//------------------------------//
// 24 - Faceoff 
// Story: Gladiator 
// by Not_A_Hat 
//------------------------------//

“Twilight, why are you sneaking up on me?” I threw an arm over the back of the park bench I was lounging on, and peered over my shoulder at the purple mare, who had a slightly guilty look on her face.

“Um…”

“No, wait. Rainbow put you up to it, right? I bet she said something like ‘Hey, betcha can’t tap Wes on the shoulder’. Is she still mad at me for scaring her?”

“...um.” Twilight coughed sheepishly, and glanced innocently at the flowers planted artistically around the small garden circle.

“Rainbow!” I called.

“Dang it Wes, how do you do that?” Rainbow swooped in, alighting nearby.

“I told you; I listen to my instincts. Well, and I miiiiight be a bit more keyed up than usual, since I’m waiting for-oh, and here she is.”

I pointed down the road. The door to Sweet Drops opened and Lyra stepped through, carrying a paper bag. We stared unabashedly at her approach.

“Um, hi.” She glanced nervously at Twilight and Rainbow. “Bon-bon sent these.” She tossed me the bag and I snagged it, carefully keeping my line-of-sight clear. I grinned unconsciously; Bon-bon sent fudge! “I, uh…” Her voice trailed off, and she coughed once. “I think we may have gotten off on the wrong hoof, Wes.”

“Maybe.” I stared coolly through her; I wouldn't make this easier for her. “What do you mean to say?”

“Well, see-”

“Aw, cut her some slack.” Rainbow interjected. “Listen, Lyra, he’s OK. You just rattled him, and he’s a little sore. Come on, Wes, don’t hold it against her.”

I sighed and relaxed a little. Rainbow’s plea made acting martyred seem about as petty as it really was.

“Fine.” I nodded to Lyra. “Fine, Rainbow, I get it. Listen, Lyra; she’s not wrong. You scared me half to death, and it’s making me a little...wary of you, but if you say you’re here in good faith, I’ll take your word for it.”

Lyra nodded fervently, a grin spreading across her face.

“You have my word! Sorry for scaring you like that; I didn’t know you’d take it so hard, you’re much harder to read than a pony! I just wanted to say hi, and to gauge you, and, well, maybe let you know that there are other ones of us here in Ponyville! I thought that-”

“Wait, wait. Other ones of...us? What do you mean?”

“Martial artists! I mean, serious ones. No offense, Rainbow."

“Nah, it’s cool. My job is weather; I don't practice, really.”

“But-” I started, then stopped, mouth hanging open. “Huh. I guess I am. I never really thought of myself like that, but I am a serious martial artist.”

“Serious, and seriously talented! I haven’t seen anypony who can read the atmosphere like you for a long while! How long have you been training for? Do you follow some tradition from your homeland? I have some questions about that, actually, if you don't mind!”

“Um.” I rubbed my forehead. After actually meeting Lyra, she seemed much less menacing. She was...bubbly. And silly. Overenthusiastic. Adding those qualities to ‘dangerous’ made her much more approachable. “First, at my party, you said you'd heard about me. Who from?”

“A pony in the guard.” She stopped, obviously uncomfortable with our stares. “Aw, come on! That’s all I can say; I might not be on the scene right now, but I can’t go around revealing Underground names. He's called Halfbrick on the scene, if that helps.”

“What is she talking about?” I asked Rainbow, who was nodding.

“The Canterlot Underground. It's...an illegal fighting club? An outlaw group? Twilight, can you explain it?”

“It’s...well, actually, it’s not illegal.”

“Really?” Both Lyra and Rainbow asked, surprised.

“Really. The law is...cleverly worded. As long as they’re discreet, and keep things under control, they’re clear. The whole thing is secretly designed to perpetuate unicorn martial traditions. Dueling and and civilian demonstration are prohibited, but as long as no-pony dies or reports them, they’re actually legit. It all hangs on some rather obscure records, which-”

“Right, right. Sorry, shouldn’t ask an egghead for clarification,” Rainbow cut back into the discussion. “Anyways, Wes, The Canterlot Underground is where all the strongest, coolest, and all-round most dangerous fighters can be found. Lyra, how high did you place?”

“Well,” Lyra preened slightly, “It’s poor manners to say yourself, but I was a pony of some distinction.”

“Really?” Twilight was intrigued now. “You actually made it that high?” Lyra grinned, obviously enjoying the attention.

“Higher than that.”

“No way!” Rainbow breathed. “You don’t mean?” Lyra nodded firmly.

“I placed in The Tournament.” Both my friends gasped slightly. “I’m not really supposed to do this, but...can you three keep a secret?” They nodded. "You might know me better as Harmonics."

"You're Harmonics?" Rainbow was truly flabbergasted.

"Huh?" The jargon was becoming steadily more confusing, and I was starting to get annoyed. I nudged Twilight, hoping for an explanation while Rainbow fan-mare'd for a bit."What's this tournament?"

"The Fighting is Magic tournament. It's the apex of the whole thing. Competing in it is the whole point of joining the Underground. It's a series of a dozen or less matches, and it's absolutely brutal." Twilight muttered to me. "There's no sign-up, or schedule, or anything; to be included, you need to be on the scene, and you need to be widely acknowledged. Even then, selection's pretty arbitrary."

"You need to be good?"

"More than that; you need to be good AND lucky. She just told us her ring-name, which shows she trusts us. The Underground is kinda picky about keeping your identity a secret. It's sorta silly, actually."

"The first rule of the Underground is you don't talk about the Underground." I murmured. She snorted, but nodded.

"You came in second?" Rainbow squealed.

"Only second?" I said, turning back towards them. Rainbow shot me an incredulous look.

"You don't get it, Wes. Second is incredible; first is impossible. The top spot has been held by the same pony for years now. She runs the Underground, and sets the whole thing up; just being able to face her is a huge honor!"

"Really?" Twilight asked, suddenly interested. "Did you ever meet her?"

"Yeah!" Lyra said. "She's called Lahar, and-"

"Wait."Twilight cut in, obviously shocked. "Huge earth pony, steel blue, ash mane, marked with a flaming gavel? That Lahar?"

"It's a gavel?" Lyra asked. "That makes much more sense! But wait-how do you know her?"

"Well, that's...um, not really my story to tell."Twilight stammered, shaking her head. "Sorry." Both Rainbow and Lyra looked disappointed, but dropped it.

"Anyways, Wes, we should fight sometime!" Lyra exclaimed, bouncing slightly.

"No."

"Aw, come on, Wes!" Rainbow said. "It would be really cool to watch! Don't be a fraidy-cat!"

"It's not that I'm afraid, Rainbow. I'd certainly lose, but that's not the point. Fighting isn't a sport for me. I don't do it for fun. I don't particularly like it, and I don't think this sort of thing is a very good idea."

"Cuz of that?" Rainbow asked. I nodded.

"Hmm?" Lyra glanced back and forth between us.

"He's a bit of a...berserker."

"That's what Halfbrick said." Lyra fixed me with a stare. "He was at the changeling assault. He said you went feral in the courtyard, and nearly got yourself killed." I nodded somberly, thinking on my fight with Gash. I'd been stupidly reckless. "A berserker. You're afraid." She studied me for a second. "Of...yourself?" I hesitated, but nodded. Lyra chewed on the corner of her lip for a second. "You didn't learn to fight conventionally, did you." I shook my head. She lowered her eyes in thought. "Please, fight me!" she said finally, looking up. Rainbow shot me a pleading look. I even caught a sparkle of interest in Twilight's eye. I thought for a good minute, considering.

"Fine." I rubbed my eyes. "I don't really like getting drubbed, but I'll indulge your curiosity. As long as you're confident you can keep us from getting hurt."

"No fear," she chirped. "I'll take you seriously."

"Good. Ok." I pushed down my apprehension, and stood. "Where are we doing this?"





"Hey, this is pretty cool." Rainbow glanced around the clearing I'd begun hacking in the woods behind my house.

"Thanks." I was stretching, preparing for our bout. We'd decided my backyard was good enough as an arena. "Eventually, I plan to cultivate some of the plants I'm gathering. I think I'm far enough into the Everfree to get magical effects. I just hope it doesn't attract trouble."

"Hey, Wes..." Twilight murmured, as Rainbow left to check on Lyra's preparation.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking...my magic has somewhat restored. Would you mind if I tried channeling a bit? I'd really like to observe your mindset...from the inside, as it were."

"Um. You want to try a soul-link? While I fight?"

"Yeah! We could get a better idea of what bothers you. I think we can link shallowly, just to observe." I frowned, but considered it. Honestly, I was curious. I'd thought Twilight would be adverse to experimenting because of her last experience, but this was her second time suggesting it. I snuck a sideways glance; she didn't seem apprehensive. Maybe curiosity outweighed stress? Maybe she was better at coping than me? Maybe I was overestimating the impact.

"That...could be pretty neat. But would Lyra notice? Would it be distracting?"

"I don't think Lyra would notice. It's low-profile magic. Not even a spell, really, and she isn't a very powerful unicorn." Twilight looked a little embarrassed at that. "Not to disparage her, but...yeah. As for distracting, I couldn't say. You're the one fighting."

"Hmm." I contemplated the idea a bit more. The last few times we'd done this, it had been in times of extreme stress, and it had mostly overtaken my perception of events. Even though I'd continued functioning, I hadn't been thinking much, so it hadn't affected my thoughts. Although I'd survived by luck and instinct, I couldn't count on that; at some point, we needed to understand what was happening. If we could investigate in a controlled way, we might even turn it into an advantage. As long as...

"This...is it dangerous? I mean, what would it do to our synchronicity?" She frowned thoughtfully at that.

"I think using the bond shallowly wouldn't affect us badly. Most of the damage from previous incidents was caused by soul-burning, which is generally a bad idea. By our current measurements, we're just over seven percent merged. Channeling certain magic patterns increases that, but as far as I can tell, it's only temporarily."

"Only temporary? No side effects? That's...suspiciously convenient. You know what they say; if it sounds too good to be true-"

"It probably is. I know." She frowned. "That's part of why I want more information. I can't help thinking we're missing something."

I mused on that. She was right, we had to be missing something. Too good to be true didn't half cover it. We were working with obscure, half-improvised spells and high-energy arcane constructs hooked directly to intimate portions of our energy signatures. Messing with that, even a bit, should have disastrous consequences. What were the chances something like this would just...work? We really did need to know more, because it's the trap you don't see that kills you.

"Ok." I nodded agreement. "Give it a go before Lyra gets here, and let's see what it's like." Twilight nodded back, and closed her eyes. A nearly imperceptible glow pulsed along the length of her horn, and I gasped.

"Are you OK?" she asked, snapping her eyes open.

"Yeah, but..." I put a hand to my temple. "That feels weird." It was sorta-kinda like what I'd experienced before, but the scope was different. The sensation was nearly indescribable; I sensed Twilight's presence clearly in my head, but now the delineation between us was clear. It was like an eye opened in my brain, viewing a dimly lit room. I had an impression of her thoughts, a calm stream of calculation and logic, underpinned by stronger, slower currents of emotion and feeling. Concentrating, I caught glimpses of deeper thought-structures; the dark depths of her subconscious gleaming turgid and incomprehensible for a fleeting second.

Before, the flow of thought and instinct had been furious and overwhelming, drawing us together on a level deeper than thought. This was much less immersive, but fascinating in its own way. As I studied the phenomena the connection slowly widened, until Twilight firmed her concentration.

"Ooop!" She regulated the magic flow, and the window narrowed. "I'll need to watch the power level. This is fascinating, though! Do you always think like that?"

"Um...probably?" As I spoke, her impression of my thought process leaked across; a glimpse of ideas constantly scattering and gathering like birds, each contributing, but with multiple streams of thinking that fought for attention from my consciousness. In comparison to her orderly progression of thoughts, it seemed messy and confusing, though it felt normal to me.

"Woah!" Suddenly dizzy, I staggered. As I saw her view my thoughts, a feedback loop formed with a snap. It crumbled a second later, but I momentarily felt caught between mirrors, perception bouncing between us in a dizzying cycle of viewpoints.

"Sorry!" Twilight gasped, leaning against me in an attempt to offer support. "I think I've got that under control." My perception of her shifted slightly as she adjusted the connection.

"As long as it doesn't come up during the match. That was distracting." We fell silent as Lyra and Rainbow approached.

"Ready?" Rainbow asked, with barely concealed excitement.

"Yup," I said.

"Sure!" Lyra exclaimed. Our audience stepped back to the edge of the circle. My clearing wasn't very large. Barely enough space for a small garden, fire pit, and picnic-table if I ever got around to building one. The win would be decided by loss of consciousness.

There was no ring, and surrender wasn't allowed.

I fell into a fighting stance, just as Lyra's menace washed me like a wave. I felt Twilight recoil in my mind as the she experienced the brunt of trained killing intent for the first time through our link. I smirked slightly at that. I was anticipating questioning her on what this looked like.

I expected this fight to move in waves.

For some reason Lyra was seriously evaluating my fighting potential, which intrigued me. At first I'd thought of her as simply threatening and spiteful, but it slowly become clear this wasn't the case. She was a bit too invested for mere curiosity, as well. I was unsure of her reasons, but she was working towards a higher goal here, and though her intentions seemed good, I couldn't guess them yet.

But I was OK with that.

I wasn't a foolishly trusting person, but neither was I particularly suspicious. From what I'd seen and what my friends had said, Lyra seemed pretty decent. I was willing to follow her in this, even if it cost me a beating. Maybe I'd learn something worthwhile. Maybe I'd make a friend. Either way, it cost nothing but a bit of dignity, and that wasn’t worth much.

What it boiled down to, though, was that Lyra was leading this fight. Though I was willing to follow, I wasn't very motivated. This whole thing was an extended test of some kind, which meant that Lyra, trying to fully test my capabilities, would also be tested. Could she push me far enough, but not too far? Would it be worth it?

This was the first wave; a mental face-off. Not so different from my party. This time, however, I took a different tack.

At the party, I'd instinctively raised my own fighting spirit, trying to overpower hers. It wasn't a bad response. In the same way a rattlesnake warns you, or a cat fluffs his tail, if you're intimidated, responding in kind may be all that's needed to avoid a more serious confrontation. But if I did that here, I'd play into her hooves. If I tensed up, I'd instinctively respond to her first attack, and I already knew I couldn't match her in a fight.

But, there was another way to 'win' this. if I could keep her from drawing me out, I would maintain a certain control of the situation. She'd never test me fully, and she would fail-even as she thrashed me. It was a little underhanded, but I'd take what I could get.

So I went the other direction. I relaxed. I blanked my face and mind. I dropped my hands. I erased my presence thoroughly. I felt her menace, but didn't care; I was empty, void, vapor on the wind. By erasing my aggression, I reduced my chances of countering, but also shielded myself from being provoked into moving first.

I felt Twilight's sudden fascination with my mental state very clearly. A smidgen of amusement arose as she whipped out a notebook and started scribbling; Rainbow facehoofed, hard. I kept my attention on Lyra.

I forced her to move first. It wasn't too hard. I just waited. She started with a simple strike, easily read, easily dodged.

I retaliated with a flurry of kicks. If I had any chance of pulling a win out of this, it would be in the beginning, before she fully measured of my abilities. My hopes puffed into smoke as she ghosted around my blows.

"How's she doing that?"  Twilight asked across our link, as Lyra effortlessly evaded strike after strike.

"It's called shadow-stepping. Splinter used it. Watch her hooves. Footwork is the basis of everything. Hush! You're distracting."

Twilight winced as a flying hoof snuck past my guard and clipped my hip. I leaped backwards, and we paused for a second. My breathing was starting to accelerate from the exertion, but I was feeling pretty good. Lyra grinned at me, also puffing slightly.

"No spells?"

"With my technique, It's a waste of magic. You're under control?"

"I don't like berserking. It dulls my edge." That was true. I really didn't like losing myself in the fighting. I'd learned it to survive. The changelings had faced me with an odd mixture of imminent defeat and pointless repetition. The bugs had been fodder, barely competent fighters, but my reward for fighting and winning was another fight. It had been crushingly depressing, but if I didn't acquit myself well, the punishment could be literally excruciating. I'd taken refuge in rage. As long as I was angry, I didn't need to think, I just killed. The fact that it dulled my skills, making me reckless and overconfident hadn't been a problem.

Things were different now.

Lyra pressed in again. I barely slid past crushing blows, relying on half-seen cues to capture her movements. I thrilled with the exultation of success and tried to squash it, to regain my calm. I attacked again with kicks, trying to use the unusual movements to take her by surprise, but it was useless.

Fine. Let's kick things up a notch.

I relaxed my hold on my emotions, allowing my killing intent to rise. Lyra's stance responded instantly. My body language was more threatening, and she noticed. I pushed hard with a barrage of attacks, momentarily forcing her to defend. She gave ground for the first time and I leaped after, launching myself into a flying kick.

This broke a personal rule, which was: Feet ON the ground! I had never been flexible or fast enough to use acrobatics effectively.

However, I'd found that many ponies dealt very poorly with a fighter that jumped, instead of flying. I trusted Lyra to not kill me, so, go big.

Surprised, she barely blocked. I exploited ruthlessly, dropping and attempting to sweep her legs before bouncing up and trying to flank, making full use of my bipedal stance for unconventional movements. I managed a solid body blow before she evaded, but just then I realized how badly I'd miscalculated.

She kicked it up a notch as well.

I swear, she blurred. My fist thumped into her side, right about where her kidney should be, and she was just...gone. Twilight's astonishment mingled with mine, and then I was flying through the air, hurting. Waves of menace washed over me again and I was too near the edge of anger. I felt myself fall into familiar patterns. I committed myself to fighting. To winning at any cost. I gave up thinking, and committed myself to hurting. I twisted in midair, coming down with a sweeping spin that placed me just so; right where I needed to be to meet her advance.

Twilight seemed worried, but I didn't have time for her. Lyra's eyes were serious now, and my lips curled into a snarl. She ghosted towards me, using unfamiliar, unreadable footwork. She stepped past my strikes as if they weren't there, and she nearly, nearly broke my stance. Though I'd given up on controlling this fight, surrendering to desperation meant I would spend every last drop of myself for victory. I scraped up my reserves and braced myself, refusing to block, but twisting to absorb the blow. I took a solid hit, but surprised her. I saw her eyes widen, then widen further as my hands clamped onto her hoof. I played my last card.

Grappling.

Hands gave me a significant advantage with grappling. Horns and wings were trouble; unless I grasped from behind, every grapple I closed had ended poorly. But throws... Well. I stepped forward, pivoting both of us around the center of gravity, and flung her across the clearing. The look on her face was satisfying but she landed cleanly, barely avoiding a tree-trunk.

Her horn pulsed once, so dimly I wouldn't have noticed without the link. This time, she moved so fast I couldn't even see the step-in; she was suddenly hitting me. It felt like a freight-train, and I was out of options.

Almost out of options. Desperation drove me, and I scrabbled frantically at my sheath, but Twilight realized what I was trying for and our connection shattered like glass. Lyra hit me again.

Black.





I was lying on my back when I awoke. I knew I was alive, because I hurt like crazy.

"...yeah, he surprised me with that when we fought, too. You should play cards with us! He does the really cool shuffle. It's like, fwip-fwip-fwip." That was Rainbow.

"Maybe I will. I'd love to see him try playing a musical instrument." That was Lyra. Were they discussing my fingers?

"Are you sure he's going to be OK?" That was Twilight.

"I mostly sure. I still don't think friends should do this, but Lyra didn't hurt him permanently." That was...Fluttershy?

I pried my eyes open, and tried to sit up. Yup, that was Fluttershy. She was leaning over me, and placed a hoof on my shoulder to hold me down.

"Please hold still, Wesley," she murmured. "Lyra was horribly rough with you, and I want to make sure you'll recover." She shot the green unicorn what might have been a reproving glance. Lyra looked vaguely guilty for a second.

"Um, Fluttershy, I think I'll be Ok." I tried to sit up again, but she held me down easily.

"No, no, no. Patients need to listen to the doctor." She fixed me with a reproving stare, and I subsided. She spent a few minutes poking and prodding, before allowing me to sit and directing me through a series of movements.

"Well, I don't think there's any serious damage." She glared gently at Lyra again, before looking back to me. "Come see me if anything doesn't heal well. Make sure you stretch, and take it easy for a few days. You'll have bruises, but a warm bath should help." She gave her prognosis in a quiet voice and stepped back. I slowly sat up, feeling my muscles protest and my bones settle back into place. I had really taken a beating.

"Was hitting me that hard completely necessary?" I glared at Lyra, who looked vaguely guilty again.

"You pushed me farther than I expected. You really are excellent."

"So, did you find out what you needed?" She grimaced at that.

"Was I so obvious?"

"In a word? Yes. What is it you were trying to discover by-" I popped my back, and winced. "-beating the stuffing out of me?"

She took a deep breath, and put on a serious expression.

"Wesley Kilmer...I, Lyra Heartstrings, sometimes called Harmonics, respectfully offer to sponsor you in the Canterlot Underground and ask you to accept me as your instructor."

"GAAAAAASP!"

"Hush, Rainbow. Let me get this straight, Lyra. You're offering to...teach me?"

"No, nonono, Wes, she's offering you her spot in the Underground!"

"Rainbow, I'm not going to fight in the Underground. Even if I lived in Canterlot, I don't think-"

"Yes, I'm offering to teach you. My spot in the Underground is a formality; if I take a student, I can't hold a spot anyways. I don't care if you fight or not. Wes… what do you know about pony martial tradition?"

"Not much. Dribs and drabs from… a friend."

"Well, here it is in a nutshell. Most of the Underground would be shocked, but, yeah. It can all be traced back to two ponies; Celestia and Luna. Every single current martial tradition from all three races has been strongly influenced by them. They've only ever taken a handful of students, but they've left such a strong mark on the world that their teaching has pretty much subsumed every other style and school.

"Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't really a bad thing. The world of fighting moves by what's most effective. Out with the old, and in with the new, I say. Their teaching has taken us to new heights. But it's inescapable that the styles they use are tailored for them. They've never named their techniques, but the Underground calls it 'The Divine Path Of The Unconquered Sky'." Twilight snorted quietly, and I noticed that she was studiously taking notes.

"I think that's a bit grandiose, so I call it the Lunestia style." Twilight nearly choked at that. "It's built specifically to their needs. This is the part that especially relates to you, Wes; all true martial arts are about control. First, you control your body. Then, you control your mind. After-and ONLY after-that, you can try using what you've learned to control the world. The princess' have achieved such stunning control over themselves they can perform feats like the Dance of the Dark Moon. Another theatrical name, but you've seen it's effectiveness." I thought back to a warring army annihilated in seconds, and nodded.

"This, then, is where I come into conflict with the Lunestia school. It's designed for extremely magical minds housed in physically powerful bodies." Lyra sighed. "As you may know, I’m neither. I found myself at a bit of a loss when learning to fight. But! I persevered, and I had two advantages. The first was a father who taught me how to learn, and how to work hard. So when I found that none of the current techniques would make me much of a fighter, I set out to find and build my own. That's a story in itself. The other edge is this." She tapped her cutie mark.

"But that's not really pertinent to you. Here's the gist. Wes, I want you to study under me, because I promised somepony that I wouldn't let my techniques die with me; I need at least one student, and you're the most talented and suitable I've found. More than that, my teaching can help you. As a self-taught warrior who's done well, I can give you training on developing yourself." She paused, and took a deep breath.

"Maybe the most useful thing I can teach you, though, is my meditation techniques. Mental control is key to my style, and it's what you're missing, Wes. I think that if you apply yourself, you can move past where you are now. I don't know what you've gone through to get there, and I can't promise to heal scars, but I can say that you will be able to focus more strongly and effectively. So?" She stepped forward, and raised a hoof for me to shake.

I pressed my palms to my eyes, and tried to think. My mind had drifted through much of her monologue, but when she reached the end, I'd focused intensely. A way to improve mental control? A way to, maybe, help with my nightmares? A way to put things, just a little more, behind me? I wanted that.

On the other hand, jumping into this now wasn't a good idea. I had enough experience with my brain to be wary of decisions in my current state. I been beaten half to death and was coming off such an adrenaline thrill I wouldn't trust myself on whether I liked cream in coffee. This deserved clear and rigorous examination. I wanted the benefits of what she was offering, but did I want the responsibility of learning more fighting?

Fighting had once been a fact of life. Feelings didn't factor; it was simply there, with the walls and bars. And Splinter. Since escaping, I'd discovered the way I'd been molded wasn't always what I wanted. I didn't WANT to fight every day, and now I had the power to change that. I wanted to laugh with friends, to nap in the sun, to explore ancient ruins and uncover flowers hidden in the underbrush. Fighting had become vaguely repugnant to me. I couldn't deny its usefulness, but in the closet of my mind, it was like a toilet brush; necessary, but not what I wanted to focus on.

On the other hand, I'd had no luck avoiding fights. They seemed to come find me, even. I ground my palms into my eyes until I saw stars, and gulped in air, trying to stabilize my thoughts. I held my breath until my heart started to pound.

"Wesley?" Fluttershy said, uncertainly. I let it out with a whoosh, and suddenly stood.

"Lyra, I'm not saying no." Her eyes fell, and she stepped back. "You've offered me something precious, and your attention honors me. Give me time to think. I can't decide right now; this needs consideration."

"Fair enough." She nodded and turned away, obviously disappointed.

"Um, I don't think I said this before, but...it was a good fight. Thanks." Her ears perked a bit and Rainbow turned to follow her, shooting me a sympathetic glance.

"Achoo!" I sneezed suddenly. "Excuse me. I think I might be coming down with something."

"Oh dear!" Fluttershy floated up to head-height and placed a gentle hoof on my brow. "And you still got into a fight! Really, Wesley, you should be more careful! And you feel feverish!"

"I...don't think I'm sick. It feels like allergies. Um." I almost suggested a thermometer, but realized I had no knowledge of pony vitals. Or what their temperature scale was. I got half-way into considering Celsius calibrations and Fahrenheit conversions, and lost my train of thought as I realized I had no idea what altitude we were at, or if air pressure was similar to Earth. I absentmindedly pulled my watch out and tossed it hand-to-hand as my brain freewheeled, looking for a solid constant.
 
"What sort of apparatus would we need to measure the speed of light?" I asked, just as Twilight got a good look at my watch.

"What is that thing?" She blurted simultaneously. Jerked back to reality, I gave Fluttershy a reassuring smile.

"I think I'll be OK. But if I start feeling worse, I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for your care, Fluttershy; I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Wesley. If you need help, please drop by." She smiled back, and landed, turning to Twilight. "You be careful too!" she said, almost harshly, and started home.

"It's my <digital watch>." I tossed it to Twilight. "Luna found it when she investigated my arrival, and returned it to me. Um, about the thing we were investigating earlier, we should compare notes."

"Oh, there were no side effects. I watched. Did you know that this seems to use some sort of rock for the central timing mechanism?"

“Yes,” I sighed, and resigned myself to dealing with a distracted Twilight. Things were probably Ok...right?