Chapter 6: Lesson One
He could hear the rustling of the trees in the wind. He could feel the still wet grass being pressed down by his back. He could smell the sounds of damp ground. He could taste the blood that came from his bitten tongue. He could see nothing but darkness tinged with a soft silver light. Cloud opened his closed eyes and saw the armored pegasus still standing over him with her lance thrust into the ground next to his face. Yanking the lance out of the ground, she took off and landed a short distance away from him. Sitting up, Cloud pressed the button on his slicer and pointed the now-extended blade at the War Wing. "W-w-what was that about?" He winced after he said it, knowing that it was a terrible attempt at trying to be brave.
His oppenent seemed to think it was too, and she smiled as she dug her hoof into the ground. She was lowered down to charge at him and she snorted. A flash of silver and a clank of her armor was all the warning he had. Diving off to his right, he felt a rush of wind and saw the spear pass through where he had been moments before, but not before he felt the edge of the spear nick his cheek. He saw the iron-plated hoof coming a second too late, and he flew back into the dirt again. He used his wing to flip himself over and leapt away from the spear that stabbed down at where he had landed. Anger flashed in his mind as he realized that she was serious. She wants to kill me? She isn't gonna do it that easily!. He leapt toward her with his blade held in front of him.
His eyes widened as she grabbed the blade between her two iron-plated hooves. His whole world was flipped as she tossed him over her head and sent him flying through the air. Spreading his wings to right himself, he looked down just in time to see her shoot into the air after him. He brought his blade to deflect he spear, but he was too slow to stop her hoof from smashing into his side and sending him spiraling away from her. She's strong Cloud thought with admiration as he righted himself again.
He breathed deeply in and exhaled in a huff, starting the familiar small white-hot fire in his mind. Suddenly the fire was extinguished by a metal shaft smashing into his face. Rubbing his bruised face, he assumed the state of calm again obly to be stopped once more by a smashing blow. He dropped from the sky, wings limp from fatigue. He could see her diving after him with a grim look on her face. When she caught up with him, she placed her hooves on his chest and accelerated his fall to the ground. The pain that shot through his body was nearly unbearable. She sat on top of him with a dark cast to her face.
"You fail." was all the said before she reared back and pointed her spear downward to stab. He brought the blade up to catch the spear midthrust, and sent the head into the dirt next to his head. Shoving her off of his body with a burst of strength, he slashed at the harness that held her spear and the snap of the leather echoed in the forest. With a spin, he smashed his other hoof into her face with a blow that sent her sprawling. He floated in the familiar ocean of calmness. The pain that wracked his body felt as if it were another pony's pain. He raised his blade to point at the struggling and weaponless pegasus. "Do you yield? You have no weapon. This offer will be made but once, choose wisely." He was surprised by the cold dangerous voice that he spoke in, but he made no effort to lighten his words. His leveled blade followed her as she stood up on unshaking legs. Shock floated up and across the ocean of calmness before being grabbed beneath the waves. She was smiling at him and staring down his blade.
"No weapon? You think you've disarmed me?" there was laughter in her tone and her eyes, "I have trained for years as a soldier, you think that just because I lost my spear that I am defenseless?" She crouched down low to the ground and held her wings out to either side. "Let me show just how wrong you are you naive foal." With that, she knocked his sword aside with a hoof and lunged for him.
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Counting on his hesitation and his foalishness, she charged in close to use her formidable hooves. What she didn't expect was for a hoof that shot up to catch her in the chin and send her flying, literally. She hovered for a moment to recover from the unexpected blow. How could I have made an error like that? Shaking her head, she floated back down to the ground in a combat stance. She watched in disbelief as Cloud punched the button on his sword to retract the blade. He turned to her and assumed a combat stance of his own, a hoof raised and his body low to the ground. She had seen it many times before, it was an amatuer's stance. They taught that to all potential soldiers, though it was never used outside of schoolyard fights. There were multiple holes that could be poked into that stance that she knew of, and she selected the most simple; a rolling uppercut. She charged at him and rolled aside to dodge his swift jab. Continuing her roll, she came out of it by punching her hoof upward. Her hoof shot through thin air and she stumbled forward. What? Where did he go? She looked around for her oppenent but found no sign of him.
A flapping noise was heard overhead, and the alarm bells rang in her mind. She brought up her hooves in a crossed block just in time to receive a crushing blow from above. Pain shot through her hooves as she tried to deflect the strike. The momentum of the blow carried the other pegasus into a horozontal position and she fell backwards to use all four hooves to throw him over her head. She allowed herself a small smile as she heard him crash into a tree and groan. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to stand but stumbled forward into the ground. She spit out a mouthful of the tasteless soil and blocked out the pain. Standing again, she limped over to where the other pegasus lie groaning. She stood over him, watching him struggle and fail to stand. He was a good opponent. Spear's judgement wasn't misplaced.
He opened his golden eyes to glare at her as he struggled to stand again. Iron Dancer smirked at his anger and walked over to where her spear lay in the ground. The rustle of feathers and the grunt of pain was all she heard before she felt a blow that made her spin around with the force of it smash into her flank. A brief spark of anger flared inside her, and she smashed a hoof into the stubborn pegasus' face. She calmed herself and picked up her spear with her mouth, grimacing at the taste of the cold steel. She turned around to face Cloud again, a smile forming around the weapon in her mouth. This was the part of the test that she enjoyed the most.
She flipped him over onto his back with the shaft of her spear and stuck the point into his soft coat where his armor didn't protect him. Looking into his eyes, she was dissapointed at not finding fear in their depths, but rather a cold acceptance. She dug the point in harder in an attempt to make him cry out, but the only reaction she obtained was a grunt of pain and a hardening of his stare. She pulled her spear away from his chest and set it down onto the damp grass. She held out a hoof to pull the battered pegasus to his feet.
And was promply pulled to the ground with him on top of her. His grinning face was inches from her own and his breath washed over her face. "Rule number one: Don't trust anypony right? Looks like I win." She reached up and grabbed around his neck with her hooves. Gripping tightly, she flapped her wings backward and launched the both of them into the air. She held his hooves down with the four of her own as she grinned down at the helpless pegasus. She leaned down to whisper in his ear, and a cough coupled with a deep voice filled with partial amusement resounded throughout the clearing.
"Am I interrupting something Iron Dancer?"