Chapter 10
"Yeah!" Spike crowed as he looked down on Canterlot. "I am Sir Spike, Pegasus Rider!"
Twilight scowled slightly, then began giggling. Spike was mounted on her back as she and Rainbow Dash spiraled up above the Canterlot library. Twilight could feel his claws tangled in her mane as the little dragon called out. One day he'd be able to fly on his own, but that was years away, and Twilight was glad to be able to give him this experience while she was equipped to do so.
"Careful, Spike," Rainbow Dash said, mischievously. "You don't wanna fall, do you?"
"Ow!" Twilight yelped as Spike's grip tightened sharply. "Rainbow!"
Rainbow Dash just laughed and banked, swooping toward the drawbridge leading out of Canterlot. "Come on! You're out in the field, right?"
"Yes, at the dragon grounds," Twilight replied. She flapped her wings and fell in below Rainbow Dash, staying out of the pegasus' wake. "It's down to the east, past the tent city."
The trio traced a graceful arc, staying well away from the other aerial traffic as they flew. The pegasi and occasional gryphons they saw paid them the same favor, although Twilight thought she saw an odd look or two cast her way.
"Say, Twilight," Rainbow Dash called out, glancing down at an angle at her friend. "I've been wanting to ask, how do you like flying so far?"
Twilight's face broke out in a wide grin. "It's great!" she said, loudly. "I can see why you like this so much. It sure is tiring, though."
Slowing, Rainbow banked and flew in a little more closely to Twilight. "You okay? Do we need to land and walk the rest of the way?"
Twilight's grin grew a bit predatory. "No, I want to be as tired as possible for this."
Rainbow blinked and shook her head, banking away. "You're so weird."
"Yeah, that's what I keep telling her," Spike said.
---
The dragon grounds were nearly twice the size of the area Twilight had competed with Gianna on, and the land itself was scarred and torn up, with only a few patches of green grass still standing. There were large stands on either side of the grounds, and they were full to capacity. Twilight could see Luna and nearly all of her friends sitting in the center, toward the front. She was confused as to why Fluttershy was missing. Was she still tending to Trixie?
Across the field stood a huge monster. Zlatan, Twilight's opponent. He was as enormous as the dragons Twilight had encountered near Ponyville, but other than that he couldn't have been more different. His scales were gold and shone brightly in the sun. His wings were folded in at his side, but Twilight could tell that unfolded they would span nearly the entire width of the field. He carried himself proudly, wisdom sparkling in his his green eyes. The other dragons Twilight had seen were animals. Zlatan was a force of nature.
The ground in the center of the field split and a geyser of brilliant energy erupted from it, drawing gasps from the crowd. Twilight averted her eyes from the blinding light, shielding herself with a foreleg. When the light faded, it left behind a bipedal figure draped in regal robes and carrying a gnarled staff. Twilight immediately recognized Hadalsnan al-Dhi’b, the ancient ghul king.
"Friends!" Al-Dhi'b bellowed, his cracked voice carrying strongly across the field. "Welcome to semi-final round of Moonstone Cup tournament!" He raised his arms and staff dramatically, turning slowly to look over the field as cheers erupted from the spectators.
"Winner of this round," he continued, lowering his arms, "go on to last match of tournament. After this, only one other match like it for next two years!" His voice rose at the end into a stentorian cry, further riling up the cheering crowd.
The dulled gem set into the gnarled end of Al-Dhi'b's staff glowed, and smaller geysers of energy erupted around the ghul king. For a moment, at least, Hadalsnan al-Dhi'b set aside his age and frailty, and Twilight saw a glimpse of what the old warlord might have been like in less peaceful days. The field was obviously where he belonged.
"Now, I introduce you to competitors," he roared. Al-Dhi'b swept his staff melodramatically, pointing it at Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle! Hero pony of Equestria! She need no introduction! Friends, families alive and well because of her! She defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord! Not for thousand years has world seen equal!"
Twilight swallowed hard. Najstariot's introductions had been melodramatic, but this was something different. She smiled weakly and waved a shaky hoof at the crowd.
Without pause, Al-Dhi'b turned on his heel to face the opposite bleachers. He spun his staff in the air and ended with it pointing at the enormous dragon occupying the side of the field opposite Twillght. "Zlatan! Dragon wizard of renown! Finest of Ormsreich and three-time Moonstone Cup competitor! He wield primal power over nature of world itself!"
Twilight watched as Zlatan spread his massive wings, casting a broad shadow across the field. The dragon turned his head slowly, nodding silently at the crowd on both sides, before facing forward again.
Al-Dhi'b walked to the side of the field, taking up position in front of the bleachers opposite Twilight's friends. "Competitors!" the aging king bellowed. "Come to center!"
Twilight teleported to the the center of the blasted field, while Zlatan folded his wings, the mighty dragon striding ponderously across the ground.
Up close, Zlatan's head alone dwarfed Twilight. She had been mistaken; the golden-scaled dragon was even larger than either of the dragons near Ponyville had been. Twilight had never seen a living thing so huge. She tried to keep from shaking as two brilliantly green eyes bore into her.
"So," Zlatan began. His voice was low, and rumbled like distant thunder. "You are Twilight Sparkle, greatest magician among the ponies."
"Um." Twilight swallowed hard. "I'm the bearer of the Element of Magic, but I don't think I'm the greatest magician..." She trailed off, awkwardly, wings twitching.
Zlatan tilted his massive head. He blinked his inner eyelid at Twilight from one eye, then nodded, slowly. "Pardon me. Humility is not a trait of my people. I do not often see it to recognize it. Nevertheless, you are Twilight Sparkle. You are the bearer of the Element of Magic. You are the caregiver and friend of the lost hatchling. You are the future of this world. It is an honor to face you here."
Twilight's mind swam and she stumbled slightly on the uneven 'ground'. So many question flashed through her mind before she settled on choking out, "What do you know about Spike?"
"Hmm. 'Spike'. Yes." The dragon looked off into the gradually reddening sky, as if lost in thought. "So, he has a name. Fitting. I should like to speak with you again after this match."
"Alright," Twilight said, unable to keep a quaver from her voice.
Zlatan unceremoniously lofted up into the air. His massive wings created a powerful wind that Twilight had to brace herself against. He turned in the air and flew the distance back to the far end of the field, barely a hop, skip and jump for the monstrous reptile.
After Twilight teleported back to her end of the field, Al-Dhi'b raised his walking staff dramatically, then brought the end down with a dull thud. "Begin!"
Zlatan roared, a piercing, primal sound. Before Twilight could cast a single spell, she felt her feet go out from underneath her. She slid forward uncontrollably, as if the ground were greased ice. Beating her wings furiously, she rose into the air just in time to avoid sliding into Zlatan's territory and losing that way. Looking down, she saw the ground on her side of the field glowing a gentle gold.
Twilight's horn glowed, and no less than two dozen pony golems, each as large as those she had summoned against Trixie, seemed to tear their way from the ground and charge at Zlatan. Twilight didn't feel up to actually summoning that many golems, but an illusion would do just as well.
The dragon roared and unleashed his breath, scouring the false images with magical fire, but the phantasms continued advancing. Twilight knew she only had a moment before the illusion was exposed, but a moment was all she needed. She swept back toward the ground, sending herself sliding away from Zlatan's side of the field. Her horn glowed again and she dipped her head toward the golden glow, which shattered as if made of ethereal glass.
Turning, Twilight had just enough time to dodge to the side as a ball of energy flew toward her. The illusory ponies were at Zlatan's feet, now, the dragon ignoring them as if they were nothing. Which, of course, they were.
Twilight grinned as she ducked another energy ball. Her horn glowed again, and the ball suddenly veered off course, whirling around Twilight and flying back toward Zlatan. The ball collided with a hastily-summoned shield in front of the dragon. Where the ball struck, for a moment there appeared a hole in the shield, a window showing someplace else, someplace dark. Twilight didn't get a good look, but it seemed as though there was something moving in the darkness.
Whatever those balls were, Twilight did not want to be hit with one. She began hammering the shield with vicious telekinetic strikes. Assuming her plan worked, energy would not at a premium for her, so she could use brute force to keep the dragon on the defensive and wear him down until the time was right to spring her trap.
Zlatan's shield suddenly turned perfectly reflective, and Twilight stopped her strikes, walking sideways warily. She saw her reflection do the same. Experimentally, she lashed at it the shield with a light telekinetic strike, and was rewarded by being hit in the face by her own magic. Well, that didn't work, she thought, shaking off the light hit. Let's see if I can dispel it.
She rose into the air and swept up to see the extent of the shield, which seemed to arc completely over Zlatan's side of the field. From her elevated vantage, she could also see that it was well past the center line, and she'd never be able to touch it with her horn.
Looking down, Twilight spotted a loose clod of dirt, and she experimentally lofted it, with just a little telekinetic force, in a gentle arc toward the shield. The clod passed cleanly through the shield, and softly thudded on the ground on the other side. Perfect.
With a grin, Twilight advanced closely to the center line, her horn glowing brightly. The ground exposed between the center line of the dueling grounds and the leading edge of the shield seemed to swell. The air grew palpably drier as the ground absorbed water, gradually turning into mud that seeped under the shield. Twilight kept up her campaign, her lips growing parched as her spell ripped the moisture from the air and forced it into the ground.
Now, Twilight thought, to find out if mud can conduct magic. She set down next to the center line and dipped her horn into the mud. There was an odd hiss of pressure being released, followed almost immediately by a loud boom as the water was forced back out of the mud. The magic shield, in contact with the enchanted mud, shattered just as gallons of water burst across the field. Twilight shook her again-soaked mane as she stepped back from a surprised-looking dragon with a golden glow surrounding his claws.
Of course, Twilight thought. He was using the shield to protect himself while he prepared his magic-nullifying spell. She inhaled deeply. Now or never. Twilight's horn glowed brightly, and a similar glow began to creep over the surface of Zlatan's scales.
Lights exploded behind Twilight's eyes, and she fell heavily to the ground. Words in a language she didn't know and yet could understand perfectly danced through her consciousness. The world froze and twisted before her eyes. She saw the blasted arena and the bleachers to either side as if from above. She smelled blood and meat. The scorched terrain was her territory, now, the dragon just an intruder.
Go ubijat. Kill him.
Twilight gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, blinking away tears. She had handled Gianna's energy, she could handle Zlatan's. She could feel little sparks spitting from her horn and around her hooves as she staggered to her feet. She opened her eyes, and once again the world was as it should have been.
Zlatan's head was shaking back and forth, ponderously, as he shook off the effects of the Drain spell. His concentration was broken and Twilight could immediately tell he was weakened. He even smelled weak, wounded. Like prey.
Go unishti. Sega. Destroy him. Now.
Twilight's head swam. Her body felt light, and she lifted herself from the ground, patterns of magical force weaving themselves around her horn. It was all she could do to focus on the task at hand. Focus on the equations, Twilight, she told herself. You're a unicorn, and you're just following the plan.
Zlatan roared, and a stinging telekinetic strike ripped across Twilight's back. The pain registered deep in her mind, lost somewhere in the storm of fire and destruction that Twilight was desperately trying to channel. She could hear the dragon chanting a litany of some sort. Words and names jumbled in Twilight's mind, the song twisting inside her around the stolen energy. He's just trying to distract me, Twilight told herself. She could taste blood on her tongue. My scales are strong, they'll protect me. Just one more moment.
She suddenly felt weight on her ankles dragging her back the ground, her wings flapping furiously against it to no avail. Reality swam in front of her again, but this time she could tell that it wasn't the dragon's energy, but the culmination of his spell. Colors washed out around her, the normally bright Equestrian palette becoming a drab brown and gray accented with occasional muted splashes. Twilight could feel a tug at her horn, as if something was trying to pull the magic out of her. This must be it, the magic-nullifying spell. Only one more second.
The last connection was made, and Twilight channeled more energy than she had ever thought possible into a single spell. Her eyes snapped open, solid white fields, and a silent wave of purple and white energy rolled across the field.
The world came back to Twilight. The sounds of the crowd, the colors of the world. There was no more fire inside her, no more smell of burning meat in her nostrils. She stumbled and blinked, looking to see if her spell had succeeded.
The opposing field was a brown and black waste with a few patches of sickly green grass, much as hers had been for a moment. The enormous dragon was changed. His beautiful golden scales were sharper and ridged, their color faded to a murky yellow-green. His head was more angular, his neck and tail both longer. Both massive wings had turned into heavy, membranous things with every bone and joint showing in stark relief against the taut skin, and they lay uselessly in the dirt. Gnarled, filthy claws tore at the ground while brown, stained teeth snapped angrily at the air. Sinuous muscle action shifted scarred scales in a nauseating way, and thick red and blue veins pulsed hideously under the off-white skin of the beast's underside.
The crowd was gasping in horror. Zlatan had turned into a monster the like of which most ponies had never seen. Twilight herself cringed at what she had wrought.
The dragon stopped snapping at the air and looked down at Twilight across the shimmering divide between the twisted reality in which he stood and the land of the living and the sane. Through the barrier, two faint words floated, though Zlatan looked like he was screaming. "I yield."
Twilight's horn glowed for the slightest fraction of a second, and color washed over the field. Zlatan was instantly returned to the beautiful, noble creature he had been. The dragon slowly lowered himself to the ground, gasping and twitching involuntarily, and rested his massive head in the dirt. Once more, he spoke, though now he could be heard across the entire field.
"I yield," he rasped. "I have been bested."
A hush fell over the crowd as Al-Dhi'b moved for the first time since the match had started. He walked purposefully to the center of the field, the hem of his cloak growing dirty with standing water and mud. He looked at Zlatan, who looked back, evenly.
"You are unhurt?" Al-Dhi'b asked. "That look horrible. I could see clear to claim that as injury fault."
Twilight's head started swimming again. She couldn't lose, not like this.
"No," Zlatan said, tersely. "But thank you, your majesty."
Satisfied, Al-Dhi'b turned. He smiled broadly at Twilight before raising his arms again. "Twilight Sparkle winner!" he roared, and the crowd roared back.
The watching crowd surged from the stands, coming toward Twilight like a wave. Nothing about the match had been as unsettling as the aftermath was seeming. Cheers, questions and a million statements of adoration filled the air.
Suddenly, Twilight heard Rainbow Dash's voice rise up above the cacophony. "Alright, alright! Make way! Princess of the Night and a bunch of big, famous heroes comin' through! Outta the way!" Normally, Twilight might have chided Rainbow for this, but at that moment all she felt was relief as the crowd split, letting her friends through.
Twilight's friends cheered and nuzzled her, and Spike jumped up, wrapping his arms around her neck in a big hug. Twilight smiled at the attention, isolated from the crowd strangers as she was by her friends. Luna spread her wings imperiously and the crowd fell even further back, giving the small knot of ponies more room.
Another voice spoke up, and the entire crowd fell into a nervous hush. Even Pinkie stopped in midsentence as Zlatan loomed over the ponies and spoke. "Twilight Sparkle," he boomed. "I would speak with you, if you please."
Twilight looked up at Luna, who nodded silently. "Um... Yes, of course," she said, nervously. The crowd parted as she stepped away from her friends and toward the dragon.
"So," she said, attempting to sound casual and failing miserably. "Good match?"
Zlatan grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth. "Oh, yes. All I had hoped for and more. However," he continued. "You asked about your friend, 'Spike'. Yes, we know of the lost hatchling." At the last, Zlatan turned his head, looking across the field to where Spike was standing. Twilight looked over her shoulder. Spike quickly grew terrified as he realized Zlatan was looking at him.
"Do not be afraid, young brother," Zlatan said, his voice oddly softening. "You are of the blood of the zmej, and we are on neutral ground. There is no safer place for you in all the world."
Spike looked up at Twilight, who nodded. "It's okay, Spike," she said, and the little dragon approached.
The two dragons looked at each other silently for a long moment. "Hi," Spike finally said. "I'm Spike."
"I am Zlatan," came the kind response. "Your mistress seemed to want to know more about you. Do you?"
Spike's response was immediate and breathless. "Oh, yeah."
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Oh man... That's one serious illusion. Wooh! Go Twilight!
Spike backstory... Can't wait.
166421 ehh... I don't think it was an illusion...
Besides all that though.... I want to know more!
Such an awesome story
166649
Nah, I'm pretty sure it was an illusion. Just not Twilight's.
Hopefully the talk about Spike will still leave her time to ready for the next round.
(But then, doesn't she have till the next day to be ready? In that case it should not be an issue)
I wonder what kind of opponent she will be facing in the finals?
Have you considered submitting to Equestria Daily?
170391
Erk! I didn't realize adding cover art would cause it to show as updated. I fail. Still, glad you like it.
I did, but it got punted, that's why I went on that big editing jag in December. It got rejected again after the edits and I didn't feel like it was fair to rewrite out from underneath everyone again. When it's finished I might give it a third shot.
170406
No, it did not show as an update. I just run through my tracking list a lot and noticed the new image.
Excellent story so far, definitely tracking this!
Keep doing what you're doing, it's great so far.
170406
Seriously!? That's somewhat surprising and a rather large shame given that this is one of the better FIM stories that I've read. But anyway great continuation, this continues to be a great read.
MOAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please 
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEE
172021
I would have to agree. I found this a very enjoyable and well written fic; more than up to my standards.
You are the future of this world.
Foreshadowing, or just a proper compliment from a dragon?
this is just another AWESOME story! I just dont really understand EQD that they would reject a story this awesome!
its unique and well... everything else positive ^^
Now I realize just how intense these battles can be. And how my character couldn't possibly have gotten far in this tournament had he been there. He's a combatant, but not a combat magician. With the no hurting rule and the territory rule, he would've been forced to hold back.
Why do i picture Zlatan as a huge ass elite?
So Twilight beats a badass reality-warping dragon mage by stealing his energy, beating him to his own spell, and temporarily banishing him to a hideous bubble of terrifying, hellish non-Euclidean space.
It's official. Twilight is way, way OP
660252 Yes! I wasn't the only one!
My theory is that without magic, the dragons are hideous, mindless beasts...
what Twilight saw, was a magicless dragon losing his control, and falling prey to his own power...
I definitely pictured the dragon, once stripped of the magic of equestria revealed as what a "real dragon" would look like outside of equestria (I pictured skyrim dragons)
170406 That is okay, EQD is really over-rated anyway, in my opinion.
Also, love the story. Good work. More to read nao!
Dragons are so badass. I like how you portray some as the wild early encounters and some as wise old beasts. I like both renditions, but have never seen them in one story. Good job.
Zmej or zmeu?
Okay. Twilight. STOP USING THE DRAIN SPELL! You're starting to scare me.
166756 in the book that twilight read it said that he had way's he could change reality in the bounds of a other dimension, that is what twilight did after draining his energy and info from the spell he created, in a way twilight made him the way e was with his own spell
Okay, now that was an interesting fight. Not so sure I like the idea of including Spike's history in this, though; feels like you're trying to do too much and distract from the point of all this. Meh, we shall see.
5092010 I understand where you are coming from, but I can't feel the same way. Pretty much every fighting/combat story needs subplots.
Twilight learning from her matches is an extremely good use of them since it ties into the story. Background on the characters and all.
can i get a top up of magic please?
166756 Twilight used his spell to create a zone where there was no magic. A Dragon being such a magical species... Well you read what happened to him in the null zone.
6901053
So its like draining the ocean and watching the fish flop?
Despite having unicorns fighting dragons, this story has quite a bit of realism. Most matches (speaking as a wrestler) are over in a few moves and that's how these matches are going.
3503918 no twi keep using the spell clearly that shit is like the best cup of fucking coffee ever i can see her bouncing of the freaking walls like pinkie but with magic