Chapter 1: Round 1, FIGHT!
Princess Battle
Princess Twilight Sparkle waited anxiously at the Ponyville Train Stop. Her hooves were fidgeting and she had a cheery smile plastered on her face. Spike was with her too, with a skeptical and not so enthusiastic look on his face.
“So, why exactly are we here again?” Spike asked scratching his head.
Twilight responded with an incredulous look, “Spike, didn’t I tell you that this was a very important matter before we left?”
“Actually, all you did was read the scroll from the Princess I coughed up this morning, asked me what time it was, then after I told you, you panicked and made a beeline for the train station.”
“Oh,” she said, a tint of red on her cheeks, “sorry about that.” Feeling a little guilty, Twilight quickly levitated the scroll toward Spike. He then began to unroll it and read:
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I hope your new status as the Princess of Friendship has been treating you well. Now that you are an Alicorn Princess, you have many duties to attend to, and there are many things that you must now learn. That said, I would like for you to come to Canterlot Castle around this afternoon, alone if you would.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
“This could be very important,” Twilight exclaimed grabbing Spike’s attention, “maybe she’ll teach me about Equestrian Diplomacy, or maybe some sort of powerful magic only Alicorns can wield, or probab-” Spike placed his claw on Twilight’s muzzle, cutting off the rambling mare.
“You’ll never know if you keep thinking about it Twilight. Whatever it is, it must be very important if she didn’t even say what it was.”
Twilight curiously looked over the letter again to confirm this. It didn’t say what she was going to learn. Not only that, but Celestia even specified her to come alone. Not to mention that it was hastily sent this morning. Was it a surprise? Was it that important?
Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the conductor pony, calling out for any last minute borders. “I’ll see you when I get back,” she said as she trotted toward the train, “make sure those new shipment of books are properly organized."
“I got it Twi, see you later!”
…
Princess Celestia sat quietly in her quarters, sipping her tea and staring out the window. She was enjoying the rather pleasant morning while waiting for her former student's arrival.
“Sister, we need to talk.”
Celestia sipped her tea and turned to see Princess Luna entering the room with a rather concerned look on her face. "Something troubles you, sister?”
Luna took a deep breath, “It’s just that I am still uneasy about inviting Twilight Sparkle to one of our sessions.”
“We’ve been over this Luna,” she said calmly, “now that Twilight has ascended to Alicornhood, she must learn the responsibilities she now holds. Our sessions are one of them.”
“But Twilight Sparkle is still young. Yes, she has much to learn, but this seems too much for her at the moment. I do not wish to see her get hurt.”
Celestia sipped more of her tea as she listened to her sister’s concerns, “Luna, do you love me and Twilight?”
“Of course, sister,” she replied, surprised at the sudden question, “I love you both dearly.”
“Then you need to trust me, sister. Twilight will learn this sooner or later, and I know that she is more than capable of handling her newfound powers, and that she will use her powers to benefit both Equestria and her loved ones.”
Luna thought about her sister’s little speech as she drank some more of her tea. “Very well then,” she said calmly, “just as long as we are not too rough with her. I’ll see to it that everything is prepared.”
“Thank you, Luna,” she said warmly. Noticing that her morning tea was dwindling, she grabbed the teakettle with her magic and slowly poured more into her cup. “Would you like some, too?”
“Sure, sister.”
…
Twilight walked through the large gates of Canterlot Castle. The train arrived a little earlier than expected, but that didn't stop her from rushing straight to the castle. She made her way to the throne room, where she saw Celestia sitting on her throne polishing some sort of metal helmet.
“Good afternoon, Celestia,” Twilight greeted, as she trotted toward the Princess.
Celestia noticed Twilight, then placed the golden helmet near her throne, “And a good afternoon to you, too, Twilight. How are you feeling today?”
“I’m feeling great, but if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are we learning here?”
“Well, you certainly look excited,” Celestia beamed, “I shall explain what we are doing later, but first, I would like for you to open this.”
Celestia pulled out a large purple box and placed it in front of Twilight, who looked at it in confusion. She looked back at the princess who gestured her to open it. She hesitantly obeyed and peeked inside to see some objects that made her even more confused. It was a light purple helmet, along with matching body armor and boots. It resembled the standard armor the royal guards wear, but it was modified to be worn by Alicorns, having holes for both the horn and wings.
Bewildered, Twilight looked back up to the princess, who was giggling at Twilight’s puzzlement. “I don’t get it, what does this have to do with me being an Alicorn princess?”
“I’ll tell you later, but for right now, let me help you with your fitting.”
“Uh...fitting?”
…
The two walked down a hallway deep within the Castle. With some effort and a lot of patience, they managed to put the armor on Twilight. While the suit was light and fit Twilight perfectly, she still trudged around clumsily. Celestia herself was wearing armor, as well. It was slightly bulkier than Twilight’s, and was colored gold.
“I hope you are not feeling uncomfortable in that suit,” Celestia said.
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Twilight said sheepishly, “just need to get used to this new look, I suppose.”
“Well, I hope you get used to it soon, because we’re here.”
Before Twilight could ask, she noticed that they were inside some kind of massive break room that had a large couch in the middle, a small refrigerator, and some cabinets that looked like they had first-aid kits in them. On the other side was a large window and an even larger, cube-shaped room with nothing in it.
“A little late, are we?”
The two turned to see Princess Luna wearing something that surprised Twilight. She, too, wore armor that looked liked Celestia's, except it was more streamlined, and the colors were made to resemble the night sky.
“I’m sorry, sister. Twilight had a little trouble putting her suit on.” She turned to twilight and frowned when she saw a distraught looking Twilight, who backed away nervously.
“Um, princess…what did you say we were learning about again?”
Celestia looked back at Luna, who had a rather disappointed look on her face. There was no point in hiding it. “Twilight, as princesses, it is our duty to make sure peace and harmony is in Equestria at all times. We watch over it to make sure that is the case. However, there have been times when conflict arises, and our ponies must enter battle to protect the ones they love...and sometimes, a major threat arises, one that is far too powerful and dangerous for our soldiers to face by themselves. When that happens, Luna and I would go out onto the field of battle and help fight whatever powerful entity that dares to hurt our citizens”
Twilight listened intently, a part of her knowing where this is going.
“Which is why every other month,” Luna chirped in, "Celestia and I don our battle armor and spar together, honing our skills to make sure that no matter what powerful foe comes our way, we will be ready.”
“So,” Twilight started, “you want me to...fight you?”
The two nodded.
“I…I’m not so sure about this. I've never really used my magic to fight anypony. I mean, there have been the changelings, and some of the monsters the others and I fought...and I did attack Tirek, even though it was out of pure anger because of all the things he’d done, but never any other pony.”
“I understand why you would feel uncomfortable doing this. You were never one to engage in conflict, but know that we do this only to make sure we can protect Equestria. We also make sure not to go overboard when we fight, so that neither of us end up gravely injuring each other."
Twilight was still unsure about all this. She just thought she was going to learn a secret or two about her Alicorn powers, not use her powers in combat. She hardly knew any offensive magic, aside from a simple energy blast. Not only that, the thought of having to fight Celestia and Luna alone sent chills down her spine.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, interrupting Twilight’s thoughts, “you do not have to do this if you do not want to, but we at least want you to watch us fight so you will get an idea on how we spar. Then you can decide if you wish to do this or not.”
‘Probably wouldn't hurt to at least watch and see how they fight,’ Twilight thought to herself. “Alright, I’ll watch, and maybe I’ll join later.”
“In that case,” Celestia spoke out, “shall we get started, dear sister, or do you want some more time?”
“Ha! Thine older sister acts coyly, but I’ll see to it that I wipe that smile off your face!”
The two Alicorns walked inside the cube-shaped room, closing the door and locking it. Twilight took a seat on one of the couches facing the window. The two ponies walked to the two ends of the room, then faced each other issuing some sort of battle pose.
“Remember,” Celestia started, “let us have a clean fight, and the winner gets to have that last piece of cake in the fridge. Now try to last longer this time, please.”
Luna gave her a competitive glare. “Don’t think that I shall lose again dear sister. You may have won last time, but this time the princess of the night shall prevail over the sun princess. In other words, THOU ART TOAST!”
At that moment, Celestia immediately launched a torrent of energy blasts from her horn toward Luna, who skillfully dodged the blasts and retaliated by blasting Celestia with her own magic.
The two were now airborne, and were rushing in the air, trying to slip the other up. Luna’s horn flashed and conjured up a spear made out of pure magic and chucked it at Celestia, who barely avoided the attack, the spear merely making a mark on her leg.
Smiling at the attack, Celestia made her own weapon of choice, a long and deadly looking sword. She rushed towards Luna, raising it in the air and yelling a battle cry. Luna hastily projected a shield and blocked the oncoming strike with enough force to send Celestia reeling.
She composed herself and eyed her opponent with determination, grinning smugly as she continued her assault.
Twilight stood there, mouth agape. She couldn't believe that the two princesses had such an aggressive side to them! The two fought with destructive force, but at the same time, a hint of grace, as they soared around, trying their best to dodge the other’s attacks, while delivering ones of their own. Twilight was amazed at how aggressively Celestia fought while still keeping her cool, and how Luna used her magic to create all these blasts of pure energy, aiming for the areas that would cause the most damage. She was also amazed on how fun it looked.
Meanwhile, the two kept on fighting, despite the shots they both taken. Deciding to end it quickly, Luna rushed toward Celestia, firing one more shot of magic, but Celestia was ready. She charged straight at the beam, flying over it in the nick of time, and firing a powerful blast of light straight toward her opponent, catching Luna off guard, who soon was rammed straight into the floor.
Twilight gasped as she saw Luna fall violently to the ground, shattering it upon impact, and launching dust in the air. When the dust cleared, she saw a defeated Luna lying on the ground, moaning in pain. Celestia landed gracefully next to her sister, the aftermath of the battle still on her side, lingering. She extended her hoof two Luna, who reluctantly accepted it.
“No fair, sister,” Luna grumbled as she dragged herself toward the break room to rest up, “I was so close that time.”
“It’s alright, Luna,” Celestia said encouragingly, “at least you have improved with your weapon conjuring.”
Luna sighed as she slowly sat down on the couch, “You are right, sister, thank you.”
“Um...princess?” Twilight called out.
Celestia turned her attention to the younger Alicorn, who was still clad in her armor. “Yes, Twilight?”
“I...I think I’ll take you up on that offer to spar with you...um...if you can still fight, that is.”
Celestia smiled. “Of course, Twilight, and do not concern yourself about me. After all, Luna didn’t hit me too hard."
Luna grumbled wordlessly to herself, which made Celestia giggle, “I’m just teasing you, sister. Now, follow me, Twilight.”
The two walked into the room, leaving Luna alone to heal. They both took their place at either wall. Twilight stood there, still anxious about fighting her friend. “Now, Twilight, there is no need to be nervous about fighting me. I will go easy on you, and you need not worry about hurting me.”
“Are you sure, princess?”
“I’m positive.”
“Okay, princess...I’m ready.”
“Good,” she said, getting into a fighting stance, “in that case, we’re starting now!”
Celestia suddenly fired a small blast of energy at Twilight, who immediately (and clumsily) avoided. Shocked by the sudden attack, she glanced back at Celestia, who soared toward Twilight.
Panicking, Twilight teleported to the other side, getting out of the way. She then blasted a burst of energy of her own at Celestia, narrowly missing her.
Celestia fired more energy blasts at Twilight, who immediately threw up a barrier, deflecting the blasts away, but staggering at the sheer force and power each one possessed.
Celestia didn’t let up, and flew straight toward Twilight again. Realizing that this was going nowhere, Twilight sucked in her breath and charged at Celestia, too, her horn sparking violently with magic.
As they both rushed toward one another, Twilight gave a sly smirk and teleported out of Celestia’s way. Celestia stopped immediately to see where Twilight was. “Twilight, you cannot just run away from your battles,” she said, a little annoyed, “I know you are nervous about hurting me, but I told you that it is okay.”
Celestia suddenly turned around to see Twilight appear behind her and fire a powerful blast of energy at her. She had no time to react, and had to take the full force of it head-on, which bashed her right against the wall harshly.
“Oh no!” Twilight ran to Celestia worriedly. She stopped at her side to see her groaning in pain. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I just panicked!”
“It’s...alright, Twilight,” Celestia moaned, “like I told you, there is no need to worry about hurting me.”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Luna cried out, running toward them, “that was amazing! I have never seen you use that much magic before!”
“Thanks Luna. That's probably because I haven't used that much power before,” Twilight responded with honestly.
“Now you know why we do this, Twilight,” Celestia said, rising to her hooves.
“Yes, Celestia. I understand it now.”
“In that case, shall we continue our training?”
Twilight gave her a sly grin, “I’m more than ready.”
…
After an hour of sparring, the three princesses retired on the couch, tending to their injuries. As Twilight covered another wound on her hind leg with more compression wrap, she winced at the sheer pain.
“Do not worry, Twilight,” Luna chirped in, tending to her broken wing, “while our injuries are bad, they shall heal very fast. An injury for a regular unicorn that would take months to heal will take only days for Alicorns.”
“It's not that...there’s something else that’s been bothering me, princess.”
“What is it, Twilight?” Celestia asked tending to her broken foreleg.
“Why were you so vague with the letter, why couldn’t my friends come along, and why was it so hastily written?”
“I never told you what the lesson was because had I done so, you would not wish to do this. Also, this was a lesson I wanted only you to know, not your friends. I did not want them to get hurt. As for the letter, it was a last minute thought, since I did not think you would want to do this. After all, Cadence was really hesitant on the invite.”
“Wait...Princess Cadence sparred with you, too?”
Luna nodded, “The Princess of Love was like you, Twilight. She was nervous, but she later fought magnificently in the end. She almost broke my back!”
‘Now I’m starting to get worried about Shiny,’ Twilight thought to herself. “Just one more question. How many wars have you guys fought in?”
Celestia sighed solemnly, “There was a time when Equestria wasn't the peaceful realm it is today. We have fought together in many conflicts and did battle with many foes. We have especially lost many ponies in battle. More than I want to admit.”
“Oh...” Twilight grimaced at the thought.
“But that is why we do this, Twilight, to make sure that when a threat that is far too powerful for our soldiers to face, we will be ready for it. Judging by your performance today, I think you will do great when conflict arises.”
“Thank you, princess,” Twilight said blushing, “and whoever threatens my friends and home, I’ll be sure to help you any way I can. Thanks for inviting me here.”
“Good, now who would like some cake?”
Author's Note
After three whole months, I return with another story for you. Sorry about the wait, laziness is a disease. But I hope you enjoyed the story, and expect a lot more in the future.
Please leave a comment, Thank you and goodbye.
