Author's Note

Finally, I am posting again. I hope you people enjoy what I've written!

Chapter 17: Desiring the Fight

Wild was the perfect picture of serenity on the outside as he bowed to his defeated opponent Sweetie Drops after a swift round. Steadily, he returned to his place among the spectators despite how his heart hammered in his chest, making him struggle to keep his breath even. Inside him, a storm of emotions swirled: elation, joy, even a degree of happiness. Adrenaline flowed through his veins unhindered, a taste of fight on his lips and the feeling of victory in his mind. He resisted the urge to fidget despite how good it felt to experience this surge, this jolt of electricity crackling through his body like thunder, energizing him to the brim. He desired nothing more than to get into the fight again, to move and to strike with wild abandon. Before this day, he had no idea how much he missed it ever since... well, it was not the time to darken his mood by those thoughts. He grabbed them and pushed them back down, focusing on his surroundings instead, letting the sight of the fighting arena to take his entire attention, especially now that a new pair of opponents was announced.

He was watching as others fought after him, the most notable of them being Golden Ring - he closed in on his opponent, deflecting and blocking strikes, until he could tackle them and deliver a swift finishing blow. The bulky form of the stallion wasn't disadvantaging him at all - instead, he used his superior weight to easily bring lighter opponents down. The stallion was certainly highly trained and wouldn't give up easily. Which was exactly what Wild needed right now - another challenging fight, another person to test him, another person he needed to overcome on the path to victory in this tournament.

Unbeknownst to him, Princess Luna had returned, once more invisible, and taken her place to continue watching over the tournament. She witnessed the second round of Wild's duel with Sweetie Drops, and she was pleasantly surprised by the show the young stallion displayed. Not a movement wasted, no strike without a purpose - it was as close to perfection as it could be even for someone twice if not thrice his age. The spark in his eyes, the precision of his movements, the strength in his strikes were, without a doubt, nothing like what she had seen in most others before. He was driven, a natural fighter, one with a limitless potential, just waiting to be truly fulfilled.

Luna wondered where he got his skills from - she was well aware he was skillful before he joined the Martial Arts Club, as his first duel with Swift Strike demonstrated. Perhaps it was one more piece of evidence in support of him being from some other world.

The alicorn had given it plenty of thought, and it seemed she wasn't going the wrong way at all - everything she had seen so far supported it or, at least, didn't contradict it in any significant way. The vast intelligence in his eyes, the inconsistencies in his supposed life story, and his aptitude at things that weren't culturally Equestrian. She didn't exactly know why he would hide this fact - if anything, he'd need help to get used to the new surroundings, it would be quite natural for him to reach out. However, it seemed he was well aware of what happened to him and thought to hide himself instead. Which was understandable, of course. What was more telling - and far more worrying - was the fact that he didn't appear to be searching for a way back to wherever he came from.

He was not looking up books on either time travel or dimension travel, and Luna knew he understood enough of the language to slowly make his way through the various tomes with the help of a dictionary. Neither was he ever caught trying to sneak out to go to where he first appeared - the Everfree Forest. He confided his origins to no one and seemed perfectly content with his life, asocial as he was.

Investigation into the Everfree found nothing that could qualify as shelter. Following his trace, both hoof steps and a magical trace, led them to nowhere. It was as if he appeared out of thin air. There was absolutely nothing to demonstrate that he existed before the day he was found and brought out of the forest. Yet there was no point of origin that could be found and analyzed either. The fact that tracking, magical or otherwise, was difficult in the Everfree didn't help matters at all.

Luna looked at Wild. A faint smile was on his face, barely noticeable; his breathing was deeper; and a flame in his eyes was present as well. He watched the tournament participants like a hawk, ready to jump into the duels himself. It was apparent only the strength of his will prevented him from doing so.

The alicorn thought that she could perhaps approach him after the tournament, to offer whatever help he needed. Alas, she didn't know how he would react. Would he panic, would he run away? Would he break down and cry? Would he evade and then disappear the first chance he got? The situation was as uncertain as it could be, and she didn't know how she needed to act. Especially since she didn’t know the circumstances that made him travel between dimensions in the first place - if he did that willingly. Once again, this couldn’t be answered without questioning him directly.

Wild turned and looked straight at her, furrowing his brows ever so slightly. She checked herself - she was still invisible. Then she looked back at the young stallion - his eyes looked in her direction but weren't quite focused on her. And yet... his presence was seemingly there, right in front of her, just within the touching distance. She could almost feel his breath, and she could certainly sense him reaching out, searching around. His presence brushed hers, and his body tensed, his gaze sharpening on her exact position. He didn’t look away when she slowly dropped her invisibility spell, looking at him calmly, giving him a small smile. He seemingly searched something in her eyes, and then his presence retreated.

Now that was something Luna didn’t know what to think of.

***

“Ladies and gentlebeings!” Steadfast Protector spoke, “We are entering quarter-finals! We have: Twilight Sparkle, Precision, Bulk Biceps, Golden Ring, Fast Clip, Wild, Rainbow Dash, and Vic! Only four of them will go on to half-finals! Who would they be? In five minutes, the first duel will commence - Precision versus Bulk Biceps!”

In no time at all, the young mare and the massive stallion were facing each other within the ring. The stallion towered over her, yet she didn’t allow herself to look anything but stoic and ready for a fight.

“Begin!”

Despite his massive size, Bulk Biceps was quick. Precision dodged just in time to avoid his strike as he swooped in using his wings to propel himself. A series of thrusts and cuts were exchanged, and the young mare managed to deflect or avoid everything that came her way. She, however, managed to land a very light, glancing blow on his side. Since the round wasn’t over, the wound wouldn’t be fatal if it were real. She didn’t allow it to dampen her spirits - as big as the stallion was, as strong as his attacks were, he wasn’t unbeatable. His technique wasn’t the best, although his hoof work was exquisite. She just needed to wait for the right moment... and there it was. He overreached and, before he could bring his weapon to defend himself, Precision dashed forward with a thrust right in the middle of his chest.

“First round for Precision! True to her name, she waited just for the right time and turned Bulk’s strength against him!”

A minute of rest was like nothing, although both the young mare and the massive stallion recovered. Precision allowed herself a glance at the spectators: Swingblade was cheering her on along with the rest of the club, but Wild was simply staring. She looked him straight in the eyes, mentally daring him to look away now that he was caught. However, his intensity didn’t abate - and it wasn’t like he was watching her with any lustful thoughts in mind. Precision suspected he was asexual, but it was a fleeting thought before the second round commenced.

Bulk Biceps, once more, immediately dashed forward, swinging his greatsword with the help of his powerful neck. He was more careful this time, but his frustration was obvious - he certainly didn’t expect to lose the first round to the small mare. He was moving swiftly now, hoping to end the round as quickly as he could, and in his favor this time. However, in his haste, he committed the same mistake - he swung his greatsword with all his might, committing more power than he needed. Another mistake was the angle of the strike - it was almost horizontal. If it were properly diagonal, Precision would've been struck - but she managed to dodge, ducking under the blade, something that usually wasn't done. Springing back up and forward, she struck him straight in the chest once more.

“Second round for Precision, and she wins the duel!”

With an annoyed snort, Bulk Biceps went away, not even bothering with a respectful bow.

“Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville Sunrise Club versus Fast Clip, an independent participant!”

“Alright, Twilight, do your best,” Rainbow Dash told her friend “He’s in Wonderbolts, so he’s fast. Not as fast as me, but he’s still really fast.”

Twilight nodded, too nervous to voice a reply to this. Her helmet donned, her sword and shield ready, she stepped into the ring. She knew it wasn’t time for nervousness, but she couldn’t help herself. However, the words of Steadfast Protector appeared in her mind: ‘You are a bright young mare, nothing you apply yourself to is out of your reach.’

She steadied herself as the shout of “Begin!” sounded. Fast Clip took to the air immediately, using a common tactic of pegasi when they attacked from above, just out of reach. Twilight was forced on the defensive at first, unable to securely grasp the wooden shaft of the pegasus’ spear to bring him down. The manuals were clear on the pegasi: fighting them in the air while you were on the ground was foolish as they had an absolute advantage while up high. One needed to bring them down first before striking at them.

The tactic of Fast Clip was obvious - exhaust her with a flurry of attacks from all sorts of directions before swooping in and exploiting a hole in her defenses. However, she wasn’t about to let it happen - when he flew just close enough, she sent her sword straight at his wing. He attempted to dodge, but he was slightly too close, and so his wing was clipped, forcing him immediately to the ground. Grabbing the sword with her magic, Twilight brought it down, only for the pegasus to dodge it, then strike out with his spear.

His attacks were now slower, less varied in angle, but he was quick on his hooves, dodging and darting around without much issue. However, he didn’t have a shield, so he was forced to attack and defend with the spear only, giving Twilight an advantage. She pressed it, using her shield to block and deflect strikes, closing in where he wouldn’t be able to use his spear effectively. When it was clear the end of the spear was past the point of being threatening, she swiftly stepped further in and delivered a swift strike to the neck.

“First round for Twilight Sparkle! Textbook-perfect pegasus take-down and an excellent use of the shield!”

The break passed far too quickly for the unicorn, and she was back in the fight sooner than she wanted. Before the second round even began, she had to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She knew she trained for this, but this knowledge didn’t help her much. She reined in her anxiety as best she could before taking a familiar fighting stance. Her right ear itched and she flicked it, then turned to see what was bothering it - to her surprise, she immediately noticed Wild watching her.

“Begin!”

Fast Clip was slower, more cautious in the second round. He prodded her defenses, trying not to get too close to her, flying more erratically to be less predictable. Twilight struggled, even receiving a couple glancing blows to her torso. However, none of them were judged debilitating, so the fight continued. This back-and-forth dance continued for a while, testing the endurance of both fighters. Twilight Sparkle could feel Wild watching her, she could even catch his gaze sometimes in between strikes. She had no idea what it was all about, but she tried to ignore it. She couldn’t afford to lose her focus.

Attack, block, redirect, advance, fall back. She could feel the rhythm of the fight, the pattern of her opponent. His cautiousness didn’t allow him to close in and truly take advantage of the openings in her defense, as tight as they were. However, if the fight continued for too much longer, Twilight would be too exhausted to defend herself properly. After all, pegasi usually had far more endurance than anyone, especially in the air.

And there it was, the opportunity. She managed to catch the spear between her sword and shield. Taking the chance, she wrenched it, putting as much of her body into it as she could. Fast Clip, being lighter than her, went down on the ground, landing in an awkward position. And then the duel was quickly finished.

“Twilight Sparkle wins the second round, the overall victory goes to her! Excellent use of her own weight against a lighter pegasus!”

With a sigh of relief and a wipe of telekinesis to remove sweat from her forehead, she exchanged respectful bows with her opponent and went back to the stands, unbuttoning her gambeson in the meanwhile. That was certainly intense. By that point, Wild’s eyes were no longer lingering on her.

Unbeknownst to her, Wild was milling over what he had seen, analyzing the fight. If he was right, Twilight would go on until the finals - she certainly had the skill for it, even if she was a bit slow on the side of creativity. However, she had still managed to recognize the danger of prolonging the fight for too long, and she went in for that strike even though the spear could become unstuck and have a clear way right into her chest. Of course, maybe ponies wouldn’t do something like this if the weapons were real and the situation was far from friendly, but this risk-taking was still impressive.

“Rainbow Dash of Ponyville Sunrise Club versus Golden Ring of Applewood Grapplers Association!”

With a smirk at the stallion, Rainbow Dash used her wings to hover just a little above the ground, then quickly moved towards her opponent. He deflected her spear and went in for a grab, only for her to nimbly evade and strike out with her spear again, which glanced off his armor. Each time the stallion attempted to move in, the pegasus dodged and weaved around it, almost teasingly, striking as she went. This dance continued for another minute, and the stallion grew frustrated. Unfortunately for him, Rainbow Dash finally managed to go for a thrust to his chest, and she won the round.

“First round for Rainbow Dash! Excellent use of speed and agility, as well as the reach of the spear to keep her opponent at bay!”

The second round went much the same with the pegasus staying just out of the grappling range, harassing her opponent with the spear all the time. A grin was on her face at the same time as the stallion’s brows furrowed in concentration. At one point, he went for her spear, wedging it in place. However, Rainbow Dash noticed it before it happened and reacted quickly - with a powerful flap of her wings, she used her spear as a lever to topple the stallion, who fell on the ground with a thud. She quickly unsheathed her sword and went in for s trike. The stallion, slightly dazed from the fall, couldn’t do anything effectively to defend himself, and so he was struck.

“Rainbow Dash takes the second round and wins! While pegasi are light, Golden Ring learned that they aren’t to be underestimated - their wings can be powerful indeed!”

Before Wild knew it, he was called.

“Wild of the Royal Orphanage Martial Arts Club versus Vic of Ponyville Sunrise club!”

Vic was a nervous-looking unicorn stallion, who watched Wild with a wary expression as the two entered the fighting ring. Wild’s expression was unreadable, but he was watching his opponent with attention. Vic was wearing a gambeson and had a longsword, although it wasn’t much longer than Wild’s sabre. The stallion by himself was about the same physical age as Wild, although he was just slightly smaller.

“Begin!”

Hesitation was clear in Vic, and Wild immediately went on an offensive. A simple tactic of striking left then right, going as fast as he could, giving the opponent no time for anything but defense. Sparks flew from their blades, and Vic was forced to take a step after step back, barely keeping up. Wild’s movements and strikes were tight, not allowing an opening, evading binds. Suddenly, Wild changed the pattern, and Vic barely managed to dodge, then struck back with a thrust. Wild barely moved, the blade almost grazing the fur on his neck, and he performed his own thrust. With no time to dodge or return his sword to block, Vic was hit in the chest.

“Wild wins the first round with a flurry of blows, a masterful dodge and a quick thrust!”

Wild could hear the echo of his heartbeat in his head - one more victory for him, one more fight he partook in. The corners of his lips lifted in a smile - this was what he wanted, this is what he finally had again. Were he more open about his feelings, he would've let out a shout, perhaps thump his chest. He was in his element, and he was relishing in it.

And then there was the second round.

“Begin!”

Vic moved forward first, a determined expression on his face as he delivered the first swing. Wild blocked in, then slid his sabre along his opponent’s sword, going for a stab. Vic angled his blade slightly, evading the stab, and Wild retracted the sabre, then swung to the side. As Vic raised his longsword to block, Wild quickly changed the direction, stepped to the side and slightly ducked, and delivered a cut right on the neck.

“The second round and victory for Wild! Masterful use of a classic feint!”

Wild nodded to his opponent and went back to the stands, tiny shivers on his skin. He desired more, but he knew he had to wait. He didn’t want to, he wanted to fight, he wanted to strike, he wanted to hurt-

And at this thought, he clamped down on it and pushed it down. A grimace of pain almost bloomed on his face, but he forced it down too. He wasn’t there to hurt others - it was a friendly tournament, nothing more. Reveling in violence wasn’t right, he didn’t want it. With a stony, empty expression, he carefully sat down and trained his eyes on the next pair of contestants.

Unbeknownst to him, Luna didn’t fail to notion his internal struggles, as subtle as they were on the outside.