just from looking, I can tell his chances are slim." he bluntly told the human-obsessed mare, who naturally lashed out.

"You don't know that for sure!" she yelled, only to cause Onyx Heart to chuckle.

"You're right, I do not know for sure. I am not certain if he is anything more than an overgrown chimp- but he certainly looked the weakest out of the Yellow Block." Onyx justified his statement while Lyra looked back at the forest. Please...be safe... she thought, hoping for the best when it came to her familiar.

Back inside of the Everfree Forest, Miles managed to run into a clearing, the sun in the sky setting as the moon was rising. He wondered how much further he had to go, but before he could look for a tall tree to climb, the human smirked slightly. "I know you're here, Taurus." he called out as the minotaur, now carrying a makeshift hammer made out of a large stone and a branch, revealed himself, gritting his teeth a bit while letting out a loud snort.

"I didn't think you'd catch on so quickly." the minotaur commented, hands tightening around his hammer.

"I didn't think a minotaur's horns could stick out so far, you compensating for something? It's ok- no one is perfect." he replied nonchalantly, easily pissing off Taurus as he began to bull-rush the human, swinging the hammer wildly as the human rolled out of the way, focusing on dodging the minotaur's attacks. A bull with a short fuse is one thing...but as I am right now, a direct hit from that hammer could seriously mess me up. he thought to himself while ducking a strong swing. Stamping his hoof onto the human's foot, Taurus smirked.

"Hold still!" Taurus shouted before swinging his hammer again. Skylark only had a split moment to react, choosing to turn his body so that his left arm would take the brunt of the impact before he was sent tumbling along the grass.

Son of a bitch that hurt! he thought, trying to push himself up as blood trickled down his left arm, the jagged parts of the stone hammer having gouged into him. His right hand instinctively clutching the wounded area, the human struggled to push himself up and tough it through the pain. However, a deep, purr like growl caught his ear, prompting him to glance behind him. Oh that can't be good.. he mused, looking forward at Taurus, who smirked.

"I gotta hand it to you, you are quicker than you look." the minotaur laughed, clearly amused by the human's struggles to stand. "Don't tell me you still plan to fight me like that." Taurus taunted Skylark, who maintained a serious look on his face.

"That's what I would say, but we have a bigger problem to deal with than each-other." he winced as his left arm throbbed, his right hand glistening from the blood on it. The minotaur prepared himself to swing the hammer once again, arcing a brow with a confident smirk.

"And what might that be?" the minotaur mockingly asked before charging at the human. Skylark ducked as a large cat pounced at the minotaur.

"That!" Skylark yelled as he got back up, watching as Taurus flinched, backhanding the six-legged panther and causing it to tumble to the side. "I didn't think the displacer beast would single us out like this." he commented, and the minotaur laughed again, much to the human's surprise.

"You're scared of an overgrown kitty?" Taurus asked, but as the beast went to lash out at him, he moved to the side, only for his right arm to receive a sizable wound- from the look of it, it was a claw-injury. "What in Tartarus?!" Taurus asked, and Skylark realized why it happened.

"That creature can trick us into thinking it is where it is not!" he informed the minotaur, keeping his eyes focused on the grass. "I fought an illusionist back where I came from. Focus on the ground and-" he attempted to relay a tactic to the minotaur, who immediately rejected the idea.

"I'm not gonna look at the dirt just because you say so! That's no fun at all!" Taurus shouted, annoying the human.

"Do you have any better ideas then?!" he asked, hopping to avoid a swing of the spiked tentacle from the displacer beast.

Back at the stadium, the announcer smiled as he saw the images of Taurus, Skylark, and the displacer beast flickered and flashed red for a moment simultaneously. "Alright everypony! Looks like three of our contestants have just ran into each other. Our relayers will display the scene for you all to see now!" he called out as five unicorns projected a large image depicting the clearing of the Everfree Forest, showing the three contestants getting ready to have it out.

"Skylark!" Lyra called out at the sight of the injured human on the display, while Cobalt and Onyx watched with interest as their familiars were also in the fray. Fluttershy began to cower while Rarity, Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie focused on comforting the yellow pegasus. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight all watched intently.

"I saw we just charge this pussy-cat and get it done!" Taurus shouted, and Skylark hesitated a bit before sighing in a defeated manner.

"Do what you have to do and so will I." he said through clenched teeth, looking at his bloodied palm before back at in the general direction of the displacer beast, focusing on the moonlit grass. Two on one helps our chances...but I wish I didn't have to use that just yet... he thought as he cracked his neck and took a breath, the displacer beast scanning the two with predatory intent.

~tbc~

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait/false publish. I had clicked the wrong button, thus I had an incomplete chapter up for a few seconds.

Nacht Jäger- The finale of the Everfree Forest

Taurus and Skylark both gritted their teeth while deliberating their next move, the human glancing at the minotaur then at the displacer beast, which let out a loud roar. Two on one..the odds would be nice...except I don't have any thing remotely similar to a weapon- so wide-sweeps are not an option for me. he thought, but soon the displacer beast lunged at the spot in between them. "It's coming from your left!" he warned as the minotaur moved, just barely avoiding a fatal strike from the creature, although he received a lash to the chest from the spiked tentacles.

"Damn it! You better come up with something better than your little dirt watching strategy! This is bullshit!" the minotaur shouted and began to attack with wide swings from his hammer. Skylark saw that kept the beast at bay for a bit, but then realized from the movements of the blades of grass that it focused its attention onto him. What the ponies in the stadium would see as random dancing were evasive movements as Skylark at least knew where the attacks were coming from.

"OOH! OOH! Is this a new dance!?" Pinkie Pie asked, hopping in her attempts to imitate the human, a bright smile on her face while the rest of the crowd roared with laughter at Skylark's amusing movements. From side-steps to twirls, even a somersault, it was like he was putting on a show for the ponies.

"Why is he doing that?" Cobalt and Lyra questioned simultaneously and Onyx smirked.

"He caught onto my creature's ability." he started, looking at the two. "You noticed how his eyes were on the grass, if I'm not mistaken. He is guessing the movements of the displacer beast through the real body disrupting the grass...but even so, to dodge with such precision, he must have something else going for him." Onyx Heart reasoned, and Lyra sighed softly.

"I just hope he'll be ok..." she said

Running is not an option, and I can't keep dodging forever. he thought as he jumped back to get out of reach."Damn it, we'll never win like this." he finally agreed with Taurus before thinking of a plan. He sighed at the notion that he was left with no further options as he continued dodging the creature's attacks, but suddenly stopped when he noticed the creature stopped and that Taurus had been tripped over. SHIT! the human thought, wiping his index and middle fingers across the bleeding wound.

"Son of a cow!" the minotaur shouted, having dropped his hammer before hitting the ground. He only heard the growling of the displacer beast above him, having been pinned down.

Cobalt Horn flinched, but tensed up and punched the air with his hoof. "Come on! You can do better than that!" he shouted in anger as Onyx Heart stared.

"Looks like this might be it for Cobalt Horn's minotaur, folks! As powerful as he was, he could not handle the deception of the- what's this?!" The announcer asked, having just noticed Skylark sprinting towards the minotaur's impromptu weapon. "Lyra Heartstring's representative seems to have taken to the offensive- but what could he possibly hope to accomplish that Cobalt's representative could not?" he asked dramatically, but eventually he- and everypony else in the stadium, got their answer.

"Nacht Jäger!" Skylark shouted right when his hands gripped the branch-handle, and with an astonishing burst of speed, swung the hammer just above Taurus's head- blood spurting from seemingly nowhere until the illusion faded, the displacer beast having been struck by the jagged edge. As a tentacle was severed from its back, the cat was sent tumbling from the force of the attack, its purple blood soaking the jagged stone.

"I can't believe my eyes, everypony! Our mystery monster had just saved the minotaur's life, but what could he possibly gain from such a deed?" the announcer asked, and Lyra cheered for her human's moment of triumph, Cobalt Horn staring at the display in shock before looking at Lyra in disbelief. Onyx's pupils shrank slightly, but he retained his composure while watching.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow Dash cheered, but saw Twilight's expression. She was genuinely shocked that Lyra's familiar pulled off such a feat in a split second. "You ok, Twi?" she asked, and the unicorn nodded.

"Yeah, but that one is interesting to say the least...Could the power of friendship possibly have a thing to do with it?" she wondered before the focus went back to the trio in the forest. Tossing the hammer over his shoulder so Taurus could catch it, Skylark knelt down to pick up the severed tentacle, staring at the displacer beast as it struggled to get up.

"Not bad, not bad at all, kid." the minotaur complimented the human, who didn't spare him a glance just yet, but smirked as he got ready to fight. "What, are you going to suggest we use this chance to run?" he asked, but blinked when the human looked at him, showing his eyes had turned from blue to gold. A rather confident, if not feral smirk was plastered on his face.

"Bullshit! We're taking this thing down!" he replied, and the minotaur let out a confident roar.

"Now you're talking my language!" he smirked as the two looked at the wounded cat before charging at it with their makeshift weapons- a stone hammer and a tentacle-flail. The displacer beast tried to pounce, but received a sudden lash to the face with its severed spiked tentacle, distracting it and letting Taurus smash it in the side with his hammer.

"This is unheard of- it's incredible! Cobalt and Lyra's monsters have teamed up against Onyx's beast!" the announcer commented while the crowd cheered at the new development. Lyra smiled brightly, Cobalt cheered while Onyx closed his eyes.

The human ran forward, outpacing the minotaur and the displacer beast, swinging his improvised flail into the other spiked tentacle, tearing it off of the feline as it howled in agony. It's attempt to lash out at the first assailant only allowed it to take another harsh blow, this time to the face, by Taurus. Grabbing the second tentacle, the golden eyed human went for a gutsy move, swinging both spiked whips into the creature's throat and leaping over it with inhuman agility, restraining it from trying to run away. It howled in agony, blood spurting from its throat and mouth before the minotaur crushed the beast's skull with his hammer.

The crowd roared at the duo's victory, and although Fluttershy had kept her eyes shut the entire time, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were relieved to see their friend's representative succeed.

"I've never seen such teamwork in the three years these games have been up! But now we have to see what the two will do with each-other since their common enemy is no more. Unfortunately, the unicorns projecting the fight are getting tired, so we won't see the results until after the contestants escape the forest. Speaking of which, our first just came out of the forest." The announcer directed their attention to a puddle which formed into a pony- Erubetie had slipped her way through the forest unharmed. She was then joined by a black dog and three other monsters.

Back with Taurus and Skylark, the two stared at the fresh corpse of the displacer beast, the minotaur looking at his hammer, which had broken into pieces from the constant use. Finally deciding to speak after an awkward silence, Taurus looked at the human.

"So, what now?" he asked, for once sounding uncertain about what to do- having witnessed the human's abilities so far. He blinked when the human turned to look at him, his eyes fading back to their normal blue color with a smile on his face.

"Dinner?" he suggested, and about ten minutes later, the two were sitting with a camp-fire between them, each cooking a skinned hind-leg of the displacer beast over the flames. The the two stayed silent for a bit, at least until Skylark decided to ask a rather random question. "So...what was your home like before you were warped here?" he asked, checking on the meat as the minotaur smiled.

"It was a real warrior's paradise. Anyone who fought would know praise Hell- you'd probably be a star there with your crazy gnat-jaguar or whatever you called it." he chuckled, bringing a soft smile to the human's face. "That's why I am excited to be a part of this game. Same rules, different locale." he added, but soon the minotaur wondered. "What about your home?" he asked, and the human checked his roasting leg again, finding it to be just right for him, nice and juicy as he took a bite out of it. Swallowing, the human took a breath.

"Too large to describe..although all I ever knew was a home near a forest like this one. People just didn't value those with power as much as those in your home do- I'll tell you that." he explained, looking up at the stars. "I can't say I like this game, but I am grateful to be a part of it." he stated his contradictory opinion before looking back down. "It is kinda strange...I guess you could say this is my second chance." he explained before taking another bite out of the cooked cat leg while Taurus began to eat his displacer beast leg.

A soft growling directed their attention to the side, seeing a pack of wolves. While Taurus grunted, annoyed at this, Miles stood up with an amused chuckle.

"Relax, they mean us no harm yet." he instructed, lobbing the rest of his cat-leg in the direction of the carcass, to which the wolves gathered up and started to eat. "Come on, we've overstayed our welcome here." he stated, and Taurus followed his lead- leaving the wolves to their free meal as the fire died out. About an hour later, the two finally exited the forest to see the five other monsters, and the announcer chimed in.

"And our last two rookie familiars have made it out of the forest! That means that two from the yellow block, two of the blue block, and all but one of the red block have been wiped out! Let's give a round of applause to our seven survivors!" the announcer called as the crowd roared. Skylark looked around, only to be knocked clean off of his feet as Lyra had tackled him, hugging him as they both hit the ground.

"I'm so glad you're safe! I don't know what I..." she didn't even finish her sentence before she began to nuzzle her human's face, but the galloping of ponies rushing to meet them flooded Skylark's ears.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash cheered while Applejack smiled, nudging him.

"Hoo-wee! I gotta admit, I've never seen a fight as intense as that!" she complimented him while Lyra got off of him and Twilight helped him stand up.

"As we have a great deal of preparation for the next challenge, we will be taking the next couple of days off. Until then, have fun!" the announcer bid the crowd farewell. As the group returned to the main hall of the stadium, Lyra was approached by one of the officials, handed a pouch filled with bits. Even though it was a preliminary round, Lyra had just received her first payment, and after reading how much was in it, she smiled and brushed against her human once again.

"I really appreciate this, Skylark." she thanked her familiar, who rubbed the back of his head with a soft smile.

"No need to thank me. But you're not out of the woods yet, Master." he replied, although Twilight Sparkle felt like she had to cut in.

"I think we should all head to Ponyville. It is one of the last two 'calm' places left." the purple unicorn instructed the group, and they unanimously agreed on it, following Twilight Sparkle out of the stadium. Exhaustion was then getting to the human, who let out a loud yawn. The sooner they got there, the sooner he could get some sleep.

Eventually, the nine reached Ponyville, and the human was surprised at the feeling of the very air- it felt like it had a much calmer atmosphere than the colosseum did- but it was not a bad thing. The human relaxed, a bit too much as his eyes closed and he had fallen foward, being caught by his master.

"Skylark?" she asked, only to hear him snore softly, causing her to giggle.

"That game must've tuckered him out!" Applejack chuckled while Lyra hoisted her familiar onto her back. He was pretty light compared to the ponies, so he was easier to carry.

"I'll just take him back to my place, at least I can make him comfy while he sleeps." Lyra yawned, before bidding her friends farewell, going back to her home with the human in tow. Putting the bit bag in a safe spot, the unicorn carried her human to her bedroom, gently placing him on the bed before, after a moment of thinking, climbing in and hugging herself against him. She brought her mouth to his ear, regardless of whether or not he could hear her, and whispered "Good night, Miles.." before drifting off to sleep.

(tbc)

Author's Note

No, I am not going on a hiatus as the announcer may have implied. I am taking the opportunity to flesh out the story more, for better or for worse.

Peace times 1 part 1

Having felt the first relaxing slumber in ages, Miles was a bit unwilling to get up when Lyra prodded his face with a hoof, his eyes closing tighter for a bit. However, a poke in the cheek with her horn caused the human to sit up, rubbing his face, much to the amusement of the unicorn. To her, he looked pretty silly with a case of bed-head and being half-awake, and he wiped his mouth, realizing there was drool on his face.

"S-sorry.."Hhe apologized instinctively, but all he got was a gentle nudge. Staring at him with her tangelo eyes, the unicorn only offered a soft smile as motioned for him to get out of the bed. He did so, but immediately turned his attention back to the bed as he began to fix the sheets. Lyra did nothing to stop him, preferring to observe her human's behavior while he made the bed.

"So...." Skylark started, rubbing the back of his head, the unicorn's ears perking. "Do you happen to know where I could wash up?" he asked, blinking when her ears flicked

"Oh! You humans take baths too?" She asked, an excited form of curiosity evident in her tone as she motioned for Skylark to follow her. A few moments of walking, his footsteps drowned out by her hooves, and the two had made it to the bathroom. "Did your world have something like this?" she asked curiously, and the human blushed a little.

"Yeah, something like it...though it wasn't nearly as cool as this one looks." Skylark replied, stretching and rubbing his neck before Lyra turned on the water, although instead of running a bath, she had turned on the shower.

"It gets even cooler! It's like cleaning yourself with rain!" She tried to encourage the human, who smiled meekly, which she noted was a little strange considering how brutal of a fighter he had been the previous night. "There's a block of soap and a bottle of shampoo if you need it." she added in, pointing out the pink block and a blue bottle respectively before the human nodded.

"Thank you." He smiled, taking off his tattered shirt, revealing a slender, yet toned physique. He was about to take off the pants, but then stopped as he realized that Lyra was staring at him. "Uh..." he trailed off, feeling uncomfortable as he nearly stripped himself naked in front of his master.

"Oh! Please, don't mind me." Her response surprised the human, who's face turned a shade of pink before he sighed softly. I guess I can't really protest, can I? he thought as he dropped his pants, but stepped into the shower and moved the curtain quickly to at least obscure himself a little. The unicorn chuckled softly at his behavior before using her magic to pick up the tattered clothes. "Take as long as you need, Sky" She smiled before leaving the room, allowing the the human to start cleaning himself in private. The first thing he grabbed was the bar of soap, feeling the water foam on his hand as it ran across the pink bar. It felt strange, but the bar itself smelled really sweet.

Against his better judgement, Skylark tried to bite into the bar, only for the horrible taste to coat his tongue, his eyes widening before he desperately washed out his mouth with the shower water. It took him a while, but the human had finally figured out how to use the soap as he was rubbing it against his body, scrubbing himself clean. As the filthy water went down the drain, Skylark had already looked much cleaner than he did- but he actually began to enjoy the feeling of the warm water washing down on him- working the soap over his left arm, where the blood from last night had dried. Smiling softly when he saw that there was no scarring- he quickly finished soaping himself- rinsing the bar off before placing it back on the shelf it rested on.

Meanwhile, Lyra had been outside, taking out the trash as she put the tattered clothes in and closed the lid. A smile spread on her face as she looked back at her house. I bet he'll love not having to wear those shreds. she thought as she trotted back into the house. Reaching in the closet for a towel, she smiled when she heard the water being turned off and made her way back to the bathroom. "Hey! I brought a towel for you." she called to her human, using her magic to throw the towel inside the room. She watched as he dried himself off, taking in his uncovered appearance as best as she could before he wrapped the towel around his waist. Her eyes then focused on a light purple crescent moon on his left shoulder- just where it met the neck.

"You sure do clean up nicely!" Lyra's eyes were sparkling from the new sight as she gave him the compliment. It was easier to see him blush and murmur an unsure 'thank you?', which only served to make him that much more amusing to the unicorn before he blinked- realizing something.

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude...but do you know what happened to my clothes?" He asked, but saw a wide grin spread on his master's muzzle. He was worried the moment he asked, and this would be proven that it was with good reason once he heard her answer.

"I threw them out." She told him the truth, much to his dismay. Seeing his disappointment, the unicorn hoped to get this to be better than he thought. "Come on- those rags would have made you look awful!" She tried to reason with him as he took a deep breath.

"It's not that. It's just- those were my only clothes. With all due respect, Milady, I can't just walk around naked- and keeping a towel around my waist all day will just be plain silly." He stated his concern, but the unicorn only smiled, clapping her hooves together for a brief moment.

"I have just the thing for that." She responded, and within a few long minutes, Skylark was finally wearing some clothes. Although, he trembled and blushed all the while- turning out to be very awkwardly wearing a pink formal gown.. It was very weird, as it only covered his lower body.

Better than being stark naked, I suppose... He thought, looking at his master as she smiled.

"My old gown looks cute on you! It really brings out your cutie mark." she complimented her human, who raised an eyebrow.

"A cutie-what now?" he asked, but then realized when he glanced at the crescent moon marking on his body. "This?!?" he asked, pointing at it before receiving a nod from Lyra.

"Yeah!...Oh? You don't know what a cutie-mark is?" She asked before turning around, showing off her flank, running a hoof across the area where the picture of a lyre stood out. "It's a mark all ponies will get- when we find our special talent- the thing we are destined to do." She continued to explain. "In my case, my talent lies in playing the harp." she finished.

"Lyre." He corrected her playfully, causing the unicorn to blink.

"It's the truth! I got my mark as soon as I-" She tried to defend herself, only then realizing what he said. Her face turning pink, Lyra put on a deadpan face. "You just had to make that joke, didn't you?" She asked, but before she could get any form of answer, a ringing was heard from outside. Looking at one another before Skylark offered a shrug, the duo made their way to the door, which Lyra opened. "Oh! Hey Twilight, how are you?" Lyra asked upon seeing who had pulled the rope for her doorbell.

"I'm fine, all things considered.." Twilight Sparkle started, being cut off once Rainbow Dash caught up to her and burst into laughter at the human's situation. The three looked at the blue pegasus before the purple unicorn turned her attention back to Lyra. "I was wondering, would I be able to borrow Skylark for today? I mean, aside from your theories and..well, 'research'- we know nothing about humans. This would be a great chance to study him and conduct a cross-examination with the notes you have written down." She stated and justified her request, and the teal unicorn thought before nodding.

"I don't see why not. Just promise me you'll figure out everything you can about him." She agreed, to which the purple unicorn nodded with a smile, nudging Skylark softly. "You're alright with following Twilight Sparkle, right?" she asked, and the human put his arms to his sides, bowing his head slightly.

"Of course, Milady...Oh! There should be something sewn on the inside of that shirt you threw out." He informed Lyra, who's ears perked up. "I don't know how much they would go for here- but perhaps they'll help you?" e added, and bid adieu to Lyra, who went to get the shirt back to see what he was talking about. He had to ignore the strange looks from other ponies until Twilight Sparkle had gotten him out of earshot from Lyra, Rainbow Dash not too far behind while snickering at the fact he was wearing a pony's dress. Eventually, he had enough and looked right at her.

"I know it looks silly- but there was nothing else available!" he defended himself, his cheeks red as a cherry before his stomach growled- which only made Rainbow Dash laugh even more from the sudden change in mood. Twilight Sparkle noticed this and smiled softly.

"We were going to take you to Carousel Boutique to see if Rarity can set you up with some more..dignified clothes. But Sweet Apple Acres is the same distance from here-" She tried to suggest, but Rainbow Dash had cut her off with a question of her own.

"Wait, can humans even eat apples?" The pegasus pony asked abruptly, causing Skylark to laugh softly.

"Yes, humans can. We can eat just about any kind of food, really." he replied with a smile on his face before Twilight decided to try something, opening up a notepad and scribbling down something.

"Where do you want to go first then? We can stop by Sweet Apple Acres and see if Applejack will teach you about apple-bucking- or we could go to Carousel Boutique to get you a better outfit." the unicorn asked. Rather than just sticking to common sense, Twilight Sparkle wanted to start her studies and take note of the human's choices. He crossed his arms and tilted his head as he thought about this. He wasn't starving, but it would become a nuisance later on. On the other hand, he didn't know how long he could tolerate wearing Lyra's gown.

(tbc)

Author's Note

Here is the first chapter of the Peace Times saga- a fragmented set of chapters which will detail the lives of the characters in between the challenges.

You may be wondering why I cut off there- well, I'll tell you. I originally planned on Miles getting a new set of clothes immediately, but then I realized that it wouldn't be as fun if it was just a linear progression. So, I wanted to give the awesome readers a say in the matter- who should Skylark go to first- Applejack or Rarity?

Please post your vote in the comments and we'll see which one is the winner.

Peace Times 1 part 2

After a few moments, the human nodded, having made his decision before he looked to Twilight Sparkle.

"If it's all the same- I'd like to see Lady Rarity first. I'm not starving, and to be honest- I would like to get some dignity back." he gave his answer, who jotted down the decision and the reasoning before smiling.

"Alright then- follow us." she instructed the human, trotting down the road with Rainbow Dash and Skylark, the former still snickering into her hoof, the latter resisting the urge to punch her. Ponies gave him odd, somewhat amused looks as they passed the trio- the three making their way to the rather extravagant building. Before Twilight could open the door, a young male voice could be heard.

"R-Rarity, I don't think I can hold on to them all." the voice stammered before the posh mare's voice called to refute this.

"Nonsense dear, you just need a bit more balance on the boxes." Rarity told the source of the voice as Twilight opened the door, revealing the scene. A small purple dragon with green spikes was holding an assortment of colored boxes, which the human of the trio could only assume were filled with the clothes that had been made by the seamstress.

"WOAH!" the dragon shouted as he lost balance, surprised to see Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Skylark- the many colored boxes beginning to tumble to the ground.

"Uh-oh" The human quickly said, wincing before his irises turned gold once more. He moved, quickly maneuvering his arms and his left leg to catch the boxes, catching a few on his head. This would have been impressive, were it not for the way Miles pulled it off. Wearing Lyra's gown, plus the pose he was in, caused Rainbow Dash to fall to the ground- in tears from laughing so hard. Looking to see what happened, the dragon looked at Miles, giggling a bit before falling to the ground himself. It took a moment for Rarity to realize what had happened.

"Oh, thank you for that- Oh dear!" she cried out in an overly dramatic fashion, making her way over to the awkwardly balanced human while Twilight Sparkle used her magic to free him from the burden of the many boxes. "Just what are you doing, wearing such an unsuitable gown." she questioned, looking over to Twilight, who offered only an awkward smile.

"Lyra threw out his old clothes and stuck him in that. I see you had Spike helping you out." she replied while the human's eyes shifted back to blue. Having just stopped laughing, Spike looked at the human once more.

"Say, Twi. Who is this...this.." the dragon tried to ask, and Twilight Sparkle looked down at her friend.

"This is Miles Skylark. He's a human that Lyra summoned here for this year's 'game'." she informed the dragon, although Skylark was more surprised to see Spike than the dragon was to see him.

"A-A D-D-D-Dragon?!" he asked, his hand shaking violently as he pointed at Spike, his eyes wide with intense fear.

"Dude, relax! Spike ain't gonna hurt you!" Rainbow Dash intervened, getting in-between them before Twilight got out her notepad again, jotting down the reaction to seeing Spike quickly. Taking a deep breath, Skylark calmed himself down a little.

"Sorry- it's just...I've seen plenty of dragons back home...I panicked.." he blushed before Rarity got out a measuring tape.

"I'll get your measurements right away, you simply need to have a better outfit than that gown." the white unicorn got the idea, using her magic to wrap the tape-ruler around his waist first, then his chest. He snickered a little at the feeling of the tape brushing against his bare skin.

"T-That tickles!" he couldn't help but blurt out- but luckily, Rarity had stopped taking his measurements as she began sorting through different fabrics, making different faces while she judged the possibilities. "Uh...Lady Rarity, I don't need anything fancy- no need to trouble yourself with-" he tried to lighten the load a little by requesting something simple, but the mare would not have it.

"Oh nonsense, dear. You are a one of a kind guest- you need an outfit as unique as you are. Now let's see here.." she smiled before using a new spell to show a sort of preview of potential outfits on him. First was a pair of jeans and a button down shirt. "No, too laid back." she mused before thinking of more designs, one of which was a rather odd one- a black suit, red overcoat and fedora- projecting a pair of yellow glasses on him as-well before pausing. Shaking her head after a few moments, Rarity sighed to herself. "What was I thinking? It is horrifyingly ancient, and those glasses? What sort of buffoon wears yellow glasses with a red coat!" she sighed, stopping the projections for a bit before Skylark rose his hand.

"E-Excuse me, Lady Rarity...but all I really need is a pair of-" he hoped to get through to the unicorn, who immediately interrupted him by putting a hoof on his mouth.

"No no, shh- I know exactly what you need." she assured him with a smile on her face as she focused her magic again. While Miles could not see it, Rarity was going all out on the projection of the outfit. While he could not see it, the image that had been formed around him had a classic elegance to it. "This is just perfect for you, darling! The Purple and White of all four legs compliment one another nicely, if I were to be bold, I'd say this style rivals even the nobles of Canterlot." she justified the combination before adding one last detail to the preview- a black and gold cape. "The cloak around your neck will give you a heroic edge to compliment the whimsy of the hat.." she nodded to herself, pleased with the idea before she got the collection of fabrics in line. "Silk and satin- a glorious combination for such a vision." she mused to herself. The more time she mused on the project while cutting, the more time Skylark had to spend in the dress.

"Lady Rarity!" he snapped briefly, much to her surprise. Taking a breath, the human calmed down. "I'm sorry- but you kept interrupting me." he apologized, causing the unicorn mare to blush a bit for being rude.

"I'm sorry about that, I got carried away. So what were you trying to say?" the white unicorn asked, and the human blushed a bit more due to the dress.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do....but I just need some pants. A decent pair of pants." he replied, a hand against his head. Twilight Sparkle wondered what he meant before it hit her.

"He means to ask for something to cover his lower-half that isn't Lyra's dress." she translated for him. Rarity smiled,

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" she asked, quickly getting some cloth together and within minutes, the seamstress made a pair of pants for the human to switch into. Going to the changing room to try them on, Skylark sighed in relief that he didn't have to wear the dress anymore. After about thirty seconds, Miles stepped out of the changing room, his night-blue pants fitting perfectly, although they were a bit snug. "They look great on you- the perfect compliment to your cutie mark." she smiled.

"T-Thank you, Lady Rarity." he thanked her for the pants, involuntarily rubbing his shoulder as if he were trying to rub the crescent moon. Using her magic, Twilight Sparkle took Lyra's dress and gave it to Spike.

"Please bring this back to Lyra." she requested the baby dragon, who smiled with a nod.

"You got it, Twi." and with that, Spike ran off.

"How much do I owe you?" Skylark asked, but Rarity shook her head.

"You don't owe me anything- think of it as a gift for helping Lyra." she smiled, but before the human could protest out of honor, all the ponies in the room heard his stomach growling again. Rarity giggled before trotting over to the trio. "Our friend is hungry, isn't he? I know! Why don't we all go to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack must be dying to see us today." she suggested, and Twilight Sparkle smiled.

"We were actually going to head there next. She'd be glad to see you, Rarity." she replied, and soon enough, the quartet exited the store, Rarity placing the closed sign on the door before they began to make their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

(tbc)

Author's Note

After a rather surprisingly fast voting session, here is the version of the chapter that has been made. I just wanna thank you all for reading and sticking with me so far- it really means a lot to me.

Edit- I had to edit the chapter due to the artwork that was recently uploaded, simply to match the picture.

Peace times 1 part 3

As the four traveled down the beaten path, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were talking to each other up ahead while Twilight Sparkle slowed down to be next to the human. She looked at the crescent moon on his torso, then back to the human's face.

"Hey, Skylark...mind if I ask you a few questions while we are on our way?" she asked him, and he smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't see why not.... I'll answer as best as I can, Miss Twilight." he gave the unicorn permission, although he felt odd about it since he didn't think she'd need permission to ask him questions. Twilight, on the other hoof, began to think about her first question.

"Wow...there are so many things I don't know...I don't even know where to start...lemme see..." she pondered a bit more before finally getting something in her head. "I guess I'll ask this first- what is the meaning of your cutie mark?" she finally asked, prompting Skylark to slightly cover it while rubbing it nervously.

"Oh..." he hesitated before chuckling nervously. "It's not a cutie mark...at least, not in the same way you ponies all have them." he stated before thinking a little. "Although, if I were forced to interpret it...I'd have to say it means that others only see one part of me...At least,those in the same realm from which I came." he explained.

"So other humans don't have them?" She asked, receiving only a nod to verify as she took out her notepad and jotted this little fact down. "So how do humans know their special talents?" she asked the related question, and he shrugged.

"We...don't have special talents." he answered bluntly, a shocked look on Twilight's face. "I mean, not all of us do. While there are some with 'natural talent' was we call it- humans take up jobs based on what they like and what they can learn to do. An example would be a knight-" he tried to explain, but the mare cut him off.

"What does the night time have to do with this?" She asked curiously, misinterpreting what the human said.

"What? Oh- no, not night as in the time of day." He corrected the mare before continuing. "Knights," he spelled out the word for her as she wrote it down. "are incredible warriors under the Queen's command. The process is fairly selective, as almost all knights are of noble birth. From the day they are seven years old, they would train under the tutelage of a veteran knight. It would take usually take them fourteen years to master everything they need to know before they are 'knighted'- as in officially given the title by the Queen." he explained to the mare, who smiled with interest.

"Were you a knight before you got pulled here?" Twilight asked, and he shook his head.

"I was considered for honorary knighthood- but I turned them down. I felt that a commoner like myself wouldn't have fit in among their ranks." He sighed softly, yet contently. "I was a bard before I learned how to fight." he added to explain his hobby. He had fond memories, playing the lute and the ocarina, singing to people to keep them happy or to pass the tales of knights along.

"A bard? You mean you were a musician?" Twilight asked to confirm this, and Sklylark nodded. "What kind of instruments-" She cut herself off. "Sorry, I am getting a bit carried away- there was another question I wanted to ask you before I forget." she smiled, and upon receiving a shrug like motion that said 'go ahead', the unicorn proceeded. "That trick of yours... 'Nacht Jäger', was it?...Can you tell me a bit more about it?" she asked, a rather broad question.

"Oh...I figured you might ask about that little trick." He replied, a little nervous about this. However, this did not stop him from answering. "To put it shortly - it makes me a sort of 'super self'." he summed it up. "Under the right conditions, I can use it to make myself stronger, faster, and more receptive to my senses- for a short period of time that is." he tried to explain as best as he could, although he wasn't very comfortable talking about it.

"How interesting! Can other humans do it to?" She asked whilst writing, much to the dismay of the human. He had hesitated for a noticeable time before he finally answered this one.

"No...Out of the couple who could do it back home- I'm the only one left." he sighed, rubbing his neck.

"What kind of magic is it? I've never seen a spell quite like it." Twilight asked, and the human shook his head.

"I wouldn't call it 'magic'...although I do know a bit of magic..." he trailed off, only then noticing Twilight's excited expression, as if she was expecting him to show her. "But I don't think I can still do this...let's see..." he stopped walking, brought his hands together, took a deep breath to focus. A small, bluish-white orb of light began to form between them. "This is what we back in Athelina call a 'Magic Missile'...I just do this and- GAH!" he shouted as the orb blew up in his hands like a firecracker.

"OH MY GOSH! Are you ok?!" The unicorn asked as Skylark blew on his hands several times, wincing before sighing at the failure of the spell.

"I'll be fine...watch this." he smiled, showing off his burnt palms as the damaged skin slowly began to heal, within a minute, the burns were non-existent. Eyes widening, the purple unicorn stared in shock. "Humans don't usually have this either...I don't know anyone else who has this healing power either." he preemptively explained.

"That's still amazing though...Humans being able to use magic without horns..." the mare mused, but then Skylark pointed ahead with a cocked brow. "I guess that's Sweet Apple Acres, Miss Twilight?" he asked, and the unicorn looked ahead to the farm and nodded.

"That's the one...I'll just have to ask you everything else later, though." She told him, somewhat annoyed he had taken the opportunity to dodge further questions as the four made it to the farm. Applejack had just finished placing the wooden buckets down with a young filly's help.

"We got our work cut out for us today." Applejack told the filly before looking over at the countless trees. "Ah reckon we'll be at this for three hours." she commented before seeing her friends."Well Ah'll be darned!" she smiled, galloping over to her friends, with the filly not too far behind.

"So, he's the Skylark feller you've been talkin' about, sis?" the filly asked, staring up at the human curiously, who in turn looked down with a curious look. She was a filly, yet she was up to his waist in terms of height on four hooves.

"Skylark, Ah want ya to meet mah little sister, Apple Bloom." Applejack introduced the filly to the human, who instinctively offered a handshake. He recoiled when it occurred to him that it'd be difficult to shake a pony's hoof- only to be proven wrong when Apple Bloom got a firm grip on his hand and shook it excitedly.

"It's nice to meet ya, Skylark!" she smiled, letting go of the human's hand while his arm shook up and down for a few seconds before Skylark used his free hand to stop it.

"Likewise, Apple Bloom." he offered a smile before seeing her open her mouth and point to his shoulder. Guessing what she was about to ask about, he raised a hand quickly as if to say 'stop right there'. "It's not a cutie mark." he quickly told her, and Apple Bloom lowered her hoof with a sigh of relief.

"Mind me askin' what brings yah here?" Applejack asked Twilight, who smiled.

"We were hoping that Skylark could learn about apple bucking." The unicorn told her friend, who smiled and patted the human on the back- inadvertently knocking him down onto his face from the force of it. The earth pony did not seem to notice, however, while the human stood back up, dusting himself off.

"You couldn't have had any better timing- Apple Bloom and I were just 'bout to start bucking the trees." Applejack moved over to the human, tapping his gut playfully. "Tell ya what, you help us clear these trees and I'll let you take a few apples home with ya. How's that sound?" she asked, and Skylark nodded.

"Sounds great...but...how exactly does apple bucking work?" He asked, to which the mare offered a proud smile before leading him to one of the trees while the others followed.

"I'm glad you asked. Ya see, we ponies at Sweet Apple Acres provide all the apples that Ponyville needs. Myself, Apple Bloom, and our big brother Big Mac work the orchards here- although our brother broke his leg while trying to sell apples in that darned stadium. The ponies go crazy there- I tell ya." She went off on a bit of a tangent before remembering why they were here. "Oh right, I gotta show you how to apple-buck!" she smiled, galloping to the nearest tree. "All you gotta do is take your hind hooves and hit the tree with them!" she instructed, kicking the tree behind her, causing every single apple to fall down into the buckets she set up.

"You see? Just like this!" She hoped to instruct the human as well, only for one of her hind hooves to smash right into the human's groin. Falling to his knees, Skylark groaned in pain as he curled up, his hands instinctively covering his crotch, breathing through clenched teeth. "OH MAH GOSH! Ah'm sorry!" Apple Bloom apologized, panicking. Seeing what happened, Rainbow Dash fell over and began to laugh loudly.

"Apple Bloom got better at bucking apples!" She made light of the situation while the human slowly recovered, finally pushing himself back up and not covering his crotch, although he still shuddered as he took a few deep breaths.

"I'll be fine...Accidents happen.." He insisted, taking one last shuddering breath before his breathing went back to normal. He soon ran a hand along the bark of the tree, putting a bit of pressure- as if he were judging the tree itself. Stepping back a bit, Skylark looked at Applejack. "So all I gotta do is kick it, right?" he asked.

"Yep! Just hit the tree and knock the apples down." Applejack replied and watched as the human prepared himself. He looked the tree up and down again, backing up a bit more before getting a running start, jumping and smashing both feet against the tree trunk. Catching himself with his hands, Skylark stood back up as the leaves stopped rustling. He looked up and saw nothing had been done before turning around.

"Hey, I think I messed up." He commented at his apparent failure at -BONK! The human rubbed his head right after an apple had fallen on it, bouncing into the wooden bucket beside him. "Never mind." he chuckled before he looked at the tree again. "Let's see if I can't get a few more to fall." he mused as he spun, slamming his heel into the side of the tree- causing half of the apples to fall, prompting the human to kick a third time to take care of the last few apples on the tree.

"Not bad fer a non-pony." Applejack complimented, while Twilight Sparkle kept jotting down notes on the memo pad. "But we ain't done yet, we still got all those trees to take care of." she stated with enthusiasm- pointing over to the many trees, although the rest of the ponies all joined Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Skylark in order to start the harvest.

The ponies and the human would take an hour to finish the job, which finally allowed them to sit down. Applejack and Apple Bloom were smiling at a job well done, talking to the rest of the ponies at the wooden table while Skylark sat on the ground, rubbing his heel after plucking out the last of the bark slivers. Probably should have asked for boots.. he thought to himself, sighing in relief as he looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, the blue sky being dotted with a few small clouds. Something about it brought a satisfied smile to his face, and he almost got lost in thought before he felt few soft thuds on his lap. Looking down, he saw that Apple Bloom had dropped three apples on his leg.

"Ah picked the three best apples Ah could find. I hope you like 'em." She smiled to him, giggling a little as he ruffled her mane up a little with his right hand.

"Thank you kindly, Apple Bloom." He thanked the filly with a soft chuckle. Before he could take a bite, Skylark noticed a trio- Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. "Hey!" he called to the trio, waving to them as the pink earth pony bounced over the fence to meet her friends, while the yellow pegasus mare and the dragon took the normal way to meet them. While Pinkie and Spike had opted to talk to Applejack and the others, Fluttershy approached Apple Bloom and the human in front of her. After a brief silence, Skylark took the two biggest apples, giving them to Apple Bloom and Fluttershy before holding his own apple. Without him noticing, Twilight Sparkle had wrote this little instance down while he was busy eating his apple alongside the two ponies. This was, however, short lived when Pinkie Pie had managed to pull the trio to her, holding them and the rest of the ponies in a rather cramped group hug. Finding it hard to breath as her leg was pressed against his throat- the human could only listen to her.

"This is so cool! We gotta have a party later to celebrate Sky having come to help Lyra! OOH! Wait- no, We need a party to celebrate the fact Lyra brought a human to our world!" She began to ramble on about plans for a party for a full ten minutes before Twilight Sparkle had finally managed to intervene. After telling her that the party can wait, the unicorn convinced the pink earth pony to let her study him one-on-one. After all was said and done, the all except the Apple sisters left the farm, with Twilight Sparkle leading Skylark to her home.

(tbc)

Author's Note

Update: I had realized I had another copy of this chapter on my harddrive, one that had an extra tidbit of info.

Study Session: The Tale of Athelina

Twilight Sparkle opened the door to her library, letting the human in as she laid out a blank book on the wooden table. She searched through a drawer of quills before finding just the right one and setting it next to the book.

"Miss Twilight, do you mind me asking what exactly you want to learn?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as the unicorn smiled.

"I was hoping you could tell me more about your world before I run some tests on you." She told Skylark, who gave her a rather nervous look, prompting her to chuckle a bit. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to hurt you. Simply a study of your anatomy. Maybe even scanning your magical aura- it is a special kind of energy that helps identify who you are in Equestria. Every living creature has one." The unicorn explained, having figured what he'd ask next. Just then, the door opened as Spike was carrying a box

"Spike! Perfect timing!" Twilight called to the dragon, using her magic to give him the blank book and the quill. "I need you to write down what he tells us about his home." Twilight instructed the dragon, who held the quill and book in his hands, nodding as if to give the okay.

“I guess I should start with the beginning...I mean, the story of how my world came to be.” Skylark guessed, finding a seat. "I'll warn you- there are a few different versions of this tale, so I'm going to tell you the one I was told." he cleared his throat and took a breath.

“Long ago, when my world was still young, there was only one entity, a being who dominated the realm with little more than an insane grip. Dementia, as we would later know her, had everything anyone would ever want. Power, an entire world to play around in…yet something was missing from her eternal life…” Miles started, taking a breath as he adjusted himself while Spike wrote every word down.

“There was a void in her heart, a void in the world that she could not fill despite her absolute power…at least, that’s what she thought. After all of her efforts to fill the void, she came to the conclusion that she could not solve this dilemma alone, so with her vast power, she created the Six Maidens, or as we mortals back home call them, Goddesses. There was Solstia, the Maiden of the Sun, who had the power to move the sun as she saw fit and helped bring new life to the desolate world- creating all the mortal inhabitants of the lonely world that Dementia ruled. Second was Celena, the Maiden of the Moon. Solstia’s equal in power and statue, she would raise the moon when her sister needed to lower the Sun- and would reinvigorate those who were exhausted. Liebe, the Maiden of the Heart- brought love and compassion into the very souls of the inhabitants of the world, Mana, the Maiden of Magic, who lends her power to all beings who wish to tap into the mystic arts. Integra, the Maiden of Truth, brought justice and stability to the otherwise wild creations of Solstia. And finally; The Maiden of Chance, Lady Luck, created by the last of Dimentia’s power. She brought a necessary chaos to the realm. In the time that The Maidens shaped the world, Dimentia herself began to wane, but for the first time in her life, she was happy. The void in her heart had been filled, and even as she faded, she had no regrets. Leaving the world in the hands of the Six Maidens, Dimentia vanished without a trace." He paused, checking to see if they were following before he continued.

"That is the story of my home...The Tale of Athelina.” Skylark finished his story, Spike having the look of a kid who wanted to hear more about the story, while Twilight Sparkle had the mixed expression of shock and confusion.

"Spike, that's enough." She said after a long pause, and the dragon put the quill down. Looking at Skylark with a now concerned expression on his face, the unicorn focusing her magic on one of the books in the shelves. "There is something you should see, Skylark." her voice sounded like she was lamenting, giving the book to the human. Opening it up, Skylark's eyes widened a little as he flipped through the pages.

"It's all here...From the creation of Athelina to the coronation of Queen Athlaina the First..." He mused, looking up at Twilight. "Where in the Goddesses' names did you get this history book?" he asked, closing the book and inspecting the cover. It was a bit faded, some worn down spots.

"It was in the Canterlot Library, since before I became a student under Princess Celestia. It was about three years ago that she had given me permission to move the book here- allowing me to read it myself....To tell you the truth, I thought of it as nothing but a fantasy, a work of fiction." Twilight Sparkle answered as best as she could, although this made things a bit harder to take in for the human.

"So wait, Skylark is a character from a fairy tale?" Spike asked bluntly, and the unicorn thought.

"Anything is possible...I mean, whoever wrote the story could have been creating a world of their own without realizing...or maybe even had a subconscious link to Athelina- whatever creativity the author had was actually the events." The unicorn stated her theories.

"No. The author of this book was most likely a human, based on the name. Vega Lorewalker." Skylark refuted Twilight's theory. "It may be a stretch, but it could be possible that somebod- somepony could have visited Athelina and brought this back. The aging of the book, coupled with where it ends, would bring it to about 500 Athelinian years. I'm not sure how long that translates to here." he stated his own theory, pointing out his uncertainty.

"That's one idea...although I need to ask Princess Celestia about this. If anypony would know, she would. Spike! I need you to write a letter to Princess Celestia. I need you to tell her about Skylark, about how he is from the same Athelina as the one detailed in her book." Twilight instructed the dragon, who quickly wrote down the message, looking at her.

"Anything else, Twi?" he asked, but surprisingly the unicorn shook her head.

"No. Anything else would be a bit pointless, I trust she will know what to do." Twilight told Spike, who nodded, rolled up the parchment and breathed green flames on the letter. In his ignorance, Skylark stared blankly before looking to Twilight once again.

"I'm sorry, but what did burning that letter accomplish?" he asked, and the unicorn chuckled.

"Oh! You've never seen an Equestrian Dragon's magic breath before...To put it simply, it sent the letter through the air. It is much faster than just sending a mail pony to do it. Besides, Celestia trusts Spike enough so there is a direct connection between us for communication." Twilight explained, smiling at the fact that this had relieved the human before her horn began to glow. A translucent cloud of purple energy moved closer to the Skylark, who panicked and fell out of the chair to try to get away from it.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he asked.

"Just hold still! I am just going to scan your magical aura- It will make it easier to take care of the..." she cut herself off, not letting the human question her before the purple cloud of magic enveloped the human. A cyan aura was made visible and, while relatively fluid like that of a candle light, there were sporadic dark blue bursts outward. "That's interesting..." Twilight mused.

"What's interesting, Lady Twilight?" Skylark asked her, and the unicorn stared at him for a bit.

"Your aura seems calm enough, yet there are some wild pieces to it...Something about you that you are trying so hard to restrain.." Twilight pondered for a bit before her ears perked once she noticed a slight shift. Skylark's pupils shrank, a bit of sweat forming on his brow. "If what I am thinking is right...then the Nac-MMPH!" she was cut off when the human suddenly covered her mouth with his palm.

"Lady Twilight...please....No one can know about that..." he barely whispered. He was trembling slightly, and they each stared into the other's eyes for a few moments before the purple unicorn stepped back and nodded.

"I understand. Sorry..." her ears drooped, and the human wiped his forehead in relief, but soon held his head, his eyes half closed. "Skylark? What's wrong?" the unicorn asked, quick to catch him as he stumbled.

"How long was it since we parted with Lady Lyra?" Skylark asked, regaining his balance.

"It has only been a few hours...five at the most." Twilight replied, and the human shook his head quickly, as if he were dizzy.

"Five hours...I could have sworn it was longer than that...why in Solstia's name am I so exhausted?" He asked, and Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, focusing her magic on him once again. "What are you doing, Twilight?" Skylark asked again, only for her to gasp.

"I was checking your body for any signs of disease, but I found something that worries me even more..Your body's clock goes at a much faster rate than any pony I know of. You've only been awake for at most five hours, yet your worn down as if you have been awake for at least four days." Twilight replied, quickly thinking before nodding. "I know Celestia will be disappointed that I am even thinking about doing this, but I have a friend, Zecora, who might be able to brew a potion to fix that. The best I can do is use a rejuvenation spell to restore you to how you were earlier today." she suggested as she cast the rejuvenation spell, and after agreeing, Skylark left the library with Twilight Sparkle.

However, the human's first stop would not be to where Zecora resided.

Author's Note

Special thanks to JM95 again, who assisted me with the names of the maidens.

Balrog: The Secret of the Nacht Jäger

"Skylark!" Lyra called from the front door, beckoning Skylark over as he and Twilight passed her house. Looking over, the human smiled and gestured to Twilight as if saying ‘I’ll be right back’ as he jogged over to her, noticing the dark unicorn stallion there as well. He tensed up very slightly at the sight of him, but kept his cool for the time being.

"You needed something, Milady?" Skylark asked her, only to be pulled into a tight hug. His face buried in the fur of her shoulder, or at least what would be considered a shoulder if she were human, Skylark squirmed a bit, confusing the pony who looked down. “I…can’t breath...”he was muffled, but Lyra got the hint and loosened her grip. Taking a breath, the human wondered why she was so happy, only to remember what he told her before. "I take it those coins were of use?" the human asked her, raising an eyebrow, and Lyra nodded.

"They were just what I needed! I'm more than half way cleared from my debt thanks to them!" the unicorn could not contain her excitement. However, the dark stallion cleared his throat, forcing a smile.

"I take it you are Miles Skylark? Lyra has been telling me about you after we were discussing the matters of her debt. Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Shadow Bit, the one who loaned Lyra money for her 'research' as she called it. To tell you the truth, I am surprised her efforts have borne fruit. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance." Shadow Bit introduced himself. Released from Lyra’s embrace, Skylark hesitated, tensing up a bit more. Something about him…agitates me… he thought before nodding.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” Skylark replied, although he couldn’t stop his tension. Shadow Bit arced a brow but kept his forced smile on.

“Would you mind telling me what these coins you were talking about are? I agreed to accept five of them as part of her repaying her debt, but you seem to know more about them than either of us.” Shadow Bit asked, holding out one of the gold coins. Unlike the gold colored bits, the coin was a pristine gold color, and the human took it into his fingers.

“Back from my home, we’d use gold coins to trade with others. Usually, the gold would be melted and mixed with a bit of steel to decrease the cost and to make them last longer.” He started, and flipped the coin, catching it before showing a strange symbol. “However, this, along with the other four you accepted, are pure gold. The purpose of this is so they can be blessed at the Roulette Altar- oh, that probably doesn’t make sense.” He apologized with a nervous chuckle. “For Athelinians, if you were to sew seven of gold coins in your clothes, over your heart, Lady Luck; the Maiden of Chance, will smile upon you.” Skylark clarified.

“How has that worked out for you, Mr. Skylark?” Shadow asked, and the human shrugged casually.

“I consider myself lucky that I am even here. I’d say Lady Luck has a bright smile.” Skylark replied, flipping the coin again, this time for Shadow Bit to catch it. The dark unicorn nodded and turned to leave.

“I’d say this ‘Lady Luck’ also smiled upon Lyra…I’ll take my leave then, I wish you luck in the competition.” Shadow encouraged the human, but looked back with a smirk, noting his surprise. “I was watching yesterday's game.. I saw how you handled that displacer beast with that overgrown cow.” He added, and the human rubbed the back of his head.

“If Taurus wasn’t there, I’d have been killed.” Skylark admitted, but was was not given any response as Shadow Bit left. Twilight Sparkle trotted over, passing Shadow Bit to approach the human, looking back at the departing stallion.

"Something wrong, Skylark?" Twilight asked out of concern and he shook his head.

"Just...don't like him.." the human concluded, but was calmed down when Lyra grabbed his right hand...at least until she started squeezing it between her hooves. Looking at the unicorn, Skylark stared as the unicorn played around with his hand, nibbling on two of his fingers. His hair stood up at that moment, the feeling of her tongue pressed against his index and middle fingers catching him way off guard. "L-Lady Lyra...may I ask what you are doing?" he asked, prompting Lyra to open her mouth to take out his fingers, although not letting go of the human's hand as she stared at it.

"What is this? What do you use these for?" Lyra asked him, not only dodging Skylark's question but causing Twilight Sparkle to face-hoof. Smiling softly, Skylark held out his hands to show them properly.

"These are my hands. I guess you can say they are like your hooves. Aside from fighting like yesterday, I use them to hold things, use tools and.." He tried to think of a third thing, seeing Lyra scratch her ear with her fore-hoof. "...scratch itches." Skylark added, bring his right hand to the side of Lyra's head, scratching her gently behind the ear.

"Ah! I love hands!" Lyra sighed in satisfaction, nuzzling the hand that was being used to rub her ear, closing her eyes slowly. She used one of her hooves to hold his hand against her face, prompting the human to continue rubbing her ear. Although ruining the moment, Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat loudly.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we need to meet Zecora." The purple unicorn reminded the human, who nodded and gently pulled his hand away from Lyra. Saddened by the fact her human stopped rubbing her ear, Lyra looked at Twilight. Before she could even ask, Twilight Sparkle smiled nervously. “It seems that Skylark ages much faster than we do. I am hoping Zecora knows how to brew a potion to fix that. Think of it this way; you get to keep him for much longer.” The purple unicorn explained while playing to her mindset, Lyra’s ears flicking at the sound of it.

“Alright! Let’s go!” Lyra cheered, joining the two as they made their way to the Everfree Forest. Their destination was Zecora’s hut, located within the forest the previous challenge had been held. It was about twenty minutes into the forest that Skylark stopped, tensing up again as his eyes widened. He clenched his teeth for a bit, only taking a deep breath after Twilight and Lyra looked back at him.

‘…Come on out, I know you’re here.” Skylark called out, looking to his right as a shadowy figure moved its way through the trees. The figure was humanoid in appearance, having a purple-black body with spike-like protrusions coming from its arms, legs, and shoulders. Twilight and Lyra immediately stepped away.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is impressed that you managed to sense us!” a rather haughty voice called, the blue unicorn mare walking out to join the humanoid creature. “Although it seems Twilight Sparkle and that pitiful excuse of a unicorn have been frightened. Trixie doesn’t blame you, it’s hard not to be scared of such a magnificent beast.” Trixie smirked, watching as Skylark crossed his arms.

“I’ll admit, I am impressed that you managed to subjugate Balrog of all demons…” he complimented Trixie, tapping his left arm with his index finger.

"Indeed. Only one as Great and Powerful as Trixie is able to-" Trixie broke in the middle of her prideful boast upon realizing what she just heard. Shock turned to anger as the unicorn gritted her teeth a bit. "How would such a lowly creature know the name of Trixie's champion? Trixie demands to know!" she shouted, much to the amusement of both Skylark and Balrog.

"The answer is simple, Master." Balrog started, looking over to Skylark, focusing on the crescent moon branding on his torso. "Miles and I are from the same world. We are both Athelinians." the demon explained calmly as Skylark unfolded his arms.

"While I do admire your talent, I will not tolerate you insulting my master like-" Skylark was interrupted when Balrog had suddenly moved forward and smashed his fist against the human's face with enough force to send him flying back against a tree. His back slammed against the trunk, stunning the human for a few moments as he fell to his hands and knees. His left hand covering his bloody nose, Skylark tried to push himself up, but the impact from the tree stalled his movements.

"Is that all? Trixie had hoped you'd back up your words more than that!" Trixie laughed, Twilight stopping Lyra from getting involved. While trying to calm her down, Twilight focused her magic to look at both Skylark and Balrog's magical auras. In contrast to the human's calm yet restrained cyan aura, Balrog possessed a wild phlox-purple aura.

"Come on, Skylark! Use your Nacht Jäger!" Lyra cheered the human on, surprising both Balrog and Skylark, the latter sighed before a slight smirk spread on his face.

Great, she forced my hand..He lamented, wiping the blood away from under his nose with his right index and middle fingers. Nearly making Twilight vomit at the sight, Skylark licked his own blood off of his fingers, his eyes shifting to the golden hue they were when he first used it. His cyan aura also flared, although it was still much more contained than Balrog's. In a heartbeat, the human ran up to the demon managing to get in a few quick, hard punches in before Balrog caught him by the left wrist, swinging him and slamming him against a nearby tree.

"So she really did give you her power...Lady Mila was a much bigger threat than you are when using the Nacht Jäger. I know that to unleash it, you require the taste of blood- preferably the blood of your enemy." The demon started, looking into Skylark's golden eyes. "You still cower in fear of your own power...so much so that you use your own blood to use that technique. You're a fool if you want to cling onto your humanity- let me show you what I mean." Balrog taunted, quickly squeezing the human's wrist, a snapping sound heard by all present, followed by a yell of agony. The demon would suddenly slam his knee into Skylark's ribs, catching him as he fell to his knees from the blow. Holding him by the hair in one hand, the shoulder in the other, Balrog then smashed Skylark's face into his shin, followed by slamming both of his fists ontop of his head. Face down in the dirt, Skylark's eyes faded back to blue before the demon stomped on his head. Breathing heavily, coughing up blood, the human's eyes shut tightly as Lyra screamed.

"Stop! He's down!" she begged with tears in her eyes, being held back by Twilight as Trixie laughed at the pitiful state the human was in.

"That's enough Balrog. The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't want to be disqualified." Trixie ordered her familiar, who stepped away, looking at the crumpled human on the forest ground.

"You're lucky that the rules forbid me to end your life here. If you do manage to make it to the top and fight me again, you better be willing to transcend your humanity. It wouldn't be fun otherwise." Balrog warned the human before leaving with Trixie. Once they were out of sight, Twilight released Lyra, who immediately galloped to her human's side, trying her best to help him get up.

"Are you ok?!" Lyra's question, while stupid given the situation, was the only thing she could come up with.

"I'll be fine by the time the next challenge starts." He tried to assure Lyra, finally up on his feet before stumbling. After a few moments of silence, the human looked to Twilight. "Do you know if there's a river around here where I can wash the blood off?" he asked with a nervous chuckle. Leading him to a river, Twilight watched the human as he knelt down, using his good hand to splash water on his face.

"The way you interacted...you knew each other back home, didn't you?" The purple unicorn asked curiously. Standing up, the human walked over to one of the trees, plucking a sizable, oddly shaped fruit from it.

"We did...In fact, we were very close..." Skylark stated, a hint of sorrow in his voice before he bit into the fruit despite Twilight's attempt to warn him. It was a bit bitter, but the fact that it was sweet and juicy more than made up for it as he sighed in relief.

"I didn't know humans ate fruit!" Lyra's eyes sparkled in excitement, but she largely went ignored as the other unicorn responded with another question.

"So you were friends...:And, 'Lady Mila'?" Twilight questioned, and the human sighed dejectedly, taking another bite out of the fruit. The fruit was strange in that it didn't have a core, nor any seeds he could notice, but that did not stop him from enjoying it- it filled his stomach and that was all that mattered to him when it came to the fruit.

"She is..was my sister...If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not discuss that. At least, not when we have other matters to attend to." The human replied, being careful with his breathing for the entire trip. Eventually, they'd find their way to the hut, but it was only a matter of knocking on the door.

((tbc))

Author's Note

Edit: I updated this chapter, fleshed out a bit more and fixed a few mistakes.

Woo! Tenth chapter! I want to thank everyone who has helped me get this far, both motivation wise and story wise! You all know who you are :)

Party of Joy

"So all I have to do is drink this potion, right?" Skylark asked, holding the corked glass bottle in his hand as the trio were walking back to Ponyville. The purple unicorn nodded as Lyra seemed to trot with a skip, excited about how things seemed to be going well so far.

"That's right. However, the potion will need time to work, it'd be best to take it before going to sleep." Twilight Sparkle advised, and the human smiled before turning his attention back to the road in front of him, only to be met with a familiar pink face inches away from his own. He stumbled back and fell onto his rear end as Twilight caught the bottle with her magic. "Careful!" she quickly admonished the human and looked forward to see Pinkie Pie.

"There you are, Skylie!" Pinkie smiled, bouncing on her hooves with a springy sound. "There's something superspecialawesomethatyouandLyraneedtosee-!" the mare's mouth went into overdrive, confusing the human who clearly never ran into anybody who could speak so fast.

"Could you please slow down?!" Skylark cut her off, only to have a pink hoof pressed against his mouth, his nose being covered up as well.Why does it smell sweet?! was all he could think before the mare spoke again.

"It's rude to interrupt- but I getcha!" She smiled, yanking the human along as she galloped. Lyra and Twilight looked at each other, the former unable to stop herself from giggling at the display before the two galloped to follow Pinkie Pie and Skylark. The four would slow down once they reached a barn at Sweet Apple Acres, allowing the human time to rub his left wrist with a soft sigh of relief and a smile.

"So Pinkie, what's this 'super special awesome' thing you wanted to show them?" Twilight raised a brow, and the earth pony giggled, waving her tail.

"It wouldn't be so special if I told them, right?" she asked, opening the door for them and ushering Lyra and Skylark inside, the latter of whom looked around. It was pretty dark in the barn, which only served to worry him.

"I don't think this is-" he tried to voice his concern, just before the room lit up and a mass of ponies jumped out of hiding.

"SURPRISE!!" they all cheered in unison, causing both Lyra and Skylark to flinch in surprise, although the human was noticeably more concerned. Lyra blinked before a bright smile spread itself on her face and she giggled, turning to face her human.

"Relax. This is a party!" Lyra said, only to then notice his confusion. Pinkie Pie decided to pick up the slack, zipping over to the two.

"It's fun to celebrate! After all, Lyra finally found a human, AND she has someone who can help her!" Pinkie justified herself, playfully hoof-punching the human's shoulder. Rubbing his arm, Skylark managed a soft chuckle as he took in the sight of this 'party' as Lyra called it. After a few moments, he received a dumbfounded look from the pink mare, who nudged him. "Say, this isn't the first party you've been to, is it?" she asked her, and the human rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry to say, but yes. This is the first party." he admitted, only for the mare to gasp, yanking him by the arm and Lyra by the hoof to lead them to the cake.

"You just gotta have some of this cake- it's the best we could make at Sugar Cube Corner! I know, I've had one of them myself." she smiled brightly, Lyra and Skylark looked at one another for a moment. The unicorn smiled and took the initiative by cutting the first two slices, one for herself and one for her human, giving him a plate and a fork.

"Thank you.." he smiled, looking as the other ponies began to enjoy the party and took the first bite of it. As if hit hard by the taste, he stayed still and silent for a few moments, his eyes watering up as he savored the sweetness of it. They weren't tears of sorrow, quite the opposite. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something about tasting the cake made him...happy. He took a moment to wipe his eyes with his wrist, managing a smile as tears rolled down his cheeks. This did not get past Twilight, who moved over and brushed against him slightly.

"Are you crying?" she asked, and the human shook is head with a mix of the smile and confusion on his face, Fluttershy making her way over once she saw the display.

"I"m just...so...I mean...I don't even know what..." he couldn't piece the words together, and the yellow pegasus put a hoof on his chest with an empathetic smile.

"That feeling is happiness.." Fluttershy told him softly, and the human nodded softly.

"Whatever it is, I like it." he half-chuckled, and Twilight wrote down a few more notes before opting to write down a letter instead of asking Spike- this was something she felt that she had to do.

Dear Princess Celestia,
I have learned a lot from spending the day with Skylark. Although others may call him a monster, I have seen that is not the case. While I do not know what makes humans the monsters that Skylark has admitted them to be capable of, I am amazed to see just how much he is like us.

The unicorn paused to look at Lyra and Skylark, who looked like they were having the time of their lives with the other ponies. She couldn't help but smile warmly as she focused on the human. He laughed along with Lyra and her friends, he was willing to entertain the little colts and fillies that joined the party. Just the sight of it warmed her heart.

The Magic of Friendship is amazing, even in these times with the corruption over the Land of Equestria, it reaches into the hearts of others. I can say without a doubt that the Magic of Friendship can end this corruption.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

~to be continued~

Author's Note

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYPONY~
Edit: I was buzzed when I wrote this chapter, so that's why I kinda went a little nuts :D

I really hope I did the friendship report thing justice- t'was my first attempt.

I was trying to avoid doing this sort of thing- but for the life of me I could not do Zecora justice, so I skipped it. I hope I never have to do such a cop-out like this again.
I also know that there may be weird spacing, I tried to fix it but for some reason it liked to mess with me.

Also, me being the indecisive moron that I am, I changed a bit of one of the previous chapters, namely to change difference in height between the ponies and Skylark: Skylark [and Balrog by extension] are now slightly shorter than the ponies w/o them standing on their hind legs. To clear up any confusion- Miles and Balrog are both officially 6 feet tall, but their scale is different than this version of Equestria's. In short, Athelina is a smaller world than Equestria.

Labyrinth: The Second Challenge begins!

"Fillies and Gentlecolts!" a voice called through a megaphone as the crowd of ponies cheered, looking down at the center of the stadium as the announcer worked to get them in a good mood. "It's time for the second round of the Rookie Division: The Labyrinth of Scavengers!" the announcer cheered, and the crowd roared once more, the contestants all standing in the center. There were seven large numbered rings on the ground and a small box with a slot in it. From one of the higher stands, Trixie looked down, turning only when she saw Balrog walking closer. A smirk spread on her muzzle as he leaned over the ledge to get a better look as the rookies and their summoners made their way to the center.

"I'll give them one thing, they're consistent." Balrog snarked, and Trixie chuckled before looking back down.

"It matters not, they can not hope to be able to match up to The Great and Powerful Trixie! It'll be amusing to watch those peons scramble." the blue unicorn boasted, her familiar rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, leaning back against a support beam, fixing his gaze upon the contestants.

"For those who are new, the rules are simple! You will be scattered within the labyrinth and must make your way to the center. Of course, there is a catch! In order to actually get inside the center, you must have the one of the three keys to the door. Even we don't know where the keys are hidden within the confines of the maze!"

"OOH OOH! I love scavenger hunts!" Pinkie Pie chimed and bounced, and it took Rainbow Dash and Applejack to get her to sit still.

"It's not right..." Fluttershy murmurred, saddened by what the announcer's rules meant. "No matter what, four of them will die because of this." the yellow pegasus whimpered. Skylark, having donned the outfit that Rarity made for him, raised his hand as he glanced at the competition. Aside from Taurus, Erubetie, and himself, there were four more he was concerned about. A tiger which the human could best describe as a cat version of Taurus, what looked like a mare with the lower body of a snake, the dog from the first challenge, and a green orc.

"Hold on, question." Skylark called to the announcer, who looked to him. "What would happen if one of us were to try to bypass the lock without a key?" his question rang through the slime pony's ears.

"Take all the fun out of it why dontcha?" the announcer deadpanned, only loud enough for the contestants to hear, much to the human's chagrin. Clearing his throat, the pony took a breath and smiled. "Simple, they die. And for that matter, if anybody tries to bring a fourth contestant with them through the door, both contestants will be disqualified." the announcer answered, much to the annoyance of every contestant besides Erubetie, who shuddered and lost form slightly. Skylark closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

This isn't good...only three of us can get through this...We all have to keep winning this... he thought before the announcer spoke up once more.

"Alright contestants! Take a number from this box when we call your name!" the announcer instructed them, pulling out a list of names from his pocket with magic.

"Taurus!" The first of the names would be called, and the minotaur walked to the box to pick his number. "Caressa!" the snake-pony slithered over, using her tail to pull out a number ball. "Erubetie....Rajah" the slime and tiger went to grab their respective numbers. "Skylark." The human was called up, only to be shoved and fall face-first into some mud by the orc. The majority of the audience roared with laughter.

"Now that was uncalled for!" Applejack's admonishment went unheard by the orc while Skylark stood up, wiping the mud off his face and grabbing his number ball.

"Jerky." the announcer pony read the name, the orc walked over to grab his number, and the dog trotted over and was given the last ball.

"It's pronounced 'yehr-keh'." Jerky insisted with a grunt before the the announcer smiled and looked to the ensemble once more once they went back to their summoners.

"Alright! When you're ready, step inside the ring that has the same number as the one you picked out!" the pony instructed them, Rajah, the dog, Jerky and Caressa being the first to go to respective circles: #2, #4, #6, and #5. Erubetie hesitated but made her way to #3. Taurus looked towards Skylark and smirked with a nod, going over to #1. Before the human could walk over, he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned, only to be pulled into another Lyra-hug, his face once more pressed against her fur.

"Please be careful..." she whispered into his ear before he smiled softly, doing his best to emulate the nuzzle that ponies usually did.

"Lyra...I promise I'll come back safe." Skylark assured the unicorn, who smiled and gave him one last nuzzle before releasing the hug and allowing the human to walk to his circle: #7. The unicorns were instructed to go to the stands to watch, Lyra returning to her friends.

"Alright! Good luck to you all and may the best monsters survive!" the announcer cheered as the rings around the seven participants began to glow, each one being obscured by a pillar of light. The announcer galloped over to the side as the entire field was covered in the bright light, the dirt field being replaced by a projection of a large maze. There were floating crystals that would soon project the actions of each of the contestants.

"The second challenge has officially begun!!" the announcer declared, the crowd getting excited.

Skylark flopped face first on the dusty stone floor, the blinding light slowly fading as he blinked, standing up to look around. The first thing he saw was a stone wall, the small layer of dust causing him to sneeze. A golden glimmer caught his eye, and turning his attention to the source of it. And what luck!? He had been transported directly to one of the keys! Taking the key off the hook, he smiled and turned around to move on, only to stare blankly. ...You've got to be kidding me... he thought. There were a bunch of iron bars blocking him; he was stuck in a dungeon cell! Although he would never hear it, the majority of the audience completely lost it, laughing their plots off at the scene.

"Looks like #7 wasn't such a lucky number today! Hey may already have a key, but he's locked inside of a cage of his own!" the announcer quipped, and Trixie snickered into her hoof. Lyra had a look of dismay on her face, only comforted by an embrace from Bon Bon and an inaudible reassurance.

"Well...crap." he sighed, imagining just how the audience must have been laughing at him right now, and looked at the key in the palm of his hand. Slipping it into the inner pocket of his shirt, Skylark tapped the bars with the knuckle of his index finger, the iron bars letting out an almost hollow ring. I can afford to kill time and plan a little... he mused, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall, looking at the bars that kept him contained. Elsewhere, Taurus smirked, grabbing the dog by the scruff of the neck, lifting the whining mutt up.

"Alright, be a good boy and give me the key." The minotaur commanded the dog and -TINK!-, the dog had vanished from the bull's hands and reappeared on the floor, running off. "HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Taurus shouted, chasing the blink dog. Tink! Tink! The dog kept on warping itself two feet at a time, the silver key firmly kept in its mouth like a bone it did not want to give up anytime soon. Cobalt Horn smacked his own forehead with a hoof while the dog's summoner was laughing his plot off.

By this time, Skylark. was sitting down in his cell, arms crossed and eyes closed. The sounds of paws padding along the floor caught his attention, the human opening his eyes to look. He got onto his knees as he watched the dog, bringing his fingers to his mouth, letting out a long whistle. Sliding to a stop, the dog turned its focus to the human. A few quick whistles and the dog raced towards Skylark, who smiled, reaching his hands out to pet it. Although the bars made it hard to do, the human managed to begin stroking the dog behind the ear with one hand,scratching its neck with the other.

"It looks like Skylark has made a friend! They say dogs are ponies' best friend; so maybe it makes these two best acquaintances?" the commentator pondered, much to the amusement of Pinkie Pie.

"Awww, that's so cute! Sky loves puppies!' Pinkie giggled, and Applejack couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe I'll let him play with Winona next time he visits." The farm mare joked, but then noticed something, pointing at the crystal. "Now lookie there!" she called attention to the dog, who began panting and dropped the key it was carrying. Swiftly picking it up, Skylark smirked and patted the dog on the head once more. Ears perking up as the dog heard heavy footsteps. TINK! the dog vanished, and the human glanced up. Taurus had dived for the dog just before it vanished, and could not stop now.

"Taurus?!" the look on his face spelled out his only thoughts. This is gonna suck!. With a loud smashing sound, Taurus had busted through the wall of iron bars. The clanging of the fallen bars echoed through the halls of the maze, the minotaur plowing down the human in the process as they slid towards the stone wall.

"I swear, I'm gonna turn that mutt into orien-food!" the bull growled to himself,feeling a tapping on his shoulder.

"Yeah, sounds fancy...but could you first get your chest out of my face?" Skylark asked, muffled by the muscular mass. Taurus stood up, watching the human stand up and take a deep breath, wiping his face with his sleeve. "So, nice of you to crash the party." he joked, and Taurus smacked him playfully upside the head.

"You should never be a comedian. Anyway, did you see where that pooch went?" The minotaur asked, noting his look of confusion. "The mutt has one of those keys, probably doesn't even know what to do with it." he explained, and the human gave the bull an annoyed glare.

"You mean this key?" Skylark asked, lobbing the key to the stunned minotaur. "I was going to use it as leverage to get one of the others to let me out, but since you broke down the bars, plans changed." he smiled, bending down to pick up a few of the iron bars, examining the ends. The way they had snapped off provided some sharp edges. These will come in handy. he confirmed to himself before making his way out of the cell. "That accounts for two keys; who has the third?" he wondered.

"Why does that matter? We can just wait for them to come to us when we get to the center!" Taurus told the human, who sighed.

"How would we know that the third one won't try to kill us? Or be a complete burden." Skylark questioned before rubbing his neck. "As much of a pain as it is, it's safer to be absolutely certain about these things." the human reasoned, taking the sharp end of one of the iron bars, cutting into his own palm, clenching it into a fist for a few seconds. Taurus scoffed at this, blowing roughly out of his nose.

"C'mon, we can plow through just about anything with your nacht jäger and my raw strength!" Taurus boasted, only for the human to open his bloodied hand.

"You may be right...But just to be safe, we should get moving." Skylark nodded.

"Where do we go from here?" Taurus asked, and the human smirked slightly.

"The only place every single one of us would have to go...This round, we will not just survive as warriors..." he chuckled, running his tongue along his bloody palm, irides turning golden. A half-growl would leave his throat as he spoke.

"We'll thrive...as hunters!"

~tbc~

Author's Note

Update: I consolidated the part 1 and part 2 chapters, I realized the mistake in splitting them. Sorry about that.

The Fall of Skylark?

"Ladies and Gentlecolts! Once again it seems Taurus and Skylark have teamed up. First they united in the face of Onyx Heart's displacer beast, now they navigate the treacherous maze! I almost feel sorry for anyone unfortunate enough to run into this duo!" the announcer commented, the audience cheering. The bull glanced over at the human, who was running at an equal pace to himself.

"Hey kid." Taurus called to his compatriot, glancing over.

"Yeah." Skylark panted.

"Why are you helping me?"

"I'll be honest; because you helped me back in the Everfree. Had you not been there, I would have eventually been slaughtered by the displacer beast. It's the least I could do." Skylark replied with a smile. Left, right, left, left, right. The winding halls seemed endless, yet the duo's movements were precise, Skylark did not wish to waste a single moment as he and his comrade traversed the maze.

"This is gonna rock! Taurus is a powerhouse, and with Sky there to back him up, they can't lose! What do you think, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked her friend, who stared intently at the duo.

"It's...interesting..." Twilight replied, not looking at Rainbow. "Those two only interacted with one another in the first challenge.." she mused, putting a hoof to her chin.Memories of the first challenge came to mind, when Skylark first debuted his Nacht Jäger. "He was willing to use it to aid Taurus...Even now, they are helping one another..." she pondered before a smile spread on her face.

"What do you think it means, Twi?" Applejack asked, and Twilight nodded, a proud and hopeful look on her face.

"Without a doubt, the Magic of Friendship has made its way here." Twilight concluded, right when Taurus and Skylark slowed down upon reaching a larger hall within the labyrinth. There were two paths, prompting the minotaur to nudge his compatriot with his arm.

"Alright, use your instincts, right or left?"

"I'd say..." Skylark sniffed a little before focusing his attention to the right passage. "Someone's already been through the right passage...Three from what I can tell." he nodded, tapping his nose. The minotaur smacked his forehead and sniffed a bit, nodding.

"One of them was overcooked." Taurus joked, only for a charred dog to smack right into his face, flopping on the ground. Half surprised, half pissed, Taurus kicked the dead dog back down the hall, cracking his knuckles. "Okay, come out here you wimp!" the bull taunted the dog-thrower.

"Here I thought it was the sight of red that pissed bulls off." a voice echoed, the source walking out of the hallway. Rajah smirked at the sight of the two. "Looks like this will be an easy win. I've already dealt with Jerky-boy and the mutt." the tiger growled softly, his eyes gleaming for a split moment.

Sweet Celena! the human thought, quickly crossing his arms in-front of his chest in the shape of an X, Rajah's foot slamming right into them at that very moment. Skidding backwards before losing his footing, the human was slammed into the wall behind him. He began to fell forward, only for the tiger to take advantage of the human's position and gravity to augment the blow from an uppercut to Skylark's gut.

"You're history, pal!" Taurus shouted at Rajah, charging in and throwing a punch. Unfortunately, Rajah had grabbed the human and put him in between himself and the bull's fist. Unable to defend himself, Skylark was punched right in the face and fell upon the floor like a rag doll, struggling to breath and coughing up blood.

"Ooooh! That's gotta hurt!" the announcer quipped, much to Trixie's amusement.

"And you thought such a lowly creature could stand up to you?" The unicorn teased her familiar, who stared intently.

"Come on, Skylark! You can do better then that!" Rainbow Dash called out while Lyra winced, watching Taurus rushing into the fray once more.

"I don't get it. Just a couple a' days ago, he was doing much better. You think the potion had a side effect?" Applejack questioned, and Twilight shook her head.

"I don't think that's it.." The purple unicorn disagreed, flashing back to when Skylark grabbed Taurus' hammer and smashed it into the displacer beast from the side. "Back in the first round, he took the beast by surprise. Just because he managed to help a minotaur doesn't mean he's as strong as one." Twilight reasoned, but then closed her eyes for a brief moment, to think about all of this. And if what Balrog said about the Nacht Jäger is correct...Why would Skylark be holding back at a time like this? she opened her eyes again, a little saddened by the realization. The scene would return to the ongoing fight. Rajah's eyes glinted as the bull attempted to catch him in a clothesline, the tiger ducking down, countering with an uppercut to Taurus' jaw.

Skylark's legs trembled as he finally got on his feet, the human taking a breath and clenching his teeth before running right at the tiger from behind, leaping onto his back to attempt to choke him. Unimpressed, Rajah grabbed Skylark's arm and yanked the human off of him, catching him by the ankle with a smirk. Before either Skylark or Taurus could react, Rajah began swinging the human around.

"Ah dammit!!" Skylark shouted right before he was thrown into Taurus, both of them tumbling away from their adversary.

"It's two on one, I was hoping you'd provide more of a challenge." Rajah mocked them, only to lean back against the wall with a smirk. "It's not going to be much fun if I keep coming at you...Tell you what, you two can try to figure something out

"Damn it, he's mocking us..." Skylark muttered, glaring at the predator before the minotaur nudged him as they both stood.

"Hey, got any fancy new tricks you've been saving?" Taurus asked as the two stood up.

"I doubt it'd work...But we can't take all day with this..." the human replied, his irides flickering between gold and blue before settling on gold. "My Nacht Jäger won't last forever either.." Skylark lamented before he took a breath.

"Then let's not waste anymore time! Follow my lead!" The minotaur roared, charging at Rajah once more, the human not too far behind.

"That's the spirit! Come at me with all you got!" the tiger roared with satisfaction, rushing at the two. Another glint from Rajah's eyes caught Skylark's attention before the tiger jumped over the bull just to get to the human. Caught by the throat, Skylark didn't bother to try to pull the hand off of his neck, instead trying to punch his opponent. His fist caught in the claws of the tiger, he struggled to stay conscious until Taurus back-handed Rajah with the force of a cannon ball, forcing him to relinquish his grip in order to catch himself.

"You ok?" the minotaur asked, and Skylark nodded, rubbing his throat and catching his breath.

"Yeah....and I think I have him figured." Skylark smirked, looking at Rajah, who had recovered. "You hear that, Rajah? I'm onto you!" he taunted the tiger, only earning laughter.

"Really now? Humor me." Rajah mocked him, and the human chuckled a little.

"I know that the secret to your abilities lie within your eyes." He stated bluntly, shocking both Taurus and Rajah. "Whenever you went to strike either of us, your eyes flashed for a brief moment. At first, someone would consider that a scare tactic. But given your build and confidence, you wouldn't need that." he began to summarize.

"So, what does that have to do with it?" Taurus asked, and the human glanced over with a smile.

Mana...please lend me your aid...even if it is only a little... he prayed internally as his right hand began to glow a feint blue color. "I had been wondering why you were able to react so much faster than Balrog, the current champion of these games. Your build should not normally allow that, except for one instance." he trailed off as his right hand tensed a little. "You're eyes somehow give you the ability to predict our movements, even if it is only a few seconds in advance. That would give you enough time to react with the precision that you do... But it seems you can only focus on one of us at a time, since you could not stop Taurus from sucker-punching you." he concluded.

"So you really did figure it out. I gotta say, you're a cut above humans from my world." The tiger admitted with a confident smile, only for the human to rub the back of his neck with a goofy grin.

"Well, now that you just confirmed it, I have it all figured.." he chuckled, both Rajah and Taurus giving a ridiculous slack-jawed look, their eyes blank-white.

He pulled that out of his ass?!

He bluffed me?! Rajah wondered in disbelief before shaking his head. It's ok, I still got the advantage. I'm stronger than the two and all I need to do is separate them, that way they can't surprise me again. the tiger thought before bearing his teeth with the kind of smile only a killer would have. "Do you think knowing that will let you win? All I have to do is eliminate your chance to team up on me." he taunted them, watching as Skylark charged forward, his glowing hand held back

This guy thinks he can fake me out? I can already see him stopping at the last moment and jumping back. I don't even need to- Rajah's thoughts were interrupted as the blue light in Skylark's palm exploded as he had rammed it into him. Stumbling back and covering his face, the tiger roared in pain as Skylark skidded back from the recoil, his hand scorched with a small bit of flesh blasted off. The burns and the wound slowly began to fade and patch itself respectively as the human smirked.

"I don't know what Lyra's human did, but Rajah doesn't look too happy!" the announcer commented on the scene as a chunk of the audience cheered for the team, another chunk jeering at Rajah's apparent stupidity.

"He can use magic too? Why didn't you say that before, Twilight?" Lyra asked, smiling brightly as her ears flicked.

"I did. Didn't you read the notes I gave you?" Twilight questioned curiously and Lyra simply stared blankly at her. "Nevermind..." the purple mare sighed before Spike let out a large burp accompanied by green fire, a rolled up sheet of parchment, catching it in his hands before immediately passing it to Twilight. Quickly reading the contents, a small smirk spread across Twilight's mouth as she nodded. "I'll be back soon." she told her friends, leaving in an uncharacteristically hurried manner.

"Hey Twi! Where ya goin'?" Applejack called out, quickly becoming concerned when her friend did not answer. Spike had quickly followed, and the farm pony looked to her friends. "C'mon, let's go with Twilight. Bon Bon, Lyra, can you tell us how this ends if we miss it?" she asked, and upon receiving a nod, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Rarity all left the stands.

"Balrog! Trixie demands you tell her what you know about this human!" Trixie commanded her familiar, who only offered a small smirk.

"Miles Skylark? Well, as you know, both him and I are from Athelina. He has no formal combat training, and his skill in magic is minimal at best. I do admit, however, that he improved in the last three Equestrian years." the monster commented, and Trixie arched her brow at him.

"And you are certain you can handle him?" the blue unicorn asked, and Balrog chuckled.

"His sister was much more stronger the day I killed her than Miles was a few days ago when we had our little skirmish....but...that's strange.." he trailed off, tilting his head. Before Trixie could ask, Balrog pointed to the human, who at this point had been separated from Taurus by a wall of fire sprung by Rajah. "He looks much...younger than he did a few days ago." he noted, prompting Trixie to curse outloud.

"Damn that Twilight Sparkle! I knew she was up to something!" she stomped the floor with her hoof, clenching her teeth.

"Calm down, Mistress. They still can't touch us with their magic, and my magic grows stronger with every familiar that is wiped out. Soon, not even they can stop me directly. And then, Equestria will recognize you're power as a unicorn!" he reassured his master, much to her satisfaction.

Falling to his knees, Skylark was riddled with cuts from Rajah's claws before he was punted down the pathway that neither party had taken. Damn it...I can't do anything...Not like this... he thought, trying to stand, only for his ankle to crack and make him fall back down to the ground. Taurus cursed the wall of flames, his ears drooping slightly when he found no way around it.

"Sorry kid..." he apologized before taking the opportunity to run, while the tiger was distracted. Watching through the flames as Taurus fled, Skylark could only smile slightly, unable to blame his compatriot one bit. He tried to back away, sliding himself whilst keeping off of his broken ankle, stopping just short of a drop. Glancing behind him, the human noticed a pit that descended into pitch black darkness. Breathing heavily, he watched as the enraged tiger approached him, standing just feet away from him before grabbing him by the collar of his outfit.

"This looks like it's the end for Skylark!" the announcer cried out dramatically, much to the dismay of Lyra.

"Come on! Come on, please!" She tried to keep herself from sobbing, and was surprised to hear Bon Bon's comment on the matter.

"You've only known him a few days, why is he so special to you?" Bon Bon asked, almost coldly, and the distressed unicorn shook her head.

"He's the truth to my research, the answer to the questions that I have...he's my human...I can't just lose him...not like this!" she nearly sobbed.

"How does it feel? To be one strike away from being killed?" Rajah asked, and Skylark snickered slightly.

"There's a saying where I come from....Although given that your world has humans, I wouldn't be surprised if you heard of it.." Skylark's eyes faded back to blue.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" he asked, staring blankly at an open palm.

"It's better to die than to be killed!" he shouted, and with a bright blue flash, Skylark had struck the tiger with a misfired magic missile, the recoil being enough to cause the human to plummet down the dark pit, having forced Rajah to let go. Quickly vanishing under the veil of darkness, the human took his key down with him.

~to be continued~

The Serpent's embrace; The Sun's request

Author's Note

Before I get any hate mail: I am sorry if I couldn't do Celestia justice, this is my first time writing her and I knew I was treading very thin ice when it comes to using her as a character. I do not wish to discredit any of the canon characters, and I am using the best of my ability to balance canon and the plot.

I go to edit the author note and I unpublish this thing. :P

The Serpent's embrace; The Sun's request

Skylark's footsteps echoing through the hall, the human started to slow down as he looked around. Once the echoing subsided, Skylark could only hear three things. His racing heart, which began to slow down, his breathing which accompanied the beating. And a soft hiss, loud enough to be close. Not behind me...not in front... he thought, carefully walking as he looked up. Nothing on the ceiling to hang onto... Skylark pondered.

SNAP!

The floor beneath him broke; a thin layer covering a shallow pit. The lapse in attention was enough for the human to be caught by something, suddenly a thick binding wrapped itself around him, forcing his arms to his sides.

"What in the world-?!" he asked, only to clam up when a pony's face was inches from his own, a forked tongue flicking out to poke his nose. Caressa?! he asked himself as the coils tightened just enough to make it difficult to breath, the snake-pony's hooves resting themselves on his shoulders.

"Itssss~ nice of you to drop in." Caressa hissed softly, examining her catch with her golden eyes. "Enjoying my embrace?" she asked, tightening ever so slightly. Tensing up, the human tried to get some form of reprieve, anything for an easy breath.

"What....are you-?" Skylark gasped once the grip was loosened, only for it to tighten once more.

"Jussst need to make ssssure..." She started, the naga-pony's tail-tip slipping underneath Skylark's shirt. A smile spread on her muzzle, her forked tongue flicking up against the human’s cheek as she pulled the key out. “Looksss~ like there’sss~ no need for usss~ to fight...” Caressa concluded, slowly inserting the key back into his inner shirt-pocket, cupping his face with her hooves before she showed him her own key.

“Clever...But if you already had a key-?” the coils squeezed Skylark briefly. “-Why go through the trouble?” the human asked

“I really don’t enjoy the fightsss~ that are going on up there...I chose to wait, you ssssee. Wait until I could ssslither past. I placed thisss trap so I wouldn't have to kill anyone.” She eased her grip, letting her upper-weight rest down on the human. “Sssstay for a bit...No need for you to get hurt....” the naga-pony hissed softly. Her grip was tight, but Skylark now felt like she was simply cuddling him.

"Can I really say 'no'? " he asked, a nervous chuckle leaving his mouth.

“Your Highness!” Twilight called out to Princess Celestia, who was waiting in Ponyville for her. Bowing her head, the purple unicorn looked up at her teacher with a smile.

“Twilight. I’m glad you and your friends were able to get here so quickly.” Celestis smiled, drawing Twilight’s attention to her friends, who had slowed down to meet up with her. “Where is Lyra Heartstrings?” the princess asked, a motherly concern in her voice.

“She stayed behind, she was too busy watching her human in the competition.” Rarity gave her answer.

”Her human?” Celestia asked, more bemused than anything else.

“The human I sent you the letter about, Your Highness. He had been summoned to compete for Lyra’s sake.” Twilight explained, prompting a disappointed sigh from the princess.

“I was hoping that wasn’t the case...Too many have already taken part in that death-trap.” Celestia sighed, looking to her student. “How has he faired so far?”

“He’s been holding his own, alright!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a smile, only to be reigned in by Applejack.

“Calm down, last we saw him, he was in pretty rough shape. That tiger was overwhelming him and that minotaur.” the earth pony corrected the pegasus, who face-hooved.

“Your Highness, do you want us to get him out of there?” Twilight asked, and the princess shook her head.

”That would be impossible at this point.” Celestia lamented. “I'm sorry it too me so long, but the locations of the Elements of Harmony..” She add

“Really? So all we have to do is find them and get them back, right?” Twilight asked, and Celestia nodded.

“Correct. However, it will not be so simple...” The Sun Princess replied.

"L-Look, Caressa..." Skylark tried to speak up.

"I'm sssorry, am I too tight?" the snake-pony loosened her grip along with her words.

"No, it's just, we really better get moving if we wanna get to the next round. I don't think the audience wants to see a snuggle-fest. Might..get the wrong idea?" the human hoped to reason with Caressa, who hissed once more before she finally relinquished her hold. Standing up and rubbing his arm, Skylark looked to the snake-pony. You really are gentle...If the other competitors were like you, maybe the bloodshed could be stopped sooner. he thought with a soft smile before the new duo ventured onward.

"Heck yeah! We'll get the Elements back in no time!" Rainbow Dash shot a hoof into the air, her enthusiasm helping her friends as Celestia smiled.

"My faithful student. I am sorry to burden you, but I have one more task to ask of you." the alicorn addressed her student, who nodded.

"It won't be a burden at all, Your Highness. What is it?" she asked, and Celestia looked in the direction of where the competition was taking place.

"I'd like to ask you to be a teacher for this human. He may know how to use magic, but it will do no good if he can't control it."

"To teach him...magic?" Twilight asked, more to herself Can I really do such a thing? I know this human can use it, but..No. Princess Celestia is trusting me with this, I can't just let her down like this. Twilight nodded with a smile. "Leave it to me, Your Highness."

"Alright! We're almost there." Skylark sighed in relief as they approached the entrance to a large, circular room. There were several bridges heading to the center platform, where three doors stood. That was not what caught the human's attention, however. The sounds of a struggle and a loud roar was a cause for worry for the human. Oh crap! he thought, quickly running down the bridge, using the platform as an axis to get to find the source of the sound. He stopped abruptly as his eyes widened at the sight.

[To be continued]

A desperate battle, the ally from within

"Looks like Skylark has picked up a new friend, but too little too late! Rajah has just finished dealing with The Raging Bull! Cobalt Horn has been eliminated from the competition!" The announcer called as some spectators winced, while others cheered. Taurus stood there, trembling slightly before coughing up blood, the red-hot hand being yanked out from his chest. The minotaur fell onto his knees before falling flat on his face.

"Damn it!" Cobalt Horn cursed, slamming his hoof against the railing. The blue unicorn looked up to watch Lyra, who was watching intently as Twilight Sparkle and her friends rejoined her. His focus shifted to Skylark, who shared his anger. You better not let him pass this round! he thought with a hint of spite.

Gritting his teeth, Skylark watched as the tiger knelt down to collect the key. His right hand tightened into a fist as a fierce heat rose in his heart. Damn it...if I hadn't messed around... he thought, flinching slightly as he brought his palm to his forehead.

If you didn't hold back before...
That wouldn't have changed a thing...I'd have made things worse..
The fear...that's what makes you weak...
Shut up, shut up!

"How did you survive that fall?" The tiger asked before kicking the minotaur off the bridge they were standing on. "It doesn't matter; I'm going to have to kill you as-well. Nothing personal, I just can't let my perfect record be stained by letting you walk." Rajah bared his fangs with a smirk.

Hasn't he everheard of respecting a bested opponent!? Skylark's rage and his reason agreeing on something. "Caressa...Take your key and get into the door." the human instructed the snake, who backed away a bit. I already know the blind spot when it comes to his vision... he thought back to their earlier fight. Two moments came to play, when the human threw the ball of mana right at his face, and when he hit him point blank with a surge of mana. If I am correct...he is unable to see mana.....that means I just need to get one good shot at him. he thought, bringing a finger to his mouth, biting down firmly with his teeth. Wincing at the feeling of piercing skin, the human blinked when he tasted the sweet-bitterness from the dream, not the metal-taste of blood. What? I'm not bleeding? he wondered, looking at the finger he bit down on. There was a faint, pink fluid that sunk back into the self-inflicted wound, his skin patching itself back together faster than before. Damn...I can't use the nacht jäger...That's just great. he cursed before rubbing his right wrist with his left hand.

"Are we done standing around or are we going to settle this?" Rajah asked, stretching before getting into a fighting stance.

This isn't good...This is the time I should cut my losses and- he prepared to turn and run to the door, only for Rajah to appear right infront of him as he turned, delivering a swift roundhouse kick to his face, followed by a strong punch to the gut. He jumped back before his opponent could follow up with another hard strike, shuddering and catching his breath. For the love of Celena! he glanced ahead at Rajah, who charged in to maintain his offensive.

"Poor Skylark doesn't even stand a chance! Rajah's treating the kid like his own personal punching bag!" the announcer chimed in.

"Come on, you gonna take that?!" Rainbow Dash jeered as the human brought his arms up to defend himself. This was all in vain, as Rajah simply plowed right through his guard and sent him tumbling away. Crumpled on the floor, the human began coughing as he tried to recover. Rajah chuckled and stomped on his head.

Damn it....damn it... he thought, a groan of pain escaping his mouth.

"What's wrong? You were doing so much better earlier!" the tiger grabbed the human by the hair, pulling him up. With one eye closed, the other just barely open, Skylark's shaky breathing complimented his rather pathetic condition. Rajah stared but then smirked. "I know that look all too well...no matter how much you wanna live through this, you're holding back." the tiger punched him in the stomach. "Come on! Why do you keep yourself on a leash even now?!" he roared with anger.

"I don't get it..." Balrog unfolded his arms as he leaned forward to look a bit closer. Trixie glanced at him, noting his surprise.

"This is the first time Trixie has ever seen you show a bit of surprise, Balrog." the unicorn told her familiar who rubbed his head. "If The Great and Powerful Trixie didn't know any better, she'd say you were afraid of that overgrown cat."

"That isn't what I was talking about, Mistress." Balrog corrected Trixie, then pointing at Skylark. "Even though Miles is able to heal himself over time, a human body can't take that kind of punishment." the monster stated, then glanced over at the crowd to watch Lyra, who had fear painted all over her face, then to Twilight Sparkle, who had just arrived to see the scene. "She knows that getting too directly involved would allow my magic to corrode her...that's why she and her friends stayed out of the competition for so long....If she isn't using her magic to help, then how is Miles surviving this?" he asked, but did not receive an answer from the blue unicorn. Miles....if you keep holding back like this...you will die just like your sister did.

"I wonder...How far do I have to push you to get you to fight with your all?" Rajah questioned Skylark, kneeing him in the gut before tossing him down onto the floor. Writhing in pain, the human trembled as his arms tried to prop him off his back. "It's a shame I won't be able to see it, isn't it?!" Rajah roared, thrusting his clawed hand at Skylark's chest. The moment the sharp claws punctured his skin, a sudden jet of translucent pink fluid clashed with the tiger's face, gouging into his right cheek. Blood spurted onto the human's face as Rajah recoiled in pain, roaring as his hands covered his bleeding face.

W-W-What the hell?! Skylark wondered, looking at the opening. The fluid receded into his body, the wound closing.

Hi! a bubbly voice echoed within the human's head, and Skylark wondered for a moment, a mix of horror and confusion on his face.Sorry 'bout popping out like that, but you were in quite a bit of trouble there.

Huh?! Wait....Jerky, Taurus and the dog were eliminated from the round...Erubetie?! How the heck di-Skylark went to ask, only then to remember the visit from Princess Luna. You snuck in while I was asleep...That explains that sweet taste... he sighed, pushing himself onto his feet.

I didn't go in your mouth, silly~ I didn't wanna wake you, so I used one of those small cuts instead. she giggled a little.

Mind explaining why you decided to set up camp inside of me?

You were the most eager to help me, after all. You stopped me from killing myself by mistake.I thought maybe I could help you out.

What are you going on abou-? he almost asked, but then it hit him. The question he had asked before the challenge even began.

"Hold on, question....What would happen if one of us were to try to bypass the lock without a key?"

"Take all the fun out of it why dontcha...Simple, they die. And for that matter, if anybody tries to bring a fourth contestant with them through the door, both contestants will be disqualified."

Skylark shook his head in surprise, then noticed the pain from the earlier beating was fading away fast.

The least I can do is stopping ya from being a piñata. You think we can win against the fire-cat?

I don't think so...truth be told, don't want to kill him, even after what he did to Taurus. It's not how I want to do things...but... he looked as the tiger recovered from the sucker-strike, his right paw glowing from cauterizing the wound But he can see our attacks coming...It'll take nothing short of going for a kill to even stand a chance... Skylark brought his right index and middle fingers to wipe Rajah's blood off of his face, looking at the crimson fluid for a moment.

"Alright, Rajah!" he called to the tiger, who glared at him. "You want me to cut loose? Well, you're about to get your wish!" he declared, bringing his fingers to his mouth. After a brief moment to hesitate, Skylark closed his eyes as he licked the blood off his finger tips.

(To be continued)

True Nacht Jäger: The finale of the Labyrinth

Balrog smiled at the decision the human made, a soft chuckle leaving his mouth. Trixie glanced over, not nearly as amused as her familiar, and tilted her head. Sensing the impending question from his summoner, Balrog looked to Trixie.

"Things are about to get a lot more interesting..." Balrog concluded as Skylark tensed up, clenching his teeth as he just barely kept his footing. He brought his left hand to his right arm, just below his shoulder, as he breathed through his teeth. His legs finally caved and the human fell to his knees. Rajah did not make a move, he was at too much of a loss of the results of the human's actions to take advantage of the situation.

Sweet Solstia, this hurts... he thought, his eyes shutting tightly as his breathing became faster and faster. It was as if somebody had been stretching his muscles past their limit. Finally seeing his opportunity, the tiger rushed forward, his left hand glowing a blazing red.

Yikes! H-Hey Skylark, you ok? Erubetie asked, but was ignored as Skylark looked up to see Rajah running right at him.

“If this is your idea of 'cutting loose', I’m sorely disappointed!” Rajah roared, thrusting the blazing hand forward.

“Looks like the tiger is ready to take off the human’s head! Whatever Skylark did, he must have had put a lot of faith in it to create such an opening!” the announcer called. The sounds of a tiger's roar, bone snapping and flesh being torn asunder echoed in the stadium, followed by the collective cringe and shocked cheer of the audience. Rajah shared this shock, staring down at his abdomen. His arm had been torn off at the elbow and rammed into his abdomen, the intense heat from the paw cauterizing the wound instantly.

”That was the same trick you used on Taurus, right? Pretty nasty if I say so myself, but somehow you manage to make it look ridiculous.” Skylark commented calmly, standing behind Rajah with his back facing the tiger, sharpened canines showing just behind his lips. His right hand was bleeding at the finger tips, blue-mana escaping them and shaping itself like a set of claws.

"Poor Rajah didn't even know what hit him! Skylark not only evaded his attack, but clawed off the tiger's arm and stabbed him with it!"

Twilight shuddered at the visceral imagery, thinking about the sudden change in temperament. Skylark uses his Nacht Jäger by tasting blood...but if what Balrog said is true, and the taste of someone else’s blood brings out it’s full effects...No wonder he has been afraid to use it, he goes wild... she pondered.

"Ok, that's pretty cool!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, much to her friends' astonishment. "Oh come on! The way he slipped past that overgrown cat and turned his own move against him? Even if he didn't rip his arm off, it's still a sweet trick!"

"I didn't hit any vital regions, so you won't be dying anytime soon." Skylark taunted Rajah as he focused on cauterizing the torn portion of what was left of his arm. Spreading his arms open, the human walked away from and turned his face towards his opponent. “All the better for the audience. After all, we we’re summoned here to entertain...Why don’t we give them a bit of a show?!” he asked, his fierce-gold eyes locked on the fire-tiger. Balrog began to applaud the rookie with a smile on his face.

“Attaboy, Miles!” he laughed and encouraged the Athelinian, much to Trixie's bemusement.

"Trixie doesn't understand why you'd be cheering like that." the mare admonished her familiar, who didn't even flinch.

"Much like you enjoy proving you're the best among unicorns, I enjoy proving myself among strong fighters. The more of a challenge the fighter brings, the more satisfying it is!" Balrog reasoned.

"So you got a lucky shot in!

"I thought your eyes could see everything, but you can't see how badly you're about to lose!." He mocked Rajah, swinging his right arm as the tiger was just barely more than an arm's length away.

"Attacking early isn't going to confuse me you-ACK!" Rajah stopped as four long gashes were made on his chest. What?! How does he keep hitting me?! The tiger questioned, but he had to back away once the human rushed forward at him, swinging the makeshift claws.

He struck me when he was more than an arm's length away. Human hands can't create such a wound, not on their own... Rajah thought as he tried to combat the human, going back to the offensive while his eyes glinted. Three seconds before the human acted, he'd see those actions. SHIT! Rajah thought as Skylark began to avoid him accordingly. He's faster...and he can follow my movements now...What in the inferno is going on here?! the tiger's eyes locked to see the fierce-gold irides.

His eyes changed again...when we last fought, they were yellow...but then they faded to blue, that's when I was able to dominate him... another futile exchange of blows, both fighters missing one another. Neither would relent, Rajah too stubborn to call it quits, while Skylark was just having too much fun. His eyes changed when...could that really be it?! he wondered, flashing back to the moment the human licked the blood that had splattered on his face. He put himself into a blood-rage! That's how he can keep up with me. Rajah concluded, immediately breaking away from the fray and began to run down the bridge.

"Oh no, you get back here!" Skylark shouted with a tone of maniacal glee, chasing the cat and gaining on him. Bearing his fangs, the tiger turned and pounced. Stepping to his left, the human ran right past the tiger in mid-lunge, slashing with the mana claws, blood spurting from Rajah's right eye. A roar of pain and the cheer of the audience echoed throughout the stadium, the crystals flashing as they all were showcasing the fight now.

"In a short time, the human has turned the tables and is now toying with Rajah! Much like a dog with a rubber bone, Skylark isn't letting things end too quickly!" The announcer cheered with excitement, only then covering the microphone with a hoof to turn to his assistant. "A dog...hey, calling him 'Mad Dog' will work, right?" he asked, receiving only a nod before he uncovered the mic. "The Mad Dog practically has the tiger at his mercy! But this is still anybody's game, folks!" he added for dramatic effect.

Damn it...he got my eye. Rajah thought, letting the area bleed a bit as he tried to see through it. No good...he blinded me there...but why couldn't I see some of his moves coming? he wondered, focusing his energy on cauterizing . He thought back to both times he got blasted in the face, the claws to his chest, and now the wound in his eye. Looking to the human, he blinked a few times, his good eye widening once he finally saw the surging mana at his finger tips. "You....you've been using magic?!" he asked, standing up and panting heavily. Finally cancelling the flow of mana, Skylark let his fingertips heal as he smiled. "Tell me...when did you figure out that blind-spot? Or did you just get a lucky guess again?" Rajah asked, his exhaustion evident in his tone.

"You've finally started to see it then? Well, if I had to be honest, I made my theory after falling down that pit...I wondered why you had taken not one, but two of my magic missiles to the face without even attempting to dodge." "Given the fact mana glows all around my hand when I prepare it, I dismissed the idea you were unable to see it at first. I figured you were trying to toy with me and Taurus by taking the attack head on, without regarding the force behind the attack."

"I see...so you thought you got me by luck."

"Correct...I put my theory into practice when I took your arm off shortly after staring the Nacht Jäger with your blood. Dodging you was simple enough, but even you would have thought to avoid a counter attack in motion. When my claws severed your flesh and I rammed your severed arm into your gut, I had all the evidence I needed to make a conclusion."

"Conclusion?"

"Yes...Your eyes were able to see my movements seconds ahead of time. In battle, even three seconds is a long enough for you to counter the attacks preemptively...but that came at the cost of being able to see mana; the energy required to cast magic. The fact you can see it now means that you lost your three-second advantage, correct?" Skylark asked, but did not need an answer as he rushed forward. A simple sweep to the legs and a bone-shattering axe-kick to the tiger's good shoulder was enough to incapacitate the tiger, who was helpless on his back. Skylark's right hand began to glow a bright blue, much like how Rajah's paw did earlier on, the human knelt on the tiger, left hand pressed firmly against his throat.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!" the tiger began to goad the human. Caressa hissed sadly, taking a breath.

"Please, sstop! He'sss down...You won thissss fight." the naga-pony called out, the human's hand shuddering a bit.

She's right, Skylark...You don't need to kill him...We can just take his key and get out of here.

Lyra watched, her hooves together near her barrel as her eyes watered up a little. Look at him...he's struggling to decide what to do now... she thought, before Skylark shouted and thrust his hand down. Stone cracked and blood spurted...right next to Rajah's head.

"The key's all yours, Erubetie." he smiled, his eyes fading to blue as the pink slime-pony slipped out of the self-inflicted wound and grabbed Rajah's key, reforming herself next to the human.

"What?! Why!?!? Why do you choose to leave me in shame!?" Rajah asked, outraged at the act of mercy.

"Shame? Is that what you feel when your life is spared?" the human asked, standing back up, shaking his right hand a bit. "Listen to me, Rajah...You are the toughest opponent I've fought so far. You were able to overpower Taurus, who was already physically stronger than me, and drove me to the brink of losing myself." he admitted to the tiger, offering a gentle smile. "Don't think of me sparing you as an insult...We both win in a way. Balrog won't have some of his power replenished, which will make things easier for us...and you get to use this defeat as a way to make you stronger." Skylark bowed his head politely before walking away with Erubetie, joining Caressa. Simultaneously, the three unlocked the doors and walked into the center room. Their bodies began to glow as the labyrinth around them vanished.

"That concludes our second event, folks! Caressa, Erubetie, and Skylark have survived the Labyrinth and earned the right to proceed with the next challenge!" the announcer called out, the cheers of the ponies drowning out everything else. Looking up to Lyra, Skylark smiled and waved to her.

I was able to keep my promise after all... he thought to himself, looking over to see Rajah sprawled on the ground. "Get him to a healer. Just because he lost doesn't mean he has to die." He told the officials, who saw no reason to argue and called over a medical team. The human locked eyes with Balrog, who was watching from the stands with Trixie. Just you wait, Balrog...I'll stop your reign soon.

-To Be Continued-

Author's Note

I'd like to thank all of the readers who have enjoyed the story and supported me throughout the year. Ever since I started this fanfiction last year, I was nervous about falling into first-chapter abandonment, where I'd ditch a fanfic after a few chapters. But thanks to all of you, I have continued on, writing each chapter and continuing the story. I am glad this fanfiction has made it to it's first anniversary, and I am truly thankful to you all for helping me get this far.

For a successful first year, and for the years to come!

-Liam/Hex Mark

Locked in, no regrets

The second round was over, and the trio stood there and listened to the cheers of the crowd. Taking his eyes off of Balrog, Skylark searched the stands and saw Lyra looking at him with a smile on her muzzle. The sight of this brought a warm smile to his face, but before he could make his way over, the announcer once again began to speak out loud.

"Will the summoners of Caressa, Erubetie, and Skylark please head down into the center area?" The announcer asked, prompting Emerald Warbler, Lyra Heartstrings, and a third unicorn to trot down the stands in order to join their familiars. Erubetie and Caressa smiled towards their unicorn-summoners, while Skylark and Lyra held each-other in a warm embrace, the latter only letting got to check her human’s hands.
”That was amazing! I just knew you’d make it!” the unicorn smiled, prodding the finger tips of his right hand with a hoof. Much to his confusion, Lyra gently pulled his hand to the side of her face, so that she was able to nuzzle his palm, her eyes closed with contentment.

“I made you a promise, after all.” Skylark replied with a soft smile right before a pony cleared their throat. The competitors and the unicorns turned their attention to the announcer, who had been joined by a bored Trixie and a half-welcoming, half forboding Balrog.

“First, I would like to congratulate the three of-” the announcer began to speak, only for Trixie to stomp a hoof.

“What in Equestria is this? The Great and Powerful Trixie is sorely disappointed in these three survivors! A snake, a blob of jelly and a monkey?! Pah! These games will be over shortly.” Trixie sneered, much to the annoyance of the group, even Balrog had a deadpan expression on his face at the words his mistress was spewing out.

“Either way, it’s only fair that we explain the rules. The game has changed due to some unforeseen complications.” Balrog started with a reasonable, rehearsed tone. “Usually our games will finish up in a manor similar to a tournament within this stadium. However, with some new prizes at stake, it was fitting to size up the field to scale.”

”New prize?” Skylark, Erubetie and Caressa asked in unison, and Trixie’s familiar nodded.

“Five of our veterans will be carrying them. I myself have one of them.” Balrog pulled out a gold tiara adorned with navy blue gems and a single magenta star. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, and she almost dove in from the stands, only being held back by her friends.

"Woah there, Rainbow! I know that rat stole the Elements of Harmony, but we can't just rush in! Remember what Princess Celestia told us!" Applejack reminded her azure friend, who took a breath and sighed in frustration.

That must be one of the Elements of Harmony Princess Luna told me about...To turn them into bargaining chips... the human’s hand tightened itself into a fist. Just what are you hoping to gain from this?

“You three may work together or go your separate ways. Doesn’t matter to me what you do. You will earn the right to challenge me if you defeat the other veterans! This challenge will span all across Equestria, with only a few locations currently neutral locations where fighting between the contestants shall not take place!” He raised his finger up to point at a projected map to show the neutral zones, and the exact borders. The only ones that were marked as 'neutral' were Ponyville, Canterlot, and a strangely empty region to the north-east was marked as 'forbidden'. "Now, are there any questions?" Balrog asked, and almost on cue, Skylark raised his hand.

"I have one. In the event that we fight in a populated area, what happens if either us or the veterans harm a pony?" Skylark questioned, and Balrog chuckled.

"You've only been here for a few days, and you're already feeling sentimental?" the champion mocked him before sighing. "What happens to them is of no consequence. None of us will be held responsible for any harm that may come to those careless enough to get caught in the fray." Balrog assured the group. "The third round will begin in a week! I wish you all luck in the days to come, and I look forward to the day when I can face you with all your might!" the demon announced, and with that, Trixie teleported out with Balrog. Being dismissed, the unicorns and their familiars all began to walk away, exiting the arena. Lyra lagged behind to get the announcer's attention.

"Excuse me, sir? I'm sorry, but Balrog didn't give me time to ask this. Is there any way I can withdraw and absolve Skylark of the need to compete?" the unicorn asked, only to be met with the announcer's laughter. Lyra stared in bewilderment, only going deadpan once the announcer realized she was serious.

"I...I'm sorry for laughing but...that was a really silly question." the announcer apologized, but looked to the human. "Your human can't be withdrawn from this competition. He will remain in this competition until he and his fellow survivors win, or if he perishes. Whichever comes sooner. Now if you'll excuse me." the announcer bid farewell and took his leave.

Lyra's ears drooped as this news soaked in. Guilt weighed in her heart as she glanced over to her human, who looked back at her, half confused, half concerned. Her eyes watered up, and in a heartbeat, she pulled Skylark into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Miles...I'm so sorry..." she apologized, using his shoulder to wipe the tears that escaped. "I hoped to just be able to get you out of harm's way once my debt was paid...I didn't think they'd keep you in regardless...If you die, it'll be all my fault..." she cried softly. The human stayed silent for only a moment, bringing a finger to her eye to wipe some tears away for her eyes.

"Lyra...There is no need to apologize.." he tried to reassure her, but his heart sank when he realized just how bad she must have felt. "If I do die....I'd be happy to know I was dying for your sake.". The unicorn looked into the human's eyes in astonishment.

"But I took you against your will! I swept you away from your home!" Lyra began to berate herself. "Why would you be happy to die for my sake after I did that?!" she questioned the human, who nodded.

"When you summoned me here...you saved my life. Just as much as you owe a debt to Shadow Bit, I owe a debt to you." his smile grew a little warmer. "I want to repay my debt to you by saving your home...I want to stop Balrog and restore Equestria to how she was before.." Skylark caressed his mistress's cheek. "Fighting for you...fighting for Equestria...Nothing would make me happier.." he admitted, and Lyra wiped the remaining tears from her eyes as a smile cracked on her muzzle. An inaudible 'thank you' was followed by the mare grabbing the human by the wrist, leading him out of the arena. It was time to get some much needed sleep for the two of them.

(tbc)

Author's Note

Reader Event: Since I wanted the readers to have some fun, I figured I'd do the same thing I did for Chapter 6, and see what kind of chapter you wanted to see written next, out of three possible scenarios.

1) A chapter dedicated to Lyra and Skylark bonding: This chapter would be a day or two of Lyra and Skylark simply enjoying eachother's company, with the former learning about and teaching her human

2) A chapter dedicated to Twilight teaching Skylark magic: This chapter would delve further into Skylark's magical capabilities, reveal the mechanics of his healing factor, and even provide an opportunity to change how he goes about things.

3) A chapter dedicated to the three survivors: In order to learn to cooperate better, all three unicorns bring their familiars together to learn as much about the others as possible.

Please vote in the comments, voting will end on August 10th

A week's reprieve: The Survivors part 1

Author's Note

The winner of the chapter voting is the survivors; the runner up is the magic chapter, and third place was the Lyra chapter.

Upload-date note: Holy crap, did this take a while to write. School had been getting to me big time, especially with my last three semesters being in the process of being completed. As a result of that, along with the fact I plan for this sub-arc to have plenty of content, I decided to break up the chapters into more manageable pieces. I am glad I could continue the story, and I want to thank each and every ready and supporter. You all know who you are.

Glitch issue: So when I go to edit a note, I accidentally hit unpublish. sorry 'bout that.

A week's reprieve: The Survivors part 1

Back in her home, Lyra and her human were getting ready for bed, the unicorn placing some bits in a lock-box. The human, on the other hand, was sitting on a chair and looking out the window. It was a clear night, with many stars and a waxing crescent moon. The human simply stared at the moon, slightly tense, but keeping quiet.

“...Skylark? Is something wrong?” Lyra asked, trotting over.

”I...” He caught himself quickly, but chose not to look to Lyra as his heart sank a little. “It’s nothing...”

”Please, look at me..” Lyra requested, her words laced with concern, and Skylark felt a very strange sensation. It was new, a little unpleasant...like something twisting in his chest. It bothered him. It frightened him As moments passed, it got more and more intense, and he didn’t like it one bit. The human turned his attention to the unicorn, and the feeling instantly vanished when his eyes met hers. He didn’t know whether it was because he was with a friend, or some outside force, but the wave of relief came instantly. “Come on, tell me...” the sensation returned. “I want to help...” she assured him, but the sensation didn't fade. Relenting, the human sighed softly.

“I’m worried...I don’t want to get Erubetie or Caressa killed.” he admitted, the sensation vanishing once more. “You saw it happen, I couldn’t stand up to Rajah on my own, and when I took a chance to flee, and the tiger demolished Taurus. I don't even know what happened to him...” he tensed a little more, the unicorn’s ears drooping.

“You did what you could at the time...” her assurance was half effective, but she patted him on the back with a smile. “But hey, you know that for next time, you just have to do your best to protect your new partners.” her tone was uplifted, be it an attempt to uplift her human or herself was unknown to her.

“You’re right...You’re right.” he nodded, only to feel her teeth press down on his wrist, the mare lightly tugging him towards the bed. In a few moments, the two were laying on the bed, Lyra pulling the covers over them save for their necks up. She made a point to have Skylark facing her.

”Hey Miles...be honest with me..” the unicorn took a breath, inching a little closer.. “How do you feel about all of this? Not the competition...I mean just being here...living in Equestria?” the mare asked, and the human tried to piece the words together. The feeling that came twice before didn’t come back this time. It was odd...two out of three?

“It was strange at first...It feels a bit like Athelina...but so much different at the same time...Ponyville itself feels so peaceful...I’m willing to bet that before Balrog showed up, it was all peaceful.” he resisted the urge to fall asleep for a bit longer. “Meeting you, Twilight, Applejack..Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and everyone else...feels right...” the desire to sleep was starting to overpower him as he spoke between yawns. Lyra could see that, and she couldn’t help but giggle silently, she didn’t press any further as she embraced the human, letting him sink into slumber before she smiled and joined him in the realm of dreams.

Morning would come quickly, Skylark finding himself being the second to wake up, Lyra having already left the room. He stretched and yawned, climbing out the bed and making it. He took a breath and shut his eyes tight for a moment, managing a smile as they opened once more. Making his way out of the room, the human stopped as his ears picked up a soft tune. It was a soft, comforting melody...one that could only be played on a lyre. The human followed the sound, getting closer until stopping just at the foot of the stairs as he watched Lyra playing her instrument, a small smile on his face. He dared not make a sound, the mare was so focused on her song that it would be a sin to interrupt her.

Indeed, the mare was out of touch with the world around her so long as she played the lyre, the melody much like a lullaby for the world around her. Much like the human, the mood of the room was under Lyra's command. The mare slowly opened her eyes as the song ended, looking to see that Skylark had been listening. Her eyes shimmered with excitement as she beamed.

"How lo-" her question was as natural as can be.

"Long enough to become enthralled by it." his response was automatic, as natural as his summoner's question.

Knock!
Knock!
Knock!

The two turned their attention to Lyra's front door, and the human offered a smile, a silent 'I'll get it.' since he was closer to the door. The moment he opened the door, however, he got a face-full of pink slime as Erubetie jumped for a hug.

"HIYA!" the slime pony greeted Skylark, changing her shape to get herself off his face with a smile.

"Erubetie! Behave yourself!" Emerald Warbler ordered the slime, who slipped off the human.

"Huh? Emerald, what brings you here?" Lyra asked, brushing past Skylark to greet a fellow summoner.

"I figured, since you, Iridescent Charmer, and myself are all in this together, we could gather up and get to know each-other more. Our monsters would certainly benefit from learning to cooperate, don't you agree?" the emerald green unicorn questioned her.

"They worked together perfectly last round, how hard can that be?"

"That was a matter of circumstance, your monster was desperate and worked with the snake. I still don't know what mine gained from sneaking into your monster's body, nor do I know why she felt the need to kiss him." she glanced over at Erubetie, who's pink face turned a darker shade of pink, Skylark's face turning as red as an apple, with quite possibly the greatest 'What the hell' face Equestria would ever see. Lyra, on the other hoof, had to restrain her frustration with Emerald's use of the word 'monster'.

"He's a human." She corrected her.

"What's the difference? You summoned it from another world to participate, right?" Skylark tensed a bit at these words, putting a hand to his head as memories flashed. For a brief instant...he was back in Athelina...slumped up against a tree desperate to catch his breath. However, this brief reprieve was followed by a swift punch to the face.

"Why are you doing this?! Neither of us have attacked anyone in the village! You know it...I know it...even The Village knows it!" he barked, one eye closed, some blood running down his face. The one he was speaking to was clad in a makeshift armor, gloves stained with blood dripping from steel-stud knuckles.

"A monster is a monster...If it hasn't attacked a human, it is only waiting for a chance." The words made Skylark's chest burn inside. "You're just as blood thirsty as the rest of them...you and your sister..." the man's voice filled with venom.

"Shut up...Fergus..." Skylark nearly growled, forgetting he was within earshot as Emerald Warbler took offense to the random comment.

"What was that?!" Emerald snapped, glaring at the human, who blinked in surprise.

"What? Oh..not you...My apologies." he sighed as the green mare disregarded him once more, looking at Lyra while Erubetie sighed silently. Although his summoner smiled, he could sense the disdain she had for Emerald. "Milady, if I may speak..." he earned himself a strange smile from the unicorn.

"You don't need to ask, you know." Lyra's smile never left, but the human could see the smug satisfaction in her eyes as she defied Emerald's opinions.

"Right...well...I think it would be for the best. After all; even though Erubetie slipped into my body and we worked together against Rajah, I know almost nothing about her. Same with Caressa; other than she is a pacifist."

"There you are, Emerald, Lyra!" an enthusiastic white-coated mare with a three-toned mane called, galloping over to the scene. Slithering behind her was Caressa, who seemed reluctant, but relaxed at the sight of Erubetie and the human. Lyra and Skylark could only assume it was Iridescent Charmer, so they didn't bother to ask.

"Well, speak of Celena." Skylark chuckled a bit, looking over to the naga-pony. "Do you both live in Ponyville aswell?" he asked, and despite the daggers glared at him by Emerald, he faced Iridescent with a gentle smile.

"Yeah. It's a shame that there weren't more Ponyville participants. It'd be nice to have others to talk about it with."

I doubt that. the human thought before rubbing his neck as Caressa tried to coil her tail around Erubetie's right foreleg, only for the slime pony to slip out of her grasp, Caressa settling for grabbing his wrist instead.

"So..." Lyra started off with an awkward tone, rubbing her leg as she looked towards the other summoners. "...wanna go get breakfast?"

(tbc)

A Reckless Choice- The Survivors Part 2

Ten minutes had passed, and the ensemble had gathered at a table, save for Skylark and Lyra, who were preparing breakfast, or at least what counted for breakfast. Once they got to the table, the human placed the plates in front of each pony and each of their familiars.

“I’m sorry it isn’t much...But you know, gotta make do, right?” Lyra looked to Emerald and Iridescent, who looked indifferent and understanding respectively. Caressa and Erubetie looked at the grass sandwiches, the latter with a bright smile on her face.

”Thank you, Miss Lyra!” Erubetie sounded like a little filly as she tried to bite down on the sandwich, only to give up and just slide the hole thing into her mouth. The sandwich sank down to Erubetie’s stomach, where it slowly began to dissolve in plain sight. Lyra, Emerald, Caressa, Iridescent, and Skylark all watched in awe as the slime pony blushed a little, realizing the group was staring.

“Well, that answered part of my question. I was wondering if these creatures even ate grass sandwiches. At least the blob can.” Emerald bit down on her sandwich, ignoring the mixed looks from the rest of the group. Caressa bit down on the sandwich, her fangs making it much easier to take smaller pieces than Erubetie did. She smiled, enjoying the taste before going for another bite, and Lyra looked to Skylark expectantly.

The human wasn’t sure whether or not he should even eat it. Sure, he was able to eat the unknown fruit from the Everfree and the apples from Applejack’s farm, but at least he knew those were fruit, and the displacer beast was at least cooked over a fire after Taurus finished it off. Were humans even able to stomach grass?

“Is something wrong?” Lyra asked, and the human at least tried to smile for her. ”Nothing is wrong...This is just-” he tried to confess, the mare’s ears flicking.

”Oh! I’m sorry...I didn’t know that you didn’t like grass.” she tried to apologize, assuming the worst, but Skylark laughed a little. It was a fake laugh, but convincing enough to relieve the mare.

”Now how can I say whether I like it or not if I never tried it?” he asked her, and the unicorn giggled. “It can’t be that different from eating lettuce, right?” he posed a rhetorical question to cheer his master up. He couldn’t just reject it...he knew her predicament, and he was still guest in her world. It would be so rude to turn down the grass sandwich!

It was then he decided to take a bite out of the sandwich. The bread was very soft, but it just made the grass feel even tougher. After a bit of chewing, the flavor hit him. It was bitter, he could almost compare it to when he put the soap in his mouth. It was also really, really dry- the bread didn’t help matters. Nevertheless, he kept a straight face, only pausing every now and then to drink some much needed water. As a result of this process, he was the last one to finish his breakfast. His stomach felt a little weird, but he ignored it for Lyra’s sake.

“Lyra...That was fantastic.” he offered a warm smile, the unicorn’s eyes shining in return. He then stood up and collected the empty plates, bringing them to the sink as he began to wash them. Observing this behavior, Iridescent looked to Lyra and gestured to him behind his back.

“So hey, what kind of creature is that?” her voice saturated with curiosity.

“Oh, he’s a human! I’ve been trying to study them for years, what are the odds I’d finally summon one?” Lyra replied with a bit of pride in her voice before looking over to Skylark. “Hey Sky, you’ll let me study you for a while after this, right?” she asked, and he looked back.

“Huh? Oh, sure; I don’t see the harm in that.” he smiled before continuing on with dish-washing.

“Are you really proud to have summoned that monkey-thing? From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t have such a good track record.” Emerald leaned back against her chair.

“Oh come on, he can’t be that bad.” Iridescent tried to reason with Emerald, who scoffed at her words..

“Weren’t you paying attention to the last round? He didn’t win any fight single-handed. If it weren’t for Erubetie sneaking into his body, he’d have lost against Rajah.” The green unicorn’s words made the human tense up a bit, but he kept silent as he continued to wash the dishes, drying each of them up with a rag before putting them away. “Heck, out of the three of us, you drew the short straw, Lyra. I feel bad, really.”

I really wish I could shut her up right now. Skylark tensed up a little, Lyra's left ear twitching slightly.

“Seriously; what does he have going for him that will benefit the other two?” Emerald asked, and Skylark placed a hand down on the table, having just finished the easy chore. Lyra, as if sensing his dissent, put a hoof down ontop of the hand, taking a moment to glide across it a bit before looking into her human's eyes. There were no words spoken between them, but the human could understand her request. He took a breath and let out a sigh, his body relaxing.

“OK Emerald, I gotta ask you something." Lyra's voice was laced with her own annoyance. “If these ‘monsters’ are as beneath you as you like to act; why did you even sign up to summon Erubetie in the first place?” her question, surprisingly, did not offend Emerald as she simply scoffed.

”Because somepony has to get Trixie off her high horse! I hoped that if I could summon a creature capable of killing Balrog, she’d finally shut up. But seeing this group, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.” Emerald’s words prompted Lyra and Skylark to look at one another. For a few moments, they stared in disbelief, before a smirk spread on the human’s face, Skylark giving Lyra a thumbs up. Taking it as a positive gesture, Lyra smiled and nodded, looking back to Emerald.

“Funny you should mention that, Emerald. You see, Balrog and Skylark are from the same realm. I can only imagine how many times they fought against each other.” Lyra embellished things a little. “If anything, he’s the best one to for the job.” the stunned look on Emerald’s face was the most satisfying thing the group would ever see that morning. Sure, it was a bluff, neither of them knew for certain that he could win.

“Then you should know Balrog’s weaknesses, right?” Charmer asked, and Sklyark sat back down.

"There are two, one of which is easy enough to exploit just by knowing him The more practical one, however, is a tougher one to contend with." the human chuckled a little, the thought of taking down Balrog was something he enjoyed. "His powers are fueled by death. If he kills anyone; human, pony, or otherwise, he is able to maintain his strength."

"Hold on! He hardly killed anything for the last three years!" Emerald cut Skylark off, much to his initial annoyance, but then he sighed. He thought back to his conversation with Princess Luna.

"Then I was right..." he thought out loud before nodding. "Because he doesn't have to. Whatever magic he used to create this competition, it makes every participant have a sort of link." he began to explain, but was once more interrupted.

"Get to the bucking point!" Emerald shouted, and the human tensed up a little. He was getting sick of Emerald already, maybe even more so than he was tired of Trixie.

"Simply; if we kill anyone, we make him stronger." he rubbed his hands together. "Therefore, if we can 'starve' Balrog, his power will fade."

"So that's why you spared Rajah." Iridescent Charmer mused, and Skylark nodded.

"It'll be interesting to watch you three go off and work together." Charmer admitted, though Lyra was the only one who caught the meaning of this comment.

"You mean you won't be coming with us?" Lyra stared in disbelief, only to earn an equally disbelieving look from Charmer.

"Are you serious? You heard what they said; they won't be responsible for us if we get hurt out there. We'd be safer in the stadium while watching them."

"At least you're smart, Charmer. I was thinking the same thing." Emerald snarked, Lyra doing her best to keep her annoyance hidden. The human found a way to enjoy this fact, on the other hand. If Emerald wasn't coming along, they wouldn't have to put up with her, after all. And Charmer being safe and sound was one less issue to worry about...but he had to figure out how to convince Lyra to take the safer route. A fur-covered leg draped itself over the the back of his neck, and Skylark was pulled closer to Lyra, who looked to the two unicorns.

"Whatever, I'll be going along with them! You can't stop me." She smiled brightly, but the human's face spelled it out; he wasn't thrilled about her decision whatsoever.

"L-Lyra...I'm sorry, but please reconsider.." he worked up his nerves, turning to face her. "There's no guarantee that the other contenders won't attack you...The last thing I want is for you to be put in harm's-" a hoof pressed itself against the human's mouth, silencing him.

"I'll be fine. After all, I will have you right by my side." Lyra justified herself , and the human's heart sank even more. He just had to convince her! As Balrog, Rajah, and Taurus had proven, he could barely protect himself, let alone protect Lyra.

"But I-" he leaned back a little so his mouth wasn't up against Lyra's hoof, but he felt the weight shift itself onto his shoulder.

"I've waited so long to be able to see a human...I don't know if I'll be able to keep you when this is all over...so I want to see everything you can do with my own eyes." Lyra patted Skylark's shoulder with a smile. "I'll be fine." she tried to assure him, but he found it to be a really tough pill to swallow. After a few moments, he sighed.

"Alright...I believe you." he lied, but Lyra's ears were crowded by her own words and the conversation she would strike with the other mares. This gave the familiars the cue to move out of earshot. Caressa gave the human a somewhat disappointed look.

"I don't know what was worse, the tremors in your heart, or the fact Lyra accepted a lie so easily." the snake-pony could not mask her hissing, but neither Erubetie nor Skylark were threatened.

"What else could I say?" he asked, but rubbed his forehead and sighed. "I'm just glad my chest didn't start twisting in itself again." he mused, only to note the expression on the naga's face.

"You noticed that too?" Caressa asked, then looked to Erubetie, who nodded aswell. "I thought I was the only one." she added, much to the human's interest.

"You too? That is strange...any idea what could be causing it?" he questioned.

"No...when has it been happening?" Erubetie readjusted her form, which got more sloppy as she relaxed, pulling the slime around her closer.

"When Charmer asked me to grab something for her, I was a little distracted. It began to bother me even more while I was doing it, but once I gave her the object, the sensation ended." Caressa described the pattern, which made Skylark think. The only times he felt it were when Lyra had asked him to look at her and to talk to her.

"Same here...when Lyra asked me to look at her, the feeling came and didn't leave until I turned my attention to..." he trailed off, his eyes widening as he, Caressa, and Erubetie all came to a mutual realization. "Oh sweet Solstia..." he murmurred as he rubbed his forehead again.

"Whatever magic was used to bring us here...it also binds us to anything that can be considered a command...That seems to be it." Caressa hissed in disbelief. Even though they only knew of eachother for a few days, the trio could understand the feeling between one another. Erubetie nearly melted off her own seat, while Caressa and Skylark both reached to pat her on the back, or in this case what they guessed was her back. He didn't recoil when he felt his hand sink in, something that didn't seem to happen with Caressa's hoof.

"This is just great, I hoped that things would be better here than in my world, but not only does Emerald prove to be no better, but now we all have a pain debuff?" the slime whined, her compatriots both dumbfounded at such a word.

"A de-what now?" Caressa and Skylark asked in unison, but then the slime slowly began to reform herself, trapping the human's hand inside of her up to his wrist. He tried to pull himself free, but the slime's body held fast. Strangest of all, Erubetie didn't even seem to notice the fact his hand was stuck in her, much less the tugging. It was oddly warm, and he felt a pulling sensation.

"You've never heard of a debuff? You two need to get out more." the ease in which she switched from her depression to a joking mood disturbed the human at the very least."So anyway, Caressa; what can you do? I mean, if we're gonna be a team, we should know eachother more!" she switched the subject quickly, and the naga hesitated.

"I never liked fighting...but I am really strong with my tail, I could crush a solid bar of tempered steel by squeezing it." her words put a rather disturbing image in his mind, and he turned pale just from the thought of being crushed by her full force. "But I prefer my fangs...I can inject all sorts of things into prey with them."

"Ooh! That's cool! You're like a swiss-army fang! What kind of things? I bet you got alot of fun tricks in them!" her eyes glimmered as she leaned closer, the sudden motion yanking the human off balance, his face hitting the table with a thud, halfway up his forearm was now submerged, and its presence was met with a slight tingling sensation, then a bit of burning. This made him worry, he knew he was a fast healer, but he didn't know of his healing could outpast the slime's digestion. "Hey, what happened, are you ok?" the slime asked, still oblivious to the predicament. Caressa noticed, not that it helped Skylark much, as she began to laugh at the sight.

"Erubetie, I think he's stuck." she barely got the words out as Erubetie glance at his outstretched arm, which was now elbow-deep in her. Rather than laugh, she took a breath to focus on loosening her body, allowing his arm to slip free.

"Sorry about that, if you wanted to get closer; all you had to do was ask." she joked as Skylark began to blow on the raw skin.

"W-What?! That isn't- I mean-!" the human wasn't in a humorous mood.

"I don't think having his arm digested has put him in a joking mood." Caressa opted to rein Erubetie in a bit, the slime blushing as if she had to look at an embarassing photo.

"If it makes you feel any better, Miles, you taste fantastic." she threw the odd compliment to the human while Caressa reached for the arm, the human too stunned by just how casual Erubetie was about all of it.

"I...don't know how I should take that..." his face turned a light shade of red before he felt a sudden pinch on his hand, a squeak leaving his throat as a result. His eyes wandered to show that Caressa had bitten down on his palm, his eyes widening at the site.

"Yikes! Caressa, what in Celena's name did you do that for?!" he asked as her fangs pulled out.

"I wanted to help with the healing process." she hissed with a smile.

"There wasn't too much damage, it would have regenerated on its own." he tried to dismiss it.

"But now it won't hurt, will it?" she asked with an arched brow and a slight smirk on her face as the human noticed that the burning was gone, a wave of relief flowed down his arm. "I said 'all kinds of stuff', that includes painkillers." she felt proud of herself, while the human had nothing to retort with.

"Oh...well, Goddess' Grace." he was humbled, offering an embarrassed smile. "So, what were your homes like?" he asked, and Caressa's mind began to wander.

"It was always warm where I'm from; I got to relax all day after a meal, nothing would bother me. The jungles of my home were always fun; there was always something new, be it a rain storm causing the other fauna to run around, or a human being unfortunate enough to wander to my tree. They were always easy prey...no offense." she trailed off sheepishly, the human chuckling nervously.

"None taken...And, uh, thanks for not being hungry in that maze." he smiled lightly, and Erubetie tapped the table.

"My world was alot like that. Living in a field and just enjoying the simple things."

"But I thought you didn't like your home...you said you hoped things would be better here." Caressa interjected, and the slime felt odd, before she dipped her head a little.

"I never said I hated my home; its just that slimes were never really the most liked of creatures in my world...I could never see why." Erubetie lamented, the naga and the human shared a quick glance to one another, the human then looking back at the slime.

"I can't see it either." Skylark agreed, his arm feeling numb from the painkillers Caressa injected. "I mean, you're definitely a smart girl...mare?" he corrected himself to Erubetie and Caressa's amusement. "You're really fun to be around, and you're adorable; what's not to like?" he asked her. He didn't know her well enough to say or sure, but from the look on her face, he seemed to succeed in making her feel better. The gleam in her eyes and the smile brought on by the compliment...it just seemed right to him.

"Alright! It was nice talking to you, Lyra. And thanks for the sandwiches!" Iridescent chimed in as she tapped Caressa on the shoulder, signaling her familiar that it was time to leave.

"Come on, Erubetie, time to go home." Emerald told the slime, who like Caressa, would join her summoner as the four took their leave. She wasn't too enthusiastic about it, glancing back at Lyra and Skylark before the door closed.

"So? What did you think of your new friends?" Lyra asked, eyes shimmering as she was blinded with her own excitement. The human winced a little, his stomach feeling strange before he smiled.

"I think we got along rather well...I can't see us losing eachother anytime soon." Skylark responded, a new found confidence in his voice. He would not lose them to this blood sport...he wouldn't lose anyone else to Balrog.

(To be continued)

Author's Note

Woohoo! I can't even find the words to express how much it means to me that I was able to get this far. Thank you all for sticking with me!

I am not going to lie; this chapter was the most challenging I have had yet. Countless revisions, had to change the ending at least six times, among other bits and pieces.

2/20/15- I set this deadline for myself, and I am glad I met it. I figured I'd kick off my birthday by publishing the chapter. :D

Magic 101

Turning her gaze to the human beside her, Lyra's thoughts began to wander to the many questions she never got to ask. Twilight Sparkle had given her the notes she wrote down during the apple bucking, yet the teal mare was not satisfied. As much as she trusted Twilight, Lyra still wished to compare her notes. She had a primary source living with her, at her beck and call no less! They had a week before the next event, and right now she had him all to herself.

The corners of her lips tugged into a small smile as she draped a leg around Skylark's shoulder, proceeding to tug him closer to her. Caught by surprise, he stumbled and lost his footing, his arms wrapping around the mare to avoid falling. His face turned a shade of red once Lyra snickered at the sight as he tried to adjust himself. He must have looked so silly from her point of view, having forgotten how strong horses were, or ponies as the case may be, and he couldn't free his face properly.

"L-Lady Lyra? I...I can't breathe!" he complained with a muffled voice, the unicorn loosening her grip and propping him up back onto his feet and watching him catch his breath. Her mouth opened as her eyes shimmered with excitement, only for a knocking at her door to dull them.

"Could you get that, please?" she asked, not wanting to look awkward with a wide open mouth. Skylark nodded and reached for the door knob, feeling relieved that he beat the unpleasant sensation before it could start. With a twist and a tug, Skylark pondered who might have decided to visit as the door opened.

"Oh! Lady Twilight, it's nice to see you again." the human greeted the unicorn with a bow, only to be smacked playfully on the top of the head by Lyra, propping himself back up with an embarassed chuckle.

"It's nice to see you again too, Skylark. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time." Twilight smiled to the human, who put his hands behind his head.

"I'm pretty sure you got your hope, ma'am." he chuckled, and Lyra nudged him softly, causing him to bring his arms back down. "Oh, right. May I ask what brings you here, Lady Twilight?" he asked in Lyra's stead.

"I was hoping that I could borrow you for a while, Skylark. It's rather im-" Twilight Sparkle was about to cut to the chase, only for Lyra to cut her off.

"What might you need him for?" Lyra's question came off rather defensive, and the human noted a sudden change in the look in her eyes. He couldn't quite place it...but something just rubbed him the wrong way. He could only hope Twilight caught on aswell, and it seemed his hopes bore fruit, the purple unicorn sighing softly.

"I want to better prepare him by teaching him to better control his magic so and increase his chances of survival. I got the request from Princess Celestia, so..." she dragged out the last detail on purpose, and Lyra blinked, the odd look in her eyes fading as she smiled.

"Oh! That's a great idea!" Lyra looked to Skylark, excited he'd have such an opportunity. If he gets better at magic, he'll get hurt less, and maybe when this is all over, I can have him to myself. she thought, but took a breath. "Skylark, you should go with Twilight today. When it comes to magic, there's no pony better than her, so I think that you've hit the jackpot if you learn under her!" the cyan mare caused the purple mare to blush. She would never get used to such flattery, that's for sure.

"Well, I'm outnumbered on this one, so...Magic lessons it is." the human put on the voice of a jester before being pulled into a tighter than usual Lyra-hug. He felt strange being captive in her embrace this time around. While there was a warm smile on her face and a gentle look in her eyes, there was something off. "I will be back later then, Milady?" he asked, and Lyra released him from her embrace and patted him on the back.

"Good luck, Skylark! If you learn any cool spells, you gotta show me when you get back!" she encouraged him, and he nodded before following Twilight through Ponyville. Once they were out of earshot, Twilight glanced over to the human.

"Hey, Skylark?" she called his attention, and he looked to her. "Lyra didn't happen to...try anything with you, did she?" the purple unicorn asked, and Miles shrugged.

"Nothing new, at least...Why, is there something wrong?" he asked, noticing the more relieved look on her face.

"Well...there's no way for me to say this without sounding mean, so I have to ask that you don't take this the wrong way, but I think it'd have been better if she didn't summon a human." the unicorn earned an understandably confused look. "You already know she's in debt, right? That's the reason she summoned you for this competition, after all." she checked if Skylark was following, receiving a nod. "She put herself in a ten-thousand bit debt in her attempts to research your kind. Until you were summoned, she had absolutely nothing to go off of except for the word and her own obsession."

"Ten thousand? Really? How does anyone even manage one thousand on such an endeavor?" Skylark questioned, but as soon as the question left his mouth, he breathed in through his teeth. "I'm going to wager...she's a few ramparts short of a fortress?" he asked, an affirmative nod causing him to smack his forehead with his palm. I should have known there was something...but I need to hold my tongue.

"Exactly. Now that she has a human who is, for lack of a better description, under her control...I don't think I even want to imagine what she might do if she has unrestricted access to the object of her obsession..." she shook her head to try to brush away the thoughts as Skylark looked at the clouds.

"Balrog's corrosive magic would certainly make matters worse. It already ensnared so many just by their viewing the previous 'games'. I'm scared to imagine what'll happen if she- GAH!" his speech was cut short as a surge of pain exploded within him, causing him to stumble, barely giving him enough time to catch himself, clenching his teeth as he breathed out both in frustration and from the pain. What the hell was that?!?!? he wondered, the pain vanishing faster than it came.

"Oh my gosh! What just happened?!" Twilight's eyes widened in shock as and the human took a deep breath and checked the palm of his hand, clenching it into a fist for a moment. The pain didn't linger, it just came then left, which only made things more distressing to him.

"I don't know...maybe it was some magic backlash within me?" he theorized, and Twilight tilted her head. "I mean...our worlds seemed to have different rules when it came to how time progresses in relation to our bodies, it is reasonable to assume that mana acts differently in this world. Either way, I think it's gone." he smiled reassuringly as they stopped at Twilight Sparkle's home.

"That's good, wouldn't want you to blow yourself up before we even start your lessons." the unicorn made a poor attempt at a joke, earning a baffled look from the human before she grinned sheepishly. "...Yeah, jokes are more Pinkie Pie's forte, can't blame me for trying." she chuckled a little, and without further delay, the two entered the library, Twilight immediately searching the shelves before pulling out a book, skimming through it. These all have unicorns in mind...does Athelinean magic operate upon the same principles? she pondered before looking over at the human once more. "First I'd like to observe the basics of your magic. Can you form a- oh what did you call it again? A magic missle?" she requested, making Miles a little nervous.

"Should we be doing this inside? " he pulled at the collar of his shirt, remembering the other day near Sweet Apple Acres. "I mean...I'd rather not blow up your home by mistake." he couldn't help but glance at his palm when he remembered the magic missle backfiring. Sure, he could heal from that, but magic blowing up in one's hands was still painful.

"I've already accounted for that." Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but smile at the human's concern. Her horn glowed, creating two magic bubbles around his hands. "A simple application of a barrier spell should contain the blast should your magic backfire." Twilight's horn continued to glow. "Just take it easy, all I want to see is the process of your spellwork." she stared intently at Skylark, who nodded.

"Alright then..." he brought the encapsulated hands together, watching the bubbles merge into a single bubble with a perplexed look. He slowly pulled his hands away from one another, the barrier splitting into two once more, he was almost at a loss for words as he put the bubbles back together. This is simple to her? he thought, focusing on his hands once more. His palms glowed faintly, a glimmer of azure light emanating from the tips of his fingers towards the center of the space between his hands. However, he did not get much farther than that. Come on, not now! he took a breath of disguised frustration, his palms glowing more intensly as the azure light began to form itself into a ball. Almost there, almost- SON OF A BASALISK!! he stumbled back as the blue orb exploded, shrouding his hands from view, the barrier not even budging whilst containing the blast.

"Sweet Celestia!!" Twilight yelped, rushing over, removing the barrier once the light faded, only to shudder at the sight of just what damage the explosion caused. The human's hands took the brunt of the blast, chunks of flesh were missing, revealing charred muscle tissue, the blood that had escaped had been incinerated, existing only as crimson vapor before dissipating, what would have been open blood vessels were burnt shut. "Hold on!" she grabbed a spellbook, flipping through the pages in her panic. "I know there's a healing spell in here!"

"D-Don't worry!" he hoped to stop her from panicking even further. "My hands healed last time this happened, I want to see if they will this time." he shuddered as he took several deep breaths. Befuddled, Twilight looked from her book to the human's hands as the damaged tissue began to repair itself once more, just like at Sweet Apple Acres. Her eyes widened at the sight, it was a golden opportunity for her! The mare's horn glowed once more, the glow going over Skylark's decimated hands so she could see what the human could not. Amazing...This form of healing is unlike any I've observed at the hospital. She thought as she watched patches of azure slowly fading inwards, what she could only assume is magical energy being converted into living tissue. Dr. Hay Flicker would be rolling in her grave if she heard of this. her horn's glow faded as the healing process finished, looking at Skylark as he shook his hands, the pale spots getting their color back once blood started flowing again.

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Twilight Sparkle observed the human's body as he rubbed his wrists. A half-forced smile, sweat coming from his forehead and going down his neck. A brave face won't hide exhaustion. her thoughts ran through her head, and the human flexed his hands once more before relaxing them.

"I'm certain...though I can't say I had worse." he confessed, though he couldn't help but fiddle with the wrist cuffs on his shirt. There wasn't a mark on the cuffs, even though they were caught in the contained blast radius. Come to think of it, these garments have gotten through the second challenge scot-free aswell. "What sort of material did Lady Rarity fashion this out of?" he tugged at the cuff again.

"She experimented with crin and silk when weaving your outfit and was quite pleased by the result." She couldn't help but pause for effect. "Though I had taken the liberty of looking into enchantments, it was a simple matter to ensure that they'd be able to take more punishment than you will have to." she sported a proud smile, which was returned in kind.

"Defensive enchantments applied in such a manner...Your talent and ingenuity are astounding, Lady Twilight." he stopped when he noticed the unicorn blushed, still unused to consistent praise for her spellwork.

"It's not nearly as impressive as your healing magic. I never heard of anypony outright bypassing Hayflicker's Limit." the unicorn noticed the confused look on Skylark's face, she felt a little strange. "It's...the overall amount of times cells can divide and repair tissue before dying?" she had attempted to simplify it. However, her attempt only made things more confusing.

"Cells? Tissue?" He asked, mulling it over before he sratched his head. "I never heard of dungeons that could split up and repair...wait..what? That doesn't make any sense." he questioned, and Twilight tried her damndest to keep herself from laughing.

Knowledge of magic, but no understanding of their own biology? Humans certainly are a strange folk, and the book might scare him. she hypothesized as she composed herself, clearing her throat. "How should I explain?" she asked, tapping her chin before she nodded to herself. "Assuming metaphor works the same way in Athelina..." she unintentionally condescended the human, who didn't react. "An organic body is a living, breathing castle. Cells are the bricks, tissues are walls made up of them. When a castle wall is damaged, ponies and I assume humans would use new bricks to repair the damage. The body is no different, the cells have the ability to split off into two new cells. Those cells grow and split again, repeating the process until the damage is undone." She paused to allow the human to process this.

"I guess that makes sense....and this..Hayflicker's limit..." he crossed his arms to think about it from the metaphorical standpoint Twilight provided him. "Much like how we can only make so many bricks before running out of clay, a cell can only split so many times before it runs out?" he asked, earing a firm, but friendly pat on the head, much like a dog being pet by his master for learning a new trick.

"That's right!" Twilight encouraged Skylark before she gestured to his hands. "The magic acting inside of you seems to bypass that limit by converting your mana into new cells...From all instances of watching it, I can infer that it is independent of your will...and from the look on your face, this is your first time hearing about how it works?" she teased him, and he chuckled in embarassment.

"Yeah..." he unconciously moved his hand to his shoulder, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "It always helped whenever I got my butt handed to me, so I never really wondered why." he recounted the earlier times.

"That being said, such magic does concern me for two reasons." she took on a more serious tone as she looked over the notes from passed observations. "Your magic is so focused on that healing process that it not only gives you a small pool to work with, but it also blocks what little you have left from getting out. You're forcing yourself to put more and more pressure until you can get some magic out, and something has to give eventually...." she closed her notepad and Skylark sighed.

"That explains the explosion...but I take it that is the least of it?" Skylark asked, and the unicorn hesitated before giving up on being soft about it, giving him a rather disappointed look.

"You're too dependant on your healing magic; that much was apparant when you were willing to subject yourself to a normally fatal fall just to escape Rajah." she took a breath to gather her thoughts. "Eventually you're going to deal with something that will be able to overcome it, and you throwing your life away is the last thing anypony wants." she admonished him, but smiled. "Luckily, I can solve both of those problems." she piqued the human's curiosity, Skylark's eyes brightened a little.

"Really? How so?" he asked, and the unicorn looked him over for a moment before extending a hoof out.

"I just need your right hand for a moment. It'll only take a few seconds." she requested as she allowed her horn to glow, and Skylark stared for a moment before smiling, extending his hand to gently grasp the purple hoof. "Ok...this is a little awkward...can you close your eyes too?" she asked, and he nodded before closing his eyes.

Is she trying to invoke the power of a ritual? he wondered, just in time to feel a sudden coolness on his chest. Wait, did she just take my shirt off? he wondered, but before he could open his eyes, he felt something strike him in the shoulder, and his body tensed up before his legs went numb, causing the human to fall over onto his backside, his hand clutching the area that was struck. "Sweet Celena!" he groaned, opening his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry! I must have put a bit too much 'oomph' into it!." Twilight Sparkle quickly apologized as Miles tried to stand up, but his legs just wouldn't support him. Earning a confused look that could only be asking 'What the hell was that for?!', the mare offerred a smile. "I concentrated my magic on the point where I had the most direct access to your magic."

"You lost me again, Lady Twilight." he moved his hand away from his shoulder, only then to feel a wave of relief, much like the feeling of blood flowing back into a sleeping limb. He glanced over at the purple crescent moon, which brightened into a brilliant azure as his legs regained feeling. "Did you just-?"

"Turn your magic off then let it turn itself back on? Yes." she adopted an as-a-matter-of-fact tone as a smirk spread on her muzzle as the human slowly got back up, experimentally moving his arms and legs before his shirt and coat had been warped back onto him. "Well, go on! Don't you want to see if it worked?" she asked, the human blinking before nodding.

"Oh, right! Let's see..." he brought his hands together, cupping them as he focused, an azure orb forming almost immediately, though in his shock the orb fizzled. Completely dumbfounded, Skylark took a few moments to process everything before looking to Twilight. "How...exactly did you know to do that?"

"Observing you allowed me to form my hypothesis on the matter. Your cutie mark seemed most directly linked to your magic, it would always 'glow' more whenever I scanned your magic aura, mostly when you fire off raw magic. It took a precise 'dose' of magic, but for lack of a better term, I loosened it."

"Hold on, if that's all it took, why did you need my hand?" he asked, and the unicorn giggled.

"Well, how was I going to get a clean shot if you were blocking it?" she asked, causing the human to snicker at his own ignorance. "Well, now that is taken care of, I think it is about time we got you to improve your control." Twilight Sparkle grabbed several clay blocks with her magic and left them scattered on a table. "To that end, I am going to teach you how to use the most elementary of unicorn magic: telekinesis...Why are you looking at me like I have three horns?" she asked the baffled human, who rubbed his head.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just...How advanced is Equestrian Magic if psionics, the most difficult class of magic in Athelina, is considered the most elementary?" he asked in awe, but would not receive an answer as Twilight patted him on the shoulder.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time." she tried to encourage him, but then stepped back and looked to the claw blocks. "But onto the lesson! I'd like for you to watch closely." She instructed her student as her horn began to glow. She stared at the clay blocks, the one closest to the edge of the table being surrounded with the lavender aura she gave off, slowly changing its position. Then another, each one being lined up, and then stacked onto one another in the shape of a two-dimensional pyramid. "I channel my magic through my horn, grasping each block one at a time so I can lift them and move them." she toppled the block tower. "Too little force, and it won't work, too much force and you'll risk breaking the blocks." Twilight warned before she took a breath. "But I've wasted enough time, I'd like for you to replicate what I did."

"A-Alright then...Here goes.." Miles hesitated as he thought back to Twilight's example. Unicorns channel magic through their horns, humans through hands. He extended his right arm,the azure aura forming once more. "So all I have to do is focus on picking up the block, right? That shouldn't be too-" his arm shuddered as the clay block was quickly surrounded with the magic aura, immediately collapsing into itself and shooting red jelly into the human's face.

"Oh! I forgot to mention." Twilight lied, stifiling her laughter. "Pinkie Pie supplied me with these blocks, and she loves a good prank." the unicorn smirked as Skylark stayed perfectly still.

"Please tell me it's not Erubetie." he joked while tasting the jelly as it trickled down his lips with his words. "Rasberry...Tastes just like one from the Lone Star farm back home." he remarked as he was handed a napkin. "Thanks." he smiled, wiping his face clean before he decided to try again.

BANG

Both Skylark and Twilight flinched and covered their eyes, the latter only looking when the former groaned infrustration. The mare was overcome with mirth at the sight of the human being covered from head to toe in chicken feathers, with a plastic beak on his mouth. What in Solstia's name-?! he tried to pull the beak off, but to no avail, it was glued on.

Elsewhere, Trixie Lulamoon watched the odd lesson with a mix of disdain and confusion through a large glass disk suspended by black and green chains. Her familar floated lazily behind her, arms crossed and leaning back, almost as if he were on a lounge chair.

"Are you certain you hate Twilight Sparkle if you're so willing to watch her in such a manner? Perhaps your frustration with the mare is simply some unresolved tension?" Balrog joked, unshaken by the glare he earned from the unicorn. "But I must confess, this is amusing." he chuckled.

"You're not worried at all? It pains me to say it, but Twilight Sparkle is among the best magicians in Equestria, second to The Great and Powerful Trixie of course." Trixie's mouth cracked into a self-assurred smirk.

"She couldn't stop me from taking those precious trinkets of hers, and she also weakened Miles by tampering with the Brand of the Night Hunter. I have no reason to fear her." Balrog adjusted himself, now back on his feet as he cracked his neck, stepping to his left and sweeping his foot, knocking a shadow-shrouded figure off their feet. The figure was swiftly pinned onto its back as Balrog stared into their eyes, pressing the flat side of the figure's knife against their throat.

"Damn it!" a feminine voice escaped the would-be assailant as the shadows faded, revealing an anthropomorphic fox with shoulder length hair that complimented her bodysuit.

"How did she even-?!" Trixie stopped herself from panicking, looking at the two as Balrog began to laugh.

"You're getting better, Cai Li." the familiar hoisted the fox up before shoving her back, taking the knife away. "You bypassed the detection wards and haven't triggered even a single trap. I knew keeping you around was a good idea."

"Don't patronize me, you bastard!" the vixen tensed up, only to freeze up the moment Balrog exuded a pitch black aura that filled the room. It was an

"Now now now, misplacing your anger won't get you anywhere." he slowly walked to the fox, who could only glare, the monstrosity gently grasping her jaw with a hand. "After all, it had blinded you to an honest to Integra compliment....But seeing as you're here, I'd like to give you a chance." he smiled. "How about it? Wouldn't you relish the opportunity to take me out in a duel?"

"You offering a duel? A coward like yourself?!" Cai Li nearly howled as she finally willed herself to break free from the dark aura that bound her, the demon sighing as he stopped exuding the aura.

"A coward? That is what you call someone who cultivates his rivals? Allows them to grow?! Three years ago, you and your brother were helpless before me, unable to even get close enough to attempt a killing blow." he adopted a strangely genuine tone, throwing the knife past the fox, embedding itself into the wall. "But now? You have been able to get closer and closer to getting the jump on me. But your solitary improvement is not enough." he paused, then raised a finger up. "You need to get back into the game if you

"Balrog...You're trusting her with this?" Trixie asked, and her familiar nodded.

"She's come this far, she deserves the second shot at taking me out in a fair fight. Between her and the bull, this year will become more entertaining." Balrog took out a golden necklace with an orange crystal embedded inside. "Here's the deal, Cai Li; the new contestants are getting ready to find this and the other five jewels like it. There is one of them in particular I'd like for you to kill." Balrog tossed the necklace to the vixen. "If you can kill Miles Skylark, I'll face you in single combat in the arena. No special tricks from me, a simple one on one. Does that sound good to you?" Cai Li held the necklace in her hand, trembling with frustration before she took a deep breath, relaxing herself before glaring

"Fine, I'll play along for now. But just so that we are clear; I intend to win, and I intend to kill you, Balrog!" Cai Li took her knife back from within the wall, pressing two fingers, taking a breath before her body flickered, and she vanished swiftly. Trixie frowned slightly, aiming a less than amused glare at her familiar.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Balrog. The Great and Powerful Trixie questions whether or not you are sane." Trixie watched as Balrog looked to her.

"My game is dangerous? Weren't you the one who stole the Chaos Grimoire from the Sealed Realm in order to summon me to your home world? I wouldn't exactly call that 'safe'." he smirked, the mare stunned at the sheer audacity of the monster before he shrugged. "Certainly, you were destined to summon me if I take so well after you. But, I digress." he stretched his arms. "I have no intention of losing. I will take great satisfaction at crushing them all."

The pranked-out human panted, hands on his knees as beads of sweat ran down his face and neck, clenching his teeth as he shook with exhaustion. Twilight Sparkle checked her clock, then jotted down a few more notes, quickly crossing out something before she nodded in contentment with herself, glancing up at the stairs as she noticed Spike heading down.

~Findings During the First Experiment Day of Lessons~
* Magical stability improved upon tinkering with the mark.
* Human hands the focal point of magic.
* The subject's tenacity continues through, as of this writing, eighty-six failures.
* Stamina won't last him through a wild night.

"It's nice that you're persistent, but maybe we should take a break and pick up in a couple of hours while I work with what I observed." Twilight suggested to Miles, who wiped sweat from his forehead, sighing in frustration. He was completely oblivious to Spike as the baby dragon snickered quietly at the pranked-out state of the human.

"You're right...but...what am I doing wrong?" he asked, wincing as his hands tensed up, burning from the constant magic output as he shook them. A scaly hand gently smacked him on the back, and Spike smiled enthusiastically.

"You probably just gotta relax. Being all tense won't-" Spike stopped as Skylark flinched, jumping up quickly with a panicked yelp, the wide-eyed human clinging to a rafter for dear life and shaking like a leaf. Neither Spike nor Twilight could refrain from laughing as the unicorn wrote down one last note, using magic to pull the human back down and allowing him to start cleaning up the mess that was made.

* Has a bad case of Draconophobia.

"Hey, Twilight?" Miles glanced over after gathering up the fallen feathers and putting them in a bag and put it in the proper place, the unicorn looking up from her notes. "I...Thank you for teaching me...I...I can't quite put my finger on it...but something about using magic...learning how to use it... It just feels right." his words fumbled, and the mare smiled warmly, as if glad that she found a student who was beginning to develop a passion for magic.

"I'm glad you think so! Magic is such a wonderous thing in this world, it'd be a shame not to learn more! But..I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves. You should probably get cleaned up when you get back to Lyra's." she advised the human, who nodded and waved, bidding the unicorn and the dragon farewell as he jogged back to Lyra's. I..didn't really learn any cool spells by their standards...maybe Lady Lyra won't want me to botch telekinesis. he hoped as his jog slowed down into a nice stroll.

~tbc~

Author's Note

Phew...good lord this one took a while. Real life sucks and bogged down my progress more than I wanted it to.

Desperate measure- The summoning

It was very strange, certainly terrifying to Lyra Heartstrings, who had just entered the ornate colosseum. Just setting hoof into this place frightened her to no end. The unicorn stopped for a moment, a brief hesitation, but hesitation nonetheless.

“Lyra, are you sure you want to do this?” another pony asked, startling the green unicorn.

“Bon Bon?! How long have you been following me?” she asked, her face turning a light shade of red.

“Enough to know your plan…You are trying to sign up for this year’s Gauntlet…To summon a monster and watch it fight its way to the top or die trying…” Bon Bon explained, and Lyra sighed sadly, looking down at her hooves. “If it scares you so much, why are you trying to participate as a summoner?” the mare asked, and Lyra looked up.

“Because I don’t have any choice! I need a way to make money- and the unicorns who send out their monsters get paid per victory.” She explained, but held her head in frustration. “It’s the only way I can pay 10000 bit debt in time…” she added, and Bon Bon sighed.

“You’re research on humans, again?” she asked, but did not wait for an answer. “How many times did I tell you that kind of research was a waste?” Bon Bon asked, flinching when Lyra stomped a hoof.

“It’s not a waste! I just have been having bad luck is all!” she shouted, but took a breath. “Sorry…it’s just…They are so fascinating. I would give just about anything to meet one- to learn just what makes humans tick…Once I pay off my debts, I will keep working towards this goal.” She smiled weakly. She wasn’t assuring Bon Bon, she was assuring herself. Working up the courage, she trotted over to the counter. Behind the counter was a sleepy looking pegasus mare.

“Huh?” she asked, letting out a loud yawn before sitting up right. “Oh! A new applicant!” she smiled before looking in her drawer- pulling out a sheet of paper and a booklet. “Here is your registration form, and here is all the information you will need. Oh! And don’t worry about most of it- that won’t apply to you. You want to read the summoner’s info on page 45.” The mare smiled, and Lyra nodded.

“Th-thank you.” And with that, Lyra moved over to a bench and climbed onto it, leaning back in her usual manner. While she began to sign the registration forms, Bon Bon climbed onto the bench next to her, sighing.

“Do you have to sit like that? It looks very uncomfortable, you know.” She asked Lyra, who smiled.

“What can I say, its fun.” She replied, finishing up signing her name before flipping to page 45 of the manual she was given. Her smile remained, as she read along what happens with the summoners. “Each summoner is to cast the spell upon registration. The monster who is summoned is usually based off of the summoner. The games vary from each year, but the summoned monsters will compete against one another. The summoners are paid for every challeng the monster survives- plus 10 percent of the winnings of ponies who bet on their monster.” She read aloud, surprising Bon Bon.

“Does it say how much the base pay is?” Lyra’s friend asked, and Lyra checked, only to pump her hoof in slight triumph.

“The base pay is 200 bits per round.” Lyra replied, and closed the booklet. “If I am lucky, I’ll be able to pay off my dues in no time.” The unicorn smiled, going back to the counter, where the mare had fallen asleep yet again. “Hey! I’m all done with the form.” She woke the pegasus up, who blushed in embarrassment before taking the forms.

“Alright, Lyra Heartstrings. Just wait on the line for the rookies to summon your monster.” She instructed the unicorn, pointing to the line where a few other unicorns have been standing. Some were confident, some terrified. Lyra was glad for the opportunity, and as she waited, Bon Bon walked outside the building, looking infront of her to see a group of six ponies. She recognized them perfectly.

“Oh! Twilight, it’s so good to see you.” She immediately greeted the leader of the group, who had a concerned look on her face.

“You couldn’t stop her, could you?” she asked, and Bon Bon sighed sadly.

“She wouldn’t let me talk her out of it…I could tell by her voice- she is desperate.” She replied, near tears. “She was so desperate to pay her debts she’d participate in this blood sport.” She added, shaking like a leaf as Twilight quickly hugged her, feeling her sob into what passed as her shoulder.

“I know how you must be feeling…It sucks, the idea of being unable to help your friend. But you can still be there for her. She is taking one of the biggest gambles of her life- and she will need all the support she can get.” The purple unicorn tried to comfort Bon Bon, who sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Come on, Bon Bon. We’ll all go and cheer her on- she would love that.” Twilight suggested, and all seven ponies walked in.

“Well, if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle…Did you come to try to beat me in these games?” a familiar voice called, and the purple unicorn looked to the side to see a blue unicorn with a purple hat and cloak. “Even if you showed her up back in Ponyville, The Great and Powerful Trixie will prove far too much for you. I have dominated these games for three years- and she intends to win her fourth.” Trixie boasted, but would immediately be shot down by Twlight Sparkle.

“Are you kidding? Twilight would kick your flank in this competition!” Rainbow Dash retorted, looking over at her. “Come on! Why don’t you prove it to her?” she asked Twilight, who sighed softly but smiled.

“We’re here to support Lyra- not to pick fights.” She replied before gesturing for the group to follow her- completely ignoring Trixie as she began shouting in annoyance at Twilight’s refusal to join the games.

Finally, it was Lyra’s turn to summon her monster. She stood infront of the circle- where all the unicorns before her had summoned theirs from. Looking to the side, she watched as two ponies in particular had particularly fearsome creatures- one was a manticore, the other was a minotaur. Compared to that, there were creatures that were much less intimidating. But that only served to hurt Lyra’s morale. What if I summon something completely pathetic? I will certainly lose that way... she wondered, but then her thoughts wandered to yet another fear. Or if I summon something so strong I lose control- then I’d do a lot more harm than good…Oh dear Celestia, why is this happening?! she asked herself, but soon heard a voice call to her.

“Lyra! Don’t worry- just give it your best shot, and you’ll be fine!” Bon Bon cheered, and Twilight Sparkle joined in on the morale boost.

“Just remember, whatever you summon cannot hurt you. You will be in control, no matter what you summon!” the purple unicorn reassured her.

“It will be super awesome!” Rainbow Dash added, while Pinkie Pie bounced up and down.

“OOH! OOOH! I bet it’ll be super fun to see what you summon!” she giggled, and Rarity smiled.

“Whatever it is, I just hope it has a bit of elegance in it.” The white unicorn suggested, while the orange-yellow earth pony adjusted her hat.

“And it’ll be real tough.” She wagered, while Fluttershy hesitated but decided to throw in her own two bits to this.

“And…even in all of this…it should be nice…I guess…” the yellow pegasus finished, and Lyra smiled, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Thank you, everyone.” She thanked the two before looking at the circle, closing her eyes and focusing her magic onto the center. She did not verbally chant the spell, rather, she was praying for a miracle. Please, Celestia. Please allow for a winner to come and help me… she thought over and over, until finally the room was enveloped in a blinding flash of light.

((to be continued))

A brief rest: The story behind the games

Author's Note

Edit: I *really* need to stop impulsively uploading the prototype chapters. I revised some things since I realized that the chapter didn't seem to fit the intended direction I was going for

And finally, we get to kick off with the underlying story~

Elizabeth the Morning Star belongs to JM95, the same friend who made the current artwork. All credit to the character's concept and actions goes to him :)

A brief rest: The story behind the games

How far had the human plummeted? Ten yards, twenty, thirty perhaps? The pit wasn't without its hazards, as the bloodied human had the misfortune of finding out first hand. Tumbling down, hitting various outcroppings, Skylark had managed to survive his landing, but just barely. With his shaky breathing, he looked up, waiting for a few long moments. A soft sigh of relief left his mouth as he checked to see if he still had the key, he didn't need to worry about Rajah coming to finish him off. Propping himself up against the wall, he shuddered slightly before looking forward. Nodding to himself, Skylark's eyes slowly closed as he relaxed, his breathing slowing down. I can't go any further like this...I need to rest for a bit... he thought to himself, and against all sense of reason, fell asleep.

"I...I can't believe it! After all of that punishment, Skylark is still alive and- Wait, is he napping?! Is that even allowed?" The announcer asked, calling over one of the officials for the rule book and skimming through it. Laughing their plots off at the announcer's expense, the audience, save for Lyra, opted to focus on one of the other crystal displays to watch Taurus's progress.

Skylark would look around, seeing familiar faces as his hands were cuffed and his ankles chained together, back in the tattered clothes he was wearing when he was first brought to Equestria. He didn't even bother asking why he was there; he remembered every detail of what this was.

"Finally wake up, you little shit?" a woman's voice asked, although Skylark did not turn his head yet. "You wouldn't imagine how much fuckin' trouble it was to cage you." the woman was clad in silver-colored armor, the direction of her voice indicating she was on his left side. Looking to his left, Skylark recognized the woman, her fire-red hair along with her sun-soaked complexion. Skylark could only offer a disappointed glare before taking a breath.

"Elizabeth...the Morning Star...Foul mouthed as always.." Skylark identified the woman, who had a confident smirk on her face as she and a fully-armored knight were dragging him along. Eventually, they would stop in the middle of a field, surrounded by a group of about fifty people. Some were knights, others archers. A fair share of them, however, were civilians who wished to see this for themselves. There was only one kind of occasion in Athelina that Skylark knew of that would have this kind of gathering."Execution.." he murmured, looking ahead of him to see the Captain of the Queen's Guard. He couldn't recognize this one's face, but he knew enough to ascertain that fact.

"Miles Skylark...You already know why you are here. Monsters like you don't even deserve a trial! Do you have any last words before we put you down?" the Captain asked, and Skylark tensed a little, clenching his teeth.

Don't sit there...Break free, rip them to shreds! his anger manifested itself as a wild voice in his head.

No...they don't even know what happened...

And they're going to kill you in their ignorance!

But going on a rampage won't prove me innocent...

The bending of wood caught his attention as he snapped back to the scene in front of him, seeing the archers preparing their arrows for a fatal barrage. He stared in disbelief, tears slowly leaving his eyes as he shut them, bracing himself for his death. A death that would never come to pass.

A soft breeze was the next thing that caught Skylark's attention, and almost as soon as he opened his eyes again, he lost balance as the bindings on him were suddenly removed and he was no longer restrained. Face in the grass, the human was dumbstruck when he didn't hear anything but the breeze. No arrows being fired, no cheer or sigh of satisfaction.

"Your memories must trouble you greatly, if they have manifested into such a nightmare..." a soft voice commented, prompting the human to get up onto his knees, looking up to see just who the voice came from. Through his eyes, there was a humanoid silhouette with long, flowing hair. For a brief moment, he had mistaken the individual for someone familiar.

"L-Lady Celena?" Skylark stammered, only for the silhouette to change into its real form; an equine who dwarfed the human in height. The midnight blue mare looked down at the bemused Skylark with a gentle, yet somewhat confused look.

"It seems you've mistaken me for another." The mare smiled a little as the human recoiled a bit.

"I-I'm sorry...But...thank you..." Skylark thanked the mare, only then registering what she had said before. "A dream? Does that mean that-?" he pondered, but the mare interrupted him, feigning confusion.

"Yes. You have indeed fallen for a pony to have dreamed about one so easily~" the mare teased the human, watching him blush in embarrassment before letting herself giggle. "I jest. My name is Luna, one of the Royal Sisters of Equestria, and I used my magic to walk into your dream." she introduced herself, and the human bowed his head, having already been on his knees.

"It's an honor, Your Highness." he replied, only for a gentle hoof to prop his head up once more as the Princess of the Moon stared down into his eyes with a soft smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miles Skylark. I only wish it wasn't under such circumstances." Luna lamented a little, allowing the human to stand up as she looked to the crescent moon in the sky, her smile having turned into a soft frown. "To compete in such a grim competition, it's not the best of reasons to be in Equestria." the alicorn looked back to the human. "I wager you already know this, but this competition is not of Equestria." Luna stated.

"Then how did this all start?" Skylark asked.

"Three years ago, a unicorn by the name of Trixie Lulamoon sought to prove her power above all others. To that end, she found the Chaos Grimoire, a spell book of unspeakably dark magic. Using its magic, Trixie summoned a creature from a distant land. The one you call 'Balrog', I presume?" she waited for a silent verification before continuing. "Balrog's first course of action was to create a monument to display his power in Equestria, his foul magic spreading like a plague across the land. The ponies of Equestria's minds were distorted to the point that they were encouraged and compelled to be their audience. It was then that The Games were created, unicorns who joined in were taught the same spell, summoning their own creatures." Luna explained.

"And they fight amongst themselves to see who is supreme..." the human summarized, receiving a nod from Luna before "As foolish of a question as this may be; has anypony tried to do anything about it before I got here?" Skylark asked, and the alicorn nodded.

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the current bearers of the Elements of Harmony, tried to expel him. The monster had stolen the elements before they could use them, however." Luna tried to explain, only for the human to interrupt.

"Elements of Harmony?" Skylark asked, and Luna gave him an almost bewildered look.

"They are artifacts of incredible magical power. Only able to be wielded by those who have an inherent understanding of their concepts." Luna explained. "My sister and I first wielded them, but after a certain..incident, we lost our connection to them. With the elements in Balrog's possession, and the dark magic he uses to defend his territory, Twilight Sparkle and her friends can only act to make sure Ponyville doesn't fall under Balrog's influence, while my sister and I protect Canterlot. I fear that he might grow strong enough to take them by force with enough time."

"Your Highness...I think I may have an idea." Skylark crossed his arms as he thought everything through. "If Balrog is the same as he was when he was first transported here from Athelina, then his power is dependent on the deaths he causes, by his own hand or the hand of another." he started, pausing a bit as he rubbed his head. "Before Miss Twilight brought me to Madam Zecora for a brew to synchronize myself with Equestria's time-scale, a few hours would take the toll of a few days on my body. If the brew is as difficult to make as Zecora said, than Trixie could not have secured the same potion for her creature."

"What are you saying?" Luna asked, and Skylark nodded with a smirk, unfolding his arms.

"I am saying that all that need be done is to deprive him of his source of power. To starve him. If further unnecessary deaths are prevented, then Balrog will exhaust his own power to the point where he can no longer maintain his grip." Skylark summarized, much to the alicorn's relief.

"So a battle of attrition. But can you prevent him from killing any of the contestants out of nowhere?" Luna asked, prompting Skylark to think back to his fight with Balrog the day before.

"You're lucky that the rules forbid me to end your life here. If you do manage to make it to the top and fight me again, you better be willing to transcend your humanity. ..."

"I don't think him killing indiscriminately will be a problem. He is bound by his own rules, and Trixie is powerful enough to have bound him to her will. She would not risk her position in this competition. " Skylark added in, and Luna nodded.

"Thank you. As soon as we are able, my sister and I will return you to your homeworld." Luna smiled softly in gratitude for the new information, much to the human's chagrin.

"No, Your Highness." Skylark replied flatly, much to the alicorn's confusion. "Balrog is a criminal from Athelina. Although he may have been left to his own devices since being summoned to your land, he is still Athelina's responsibility. Please allow me to be the one clean up my world's mess." Skylark looked to the princess.

That look....He really means this.. Luna thought before giving him another nod with a more genuine smile. "Very well. I shall entrust the task to you." she declared, only to notice a strange, almost taken-off-guard look on the human's face. "Something wrong?" Luna asked, and Skylark shrugged.

"I dunno, for some reason it felt like I tasted something sweet and bitter at the same time." he muses, shaking his head before Luna smiled.

"Perhaps you were thinking of banana cake? My sister loves cake!" she commented happily before the dreamscape flickered a little. "It seems its almost time for you to wake up. I will tell my sister about this encounter, and I wish you luck in your endeavors." Luna bid Skylark farewell as she and the dreamscape faded, the human waking up a few moments later. Standing up with a yawn, stretching a bit with a satisfied smile on his face, Skylark cracked his knuckles.

Alright, its about time I got moving! and with that, he took off at full sprint, going down the only path available to him.

[To be continued]