The Winning Pony and the Templar

The next morning….

Alula pawed the ground under her forehoof, and snorted in an ancient equine display of challenge. Wings half flared in the way her mother and father taught her, she lowered her head, glaring at her opponent. Taking a side stance, the human child across from her, wearing the grey robes of his art, and a red band with a black stripe on it around one upper forearm, grinned. Even though they were the same age (1), the human male still had the height advantage over the filly.

“Ready to dance?”

Eli frowned as he crossed his arms.

“Silence.”

Both human and pony gave a nod, but did not break each other’s gaze. Swiftblade sat on her haunch next to her husband, and stamped a hoof down.

“Begin.”

Rearing back Alula gave a diminutive whinney of challenge, and both adults winced. Faster then most would have thought possible for a creature on two legs, Alula’s challenger bolted across the ring, and coming near, ducked down, sweeping his leg against the hindlegs. For a moment, the white maned filly kiltered, but with a slight push of her small wings, pushed up and back a couple of feet, taking a much firmer four legged stance. Swiftblade shook her head, scowling.

“Alula! Quit thinking like a pony! Your opponent isn’t one!”

Letting out a battlecry she sometimes heard her mother and sister use , the filly charged. Still smirking, the human male took a few steps back, tilting his head this way, then that, dodging the wings as they shot out. Snarling, Alula made a sweeping blow to his head, but instead of ducking, her opponent grabbed it, and in a sort of jerked bow, brought his forehead crashing down on the fillies. Yelping in pain, Alula jerked her wing from his grip, and rubbing her now sore noggin, glared balefully at the male.

“Michael!” This time Eli barked, “Stow that fancy shit! A head-butt like that does more damage to you then your opponent! And forget gripping the wings (2)! A wingblade would slice your hand to ribbons if you pulled that in battle!”

Rolling his eyes, Micheal took another stance. Shaking off her blurred vision, Alula took hers, and after sizing each other up once more, both charged. Eli and Swiftblade watched, occasionally belting out orders as Cloudkicker walked up. Chuckling, she admired her sister’s match. Kicker or not, she certainly was getting a run for her bits by the young human who was working her over. Despite getting some good blows in, the young Pegasus was definitely on the defensive.

“OH ‘LULA!” The filly jerked, and gazed at her sister. Taking his opening, Micheal charged, and wrapping a hand around each wing joint, jerked Alula to the left. Yelping in fright, the filly’s breath was pushed out in a gush as she flipped onto her back. Hissing in pain, Alula’s wing s suddenly splayed out across the ground as she was pinned with a knee to her chest. Pinning a hoof to his leg with one hand, he raised the other one up into the air in a fist. Ears flattening against her skull, Alula now turned her glare to her sister. Unabashed, Cloudkicker shrugged her wings, and smirked

“Pay attention to what your doing.”

Fwap! In a flash, Eli was in front of Cloud, and open palmed slapped her. Glaring down, he snarled “Don’t you dare come into my training grounds and assume to lecture my students.”

That was it! The last few days, all anypony had done was lecture, talk down, or bucking knock her around, and Cloudkicker had had enough. Leaping to her hooves, she slapped him hard across the cheek with wing. Both adults glared at each other, then both spoke.

“Alula…”

“Micheal…”

Both pairs of eyes flashing, they glared at the foals, and at the same, once again spoke.

“Move.”

Smiling coldly, and with a sweep of his hand, Eli said “Ladies first.”

Snorting, Cloudkicker walked into the ring. Turning her wings this way, then, she began to work out the kinks in her wings and shoulders. Turning her head slightly left and right, and feeling the satisfying pop, she turned around, wings half flared in a fighting pose, but blanched slightly under her fur. As she was walking, Eli had removed his shirt, revealing the well toned frame of a practiced soldier. Across the slight six pack and well-muscled chest and arms, numerous scars criss crossed across his body, much like they did his mate. Unlike Swiftblade though, no fur impeded their sight, and gave the usually gentle looking human a now roguish appearance. Who the buck was this guy?

Sighing, Swiftblade shook her head as the foals to seats next to her. Extending a wing over both, eliciting a squirm from the touch shy human (3), she stamped a hoof on the ground.

“Begin.”

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Fifteen Minutes Later…..

Eli screamed as he was bucked backward into the outdoor cadenza of the local restaurant. Smashing the table under his back, he jumped back in an instant. As Cloudkicker dive bombed, an inch away, the humans fist arced from the right, sending the mare careening to the restaurant. With a sickening crunch, she smashed through the wall, putting a brand new, and unwanted, door where the wasn’t one before. Running in, Eli knocked aside broken tables and chairs, and Cloudkicker bucked  him in the stomach once again, sending the human airborn once more. Scowling as he crashed into a human privy, he shouted, “Oh mate, your fucking gone!”

Standing up, he bowed down again, clutching the porcelain. With an almight lurch, and sending the bolts holding it down flying, he yanked the toilet up and off it place, and as water gushed, he chucked it at the mare. Ducking under the debris, and screeching in disgust as her fur was covered in bits of shit, Cloudkicker made to attack….

Splat!

Feeling something thump her in the side, the mare glared at the spot. A pie tin was slowly sliding off her, the remains of what appeared to be coconut taking its place among the muck and gore she had gotten in her fury.

Splat!

Head jolting up, eyes widening in recognition, she watched as her opponent slowly pulled the same type of pie tin of his chest, and faintly Cloudkicker could make out the seal of the Guard on the bottom of it. Cloudkickers vision blurred, and as she toppled onto the same side the pie her, her vision faded. And before she hit the ground, she passed out.

……………………………………………………………………………..

With a groan, Cloudkicker awoke. Blinking a few times to clear the fog from her mind, she looked around. Where was…. Bars. Iron bars. And judging from the straw bedding under her, she was undoubtedly in a cell. Curling her lips back slightly, she glared at the human in the cell next to hers, he was leaning against the door of his prison, arms crossed

“Oh good, you’re awake. I can finally leave.”

Swiftblade sat in front of their cells, laying across the floor, a book on the ground in front of her. A disapproving look in her eyes, she scolded, “You look surprised. Fighting in the streets like a pair of spoiled foals tends to put adults like you in places such as this.”

Both pony and human jerked slightly in response. As she rose, Swiftblade continued, “Fortunately, your both stuck in there for the night, and I am unable to get my hooves on you as I’d like…” though neither of them knew it, both felt a shiver run up their spines at the mares words, “So, for now, I bid you both a good evening.”

And with a swish of her tail, Swiftblade left the two alone. Sighing, Cloudkicker took a halfhearted munch of her current bed, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. Cloud beds might be nice, but there was still something to be said about sleeping in hay. Aside from its scratchiness, it was quite warm, and if you crushed it, or ate to much of it, you could always put new hay down. And for a time, the two were in silence, the only sound the shifting of the mare and the slight crunch as she ate. Suddenly, Eli snickered, then broke out laughing.

“Ha, I like you Cloud! That’s the first good row I’ve had in years!”

Cloudkicker deadpanned.

“You… you like to fight?”

Shaking his head, Eli snickered a moment, before sighing.

“Nay, milady. Through conflict, you and I have built a deeper understanding.” He reached through the bars, holding out his hand

“I’m Eli. Its nice to meet you.”