Honor, Guts, and Glory

Preliminaries

Luna breathed in slowly, an attempt to hide her excitement. Today was the day it all began, the preliminaries were just twenty minutes away from starting. Thousands had gathered in the mountain top arena, where they were to hold the first matches of the day. She was one of the fighters today, her match took place at twelve o' clock sharp. The preliminaries officially started at ten.

Luna took her seat beside Celestia, both of their high generals sitting on either side of them, High General Whitefire and High General Coldheart. The Princesses seats overlooked the entire stadium, giving them a good clear view of all ten rings.

Luna had just gotten comfortable with her surroundings, when she remembered the failure of a dinner party last night. Twas for her at least. An insult, confrontation, then someone got injured.

The Princess shook those unpleasant thoughts from her head. Instead she decided to look around, there were thousands of spectators. To her, it felt like she was looking down on an anthill.

Hopefully they would have enough room to hold them all.

She looked down towards the rings and spotted the Overseers. The ones who watched and made sure the rules were followed during each match, also there to stop the match if they deemed it necessary. Then, nearby were the fighters and whoever accompanied them to the rings for support.

These familiar sights set off many memories of past tournaments, it felt like such a long time ago. Everything had changed, even the walls of this stadium looked to have become a different color. This grieved Luna. All that time, wasted.

The Princess noticed that the Elements had taken their place near her and Celestia. It was a place of high honor, one they deserved. Unlike many of the others sitting in the general area.

“You excited as I am?” Celestia whispered into Luna's ear, her younger sister grinned, at least her sister wouldn't disappear on her.

'Now and forever.'

Celestia wasn't ignorant, she saw the pain in her sisters eyes each and every time she started thinking of long gone days. The thousand year nightmare she went through on the moon, as time passed by and killed everyone she knew and loved.

The fierce Princess of the Night blushed in embarrassment. “We believe we are even more excited than you are, sister,” She replied in a loud whisper.

The Elder sister smirked. “I doubt that. Which competitors fight first?”  Celestia took out a list, not a grocery list, but a list that told them the order of the matches. Multiple ones would take place at a time, so she searched for ones she thought would be interesting.

Luna laughed. “You do not know? Shouldn't you, The Princess of the Day and Co-ruler of Equestria, have found out a long time ago?”

Her sister scrunched up her nose.“Luna, you know I'm not good at this type of thing. Besides, you have no clue either,”

Celestia continued looking through the list, trying to find one they would both enjoy.

“Ah! This one sounds good. The Samurai Twilight talked about yesterday will be participating in one of the first matches. He is paired with Young Neos. You should enjoy that one, be sure to watch it,”

Luna nodded. “He is the one who crushed Broadsword and Wangai before they could harm ShiningArmor, are we correct?”

Celestia shook her head yes.

“Then we do not believe thisYoung Neo's has much of a chance,” Luna sat back in her chair, absent mindedly drumming her fingers on the arm rest.

“I wouldn't be so quick to judge. Neo's has been quite the promising Mage you know. Well versed in the ways of Combat Magic.”  Celestia spoke up in defense of her student. He graduated top of his class in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns two years ago.

Luna grew still and silent for a moment, before replying in a tone telling she was still unconvinced.

“We shall see.”

Twilight observed everything around her filled with curiosity, the stonework was ancient, the doorways humongous, and there were enough seats to hold at least 50,000 people. The stadium was literally a monstrosity,

and many Dragons and griffins flew overhead, trying to find a spot able to hold their large bodies. Minotaur's lumbered past, many wearing heavy armor.

Her inner note taking and wanderings were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. She turned towards the one trying to get her attention.

Applejack,

“Twi, ah wanted to talk to you bout this yesterday, but couldn't find tha' time. I'll be blunt since we're out in public. We should steer clear of that Easterner.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“Um, I don't follow.”

“There is sumthin off b'out him. Mah instinct was tellin me he was awfully dangerous...”

“Applejack, he saved my brothers head. And acted incredibly polite while dealing with us and everypony else. Can you go into detail, and explain why he felt so... bad to you?” Twilight appreciated her friends honesty, she had felt like there was something off about the man. Perhaps Applejack could point out something she missed.

AJ sighed, she expected an answer like that. She couldn't expect anything else, cause they were right. He had done nothing wrong, and had been very well mannered.

“Ah don't know, all I am gonna say is, some men can act just as well as I can buck apples.”

Before Twilight could answer, the horn signaling the beginning of the preliminaries sounded. The current participants entered their designated rings, and the Overseers started going over the rules. Twilight decided to try to listen in on what they were.

“I am parched!” Rarity yelled out as she struck a pose. Why couldn't she have said so before the matches were about to start?

“ It is unbearably hot out today. Spike, would you be a dear and go grab us some drinks?”

“Of course Rarity, I'll be back in no time!” Spike bowed to her, showing just how whipped he was.

He ran down the steps courageously, he must get his love a drink. Spike the dragon would stop at nothing to succeed!

Spike's fantasies disintegrated into thin air, remembering he had no idea where to go get the drinks in the first place. He smacked himself in the face.

'Come on Spike! You know better than to run off into a large crowd of people without knowing the way around!' Twilight would definitely reprimand him for his stupidity. Did she even know he left?

His confidence wavered, he might get lost if he kept going. He could just ask someone for directions. No he was too intimidated to do that. Far too many strangers for that to be a good idea. Maybe he should just go back and say he couldn't find any. He was sure they would understand.

' NO! I can't just turn back now, I need to find some kind of drink stand or something! I will not disappoint them.'

With these thoughts steeling his resolve, Spike continued on his mission, walking much bigger than he was. He searched and searched, finally breaking through the crowd into a large corridor  containing many vendors on either side. Many sold weapons, armor, or strange wares from various countries.

There were also many tourist traps.

Now all he had to do was find one that sold food and drink. Spikes eyes darted back and forth, searching each vendor for any sign of refreshments.

Because he had been busy searching every stand for drinks, Spike did not notice the man in front of him stop dead in his tracks. Well, at least not until he ran straight into his backside.

“OW! Sorry!” Spike went to glance at the man, or creature, whatever he ran into, and continue his search.

He could not will himself to look away-or move. He was stuck in place.

Spike had no idea why, the man looked strange, but he didn't look to be a scary person.

Nothing of what he wore caught the eye. His hair was jet black and long, his eyes blood red. Yet all this is not what caused him to freeze.

His presence felt evil, unnatural, cold as ice. More so than any other villain he had encountered so far, Spike could feel the malice emanating from the mans body.

“Apology accepted, as long as you answer me one question, what is a baby dragon doing walking around all alone in a crowd this big? You could easily be stolen, or worse- Dragons do sell for quite a lot you know, especially young ones.” His smile sent a shiver down Spikes spine.

“W-well, I am going to order drinks for my friends. S-since th-they are thirsty and it's h-hot out.” His words stumbled out of his mouth, his fear was too great for him to conjure up a better sentence.

“How kind of you. But don't you think you should have brought someone with you? Someone to watch over you? It's always safer in pairs they say.” The man seemed to grow further away with each word, all but the man in front of him faded into darkness.

He could not see, nor hear anything else. This evil being was the only thing that existed anymore.

Spike couldn't look away. His body turned colder with each passing second, still-he did not panic.

He began to reply, but his mouth would not move. He felt tired, and decided it would be a great time for a nap.

Spike began to fall forward, lucky for him- before he could hit the ground, one impressively large-strong 'hand' picked him up.

“Be gone Necromancer, do not bother the innocent, lest you wake my wrath!” A deep, menacing voice shook Spike right out of his daze.

The Necromancer smiled. “Why are you becoming so hostile? We were just having a pleasant little conversation, till he decided to faint out of the blue.”

A deep, angry growl was the only response the Necromancer received. He did not sound like any Equestrian Spike had ever met.

“Last chance. Back away.”

The Necromancer smirked, and went on his way without speaking another word.

Spike felt himself lowered back to the ground. Once he was back on his own feet, Spike looked up at his rescuers face. He was huge, around ten feet tall, and broad as two large Equestrions fused together. He wore dark red armor, all over his body. His hands looked more akin to claws. A long, thick tail trailed behind him-

Realization dawned on the young dragon, and a new sort of nervousness swept over him.

This 'man' was not a 'man', or Equestrian, but a Dragon. A dragon powerful enough to morph into a smaller form when he wished for it.

He knew very few were able to do such a thing in this day and age.

“Th-thank you sir.” Is all Spike could squeak out.

“You're welcome. What is your name, young one?”

“Spike, it is a pleasure to meet you. May I ask you yours?”

“Ah! It is great to see at least one of my younger brethren has manners. My name is Amarth, the Warrior Dragon of the West.”

Spikes jaw nearly fell to the floor. He remembered his talk with Twilight about Dragon history, and Amarth tended to show up quiet often the past two thousand years.

“I-I-I am honored to meet you, Elder.”

Amarth laughed.

“There is no need to be so formal, come let us get those refreshments you seek and return you to your guardian.” His massive arm guided Spike toward one of the nearby stands. One that sold food and drink of course.

In another part of the mountaintop arena, everyone quieted down as the announcement signaling the beginning of the preliminaries swept over them.

“Greetings my fellow beings! Today is the first day of the Preliminaries! Many brave and strong fighters from all over the world will be contending for a spot in the Main Matches of the Canterlot Combat Tournament! Pay close attention, make bets, and cheer for your favorite competitors. The first matches of the day start In just one minute!”

Rainbow-dash sighed, and slumped back into her seat. Taking a sip of the lemonade Spike had brought back. He was receiving a lecture from Twilight, reminding him of how lucky he was to have come back at all.

She couldn't help but be a tad impatient, she liked the storm, not the calm before it.

Well, most of the time anyway.

Since she had nothing better to do, RD's eyes drifted towards her best friend.

Flutter-shy.

She couldn't deny how cute Flutter-shy looked, patiently waiting for the beginning of the big event. Her big teal eyes glowed as she nervously observed the competitors.

Dash wanted to hug her right then and there.

'GAH! Stop it Dash! She's just sitting!'

“Rainbow! LOOKLOOK! It's our friend from yesterday! The one who was all cool!!'” Pinkie yelled in her ear.

Dash leaned forward in her seat, to get a better look at the two competitors closest to them.

Ironically, the man the ten of them met yesterday was one of the two. The other a young mage in a long white robe, a picture of the sun sown on its back.

“Dude this is gonna be totally awesome! Can't wait to see how much ass he kicks!” Rainbow replied in ten seconds flat.

“Of course. Hope he likes cupcakes!”

Rainbow squinted her eyes in Pinkies direction, and then turned towards Flutter-shy. Whom still looked overly worried and nervous. Rainbow-dash suspected her friend was having second thoughts about attending the tournament.

“Cheer up Flutter-shy! This is gonna be fun, you'll see!” .

The above mentioned Pegasus gave her friend a bright smile.

“Your right Dash, I should relax and enjoy my self. I'm sure it won't be all bad.”

Dash's heart skipped a beat.

“Yeah. It'll be awesome.” She turned away from the other Pegasi, to try and hide her face.

Flutter-shy noticed, but remained silent.

Then, the moment they had all been waiting for,

“Ready to see some actiiooooonnn!”  The announcer screamed over the loudspeaker.

The crowd roared, and stomped their feet. Rainbow loved it, the start of the competition.

“Match START!”

Luna watched Neos and Kagutsuchi bow to each other before their fight.

She had a feeling this match would not last long.

Neos shot a short burst of flame towards his enemy, at the same time he retreated a few yards back. He needed as much space and time he could get in order to use a powerful finishing spell.

His eyes widened in surprise, he had to have missed somehow! The Eastern warrior closed the distance.

Kagutsuchi stood a few feet in front of him. He went on the offensive with a front kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of the young mage. He followed it up with an elbow to the back of the head, one Neos barely avoided. He had succeeded in jumping back a few paces before his opponent could destroy him up close.

Kagutsuchi did not move, deciding to wait and see instead. Neos took advantage of the situation and turned the ground all around his opponent into ice. That should slow him down considerably.

The Mage knew he should use the surroundings to his advantage, since he was a magic user and all. He summoned a relatively small rock golem to fight for him, he needed something to buy him time while he prepared something much more powerful.

Being inexperienced, Neos made the mistake of relaxing once his minion started doing his bidding, Kagutsuchi destroyed it with one powerful strike, purposely directing the shards towards his enemy. It took all he had to swiftly erect a barrier to block the shrapnel, but unfortunately, this shield would not last long. The Easterner approached while the promising mage was distracted by the previous attack.

With one swift straight punch Neos's shield shattered around him. Kagutsuchi wrapped his arm around Neos and applied force on top of his elbow, he moved his body so it faced the same direction Neos did, and slammed his hip into his ribs. He finished the technique by dropping his weight, and taking a step forward, sending him sliding across the ground. Kagutsuchi waited for Neos to rise and fight again.

Though Neos was normally quite the saint, being thrown around like a rag doll pissed him off more than anything. He realized he had been played with, the man hadn't even drawn his weapon yet. He hated that. He hated feeling weak and vulnerable, like a newborn child. Many unpleasant memories of the past surfaced.

He struggled to stand up, nearly falling back down twice. Once he finally got back on his feet, his hands began to glow.

A huge fireball formed in his hands, it's heat could be felt from the highest points of the stadium. All six of the elements stared in wonder, Spike's mouth hung open in awe at the size of it.

It flew through the air, Kagutsuchi stood there and let it land, confusing the masses. The flames engulfed him and charred the earth in a ten yard radius. Sweetie-belle cried out in alarm, Scootaloo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and Apple-bloom froze in place.

The Princesses and the Elements watched, anticipating to see a burned and broken body laying on the charred earth.

Instead, some of his clothing and armor still afire, he walked out of the devastation. His steps took him forward at a surprising speed, he wasn't a tall man.

Neos tried to speak, but no words could find their way out. He started to panic a little and took a small step backward.

Sadly, before he could gather his courage to continue fighting, Kagutsuchi reverse punched him straight in the jaw. It happened in an instant, and just like the night before no one had seen him move.

Neos fell backwards, unconscious. But before he could hit the ground, the Samurai caught him, threw him over his shoulders and carried him out of the ring. He handed him over to the medics. Once this was taken care of, he returned to the ring, till he was announced the victor.

The Princess of the Night turned towards her sister, a wide grin plastered on her face. Celestia returned it with an expression of surprise.

“Well Tia, do you still doubt our judgment?” She found it funny to see her sister caught off guard right at the beginning of a Tourney. Usually Celestia could never be surprised.

Luna did all she could to hide her laughter, and Celestia grinned sheepishly whilst rubbing the back of her head.

“No. You were correct. I had heard about his impressive capabilities yesterday, but I did not expect him to be... this capable.”

“Yes, we were pleasantly surprised our self. We thought the fight finished when he was swallowed by the fire. Tell me sister, why do you think he did not just move, or end It beforehand?”

“ I have many thoughts and theories for that one. But that is not what confuses me, how do you think he did not get burned, let alone survive, a fireball that big?”

Luna stopped to think. Very thoughtful was she, before she shrugged, no explanation coming to mind.

“Perhaps he is more than we expected.”