//------------------------------// // Time Onward Flows // Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot // by Equimorto //------------------------------// The tips of both of Stella's weapons pressed against the pole of Trixie's halberd, sparks igniting where contact happened and the air singing around them. Despite the strength with which Stella pushed, Trixie did not move. The two stared at each other, Trixie with her kerchief still over her eyes, Stella with fire in hers. The alicorn's spears pressed and pushed in opposite directions, trying to slip away from Trixie's weapon, but the unicorn rotated it alongside the motion and kept Stella stuck there. The first spell flew from the alicorn's horn. It was deflected by a quick flash of red light. Then came another, and another, and more still came and all were pushed aside by Trixie's magic. Eventually Stella stopped. The tips of Trixie's halberd had covered about a sixth of a circle in their motion to keep up with Stella's crystals, and the unicorn wore an annoyingly smug half smile on her face. "Is this really the best you can do? Surely not, right?" Stella took a deeper breath. It was time to get serious. "I do have to admit you have me stumped as to how you're doing this, for the moment." She unleashed a wave of magic all around from her horn. Trixie shielded herself from it. Stella continued, "And I am quite impressed by how well you've been doing. I had underestimated you. No more of that." Her horn glew again, and suddenly she teleported both Trixie and herself high in the air. Trixie had her footing taken from her for just a moment, but quickly regained it by creating a levitating platform just below her hooves. In the time that had taken, Stella's spears had moved past her, and they began to come back in from different angles. Trixie deflected both of them with her weapon, and then again and again as they kept coming back from different directions and at different moments. While all that was happening, Stella had begun circling around and above and below Trixie's platform, constantly firing at her and leaving behind a series of floating orbs of magic that would periodically shoot at Trixie with different spells of their own or haul themselves at her. Trixie deflected or halted Stella's blasts, shot off those orbs that remained stationary and kept firing, and even found time to take shots at Stella herself. Before Stella had a chance to up the intensity of her assault however, Trixie did so herself on her side. Wild wind began to flow around her platform like different opposing layers of miniature tornadoes, forcing Stella to stay confined in one of them and follow along with its current lest her wings be ripped off. Lightning fell from the sky aimed at her, and pillars of rock began to rise from the ground in her path. Stella had to focus on protecting herself more than attacking, putting a shield around herself once more and dodging or destroying what came into her trajectory, quietly growling in frustration.