Equestrian Throwdown

by Hex Mark

The Serpent's embrace; The Sun's request

Author's Note:

Before I get any hate mail: I am sorry if I couldn't do Celestia justice, this is my first time writing her and I knew I was treading very thin ice when it comes to using her as a character. I do not wish to discredit any of the canon characters, and I am using the best of my ability to balance canon and the plot.

I go to edit the author note and I unpublish this thing. :P

Skylark's footsteps echoing through the hall, the human started to slow down as he looked around. Once the echoing subsided, Skylark could only hear three things. His racing heart, which began to slow down, his breathing which accompanied the beating. And a soft hiss, loud enough to be close. Not behind me...not in front... he thought, carefully walking as he looked up. Nothing on the ceiling to hang onto... Skylark pondered.

SNAP!

The floor beneath him broke; a thin layer covering a shallow pit. The lapse in attention was enough for the human to be caught by something, suddenly a thick binding wrapped itself around him, forcing his arms to his sides.

"What in the world-?!" he asked, only to clam up when a pony's face was inches from his own, a forked tongue flicking out to poke his nose. Caressa?! he asked himself as the coils tightened just enough to make it difficult to breath, the snake-pony's hooves resting themselves on his shoulders.

"Itssss~ nice of you to drop in." Caressa hissed softly, examining her catch with her golden eyes. "Enjoying my embrace?" she asked, tightening ever so slightly. Tensing up, the human tried to get some form of reprieve, anything for an easy breath.

"What....are you-?" Skylark gasped once the grip was loosened, only for it to tighten once more.

"Jussst need to make ssssure..." She started, the naga-pony's tail-tip slipping underneath Skylark's shirt. A smile spread on her muzzle, her forked tongue flicking up against the human’s cheek as she pulled the key out. “Looksss~ like there’sss~ no need for usss~ to fight...” Caressa concluded, slowly inserting the key back into his inner shirt-pocket, cupping his face with her hooves before she showed him her own key.

“Clever...But if you already had a key-?” the coils squeezed Skylark briefly. “-Why go through the trouble?” the human asked

“I really don’t enjoy the fightsss~ that are going on up there...I chose to wait, you ssssee. Wait until I could ssslither past. I placed thisss trap so I wouldn't have to kill anyone.” She eased her grip, letting her upper-weight rest down on the human. “Sssstay for a bit...No need for you to get hurt....” the naga-pony hissed softly. Her grip was tight, but Skylark now felt like she was simply cuddling him.

"Can I really say 'no'? " he asked, a nervous chuckle leaving his mouth.
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“Your Highness!” Twilight called out to Princess Celestia, who was waiting in Ponyville for her. Bowing her head, the purple unicorn looked up at her teacher with a smile.

“Twilight. I’m glad you and your friends were able to get here so quickly.” Celestis smiled, drawing Twilight’s attention to her friends, who had slowed down to meet up with her. “Where is Lyra Heartstrings?” the princess asked, a motherly concern in her voice.

“She stayed behind, she was too busy watching her human in the competition.” Rarity gave her answer.

”Her human?” Celestia asked, more bemused than anything else.

“The human I sent you the letter about, Your Highness. He had been summoned to compete for Lyra’s sake.” Twilight explained, prompting a disappointed sigh from the princess.

“I was hoping that wasn’t the case...Too many have already taken part in that death-trap.” Celestia sighed, looking to her student. “How has he faired so far?”

“He’s been holding his own, alright!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a smile, only to be reigned in by Applejack.

“Calm down, last we saw him, he was in pretty rough shape. That tiger was overwhelming him and that minotaur.” the earth pony corrected the pegasus, who face-hooved.

“Your Highness, do you want us to get him out of there?” Twilight asked, and the princess shook her head.

”That would be impossible at this point.” Celestia lamented. “I'm sorry it too me so long, but the locations of the Elements of Harmony..” She add

“Really? So all we have to do is find them and get them back, right?” Twilight asked, and Celestia nodded.

“Correct. However, it will not be so simple...” The Sun Princess replied.
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"L-Look, Caressa..." Skylark tried to speak up.

"I'm sssorry, am I too tight?" the snake-pony loosened her grip along with her words.

"No, it's just, we really better get moving if we wanna get to the next round. I don't think the audience wants to see a snuggle-fest. Might..get the wrong idea?" the human hoped to reason with Caressa, who hissed once more before she finally relinquished her hold. Standing up and rubbing his arm, Skylark looked to the snake-pony. You really are gentle...If the other competitors were like you, maybe the bloodshed could be stopped sooner. he thought with a soft smile before the new duo ventured onward.
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"Heck yeah! We'll get the Elements back in no time!" Rainbow Dash shot a hoof into the air, her enthusiasm helping her friends as Celestia smiled.

"My faithful student. I am sorry to burden you, but I have one more task to ask of you." the alicorn addressed her student, who nodded.

"It won't be a burden at all, Your Highness. What is it?" she asked, and Celestia looked in the direction of where the competition was taking place.

"I'd like to ask you to be a teacher for this human. He may know how to use magic, but it will do no good if he can't control it."

"To teach him...magic?" Twilight asked, more to herself Can I really do such a thing? I know this human can use it, but..No. Princess Celestia is trusting me with this, I can't just let her down like this. Twilight nodded with a smile. "Leave it to me, Your Highness."
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"Alright! We're almost there." Skylark sighed in relief as they approached the entrance to a large, circular room. There were several bridges heading to the center platform, where three doors stood. That was not what caught the human's attention, however. The sounds of a struggle and a loud roar was a cause for worry for the human. Oh crap! he thought, quickly running down the bridge, using the platform as an axis to get to find the source of the sound. He stopped abruptly as his eyes widened at the sight.

[To be continued]

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[Hex Mark]

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