//------------------------------//
// 16 - Proving Their Worth 
// Story: The Everglow of a Twilight Sunset 
// by David Silver 
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Roll nodded firmly. "Challenge accepted." With her words, the sparring and training around them began to quickly die out as they gathered a sizable crowd to watch their teacher fight the newcomers.

Rosy's eyes remained locked on the party even as she spoke to her students. "First mistake, being badly outnumbered. I'll have to fight all the smarter to have a chance, or pray to the gods above that I outclass them so badly that their numbers mean nothing."

True pulled an arrow back, lining it with Rosy. She huffed at the small warrior. "Using a weapon larger than intended may be intimidating, but ultimately unwieldy." The arrow was released and Rosey moved subtly, allowing it to shatter against the thickest part of her armor and be crashed with her timed motion. It was a graceful parry, but not allowed to happen in a void.

Roll crashed into the confident mare, matching claws against the spikes that Rosy wore. Even as they matched hoof for hoof, fire crashed into Rosy's left side and chilling frost on the right. 

"Let's see how good their bodyguard is," grumbled Rosy as she shoved forward, knocking Roll back a step, far enough for her to rush past her. She caught the blades of the mechanical pony's claws in her side, but her charge was sure, bearing down on the already injured Twilight and knocking her flat to the ground as she left the other side of the ice slinger's face swollen painfully. "One down..."

Sunset began weaving the words that would make her ally larger and stronger even as True quickly drew a fresh arrow and let it loose, catching Rosey in the flank and allowing blood to trickle free. Some of the students traded murmurs among themselves. Perhaps their teacher had bitten off more than she could chew in taking on an entire party.

Roll came crashing into Rosy's side, her left hoof diving a metal spike painfully into the instructor. "Surrender. You cannot win this conflic--" She didn't get to quite finish her statement as the world went unstable and she collapsed to the ground, swept off her hooves in a quick motion by Rosy.

Rosy charged past Roll who tried to swipe at her clumsily as she struggled to stand. She was on Sunset and drove a spike into her shoulder bringing out a pained yelp and a disrupted spell. "None of that if you will. If this was a true battle, I'd be wielding more than these hoof-claws."

Her students winced. She'd inflicted quite enough pain with her claws. They didn't want to know what she'd do with heavier grades of weapons.

Sunset staggered backwards, trying to get some room, but Rosy advanced with her. "Come on, show me your magic..."

She tried a spell, but it fizzled in the stress of battle and as she tried so hard to watch for Rosy's lunges and feints. An arrow thunked into Rosy's leg and she hissed as it sank into the meat there. "Leaving an archer be is dangerous work, but spellcasters can be worse."

Roll had rejoined the brawl, but Rosy was pointedly ignoring her, only moving enough to try to avoid her swings, still facing Sunset. Roll swiped at her foe and was sure her aim was true, but her claws skidded against an unseen force at the last second, missing.

Rosy lashed out with a quick one-two punch and the second member of their team crashed to the ground with a cry of pain. "Two down."

Roll smashed her across her smart mouth. "Focus on the battle at hoof."

Rosy spat blood onto the floor. "I deserved that. Let's see how well you protect your last friend standing."

Roll glanced towards True and a metallic clang rang out as Rosy shoved a spike into Roll's chest. 

"Focus on the battle at hoof," taunted Rosy in kind. "Enough." She settled onto four hooves and let out a low breath. "You have some practice ahead of you, allowing an enemy melee combatant free reign in your group is a swift way to lose friends. Bright Spark, show me your clerical skills."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" In came a pony in a chain shirt and a smile. "I've never seen you so roughed up, um, sir."

"Fighting is tough business. Get these arrows out of me and see to our recruits."

He began seeing to her wounds with soft words to the Sun Queen that left the still conscious but disabled Sunset confused. "You mean Celestia?"

The pony raised a brow. "Is that another name for the Sun Queen?" he pressed a hoof to Sunset, allowing his healing energy to flow into her with gentle prayers. "I've heard worse."

Roll shook her head. "Are we accepted?"

Rosy let out a low chuckle. "I have a question first. Most who come to me are fresh-faced younguns lookin' for a way to make a living. You fight like a seasoned warrior. A warrior used to fighting alone, perhaps, but with a skill that can't be denied. So, why are you here?" She glanced from pony to pony. "You don't need the Academy's training, not specifically..."

True wrenched his bow free and slung it on his back with a squeak in reply.

Twilight jerked awake with the clerical touch. "Ah!" She saw Rosy and scrambled away in fear.

Bright followed after her. "That reaction is natural. She is a fierce she-demon, but we respect her knowledge and skill."

Roll glanced back at her friends. "We wish to meet the Queen."

Rosy raised a brow. "There are more straightforward methods of gaining an audience."

Sunset climbed to her hooves. "There was an attack, alright? You're in charge, right? Send some soldiers to get the short-legs out of the mines."

She only looked more confused. "Short-legs? Mines?"

Roll rolled her neck with a mechanical ratcheting. "Gem Gnolls have attacked the short-legs." She pointed back at the small True. "Like him. They are being used as slave labor in a mine, the entire tribe."

Rosy's teeth clenched. "A mass attack on the gem gnolls..." She did the math in her head. "Expensive, at the least, both in finances and the lives of good soldiers. I doubt the Queen will, or can, act now. The empire is still recovering from the effort to unite it." She frowned at them. "I'm afraid you won't find the help you're looking for here."

Recovered from the shock of the battle, Twilight approached timidly. "Can we at least tell her about it? She might listen."

Rosy put a hoof to her face, spike retracted. "Look, none of the people you're talking to are fools. They will know if I bring trainees with me that have never been seen with me before to the castle, and the Queen expects better of me. Now, you seem to be telling the truth, but I am a trainer of this academy, it's not up to me to vet people that way."

True looked around a little. They were already in the castle, but he couldn't voice this observation.

Sunset turned for the way they came. "Sorry to bother you."

"She gives up quickly," whispered the voice in Twilight's ear.

But Twilight couldn't see another way forward. They had failed. "I... thank you. Will you at least tell her?"

"When I can." Rosy turned to face her students with a scowl. "I see a bunch of lazy layabouts! Get moving!"

They left. Twilight sagged against a building once they were outside. "That didn't go well at all."

Sunset shrugged. "We told someone in power, what more can we do?"

True squeaked and pointed at a small sign. They all turned towards it.



Seeking entertainment.

The Queen Iliana does seek entertainment to perform at her court. Those that showcase the wild exoticness of the pony empire and the unity of those in it will be considered first. Please report to the castle. Payment will be generous if accepted.



True pointed at the sign, then pointed at Roll and back at the sign as he bobbed his head.

Roll looked confused a moment before it came to her. "You want me to dance for them?!"

Twilight perked up. "Would you? That would put you near the queen, and you could tell her! You like them, right? You could save the short-legs!"

Sunset threw up two hooves. "I thought we were going home? How about that temple?"

Twilight spun on Sunset. "Look, we can go over there and start looking for a way back while Roll does this. We don't need her to talk to some priests anyway, right?"

Roll let out a sigh that sounded more like the rattling of gears. "For the short-legs, and Lashtada, I will attempt my best." She nodded once and moved away from the party. "I will seek you out afterwards, for better or worse."

True hopped up on Sunset's back and tapped at her neck from behind as he squeaked at her, frowning.

"What?" She shook herself lightly. "We're going home. We told you this before, and getting involved in local politics isn't getting much accomplished. What do you want us to do?" She levelled a hoof at Twilight. "Whatever you're being told, don't forget you're a girl. Damn, you're not even out of high school. Look, I'm your friend, and if you get hurt, I'm responsible, alright?"

Twilight felt something new. "Is that why you're acting like this?" She took a slow step towards her friend. "I might be... how old are you again? I mean, you looked about the same age as me."

"But I'm not." Sunset sank to her haunches. "Crazy dimensional stuff, alright? I'm an adult, a fully grown adult, and I don't want you getting hurt."

True slid off the slanted back and hopped to his hooves before circling around Sunset to peer at her curiously.

"I may be younger than you," confessed Twilight. "But I'm old enough to make decisions f--"

Sunset laughed a single mocking note. "I thought that too... Then I ran away from the person that cared about me most. I ran so far I never went back. We're both old enough to make decisions, but are they good ones?"

"I'm still annoyed at her, but she is a good friend I think," spoke the voice. "Have you considered taking her as a partner?"

Twilight spat despite not drinking anything. "We're both girls!"

"I could fix that."

"No!" Twilight got to her hooves. "No, thanks, but no."

Sunset raised a brow. "What did she just suggest?"

"Nothing you want to hear..."

Sunset glanced between the rest of the city and her friend. "That bad?"

"So, about that temple?" Twilight forced a smile. "We should get to looking while Roll does her best."

True squeaked and climbed up on Twilight before curling up on her warmly.