//------------------------------// // Chapter 51 – Sparring Practice // Story: Pokémon Eclipse // by moviemaster8510 //------------------------------// Two trainers dressed in thick-blue jackets and stylish pants stood guard of a circular door built into the summit of Mount Lanakila. They spotted shapes coming through the snowstorm, making them a bit wary, but were instantly sated upon recognizing Guzma and Acerola among them. They then spotted Sam, Alice, and the Equestrians following them. “Guzma, Acerola,” the left trainer said, “welcome back.” “So good to be back,” Guzma responded, “let me tell you.” “And who are they?” the right trainer wondered. “Oh, come on, don’t you know a colorful talking pony from another world when you see one?” “No, I was referring to the two other trainers!” “Oh!” Sam and Alice stepped forward. “I’m Sam.” “And I’m Alice.” “We’re just here for shelter for the night.” “Shelter?” The left trainer put his hand to his chin. “Didn’t realize we suddenly became a bed and breakfast. Guzma? Acerola? Do you know these trainers?” “Yes!” Acerola sounded miffed. “They’re here with the ponies! We just got attacked by Team Prism and they need to stay the night so they can get some rest! Now let us in already, it’s freezing out!” “Oh! My apologies.” The trainers stepped aside to outside the edges of the doorway. “Just a moment.” Both of them clicked a button on a device on their wrists at the same time, causing the center part of the door to rotate until it screwed itself out enough to become flush with the door, the dividing point lining up with the rest of the door outside of it. With a lurch, the door slowly came open, blasting the group with another much needed puff of warmth. The entire group was already running inside, unable to wait to feel the heat. As the group caught their breath, the door began to close back behind them, Sam, Alice, and the Equestrians now able to see their surroundings. They found themselves standing on a glass walkway high over a massive, crystal-adorned crater that came to a platform at the center before branching off into four, each new walkway leading to a smaller version of the main door on the walls of the crater. Above each door, from left to right, was a symbol lit by an appropriately colored-light: a grey hexagon, a yellowish green insect, a purple wisp, and a solid-green feather. At the convergence point in the center was an unlit glass platform. Even with the incredible architecture, the group, save for Guzma and Acerola, felt immediate vertigo as they looked down to the bottom of the crater below. Even as they looked around, there didn’t seem to be an indication of where to go from there that didn’t appear like a place to battle. “So, uh…” Sam nervously wondered. “Where are we supposed to go from here?” “Hold on, I’m turning it on.” Acerola pulled a small, flat, bean-shaped device with a small screen from her pocket, and after tapping on the screen for a bit, she put the device back into her pocket. A slight whirring came from the center platform, and as the group turned to see it, they saw as the glass began to light up with swirling colors. “Ooh!” Pinkie Pie crept up to it, her face just at the edge. “What’s that?” Guzma crossed his arms. “Just walk onto it and keep walking until you’re off of it.” “Um… okay?” Pinkie Pie humored him and stepped on. “That certainly doesn’t sound very ex–” With a flash of light, Pinkie Pie vanished from the platform, making everyone but Guzma and Acerola gasp in shock. “Pinkie?” Applejack galloped to the light, her face aimed down at it. “Pinkie Pie, where are you?!” Another flash of light brought a giggly Pinkie Pie back to them, where she was already halfway up her bounce before colliding into her friend, knocking them both to the ground. “I lie down corrected!” Pinkie Pie stated. “That really was exciting! “What the hell even was that?” Alice wondered. “It’s a transporter,” Acerola explained. “Normally, trainers who manage to beat the Elite Four take that to the room where they face the Champion, but we also use it to get to our living quarters.” “It doesn’t use Psychic-energy, does it?” Starlight wondered. “Only a very minimal amount, so it actually shouldn’t hurt any of you any. Now, come on. I’m sure Mo and Kahili are really eager to meet you.” Both she and Guzma walked around the Equestrians and stepped onto the platform, disappearing as quickly as Pinkie Pie had done the moment their feet touched the glass surface. As Pinkie Pie and Applejack got up and walked to the platform, Starlight went to follow them on, but stopped and flinched upon both friends disappearing. Nervously standing still, Sam and Alice both appeared beside her. “We’ll go together,” Sam offered. “How’s that sound?” Starlight smiled, feeling stronger between them. “Yeah. Let’s go.” The three of them walked together onto it as Rarity, Discord, and Shining Armor approached as well. A flash of light filled Sam, Alice, and Starlight’s vision, and upon the light fading, they found themselves standing in a large, tiled room where Guzma, Acerola, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were waiting. Before them was a glass door that led to what appeared to be a luxurious log cabin with a spacious living room and a sliding glass door leading an outdoor patio and hot spring to the right, a massive kitchen up ahead, and a spiral staircase going up. “Woah!” Starlight walked up to the glass wall, the tip of her nose touching the glass. “You have all of this inside this mountain?” “Why, yes we do!” An unfamiliar voice came from around the corner. Coming from around it were two likewise unfamiliar faces. The first was a frail-looking middle-aged man with slightly messy medium-length hair with shades of blonde that got lighter with each layer up and wore a slightly unbuttoned light-blue shirt with a loose bolo tie and a pair of tight brown slacks around his scrawny legs. The second was a woman about ten years younger than him with short ice-blue hair with a larger, wing-shaped tuft draping over her right eye wearing a white-and-blue tee with a pair of white compression leggings. The man and woman both looked surprised to see the ponies in the room with Guzma and Acerola, especially with Shining Armor, Discord, and Rarity appearing on the platform and entering the room. “Oh! And I see you brought company!” the man added. As they enterered the room, Sam, Alice, and Starlight stepped back to let them in, Guzma going to stand beside them. “Guys, this is Molayne and Kahili. They’re the other half of the Elite Four here at the Pokémon League.” “Hmm,” Kahili stood with her legs together and her hand on her chin while the other supported her elbow. “So these are those ponies you were telling us about. And if what he says is true, you can all speak the same tongue as us, correct?” “Uh, yes!” Starlight came forward and reached her hoof forward to her. “My name’s Starlight Glimmer, and these are my friends Sam, Alice, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Discord, and Shining Armor.” “So…” Molayne scratched the back of his head, awkwardly smiling at them. “Quite a few friends.” He then directed his attention to Lady hanging off of Starlight’s back, looking instantly concerned. “Oh my, that poor Sylveon! Please, follow me! We have healing beds this way.” As Molayne opened the door, Starlight was quick to follow him. “Thank you so much, sir. We were just ambushed by Team Prism on our way up here and just barely made it out.” “I assume that goes for you two too?” Sam and Alice perked up, realizing they were being referred to. “Yeah,” Sam said. “We each only have one usable Pokémon, and even mine is on the ropes.” “Then come on! There’s plenty of room to heal your Pokémon up!” Molayne continued holding the door open for them, Sam and Alice both slipping inside so as not to waste any more of his time. “Thank you so much again!” Alice said as he passed him. “It’s not a problem at all, truly. Now, let me just… escort you!” Molayne jogged to the front and led the unicorn, trainers, and their Pokémon around the corner. Acerola then held the door open for the rest of them. “Alright, guys!” she said with a mild swing of her hand. “You can rest on the couches while we wait for your other friends! In the meantime, we’ll get some refreshments going while dinner is prepared.” “Oh, my!” Rarity was overwhelmed by the hospitality. “You don’t need to go through all that.” “Nonsense!” Guzma walked through the door. “I’m almost certain I haven’t gone through quite as much as you today and even I’m beat. Plus, I’m sure a little grub in our tums will be just the thing you need! Now, let’s get some much-deserved R&R!” “Alright!” Pinkie Pie was the first to move, followed by the rest of the Equestrians. Kahili saw them all out until the room was empty, leaving last to walk with Acerola to the living room. “So…” she said. “I’m guessing those trainers are friends of the ponies?” “Mmhm.” Acerola nodded. “They were supposedly traveling with that pink unicorn and another one who’s currently on Melemele Island looking for more of her friends.” “Okay, so they’re not–” “Sneaking in? No. Trust me, after everything they’ve done for these guys, they’re more than entitled to a night here.” Kahili huffed calmly through her nose. “Once dinner’s over, I’ll help make the beds for them.” Acerola smiled to her before going down the single step down to the carpet where Guzma and the Equestrians were already making themselves at home. “Okay!” Acerola clapped her hands to further get everyone’s attention. “Who’s hungry? And thirsty…” The group cheered as they raised their glasses, taking sips of their drinks before looking down at their meals. Along with the crispy-skin chicken breasts before each human and a bowl of steaming spiced couscous and raisins for the Equestrians, as well as smashed potatoes and roasted carrots for everyone, empty bowls of miso soup and orange-ginger salad dressing occupied the spaces above the corners of their plates. “This looks freakin’ amazing, guys!” Sam breathed out, Kahili reacting to his vernacular with disdain. “Well, I remembered that you and your sister are from Kalos,” Acerola explained, “so I asked the cooks to make a little taste of home for you.” “Like my brother said,” Alice chuckled, humored, “it looks amazing.” “And it’s not going to stay warm with you talking about it. Go ahead, eat!” The humans began cutting into their chicken, Sam audibly shuddering as the knife crackled through the exterior. As he continued cutting workable bites for himself, he noticed as Shining Armor, Rarity, and Starlight were both aptly using their magic to spoon the couscous into their mouths, making him smile warmly. Discord sucked on his spoon like a lollipop, savoring the flavors of his meal. “I can’t say I know much about you humans yet, but you certainly can whip up a mean bowl of tiny pasta balls.” “Uh,” Applejack leaned in. “I think they called it ‘coozcooz?’” Discord shrugged. “Eh, tiny pasta ball rolls off the tongue better.” Starlight hummed contently as she lifted a glass of purple juice to her lips and took a large gulp, letting out a loud and lengthy sigh as if she had drunk the cleanest, clearest water. “This juice is divine!” Rarity complimented. “I feel as though my mind is getting clearer with each sip I take!” “Oh, good,” Molayne spoke in. “Guzma and Acerola were both talking about the effects of Psychic-type moves on you unicorns, so we had the cooks prepare you a special juice blend using Payapa Berry. It’s normally used to weaken Psychic-type moves in battle, but as you can see, it has other uses.” Starlight finished taking another swig. “And it’s working wonders. Thank you very much.” “Remind us before you leave,” Kahili said. “We’ll be sure to pack some bottles up for you before you head back out.” “Oh, would you?” Shining Armor graciously asked. “That would be excellent.” “Please do keep eating,” Acerola interrupted. “We don’t want to miss desert now, would we?” “MMMM!” Pinkie Pie scarfed down the food in her mouth to clear it. “Ooh, I love desert! It’s one of the most important meals of the day! What’s on the menu?” “Well, we have single-serve tiramisu tarts, lemon-merengue mini pies, flourless chocolate cake with a chili-Razz sauce…” “Oooh, stop! I may want to skip dinner now!” The group all laughed as Pinkie Pie laid her head down onto the table, the couscous no longer appetizing her. On the deck of the Awesome Rainboom, the crew and all of their passengers began to erupt into livelier, merrier conversation as their bowls of lumpy, creamy stew became more and more empty. Fizzlepop and Grubber sat with Rockhoof, Stygian, and Skystar as they continued talking. “Wow, Fizzlepop, you’ve really changed since I saw you last,” Skystar said. Fizzlepop glanced away bashfully. “I’m still working on it.” “Well keep up the good work! Before you know it, I’m sure everyone on this ship is going to become your best bud!” She glanced to Celaeno and Capper, who were talking outside the door to the galley. “I wouldn’t hold my breath on that.” Grubber finished licking his bowl of chowder clean. “Ah! It’s not quite as good as Meadowbrook’s, but it’ll do. You wouldn’t mind seeing if there’s more downstairs, do you?” “No, of course not. Hand me your bowl.” Grubber did as asked and let Fizzlepop take it in her magic. “Could you get me some too, please?” Fizzlepop smiled to Stygian as his magic raised his bowl to her, allowing her to get his too. As she left for the door to the galley, Celaeno seemed to notice her and break from her conversation with Capper, walking toward her and raising Rockhoof’s suspicions. “So, uh…” Skystar traced a circle with her talon as she glanced to his shovel placed on his right, unaware that he was not paying her any attention. “What’s with the shovel? You have a passion for gardening or something?” Skystar’s bubbly giggle didn’t even break Rockhoof’s concentration as he saw Celaeno turn to Fizzlepop and bump her hip into hers, throwing her off balance and sending her to the floor with Grubber and Stygian’s bowl. While Skystar and Stygian gasped, having noticed it too, Rockhoof simply grimaced. “Hey, watch it, you clumsy cripple!” As Celaeno’s nearby crew members laughed, a couple of hippogriffs also joined in, the other Pillars turning from their new friends to see the commotion. “You did that on purpose!” Grubber shouted with shaking fist. “Hmph!” Celaeno combed her head-feathers with her hand and flicked them back proudly. “I can hardly see how getting walked into is my fault.” Capper bit on the knuckles of his paw, uncertain if the unicorn deserved such a treatment. Fizzlepop, dejected, slowly got herself up and weakly picked both bowls back up, pursing her lips and bowing her head as she tried not to cry in front of any of them. Rockhoof shot up, his massive stature compelling Celaeno to stop her from leaving. “Don’t act like I didn’t see what you did.” Despite his gruff voice, Celaeno leaned to the side with her hand on her hip and smirked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just going over to see who needed more food and she bumped into me. Isn’t that right, Squabble?” The wall-eyed parrot cawed affirmatively, not even facing the right direction as his captain. “You’re not even trying to hide your stupidity,” Rockhoof leaned down with the bridge of his muzzle, making her lean further away. “I’d appreciate it if you backed up!” “Just apologize to her and let her be on your way, and then I’ll ‘back up.’” Celaeno kept a brave face. Even the parrots around her were looking wary about how this exchange would end. “And what if I don’t?” she asked. “Then you’ll have to deal with me first.” Rockhoof pushed his face in further, Celaeno baring her teeth. “I said back off!” Celaeno drew her sword and slashed it slow enough for Rockhoof to hop off his front hooves and let the blade swish beneath his armpits. Each member on the ship, Pillars included, gasped as Celaeno stood her ground, waiting for Rockhoof’s response. Landing on his front hooves, he raised his right back hoof and brought it down on the spade of his shovel, sending it flipping and flying up. Leaping back up and a bit forward, Rockhoof caught the shovel’s handle by his teeth, and on his way down, slammed his weapon down toward the parrot captain. With an agile step back, Celaeno dodged the attack with the bottom of the spade striking the floor hard enough to leave a muted crunching sound, sending a few slivers up into the air. Immediately, all eyes and attention were on these two as they kept their distance, ready to intercept the other. “And to answer your question, Skystar, this shovel is not a gardening tool.” Skystar was too wonderstruck to really respond. “Oh, you were so close Rockhoof!” As Grubber cheered his friend, Fizzlepop slunk back to her spot beside him and Stygian, leaving the bowls behind. Celaeno hissed at the ruined wood. “She already destroyed one of my ships. I guess her friend wants to have a turn too.” Rockhoof wrapped his arm back around his shovel, his mouth free. “None of this would have happened if you had just left her alone!” “You know what she’s done, right? You know the damage she helped cause to this land, don’t you? The land that you swore to protect?” “As far as I can see, Equestria is doing fine now, and Fizzlepop has done nothing since then but try and atone for her mistakes. Now, do I have to help you atone for yours?” Celaeno gripped her sword tighter. “She’ll always be Tempest to me.” Celaeno lunged at Rockhoof with virtually imperceptible speed, and as she drove the tip of her blade at the pony’s chest, he managed to block it against the spade of the shovel. Sam, wearing a plain white t-shirt and black athletic shorts, chopped down to the left with his right arm, Doublade’s right sword striking a dummy standing at the center of a white gym with polished wood floors and a single mirrored wall, several spinning bikes parked to one side and a rack of hand weights, along with yoga mats, medicine balls, and resistance bands hung along the other wall. Sam spun, dodged, and juked about between each chop of his arm that was responded with another slash and slice from his Pokémon. Sam kept watch over the scratches and gashes Doublade’s swords made, and as he turned to face the door and glass wall that led the rest of the facility, he suddenly noticed his audience of two in the form of Shining Armor and Alice, the latter of whom wore a purple tee, black sweatpants, and was curiously barefoot. Startled, he and Doublade immediately stopped and backed away, the mannequin transforming into a blue grid pattern before fizzling out of existence from the top down. Alice seemed to take this as their welcome, and she opened the door for the unicorn stallion to let him in before she came in too. “Guys.” Sam relaxed himself, and Doublade did the same. “What can I do for you?” “Alice was just telling me about how you train with your Double Blade–” “Doublade–” “–and I wanted to see it for myself. You’re not too bad with it.” “Yeah, well…” Sam patted the area behind Doublade where its blades crossed. “Honedges are naturally born with the art of swordplay, so to be fair, it taught me way more than I taught it.” “Regardless, your skill with a blade is quite admirable. And I assume you employ a similar fighting style in your battles?” “More or less.” “I see. Good then. In that case, I’d like to be your next opponent.” “Wha…” Sam looked to Alice, hoping to see a semblance of jest, but even for her, there was none to be found. “Do you even have any Pokémon?” “I think he means he’s facing you, bro.” Alice crossed her arms, looking even more serious. “…And, how do you think you’ll do that? Are you even–” “I was captain of Princess Celestia’s royal guard and now serve as co-ruler and military commander of the Crystal Empire back home. If you’re worried about my experience, know that yours still pales in comparison to mine.” Sam was left silent, slightly insulted but mostly impressed. Shining Armor turned to glance to Alice. Understanding the gesture, she pulled a small keyring from her pocket and made her way to a metal cabinet beside the handweights. Unlocking it and opening it, she and Sam peered amongst a collection of sword-shaped paddles of different sizes and lengths, most of which hung on the door. Alice then reached for a metallic cylinder with an impossible-to-miss red button sitting on one of the shelves and quickly tossed it to Shining Armor. As he grabbed it in his magic, the button was pushed in, causing both ends to elongate out into a 4-foot staff. Immediately, Sam stood guard, his Doublade pointing both blades at Shining Armor on both sides of its trainer. “Good response.” Shining Armor twirled the spear around, sizing up its weight and feel. “You say that your Pokémon taught you everything you know. Let me add to that knowledge!” Shining Armor leapt forward while his magic drove the staff toward Sam’s chest. Sam, quick as a whip, made a tight swing of his right arm in a counter-clockwise direction while shifting to the left. As well as avoiding the staff, Doublade swung and deflected the staff further away. With his left side facing Shining Armor, Sam threw his outstretched left hand out, Doublade’s left blade shooting at Shining Armor’s head. As Shining Armor threw his head to the side to avoid it, Sam was too concentrated to see as the staff quickly flew up near the ceiling and revolved toward Sam’s ankles. With a shout, Shining Armor’s magic slipped the staff into the bottom of his calves and followed through and threw Sam up, disorienting both him and Doublade as his back flatly met the hard floor. Even with the outcome as expected as it was, Alice couldn’t help but wince and hiss as Sam gasped for the wind that was knocked out of him. Sam groaned as Shining Armor walked over to stand over him. “Yeah, that’s a pretty cheap shot, but you still kept your back to your blind spot.” Regardless, Shining Armor hooked his wrist in for Sam to grab a hold of so he could pull him up. With Sam still vulnerable, Shining Armor roughly pushed Sam back with the staff against his chest, sliding him back several feet away. Sam barely managed to keep his balance as Doublade flew back over to him. Sam and Alice then watched as Shining Armor floated the staff into his mouth, his teeth clamping on to it. “Uh,” Sam moaned, “what are you–” “Iph um hit bwy a shycic uttack uggen,” Shining Armor spoke through the weapon in his maw, “um yooshlesh to you guysh. Et leasht thish way, I cen shtill phight.” “Ah, I see. You still think you can fight me with that handicap?” “Pher Equeshtria’s shake…” Shining Armor galloped forward and swung his head, taking the staff with him. Sam clenched his fists and swung his arms down close to him, Doublade bringing them down to block Shining Armor’s attack as he continued pushing through, Doublade blinking at the sheer strength and reserve of this pony. “…wethoat queshtion.” Shining Armor made another push, throwing Doublade back and forcing Sam to back up. Shining Armor twisted his head and swung his head and the staff down, Sam holding his forearm over his eyes. Doublade held up a single blade to block the next attack. Celaeno dipped down as Rockhoof’s shovel swung over her head, loud gasps from the spectators noting the few small feathers that were blown off from the attack. From the quarterdeck, Starswirl and Flash Magnus watched in awe as Celaeno swiftly dodged and deflected each attempt against her. “She’s insane!” Flash Magnus peered further over the banister. “We should stop this!” Starswirl’s magic lifted his companion’s hooves off the table and set them back on the floor. “I will end this if it becomes too violent, but for now, just let them sort this out.” Flash Magnus grunted in helplessness just as a dark blue hippogriff with a light-pink beak approached him from the other side. “Celaeno’s pretty good huh? What say you to ten bits that she sends him to the butcher?” Flash Magnus shook his head as he huffed out. “I’ll match that to see Rockhoof turn her into a pancake!” Starswirl looked as the two shook talons and hooves at the bet, making him slap the front of his face with his hoof. Meanwhile, Fizzlepop and Grubber looked on anxiously as Rockhoof’s brow began to drip while Celaeno’s managed to look dry. With a furious thrust, Rockhoof pointed his shovel at her and drove it forward. The parrot captain let out a triumphant shout as she swung her sword up to hit the bottom of the spade, striking it hard enough to wrench it out of his mouth and send it into the air. “Rockhoof!” The Pillars all over the ship cried at once. Celaeno, his moment of vulnerability not going to last much longer, hopped forward and prepared to kick him with the tip of her crystal peg leg. Rockhoof grinned once she reached the point of no return, and she realized her error just as he caught her leg in his teeth. Hoisting his body up, gravity brought it back down and allowed him to throw her at the mast of her ship, her back hitting and sliding down it with a booming thud. Rockhoof caught his shovel in his mouth on its way back down, quickly charging at Celaeno as she got her bearings. Rockhoof thrust the tip of the shovel at Celaeno’s head, who tilted it to let it pass just over her right ear and drive into the mast. With the shovel held firmly in place, Celaeno grabbed it by the shaft and used it to pick herself up and swing a kick into Rockhoof’s chest with her good foot, throwing him back toward the quarterdeck, which Flash Magnus nervously watched him slide into. “Come on,” Somnambula mumbled from the bow side. “Get up!” Rockhoof got to his feet as Celaeno walked toward him, her hand running along the shaft until she could get to the handle, gripping on and prepared to take it out. She suddenly felt herself pulled back, looking back to see the shovel jammed too far into the mast for her to pull out. “Huh. You really put it in there.” She couldn’t ponder for long as Rockhoof galloped back out at her. Celaeno quickly mounted the shovel and sprung off its handle, bouncing high into the air. With a seemingly effortless pull, Rockhoof dislodged the shovel and awaited her inevitable descent down. Celaeno was ready and with her sword raised high, she slashed the sword down the spade with all her might. Alice leaned back as Shining Armor thrust his staff at her face, letting it pass by her head. With a quick slap, Alice blocked the staff away, forcing Shining Armor to quickly realign himself. Sam sat on one of the bikes, resting his arms on the handlebars as she continued to prove too much of a match for the stallion. With another failed jab, Alice twisted her left hand and grabbed the staff, twisting it back over to her left and pulling herself at Shining Armor to clock him in the side of the mouth, too fast for him to react. With a groan, Shining Armor relinquished his hold on his weapon, Alice grabbing hold of it with her other hand and spinning around to lead with her left side, pointing the end of the staff at Shining Armor’s head. Despite the intensity of the situation, Shining Armor laughed in deep respect. “Your reflexes are outstanding,” he said. “Where did you learn such techniques?” “Earned my badges in kung-fu and jujutsu when I was with the junior rangers, and when I left, I continued training so I could eventually get my black belts one day.” “I suppose those came in handy when that creep took you on the mountain.” “Eh.” Alice shrugged as she tossed Shining Armor his staff back. “That was a basic escape maneuver. Learned that at the junior rangers. Besides, I haven’t really practiced much since my accident.” She rolled her leg up to show him her scar, which she slapped proudly. Shining Armor laughed, feeling more encouraged to fight Prism now more than ever. “And what about you, Sam? Did you do any other kind of training?” Sam hopped off the bike, Doublade following him. “Nah. I kind of watched my Honedge enough that I could mimic his motions, and then I guess he watched me so he could mimic mine.” “Nice. And how are you suited for close combat?” “What? No, I can’t fight like my sister–” “I’m not saying to fight like your sister. I can see that you and your Doublade are very much in synch with each other, but I can tell that a lot of the effort between you is made by it. I want to see what you can do.” Sam waved his hand and shook his head incredulously. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying that I should grab my Doublade by the hilts and–” Without much warning, Sam felt Doublade press its hilts into the palms of his hands, the cloth arms wrapping snugly around his wrists. Sam slowly gripped onto the handles as Doublade’s eyes looked up at him, wanting to ensure it had his back. Sam smiled, gladdened for the show of trust. “Actually, if you could…” Sam let go of the left blade, Doublade unwrapping that sword from his hand and flipping it around so that Sam held the blade upside down with it running along the outer side of his forearm. Shining Armor took interest in the formation as Sam widened his stance and Doublade's cloth arm held back on, ready for another go. “I see. You’ll use your left arm for both defense and offense while your right goes for strictly offense. Let’s see how this works for you.” Shining Armor clamped his teeth to the staff, and Sam raised his swords up, the almost weightless feel in his hand taking his breath away. With another smile, Sam awaited his opponent’s first attack, a swing to the left. Sam blocked the attack with the left blade and swung down at Shining Armor above the staff’s line. The stallion quickly swung clockwise and blocked the attack, Sam tracing both ends of the staff with the blades of his swords, blocking any further attacks from him. “Good.” Shining Armor pushed Sam back hard to free himself. Celaeno and Rockhoof continued trading blows, Celaeno getting several hits on the shaft of the shovel for each heavy swing Rockhoof tried to strike her with. By now, the tension of the fight had lightened, now more impressed than anything by both fighters’ stamina. “Incredible,” Capper commented. “He’s matching her speed with his strength. They’re so different, yet they’re practically equals.” Many of the onlookers could also see that the vicious, out-for-blood attacks at the beginning had thawed into seemingly more playful parries and half-hearted swings of their weapons. Grubber couldn’t help but notice something odd about their expressions when he could see them. “Are… they smiling?” Fizzlepop began to realize herself. “They’re… enjoying this now.” Finally, Celaeno and Rockhoof both approached each other and pushed their weapons and strength against each other. Sam twirled his right blade around the end of the staff before swatting it away, opening his window to approach Shining Armor once again. As Shining Armor swung his head forward to get the back of Sam’s head, Sam saw it coming and reached his left hand behind his back, Doublade catching the staff at the base of the blade, swinging his right arm in to stab. Without further warning, Shining Armor picked his forelegs up and kicked Sam in the chest with the right hoof. With his blade still caught on the staff, Sam’s legs swung out, and threw him flat on his stomach, the position of his left hand causing it to slam into the back of his neck. “Sam!” Alice approached him, but Shining Armor went to him quicker, signaling that the match was far from over. “You protected your blind spot,” Shining Armor stated. “That’s good, but you trapped yourself and left your front side completely unguarded. I’m not even using my magic anymore, this shouldn’t be that hard.” Sam, enraged by the taunt, slowly pulled himself to his feet, Doublade still holding on to him and vice versa. “Yeah, I get it. But both you and my sister chose to train while I went off to do my own thing. I’d say for someone like me, I’m doing pretty damned well.” Sam went for another charge, Shining Armor putting the staff back in his mouth and swinging it to the left. Sam ducked under the attack and let the staff come in front of him. Shining Armor attempted another swing in, Sam this time swinging both blades up and throwing the staff high up, tilting Shining Armor’s head up with it. Sam kept look on Shining Armor’s face as he quickly moved the staff back behind him, ready to sweep Sam’s legs as he did before. Sam, his arms still raised up, landed on one knee before stabbing his left blade into the floor for the staff to crash and stop into. With no time to waste, Sam punched his right arm forward, holding the blade against Shining Armor’s neck. Alice shuddered with a smile, glad to see her brother finally win. Knowing his precarious spot, Shining Armor and Sam could only stay still and look into each other’s eyes, panting with ever-widening grins. “That unicorn must mean a lot to you to continue fighting me,” Celaeno grunted, pushing harder against Rockhoof’s force. Rockhoof’s weight and muscle guaranteed that he did not have to move much. “She can mean a lot to you too if you let her into your heart the same way we did.” “And she has changed since then?” “I never knew her from ‘then,’ but whenever ‘then’ was, I’m certain she’s a better mare now than she was then.” Looking into each other’s eyes, their two minds seemed to communicate between each other as they laid down their arms and backed away. Any tension leftover amongst the spectators had immediately deflated. As the blue hippogriff grimaced, Flash Sentry walked to the steps to the main deck after smugly patting his betting partner on the shoulder. “Looks like we’re as rich tonight as we were this morning.” Celaeno slipped her sword back into the cloth wrapped around her waist. “Squabble. Spittle?” Squabble and the short pink parrot both turned to face her. “Captain?” “Caw?” “Get Fizzlepop and her two other friends a second helping of stew.” “Aye!” “CAW!" Celaeno then turned to face the eyepatched parrot and the burly hook-handed one. “Mullet! Boyle! Help Rockhoof mend the mast and the floors.” “Aye, captain!” They both replied with a salute as they raced toward the downstairs as well. Rockhoof opened his mouth to speak, but Celaeno quickly turned to face him and shut him up. “You were the one who cracked my floors and put a big hole in my ship. Plus, you’re getting some help. Consider yourself lucky that you’re getting off with this.” Celaeno left Rockhoof alone, walking to the steps to the quarterdeck to retain control of her ship. As she passed Capper, he breathed a sigh of relief over the relative harmlessness of the quarrel. Finally, Spittle and Squabble both returned from downstairs with three fresh bowls of stew, respectfully letting Fizzlepop take them with her magic to pass them to Grubber and Stygian. “Thanks guys!” Stygian responded to them. Both wordlessly left the two alone to their seconds. Fizzlepop then glanced to Rockhoof, who saw to her serving, giving her a friendly wink that made her giggle. “Alright big boy,” Boyle said, walking to him with barrels of water and powdered cement, Mullet joining his side with a can of brown paint. “Put that shovel to good use again and start mixing.” Rockhoof begrudgingly walked over and helped Boyle pour the water into the cement. Sam, Alice, and Shining Armor came off the elevator, the former drying the sweat off his hair with a small towel. Going down the hall, they found themselves in the kitchen once more, and turning toward the living room, the only ones left there were Acerola, Guzma, Molayne, and Kahili, all dressed in various sleeping garments. Alice slowed down on tiptoe, assessing the scene. “Everyone’s in bed already?” she whispered. “Yep,” Guzma yawned. “You should get to bed too. Everyone here tends to get up early.” “We’re sorry we took your beds tonight,” Shining Armor spoke. “Don’t worry about it!” Molayne discreetly giggled. “Truth be told, these couches are still about twice as comfortable as most beds I’ve slept on!” “That’s good to know,” Sam said, already making his way for the stairs to the bedrooms. “We’re beat ourselves. See you in the morning.” “Yes, goodnight,” Kahili bid. “See you all tomorrow.” “Thank you.” Alice flicked the keys out of her pocket at Guzma, who caught them all in his hand to mute the jingle. She and Shining Armor both slunk up the stairs, hoping not to disturb the sleep of their friends who direly needed it after the events of that day. The group waited for several moments until they were certain the three were probably inside their rooms before Acerola turned to them. “Okay, so who’s in charge of breakfast tomorrow?” Guzma was already beginning to snore loudly.