“Please, join me,” Cypress said, the twigs at the end of his arm extended and waved over the masterfully crafted oak thrones next to his. He offered his guest a smile that went unnoticed because of the moss dangling from below his nose all the way down to his gut.
“No need to play nice, Cypress.” Celestia said as she sat down, her view now overlooking the empty arena. Roots created makeshift seating and rose up so no view would be interrupted by those in front of them. A massive tree planted next to the arena blocked out the sun, vines reached down spotted with wildflowers creating a rainbow of colors. The arena itself sunk much lower than any of the seats, the dirt ground pocketed with the signs of previous battles. The walls were draped by spiky vines.
Cypress’s emerald gaze landed on the empty seat next to Celestia. “I thought your sister would be joining us.”
“You will see her soon enough.” Celestia glared at him from the corner of her eye. “I hope the leader of The Wild can be trusted to keep his word?”
“Naturally. Should your combatant win we will no longer plant root in your land, but of course should mine win, half the land is ours.” Cypress creaked as a malicious smile spread across his face. “I heard you are a fan of tea.” The twigs at the end of his arm grew out and pulled out a wooden mug. “No better place for dried leaves than in a land of plant life.”
Celestia’s golden magic wrapped around her horn and the wooden mug as she brought it under her nose and took in a deep breath. “It smells magnificent, though it does not appear warm, and what a unique... cup.” She placed the mug next to her. “Then again to heat it would mean fire, and to make glass you need a furnace.”
Cypress chortled. “Yes it is no surprise we dislike fire, but we discovered a blend that tastes good at a natural temperature. I think you will be… impressed with our invention.” Cypress glanced over but Celestia made no move to revisit the tea. “I think it's time to show you our combatant, the pinnacle of our magic and ability to tame the beasts in the wild, the earth troll.”
Cypress’s legs groaned as he stood up, his arm wrapped in a magical green glow as he reached out to the arena. The spiky vines wrapped around one of the arenas doors and lifted it open. The earth shook as a massive beast stomped out of the gate, having to bend down to avoid hitting its head.
Celestia concealed her emotion and only raised her chin at the monster before her. The stone skinned behemoth stood to a height where it could grab from the seating. The nails covering its feet and hands looked like the jagged rocks from a mountain. Two massive tusks rose out of its bottom jaw all the way up to its blood red eyes. The beast had been fitted with studded ivory armor. It welded what could be described as a massive mace, hunks of iron had been mashed together and held in place by twisting wood.
“We may not have a forge,” Cypress explained, “but we know of the metals buried under our land, and they will form to pressure just as well as heat!”
“Impressive,” Celestia said without a hint of emotion. “May I asked what the armor is made of?”
“The bones of his enemies of course, crushed down and reshaped.”
Celestia gave a polite nod.
“Now shall we see your chosen?”
Cypress repeated his magic and the gate on the other side opened. Unnatural darkness hid the hallway, the shadows even branching out into the arena, two eyes burning with starlight cut through the blackness.
Cypress took a step back. “What is…”
Luna emerged from the shadow and the magical darkness faded away and her eyes returned to their normal midnight blue. Her horn glowed with a stary magic along with two swords made of dark metals that hovered around her. Each one enchanted with unique silver engravings. She wore a glittering armor, which matched the colors of her swords, that covered the majority of her body.
Cypress laughed and fell back into his seat. “I have misjudged you Celestia, to pick your own sister, a heartless, and cutthroat decision.”
“Would you care to elaborate?” Celestia asked with a smile.
“Certainly you knew we would be choosing our strongest champion and the threat that would pose, but if you select you sister and win you will be praised for being wise and trusting, despite Luna doing all the work. Should she lose, half your land will be ours but you will have a perfect scapegoat. Truly you have thought this through.”
“I hate to throw away such praise Cypress,” Celestia said. “But there is a far simpler reason Luna stands in that arena instead of myself.”
I frown started to form on Cypress’s face. “And that would be?”
“It was her turn.”
“Turn? You speak as if defeating our champion is a simple game.”
Celestia had to resist the urge to bring the mug up for a sip before delivering her verbal blow. “Is it not?”
Cypress scowled, some of the bark on his face flaking off from the rarely used expression. “We will see... Combatants! Fight!”
“Let us see thy skill,” Luna said as she flourished her swords.
The troll roared, the power of its lungs reached Luna and pushed her back. She grimaced and held her nose.
“I see The Wild has weaponized your breath as well.”
The troll grumbled and began its charge, raising its mace with both hands.
“Not one for conversation?” Luna sighed. “Shame, I will have to leave the battle of quips to my sister.” Luna galloped to meet the beast.
As they met the troll stopped and brought down its massive mace, leaving a crater in its wake. Luna had continued her gallop at full pace, sliding under the troll. Her blade shot forth colliding with the trolls bone armor, however the attack did little more then leave a slight crack where it landed.
Celestia leaned forward, seeing how little damage her sister’s strike caused. “Enchanted,” she mumbled.
“But of course,” Cypress commented. “Bone makes poor armor, but life, or that which once held life, are perfect for our magic.”
Celestia straightened her back. “Interesting, we find inanimate objects better for our enchantments.”
Cypress’s brow raised with creek and his attention turned to Luna’s blades. Meanwhile, Celestia’s horn lite up and the tea inside her mug glowed with golden magic, small amounts of steam escaped the cup.
The troll swung its mace in a wide sweep. Luna jumped, barely managing to leap over it. The troll recovered and did another downward strike which Luna avoided. As the series of attacks and dodges waged, Luna’s swords hovered out of the Trolls view, stabbing hard enough to leave a mark on its armor but not enough to do any real damage.
After another strike on the trolls side Luna brought her blades in front of her. She funneled a large amount of magic into the swords and the silver runes adorning them started to glow. Each spot the blades stabbed in the troll’s armor started to glow with the same silver color.
Luna’s smirk only lasted a second before the troll’s massive mace connect with the side of her armor. The force sent her into the arena wall, past the vines and into the earth with an explosion of dust.
Cypress let a smile creep across his face.
“Luna!” Celestia yelled as she stood up. “I've told you a thousand times, don't stop to admire your work!”
Luna trotted out of the dust cloud with an eye roll. “Yes, dear sister.” Multiple cracks stretched along her armor and slowly expanded until it broke apart. The metal shards embedded themselves into the dirt as they fell off.
“I wonder how well your combatant will fair without that armor?” Cypress mocked.
Celestia sat back down. “I was about to ask the same thing.”
The troll had been busy scraping at the silver glowing points on the its armor that branched out and connected with each other. The armor glowed as a constellation formed across it like a tapestry, and in a brilliant flash of light the armor cracked apart, falling away as a fine white dust.
Cypress shrugged. “Quite impressive, it seems they are well matched.”
“Oh?” Celestia raised the mug to her lips. “And what abilities were your troll’s armor hindering?”
Cypress leaned forward, noting how Luna’s armor had fallen into the earth. “It was slowing her down… Perhaps even keeping her grounded.”
With a smug smile Celestia took a sip of her tea, her eyes widened as the earthy rich flavor danced along her tongue. “This is excellent,” she said, taking another long sip.
Cypress held down his laughter as Celestia drank the tea. “You will soon see, that The Wilds are full of surprises.”
When the troll realized his armor had been destroyed and his opponent still lived he let out a roar. He grasped his mace with both hands and rushed at Luna, bringing down the mace with all his might. He lifted the weapon back up and checked the crater he had made but did not see her mangled remains. He checked left, right, then left again.
“Turn around you foolish beast,” a voice behind him said.
The troll spun, then cried out in pain as Luna drove both her blades into the troll’s gut. She pulled the swords out, thick green blood splattered out, some getting on luna’s leg and covering her blades. The troll doubled over in pain as it held its stomach.
“Come now, don't tell me that is all you- Ahhh!” Luna cried out in pain and grabbed her foreleg. Steam leaked out as the green blood from the troll melted past her coat and into her skin. Luna glanced to her blades still held her magic, they had melted down to their hilts.
“Acid blood,” Celestia nickered.
“That's not all,” Cypress said.
The troll stood up, the holes on his stomach were wrapped in a green magic. Roots wriggled out of his flesh and interweaved with each other, stitching up the wounds. The troll laughed as he raised his mace overhead.
Luna attempted to stand but her injuries leg refused to take on any pressure. “Fine, we shall play.”
The troll brought down his mace with a massive wet thump as is crushed into the earth. He lifted his weapon with his usual strength but fell backwards. He stared at the weapons handle and the clean diagonal cut that separated it from the rest. He got up, seeing the rest of his weapon laying behind his opponent.
Luna’s horn lit up in a brilliant blue as black shadows manifested around her. Her wings flapped and raised her off the ground and out of the troll’s reach.
“Well beast, how will you deal with me?” she asked.
The troll responded by flinging his weapon handle at her. One of the shadows launched out, forming a blade and cut the handle in two, each half missing Luna on either side.
“Pathetic,” Luna declared. Another tendil formed and dived down. The troll’s left arm rose up, acting as a shield. The shadow blade carved into its arm with little resistance, the troll’s green blood clinging to the shadow, but once the blade had cut it vanished and the acidic blood fell to the earth. The troll took slow steps back as Luna unleashed a relentless assault of magic blades.
“You look rather relaxed despite your combatant being at such a disadvantage,” Celestia said as she set down her empty mug.
Cypress yawned. “Do you think me blind? I have always been prepared for the possibility your chosen would have the ability to fly, and so we found a solution.” He pointed back to the battle.
Luna’s persistent attacks finally carved through the troll’s arm, it fell to the earth and sizzled the ground below it. The troll cried out and grasped at its shoulder.
“Surrender beast!” Luna yelled. “I’ve no interest in killing a creature that cannot fight back.”
A burst of green magic exploded out of the troll’s wound and a mass of roots twisted together to form a new arm. The troll shocked by the turn of events experimentally open and closed his new hand. He looked up at his opponent and reached out, the roots grew out at an alarming rate. Luna reacted fast and cut some of them away but there were too many. The roots enclosed around her and squeezed, electing a cry of pain from Luna. The troll wiped his arm and Luna came crashing to the ground.
“Luna!” Celestia cried out, real worry entering her voice. Cypress leaned back into his seat and folded his hands together.
“I’m fine sister,” Luna said as she got up, her injured leg trembling under the weight. She bit down on another cry as she tried to flap her wings, glancing back she saw the roots had twisted one beyond use. “Well, I could be better.”
The troll roared at the standing Luna and focused on the end of its elongated arm, the roots at the end sprang to life and started to chase after Luna.
“Could be a lot better,” Luna mumbled as she started galloping. She caught sight of the massive chunk of mace behind the troll and formed a plan. Magic wrapped around her horn, encompassing the mace as well. Beads of sweat started to form as she raced around the arena while slowly lifting the mace into the air.
“What is she up to?” Cypress leaned forward.
“I'm unsure,” Celestia answered, just as curious for an answer. “But knowing my sister, it will be something terrifying.”
Luna pivoted with her good legs, and just barely escaped the pursuing roots. She kept to one side of the arena so the troll would not notice the mace that had now reached high above the entire arena. Not paying close enough attention she tripped over a chunk of her broken armor. The roots pursuing her closed in. Luna’s horn shined even brighter with magic as a magical shield formed around her. The roots collided with the spell with a hollow bang, but without any hesitation they started to entangle around the shield. Luna peered up, trying to see past the roots. She made some final adjustments before releasing the levitation spell.
The roots fully enclosed the shield and started to squeeze. Cracks formed all around the shield, but after a sudden shake the roots fell lifelessly to the side.
“Noooo!” Cypress yelled as he slammed his fist against his armchair. The mace had landed right atop the troll’s head, all but replacing it. Small spots of steam rose from all over the arena from the splatter the impact caused.
“Well now,” Celestia said as she lowered the shield that had caught some of the green blood. “That was messy.” She rose and turned to leave.
“Where do you think your going?” Cypress growled. “This isn't over.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “It very clearly is. Your combatant is…” Celestia’s eyes widened as she took in the sight below her.
Just as Luna stepped over the roots to leave, they sprang to life and wrapped around her back leg. “What in Tartar-”
The roots pulled and dragged Luna across the ground, lifting her to come face to nightmarish face.
The healing green magic tried to reconstruct the troll’s face without removing the iron mace. Flesh wrapped and stretched unable to fully reform. The troll’s eyes no longer red, but burned with the green magic trying to put it back together. The troll gave a gargled roar as it's mouth formed.
Luna bit down on a smirk. “At least now something resides between your ears.”
The troll threw Luna, sending her through the gate she originally entered.
“This will be a moment to remember, Cypress,” Celestia said as she sat down. “It has been a long time since Luna has been pushed this far.”
Cypress laughed. “It's far too late for such bluffs. I told you before, all of our knowledge, all of our magic has been poured into this troll. He is the pinnacle of The Wild!”
“THEN DISCOVER HOW OUTCLASSED YOU REALLY ARE!” Luna’s voice echoed out as if it she sat in every seat of the arena. She limped out of the gate, raggeded and beaten.
Cypress addressed her for the first time, “You lie about as well as your sister! This ends now!” He pointed at Luna, the troll seeing this as a command, started to charge.
“Agreed,” Luna whispered. Her horn lit up in a blinding magic, her eyes reflected the abundance of magic by turning a gleaming white, as if her body were a host to the stars themselves.
A spell shot forth, encompassing the troll. He took another step forward and lifted from the ground, bits of white started to appear all over its body and slowly spread. The ground caught in the spell also filled with the same growing white.
“Frost?” Cypress stepped forward to exam whatever spell had been cast.
“You think this simple ice magic?” Celestia giggled. “What you bear witness to is far greater. A power from beyond the skies, your champion has been caught in a vacuum, no heat, no gravity, no oxygen.”
“No oxygen!”
The spell keeping the troll alive tried to follow it's last command. As it stretched an arm to strike out, the connecting joint shattered, it's arm drifting away from the rest of its body. The green magic in the troll’s eyes slowly faded to black.
Luna released her spell, the frozen combatant fell, and shattered into countless pieces.
With a groan, Cypress fell to his knees. “Such power…” He grabbed his sides and clenched his eyes shut.
Celestia saw the rise and fall of his shoulders. “Your champion put up an amazing fight, The Wild should be proud,” she said as pity crept into her mind. However, it disappeared as she realized Cypress was not sobbing, but laughing.
“Hehehe.... Hahahahaha!” Cypress rose and bellowed out his happiness. “Unthinkable power that will soon be mine. Your sister may have bested my troll, but can she now face you!” Green magic wrapped around his arm.
Celestia sighed.
Cypress glanced at his arm as the magic faded. “... But can she face you.” He tried the spell again.
“Is that what was in the tea? Some type of mind control parasite? I'm happy to inform you I boiled them out before taking a sip.”
“Oh…” Cypress took a step back. He glanced down to the arena where Luna stood shaking her head at him.
Celestia closed her eyes and took in deep breath. “I had hoped we could trust the promise of The Wild’s leader, but since that is not the case…” Celestia’s horn lit up with golden magic, her eyes opened, burning with the power of the sun. “We will need to make an example of those that would threaten our land!”
Cypress only felt pain for a moment as he was engulfed by a fire burning at the heat of the sun, leaving nothing left but a pile of ash.
===The Journey Home===
“Just like old times, right sister?” Celestia said as she flew through the sky, an endless body of water under her.
“This is embarrassing enough without your commentary,” Luna replied.
“But you used to love when your big sister Tia flew you around.”
Luna reached out and pushed down on one of here sister’s wings. For a moment Cestia lost control and dipped to the side.
“Luna!” Celestia protested as she corrected her flight. “What if you had fallen.”
“One could only hope for such a fate.”
“Hmph.” Celestia faced forward with her chin in the air, but after a short moment glanced back. “You had me worried back there.”
“You worry too much.” Luna rested her head against her sister back, relaxing as she listened to Celestia’s rhythmic breathing. “I think I’ll rest,” Luna said, already beginning to drift to sleep.
“Dream well, sister… I love you.”
Luna nuzzled deeper into her sister's coat. “I love you too.”
