I. Chapter 5: First Duel

I was lying on the mattress trying to sleep, again the same... Problems with sleeping, I hate it. I decided to get up. When I was on my feet I looked at the Twilight bed. She was sleeping and snoring softly. I decided not to wake her up. I headed towards the door leading to the staircase, slowly opened it so as not to wake up Twilight. When I opened it, I saw darkness in front of me.

I started to walk down the stairs slowly, actually, I wanted to start because when I started walking, there were no stairs, only hard and flat ground and... leaves?... Wait... Something is wrong. I turned back and the door just disappeared, there was only darkness around me. I started walking again. The darkness started to dissipate, the farther I walked, it grew brighter, until I finally stopped, there was a forest around me. The same forest which I escaped from the beast. Everywhere was dark, but not so dark, because everything was clearly visible, in the sky I saw the stars and the moon. However, I did not have time to think because I knew what would happen next.

"Oh no... Not again" - I said with fear, slowly turning away

Behind me, I saw It... Big black manticore. It looked at me with his red eyes, growling furiously, after a while the beast attacked me, but I was ready for it, I managed to jump back, I wanted to take a branch to somehow defend myself, but then a light flare appeared, and then a sword lay on the ground in front of me. I grabbed it in my right hand. The most surprising was that the sword was very light, and on its blade, there were mysterious signs that were glowing with a living fire.

I turned with my sword in my right hand, the beast charging at me stopped momentarily, looking at the sword.

"W-what?!... But how?!... Where did you get it from?!" - Manticore asked, with rage

"Ooooh... So, you know what is this, huh?" - I asked, slyly smiling towards him

I began to approach the beast, holding the sword. The monster slowly began to retreat, snarling and hissing furiously, however, the monster started to charging at me again, when he was about five meters from me jumped, that's when I felt something strange, I felt as if I could fight, when the beast was in the air, I made a move forward, wounding the beast with a sword. After a successful coup, I heard behind me how the monster fell to the ground. I turned around and saw him lying on the ground, suddenly I felt something unusual... Determination and will of a fight.

The monster slowly began to rise, and I began to run towards him. I held the sword in my right-hand low to the ground, to the left, the monster finally got up, I was already close to him. I started charging, then with all my strength, I hit the edge of the sword straight into the monster's head. When that happened, the Manticore jumped back.

"AAAAAGH!... How dare you?!" - After these words, the beast began charging back towards me. I was ready for

I bent my legs taking a fighting stance, I kept my sword close to the ground on the right side. When the monster was very close, I brought out a powerful attack from below, the monster was wounded straight in the throat, then fell to the ground in front of me, he looked at me, he was furious but... I saw it... I saw fear in his eyes.

When I stood in front of him, I lifted the sword high above him, then I drove the sword into his heart if he had it at all. The monster struggled for a moment, after a while he stopped, he was already dead, or so it seemed to me.

"I'm not a challenge for you, huh?" - I asked, pulling out the sword, after a moment the monster's body disappeared

I held the sword in my hand. The moonlights reflected in his blade, now I could look at him closely. The blade of the sword was long, and there were these mysterious signs which I immediately recognized, it was a runic script. I learned about it in history lessons, according to mythology, runes were given to people by the Norse god Odin, it was commonly used by barbaric peoples such as the Vikings. When I looked at the blade, my eyes went to the hilt of the sword, which was wrapped in leather, showing two metal intersections in the middle that looked like rings, but they were not. The sword guard didn't stand out like anything special, but I was most interested in the warhead, which was in the shape of a dragon's head, what the most interesting eyes of the dragon's head also shone with fire. I saw many swords in history books, also those with runes, but the sword that I kept in my hand was different, it was not short as most, but I wondered where did these runes come from? And why did they shine with fire?

I stood so idly watching the sword when suddenly the light flashed, I turned away immediately, in the dark I saw someone's figure, after the shape, I saw that it was a pony but... It was much higher than the ones I saw earlier. I didn't see her face exactly, but from her features, I figured that it was a mare, her mane was clearly visible because it shone, it looked like a starry night sky, but the most surprising was that this mane was constantly waving. After a while, I spotted on her head horn and a kind of crown, and a pair of wings on her back.

"Oh my god... Alicorn" - I said, slowly approaching the mysterious figure

"Yes. Indeed" - She said, also approaching me, I heard her voice, like through the fog, her voice was a bit strange, it was difficult to identify him - "My name is..." - She didn't finish. She stopped momentarily, I looked at her face, in her eyes I could clearly see fear, she didn't look at me anymore, but for what was behind me

"W-what happened? - I asked

I looked behind me and I saw the manticore standing behind me, who growled at me furiously. Suddenly jumped to me, I didn't expect it, and he hit my stomach, with claws. I wanted to lead a counterattack but the monster saw it and threw the sword out of my hand with his other paw. I was helpless, I stood before the monster who came closer and closer, suddenly Alicorn stood between me and the beast. Now I saw it exactly, the coat was navy blue, like her eyes, and on the sides, she has crescents bathed in darkness. She also wore black jewelry and something reminiscent of shoes. After a moment she looked at me.

"Runaway. Now!" - She said

"Wait, what is goin?..." - I didn't finish

"There is no time for that! Run and don't look back!" - She screamed, then turned to the Manticore - "Come on, come here!"

I started to run away, looked back and saw Alicorn struggling with the beast. Then I stumbled over something and started to roll over the slope, and then I fell into a small river. Without thinking, I started to run forward again without turning around.

Just like before, my face was whipped with leaves and branches. I was running and I heard something like knocking very loud knocking, but I did not pay attention to it, instead, I focused on escaping, but after a while, I ran out of the bushes and again... The cliff, exactly the same from which I fell when I was running away from the monster for the first time. I wanted to turn back, but when I do it, from the bushes a black manticore flew out. After a while, It hit me with a paw, I stumbled and then started to fall down, still hearing this knock, at the moment when I had to hit the ground I woke up.

I got up from my bed and I breathing very quickly, it was a mistake because after a while I felt chest pain. I grabbed my ribs and moaned quietly, the pain was unbearable. I looked around the room, it was Twilight room, I stood up and looked at her bed, which was looked as if someone just got up from it. I still heard the knock that came from below.

"Just a moment!" - Twilight said from below

After a while, I could hear the sound of the door being opened, and then the voice of Twilight - "Oh hello girls and... Wait... Princess Celestia?!" - I heard after a moment. I was really surprised, the ruler of Equestria paid us a visit? I looked at myself, I was wearing only my shorts that reached my knees and bandages wrapped around my waist, chest, around my legs and arms, I did not have any decent clothes, but now I was about to stand in front of a member of the royal family. I sighed and then went to the door opening I had stairs in front of me, and then I began to walk down uncertainly.

To be continued...