Twilight took a deep breath. Shiera was upon her within a second, not even giving Twilight time to debate the decision. The very earth beneath began to rise up and jut strait into the barrel of her stomach, knocking the wind out of her, but Twilight managed just enough concentration to cast a teleportation spell just in the nick of time, before it could fling her in the air. Still, her footing after reappearing was not as optimal as she could hope.

Shiera continued on, still not allowing Twilight to protest, though this time, she turned the pillars of earth she had made into water and used it to lash out at Twilight. Twilight responded in kind with a rather large fireball, which neutralized the water whip before it could strike her.

Then there was a moment of silence as the two ponies eyed each other. Twilight could only guess what Shiera was thinking, but that didn't matter now, she would not let Shiera catch her off guard like that again.

The silence didn't last as Shiera suddenly lashed out with lightning. Twilight raised a shield once more, but instead of trying to hide behind it, an idea came to her. Channelling a bit more magic into it, she made the shield bubble expand and burst forth, striking Shiera, causing her to be knocked back.

Twilight was elated, she finally got Shiera on the receiving end this time! But it didn't last long, as Shiera recovered far more quickly than Twilight had anticipated. Shiera once more lashed out with lightning, except half way through it seemed to just suddenly vanish, confusing Twilight for a moment until she was hit by a solid wall of air which completely knocked off her hooves.

Twilight, though momentarily stunned, knew she couldn't stay down, lest Shiera would win. She rolled to her hooves, though the world was still spinning. Shakily, she managed to steady herself, and was mildly surprised that Shiera hadn't come to finish her yet. But then she noted the worried look in Shiera's eyes, which meant she must of still have been trying to see if Twilight was okay.

An idea occurred to use this moment to strike, but Twilight hesitated. That didn't seem like a kind or honorable thing to do. Especially since this was just sparring, right?

But then she thought of what Shiera would likely do in her situation, and frowned. With effort, she fired a bolt of magic at Shiera, aimed at her barrel to catch her off guard and hopefully knock her off her hooves. Though Shiera did give a look of surprise, Shiera reacted just in the nick of time and dodged gracefully out of the way.

"Impressive. I was wrong about my initial assumptions about you. It seems you are just as utilitarian as Trixie is, though, perhaps in a different sense." Shiera complimented.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Twilight panted between breaths.

"You both utilize your knowledge and experiences to better utilize your magic. It seems you both have that in common."

Twilight grunted, not sure how to respond to such praise, but she didn't even get the chance to, as Shiera suddenly struck.

A streak of lightning shot out from her horn so fast, that time seemed to slow to Twilight. She watched in awe as the Lightning changed into a fireball just as it was about to hit her. Twilight knew she couldn't throw a shield up fast enough, so without thinking, she tried a different tactic.

Stepping ever so slightly to the side, Twilight felt as the fireball scorched the side of her barrel, but as continued moving forward, she seized it with her magic and redirected it, flinging it back at Shiera.

Shiera's eyes widened in surprise, and it was only in this moment that Twilight realized that she had accidentally strengthened the fireball. But it was too late.

Shiera managed to summon a bit of water from a nearby puddle, and while it helped a little, Shiera still took the brunt of the blast and was thrown back several pony lengths before skidding to a stop.

Shiera remained motionless on the ground.

"Shiera!! Oh my Celestia! Are you okay?! I am sooo sorry, Shiera, I didn't mean--"
Twilight exclaimed in a panic as she rushed to Shiera's side.

"I yield..." Shiera replied with a cough.

Spike ran up to them, "Sweet Celestia! Are you okay, Shiera? Twilight! You're hurt too!" He pointed out, worry and concern enveloping his face. He ran up to and hugged Twilight.

"I'm fine Spike, its just a few scapes and bruises, and a little singed fur, I'll be alright. But Shiera--"

"I'm fine. It'll take more than a bit of fire to put a soldier like me down," Shiera replied, grunting as she pulled herself back onto her hooves.

"Shiera, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to--"

"I said it's fine. I'm okay! You just knocked the wind out of me is all. Plus a scratch and bruise or two, but who's counting?" Shiera gave pained chuckle, which did not ease Twilight nor Spike's worry.

"Shiera, I don't think we should try such things again." Twilight replied with a frown.

"I agree! That's just way too dangerous!" He reaffirmed this statement by crossing his arms, closing his eyes and nodding with a "Mmhmm!".

Shiera frowned, "Why not? You did well! You won our little spar. Your magic is definitely stronger than mine, but you shouldn't be ashamed of that."

"Shiera, that's not the point! You could have gotten hurt or worse!" Twilight protested.

"Don't forget about Twilight, she could have gotten hurt too, and I would never forgive you if that happened," Spike interjected, stepping closer to Twilight.

Shiera shook her head, "Don't be silly, it is a sparring match, a duel. People getting hurt is par for the course. It helps teach one to sharpen their reflexes, besides both of us were holding back. There was no real--"

"No Shiera! We are not having a Magic Duel ever again!" Twilight scolded.

"You also don't play nice, and that's not something a good pony would do."
Spike said, folding up his arms again.

Shiera's eyes narrowed, not at Twilight but at Spike.

"Nice? Are you questioning my honor? Do you think any of her opponents will be 'nice'? Do you think a tyrant, a monster, or even a man fighting for his life is going to be 'nice' to her, to me--or to you!?"

"Well, I-I..."

"They will not! It is a warrior's duty to know, embrace, and ingrain this to memory! A soldier must be prepared! I have honored my word! I am doing exactly as I said I would! I am teaching her how my magic works!"

Twilight stepped forward, "Teaching me? You promised to show me how it works, but all you've been doing is attacking and fighting me, and giving me cryptic advice! How is that supposed to teach me anything? You haven't even taught me a single Spell in this Battle Magic of yours!"

Shiera scoffed, "Were you not paying attention then? Battle Magic has nothing to do with spells! There are no magic words for you to say that magically make things happen, that isn't how it works! I have shown you, through battle, exactly how my magic works, and if you refuse to pay attention to what I show you, then its not my fault! If I was training my soldiers, I--"

"Well I'm not a soldier, now am I?!" Twilight rebuked.

There was a long silence between them.

Eventually, Shiera sighed, though obviously still angry. "No, you are right. You are no Soldier. And I apologize for that error in thinking. But I will not have you questioning my honor. I always keep my word. I will not be insulted just because you are too blind to see that."

And with that, Shiera stormed off, heading towards town.

Twilight was still angry, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she noticed a small limp in Shiera's walk. Still, she was too angry to care. Shiera or even herself could have been hurt, why couldn't Shiera just see that?

Twilight huffed as she marched back into the library, reading a book or two might do her some good at the moment.

Spike frowned, while he did agree with Twilight, he didn't like this. He didn't like seeing friends fight like this. While he was angry at Shiera too, he knew in his heart that she was a good pony deep down. And he felt a little guilty for insinuating other wise. He knew that Shiera was only trying to help, and while he didn't agree on her methods, he knew that she wasn't the kind of pony that meant Twilight or any pony else any harm.

Spike sighed, he wanted to go back inside with Twilight to comfort her. He was her number one assistant, after all. But his mind was made up.

He needed to talk with Shiera. It was the right thing to do.

Author's Note

So here is the next chapter! Sorry it took so long! Had a few things come up, and then I forgot for a few days! I know my publishing schedule isn't consistent, but rest assured, I will continue this story until the end. ^^