Celestia stood on her balcony as she gazed upon her lavish city of Canterlot. For years, this stronghold held up against the mightiest sliver armies, and not even their Besiegers, the most destructive of their ilk, could breach its walls. Of course, they still dealt with sliver platoons that were sometimes teleported into the city via the very leylines the races of Equestria so relied upon, but they usually dispatched them all with relative ease. However, they were far from safe, for as long as slivers remained, their walls were always expected to collapse, one way or another. However, after so many years of thinking, Celestia finally had a plan. She and her sister, Luna, would host a tournament on the summer solstice, and invite heroes from across the world to participate. The winner of this contest would be their champion, and would lead her final, most thought-out assault on the massive sliver hive that spanned below the surface of the planet.
Celestia had heard many tales of aspiring young heroes, all of them quite unique, from all corners of the crumbling world. One, so she heard, even pulled a sliver parasite from his own body, and gained the strength of a megantic sliver, and the speed of a bonescythe sliver as a result. She had never heard of such a thing happening, but it was still quite interesting. As Celestia gazed into her city, she hoped that he, among the many other heroes she'd heard of, would show up to compete. Seeing the moon hit its highest point in the sky, She flew down to the courtyard, and looked to the tournament area, the very area that once was her royal gardens, now reduced to sand and fine dust from years of failed sliver incursions. But despite the place's sad history, the fate of Equestria would be decided here, and the final battle could be waged after. The excitement was palpable, but the princess of the sun knew that she had to rest, for she need her energy for tomorrow. After all, her public expected a royal princess, and the appearance required rest.
The next day
As Dusty marched up the mountain leading to Canterlot stronghold, he wiped some sweat from his brow. He saw the shining walls in the distance, and knew he had reached his destination. He continued his path, but wondered why he hadn't seen any slivers during his trip.
"Maybe they don't go out at night..." Dusty thought aloud. Suddenly, Dusty heard a loud cry, and turned his head in time to see a unicorn run right into him, knocking them both down. Dusty then, after shaking his head, groaned as he got up, and looked at the downed, terrified unicorn that so hastily ran into him. She was dirty and ragged, but obviously quite young to be wandering outside the walls. In fact, she looked to be only 16, with a few bright pink highlights in her dark brown mane, and startlingly blue eyes. However, she appeared extremely hurt, tired and scared. Before Dusty could ask if the young mare needed any help, though, a horrible roar sounded from where the young unicorn came from, and a giant, worm-like sliver, it's back adorned with crystalline spines of various prismatic colors and bearing scythes larger than most houses, rushed forward, it's attention fixed on the unicorn. Not surprising, considering the sliver species he now saw, called 'Manaleech' slivers, obviously fed on mana, hence their namesake. However, Dusty drew his sword, and prepared to defend the mare, despite the fact that this beast was easily three times his skill level, and hundreds of times his size and mass.
"Get behind me! I'm going to kill this thing!" Dusty commanded to the downed mare, and the unicorn mare nodded quietly, still terrified.
Suddenly, upon hearing his voice, the sliver took notice of Dusty, and roared it's horrible, ear-splitting roar as it charged the stallion, it's crystalline spines blazing with chromatic fire, and it's four gem-like eyes glowing with untold years of amassed power.
"Come on, ugly, let's dance." Muttered Dusty, undeterred by the massive sliver's display, and he then jumped as the creature dove at him, hoping to devour him in one fell swoop, and quickly landed on the monster's back, causing it to rear like some great beast as the great creature thrashed and roared in a desperate and epic final bid to be rid of the pest that had latched itself onto the fell sliver's stony hide. Dusty tried to maintain his grip on the sliver as the monster flung itself and thrashed and bellowed, it's screeching voice ringing violently through the air like grating metal and shattering glass, but he did not relent. Grabbing the chitinous segments of the massive wurm, Dusty slowly crawled his way to the beast's head, using the segments of its armor as handholds, and finally gripped his sword, and stabbed the giant, violent sliver in a blue orb on it's forehead, which was a Manaleech's only weak spot, as many heroes before had died to find out. But lo, at last, it's head finally pierced by Dusty's arcanium blade, The beast screeched loudly in dismay, thrashed once more as it spewed elemental fire into the air, it's last vestiges of life draining from the powerful, ancient sliver's mortal shell, and it then fell to it's side at last, finally dead.
Dusty, however, merely, jumped from the falling carcass as it dropped, and land but a few feet from the stunned unicorn teenager's own body, and he wiped a bout of sweat from his head, as if the epic battle he'd just engaged in was the most casual event in the world for him. But for the mare, however, the fight was unlike any she'd ever seen before, and she merely sat as Dusty landed, stunned by the display, unable to even speak. And so, when she did not, Dusty took the opportunity, and spoke first, breaking the silence between the two at last.
"Whew... That was quite a rush. You alright?" Asked Dusty as he held his hand to the stunned unicorn. The unicorn mare shakily grasped it, and Dusty hoisted her to her feet, though she still struggled to stand, still utterly shocked at the myriad of events that did transpire only a few moments ago.
"Y-yeah... That was amazing! Are... you a guard, by any chance?" The mare asked nervously, and Dusty merely chuckled at the silly notion, and replied.
"No, but I aim to be a soldier soon. Name's Dusty. May I ask who you are, miss...?" Asked Dusty.
"Sylvin. Mira Sylvin, priest. Well, apprentice, for now..." Mira said, blushing a little, and looking to her hooves.
"An acolyte? What are you doing in the wilderness without a superior?" Asked Dusty, surprised at her answer, and mildly interested in what she was doing outside the walls without an accompanying priest. Priests were common outside the walls, as slivers tended to avoid them due to their powerful holy magic, which slivers had little defense against. However, apprentices and acolytes were easy prey for any roaming sliver, and bandits, too, would gladly take an apprentice or acolyte hostage, rob them, or worse, especially young mares like Mira.
"Well, I was travelling with my tutor and a few others..." Began Mira defensively, as if Dusty had insulted her.
"... But we were set upon by bandits, who killed the priests we were with, and they captured me and my friends, and they would have enacted some... plans... that they had for us, but then a large group of horrible, ugly slivers showed up, and me and my friends fled. I don't know where they are, but I need to get back to Canterlot to alert the castle of this." She finished.
"Say, you seem to be headed to Canterlot Stronghold, too... and you handled that big sliver pretty well... could you, maybe, um, escort me, please?" Mira then asked shyly, blushing and shifting her hooves as she asked. However, Dusty merely smiled his usual warm grin, and patted Mira on the back, giving her his answer.
"Of course, Mira. We aren't that far; we should be there in no time." Said Dusty, and he then straightened his posture, and prepared to set off, Mira in tow. And the acolyte, without a doubt, was ecstatic at this answer.
"Thank you so much, sir! I understand how much this must inconvenience you..." Mira started, bowing, but Dusty immediately raised his hand, silencing the humble acolyte, and replied.
"Nah, no trouble at all. And call me Dusty, by the way." Dusty responded cheerfully. And as they walked, Mira began to ask Dusty questions to pass the time, which Dusty happily obliged to answering.
"So, why are you headed to Canterlot in the first place, Dusty?" Asked the former apprentice.
"Well, I'm here for the championship competition, of course! Any chance I can get to strike back at the slivers is good enough for me, and this is the opportunity of a lifetime!" Dusty replied with great enthusiasm.
"Why so optimistic? Every famous and skilled hero from the land, the whole WORLD, even, will be there, and no offense, but... I've never even heard of you." Commented Mira. However, Dusty simply chuckled, and replied to the inquisitive mare with a question of his own, and one that certainly changed her view.
"Well... You saw me fight that giant sliver first-hand, right? I think I at least deserve a chance to try, don't you?" replied Dusty. Mira was impressed by his skill, to be sure, but these heroes were legendary; tales were told of their greatness in bars, halls, storybooks, and so forth. Still, Dusty did kill a Manaleech Sliver in just a few seconds like it was just another lowly thrum, and it took at least two heroes, no matter their prowess, to kill a Manaleech: One to distract it, the other to actually kill it. Dusty was indeed quite something else... and that in itself sparked Mira's curiosity, inciting yet one more question from the mare.
"Yeah, I guess that was kind of awesome..." Mira replied. "... But I have to ask, how did you kill that Manaleech Sliver single-handedly? In every tale I've heard of those things, it always requires at least two heroes to kill one, no matter their skill or status. How did you kill that one so fast by yourself?" Mira asked, struck by Dusty's incredible apparent skill.
"I don't know, I guess the bastard was just tired." Dusty replied, quickly and simply, not losing any of his cheerfulness.
"Ah..." Mira replied, not believing it for a second, though she gave him props for humility and optimism, despite the fact that he was a terrible liar. Finally, the two reached the gate to glorious Canterlot, home of the Royal sisters themselves, and the guards upon the wall called down asking for the two's identities.
"Halt! What business do you two have here?" called one guard.
"I'm just here for the tournament, and to drop off this apprentice." Dusty called to the guards. The two guards suddenly stopped upon hearing this, and the three that looked down at him from atop the wall then whispered a bit, and after a while, finally broke up, and asked Dusty a rather unusual question.
"Was that you who took down that Manaleech down the road?" another asked, and Dusty sighed.
"Yeah, that was me. Why?" Dusty replied curiously. Suddenly, the gates slowly opened, and the guards beckoned them in, approving the two of their visit.
"Come on in. Welcome to Canterlot." called down the third guard, and Dusty and Mira walked inside with haste, hoping not to let any slivers in while the gates were open. Dusty was quickly awestruck by the magnificence of the grand city, though, and he stared in wonder at the grand city of Canterlot in all it's splendor, the heart of Equestria itself, and the final bastion of all that the world was, before the slivers declared their war on them all.
"Pretty, isn't it?" asked Mira, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yeah... No offence, but, Why are you still following me? Don't you have a church you need to report to or something?" Dusty asked.
"Ah, to hell with priest life. Besides, you look like you need a guide around here, and you seem pretty cool. I'll lead you to the Championship, free of charge." Mira said jokingly.
"Okay, I guess. Lead the way." Replied Dusty, and they both walked on, Mira stopping every now and then to point out something important or historical. Suddenly, Dusty's stomach started growling, and Mira laughed.
"Wow, did you eat anything before you got here?" Asked Mira, stifling a giggle.
"Yes I did, as a matter of fact!" Retorted Dusty, but his stomach growled in denial of his claim.
"Hold on, tough guy, I know a good place we can go before the tournament. Heck, I'll even buy." Said Mira.
"Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to..." Replied Dusty, looking quite embarrassed that he was letting a girl buy him lunch.
"Nah, It's cool. Consider it my thanks for saving me." offered Mira, and the two walked into a pretty generic-looking burger joint.
"Huh, neat place. I guess they sell pretty good veggie burgers?" Asked Dusty.
"Veggie burgers? What are you, vegan? I get the actual kind here." Mira replied, shocking Dusty.
"You eat meat? Isn't that, like, wrong?" Asked Dusty, causing Mira to laugh.
"Gosh, you're such a goody-goody! Come on, I'm gonna show you what you and the others have been missing." Mira said, gesturing to a spot next to her at a booth. A few moments later, a griffon waitress came over, eyeing the newcomer with interest. Then, she turned her attention to Mira.
"Hey there, Mira. The usual for you?" She asked.
"Yeah, and one for my friend here, too, Sheila." Replied Mira.
"Comin' right up, hon." Said the waitress, and she turned and walked toward the kitchen, giving the order to the cook. A few minutes later, two large burgers were placed in front of the two, and Mira rapidly tore into hers. Dusty, however, was a bit hesitant.
"Oh, come on, Don't tell me you're afraid of a burger." Mira groaned.
"I'm not afraid of it, I just don't think I can eat it. That used to be a living creature, you know?" Said Dusty, still hesitant.
"So? Slivers are living creatures, I guess, but you don't have any problems mulching them. Plants are alive, too, but you never ask if they want to be eaten, do you?" Mira argued through a mouthful of burger. Beaten, Dusty sighed, moved the burger to his mouth and bit down, looking quite impressed.
"Well?" Asked Mira.
"... This is the best burger I have ever eaten." Replied Dusty calmly. Mira laughed, and they finished their meal. After Mira paid and left a tip, the two walked toward Canterlot castle, where sign-ups were still taking place. As soon as Dusty signed up on the list, he accidentally bumped into another earth pony, but this one was light yellow, with a white mane and green eyes, and was covered in huge, golden armor, and carried a giant, golden spear.
"Oh, sorry, sir." Apologized Dusty, but the Stallion only smiled.
"Nah, it's alright. I need to stop standing around so much; this armor could hurt someone!" The stallion laughed, and Dusty laughed with him.
"So, You're here for the the championship, too? The name's Jordan, Jordan Lightkeep." Said the golden-armored stallion, extending his hand, Which Dusty shook.
"Name's Dusty. I look forward to competing with you, Jordan!" Dusty said cheerfully, and Jordan smiled. Then, he noticed Mira.
"Well, who's the mare? Friend of yours?" Asked Jordan.
"You could say that. I saved her from a Manaleech Sliver." Dusty explained.
"Yep, killed the thing dead, all by himself!" Boasted Mira, causing Dusty to blush.
"Wait, You killed a Manaleech? By yourself? I honestly can't find myself believing that, no offence to you, of course..." Said Jordan, scratching his head.
"It's fine, Mira kind of exaggerated a bit, I didn't take it down that easily..." Explained Dusty. Jordan smiled.
"Still, surviving a Manaleech encounter, let alone killing one of those bastards, is a pretty big achievement in itself. I can tell you're gonna go pretty far, kid." Jordan said, patting Dusty on the back.
"Thanks, man..." Replied Dusty shyly. Then, the announcing trumpets blared, and the royal speaker stepped onto a podium, a long speech in his hands.
"Ahem, announcing the first, and hopefully only, annual championship event, starring your princesses and loving rulers, Princess Celestia and Luna!" Then, two Alicorns stepped onto the balcony of the castle, both extremely royal in appearance and aura: Celestia and Luna.
"Fair citizens, and competitors..." Began Celestia.
"I, Princess Celestia, have gathered you to test your abilities, to see who among you have the strength and resolve to carry the fate of our world, and the strength of my armies on your shoulders. I know you all to be capable, as you are the greatest heroes to walk these lands! Now, without further ado, let the the tournament begin, and may luck be on your side!" The princess finished, gesturing for the tournament to commence.
"Good luck, Dusty." Said Mira as she went to the stands to watch. The brackets then gave their names, and the competitors went at it. Dusty's first opponent was a fierce changeling assassin by the name of Dimir. Dimir fell easily to a few swipes of Dusty's sword, and Dusty advanced to the next fight. The next one was a minotaur with a claymore and a bad temper. The bull charged, But Dusty easily dodged his attacks, and the minotaur passed out from exhaustion before Dusty even landed a hit on him. Mira cheered from the seats, and the battles continued, getting tougher and tougher, until the final match-up was declared: Dusty versus Jordan Lightkeep. The met eachother on the field, but neither drew weapons yet.
"Well, I guess the thing about you killing a Manaleech Sliver was true; you got a lot farther than I expected!" Jordan congratulated Dusty.
"Thanks. If I had to lose to anyone here, I'd hope it was you." Said Dusty, and Jordan laughed.
"We'll see, friend, we'll see..." Jordan said, before Celestia interrupted them:
"Warriors, begin!" At that moment, both drew their weapons, and circled, searching for an opening. Finally, they both lunged at each other, Jordan being surprisingly fast and agile for someone covered in such heavy armor. But Dusty was faster, and he got Jordan across the chestplate, causing him to recoil, and Dusty lunged again. This time, however, Jordan was ready for him, and he blocked the sword with his golden pear, pushing Dusty back, then stabbing forward. Dusty avoided the attack, but barely. Dusty then launched a flurry of attacks he learned to use on the faster slivers, and Jordan simply couldn't keep up, and his spear was knocked from his hands. Suddenly, Jordan pulled a sword from his scabbard, and the two went at it again. The parries and counter-attacks lasted for a good hour, until Dusty tripped, and Jordan's sword was at his throat.
"We Have a winner!" Exclaimed Celestia as Jordan helped Dusty up off the ground, and shaking his hand afterward.
"Good game!" Said Jordan.
"You too!" Replied Dusty, before the two parted ways. As Jordan was congratulated, Mira walked sadly up to Dusty.
"Sorry you lost, I know you must have really wanted that job..." Mira apologized. Dusty, however just kept smiling.
"Yeah, well, he beat me. That Jordan was just better qualified as a champion. Maybe I can be content serving alongside him as a soldier, Who knows?" Explained Dusty, and Mira smiled.
"You know, That optimism of yours is starting to rub off on me." Mira said, punching Dusty playfully in the arm. Suddenly, however, a soldier ran up to Celestia, screaming:
"Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia! There are slivers at the gate!" Cried the panicking guard, causing everyone to gasp and murmur. Celestia, however, was uninterested.
"Why is this of any concern to me, soldier?" Asked the Princess of the sun.
"Because, Princess, they've already breached the gate, and the soldiers can't hold them off!" The guard replied.
"What?! Impossible! No sliver can break through Arcanium! It's impossible!" Cried Celestia, denial in her voice.
"One did, ma'am! It's headed right here as we speak!" Cried the distraught guard, causing Celestia to freeze in shock.
"How many did you say there were, Soldier?" Celestia asked slowly, obviously unnerved by this news.
"One, Ma'am! Should we evacuate?" Asked the soldier.
"No. We stand our ground, and kill this filthy sliver just like any other. Gather the rest of your men, soldier, and..." Celestia was suddenly interrupted by the courtyard gate flying inward, and a lone figure stood, silhouetted in the dust. It looked like a unicorn, but with bat wings. When the dust cleared, however, the figure was revealed: A lone sliver stood in the arch where the colossal door was, bearing two wings, a silver, segmented body, a short, tapered head with a long, twisted horn growing out of it, two big, glowing blue eyes, four arms; two scythes, two clawed hands, and two hoofed feet. The sliver stood there, then roared a mighty battle cry that caused everyone but the princesses and Jordan to cringe. Jordan glared at the creature, then called to his fellow soldiers:
"Come on, it's only one! LET'S GET HIM!" With a mighty battle cry of their own, many soldiers charged with Jordan to face the sliver. However, the sliver showed no interest, and dispatched the charging soldiers with ease, moving like a silver blur as it blocked and cut and cast magic at the soldiers, picking them off one by one, until only Jordan Lightkeep was left. With one last, defiant cry, Jordan charged the godlike sliver with a fury Dusty had never seen before. He feared the sliver, but now feared Jordan more. Then, fast as lightning, the lone sliver dodged Jordan's spear, snapped it in half, and stabbed the stallion in the chest with one of his scythes, all in one fluid, lightning-fast motion. Jordan gasped, clutching at his chest, then slumped to the ground, sliding cleanly off of the sliver's scythe. Everyone stared in horror as the sliver strode casually to the center of the arena, looking around. Then, It spoke:
"ATTENTION, SURFACE-DWELLERS, HEED MY VOICE, AND HEED IT WELL! YOUR RECKONING, AT LAST, HAS COME!" The sliver started, in a voice as deep as an earthquake, and as commanding as a king's as it echoed across the arena, it's volume seemingly enhanced by the lone sliver's aura alone.
"I AM CHAE-SURR, HIVELORD OF GAMMA BROOD! I BRING YOU ALL A MESSAGE: I'VE LONG STUDIED YOUR FETID RACE, AND HAVE LEARNED YOUR CUSTOMS AND LANGUAGES, AND NOW USE THEM TO BRING YOU THIS WARNING, AS WELL AS PRESENT MYSELF AS THE THREAT OF WHICH I FOREWARN YOU. I HAVE EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE RACES OF THIS WORLD, ALL OF THEM, EVEN OF YOUR OWN SO-CALLED PRINCESSES! I'VE LONG KNOWN YOU WOULD TRY TO SEND A CHAMPION FOR ME, AND I ADMIT, I FEARED THIS CHAMPION FOR A WHILE, BUT LOOK! LOOK AT HOW HE LIES SLAIN BY MY OWN CLAWS! YOUR WORLD IS DOOMED, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOUR KIND CAN DO TO STOP US! ACCEPT YOUR FATES AS FOOD FOR THE HIVE, FOR THIS IS YOUR DESTINY, AS OURS IS TO RULE OVER YOU ALL AS KINGS! DEFY US, AND DIE PAINFULLY. WHO AMONG YOU WOULD DARE QUESTION THE RIGHT OF THE SLIVERS?" Chae-Surr looked around to see if any did challenge his might, but upon seeing the single sliver cut down a whole battalion of heroes, none stepped forward, out of fear of pain of death. Suddenly, Celestia and Luna stood up, and Celestia pointed to Chae-Surr, rage and conviction in her eyes, and unbridled anger in her voice as she chided Chae-Surr:
"Chae-Surr, you were a brazen fool to come here! You do not wage war on and threaten us without punishment, and now you atone for those crimes!" Celestia's horn lit up, and she prepared to cast a powerful spell at Chae-Surr. But Suddenly, quick as lightning, Chae-Surr moved forward, seeming like a mere blur to those looking on, and sliced off Celestia's horn with but an unseen flick of his scythes, cancelling the spell. Celestia screamed in pain at this grasping the stump where her horn once was, still flickering and bleeding, and Chae-Surr stood over the fallen Princess, ready to land the final blow, but Luna suddenly tackled the sliver Hivelord, and knocked him back into the arena, anger and shock in his voice as he roared in surprise. But then, Chae-Surr lifted Luna up off of him, and threw her into Celestia, raising himself up soon after, and laughing.
"Pathetic. The two rulers of this realm are as mortal as I expected, nothing more." Taunted Chae-Surr, his twisted, toothy maw curled into what could have been a smile, had it not been so feral-looking. Finally, though, Dusty had enough. Without a sound he ran down, toward Chae-Surr, and slashed a wide, horizontal arc with his sword. Sensing a disturbance, Chae-Surr turned around to try and block whatever was assailing him, but instead got the sharp end of an Arcanium blade to his face. The sliver reeled back with shock and momentum, roaring in surprise and anger as greenish-blue ichor lashed out from the shallow wound, and everyone gasped, except for Mira, who just smiled and cheered.
"KICK HIS SHINY METAL ASS BACK TO HELL, DUSTY!!!" Shouted Mira, and everyone in the immediate area followed suit, cheering for the lone hero who just bitch-slapped the terrible sliver with a sword. However, Chae-Surr soon recovered, then dashed toward Dusty, claws outstretched as to eviscerate the lone warrior. However, as if detecting the move before it had even been made, Dusty blocked his scythe with his sword, and dodged the other with a quick duck, then used his momentum to turn the blade around, and the warrior then cut off both of Chae-Surr's hands, then slashed his face again, this time in a vertical arc, and managed to take Chae-Surr's left eye in the process. As Chae-Surr reeled back again, bleeding profusely, but not even looking winded, he grinned, revealing millions of needle-like teeth within his long, predatory maw.
"Yessssss... This one... This is him..." Chae-Surr hissed to no one in particular gleefully, and then he spread his wings, and took off into the air, the force of the resulting wind knocking everyone, including Dusty, down on their rears. And soon, the dust cleared, and when the crowd saw that Chae-Surr was gone, everyone cheered, and Mira ran up and hugged Dusty.
"You did it! Aw, man, did you see that stupid bug's face when you cut him in the face TWICE!? So. Totally. Awesome." As Mira finished, she released Dusty, letting him breathe. Before he could respond, however, Celestia and Luna walked up to Dusty, and spoke:
"Dusty, You have truly, gah, proven yourself today. In honor...In honor of today's events, I hereby Pro... Pronounce you a true soldier of Equestria... Well done, my child... Gah, that smarts..." Celestia said, holding her severed horn.
"Sister, I think we should seek help now, before you bleed out on everyone." Said Luna, holding her sister up.
"Yes... I think that would be best... You take it from here, Luna, I need to find a band-aid..." Muttered Celestia tiredly, before stumbling off into the castle.
"Anyway, On account of your heroic actions, and the unfortunate demise of..." Luna was interrupted by groaning, and Jordan Lightkeep, first thought dead, got right back up, swaying slightly, but okay nonetheless.
"Ugh... Wha'd I miss..?" Asked Jordan tiredly.
"Dude, you just got shanked, and everyone thought you were dead..." Said Dusty, surprised at Jordan's resilience.
"Oh. I see..." Jordan said, somewhat disappointed.
"What? What's wrong? You lived, didn't you?" Asked Dusty.
"Yeah, it's just... I failed to defeat the one enemy I swore to defend my people against. Dusty, may I ask who got rid of that damned sliver?" Asked Jordan.
"That was me." Replied Dusty.
"Wow, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Jordan chuckled. "Well, I'll be damned. first the Manaleech, then the finals, and now that super-sliver... Well, then it's settled. I cannot defeat the Hivelord, even on my own ground, but it appears you can. Princess Luna, I want to give up my Championship, and request it befall upon Dusty." Jordan said, bowing.
"Very... very well, Sir Jordan... As of now, Dusty, You are to be referred to as Sir Dusty, Champion of Equestria." Luna said, slightly surprised at this outcome, And the crowd went wild. Suddenly, a voice called from nearby:
"Dusty! What the hell were you thinking!?" Cried Neia, as she stomped up to her brother, the angriest expression on her face.