You stood at the ready, as the girls kept their distance, completely focused on you and Lance. You hold up your sword towards Lance, giving it a spin or two as you arrogantly give a few stabs forward. Lance however, stood fast and serious, never showing an ounce of a lack of discipline. Lance raised his sword and simply stared at it, eyeing the ball point like it was an iron sight. And as he did so, he began to speak. “Little Hero Colt, I beg you not to show me mercy. We are two warriors who must put everything we have into this fight, even if it is a spar. As you may know, the state of my horn does not allow me to cast many spells, no matter how hard I train myself. It is a birth defect that was forged in the womb this way, but I do not see it as a detriment in my life.”
Wut? “Uhhhh, I actually didn’t know anything about that. You have a problem with your horn?”
Lance's stance was finally broken as he looked towards you with surprise and embarrassment. “O-oh, excuse me, I thought Mr. Rich would have informed you. For some reason unknown to any doctor, my horn does not expel magic very well. For years, my parents, and even myself, believed I would never reach my full potential, or even obtain my cutie mark.” Suddenly he looked up and yelled out. “But I was wrong! We were wrong! For you see, Anon, I had grown up watching ‘Masked Valiant’ films, that of which I’m sure you’re aware of. Films of a rich plantation owner who is debonair and charismatic, and yet seems shady given his interactions with bad ponies. But it is a farce! He only mingles with them to find out their evil secrets, and then with mask over eyes and sword in mouth, he becomes ‘Masked Valiant’! A hero who stops evil doers with the skill beyond even those of alicorns, and yet, he is only an earth pony! I wanted to be like him, and I wanted to swing a sword as well as he. I trained myself everyday, working with the magic I did have and the skills in which simple neck twists provide. It was all I wanted then, to be a professional duelist! Through years of practice, and going through every tournament that became available, I brought honor to my family and to myself by mastering the art of every blade I could get my hooves on. But alas, I am not like my hero, as I have never stopped a villain. When it comes to you, Anon, I have figured fighting a hero who fights alone, like Masked Valiant, would be the closest I’d ever feel as being worthy enough to stop an evil villain. If the stories are true, then I do not expect to win. But if I can at least keep up with you, then I will feel fulfilled in my quest. Anon, do not hesitate, and do not let me win. Doing so would be a spit on my honor, do you understand?”
Holy shit, that was heavy. The guy is magically crippled? And yet, he apparently became a sword master or something like that. Don’t let him win though? Well, hearing that, you almost thought about it, but only because you now knew you had an advantage. But if he wants it that way, so be it. “Got it.”
“Good.” Lance says with a smiling nod. “Now then, the contest is simple. All forms of physical and blade based combat is allowed in this fight. While a shield spell is allowed for sword and shield duelists, any spells outside that scope are strictly prohibited. The winner will be decided by three points made through physical contact through body or blade. Are you ready, Anon?”
You jump back, and point your blade towards Lance. “You bet!”
“Then en guarde!” Lance seems to hold himself back for a moment after giving the signal, but only perhaps to make things more fair as to not launch off instantly. Because launching was exactly what he did after his hesitant moment. Like a bullet, he began to rush towards you ready to make a swipe directly at you.
“Gyah!” Holy shit! He was moving fast! He was already nearly up to your face. You instinctively toss your sword towards him, startled. Surprisingly, the ball tip hits his chest, making him stop as he looks down at your sword, astonished.
“Anon!” Diamond screamed, suddenly in anger. “What are you doing?! That’s the most dishonorable move you can do!”
Ocellus seemed confused and looked to Scootaloo. “It is?”
“Oh, yeah, she’s right. According to the film, throwing your sword is some final ‘cowardly act’ or something like that. Basically what scaredy cats do when they know they're beat. Yikes, was not expecting that out of Anon.” Scootaloo said, rather astonished herself.
“Oh, I-I hope Lance isn’t upset with him.” Ocellus said with a gulp as she looked over to Diamond, worried over her angry yelling.
You simply take your sword back, looking at him. Did that count? You saw it, it hit him. Why was Diamond yelling? You hit the guy. “Lance?”
After another moment, Lance went from wide eyed to a loud almost obnoxious laugh. “HAHAHAHAHA! What a fool I am!” The moment he said that, you could already hear confusion from Diamond. “I had heard you had very unorthodox tricks to your fighting method. Normally, a sword is thrown in defeat, as a cowardly and ineffective last effort from amateurs. Yet you, Little Hero Colt, you throw your sword at the very start of the match. I’d have never been able to see that coming. Good work!”
Wut? No, not wut. Just take the win. “Oh, uh, yeah! Heh, I represent chaos, remember? I’m unpredictable.” Fuck, you had to be more vigilant. You had to be more ready. This guy was quick, way too quick. Be ready to actually fight, Anon, that throw won’t work a second time.
“Indeed! Well then, I’ll simply have to be more careful. Now then…” Lance raises his sword yet again and jumps back. “Are you ready, Anon?”
Ok, focus, Anon, focus. Ready the sword, and get ready to parry. “Ready!”
“En Guarde!” Lance shouts. Instead of speeding towards you however, he more cautiously steps towards you, sword in a more defensive position, hovering with his supposed weaker magic.
Ok, raise your sword and prepare yourself, he’s moving a lot slower now, he’s prepared for a sword throw.
You ready yourself, all you need is a good swing to get your second point. Closer, closer, and.. Oh no! His swing! It was wicked fast, so fast, you barely parry it. And worst still, he isn’t relenting, he’s making you step back as he quickly and skillfully slashes towards you, parrying any slash you make to quickly counter into a faster strike. He’s forcing you back with every swing, and the only reason his stabs didn’t get you was due to your own speed and small size, you were hard to hit. Come on, Come on! AHA! Suddenly, your swords clash with one another. Your magic, even in this state, you knew was superior. You prepare to quickly push foSDFSDFSDFS.
“HYAH!” Lance was quick. In one quick moment after the clash, he rushes forward and grabs the hilt of his sword with his teeth, using his own physical force to throw your sword back as he rushes towards you, slapping the side of your face with a neck twisting sword slash.
You tumble backwards as you fall on your belly, your sword falling back down and slapping your head before falling beside you. What the fuck was that?! You didn’t know he was going to go from some magic swinging style to a physical one! “Ogh…”
The girls gasped, Diamond merely slapped her forehead and was just wondering what the hell that was.
“Ah, it seems you are not used to such a change up. You are quick on your hooves, Anon, but your attacks lacked passion. Please, do not hold back, I would have expected, or perhaps not expected, one of your patented moves there.” Lance said as he stabbed forward, hopping left and right like he was a boxer.
Christ, it wasn’t like you weren’t trying. You slowly stand up, grab your sword with your magic, and hold it up towards him. Fucking hell, you’re going to have to use your head on this one. “T-that was just a warm up. I’m ready this time.”
“As it is my point, it is your call, Little Hero Colt.” He said as he readied himself once more.
“Erm, ok.” Alright, Anon. You had to be even more ready. The guy could switch up from magic to his mouth at any time, you just need to find a way through that. “Let’s go!” You call out as rush towards him, willing to try to gain offensive advantage.
Immediately, Lance takes a defensive position as you try a flurry of stabs at him. At first, he steps back as he quickly parries a few stabs. But then, with an upward swing, he manages to counter your forward stabbing and send your sword backwards, the ball tip stabbing through the ground a few yards away from you.
Shit! No, he said physical attacks, right? And, you did have… Yes! You watch for his next strike, and call up a barrier to quickly repel it. It works, but as you drop the shield to jump and strike him, he quickly jumps back with his sword in his mouth, holding it in such a way that the sword pointed forward. You jump left and right towards him, hoping he’d try to move up and stab you, but instead he jumps back himself and stabs right towards you from a safer position. You bring up your barrier again, but holy shit, you catch the blade with the tip almost touching right between your eyes.
Lance says nothing, suddenly calm as he waits, he was going to stab right into you the moment you dropped the barrier. Shit, you were so close! You couldn’t move forward, you’d be hit for sure. Anon, was this your limit? No, no! You still had to have something! You look back at your sword, then look back at Lance, who was focused for that hit. Use your head, Anon! USE IT! Fuck man, Scootaloo was right! You had to be more… Oh wait, your sword! Your head! What if you…
You eye Lance, and prepare to jump back. Immediately, you drop the barrier, hop backwards, which dodges his stab, and head back towards your sword. But you weren’t going to pick it up, no, you had a better idea. Lance gives chase, he was probably going to try to stab you as you grab your sword. And yet, you didn’t plan to do that. As soon as you reach your sword, you jump up towards the hilt and grab onto it as the sword bends backwards by the blade. Then, like a catapult, the sword swings forward and launches you head first towards Lance. “HYYYAH!” You yell out as you head towards, and then past him, as he dodges you completely. “GYAH NO!” You scream out as you slam and slide along the ground, eating dirt. Fuck…
“That was a new one.” Lance said to himself as he looked back at you, surprised you would even try such a move when he was now expecting everything. And yet, as he looked at you, your sword suddenly fell onto his head, striking him. The sword must have flung out of the ground and into the air towards him. “What?! Oh no!” Lance yelled out as he rubbed at his head, looking at your sword. “How unexpected! Again, I make a foolish mistake. I was so entranced by what looked like a silly mistake, I failed to notice the truth of the attack. This Anon is quite the combat genius. I must be even more cautious. Even now, he acts a fool, and yet his cunning fills my mind.”
Oh god, you ate a worm, didn’t you! You were spitting up and trying to get the taste out of your mouth. Sheesh!
After a few moments of that, the next round came. Despite you crashing into the ground, you got another point! And this time, the peanut gallery seemed impressed. Diamond nodded to herself as she looked to Ocellus and Scootaloo. “That’s the Anon I know, smart enough to calculate his sword striking Mr. Scimitar.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that. How do you think Anon knew the sword would hit Lance?” Ocellus asked, as she never knew you to be that smart before.
“I’ve seen Anon pull off awesome moves before. Did you see him planning when he brought his shield up? He was probably having that rare moment he gets where he calculates everything.” Scootaloo said as she nodded to herself. “It has to be that, there is no other way. I knew he’d take my advice and take things seriously.” She actually didn’t, but she felt it looked better if she said it, as it did seem you did in fact take it, when you didn’t at first. But she had it in the back of her mind that it was a fluke as well.
Diamond rolled her eyes. “Anon doesn’t need advice. But that first round, ugh, sometimes I forget he isn’t as refined as he should be. I’ll fix that sooner or later, I don’t want other snooty ponies looking down on him just because he can be a bit of a slob. A cute slob, but sometimes just a slob.”
“Oh, do you think that’s possible? Anon usually does his own thing quite a bit. He never sits around in one spot for too long” Ocellus says.
“I can do anything. I’m Diamond Tiara after all. Now shush, the next round is starting!” Diamond said excitingly, ready to see you win. “All Anon needs is one more point!”
“Ready? Anon? Go! And do not hold back, as you are on the cusp of victory!” Lance shouted as he rushed towards you once more, his strikes were as fast and furious as before, and this time, he was playing for keeps. “I am more aware of your chaotic style now! You will need more than mere tricks to defeat me!”. Lance seemed to be more into it now, every strike more passionate than the last.
As before, he had you on the defensive. You either dodged, used your barrier, or did your best to deflect his attacks. Dammit, how were you going to get through this this time? You tried finding an opening, but the guy was even faster than before. Even worse, it looked like your barrier was beginning to shatter the more he struck it. Was the horn, without its charges, simply on ‘backup’ power? If this keeps up, you’re done for.
Yipes! You jump back when he nearly plants his sword between your eyes. Dammit! You were beginning to sweat, and yet, he was fine, and relentless to boot! You were panting in between defensive blocks, and yet you had no way of breaking his attack. You had to think of something quick, and at the time you were thinking, you thought of what a jedi would do. Aha! Of course, with enough spin of your sword, there’s no way he’d be able to block it! You jump back, and continue to jump back before focusing on your sword to make it spin as fast as you can. As soon as it looked like a visual buzzsaw, you threw it towards him like a frisbee. Ha! There’s no way he can block that!
Unlike before, Lance catches on to this quickly and jumps back, sticking his sword out as he aimed it with one eye. As soon as your blade came close, he used his magic to stab his sword into the middle of the spinning blade, and began to slowly spin the end of his own sword, controlling yours like a stick in a hoop. Once he had control of the spin, he made your sword fly upwards as he rushed up towards you. You were so perplexed by him blocking your sword that you didn’t even realize he was rushing right towards you. He swipes his sword so hard at you that he sends you backwards, rolling you onto your back.
SHIT! HE BROKE THROUGH! HE GOT A POINT! Two points to two points! How?! How did he even manage to break that super spinny sword attack?! It was perfect! And yet…
You look back at the girls, and you could see it, hopelessness and despair in their eyes. Even Diamond was covering her face, as if they suddenly decided that move was enough for them to think you might lose. But why? How could you be losing after making two amazing points? Dammit! You slowly get up as you eye Lance. The guy was probably laughing to himself, thinking he was going to win. But when you actually looked at him, he actually seemed… Upset? ”Lance? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lance stuck his sword into the ground, and sighed as he looked towards the horizon. “I feel as if you are holding back. I understand why you would, but to throw your sword at me again? Even with that spin, any good fighter knows anypony can deflect it with skill. I feel as if you don’t take me seriously. Little Hero Colt, I came here to have a truly great fight, not to be pitied upon.”
What in the fuck is he talking about? “What do you even mean by that?” Was he mocking you? Was that it?! This fucking guy!
“Have I not made it clear? Do you not believe fighters speak to each other through their actions in combat? Anon, I can tell you are taking it easy on me, as no true fighter would make such pathetic mistakes. I chose you, Anon, I chose you because unlike the princesses, unlike Starswirl, unlike the six who protect Equestria time and time again, you do it all on your own, just like Masked Valiant! For many a moon, I had waited to meet and do battle with that who lives a double life. Who converses, and even lives, with one so shady, when in truth, he is a hero to the core! Perhaps it is a silly dream, as I know the Masked Valiant is not real. But even though he is not, I feel what he stands for is. And you, Anon, I feel understands what he stands for, even if you never watched a single film! To win because you let me, that would be most shameful. If I am to win, or to lose, I want it to be at your most capable. I want to see why they call you the Hero Colt! Show it to me!” Lance yelled out. There was deep passion in his voice, a sort of passion… That seemed familiar.
He reminded you of… You. He lived through the Masked- Wait a second, that’s fucking Zorro. He’s talking about fucking Zorro, and he didn’t even fight alone all the time. Ok, well, he mostly did. Whatever, forget that. This guy, he lived through pony Zorro, he wanted to be just like him. If anything, if Discord’s theory is truly correct, then out there, somewhere, is an actual place where Masked Valiant exists in some form. This guy, he’d probably be the happiest guy in the world to be able to join up or spar with him. He was facing you because that was the closest he was ever going to get. You were the lone hero, and yet… The only reason you get anywhere is due to your horn. This guy, he worked for it, he worked hard to get so good. All he wanted out of you was a good fight, and yet, you were the one being a schmuck.
As you look at the girls, with them wondering what you were doing, Diamond even calling out to you now a half hopeful “You can do it!”. It made you realize that these girls really did want you to win. In fact, you didn’t know where it was coming from, but it felt like even a cosmic force was calling out to you to win. You look at your sword however, how could you win? How could you give this guy, this guy who has actually respected you, even revered you, the fight he desperately craves? You’re no sword fighter, you don’t know the first real thing about it. You had no charges, not like any other spell would win the day for you anyway. The only way you’ve scored a point was by surprising him, something that was clearly not going to work this time. You’d need something truly chaotic to take the last point.
Wait, chaotic? That was what your talent was, right? Your cutie mark. You were right, you couldn’t win this fight with sword skills, you basically had none. But what about through chaos? Could you win? Could you win by simply doing what no one would ever do, at near random, doing moves that seemingly make no sense? You had an advantage in your small size, and even disadvantages. And yet, you could make even those disadvantages into advantages. Couldn’t you?
This guy, all he wanted was a good fight. And to be able to give it to him, all you had to do was fight like someone who didn’t know what he was doing, but did, didn’t, but actually did. You look back at the girls, with one of the most serious stares you ever had. You look to Diamond specifically, and simply nod. Just like that, she is suddenly stunned, as she brings her hooves to her heart, as if she suddenly understood what you meant. Ocellus herself seemed suddenly stunned. And Scoots? Poor Scoots, she was just confused. You then look to Lance, and bow towards him. “Mr. Scimitar, you’re mostly right. I haven’t been taking this fight as seriously as I should be. In fact, I think I truly understand how you feel now. I know the feeling you’re feeling all too well, in my own sense. Please, take up your sword one more time. I’m ready for you this time.”
“Perhaps I should be somewhat hurt by your words. But to know in this climactic moment, that you will give it your all? Yes, it is the moment I have truly been waiting for.” Lance raises his sword and runs his hoof through his beard only once before entering a battle stance. “This is it, Anon, by your word. We will have our true dance of fate, where only one will leave! I mean this figuratively, but it truly sounds like something that would be said in a Masked Valiant film!”
This was it, Anon. Do not try to sword fight him for the win, just do what you do best, be chaotic. That is how you’ll receive victory. “En Guarde!”
You knew he was a better sword fighter than you, you had to remember that, you only needed to hit him once, that’s all. To do that, you simply had to keep blindsiding him until he made a mistake, without being overwhelmed yourself. You rush towards him to engage him in a trade of strikes, knowing you can’t outdo him. With a stab, he parries. With his slash, you jump back. Both of you are in a flurry of strikes, but his was better, and he was sending you back. That’s fine, that’s ok, concentrate on defense, until…
Your sword then enters another clash with his, only this time, without thinking, you go and jump towards your sword’s hilt to grab it within your mouth. If you were right, your weight and size wouldn’t be enough to push back his magic anyway, and…
Indeed, he forces his sword out with his magic, sending you flying backwards. Keep going, Anon, don’t even think about it! Like before, you throw your sword like a buzzsaw, using your magic to keep it in a spin. Lance had to look up in the sky this time, the sun obscuring his vision as he prepared to deflect your sword like he did before.
Fuck that shit, you spin in mid air, and dive down head first as his sword makes contact with yours and begins to control and spin it to deflect. With the sun in his eyes, his movement is a little slower. And to him, you’d dare not try to approach from the air, you’d not be able to land properly without risk of being hit. He didn’t know you at all.
“HYYYAH!” You scream out as you dive right towards the swords, and manage to catch the hilt of his sword in your mouth as you lean your head forward, crashing down with the force to create a small crater. Lance was caught in surprise and jumps back as your own sword spins backwards and lands behind you. He almost went to check if you were ok, but this was you and your head, you were fine. You push back with your hooves, jump backwards with a spin, and pluck your sword from the ground with your magic as you held on to his sword with your mouth. You spit it out and catch it within your telekinesis. You enter a battle stance, and point both swords at him.
“Wow…” Diamond said in a whisper, as hearts practically appeared in her eyes. “I knew he was holding back.”
“Anon… Woah, he’s taking this super seriously. Look at him, you can feel it. It’s something totally different from how he usually is.” Scootaloo said, shocked, and enthralled.
“I can feel something. It’s, it doesn’t feel like him at all. What’s going on? It’s amazing.” Ocellus had no idea how to feel, she had never seen you like this before.
“I think I have. I’ve seen Anon get serious against his own tantabus. And during our final training exam, Anon suddenly changed, he became different. He figured out a way to save me, even if it meant him burning to a crisp. Maybe, when he was in that other Equestria, this is how he was like too. This is it, isn’t it? This is super serious Anon. mmmmngh! GO, ANON! YOU CAN DO IT!” Scootaloo jumped up with a cheer.
Lance said nothing, though, the energy in his eyes, this was fueling him. This is what he wanted all along, and even without his swords, he wasn’t counting himself out yet. As for you, this guy, he had to be good even without swords. Just because you had two of them meant nothing, and you had to remember that. But how good was he? You look at him with fierce determination, this was it. “TAAAKE THIS!” You yell out as you rush towards him, swinging both swords around in a flurry as you attempt to see his technique.
Just as you predicted, he was weaving, dodging, and rolling like a pro as you swung upwards, downwards, and side to side. Even when you stabbed towards him, he moved like water. You were going to tire out before him if you kept this up. You jump back, both swords at the ready, and observe him as he slowly walks to the side, eyeing you. You expected him to say something, but he said nothing. Indeed, this was the last point, there was no room for smacktalk.
He was going to dodge everything you had, and upon a mistake, he was going to counter and take your swords or outright hit you. Well then, let’s make that mistake.
You rush towards Lance, and as soon as you get in melee range, you do a cross-slash with both swords at the same time, prompting him to jump up above the slash and towards you with front hooves at the ready. What he wasn’t expecting though was the fact you kept running, without stopping to even think. Lance brings his hooves down to try to smash you, but due to your running, you actually dodge it with ease. As you kept running forward, you managed to get out of his range. Now was the time! You take one of the swords and throw it towards him as he turns around. THIS WAS IT!
THIS WAS NOT IT! Lance was quick to turn around, and while it wasn’t enough time to stop and catch the sword outright to use against you, he still quickly used his telekinesis to redirect the sword back at you. SHIT! You jump back onto your backside as the sword nearly makes contact with your crotch. Shit! Ok, that was close! It was a good thing you weren’t at point blank range, but that sADASD OH SHIT, HE’S COMING!
He was going to take advantage of your downed state, and take you down. What do you do?! WHAT?! Fuck it, don’t think! You just needed to be quick! How do you quick? HOW DO YOU QUICK?! Wait, the sword, the other sword, the fact the sword was already sticking out of the ground! GO!
Holding one sword with your teeth, you grab onto the sword stuck into the ground right, onto its hilt, and pull back for another launch, using as much force as you could with your hooves until the sword finally gave way and launched you forward. With the other sword in your mouth in tow, you try to slash at him as you pass by, but you miss. Lance looked back at you, bewildered for a moment that you came that close to hitting him with your sudden attack. The only reason he was able to dodge the sword was because he had already seen you pull this trick once. And then when he turned back, he was expecting the other sword to be falling down towards him. But instead, it was already flying right into his face like a spear, striking him and sending him to the ground.
You could hear the cheers, you were on fucking fire, you did it! Holy shit, as you flew into the air, you could hear that you won. That final move, you knew you’d miss with your launch. But, if you grabbed the other sword with your magic right after launch, and pulled it with you as you flew, you knew he’d have never seen it coming in time, like a second gun being shot immediately after the first. You did it! Anon! You can hear the cheers now! Though, the cheers now sounded like screams of horror for some reason, from multiple mares, and also broken glass, and Mr. Rich yelling out to get you out of the oven. Huh, suddenly, everything was kinda dark too, and glowy. Did you fly right into the house? And why was your tail on fire? And your mane? HOLY FUCK, YOU WERE ON FIRE!