//------------------------------// // Chapter 19, And the Winner is . . . // Story: Friendship is Life // by alejin //------------------------------// During the whole Coliseum Tournament, there were moments when the crowd went silent, always because they were paying full attention during the matches; but his was different. Every member of the Royal families that visited Canterlot, the Royal Guards, the Princesses, everypony was in absolute silence. Fluttershy closed her eyes and let out some tears. Alex removed his Faker Hidden Blade from Zaxel’s chest and stepped back. The referee shook his head as if trying to get back to his senses. He looked surprised. “Here is your winner, Zaxel the Zebra!” Alex was the first one to applaud; it took a little while for the crowd to start applauding and praising Zaxel’s performance and victory. “Well done! It was an amazing match.” – Alex said. Zaxel was still speechless, he couldn’t believe it; he looked down and saw Alex’s hand extended towards him, he knew the human was sincere. He raised his hoof and extended it, Alex grabbed it “this is how humans congratulate their friends, with a handshake!” “Thanks Alex, did I really beat you?” “You sure did, it was a great match. You are an amazing fighter!” “T… Thank you…” “Why do you look surprised? You are really strong, please believe in yourself. Now, stop thinking about what just happened and focus on beating Bright Courage so you can become the new Champion, you are very close to your goal!” “You… you are right! Thank you Alex, thank you for this fight, you are awesome!” Zaxel got closer to Alex and hugged him “I feel I’m in debt with you Alex!” “Just do your best, I know you can!” – Alex turned around and started walking away so the winner could celebrate his victory. Proud Hammer ran towards him “You did well kiddo. Now, let’s take you to the infirmary so they can take a look at your leg, it looks swollen.” As they were about to leave the Arena, Alex heard someone calling at him. He looked up and saw a Minotaur standing up “You did well human, it was an honor to see you fighting!” another Minotaur stood up placing his fist over his chest as a sign of respect. Suddenly, the whole crow stoop up, they started applauding and chanting for the Hero of Canterlot. “Way to go human!” “I wanted to see you become the new champion!” “Thank you Alex!” “You are the Hero of Canterlot!” Alex was surprised; he turned around and noticed Zaxel chanting his name along with the crowd “Alex! Alex! Alex! Alex!” Everypony inside the Coliseum was applauding, Zebras, Griffins, Minotaurs, Ponies. Alex had a warm feeling inside his heart; he clenched his fist and raised it, making the crowd go wilder. He smiled at them, then turned around and left so the winner of the match could celebrate his victory. The Princesses flew towards the center of the Arena in order to congratulate the winner, they also said that they were going to give Zaxel the best treatment for his wounds as well as a couple of hours to rest so he could be ready for his match against Bright Courage. The Minotaur was ok with it, but some of the spectators around him noticed he was a little pissed, maybe because he wanted to face the human during the finals. After having his leg treated by Nurse Redheart, Alex was feeling better than ever; he was glad it wasn’t broken or it could take at least a month to fully heal. He went to his room and left all his faker gear inside a wardrobe next to the one where his original gear was. He felt a little sad in his heart, but he was also proud of himself “Well . . . it was fun. I’m glad nothing bad happened; Fluttershy, you were worried for nothing.” He left his room and met with Proud Hammer “let’s go kiddo, I bet your friends want to see you” Proud Hammer said with a big smile; he was a great Pony, one of Alex’s best friends “let’s go grandpa! Hey, by the way…” Alex got to his knees and hugged Proud Hammer, the pony was a little surprised because this hug was different, it felt as a hug given not by a friend, but a family member “Thank you for everything Proud, I really appreciate all you’ve done for me!” Proud Hammer hugged Alex too “You fought well Alex; you are a great warrior and the real winner to me!” Alex stood up and started walking towards the exit of the Arena. As soon as they were outside, Alex was received by a huge crowd and his friends. Fluttershy flew to where he was “There you are my love!” she said. “I’m sorry if I disappoint…” He was stopped by a kiss from Fluttershy. “I’m the most proud marefriend in the world! Having you next to me is all I need to be complete!” Alex smiled and hugged her again; it seemed as if Fluttershy wanted to be closer to him than ever before. Alex had started to notice this after he beat Maximus Heart. Soon, the rest of his friends gather around them. “Oh Alexis, you were great, we are so proud of you!” “Thanks Lyra, I mean it. Sorry guys for not winning this match…” “Darling, don’t be sorry, you fought incredible!” “Yeah! She is right sugarcube” Applejack said “Yah can be sure yah made Equestria and Ponyville proud of you!” Rainbow Dash got close to him “Honestly, it would have been awesome to see you fight against Bright Coura…” “Rainbow Dash, would you mind?!” – Rarity shouted. “Don’t get mad!” She replied “Let me finish. As I was saying, Alex you were awesome in there! You were actually as awesome as me and that is something you should feel proud of!” “Well, thank you Rainbow. I… I really don’t know what to say…” Pinkie Pie started walking in circles around Fluttershy and Alex. It was obvious she was waiting for him to say something. “Mmmm Pinkie Pie…” “YES?!” “Can we still have that party you promised me?” “Of course! Ali, you’ll see, this party will be epic!” Alex laughed; he turned his face and saw Spike standing with his fist pointing at him. He immediately understood and raised his hand to fist bump his friend. “I’m sorry Spike; I wasn’t able to make it as you did.” “Don’t worry Alex, he was an incredible opponent. I would never be able to beat someone as strong as him!” “Thanks for that Spike. Well, at least one of us won a trophy!” “But you won a medal!” - Spike replied. “I won what?!” – Alex seemed a little surprised. He turned his head and noticed Princess Twilight arriving at the place. “Didn’t you know? The top four gets a gold medal!” “Really? That’s pretty cool!” “Yes, you won a well deserved medal Alex” Princess Twilight said “Congratulations for getting this far, I’ll be honored to give you this medal at the Tournament Closing Ceremony, but only if you want me to…” Alex stood up and bowed to the Princess “I’ll be honored Twilight. Thank you!” He looked down and saw his sister hiding behind Rarity “Is there something wrong little sister?” he asked, but she didn’t say anything “I’m really sorry if I disappointed you in any way…” she looked at him without saying a single word and ran away. “Just leave her for now Alex, she just needs a little time to understand things don’t always come out as we want” Fluttershy said “It seems she really wanted you to win this event.” “Yeah! Just leave this to us Alex; we’ll make sure she is ok.” - Scootaloo said, then went after her along with Applebloom. “I know she is just a little filly, but I don’t want her to feel disappointed about me…” Rarity turned to him “Oh darling, I…” Alex looked at her “Please Rarity, I really appreciate what you are doing. But, that made me feel really sad; if you don’t mind I’ll go back inside, I want to have some rest.” He turned around and started walking. Fluttershy tried to follow him but Rainbow Dash stopped her “Give him some time; even though he has tried to hide his feelings, we know he is sad inside. Having Sweetie Belle run away from him was something he couldn’t stand. He’ll be ok, just give him some time…” “… Ok, I will.” Alex got inside the Coliseum again, he walked towards his room. As he was about to enter but realized the door was open, he got inside only to find the current champion Bright Courage standing in his room “Wow! Mr. Bright Courage, hmmm this is truly an honor. What… what are you doing here?!” “I was knocking the door but nobody answered so I just got inside; you see, my grandson wanted to have your autograph and I told him I could get it. I thought you were sleeping, I’m sorry for getting inside your room without your permission.” “There is no problem at all Mr. Bright Courage” Alex said “I can definitely give your grandson my autograph!”” “Thank you Alex, here is a scroll and a quill for you to sign.” Alex gave him is autograph “Here it is Mr. Bright Courage; please tell your grandson I’m happy to have him as a fan. Now if you please excuse me, I would like to have some rest before watching your match against Zaxel.” Bright nodded and left his room. Alex, closed the door and noticed one of the wardrobes was open, he checked inside but everything was there “Didn’t I close it? Well, whatever. I’ll have some sleep before the final match begins.” Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash got inside the Royal Palace, they were looking for Sweetie Belle and knew they would find her in her room, Rarity was a little mad at her sister “How could she do that to Alex?” As they approached her room, they heard Applebloom and Scootaloo talking inside “Sweetie c’mon, he did an awesome job. It would have been great if he was crowned as the new champion but he did all he could!” “Yeah! Remember when my sister won all those ribbons in the Canterlot Rodeo? Ah didn’t mind she didn’t win the 1st place ribbon, Ah was proud of her; she did her best, Ah knew there were many incredible cowponies and she even bested many of them but couldn’t defeat some others, that’s just what competitions are about. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.” Rarity didn’t lose any time, her sister deserved a good scolding; the three ponies entered the room taking the fillies inside by surprise. “Sweetie Belle! Tell me what is wrong with you?” – Rarity asked. “What’s wrong with me? Didn’t you notice? Alex lost and not only that! He even shook his opponents hoof and said it was fun!” “Of course he did!” Rarity replied “He is a good competitor! What did you expect? Did you expect him to make a tantrum and act like an idiot?” “Well, no! But he… he was supposed to win, he is a hero after all!” “That doesn’t make him invincible!” Sweetie Bells burst into tears and covered her face with her bed sheets. She knew Rarity was right and felt bad for her attitude towards Alex, but she was still mad at him, at her brother; she didn’t have any real reason to, but she was too stubborn to admit it. Everypony decided to let her be, it was something she had to figure out by herself. Everypony left the room, Rarity was the last one; without turning around, she said: “Sweetie Belle, I just hope you realize how much you did hurt him; not even his opponents at the tournament managed to inflict the kind of damage you did. Now if you excuse me, I must go and talk to him, he is my brother too and as a good sister, I will be there to support him!” “Whatever” - Sweetie Bell muttered. Alex woke up; he had a nice sleep. The final match was about to start so he decided to go and sit next to the other finalist. He arrived at the Arena and looked for a place; there they were: Maximus Heart, Tyras, Rainbow Dash and the rest of the competitors who didn’t make it. “Oh! The wanna-be is here, nice way to lose a match you fre…” “Zip it Horse! I’m not in the mood for your shit right now. Keep talking and I swear I’ll break your other three legs!” Maximus Heart understood the human wasn’t kidding. He looked away and didn’t say anything else. Alex took a seat next to Rainbow Dash. “Hey dude, how are you doing?” “I’ve been better…” “This is because of Sweetie bell right? Don’t worry, she will come to her senses; she adores you and you know it!” “I Hope you are right Rainbow. Let’s try to enjoy the rest of the tournament ok? I’ll figure out what to do later…” “Okey Dokey!” Fluttershy was worried about Alex, she wanted to be with him but all she could do now was to trust Rainbow Dash to help him forget what just happened; Sweetie Belle had to apologize too. Fluttershy’s plan however, was still in motion; she was going to talk to Alex about her desire to take their relationship to the next level at the party Pinkie Party had planned for him. Moments later, Princess Celestia and Luna flew to the center of the Arena. “MY LITTLE PONIES AND FELLOW GUESTS, I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED THIS TOURNAMENT SO FAR. WE SEEN INCREDIBLE DUELS AND NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE FINAL MATCH; WE HAVE TWO AMAZING COMPETITORS THAT WILL SURELY GIVE US A GREAT FIGHT. NOW! LET THE FINALISTS COME TO THE ARENA!” Bright Courage and Zaxel entered the Arena; the whole Coliseum trembled because of the crowd cheering for their favorite fighter. Alex’s money was on Zaxel, he knew he had a chance to win. Alex believed that the Zebra would have to rely on his technique and speed in order to secure his victory because the strength was on Bright’s side; he had witnessed how powerful the Minotaur was after Maximus Heart was sent flying with a single punch. The Minotaur was old, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous. The Barrier Spell was casted, the Arena was surrounded by the spell’s light and the competitor’s Faker weapons and armor shone bright as they resonated with the barrier. The referee got in the center of the Arena and gave the instructions for the final match. “Fight!” Zaxel and Bright didn’t move, they stared at each other for a couple of second while the crowd cheered for them “Are you ready Zaxel?” the Minotaur asked “Yes, Sir, let me first tell you it’s an honor to fight you. I’ll give it all!” Both of them made a reverence and got ready to fight. Bright Courage took out a big crossbow and started shooting arrows at his opponent making him step back. Zaxel brought some new weapons with him this time. He was using a battle axe and a shield that was attached to a bracelet on one of his front legs. These weapons helped him deflect some of the arrows that were flying at him. Bright Courage ran out of arrows and threw his crossbow away, taking out a battle axe of his own. The weapon looked really heavy, but the Minotaur was so strong it seemed as a piece of cardboard to him. Alex was paying full attention to the match, the last Minotaur Zaxel had faced was nothing compared to Bright Courage; he was clearly stronger, faster and a lot more agile, it seemed his age didn’t matter “There is a reason why he is the Champion” Alex said to himself. Zaxel was using his axe but the attacks were either blocked or simply avoided by his opponent. The Zebra knew a full front attack wasn’t doing anything so decided to use his best card, he threw a smoke bomb at Bright Courage in order to cover his movements. Once the smoke had covered the place, the crow went silent, that way they would be able to hear what was happening inside the Faker Barrier. Suddenly, a loud scream was heard, Bright Courage’s voice was easy to recognize; seconds later, Zaxel was sent flying out of the smoke thanks to powerful punch delivered by the Minotaur. As soon as the smoke dissipated, the crowd could see what seemed to be Bright’s dislocated right knee. Zaxel, on the other hand, had landed on the other end of the Barrier and was barely able to stand up. The Zebra looked at Bright Courage who seemed to be in pain “Well, it seems I was able to slow him down” But the fight was far from over. Bright Courage looked at his twisted knee; he dropped his battle axe and sat down grabbing his knee between his hands and using his strength to put it back in place “There you go! Alright Zaxel, can we continue or will you lay there on the ground for the rest of the match?” “This must be a joke” Zaxel said to himself; as he tried to regain his balance, he looked up and saw the Minotaur charging at full speed. He thought about jumping aside to avoid the impact but it was too late, his body didn’t react on time. Once again he was sent flying through the air but this time he managed to land on his four legs. “Just what the hell was that?!” – Zaxel side spitting some blood afterwards. He felt his body was at its limit but after looking at Bright Courage, he noticed the Minotaur looked really tired too. Even though he had fixed his own leg, it was swollen and he seemed to breathe with a little difficulty. The crowd was excited, this wasn’t the final match some of them had wanted to see, but it was still amazing. Everypony inside the Coliseum could not help but to admire and respect this Zebra. Zaxel tried to use his technique again by throwing another smoke bomb but Bright Courage jumped several meters away “Damn, this Minotaur seems unstoppable!” Bright Courage kept jumping further and further away from Zaxel, not knowing he was falling into a trap; Zaxel was gaining terrain until he finally reached his target, he threw his last smoke bomb which Bright Courage avoided with ease by jumping even higher. Before the Minotaur landed on the ground, Zaxel picked up Bright’s battle axe and using all of his strength he threw it at him. It was a perfect attack, there was no way Bright could dodge his own axe in midair, it didn’t matter if he was wearing armor or not, this last attack would secure Zaxel his victory over the reigning Champion. “I won!” – Zaxel though after falling to his knees, completely exhausted. But his happiness didn’t last long, for Bright Courage would show everypony why he was the Champion. Before being hit by his own battle axe, he extended his hands and grabbed, using the power of inertia he turned around 360 degrees while still in the air and threw the axe back to where it came from. Everything happened so fast, Zaxel didn’t see it coming. The battle axe hit him, it cut through his armor like a saw and got completely buried into the ground. Zaxel didn’t feel any pain but his life counter points started to drop until they reached zero. Nopony could believe what they had just seen; Bright Courage had won the match in an unbelievable way. He managed to defend his Championship title successfully. “The winner and still Coliseum Champion, BRIGHT COURAGE!” Zaxel looked like a statue; his mind was blank, he came to his senses after feeling his opponent’s hand resting on his shoulder. “You did well Zaxel!” “Thank you Mr. Courage, it really means a lot coming from you!” “It was a truly honor to have you as an opponent. Thank you Zaxel” Zaxel smiled at the current champion and then proceeded to exit the Arena leaving the Champion alone so he could celebrate his victory. Princess Celestia arrived at the middle of the Arena, in order to congratulate the winner of the match. “IS AN HONOR TO PRESENT TO YOU THE WINER AND STILL COLISEUM TOURNAMENT CHAMPION, A LIVING LEGEND, THE HERO OF MINUS, THE MINOTAUR BRIGHT COURAGE!” The crowd cheered for his champion. Princess Celestia continued: “THE CLOSING CEREMONY WILL START IN 10 MIN…” “Excuse me Princess…” Bright Courage interrupted her. It seemed he had something important to say. “What is it Mr. Courage?” “Princess Celestia, I don’t want to sound rude, but I’ve been thinking about the crowd going home and not having the match most of them wanted to see.” “What do you mean?” – Princess Celestia asked. “I think you know what I’m talking about?” “Oh! But, he didn’t make it to the finals and I’m not sure if he wants it!” “Just leave it to me Princess, please.” Princess Celestia nodded, she stepped aside and ordered the crow to stay quiet and listen carefully to the things Bright Courage had to say. “FIRT OF ALL I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE EVENT, BUT I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING IMPORTANT; DURING THIS TOURNAMENT I SAW MANY CREATURES FIGHTING THE HUMAN, BEING HONEST I WANTED TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO FIGHT HIM TOO. SO, I HAVE DECIDED. . . YOU HUMAN!” Bright Courage shouted while pointing at Alex “FIGHT ME!” “What?” – Alex was completely shocked. “FIGHT ME HUMAN, I KNOW EVERYCREATURE HERE WANTS TO SEE A MATCH BETWEEN YOU AND ME. WHAT DO YOU SAY? I WILL PUT MY CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE IF YOU ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE!” “What? But I lost, I don’t deserve it!” “I MAY NOT HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO THIS AGAIN HUMAN, PLEASE GIVE THIS OLD MINOTAUR AN OPPORTUNITY TO FACE THE HERO OF CANTERLOT!” Alex didn’t know what to say, his participation in this tournament was over. He looked at Rainbow Dash who seemed really excited after hearing this “You have to accept this match dude! You have the chance to beat him, even better; you have the chance to become the new Coliseum Champion!” “But. . . isn’t it cheating? I mean, I didn’t earn it!” “Alex, c’mon a true Champion can challenge anyone, anytime!” “I… I don’t know!” Rainbow Dash knew exactly what to say to convince him, it was a low blow but maybe it would help him to boost his mood. “If somehow you manage to win or at least give a good fight, Sweetie Belle will be so proud of you again!” She was right! It was his chance to regain his little sister’s respect. “I ACCEPT!” Everycreature cheered including his friends. Fluttershy seemed a little worried but she was glad seeing him excited and even though she didn’t want to admit it, she wanted to see him using his battle gear again; she blushed just by thinking about it. Alex called Proud Hammer to be with him one more time, both of them went to Alex’s dressing room to get his gear ready; he opened the wardrobe where his Faker gear was and wore it once again. “Proud Hammer, I really appreciate the gear you crafted for me. Thanks for everything!” “No problem kiddo!” “Ok I’m ready. Let’s go!” Alex and Proud Hammer entered the Arena; they arrived at the center where the referee was waiting for them. Bright Courage entered the Arena from the other end, Alex noticed Bright’s coach wasn’t with him “Maybe he considered it wasn’t necessary for his coach to come with him. Anyways, I’m ready for this!” The crow was excited; Applebloom and Scootaloo were a little sad because Sweetie Belle wasn’t there cheering for her brother, they wanted to go get her but they didn’t want to miss anything so they declined that idea. Princess Luna was on her seat, she felt uneasy; normally she would feel this way during the nights when she focused her magic in order to watch equestrian’s dreams, somepony was having a horrible nightmare. She wanted to see the whole match but her little ponies were far more important. She casted her dream watching spell, her eyes were glowing, she left her body behind and entered the dreamscape, when she finally found the pony having these horrible nightmares, she was totally surprised. Princess Celestia casted the Faker Barrier Spell; nopony noticed but Bright Courage smiled while she was doing it. Once the spell was completed, it scanned both competitors, there was nothing wrong with. By the time the spell was completed the number one hundred appeared over their heads but their armor and weapons didn’t resonate with the spell as it always did. Proud Hammer noticed it and got worried. “What the hell? Kiddo you better…” Bright Courage started to laugh maniacally and shouted: “I have you right where I wanted, you murderer!”