The Sun and the Stars: A Twilestia Prompt Collab

by Fuzzyfurvert


465. Saber by Knight of Lycaeus

by Knight of Lycaeus

***

The early autumn Sun peeked down on the stretch of rough-trodden hard earth. The air was silent and still. Except for a light cool breeze that served to further chill the already frosty morning.

Two armies of almost statuesque Ponies stared at each other across the barren land. The rough terrain had bore witness to numerous excursions from both sides determined to make headways against the other.

Scars marred the land, the results of magical force finding purchase on foes and those that did not.

On one side the Ponies were outfitted in barding of bright, shining white and dimmed only slightly by the trimming of deep gold on the edges of their brilliant plates.

Silently the ranks shifted to allow one Pony to pass and march right into the barren lands. The Pony was likewise garbed in the same barding yet slightly more. Fine designs in gold were wrought onto the plates and the helm boasted a plume in the colours of the dawn. Their Champion, the Paladin of the Sun stood stoically as another made their way out onto the barren earth from within the ranks of the opposing army.

If the first army reflected the gentle radiance of their patron, then the other army's barding reflected the mystic prowess of their patron.

Outfitted in plates of deep purple which even in the steadily brightening light, seemed to shimmer with tiny specks of dusky silver. The fields of deep colour were broken up by trimming of pale pink.

Their own Champion, the Grandmaster of Magic was likewise garbed in similar barding of its comrades. Yet across the plates were fine-lines of faintly glowing runes and across their back was a long hooded deep blue cloak.

The Paladin and the Grandmaster bowed to each other as tradition and their honour demanded. The Paladin bowed first as the Grandmaster had bested the Paladin during their last confrontation.

Formalities out of the way, the Paladin readied their lance. Finely crafted out of Solar Bronze and chased with gold along the dawn-coloured shaft. While the Grandmaster prepared their saber, forged from Mystic Iron and lined in fine glowing runes.

In less than the blink of an eye the two charged. Solar Bronze meet Mystic Iron, neither gaining or losing ground in this tough battle of equals. The two blades danced and twirled around each other guided by the skilled hooves of masters.

The Paladin taking chance of an opening and lunged only to find the Grandmaster had dodged the blow and was in the midst of bringing the edge of the sword down on the shaft of the lance.

In an instant the shaft was sliced nearly clean through. The Paladin grunted as it stared down at where the Grandmaster had broken the....


The breadstick he was looking at had been sliced clean in half.

Shining Armour sighed as he lowered what he was holding aloft in his magic. He turned his head to face Spike who was standing just behind. Unlike Shining, he wasn't confused or fazed by the oddity of what they had been looking at. He looked more resigned and weary.

"Should I even ask?" Shining said slowly.

Spike sighed, "You shouldn't, you really shouldn't."

Shining nodded, "Has this been happening a lot?"

Spike groaned, "Too often. Since the two started dating, Celestia's more creative with how she's teaching Twilight now."

Shining sighed, "I'm going to regret asking, but what happened?"

Spike facepalmed, "I did tell you. Stay away. Far, far away. The Crystal Empire is saner. This started because Celestia wanted to teach Twilight about military stuff, things she might need to know now. Twilight might be dedicated to studying everything, but it was easy to see that she wasn't really interested in the topic. So Celestia decided to be playful and started animating things and food into toy soldiers and sent them against Twilight. After a while Celestia got Twilight annoyed enough that she started sending her own soldiers against her. Now these two are have a "food fight"."

Spike said as he put quotes around the phrase "food fight".

Shining sighed again, "You're right. I shouldn't have asked. So now what? Cadance is busy for a few more hours."

Spike looked directly at Shining, much easier now that he was nearly the same height as the stallion.

"There's two options, one is we go home. Stay with family and try to forget the silliness that follows Twilight everywhere or-" Spike was cut off by a loud bang and glob of something pink flying into his face.

Spike facepalmed again with a more audible slap, "I forgot Discord was visiting for the week. There's no hope left."

"So the other plan?" Shining asked as Spike cleared the strawberry milk off his face.

Spike sighed, "The age-old solution and tradition to ignoring problems," as he deftly pulled out a large case of beer, "Get. Very. Very. Drunk."

Shining nodded and snagged a beer in his magic and took a gulp as the two slowly tuned out the sounds of the "food fight" going on around them.