Dancing Under Moonlight Once More
The lush green of the grassy fields rippled as a sure wind blew through the blades, the breathing night caressing them beneath the star littered sky. The moon above shined brilliantly, casting a beautifully haunting glow over all beneath it. It is here that two old warriors meet, not for the first time of course. And if the glint in their eyes was any indication, would not be their last.
No words were uttered, nor were pleasantries exchanged. No goading. No baiting, threatening or taunting of any kind was spoken in this millennial showdown. After a time, the two warring ones found them to be unecessary, as their actions more than spoke for them.
They used the only language afforded them whenever their bouts would arise: The language of the body.
A toothy grin and cheeky red yellow eyes met calm lavender irises. An ephemeral mane billowed gently in the cool night breeze. Elegant white wings were humbly tucked back.
There was no need for introductions in these matters. They knew each other after all, so it was pointless. Still, the master of chaos himself , Discord, gave a polite and respectful bow to his opponent, wanting to maintain some semblance of class that was sorely lacking in this day and age. He is a class act of course, and his opponent deserved nothing less than his absolute best.
As the aged draconequus did, so too did the alicorn standing opposite of him. Celestia gave a small smile towards the gesture and mirrored it accordingly, dipping her head and bending at her knees in a courteous bow to her opponent. She kept her eyes alert and in his direction as she carefully discarded her elegant slippers, regal sigil that was around her neck and her crown. She wrapped them around a magical safeguard and tucked her attire safely away.
She was, for the moment, not a princess of Equestria but a mere alicorn mare standing before a creature of chaotic arts. The two now stood on even ground with one anothers' status. No titles and no labels for her to carry, for the moment, whereas Discord remained in his usual way, though he silently admitted to wishing he had shiny royal things to toss as well. He decided it was aomething to address at another time though, for he had bigger business at hoof. Or in his case, paw.
They stood and stared each other down as another wind gusted by. Discords' posture was lax and careless, all traits of a greenhorn duelist. Celestia...She knew otherwise. The stance was brazen and would usually mean an instant defeat...If it was anypony else than Discord. Being lax meant he could coil and manuever readily and with breakneck speed when the time called for it. It was at once irritating but also irritatingly effective. And though careless, it meant he could move about in an unpredictable manner, making him effectively lethal.
Discord ran his talons through his white beard as he danced his red glowing eyes over Celestia, his grin never changing. She was grace and beauty all rolled into one. Gentle in nature and unrelentnigly patient. All boring things in his eyes, really. But they were a dangerous contrast to his style. Her soft, motherly composure was ironically deceitful to those not in the know. It hid the true potential of her strength. One well aimed strike of a demure hoof from the mare and it would be lights out for good. She wasn't trying though, it was her very nature that made her a force to be reckoned with. Her patience meant that she could counter easily and deflect a poorly thrown strike as easily as brushing back a strand of her mane. She was boredom incarnate.
But Discord knew. Its what made his first few decades of facing off with the mare a literal living hell for him afterwards.
As a rule, they never use magic. Unless its in another dimension without the risk of either hurting innocent ponies or obliterating the entire world. One or two slip-ups and close calls were enough to make them both mindful of their powers and their environments.
An amused chuckle left Discords' muzzle as he took a single step to his left. Their dance had begun. And they had an entire thousand years to make up for, so he was eager to get started.
Celestia merely shook her head with a light sigh and a gentle chuckle and stepped to her left. She preferred to use strategy and tact, but she knew it would be a hassle while dealing with an overgrown child, something else she had learned long ago. Discord had the unbridled passion similar to a child's excitement. If memory every failed her, the scars beneath her coat were constant reminders. So when engaged in combat, Celestia would keep her strategy flexible. Being stagnant could only get you so far.
His grin widened as the two began to size each other up, moving around in a slow and careful circle. Discord felt the tingles of excitement course up his spine, made his claws and talons itch with the thrill of their duel. He was ready to dive right into the fun, practically salivating in anticipation of it. But he forced himself to take his time. Had to take their dance slowly now. He wasn't like he was as a younger draconequus self all those centuries ago. "Eager to start, early to finish." That was how he gained most of his losses.
Now...Now he had to savor the encounters like fine, imported wine. And cheese. Great, now he felt hungry with a hankering for grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit salad. Well, something to look forward to when they were done dancing the night away.
He had to be more mindful of everything now. Each step Celestia took had purpose, each glare was a promise of her next move hitting her mark. There was a reason he only had one tusk y'know. And recovering from shattered ribs, a dead arm and blown out lung was excruciatingly BORING!!! With a capital BORE.
They continued to move in their roundabout, their steps causing a faint ring to form amidst the grass. Neither would be backing down until one of them either yielded, surrendered or.... fell.
It was the nature of their dance, their thousand year old game. They were both great contenders.
Discord digs his cloven hoof into the grassy ground, shifting into a lunging stance. He dipped his head low and flashed his pearly whites as brightly as his now glowing eyes, his long body resembling a serpent ready to strike.
Celestia kept her right foreleg and back leg relaxed while she maintained a maternal air about her, preparing herself for either a counter or a retaliation. Her wings rose slightly off her back, ready to push herself into speedy maneuvering.
The air stilled with the mounting tension that silently built up between the two warring ones, thickening the atmosphere all around them. Discord kept the jovial grin at his lips, and Celestia couldn't help but return the smile in kind. And as hoof collided into paw, the stars trembled from the force of their dance, just as they had many centuries ago.