It was just past noon, and the two alicorns were still going at it with full force. And by the looks of it, it didn’t seem like they were going to go down anytime soon. The three targets on each side were still intact, most of which hadn’t even been scratched. Only one on Cadence’s side was slightly cracked where an ice shard had grazed past.
Below, the crowd was divided. Some were still absorbed in the fight above; others began to get restless. Rarity belonged to the latter group, and she said while stifling a yawn, “As much I as enjoy watching two ponies blast each other senseless, this is getting very boring.”
“Oh calm down, Rarity. You’re just mad ‘cause your team’s losing,” Rainbow Dash replied, taking a bite of some cotton candy she had picked up from nowhere in particular. “Besides, Fluttershy’s enjoying it. Right Flutters?”
“Um, well actually I-.”
“See? She’s enjoying it. You should too.” The blue pegasus swallowed her piece of cotton candy and turned to grab another. But instead of the pink, fluffy deliciousness she was expected, she found Pinkie Pie grinning happily.
“Hey…I’m not eating your mane am I?”
“Oh of course not Dashie! Not this time!”
“Good…wait, what?”
Before they could say anything else, something that sounded like a firecracker went off high above the air. They turned to see a multicolored projectile hit Celestia, exploding into a magnificent explosion of light akin to a firework show. Celestia spun wildly in the air before colliding into a stone spire. The sheer force of the impact made the thin tower crack, crumble, and finally collapse into a pile of rubble, far below in the square. And in all this time, Cadence only managed to destroy one of Celestia’s targets with a quick burst of fire. The pink alicorn was stopped when the sun goddess created a dangerous burst of wind, allowing her to get back on defense. Then the two went at it, just as they were before.
“Oooh, that’s Cadence’s first lead of the fight!” Pinkie Pie commented excitedly.
“And how ‘bout that whole firework thing, huh? So cool!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Looks like somepony’s getting a hundred bits!” she finished, nudging a pouting Rarity.
“Ah sure wish Twilight coulda seen that one!” Applejack added. “Ah bet she’d definitely enjoy that!”
Xxx
I am definitely NOT enjoying this!, Twilight Sparkle thought frantically. She lay up on her perch curled up in fetal position, moaning like a banshee. She began to roll around in pain, whining. Frankly, the sheer exhaustion was beginning to drive her insane.
From her position she could see Cadence’s firework-like barrage, and the striking colors made her get up in intrigue. Part of her hoped it was Cadence being exploded, not because she didn’t like her, but because she wanted the battle to be over as quick as possible. Unfortunately, the unicorn watched as her mentor was sent barreling into a stone spire, sending it crumbling to the ground.
Dismayed, Twilight Sparkle fell back down and began to moan again. Her first thought was, Canterlot’s going to look like an atomic wasteland when this is done. Her second thought was, Dear Celestia, I just want to go home!
But she could hear Princess Celestia’s voice in her mind taunting, MAGIC KINDERGARTEN, and just like that, urgency poured in once again. Twilight dragged her exhausted body up to the ledge and began yet another siphoning spell. Because, after all, draining her already tired body of even more power was exactly what she needed.
Meanwhile, Princess Luna happened to be in a very similar predicament. Although she was not as strained as Twilight, the moon princess could still feel the pangs of exhaustion seeping in. After Rainbow Dash’s “sweating incident”, Luna decided it would be best to get away from the crowd, where it would be easier to concentrate on her plan. As it would happen, mentally infusing powerful spells into the jewel around Cadence’s neck was extremely hard work.
Luna sat in the shade of a tower, far from the distracting horde. She had a good view of Cadence’s firework show, a little trick Luna had helped conjure up. Although, seeing her sister recover from this made her a little suspicious. “Usually when I’d do this to her, she would be unconscious by now. Celestia hath lasted much longer than I had expected,” the princess muttered to herself.
“Pardon me, Your Highness?”
Luna looked over to see one of her Dusk Guards, forgetting that he had accompanied her for “security reasons”. “I said…this match hath lasted much longer than I had expected,” the lunar goddess lied. Satisfied, the guard went back to his duty, letting Luna mull over her suspicions silently.
Xxx
Princess Cadence reeled back to admire her masterpiece. Celestia was struggling, another target was shattered, and she felt as confident as ever. And the sparkly, colorful, dazzling light show was the cherry on top.
Then the gust of wind came out of nowhere, causing the pink alicorn to get off-kilter. Seeing as though Celestia had regained her defensive position, Cadence figured it was time for another volley of magic.
The two powerful entities conjured up two blade-like beams protruding from their horns. The magic made a low humming noise as the two faced off in their battle positions. Celestia began to wave hers menacingly, the saber making a loud whirr as it sliced through the air.
“Feeling the pressure now, Auntie?” Cadence uttered.
Celestia just chuckled, responding, “Now who’s the one getting cocky?”
The two enemies charged at each other, their horns locked in combat. The competitors matched each other blow for blow, neither managing to land a clean hit. It was a deadly dance of glowing sabers as the two twirled their way across the sky.
The divine ruler remained deep in thought as she swiftly dodged Cadence’s attacks, thinking, Twilight’s magic isn’t enough to sustain me. Looks like I have no choice. When they locked horns once again and sparks began to spray, Celestia uttered, “While it may be true you are ahead. You mustn’t forget one important detail.”
“And what is that, my dearest aunt?” Cadence replied sarcastically.
Then Celestia pushed the younger alicorn away with a point-blank gust of wind. The ruler shouted maniacally, “I AM THE GODDESS OF THE SUN!”
All of a sudden, rays of light bursted from the deity, blinding the crowd and Cadence. Bright red tendrils seemed to extend from the sun itself, seeping into the glowing orb that was Princess Celestia. It continued to whirl around her for another minute, and the temporarily blinded ponies could only hear the whishing of magic. Then the energy culminated into a huge explosion of light, sending Cadence hurtling to the ground. She hit the dirt hard, carving through the earth for a few yards before coming to a halt.
The pink alicorn lay on her back, groaning from pain and spitting out some dirt. But the worst was yet to come. Cadence looked back at her aunt to see her completely surrounded by a cloak of fire and magic, her eyes glowing red. Random thunderclouds began spewing lightning behind her, almost entirely obscuring the blue sky.
And with a voice that made the Royal Canterlot Voice sound like a whimper, Celestia shouted, “I HAVE YOU NOW!”
xxx
“What in the hay jus’ happened?” Applejack cried as she watched the scene unfold.
Also in disbelief, Rainbow Dash replied, “I think she just got 20% crueler.”