Honour Bound

---

Honour barely had time to get back on her hooves before Duck came around for another pass. Again he charged straight at her, hooves held out in front of him. Turning to face her enemy, Honour hunched her body down to present the smallest target while staying ready on her hooves. Duck was coming in fast.

At the last second, she dove to the side once again, and rolled out of the way of the attack. Her shoulder connected with the hard-packed earth and mixed gravel of the road. One thing was sure: Honour Bound was not going to look like a pristine Canterlot VIP's bodyguard when this was over.

"C'mon, get her, Duck!"

"Yeah, end it quick, Ducky-o!"

Over by the bridge, the rest of Kilfeather's squad had started to cheer on their nearest champion. Said champion immediately took a break from making charging passes at Bound to acknowledge the crowd.

"Ha-ha! First I gotta warm her up, guys!"

It was a welcome breather for Honour. She took a few steps toward the left side of the road, taking a glance over to the ditch. It had a nice, soft shoulder down into some mixed tall grasses, which rose up again into a fresh field of alfalfa sprouts.

‘That'll do perfectly.’

"... Heads-up, foxy filly!"

This time, Duck came at her from the middle of a ninety-degree banked turn, his belly toward her so as to kick out with all four of his hooves. Since his lower wing needed room to extend, he'd come in from too high up, and she didn't have to do much more than crouch down to avoid his attack.

"... Yeah, get down in that dirt, you filthy nag!"

That sent the bridge-guards into another bout of laughter.

"Hey, Duck, you big stud, you better take that mare before she gets too dusted-up!"

"Nah, Reiner, Ducky-o likes 'em down 'n' dirty, ha-ha!"

Honour’s opponent had begun to climb up into the air for what was probably going to be a power-dive down. Still not what she needed him to do. Kicking over, Duck completed his loop and came hurtling down at her as if a pendulum in full swing.

But another tricky, last-minute roll into the hard packed earth cleared her from his way. Undeterred, Duck climbed once again for another looped-pass.

Honour’s eyes narrowed. 'Come on, you jerk -- get down and rush me on my level.'

Watching the pegasus climb into the morning sky, she wondered how things were going for her two comrades.

---

Lily Glamerspear

---

"GET SOME! GET SOME! GET SOME!"

'Holy moley is shooting at your abusive ex-coltfriend ever cathartic.'

It would have been even better if he would come down close enough for a solid hit, but things were pretty good already. Glamerspear was just taking pot-shots at Val while she cantered around in the fallow field east of the road, trying to find the perfect vantage point on the rolling hills. Somewhere with a nice, commanding view of the area, with no nearby bushes or trees to interfere with either her line-of-sight or her line-of-fire.

'Icepone' was way up in the sky already, and he was a receding target.

When Glamerspear saw him start to climb, she’d shut off her shield and started conjuring magical spear-tips, sending the constructs hurtling toward him in bursts of three. As her ex receded from view, she stopped firing and brought her shield back up with a personal radius and at moderate strength. She couldn't let him get the drop on her while she was still setting up, after all. And she couldn't waste all of her energy on shielding -- she wouldn't win anything that way.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a 'perfect' spot in the area; everything was either too close to thick cover or on the downward slope of one of the larger terrain features. She'd have to settle for staying in the middle of the open field, relocating as necessary to obtain a good shot. Speaking of good shots, Glamerspear gave a quick double-tap on the side of her helmet to extend their high-magnification sunglass shades.

'Now, where's the damn spotter with the targeting info?'

'...Oh, right.'

She wasn't part of a battery this time. She was going to have to reacquire her own quarry.

There were quite a few clouds in the sky, which was both good and bad. Good, because the sun would occasionally be shaded, making it easier to look up. Bad, because that gave Val something to hide behind and circle around with.

Her shield wasn't helping either, as the translucent dome was giving everything a purple tint. Double-tapping on her helmet a few more times, she cycled through the filter modes, trying them all to find an appropriate one.

'Ugh, this is the worst part of the job. Where did that bastard get to?'

Suddenly, there was a crackling noise behind her, and Lily could feel her shield shudder as something crashed into it.

Except it's not some-thing, it's some-pony.

"Heads-up, Centurion!"

Val had somehow managed to sneak up on her, ramming his hooves straight into her shield-bubble.

'Pfft, as if that's going to do anything.'

He gave one final swipe at her protective field with an armored forehoof.

"...Tag, you're it!"

With that, he shot up into the sky again. Lily dropped her shield and prepared to fire.

But the bastard was headed straight for the sun, barrel-rolling as he went. The best she could do was squint and send a few more, barely-aimed spears his way.

If he was going to keep using that trick, she'd better keep her helmet in magnified, darkest-tint mode. And there was no sense in staying in one place, where he'd know exactly where she was all the time. With a quick double-check that he was still climbing, she quickly galloped across the field, setting herself up against a large thicket.

Once her back was up against it, she brought her shield up once more. Maybe a little cover would help her out after all.

"I spy, with my little eye, something that starts with 'Lil!"

Searching the sky, Lily could hear him, but she couldn't see him.

"... Loser!"

Suddenly, Val popped out from around the bush, crashing his hooves into her shield once more as he flew by at tremendous speed.

'Damn.' She actually felt the impact that time. He must really have been going fast before he'd struck.

This time he didn't climb up, but instead turned to her right, following the terrain. Instantly, she lowered her shield and with another electric crack, sent a dozen more telekinetic spear-shots his way. But, firing at full flank, her shots only managed to blast small craters into the surrounding hills or punch at empty sky, winking out of existence a hundred meters past her target. All of them missed.

'Damn it;’ the magnified optics were too zoomed-in for her to draw a steady bead on the bastard!

She'd better switch back to just un-magnified, tinted as soon as that volley was done.

Val cut through one of the dividing rows of poplar trees, passing beyond her sight once more.

'Oh, right, better bring your shield back up!

...And relocate again... Damn it.'

As Lily scurried to her next sniping-post to await Val's next move, her thoughts turned to her companions. Hopefully, Sparkshower was doing okay. Sending her up against Icepone's wingpony?

Talk about a trial by fire.

Or, by ice, she supposed.

---

Artemis Sparkshower

---

Right then, all Sparkshower could think about was the sound of her own breathing.

Visor down, legs clenched tight up against her body, spear held close.

She had just one target: the cloud cover.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeere filly-filly-filly-filly-filly!"

'Joker' crashed his hooves into her flank armor once again, and it was all she could do not to shriek out in terror. She was rattled around inside her plate, but a second later he was gone again, zooming off to her other side.

'Just gotta keep flapping and heading up.' Once she got to the clouds, he'd have trouble finding her, and she could relax a bit.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanypony at home in that tin can?"

Another loud metallic 'klank' against her side-plate, and she could feel the wind pull underneath her wings as Joker not only struck her armor, but pushed her down with his legs.

"If you're not going to answer, maybe I should just keep knocking, whaddya say, huh?"

He kicked again, and she could feel him lay his forehooves on her shoulders.

'No! That's not good at all!'

Rolling over onto her back, she lashed out with two of her own hooves, only to catch nothing but air as he extended his wings and used them as air-brakes to fall back behind her.

"Oh, so there is somepony at home after all! Well, hidey-ho, neighbor, ha-ha-ha!"

Sparkshower rolled back upright and continued heading toward, what she hoped, would be her safety zone.

'Halfway there, now.'

"Ah-ah-ah! Get your head out of the clouds, little filly!"

This time, Joker didn't attack her flank, but came crashing down straight onto her back, sending her wings upright as the air went whistling by. She dared a glance down, and saw the ground getting closer with horrifying speed.

He had his hooves on her backplate and was just pushing straight down!

'You've got to do something!'

For a few seconds, all she could do was breathe.

Then she remembered that she had a spear.

Kicking its length forward with her hind legs so she was holding it firmly in her forehooves, she once again rolled over to strike her tormentor. This time, just air-braking wasn't enough, as the extra reach from Artemis’ spear caught the purple pegasus' green-colored tail, slicing a healthy chunk of it clean off.

"Whoaa! Close shave, hoo-hoo!" Joker hovered in place and twisted his head to watch his missing lengths of hair flutter their way down to ground.

Bringing the spear back under her control, Artemis completed the roll and resumed her upward course.

"... Ah, well, I needed a haircut, anyways, hee-hee!"

She couldn't let him get a drop on her like that again!

As much as she wanted to head straight for the clouds, ignoring everything around her, she couldn't. He could out-climb and out-turn her, and he could even overpower her own wings if he put his mind to it. Artemis had to keep her wits and use her spear to keep him from taking advantage of her too much.

Although they were terrifying, his initial 'boom-and-zoom' hoof-slashes didn't much alter her course or hurt her. It was when he thought she wouldn't hit back at all that he started to get some real work in. So she needed to make him think he couldn't get away with that. But if she was going to be swinging her spear as a preventative measure, she was going to need to be able to see him.

That meant coming out of her safe shell, and raising her visor.

It was a scary thought, but upon reflection, he couldn't get at her face without her seeing him anyway, and she could always snap it back down again. With some trepidation, she reached a hoof up and quickly moved it out of the way.

And then she turned her head to look behind her.

Joker was hot on her tail. He grinned when he saw her face.

"Hey, there, neighbor! Dropped the veil, did ya? Ooh, lucky me! Lucky-lucky-lucky!"

Should she make another sweep with her spear? He seemed to be keeping his distance for now. And she didn't have the agility to swing while still climbing.

Better to just stay the course for now.

But she'd keep her eye on him.

What she'd had so far was just a warm-up.

Hopefully, Glamerspear and Honour could win their fights so this battle wouldn't even matter.

---

Honour Bound

---

Corporal Honour Bound was covered in dust, with two aching shoulders. And her legs were starting to get a bit tired, too.

"Geez, this is like watching mares mud-wrestling."

"Yeah, except there's just one, and boy is she really getting into it."

"Anypony else have a hard-on?"

"Don't tease me, Applewood."

The laugh-squad over at the bridge was still enjoying the show.

But, as she got to her hooves once more, all Honour cared about right then was getting Duck to make just the right pass at her. He had to be getting tired of those high-climbing loops by now.

He should at least be getting dizzy.

"Wooo! I'm startin' to feel a little high-and-dry from all this nothin' I'm gettin'. Ya keep blue-ballin' me down there, foxy-filly!"

'Oh, thank Celestia.'

"... How about we try something fresh for a change?"

Sweeping into a banked descent, Duck came down to skim the ground, circling around wide to size her up.

'Come at me across the road, you big idiot, come on...'

"... How about some alfalfa to go with all that gravel you've been eating?"

'Finally.'

With Honour on the west side of the road, up against the embankment and the ditch, Duck came charging at her from across the eastern field. He must have been roiled; his approach, though fast, was careless. He even had his hind legs kicked out behind him, rather than tucked up under his body.

This was it -- she wasn't going to get a better shot at him than this.

"Smash her right into that mud, Duck!"

"Yeah, c'mon, get her in the ditch!"

The cheers only steadied his aim right at her. Once again, she turned to face him head on, but this time, she was crouched down as low as possible on her forehooves. She could see him adjust even further down so that he'd be level with the road when he struck.

In the blink of an eye, he was almost on her, and Honour sprung her trap.

Shoving with her forelegs, she flipped herself into the air and over onto her back. As her butt connected with the edge of the road and she started to roll backwards down the embankment, she could feel his approach carried on the wind before him.

That's when she kicked out with her hind legs as hard as she could, her hips still just barely resting on the elevated roadway. Just as his head peeked over the edge of the road at her, she felt her hind legs connect with his lower torso.

She pushed in as deep as possible into what felt like soft flesh, not hard ribs.

Nor the hard armor that would have normally been there, had he not taken it off as part of the challenge. The transferred momentum from his charge sent her careening down into the wet ditch with a cold splash. Dizzied and with a few bullrushes blocking her view, all she could do was pray to Celestia she'd got him.

Luckily, the bridge chorus clued her in almost immediately.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

"Oh, BUCK, man!"

"Holy mother of Faust!"

"DAAAAAAAMN!"

Struggling to her hooves, she saw that they all, save one, had one hoof up to their mouths in shock. The last was clutching his own groin in sympathy.

Tearing her gaze from them, Honour turned around.

'Duck' was lying on his side among the alfalfa plants, moaning loudly, and clutching his privates with both forehooves.

"Ugnnnnnnnnnn... Ohhhhhhhhhhh.... My baaa-haa-haaalllllssssss... Buuuuuuckkkkkk...."

Honour took a deep breath to settle herself, and then walked over to the injured pegasus.

He was actually crying.

It looked like she nearly blew right through the protective field. His coat still looked a little electrified, though.

Between tears, he groaned in pain, his eyes held tightly shut. "Buckin'.... crazy cheap-shottin' mare.... Damn beast outta Tartarus..."

Reaching down, she forcefully turned him over on his back, exposing his belly and face, and raised one hoof high into the air.

"Hey..."

At the sound of her voice, he opened his eyes.

She swiped down at his right temple.

"... Duck!"

He didn't even have time to blink. The instant she connected, his lights were out cold. There was a crackle in the air, and Honour felt the totem's protective field drop around her. Over at the bridge, Kilfeather's goons were shaking their heads in disbelief, muttering among themselves.

Honour Bound just went straight over to her armor and started to put it back on.

Standing just where he'd been when the fight started, Anonymous tipped his hat to her, a sly smile on his face. "Nicely done, Corporal."

"Thank you, sir."

Turning, he faced the fallow field to the East, where Glamerspear had just fired off another noisy barrage that failed to connect.

"Now, let's see if we can make it two."

Next Chapter: Chapter 17 Estimated time remaining: 35 Hours