Only One Speck of Dust

by TheMareWhoSaysNi

Chapter 37

The snow under her hooves was wet and sticky. The freezing air felt like in the middle of a transformation. It still chafed the tip of her muzzle, and from her nostrils kept on rising a smoke white like a specter, yet something was different. The end of a period could be smelled in the greyish sky of the night.

Applejack only had to follow the bloody traces inside the grey powder surrounding the many doors of the castle to find Lightning Dust back. The sword she used to fight was the second sign. Its metal whistled in the middle of silence, right above her head, and was able to brush the tip of her ear, right before she plunged against the ground in order to protect herself.

Their eyes met, and determination of the one was echoed by the fury of the other. Breathless, they both knew they had to win this duel at any cost.

It was because she wanted to avenge her brother’s death that Applejack had decided to take the weapons, as well as to respect the oath she had made when she had become The Militia’s Second-in-Command.

Lightning Dust, as far as she was concerned, thought that if she won, she would undoubtedly be covered in glory.

She refused to be defeated anyway, and harming was no part of her plans. She was here to kill, for the enjoyable pleasure she could get from eliminating a tough opponent.

Without hesitation, she plunged straight in front of her, her sword darting towards the ground, or to be more precise, towards the panting earth mare’s chest. The latter, still agile although a little slower, was able to avoid it again by rolling her flanks on the snow, but it happened it was harder for her to stand back up with this wound which made her suffer terribly.

Her adversary did not know pity, and never let her one second to breath. Each time she was able to avoid her, before she could even use her own sword, the mare pegasus pounced on her, resolute to touch her where death would be assured.

If she could not do it, on the other hoof, Lightning Dust was able to harm her again, this time at her right hind hoof, barely missing to cut it entirely. She had the advantage of her wings, while Applejack, in pain and prisoner, remained pinned on the ground, without a single shelter to hide and catch her breath.

This masquerade had been long enough. On her way up here, with fever inside, she had got rid of all those who were in front of her without the least of remorse, cutting, chopping, killing anyone trying to stop her from reaching her goal. Tonight was not going to be the night when a damn frustrated pegasus mare would tear her off this world, off those she loved and who loved her back.

Pretending to lean over her wound, Applejack unsheathed her secret weapon. And if to begin with, Lightning Dust looked at her raising an eyebrow, puzzled as for what a piece of rope would help her win this duel, she quickly regretted her carelessness. When, once again, she plunged in the direction of her rival’s chest, in order to get over it once and for all, she was surprised to feel some slimy material wrapping around one of her hind hoof, like a snake from out of nowhere.

Applejack pulled with her teeth, and could not hide a smile seeing her opponent gliding backwards without control, or being able to undo the tie, and she fell on the ground, a few inches away. The sword she had held between her teeth swirled, and fell back as well, too far for Lightning Dust to be able to catch it quickly enough to attack without being touched too.

The earth mare clenched her teeth all along, and was able to slip her body where the other pony was lying. The latter tried to stand back up, but a hit in her wounded hoof was enough to pin her back against the snow. Applejack was targeting for her heart, although she was tempted for a few seconds to make sure the pony in front of her would know an agony as long as Big Macintosh’s had been.

It was without taking into account her rival’s intense determination. She lifted her fore hooves and tried her best to bring the sharp blade of the sword towards the Second-in-Command’s throat, convinced this hitch was nothing but this, a hitch, and that she would end up victorious anyway.

Self-confidence, resolution and self-importance were useful weapons during a fight. They helped to outperform, to spare no effort.
Nonetheless, they were not the only necessary ingredients of success. It took a good measure of reflection, thinking about all the parameters, knowing your weaknesses as much as your strengths in order to have the upper hoof. Even Rainbow Dash knew she had to call herself into question when the circumstances demanded it…

Although she felt hurt to the extent of crying, although she felt exhausted inside, Applejack had no intention of giving a single inch of ground.
She kept going, pressing with all she got forward so her opponent would not get the advantage back. Too bad for the rest, all that mattered now was to make sure her own blade would not be the instrument of her tragic death. Melrose could not lose another of her children tonight…

She only needed a little something… Just a little bit more of strength, and most importantly, not to give in, at no moment, to lower her guard.
The mare in front of her was unyielding, and even when pinned against the snow, in the incapacity of using the trump that were her wings, she did not cease to struggle.

Applejack could feel her hind hooves bleeding and burying inside the mud the snow had become. Her green eyes were staring at Lightning Dust’s, as if to show her she would not become a victim, and to remind her of other victims, like those of the stallion she had condemn because of her zeal, and without whom life would never have the same color again. She pressed a little bit stronger, with all her weight. If this had to be the last thing she would ever do, then she would do it.

The sword finally gave in, and as soon as it got in touch with the frail and quivering throat of the mare pegasus, with no hesitation, she moved it to the left with precision and control, feeling the blade bumping into a resistance, then burying, and hot blood came to cover her face, her neck, and even the snow around her.

Lightning Dust’s eyes rolled up, and her body was taken over by jolting convulsions, while the hemoglobin kept on pouring on everything it was possible to reach, and when the last puff of immaculate smoke went through her chapped lips, finally, Applejack let herself collapse by her side, breathless, with tears striking the orange coat of her face.

Her strength had left. What she still had, she had poured it in this cold and quick execution, and now, her body refused to move, alive yet motionless like a statue of stone and ice. Blood by blood… The honor had been washed, her brother’s death avenged. Yet would always remain, nestled in a corner of her heart, an emptiness that would never be fulfilled again, something curled up and disappeared forever.

---------------------------------------------

A very few ponies might be suspecting what was hiding under the pink and cozy surface. Since her infancy, when she had been nothing but an orphan filly, her opponents had always been surprised of the bloodlust her soul yet kind and cheerful of nature could conceal.

It was not about leniency and kindness now, no matter how much deep inside she preferred the sweet madness of a celebration. They were expected that she, Pinkie Pie, did what she was expected to do… To fight for hers, for her ideals, for Equestria’s honor and for her surrogate family. Out of question to laugh, or to let her real aspirations put the mission she had been given back up.

She liked to think her apparent good-heartedness was a big advantage, the way it was for Caramel, who, just like her, was a dark horse behind his inoffensive attitude. They were many to think they would make short work of her, dashing in her direction unawares, with their swords out.

All those still alive, if there was any, bucked themselves they had tried. Because the way she fought was not only effective, it also was wilder. The worst was that even without a knife or a sword, she could defend herself, she could attack, and do more damages than any type of blades.

However, Pinkie Pie knew weariness came quickly when too much was given at the same time, and she was trying her best to strike with economy, though they remained of a very particular implacability. She wanted to make sure she would have full energy until the end, that at no moment, taking an advantage from a decline of momentum from her, one of those so-called soldiers would lash out at her, eliminating her permanently from the battle.

Although pitiless, the way she fought was not deprived of a sense of honor. Nothing was forbidden, as long as the other one was prepared, which means if they were real opponents or if they had attacked first, for example. So, when the pink mare saw a stallion trying to harm Twilight by surprise, striking from behind without her seeing him, it made her already hot blood boil.

What she had kept inside, in order to spare herself, Pinkie Pie released it. The battle was advanced enough, anyway. Too bad for them.

She felt her mane falling softly on her shoulders, and did not even care. Thrown at full throttle, she leaped in the air, and thanks to one of her two favorite daggers, she pounced on the disloyal pony who had tried to trick her friend. The stallion saw her in his field of vision, wanted to reply… Too late. She had just buried her knife inside his throat, so deeply the shaft stuck out for a few seconds, until the lifeless pony collapsed, and she took it off, without a care about the blood which spurted against her face.

Twilight thanked her with a smile, but did not have time to do more. An old acquaintance had just arrived in front of her, and in view of the gleam of hostility in her eyes, she was not here in peace.

“Good evening, Twilight Sparkle”, Trixie declared with a half-smile. “Happy to see me?”

“Not as much as you seem happy to see me.”

The young unicorn burst out laughing soundly and dramatically, like she was used to, and Twilight wondered what held herself back to make her close her mouth once and for all with a strike of sword inside her chest.

Then, she noticed in dread that she displayed no trace of injuries or scrapes, conversely to herself. It seemed as if she had not fight at all yet… unless she had used a trick to do so well. No, there was no way.

“Seems like you’d just understood an enigma…”

“You haven’t drunk the traditional cider, have you?”

“What do you think?”

This answer shaped like a question was enough. Twilight frowned and lowered her head, horn forward. Since she undoubtedly would use her untouched magic against her, there was no reason for her to be merciful. If Trixie wanted a magic duel, she was going to have it.

There was no doubt, as far as the purple unicorn was concerned. She had practiced her magic with even more dedication than she had done back when she was the Princess’ student, just in case she would have to use her horn tonight. Trixie, as talented as she could be, was out of her league.

She had not planned the spell of her rival to be so devious… The two magic auras, blue and lilac, confronted for a few seconds, but Trixie’s was able to pierce through Twilight’s attack, without her to understand how, and the latter suddenly found herself levitating in the air.

Her horn lowered, the Main Quartermaster tried a spell to help her getting out of this hold, something that would knock her opponent to the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw the closest mare, a Second Class Fighter, tumbling, unconscious, although she was on the verge of finishing off a soldier from the Unavowed Army.

A spell of target inversion. If she used her magic, anything she would attempt would always turn against the closest pony from her own clan. Obviously, a personal revenge now animated Trixie more than the cause she was supposed to defend, to think that nopony believe in anything in this army of cynicism.

Thus cornered, she was feeling powerless, and knew she was at the mercy of the mare who had never liked her. Only Twilight knew this spell was hard to maintain when focus was lost and that, although the damages on herself for now were limited, a moment would arrive when, tired of levitating, she was going to lose consciousness.

Though she could bet Trixie would have troubles not to crumble before she did, she did not want to take risks and to base her strategy upon this probability. She needed to find something else.

And she did not need to think about it for too long. She possessed a particular advantage, although she yet could not master it for more than a few seconds at a stretch, it could be enough to get her back on track.

Even if, trapped in this magic bubble, it was hard for her to move her limbs, Twilight decided to shake her head, and quickly lowered her eye-patch with her hoof. Immediately, the incredible scald came to gnaw at her eye and she had to gather her whole concentration to replace it with the clearest than clearness itself vision, where everything was slowed down, like taken aback by the violence of a wave.

Everyone was fighting around her, and the sound of metal clicking together was interspersed by moans of pain like she had never heard before. Corpses, injured bodies by thousands lied on the littered floor of the huge ballroom. In front of her, Trixie was speaking and each of her words were enunciated like the sound of an old rusty train. She said she thought she was unable to master the Sacred Eye, that the former time had been nothing but sheer luck. Of course… She did not know she had practiced more since last time, and that she had finally accepted this gift from above she had denied for so many years.

Twilight thought as quickly as she could, since she would not be able to keep the clear vision for a long while before suffering again and risking to turn definitely blind… And illumination struck her.

Eyes closed, she performed a spell that was not targeted at Trixie, but rather the huge crystal chandelier hanging at the ceiling which candles had all flickered, but which was quite heavy. It went off its prop trembling and in a roar like gems, fell straight towards a pony in the middle of a fight who, in order to avoid it, vigorously bucked into it.

Trixie had time to turn around and to avoid it as well, but while doing so, she lost the necessary concentration to keep her spell going, and freed Twilight. She replaced her eye-patch and did not wait longer to dash straight in the direction of her rival, making her stumble. They rolled together in the middle of the injured and the corpses, one trying to stand back up before the other.

They both lowered their horn at the same time, ready to attack. Undoubtedly, the blue unicorn was expecting Twilight to take advantage from it to cast the most powerful spell she knew, but instead, she chose something simpler, more extreme, which would allow her to put an end to this duel without adding material or equestrian damages to the list.

In the following second, Trixie became a lovely tropical plant. For sure, she probably had not expected something like this. Their duel was not really won, not really lost. She was going to want another revenge, but until then, everything could have changed and if it went the way Twilight wanted, her revenge would not be about to happen, since her adversary would have to answer her crimes in front of the Royal Court.

She teleported the Trixie plant in the alcove where were hiding members of the family and guests of the castle, before going back to the battlefield. There still had soldiers to kill, but also guards of the aforementioned family, came to join the party. The Militia needed its Main Quartermaster, and she would make sure her position here was not usurped. Even if it meant giving her life for this cause.

Comments

[Dusk_Writer]

Lightning's death had me so satisfied xD