"Quick! Rewind it!" somepony called out pointing to the screen.
Discord did as the pony requested as murmurs and questions went around the room.
"Now focus on Sarah and Jack," the same pony said happiness in their voice.
After rewatching the scene between Sarah and Jack everyone had their hope levels growing again.
"We need to go and help them," Rainbow said getting up and began to leave.
"No." Celestia said stopping her and everyones cheers.
"But..." Rainbow began.
"This is not our fight Rainbow Dash," she said "The fight is between Eric and Sombra, we must not interfer."
"So what are Jack and Sarah doing?" Rainbow challenged pointing to the screen.
"I assure you Rainbow," Discord said getting her to focus on him "Jackson Jones knows all the rules on fighting here in Equestria. And he was always the best at spotting loopholes in things like this."
"What do you mean Discord?" Fluttershy asked some foals huddled around her.
"Sombra said he agreed that 'During the fight he will not use any Dark Magic' right?" he said looking around getting nods and worried looks "But he didn't say about anything after that.
I saw that Jack saw through that when we were still in the courtyard," he continued "And am sure that those snowballs they are making are for just that, and if their needed."
"But what if he wins anyway?" a foal asked waving their hoof around. "Eric said if that happens then he'll let him do what he want to with him."
"Have faith in our Knight little colt," Zecora said making everyone turn to her "For I know that Eric is not a dolt. He may be weak from his fight from before, but he is not one to just in your face, slam the door. He will fight until the task is done, he will fight giving it his all until he has won."
With that everyone turned back to the screen now focused back on Eric and Sombra. Eric looking like he was really struggling, Sombra looking like he was enjoying this so very much.
In Whitetail, Eric had only just dodged an attack that would of ended this fight and was looking around trying find anything that could help.
"Who's the weak one now then Knight?" Sombra said wearing a smile his eyes narrowed "Who's the one afraid they wont win now? Don't try and deny it. I can feel that that's your fear. You're afraid that you will lose and let everypony down."
"Alright," Eric said standing with an arm around his waist a red stain slowly growing bigger by the second "I'll admit that I'm afraid. Yes I'm afraid that I'll lose. I'm afraid that I will let everyone down. I'm afraid that Equestria will fall because there will no longer be anyone here willing to stand up to you to defend it." Eric said breathing a bit hard now clutching his eyes. "But it's because of those feelings that I'm still standing. I will not back down to you Sombra. I will not bow, I will not break, I will not let this world fade away because of your darkness and hatred. I will not fall, I will not leave Equestria all alone to fight you. But I will fight you. And I will win."
With that Eric quickly shifted his sword to a bow and arrow and fired three flaming arrows at the stallion who created a shield of shadows to protect himself firing red very sharp looking crystals at the knight who was now up in the trees jumping from branch to branch firing more and more arrows the tenth one getting Sombra in the shoulder causing the stallion to cry out in pain and glare up at the boy in the trees as he pulled it out.
"You think a few mere well shot arrows will defeat me Knight?" he asked eyes narrowed and ears moving picking up whispers over by the lake.
"Just managed to get you there didn't I?" Eric asked back.
*
Over by the lake Sarah and Jack were lying in wait a pile of snowballs between them behind a snowdrift watching the fight as is carried on, Sarah really wanting to do something just being stopped by Jack.
"But if we don't do anything Jack, Eric will lose this," Sarah said her eyes wide tears in the corners of them more of her hair turning back to blonde, looking into a how-he-came-here Jack.
"You can't interfere with fights that aren't yours, here in Equestria cuz," Jack said trying to get her to understand. "This is Eric and Sombra's fight and theirs alone. Until it's over we can't do anything."
"Then why are we here and not in the stands?" Sarah asked voice rising a bit "Why are here with a pile of snowballs prepared to have 'some fun in the snow' if we can't do anything?"
"To, if need be, save Eric from Sombra after the fights over," Jack said strongly "Now shut up and just watch will you."
Sighing slightly Sarah dropped the snowball in her hand, turned her back to the battlefield and brought her knees up to her chest.
"What if he... You know..." she asked after a bit.
"You got to remember this is Eric we're talking about cuz," Jack said struggling not to interfere himself "He'll find someway to get this sorted out." 'I hope' he thought to himself wincing as Eric fell out of the tree he was in because Sombra sent a beam at the branch he was standing on.
*
Groaning in pain as he slowly got up, Eric ground his teeth to stop himself screaming as he was was shot back into the next tree being pinned there by Sombra's crystals ever so slowly growing in length making him raise his head so it didn't cut into his neck.
"There," Sombra said smirking "I believe I have won Knight," with that he stopped and disbursed the crystals and started to walk away.
"Not quite yet Sombra," Eric said getting up with the help from the tree.
"What are you talking about boy?" Sombra said spinning around "I stopped you for ten seconds. That was the rules, you ungrateful little..."
"The rules were 'Your Highness' the first one to floor the other for ten seconds." Eric said seeing his shield over at the base of the tree in front of him wondering if he could make it. "So because you had pinned to a tree, I'm still in this."
As quickly as he could due to the pain he was in, Eric dove for his shield, shifted it to a sword and clashed it with Sombra's red one that after a while he disarmed and caught in his other hand which he then crossed with his own charging at Sombra making the stallion fall down the feel of metal on either side of his neck, Eric standing over him panting.