//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Shadows Watching // by SaltyJustice //------------------------------// I later learned his name was actually Shining Armor Sparkle, which made a lot more sense than Shiney did - that was just Twilight's nickname for him. Fortunately for me, Twilight was totally oblivious to the questions I asked about her brother. She answered every one pleasantly and accurately, probably thinking I thought as highly of him as she did. She had no idea. Despite having all the information I needed, I still didn't see him again and was quite glad that was the case. I could always drop by on my days off, though avoiding him was the safer alternative. I wasn't quite ready, the longer I could put it off the better. Thinking about him made me nervous now, so I didn't think about him and just enjoyed spending time with Twilight. A week had passed, and my last essay would be coming due soon. This time it was about magical engines versus coal engines, I had to catalogue the histories of their discoveries and compare the two as they went. Mr. Prescott had even given me a book I had never even heard of, containing all sorts of legends stretching back to antiquity, when magic engines were first invented. It was this book that I was busy studying and taking notes on when a letter clanged in the mailbox of Twilight's house. We were in the study after having spent the day touring a museum of archaeology downtown, Twilight reading all the literature they had dumped on us as we passed the exhibits. Ancient pottery and primitive arrowheads, all behind glass cases. She was like a foal in a candy store, which was odd considering she could literally be a foal in a candy store any time she wanted to, but chose museums instead. I went to check the mailbox by myself and came back with a scroll with her mother's writing on it. Dear Cadence Something came up today, going to be very late. Dad and Brother not able to come, please stay later than usual and put Twilight to bed. Very sorry for short notice. -SS Would it have killed her to use proper grammar? "Well Twilight, looks like I'm staying late today," I said as I finished the very short letter. Twilight almost exploded. "Like, a slumber party? Oh can we have one? I got this book from - " she practically shouted. "No no, your mom will just be back late. I'm a little too old for a slumber party," I explained. "My book says you're never too old, see!" She picked up the book and used her magic to flip the pages in front of me. Her skills were developing very quickly, perhaps she had a real gift. "Slumber 101: Chapter 1. Is a Slumber Party right for you?" I read aloud. The text was dense, the font was very small, single spaced, and justified to fit the entire page. "Well that's great Twilight, but I still can't have a slumber party with you. Let's go make dinner, okay?" I asked. She reluctantly agreed, putting the book away. She would try to convince me again later, I was sure of it. Twilight and I found one of her Mom's - or maybe her Dad's, I don't know – recipe books and we checked through it to find something she might like. I ruled out stuffed pastas right away, those were just too hard to make. I also ruled out anything with any sugar in it, the last thing I needed was a hyperactive filly who refused to go to bed. Eventually we settled on a cheesy spinach casserole, which took most of the evening to make. It was an enjoyable experience, working together to cook something and then getting to eat your hard work. Twilight did all the organizing, reading the recipe and ingredients and making a checklist of things to do. She was a natural. I even managed to avoid setting the house on fire. Take that, safety instructors! By the time we were done eating the casserole and had safely stowed the rest in the fridge (Smarty-Pants had decided to abstain from eating it on moral grounds), it was already time for Twilight to go to bed. She didn't argue, the food was enough to leave both of us tired and she kept yawning as we made her bed and put Smarty-Pants on the shelf to watch over her. "Cadence, will you read me a bedtime story?" she asked as I was preparing to go. I had planned on sitting in the living room until I was sure she was asleep. This could work too. "Well, okay, but only because I like you," I said. I looked around. "You do realize you've read every book in here right?" I asked. It was true, most of the books were science and magic stuff, not suitable for bedtime stories. Or maybe...? No, I don't think I could weave organic chemical reactions into a comprehensible narrative. There's no villain, for one, except possibly entropy. Probably the only book in the house that she hadn't read was... My history book! Brilliant, Cadence, brilliant! This history book was loaded with stories based off of legends, which were like bedtime stories except everypony took them deadly seriously. I opened the book and rifled quickly through the pages, scanning words at random to find something to catch my eye. About halfway through the book, a title chapter leaped up and grabbed me by the eyes - metaphorically, of course. I cleared my throat and read the title out loud, modifying it slightly to make it sound like a fantasy story instead of legend out of a history book. "Princess Amoria and the Steel Emperor", I said. "Ooh, I haven't heard of this one!" Twilight said, snuggling herself down into her sheets. Neither had I, though it seemed familiar. Maybe I'd heard of this Amoria before? Princesses do tend to come up in the literature fairly often, though not this one. "Once upon a time," I said, skimming paragraphs as I went to identify key actors and settings, "there was a great empire called the Setkuk empire." "Where was it?" Twilight said. I hoped she wasn't going to do this all night. I quickly zipped over the next few lines, but there was no specific location. The book mentioned Equestria a few lines down, so I worked backwards. "Somewhere to the northwest of here, many thousands of years ago," I said. Twilight was happy with the answer. "The empire was ruled by a great Griffon family called the Steelfeathers, known for their courage in battle and fairness in dealings with others. One of the emperors, Steelfeather the 5th, came down with a terrible disease shortly after his son was born, and the disease spread to affect many others, including his wife. Sadly, they would both perish of it, leaving young Steelfeather the 6th on the throne at age 15." Twilight gasped. I had done a decent job of patching up the simple sentences into something like a fairy tale, the real version was far less interesting. "The emperor, not well versed in the intrigues of court, was in great danger of being overthrown by some of the less-loyal nobles. They would complain often of his inexperience and his lack of battle-prowess, despite having proved himself a capable fencer. Uncertainty loomed in his future, for an attempt to overthrow him would certainly mean an assassination attempt." "To quiet the dissident voices against him, he resolved to undertake a military campaign and conquer the country his father had had his eyes on, Muletina. He would prove his courage and skill on the battlefield and win the hearts of his people in the process, while simultaneously scaring the nobles into line." "As he assembled his great army of thirty-thousand soldiers of all races and genders on the border of Muletina, unfortunate news came to him by way of courier. The Muletinans wanted to surrender without a fight, and negotiate a treaty!" "How is that bad news?" Twilight asked. I could tell she was getting sleepy by her droopy eyes, it would not be long now, yet she was still alert and inquisitive as ever. I continued the story, since the answer was coming up. "The emperor was disheartened even as his troops celebrated, for he had been denied his chance to prove himself. He returned home to great cheers and parades to his glory, having defeated his enemies without bloodshed and bringing prosperity to both peoples through trade and political union. The voices on his court had not been hushed, and instead became louder." "Steelfeather vowed to try again, this time moving to take another province called Ellenia, on the far western edge of Equestria. Again, he assembled his army, and again, the Ellenians sued for peace before battle, encouraged by the result of his previous campaign. The emperor dealt with them fairly, and returned home again to soaring popularity and prosperity. The dissidents now openly called him a coward, which hurt his pride even if he was in no danger of losing his position. So finally, he resolved to conquer the greatest and oldest country the world has ever seen, Equestria." As I read the next paragraphs, trying to assemble them into a story before Twilight noticed the slowdown, something came over me. There was not much story left, so I began making things up, except they were not made up. I was reading over something I already knew by heart, despite having never read it before, the passages flowed together as if I were reading my own journal. "As Steelfeather marched his army to the borders of Equestria, the Triumvirate which governed it did not seek out a compromise. Instead, they maneuvered their troops all across the country, always one step ahead of Steelfeather's troops. He could not chase them down to engage in combat, and he could not press ahead while their army remained a threat to his supply line. His troops outnumbered theirs by five to one, yet to be at a disadvantage could spell disaster no matter how many soldiers he had. So they chased one another for months, until winter threatened to end his campaign altogether." "Finally, Steelfeather had managed to corner them by cleverly faking out his army's movements, sending a small force to give the Equestrian scouts the wrong idea. At last his moment of glory would come and he could settle all accounts as the greatest emperor the world had ever seen. All he had to do was win one battle decisively." "And so, his army took to the fields in WhiteTail plains. Against them, stood only one pony, Princess Amoria." As I said that name, a rush overtook me. An avalanche triggered in my head and a stream of images and thoughts poured over me, overriding my own mind. It was not instant this time, nor was it uncontrolled, I could hear myself still narrating the story to Twilight as I went, experiencing the words completely and utterly, the world I was describing became the real one to my mind. Dark clouds hovered overhead, leaving the world gray and dreary around us, threatening rain at any moment. Normally, the Pegasus ponies would keep such things regulated, but none would dare to wander into a war-zone for something as trivial as weather maintenance. As we had traipsed about the countryside, the many farmers of WhiteTail had abandoned the land in favor of safer terrains, and the area had become overgrown and wild again in such a short time. Ahead of me stood an uncountable number of creatures from every background. In the center, Steelfeather's personal guard and most dedicated troops, the legendary Heavy Brigade. Clad head to claw in thick steel armor, they were unable to fly due to the sheet weight. They did not need to, for it was nigh impossible to outfight them on the ground. Above them hovered lightly armored skirmisher Griffons, protecting their vertical flank. To my right, I could see several mixed divisions, mostly Griffons, some Mules. Probably irregulars due to the treaties he had managed to get them to sign a few years prior. To my left was a collection of mercenaries, including some ponies. I didn't fault them for their choices, of course, money was money and not everypony could afford to choose sides. I had heard the Steelfeather paid and fed his troops very well, it was understandable to want to fight for him, even against your own kind. There was no betrayal here. I had told my own troops to stay behind me, they were now a full day's march away. I had taken the field myself with no support, not because I had some ingenious scheme, but because I had wanted to see for myself the great leader that so many rumors had come to fixate on. Celestia, as always, had remained back in the capital to direct and plan. She always did that, though she had explicitly told me to surrender rather than fight if it came to that. They outnumbered us heavily, it would be a slaughter that was completely unnecessary. What good was it spilling blood for glory? Had the lessons of the centuries prior been completely forgotten, that now our peoples would fight one another over land and privilege? Shameful, but I supposed it had been necessary for each generation to re-learn the lessons of those prior. I had no intent to let them learn it through death, though. Luna had practically demanded to wipe them out herself, and it was only with our sage council she did not do so. It was easily within our power to simply tear them apart magically, leaving a disgusting reminder of the horrors of war embedded in the survivors. It seemed the full extent of our power escaped the mortals who now challenged us, not in a good way but in a pathetic way. I supposed it seemed like a legend to them now, there was no way anypony could be near invincible, especially not the otherwise meek and shy Luna. I knew the full extent of her strength, especially when it was unleashed on a creature she had no reason to hold back from. It was so long ago, only the severity of it made it anything but a legend to me. Whole landscapes scorched to stop the black, oozing invaders from coming, and yet more had come. This was nothing like that, I shuddered as the thought of it came to me. I had volunteered to go in her place, I had a plan to prevent this silly violence and to definitively show it was unnecessary. I had not been prepared for what had come next. I saw a commotion from amongst the Heavy Brigade soldiers as they broke rank, parting to allow a single Griffon to the front. His armor shone brightly despite the overcast sky, polished and flawless, bearing the symbol of his family on its chest. A griffon stopping a sword using, not a shield, but his wing feathers, cast in a stark grey. Emperor Steelfeather himself stood at their head and made his way towards me. As he approached, he took off his helmet to reveal his youngish, floppy feather-do. It was unkempt, he had done so on purpose, possibly because he liked the appearance of roughness it gave him. His eyes were wide, though anything but innocent, instead I sensed a mischievous tone to him as he sized me up. "Princess Amoria, I presume," he bellowed, making himself as loud as possible to make sure his own troops, now a hundred yards behind him, could hear him. "Indeed I am," I said, my horn glowing softly. It was a spell I had usually used when the occasion came for a speech, Celestia having shown me ages ago how it worked. Steelfeather saw my magic and realized what I was doing, the spell would allow us to converse normally while making sure everyone assembled could hear us. "Well then, I hope you're not here to surrender. You see, my troops here have been getting a lot of exercise lately, and you know how you get after a good workout," he said. "Oh of course not. In fact, I came alone, to make sure it was a fair fight!", I said back, jokingly. The assembled troops laughed nervously, quieting as Steelfeather shot a look back at them. "So then, if not to surrender, why have you come?" he asked, intrigued by my tone. "I wanted to see just who I was up against. I see now you're a griffon of courage and honor, to come before me without even a bodyguard." I said. Steelfeather, to his credit, took the quip and used it to his advantage. I had been pointing out his naivete, appearing before me within striking range of the sword in its sheath on my back. He quickly turned it around. "Indeed milady, and I see you're a pony of grace and humility, to honor me with your royal presence and trust in my wisdom," he said, taking a bow. Steelfeather, despite his youth, was well practiced in this form of verbal sparring. We had paid compliments to one another with civility despite the background of hostility, he was no brash young thing. Time for part two of my plan. I stood up on my hind legs, and unsheathed the sword I had with me. I did it slowly and calmly to avoid making him think it was to kill him, instead holding it in front of me and keeping my distance. "I would therefore like to make an offer to you," I said. I placed the sword hilt-up into the ground, driving it down into the grass in the universally accepted tradition. A duel. "Ah I see," he said, removing his own sword and placing it likewise in front of him, blade driven into the grass ahead of him. "Then I will let you name your term first." Duels were considered a formal agreement between the two involved, and had a long tradition going back centuries. The formalities and peculiar phrasing were a relic of their history, back when we spoke in poems to one another to prove our rhetorical skills. "If you are the duelist who is not victorious, then your campaigns must cease and you must make no more wars, against Equestria or any other, so long as you sit upon the throne of Setkuk," I said, sweeping my hoof over the hilt of my sword. "Very well. If you are the duelist who is not victorious, then Equestria must formally bond with Setkuk and share its resources and wisdom with its people," he said, sweeping his claw over his blade. "This duelist accepts your terms," I said. "This duelist accepts your terms," he said back. This griffon was no fool, I could tell, though his phrasing was not as elegant as mine, he had clearly followed all the formalities and made the agreement as presented. This was not his first duel, I reasoned, which was not surprising considering his reputation as a fencer. His soldiers behind him, hearing us make these arrangements, broke rank and shifted around, forming into a semi-circle to better watch the proceedings. This was my masterstroke, this was my plan. Celestia's spies had informed me that Steelfeather sought to prove himself, and I would give him the perfect opportunity to do so without killing anypony. Even if he was victorious, and I had no intention of yielding, the results would be quite similar to those of the countries before us which had surrendered. If I defeated him, then his campaigns would end, lest he impugn the honor which it was his goal to obtain. There was no truly losing outcome, though I'm sure Celestia would have had a seizure if I had told her about this plan before I set out! We raised our weapons to head height to signal the beginning of the battle. Steelfeather stood slightly above me, rather tall for a griffon of his age. His claws could lengthen his reach further than my hooves could as well, though my sword was longer than his. We would be roughly matched on that count. I could not gauge any of his other traits yet, his opening would tell me more. He decided to take the first attack, shouting "Engarde!" and bringing his blade into a swipe at me. I blocked it easily. He took another step in, repeating the attack over and over at different angles. These were fast strikes, meant to test my reflexes, and I passed each test with ease. He was quick for someone so bulky, the ease which he rotated and twisted his blade was the good fortune of griffons everywhere, the weapon designed for their claws from the ground up. After a good dozen strikes, he eased his attack and stepped back to range, and reset his stance as I did the same. This time he sought to test something else, bringing back his blade and swinging it from right to left in a powerful arc. He put his full strength behind the swipe, and I felt it as I moved to block the attack. Pain shot through my forelegs, my blade vibrated with the impact and cast the vibration down into my bones. His strength was incredible, far above mine, not just due to his bulk as a griffon but also due to excellent physical conditioning. As a pony, even the biggest and strongest among us would be the match of an average griffon. Our species was far more slender and lightly built for running, not fighting; the sting of steel on steel was a firm reminder of this reality. Worse, Steelfeather could tell, as I grunted when I stopped the hit, that it had taken effort to do so. He sensed a weakness he could exploit, and tried again to see if the result would be the same. He stepped back, then performed the same swipe again. As I saw him do so, I leaped back nimbly, completely avoiding the strike. Unfortunately, while I had avoided the blow, I had also effectively told him he was stronger than I was, and he now knew where his advantage lay. To my surprise, he did not seek to capitalize on it, instead resetting his pose again. I recovered and did the same, waiting for the next attack. It was not to come, Steelfeather cocked his head to the side and waited politely for me to make the next strike. A polite gesture, perhaps, or a mocking one, it was difficult to tell. I needed to be sure he was capable of defending himself, lest I accidentally injure him. I had seen bouts where a fencer was all offense and could not parry, eventually leaving him in the hospital bed after a poorly placed swing. It was considered bad form to severely injure your opponent in a duel, though it happened now and then, accidents with blades having a predictable outcome. My swings were jabs, light attacks designed to be blocked and, if not, would not cause much more than cuts. Steelfeather parried them easily, almost looking bored as he did so. I obliged his boredom by upping the pace, a flurry of quick strikes which he only barely caught at the last second before parrying. He grunted under the strain of rotating and stepping, but never caved, protecting himself with total surety. I switched my attack to stabbing motions, using both hooves placed on the blade and thrusting towards him. This block required quite a bit more skill, though it left me open to a counter. Steelfeather parried the first two then went for a counterattack, bringing his blade above his head then back down quickly towards mine. His method was fine but his strategy was lacking, perhaps he had never had an opponent who really tested him. I would punish him soon enough for this. I sidestepped to avoid his strike, his blade passing down my left side harmlessly. I stepped out and away from to the side, giving us both a chance to reset and prepare for the next attacks. Once again, he allowed me to begin, and I performed a leaping strike from full distance. It was a slow, easily blocked attack, which was exactly what I was hoping he would do. He parried it expertly and began a counterattack, bringing his blade down and then in from his side, swiping horizontally. I had watched his previous attack and realized he left himself open on the downswing. By forcing him to do a horizontal strike, I could step in the gap as his claw passed. My sword was too slow to attack with, and I switched it to one hoof while bringing the other up into Steelfeather's face. My shoe connected with his beak square on, the impact causing him to stagger backwards. The assembled crowd gasped. He did not lose his grip on his own sword, and recovered his balance quickly, but the damage was done. He stepped back a bit, lowering his sword to and holding his other claw to feel his beak, touching it gently to check if anything had been broken. I stepped back and waited, until... "An excellent blow!" he shouted, raising his sword in salute. The crowd cheered and raised their weapons as well, bellowing forth a "Huzzah!"for their leader. He took this setback with striking grace, quite excited at the challenge of it. Point for me. Technically, the duel would end when one of us yielded, as this was no formal sporting arrangement. In many circles, the duel would end at a yield, or the first to admit the other three points. In formal events, judges would award points for particularly good performances and base the winner off a host of statistics, though forcing the opponent to yield was still an instant victory. We reset again, I could see him trying to smile through his now-swelling cheek. I grinned back, I admit, though I tried to keep my face as flat as possible, to avoid letting him know where his advantages were. I suspected he would not allow me to take such an easy hit again, having learned his lesson in such a stark manner. This time he took the strike, swinging six times in quick succession and leaving no room for a counter. I blocked them while backing up, his aggressive stance called him to move forward as he struck. There was plenty of room to maneuver out in the field, backing up was instead a signal that he had the initiative. He could make me move whatever direction he wanted, and kept his pace up, causing me to zigzag around the field as he alternated his lefts and rights. So far, he had been using simplistic, vanilla attacks. Simple was very effective, there was a good reason to master the basics, but simple was clearly not going to be enough to defeat me. Having caused me to move so much, I was less sure of my stance and a sudden switch would be offsetting. This switchback technique was something they taught in introductory courses, but there was a second, more complicated component. After having me in a movement rhythm, taking one step backwards for each he took forwards, Steelfeather quickly took three steps in quick succession before striking. The sudden rush had me off balance and I parried the hit with the blade at the wrong angle. The blow caused me to lean to one side, and Steelfeather immediately swung his blade from the same side. I leaped back at full speed, the blade narrowly missing by the length of the fur on my coat. One fraction of a second slower and that would have been an impressive gash on my chest. Both of us recognized that it was luck that had saved me that time, and I stepped back and bowed before resetting myself. The crowd around us had started to grow noisy, various soldiers shouting back and forth in a fog of words that all melted together. I gave Steelfeather a cocked eyebrow as I noticed the din above us. "Hmm, I think I heard one of them placing a bet on me," I said to him, leading him on. I couldn't hear anything like that, of course, I just wanted to see how he reacted. "My dear, were I the type, I'd be betting on you too," he said, flashing a grin at me. "Oh emperor, don't you worry what example you'd be setting? Your troops would never follow a gambler," I said back. "Perhaps you are right," he said. He lowered his weapon and turned back to face the bulk of the crowd directly behind him. He raised his claw to his mouth and shouted at his army. "All those of you who are placing bets on the Princess," he yelled, gesturing his sword at me. The crowd quieted down in an instant. "...Had best be prepared to lose them!" The crowd cheered again, louder than before, and the din of their conversation resumed at full intensity. Steelfeather turned back to me. I rolled my eyes. Once again, he had either demonstrated great courage or great naivete. From a duelist standpoint, had I struck while his back was turned, it would be a perfectly legal and honorable move. He surely knew that, but did it anyway. Did he... trust me? I could tell his bragging was a show to inspire his followers, yes, and a good show he put on in these circumstances. I wondered if he would mind losing at this point, if so, he did not show it. The battle resumed, neither of us giving the other an opening, fighting to a standstill as our blades clashed and clanged. The strain was beginning to wear on me, my coat moistened with sweat, and it wore on Steelfeather as well, he panted and grunted with each swing. I could not count on outlasting him at this rate, though he tired, his strikes remained strong and I burned my own stamina to keep pace. Making this an endurance contest was too risky, I needed to finish the fight and do it soon. I still had a few tricks up my sleeve, and maneuvered Steelfeather to better employ one. We needed to be perfectly level lest I trip myself, so I gently led the battle to the flatter ground just to my right. As we did, the crowd of soldiers moved along with us, getting closer and louder all the time, as though this was some sort of basement prize fight. When the time was right and Steelfeather's positioning just perfect, I made my move. I needed to wait for him to try an overhead swing, the chance coming a scant minute later. As he brought his blade down, I did not move to parry it but ducked inside its reach, spinning and reaching my own blade up and stopping his in front of me. While it would appear as though I had effectively put his blade to my throat, the surprise left him unable to capitalize, and I quickly slammed my head backwards into his chest, pushing his sword upwards as I did. Once again, he kept his claw on the blade, showing remarkably good grip as he tumbled backward. He recovered quickly and reset himself, more surprised than upset at this sudden move. In fact, he seemed to be awed by it. He held his blade up, still on alert, as he addressed me. "I've seen that move somewhere before. That one is very distinct. I believe I saw it at a tournament a few years back," he spoke calmly, measuring himself between deep breaths. "Hmm, not something that would amaze me. It requires perfect timing and positioning, not an easy find," I answered. "No no, not like that," he said, pausing for thought, keeping his sword raised. "Ah yes, now I remember. That was a move that Master Zollo showed me once." "Oh, you're familiar with him?" I asked. Zollo, or Swordmaster Zollo as they called him out east, had taken quite a few titles in his day. He was retired now, though still regarded as one of the best living fencers, more than capable of keeping up with the youngsters as his feathers greyed. "More than you might think. And you are as well, I see. When did he teach you that?" Steelfeather asked me, not idly or to distract. His tone was legitimately curious. "Teach me? My dear, I'm the one who taught him," I said back proudly. Steelfeather's eyes opened wide as he realized the full extent of who he was talking to. Doubtless there were rumors of the Triumvirate Princesses, rumors we made no effort to quash. To see it for himself must have been a shock to his system. His performance suffered for a few swings before he recovered his poise and precision. Now he threw himself even more into the duel, no longer concerned with victory but with testing himself against me. His second wind was taking a severe toll on me, I could only last another few minutes before I risked having a muscle cramp up at the wrong time. I would need to yield soon, or force him to, and he gave no indication of tiring. Now was the time for my plan to come to fruition. I had moved Steelfeather slowly and surely into a small depression, not high, but enough to put me at just above his neck. It would have to be sufficient, there was no better opportunity than now. To begin, I swung my sword a few times, weaker than I had before, then withdrew. A clearer signal that I was tiring could not be sent, and it was no great act of trickery at this point. Steelfeather realized his advantage and began his own finale, swinging his sword in a long arc at full strength and range. He realized it was his only out, and I did as well, knowing he would return to it if he hadn't another route to victory. I felt almost guilty springing the trap like this. Had this been any other situation I'd have stepped back and told him he was the finest I'd ever encountered, and meant every word. There was more to this than victory, our silly bet seemed distant, only bringing itself back to the forefront as the end of the duel approached. Steelfeather's first wide strike connected with my blade, as it had before, and sent a shock wave through me. This time I shuddered visibly and reset myself further back. He brought the swing again, slower but with every ounce of power behind it as before. I leaped back to indicate I would not attempt to block it again. Steelfeather chose his opportunity to finish this, at the same time as I did. He began his third, final sweep, and stepped forward as he did so to prevent me from leaping backwards. Had it connected, I would surely have dropped my blade in shock, and he was too close to dodge. The perfect distance. I leaped into the air, pulling my hind legs up and flapping my wings as hard as I could, exactly once. Steelfeather's sword sliced the air right under my hoof, any closer and I'd have had a hooficure most unwelcome. My blade came up and just cleared his claw, landing me inside his reach with him completely off balance. He was mine for the taking. I brought myself up next to him, wrapping my sword up behind his back and pushing his chest into mine. At the same time, I used my free hoof to pull his sword up behind me, facing downwards. His hot breath rolled down my face. We were both drenched with sweat, that roguish grin only an inch away from my face. As I looked up at his face, I felt my grip weaken, and I felt him release his sword, falling to the earth behind me. Victory was mine. I wanted more. I pressed myself up closer, harder than was necessary. He seemed to understand the implication, lowering his face to mine. I moved in for the finishing blow, our lips locked together in a sweet embrace of passion as our swords fell forgotten to the earth. His tongue was wild as it ran over mine, the beak bizarrely acceptable to me. I had never kissed a griffon before, not in all my many years. It was a pleasant experience, had I known it was like this I'd have ended the duel sooner. Time seemed to stand still as we explored one another's features before, inevitably, we had to end it and withdraw, however reluctantly. The crowd around us fell completely silent, the onlookers completely forgetting their bets and rowdiness at the display before them. As we pulled back, our eyes remained locked on one another. Steelfeather read my hint. We both said, simultaneously and without hesitation, "I yield." The gathered crowd's explosion of cheers fell on deaf ears as we kissed again. Who would have known I would find one who I could respect and trust completely, a griffon of true honor and courage ready to stake his empire, perhaps even his life, on his personal skills on the field. I had learned so much about him in our brief time together, and would learn much more over the years to come. And with that, the world melted away and I was back in Twilight's room. She was sleeping a few feet from my face as I took stock of the room which now seemed so alien. What seemed like hours had passed, though it was really only about twenty-five minutes. I looked at the history book spread before me, trying to find the details I had no doubt narrated to the filly who slept soundly through it. Everything that had just happened had been one sentence long. "Princess Amoria challenged Steelfeather to a duel which ended in a tie. As per their agreement, if Amoria did not win, Equestria would formally bond with Setkuk. If Steelfeather did not win, Setkuk would make no more war. Both terms applied, and Princess Amoria married Steelfeather in a grand ceremony some months later. The empire would eventually collapse long after the reign of the Steelfeather dynasty ended, and much of the politics of western Equestria are mirrored in the arrangements made then." That was it, a scant paragraph about the love of my life, or one of my lives. He deserved better, I should have been angry, but it occurred to me that was not what he would have wanted. Though he bragged endlessly, he really had been the most humble of griffons, practically begging me to teach him both sword and statecraft as we spent the rest of our lives together. The realization that these memories of mine were both true and impossible passed subconsciously. I had died, centuries ago. More than once, it seemed, I had memories of ancient times and courageous individuals I could not place. Steelfeather's was bright and strong, shining in my memory and being utterly unforgettable, bringing the contrast up, too strong to ignore. My head was spinning, it began to hurt even though no memories came flooding out this time. The dissonance itself was what stung. Who was I? Wasn't I a high school senior who was foalsitting for a summer job? I knew the extent of a sword inside out, I knew I could wield one with frightening efficiency now, if I had to. I knew about things that had happened before my time. It hurt to think about it, and I could not stop. I ran from the room into the washroom, lighting the candle there and staring at myself in the mirror. Same old me, I looked back at my own panicked expression. The view grounded me, for now, and the world made sense again. So long as I could see myself I knew who I was. I definitely needed to see a shrink, maybe get some pills. Ordinary, sane ponies do not deal with this, I wanted to find some way to drown these thoughts out and keep them away forever. It was a good thing this was my last essay this summer, I was no longer sure what would trigger the deluge again and bring these thoughts back. I went back to Twilight's room and tucked her in fully, leaving Smarty-Pants next to her to keep watch as she always did. I spent the rest of the evening in the living room writing up the last of my essay, this time spanning three scrolls and requiring a jar of ink refill. Usually I used pencil, but all this magic practice with Twilight had made me much comfortable with a quill and ink. No doubt she would be better, maybe able to write with her eyes closed at the rate she was progressing. Finally, her mom came home near midnight, clad in a purple raincoat, though she was not wet. "Oh I'm so sorry about this," she blurted, albeit softly. "Is Twilight okay?" "She went to sleep a while ago. Sleeps like a bunny," I said, packing my scrolls up into my bags. I could finish the last bit whenever I wanted, this essay was not due for some time. "Thanks so much Cadence, it's great to know I can always rely on you," Mrs. Sparkle said, before sneaking into Twilight's room to have a look. I took the opportunity to head out myself, yawning as I passed the door. The moon wasn't out tonight, hidden behind thick clouds up above. As I strode towards my home, spatters of rain hit the walk, stronger and stronger until one hit me right between the eyes. I looked up, finally connecting all the pieces together. I had not really checked the papers to see if there was a storm tonight. Twilight's mom had been wearing a raincoat. I had my essays in my bags. My very much not-waterproof bags. And they were written in ink. All three pages, single spaced.