//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Only One Speck of Dust // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// This could not be true. In reality, he was in the middle of a nightmare. This situation only happened in his darkest dreams. Until this very moment, real life had spared him. He was feeling better about it, even. Fear was still here, at the pit of his waist yet it showed more rarely. Memories he would have rather drive back came to the surface. The wound of his wing, the deep injury on his back, the other that almost pierced his liver, and the fall… long and frightening, slow like that of a wreck sinking in the ocean. Everything. He could have considered everything when the bunch of ponies had emerged from the shadows. But not this. His worst fears in front of him again, seeming so real. Because they were real. The pegasus facing him in the air was not an illusion, a trick played by his own mind. It was a fact. Orange Steel. The pony who have been the cause of his departure from Cloudsdale, the one by whom disgrace had touched him. Soarin really thought he was the kind of stallion to savor his triumph as long as he could, who showed off in town to frighten the others by boasting he had defeated the best and so was invincible. Yet, seeing him in another city was not so surprising. His rather shallow beliefs would lead him from places to places, and where there were houses to plunder, mares to rape and stallions to humiliate, there he was. His presence indicated he might have found in Ponyville exactly what he was looking for. Unless… No, it could not be pure accident. It even was quite clear. There was no reason for him to be the only one not to be trapped by this mysterious army from out of the blue. Undoubtedly, Orange Steel was a part of it, although Soarin suspected it not to be by allegiance to any kind of leader. If he were here, it was because he had something to earn from it. “Seems like great minds think alike, Soarin…” Skies were vast enough, after all. Nothing stopped him from skirting him in a few flaps of wings, and so to avoid any kind of confrontation with him. Orange Steel might have read his mind, or his thoughts were too obvious. “Oh, don’t think you’ll get away with it just by flying over me. Your wings seem to be in perfect working order again, that would be silly to lose the use of them now. What your new little sweetheart would think about that? I heard the former one did not really enjoy it.” Soarin clenched his teeth. As if it was necessary to remind him that his ex-marefriend had given up on him after his latest defeat, as if he was some good-to-nothing pony. Everything had been falling apart in his life already. It was up until not so long ago, when he first had arrived in this city. He had made the acquaintance of amazing ponies who had immediately trusted him despite his mediocre debuts. Except Caramel, he had not known them for very long yet they already had taken a great room in his existence. Fine. Since that was the game he wanted to play, he would not be disappointed. Ignoring fear that kept on whispering in his ears that he would fail, Soarin summoned the courage to rush forward the other pegasus with his head low before he swirled in the air in order to throw his hind hooves right into his opponent’s muzzle. Way too confident, Orange Steel had not expected this frontal attack. He had to admit it. A trickle of blood flown around him and stained his white cloak which was floating in the wind among the flakes. But Soarin had no time to savor his victory on the one who was at the root of many of his nightmares. Before he even could turn around, he also received a hoof blow, this time in the middle of his stomach, which made him lose his balance. He almost fell on one of the houses’ straw roofs of the North Gates area he was at, but he pulled himself together right on time. Despite the pain coiling his ribs, he came back to Orange Steel with a determined face. “Attacks by surprise are so vulgar,” Orange Steel said with irony. “Aren’t you worth more?” “Come on… I’ll show you.” “You won’t show me anything. Because in reality, you’re… dead scared.” No, he was not. He had learned to draw from his fright to be stronger. Times had changed, he was no longer a First Class Lieutenant in Clousdale. He had what it took to beat this stallion, might he be cruel and fierce as hell. So, why was he unable to do anything against the new hoof blow that slapped his right cheek? His head turned on the side as if he were some ragdoll, and he felt blood spurting from his muzzle, getting lost into the air. Once again, he almost lost his balance for a few seconds before he had a hold of himself. There it was again. His hooves shaking, his wings hardly letting him be straight in the air. The white sensation of death approaching. A deep and insidious dread. A terrible dread. He was right. In the hearts of heart, he still was the frightened stallion he had been since his latest defeat against Orange Steel. After he had fell with such a slowness toward the craggy slopes of the Great Guts’ Region. Ready to feel his skull being smashed against the rocks. Came on top of his eyes the vision of Rainbow Dash with this smile she did not control and only gave to him once the pressure of the watch was over, when she no longer wore her mask of the ruthless warrior. He had a mission. And although he could almost bet she would probably get by pretty fine on her own, Soarin thought he had no right to leave her to her fate. Because she was the Head of the Militia which he was a part of. Because she had given him a chance. Because there were moments when she smiled at him this way. He shook his head, as if to get rid of his lingering fears, and once again displayed the determined eyes of the stallion who was ready to fight, no matter the consequences. Obviously, it was a great laughing matter for Orange Steel who did not try to conceal his scorn towards him. “Oh, do you really think you’re within my league? Sorry, chicken, but you’re wrong.” “If you’re so sure of yourself, come over here. I’ll show you that you’re the one who’s wrong.” They both rushed forward at the same time, each sure to be the winning one. Victory would be to the first one to attack the other. Soarin stretched his hind hooves… And saw with stupefaction Orange Steel flying over his head to grab one of his forelegs between his muscles. The painful shriek out of him was almost impossible to control. It was… the kind of attacks Rainbow Dash liked to plan. Exactly what she had done to that purple unicorn, Twilight "something". “That’s still too rash, Soarin. Your precious Head sweetie hadn’t taught you anything?” In fact, it was the opposite. He had been the one who had not listened. Strategy and reflection. Once again, he had got carried away by his emotions and now he was trapped. If he was not able to absorb the lessons, maybe that meant he did not deserve to be a part of this Council, of this Militia. “You know what?” Orange Steel asked him. “I don’t give a shit about Prince Thingummy being upset. I’ve already humiliated you once, I don’t know what’s the point about doing this again with no pony to witness. Train more and once you’ll really be on top of your game… I’ll beat you anyway.” He let him go, not without kicking him one last time in his left flank, right where he had his Cutie Mark. Hitting a Cutie Mark, the most sensible spot of a pony, it always was effective. Saorin had to bite the inside of his cheek not to shriek from pain once again. The other pegasus already had disappeared when he collected his wits, letting a strange smell of iron behind him. The flakes which had ceased for a couple of minutes started to fall even more. Suddenly, something came to his mind… No ponies from the weather patrol had forecasted any snowfalls. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack looked behind her shoulders. They both had completely cleared the snow on a few edges around. Here and there, what was left of powder snow was colored with patches of red. Her hooves were grazed from hitting so much, and she started to have cramps by dint of charging with her hind legs. Her cloak was holed where Rarity had touched her. Luckily, the damages had only been partial and clothing-related. Not say the same thing for the white unicorn… She was lying closely, her fur almost impossible to part from the snow. Her beautiful coat was in shreds and pieces of velvet were spread all around. For sure, this simple fact was what made her go into rage more than the enormous thrashing Applejack had inflected her. If only she was conscious enough to realize it. The earth mare stepped closer with cautious. Just by observing how her flank rose and fell, jerky, she guessed she was not feeling fine. Her beautiful glossy coat was almost grey now, sprinkled with crimson stains. Her surprise was huge when she saw Rarity standing back on her hooves again, shaking and disheveled yet still determined. She looked inexhaustible. And it was not from lack of trying. She undoubtedly could wonderfully manipulate her blades, only this was not enough to get rid of Applejack whom strength had nothing to prove. A brand new gear of razorblades appeared on her mane. How many she was able to conceal under the horsehair was a mystery but it looked like the resources were bottomless, even though this magic’s bearer seemed to be at her last hooves. “What’s the point wit’ insistin’, sugar cube? Yar lil’ knives ain’t very effective.” “Shut up. Shut up and come closer… I am going to cut you to shreds.” Applejack sighed, and as soon as the gem-shaped blades went in her direction, she returned them to sender with just one kick. Some of them scraped Rarity’s cheek but she avoided the others, not without spraining her ankle by the way. It did not matter. As long as she could breathe, she would keep on fighting. She was willing to do anything for him, even to tolerate coming back in such a deplorable state – dirty, disheveled, bloody, beaten. So he would see how devoted she was even though he could not show her his own devotion in front of the others. She took a blade between her teeth and, as a personal revenge, hurt her rival on the same cheek as she. A tickle of blood appeared on the orange coat. The backlash was not long in coming. This time, Applejack charged with her head, like some rodeo bull. Rarity lost her balance and fell against the ground. Nevertheless, she stood back up again. Her whole muzzle was now covered with blood, and Applejack was surprised to see her spitting a few scarlet drops. After what she had been through, one more uncouthness was not going to make a difference. It was almost pathetic to see her insisting so much. It looked as if she wanted to have her name dragged through the mud, or to get humiliated. Maybe it was in order to be treated like a martyr. No pony could deny she was done in. She barely could stand on all fours, her breathe as uneven as ever. All that seemed to resist were those goddamn blades. If it might be so, she was about to get the beating she was begging for. Applejack scratched the ground at her hooves and rushed forward as soon as the unicorn did so. The latter took off the ground and threw several blades at the same time. Though she hardly had controlled her landing, Rarity noticed with pleasure that this time her opponent had more troubles to get rid of the knives attacking her flesh. All was not lost. No. whatever it was, nothing was lost. She ran toward the orange mare again. She saw her preparing herself and throwing her hind legs against her stomach with all her might, her hooves getting in touch with the soft flesh of her belly. When she spat another tickle of blood, Rarity understood she had pushed herself too far. Sounds and sensations around her vanished away. A hot flash followed by a frozen thrill went through her and when her rear touched the ground, scratching her back on the way, her hooves fell back gently. Unconsciousness had just hit her, and with it… Her dazzling victory. All always obvious, no matter the end of the fight. Her gift maybe was to create beautiful things yet she had a few useful notions of magic. Applejack understood it too as soon as Rarity’s back fell on the hard cold ground. All the blades she still concealed within her mane immediately flown out at the same time directly towards her. She tried to get rid of them with her hooves, but she had also pushed herself a little too far tonight and so was unable to avoid them all. There were too many blades. Far too many. She understood too late why her rival was sure to win no matter what. It did not matter that she had her completely worn out. Conversely, it had been what she had been looking for since the beginning. As best as she could, she tried to protect her face from the blades converging towards her at the same time yet she could not stop them from touching her anywhere else. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enough was enough. What was she playing? At the premise of their fight, August Charmer had thought she was putting a lot into it and gave everything she had… But in reality, all she had managed to do until now was to prove him that she could anticipate his actions. Alright, she had no weapon and it was not really fair. However, her legend was fearsome and in his opinion, there was no doubt that if she were that talented, the lack of a sword was not a problem at all. She knew how to use her hooves and head; of this he was sure. Nothing got him enraged like a fighter not pulling his whole soul into it. What was she afraid of? He was tough, he had been through many trials. She was rather slender and although she had been highly trained by the best Fighting Master of all Equestria, August Charmer was convinced he could knock her out easily. For this, all it would take was for her to fight for good. What she was doing now was no warrior art. It was acrobatics, no more no less. But he was not a clown and this arena was not a circus. All his strikes were like flogging a dead horse – literally. It really was enough. His sword firmly clenched between his teeth, he launched an attack she would not be able to avoid this time. Yet, she evaded his pitfall with flaps of her wings and his blade planted itself into one of the bare brick walls, mixing a few pinky fragments to the snow falling from outside. The fact she did not even try to respond was the most irritating of all. She undoubtedly wanted to wear him out in order to get the upper hand despite her wound. He thought he should have aimed for her Cutie Mark, or her wings. August Charmer regretted he had been so lenient. Now she was messing him around in that puppet theater. He refused to be her puppet. If that was how it worked, he would try her patience. He would make sure she would not be able to take it anymore. All he had to do was to lead her somewhere she could not escape while provoking her. “Is that all you got? I’m not here to see a ballet dance show. Fight!” There was something determined in the pegasus mare’s eyes. Some kind of dancing flame. And yet, when he rushed toward her briskly, once again, she found a subterfuge so she would avoid him without hurting herself nor hurting him neither. It displayed a whole set of abilities, he had to admit it. Earlier, he had really meant it when he had told her she was not as powerful as it was said. He was not that sure of himself now. It was the reason why her refusal to fight upset him so much. “You’re so pathetic that all you can do is flap those wings? How did they call you at the Academy of the Cavalry, already? Rainbow Mash?” He could see. He could see the rage she kept inside, growing at each insult, that she tried to swallow up, as if wanting to bury it under layers of snow in the hope it would disappear. This was not the way it was supposed to be. A mission had been given to him – to gauge their enemy. Though he could not deny she was agile and swift, he was not satisfied. What he wanted was her to show him her true colors, to defend her dear city, period. After all, this was what the Head of the Militia was supposed to do. By chance, his failed attempt led them right where he wanted to. Behind her, at the back, there was a wall and between the wall and her, a hole as deep as a tomb. If she slipped and fell, he knew her wings would be damaged. She felt her hooves slipping against the dusty floor. When she looked behind her shoulders, Rainbow Dash understood the trap which she had fallen in. He just could not get it… she was doing it for his own sake. And for her sake as well. She did not want to let what was boiling inside her win. Too bad. If she could not avoid him, at least she would be able to avoid the blade of his sword, despite its oversized length. In fact, it was an amusing choice of weapon. Did he want to compensate a little size problem? This thought made a half-smile stand out on her face, and August Charmer mistook it with her usual arrogance. “Finally, you wake up…” He placed his sword firmly between his teeth again, and charged forward. Even though she was fast, trapped as she was, she would need a lot of exactness not to be touched by his blade. Flying too close to the sun was always dangerous. Rainbow Dash knew she could not step backwards, and that there was a risk she would bump into the wall if she tried to fly yet she went the whole log. A few rocks fell inside the hole under her hooves when she took off… Unfortunately, the blade was too long and made her lose her balance by touching her thigh. She saw the hole coming closer… She knew what would happen if she tumbled. The best she could, she caught a hold on the floor right on time, yet a part of her body was hanging in the emptiness. All it would take to August Charmer to make her fall was to stamp on her hooves. So she clung to the floor as much as she could. As foreseen, he tried to destabilize her, using his sword to harm her hooves. He touched the floor one first time. Suspended inside the hole, Rainbow Dash shook her lower body despite her former injury which still hurt and her new one at the thigh which bled abundantly. The tip of the blade touched one of her hooves. Yet she did not shriek. She increased her push by using her wings and was able to get out of the ambush which she almost had fallen into. August Charmer was feeling triumphant. If she did not attack with it, he did not know what was wrong. She was at his forelegs, hardly breathing again. He crushed one of his hooves against her rib cage, some vicious gleam in his eyes. It was the one too many action. Something went back to the surface, something against which she had to fight with all her might. An anger bigger than anything else, the kind to wreak havoc across everything on the way. Rainbow Dash stood back on her hooves, psyched up by a new energy. An energy taking over anything else and erasing even the worst injuries. He did not know what he had just launched.