Soarin knew this moment would arrive, somehow. He did not know how many fighters he still had to confront with, nor who was on the winning side, but he knew this dreaded face to face would eventually take place.
Orange Steel, his cinder coat, earthy mane and cold water eyes, was in front of him in the air, a disturbing smile upon his face. The fight before, he had avoided it, the Fallen Heir Apparent thinking this battle could be won without him. This time, he wouldn’t have any chance of a deferment.
If he followed the logics that had formerly brought him in Clousdale, Orange Steel would have chosen to lash out at Rainbow Dash. She was the one with the most redoubtable reputation, her who was regarded as Ponyville’s best fighter and him, Soarin, was nothing but a Member of the Head’s Council, and the latest one, with it.
These logics no longer were relevant. Now, the mercenary had changed the way he liked to play the game – since all this was only a game to him, and he had not consideration about Prince Blueblood’s cause. He had way too much fun with Soarin and with the fear he kept on suppressing, and that seemed to take over him again only once his adrenalin level had lowered. Or only once he took a break in order to think things through.
Fine. That was what his rival thought. With Ponyville’s Militia he had fight more than once, with belligerence and courage, and he had defeated his enemies each and every time. Fear, though it had not completely vanished away, had turned out to be his best ally, the essence in which he drawned a new limitless and merciless energy.
Rainbow Dash and him had promised to each other. They stopped to be who they were until the last of fighters would have succumbed. Feelings no longer existed. Actions were the only things that counted.
“So, ready to settle old matters straight, Soarin?” he asked with sarcastic notes in his voice.
He had always discoursed on before a fight, telling how he thought he was the strongest and the most resistant of stallions, and how he was going to win every of his duals hooves down. All this blathering, Soarin regarded it as useless, especially in these circumstances. Everyone was fighting around them, and if Orange Steel did not give a single care about the cause he was supposed to defend, he was here with a very precise goal in mind and had no intention of running away.
So he did not do things by half and dashed straight towards his target who, fooled, barely had time to avoid him. He boasted like he was used to, arguing he had already told him attacking by surprise was a trick for weak ponies, or something of this kind. He could brag as much as he wanted, Soarin no longer was impressed. He had a marefriend who was the all-time champion of this type of behavior. He had learned to laugh in the face of chin music to focus on the essential.
Once again, frowning with no answer for his opponent, he darted his sword in his direction, and when the other replied, they both crossed swords for a short while. Orange Steel pressed with all his might towards Soarin, hoping he would liberate his weapon from above or under in order to be the one to attack.
Soarin forced a bit more on his side, and was able to lower his sword first, and touched the pegasus at his shoulder. Most importantly, he needed not to rejoice too soon of this victory, and not to hesitate striking one more time, even if at the same spot. What he did immediately, though this time he reached the upper part of his limb.
He saw Orange Steel wincing, and determination increasing in his almost translucent eyes, which always had him shaking with terror until now. To see him suffering, as he boasted to be almost untouchable thanks to tactics, made Soarin realize what was in front of him was nothing but an ordinary pony, and he had no reason to shiver.
The adversary tried to attack as well, targeting his wings, but he avoided it, and instead, touched him again, this time right under his wingpit. Of course, his injuries did not stop him from using his sword but the amount of blood he lost and pain was weakening him visibly. He already was flying a little less high, and was almost knocked down by the other pegasi fighting around them.
Soarin was more resolute than ever, and did not seem to fear him anymore. He had to find something to gain back a bit of advantage, since he was not able to hurt him like the previous times, especially during his moment of glory in Cloudsdale, when he almost had killed him.
Orange Steel took a glimpse at the balcony where Prince Blueblood had been before the attack began. And an odious smile materialized on his almost angelic face. The pegasus stallion still had a flaw… He would really enjoy to remind him, in fact.
While Soarin was trying to hurt him again, he was able to react right on time to cross swords again. He had to be able to talk to him, at least for a few seconds, so he would launch his plan B since the usual method had failed.
“So, you think you’ve won, Soarin Skies. But you’re a liar. I know you’re still scared…”
“Not of you, anyway.”
“No, not of me. Of something else… Your little sweetheart seems to be behind the eight ball.”
He did not want to look. He had promised. He did not want it yet he was unable to resist. Despite himself, his emerald eyes took a glimpse at the balcony, where Rainbow Dash was busy fighting.
Prince Blueblood was gone, but she probably wanted to follow him before he would flee for real. For this, she had to confront with soldiers from the Unavowed Army and guards of the family rallied to his cause, and Soarin could see it rather easily, she was having a hard time.
They were many trying to attack her at the same time, and as talented as she was, she had troubles to get rid of them all without being touched as well. She had forbid him to come and help her, under no excuse. Prince Blueblood was her business, and nopony else’s. Because of him, a part of Ponyville had burned to the ashes, peace had been threatened more than once and many ponies she loved had been killed or seriously injured.
Take an advantage from the inside panic shaking his guts, and his attention being focused on his marefriend, Orange Steel attacked Soarin, who barely had time to notice the deception, and felt the cold of a sword burying between his two wings, right where his opponent had already touched him in the past.
The pain, horrible, recalled to him. Memories too, with the sensation of falling endlessly towards the rocks, this white sensation of irrepressible fear sweeping everything away.
It was what the mercenary from the Unavowed Army wanted, and there was no way he would let him win again.
Soarin got together, and despite his injury, tightened the grip of his teeth around the shaft of his sword, so he would dash straight towards his opponent. As expected, he was prepared to reply, thinking he was about to repeat the same strike as the ones he made him suffer from already.
But he thought about something more radical. Maybe it was unappropriated, or maybe it was not, it did not matter to him. Mercy should not be part of his vocabulary tonight. A promise had to be kept, and when he moved away at the last moment, and lowered his blade towards Orange Steel’s neck, he tried to convince himself this was the best of solutions, and that if he did not make sure it was over once and for all, it could turn against himself.
Abruptly, he felt his sword burying again inside the flesh, banging into a bone before going the other way. Orange Steel’s head went rolling a bit lower, where injured and dead ponies of all kind and clan were piled up, and his wings fluttered one last time, before the rest of his body met the floor as well, not without bathing in blood everything around.
He had just got rid of his worst nightmare, and did not even have the time to cheer up. The battle was still raging around him, and rest was not an option.
Soarin tore up a part of his cloak and wrapped it around his body to bandage his wound, that was not as deep as he had thought at first, and he plunged back to the fight with all his heart, faithful to his promises and oaths.
------------------------------------------------------
How many pegasi were there in this fucking army? Had they all spread the word to stop her to achieve her ends? Sure. This coward of Prince Blueblood would certainly not have ordered his ponies to let her go. It seemed to her the reserve was bottomless, unless it came from the fact that the fucking guards from this fucking family all had fucking wings.
Rainbow Dash could not understand why they were so keen to defend the one who had all let them down as soon as he had a chance. They were fighting for him, after all.
She did not stay sitting in a corner, waiting for everything to be over to claim victory, so why did he do this and everyone seemed to think it was perfectly normal, as if there was nothing to add about it?
This army was nothing but a big joke, most of the time. Those who were dying during fights, combating with honor, they might have a good reason to do this, other than a greedy need for money and power. In her opinion, these were not noble causes to give yourself body and soul to the battle. Integrity and dignity were vectors of virtues. They were what filled her with life. Loyalty. Mixed with a subtle desire for revenge, bad proneness that no pony was really able to annihilate.
Each time a pegasus came her way, her sword darted forward, she got rid of them with belligerence, despite the wounds, despite the number. She could not be submitted to a downturn, and anyway, she was exhilarated by a certain kind of aggressiveness and would keep on the same rhythm until she would have reached her main goal – chopping the dissident Prince Blueblood’s head.
She settled poised on the rim of the balcony after she had knocked over an opponent who had arrived from behind, and was fighting against two ponies at the same time, in equilibrium on the gilt. The stronger they tried to strike, aiming at her chest and throat, the fiercer she was in her own strikes, and not without problems, she was able to chop off the wing of one and to injure the other badly enough to send him back near his comrades on solid ground.
A dry sound revealed her there were other ponies behind her on the balcony. Not hesitating, Rainbow Dash jumped off the rim, and threw herself in the new fray, who had climbed here to the rescue, seeing the last of opponents falling. Unicorns and earth ponies were mixed up, united in their curse.
It felt strange to think that Equestria’s hymn, supposed to sing the virtues of friendship between all the races, was illustrated in such a circumstance.
She had a jump back seeing every of her assailants hit on the back of their heads by something she did not perceive at first. They all crumbled down one after the other, like a gigantic pins game knocked over by a big invisible ball. The few survivors of the trick left without further ado, running before they would be mortally injured as well.
Rainbow Dash then had a glimpse at Rarity, the Fallen Heir Apparent’s former Main Servant, her elegant mane undone, her hooves skinned and her breath short. She fell back on her forelegs, exhausted from gathering her last strength to take back her mini-blades and using her personal spell in order to help her getting rid of these new opponents.
Rainbow Dash stepped closer to her, and mumbled thanks.
“You’ll thank me later”, she answered. “When you’ll have chopped off his fucking head, if I can talk so badly. He had fled to the North wall. It’s the closest one to the Everfree Forrest.”
A nod was enough to show her she had understood, and Rainbow Dash took the way Prince Blueblood had taken to escape without being caught up by anypoy. This castle was flooded with hidden passages he had all the time of the world to study, in case of a potential escape.
If he really thought he could escape her, well he was wrong. Maybe she already had fought a lot, maybe she was injured at many spots, but her determination and rage had not decreased. The real issue of the battle was going to be played between them two. And she was certain, he would never be a match for her. At least, that was what she kept on telling herself.