Sins of Harmony
Volume 2: Enemies Unbound
Chapter 26: Luna v Varkan, amicable violence.
March 17th, 1006 ANM
Late Afternoon
Sri Drake, southwest area
Mountain canyons, 30 miles north of Baragh clan.
Natural arena canyon
The drake crowds chanted in the canyon, while it was all to obvious that the next fight would really be something to witness.
The Equestrians, understandably, had moved down to the edge of the arena centre, where the combatants stood with helpers. They had a small alcove, just before the large, open space before them. The ampitheatre like audience stands meant the arena could extend further back, though most fights never really left the main ring.
This time, magic was allowed, and in exchange, Varkan had been allowed a tool of his choosing. Nothing lethal, so not weapons.
"You ready your highness?" Blacklight asked.
Standing up, Luna reassured her lead guard: "Do not concern yourself, I'm ready."
"You don't have to do this, what if something happens?" Blacklight argued, not wanting to see his mistress hurt.
"He won't go too far. If anyone should be hurt, it will be him." Luna said. She had many reasons she could use to fight Varkan, though even all together they didn't justify violence against him.
But his open invitation, a challenge, was too good to ignore.
In truth, Luna had always been the more studious of the two Alicorns in ways of combat, war and so on. It was a part of her that made her sort of out of her time, as she had only been in the 'present' for 6 years so far. She had not outlived the medieval, more war frequent periods of before her banishment as Celestia had.
So of the two, Luna was more willing to get her hooves dirty, once she got over any confidence issues of course.
In the mouth of the alcove, Twilight and her friends waited, while she noticed that Spike was there, but his father wasn't.
"Where is Cal'vel?" Luna asked, as the drake crowds swelled as she walked past into the arena.
"Said he's backing Varkan in this." Spike said, apologetically.
"Princess, I still think this is a bad idea." Twilight said.
"Twilight, he set an open challenge, and he's been a bother many times. I think he could use some sense knocked into him, and I feel he insulted my guards when he attacked them in Kakarta." Luna said, a stern look in her eyes. The night princess turned to the arena, saying with some challenge:
"Besides, you can always try and stop me if you have to."
Walking out, Luna smiled a bit as she felt no magic grip on her. She was not opposed.
As the drakes roared louder in the semicircle stands in the canyon, Pinkie leaned out the alcove passage they were in, whipping out a foam hoof with Luna's cutie mark emblazoned on it.
"How'd ya-never mind." Applejack stopped herself, this was Pinkie after all. Rainbow hollered: "Show that asshole how Equestria does it!"
"Rainbow Dash, really! We ponies are not barbarians!" Rarity admonished.
"No, you're just soft little nags!" A heckling voice called from the stands above them.
"What was that!?" Rarity looked about, a faint glow in her horn.
No drake came forwards in the stands nearest them, but some of them laughed a bit at the Unicorn's reaction.
"Come on Rarity, Luna will improve our standing better." Spike pulled her to look towards the arena again, albeit with surprising difficulty given his larger size.
All of the equestrians now looked at the arena, where only Luna stood now, waiting for Varkan.
"Blacklight, any idea how she'll fare?"
"She trained with Nightguards before she was banished, that was only 5 years ago for her, not including recovery from that. Plus, she started again a few years back. She's vicious when she needs to be." Blacklight said. He then said with uncertainty:
"But he beat Celestia, and he also wiped the floor with my troops."
"That's why this will not let him use more than one weapon." Twilight reassured.
Looking out at the arena, Fluttershy noticed someone amiss:
"Um, where is Varkan?"
Indeed, the crowds were beginning to question it also. Standing out in the arena, Luna looked about, seeing Cal'vel standing by the other alcove entrance. He shrugged, looking further inside the tunnel.
"Yeah, where is he?" Flash Sentry asked, raising his helmet tip to look further.
"Look, these are not lethal weapons, do you see any blades? Guns? Sharp bits? Blunt bits? They're not designed to kill." Varkan said, getting impatient.
"Then what are they?" The Drake said, in charge of making sure he followed the rules, even though he was allowed one tool to use to even the field against Luna's magic. The no claws rule extended to weapons.
But because of Luna, and her magic, the no flight rule had been lifted.
As 'prosthetics', Varkan could use the equipment he always carried for his wings, which he had not expected to use here anyway. The Drake was being anal however about his tool he chose.
"Alright, look here. This dial controls the power, the voltage. This is the battery for each one." Varkan gestured to his gloves' wrists, then his lower arm, where a small module was strapped around his arms.
"They're basically tasers, nothing dangerous, even at max voltage." Varkan said. He flexed his 3 clawed hand, engaging one. He grabbed the Drake's leg suddenly, but the larger drake felt just a tingling sensation.
"See, harmless, even against a pony target, now can I please get out there!?"
Shrugging his much larger foot, his kneecap just at Varkan's head height, the Drake agreed.
The crowds roared as Varkan finally stepped out of the alcove entrance.
"What took you?" Cal'vel asked.
"I had to get these checked out." Varkan flashed his taser gloves at Cal'vel as he strode past the much larger dragon. He noticed the wings, which Varkan muttered:
"Prosthetics, allowed."
Standing back, Cal'vel sat down his large frame, and anticipated the show to start soon.
"And why are you late to your own called fight?" Luna asked. She saw Varkan, clad only in some combat leggings, otherwise naked on his tail, torso, wings and feet.
"I had some trouble getting my one tool in this fight approved."
She noticed the wings, and the gloves.
"You have two tools."
"You have wings you're allowed to use, so can I. Besides, prosthetics are counted separately. There are my tools." He flexed his gloved hands, which Luna looked at oddly.
"Gloves?"
"I like to use my hands." Varkan said.
The crowds roared, as the announcer got ready to start the fight. Varkan looked around, speaking lower to Luna now:
"Look, I won't do too much damage to you. Moon duty and all that."
Snorting, Luna said strongly: "You won't get such mercy from me in this fight."
Expression turning surprised, Varkan almost cracked a smile: "Well, you really aren't like your sister. But, if I may, it will be an honour to fight you."
"An honour?" Luna asked.
"You and I, in a friendly, sort of, duel. Among drakes and dragons its a good way to settle tensions. Consider this diplomacy in a way, more than if your guard had volunteered that's for sure." Varkan gestured behind her, where he smirked at Blacklight in the alcove.
The guard stared hard back, while Twilight and her friends cheered Luna on.
Luna said then, a small smile on her face contrasting with her words: "And you Varkan, I shall have fully forgiven you for what you did to Celestia, after I've had my fill in this fight."
The slight smile faltered on the Wyvern's face slightly.
"Take your stands! Fight in 10 seconds!"
Luna stomped the ground with her hooves, getting focused on the fight at hand. Varkan backed up, making sure he had some distance to work with from the start. At 10 metres between them, he got into a combat guard stance, making sure his gloves worked. Each glove had its on switch in the other hand, so if he used his left glove, he'd trigger the right hand's switch, and vice versa.
"5, 4, 3!"
"Here we go!" Rainbow shouted, as the roars of the crowd rose. Twilight stared on with some worry, while her other friends, Spike, Flash and Blacklight waited tensely.
"BEGIN!"
Varkan leapt forwards, but right as he left the ground, a blue light blinded him before something hot and fiery slammed into his chest.
Luna hissed as she fired the beam, which she'd readied herself to quickly use on the first out, her reaction time quicker than Varkan's for the fight's beginning.
The arena roared in excitement as the blue column of magical energy drove Varkan back, away into the canyon and from the semi circle amphitheatre stands.
This was why the arena stands were semi circular, in case fights did extend further out and needed room. It was rare, but it did happen.
Luna spread her wings, and flew in pursuit, as Varkan rolled and skidded painfully to a halt 100 metres away.
Wheezing, Varkan sat up, the blow to his chest heated, but otherwise fine. His back hurt from rolling on the canyon floor from her blast.
Where did that come from?
Getting up, he nearly gasped as he saw a blue shape coming at him full speed, a glowing light forming as it came at him. Spreading his wings and prosthetics, Varkan leapt forwards and sideways, barrel rolling around the 2nd beam as Luna fired. Trying to turn to taser grab her, he missed as she shot past, flying upwards a few dozen metres before he could turn.
A ball of blue energy formed at her horn, hovering there as it glowed brighter. Suddenly, like meteorites, smaller beams of blue magic shot out, homing in on Varkan.
Leaping and dodging in midair and from jumps on the ground, he dodged as the canyon filled with dust, the blasts hitting rocks and blanketing the canyon beyond the stands in an impenetrable debris fog.
After only a few dozen beams demolished the canyon floor, the energy sphere faded, and Luna began searching the dust clouds, looking for the slightest disturbance by a wing generated wind.
Back at the stands, the fight was still close enough to be seen, but far enough to not be dangerous, about 150 metres from the stands.
Flying low, Luna looked about, hearing nothing and seeing nothing. She lit her horn, looking through the dust to see nothing in her detection beam either.
The crowds ahead roared, but before she could turn, something drove into her underside hard, and burned with every millisecond it touched her.
A trail of smoke following him from the debris fog, Varkan had leapt out behind Luna, tackling her out of the air to drive her groundwards, back into the main arena ring now. Before she hit the ground, her taser spasms threw him off, rolling as he landed to get to his feet.
Landing roughly, Luna had heard the crackling as he'd held her mid tackle. Varkan had picked his tool wisely, so she had to fight smart.
She teleported, and as she reappeared she summoned illusion copies of herself, flying in the air with all their wings around Varkan. About 20 Lunas now opposed Varkan, and all fired blue beams at him, hovering a few inches above the ground as they did.
Ducking, Varkan charged the nearest copy, and drove his fist into her head. It shattered like glass, as more beams came at him. Each stung when it hit, not as much as the real one would.
Ducking and weaving, he managed to take down a copy every 5 seconds or so. A few copy blasts hit him in the back of the neck, which made him angry very quickly. Seeing 6 close together, Varkan leapt/jumped on one foot, grabbing one Luna copy by the neck, noting how it felt like glass.
Charging with the first copy in his grip, he smashed apart the 2nd with his wing, and span to throw the 1st copy into the 3rd copy nearby, both shattering on impact. Turning, he leapt towards 3 copies in a row each, jumping and punching them enough to break them apart in one hit every second.
Suddenly, the remaining 8 Luna copies charged him, grabbing to restrain him. Varkan roared, and span while extending his wings, knocking off all the copies except for one he grabbed. Roughly, he grabbed the false Luna and swung her at the others, shattering 3 of them with the other like a baseball bat to a vase before the first shattered in his hands.
As he turned, he saw the last 4 Luna copies disappear suddenly, as he saw another Luna, the real one, teleport in front of him, hidden away from the clones under invisibility until now. She charged, magic imbued body headbutting him in the chest, knocking Varkan down. She flew back as he span to grab her, but he was too quick, as he grabbed her rear leg and swung her around, his taser gloves stopping Luna from teleporting free as they disrupted her concentration with the pain.
Slamming into the ground back first, wings folding beneath her, Luna yelled in pain, as Varkan lifted her briefly, before driving his foot into her chest to send her landing 5 metres away on her back again. Her magic field stopped much of his blows' force, but not all.
Rolling, Luna acted on instinct, and fired a beam at Varkan's wing. It being a narrow and quick beam, Varkan didn't react fast enough. The beam hit his right wrist, and blew out the wiring on his right glove's taser circuits. Growling in pain, he ripped the smoking glove from his hand, now down to only one tool to use.
But both were ready to keep fighting still.
The drake crowds roared in delight, but the Luna supporters didn't agree so much.
"She's gonna get hurt!" Fluttershy said loudly, but Blacklight looked out at the arena, noting the face Luna had right now.
She was calm, serene, but stern. She was in no danger, it was like a training spar for her.
"No, she's fine." Blacklight urged.
"But did you see what Varkan did to her?" Twilight admonished.
"C'mon Luna, get this win." Spike urged.
Staggering to her feet, Luna saw Varkan smile ever so slightly as he readied himself.
"How does it feel Luna? No more high strung politicking, just letting instinct take over?"
He was testing her, but she admitted before she could stop herself:
"I'm feeling better than you're about to!"
She charged him, the ground cracking slightly as she flew at him from the ground. Blocking, Varkan was ripped from his standing point as he skidded on his back, Luna charging a beam as she leapt off when they stopped. Rolling, he dodged the beam aimed for his head, leaping at Luna to punch with a tasered left hook.
Ducking beneath, Luna sidestepped, dodged, and teleported as Varkan threw blow after blow. Occasionally, she threw up shields to block his attacks, but when he punched with his taser glove, they all but shattered.
Teleporting behind him, her back to the surprised Wyvern, she bucked with her rear legs, a painful attack heightened by her magic infused strength. His knees buckling from the blows to them, and his pain, Varkan reached behind with his right hand, grabbing her leg before she could draw it back.
Panicking, she blasted from the ground before he could reach around with his left glove, flying skywards with him dangling beneath her. Flipping midair, Varkan was flung off.
He spread his wings, coming to a glide as he banked around to fly at her like an attacking falcon.
The drake crowds bellowed, and Luna fired a powerful, rapid fire stream of blue magic bolts at Varkan. He rolled again, tucking his wings in as he came at her from below suddenly. Forming her shield layer, she focused to teleport again, but found herself getting tired.
A loud, whiplike crack sounded as Varkan's midair flipping kick smashed into Luna's back, driving her to the arena ground 20 metres below with a loud crash. Her shield held, but her stamina was failing.
Gliding to the ground, Varkan panted a bit, also falling to stamina issues in this very intense bout. His chest hurt, and he needed this fight done now, he needed Luna's surrender.
Struggling to her hooves, Luna formed a shield, sensing too that Varkan was getting tired with her. He charged her, and she weaved and dodged, avoiding teleporting to save her strength.
Haymakers and quick jabs, but she formed a shield to block a hit. He swung with a left hook, and the taser shocks disrupted the magical shielf, detonating it. However, smoke exploded from his wrist as the batteries on the final taser glove overloaded.
Grunting, he ripped the taser glove off. Sensing her moment, Luna headbutted Varkan in the chest, careful to not stab with her horn by angling her head.
Grunting, Varkan lunged, hands missing Luna's head as she slipped out, teleporting just to his side to fire another spell at him.
Whipping, he reacted faster, catching Luna with her shield off. His claws smashed into hr face, but she shattered like glass. Another copy!
A pair of silver horseshoes smashed right into his jaw, and electrifying agony came with him as he staggered back.
Luna panted hard as she turned, her rear bucking attack catching Varkan as he turned to take out what he thought was her. Staggering now, Varkan spat hard, red blood and a one or two lumps in the blood.
"My teeth!"
His voice was spluttered a bit, as he glared up at her. He was missing a side upper and a lower middle tooth now, his mouth bleeding noticeably now.
Taken aback, Luna dropped her guard for a slight moment.
The fist of claws smashed into the side of her head in her moment of 'mercy', and she rolled painfully to the ground while Varkan spat out more blood from his mouth.
Her left ear rang badly and she felt pain in her left jaw. It wasn't broken, but it was possibly fractured.
Staggering up, Luna saw Varkan's mouth move as he was on her left.
"What?"
"I said you're a tough one!" Varkan's mouth dribbled blood as he said it, a ghost of a smile on his face as he spoke. Luna pointed to her left ear, saying: "I think you got me in the ear!"
"It'll come back later!" Varkan said, as he crouched to charge, more blood dripping from his mouth. His chest still stung from her very first attack, but he was ready to continue.
"That's it!" Luna charged her horn, as Varkan leapt at her. But she angled her horn at the ground just between them, readying her shield for herself.
But she was just a bit too tired.
The blue bolt hit the ground, and the arena floor just between them exploded in stone and debris.
"..Both combatants unable to continue, its a draw! No way to tell who was hit first in that blast by the Princess!"
The drake crowds roared in a mix of cheers or boos, as this was an uncertain result. Two forms were dragged form the small pile of debris, a limp, wheezing black Wyvern, and an equally, barely conscious Blue Alicorn. None had any bad injuries, with Varkan sporting a few missing teeth and some bruising, and Luna some mild bruising, a mildly fractured jaw and her left ear deafness already beginning to fade.
1 Hour later
Sri Drake, southwest area
Mountain canyons, 30 miles north of Baragh clan.
Exit canyon
"Princess! You alright!?" Twilight saw Luna's eyes flutter open from her tired sleep. She saw all the others around her, and said:
"Fine, just numb in the jaw." She said, her voice a bit funny as he tongue was half numb.
"That's me. I numbed your jaw while I mended it. Mild fracture, nothing more." Blacklight said, his ark blue magic finishing on her left jaw. She heard him alright, so her left ear was hearing fine again.
"That was amazing! You were all like kaboom! And he was all punching and kicking and leaping around, but you and he just-" Pinkie excitedly re-enacted the fight in her poses, but Applejack stopped her with a hoof on the pink mare's shoulder.
"Alright sugar cube, the Princess was there, she doesn't need tah hear it."
While Pinkie still bounced on her hooves, Luna asked: "Where are we?"
"The exit of the canyon area. You and Varkan sat out the rest of the fight time." Fluttershy said softly.
Luna's eyes widened, as she looked in the sky. She breathed easily, as it was still 1 and a half hours until she needed to lower the moon, by this hemisphere's standards, or raise it by Equestria time.
"So, how do you feel Princess?" Flash Sentry asked, respectfully.
"He didn't hurt you too badly did he?" Rarity asked.
"It was, actually fun. Painful, but satisfying." Luna remarked.
"Looks like you made some fans actually your highness." Rainbow Dash hovered over her, pointing to a few departing Fire Drakes. They pointed at her, the equestrians gathered in a small canyon for recovery, and cheered her name. Luna smiled, not used to this sort of praise. She wasn't being praised for being a Princess, but for cutting loose and letting herself out.
"Princess Luna!"
A familiar voice sounded, as Cal'vel flew in, a certain Black Wyvern slung on his large back. The 200 foot blue and red dragon landed, a hint of amusement on his alrge mouth.
"He wanted to check on you, see how you were doing." Cal'vel let Varkan slide off his large back, though he fell over as he landed.
"Whoa, look at his mouth." Spike said, stifling a laugh.
As he looked at them, staggering to his feet, Varkan's mouth had makeshift wads of cotton wool stuffed inside, already largely red. He winced as he spoke, his words somewhat muffled:
"You alrigh Princeth? Enjoy thah?"
"Yes, I did actually." Luna said: "You were right, it helped me ease any ill feelings towards you, and it seemed to work well as a friendly competition."
Wincing again, Varkan said calmly: "I'd have beaden you if not for thah lash blash you shod. Here." He held out his hand, showing the 2 large teeth of his Luna had knocked out.
"A gifd, you earned them." Varkan said, forcing a smile through his pain filled mouth.
"Oh, uh, thank you." Luna accepted the unorthodox prize, whoe Varkan smiled at all of them:
"I'm sorry for my addidude in the arena. Its where I can led off some steam."
Reaching an understanding, Twilight saw all was well between the Princess and Varkan, and if anything a newfound respect had been established.
She just hoped they'd avoid this sort of respect tactic in future.
Min-Wei had been impressed to say the least, but he still had a job to do. However, the revelation of Varkan being here, in person, changed things.
His contract hadn't mentioned him at all, and now, he was expecting an anonymous call of an update from his boss.
This job kept getting more complicated, and he hadn't even come close to landing a hit on Smoulder yet. He would see what his boss for him in this update.
The plot advances, but with a deviation over and done with now. And, bridges built, albeit violently and in a contrasting cultural manner, between one Princess and the Wyvern.
As I said, the Min-Sei plot will advance differently than one would expect, directly linked to Garnet's intentions now that he needs to alter his plans. Then of course, whatever the Entity wishes to show Garnet at his island.
As usual, please review/critique honestly.