Salvation | Rebirth

"Only four contestants are left as we move to the half-finals!" Steadfast Protector announced, "Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, Precision and Wild! Two from Ponyville Sunrise Club, two from the Royal Orphanage Martial Arts club! We will soon see who ends up on top!"

Wild was ready. Wild was willing. Wild would not back down now when victory was so close. He felt more energized than ever, prepared to take on whomever he had to in order to win. His first tournament in over a year, and he was already so high up in the ranking, which was certainly a point of pride for him. Despite what he suffered in the months before, despite having to adapt to an unfamiliar body after, he prevailed. He overcame the initial difficulties and learned how to be efficient once again. He rewired his brain, retrained muscles that felt familiar yet worked differently, and he learned many new things. He wasn't blind to the fact that he still fell back to techniques and moves he learned when he was still a human, and the shape of his magical telekinetic aura resembled hands, but he knew he would shed those limits in time.

Twilight Sparkle was nervous. Her brother's training helped her immensely, but she didn't expect to do so well so soon. Even worse, now more and more ponies expected her to win, and she didn't know what to do with the pressure. She knew she was a good learner, but everyone else had their own strengths too. Rainbow Dash was fast and agile, moving every which way using her trained wings. Precision certainly deserved her name, and Wild... Twilight had never seen someone as skilled as him before. Her own brother was impressive, but it seemed like Wild was even faster, stronger, although his technique was odd in places, and his choice of a weapon wasn't one she expected to see. Every contestant had their own strength, and Twilight wasn't sure she would win.

"The pairs are decided!" Steadfast Protector continued, "The first is Twilight Sparkle versus Precision! Two undoubtedly very skilled ladies, both deserving a chance to move to the finals. The second is Rainbow Dash versus Wild! A young but impressively skillful stallion against an older and no less impressive young mare! Champions, approach your opponent - perhaps there were words you could share before we begin."

And so they did. Twilight Sparkle met with Precision even though her eyes traveled to Wild more than once.

"Scared of him?" Precision teased her.

"Well... yeah, I suppose so," Twilight agreed, "He's just... something about him is odd."

That was when Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"So, Wild, ready to face me and lose?" she smirked, "I'm the fastest flier in Equestria, you know. I've been training for years too, far longer than you could, for sure."

Wild did not look impressed. He made a few gestures with his hooves.

"What?" Rainbow Dash looked puzzled.

"Wild is mute," Precision chimed in, "What he just did is sign in Equestrian Sign Language. He says you are arrogant."

"It's not arrogance when it's true," the pegasus grinned.

"I'm sure looking forward to seeing you fight him, then," Precision smiled in turn, then turned back to her opponent and spoke quietly, "Wild is odd, yeah, but we got used to it. My advice - don't underestimate him. He's really damn good, and I mean it," she paused for a moment, internally debating whether to say the next thing, "Well... I have to admit that he's better than me. Could never beat him once."

"Thanks for advice," Twilight nodded in gratitude, and soon it was time to fight.

"Twilight Sparkle of the Ponyville Sunrise Club versus Precision of the Royal Orphanage Martial Arts Club!"

Wild sat down among his club members and went rigid, all his attention aimed at the two mares pitted against each other. Oh, what he wouldn't give to be in their place, to fight this fight, and the next, and the one after that, to fight all of them until exhaustion took him. It would allow him not to think, to forget everything but the thrill of the fight. He took a deep calming breath, then slowly exhaled. Then did it once more. Soon, he would fight - he just had to wait. He would have his chance.

The mares exchanged salutes with their weapons and the duel began in earnest. Both approached each other warily, yet their steps were sure. With a burst of sudden movement, Precision threw a knife at her opponent. Twilight hurriedly dodged, and the knife merely glanced her protected side, doing nothing at all. However, a second knife was already on the way, and she had no time to dodge - she used her longsword to bat the knife aside, earning a surprised expression from her opponent. Three knives were thrown in quick succession, and Twilight dodged or blocked all of them.

"Well damn," Precision said, "That's impressive."

"Thanks," Twilight nodded, accepting the compliment.

"Another word of advice - Wild can do the same thing."

Precision then immediately went in, using her sword to strike from behind the shield. Twilight blocked it, then used the momentum to swing towards the unprotected side of her opponent. However, she was met with a shield as Precision moved it swiftly to protect her, and she was already striking out again.

Twilight tried to yank the shield away with her magic like she had seen Wild do before, but Precision proved swift and slippery, moving quick to avoid being grabbed by magic. The momentary lapse in concentration earned Twilight a stab right in her unprotected face.

"Precision wins the first round! Twilight Sparkle focused too much on getting the shield out of the way and paid the price!"

A pause lasted an eternity and yet was seemingly not there at all. The spectators were leaning forward in anticipation, the tension was thick in the air. It would soon be clear who, out of the two young mares, would go on to the finals.

"Begin!"

Twilight was wary now, knowing that should she lose now, she would be out - aside from the fight for the third place, of course. She didn't expect to go as far as she had managed to already, but that didn't mean she would give up. She could imagine how proud her brother would be if she managed to win her first tournament. Not that she thought he would be disappointed if she came out in third place or even fourth, but she wanted to win this.

When Precision struck against her, she blocked and ducked to where the shield would block her opponent's view. It allowed her just a small moment to change her grip, holding her sword by the blade now. She hooked over the shield, ducked a strike, and yanked. Surprisingly for her, the shield practically flew away, leaving Precision only with the bastard sword in her magical grasp. However, Twilight overextended, and she could see her opponent's blade swinging towards her despite the minute delay in reaction. She brought her own sword closer to her, barely managing to make the blow a mere glancing strike, one that wouldn't cut through her gambeson. She pushed forward, changing her grip again - one point of contact on the handle, and the other on the blade. Precision's body was unprotected and, with proper guidance, the tip of Twilight's sword was pressing against her chest. The round was over.

"Twilight Sparkle wins the second round! Excellent use of half-swording!"

Twilight let out a breath of relief. Now they were on equal ground - should either of them lose the next round, it would be over for them, for it was the deciding round.

"Your magic is really strong, Twilight," Precision told her, "Felt like a full grown dragon was trying to tear my very soul off."

"Sorry," the lavender unicorn apologized sheepishly.

"Don't worry, now I know I really shouldn't get in a position where you can use telekinesis on me," Precision grinned, "I bet you could wrestle that big guy if you tried. Bulk Biceps, I think."

Wild made his own observation of the round - he took note of her strength. He didn't know exactly how strong he was, but he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to do what Twilight did. After all, she was born with magic - he hadn't had even a single year of experience with it yet. He swore to himself that he would one day overcome her or, at least, be equal to her strength.

The third round soon came.

"Begin!"

Twilight had a risky plan, but she hoped it would play right into her victory. She immediately rushed forward, fast enough to seem threatening but not too quick as to lose control once she would need to change direction sharply or stop. She expected the strike from Precision, and she used her sword to wrestle her opponent's blade right between it and the shield. Precision grunted as the momentum of Twilight forced her to brace and steady herself. With her sword firmly wedged and useless, she reached for one of her throwing knives. Twilight was quicker as she snatched the other knife and immediately struck the unprotected chest before Precision could.

"And Twilight Sparkle wins the third round and the overall duel, moving on to the finals!" Steadfast Protector announced, "Successful use of her opponent's weapon against Precision yielded her the victory she needed!"

"Crap, I didn't expect that," Precision commented, "But that was good."

Wild mused to himself - apparently Twilight Sparkle was perfectly capable of creative thinking in dangerous situations. He would now have to be very wary of her - should he gain victory in his own duel. His eyes met the violet eyes of Rainbow Dash, and he knew it wouldn't be easy. His opponent smirked at him as if her victory was already guaranteed. He bristled on the inside, reminded of all the cocky and arrogant opponents he had fought in his previous life. He intended to teach her a lesson in humility so that, perhaps, she would be brought down a peg. He had never been very boastful of his own skills, deeming it sufficient for his actions to speak for him instead. He found a certain degree of humor in the fact that all he could show now was action.

"Wild of the Royal Orphanage Martial Arts Club versus Rainbow Dash of the Ponyville Sunrise Club!"

He stood up and made his way to the arena, his head held high, his posture steady, and his steps filled with confidence. Rainbow Dash, on the other side, was strutting forward akin to a peacock, basking in all the attention she could get.

"Ready to go down?" she taunted once the two stood against each other in the arena. He ignored it, opting to do just a bit of stretching instead, loosening his muscles just a little bit more.

"Begin!"

The two burst into motion at the same time: Wild dashed forward, hoping to take her down before she could fly up, and Rainbow Dash shot up into the air. The stallion swung his sabre and barely missed her leg, and immediately after he had to defend against viciously fast spear strikes. With the pegasus out of easy reach, he was forced on the defensive. A hand of magic appeared out of thin air and grabbed the shaft of the spear - it wasn't enough, and Rainbow Dash wrestled the control back to her and struck. She was too close to Wild, however, and she ended up smacking him in the side with the dull part of the spearhead that connected to the shaft. He stumbled at first but then went into a roll, forcing himself down to avoid a stab, all the while controlling his sabre to put it between himself and his opponent. He came out of the roll swiftly, immediately deflected a strike, then focused - two hands reached out, one of them grabbing the spear, and the other -

The crowd gasped - a resounding slap echoed across the arena as Wild's magic connected with Rainbow Dash's muzzle. Dizzy for but a moment, she couldn't do anything as the stallion grabbed the shaft of the spear more firmly and then, with a grunt, pulled. The pegasus' wings went out of rhythm, and she was brought down to the ground. Wild took advantage of it and struck, but she dodged just in time, then spread her wings to take off again while the point of her spear threatened him. He took a chance and rushed forward, using his sabre to direct the spear away from him, and then he was past the point. Even as Rainbow Dash reached for the side sword, he jumped and delivered a powerful kick straight to her chest, sending her tumbling backwards and positioning the spear controls away from her mouth. She was just a hair too slow to defend herself when Wild's saber slashed across her neck.

"What a spectacular, intense fight! The first round goes to Wild!"

"Not bad..." Rainbow Dash said, breathing heavily, "But I'll be better next time."

Wild didn't respond, instead circling around the arena and simply breathing, belonging in the moment. He could feel the pleasant burn of his muscles, the heat radiating off his body, and the sweat dampening the fur. He was in his element, and he was ready for more. It didn't matter what his opponent said to him, it didn't matter what anyone was speaking right now - all of it was background noise, unimportant at that moment. Even the feeling of being watched - one that didn't came from the general audience - could be ignored then.

He didn't miss the start of the second round.

Wild wound up and then threw his sabre, making it spin in the air towards Rainbow Dash. Even as she took off, the sabre hit one of her wings - right with its sharp edge. She was grounded now, but Wild was without his weapon. He knew it was foolish, but he couldn't resist the temptation to show off, to defeat her at a disadvantage. He didn't need the sabre to defeat her. She could boast all she wanted, declaring herself the God of the Universe for all he cared, but he would come out on top.

He could see her smirking even as he made a beckoning gesture with his magical hand, preparing himself. True to what he expected, she rushed at him, then she lunged, aiming her spear right at his chest. He reached out with his magic, wrapped it around the spear, and willed it to stop. The momentum carried from the spear to his magic and, through the magic's connection to his body to him, making him slide backwards on the ground. However, Rainbow Dash was stopped, and that was what mattered. She attempted to pull back but he didn't let her, and he used his magic to throw some dirt in her eye, following with a heavy punch. Blindly, Rainbow Dash attempted to push him with her hooves even as he reached for her own side sword, but he angled his body to make her slip. Imbalanced, she was easy to pull and make her fall on the ground, and then he used her own sword to stab her in the side of her head, ending the round. He threw the sword down, snorted at her in dismissal, and went to retrieve his sabre even as the heart pounded in his chest, drowning out the rest.

He won. She boasted and she lost.

And he knew he would win again.