Flash staggered backwards as the pony known as Ferra eagerly leapt forward, the orange mare placing her dark hooves up on his shoulders while sniffing the human up and down as if she were simply a large friendly dog that was just happy to see him.
“Wow! You’re neat! I’ve never seen or smelled anypony like you! Are you really called a hooman? Do you always walk on two legs? Why do you wear all of this stuff?” She rattled off while looking him all over with a joyful grin.
Flash stammered while trying to gently pry off the inquisitive equine without appearing rude, which was easier said than done seeing as the mare seemed to have no concepts of personal boundaries. Thankfully, Rose Dust came to his aid, pushing herself in between the pair with a smile, showing her own small fangs,
“Hi! Nice to meet you, uh, Ferra? Say, could you give us just a few minutes? Thanks!”
Ferra grinned, “Sure! But how many is a 'few'? Is that like, two? Or three? It’s hard to tell, everypony thinks it means a different amount, but I think-“
Flash had to ignore the pony’s ongoing monologue about the meaning of words as Rose Dust motioned with her head for him to join her and the rest of the squad in a huddle.
“Sir,” she began in a hushed tone, “Are you sure this is the best approach?”
“Da Captain, this seems like unnecessary risk,” Sugar Rush added. Sharp Shot glanced back at Ferra who was continuing her bubbly babble as if she were still part of the conversation before looking back to Flash and raising a skeptical eyebrow.
“See? Even Sharps thinks this is a bad idea,” Rose Dust continued. Lumen Dawn meanwhile smiled smugly,
“Yeah, gee, it would be a real shame if you went and became a manwich. Look, Flash, while you’re busy becoming part of this balanced breakfast, can I keep Shadowbane?”
“SHUTUP LUMEN,” everypony said at once. The unicorn rolled his eyes, but kept his peace,
“Hey, can’t blame a stallion for hoping…” he muttered to himself.
Rose exhaled in irritation, “Sir, I know you’re good, but these ponies, that mare, are highly unusual ponies. I mean, Sanguina managed to get in front of you without any of us even noticing! And that Ferra," she cast a wary glance at the unnaturally cheerful murder pony, and seemed to shudder before continuing, "She seems to be a strange one even by her own kind's standards…”
Flash sighed, “Look, I appreciate all of your concern for me,”
“I wouldn’t call it that,” Lumen mumbled under his breath.
“But trust me, I’m going to be fine. If for whatever reason the worst should happen, we’ll make a break for it. Don’t worry, I’m not just going to just let them eat me.”
Flash’s teammates took one more glance at the pretty pony princess presently prancing in a circle while merrily prattling on about the many varied and interesting ways she had learned to field dress prey using only her teeth. Rose Dust groaned, placing a hoof against her face,
“I hope you know what you’re doing, sir.”
Flash expanded his spear Shadowbane with a flick of his will, planting it into the ground. He then placed his helmet on top of it before removing his cloak, breastplate, cuirass, and other parts of his black steel armor. Rose Dust stood behind him, her ears twitching as she glanced back and forth while nervously kneading her front hooves into the ground in front of her. He wondered why she seemed so unnaturally skittish, a far cry from her normally carefree, mischievous attitude.
"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea? I think we should reconsider-"
Flash heard the words catch in her throat as he removed his tunic, revealing the patchwork of scars he bore on his back and torso from his ill-fated encounter with Tirek and various other scraps he had been engaged in during his relatively short life; the only normally visible scar he bore was the one across his right eye, so he knew he had probably shocked her.
"I told you Rose, it's going to be fine," he said, glancing back at her. "And what's with you anyway? I've never known you to back away from a challenge."
The cream-colored thestral looked away for a moment, "It's...nothing, sir. It's just, well..."
Flash smirked as he finished his preparations and turned around, "Hey, don't worry!" He said, taking a second to ruffle her ears, "I know what I'm doing."
He noted how she looked less than convinced as she flipped her mane out of her pink eyes, worry coloring her features.
Odd, I wonder what has her so upset? Eh, I'll ask her about it later.
Flash stepped forward to meet his opponent. The rest of the Diomedians had formed a large ring around the two contestants with their bodies, their eyes showing a mix of wonder, anxiety, and eager anticipation. Sanguina rose to her hoofs from her throne, surveying the spectacle before her. She looked down at Flash, seemingly curious at the human's bare form; he then noted the look of disapproval she cast at him.
"I told you, our warriors fight bare! Remove that garment!"
Flash glanced down at his undergarment, the last stich of clothing he had left on. He raised an eyebrow, "Really? I'd rather not." Sanguina stomped her hoof,
"No choice! You remove it! No trickery!"
"No." An audible gasp went through the villagers; Sanguina bore her fangs,
"What you say?!"
"I said no, your highness, with respect. I am a human, not a pony, and I will maintain some measure of dignity," Flash retorted, before a smirk came to his lips, "Though if you really want it so badly, come and take it."
In all truthfulness, the words had already left his lips before Flash could wonder if his mouth had just written another check that his body wouldn't be able to cash. It seemed to pay off though as a wave of snickering laughter went through the gathered onlookers. Sanguina turned an even deeper shade of red, which Flash thought was remarkable given that she was already such a bright crimson in color.
"Ahem, fine, no more delays!" She stammered before recovering, "The match begins now! And do not forget the price you must pay if you lose." She warned.
Flash nodded respectfully, the smirk still not fully fading from his face as he turned to face his cute but no doubt, deadly opponent.
Ferra trotted back and forth like a child unable to keep still. She kept her eyes fixed on him the whole while, her head swiveling as she paced. It was then Flash took notice again of an odd detail he had noticed earlier on some the ponies, but had forgotten to ask about; the first one being Frowny. On their two front hooves, a kind of wave-like pattern had been carved into them, like the representation of a river on a map.
Of the few ponies that had these carvings, most of them bore a single line of waves. Frowny bore two, and Ferra seemed to have three.
"Before we begin," Flash began, "I have a quick question." Ferra froze, her smile widening; Flash wasn't sure if she was aware of just how terrifying that made her appear.
"A question? Sure! Shoot!"
"Those lines on your hooves, what do they mean? And why do only a few ponies in your village have them?" Ferra giggled,
"Oh that's easy, those are called 'Hunting-Lines' silly!"
"Hunting lines?"
"Yup! A pony gets them if they are able to successfully hunt and kill another predator without using tools or weapons, they use only their teeth! Which is really, really hard because the monsters here are really, really strong!" Flash felt his heart sink at that news,
"I see, and the number of the lines?"
"Are for the number of successful hunts!"
Flash looked at her hooves and counted three sets of the wavy patterns, more than anypony he could see around them. For the first time, he was beginning to second guess his little gamble.
"Three lines," he murmured, "So you've had,"
"Yup! Three successful hunts! Only momma has more!"
Spectacular... Flash groaned internally.
"And after a successful hunt, we put the skulls of the kill in a place of honor!" Ferra exclaimed with a wave of her hoof. Flash took a glance at the arch over Sanguina's throne and with dawning horror, realized that all of the skulls where those of predators.
"And after this fight, I'll have four! Because you're a predator, right?" Flash blinked,
"...I suppose?"
"Great!" Ferra said, prancing in place with innocent glee. "Wow, you're the best, really! As a super-duper thank you, I'll make sure your skull goes in the best place of honor, thankyouthankyou so much!"
"...You're, welcome?" If Flash wasn’t presently trying to wrap his mind around the collision of worlds this mare's existence represented, he might have felt true fear. As it was, he simply felt boggled at her very being. It’s another Pinkie Pie…with teeth...
“Fighters stand your mark!” Sanguina shouted. Flash watched as Ferra immediately tensed up; he lowered his own stance slightly in preparation,
“Begin!”
...Horseapples!
Flash instinctively arched his back and sucked in his gut as he flung himself backwards from Ferra's gaping jaws which snapped shut on the space his abdomen had occupied only a millisecond before, close enough for him to feel the heat from her breath on his abs.
Buck ME she's fast! Flash thought, not expecting a terrestrial based pony to be able to move so quickly; he had previously thought such speed was solely the territory of pegasi, griffons, and anything else with flight magic. But this mare didn't seem to fall into the category of any kind of pony he had ever known before. And it wasn't just her speed, all of her movements were so precise, without a single wasted movement or loss of energy, with each step flowing perfectly into the next. It was was beautiful as it was terrifying, like poetic death in motion.
Flash scrambled to stay out of her reach as Ferra swiped at him with her front hooves before seamlessly spinning into a buck from her powerful hindlegs, followed by another near-instantaneous snap of her lethal jaws that closed on the afterimage the human had left behind as he put on a desperate burst of speed. He took special care to mind his footing, knowing that with one misstep, and she would have him. Mercifully, as fast as she was, Flash found that he was a bit faster still, and managed to just stay just out of the range of her attacks. But rather than growing frustrated at her inability to land a hit, the mare seemed to only become more excited, as if she were enjoying the challenge her quarry presented.
Buck.
Bite.
Lunge.
Feint.
Spin, repeat.
Each attack was just as strong as the one that preceded it, with no sign of the pony tiring.
Flash twisted away from a particularly fast kick that Ferra had launched at him from one rear hoof whose reach she managed to extend by stretching out from one of her front limbs in a pony-style of the splits, grazing his left shoulder. She paused to stare at him after finally being able to touch him,
"Wow, you're quick!" She commented with a giggle.
"Yeah, good thing too!" Flash managed to respond between pants, rubbing his stinging shoulder; his heart was pounding in his chest.
"And funny!" She said with another sweet laugh. "But say, why haven't you tried to hit me yet? Doncha wanna win?" Flash managed a small, shy smile,
"Well honestly? I don't like to hit mares," Flash responded truthfully, Plus, you really haven't given me an opportunity to, you crazy pony! Ferra's eyes sparkled,
"Aww, really? You're such a sweet guy! Is that what you smell so yummy?"
"Uh," Flash stammered, put off by her directness. She giggled again,
"You're so nice! Such a shame that I gotta kill you," Ferra said, her ears drooping slightly, "Don't worry though, you won't feel a thing!" No sooner had the words left her mouth, than her front hoof twitched, sending a jet of dirt directly at Flash's eyes.
Flash smirked as he twitched his head to one side to effortlessly dodge the incoming debris, taking a second to appreciate how accurate the pony had been with the well-aimed shot, only to put his face directly into the path of the second spray of soil that, unbeknownst to him, she had simultaneously flicked with her tail, predicting exactly where his eyes would be when he dodged.
CLEVER GIR- Flash didn't have time to finish his panicked thought as a wall of soft fur and hard muscle crashed into him with the force of an avalanche. Even without his sight, he could still sense her coming with his ability to feel her bioelectric field, but his momentary shock at being blinded had caused him to hesitate for just a second, and a second was apparently all Ferra needed to catch him.
Flash instinctively threw up his left forearm in front of his neck as he stumbled backwards, just in time to catch the sharp teeth that would have otherwise closed on his throat. Time seemed to slow down as he felt her fangs sink into his flesh, which oddly didn't seem to hurt at first. Thinking quickly, he simultaneously jammed the thumb of his free hand into the underside of the ferocious pony's jaw, right into a bundle of nerves which he knew would prevent her from closing her jaws completely.
Flash heard her snarl as Ferra pushed forward and then pulled back, driving him to one knee with her prodigious strength while she attempted to shake her lower jaw free from his grip; but he held firm. He knew that there was enough power in those jaws of hers to bite his arm clean off, and it was only his grip on that vital pressure point under her lower jaw that was preventing her from doing just that. Flash heard shouts of astonishment from the other Diomedians as well as cries of alarm from his teammates.
Blast it, they better not interfere! Flash grunted as he clenched his core muscles in an attempt to wrest his arm free from her maw which was now beginning to burn with pain as Ferra's teeth continued to cut into his flesh, the bloodthirsty pony stubbornly refusing to let go of her prize. He could feel his blood flooding into her mouth and knew he had to get her off now before she severed any major arteries or tendons.
It was true, Flash was loath to ever strike a mare, and the action made him feel sick to his stomach. But hey, when it's your arm about to be bitten off, he knew exceptions had to be made; he could hate himself later. Biting his tongue to stave off the pain and with a colossal heave of effort, Flash managed to twist her head to one side before throwing his elbow forward hard, catching her in the side of the head.
He gasped with relief as he felt her quickly release his arm and stagger back from the blow; Flash leapt backwards several feet to put some distance between them. He took the merciful moment of breathing room in order to wipe his eyes so that he could finally see and assess the damage.
"Don't any of you DARE interfere; corporal!" Flash snapped at his team while pointing an accusing finger, particularly at Rose Dust whom he saw beginning to subtly pull out one of her kunai from her vest with a wing claw; she winced as if struck. He hated to yell at her, he knew she only wanted to help him, but he couldn't accept it, not yet anyways. If the rest of them got drawn into a larger fight, somepony was certainly going to die. As it stood, he was still confident he could end this conflict without killing anypony, and if somepony did have to die, he preferred it to be him rather than one of them. That being said, he had no intention of dying so easily.
Sensing that Ferra hadn't moved to reengage him, Flash quickly assessed the damage to his arm. It looked pretty bad, and he hoped that it was only because it was such a messy wound. The flesh was slightly torn, with deep puncture wounds imprinted in the shape of the pony's jaws. That said, he was relieved to feel that he could still move all of his fingers as well as his hand, so he knew that she had missed his vital muscles and tendons.
Stupid! Stupid Flash! He mentally chastised himself; mercifully, it was only a nasty flesh wound. But with it bleeding pretty badly and him already down a pint of the vital bodily fluid, Flash knew he had to end this quickly before he was done in by light-headedness. He looked back up to his opponent and gasped.
Ferra was standing about twenty feet away from him with her back to him; her movements were jerky and odd. The pony shook her head violently from side to side, snorting and grunting; something was wrong. Flash almost moved in to attack, but his instincts held him back, screaming danger as the hair on his neck began standing on end.
He was about to call out her name, to ask if she was alright when Ferra's head snapped around to look at him; Flash recoiled in horror.
The pony's lips had stretched back in an extreme kind of snarl, grisly exposing her gums and fangs, the blood on them only adding to the nightmarish look. It reminded Flash of the way a shark appeared right before it struck, jaws hyperextended and eyes rolled back. The fact that her irises had also shrunk, drastically increasing the whites of her eyes, only served to complete the look. She breathed a low snarl, the joyful pony he had initially seen was gone, replaced by this seemingly mindless force of violence.
Flash heard Sanguina shouting something somewhere in the background as the other Diomedians also backed up in terror, widening the fighting ring. He couldn't tell what she was saying, but he thought she sounded worried.
He didn't have time to consider the implications of that before Ferra exploded towards him at more than double the speed she had moved before, her hoofs creating such powerful tremors in the earth that he could feel them in his teeth.
Without thinking, Flash flung himself flat on his back, the mare shooting over him, her fangs missing him by inches. Rebounding like a spring, Flash kicked back to his feet, immediately diving forward and rolling to the side in order to dodge Ferra's next attack.
Dirt sprayed up from the mares hooves as she immediately sprinted in a tight half-circle, homing in on his new position like an arrow loosed at a target. With no time to dodge, Flash put up his arms in a cross guard, just in time to catch the mare as she crashed into him like a runaway train, slamming the human into the dirt on his back, nearly knocking the wind out of him.
Flash curled up his right leg, putting his knee into her barrel, which was just enough to hold the crazed mare back who snapped viciously at his face, her fangs only inches from his nose. He felt a surge of panic as the pony hooked her forelimbs around the back of his head, pulling it towards her mouth like an apple with her deadly embrace.
Oh, BUCK THIS! Flash thought as he felt her teeth nearly touching his skin. Drawing on his magic, Flash unleashed his trump card in the form of the lightning that the pegasus weather magic in his blood caused to build up in his body, charging himself like a live wire. The results were dramatic. With a loud bang, the discharge of energy flung the deranged pony off of him and up into the air. She slammed back down into the earth, her body twitching from the shock as she tried and failed to get back on her hooves.
Knowing that this was his chance, Flash tackled the mare, putting her in a choke-hold and locking his legs together around her hindquarters. Ferra thrashed from side to side with wild energy, rolling them both through the dirt as she attempted to break free. Flash held on with all his might, the thought of holding back long gone; he couldn't believe how strong she now was and knew that if she managed to get lose, it would be curtains for him, as he no longer possessed the energy to evade her any longer.
Ferra swung her head back, clocking him below his right eye with the back of her skull. Dazed, Flash held on, praying that she would begin to tire.
Will she ever quit?!
Mercifully, the steady pressure he had been applying to her neck the entire time seemed to finally be taking effect. He felt her shudder as her struggles started to weaken and her pulse begin to slow. Holding on until he was sure she was out, Flash released the pony and pushed himself to his knees, panting hard. He was covered in dirt, the sweat and blood on his skin causing the dirt to form a thin, slick muck over most of his body. The ponies around him stared in silent shock, in disbelief over the outcome of the fight. Sanguina herself had a look of fearful horror on her face, her mouth hanging open in shock, and her eyes filled with the longing of every parent who wished to rush to the aid a child in peril.
Flash looked down at Ferra, the unconscious mare at his knees now appearing no more dangerous than a sleeping filly, a vast improvement in his opinion over the nightmarish display she had presented only moments before. He looked up expectantly at Sanguina,
"Well?" He demanded between pants, "Is it over? Is this a win?"
The queen blinked, seemingly unable to find her tongue, "You mean, you're not going to kill her? This was a fight to the death!"
Flash glared back in righteous indignation, "What?! No! Never! I was never going to hurt her! I'd never want to harm a pony!" He angrily retorted.
Rose Dust's eyes widened as she saw the human's shield-shaped cutie marks on his shoulders flicker for a moment with a mysterious light.
The Diomedians' renewed gasps of shock and wonder echoed throughout the area, their chatter escalating in volume, with some even shouting out defiantly in their native tongue. Flash didn't know what they were saying, but he hoped to Celestia that he didn't just violate some unknown, sacred almighty-law of bullspit that would see him roasted and spitted in reprisal for his well-meaning but poorly chosen act of mercy.
Sanguina stomped her hoof loudly on her platform, "SILENCE!" She bellowed, immediately quieting her ponies.
Flash looked down as Ferra stirred, her ears twitching from the echo of her mother's shout. She groggily looked up at the human and smiled weakly,
"Morning," Flash said kindly.
"Uhn...what happened? I can't remember...Did I...lose?"
Flash couldn't help but smile back a little, incredulous that the pony who only moments before was about to core his head like an apple with her teeth could look so innocent and disarmingly cute. Ponies... He sighed.
"Let it be known!" Sanguina shouted, snapping Flash back to attention. "That the Equestrians...are not our enemies!" The ponies broke out into cheers, much to Flash's pleasant confusion. The queen looked down at Ferra who pushed herself to a sitting position, "Daughter, you lost. You should be dead, but the Equestrian spared you. You owe your life to the hooman!" She said to renewed cheers and stomping of hooves.
Flash felt embarrassed, and attempted to clarify his intentions, "No, that's not really necessary, I was never going to-"
"Therefore!" Sanguina shouted, cutting the human off, "You owe him the Life-Debt!" Flash wasn't sure what that was, but what he did know was that he didn't like how Ferra suddenly perked up at that, a joyful gasp escaping her lips.
"For the rest of your life, you will follow the hooman Flash Skies!"
"Wait, WHAT?!" Flash blurted, but Sanguina pressed on,
"You will guard his life with yours! You will serve and protect him all days, for the debt of your life and the honor of our ponies! This sacred bond is declared by your mother and queen, and witnessed to by your fellow ponies!"
Ferra leapt to her hooves, cheering the news, "Yes mother, I understand! I'll do it! I'll be sure to protect him always!"
Flash's loud objections were drowned out in the thunderous shouts of joy as Ferra suddenly tackled the befuddled human back to the dirt in a bone-crushing hug.
"Don't worry Flash, I'll watch over you always, even while you sleep!"
Flash wasn't sure if it was the blood-loss or the horrifying image Ferra's words had planted in his mind, but he was beginning to feel light-headed.
...What...just happened?