On the way out to the field, Silver Rose had managed to learn the names of the Rainbooms, thanks to the one called Pinkie Pie, who along with the one, Rainbow Dash, had spied on them back at CPA. The girl had seemed to be a rather energetic one, though maybe the party had gotten to her, because she looked a little drowsy. Easily tired out? She filed that away for later.

“So you have never fenced. Ever?” Quillion Riposte asked Sunset.

“I’ve watched some fencing on TV.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged as they opened the door leading to the field.

Silver winced slightly at the sun’s rays, but soon managed to adjust to them as they went along.

They found their fencing gear in the shed they had left it in earlier, with all their equipment still intact.

“What, did you think it would get stolen?” Jetstream folded his arms. “Yeah right. Maybe at Crystal Prep, but your stuff is safe here.”

Silver was looking in the shed when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see it was Sunny Flare, who had a smile on her face.

“Show them who’s boss, huh, Silver?”

“I’ll give it my best,” Silver replied. A blush grew on Sunny Flare’s face, but Silver was too busy picking out a foil to notice.

She selected a sword and left the shed, where Quillion already had two suits and helmets for them.

“I figured you two were about the same size,” he said, giving one suit and helmet to Silver. “Give us a good show, okay?”

“Mhmm.”

He handed Sunset the other after Fleur had given her a sword and both girls took turns changing in the shed before returning outside in their full gear.

“Man, it’s hot in these things…” Sunset said as she tested her mobility. She looked at her foil and swung it around herself a few times, in a form that Silver recognized as one that Ms. Lionstrike had shown her once. Supposedly it was from a sword fighting master from before the renaissance.

So she’s been tutored in the way of the sword too… this could be interesting.

“Are ya sure one o’ them won’t pass out from heatstroke before this is all over?” Applejack, the cowgirl, stated, giving Quillion a frown. “Those suits look real unsuited for the this kinda temperature.”

“Pffft…” Lemon Zest sniggered behind Silver. “Unsuited. I get it.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t meant ta be a joke.”

“Well, what do you suppose they do?” Sugarcoat lifted her glasses higher up her nose. “Let them fight without the suits instead?”

“That’s not what Ah’m sayin’!” Applejack said furiously. “Sunset. Ya don’t have ta do this. We can jus’ wait til tomorrow ta settle this.”

“I already got the suit on and everything.” Sunset looked at herself. “It’ll be fine if it’s just for a while.”

“What’s the matter, Applejack?” Indigo sneered. “Chicken? You’re just afraid you’ll lose, huh?”

“No! It’s a real problem! Ah mean, they could die of the heat if we’re not careful.”

“Silver Rose isn’t complaining.” Indigo motioned to the young changeling. “You’re just a chicken. Cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep!” She flapped her arms to imitate the flightless bird.

“Ah am not a chicken!” Applejack said hotly. “Sunset, you better win, or Ah’ll… Ah’ll eat mah hat.”

“Then you better get that hat ready.” Indigo gave her headwear a tug. “Because Silver’s gonna show you we’re still better than you.”

Silver and Sunset stood a couple of paces apart, away from the others.

“Umm… sorry about them,” Silver said in a lower voice, her words only for Sunset. “They can be a bit… competitive at times.”

“Uh huh,” Sunset said on the other side.

Silver decided to take a good sniff, seeing as her face was masked. She smelt a trail of pride coming from her friends, while Canterlot High’s side smelt a little of irritation and excitement mixed together. It was a little odd. As for Sunset, there seemed to be a smell of doubt coming from her, and surprisingly, no fear. Perhaps she was more used to swords than Silver first guessed.

“So, let’s see,” Quillion said, stepping in between the two fighters. “Shall we have it as first touch to win? Best of three bouts?”

“Sounds reasonable, I suppose…” Jetstream rubbed his chin. “Agreed, LR? Girls?”

“It sounds much safer, so sure.” Lightning looked on.

“I certainly don’t agree with Sunset marring a daughter of Ebony Wings, so first hit sounds good.” Rarity gave her hair a flip.

“I don’t agree with any of this…” the quiet one, Fluttershy mumbled, but no one really heard her.

“Very well then,” Quillion said, raising his arm. “Five, four, three, two, one, go!”

Quillion dropped his arm and stepped smartly back.

The first clash of blades was slow and hesitant. Sunset and Silver circled around each other, foils pointed parallel to the ground, neither of them willing to make the first move. The sun shone down on the duelists, and Silver carefully watched Sunset, paying special attention to her joints and her foil. Deciding it was time to start, Silver darted forward and jabbed at Sunset’s midsection.

With a kick back, Sunset stepped out of Silver’s reach, before stepping back in and thrusting her own weapon forward, aimed for Silver’s left arm. The Crystal Prep girl dodged backward and Sunset’s foil fell short, but Sunset rallied magnificently and held up her weapon defensively, swatting away two more stabs from Silver.

She’s just employing basic fencing skills… Silver weaved left and around Sunset’s stab, thrusting her weapon, only for it to be parried again. If I just keep it up and use what Fleur and the others have taught me, I can win this in no time. Preferably before Sunset gets a heatstroke or something.

She might be heat resistant, but her opponent wasn’t, and the suits were doing a good job at keeping the heat in. Hoping to end it quickly, Silver swatted aside one of Sunset’s strikes and poked her in the chest.

“And score one!” Indigo cheered loudly from the side. “How do you like that, Canterlot High?”

“It’s only the first round.” Rainbow Dash shook a fist. “Anything else can happen on the way.”

“It’s kind of hot inside these suits,” Sunset said, pushing her mask up and accepting a bottle of water from the pink girl, Pinkie.

“Seriously? Do you not feel it, Silver Rose?” Rainbow looked to the mauve-skinned girl. “You haven’t said anything about the heat.”

“It’s not that hot,” Silver said reasonably. “I guess I’m just used to wearing these kind of suits.”

“It’s ninety-five degrees,” Sugarcoat read from her phone.

“Okay, I think I’m good for now.” Sunset gave back the bottle, wiped a whole handful of sweat from her face, then put her helmet back on.

“Round two,” Quillion announced. “Three, two, one, go!”

Silver and Sunset began circling each other once again, foils pointed at the other person’s face. On the sidelines, Pinkie had somehow procured several bags of popcorn and was eating from them.

Sunset was the first to initiate contact this time, aiming a sneaky jab at Silver’s thigh. She scooted back to avoid the stab, but was surprised when Sunset spun around and jabbed at her again and again, switching the foil from her right hand to her left. Silver knocked the thrusts away and narrowed her eyes. Sunset was certainly getting better at this. If she wanted to win, she would have to finish it before she could get used to it.

Feinting left, Silver made it look like she was trying to swipe up at Sunset’s left arm, but at the last second and as her opponent attempted to parry, she dodged right and spun herself around to strike at Sunset, but then found her blade being parried anyway.

What? She was just on the other side.

Sunset’s foil was already back in her right hand and Silver found herself soon pushed onto the defensive, stepping back as Sunset advanced on her. The Canterlot High girl pressed the attack, her foil seemingly coming from all directions as it finally slipped past Silver’s guard and poked her in the shoulder.

“And one for us!” Rainbow Dash cheered, punching her fists out like she was boxing. “How do you like that?”

“Score one for the republic!” Pinkie yelled. It seems she was regaining her energy and attitude. “Yeah, she’s got this one.”

“That is some fancy sword work, I must say.” Fleur examined her nails, looking to be more busy checking herself than watching the match, but Silver guessed she was good enough to do both. “But you have yet to see what Silver Rose can do.”

Silver unhooked her mask and went back to her team and Sunset to hers.

“She’s good,” Silver glanced at Sunset. “She’s really good, and I’ve been trained by a master swordsman. Do you think she’s the same way?”

“Master swordsman, you say?” Quillion thought about it. “It does explain your… unusual skillset.”

“Maybe she has the same master swordsman teacher?” Lemon Zest suggested. “Who knows?”

“That’s not it,” Silver mused. Then she turned to Quillion. “Permission to go all out in the next round?”

“What, not fencing?” her captain said, then looked over to Fleur. “What do you think?”

“I did tell Silver she could do so if her instincts decided to kick in again.” Fleur combed a hand through her fine hair. “I guess intentionally doing it is fine too.”

“Then sure.” Quillion smiled. “Canterlot High’s going to be in for a surprise then.”

Silver nodded and replaced her helmet after a quick drink of water, walking back to the field. Sunset looked over and noticed she was ready and left her friends, jogging back over and putting her helmet on.

“Let’s see what you think of this, Sunset Shimmer…” Silver mumbled to herself. Her opponent was going to be in for a surprisingly quick match this round.

After matching swords, both fencers began circling each other again, with Silver watching Sunset’s footwork intently. She was going to play it cool first, but once Sunset dropped her guard…

And then Sunset was the first to attack again, sliding in with a massive thrust attack. Silver almost didn’t get out of the way in time, She twisted her body around Sunset’s attack, lifting her feet to her toes just to maneuver around it, then skidded away from her before recovering.

Rushing back in, Silver kept her left hand behind her back, thrusting up and down with her foil, trying to distract Sunset from her true motive. When Sunset next lifted her foil to parry Silver’s attack on her face, the young changeling took the opportunity to drop low and sweep her leg in an arc, hitting Sunset at the back of her right calf. She went down on her back and Silver lunged in to end the round, but to her surprise and everyone’s on her side, Sunset was quick enough to roll to the side and throw herself back up, then parried Silver’s attack all in one move.

What? How did she react so quickly?

Silver was quickly pushed onto the defensive, still reeling from her shock.

Get it together, Silver! Fight like you were trained to fight!

Regaining her balance, Silver slashed to the left and right, charging forward, but Sunset was quick enough to leap back to avoid it, then followed up with a diagonal slash from her own foil.

Gritting her teeth, Silver spun around, her sword dancing in a circle around her. Sunset raised her foil to guard, and the tip of Silver’s sword scraped off the cup-handled hilt of Sunset’s weapon, knocking it wide.

Silver went in for the kill, but Sunset kicked up, her foot connecting with the hilt of Silver’s weapon and turning the thrust into a missed upward slice.

Indigo squinted at the ongoing duel, a finger tapping her chin.

“Is this even fencing anymore?”

“We told her she could go ahead.” Quillion shrugged. “I didn’t think Canterlot High would be able to match her.”

“And here I thought she was going to make quick work of them.” Fleur watched on anticipatingly.

Silver and Sunset cut at each other simultaneously, their swords clashing in between them with a clink. They backed away and swung again, their strikes colliding with tremendous speed so that it sounded like a handful of coins being dropped on the floor.

“Wow, they’re really going at it…” Quillion watched their movements. “Look at those strikes and that footwork. Amazing.”

“None of this is fencing.” Fleur shook her head. “It is just barbaric swordplay now.”

“It’s still entertaining though.” Lemon Zest came back with a box of popcorn from the other side. She tossed some in her mouth and chewed noisily. “I mean would you have believed Silver was such a cool swordsgirl? Goooo Silver!”

Silver and Sunset continued to trade blows, their metal foils ringing out around the field. Neither of them have managed to get the upper hand just yet and Silver was looking to change that. She’d already have to expend some of her love energy to deflect Sunset’s attacks to get an opening, but she still had yet to succeed in scoring her point. She didn’t want to have to use more energy uselessly like that, so she waited and watched for the right moment.

Finding it when Sunset slashed low, Silver tapped into her stores of love and spun her blade once then slashed out to the side faster than the eye could see. She was almost certain the point was hers, but then Sunset did the unimaginable again and rolled under her strike, then slashing out at her legs. Silver instinctively flipped herself back, somersaulting off one hand before resuming her stance a good distance away from Sunset. Ignoring the amazed wows from everyone watching, Silver brandished her foil, which, like Sunset’s was sporting a few kinks and bends from their clash.

How is she doing all this? She can’t be reading my moves, right?

Silver stepped closer, her dented foil swaying in front of her face. Sunset did the same, albeit keeping her foil pointed at Silver as she settled into a more defensive stance. Silver aside wondered how this would have played out had they been using actual weapons and not these flimsy pieces of metal that the fencing team called swords. She supposed she would never find out, but she couldn’t back down now. Her school was counting on her to win.

She and Sunset approached each other again. Silver’s eyes lingered on the other girl’s joints and body, trying to predict or imitate what she might be about to do.

Sunset’s right leg twitched, and Silver quickly copied her stance, both girls stabbing forward at the same time. Their foils jabbed forward with lightning speed, only to be stopped in the middle by some unseen force. Silver peeked down at her sword. Incredibly, both their swords had met in the middle, the plastic guards on the tips pressing against each other.

There was a collective gasp from the spectators. They had clearly never seen this kind of swordplay before. Silver and Sunset pushed against each other for a moment, their battered foils bending under the stress, before jumping apart and slashing at each other. Silver felt herself accelerate as she matched Sunset’s motions, expending more love energy to go faster.

Sparks began to fly as Sunset and Silver struck at each other with dizzying speed, the blunt steel edges of their foils scraping and grinding against each other.

Silver looked down at her weapon, unsure of how much longer the flexible steel was going to last if the two of them kept this up. She kept watching and looking for a way to finish it, but Sunset was just too good of a swordsman to go down like that. With every answer Silver found against her opponent, Sunset would simply counter her attack and they would be back to a standstill again, though things weren’t looking too good for Silver.

She had expended plenty of love energy in many gambles to try and win the round, but so far, they’ve all been for nothing. She didn’t want to have to use more than she already had. As for her own strength, Silver was starting to feel her face and her body begin to sweat, her muscles straining to keep up now. She didn’t know if Sunset was getting tired or not, but she hoped the round would be over soon, before either one of them collapsed.

Finally, after another fierce exchange, Silver noticed that Sunset’s guard was wavering. Her sword dipped a fraction lower than before, the tip pointing more toward the ground than at her opponent.

Finally, you’re mine, Sunset!

Silver turned, aiming a slash at Sunset’s unguarded side, only for Sunset to bat it away and thrust the foil at Silver’s midsection. As the foil’s tip traveled the short distance, Silver could only gape in shock and surprise.

A feint. How did she-

And then the point struck Silver in the gut, winding her and making her fall over backwards. Her foil went rolling away, and Sunset stood back, triumphant. Then she reached a hand down to the fallen Silver, dropping her foil and pulling up her mask.

“I’m so sorry,” Sunset said, her face beaded with sweat both from the suit and from the exertion. “Are you hurt?”

“Just my pride,” Silver said ruefully, accepting Sunset’s hand. “I’ve never seen anyone fight like that before! You’re amazing, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Well… you’re pretty good yourself, Silver Rose.” Sunset smiled, then wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, flicking sweat off onto the grass. “Sorry about that last hit. I wasn’t expecting to follow through so hard and fast.”

“I’m just glad we weren’t dueling with real swords,” Silver laughed. “That would have done some real damage.”

Indigo was first over, slapping Silver on the shoulder. “Silver, that was incredible! I mean, really incredible!” Then she looked over to Sunset and frowned. “You were lucky this time. You just caught her off guard. We’ll be sure to kick your butt the next time.”

Quillion stepped over and accepted both foils from the two girls. He shook his head; both foils were bent and kinked from the fight, chipped and worn out.

“I hope you’re satisfied,” he said, a little irritated. “These foils are going to have to be replaced.”

Silver looked down at her feet and blushed. Maybe she had gotten a little too carried away with winning. “Sorry…”

She pulled off her helmet to try and cool her face. She was really sweating now, just like Sunset, her pink and grey hair partially damp from sweat. She privately thanked her aunt for buying waterproof hair gel for her to use.

“Yeah, um… Sorry about that.” Sunset rubbed her neck, then flicked more sweat to the grass below. “I’ll… I’ll pay for that.”

Silver let Sunset change out of her suit before doing so herself inside the shed. When they were done, Sunset and her friends left, heading back into the school, talking about their surprising victory. Silver helped Quillion put everything back in order before leaving, apologizing once more to her captain for losing control.

“It’s not that big of a problem,” Quillion said, gazing down at the ruined foils. “I gave you permission to go all out, so if anything, it’s my fault. You were just doing what you were trained to do. Which, even if you didn’t win, was pretty flipping impressive.”

“You just need more finesse, Silver,” Fleur added with a point of her finger. “More gracefulness. Other than that, yes, good show.”

“That Sunset Shimmer sure is something though,” Silver said, thinking back to all the moves Sunset had used during the final bout. “I wonder where she learned her techniques from…”

“Indeed.” Quillion looked back and eyed the Canterlot High group. “They have never beaten us at anything. Never.”

“Good thing that wasn’t official, then,” Indigo said from the side. “Hey… you think sword fighting is going to be part of the Friendship Games?”

“That’s why we brought our swords and suits.” Fleur motioned to the shed.

“We can’t lose, not now.” Sour Sweet put on a game face. “But if Canterlot High has that girl on their team, we’re in for some trouble. Silver’s not on our team.”

“Nothing much we can do now.” Sugarcoat adjusted one of her hairclips. “With the Games literally around the corner, we will have to make do with the skills we already have.”

“Yeah…” came the communal agreement. Everyone looked down at their shoes.

“This was only one practice round.” Sunny dusted off one of her sleeves. “We’ll be sure to dominate them for the rest of what’s to come.”

“I hope you’re right, Sunny,” Lemon Zest said, throwing away her empty popcorn bag. “What’s say we head back to the gym? Maybe they still have some cupcakes there.”