//------------------------------//
// The Demonstration 
// Story: Trapped in the Mirror of Worlds 
// by Silver_Wing 
//------------------------------//

	The days leading up to the demonstration were gone before I knew it. I had spent my prep time either strategizing with Sky Flare, or practicing on my own. I was confident in my capabilities, but I was still rather apprehensive. 

Word had apparently gotten out about what the Princesses had requested of me, and it wasn’t long before Breezy and even Black Mane had come by to ask if the rumors were true or not. It was true of course, and the moment I confirmed it I was met with rather mixed responses. 

Breezy cautioned me heavily on how seriously I should take this demonstration. He wanted me to win if I could, but not to pull any tricks like I had when I had beaten Black Mane. He said it would leave a bad taste in the guard’s mouths in regards to me if I, some previously unknown Pegasus from outside Equestria, showed up and beat them all into the floor without visible effort. 

I could understand his concerns. No one likes it when a stranger shows up and out performs the reigning champion. The Princesses may be fine with it, but the last thing I wanted to do was get on the wrong side of an army. 

Black Mane on the other hand, was all for the idea. He told me to aim high and let loose. That I should show everyone what I can really do and hold nothing back. He was so for the idea of me showing everyone exactly what I could do in fact, that he lent me his own personal set of Ariel Guard armor for the occasion.

Up until now, I had been using the rather worn out training guards I had first grabbed at the Ariel Flight Academy on day one. They worked, but they weren't the best for what I needed. They were too big for one, and the straps used to secure them didn't have much life left in them.

Black Mane's armor was well maintained however, and though he was a bit taller than I was, his leg guards fit well. I took both sets of his leg armor, front and back. I had been avoiding using any of the kicks I knew due to the odd shape of my new hind legs, but thanks to all my practice with Sky Flare I was comfortable using them again, at least so long as my legs were armored. 




Sky Flare walked with me as I made my way to the room Celestia had said would house the demonstration. It was deep within the heart of the Palace and I was beginning to think we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere. We had been walking for nearly twenty minutes already and seen no sign of anyone else. This place really did seem endless. No matter how many halls I walked down, there was still always one more hallway, or door, or room. It really didn't look this big from the outside at all. 

"So, you ready for this?" Sky Flare asked as we reached the bottom of yet another stairwell.

"Oh sure." I said with a laugh. I hovered in the air a moment and chanked my leg guards together. "I got my armor on after all, so what's there to be ready for, eh?" I dropped back to my feet and smiled at her.

Sky Flare frowned at me and gave me a slap across the shoulder with one of her wings. "I'm serious," she said, "You may have armor on, but you're not wearing my dad's vest. That means you've got some doubt. So, are you sure you're ready for this?"

She had genuine concern in her eyes and I shook my head. "Ready as I can be considering the circumstances." I said honestly. 

She frowned heavier and shook her head. "You're always so cryptic Silver..." she sighed, "What circumstances? The fight? The fact the Princesses are gonna be watching? What? Is it really that hard to be honest with me?"

I looked away from her and sighed a little. I had slipped up one to many times during our training. Sky Flare was still in the dark about where I was actually from, but she was getting more suspicious by the day. And with each day we spent together, I gradually became more and more relaxed with her. Too relaxed it seemed. I'd slip up almost daily now. I'd quote some movie, or mention hands, fingers, historical figures, or any of a thousand other things from my world that had no place in hers.   

"It's... Complicated," I said slowly, "I want to tell you, really, but the Princesses have asked me not to say anything to anyone."

"That's a lousy excuse, and you know it." She said. 

I laughed weakly and shrugged. "Tell you what, Sky," I said, "You beat me in a serious fight, and I’ll tell you everything. But you're not gonna believe a word of it."

She scoffed at me a moment, then grinned in a manner that unsettled me a little. "You promise that if I beat you in a serious fight, you'll tell me everything I wanna know?" she asked, "Everything about you, where you're from and why you're so set on not telling me or anypony anything?"

I sighed and fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. I had trained with Sky Flare enough to know her every move, so I was confident she wouldn't be able to beat me anytime soon, but her grin held a confidence that made me question just how much she really had learned about my ways of fighting.

"I rarely make promises, Sky Flare," I explained, "But when I do, I never break them. So yes, I promise. If you can beat me in a serious fight, I'll tell you whatever you want." I took a breath and forced a smile onto my face. 

I hated making promises, but as much as I didn't want to tell Sky Flare what she wanted to know, I felt bad about lying to her just as strongly. Going about things like this, it was less me disobeying the Princesses, and more karma determining when my origins should become known. I knew it was a stupid cop out, but it was the best option I had at that moment.

"So..." I asked tentatively, "Can we please drop it for now?"

"For now," Sky Flare agreed, "But I will beat you. Especially now that I have a reason to. Well, a reason beyond simply beating you anyways." She chuckled at me and smiled.

"Yeah well, don't get your hopes up," I laughed back, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve you don't know about yet."

"Oh I know that much," she said, "I don't expect it to be easy to beat you, but I do expect to. And soon."

I shook my head and looked ahead to a pair of guard ponies standing before a large double door. There was a series of regular sized doors along the left wall, and a hall stretching off to the right. 

'And here's even more rooms and halls,' I thought, 'At least we found it though, I was really starting to think we were lost.'

"We have been expecting you, combatant Silver Wing," one of the guards stated sternly, "The Princesses are expecting you within." He looked to Sky Flare and spoke further. "I am afraid spectators are required to use the side entrance, Ma'am." He gestured down the hall to the right and added, "You can find it down the hall, first door on your left."

Sky Flare frowned at the guard, then flicked her tail at my nose to get my attention. "You better not make a fool of yourself, Silver," She said as she started for the side entrance, "My dad's bet a fair few bits on you winning this thing." 

I groaned and watched her as she walked away. "Why does he always bet on me!?" I called after her, "One of these days, I will lose you know!"

Sky Flare ignored me entirely and trotted down the hall without another word.

I watched her as she walked away and shook my head.

"If it makes you feel any better, Silver Wing," the second guard offered, "I bet on my fellow guardsmen."

I laughed and smiled at him. "It does actually," I said, "Now I know at least someone has a realistic expectation of me." 

The guard returned my smile and opened one of the double doors so that I could enter the room beyond. 




Inside, I found a surprisingly large room stretching out before me. It reminded me of the view from inside a football stadium, only about a third the size. There was a large flat floor of sand that reached from wall to wall. Encircling the floor was a raised wall of stone about ten feet high with rows of stone seats stretching back away from the sand pit some twelve layers deep. High above, what must have been almost fifty feet up, was an arched ceiling of carved white stone that reminded me of marble. 

I didn't see how someplace this big could be inside the palace, but with how many flights of stairs I took to get here, I figured it had to be at least partially underground, if not completely. That, or some form of magic was being used.

"Ah, Silver Wing," I caught Celestia's motherly voice call to me, "Welcome. I have somepony here that I would like you to meet." 

I glanced over towards her voice and found both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to be standing nearby. Between them, was another Alicorn I had not seen before. This one was smaller than the Princesses. She was a light purple in color. With a darker purple mane, accented with a rich pink streak. 

"Silver Wing, I would like you to meet Princess Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said, gesturing to the purple Alicorn beside her, "Twilight, this is Silver Wing."

"Uh, nice to meet you Princess." I said quickly. I gave a bit of a bow and regarded this new Princess closely. I had heard from Sky Flare that there were a few other Alicorns, but I had never seen any of them until now. She looked a lot younger than I had expected, and a lot less regal. This Twilight Sparkle held none of the air of authority that Celestia or Luna had, but like the two of them, she did have both wings and a horn. 

"Oh wow!" Twilight exclaimed.

She came right up to me and began looking me over curiously. I was speechless, and simply stood there as she poked at my side and lifted my wing curiously with a fore hoof. 

"So you came through the Mirror of Worlds and became a Pegasus?" she spoke quickly, "I've been to your world too, or at least, one of the human worlds the mirror is linked to. Tell me, did you feel anything strange when you traveled through the mirror? Is it true that you can't get back? Did it take you long to get used to walking on four legs instead of two? Oh I have so many questions!"

I must have looked as lost as I felt, because Celestia called Twilight off a moment later. 

"Please Twilight," Celestia called softly, "There will be plenty of time for talking after the demonstration. For now, give young Silver Wing a moment to collect his thoughts, and maybe ask a few questions of his own?"

"Oh, right," Twilight said slowly, "Sorry... I just have so many things I want to know! It's not every day a human winds up in Equestria after all."

"It was easier than you'd think," I said, glad for the reprieve of twenty questions, "It's getting back that's the hard part."

"I heard your worlds mirror shattered when you crossed over," Twilight said, "I've researched everything Starswirl the Bearded ever wrote about the Mirror of Worlds and dimensional travel, but I couldn't find anything that would be able to reopen a link once it's been severed-"

"Twilight!" Celestia spoke curtly. Her tone was sterner than usual and Twilight fell silent instantly. "Now is not the time for this conversation. Young Silver Wing has enough on his mind."

"You're right, I'm sorry Princess..." Twilight said. She took a step back and smiled at me apologetically.

I did my best to return a polite smile, but Twilights words had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. I knew there was always the possibility that I could be stuck here forever. That Dawn, or some other Unicorn I didn't know of here in Equestria might never be able to get me home, but to have it thrown in my face so casually like that stung bitterly. 

I cleared my throat and looked out at the stands. There wasn't anyone else here yet though, not even Sky Flare. "So... Where is everyone?" I asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as I could.

"They will be entering shortly," Luna stated, "We wished to be certain that you were ready before we began." She met my gaze a moment and awaited my response.

Her expression made me think the sting of Twilight's words was not nearly as well hidden as I had intended, but I tried to move past it as best I could. 

I forced a confident smile on my face and nodded. "Ready as I can be." I said. Truthfully, I hadn't slept nearly as much as I should have the last few nights, but I don't think anyone in my position would really have been able to either.

"Excellent!" Luna exclaimed. She clopped her front hooves together happily. "Then we shall begin preparations at once." She excused herself and headed for a nearby guard.

"I see Black Mane has given you the use of his armor for this event," Celestia commented as she eyed my armored legs, "You must have left quite an impression on him."

I laughed and shrugged. "Not really," I said, "All I did was knock him out."

"For one with a strong fighting spirit like Black Mane, or even yourself, being defeated is no simple matter," Celestia said, "Such an encounter almost always breeds a powerful rivalry, or, as is the case with Black Mane, a deep respect and friendship."

I nodded then chuckled a little as my mind wandered to her comment about rivalry. Sky Flare immediately crossed my mind. With how hard she trained and fought against me in our sparring matches, she could definitely be considered a rival in terms of the way we fought. But that was where our rivalry ended. She was a friend. A surprisingly good friend I realized, and one who I suddenly found myself realizing I would miss a great deal if I ever did return home.

"Are you alright, Silver Wing?" Celestia asked.

I glanced at her in surprise, her words having jarred me out of the realization that going home would mean severing my friendship with Sky Flare. 

"Uh, yeah, sorry," I said quickly, "Lost in thought, my bad." 

She eyed me in her motherly knowing way but said nothing more.

Before anything else could be said, a voice called from nearby. "Spectators may now find their way to their seats! The tournament will begin shortly!" 

I glanced to a set of open doors behind the stands where the guard pony that had called out the announcement was now standing. He stepped aside and nearly three dozen ponies flowed into the stands and spread out. I hadn't expected there to be this many ponies watching the fight and my stomach knotted at the idea of screwing up. 

"Come Twilight, let us join my sister at our seats." Celestia said. She passed a final smile at me and gave a parting word of encouragement. "Fight with your all Silver Wing. That way, win or lose you will have no regrets."

"I will." I said.

She turned and started towards Luna, who was already sitting in a front row section of the stands sectioned off specifically for them.

"Good luck Silver Wing," Twilight said as she followed after Celestia, "I look forward to seeing how you fight here, given the differences in your form."

I watched as they left and suddenly felt myself grow incredibly embarrassed as I found myself to be standing alone on the arena floor. I had no idea where to wait, and there was no one nearby for me to even ask. I didn't know if I should stay put, head back to the doors I came in through earlier, or what, but I felt like every pair of eyes in the arena were centered on me at that moment.

"Hey Silver, over here!" I caught Sky Flare calling to me from the stands nearby.

I sighed in relief. It was just the excuse I needed to get out of the middle of the arena without looking like I was an idiot.

Scanning the murmuring crowd, I spotted Sky and trotted over to her. She was in the front row, with Breezy, Lemon Bloom, Black Mane and Gale sitting around her. 

"Hey guys," I called as I came up to the raised wall that separated the spectators from the combatants, "Sure are a lot of people here, huh?"

"Indeed," Black Mane laughed, "Most of the guard is going to be here for this. What you see at present is simply the early arrivals."

"Oh great..." I said sarcastically, "Isn't that just perfect..."

Breezy chuckled at me and shrugged. "What'd ya expect boy? You're givin' a demonstration to the Princesses, but you're also fightin' a tournament against the guards in the process. Ain't a one of 'em asn't 'eard about your little run in with Black Mane, so they're all itchin' to see what it takes ta pull that off."

I groaned and shook my head. I don't know why I thought it was just going to be me, the Princesses, and a couple friends. I should have expected this to get out of hand.

"Just ignore everything not standing directly before you in that arena, Silver Wing," Lemon Bloom said comfortingly, "Your only thoughts should be on those whom you are fighting. None of the rest matters." 

She had a wide motherly smile on her face and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, don't ignore everything else," Sky Flare said, frowning at her mother, "We're here for you, so pay a little attention to us. You can ignore everypony else though."

I laughed at that, as did Breezy and Black Mane.

"I must be dreamin," Breezy chuckled, "I could'a sworn I 'eard my little Sky Flare just now, asking a stallion for his attention."

"Dad!" Sky Flare barked, "That is not how I meant that and you know it!"

Breezy chuckled and looked away from Sky Flare, a Cheshire like smirk on his face.

"It looks like your opponents are entering the arena, Silver," Black Mane said, catching my attention, "You'd best head out to meet them."

I glanced over my shoulder, towards a door on the far end of the arena, and watched as three ponies came trotting out. 

"Right," I said, "I'll talk to you guys afterwards."

"Good luck, Silver Wing." Lemon Bloom called, waving a little. 

I heard her words echoed by Black Mane and the rest and smiled as I trotted back to the center of the arena. 

They may not be my real family, but it was nice having someone I know behind me. Demonstrations like this just didn't feel right without someone there to say good luck. 



Looking ahead at my three opponents, I regarded them all closely. The first was a Pegasus. He was black, and for a moment I thought it was Black Mane, but then I noticed the difference in size. This Pegasus was smaller and leaner than Black Mane, and had a golden streak through his purple tail.

The second was a Unicorn, white in color with a red mane and tail. I knew I'd be fighting one, but I still frowned a little when I saw him. He was going to be the hardest one to fight and the least predictable. 

Last of the three, was an earth pony. He was white, with a blue mane and tail. My eyes went wide as I found I recognized him. It was Stalwart Shield! Dawn's friend. What the hell was he doing here!? I knew he was a palace guard, but I didn't know he actually knew how to fight. Not for real anyways. 

Luna had said that the three I was going to be fighting against were some of their best soldiers. That either meant that they were all going to be pushovers, or that I had seriously underestimated Stalwart Shield’s capabilities. With how he acted and seemed around Dawn, I had come to think of him as just your average helpful guy. Not a fighter. But I guess he was a palace guard, so he had to have some skill to get the job.

I smirked at him as we came face to face and he smirked back.

I couldn't help but wonder how long ago he had found out about this. Certainly not while I was practicing with Dawn a few days ago? Or had he requested this part specifically just to fight me? But why would he do that... To impress Dawn? To test the rumors about me? Or was he simply here because he had the skills necessary to be the Princesses first choice? I had no idea, but I had every intention of finding out when this was all over. 

"So, you are the Silver Wing I have heard about then?" The Unicorn asked, catching my attention. He snorted at me and sighed. "Black Mane must have been careless for somepony like you to have beaten him the way you did."

I held my tongue and fought hard not to deck him right then. I didn't know if all Unicorns were smug like this one or not, but I swore to myself right then he wouldn't stay that way for long. 

"Show some respect, Malican," Stalwart said sternly, "The Princesses wouldn’t have asked us to do this if Silver here couldn't hold his own. You think you can take on all three of us at once like he's about to?"

Malican scoffed at Stalwart and held his nose high, clearly ignoring him. 

"Don't mind him none," the black Pegasus said, "He's part mule."

Malican glared at him, but kept his air of superiority. 

"I'm Skyros," the Pegasus said, "I was there when you beat Black Mane, so I know a little of what you can do. Don't hold nothing back alright? I wanna see what it is that Sky Flare sees in you."

"You know Sky Flare?" I asked, rather surprised.

"Not as well as you do," he laughed, "Me and my brother Soryks have tried asking her out a few times, but she always turns us down in a wingbeat. Says any Pegasus that can't give her a challenge ain't worth her time."

"Yeah..." I sighed, "That sounds like Sky Flare alright."

"I'm serious though," Skyros said, "Don't hold back."

"Don't worry there," I said, "I had no intention of it." 

Luna cleared her throat and spoke over the crowd in a surprisingly loud voice that resounded like thunder in the stone arena. "Fillies and Gentlecolts," she called, "We will now begin the tournament! It will consist of seven rounds! To begin, we will witness a series of three one on one bouts! Should Silver Wing come out victorious, he will then face two opponents at once in three more bouts! If he has still not fallen by then, he will face all three of his opponents at once!"

The crowd cheered and my opponents turned away and headed back to the far end of the arena. I wasn't sure what I should do, but I followed suit and headed for my own end of the arena. 

I had never fought an Earth Pony before, or a Unicorn, not for real anyways. But I was fairly confident that I would be able to handle the one on one fights easy enough. The two on ones would be tricky where the Unicorn was involved, but so long as I made the first move and took out the nearest opponent off the bat, the two on ones would effectively be one on one's again, so simple enough. But the three on one... That one would be hard. I wasn't sure if I could pull that one off, especially after my opponents would have had six matches to study my moves and learn from their mistakes. If I could a use a sword, it'd be a different story, but limited to hand to hand like I was, I was going to have to work for that win.



"Round one will be between Silver Wing and Stalwart Shield!" Luna announced.

I grinned at that. I was eager to see what he could actually do, and this would also give me some sense of the other two's fighting levels.

I saw Stalwart start back towards the center of the arena and moved back to meet him. I could see the other two grabbing weapons as they waited their turns, but I couldn't see any on Stalwart. He was as unarmed as I was, though he wore the standard guard armor, minus the helmet. 

"No weapon?" I asked as we came face to face again.

"Not for this match," he said, "I want to see what you have fair and square. So I'll be fighting you on your terms." 

Much to my surprise, he rose to his back legs and assumed the same stance Sky Flare had first used in our training.

'He knows Karate?' I realized, 'Interesting.'

I rose onto my hind legs as well and took on my usual stance. Low center, with my left arm outstretched while my right rested by my side.

"You ready?" I asked, a grin I could not shake clear on my face.

Stalwart nodded and we both fell silent as we waited for the sign to start.

Luna observed us for a moment, clearly enjoying the tension of two fighters at the ready, then shouted out for us to begin.

The crowd fell silent and I turned all my attention to Stalwart.

He crept towards me slowly, evidentially cautious of my unknown skill, so I took the initiative. 

I dashed up to meet him, but didn't swing. It was usually better to force an opponent to attack than attack yourself. It made them easier to read and counter. 

Stalwart reacted to my advance and, with a loud yell, threw a hard right jab at me. 

It was exactly what I had expected him to do. Sky Flare had reacted the same way countless times until I broke her of the habit.

I caught his wrist my forearm and pushed his strike to the side. With his arm crossed before him as it was, it left his side wide open and I struck him a hard with a counter jab to his core. 

Much to my surprise, Stalwart didn't even flinch. Instead, he threw the arm I had just blocked right back at me in a wide backhand. 

I blocked the strike with my arm, but Stalwart had a great deal more power in him than he seemed. His swing forced my guard back and sent me stumbling backwards off balance. I took a few staggered steps and flapped my wings to stabilize myself again. 

Glancing back to my opponent, I found Stalwart to be bearing down on me with another strong punch already in motion.

I leaped back reflexively and met his straight jab with my hooves to lessen the force of the blow. His strike was hard enough that, with me not being on the ground and already moving backwards, he sent me through the air nearly ten feet before I could recover. 

I flapped my wings hard to counter my momentum and hovered in place a moment as I looked Stalwart Shield over in a new light. He was a lot stronger than I had given him credit. 

'Looks like Earth Ponies aren't just flightless Pegasai after all,' I thought, 'Unicorns have range, and Pegasai have speed, but Earth Ponies... Looks like they have power.' But power wasn't without its flaws. It was good if you could land a solid hit, but without that, you had nothing. 

With a flap, I dashed back towards him, goading him into striking at me in much the same manner as I had our first exchange. 

He followed the same pattern and struck for me with a straight jab at my chest. I half spun around his strike, avoiding it easily. With the momentum I generated, I slammed my left elbow hard against the side of his head and waited to see if he felt this one. 

Stalwart staggered back a step and I seized the opening. I spun back around to face him and using the same arm I had just elbowed him with, landed a brutal left hook to the other side of his head. 

Stalwart stumbled a few steps away and glared at me. 

He still wasn't down. I was a little stunned by that, and Stalwart used it to his advantage.

He leaped at me and swung with a wide haymaker for my head. I barely managed to block it in time, but the sheer force of his strike slid me bodily some two feet in the sand. Even with Black Mane's armor on, my arm felt like it had gone numb from the blow and tingled heavily. 

Stalwart kept after me and swung again, but I was ready for him this time. Strong as he was, his moves were very easy to read. I ducked under his strike and fired a series of rapid blows up his side. 

He dropped to all fours and winched in pain. 

I knew better than to let up and pulled back to strike again, but Stalwart held up a hoof. 

"Y-you win this round, Silver," he said, still winching from my last combo, "You are better than I thought."

I grinned at the compliment and dropped to all fours as well, showing I had no intention of attacking him further. "So are you," I admitted, "And you got one hell of a punch."

"Round one goes to Silver Wing!" Luna called out.

The crowd cheered and the rapid stomping of hooves followed soon after.

"There will be a five minute break before the next match!" Luna called, "Medical ponies, please see that Stalwart Shield is able to continue in the next set!"

I watched as Stalwart headed back towards his end of the arena. The other two combatants remained where they were, but a pair of unicorns rushed out to check on Stalwart.

"Psst, Silver!" I heard Breezy call from the stands, "Get yourself a drink and a breather while ya' can!"

I glanced towards him, then noticed a pair of unicorns in matching outfits to those that rushed to check on Stalwart waiting by the door I had entered from earlier. They had a tray of drinks floating beside them and I quickly trotted over to greet them.

"That was quite the display, Sir Silver Wing," One of them said as I neared, "Please, drink some water before your next match. You need to keep hydrated."

I thanked her, and awkwardly grabbed one of the cups between my hooves. I'd been practicing, but I still dropped a cup from time to time. Thankfully, this wasn't one of those times. I drank it down and sighed as I felt its coolness spread out inside me. 



It wasn't long before Luna called out over the arena once more to announce the second fight, and I started back towards the middle, curious as to who would be next.

"Round two will be between Silver Wing and Skyros!" Luna announced.

I watched as the black Pegasus gave a flap of his wings and drifted towards me. He landed a few feet away and grinned. He had a sword in his mouth. It was metal, but I could see from where I was that the blade had been dulled down purposely. It was clearly a training sword, but a far more effective weapon than the wooden swords Black Mane had used against me.

"Remember, go all out Silver Wing!" He said.

I nodded at him and took a deep breath to focus myself as I assumed my ready stance.

As before, Luna let the tension mount for a few moments, then shouted out for us to begin.

Skyros tightened the grip he had on his sword and gave a powerful flap of his wings. Sand whipped up behind him at his wing pressure and he flew straight for me at a speed I hadn't seen in many Pegasus. 

I dodged to the side and he flew clear past me. Spinning around to keep my eyes on him, I watched as he continued on until he reached the far end of the arena. Once there, he shot straight up and in a matter of second was at the ceiling of the arena.

I wasn't sure if I should give chase and fight him in the air, or stand my ground and wait for him to come to me, but after a moment or two of thought, Skyros entered into a steep dive and my uncertainty vanished.

He picked up speed and began to dash from side to side as he sailed towards me. At his speed, he'd have to be shooting for a flyby attack. There was no way he could stop on top of me, so I readied myself to counter his approach.

Skyros came in close and moved to swing his sword for my chest, using his speed to his advantage. 

I watched him closely, and at the last second, threw myself backwards onto the ground to dodge his attack. As he sailed over me I kicked my feet off the ground and used my entire body to help me thrust my hips upwards and slam both my hind feet hard into his chest. 

Skyros gasped in pain and lost his grip on his sword as the force of my kick halted his forward momentum and fired him straight up instead. I threw myself upwards off the ground with my front hooves and wings and quickly raced after him, flapping with all my might to reach him while he was still dazed. 

I grabbed one of his back feet and pulled hard, spinning him around me in the air a full three hundred and sixty degrees before letting him go. 

He careened out of control and slammed into the ground some distance away with a poof of sand and a muffled groan. He rolled a few feet further and finally skidded to a stop near his end of the arena.

He was out cold, and I knew I had won this match hands down.

I was a little worried I may have hurt him, but after training with Sky Flare as much as I had, I was fairly certain I knew what a Pegasus could or couldn't take. I had made sure to pull my kick enough to not break his ribs, despite Skyros's insistence otherwise. The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally kill someone by striking them in a vital area too hard, or break their bones with limb destruction techniques. But that didn't mean I would hold back too much either. He wanted me to fight seriously, and the Princesses wanted a real demonstration, and that was exactly what I intended to give them. 

I felt the stunned silence around me and tensed a little as I wondered if I may have fought too seriously.

Abruptly, a roar of cheers erupted and a thunderous applaud of stomping hooves followed.

I let out a sigh of relief and looked to Luna, who still had yet to announce the victor of the match. She had an unusual grin on her face and I couldn't help but think she must have been an avid fighter at some point in her life.

As the crowd began to fall silent again, Luna rose and called out my victory. "Round two also goes to Silver Wing! We will take another five minute reprieve at this time!" 

I trotted back to the two nurse ponies at my side of the arena and sat down to prepare for my next fight. I watched as Skyros was checked over and let out a small sigh as I saw him rise to his feet and stumble over to Stalwart and Malican. Malican would be up next, which meant it was time to pit my fists against his magic. 

My match with Dawn had opened my eyes to what a Unicorn was capable of, and I had no intention of being ranged into exhaustion. I'd have to deal with him quickly, which was no small task. But I was confident, and I had a plan. With his magic, he had the potential to wield a weapon better than any arm could ever dream of. But, without a weapon, he should be effectively useless. All I needed to do was get rid of his weapon and the match would be mine.  



"Round three will be between Silver Wing and Malican!" Luna called out, Let us see how well magic competes with such an unusual fighting style!"

I got to my feet and headed out to greet Malican as I had the others.

He took his time coming to me, and I could see his smug look of distain towards me the moment we locked eyes. 

A sword floated lazily beside him and I looked it over closely. It was nothing special, just a simple metal training sword like the one Skyros had used. I was relieved a little by that. Part of me feared he would have a double ended blade, which would make what I was going to try far harder. 

"You may have beaten my comrades, but you will not beat me," Malican stated, "I have seen what you can do, and I must say, I am not impressed."

I sighed at him and shook my head. God he was arrogant. I could tell by the way he regarded me that he thought he'd have me beat without much effort at all. I looked forward to testing that theory. 

"You sound like Black Mane did when we first fought," I said with a friendly smile, "You do know how that wound up though, don't you?"

He snorted at me in disgust and took a several steps back, setting a gap of nearly a fifteen feet between us.

I smirked at him and rose to my hind legs as I awaited Luna's call.

She wasted little time this time, and called for us to begin almost instantly. Clearly she was eager to see how I would handle a fight against magic.

Malican's sword snapped to attention and moved into a position directly above his head. The tip was pointed downwards towards me and hovered in place motionlessly. It reminded me of a scorpions tail poised to strike, but I did my best not to expect it to react in only a stabbing motion. 

I took a step forwards and Malican's blade abruptly shot straight for me like a bolt. I leapt back to avoid it and it halted instantly where I had just been standing. A moment later, it retracted just as fast and returned to its place above Malican's head.

"Range will not save you, Silver Wing." he snorted.

'It won’t save you either,' I thought, 'Not once I get your sword.' I watched his weapon carefully and stepped forwards again. As before, it shot at me like a bolt. I leaped to the side this time, but the blade followed after me, whipping around to hack at my side. I swung my arm to block it, but the blade flowed with my strike and spun around at me again. 

Like lightning, the blade shot for my face, but it stopped right before my nose and hovered there a moment. I swung my other arm at the blade to deflect it, but it simply spun around my strike and resumed its taunting position before me.

I stared at it a moment, then frowned. Malican was clearly toying with me. He no doubt intended to infuriate me, then defeat me after I had tired myself out, but I had other ideas. I swung at his blade again and watched its rotation point as it moved around my strike yet again. Unlike Dawn, whose magic had held her sword by the handle, Malican held his at the guard, right at the balance point of the weapon. 

I swung one more time, and as his blade whipped around my arm, I shot my head forwards and grabbed the handle of his weapon with my mouth. I felt the sword try to jerk away, but I bit into it hard. Moving fast, I slammed both my armored forearms onto either side of the blade to better hold onto it and crouched low. 

Malican clearly hadn't expected me to grab his sword, but his surprise quickly switched to anger and he jerked his head to the side. 

I felt the sword start to tremble in my gasp and much to my surprise, I felt myself begin to slide towards him through the sand. The grip Malican had with his magic was on a whole other level than Dawn's had been, but it was still manageable. I shifted my stance lower to better ground myself and grinned as I stopped moving. 

"What sort of tactic is that supposed to be!?" Malican barked, "Release my sword and lose with some dignity!"

"You want it, then take it!" I taunted him back, "Or can't you manage to beat one Pegasus in a game of tug-of-war?"

My ploy worked perfectly and I watched as Malican's horn glowed brightly with his rising anger. He lowered his head and gritted his teeth as he put everything he had into taking his sword back from me. 

I felt myself beginning to slide towards him again, but just barely. I kept my eyes glued to Malican's face and waited for my moment to strike. Eventually, he did as I had hopped, and as he pulled harder and harder, he closed his eyes as he strained his magic to its limit.

I let go the moment his eyes shut and dashed straight for him with a hard flap of my wings. 

Malican's eyes shot open as he felt my grip vanish and his eyes went wide as he found his weapon to be sailing towards him at an incredible velocity. 

The force he had exerted on it had acted like a rubber band and pulled the sword back to him with more force than he could counter in so short a distance. He ducked fast and watched as his weapon embedded itself deeply in the sand behind him. 

I wasn't far behind, and before Malican could recover his blade, I was on him. I flew right up to him and slammed my knee hard into his face as I flew past him. I had never struck someone like that while flying before and the counter weight of his head against my back leg toppled me over forwards. With a yelp, I face planted hard into the sand and rolled to a stop a fair ways away. Dazed as I was, I forced myself to my feet and spun around to find my opponent. My eyes stung and my nose was full of sand, but I couldn't afford to drop my guard yet.

Through my watering eyes, I found Malican laying flat on his back some ten feet away. As far as I could tell, he wasn't moving. I wasn't sure if he was just dazed or unconscious, but I readied myself as best I could just in case he wasn't down for the count.

"And round three goes to Silver Wing!" Luna called, "There will be a ten minute break before the next match is to begin!" 

I let out a sigh of relief and sneezed hard as I found my drawing of breath to irritate the sand in my nose. I snorted several times in an attempt to get the remaining sand out, but it didn't help as much as I'd hoped. I would have given just about anything at that moment for a single finger. 

As I snorted away, I saw two nurses rush over to check on Malican. And much to my confusion, the two nurses from my side were rushing towards me. 

"Are you alright, Silver Wing? You took quite a tumble." the nearest one asked as she looked me over. 

The second of my nurses grasped at one of my wings tentatively and hefted it. "Do your wings feel alright? No pain or tingling in any of your extremities?" she asked, a serious look on her face.

I laughed nervously and gave a gentle flap of my wings as I backed away from them. "I'm fine, really," I said quickly, "Just some sand in my... Well, everywhere really, but it's fine." I sneezed again and groaned.

"If anything should feel even the slightest bit off, tell us at once, doctors' orders!" they both said in unison.

I swallowed, a little intimidated and nodded before heading back to my side of the arena for some water to wash the sand out of my mouth with. Friendly or not, I never did like doctors. They always made me nervous.

'Mental note, flyby kicking is a terrible idea.' I thought to myself as I sneezed yet again. 

"You'd best be on your guard next time you face Malican, Silver Wing," Black Mane called down to me from the stands, "He will not be so easy to catch off guard a second time. That being said, well done!"

I nodded. I knew full well that Malican wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. And this time, he wouldn't be smug and try any games, he'd go straight for the win.

"Oh e'll be fine," Breezy said, "After a shot like that, that Unicorn'll be 'ard pressed to lift a spoon, never mind a sword!"

"That'd be nice," I said, "But chances are, he's gonna be holding one hell of a grudge when he comes to, so I'm going to have to be extra careful next time."

"Yeah well, get used to it," Sky Flare called, "It's only gonna get harder from here on, so you better not have just given them a handicap with that face plant you pulled!"

"No worries," I said, "Once my eyes stop watering, I'll be right as rain."

"You'd better be." Sky Flare grumbled.

"Look at that dear," Breezy cooed to Lemon Bloom, "I must be in a state today, as I do believe our little Sky is pinnin' over somepony, eh?"

Sky Flare groaned at her father’s comment and slinked down in her seat.



I had just gotten my eyes to feel normal again when I heard Luna announce my next set of opponents.

"Round four will pit Silver Wing against the combined abilities of Stalwart Shield and Skyros!" she called out, "Now we shall witness how well Silver Wing fares against two opponents at once!"

I rolled my shoulders and trotted out to the center of the arena. Stalwart and Skyros would have been watching me closely during my other fights and I couldn't use the same tricks I had last time. Luckily, I had a plan already thought up for this match up. Stalwart couldn't fly, so I would target Skyros first. Once he was out of commission, I'd deal with Stalwart like I had before, only I'd be sure to hit a lot harder from the start.

"Time for round two, Silver, I hope you're ready for this." Stalwart said as we met.

"Oh, I am," I said smiling, "Are you two?"

"My chest kills," Skyros admitted, "But I'd never give up without giving it my all, so keep it coming."

Stalwart nodded and shifted a few steps back.

I noticed he had a shield strapped to his right side this time, and what looked to be a rather heavy, rounded mace was on his left.

'I do not want to get hit with that...' I thought, 'But what's he going to with that shield strapped to him? He has to know I'll just go for the other side.' I wasn’t sure what the purpose of having a shield was here, but I knew I'd find out shortly.

"Round four may now begin!" Luna called.

Skyros flew at me in an instant, much like he had in our first fight. I hadn't realized it before, but he was carrying a long spear this time. I had been too focused on Stalwarts mace and shield to notice sooner and cursed my lack of attention.

I leapt high and flew straight up, keeping my eyes focused on Skyros as he followed after me. 

It looked odd, but Skyros was holding the spear tight along his chest and stomach with a front leg. The tip was pointed right at me, and I could tell it was a strong grip. I had never thought to hold a spear like that, but it looked feasible enough.

I flew higher and turned to face Skyros. He came at me fast and thrust his spear at my chest. It was an oddly direct attack, one he had to realize was easy to avoid. 

I knew there had to be more to his attack that it seemed, but I countered it regardless. I shifted to the side, letting the spear sail past me and swung my right hoof at him in a hard uppercut. 

Much to my surprise, Skyros flipped over backward as I swung at him and kicked me in the stomach hard with a back leg. I gasped out as he winded me, but locked my arms around his leg tightly. 

He glared at me and twisted, moving to kick me in the face with his other foot. 

I leaned back to avoid his kick and shifted fast as we started to fall. I wrapped my legs around his and pulled it against my chest tightly.

I caught him gasp as the pressure I put on his leg increased and glanced down at him.

"Give up, or I snap your leg!" I warned, pulling a little harder.

He gasped and struggled in my grip for a moment before he began nodding frantically. "A-Alright, you win! You win!"

I let him go and we both flapped hard to stop our decent, but we were too close to the ground by that point. We plummeted into the sand with muffled thuds and groaned in unison. 

I had grabbed Skyros leg out of reflex, and despite my wing strength, I couldn't keep the hold and still fly. So I took the risk of the fall to secure my win.

I sat up and winced as I found a sharp pain radiating from my right side. I clearly hurt myself in the fall, that or Skyros kick had done it. Either way, it was nothing I couldn't push through.

Skyros groaned and shook his head while he looked at me oddly. "You really aren't holding back are you," He said a little concerned, "For a second there, I thought you really were going to break my leg. You wouldn't have actually done it though... Would you?"

"Hey," I said shrugging, "You said to go all out, so I am." I smiled at him and started shaking the sand out of my feathers casually. 

He chuckled nervously for a moment, then started back for his side of the arena. 

I wouldn't have actually broken his leg, but unnerving an opponent was a sure way to achieve victory. Thinking I wouldn't hesitate to break his bones would make Skyros hesitate to come near me in our next match. He'd flinch easier, recoil farther, and take less chances. Which gave me a much needed edge.

"And with that, Skyros is out of the match. Now it is down to Silver Wing and Stalwart Shield!" Luna announced excitedly.

Looking around, I spotted Stalwart a ways away and flew closer to him. I quickly rose to my standard fighting stance and awaited his next move. 

Stalwart drew his mace and snorted at me. A moment later, he charged. 

I stood my ground and watched his approach closely. I had to disarm him first. Without his mace, he would be at a huge disadvantage. 

Stalwart charged and swung at me hard. I could tell which way he was going to swing by how he held his weapon. Fast as a pony might be at swinging, they were far easier to read than a human arm.

I stepped into him, on the side left open by his strike and dropped low. I swung my right arm down against the back of his neck and pushed hard. At the same time, I struck him in the side with an upwards strike. My hoof connected with his underside and with one smooth motion, I used my legs to thrust my left hoof upwards, and using my right as a guide, I turned and flipped Stalwart head over heels. I used the momentum of his own charge to throw him clear passed me and into the sand several feet away.

He yelled out in surprise as I tossed him and lost his grip on his mace in the process.

I dashed after him and scooped his mace up with my mouth. I got a mouthful of sand in the process, but I tried to ignore the grinding feel it left.

Throwing my head hard to the side, I tossed his mace away and got back into my ready stance as Stalwart scrambled back to his feet.

Spitting the sand out of my mouth as best I could, I grinned at my opponent and waited for his next move.

Stalwart frowned, then charged at me again. 

I used the same maneuver as last time and sent him flying past me just as easily. 

Unlike last time however, Stalwart rolled as he struck the sand and took off for where I had thrown his mace.

I cursed and tore after him. I had thrown the mace a fair ways away, but Stalwart was surprisingly fast. Not faster than my wings though. 

I quickly closed in on Stalwart, and having learned from my match with Malican, flipped around and struck to kick him in the side with a hard jump kick. 

Stalwart thrust his entire body into my kick, and I yelped as I found myself crumpling against his form. It felt like I had jumped into the way of a wrecking ball and I was blown over backwards in an instant. I landed hard against the sand and shook my head in surprise. 

Stalwart hadn't stopped, he ran on and retrieved his mace, then turned to face me again. 

With a groan, I got to my feet and smirked. I definitely couldn't overpower him that was for sure. That meant I'd have to use more evasive and precise tactics.

I resumed my stance and took a deep steadying breath. 

Stalwart eyed me and crept closer. Clearly he had changed his mind about his charge in and swing tactic. I held my ground and waited for him to close the distance. 

There was no sound beyond the shifting of the sand beneath our feet and the pounding of my own heartbeat in my ears. I could feel the tension mounting in the arena, but I didn't dare to look away from Stalwart, even for a moment.  

He crept steadily closer and closer, until he was barely five feet from me. 

Another foot and he'd be able to reach me with a lunge. His weapon gave him a good two feet more reach than I had, but he'd have to know I would know that. So I was curious as to his plan.

Our standoff lasted nearly a minute before Stalwart abruptly reared up and fired a series of fast punches at my head. I blocked and weaved around his assault like a boxer, then found his mace arcing towards me in a downward strike.

I sidestepped his mace and moved in to strike his now open side and frowned. Stalwart clearly wasn't stupid, the side he had left open was the side that was protected by that large shield he had strapped to himself before the match. It covered a great deal of his side, but not his head or neck.

As I pulled back to swing, Stalwart leaped at me and shoulder checked me right in the chest and side. I felt a searing pain in my already aching side and winced as I was thrown to the ground. 

Stalwart came with me, clearly seeking to pin me down. He was too strong for me to beat directly if he were to get a good hold, so I had to get out from under him, and quickly. I struck upwards and kneed him hard in the stomach. As he gasped in pain, I used my arms to toss him over and on to his side. 

Moving fast, I used my wings to heft myself off the ground and quickly wrapped myself around Stalwart from behind. I pressed my chest against his back as he started to rise and wrapped my back legs around his waist, while I caught him around the neck with my left arm. I pulled hard on him and got him into a tight choke hold by using my right arm to secure my left. 

Stalwart bucked and thrashed about wildly as he found my grip to be preventing him from drawing breath. He dropped his mace and shook me violently. 

He was incredibly strong. I could barely keep my grip with him fighting against me like he was. At the rate he was going, he'd break my hold before I could choke him out. I was trying to keep myself on him using my wings, but he was moving too erratically to counter him well, then I got an idea. I flapped hard and began to take flight. 

Stalwart quickly realized my plan and did his best to stay grounded, but my wings beat his weight. I gradually gained altitude, and with his feet finally off the ground, I could handle his thrashing far more easily. 

It took nearly a minute more before he finally stopped struggling and fell limp. As I felt his muscles relax, I dropped him instantly and he fell to the ground in a heap. I had only flown up a few feet. Just enough for him to be off the ground. 

Stalwart sprawled out in the sand and wheezed shakily as he drew breath.

I dropped to the ground beside him and winced at the burning pain in my ribs. Reflexively, I lifted a leg and held it against my side. Realizing I was giving off a tell to my injury, I slammed my foot back down and tried not to look like I was hurting.

"An impressive display," Luna called, "And round four goes to Silver Wing. We will take a ten minute break before the next match."  

I waited beside Stalwart until his nurses arrived, then headed back to my side of the arena. I knew he'd be fine, but it would have been rude to just leave him laying there alone. 

"You are injured," one of my own nurses said as she rushed up to me, "You have fought very well, there is no shame in quitting now if you cannot continue." 

I laughed and shook my head at her. "Nah," I smiled, "I'll go till I drop. That's how it's supposed to be."

"As you wish..." she said with a sigh. 

I got some water and tensed as I felt something soft brush across my side. Glancing over, I found Sky Flare to be standing beside me and winced in pain as I jumped in surprise.

"Sky, what you doing down here!?" I asked in a harsh whisper.

"Checking up on you, you're hurt. How bad?" She asked seriously.

I chuckled at her and smiled. "I'm fine," I said, trying to play it off, "So head back to your seat before you get in trouble."

"Not until you tell me how badly you're hurt." She stated adamantly.

I knew that look. She wasn't going to leave until I answered her.

I sighed heavily, and winched in the process. "I don't know," I admitted, "My side hurts. My ribs aren't broken, but I probably cracked one of them between the fall, and that shield check Stalwart gave me. But I'll be fine, so long as I don't get hit there again."

Sky Flare glared at me angrily for a moment, then her demeanor shifted heavily to one of concern. "Just be careful, alright?" she whispered, "It's alright to lose once in a while."

I laughed. "Course it's alright to lose," I said, "Losing is the best way to learn. But it'll take more than a cracked rib to take me down. I'm gonna win this thing, just you watch."

Sky Flare sighed at me and smiled. "You better." she said. At that, she turned away and quickly flew back to her seat. 

I glanced over at the Princesses and felt a heavy blush of embarrassment creep over my face as I found both Celestia and Luna to be snickering at me. 



After the break was over, Luna announced the next match in the same fashion as before. 

Ten minutes really wasn't much of a break, but it was enough to catch my breath at least. This time it looked like I would be fighting Skyros and Malican. Like before, Skyros had a spear, while Malican still had the same sword. Strategically, it would be best to take out Skyros off the bat, then try and get to Malican as safely as I could. But Malican would most definitely be holding a grudge against me now, so trying to take him out first might be safer in the long run. 

I walked to the center of the arena and tested the waters. "So, ready for some more fun?" I asked with a laugh.

Malican scoffed and glared at me and for a moment. I half thought he might attack me right then with how enraged he appeared, but he turned away and took up a position a few feet further back.

"Yeah..." Skyros said with a sigh, "You might not want to talk to him. Like, ever."

"What, has he never lost before?" I asked, more than a little amused at just how badly hurt his pride seemed to be. 

"Not to a Pegasus," Skyros said with a soft chuckle, "Up till now, his only rivals were other Unicorns, and he is not taking the way you beat him well. Rest of us loved it though. And while I don't see you pulling off something like that again, part of me hopes you do, just so I can see how red he turns." He laughed, then cleared his throat and took a few steps back.

"I'll see what I can do." I said. Then I rose to my ready stance and focused on my opponents.

A few moments passed, then Luna began the match.

Like a bolt, Malican's sword came flying straight for me. I leaped to the side fast and felt my heart sink as his sword tore clear through a few of the feathers that hung down along the bottom of my wing and embed itself almost to the hilt in the sand behind me. My wing didn't hurt, but I wasn't certain if it would affect my flying or not. I was certain of one thing though, blunted as it may be, I did not want to get hit with one of Malican's attacks. 

With a flap of my wings, I took off into the air. I could hear Skyros yelling something at Malican, but with the air rushing past me as it was, I couldn't make it out. I caught a glint behind me and spotted Malican's sword giving chase. I sped up to the max and began darting around above the arena. 

My ability to fly didn't seem overly effected by the loss of a few feathers, but every flap of my wings hurt my ribs like hell. I couldn't risk slowing my pace though. If I did, the pain I felt now wouldn't even come to close to what I'd feel if that sword caught me.

As I dodged and weaved about, I gauged the swords speed and reaction time. It was nearly as fast as I was, but it couldn't change direction very well, or stop very fast at all. Malican's anger towards me was clear, and the intensity of the glow his magic left on his weapon was far brighter than it had been before.

I grinned down at Malican and shouted. "What's the matter Malican, can't catch me!?" I caught him stomp a foot in anger and his sword sped up even more. 

His anger would be my key to winning this. It would make him stupid, and I knew exactly how to exploit that. 

I flew in a high arc over the arena and raced to my end with Malican's sword following close behind. I flew straight into the back wall and landed hard against it with a burst of wind. An instant later, I leaped off the wall and flew straight for Malican.

A Unicorn had less power the farther their weapon was from them, so it would make it harder for Malican to keep up with me back here, it would also buy me the precious few seconds I'd need to reach him safely. 

I heard a deep thunk behind me as I left the wall and glanced over my shoulder. Malican’s sword was tumbling through the air as it recoiled from the impact, but it quickly reset itself and flew after me once again.

'Perfect,' I thought, 'Just keep chasing me.'

I flew low to the ground and closed in on Malican. 

He stood his ground and glared me, his horn glowing steadily brighter. I knew his sword would get faster the closer I got to him, but I was far enough ahead of him now I estimated I'd have about a two second window to win this. 

As I got about ten feet from Malican, I noticed a grin on his face and saw a second sword rise up from behind him like the tail of a scorpion. 

I felt my stomach knot as I realized I had fallen into his trap. But I wasn't done for just yet. I had one chance still and I'd use every trick in the book to win this if I could. 

I reared up and flapped as hard as I could to stop my forward momentum. My wings kicked up a wave of sand and fired it straight into Malican's face and past him. 

He cried out as he was momentarily blinded by my attack, and despite the sense of victory I had at that, the pain in my side from my sudden stop made my wings buckle and I dropped to the ground. I fell flat and forced myself to roll far to the side to avoid what I knew was still coming.

Barely a second later, I watched as the sword Malican had been chasing me with streaked past and struck its wielder square in the head. 

I heard the solid thunk and caught a pained cry escape him and took off at a full gallop to finish him off.

Malican was still standing, albeit barely. He glared at me as I closed in, but before he could focus enough to command his magic, I struck him hard in the jaw with right cross. I followed it up with a left, then knelt down and leaped upward to deliver a brutal uppercut and knock him out. 

I watched as he fell, then quickly began checking my surroundings for Skyros. I couldn't see him anywhere on the ground. Looking up, I caught sight of him high above. He was laughing.

Despite my sides protest, I flew up to join Skyros in the air. 

"That was just too good Silver Wing," Skyros laughed, "Malican'll never live this down."

"Well, no offence intended, but there is no ultimate style," I said with a shrug, "And that includes Unicorn magic. People like him that act like they're better than everyone else just irritate me." 

"Oh I get ya," Skyros said nodding, "But up till now, only a Unicorn's be able to beat Malican."

"Well, hopefully this humbles him some, though I kinda doubt it..." I said.

"Yeah, probably not," Skyros admitted, "But that's enough of that. We got out match to finish, eh?"

I smirked and assumed my ready stance. 

Skyros flew back a few feet, then thrust his spear at me. As close as we were, he had very little power behind his attack and I deflected it to the side easily. Remembering the last time we had done this maneuver, I held my counter and waited for another acrobatic strike like last time. 

Much to my surprise however, Skyros released his hold on his spear and tackled me head on. I felt his arms wrap around me and gasped at the pain his grip put on my side. 

"Can't grab me if I grab you first, Silver Wing!" He yelled victoriously. 

I felt myself tilt over and struggled against his grip as I found him to be forcing us back to the ground.

I frowned, already regretting what I was about to do, but it was the safest option I had. I pulled my head back far, before slamming my forehead hard into Skyros. His grip faltered at the impact and we both glided back to the sand holding our heads in shared agony.

"W-what the hay Silver!?" I caught Skyros groan out.

Attempting to shake the pain from my head, I staggered for Skyros as best I could. 

He was as dazed as I was, and staggered about on all fours drunkenly. He moved away from me, hoping to regain his bearings before I closed in.

I leaped for him and swung, but missed, badly. I stumbled and fell to the ground. Shaking my head and giving a frustrated snort, I got back to my feet and focused on Skyros.

'You can rest later, right now, get on him before he recovers!' I barked to myself. I dashed for Skyros and swung again. He ducked my first swing, but my left knee rose up to meet him in the side of the head. As he recoiled back from the strike, I put my front two hooves together and slammed them both down hard atop his head.

Skyros dropped, and Luna announced my fifth victory. 

I dropped to my hind end and took several deep breaths. My ribs were not happy, and I was starting to feel the drain, but I couldn't give up yet. Just two more matches to go. I could do this. I would do this.  

"Are you alright Silver Wing?" I caught my nurse ask from behind me. I hadn't even noticed her come up this time.

I rose to my feet and laughed, "No worries," I said, "Almost to the end."

She frowned and helped me to my feet. 

I staggered a little the first few steps then shook it off and refocused. I didn't get any water this break, nor did I rest. I stayed on my feet, breathing in deep, slow breaths. If I sat down now, I might not get up again, so I had to keep my adrenaline going and my energy up. 



"Round six is about to begin," Luna called, "Silver Wing will now face Stalwart Shield and Malican!"

With a final heavy breath, I started back for the center of the arena. The walk there was seeming to take longer and longer with each match and I sighed at how tired I was starting to get.

"Come on Silver, you got this!" I heard Sky Flare call as I trotted past her seat. 

I smiled at that and felt a bit of energy return to me. 

Stalwart still had a shield strapped to one side, but he had traded in his mace for the standard guard short spear. 

Malican meanwhile, had four swords floating around him, and I couldn't help but groan at that. I knew a Unicorn could use one weapon easy enough. And I had assumed they could use two, but four? I hoped it was more a choice for show, because if Malican could actually use four swords proficiently, I was probably gonna lose this one in a matter of moments.

"You will not beat me a third time, Silver Wing!" Malican growled angrily. 

"Malican, this is meant to be a tournament of skill, not a competition of ego," Stalwart snapped, "So stop acting like this all about you and remember your position in the guard. Honor, respect, and unity, remember?"

Malican snorted at him, and returned his gaze to me. 

"Good luck Silver," Stalwart said, "Look forward to seeing what you do this time."

I chuckled and gave a weak shrug. "Me too." I said.

We all took a few steps back, then Luna began the match. 

Stalwart charged for me, as did three of Malican's swords. I slid backwards along the sand, using my wings to speed my retreat and put more space between myself and Malican. 

I knew what to expect from Stalwart by now. He hit hard, and could take a hit like a champ, but I had gotten a feel for how hard I needed to hit him to make him feel it. A few quick, hard shots would drop him, or at least open him up to be finished off like last time. But Malican was more of a wildcard. I knew what he could do with one weapon, but four was too much to deal with up close. I had to out range him while I figured out a way around his offence.

I had expected Malican to remain stationary, as he had in our previous fights, but this time he was running after me. He even managed to pass Stalwart, who looked as surprised as I was to see him moving about. 

Malican's horn glowed brightly, and I was soon under a relentless assault. Four fast moving swords swung and thrust from seemingly everywhere around me. I blocked what I could, but I had to rely more on dodging than anything. I was confused at first by the speed of Malican's attacks. They were fast, but compared to the first time we fought, they were slow, sloppy, and rather weak. 

For almost a minute, I weaved around his strikes, leaping and dashing this way and that. I could block his strikes now by aiming for the portion of his weapon that glowed with his magic, and it took almost no effort to send them flying. The finesse he has displayed in our first match was gone, and even Dawn had shown more control than he was using now. I had thought he was trying to lull me into a false sense of safety, but now I could see what was really going on. He was tired! Very tired. That's why he had charged after me himself this time. He had more control the closer his weapons were to him, and he likely hoped to overwhelm me at the start of the match with his four weapon combo and end the tournament there. Being such a preppy and skilled Unicorn, Malican had probably never run into a drawn out fight before. He had always won right away, or lost to a superior Unicorn instantly. But now that he had been through two strenuous fights that required a great deal of concentration, and the fact he was now using four weapons at once and swinging them around so much, he was tiring himself out! I was getting tired myself, but everything I did was physical. I was always pushing myself and improving, while he likely never had to work very hard at all his entire life, so I had more endurance than he did.

With a flicker, the glow of Malican's horn abruptly went out and his swords fell to the sand. "D-Damnit!" He growled, "Why can't I beat you!?"

I felt a little bad for him and sighed "You let me beat you," I explained softly, "You've got skill, but you let your ego drive you. You need to be neutral with yourself, and your opponent in a fight. You only lost because you let your emotions drive you to exhaustion." 

"Be quiet!" Malican barked, "You must have cheated somehow, that's all! There's no way I would have lost to a lowly Pegasus like you otherwise!" 

I frowned and dashed towards him at that. I delivered one solid hit to the side of his head and he dropped. "I do not cheat," I stated angrily, "You wanna win, then practice! Don't go around blaming others for your own failings!"

"I don't cheat either," I caught Stalwart call from behind me, "So heads up!"

I turned just in time to see Stalwart bearing down on me. I leaped back as his hooves slammed down into the sand where I had just been, then twisted to the side as his short spear thrust for my stomach.

I smirked at him and leaped back again as he chased after me. He could have won just then, if he hadn't have warned me he was about to attack. I had lost track of him dodging Malican's assault, and failed to check where he was afterwards. He wanted to fight me fairly, and I was rather impressed by that.

Stalwart reared up again and threw his spear at me. I leaped over the spear and dashed towards him. Without his weapon, I could risk getting in closer. I flew over Stalwart and struck out with my hind legs as I passed over him.

I struck him had in the back of the head and he staggered a few steps before dropping to his front knees.

I knew that wouldn't have been enough to keep him down however, so I turned back towards him and flew for his unshielded side. I pulled back to give him a hard right hook, but just as I closed in on him, Stalwart leaped towards me. 

My right hook nailed him square in the jaw, but as I connected with him, I felt an unexpected pressure embed itself in my stomach and time seemed to slow for a moment. Glancing down, I found Stalwarts right hoof planted firmly in my gut in a rising uppercut. I felt myself buckling around his powerful strike, and as time began to flow again, I felt and incredible amount of pain radiate from my core. 

I fell staggered backwards and gasped as I struggled to breathe. Stalwart had winded me brutally and I could barely keep standing. I watched him rise to his feet and stagger towards me and smirked weakly. 'I nailed him in the face and he still gets up,' I thought tiredly, 'No wonder his mark's a tower, trying to drop him is like trying to break down a castle gate.'

Stalwart staggered up to me and let out a weak laugh before abruptly falling over in a heap beside me.

I was a little stunned and tried to laugh at my apparent luck, but I could still find no air to breathe. I dropped to my flank and laid back in the surprisingly cool sand. I closed my eyes for a moment as I tried to recover and found everything beginning to swirl about and swiftly vanish behind an inky veil.