Magic Paint Brushes 2: A New Canvas To Paint On

by Ugly-Duckling123

Chap 24

"Well..."

Everypony was speechless.
No one ever thought that anyone would ever say what Eric had just said to the King of Darkness. And now all had their eyes on the pony in question waiting to see his reactions, only to be surprised that he seemed unfazed.

"Alright Sir Knight," Sombra said getting up and walking forward a bit so he was the first one to be addressed "I accept this little challenge of yours. You may fight me, and to prove to you I'm not a coward, I will not use any of my Dark Magic during the fight." He said standing tall "May I ask what the outcomes will be when the time comes?"

"If I win," Eric said strongly without even looking back to discuss this with the others "You let Sarah and Jack go from your magic, and you," he pointed to Chrysalis "Shall withdraw your armies and leave Equestria in piece."

"And if I win Sir Knight?" Sombra asked.

"You may do to me what you wish," Eric said looking him in the eye to prove he meant it "And I will not resist, or fight back, or anything. On my word as a Warrior of Harmony. Cross my heart hope to fly..."

"No! Not a Pinkie Promise!" a small group of voices said behind him which he ignored and continued with the rhyme.

"Stick a cupcake in my eye." he finished.

Suddenly six little filly's pushed past the grownups and went to stand in between Eric and Sombra looking up at the boy, eyes wide and shocked expressions on their faces.

"Meester Eric, do you know what you've just done?" they all called out.

"I thought I told you girls not to come out here," Eric said looking down at the girls disappointment on his face.

"But..." they said.

"But nothing, now get back inside," he said pointing with his sword "Don't worry," he continued when they hesitated "I know what I'm doing."
Then looking towards Jack asked "May we use your Whitetail Wood wonderland for the 'Battle Field' Jack?"

Jack, only shrugged and before anyone could do or say anything else, with a snap of his fingers he, Eric, Sarah, Sombra and Chrysalis and all her Changelings were gone. Leaving the others in the courtyard with unreadable expressions on their faces.

***
Inside everyone instently rushed to the library and set up the screen from before and set it to 'Whitetail Wood' nervous on how it would turn out.

While they were setting it up Amber began pacing. So much so that she was beginning to cause a rut into the floor.

"Sis, ruining the castle even more than how it is already, isn't going to sort anything out." Jade, the eldest said to her.

"Plus the fact you're giving us each a headache with your pacing." Ruby said rubbing her head soothingly trying to get the pain to stop.

"Why would Meester Eric want the fight to take place in Whitetail Wood?" Amber asked showing that she didn't even hear her sisters.

"AMBER STOP WITH THE PACING PLEASE!" her friends called out knocking her back to her scenes making the necklace Jack gave bounce on her neck causing her look at it.

Feeling it, she looked down and cocked her head trying to remember.

"THAT'S IT!" she called.

"What's it?" Apple Bloom asked confused.

"I think I know why he chose Whitetail Wood." Amber said a wide smile on her face.

"You going to tell us?" Scootaloo asked raising an eyebrow.

"Remember what Meester Jack said about his snow?"Amber asked giving them a hint question.

"That 'Whoever gets hit with them, immediately feels happy and carefree, and have a wanting need for fun'," Sweetie Belle remembered speaking slowly trying to remember it all.

"And while they're like that, they'll be having too much fun to be bad," Amber continued nodding.

"But will they work on Sombra?" Jade asked looking out the window toward Whitetail.

"I think the better question sis, is... Will Eric have enough time and fightingness in him for one to get to him and then enough energy to end it afterwards?" Ruby said.

"IT'S READY EVERYPONY!" Discord called out to the crowd who at once bunched together and watched the screen all at the edge of their seats, and knocking their hooves together silently wishing their last ray of hope against those two will not fail them.

---

Over in Whitetail, everyone just landed on the snow and were just going over the rules of the battle again.

"Ok, so the deal is, Sir," Eric said shifting his sword to a shield in case it would be a false start. "You are not to use any Dark Magic while you fight me on your own. And If I win you give back Sarah and Jack and leave Equestria in peace."

"I recall those are indeed the terms Knight," Sombra said "But remember, if you don't win, in your own words boy, 'I may do to you what ever I please and you will not resit."

After they agreed on that, Jack came up between them in a tux and a microphone in hand (Remember he's still Discords student even though he's evil now) and called out to Sarah and the Changelings who were now sitting in the stands...

"Mares and Gentle-colts, the fight between King Sombra and knight Sir Eric is about to begin... It shall only be one round no time limit and no rules other than that King Sombra may not use any Dark Magic. The first one to floor the other down for ten seconds is the winner." he said zapping out the way and sitting next to Sarah a box of pop-corn in his hand "Battle... Begin!" he said and a bell rang somewhere telling the two in front of them to start.

Five minutes later...

It had been five minutes since the bell was rung and Sombra and Eric began their fight for the fate of Equestria.

Mostly it was blocking the others attack and shooting at them whenever they could get a chance.

As the last combo attack died down, Eric and Sombra were seen panting heavily trying to catch their breaths looking into the others eyes both shooting daggers at the other.

"I must say Sir Knight," Sombra said throwing his head back a bit getting his voice back first "You fight rather well, for someone who has only been coming here for five months."

"I'll take that as a compliment sir," Eric said bending down behind the his shield eyes still on the king. "I've been fighting battles against bullies since I was six years old. And even though I nearly always got hurt by them in the end, I did it for those who couldn't fight for themselves, or had any friends to do it for them." he continued getting up stretching a bit rubbing at his broken ribs gently trying to numb the pain.
"Cause as someone once told me... 'Sometimes, when you come to the end... What you need is a friend'." he finished looking to the stands to see if those words had any effect on Sarah.

"Aww... How sweet," Sombra said in his loud voice making a red crystal sword as he spoke, "It's good to know at least some manners and chivalry still exist somewhere in the world. Lot of use it will do you however," he said looking up at Eric now "Because once I'm done with you in this silly battle of yours, you won't need to worry about bullies or have any friends ever again."

With that waiting a few seconds to let Eric shift his shield back to a sword for it to be a fair fight, Sombra charged and swung his sword at Eric.

Up in the stands Sarah was fiddling with her bracelet but picked up her ears when the knight spoke that mantra, sure she had heard it before and tried to remember feeling the bracelet warm up, and a flash of memories came to her...

The painting of the Mare in the Moon, the trip with Pinkie to Sweet Apple Acres, meeting everyone, the forest, the tower and Verde, the point she got her Harmony outfit, the battle against Nightmare, her not being strong enough to stop her, Eric saying those words, Nightmare shooting at him, and finally... her cheeks turned red at that last memory as streaks of her natural blondness returned to her hair.

"Remember now then cuz?" Jack leaned over to her so they weren't caught.

"Yeah, I do..." Sarah said placing the bracelet on her wrist hoping she'll stay her dark form just a bit longer then realized something. "Hey how come you're..."

"Not being evil anymore?" Jack asked raising an eyebrow at her, getting a nod. "No one can tame a student of chaos cuz, whether it's though force or some kind of magic... You can't take me. Plus the fact I think somehow I was like you know... immune or whatever from his magic from Twilight's beam when she got me in Canterlot."

"So you've been faking this whole time?" Sarah asked crossing her arms.

"Well I was always the better Charades master at reunions and Christmas parties wasn't I?" Jack said very proudly rubbing his knuckles against his chest "But it was mostly so I can be there for you when you got everything back, and back you up and what-not if you got them back in a less 'Safe' place." he said trying to find the right word.

"Thanks Jack," she replied sighing a bit a small smile on her lips. "So what next Oh Great and Powerful master of Charades?" she asked bringing her hands together and bowing slightly to her cousin.

"We're going to have some fun in the snow," he said grinning snapping his fingers making them disappear from the stands and dropped them by the lake in the shadows of the trees as they began to form snow balls, every now and then looking up to the fight seeing Eric struggling a bit.