The time had come.
He had said to meet her on top of the flat mountain, easier said than done, there was no path or ramp or stairs to get up the side of it so she just had to climb. Good thing Applejack had experience with that. She was well rested after leaving Brooksville last night, finding a nice quiet place in the woods. Her body certainly wasn’t at a hundred percent but she wasn’t aching and tired either. The hot sun was just reaching over the horizon, signifying it as the earliest time possible for a pony to call it morning. A part of her kind of wished he wouldn’t be up there. A part of her kind of wished this was just a bad dream and she’d wake up in her bed to the smell of apples outside. The rest of her knew that she had a fight to finish.
Applejack had made it up the side of the mountain and dragged herself onto the flat summit. The orange rock of the mountain nearly matched her coat color, as she lay prone on it she wondered if anything could even see her if they were looking down from above.
That was all a moot point though considering Night Storm was just standing at the center of the summit.
Applejack stood up, taking a second to look at him before walking to confront him. He didn’t move or say anything to her but she could see even from this distance that he had that same smile on his face. The sun coming in sideways at them made their shadows cast long westwards over the orange rock. Her hooves reverberating deeply with each step, the urge to try another tremor on him while he was standing there was strong but she knew it would be pointless just like before.
“So we’re both here.” She said out to him while she walked closer.
“I’m glad you came.” He finally acknowledged her presence. “Cowards are fun to kill too but I was hoping for a challenge today.” His smile grew wider at seeing Applejack frown.
Applejack kept frowning as she came to a stop a dozen or so feet away from him. “You know, I was actually hoping I could just talk to you and maybe convince you to stop being bad. That’s not really my area of expertise but I have some friends who are really good at it so maybe it rubbed off on me a little. But then you just open your mouth and it makes me think there’s no point in trying to talk to you.”
“I agree.”
Her eyes widened as in a flash he flicked his wings at her, the tiniest of wind blades slicing at her head from them. She rolled to the side to avoid them, a slight breeze going past her head.
“Haha, I’m glad you’re still spry.” He opened his wings and took to the air, allowing the wind to gather around him. “Talk is for the weak, let’s hurry up and do this.”
Applejack got up but felt a slight weight fall from her head, looking to the ground she saw the rose Bouquet had given her fall from her hat, the flower cut to pieces. Her eyes narrowed and she angrily looked up at Night Storm.
“That was a gift.”
“Oh, sorry, if I knew you cared about it so much I would’ve cut it sooner. Maybe I’ll do the same to your dumb hat next time.” The wind gathered completely around his wings, forming a second phantom pair of wings over them. He bared his teeth at her and dove with great speed, coming right at her.
He was diving fast. But it wasn’t as fast as Rainbow Dash could fly.
Applejack slammed down a hoof and made a tremor explode the ground in front of her, sending dozens of rocks up into the air at Night Storm. He didn’t hesitate at all, his wings lashed out and cut any rocks that were coming his way. Even though the way he was moving them should have caused him to crash to the ground it was like he controlled the wind entirely, like she had seen yesterday he didn’t seem to need to use his wings like a normal pegasus for flight.
At this point Applejack really wished she actually knew how Wings of the Wind worked.
When Night Storm got lower to the ground he turned sideways, one long wing covered in razor wind pointed towards the ground, its tip gouging a huge scar in the rock as he flew towards her.
Applejack knew that all she needed was the tiniest of touches to win this fight, but he had to know that too. She still braced herself for him, not making to dodge out of the way like he probably expected her to. The wind around his wing would likely cut off her hoof if she tried to touch it so she’d have to aim somewhere else.
But as he got closer to her he suddenly turned upwards, doing a sideways flip in the air and flicking his wing forward at her. The wind that was previously around it shot towards Applejack with an ear-splitting screech. Now she had to dodge and it was almost right in front of her face, it was like time slowed down as she exhaled, her forelegs left the ground and she went sideways. Standing on her back legs she sucked in her gut and pulled back her head, the blade of wind going right past her eyes, just the slightest grain of sands distance from her chin. She had no time to think about it as she heard another screech, out of the corner of her eye the blade of wind that was on his other wing was shooting towards her, aimed right at her stomach.
Ducking forwards would just get her head taken off, instead Applejack bent over backwards, her hooves hitting the ground behind her head and making her body a bridge. She heard her back crack from the unusual position she put her body in, she just wasn’t as flexible as some other mares. The blade of wind went right over her belly, taking a few high-standing hairs with it, as it finished traveling over her she pushed off the ground with her hind-legs and rolled over, coming back up on all fours and keeping a tight watch on Night Storm, hovering just in front of her.
“That’s pretty good, a lot of ponies can’t even see the wind.” He said mockingly. “But you should realize by now that you can’t do anything to me.”
More wind gathered around him. Talons of cold biting wind came from his wings, like the talons of a vicious griffon that wanted to tear Applejack apart. Night Storm flew at her again, lashing out with his wings and new weapons at her, driving Applejack back as she could only dodge his attacks. There was no way for her to fight or retaliate like this. It was practically like a boxing match where all she could do was avoid the other pony’s hooves.
And through it all he kept smiling. Wings poking and swiping at her, the deadly wind coming less than inches from cutting into her body every time.
But as she saw that smile on his face Applejack realized something. Despite him putting her completely on the defensive he wasn’t enjoying this, his smirk had gotten smaller, his mouth thinner, he wanted to hit her already. He may have said he wanted a good fight but he was impatient. He wanted to prove his superiority and defeat her already. That was the real prize. His attacks became more frantic and less precise, they were faster but wilder and not as calculated. She could easily see where his wings and the deadly wind from them would go. She could outlast him like this, there was no way he had the stamina that she did.
Rainbow Dash is faster and Twilight is smarter and more patient. I can beat him.
Night Storm angrily flapped his wings hard and flew backwards a bit after seeing he was getting nowhere. He still smirked confidently at her but his eyes were on fire. “You’re an annoying bug, earth pony.”
Applejack didn’t respond. Didn’t rise to any provocations or insults. She needed to focus, just like when she was first learning Hoof of the Earth. Block out everything else.
Night Storm grunted and crossed his wings over his chest, wind started to gather around them until they looked like two tornadoes coming out of his sides. Snapping his wings back out the whirlwinds came to life, leaving his wings and traveling across the ground independently as two huge columns of spiraling blades. They tore up the ground wherever they went, first circling Night Storm before expanding outwards, Applejack kept her eyes on them as they passed behind her. The tornadoes now created a circle around the both of them, constantly rotating around the two ponies. The wind from then blew about her mane and tail and kicked up a steady cloud of dust.
“You won’t just be able to keep running around now.”
Night Storm advanced on her again, those huge phantom blades of wind appearing on his wings again as he flew in low at her. Whether it was a feint or straightforward attack Applejack wouldn’t be caught by surprise again.
It turned out to be straightforward as he again threw the wind at her, this time both blades at once, one on top of the other. The first blade was too low to the ground for her to duck under and too wide for her to dodge to the side. The second one was place just high enough where she couldn’t jump between them but if she jumped over them both she’d be a sitting duck in the air for any other attacks from him. All this time in the instant the wind blades were coming at her she could hear the screaming of the tornadoes as they spiraled around the two fighting ponies.
Applejack acted fast, she dove down low while striking the ground with her hooves and sending a strong tremor out. The rock cracked and erupted beneath and in front of her, orange pebbles and dust shot up and when it cleared the smallest of holes had been built by Applejack. Lunging forward and pressing down as much as she could the wind blades passed harmlessly above her, not even taking any hair off her tail.
She instantly got back up, and just in time too as Night Storm was coming at her again with his deadly wind talons. He swipes across her chest as she jumps back, but this time Applejack isn’t just defending. When her back hooves hit the ground she sends a tremor out behind him, causing the ground to burst and pour a wave of rocks and dust over his back while he continues to try and strike her. The sudden attack from behind surprises him and Applejack takes the opportunity to charge in with her hoof going right for his chest.
But Night Storm’s reflexes are too good. With a panicked flap of his wings he dodges back from Applejack, putting himself in the air and out of her reach and looking at her with a surprised anger.
The tornadoes continue around them but their orbit starts to get smaller and smaller, pushing Applejack and Night Storm towards each other. He initially wanted this so she couldn’t keep running away and avoiding him but now he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to get that close. Applejack could see his confidence was shaken a little by her almost managing to hit him.
This pony has ego to spare, he must be mad now. Applejack thought to herself and wondered if she could really rile him up.
“What’s the matter, scared?” She smirked at him, tipping her hat back.
Night Storm growled down at her, the two tornadoes shook violently and sped up their rotations, whipping Applejack’s mane across her face.
“The little worm thinks she can talk back?” He started to grin at her. “I just haven’t been taking this seriously. You weren’t a real student of Hoof of the Earth so I thought I could just mess around and have fun. Instead of using a serious attack I just made these tornadoes to box you in. Do you want me to attack seriously?”
“I’d say yes if I didn’t think you were just blowing hot air at me.” Applejack said as she yawned, not showing any sign of worry.
“Well then, you get your wish.” Night Storm flexed his wings and the two tornadoes began to slow down and dissipate. “A true test of who’s better.” The wind from the tornadoes flowed back to Night Storm, coalescing around his whole body. “I’ll show you Wings of the Wind, Applejack.” The raging winds flew in a current over his wings, legs, and body. It would be dangerous if she got to close to any part of his body now but it didn’t look as powerful as if he had just gathered the wind along his wings. And the wind was still constantly flowing, it didn’t protect every little spot at once.
She knew she could get a strike in if he came at her.
“I can tell what you’re thinking. But this isn’t all.” Night Storm smiled and started to spin in midair, going end over end like he was doing a corkscrew, faster and faster until he was just a huge wind drill floating above her. “Farewell, Applejack!” She heard him scream as he flew towards her with tremendous speed, the drill attack centered right on her head.
“Uh oh.”
Applejack jumped out of the way as Night Storm barreled into the ground, cutting through the rock of the mountain like tissue paper. She turned around to see him turning after her again, apparently he had no problem seeing her even spinning like that. The wind drill came at her half buried in the rock but not impeded by it in the slightest. When Applejack sent a tremor out in front of herself to shoot more shards of rock at him and maybe even get a tremor directly inside him he simply flew up a little to avoid them, the rocks passing harmlessly underneath him. It was unlikely they would’ve done anything to him with that whirlwind around him anyways.
Night Storm continued chasing after her like a tornado homing in on her location. Applejack doubted he could keep doing this for that long but he was fast and big enough to get on her if she wasn’t careful. And she was getting tired too.
“Is running all you can do?!” Night Storm’s scream reverberated through the air, distorted by the spinning air around him.
Applejack grit her teeth as Night Storm’s corkscrew continued pushing her across the mountain, trying to exhaust or catch her before he had to stop. Unfortunately because she was paying so much attention to avoiding him she didn’t notice that she was being backed up to the edge of the mountain until it was almost too late.
“Woah!” Applejack yelped as she almost stumbled right over the side, barely catching herself.
Night Storm was coming straight at her and now there was nowhere to go.
But up.
Right before the great drill hit her Applejack stomped her hooves on the ground, firing a tremor directly beneath her and causing the rock and edge of the mountain to explode upwards. Jumping with it Applejack vaulted over Night Storm while the cloud of dust and rocks temporarily made him lose vision of her, he continued flying forward for a second before stopping while she landed behind him and ran back to the center of the summit.
Night Storm stopped spinning around to catch his breath and turned to her, glaring at the mare that’s continued to survive against him.
Applejack met his eyes with her own fierce look. She wasn’t sure if she could pull something like that off again, and he’d probably be ready for it. What did she do now?
“If I had known you’d be so annoying I wouldn’t have let you live.” Night Storm said to her as he floated closer. “But fine. Like I said, talk is for the weak.” He began spinning again, going back into his corkscrew and creating the whirlwind around himself. “This will be the final pass!” With that final yell he shot towards Applejack like an arrow.
She could probably keep dodging, she could probably keep shooting rocks and dust at him, she could probably do something to stall things out even more. Or she could try and end things too. Applejack squared herself against him, facing his attack without any sign of running. It was a risk, she might die, but she would go down swinging.
Nothing to do but to do it.
“RAAAHHH!” With an animalistic yell Applejack leaped forward. Her strong earth pony hooves aimed at the vortex of Night Storm. This was it.