//------------------------------// // Chapter 15, The Final Match // Story: Friendship is Life // by alejin //------------------------------// Alex and Spike left the Faker room; he was carrying Spike’s real weapons while Spike had his Faker weapons with him. They walked towards the arena to watch the rest of the matches and try to learn more about their fighting styles; this added another level of competition since the ones fighting new that they couldn’t use the same techniques over and over again. The next three winners were two Minotaurs, Platinum Guts and Proud Fist as well as Easy Glider, the Griffin who would be competing against Spike on her next match. Once her match was over, Easy Glider flew towards Spike and landed next to him: “So it seems you are my next opponent? Well, after watching your previous fight I must admit you are quite good. We’ll see if you are good enough to beat me!” “I am that good.” – Spike was very confident – “I like your attitude!” – She replied. After a couple of hours, both competitors were called out to the arena, Spike knew he had to be more careful, this Griffin had already seen him in action, there were some things he was aware of: she was very fast and she liked to attack from the air using her arrows or charging towards her opponents at full speed with her razor-wings or weapons like every other Griffin or Pegasus. That kind of attacks seemed very simple yet effective. Spike couldn’t stop thinking about his previous opponent, Aura. Both fighters got to the Arena, accompanied by their respective coaches. The Faker Barrier Spell was casted so the fight could start. The referee inside the Arena gave some final instructions and the match started. Spike and Easy Glider looked at each other; both of them drew their weapons, swords and Katanas. After a couple of second they jumped towards each other. Their movements were so fast and no one gave his opponents the slightest change to take away their points. After a couple of minutes from clashing their weapons, both of them jumped backwards. “I knew this would happen! You are really fascinating!” – Easy Glider said with a smile on her face. She spread her wings and started hovering just a few meters over the ground, she drew her bow and Spike did the same, he already knew what was coming. The first arrow flew through the sky, pointing at Spike’s head, it was so fast it didn’t look like an arrow anymore; it was just a blur looking for its target. Sadly, all it found was the ground. Spike jumped aside and avoided being hit by the first arrow, the next one and the ones that followed. He jumped across the Arena to find some shelter amongst the rocks that were scattered on the ground. He readied his bow and started shooting at the Griffin who was fast enough to dodge his arrows too. After some minutes both of them ran out of arrows, Spike felt relief since he knew he would be better at close combat. He looked at Easy Glider who said in a loud voice: “You don’t have any arrows left; everything is going according to the plan!” – Spike was surprised after hearing her words - “What plan? You don’t have any arrows left too, you can’t continue hovering if you want to win this!” “Really? Let me teach you something. Being honest, I wanted to use it in the finals but it seems a good moment now!” Glider drew her sword and threw at Spike, he dodged it with no problem by jumping as high as he could in order to reach her while she was still hovering at a few meters over the ground, but then he noticed something was shinning. It was a thin metallic string that came from Easy Glider and ran on the same direction her sword went flying a second ago. Spike noticed Glider pulling the string with her bracelet and the unmistakable sound of the sword leaving the ground and coming back at her. Spike managed to turn around while in mid-air and blocked the attack but lost his balance and fell in the ground, it hurt a little, but he knew he couldn’t stay still for long; he immediately rolled on the ground to evade any other attack from the Griffin who was still in the air. “Do you like it Spike? I took me months to master this technique. My big brother uses it and thought me how to use it myself.” – Spike stood up and started shaking the dust off his armor - “It’s really amazing Glider, this match is so cool!” “I am glad you think that Spike, Let’s continue!” Glider started her next attack. She kept throwing her swords at him, one after another, Spike thought about cutting the wires with his Katanas and even though he managed to hit one, his Katana bounced from it, it seemed they were made of a really tough material and even though it was a Faker copy, it keep the same properties as the original. Glider’s attacks were getting faster each time, Spike was unable to keep blocking them so once again he had to take cover on the rocks, when he finally reached the bigger one, he could catch his breath, or so he thought… Easy Glider continued attacking him and her swords were cutting the rocks as hot knives on butter, Spike had to jump away from the he was hidden under to avoid Glider’s swords from reaching him. He was tired. He would land on what seemed to be a safe spot, but unluckily for him, a shinny metallic thread was already in that place. Spike could only see the string getting tense as Glider pulled it before he landed. This time, Spike couldn’t change his direction. The Faker sword reached his stomach and took fifty points away from him. He landed on the ground only to listen to the sound of his points going down. There wasn’t any time to rest, he couldn’t stop or he would lose the fight. He rolled to the front while taking a smoke bomb out of his pocket that he immediately used. The device exploded creating a big cloud of smoke that covered him completely. “Nice one Spike, but you know it won’t work! As long I’m up here you can’t reach me. Sooner or later, you will run out of smoke bombs and will have no place to hide from by “boomerang swords”! Just give up, this match is over!” Glider’s “boomerang swords” were a powerful technique, but every attack has a weak spoke, Spike knew it. While still covered by the smoke, he pressed a button on his Hidden Blade, it seemed like he was releasing some kind of safe – “All or nothing!” – He said to himself. He jumped out of the smoke and looked at Easy Glider who had a big smile on her face. Spike moved two steps to the front and put his Katanas back in their sheaths. “It seems you have given up, wise choice Spike. Don’t worry; I will end this as quickly as possible.” Spike closed his eyes and Glider threw her sword at him. But the Dragon wasn’t done, he was just focusing on his next move, he evaded the sward and extended his hands to grab it – “Got it!” – His grip was tight. Being a Dragon gave him many gifts, one of them was his natural strength. He used it to try to pull Glider to him but she was no weakling, she fought back. Desperate, she threw her other blade at Spike, but the Dragon caught it too. Now, it was a strength test for both. “You are strong Spike; I’ll give you that! But tell me, what is the meaning of this? You somehow managed stop my boomerang blades, but still you can’t reach me.” Glider knew Spike had nowhere to run. She released one of the wires from her bracelet which released the tension on it, throwing Spike out of balance. She then grabbed a throwing knife and prepared to throw it at Spike in order to finish him. When she looked back at Spike, she saw him pointing the edge of his hidden blade at her: “You are using your blade in a long distance combat? Spike, are you really that desperate?” Spike smirked and pulled the wire with all his strength. This time, Easy Glider was the once caught off balance, she was pulled at Spike with such strength she was unable to react or regain position. With a twist of his hand, Spike’s Hidden Blade left its place inside his bracelet and was shot at a great speed towards her. It impacted Glider in the forehead. She was shocked. She let her knife fall and grabbed the blade in her forehead to give it a better look. The sound of the life counter was next; a single tear rolled down her cheek as the number stopped in zero… “THE WINNER AND FIRST FINALIST, SPIKE THE DRAGON!” Everycreature including Alex and the gang cheered for Spike. This was a great match for the audience, even the Griffins were cheering for him. The Faker Barrier disappeared as Spike walked towards Easy Glider; she was still looking at his blade. When he was in front of her, their eyes met: “You . . . you defeated me! I really didn’t see that coming.” “I got a little lucky, but you forced me to use my secret weapon. If it hadn’t worked as I planned, the match would’ve been yours!” – He replied. Glider smiled and punched his shoulder - “You really are fascinating, you better win this whole thing!” – She said. “I will do my best!” Glider turned around - “I think we should be friends. What do you think?” – Spike nodded. “. . . I can write you some letters, right?” – She asked. “Yeah. . .Why not?” Spike said while giving her the mailing address of Golden Oaks Library. “Great! Now we are friends! You better answer my letters!” - Glider said as she started to fly. Spike could swear he saw her cheeks turn a little red. She obviously was not good at showing her feelings. Alex came to his side. He was laughing hard. “Hahahaha! Wow Spike, Two out of two! You really are a ladies dragon.” “Why isn’t it the same with Rarity?” – Spike asked. “I don’t know Brother… Let’s go, we need to get you ready for your next match.” “Ok.” Alex and Spike proceeded to go to the dressing room so Spike could rest a little before his next match. From a distance, they noticed Aura and Glider having some kind of argument: “I saw him first!” – Aura yelled - “You are wasting your time, I’m prettier than you!” – Easy Glider replied. Alex smiled after looking at this. Spike was giggling and his face went red; the girls seemed to be fighting over the Dragon – “We better leave them alone Spike…” – Spike turned to Alex; he couldn’t stop laughing at this – Yeah! We better go!” After a couple of hours of resting and having his Faker weapons restored Spike started getting ready for his next match. Aura and Glider had been tough opponents and he had learned a lot from fighting them. It was no surprise for Alex and Spike to find out that the winner of the other match was Platinum Gust, Spike’s last opponent in the finals. It seemed as if this fight was pretty easy for the winning Minotaur as it didn’t take more than five minutes for the announcer to declare the victor. Suddenly, someone was knocking on Spike’s dressing room door – “Coming!” – Alex said before welcoming the visitors. “Spike, you were amazing!” Sweetie Bell screamed while the rest of the girls hugged him. “Thanks Sweetie Bell!” “You really have grown up, I’m so proud of you!” - Twilight said, joining the conversation. “Thanks Twilight. Being honest, I think I can win this thing!” – Spike replied while being hugged by the CMC. “Indeed you can darling. You are a strong dragon, don’t forget that! My little Spikey Wickey!” – Rarity said. “Thanks Rarity!” – Spike looked down but didn’t stop laughing – “Too bad I’m just your little Spikey Wickey…” – He said to himself. “By the way – Rarity continued - I couldn’t help noticing you were having a nice time with the little cute unicorn and the awesome griffin back there!” “Yeah! I noticed that too!” - Sweetie Bell said, narrowing her eyes. “Well, we just became friends after having great matches, that’s all!” Spike said looking at all directions. “Ok, that’s great then! – Rarity and Sweetie Bell replied. All of them kept talking and sharing their thoughts about Spikes’ matches. Sweetie Bell didn’t take her eyes off from Spike who was talking to Twilight. Alex noticed this and smiled. “Now, that’s interesting. Nice choice little sister. I must admit you were doing a great job hiding it until now. I hope you get ready because you have some pretty rivals.” – Alex he said to himself. After some minutes the CMC left Spike and Alex alone. The announcer made the call to the audience so everypony could be on their seats for the final match. Spike was ready, he knew his next opponent was strong, maybe the strongest one, but he was not afraid. He had faced two incredible rivals already. Spike and Platinum were called to the arena. The cheering from the crowd was intense; Spike arrived at the arena and turned to Alex. The look on his eyes was enthusiastic, the Dragon was really focused. “Remember Spike, this guy is strong; he uses his axe and crossbow, he has no special techniques because he doesn’t need them. All he has is his insane strength, will be your best bet.” “Ok Alex, don’t worry, I’ll do my best!” “I know you’ll do.” Platinum Guts and his coach entered the arena, the crowd was cheering for him too. They knew Platinum Guts was the best warrior they had seen so far. The Minotaur and the Dragon walked to center of the Arena, the referee was waiting for them. “So, you really made it to the finals! I’m impressed; I really thought that Griffin would finish you off. I guess underdogs are very lucky…” – Platinum Guts said. “Yeah. . . I guess so, enough talk, let’s fight!” The Faker Barrier was activated, Spike drew his Katanas while Platinum took out his crossbow, which was bigger than Spike himself; the arrows were like spears for him. – “I’ll be done if I get hit with that!” – Spike said to himself. Platinum readied his bow; the muscles on his arm looked tense and hard as if they were made of rock. Spike got ready and stood in a defense position waiting for the Minotaur to make his move, Platinum didn’t even blink. The crow was silent, nobody made any noise, nobody moved. And then, a deadly projectile flew towards Spike, he barely dodged it. The impact of the arrow was so strong it literally got buried in the ground, raising a lot of dust in the process. Spike was shocked. Platinum stored his bow and drew his war Axe, he looked at Spike and charged, swinging his axe, the Dragon jumped and rolled to dodge the hit. The powerful swing from his weapon sounded like an enormous whip, lifting small rocks from the ground and sending them flying. Platinum was really strong, at least for a Minotaur youngling, but Alex was right, he was fast but not as fast as him. “Those weapons should weight a ton!” – Spike thought. Even though he was swinging that weapon, the Minotaur was not getting tired. Spike tried to shot some arrows and throwing knives but was easily blocked by the huge axe. Platinum swung again, Spike tried to evade the attack by jumping to his right but this time Platinum was prepared; The Minotaur dropped his weapon and jumped after Spike who was unable to dodge while in midair. Platinum smiled has he threw a powerful punch. Spike pointed his swords at the Minotaur’s arm waiting for him to stop his attack, but he didn’t; Spike felt a strong pain in his chest as he was hit by Platinum’s mace-fist which sent him flying through the air directly towards Alex who had to jump aside to avoid being hit by the dragon bullet. He could have stopped Spike, but coaches were prohibited from any kind of intervention in the matches, otherwise the participants would be disqualified. Spike hit the Faker Barrier at an immense speed and then fell on the ground. He was coughing blood but was grateful for his armor and natural toughness, another one of his attributes as a Dragon. “Spike!” - Twilight screamed from the outside. The rest of the gang was worried. “Five minutes!” - Alex raised his hands pointing at the referee, using the only break the participants were allowed to. The referee nodded and started his chronometer. “Cough… cough… He gave up twenty points to deliver that hit. I must say he is a genius, he is not just a mindless fighter!” - Spike said while cleaning some blood from his mouth with his hand. “You’ll need to be even faster and agile…” – Alex said. “I know, but in order to that, I’d have to store my Katanas and not draw my bow and arrows.” “But you still have your brass knuckles and your hidden blades!” “What? But Alex, my Katanas couldn’t damage him enough what makes you think my hidden blades will do any better and the brass knuckles do not count as weapons here, they will not take any of his points!” – Spike replied. “But they can deal damage!” “Alex, did you forget about the armor he is wearing?” Alex smiled - “Spike, do you know that the ocean waves are strong enough to crush a rock?” “Yeah, but not just one. There has to be one wave after another and… Wait, I think I get it now!” “Yeah Spike, It will take time, but I believe it can be done. It all depends on how tough you are. Are you tough enough Spike?” “Yes! I am!” Alex turned to the referee - “Ok, he is ready!” - Spike hugged Alex and got ready to fight again, Platinum was waiting for him in the center of the Arena. Spike had stored his Katanas and was adjusting the brass knuckles of his armor. “You think you can defeat me with your fists? This must be a joke, go ahead and try…” Spike charged towards his opponent, platinum had already picked up his axe and swung it when Spike was ready, the Dragon dodged it but he was faster time. Using his brass knuckles he hit Platinum on his ribs, the right side to be exact; then, he backed off quickly. Platinum started to laugh: “What was that? I didn’t feel anything!” Spike didn’t say a word and just charged towards his opponent, Platinum swung his axe at Spike. But the Dragon dodged it again; Platinum tried to punch him, but Spike crouched, he was moving faster. Spike delivered another hit to the same spot, making a visible scratch on Platinum’s armor and backed off again. “I felt that a little…” - Platinum said to himself. Spike was getting tired, not to mention his claw started to ache – “Maybe this is pointless…” – Spike was thinking about a different strategy but then he looked at Platinum’s face, he seemed uneasy – I won’t stop now!” - Spike charged again, dodging Platinum’s attack, but this time instead of punching Spike, he covered is ribs with his hand and tried to kick Spike who avoided the hit and jumped straight to Platinum’s face. “Tell me, how are you protecting your face now?” Platinum didn’t have any time to answer. He was hit by Spike right on his nose making him bleed. The Minotaur covered his face with both hands. “Oh! Father of all Minotaurs, you broke my nose! You little piece of. . . ” - He couldn’t finish that sentence before being hit on his ribs once again; this time the armor was shattered, a hole was revealing Platinum’s fur underneath it – “Now!” – Spike said before charging again. He tried to use his hidden blade but was interrupted by a powerful knee hit on his face. It sent him flying again, Spike landed heavily on the ground -“C’mon Spike, you are half way done with it! I know you can do it!” – Alex screamed. There referee turned at him – “Don’t distract him!” Spike was covering his nose, it could be broken too. He stood up, walked two steps, fell on his knees and then on the ground. Spike fainted. All his friends were worried, he didn’t look he was going to stand up again. Platinum grabbed his Axe and started walking towards Spike; he was covering his bleeding nose with the other hand. “You gave me lots of troubles dragon. Now, LOSE!” Platinum looked at the crow and raised his Axe to deliver the final blow but Spike opened his eyes, he was waiting for this. He extended his claw and grabbed one of his Katanas. The Minotaur looked down and noticed this; he swung his axe one last time as fast as he could. Spike rolled to the side in order to dodge the attack, the axe got stuck in the ground because of the strength Platinum used this time, he tried to retrieve it but he couldn’t do it in time. The Katana was travelling through the air straight to the hole in Platinum’s armor. “No! I cannot lose!” – But he did. The Faker weapon went all the way into the hole in his armor. His life counter dropped to zero. “Damn it!” – Platinum yelled. He tried to punch Spike even though he had already lost. He tried while trying to punch Spike “Hey! The match is over!” - The referee said while the Faker Barrier disappeared. Platinum ignored him and continued his attack. Spike who was already standing up dodged his attack and punched him right in the nose again. This time, the Minotaur couldn’t stand the pain and fell on the ground. Everycreature, even Minotaurs were cheering for Spike who was crying not because of his broken nose but because of the joy he was feeling. Unicorn nurses came to help both participants immediately. Spike was healed almost immediately thanks to the Unicorn magic. Alex got close to him and lifted him up: “I’m proud of you Spike, well done!” “Thanks Pal, I can’t believe I won!” “Well, you better believe it, YOU DID!” The four Princesses got next to them. Princess Celestia was carrying a trophy as big as Spike. Twilight could not help herself and hugged Spike; she told him how proud she was of him. Princess Celestia used her Canterlot voice: “MY LITTLE PONIES AND FELLOW GUESTS, IT’S MY HONOR TO PRESENT TO YOU THE CHAMPION OF THE COLISEUM TOURNAMENT IN THE YOUNG DIVISION. REPRESENTING EQUESTRIA, SPIKE THE DRAGON!” Spike raised his trophy, crying tears of joy; every creature cheered again, now the Mane Six and Crusaders came and congratulated him, Aura and Glider were there too. Alex raised Spike and carried him on his shoulders. Princess Celestia continued: “THE FINAL MATCHES OF GLADIATOR’S TOURNAMENT WILL START TOMORROW. WE WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU TOMORROW FOR MORE AMAZING FIGHTS!” Alex and Spike went to their dressing room so he could take off his armor and take a shower before going to the party that the CMC had prepared for Spike. “Well. . . I won” – Spike said. “Yes, you did Spike! Get ready for your fans!” “I guess. Alex, are you ready to win tomorrow?” “I’ll give my best. Let’s see what happens…”