Trick Of The Trade

Valor was a simple adventurer with great potential.

"1200 bits?! For a bucking sword?!" The armored red stallion slammed his hands on the counter, causing the various trinkets and the sword itself to rattle about. "Are you serious?!"

"Valor, calm down," The cloaked unicorn mare behind said gently, grasping on Valor's shoulder with a firm grip. "Don't make a scene."

Valor briefly looked behind him noting that some on-goers had turned towards them, obviously curious as to what will happen next.

"You should listen to your lady friend, Valor," The merchant calmly interjected with an amused smile, causing Valor to swiftly turn and glare at him. "You said you wanted the best sword I got, well..." He gestured at the broadsword laying atop the counter with a wave of his bandaged hand. "There you have it."

Valor, noticeably calmer though still peeved, eyed the sword with a critical eye before slowly grabbing the sword by the hilt and giving it a few test swings.

"... It's a good sword." Valor grudgingly admitted, causing the merchant to flash him a bright smile that Valor was soon beginning to hate. Placing the sword back onto the counter, he gave his female companion a quick sideways glance, only to find her looking at a staff in interest.

No help there, Valor thought in defeat as he turned to the grinning merchant. It seemed that desperate times called for desperate measures. Looking around just in case anyone was behind him, he leaned in towards the merchant, beckoning the other to do the same. Though curious as to what the red stallion wanted, the merchant obliged and did the same.

"Any chance for a discount?" Valor finally whispered to him with a pained expression and great reluctance.

"Lowest I can offer you is a thousand bits, friend." The merchant whispered back, humoring Valor in his attempt at subtlety. "Nothing less than that, I'm afraid."

Valor visibly twitched at the price and promptly deflated, thumping his head against the counter top causing his companion to look his way. "I was afraid of that."

The merchant hummed in thought as he looked at the dejected stallion moping on his counter top before he an idea came to mind. Quickly concealing the grin that threatened to blossom from his face, the merchant tapped Valor on his shoulder plate, causing said stallion to look up.

"How about we make a trade, ey?"

****

"Finished already?" She said with a vicious smirk. "Frankly I'm disappointed that this is all the great Princess Celestia has to offer."

In the blink of an eye, Nightmare Moon lunged towards the injured Celestia with an armored hand and mercilessly hoisted her up by the throat. Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes at Celestia. "What is it that they see in you?"

Her formidable grip tightened even further, earning a strangle cry from Celestia. "I am just as worthy as you. Just as beautiful as you. I'm as competent as you. I am much more understanding than you. And I used to think we were of equal strength but it seems I have you beat at that as well."

"SO WHY!?" Nightmare Moon slammed her sister brutally onto the ground, cracks forming around the ground they were on and bits of the earth breaking apart. Her fingers which were still wrapped around the sun princess' throat, clenched even tighter, but Celestia was to numb with pain to react. "Why is it that they love you more than me!?"

Nightmare Moon took in a deep breath in an attempt to regain her composure. "None of those matter. Not any more. After all,"

A dark miasma slowly gathered around Nightmare Moon's free hand, which she raised menacingly over Celestia's head. "Without you, they will have no other choice but to love me."

Seeing the dark energy powered fist being cocked back in preparation to deliver the final blow, Celestia closed her eyes in resignation. Perhaps... this was what she deserved. This was her death, and she had accepted it with a sure heart.

So she was slightly dubious when she felt no pain whatsoever. In fact, nothing seemed to have happened. For a moment, she thought that perhaps the deadly strike was quick and painless. Yet when her eyes opened, she was dumbfounded when she found that hovering a few inches away from her face was her sister's clenched fist, shaking with obvious strain. Not only that, but something was holding said fist back by the wrist.

'What the--? This isn't-- How is this possible?' Nightmare Moon thought in shock, as her eyes followed up from the bandaged hand that had an iron grip around her wrist to the hooded face of someone that she never thought she would ever see again in her entire life.

"You!?"

That was all she could say before a fist embedded itself into her midsection and violently launched her forward. Her body harshly skipped on the ground several times like a rag doll before she finally crashed back-first into a cliff-side. The resulting explosion of dust was glorious as the once large cliff-side was reduced to nothing but rubble.

Nightmare Moon blinked incredulously when she felt something touch the sides of her head. Then struggled in wild panic when she realized that they were grasping her helm.

"I'll be taking this back if you don't mind."

And with a forceful wrench, the helm split into two pieces and Princess Luna slowly fell backwards, unconscious.

****

I quickly caught the comatose Luna with one arm before she could fall onto the ground and carefully positioned my other arm under the back of her knees, carrying her body bridal-style. I moved us away from the once rather impressive looking cliff and headed towards a tree. It wasn't a special tree or anything, it was just the closest one I could find.