//------------------------------// // Together We Fight // Story: Valley Of Rainbows: Seeking Solutions // by Sparx //------------------------------// Together We Fight Crusha slid his hand across his bleeding chest and wiped the blood across his face with a sick smile. “If you wished to face the wrath of a bugbear, you have it, dog!” He swung his Morningstar towards Fido’s head. Fido ducked under the weapon and brought the pommel of his axe hard into Crusha’s jaw. Lyra turned to look for only a moment as she continued to cleave through any goblins that attempted to make their way through to Fido and Crusha. “I didn’t think Fido took Dash’s statement about taking the bugbear on alone seriously,” she called over to Spot. Spot jabbed his daggers rapidly into a goblin that came before him, dropping it as he turned to another. “He doesn’t fight alone, he knows we will support him should defeat become a possibility. He does wish, however, that we keep our aid to only that which we see as necessary. He has taken Rainbow Dash’s challenge into account and made this a battle of pride,” he explained as he thrust his daggers into two goblin throats. Fido flung his arm out and decked Crusha in the same spot he had landed his pommel. The bugbear countered with another swing of his weapon, to which Fido caught with his axe. Fido continued his assault on the goblinoid’s jawbone, pummeling at the same spot with his fist and forcing Crusha to begin wincing in pain. “It seems even a monster can feel pain,” Fido said as he readied another punch. Crusha flung his own free hand out to catch Fido’s paw, pushing back the attack. “Thank you for reminding me,” he returned. Crusha placed a kick to Fido’s leg, forcing him to his knees. He grabbed hold of his Morningstar with both hands as it was still caught under the head of the axe and tugged. Fido lost grip as his axe was lifted from his paw, but Crusha had pulled too hard, and both his Morningstar and Fido’s axe went flying down the hill, taking out a few goblins when they landed. “Then let it be strength alone that determines who walks!” “Agreed!” Fido grabbed hold of Crusha’s other hand as the two of them pushed against one another. It seemed as though they may be evenly matched, but as Fido climbed back to his feet it became apparent that he was the physically superior creature. He advanced, pushing Crusha down the hill, his feet dragging through the earth and arms giving way to Fido’s. It was a feeling very foreign for a bugbear, he could smell it on himself. He was afraid! He had never directly confronted a being stronger than himself, he had always assaulted them from behind, but he was stuck in a grapple with this dog and losing. He was the weaker one in this encounter. Crusha lunged forward with his mouth open, aiming for Fido’s neck. If he couldn’t win with strength, he’d win some other way. Fido was quick though, and twisted Crusha’s arm, forcing him to scream out in pain before Fido slammed the back of his paw into Crusha’s jaw once again, breaking it and forcing the bugbear to wail in pain. Fido then grabbed hold of the monster’s lower jaw. Crusha lost any feeling from the bottom of his mouth as he watched his opponent rip his mandible straight from his face. Crusha didn’t scream or howl, he had no idea how he could express his horror. He simply fell back into the dirt and stared at the sky. He should have had a million things running through his mind at that very moment, but he couldn’t think. He felt no pain in his arm or head or even on the cut across his chest. There was only a ringing sound in his ears and a sense of fear and disbelief. Fido looked at the bone in his paw. The bugbear was lying in the dirt, bleeding, as he still stood. He couldn’t help but feel his confidence rise. He held the jaw into the air and howled in pride. Spot and Lyra turned to see Fido standing victorious, howling like a timber wolf. The goblins saw him as well and stood paralyzed as they saw their champion fallen on his back. Spot howled along with his pack mate and smiled wide. Lyra cheered along as Fido ran to their side to join them in facing down the rest of the goblins. Some of the goblins began to scatter and run, trying to avoid the massive dog that had proven itself a more fearsome beast than the large and shaggy goblin they had feared. Fido began tossing and grabbing the pests, bashing them into one another and flinging them into the sky as he led the charge. Spot and Lyra followed as they whooped in pride. Lyra came across the Morningstar and axe as they charged through the crowd and, with renewed confidence, lifted the two of them along with her sword. She gave an evil giggle and frightened the goblins near her. She swung the three weapons and tripled her damage. Between her and Fido, the goblins ran screaming whenever the three companions would come close. “Keep it coming! Even if the rest of you were here, it would be no different!” Foki cackled as he threw Rover back and moved to parry Dash’s blades only a moment after. “None have penetrated this blade’s guard before!” Dash glared back to the hobgoblin, her eyes falling onto the cut she had placed on his arm. Never huh? She looked back to Rover. The dog stood strong and ready to go again. She knew though that if they couldn’t find some way to outmaneuver Foki’s enchantment, then they were gonna be pretty screwed. Rover leapt towards Foki again. The hobgoblin let out a roar and slammed his blade against the dog’s. Rover was flung hard to his side as the shock shook loose some of the ash that used to be the skin on Foki’s hand. Rover was quick to roll onto his feet and charge again. Dash saw an opportunity as the two of them could attack at once and launched herself towards her target, blades ready to swing. Foki saw this and took a step towards Rainbow, thrusting the blazing blade in her direction just far enough to reach her and push her aside. Dash tumbled through the dirt as she watched Foki brace against Rover. She felt the desire to reach out and help him. “AUGH!” Rainbow actually heard Foki cry out in pain. She rolled back to her hooves and saw Rover with blood on his sword and Foki throwing a burned hand to a cut on his hip. “What is this?” Foki roared. “What IS this?” He chopped his sword one handed towards Rover. Rover brought his own sword to try and defend himself. Dash cried out to try and help. She saw Rover’s arms move quicker in that instant, clashing steel against burning steel and parrying against Foki’s strike. Everyone looked in confusion at what happened. Rainbow Dash saw a red light glowing at the ground and realized her element was glowing. She was supporting Rover! “Rover! Keep it up!” Dash called, attracting Rover’s attention. “I’ve got your back! Just keep attacking!” She motioned to her necklace. Rover saw the glow from the gemstone and grinned. “It always comes back to the gems for us dogs,” he chuckled. He gripped his sword again and charged Foki. The goblin’s sword was quick to meet his blade, but with Rainbow backing him, Rover was able to force through the parry and stab into Foki’s arm. The goblin grew frustrated and tried to counter. Rover proved quicker and knocked the flames aside as he placed another slice across Foki’s ribs. Foki’s pain was punctuated with a grunt. He tried to take initiative and strike a blow of his own but, against an assisted Rover, it proved to be futile, and he felt his blade get knocked aside once again. He felt his frustration grow as the exchange went on. Blade to blade, steel to steel, he had never lost with this sword, but now he had met someone able to counter and parry with just as much speed as his enchantment. He had blocked arrows and bolts and even a skilled duelist with this weapon, burnt them all to ash; now he was forced to give ground. He couldn’t land a single slash on this dog that dared stand before him. His assaults were knocked aside and left him open for the dog to follow up on. Dash continued to channel her element, protecting and supporting her ally as he battled. They had turned things around. They were doing damage. She gave a confident smirk. We can win this! It was invigorating to feel doubt wash away to reassurance. The duel thundered on with Foki stuck on the defensive as Rover crashed his metal against Foki’s. He met the hobgoblin’s flesh whenever he found an opening, forcing his blood to splash into the dirt and onto their swords. Rover’s fur began to clump together with the red fluid and Foki’s skin began to resemble the fire on his weapon. Ashes from Foki’s hands continued to drop to the ground in small, dark pieces with each clash and counter, revealing pyroclastic muscle. Rover was bringing Foki to his limit, tiring him out. Dash continued to boost Rover’s swing speed when she felt she had a good focus going. Time to tip the odds a little further! She threw herself into the fray, holding her blades out. As Rover forced Foki’s blade above his head, Dash plunged her swords into the goblins back. Rover stuck his blade into Foki’s gut. Foki felt ill. He had three swords impaling him as blood began to spill from his mouth. His view began to fade into darkness as he felt his grip loosen on his weapon, the flames dying. His body was flooded with pain from all of the wounds he had taken. His dreams and ambitions began to fade with his sight. He had dealt with the sniveling green lesser beings, slaughtered hordes of minotaurs and goats and satyrs, slain his own general and kin, and suffered through the disobedience and anger of a bugbear; but for what? To fall and die on the swords of a pony and her pet? If this was how it ended, his legacy would not be that of a god, but of a fool whose story would tell of his humiliation and failure. “That… can’t… happen…” He watched his world go black as he dropped to his knees. Rainbow Dash pulled her blades from the back of Foki’s corpse as Rover did the same. The two of them gave a joined sigh of relief and bumped hoof and fist again with a laugh. “I’m glad you came when you did, Rover. This guy was a serious pain in the plot,” said Rainbow. “Couldn’t have done it myself, Rainbow Dash,” returned Rover. He stuck his blade into the ground and leaned on it, taking time to catch his breath. “Say…” he started. “Don’t dead creatures usually… fall?” Dash looked to Foki’s body. Both his hands were still on the grip of his sword as he bled on his knees. “I don’t thin—” Rainbow and Rover were blown back as Foki erupted in a pillar of flame, screaming at the top of his lungs in blind rage. His entire body blackened to the color of ash as the leather that hung from his shoulders burned to scraps. His eyes went completely black and he sprang madly towards Rover with his blade overhead. Rover only had a second to bring his sword up. It shattered under the force of Foki’s chop, the shards slicing into Rover’s arms and cheeks. Rainbow acted quickly to throw up a barrier around her comrade. The goblin slammed his blade hard into the red light repeatedly, breaking through and giving a poisonous smile. Foki began to laugh maniacally as he raised his blade once more, ready to bisect Rover with a final attack. Rainbow looked on with terror as Rover looked to her. He smiled nervously as the blade began to fall, waving as if he were saying goodbye. “Farewell, Miss Rainbow Dash.” Rover felt the flame scrape against his nose, his entire life flashing before his green eyes. He heard a crack of bone and the sound of a blade sinking through a soft surface. He blinked. He was still alive. He could still feel himself in one piece. He turned his head and bumped his nose against the magical weapon, skeletal hands still gripping at the hilt. In front of him he watched in awe as an orange mare in a stetson hat and thick metal on her hooves thrust a kick up into a now handless Foki’s chin. The charred body bounced and slid in the dirt until it fell into the trench that Rainbow had dragged him through to this point. “Ah hope ya weren’t thinkin’ ‘bout givin’ up so easily partner.” Applejack flashed a smile to Rover as Rainbow Dash watched in disbelief. “You still got plenty o’ life in ya.”