Swords and Magic

by Shadow Watcher

Chapter 4

Twilight Sparkle could not sit still. She wanted to yell. She wanted to shout. She wanted to crush something. Specifically, she wanted to yell at Celestia. The Empress of Equestria. Her teacher. And smash her favorite teacup.

Instead she sat calm looking. Poised. But also fixated on the fight down below. She had been impressed though. Rainbow Dash was certainly holding her own. Or, was.

Fleetfoot had finally picked up the two daggers prepared for her. Had to give Rainbow some credit. In all the Elite fights she’d witnessed, Soarin was one of the few that went for their weapon first. The others generally preferred to test their abilities to their max. Soarin was simply one who preferred to use his blade as a medium.

She flinched as Rainbow barely dodged a blow, only to get smacked by Fleetfoot. Seeing an opportunity, Spitfire unleashed a wave of flame. Twilight blinked, and Rainbow vanished. Her speed was most impressive, giving both Fleetfoot and Spitfire a workout.

Twilight risked a glance at her mentor. Celestia reclined in her seat, almost looking bored, even though everyone else in the arena was on the edge of their seats. The Empress met her eyes with a glance of their own. They narrowed, almost imperceptibly. Meant for her.

Her fists clenched at her side as she turned her gaze back down to the arena floor. ’You better not lose, Rainbow Dash.’

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Celestia absently itch the back of her right hand. A frown crossed her face, and she held it up to look. She looked back down at the fight, frown deepening even more.

Twilight froze, realizing she had been itching her own hand as well. She was wearing her arm length gloves, as she usually did, but just underneath, on the back of her hand, she could just make out a faint glow. But that couldn’t be. It only glowed when...

A loud frown from the crowd forced her eyes downward. Her eyes widened, and she gripped the arms of her seat so hard she heard a crack.

Rainbow was down on a knee, shield held up, keeping Spitfire’s flames away. Soarin and Fleetfoot were flanking in from the sides.

Rainbow’s barrier was flickering. It fizzled out completely just as Spitfire ceased her flames. All three approached until they were standing over her. Soarin raised his blade high, Fleetfoot wound up one last strike, while fire played across Spitfire’s fingertips.

Twilight ground her teeth. She couldn’t have been wrong. There was... Celestia gave a gasp, clutching her right hand as though burned. Further down, Cadance was doing the same. She opened her mouth, only to slam it shit. Her hand felt like it had been plunged into a bucket of ice, only for the ice to become molten silver. What was... The Elites had paused.

*********

Rainbow Dash ground her teeth. This was it? This was all she was capable of? What she was worth?

The voices in her head screamed. ‘Never Enough!’ ‘You? A knight?!’ ‘She should’ve been trained longer!’ ‘Sure, she has speed, but that’s it?’

Her grip on her sword tightened. The muscles in her legs coiled. Something inside her built up. With all the force of a volcano, she threw herself onto her feet, threw her head back, and roared to the heavens. The sound of it was amplified, bestial. Primal. A power, a force within her. Something far more ancient than herself welled up from within, and she overflowed with it. A circle filled with strange runes burned through the gauntlet of her right hand, adding fuel to her battle cry. She fell into a stance, surprised to see the Elites climbing back to their feet.

Had she knocked them over? Fleetfoot charge her, daggers held ready. Rainbow sidestepped out of the way as though she’d been walking. Rainbow threw her shield forward, catching the other woman in the gut and chest. The air left her body in a wheeze, and she went flying onto her back where she went down.

Soarin and Spitfire shared an unsteady look. Surprised. They hadn’t expected such a ferocious comeback. Glancing up, even Celestia was fully watching now. Gone was the look of boredom, her eyes held an almost interested look. Dark and stormy.

Rainbow didn’t care. She almost laughed out loud. Her body felt light. As though, had she not been wearing such armor, she would float away. And her speed. She couldn’t remember ever moving this fast before. It was like she had no wind resistance. The air simply...parted around her. Pushed her forward. Filled her. And her senses. Color was sharpened to the point of pain. Eyesight sharper than eagle vision. The sound of the crowd almost hurt, but she found she could tune it out. Probably could pick up a pin drop even through the din if she wanted.

The crowd, though, was cheering her. She thrust her blade up, another roar passing her lips. As the blade came down, she eyed her opponents. Fleetfoot was back on her feet, but visibly limping. Her armor was also dented in, pressing on her chest, possibly restricting her breathing somewhat. Soarin twirled his blade, clearly itching to go toe-to-toe again. Spitfire played with her fire as she stared back.

This was it. The break it or make it moment. Rainbow closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. When they opened, she was collected and focused. A plan formulated in her mind. The distance between the three was just barely within the stretch. She smirked.

She charged straight at Soarin. Things instantaneously went from there. Fleetfoot rushed toward her full speed. Spitfire lobbed a massive fireball right before Soarin, who stood with blade held ready and waiting.

Rainbow tossed her blade up high. She reached forward, grabbed the fireball. Hurled it off to the side. Fell to her knees, sliding right beneath Soarin’s blade. Caught her blade behind him. Twirled, slamming the sword hard across his back. Used the recoil as momentum to hurl herself at Spitfire.

Flames engulfed Fleetfoot, who went down for good. Soarin let out a cry as his armor dented to the point he couldn’t move. Spitfire just barely dodged Rainbow’s attack.

Her dodge sent her skidding several feet. She reached down, pulling the katana prepare for her from the ground. Slicing the air a few times, she held it at her side. A chuckle escaped her helmet, her face still unseen. “Come, Little One. Shall we finish this with one last dance?”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. The rune on her hand pulsed. She ignored the three resonating pulses from above. One foot back, shield up and close. Spitfire stood, seemingly open and relaxed. Rainbow saw otherwise. Tensed muscles, firm grip on the jolt of her katana. It was just them, now.