Trapped in the Mirror of Worlds

by Silver_Wing

Might Against Magic

The next morning consisted mostly of preparing for my training match with Dawn. I had woken up early and took the extra time to come up with possible solutions to how I thought a Unicorn would most likely fight. It was hypothetical at the moment, but it's always better to be prepared when you can. I hadn't been hungry, but I ate a small serving of carrots regardless for the energy. After that I went to the academy armory for some equipment. I took a basic wooden training sword and a full pair of front leg armor. The armor didn't fit the greatest, but it was the best I could get my hooves on.

By the time I had gotten everything ready, I still had over an hour before Dawn was supposed to show up, so I took to the skies and caught myself a small tuft of cloud to relax on.

I had learned early on during my time here in Equestria that I could walk on clouds, but it was Sky Flare that taught me how to control them. The Pegasus of Equestria literally controlled the weather and managed everything from the rains and thunderstorms, to the seasons themselves. It was incredible.

For me though, the best part of that lesson was learning that I could move the clouds around if I was gentle and focused. They were easy to break apart, but with the right touch you could do just about anything with them.

Pushing my chosen tuft of cloud down the ground, I flopped onto it and sighed contently. A bed made of clouds was indescribably comfortable. Like a memory foam pillow but totally form fitting and breathable. It could even double as a blanket if it got cold out.

I crossed my arms behind my head and dozed as I waited for Dawn to arrive.

"Silver?" A soft voice called to me, catching my attention. I sat up on my cloud and looked around, finally spotting Dawn as she trotted up to me.

"Good morning!" I called back, giving her a wave.

“What are you doing on a cloud Silver?" she asked me, clearly confused as she eyed my bed, "How did it get there?”

I laughed. "Pegasus perk," I said simply, "We can walk on clouds remember? Turns out the weather around here is all controlled by Pegasai. Even the seasons."

“Wait what? Really?” Dawn said, apparently quite surprised.

I smiled at her and shook my head a little. "That doesn’t really surprise you does it? I mean, we're in world of talking animals, where even the rising and the setting of the sun revolve around the whim of magic."

"True..." Dawn said slowly.

I stretched as she thought over my explanation and frowned as I realized the zipper of my vest was half undone. I zipped it up quickly and hopped off my cloud.

"Wait, you didn’t have that jacket before, did you?” she asked quizzically.

I glanced at her and nearly burst out laughing. In the time I've known Dawn, I had learned two key things about her. She was very kind, but she was also a little slow with some things. I forced myself not to laugh, but I couldn't hide my smile.

"I had it on last night, Dawn," I snickered, "Didn't you notice?"

Dawn gasped quietly and shook her head, “Sorry, no.”

I couldn't keep it in any longer and laughed loudly at that. "You were pretty focused on that trinket of yours." I offered, hopping I hadn't hurt her feelings by accident with my laughter.

“Yeah, sorry. I’ve been told I can be pretty self-absorbed.” She said, raising a hoof to the back of her head to rub it as she smiled shyly at me.

“No worries." I said.

I gave the cloud behind me a soft kick to send it on its way and watched as it drifted back up into the sky. Behind where the cloud had rested was the training sword I had grabbed for Dawn to use today. I picked it up with my mouth and stabbed it into the ground in front of her.

"So where'd ya get it?" she asked, eying my new vest over.

"You remember Breezy?" I asked, "Lemon Bloom's husband? You met him once a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah I remember him." She said smiling.

I looked down at my vest and smiled fondly at it. "He gave it to me," I said, "It was his when he was a Wonderbolt. He said someone like me deserved one, so he gave me his." I could feel a stupid, proud grin creeping onto my face and shook my head to clear it.

“I see," Dawn said, "Well, congratulations then!”

She smiled happily at me and I felt my grin return in full.

I cleared my throat and took a breath to focus myself. "Thanks," I said quickly, "It's hella soft." Taking a few steps back, I nodded to the sword that was now between us and grinned. "So, ready for some fun?"

“I’m not quite sure I’d call this fun," Dawn said a little nervously, "But I’ll do what I can.”

I watched as she eyed the sword for a moment the caught a light green shimmer creep over its handle. The sword wobbled a little as she drew it from the ground, but she seemed to have it under control as it was soon positioned before her.

She held it much like I would have expected a human to hold a sword. It rested a foot or so in front of her, vertically upright with the handle pulled in slightly and the tip up but in my general direction.

"Just relax, get a feel for it first off," I said, trying to ease the tension I could see in her, "Just swing it around a few times and see what you can do."

“Of course! Last thing I want to do is whack you in the head.” Dawn smirked. She lifted the sword up a bit above her head, then swung it down.

I watched her closely, trying to take in every detail and determine if there were any tells from her body or horn that would lead me to know what she was about to do.

Dawn tested her range and swung the sword around several times, her weapon spinning nearly a full three hundred and sixty degrees each time.

I estimated she had a good thirty foot threat range, though how effective her sword would be at those ranges had yet to be seen.

“Not gonna lie," Dawn commented, "This feels really weird, and good at the same time.”

"I can imagine it'd be different than a good sword arm," I said, still watching her intently, "But the range of motion is clearly superior."

From watching her swings, I realized something very important. Though swords here still had handles, a Unicorn didn't have to swing by them. They could grasp any part of any weapon with their magic and be just fine. Nor did a Unicorns chosen weapon have a blind spot.

With human opponents, and even with the Pegasai at the academy, there are certain ways a weapon can and cannot be swung based on how it is held. If a pony were to hold a sword in his mouth, with the blade to the left, the right side of his mouth and side would be considered a blind spot for his blade. His neck will only allow him to swing it so far, so he'd have to move or change how he was holding the weapon to be able to strike anything on that side. But with magic, there was no blind spot. The weapon could literally move in any direction it wanted, with any amount of rotation. The handle itself would be the only safe spot on the weapon, which made me wonder why a Unicorn would use a handled weapon in the first place, and not simply wield a blade sharpened on all sides.

I'd look into that later though, for now it looked like my only safe spot when dealing with a Unicorn's weapon, was their handle itself.

“Yeah, It’s gonna take some getting used to," Dawn said, watching her sword as it moved around her head, "Are you sure this is going to help? I’m no swordsmare, at least not yet.”

"You've already helped more than you realize," I said honestly, "And I have no doubt you'll only continue to do so."

Dawn gave a doubtful shrug. “If you say so.” She gave a few more swings of her sword, then began twirling it around her like some sort of floating toy.

I chuckled at the nearly childlike smile I saw creep onto her face as she made her weapon dance about like a leaf on the wind.

Eventually, Dawn took a deep breath and returned the sword to a ready position in front of her. She looked at me seriously. “Are you ready?” she asked.

She looked far more focused than I had seen her ever look before. I was a little surprised, but pleased at the same time. It meant she was taking this seriously.

I took a deep breath and rose to my hind legs, assuming my standard ready stance. "I am," I said, "Try and hit me."

“Then, lay on!” Dawn called out loudly.

I watched as her sword shifted and moved towards me rather quickly. Dawn took a few steps after it, but despite her closeness I kept my eyes trained to her sword. Usually, this was bad practice, as an opponent’s weapon can be misleading. You should always watch the opponent, but against a Unicorn, it was the opposite.

The sword bobbed about before me and swung down for my head. I started to move to block it, but like lightning, the blade spun back and around and now aimed for my side. I dropped my right guard quickly and blocked it with the armored portion of my forearm.

A resounding 'Ting' sounding as the wooden blade struck my armor, but it held almost no force to it. I couldn't tell if Dawn was holding back out of concern, or if this was all the strength she could muster with her magic, but I needed to find out.

"Harder Dawn!" I said sternly, "Don't hold back! If I get a welt, it'll be my own fault for not dodging!"

Dawn looked away for a moment, then nodded back at me.

A moment later, I felt the pressure of her sword grow significantly stronger as it started to push against my arm. I grunted as the pressure grew ever greater, but I held my ground.

The feel of Dawns sword pressing against my arm like this felt nearly the exact same as blocking a sword in my world would have. It wasn't some superhuman strength like I had expected, and that got me wondering. I knew Luna and Celestia could literally lift a celestial body with their magic, but they were Alicorns. If a Unicorns magical strength was limited to an amount comparable with a normal person's, then I had far less to fear.

I stumbled forward abruptly as Dawn's blade pulled back. I nearly lost my balance, but a subtle shift with my wings kept my footing. I watched the sword flip up and over my head and quickly disappear behind me, so I leapt away from it reflexively, heading straight towards its master.

I needed to gauge Dawn's reaction time anyways, so this was the perfect opportunity. I flared my wings and raced straight past her. I kept a close eye on the weapon behind me as I moved, waiting to see if it would beat me to Dawn or not.

Dawn leaped to the side to avoid me, though it was clear that I was going to fly right past her anyways. The sword reached her just as I passed by. While this wasn't a definitive test, had I been serious there, I would have been able to get at least one solid shot off before her sword returned. However, I would probably still have been nailed myself. I needed to move faster, use my speed to my advantage, or... What if slowed Dawn down somehow?

I flew to the edge of the range Dawn has shown a few minutes before and resumed my ready stance. I was about twenty, maybe twenty five feet away from her here. I had just barely beaten her sword in a race from ten feet. This was double that, so it stood to reason that I'd be able to reach Dawn with plenty of time form here. If I could draw her attack this far from her comfort zone.

Dawn stood with her sword right before her, clearly on the defensive.

I watched as she took a step towards me and matched it by taking an equal step back, keeping our distance set. I'd get some range out of her one way or the other.

She frowned at me, likely realizing what I was doing and moved back.

I followed her step again and smiled at her.

It took her a moment, but eventually, she gave in and her sword came towards me slowly. It stopped about halfway and I got the feeling she wasn't going to move it any closer than that. I was a little disappointed, but it was still good information. It meant range really did affect her control.

I tried to formulate another way to test Dawn's abilities and my mind flashed to a trick Sky Flare had shown me during my flight lessons. It'd be a little risky, but it would show me what she could do if pressured.

Readying my wings for what was to come, I grinned at Dawn and leaped to the side. I gave a hard flap of my wings and tore off along the ground, only a few feet above it. Keeping the distance of twenty or so feet I had set, I turned my back to her and began circling faster and faster, generating a rather strong gust that blew over her from all sides.

Sky Flare could do this maneuver a lot better than I could. She even claimed to be able to make a full on tornado doing this, but about the best I could do was make a decent breeze.

As I circled Dawn in ever faster rotations, my eyes never left her sword.

It took her a moment to figure out how to handle my latest stunt, but eventually, she began spinning her sword opposite to the way I was going and moved it towards my path.

I waited until the last moment, then braced my wings and veered hard towards Dawn. The pressure was intense, but I had gotten used to turns like this thanks to all the training I was doing with Sky Flare. We trained nearly every day of the week, for hours on end. I was quite proud of myself. I could finally turn almost as good as she could, even at my speeds. It had made me very confident in my aerial prowess. So much so that I had no doubt I'd be able to corner at speed the next time I took part in a race, and not run the risk of having to save myself with wall running again.

Dawn's eyes shot wide open as I came at her and she dove to the side to avoid me, rolling to safety.

I made it clear to the far side of the wind circle I had been generating by the time Dawn's sword returned to her side. I was definitely faster than her magic was, which meant speed could be a huge factor in fighting a Unicorn. I turned back into my winds and continued my revolutions around Dawn as she got back to her feet.

She kept her sword at her back this time, facing out towards me. Her legs were tense and her eyes darted around as she tried to keep up with my rapid circling of her.

I smirked as I realized she was probably turtling, choosing to wait for me this time instead of taking the offensive again and risk losing her defense. "You ready for something a little more close to home Dawn?" I called out as I continued to circle her.

"Not really!" She called back, growing even more tense as she readied herself for whatever I was about to do next.

"Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you!" I reminded her.

With that, I veered hard again and this time, flew straight for her sword. I crossed my arms in front of me, preparing to deflect it the moment I slammed into it. It was a bit of a reckless attack, but I needed to know if I could overpower her block with a flyby or not.

Dawn glanced at me as I bore down on her and I watched as the glow of her horn grew as she focused on her sword.

I struck the sword hard, slamming my right forearm into its blade. I sent the wooden training sword flying without too much effort. Like when I had blocked her attack before, it felt almost no different from how striking a real held weapon would have felt. Even the way her magic seemed to lose its grip on her weapon felt the same that split second slip of the fingers before momentum and force took over and carried it away.

With her sword gone, I flared my wings out and flapped them hard to stop my charge as I pulled my right arm back as if to strike.

Dawn flinched and shrank away from me as the sharp gust of wind my sudden stop created blew over her. She closed her eyes out of reflex and tensed as she no doubt awaited me to go through with my attack.

Seizing this rare opportunity, I fired my right hoof forwards before Dawn opened her eyes and gently tapped her on the tip of her nose.

"Boop!" I said, before bursting out laughing.

She jumped back and reached a hoof up to her nose, pausing about halfway to stare at me with a look of total confusion and surprise.

Oh how I wished for a camera right then! Her expression would have made the absolute best photo ever!

"What's with that expression?" I teased, "I told you I wouldn't hurt you. And I didn't, did I?" I chuckled, and finding her to be lost in a bit of a daze, I booped her nose a second time and leaped away laughing. I glided backwards and landed some twenty feet back, tears starting to form in my eyes from laughing so hard.

Dawn shook her head after my second attack on her snout jarred her back to reality. She gave me an odd expression I couldn’t quite place. It was like a glare, but more suspicious or confused.

I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I got the feeling I had upset her, as a moment later her sword returned to her and she tamped the ground with a hoof.

"Oh, what's this now?" I smirked, "Ready to stop trying to hit me and actually hit me now?" I rubbed my front hooves together and grinned. "Let's see who boops who first then."

“I’m done playing with the blue pill.” Dawn smirked.

I watched as her sword motioned for me to come at her and laughed. "Let's see what you can do then!"

For whatever reason, Dawn seemed to be even more confident now, and I was looking forward to seeing what she'd do differently this time.

Raising my arms before me in a manner similar to that of a boxer, I dashed straight for her.

She side stepped my charge and unleashed a series of rapid strikes. I could tell by how she was moving she wanted to keep her sword between us, likely having learned I could beat her sword to her if given the chance.

I had to move quickly to block her strikes. Dawn was apparently a fan of repeated feints and I almost failed to react in time when one of her feints turned out to be real. The impact of her sword was far stronger now, strong enough I had to brace myself with my far leg and not just my arm like before.

'She's definitely trying seriously now,' I thought, 'Good. But I'm betting range plays a good part of the power too.' Being this close to Dawn, only a few feet away now, her magic seemed to be at its strongest. I suspected all Unicorns had to follow a similar pattern, stronger up close, but weaker the further their weapon got from their horns.

Dawn continued her assault on me and I began to grow concerned. Fast as it was, I could track her sword and I could keep up with it enough to block or dodge most of her strikes, but I wouldn't be able to keep this pace up forever. I would get tired and slow down soon, but would she? Did magic have a limit? Was it something like my old human games where she had a certain amount of magical energy, and it could deplete if over used? I didn't know, but I wanted to find out if possible.

As our dance went on, I was glad Dawn wasn't a physical fighter like Sky Flare, if she was, she could have beaten me in a heartbeat by this point. I had to put my full focus into watching her weapon as it whipped about around me, literally all of it. I couldn't take my eyes off her weapon for even a moment or it'd nail me, so Dawn herself was only a green shadow in my peripheral vision. I'd be able to tell if she came at me bodily, but I wouldn't be able to fend off both her sword, and her fists.

Another well played feint caught me off guard and I cursed under my breath as Dawn's sword flipped backwards around my arm and swung for my chest.

I lurched backwards to try and dodge it, but I felt the tip graze the zipper of my vest. For the first time in the entire fight, I felt my adrenaline kick in and I gave a fast flap of my wings. I launched myself straight back and skidded to a stop a few feet away.

I glanced down at the vest in concern. I was more worried about it getting damaged than myself. I knew how much it meant to Breezy, and I knew exactly what Sky Flare would do to me if it got ripped. Luckily, it was undamaged and I let out a heavy sigh of relief.

I praised my reflexes and scolded myself for even wearing the thing here for this. 'Okay, new rule,' I thought, 'No training wearing priceless items.'

“You know," I heard Dawn say as I gave my vest a final look over, "I could see learning some proper swordplay when all's said and done here. I’m only doing whatever comes to mind. It’s way better than swinging it with my arm.”

She chuckled as she spoke and I could see the growing the air of confidence about her smile.

"I can see the advantages," I nodded in agreement, "It's a whole different dance to fight against, that's for darn sure."

Dawn nodded and spun her sword around in a fanciful flourish, before moving it to her side in a sheathing motion.

I crossed my arms and smiled at her. "So, you had enough, or you ready for another go?"

“Well, I suppose we could keep going, I just felt like being fancy.” Dawn giggled and narrowed her eyes at me. She drew her sword from her side and held it in a stabbing stance beside her head, the tip pointed straight at me.

As I held her gaze, I noticed an odd shimmer creep along her horn and sword. The usual light green hue her magic took on grew darker and darker, until was more like a deep forest green.

"Nothing wrong with that." I said slowly. I tilted my head a little as I observed her magic. Dawn didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't seem to care. I took that to mean she had changed her magic’s color on purpose and shrugged the change off. "You ready?"

“More than I was before." Dawn said confidently, "Let’s do this!" She shifted her sword’s position at that, and moved it into a horizontal guard before her face, apparently anticipating a need to block.

Nicking my vest had apparently boosted her confidence quite a bit and I couldn't help but smirk back at her. I was still treating this as a learning exercise, and not really trying when it came to the offensive, but I was beginning to think Dawn may have forgotten that. I'd keep my mouth shut though. I didn't need to burst her bubble by getting the next hit on her. She had gotten my heart pumping, even if it was just for an instant, so I let her have her moment.

I hopped from foot to foot as I readied myself for our next match. 'Not gonna let you get that close to my vest this time,' I thought, 'This time, let's get your heart racing a little.'

I gave a flap of my wings and began circling Dawn once again. I repeated the wind circle maneuver I had done before, as it had proven to be quite effective. This time however, I was closer, barely fifteen feet out. It made it harder on me, as the smaller circles increased my speed and the pressure on my body, but I wasn't intending on keeping this up for long. Unlike the last time I did this though, I had my chest facing Dawn. This meant that the air pressure my wings generated with each flap would be launched towards her, buffeting Dawn with a series of rapid gusts from all sides.

Dawn stood at the ready, her sword held out before her. It was clear she was having some difficulty with the winds swirling around her, but she stood her ground.

With her sword out in front, her back was wide open. I knew she had to have known this, so I expected it to be some sort of a lure, but I went for her opening regardless.

I cut my corner hard and flew straight for Dawn's exposed backside, though I aimed to fly clear over her. Coming up on her however, I tensed in surprise as I watched Dawn start to rear up and move to kick at me with her hind legs. I could have angled around the kick, but I fully expected her sword to be waiting for me as I passed her, so I did the next best thing. Flaring my wings out like a parachute, and slamming my back feet into the ground hard as I dared, I skidded to a grinding halt just out of range of her feet.

I was more than a little grateful for all the training I had done. It had educated me on exactly what my new form was capable of, which was a necessity in a fight like this.

Dawn turned her kick into a spin as I stopped behind her and turned around to face me with surprising speed. Her sword flipped over her body as she moved and struck down at me full force. I was instantly put on the defensive as strike after strike was sent at me. She wasn't feinting anymore, instead, she was swinging for me at random with one hard hitting shot after another.

I could feel the intent in her swings, and even more power in her strikes than before. Something about her seemed different as well, beyond the darker hue to her magic. She was more aggressive, more commanding of the fight than before. I wasn't sure what had happened, but this was getting very interesting now.

Dawn kept up her assault for nearly a minute. I was holding my own against her onslaught, but even trying as I now was, I couldn't push through her attack. I was stuck in a loop of blocking and bodily dodging around.

The lack of tells magical weapons possessed forced me to rely on reflexive dodging more than anything, and though that worked against someone like Dawn, there was no way it'd work against a trained combatant. I needed to find a way around the attacks, or through them...

I leaped back a few feet, then dove straight at Dawn. I held my arms up before my upper body to act as a sort of shield and braced myself for the impending impact. Dawn could go for my legs, or even my wings fairy easily right now, but she'd get nailed by me no matter what if she didn't block this one.

Dawn lowered her head as I came at her, her horn pointing straight at me. Her sword flipped into my way and I slammed my armored forearms hard into it. Her block was impressive, and far stronger than earlier, but had I really wanted through, it wouldn't have slowed my down much. However, I didn't want through at that moment, so I matched her strength and took to pushing against her guard a little harder each time to get a true sense of her magic’s strength.

She fought against me with everything she had. She had such a look of sheer and utter determination etched into her straining form that I almost felt bad that I was holding back. I couldn't help but chuckle a little though. She reminded me of when I'd spar with my nephew. He was only twelve, so he had no chance of actually winning, but you'd never be able to tell that by his expression. No matter how many times he lost, he'd always come at me with the same ferocity and unwavering determination. I saw the same look in Dawn's eyes now. She had no chance, but I had asked her to fight me seriously, and it was clear that she was doing just that.

I had gotten what I needed from this little power struggle though. Unicorns had the obvious advantage when it came to a weapons maneuverability and attack angles, but if I could catch it, I was fairly certain I'd have them beat.

Pushing harder, I began to force Dawn's weapon back, and paused as I caught the glow of her horn intensify. I faint hum grew from it, and as it became steadily louder, the glow grew along with it. Her guard was growing stronger with the increase in light as well, but it still wasn't enough to stop me.

Dawn closed her eyes as I pushed against her again, and a moment later, I watched as all the light surrounding her horn abruptly shifted into a small ball at the tip of it.

The hum it had been making cut out as the light shifted and I tensed. I may not be an expert when it comes to magic, but I knew better to stand in front of something that was clearly building up.

I pushed hard against Dawn's sword and shoved it to the side, leaping past her with the same motion. My jaw dropped as I watched a literal beam of green light burst from Dawn's horn and bite into the earth where I just been standing. The beam tore a nearly foot wide swath through the grass that carried away from her for a good fifteen feet or so.

Dawn dropped to her knees as the light subsided. She was panting hard and she looked about as dazed as I felt.

'They can shoot laser’s!?' I thought in shock. I had no idea a Unicorn cold do anything like that! Even with magic!

I felt myself pale a little as I looked at the small trench Dawn's attack had left behind, and the thought of what would have happened to me if I hadn't moved when I did.

'I'd have a little more to worry about that a rip in my vest, that's for sure...' I thought. As I looked over the damage, I noticed Dawn's sword laying nearby. It was in pieces, and faint tufts of smoke drifted up from its blackened ends. 'Yeah... Just a little more to worry about than a rip...'

“I… I don’t feel so good.” Dawn said. She sounded utterly exhausted and looked around slowly, “Wait, what just happened?

"Uhh..." I said, not entirely sure what to even say. I sat down and gave an unsure gesture with my hooves. "I can't really say. You... I don't know... Fired off a laser beam from your horn?" It sounded stupid saying that aloud but that's what happened.

“Wait, what?!” Dawn looked at me rather confused, "I don’t know that spell! How’s that even possible?”

"You tell me!" I said, "You did it! Look." I pointed to the patch of grass her beam had cleaved and let out a nervous laugh.

I watched as Dawn glanced to where I was pointing and heard her gasp.

“Oh god…” she whispered.

Nearby, I caught sight of Starlight Dusk as he formed and sat down beside Dawn. He looked oddly transparent, even for him. “Yeah, that was definitely not intended.” He said. He glanced over at me and smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that. I’m glad you got out of the way. I don’t think either of us will be up for any more fighting for a bit though… That drained both of us really good.”

"No worries..." I said slowly. I forced a smile onto my face and tried to mask my concerns. "I think I'm good for now too..." If something like that was just another Unicorn trick, I'd have no chance in a fair fight. I couldn't do anything even remotely close to that, and regardless of the charge time, one hit and I'd be toast.

I cleared my throat and tried to push the thought from my mind for the time being. "Are you two alright though?" I asked.

“I don’t know.” Dawn said. She seemed rather concerned, and she kept looking over at her burnt sword.

“I think we’ll be all right," Starlight said, "I can’t say I know how we did that exactly, but I know I at least feel like nearly all our magic’s been drained… Again. If it’s like when we fixed the relic, it might take us a couple days to recover. I’ll have to ask my teacher if he knows what happened.”

Dawn looked over to Starlight, a mix of worry and confusion of her face, “I don’t get it. Magic isn’t tied to a muscle, or to anything inside us that I’ve read about, so how can we run out or get tired like this…?”

"Is everything alright?" A voice asked rather abruptly from behind me.

I shot a startled glance over my shoulder and saw Celestia standing over me. She looked as concerned as I felt and I watched as she looked the three of us over seriously.

I wasn't quite sure what to say to her, but by her expression, I assumed we were in trouble, even though what happened was an accident. After all, the Princess herself doesn't just show up outside the Palace for no reason...

“I… Don’t know?” Dawn said hesitantly, "We were practicing and then suddenly… Well…” She fell silent and looked back to the damage she had caused.

Celestia checked us over again, then let out a small sigh. "So long as none of you are hurt..." she said, her typical, nearly parental smile returning to her face. “Would you care to explain what you were trying to do when this happened, Dawn?"

“Well…" Dawn said slowly, "We were trying to practice our fighting, and I was using that sword to try to fend Silver off. He dashed at me and I did what I could to keep him from touching me again."

“What she means to say,” Starlight said half impatiently, “Is that we were fighting with Silver to help him practice. I tried to help her out mid-fight because I really didn’t want to be left out. She let me help her. Silver made a dash toward Dawn, we tried to push back with the sword as hard as we could, and then right when we put everything we had into it, Dawn had her eyes closed but we somehow shot a laser out of our horn… I don't really know what happened there."

He looked like he found the concept of shooting lasers as odd I had, but what else could we call it?

"I see..." Celestia said thoughtfully. "And what did you see Silver?"

"Me?" I said surprised. I didn’t understand why she'd ask me anything about this, it was all magic stuff, so what help could I be? "Well..." I paused as he recalled what I saw and how best to describe it. "Dawn was struggling to keep her guard up, then her horn started to glow brighter than usual. I didn't know what to expect, but when the light all moved to the tip of her horn, I felt I should move. A second later, she fired off a laser and dropped."

"This is most interesting," Celestia said, nodding to herself, "And most impressive."

“Wait…" Dawn started, "How is that… What?!” She was clearly confused.

Celestia smiled at her and sat down on the grass beside us. "What you have done is a very advanced magical technique," she explained, "It is typically used as a powerful Unicorns last line of defense in dire circumstances. It is a technique that channels a vast portion of one’s magical energy into their horn and condenses it. Once condensed, it is then released in a beam of magical energy. Such a beam can be very dangerous, to both the user and whatever the user releases it towards. If channeled incorrectly, one can run the risk of severely injuring themselves. You are fortunate to have released your magic as you did and not panic and try to hold onto it."

'So it's a risky move then?' I noted mentally, 'Risky how though? Does a Unicorn's magic backfire if it's not released right? Or do they just... Explode?' I wanted to get some answers, but I'd wait till later, when I could ask about it alone. The last thing I wanted to do was scare Dawn if it turns out she could have just accidentally killed herself. If she wound up being scared of her own magic, I might never get home.

“Wait… Powerful Unicorns?" Dawn said, looking to Celestia skeptically, "That doesn’t sound like me.”

“Yeah," Starlight added, "Even combined we couldn’t push back Silver like we hoped."

Celestia held her smile and grew thoughtful for a moment. "You are still new to your magic, Dawn," she began, "As such, you know very little about your true abilities. What power you may or may not come to possess is still unknown. You have no doubt felt the difference within from when you first arrived until now, yes?"

“Well… Yes.” Dawn admitted, fidgeting with the grass at her feet.

"Your magic is still in its infancy," Celestia continued, "Typically, by the time a Unicorn reaches adulthood, its magic has already developed. Yours has not. You still possess what we refer to as 'Foal Magic'. This is most likely due to the effect the Mirror of Worlds had on you. "

“What’s foal magic?” Dawn asked, “What would that have to do with the mirror?”

I wanted to know as well. It was one thing for this Mirror to change our forms, but now it has a sense of humor with the magic it gives? The guy who made it in the first place must have had a major screw loose.

"Foal magic is a term used to describe the magic infant Unicorn's possess," Celestia explained, "During the first few years of their lives, a foal's magic runs wild, like their imaginations. Though they do not have the stamina to reliably perform magic, foals have been known to manage some of the most difficult spells that exist, completely by accident. These sorts of things are rare, but they do happen from time to time."

“I see…” Dawn said quietly, “So it can also just be a fluke.” She paused for a second before looking back to Celestia, “So why do I get tired when using magic? I didn’t read anything about a magical stamina of sorts."

"It may very well have been just that, a fluke," Celestia said, "Only time will tell. Though I would not recommend attempting to learn that particular spell until your magic has matured." Her smile grew and she glanced at Dawn with an expression that reminded me of my mother. "As for why you have not read anything about magical stamina, the answer to that is quite simple. Have you ever read in a book that you will get tired when you exercise?"

Dawn looked stunned. “I… Well… Touché." she admitted.

Celestia giggled at her for a moment, then looked at me comfortingly. "I would not concern yourself with needing to counter an attack of that sort at your demonstration," she said softly, "It is not a spell we use lightly."

I tensed at that, but I felt a sigh of relief escape me regardless. I wasn't sure if she had read my mind, or if I had somehow made my concerns known by the way I had been staring at Dawn's burnt sword, but it was a huge load off my shoulder's to know I wouldn't have to worry about attacks like that.

“Well, I know I won’t be in any shape to use magic for the most part for the rest of the day…" Dawn said, rising shakily to her feet, "That was more draining than I know how to describe."

"You will no doubt feel tired for the next few days," Celestia said, rising to her feet as well, "You should take care and rest until your strength has returned."

“Well darn. Guess that means no more swordplay for us for a bit huh?” Starlight said. He glanced to Celestia for a moment, then asked. “Out of curiosity, what had you around in time to see us use that magic? That was some pretty crazy timing you had there.”

Celestia smiled down at Starlight with an oddly knowing look about her. "I wouldn't be a good Princess if I could tell when someone used a great deal of magic, now would I?" She paused for a moment, then continued, "But, if you really must know..." She nodded towards the palace, where a large balcony protruded. "A guard informed me when the two of you first began your sparring. I've been watching you the whole time." She laughed contently and smiled at us warmly.

I groaned, growing rather embarrassed at the fact that Celestia had been watching the whole thing.

"It has been a most enlightening display," Celestia said, glancing thoughtfully at Dawn, "And it has given me some deeper insight into your connection with Starlight."

“What do you mean?” Dawn asked.

Starlight laid down beside her and looked up at Celestia curiously.

"I believe Silver would be better able to explain." Celestia said, turning her attention to me.

"What?" I stammered. What could I possibly explain about Dawn and Starlight's connection?!

"Tell me Silver," Celestia said softly, "Did you not notice a change about Dawn as your fight progressed?"

"No..." I said hesitantly, "Not really."

"Are you sure?" Celestia asked, "Think about it carefully. Did you see anything out of the ordinary at all?"

As I stared at her in utter confusion, I noticed a faint light creep over her horn. It shimmered its usual golden hue, then abruptly shifted to a darker green, then back again.

I instantly remembered Dawn's magic changing color at that and shot a glance over at her. "Yeah actually, there was something!" I said nodding, "Her horn changed!"

"How so?" Celestia asked, thought it was clear by her expression that she knew all of this already.

"Well..." I explained, "The glow her horn gives off when she uses magic changed. It got darker. Like a deep green."

Celestia smiled knowingly. "That was due to Dawn and Starlight combining their individual magic's together as one and working together."

“Wait, you really could tell when we were working together?” Starlight asked surprised.

"Oh yes, it was quite apparent." Celestia stated.

She looked back to me and smiled again.

"Tell me Silver," she asked, "Did you notice anything else during your fight with Dawn? Anything that may have seemed out of character for her?"

I thought about it hard before answering this time. I couldn't really think of anything out of character, but Celestia wouldn't have asked if there wasn't something. "Well..." I started hesitantly, "She was getting a lot more confident as things went on?" It was a blind guess, but I had to say something other than 'I don't know.'

"Correct," she said, "And do you know why she became that way?"

I had no idea. "No." I said, half shrugging.

She turned her attention to Dawn and Starlight and smiled. "Do either of you know?"

“I’m not sure,” Dawn said, looking over at Starlight, “I’d rather hear it from you if you don’t mind, rather than just guess in the dark.”

I fought not to frown at that. 'At least I tried to guess!' I thought irritably.

"As the two of you focused and worked together, you began to bond as one," Celestia explained, "The closer the two of you got, the more potent your magic became. This is why Silver noticed a change in your magic. But that is not the only change that took place. As your magic’s fell in line with each other, your personalities started to merge as well." she smiled at Dawn for a moment, then continued, "Starlight’s pride and confidence swelled up inside you, pushing your fears and concerns from your mind, didn’t they Dawn?"

“Well… Now that you mention it…" Dawn said nodding, "Yeah."

"While this day was intended to aid Silver in his preparations, it seems to have aided you just as much," Celestia smiled, "Do not forget what you've learned today."

"I won’t…" Dawn said, "But I’m not sure I understand the significance."

"You will," Celestia said, "In time."

She looked at me and smiled for a moment. "I look forward to seeing you fight seriously, Silver Wing. I am expecting quite a show."

I laughed a little and shook my head. "So long as I don't have to deal with any more magic laser beams, I'll be sure to give you something you've never seen before."

Celestia's smile grew and she gave a polite bow of her head to us, then took to the sky and sailed back towards the nearby balcony.

I watched as she flew off, then looked at Dawn and Starlight and half frowned them in jest. "So... At what point did helping me out turn into you two tag teaming me in a two versus one match up, hmm?"

“I… Now wait just a second!” Dawn protested, “Last I could tell, you were the one asking us to be serious about it!”

I could only hold my frown for so long, then I burst out laughing. "You're fine, you're fine," I said, making a calming gesture with my leg, "Though I will admit, it's nice to know I can hold my own against the magic of two Unicorns."

“Well that makes two of us.” Dawn said, sitting back down, “I don’t want to face you again anytime soon.”

I chuckled at her and smiled. "Guess I won't get to boop you again for a while then, eh?"

I watched as Dawn sighed and shook her head at me, though I caught a hint of a smile creeping over the corners of her lips.

Silence fell over us and I began to grow antsy. I wanted to get back to my room and review what had happened in my fight with Dawn. I needed to figure out a plan of attack for dealing a Unicorns numerous abilities, and siting here like this was just wasting valuable time.

"Well, guess I should help you get back to your room so you can rest," I said, raising to my feet and stretching, "Would be rude of me to just leave you here." I smiled at her and offered a hoof to help her back to her feet.

“I’ll be fine Silver.” Dawn said, shakily rising to her feet on her own. She moved to stretch like I had and nearly collapsed. “Really… I should be ok. I just need to rest.”

Starlight rose after her and flickered like the last light of flame.

I grew a little concerned as I watched Starlight fade away and shook my head adamantly. "And you can, just as soon as you're back in your room," I stated, "You can barely stand, so stop being so stubborn and let me help!" I paused at that. Memories of my first meeting with Sky Flare flashed in my mind and I felt the side of my head throb for a moment as I recalled her answer to my own stubbornness. I would show Dawn significantly more manners however.

“I can stand," Dawn said, "And besides, I have Starlight here to… Wait, where’d he?” She looked around quickly, but couldn't find him.

"I'ma guess he's as tired as you are," I said, "So let me help, since of the three of us, I seem to be the only one that can stand straight."

Dawn sighed and dropped her head a little. “Fine… If you have to.”

She started for the Palace without me, her stubbornness apparently holding on to the bitter end.

I smirked at the determined wobble of her walk and kept pace close to her side, just in case she needed something to lean against for support.

We made it to Dawn's room without too much difficulty. The stairs proved a bit of a challenge, but the rest of the walk had been smooth sailing.

Dawn made a beeline for her bed and practically fell into it. “Thanks for the help Silver," she called to me tiredly, "If you’re not busy, Starlight wanted to talk to you about something… I need to sleep."

I paused at the door and titled my head a little at that. "Uh, sure? What about?"

Dawn didn't answer. Apparently, she had fallen asleep already.

Starlight appeared nearby. He was very hard to see clearly, but he slowly became more visible as he approached me.

I looked at Starlight thoughtfully for a moment. 'What could he want to talk to me about?' I thought, 'And why now?'

"Well, grats on the win there Silver," he said, "It's been years since I've gotten a chance to practice any kind of swordplay, and I really don't get to do much anymore..."

"Why not?" I asked, rather curious, "I mean, Dawn's napping now, and here you are still. So what's stopping you from going out and doing the things you want to do while she's sleeping?"

"I'm limited in how far away I can go from her," Starlight said, frowning ever so slightly, "And what I can do based on her power. Even now, it’s a struggle to stay visible rather than just be a voice. If she does grow more powerfull as Celestia seems to be suggesting, maybe at some point I'll be able to go places without her, but I doubt it'll be much further than a quarter of a mile away... Regardless, I am bound to her."

"That sounds a little frustrating," I admitted, "But... Shouldn't you be content doing whatever Dawn's doing? I mean, you two are the same person after all, right? So shouldn't your interests be the same?"

"We're similar enough I suppose," Starlight said, "But our approaches are different. Whatever ended up happening between when we were the same person and now... I can't even believe it myself, cause I don't recognize her as me half the time. I mean, I know I was clueless sometimes, but damn... This girl..."

I almost burst out laughing at that. Dawn was a little slow on some things, but I had never thought her other side would have that thought too! I laughed softly, trying not to wake Dawn. "She does seem to have her moments," I admitted, "But at least she's got a good heart."

"Yeah... I guess we did share that." He laughed quietly as well, then let out a sigh. "I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted someone to talk to, you could talk with us. I certainly could do with more conversation than just Dawn and my teacher... I can only repeat or think of the same things so often."

"That sounds... Lonely." I said, feeling a little sorry for him. I thought about his offer for a moment and gave a sight shrug. "I'm not really one to talk about my life with people," I admitted, "But I can give you a third person to chat with at least." I smiled at him, hoping I didn't come off as rude.

"That'd be nice... I guess I'm the one that needs to make friends more than you by the sound of it," he said, sounding a little apologetic, "I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk in general, but was there anything you wanted to talk to me about since Dawn's out cold?"

"Nothing you're probably not bored to tears about talking about," I said honestly, "Not right now at least. My mind's pretty much set on figuring out how to counter yours guy's magic."

I watched as his demeanor dropped a little and sighed. I felt bad for him, so I asked the first thing that came to mind.

"So where do you go when you're not here?" I asked.

He perked up a little and that. "Well, it's kinda like a nowhere... If you can even call that a place," he said, "I just have a friend there, and we've kinda not talked much... He just lets me ramble on and he listens."

"Well, at least you have somebody to talk to when needed," I said, "Though I have to admit, I don't think I could handle being half here and not." I chuckled and smiled over at Dawn, "And I doubt I'd ever be able to handle having someone else in my head."

It was bad enough that the Princesses could snoop around in other people's minds, but having someone in there twenty four seven? That's be the ultimate in an invasion of privacy.

Starlight flickered again at that and shrunk back a little. "Trust me, I'd rather live my own life too..." he said, "But for now, Dawn and I work together. And no matter how much I want to be out and about at times of my choosing... I try to respect that for her too."

I wasn't sure if what I said had offended him or not, but I got the impression it was a touchy subject at least.

"Well," I said, trying to figure out how to lighten his mood, "Not that I know anything about magic like everyone else seems too, but if I come across something that might help you to be your own person, I'll be sure to tell you."

"That'd be nice..." he said, "And if you want to know anything about magic, feel free to ask me too. Considering how strange it was to dawn and I both at first, I doubt we'd ridicule you for it. I mean, so many things here just defy logic as we know it right?"

"Oh yeah," I agreed, "Like the solar cycle... If this were my world, the planet would rip itself in half from the moon moving like that."

"Yeah... I don’t get it either," he said, "My teacher won't explain how that even happens. I kept asking, but he got quiet and so I left it alone."

His comment of his teacher jogged my memory and I asked a question that had been bothering me since the dinner the night before.

"So this teacher you keep talking about, he's never told you his name?"

"He never told me," Starlight said, "I've tried asking him, but I don't get the answer I want, just what I've already told everyone."

"Huh..." I said. That seemed odd to me, but there was no use in dwelling on it. This teacher seemed to be doing more good than bad, so why try to pick at a good thing? "At least he's helpful, right?" I smiled.

"Yeah..."

Dawn moaned and rolled over in her sleep, turning to face away from the light of the room.

I tensed a little as she moved and looked over at her cautiously. She was still asleep thankfully, but I didn't want to risk waking her up, not when she was as tired as she was. "We should probably continue this a little later," I said, in a low whisper, "I'd rather not wake her up with how tired she is."

"I understand," Starlight whispered back, "Take it easy in the meantime Silver. If you need us to help you with going through the motions of something later, just let us know... Just not before tomorrow at least."

I chuckled softly and nodded. "Yeah, something tells me she's going to be out for a while," I said, "You two take care, alright?"

Starlight nodded and faded away back into nothingness.

I moved as quietly as I could and crept out into the hall. I closed Dawn's door behind me and let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't even noon yet, but I felt like I was already running out of time. I only had three more days to prepare for my demonstration. I had no idea who else besides the Princesses would be there, but I needed to be ready for anything. I knew Sky Flare would help, Dawn and Starlight too if I asked, I just hoped it would be enough.

Comments

[Seeking Dusk]

That fight was more impressive than I expected, considering Dawn's lack of experience. Goes to show what assumptions lead to.

[Kusac]

Dawn is a total neophyte when it come to what a unicorn can do. She is thinking like normal swinging of a sword. If it is blocked, have the sword pivot around whatever it is blocking. Do not try to match force with force. Flow around obstacles and strike. Plus this leaves out everthing a magic can do but levitation or magic missles.

I would love to have the unicorn knock down the smug Silver down more than a peg. The guy could give Rainbow's ego during the events of Mare do Well a run for her money. Plus this fic is written as Silver being OP. It would be good to have a setback for the protagonist. As it is, the story is edging towards the lame o meter as how he breezes through everything.

[Meadow_Dawn]

6655740 So to answer your two comments in one:
1) assuming they won't believe you when you say the truth? It's something called insecurity. People are prone to hiding information if they don't know how others will react until they test the waters further. Silver and Dawn take it for granted that they are from the same world, but they don't want to tell others about there being other worlds as Celestia has asked.
2) Stalwart being jealous? Won't deny, that's a new one for me. You can interpret his behavior however you want, though I can't guarantee I'll either agree or see every point that's brought up from any given person/pony.
3) Dawn is neophyte: Well duh. She/I have only used magic for about two months, and aside from mundane things, have only managed to fix a relic at the detriment of being severely drained for a few days in a row. Giving combat advice afterward is kinda moot, as we are trying to relay dawn learning and trying to grow accustomed to her power (whether it's growing or she's just growing attuned, doesn't matter for this point). I will also say that with her/I having had swordfighting experience with human forms, it only makes sense to initially wield it based on familiarity. As far as leaving out everything magic can do? That's kinda the point. Dawn has to study or duplicate something she's seen so far to make something happen, so suggesting levitation or magic missiles is a red herring topic.
4) Silver doesn't have the psyche of someone who is egotistical, I don't see where you got that idea. Silver is not OP, merely using a fighting style that is unfamiliar. Remember Black Mane? He got 43 hits in on silver before Silver finally knocked him out. The race? Training by the best stunt flier around. This most recent practice run with me? Something he's had time to practice with Sky. Nothing we're introducing is outside the realm of plausibility.

If you feel it leans toward your 'lame-o-meter', fine. More power to you for having your own standards on where you think things should be. We will continue to attempt reflecting things as close to how that world presents everything and how we would interact with it as we can. That is all we will ever promise on that subject.

[NicLove]

Is there a order that I shod read the 2 stories ?
2 chanpter of this one 3 chanpter of the other one... ? you know what I mean ?

[Silver_Wing]

6780810

Yes, I know what you mean, but no. The story of Silver Wing's adventure and Meadow Dawn's are parallel and though they do intersect at points, one does not need read both sides in tandem. You can read either or, in most any order. The benefit of reading both is to a get a different perspective on similar events, and to learn more about what was really going on for the main characters during such and such.

That being said, I personally tend to read them Chap for Chap. Chapter 1 of mine, then chapter 1 of Dawn's, the 2 of mine, etc.

[Meadow_Dawn]

6764616 Without spoiling anything, I believe I've made it reasonably clear by the most recent chapter on my side of things that Starlight Dusk is a representation of a person that Dawn used to be until a key life event. Now rather than just disappearing into memory, for reasons unknown by this point, he instead was trapped in that inbetween world or 'the void', where he met his unnamed teacher. It is clear that Dawn and Dusk are linked, and that is preventing Dawn's return home. To clarify a little extra, I can confirm that Dawn will not be able to materialize anything with her magic other than helping him be able to interact with the world, or unless she uses that storage spell that many ponies have used thusfar. (we haven't reached that point in my story, but it's coming soon (TM) )

[Cadberry]

If channeled incorrectly, one can run the risk of severely injuring themselves. You are fortunate to have released your magic as you did and not panic and try to hold onto it."

Looks like this story touched upon Mana burn.
What is mana burn you ask?
It's an old game concept where the player loses life points based on how much unused mana has at th end of his/her turn.
Storylines wise, mana burn happens when a wizard holds mana and doesn't use it to cast the spell. Such a wizard can seriously suffer from it, be killed, or even be burned to ash if the amount of mana was too big. Some victims of mana burn can be also be turned into the Fallen.
Got that from Wikipedia

[Meadow_Dawn]

6794697 I won't deny, not sure how to interpret the comment. As far as I know, neither of us at all intended this event to be related to that... mana burn. i'm not sure I even see the correlation.

[Cadberry]

6796286
Its not really the event that relates to mana burn. Rather it's what would have happened if the event ended with Dawn holding it in. All that magic has to go somewhere. If not released, then it shoots back at the caster. Kinda like a revolver backfiring.

Just to add, thanks for expanding upon Dawn's shadow.

[Plucky-the-Pony]

6886703 It was this story, actually, that inspired me to create my own character if Silver's and hers should ever cross... Ironically enough she is also a red-head. XD

[Plucky-the-Pony]

...new form was capable of, which was a necessity in a fight in a fight like this.

Repeat of "in a fight"

[Phobos]

Once upon a time, I didn't know how to rhyme.
But I practiced so hard, i could rhyme from my yard. (Totally useless comment there pls don't hate me)

So with that done imma read this story