//------------------------------// // Chapter 22: Back in Action, It's Time for Farewells // Story: The Tale Of A Lost Wolf // by Solaris Night //------------------------------// Trider stood in the middle of the orchard, his eyes closed and ears perked. The sounds of rustling leaves and insects was all he could hear. Then he heard something else or rather someone. He quickly sidestepped narrowly avoiding Rainbow Dash, who came at him with great speed. Her hooves dug into the ground as she skidded across the ground and stopped. But Trider didn't have time to observe her, as another attack was coming at him. This time from Spike. The drake tried to punch the Kanisar, while his back was turned, but he ducked under it. Spike however didn't falter, using his tail to strike the man across his chest. Trider felt air leaving his lungs as the tail connected, however he didn't let that stop him from counter-attacking. Grabbing Spikes tail he quickly stood up and twisted his body. The drake was lifted off his feet and sent hurtling towards Rainbow. The mare saw her friend flying at her, so she dodged him and instantly went for Trider again. The Kanisar however decided to fly up and take their fight to the skies. The mare followed him and the two engaged in mid-air combat. They exchanged blow for blow, neither relenting. As they continued their fight, Trider failed to notice a fireball flying at him. An explosion nearly knocked him out of the sky, but he quickly corrected himself. He cast his gaze down towards the ground and saw Spike, whose hand was englfed in flames. Not letting up his assault the drake fired shot after shot of fireballs at Trider. The Kanisar however skillfully dodged every single one of them. But he didn't forget about his other opponent. Just as he evaded another fireball, he saw Rainbow flying at him. He smacked a fireball with the back of his hand away from himself and focused on the mare, who was now up in his face. They once again engaged and it was clear Trider had a lot of trouble with her, because he also had to dodge Spikes attacks. Slowly he was pushed back by the mare and drake and he had to think fast. And his chance came when one of the fireballs went stray from its course and was heading for Rainbow instead. She managed to dodge it, but that left her open for Triders attack. "Piston Cannon, Distrike." The mare was sent flying backwards by his punch and while she was still soaring backwards another invisible punch connected with her, this time sending her upwards. With Rainbow taken care of he redirected his focus onto the dragon below. When his gaze fell onto Spike he saw he was preparing another attack, this one however was different. "Chains of Tartarus!" Spike yelled and swung his fire engulfed arms in an arc. As he did so numerous fireballs were shot from them, creating some sort of fire chain. As the chain was approaching Trider, he focused his Ki into his hands. When the fireballs were mere feet away from him he unleashed a barrage of Ki blasts and cleared some of the fire, just enough for it to pass him. When the attacks connected it resulted in large quantities of smoke. A gush of wind cleared the smoke and revealed Trider floating in the air unscathed. "Nice try." he called out to Spike with a smile. "Who said I was trying?" he retorted with a grin. The Kaniasr realised too late that he was only distracting him. He didn't even have a chance to turn around when a hoof connected with his back. "You're mine!" Rainbow shouted. The kick sent Trider flying forward, but before he had time to correct himself, the mare was already in front of him. Again she delivered another kick and sent him hurtling in the opposite direction. She repeated this, not giving the Kanisar any room to react, as she continued to beat on him. Then when she kicked him upwards, she flew above him and drop kicked him into the ground below. Trider crashed and created a small crater in the ground. He groaned as he picked himself up. He heard the sound of wing flaps and when he looked up he saw the smirking mare. "Did you like that?" she asked, a massive grin plastered on her face. "I call it the Sky Beat Combo. Made it up myself." she bragged and Trider only rolled his eyes. "You sure you have time to boast while I'm still able to fight?" The mares eyes widened when she realsied he was right, but didn't have time to answer as Trider quickly jumped at her. "Piston Cannon, Impact." he simply said as he struck Rainbows gut with the palms of both of his hands. The force of the strike was so great that Rainbow was sent flying so far that the Kanisar couldn't see her anymore. Dusting himself he faced Spike and smiled. "Guess that leaves just you and me." The drake looked back with determination. "Today I'll be the one who wins Trider." he said steeling his nerves. "I'm not going to hold back." "I'm not expecting you to do so." Trider retorted. Spike took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles. Soon his skin turned reddish and steam began to escape his body. The Kanisar looked at him with intrigue. "So, you finally got the hang of it, did you?" "Not really, it's still hard to keep this up, but I can last five minutes now at least." Spike answered with a chuckle. "Good. Come at me then." Trider taunted. Spike unleashed a loud roar and closed the distance between the two in the blink of an eye. The drake unleashed a barrage of attacks, each one fiercer than the one before. Trider however fought back with the same vigor. As they exchanged blows, Trider failed to notice a rainbow blur flying high into the sky, but Spike did notice. When he determined it was the right moment he blew smoke out of his mouth obscuring their surrouding area. Trider coughed while trying to determine where the dragon was. "You planning on hiding forever?" he shouted inot the smoke. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and put into a hold. He tried to struggle and get out of the hold, but Spike proved to have mastered the move. "Is this all you have? I will break out of this, you know that right? Even before you have a chance to actually hurt me?" he mocked Spike as he continued to slowly slip out of his grasp. "That's why I won't be the one to deal the finishing blow." the drake retorted with a smile. It was only then that Trider noticed Rainbow flying at them with her top speed. When she got close enough, that Spike knew the attack would definitely connect, he released the Kanisar and dropped to the ground, to avoid being hit as well. Trider could only watch as Rainbow twisted her body around at the last moment and delivered a powerful spinkick into his chest. The force of the strike sent Trider soaring across the ground until he crashed into a large boulder and was left embedded into it. He remained there unmoving and Rainbow and Spike began to think that they might have overdone it. "Trider you okay there dude?" Rainbow called out, but received no answer. They began to sweat and hurried to their friend. But a loud cry stopped them in their tracks. Trider pushed himself out of the hole he was stuck in and jumped down onto the ground. He was badly bruised, but it didn't seem he was any worse for wear. He breathed heavily and kept his head down. The mare and drake slowly approached him. "Trider?" Spike called out the Kanisars name. Trider however just unleashed a powerful scream. As he was screaming he seemed to unleash some sort of pressure that created small gusts of wind around him. "It's not over. It can't be over." he said as a dark aura began to envelop him. "I need to be stronger." he continued to mumble as his eyes turned bloody red. Spike and Rainbow watched him in fright, knowing he was losing it. But before Trider could fully succumb to his instincts, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. The dark aura disappeared and when he opened his eyes they were back to their bright green color. The mare and drake sighed in relief. "You scared us for a second there Trider." Spike said as they both stepped up to the Kanisar. "Sorry 'bout that." he apologised. "I think this all for today." "Ya sure, cause I can still go up for a round or two." Rainbow said as she shadow boxed. "I'm sure." Trider said with a chuckle. "The only reason why I wanted to spar with you two was to see if I'm back to my old form, and I can gladly say, that it seems I am." He then gave the other two a small smile. "And it seems you two weren't slacking off while I was recovering." "Yeah, when you were in coma I tried to train by myself, but it wasn't doing any good, so I asked Rainbow if she wanted to help and she agreed." Spike explained. "I can see that it helped both of you and not just in becoming stronger, but also your teamwork. You guys fought like a well oiled machine." he praised them, making Spike blush, while Rainbow soaked it in like she was a sponge. "Of course we are. I mean, Spike still has some things to work out, but he still has room to improve improve." she boasted, while Spike gave her a glare. "You're not any better. Who in their right mind would brag in front of their opponent when they were still able to fight." Spike quipped back. The two began to bicker, while trider just watched. Suddenly a sharp pain coursed through his left arm, making him hiss. Rainbow and Spike stopped arguing to look at their friend. "You alright there big guy?" Rainbow asked worried. "Yeah, I'll live. Thanks for asking." Trider answered as he rubbed the sore spot. "I'm sure Twilight can patch it." "Right after she scolds you for being reckless, right?" Spike said with a grin. "Of course." Trider sighed. "And she'll give me even more of an earfull, cause I got so beat up a day before I leave." "Oh yeah, you two are leaving for the Wonderbolt and Royal Guard Academy tomorrow aren't you?" Spike realised. "Yup. Starting tomorrow, me and Tri here are gonna bust our asses off." Rainbow affirmed Spikes question. "Who am I supposed to train with then?" the drake asked in a gloomy tone. Both Trider and Rainbow placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "Don't worry buddy, we won't be gone for long. We'll be back before you know it." Rainbow reassured him. "Yeah, besides you can always ask Dynamism to help you out." Trider suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Spike didn't catch what he was implying. "I just regret that I'll miss your birthday. But rest assured I'll make it up to you somehow." "You better." Spike said with a small smile. They all laughed as they made their way home. But as they were walking, Trider split off from the other two. "Where're you going?" Rainbow asked. "AJ asked me to visit her when we were done, so I'm going to her." Trider explained as he walked towards the farm. Spike and Rainbow exchanged knowing glances and they quietly walked to their respective homes. *** Applejack was standing on a small ladder as she was reaching for the bell that hung inside of their barn. "C'mon ya stupid thang, will ya come off already." she groaned as she stepped on the tips of hoofs. "Watcha doin'?" a voice asked from behind the mare, which startled her. She lost her balance and she fell down. She expected the landing to be rough, but it was like she fell onto a soft pillow. Opening her eyes to see what she fell onto she saw the face of the Kanisar. "Trider?" she asked bewildered. "Hiya AJ." he greeted her. "Man, you sure know how to fall for guys don't ya?" he joked. AJ didn't laugh or even chuckle at his joke, instead she gave him a glare. "Why in tarnation did ya scare me like that? I could've hurt myself ya know?" she scolded him. Trider gave a nervous chuckle. "Eh, eh. Sorry 'bout that. I just wanted to surprise you, didn't mean to make you fall." The mare sighed. "It's fine, just don't do somethin' like that again, OK?" "Deal." he answered. Right at that moment they heard the doors of the barn open and in walked Big Mac. He took a few steps in before his eyes fell onto the two inside. He stopped in his tracks and gave them a curious look. It was at that moment Applejack realised the position the two were in. As she was lying on top of him, it seemed like they were in a lovers embrace. She quickly got up and looked at her brother. "Big Mac, this isn't what yer-" However she didn't get to finish as the stallion was already out the door, not before saying "Pardon me." before he left. The mare stood there frozen, with her mouth wide open and her cheeks blushing bright red. "Well that was awkward." Trider said as he stood up. "Ya have no idea." AJ mumbled as she sunk her head into her hands, trying to hide herself from the world. "What are ya doin' here anyway?" she asked the Kanisar. "You called me here, remember? You said you have something to give me." She removed her hands when she recalled she did say that to him. "Oh yeah. Follow me, I have it in my room." she said as they left the barn and headed into the house. Soon they reached the mares room and they both stepped in. Her room wasn't anything special, with the exeception of its rustic look, but Trider thought it suited her perfectly. "Wait there." she told him and he did as he was told. Applejack opened her closet and rummaged through it. Eventually she found what she was looking for. She stepped towards the Kanisar. "Here, I want you to have this." she said as she offered him a piece of cloth. "What is this?" he asked as he took the cloth and give it a look over. "It's a scarf that my pa used to wear." she explained. "He always used to wear them." "Like you and your stetson?" Trider inquired and she nodded. He carefully unfolded the red square piece of fabric, noting the intricate design sewed onto it. "Why are you giving it to me?" he asked. He knew her parents died when she was but a child, like himself, and that she cherished everything about them. "Cause my pa always said that these were special. That they protected the one who wore it." she said as she rubbed her arm. "Since yer joinin' the Guard I thought ya'd need it." Trider gave her a warm look. She was worried about him. He was happy to know he had such a great friend. "Thanks." he said as he hugged her. The mare melted in his embrace. "I wish this would last forever." she thought. "Better get the most out of it, since I won't be able to do this for a while." *** "Ow, ow, ow. Can you be more gentle?" Trider whined as Twilight bandaged his arm. "Oh I'm sorry, how is this?" she asked as she violently tightened the bandage, making the Kanisar yelp. "I said I was sorry." he cried out. "Please spare me!" Twilight sighed as she continued to cover his wounds, this time gently. "You really are hopeless. As soon as your body is healed you go looking for trouble. You're going to worry me to death." "There are worse ways to go y'know?" The mare gave him a slap on the back of his head. "I'm serious. Do you know how much I went through when we came back from the Crystal Empire? How many nights I spent thinking I might lose you?" she sniffled and returned back to her task at hand. "Do you know how much I care for you?" "No, I don't." he answered honestly. "But I do know I'm just seeing the tip of the iceberg at the moment. And I am eternally grateful for everything you've done up till now. And I'm sorry for always causing you trouble." The mare smiled and finished bandaging him. She then noticed the piece of cloth that was tied to his arm. "What's that?" she asked and pointed at the scarf. "Oh this? It's just something Applejack gave me for good luck, since I'm leaving tomorrow." he explained. Twilights ears drooped as she remembered she won't be seeing him for a few months. "I see. That's very thoughtful of her." Trider noticed that something was wrong so he faced her. "Something the matter Twi?" he asked, concerned. "No, nothing's wrong." she lied and tried to leave. But she stopped as something compelled her to tell him the truth. "Actually, I'm not fine." She turned to face him and he could see tears well in her eyes. "I don't want you to leave." she stated. "I'm afraid that if I let you leave you're going to end up really hurt, or worse. And I don't want to experience that again." Tears began to run down her cheeks and Trider approached her. He put a hand onto her cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb. "Twi, I promise you that I'll come back in one piece, without even a bruise." he assured her. "Besides it's the other guys in the army you should be worried about." She gave a light chuckle and she smiled. "I'll keep you to that promise, you hear?" She then hugged him and he hugged her back. They embraced each other for what felt ike hours, but was just a few minutes. "I'm still giong to miss you though. It's going to be so quiet here without you around." "And you're unhappy with that because...?" he asked her with a smirk. "Because despite your many flaws, you're still a wonderful company." she answered him. They smiled at each other and broke their embrace. "I'm hitting the hay, gotta get up early tomorrow after all." Trider said as he headed towards his room, leaving Twilight alone in the livingroom. "Good night." she said, before he disappeared from her sight. She went into the kitchen to fix herself a small snack before bed. As she was making her snack her thoughts centered around the Kanisar. She was happy for him, since she knew this would be a great experience for him and he was exhilarated about it. And it was for only a few months. Yet, why did her heart ache when she thought about him leaving her?