"So it's come to this, has it?"
A faint tinge of regret clung to the words as they echoed faintly in the spacious room, greeting the unicorn mare as she entered. The mare's lustrous ivory coat glowed faintly in the reflected light of the irregular crystal walls and the curls of her perfectly-styled violet mane bounced lightly as she stepped though the arched doorway, taking a moment to admire the silver-oak trimming of the frame surrounding her. Her dainty hoofsteps barely made a sound against the polished wooden floors as she trotted confidently towards the center of the room where her opponent awaited her.
"I suppose it has, though it's hardly surprising. You know as well as I that I would not be deterred from my cause."
The amethyst-purple alicorn standing before her frowned at the unicorn's words. She stood about a dozen hooves away, and while her recently-preened wings were folded by her sides, she still managed to carry herself in a way that made her loom over the newcomer. Her next words were delivered imperiously, a hard look in her eyes as she spoke.
"This is your final warning. Turn back before you force my hoof."
The other mare took a single step forward, determination burning in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but I have to do this. I do hope you'll understand one day."
Twilight's horn glowed with her magical aura – the color of an orchid kissed by the morning light – as she tapped into the magic within herself. "I understand that you want to disrupt this sacred ritual and throw away thousands of years of tradition. I never thought you'd be the one to turn against your own heritage, Rarity, but if you won't back down, then I am bound by duty to stop you."
With a flash of arcane might, the princess summoned a pair of blades to her side, grasping their jeweled hilts with her telekinesis. One was a long, thin rapier extending outwards about three hooves with a slight curve near the tip that was obviously made for quick, long thrusts, while the other was a much thicker affair, a stout but finely-honed dagger just over a hoof-and-a-half in length with a much thicker hilt that showed multiple scratches from where the guard had been used repeatedly as a last line of defense against an opposing strike. Both weapons gleamed with a trill of indigo shades as the tinted mithril of the blades caught the sparse rays of sunlight that peeked through the small windows perched near the ceiling of the room. The domed bases of the swords appeared to be nothing less than a piece of the night sky itself, a deep indigo canvas of metal painted with an assortment of onyx and amethyst crystals in a complex circular dance around the central tip. It was nothing less than pure beauty that was held aloft in the mage-princess' otherworldly grip, designed to cow any potential foes with a mixture of intimidation and awe at its sight.
Rarity stood undaunted, however, her own convictions granting her resolve in the face of one so powerful. "Very well, if we must engage in battle to settle our differences, then so be it." She lit her own horn, allowing the magical strength within her flow outwards like a river, invisible tributaries seeking her own weapons and bending the fabric of space to bring it to her. As the objects appeared in front of her, she quickly reached out with her magic to grab them, surrounding their grips with clouds of water-blue magic, so that they looked like they were floating in the world's purest ocean.
Rarity's rapier and dagger matched Twilight's in size and shape, but while Twilight's weapons channeled the raw, intense beauty of the heavens, the dressmaker had opted to arm herself with a more subtle elegance. Her blades shone with the pure white luminescence that could only be achieved with unalloyed mithril, putting even Celestia's coat to shame. The hilts, composed of the same material, showed no sign of wear, having been enchanted to keep its pristine shine forever, or at least as long as the enchantments held. Three perfect diamonds adorned the sides of each domed guard, glittering a very familiar shade of blue.
As she held her creations aloft, Rarity took a moment to admire how such a simple design could exude such grace and class. Only a moment, though, as she could not afford to lose sight of her purpose. Focusing her attention back to the one who stood between her and her goal, she tapped into the magical energy of her horn and shifted the blades into a more threatening positioning in front of her, both tips pointed towards Twilight in an angled V-formation.
The alicorn princess sighed as she mirrored the positioning of her own weapons. "It doesn't have to be like this. It's not too late to turn around and walk away before you get hurt."
Her words garnered a soft titter from the unicorn. "Oh Twilight, how precious." Rarity lifted a hoof delicately to her lips in a gesture of stifling her humor. "You think you can best me in a battle of blades?"
Twilight's grave demeanor cracked for a moment as a ghost of a smirk flashed across her face. "The word 'think' implies a disconnect between belief and reality. A fight between us can only lead to you losing."
"Bold words, darling." Rarity smiled, showing Twilight her perfectly white teeth. "I think it's time somepony taught you a lesson on the folly of arrogance. En garde, princesse!" With a spinning flourish, she brought her blades up in a vertical position, watching as the other mare did the same.
"Allons-y, mademoiselle." In unison, the pair brought down their weapons in a sweeping salute, inclining their heads slightly downwards as a sign of respect. When they looked up, their eyes locked in on one another, and with an unspoken flash of determination, the battle begun.
The pair circled each other slowly at first, observing each other's forms for signs of weakness or attack. Of course, Rarity found none; Twilight's magical discipline put even the highest-level unicorns to shame, as was befitting of Princess Celestia's former protégé, and her blades held completely steady, always protecting her front from Rarity even as the tempo of their movements shifted back and forth.
"Shall we begin?" Rarity flicked her rapier forward in a quick feint towards their center line, unsurprised when Twilight responded with a succession of parries to effortlessly deflect both her false attack and the true strike which followed from the high-line.
"I don't know, is that what you think a proper first strike should be?" The counter-attack came without warning, twin blades lashing out at different angles and elevations before she finished speaking. Rarity barely managed to shift her positioning in time to avoid taking two strikes to the temple, a loud clang sounding in the air and reverberating through her magic as blade met hilt, sending a shock down her horn. Gritting her teeth through the strain, she pushed forward with her telekinesis and drove Twilight's assault back until she was forced to disengage, returning them to their initial neutral positions.
"I think you may have mistaken me for a certain prismatic pegasus of our mutual acquaintance." Despite the fact that she could hear the rapid beating of her heart, Rarity kept her tone composed and cultured. "A lady does not rush into battle like some brutish ruffian; she begins slowly and gently, giving her partner the opportunity to ease into the rhythm of the encounter and allowing the tempo to grow with their mutual passion."
Twilight raised a single eyebrow at Rarity's speech. "Are you sure we're still talking about our duel? Because if Rainbow Dash was really here she'd probably have some raunchy joke to make about what you just said." Her smirk returned as a glint of humor lit up her beautiful violet eyes.
Rarity scoffed. "Well, if you're going to be crude about the performance art we are engaged in creating, then so be it. Have at thee!" With those words ringing out through the halls, the true dance of blades was joined.
The pair of unicorn and alicorn launched their weapons forwards at each other, meeting at the midpoint between them. Rarity's sweeping slash caught against the guard of Twilight's rapier as she thrust it forward, neutralizing both initiations. Disengaging, the two played a short back-and-forth game parrying each other's attacks before Rarity suddenly countered Twilight's lunge with her own, relying on her dagger to protect herself while she sought out her own prize: the princess' head.
Her strike failed, blocked by Twilight's own dagger just as Rarity's own dagger defended the seamstress, but her actions had split the battle into two smaller ones, and Rarity prided herself as a master of telekinetic multitasking, effortlessly dividing her attention between offense and defense.
Unfortunately, Twilight's skill in simultaneous casting exceeded that of any other pony Rarity had faced before, and soon she found her opponent's blade inching closer and closer to her body as each thrust drove her shorter blade a little farther back. Meanwhile, her own rapier remained a respectable distance away from its target, stymied by Twilight's precise parries.
Realizing that her plan to leverage her unique skillset to her advantage had failed, Rarity blocked Twilight's next thrust with a wide seep, deflecting the incoming blade to her left and using Twilight's force to guide it in an arc around her body, her coat hairs standing on end as she felt the wave of air left in its wake caress her withers.
The slingshot effect caused Twilight's rapier to overshoot, giving Rarity a chance to regain distance in that skirmish. Unfortunately, she had focused too much on that defense and her own rapier had been driven back almost to the center again.
"A croise en neuvieme?" Twilight asked with disapproval as she returned her rapier to her side, bolstering her own defense and effectively shutting Rarity out. "You know you could have used a sixte parry instead, right? I guess someponies don't care for practicality at all."
Rarity huffed in indignation as she abandoned her attack and withdrew her blades, keeping them at the ready in case Twilight struck again. "Some of us believe in style in addition to substance, dear." With a smirk, she spun her dagger in a quick flourish around her larger sword. "And besides, one can afford to add a little flair to one's actions when one's opponent's own style and creativity leaves something to be desired. Or did you expect me not to notice that all your attacks are drawn from Quick Cut's repotoire?"
"He was the best fencer is Equestria for twenty-four years," Twilight replied defensively. "It follows that his methods would be the most likely to be successful." Her visage hardened in determination as she brought her weapons back up in a fighting stance. "But you have a point; I can't just copy one pony's style and expect to win. Luckily, I've done my research."
The distance separating them meant that Rarity saw Twilight's renewed assault coming with a fair bit of warning. She observed that the scholarly alicorn was using an approach favored by Silver Fletching's students and readied her guard accordingly.
Halfway through her attack, however, Twilight's blades arced sharply in a counterclockwise twist, altering the angle of her attack and making Rarity scramble to block what she realized at the last moment was a feint right out of Guard Point's playbook. As she barely deflected the attack, Rarity seized the initiative and launched her own dagger forward in an attempt to distract Twilight. The ruse worked and Rarity bought herself a moment's rest to collect herself before the fight began anew.
On and on they fought, their blades swirling around each other in a mesmerizing dance of mithril and magic. Twilight seamlessly blended multiple styles of combat into a series of precise, calculated parries, disengages, and attacks. Rarity countered with a dazzling display of inspired bladework, inventing new forms and positions drawn from the creative aether of her mind.
As the battle raged, their maneuvering grew more and more intricate, painting a tapestry of colors in the middle of the room. Ebony surrounded in violet light clashed against ivory clad in turquoise, twisting around each other like needles through the fabric of space and time. A small part of Rarity's mind fixated on the sheer beauty of the patterns of light and dark they were weaving with their blades, and she could feel her creative spark ignite, burning the fuel of the spectacle before her to conjure up new designs of ethereal splendor.
"Much better, darling. I was beginning to despair of ever facing a true challenge." Rarity tried to project an air of bravado over her breathlessness as she shut down a hideously complicated quadruple feint with an inverted cross parry.
Twilight beamed as her dagger drew a line of black and purple across the air to intersect the blue-white blur that shot towards her in retaliation for the attack. "Thank you!" she said brightly. "I've been practicing a lot since our last bout."
"How admirable." Rarity felt another flash of inspiration as they wove a spiral pattern of color with their magicks, a whole line of clothing appearing in her mind's eye. Filing her new designs in her memories for later, she focused on outmaneuvering her opponent. "Unfortunate that it won't be enough." She launched a two-pronged attack at Twilight, targeting both her head and right foreleg with wide slashes that were deflected in turn by the mage's own bladework.
"We'll see about that." A quick pirouette feint of both rapier and dagger preceded a direct strike from Twilight. Rarity raised her own weapons in response and sent them outwards to meet the attack. The four blades crashed together in the center, a loud clang sounding out as both ponies pressed their swords against each other in a four-way cross, hilts locked into a battle of strength.
Rarity felt the force of Twilight's telekinesis intensify as the two struggled to claim an advantage in the engagement. Drawing upon the reservoirs of arcane energy deep inside her soul, she widened the flow of magic coursing through her horn to match her opponent's increased effort.
"Magnificent…" the dressmaker breathed as she bore witness to a glorious vision of magical might. As the duelists poured more and more of their energy into overcoming one another, the glows of their auras grew stronger and stronger until they merged into a single tableau of light and color surrounding the hilts of their blades. Blue as deep as the purest sapphire melded with the dark purple of the closing of day until Rarity couldn't tell when one source of magic ended and another began.
More and more magic was fed into the locked blades, and Rarity's body and soul sang with ecstasy at the thrill of battle and creation despite the fatigue that was beginning to creep in.
"Ready to surrender, my little pony?" Looking past the wondrous sight of their mixed magicks, Rarity spied the alicorn princess who had helped her create her latest work of art. Her purple coat was matted with sweat, forming into small clumps as she continued exerting herself, but her beauty still shone through, and Rarity found the last of her breath taken away at the sight of her truest friend standing strong, with her perfectly preened wings spread wide and raw power coursing through the delicate spirals of her horn.
"Never, princess," she gasped out when she remembered how to breathe. "What sort of teacher would I be if I allowed my own student to best me?" Pushing her magic to her limit, she slowly slid her rapier until she had the weak tip of Twilight's blade pinned by the strong base of her own, giving her the leverage needed to push past the blockage and strike at her partner's heart.
"The mark of a good teacher is her ability to enable her students to reach new heights." At the last moment, a dark dagger appeared between the dressmaker and her target, stopping her attack with less than an inch to spare and knocking her rapier to the side. Twilight smiled warmly at her foe before speaking again. "And you, Rarity, are a very good teacher."
As Rarity scrambled to regain control of her longer sword, Twilight sent her own rapier and dagger flying towards Rarity from opposite sides and forcing her to choose whether to defend her left or right side with her dagger. Either way, she'd be leaving herself defenseless on one front. From the triumphant look in Twilight's eyes, the alicorn knew she had her prey cornered and was prepared to deal the final blow.
Rarity's lips turned upward in a predatory grin a moment before her imminent demise. Pushing with all her strength on her back legs, she leapt forwards towards her foe, the twin blades behind her barely grazing her coat. Wrapping her magic around her rapier, she grasped her instrument of victory firmly before making a direct attack at the one who stood between her and her true goal.
Twilight's eyes widened at the last second as she realized what had Rarity had done. The blade struck home just as Rarity landed in front of Twilight, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from the other mare's body and feel the air against her muzzle as she gasped in shock. Looking down, they both saw a tip of alabaster metal pressed against the alicorn's heart, the blade glowing blue with the interwoven pattern of hundreds of lines of colors forming a complex detection and defense matrix that prevented Rarity from skewering her friend.
"Touche, point, Your Highness," Rarity said smugly as she withdrew her blade. The magical aura surrounding it faded as she returned both of her weapons to her side.
"Aww, I thought I had you there," Twilight replied with a cute little pout as she did the same with her own equipment.
"It was a valiant effort, dear." Rarity leaned forward until she was close enough to smell the musky scent of Twilight's sweat on her coat. She stared piercingly at Twilight's wide eyes, locking their gazes together. "Now, it's time to claim my prize. Tell me where you hid it."
Twilight sighed, turning away from her gaze as her horn lit up. "Very well, it seems I've failed to stop you from your course. You'll find what you're looking for in my study, in a locked chest next to my writing desk." A flash of lavender magic summoned a silver key that hovered beside her. "You'll need this to unlock it. Good luck, my precious star."
Rarity went to grab the key with her magic, but hesitated at the last moment. "Are you sure you're alright with this, Twilight?" she asked with concern. "I'll admit it's not our usual method of resolving our conflicts, but you seemed quite excited as well when Rainbow Dash suggested that we settle our disagreement in a more combative manner, and I didn't think you cared that much about the matter at hoof. If you truly feel that I should keep away, I will respect your wishes."
Twilight smiled at Rarity before pressing her lips softly against hers. "Thanks Rarity," she said as she pulled back from the kiss, leaving Rarity with the faint taste of her lover on her tongue, "that means a lot to me. But you know me well enough to know that I don't believe in bad luck, and if you really want to see my dress before our wedding then I'll buck all the traditions to make you happy. I'm just sad that it's over so soon; I was having a lot of fun playing the role of the valiant guardian and engaging in a proper third-century style duel."
"And I enjoyed being the dashing villain, my love." Rarity replied. "Growing up, I always wanted to be the princess who was rescued by her prince, but lately I've been finding the idea of besting my own princess to be much more enticing."
Twilight's eyes lit up with a fiery glint that captivated the seamstress. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself; you only won by the grace of Celestia herself. Next time you won't be so lucky."
Rarity felt a thrill at the challenge. "I look forward to our next bout, then, when I can show you that my mastery is no mere flip of the coin." Excitement welled up within her as she met Twilight's gaze with determination.
"Why wait? After all, the dress will still be there in at the end of the day, and if there's something wrong with it you have enough time to make alterations before the ceremony. Maybe you should give me a chance to win back the key." The two weapons lying to the floor next to the princess hovered into the air, indigo hilts surrounded once more in a lavender glow.
"And what happens if I win again?" Rarity asked casually as she reached for her own blades.
A different kind of fire burned in Twilight's eyes, one that sent shivers of anticipation down Rarity's spine. "Well, as the dashing villain of the piece, I'm certain you would love to have a princess to hold captive." Twilight leaned over and whispered the words into her ear in a sultry tone that was hotter than the warmth of her coat brushing against hers. "Imagine what you could do in a night with her." With a lazy wink, she stepped back until they were back in their original positions and looked expectantly at Rarity. "So, what do you say, interloper? Do you accept the terms of my challenge?"
The dressmaker grinned wickedly in response. "Oh, my dearest love," she said huskily, twin forms of excitement building up within her mind and body, "I'd love nothing more than to have a royal for myself days before her wedding. Ready yourself, princess, for a true battle against a master of the blades."
With a flourish, the pair began their engagement once again, light and metal weaving together in passion to create an ephemeral expression of movement and color. And standing in the center of the artwork she had created, Rarity knew in her heart that the one she fought was her soul mate, the mare she was destined to spend her life with. Her muse, her spark, her inspiration.
Purple and white dueled in the harmony of strife, and a masterpiece was born.
