I Will Beat You!
“Long ago, in a distant land, Grogar, the necromancer master of darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a young girl, wielding a locket containing the Rainbow of Light, stepped forth to oppose him.”
Lyra shot a beam of magic into her left hoof, transforming it into a hand. She jabbed it through the air while weaving back and forth. Twilight and Spike scooted out of the way to avoid getting hit.
“As Grogar lay defeated, he tore open a portal to Megan’s home world, and flung her back to where all the other humans live.” Lyra leaned forward, clenching her fist and grinning. “Now I seek to find humans again and combat evil like Grogar!”
Pinkie rose up and clapped her hooves. “Encore! Encore! That’s like one of the best origin stories I’ve heard!”
Lyra blushed and scratched her mane before turning her hoof back to normal. “Th-thanks, Pinkie. I’m… well, I’m more used to ponies thinking the whole thing is silly. Even Bon Bon laughed a little the first time I told her.”
It was Bon Bon’s turn to blush from across the table. “Just a bit!”
Twilight rested a hoof on her chin. “Interesting. I’ve heard tales of Grogar before, but none involving creatures called humans, or a filly named Megan.”
“Girl,” Lyra corrected. “Humans don’t call themselves fillies and colts, just boys and girls.”
“That weapon she used though, the Rainbow of Light, have you found it mentioned anywhere else?” Twilight asked.
“No,” Lyra sighed. “It probably got lost when Grogar sent her back, but…” She grinned. “There’s tons of other proof of humans scattered around Equestria: cranks, doorknobs, diapers… those sorts of things don’t make sense to use hooves or mouths on, and the unicorn population has always been a minority, so using magic on those things doesn’t account for their ubiquity in Equestrian society.”
“I still think it looks off,” Applejack commented.
“I’m working on it!” Lyra slammed a hoof against the table. “There’s so few resources, especially on the actual biology of humans, but it certainly gave you a run for your bits.”
“Well, you got me there.” Applejack grinned. “Wouldn’t mind facing off against you in a race sometime though. Those human legs can really move.”
“Just wait till I get the hips right,” Lyra giggled. “Then you’ll be in for a real treat.”
Bon Bon said nothing, but gave Lyra a sly grin.
The talk of races made Twilight reflect on the seats Lyra and Bonbon occupied. Dash and Fluttershy were nowhere to be seen in the lunch hall. A glance around the room revealed that Sunset had vanished too, leaving Maud and Rarity to converse with each other at a nearby table. It was difficult to gauge how the conversation was going from Maud’s perspective, but Rarity’s smile seemed to indicate it was on a subject they could connect over.
~~~
“Dammit!” Sunset cracked a blinding white and crimson leg against a celestial unicorn. It shattered to pieces and melded back into the cosmos around her. Sweat dripped down her face and her breath rushed in and out of her mouth.
“Keep this up and you won’t have any mental strength left for class,” Luna cautioned. “Would you care to explain why this draw upsets you so much?”
“Because it’s a draw!” Sunset snarled. “It should have been an easy win, even with Rarity dragging me down! I had Maud on the ropes until she pulled the cheap-flank move!”
“And villains are likely to do the same,” Luna replied. Her glare stifled Sunset. Striding around her, she extended a wing and forced Sunset to sit. “Sunset Shimmer, you did a marvelous job today, and your opponents did too, but remember that ultimately, they are your classmates, so you must not hold such animosity towards them. Recall Tantabus’s advice: you will be your own mare, but no mare is alone in this world.”
“But I could have done it on my own,” Sunset grumbled.
“That’s not what this exercise was about. Even your own actions betray you.” Luna leaned closer. “Despite your reservations about Ms. Belle, you allowed her to use her talent to scan the building. That was most commendable of you and helped prepare you for your confrontation with Ms. Pie. Had you gone in alone like Ms. Dash did, you may have been overtaken by Ms. Pie before you had a chance to counterattack.”
Sunset glared ahead of her at a swirling galaxy.
Luna sighed. “I know a loss and even a draw can hurt so much, especially for pony as talented as yourself. Do not dwell on that bitterness. Squash it with the determination to improve, to learn alongside others, and become a better mare. That is the path heroes before and heroes after you have and shall continue to walk.”
Sunset remained quiet, but her muscles unclenched and she allowed her expression to soften. Luna stayed by her side for some time, and the two of them stared out into the cosmos.
~~~
Twilight kept her eye on the two empty seats near Sunset. The seconds ticking away on the clock rang in her ears. Just before the clock struck one, Fluttershy stumbled into the room. Twilight tensed up. Fluttershy’s mane was a mess, but through the split ends, she glimpsed red, puffy eyes.
Despite a shaking in the knees, Fluttershy made her way up to Tantabus and murmured something to him. Between Fluttershy’s mane obscuring her face and Tantabus’s lack of a mouth, it was impossible to make out the conversation. When Tantabus backed away and gave Fluttershy a curt nod, Fluttershy wiped her face and shuffled to her seat.
With Fluttershy shaking so much, Twilight wanted to get up and comfort her, but with the ringing of the bell, Tantabus ensured everyone remained in their seats with their eyes on him.
When class ended, Twilight tried to make her way over to Fluttershy, but she vanished in a burst of speed.
~~~
Spike turned his head upward and groaned. “I miss summer.”
“What makes you say that?” Rarity asked as she made her way down the hall alongside Spike and Twilight.
“Spike and I met through a special training program over the summer,” Twilight answered. “And I think he’s exaggerating a bit. Our instructor really put us through the ropes.”
“But she never assigned this much reading,” Spike whined.
“Well, you have to do it no matter what, so complaining is a waste of energy.”
“My word,” said Rarity. “To have specialized training with a dragon, you really are quite the talented one, Twilight.”
Twilight’s face turned several shades of red, matching a bit of the late afternoon sky as the group exited the main building. “Actually, I was just playing catch up. To tell you the truth, before this summer, I really was doubting if I had enough in me to get into the school.”
“Yeah, so am I.”
The group turned around and was greeted with Dash glaring straight at Twilight. Despite having been healed earlier by Redheart, Dash’s hooves were scratched up again and her mane and fur were matted with dried sweat. Each step she took resonated against the ground. Twilight could feel the stomps even from feet away.
“Tell me…” Dash glanced at Spike and then focused on Twilight again. “Did you hold back because of him?”
“Dash… I was ju—”
“Was. It. For. Him?” Dash growled.
“No.” A flare of rainbow rimmed Twilight’s eyes. “It was for you. You’re my friend, Rainbow Dash, or rival or whatever you want to call it. The thought of unleashing a spell I don’t have mastery over on you or anypony else is something I don’t even want to think about. I promise you though, I’m working as hard as I can to get better with it.”
Dash’s face twitched. Her jaw shook from clenching it so tight. With a sharp intake a breath, she rocketed her head down, hiding her face behind her mane. “Fine. That’s how you want to do it, then fine! No matter what though, I will always beat you, you got that?”
“Rainbow Dash…” Twilight reached out a hoof, wisps of aura flecking off it. Dash shot up a leg, swatting it away, but kept her head lowered. Rubbing her hoof, Twilight sighed, “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. You should know, that spell—that power—it’s a—”
“A super dangerous but awesome spell!” Celestia, in weakened form and wings hidden, exclaimed. She latched onto Twilight’s neck and pulled her back from Dash. “How’s it going, Twilight? I saw you and your friend arguing and got worried.”
“We weren’t arguing Pr—Sunny,” Twilight stuttered. Her eyes now flicked back and forth between Celestia and Dash. “What, uh, what are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Celestia answered. And make sure you don’t give away information that could turn Equestria on its head.
Celestia then released her hold on Twilight. “I heard the first few days are tough. I even heard Princess Celestia leads some classes. Did she?”
“Y-yes,” Twilight answered while rubbing her neck.
“How was she?” Celestia asked with a sly grin. Before Twilight could answer though, Celestia turned toward Rainbow Dash. “She wasn’t too hard on your friend, was she?”
“No,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “She was just what I expected from a Princess: strong, smart, and awesome. I…”
Dash’s head shot up. She and Twilight traded glares for a moment even though Dash’s eyes were rimmed with tears. It was only for a split second though and she quickly spun around just as Fluttershy came rushing into view. “Mark my words, Twilight. I won’t lose again. I can’t. My partner is counting on me, and I won’t let her down.”
“You keep mentioning a partner.” Twilight felt the world narrow down to just her and Dash. The click-clack of Fluttershy’s hooves was distant now. “Is she…”
A gale cut Twilight off. Dash spread her wings wide and took off.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried as she raced towards the group. She bent down and readied herself to chase after Dash, but Dash was already a blue dot in the sky. She fell to her knees and cried, “Oh no…”
“Oh dear.” Celestia drew close to Fluttershy and gave her a pat on the back. “Your friend seems to have a lot on her plate. Will she be okay?”
“After… after few hours, maybe,” Fluttershy sniffled. Wiping her face, she turned to Twilight. “She didn’t do anything reckless, did she?”
“I’m not sure,” Twilight sighed. “I really wish I could help out more, but this seems like something that goes way back, and I barely know Dash.”
“You barely knew me too.” Rarity trotted a little closer to Twilight. She glanced at Spike. “If it hadn’t been for you and Spike, I might still be a nervous wreck, going around hurting others’ feelings, and being a bother.”
“Oh?” Celestia tilted her head to the side. “Were you not friends with Twilight before?”
Rarity shook her head. “Unfortunately, no, but I’d like to be now. I just hope Rainbow Dash can be too.”
Twilight looked off into the distant sky. “Me too.”
~~~
The pitter patter of dripping water echoed in the darkness. The damp and musty air shuddered and a flash of light lit up the cavern. The light refracted off a multitude of crystals for a split second and then reduced down to a dim glow around a black horn.
The glow was just enough to reveal that the horn’s owner was bound in a pure white material that stretched over her face, hiding most of her features, but the curve of her muzzle betrayed her gender. The material appeared to cover her whole body, though only her head and the upper part of her torso were visible with the light from her horn. Her mane jolted out of her head in angular streaks of jet. Two large horizontal slashes of black contrasted with the rest of the white on her face.
She let out a snort and waited. A few moments later, a spire of green fire swelled up before her, revealing both a second pony at her side and a cloaked figure amidst the flames. The second pony was garbed in a similar attire: a body suit that covered him fully, but his was grey and instead of an equal sign, a question mark was scrawled across his face and on his flanks.
The third figure’s baggy cloak obscured their form, but they stood upon four legs. The way their hood bent upwards revealed they were horned as well. Everything else was either hidden by the cloak or the darkness.
“So,” the pony with the equals sign emblazoned on her face spoke, “what do you have to report?”
“It…” The cloaked figure could feel goosebumps going up its legs. “It looked just like you described it.”
“Then we can’t waste any more time. It’s time we show these ‘heroes’ how the world really works.”
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Taking a page from Samurai Jack, are we?
Oh, that's because that was G1.
Then again...
Don't forget Minotaurs. Mythologically speaking, they were supposed to be part man, part bull.
Oh, the Rainbow of Light? Don't often see that in stories here. Wonder how you're going to work that into the lore of this world - it's obviously gonna come up and be relevant later. Was it the precursor to the power of the Elements? Is Grogar gonna be a big villain somewhere down the line? Interesting.
Sorry Rainbow, but Twilight doesn't know if her magic might just disintegrate you or not. She's not trying to mock you, she just doesn't want to obliterate you from existence.
Fluttershy and Rainbow are partners? Or... could it be Gilda? What's going on there? Hmm.
Nice to see Rarity is getting along with everypony else now that she's gotten over her fears.
As for the villains... The one with the equals sign might be Starlight Glimmer. I'm thinking the one with the question marks could be Discord, and the tall cloaked one that appeared in green fire is Chrysalis. I wonder if these are our League of Villains analogue or if you're doing something else with them.
8815580
Ah, not quite! Horses are fast. That's their whole thing. I don't know if you've ever seen a horse suddenly decide to spook and run, but they can accelerate from 0 to 40mph in just a couple of strides. They'll be standing still, grazing, and then boom, accelerating up to 40mph in like three strides and they're already half-way to the other end of the field. Try racing a horse from a standing start and you'll be left in the dust. Humans are mostly slow-twitch too, and we didn't evolve to race away at the first sign of potential danger.
In fact, you really need to reverse things to win against a horse. Don't try a sprint, try a marathon. Humans are persistance pursuit predators - our endurance is stupidly overpowered and all we need to do is jog, or even just walk. Eventually you'll catch up to the horse, because it'll collapse of exhaustion after hours of being followed without respite - which a group of healthy, hungry humans can easily manage to do for a meal.
The difference between fast-twitch and slow-twitch is actually endurance. Fast-twitch muscles are for short bursts of explosive activity - like a chicken panicking and jumping up out of danger, or a crocodile lunging for prey. Slow-twitch are for endurance, for long, extended periods of movement, like running in horses and humans. Or back to the crocodile again, this time at its impressive jaw muscles for extanded clamping-on-prey time.
You can identify slow vs fast twitch by the colour of an animal's meat! Fast-twitch is white meat, and slow-twitch is red meat - it's packed full of blood vessels to supply all of the oxygen and sugars for the extended energy exertion. (That's why red meat is higher in iron - all the blood!) You get 'pink' meat like pork where there's a mixture of fast and slow muscle tissues.
Heh, sorry for rambling about this stuff but I find it fascinating.
8815723 Huh. Shows what i know.
Withdrawn
Awesome chapter.
I feel like I noticed Anon pony as part of the group.
Taking cues from Samurai Jack for telling the G1 story? That's kinda cool
8816966
At first I thought it was the Riddler, but Anon fits the description better.
Was she flung into the future? Will she ever return to the past and undo the Evil that is Grogar?
8892013
I was wondering that too.
The way you brought about or rather executed the Spike-Twilight-Rarity relationship is bad to say the least. But all the rest so far I love it.