In Youth Eternal - A Dark Secret

Chapter 13: The Showdown

Author’s Note: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ will indicate the following scene happens at the same time as the previous one.

*     *     *

“So Twi, what do ya’ reckon we do?” asked an orange earth pony wearing a stetson hat, arching a brow.

 Applejack laid down, resting her hooves along with her friends as they discussed their next course of action, despite not being as tired as some of the others.

“I don’t know, Applejack,” replied the lavender unicorn, solemnly. “But whatever we do, it won’t be easy. Princess Celestia must be stopped, one way or another,” she continued, gesturing with a hoof. Twilight made sure not to move around too much, however. Her number one assistant was sleeping soundly on her back.

“But how are we supposed to take on the Princesses without the Elements of Harmony?” inquired Rainbow Dash, visibly frustrated as she hovered around the room, restless. The cyan pegasus didn’t require nearly as much rest as most of the Mane 6, given her excellent athleticism.

Twilight Sparkle let out a brief sigh as her head drooped. “I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. But we can’t lose hope,” she replied. “Fortunately, we should have some time to keep thinking,” continued Twilight.

“I agree with Twilight,” interjected Rarity. She was laying down on cold stone floor. It wasn’t very comfortable for her, but she knew there was no better alternative in the area. “All we have to do is just be calm and rational,” she finished.

However, upon Rarity finishing her statement, Pinkie Pie’s entire body began shaking rapidly. Everypony in the room, with the exception of the sleeping baby dragon, turned towards the pink earth pony as her Pinkie Sense went off.

“Uh, Pinkie? Remind what in tarnation that one means again?” Applejack asked, arcing a brow.

“This one is a doozy!” Pinkie Pie responded. Then, she let out a gasp. “And it’s supposed to happen right here!!” she shrieked, stomping a hoof into the floor. Her head shifted around quickly, looking up and around the room. Naturally, the first thing she noticed was the lack of most of the ceiling, revealing the night sky above them. Then, something else came into view, the moonlight gleaming off of its shiny surface.

A golden helmet crept into view, perched atop the walls of the ruins where the ceiling would have connected had it been there. Then, several more silently came into view. The rest of the Mane 6 glanced up where Pinkie Pie was looking, seeing the exact same thing. Fluttershy went and hid behind Applejack, who took on a defensive stance, gritting her teeth. The rest followed Applejack’s example with great haste.

The Royal Guards, with their Captain, had been preparing to ambush the Mane 6. Of course, the Captain and his guards noticed that they had been spotted before they could attack and overrun the group of friends while their guard was down.

“Hmph. It seems we lost the element of surprise,” remarked Captain Strong Wing calmly, leaping from the top of the wall and landing on the floor below. His troops followed in tow, standing at his side once they too had landed. His visage appeared stoic, however, he was irritated deep down.

“The pink one sure is a lot of trouble,” remarked Cloud Runner, annoyed at their foiled ambush.

“Hey!” shouted a certain cyan pegasus, who remained airborne. “Can’t you just leave us the hay alone!?” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing as she stared daggers at the Captain. A part of her wanted her friends to be left alone, and yet there was still Rainbow Dash’s impulsive and competitive side who wanted a rematch with the Captain.

Captain Strong Wing returned her glare with one of his own, although his was much more calm than Rainbow Dash’s. “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said in response.

The commotion jerked Spike awake. causing him to tumble off of Twilight’s back, hitting the floor with a light thud. “Huh? What’s going on!?” he said frantically, looking around. He noticed his friends standing off against the guards. The dragon was somewhat afraid, remember how he and Rarity had struggled against White Nimbus and his comrade back in the library, and how tough Strong Wing ended up being. He quickly hid behind Twilight.

Twilight looked down and trembling Spike as he placed himself behind her for protection. A serious look crossed her face as she turned back towards Captain Strong Wing. The lavender mare was determined to protect Spike.

“Well, we ain’t goin’ no where!” protested Applejack, stomping a hoof into the floor for emphasis.

“That’s right. You’re not going anywhere,” Captain Strong Wing pointed out. “The lot of you are going to die right here.” His troops quickly spread out , surrounding the group from all sides. “And I assure you... Rainbow Dash, was it? Each one of my soldiers here are tougher than White Nimbus. You won’t claim victory here.”

The Mane 6 all backed closer towards one another, taking defensive stances, with the exception of Spike and Fluttershy, who remained hiding behind one of their friends.

They silently picked out an opponent. each one making eye contact with the guard they would face. Applejack glared at Cloud Runner, who returned hers with of his own. Rarity Twilight, Pinkie Pie also each made eye contact with another three of the guards. And lastly, Rainbow Dash, who remained hovering, albeit low to the ground, pointed a hoof at Captain Strong Wing, then to herself, finishing her gesture with colliding her two front hooves together.

The opposing sides silently stared down one another, the only audible sound being a breeze that swept through the area that rustled the trees. A bead of sweat ran down Applejack’s forehead in anticipation, then down her cheek before dripping off and onto the floor. The drop of sweat echoed upon connecting with the floor.

With that, Applejack charged Cloud Runner, with a sort of war cry. The others followed her example immediately.

The battle had begun.

*     *     *

Applejack dashed towards Cloud Runner in a zig-zagging pattern to try and throw him off. She was quick on her hooves, and surprisingly agile. Cloud Runner followed the orange mare closely, his eyes sweeping back forth to keep up with her movements.

Within moments, Applejack closed the distance between the two of them. Making great haste, the cowpony pivoted on her front hooves, quickly turning 180 degrees. Her strong back legs shot out like canons, aimed for Cloud Runner’s head.

The armored pegasus ducked down, his body lowering very closely to the gorund as Applejack’s hooves harmlessly passed overhead. Cloud Runner quickly kicked off with his back legs, lunging up at Applejack’s defenseless underside. His hooves shot out, driving into the orange earth pony’s stomach. His momentum went unimpeded as Applejack was knocked over and flipped onto her back. She yelped in pain.

Immediately following, his wings flapped and kept him airborne after his upward lunge at Applejack. He dived downwards to attack Applejack again, his hooves extended in front of him. However, the orange mare braced her self with her forelegs, and kicked upwards with her strong legs.

Cloud Runner was knocked upwards once Applejack’s counterattack connected with his face. He grunted in pain. but still managed to keep himself airborne. Applejack was a little surprised, as Cloud Runner withstood the attack when previously, back in the forest, he was knocked out. Applejack figured it was because his guard was down before, and hadn’t expected to be flanked.

Applejack sprang up onto all fours while Cloud Runner was recovering. She jumped upwards in an attempt to strike Cloud Runner with a headbutt, however he recovered in time to move out of the way. This left the farmer vulnerable. He quickly dove towards Applejack, his wings flapping furiously.

Cloud Runner tackled the mare in midair, and continued flying towards a stone wall with Applejack locked in front of him. The mare held onto the armored pegasus as she glanced back, seeing that they were flying towards a wall. Her head turned around again, shooting a glare at her foe.

However, her glare turned to a grin as she bucked her hind legs out just before they hit the wall. The wall cracked upon the impact, with Applejack’s hind legs stopping them both dead in their tracks. Cloud Runner’s eyes widened, his attempted to crash Applejack through the wall foiled.

One of her hooves let of the pegasus, only to strike him in the same side of the head that Applejack had once bucked him in. Stunned, Cloud Runner dropped Applejack. The mare safely landed on all fours, looking up at her opponent with confidence.

Cloud Runner scowled as he lowered himself to the ground in front of Applejack. The two enemies shot each other hard glares before they both charged at one another.

The two opponents braced themselves with their hind legs as their front hooves connected with each others in a hoof lock. Their faces were inches from each others. They pushed on one another in an attempt to gain the advantage. Applejack began forcing Cloud Runner back and into submission, but not before he managed to do the same to her. As if taking turns, they went back and forth with pushing the other back.

Cloud Runner was starting to tire, but was didn’t want to lose. The armored pegasus reared his head suddenly. Applejack’s eyes went wide as Cloud Runner’s head, adorned with his helmet, had then jerked forward quickly and collided with her forehead with a thud.

Applejack fell back, hitting the ground. The blond mare cringed in pain as she laid on her back. Cloud Runner followed up by stomping down on her chest with a front hoof, pinning her helplessly to the floor. She gritted her teeth and grunted in pain once more. Cloud Runner looked down at the helpless Applejack, grinning, as he raised his other front hoof.

Applejack gave a quick glance down at Cloud Runner’s body before a confident smirk formed on her visage. Cloud Runner was just about to drive his hoof into Applejack’s head, when her hind legs suddenly shot up at Cloud Runner’s underside, striking him directly in his testicles. Cloud Runner had neglected to think of the possibility of that happening.

Cloud Runner’s eyes shot open as wide as they could get, with his jaw dropping, as he began to tremble. Guttural sounds escaped his mouth, his body frozen. Then, he doubled over onto his side, and began screaming in agony as beads of tears flowed down his face. He brought his hooves to hold his crotch, unable to do anything else as he writhed.

“AAAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHH!!!” he cried at the top of his lungs, his voice eventually cracking into a squeal.

Applejack stood up and over Cloud Runner, trying to hold back her laughter. “Now, how do ya’ like THEM apples!?” Applejack taunted, driving a hoof into the side of Cloud Runner’s head; they very same side in which he had been struck twice. There was an audible, satisfying crack upon impact.

Cloud Runner’s movements and screaming suddenly ceased.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pinkie Pie hopped up and down towards her opponent with a happy-go-lucky grin on her face. With each bounce that propelled the mare into the air, there was a distinctive springy sound. Understandably, the armored pegasus before her was confused, arching a brow.

Pinkie stopped bouncing only several feet away from him. Her opponent took on a defensive stance and gritted his teeth, standing on his hind legs with his wings spread, ready to attack at a moments notice. Pinkie Pie, however, merely looked at him with a smile.

“Hi!” she said, maintaining her cheerful smile. “My name is Pinkie Pie! What’s your name? Do you like parties?”

The armored pegasus could only stare, dumbfounded by Pinkie Pie’s strange behavior, given the combat setting of the current situation. “If you MUST know, my name is Sky Chaser. But that’s not important!” he pouted. “You do know I’m going to kill you, right?”

“Uh huh!” replied Pinkie, hopping up and down again in place.

Sky Chaser narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want any of Pinkie Pie’s nonsense. He threw his right hoof forward in a strong jab to knock Pinkie to the ground. However, his hoof only struck thin air as Pinkie Pie nonchalantly bounced out of the way. His eyes widened briefly before sending two more jabs at Pinkie with his left hoof, followed by his right hind leg swinging itself up to meet with Pinkie’s rib cage, in a sort of roundhouse kick.

Pinkie Pie was having fun though, dancing around Sky Chaser’s attack as if she knew what he was going to do. Sky Chaser was visibly frustrated at the happy-go-lucky pink mare before him. He couldn’t believe how easily she evaded his quick attacks.

He carefully slid one of his hind legs back a little before kicking off with all his might. He attempted to tackle Pinkie Pie to the ground. Much to his irritation, Pinkie Pie simply hopped into the air, and landed on top of Sky Chaser as he passed under her. The pink mare quickly jumped off of him, forcing him to crash into the floor with a hard thud, while Pinkie Pie simply landed safely on on all four hooves.

“Hey! That was fun! Can we do it again?”  the bouncing pink blob chimed.

Sky Chaser was flat on his stomach. He hoisted himself up a bit as he looked back at Pinkie Pie, who simply smiled at him. He grunted, gritting his teeth in utter frustration. Sky Chaser, one of Captain Strong Wing’s elite guards, was being made a complete fool of by a happy-go-lucky pink mare.

Sky Chaser fully stood up and turned to face Pinkie Pie. He resumed his bipedal stance, with his wings spread. He carefully stared Pinkie Pie down, watching her every move. He knew he couldn’t let his guard down around this one.

“Tell me, pink mare. How are you able to react to my every move?” Sky Chaser inquired, as he glared at Pinkie Pie. He briefly thought back to when Cloud Runner inferred that the pink one would be a lot of trouble. He was right.

“Pfft. I used my Pinkie Sense, silly filly!” she happily replied, bouncing up and down in place. In truth, Pinkie Pie had indeed been utilizing her Pinkie Sense in a similar fashion to how she used it to easily evade the falling debris of the collapsing building during the Mare Do Well incident. Due to her Pinkie Sense, defeating Pinkie Pie in combat would truly be a tricky task.

Sky Chaser narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “Do NOT call me silly filly!” he yelled. Sky Chaser flapped his wings as he kicked off the ground, flying towards Pinkie Pie at a high velocity. He pulled away at the last second, inches from Pinkie Pie and snaked his way around her.

He raised one of his front hooves and attempted to strike Pinkie Pie’s spinal chord. Just before he could do so, however, Pinkie Pie bucked him without warning, hitting him square in the jaw.

Sky Chaser stumbled back in pain before wiping away the blood that began to drip from his mouth. He was absolutely dumbfounded, being made a complete fool of by this odd pink earth pony. What irritated him even more was when Pinkie Pie turned around to face him, maintaining her usual smile, as if to mock him.

“Stop mocking me!” he yelled, his voice filled with anger. With that, Sky Chaser attempted another assault. Jab after jab, hook after hook, and kick after kick were thrown at Pinkie Pie as fast as he could in an attempt to overwhelm the annoying pink mare. And yet, she continued to fluidly dance around his attacks, or parry them when dodging was not an option. And she still smiled.

But this time he got an idea. He darted at Pinkie Pie again, pulling away at the last second and appeared behind the mare like he did before. But this time, he was ready. Pinkie Pie took the bait and tried to buck him, but this time he caught her hind hooves, leaving her defenseless. With that, he delivered a rough kick to Pinkie Pie’s underside.

Sky Chaser grinned as he observed Pinkie Pie yelp and flip onto the floor from his kick. He quickly followed up with another assault on the grounded mare, only to strike the floor when Pinkie Pie quickly rolled out of the way and sprung onto all fours.

“Hey! That wasn’t very nice!” she complained, dropping her smile for the time being. Sky Chaser narrowed his eyes and scuffed the ground, ready to attack once more.

The armored pegasus attempted another high speed charge, but something would happen differently this time. Just before he reached Pinkie Pie, he observed how she reached behind herself with her front hooves, balancing on her hind legs. She grinned widely.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Pinkie Pie pulled out a large cannon and placed it in front of her. Her Party Cannon was larger than usual. Being Pinkie Pie, she likely made it bigger so it could fit more party related things.

Sky Chaser’s eyes widened, unable to stop or turn away in time. The next thing he knew, it was dark and cramped. The pegasus was trapped inside of Pinkie’s Party Cannon. He began to squirm wildly to try and escape.

“Hey! Let me out of this bucking thing!” he commanded, yelling at the mare.

Pinkie Pie aimed her Party Cannon at the nearest wall. “Okie Dokie Lokie!” she cheerfully exclaimed, pressing the button on top of the cannon.

A boom sounded as streamers, confetti, and Sky Chaser were launched out of the cannon. Sky Chaser screamed during his flight before smashing all the way through the wall and hitting the ground with thud. His body lie there, bloodied, limp, and motionless.

Pinkie Pie began bouncing up and down in place.

“I never leave home without my Party Cannon!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fluttershy and Spike were left opponentless as stood by each other. Spike was watching as Rarity wasn’t able to do much against her opponent. She wasn’t much of a fighter.

“Come on Fluttershy! We gotta help Rarity!” he pleaded, looking up at Fluttershy with hopeful eyes. The timid pegasus glanced around the room before looking back at Rarity, determining that she needed help the most, as she was practically running away from her opponent.

“Um, well, alright... but I don’t know how much I can really help...” she said softly.

“We gotta do something!” he exclaimed as he dashed off towards Rarity’s fight. Fluttershy became a little frantic at the baby dragon’s charge, prompting her to follow him.

“Hey ugly!” shouted the baby dragon, determined to protect his crush at all costs. The armored pegasus that pursued Rarity stopped and glanced over at Spike. “We’ll take you on! All three of us!”

 Rarity dashed over to Spike and Fluttershy, standing behind them.

The armored pegasus gave a sweeping glance at them, before letting out a chuckle. “Let me get this straight,” he began. “A baby dragon, a fashion designer, and a frightened weakling want to fight me?” He chuckled even harder. "You serious?"

“That’s right!” yelled Spike, glaring at the armored pegasus.

“Hmph. Alright then,” he said. “I, Thunderstorm, will fight all three of you.” He let out one more chuckle before taking a fighting stance on his hind legs, spreading his wings.

Rarity was feeling more confident now that she had two others to help her out. Spike and Rarity sprinted towards Thunderstorm. The armored pegasus slid one of his hind legs back in preparation to defend himself. Fluttershy simply squeaked and stood in her spot. She wasn’t sure what she could do.

Thunderstorm easily batted the duo away with a couple of attacks, knocking them back. Rarity yelped upon being struck and hit the ground with a thud, bruising her. Spike wasn’t hurt as much due his natural scaly armor. The onlooking Fluttershy gasped.

“Is that all you’ve got?” mocked Thunderstorm, giving the group a condescending grin.

Spike and Rarity glared intensely at the armored pegasus before them after getting back up. Then, Spike turned to Rarity and whispered something in her ear. The snow white unicorn listen intently.

“Are you sure?” she asked out loud. Spike nodded in response before turning back Thunderstorm.

With that, Spike alone charged towards Thunderstorm. The pegasus focused his attention on the baby dragon. But what he failed to notice, was what Rarity was doing.

The white unicorn’s horn illuminated in a blue aura. Thunderstorm was still too focused on Spike to take notice. The baby dragon jumped, diving towards the armoed pegasus. Thunderstorm attempted to bat Spike away, but found something odd.

His movements were severely hindered, only able to move a little bit, as he himself was surrounded by a blue aura. That’s when he noticed Rarity’s horn was glowing. Whatever movements he could make weren’t enough to deflect Spike.

Spike grappled onto Thunderstorm’s body with his claws. Then, with a sharp inhale, the baby dragon let loose the mightiest emerald green flames he could muster from his mouth.

The pegasus caught fire very quickly. The severe, burning pain caused him to scream and thrash around violently, shaking off both Spike and Rarity’s binding magic. He dropped to the floor and frantically rolled around, attempting to put out the flames before too much damage was one. Fluttershy, still spectating, winced and cringed at the scene before her.

Thunderstorm at least managed to put out the flames after a few seconds, but not without damage. He grunted and groaned in pain as he slowly stood up. His white fur was somewhat stained black from the burns.

He opened his mouth to speak, panting. “I... Will... Make... You... Regret that!!” He was very angry now, as his brow arched inwards.

Thunderstorm kicked off the floor, gliding low to the ground at a high speed towards Rarity. He reared one of his front hooves, ready to strike.

Rarity’s eyes widened at the incoming pegasus. She wasn’t able to react in time before Thunderstorm thrusted his reared hoof, driving it into Rarity’s jaw in a bit of an uppercut motion.

The white unicorn yelped in pain as she flew back. The impact of Thunderstorm’s hoof almost knocked her out. Rarity hit the floor with a thud.

“No!!” cried Spike, scrambling to get up. His eyes narrowing, he darted towards Thunderstorm, who turned around to see the baby dragon. A sinister smirk crept onto his burnt visage.

Thunderstorm turned around, delivering a kick to the side of Spike’s head as he attempted to jump onto him again. The baby dragon was flung off to the side. As a follow up, the armored pegasus put his hoof down on Spike’s head. Unfortunately for the baby dragon, his head was facing side ways, meaning breathing fire onto Thunderhooves was no longer an option. This reminded him all too much of the fight with White Nimbus in the Ponyville Library.

Fluttershy became very frantic, and began to hyperventilate. “Oh no!” she cried. “Oh no oh no!!!” She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as Thunderstorm began to apply pressure to Spike’s head, causing the the baby dragon to cry out in agony.

She reopened her eyes and saw the scene unravel, and then glanced at Rarity, who was struggling to get up after nearly losing consciousness. Fluttershy knew she had to do something.

Fluttershy tensed up, her brow narrowing inwards as she closed her eyes. After a few moments, she reopened her eyes.

“You BIG. DUMB. MEANIE!!!” she yelled loudly, an intense anger present in her eyes and voice. Her yelling had caught Thunderstorm’s attention, who glanced at the angry yellow pegasus.

Her eyes were wide, her brow arched inward. Thunderstorm could see it. An intense, burning rage that pierced his very being. He wished he hadn’t ever made eye contact with the once timid mare.

His body froze up, beads of sweat pouring from his forehead. The armored pegasus’ eyes went wide, but not out of anger, but out of something he personally had not felt in a long time.

Fear.

It was as if all time had stopped, with the exception of Fluttershy, who continued her approach. He finally managed to move, dropping to all fours and slowly backing away from the terrifying yellow pegasus.

Spike manage to get back up, brushing himself off before he darted over to Rarity to help her up.

Thunderstorm finally backed into the wall behind, with Fluttershy stopping only several feet away from him.

“JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? I WON’T LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!!  YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!!” screamed Fluttershy. She hadn’t yelled that loud since the Grand Galloping Gala incident.

Thunderstorm couldn’t speak a word. The only sounds from his mouth were fearful grunts.

Meanwhile, Rarity got back onto her hooves with Spike’s help. She was still a bit dazed, but quickly shook it off. The white unicorn looked on Fluttershy and Thunderstorm. She saw the look of absolute terror in his eyes.

Rarity decided she would take the opportunity to strike. She went full gallop towards the the terrified Thunderstorm. The armored pegasus was too preoccupied with Fluttershy to take notice to Rarity.

The white unicorn lowered her head as she neared her target; her horn pointed directly at him. “I’ll show you, you ruffian!” she shouted, her voice angry. With that, Rarity ran her horn through Thunderstorm’s body, blood splattering from his wound.

At first, there was no reaction from the pegasus. However, it was merely delayed, as after a few moments, his terrified gaze slowly shifted down to Rarity pulling her horn from his body, blooding gushing down his side. The only sounds to escape his mouth were guttural sounds. The white unicorn had punctured a lung.

Fluttershy ceased her terrifying stare and blacked up as Thunderstorm coughed up blood. His body was slumped against the wall; his back slowly beginning to slide down the wall until he hit a sitting position. The timid pegasus winced at the sight.

Spike dashed over to the two ponies who stood before their fallen foe. “Rarity! Your mane!” he shouted with concern.

Rarity gagged, bringing her hooves up to her mouth. A moment passed before she returned to normal. “Oh, it’s alright... I can always wash it later,” she replied, giving a sheepish grin.

Fluttershy was a little shaken by the violence, but was comforted by Rarity and Spike. Thunderstorm, on the other hoof, attempted to stand, but couldn’t gather the strength. The trio turned to look at him. His eyes narrowed as blood continued to flow from his mouth and his wound. Guttural sounds a grunts continued to escape his mouth, until it happened.

Thunderstorm released a painful sigh as his body went limp, and his eyes, lifeless.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twilight Sparkle made a direct, brave charge towards her opponent as her horn lit up. The armored pegasus, named Blaze Bolt, took immediate note of that. He had sparred with unicorns before, and was familiar with magic-based tactics. He quickly spread his wings and stood on his hind legs, much like his comrades were doing. Blaze Bolt reared one of his front hooves, ready to strike.

Twilight Sparkle continued to charge, not slowing down for a moment. once she was close enough, Blaze Bolt began to telegram his movements, indicating he was about to strike. But this was a bluff.

Twilight’s body vanished in a flash of light. It was just as he had expected. Blaze Bolt could hear the sound of Twilight reappearing just behind him. His form leaned forward for balance as one of his hind legs shot out behind him in back-kick.

Twilight Sparkle had been struck square in the snout, sending her backwards. The lavender mare yelped in pain, landing on her side with a hard thud on the cold stone floor. Blaze Bolt turned around to face her.

“You’re lucky, you know. We’re only supposed to subdue you,” he claimed, in a mocking tone. Blaze Bolt trotted up to Twilight and pinned her down with his front hooves. “Don’t worry. I’ll only break a few of your bones. And your horn.”

Twilight shot him a hard glare before her horn illuminated once more. Blaze Bolt would have done something if not for the fact that his body was encased in a purple aura, restricting his movements and lifting him into the air.

Twilight got back up onto all fours before staring daggers at Blaze Bolt. “Don’t underestimate me!” said the lavender unicorn. With that, using her telekinesis, she slammed Blaze Bolt into the ground. The stone floor actually cracked a bit from the impact.

Twilight watched her opponent in anticipation to see if he would move. After a few seconds, Blaze Bolt rose to his hooves, although he was bruised. Blaze Bolt wasted no time, taking off towards Twilight as as he could.

Before the purple mare could properly react, the armored pegasus slammed into her, tackling her to the floor. They rolled over one another, with Blaze Bolt emerging on top. He quickly followed up by driving his hoof into Twilight’s stomach.

Her eyes shut hard as she yelped in pain upon being struck in the stomach. Twilight Sparkle knew she was losing the battle, but she couldn’t let herself falter, for the sake of herself, and that of her dearest friends.

She opened her eyes to to see Blaze Bolt looming over her with a smirk on his face. In response, Twilight shot him another glare.

“Just give up,” he insisted.

Twilight said nothing in reply. Instead, her horn emitted a powerful, radiant glow. A bolt of pure magic energy erupted from her horn, hitting Blaze Bolt before he could react properly. The armored pegasus was knocked into the air, but he managed to catch himself with his wings. His underside was charred.

Although he managed to catch himself in the air, he still cringed in pain from Twilight’s magic attack. His narrowed as he glared at the lavender unicorn. Twilight smirked confidently, despite being bruised.

The unicorn followed up with another bolt of magic that raced towards its target. The armored pegasus successfully dodged before flying towards Twilight in a zig-zagging pattern. The mare tried to hit him with several more blasts, but to no avail. Blaze Bolt reached Twilight, successfully striking her with a front hoof.

The mare doubled over, but she wasn’t about to give up. Blaze Bolt took to the air once more. After creating enough distance, he dove straight down towards the downed mare.

Twilight had something else in mind, however. She had no plans on taking another blow. Her horn illuminated once more, creating a purple barrier around her body at the last second. Blaze Bolt collided with the barrier, unable to break through. Since he hadn’t expected it, he was momentarily stunned.

Twilight Sparkle wouldn’t let up though. Following her defense, a purple aura enveloped Blaze Bolt’s body, restricting his movements. He was helpless.

Twilight hoisted herself onto all fours, requiring more effort than normal, bruised and bleeding from the mouth. “It’s time to end this!” she yelled, her horn glowing even brighter.

A thinner, more compressed bolt of magic escaped Twilight’s horn this time. Time seemed to stop for Blaze Bolt as he helplessly watched the blast of magic energy rush towards him.

A cry of severe agony escaped Blaze Bolt’s lungs as Twilight’s blast drilled clean through his body, leaving a charred hole. His eyes were wide with pain as he coughed up blood. Twilight released her magic grip on him, causing his body to flail downwards to the cold stone floor.

Blaze Bolt's body didn’t move.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rainbow Dash and Captain Strong Wing gazed into each others eyes as they both took on a combat stance. They balanced on their hind legs with their wings spread.

“I won’t hold back this time,” said Strong Wing, coldly.

“Then neither will I,” Rainbow Dash retorted with an arrogant smirk.

With that, the two enemies kicked off the ground, charging towards each other. They both left trails of dust in their wake before they were in melee combat range.

Rainbow Dash was the first to attack. She attempted to strike the Captain with a barrage of quick, strong punches. Strong Wing merely blocked or parried them. Rainbow Dash then went for a round house kick, which was promptly blocked.

Captain Strong Wing returned her assault with hook, aimed for the side of the mare’s head, followed by an uppercut. The cyan pegasus brought a hoof up to her side, stopping his hook. Afterwards, she reared her head, narrowly avoiding the Captain’s uppercut.

Rainbow Dash jumped back before taking to the air, her wings flapping to keep her airborne. The Captain followed her into the air, charging right for the mare at high speed. Her eyes narrowed in anticipation. He was closing in.

At the last possible second, Rainbow Dash suddenly moved to the side a little bit, and snaked her way around the oncoming Captain, driving her elbow into the back of his head as he passed by, unable to change his course in time.

The armored pegasus seemed to stumble in the air, only to quickly recover. He turned to face the mare, only to see her closing in fast for another furious assault.

Rainbow Dash began to unleash another barrage of attacks. The Captain, however, parried her first two blows, and forced her hooves off to the side. He jerked his head forward, slamming his helmet into the mare’s forehead.

The cyan pegasus was knocked back, yelping in pain. But she would not let that stop her. Rainbow Dash very quickly recovered, immediately charging at the Captain again. She reared one of her front hooves, as if to prepare another jab. Instead, she quickly spun around in mid to allow one of her back legs to kick the Captain in the side of the head.

Strong Wing silently cursed himself for not seeing through such an obvious bluff, having taken Rainbow Dash’s surprise kick. His helmet flew off his head, hitting the stone floor with a metallic thud.

Rainbow Dash wouldn’t let up though. The cyan pegasus began to fly circles around the Captain. Any normal pony would only see a rainbow colored ring. The Captain, however, was able to keep track of Rainbow Dash, his eyes shifting back and forth, following her movements.

The mare then broke from her ring, attempting to flank the Captain from the side. Reacting quickly, though, Strong Wing dropped his altitude as he flipped upside down. As Rainbow Dash passed over him, his hind legs shot up, striking the cyan pegasus in the rib cage.

She was knocked upwards, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, trying to ignore the pain. Captain Strong Wing flapped his wings harder, propelling himself upwards as he reared one his front hooves. Once he was within range, he bludgeoned Rainbow Dash in the side of the head.

Rainbow Dash fell to the ground with a thud. She hopped up onto her feet quickly however. The pegasus wasn’t about to give up.

Strong Wing lowered himself and charged at Rainbow Dash to begin another brutal assault on the cyan pegasus. He flew at her parallel to the floor. Rainbow Dash took on a defensive stance on her hind legs, but this was a bluff.

Rainbow Dash allowed her body to fall over onto her back once the Captain was close enough. She kicked upwards with all her might, driving both hind hooves into his stomach as he passed over her.

Having been knocked upwards, Strong Wing cursed himself silently once more. He was becoming careless.

The cyan wasn’t about to stop though. She quickly sprang into the air and flapped her wings to pursue her stunned opponent. Rainbow Dash drew both of her front hooves back, ready to hammer on Captain Strong Wing.

The moment she was in range, the cyan pegasus shot her right hoof forward first, striking his stomach again. Next, her left hoof, which nailed him in the rib cage. Her hooves alternated, taking turns striking the Captain in various places.

Despite this, the Captain managed to regain himself for just a moment to shield himself with his forelegs before deliver a quick, harsh kick to Rainbow Dash, who was promptly knocked away.

Both of them descended to the floor, glaring at one another. For the most part, they seemed to be evenly matched.

The Captain brought a hoof up to his mouth to wipe away the blood that leaked out. “I meant what I said back in the library.” he commented.

Rainbow Dash arched a brow, wondering what it was. Then it hit her.

‘You would have made a fine soldier in the Equestrian Royal Guard.’

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel proud of that. But regardless, she was going to beat Strong Wing. “Thanks, I guess.” she replied.

However, the two of them had been so locked into combat, they failed to notice their surroundings at this point in time. It only hit them during their little stare down, as they weren’t directly focused on attacking and defending. Both Rainbow Dash and Captain Strong Wing glanced around at their surroundings.

There was no fighting, and the room had fallen silent.