//------------------------------// // The Swordpony on the Bridge // Story: Back To The Past // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// Water poured down into puddles that could be mistaken for small lakes, soaking the streets and pounding on anything that was unfortunate to be outside on that day. Visibility was almost completely inhibited due to the torrential downpour, while the air chilled due to the sun being obstructed by the black clouds that blocked the light out of the sky. Yet, over the sound of the droplets striking the cobblestone path could be heard the sounds of two sets of hooves, both splashing through the puddles and pressing onward in the rainstorm as best they could. They were both soaked to the bone and their hats offered no protection from the elements, which clawed through one's clothing from the piercing wind while completely bombarding each pony with rain. And each hoof that stepped into the rapidly increasing puddles caused muddy water to splash onto them as well, further souring their mood. The faces on Jack and AJ mirrored the dark clouds, black and devoid of any emotion. And with each flash of lightning that tore the dark curtain apart momentarily, they were allowed to see just how far from their destination they were. But for a brief moment, a small ray of hope shone through the darkness and rain that consumed everything, a hope in the form of a small structure that just entered the edge of their view. "Finally! Someplace that can get us out of this rain!" Applejack yelled over the squall, yet her voice seemed to offend the storm as it beat down harder on the pair a moment later. "If we are lucky, that is!" Jack yelled back, his eyes practically closed from how hard he was squinting. "But whatever that structure is, we should move to it quickly!" Pushing against the wind and rain the pair pressed on, driven by the thought of shelter from the rain and a place to warm their hooves. With one final push the pair finally managed to arrive at the structure...only for their hopes to be extinguished by the torrent when they found a bridge waiting for them instead of a building. "Son of a...of all the...that's just our luck!" AJ roared with fury as she stomped her hooves into the stone, her words being cut off in some places by the wind and rain. "Remain positive, friend. A bridge means that we are not too far from civilization!" Jack called to her, his words helping her to forget her anger and instead focus on pushing on. "Come, we cannot be too much further! Let us push on one more time!" With hope renewed, the two forced themselves against the wall of wind and rain once more, staggering across the bridge as the forces of nature attacked them from every direction. Step by step they pushed on, struggling to keep their balance on the slick stones. Yet as the pair wandered to the middle of the bridge, both of them were stunned to find a figure sitting in the middle of the storm. The pony was covered in black armor that completely obstructed his features, yet both of his eyes glowed with an unnatural green color as his head lifted at their approach. With the rain blocking out all other sounds, the pony rose silently to his hooves with more green light shining from within his armor. His emerald eyes quickly glanced over Applejack, but when the eyes rested upon Jack they immediately narrowed, taking in both him...and the blade that hung at his waist. "Excuse me noble warrior, but you are obstructing our path!" Jack roared over the howl of the storm, eyes narrowing even further when he found that the pony never removed his eyes from the samurai's sword. "Please move aside so that we can continue! We wish to cross this bridge and find shelter from the-" The pounding noise of the rain was momentarily overshadowed by the sound of two blades colliding with each other, causing a flash of sparks that illuminated the dark bridge before the elements extinguished their light. The sound of steel echoed across the bridge once more as their blades collided, Jack and the armored pony pressing their faces close to each other so that they could glare into the other's eyes. "Who are you?! And why do you attack me?!" Jack demanded, glancing down at the pony's blade to find that it was not steel that pushed against his blade...but instead it was a blade of solid magic that crackled with power. "My name does not matter, but you can call me Dark Horse," the pony replied in a metallic voice as he pushed against Jack, the samurai's hooves sliding across the wet surface of the bridge. "And I am here for you, samurai...or rather, your sword." With a strain of effort Jack pushed the pony back while skidding back himself, slowly positioning himself into a stance as Dark Horse took up a different stance. "Why do you want my sword?! It does not belong to you!" Jack roared at the pony, whose eyes seemed to burn even brighter as his attention focused entirely on the blade. "I have seen many weapons in my life! Spears, swords, spells and items the likes of which had never been seen before. But never have I seen a sword of such power, one that could cleave through monsters, could deflect the greatest of spells...and could kill Tirek himself," Dark Horse said as he spun his own magical blade in the rain before reaching behind him and drawing forth a second sword that was double-edged and stained with a crimson. "I aim to make it mine." "If you wish for my blade, then you shall have to take it from my dead body," Jack said as he lowered his blade directly in front of him, standing up on his hind legs and taking up the stance he had done many times before. Dark Horse let out a sinister laugh that could be heard over the pounding of the rain, a laugh that sent chills up Applejack's spine while Jack's eyes simply narrowed. "That's the idea, Jack." In a blur of motion the two warriors lunged at each other, sparks flying as their blades collided in a flash. Both Jack and the pony landed on opposite sides of each other, yet each turned on a dime and slashed through the rain at the other. Their blades sliced through the rain drops and created another flash as their blades struck, momentarily illuminating the bridge. And the light caused by the clashing of their blades was the only way Applejack was able to tell where they were from the sidelines, struggling to keep up with the flashes of light at the sound of sword striking sword. She glanced from flash to flash in a vain hope that she would be able to enter the battle, but she could hardly see in the downpour, let alone keep up with the two swordponies that seemed to be moving across the entire bridge as they battled. 'Ah can't see anything in this rain...and even if ah could get in on the fight, ah would probably be in the way,' Applejack admitted to herself as the flashes of light seemed to increase in frequency. 'But you've fought tougher, Jack, and ah know that you'll win this one as well.' But as Applejack was believing in Jack's victory, Jack himself was struggling to keep up with the pony. The dark armor that he wore made him hard to see in the pitch black rain, and his green eyes constantly seemed to be everywhere, preventing Jack from locating him before his next attack came. And even as Jack constantly deflected the magical blade with perfect precision, the other blade was hidden in the rain and forced Jack to split his attention two ways as he fought off the dual onslaught. 'I cannot keep fighting on the defensive. If I do, then I will surely be the one to fall first!' Jack realized as he deflected the magical blade before leaping back to avoid the slash by the crimson sword that seemed to materialize out of the rain. Yet as Jack skidded back, a small smile crept across his face and he advanced forward with a plan. 'Yet each one of his hidden attacks has constantly been aimed at my head. If the pattern holds true...' Jack deflected an overhead slice from the magical blade of the Dark Horse once more, before bringing his blade straight down with a cry that silenced the rain for a moment. The sound of metal being shattered tore through the storm, and Dark Horse staggered back as his blade was shattered into thousands of pieces, leaving him holding a broken handle. Not wanting to lose his advantage, Jack let out another cry as he slashed rapidly at Dark Horse, who began to back away while he parried each strike. Yet Jack could feel that each blow was getting closer and closer to finding its mark, so with one last, powerful strike he swung his blade directly into the magical beam...and cleaved through that as well. Dark Horse collapsed to one knee as the force of Jack's blow coursed through him, and when he lifted his head slightly he found Jack's blade pointed at his throat. "It is over! You have been beaten!" Jack declared, yet the pounding of the rain masked the small chuckle with which Dark Horse responded. In an instant Dark Horse lunged at Jack once again, his magical blade returning to life as a brilliant blue blade erupted from the hilt. Jack's eyes widened in surprise before he brought his sword up to intercept the strike, but the moment his blade collided with the blade of his foe he felt electricity course through his body. "Over Jack? I haven't even begun to fight," Dark Horse laughed as he swung at Jack, who retained enough of his senses to leap back from the blue blade instead of trying to block again. Jack felt the blade tear through the front of his kimono, telling him just how close Dark Horse had been to besting the samurai. "You have no honor! Bringing such a weapon into an honorable dual!" Jack roared in fury at the pony, but once again Dark Horse let out a laugh that chilled the samurai. "Jack, when I first faced the unicorn that brandished this blade, I battled him with the crimson one that you just broke," Dark Horse informed Jack before lunging forward again, slicing through the rain with his sword that crackled like thunder. "He had the better weapon, that much was clear. But in the end my skill surpassed his, so even with the weaker weapon I was able to slay him and claim his blade as my own. And I slayed that fool with his own sword!" Jack leapt back from another sword strike that sliced through his sleeve before he felt his back hit stone. He glanced behind him for a brief moment to see that he had been pushed to the edge of the bridge, with the raging rapids fueled by the storm cascading beneath him. He brought his attention back to the fight just in time to avoid a strike to his skull, that instead cleaved the stone. "And your blade is clearly superior to mine Jack, but once again it shall be my skill that grants me this victory!" Dark Horse finished before thrusting at Jack. Jack dove out of the way once more, rolling to his hooves with his eyes flashing like the lightning in the sky above. "You have disgraced the weapons of those you have claimed them from! I will make sure that you never do so to another again!" Jack promised as he slashed at the pony, gritting his teeth when his blade struck the electrical sword that intercepted his blow. But Jack pushed through the pain as he spun into the air and struck from above, slamming his blade into the magical one that resisted his strike. Yet with each blow Jack could feel himself pushing the pony back further and further, until the two were on the opposite edge of the bridge and the Dark Horse found himself with his back to the rapids. "So many have said, Jack! And many have said some things about you," Dark Horse whispered with an unseen smile before he leapt into the air, twirling his body in a way that Jack had never seen before. But knowing that the battle would come down to this final strike, Jack followed him into the sky and performed a spin of his own that mirrored and surpassed the Dark Horse's...until he felt something in his back crack. Jack cried out as pain flooded through his back, messing up his attack and allowing Dark Horse to drive his blade into Jack's shoulder. The samurai was then driven into the bridge, pinned to the stone by the blade while electricity coursed through his body. The Dark Horse stared into Jack's eyes as the electricity tore at Jack's nerves, but with one last act of unrelenting strength, Jack managed to get his hooves under the pony and kick him off of him. But Jack could do little else as he pushed himself back to his hooves, leaning against the bridge's railing as agony coursed up his spine. "What...dark magic...did you do to me?" Jack wheezed out as he struggled to simply remain vertical, allowing Dark Horse to laugh as he sauntered right up to the samurai. "Me? I did nothing to you Jack! You did this to yourself," Dark Horse triumphantly said, smiling beneath his helmet when he saw the confusion on his foe's face. "I heard another rumor about you, along with the stories about your blade. A rumor that you weren't actually a pony, but another creature disguised as one. And if that was true, then no matter how great your skills were, your new body would diminish them." "Then...you planned for...?" "Yes, Jack. I knew that you were probably the better fighter as well as wielding the better weapon. But I knew that if I could trick you into doing a move that you were so used to doing, that perhaps the pony body would not be able to move the way you wanted it to. And it seems that I was right." Dark Horse then reached down and picked Jack's sword off of the stone, holding it before him as he glanced over its blade. His green eyes then turned to Jack, who gritted his teeth in pain as he tried to prepare for the next strike. "So this battle is over now, Jack. And I shall finish you the same way I did all those who fell before me," Dark Horse promised as he brought Jack's sword back, taking aim for the final strike. "With your own weapon." Just as Dark Horse unleashed the final strike, the rain cleared for just a moment, a moment that allowed Applejack to watch as the blade that Jack had wielded to vanquish evil...slashed across his chest and sent him hurtling over the edge of the bridge. "JACK!" she screamed as Jack's motionless body fell into the rapids below, where his body was quickly swallowed by the raging river. And all the while Dark Horse watched with a smile on his face, one that widened when he saw the samurai's hoof sink beneath the water. "Farewell, Samurai Jack. You weren't that bad...for a pretender."