Eris' fight had taken only around a minute and a half. It was something that haunted Thiemo for the rest of the day. It also made him rethink the bet. Swift Wind, the pegasus who had been Eris' opponent, was a well-trained Royal Guard and had not managed to land a single hit. Why did Eris offer this bet if she would win anyhow? The human had no illusions – he stood no chance against her. If he recalled correctly, it had taken both Celestia and Luna to defeat her the first time and Twilight plus her friends the second time, which made him view the five other mares in a new light. Actually, maybe not a completely new light, but it made him respect them a bit. After all, the five together had to be as strong as an alicorn, at least following simple logic.

Following the same logic, there could be only two reasons in his opinion why Eris had done this: either to rile him up or to get at least a somewhat challenging fight. Probably a little of both. Unfortunately for her, it wouldn't faze him as he had decided to stay, nor would he fight against her. Thiemo didn't know when he would fight Amaryllis, or if he even would reach that far, but it was certain that he wouldn't lay a finger on her.

"What are you thinking about?

Amaryllis turned around on the bed so that her snout almost touched his nose. Her large, purple eyes looked into his as Thiemo slowly returned to the here and now, namely her bedroom in the castle.

He pressed a kiss on her muzzle and stroked her cheek with a hand. "Nothing special. The usual." His hand wandered below the warm bed sheet where it briefly touched Amaryllis’ bandaged wing. He might have missed the fight, but he had seen the aftermath in front of him. His girlfriend had various bruises underneath her dark coat, and both wings were covered in light bandages. But all she needed was a decent helping of love and enough sleep for her be able to fly again tomorrow. At least according to the good doctor Meena.

"I wonder what will happen afterwards," Amaryllis said sleepily. "I mean, what’s coming after the tournament. I don't want to have escaped one cage just to land in another one." Thiemo could understand what she meant, specifically Cadance and her words at the tournament's opening. They wanted to stay for a while but not forever. Considering what Cadance said, she wouldn't let her daughter out of her reach soon. The same held for Shining Armor. Even if the prince didn't take an obvious fancy to his daughter, it was easy to see that he did worry about her, which was more than other people might do in his stead. Humans in high positions or nobles often swept smaller problems like illegitimate children under the rug and didn't even waste a single thought on them.

"I believe Cadance's affection will fade a little with time. But you mean a lot to her. She spent years mourning a daughter that should have been hers. Also, staying here won't be boring. Like I promised, I'll stay with you as long as it takes." Amy's front legs moved around his neck and pulled Thiemo against the soft coat of her barrel. She cautiously nuzzled her cheek against his and eventually rested her head on his chest.

It didn't take long until Thiemo noticed the slow breathing that indicated Amaryllis had succumbed to the day's exhaustion. His thought wandered back to Eris. Thinking once again about the possible answers to his questions, he often drew the conclusion that Eris seldom did what seemed logical. With a groan, he shook his pillow and finally closed his eyes.

The hallways were lit brightly in the moonlight, reflecting off the crystal walls. A lone silhouette wandered through them. Shining Armor couldn't sleep. Not that he wasn't tired, but the events of today didn't allow him any peace of mind. He had personally trained Amaryllis, and she had made progress, but none that should have enabled her to do what he saw today. He had snuck out of the bedroom once Cadance and Skyla were asleep and walked around to think. From time to time, a guard saluted as he passed by, but he didn't pay them any attention.

He had required years of training to use his shields for something else than the intended purpose. How could have his daughter achieved this in a few days? Of course, the thought had occurred to him that it might have to do something with her origins. Changelings learned fast and could copy many pony talents, but after what they had learned about the species the last years, this went too far. It had awakened in him the desire to work further with his daughter, to train her and to see how far she could develop her magic.

In theory, she had the same potential like his sister to apply every spell that existed. What represented a special talent to a pony was given to the changelings by nature. Furthermore, she could feel and analyse the emotions of her enemies, which gave her another advantage. As much it made him uncomfortable, his daughter was arguably one of the mightiest weapons on this planet, and he had felt the effects of her untamed power himself once. However, she needed direction, someone who could guide her, someone who loved her and would prepare her for the tasks of being a princess.

But there the problems just began. Thiemo was a two bit crook in Shining's eyes, but he had to admit that the human did everything for those who were important to him. It was a trait that the alicorn could appreciate. However, that alone did not make him like the human. After all, everyone had good attributes somewhere. Unfortunately, his wife was rubbing off on him a little, or rather her trust was. And with the probable upcoming negotiations with Ti – once their message reached the island – it would be good idea if he got on the good side of the few humans within his realm. Too bad he wasn't a politician but a soldier.

Shining came to a halt and stared at the door leading to the chambers of his daughter. It was quiet, only the chirps of crickets and other noise of tiny insects filling the night. Cautiously, Shining Armor opened the door, revealing dark chambers. With his horn's light, he roamed the living area and looked through the open door into the bedroom of his daughter.

There, under the blankets, were Amaryllis and Thiemo, forelegs and arms wrapped around each other. His thoughts wandered back into his own bedroom where a certain photo – secretly taken by a younger Twilight – hung on the wall. It showed him and Cadance sleeping together on a large sun lounger in the castle gardens, both having succumbed to the warm summer sun. It was not dissimilar to what he was seeing here in front of him.

Growling, he turned away so he would not disturb their sleep and left the apartment again. As he quietly closed the door, Shining Armor noted that it might be better to work with the human instead of against him. If he could convince him that magical training would be good for her, it would be a big help.

Shining's eyes widened as he remembered what Cadance had proposed at first. She wanted to accept the human into the Crystal Guard. It didn't seem to be a bad idea anymore. He merely had to keep their minds off the idea with the vacation. Contemplating, he continued his way through the castle's hallway.

Like all the previous days, this one didn't differ much. Thiemo struggled to leave the bed at sunrise and join the other ponies at the breakfast table. However, only Twilight and Applejack appeared as additional guests, Twilight to eat breakfast with her family and Applejack because Aura wanted to eat with him. The others had left, according to Applejack, to dine in the city and then to accompany Soarin and Rainbow Dash to the hospital for a check-up.

The first real change was that with the reduced number of remaining participants, not as many fights were held on a particular day. That was the reason that they had to be on their way after lunch. Thiemo planned to use the time and walked with his daughter through the castle towards the training rooms.

"Why do you want to train, Dad? Doesn't that make you tired?"

"I don't want to actually train. I merely want to try something." His plan to not win the tournament had a small flaw, as he noticed later. If he didn't win, then he wouldn't receive from Cadance what he wanted and needed, regardless if he stayed or left. Because of this, he had to find an alternative, and the best option he had was Legion.

"You want to experiment with magic?! And I can watch?" Inwardly, Thiemo cursed as he realized what he had done. Now he couldn't say no anymore. Well, he could, but that would result in a sad daughter who would turn his next few days into hell. Sad pony eyes were deadly weapons and caused heartaches even for a resistant one like him. "I was never allowed to watch!"

For a good reason. As Thiemo started with his training as shaman and finally mastered channelling magic, he had experimented a lot with it, mostly with an explosive result. Even as he improved, some gems still liked to explode when he experimented with circles. He had had no other choice than trial and error as he hadn't understand the runes. In the meantime, he had a rough idea what rune did what in a circle, but true understanding was something else.

Thiemo's right hand moved inevitably to his forehead and touched his eyebrows to assure himself that they were still there. "You will stay in the entrance. As soon you see that something goes wrong, or I shout that you have to leave, you go. Got it?" His hand movement ended with pointing two fingers towards his eyes and then turned them towards Auralia. The foal saluted and nodded simultaneously, which caused her to move her hoof over her head, nearly making her fall. She quickly caught herself and smiled at Thiemo, a bit embarrassed.

"Got it, dad," she said.

Observing his daughter from the corner of his eye, they continued together towards the teleporter. Thiemo knew that there had to be stairs somewhere, otherwise there would be a giant traffic jam in front of the teleporter. With the few Crystal Guards or servants that went into that direction, that was solid evidence. In addition, he thought he remembered that Rupie had mentioned something like that. Unfortunately, he had been too busy keeping his mouth more open than his ears.

"So, what do you wanna try?" Auralia asked as they finally reached the teleporter and Thiemo placed the crystal to go to the desired floor.

"Well, I want—" A flash interrupted the human for a moment. "…to try and see if Legion is suited to use as a totem."

"You’ve used that word now and then, dad. What’s a totem?"

They stepped out of the teleporter and walked down the hallway towards the training rooms for the guards. Crystals above the doors showed which rooms were being used. "Well, a totem is an object that is so precious to its owner that it’s as if it is a part of himself." Thiemo had no desire to explain his daughter that he intended to rip off a bit of his soul and imprison it in a crystal. "It allows the owner a better magical control as the totem takes over the communication with the elements, so to speak."

"And that means?"

"I could use different spells of an elemental school without having to change to a different crystal with a different circle. I could use the same crystal to fire ice balls and gather water out of the air, should I choose an object that is in tune with water." Aura stayed silent and seemed to think over his words. "Ah, here’s a free room," Thiemo said as he noticed the glowing green crystal above the wooden door.

Together they entered the empty room, and Thiemo locked the door that turned the green crystal into red. "There isn't anything here," Aura said, clearly disappointed.

"Well, the soldiers bring everything they need from one of the storage rooms. I, on the other hand, have everything in here." Thiemo reached in the pocket of his orange coat and pulled out a piece of white chalk. After all, he didn't want to spoil the pretty crystal floor permanently with some runes. "And stay next to the door like you promised.”

With a light pout, Auralia did as she was told and sat down next to the door. Thiemo moved to the center of the room and began to draw the required magic circle. This particular circle was almost burned into his brain if only alone through the pain he had suffered by it. It was nothing else than a meditation circle that was supposed to help the shaman channel magic and capture it in a crystal, in case that he wanted to do so himself instead of waiting for the crystal to charge itself passively over the course of several weeks.

It didn't take long until he had drawn the circle and took his place in the centre. Magic, as much Twilight Sparkle liked to make it seem, was not an exact science. Feelings, emotions played a large role. Magic could behave differently depending on the current mood of its user. The more complex the magic, the more sensitive it was, that much Thiemo knew.

He took a deep breath and tried to empty his mind, which wasn't that easy with what was going on around him. He concentrated on the magic in the room and within himself. Like a quiet lake stirred lightly by wind, the magic wafted around him. In contrast, a storm whirled the magic within his body and yearned for a valve that he still had to give it. Another deep breath and the black before his closed eyes gave way to the various colours of the world Albion's magic. The walls appeared in a neutral white, whereas Aura gleamed in beige, nearly like sand, mixed with tiny grains of a different color he couldn't recognize.

Without opening the eyes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out Legion. His hands formed a cup in his lap, and Thiemo began to channel the magic of the outer world, through his body, and into the rhodolith. The purpose of this exercise was to discover which element the stone would react to best. Thiemo, who got along best with wind and water, hoped that it would be one of them.

"Dad?"

His eyebrow twitched, but he didn't open his eyes in order to keep track of the flow. He could do so with open eyes, though things would likely be too distracting.

"Dad? Is that normal?"

Now he couldn't get around with keeping his eyes closed. He didn't like what he saw. Legion flickered, and flashes of magical nature escaped from the stone. "Aura, out now!" he called to his daughter as he cautiously stood up and began to channel the magic out of the stone. "Go!" Now she obeyed and scurried out of the door.

Thiemo’s thoughts were racing. He didn't expect such a volatile reaction from the stone. He hurried with channelling the excess energy out of the crystal, but the flashes didn't stop and left burnt skin on his hands. He had no choice now and dropped the stone and followed his daughter. She already stood outside the door, looking worried, and was obviously relieved as he closed the door behind him. "What happened?" she asked. Instead of receiving an answer, there was small bang, and bright smoke escaped under the door behind Thiemo.

"Magical discharge," was his response as he opened the door cautiously again. The crystal walls were littered with burn marks, as was the ceiling. Legion was lying in the middle of the room. The chalk of the circle was smudged and useless. Once more, Thiemo looked around, then entered the training room completely and carefully picked up the rhodolith.

Immediately he noticed that it felt different. When he held it in his hands the first time, he had felt the prickling of magic that desired to be used. This was now completely gone, and the stone seemed to have lost some colour.

"Damn it," escaped Thiemo's lips. Using his own magic, he sent a small pulse in the stone and ordered it to take on a new shape, but nothing happened. "Come on,” he muttered and channelled a bit of his own magic into the stone. It changed but was slow, and despite wishing for a lance, two swords formed.

"Damned zebra," was what Thiemo had been mumbling for the last five minutes. Once more he was sitting in the small preparation room of the stadium and obsessively trying to force Legion into a different form. All it ever did was to become his two swords, as if this form was somehow burned into it.

Of course his old master was at fault. She was who, after all, had reminded him that a totem would make things simpler and why he had actually considered in the first place to conduct the experiment. All he had managed was to add a defect to his weapon.

Uttering curses he would never let escape under normal circumstance, he made Legion return into its stone form and placed it in his pocket. He threw himself on the chair and placed his boots on the table in front of him. With crossed arms, he looked up to the ceiling and began to ponder. Legion wasn't useless and still fulfilled the purpose for why Cadance had given him the weapon in the first place.

A hand moved cautiously to his face and massaged his nose. In his mind, he went through his inventory once more. He still had a few lapis lazuli and sapphires left, though not as many as he would have liked. The magic in his body felt strong, which probably meant that enough was present. Even after a month, he still had not figured out how the regeneration of magic inside him worked.

Knocks came from the door before it was opened. "You are the first one today, sir," Thiemo heard the same red crystal pony mare who had been standing in the hallway for the last few days say. Annoyed, he kicked the table to the side and rose from the chair.

Forcing himself to calm down, he blended out everything else around him. The chants of thousands of viewers: the noise of the hooves of the mare in front of him, the warm air caused by the noon's sun. With this being spring, the temperatures had risen, and despite being far north, it had to be twenty-five degrees already. Together with the relatively high humidity, this wasn't necessarily comfortable. He was used to heat, but moist heat was torture. No place he had visited so far was like this, but it was still surely far from being like in the tropics. If he had to guess, he would say thirty percent.

The mare said something but Thiemo couldn't care less. He shielded his eyes with a hand as he entered the arena and Loudmouth announced him. Far more interesting than what was being said about him was his next opponent, who was waiting already in the arena. It was a griffon and Thiemo could have sworn that he had seen him already. Age was written on his face. The feathers around his head were dull and more grey than white.

"Ah, the human is my enemy then!" the griffon boomed and moved with a few wing beats closer to him. "People have talked about you in the city and in the stadium for a while. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Leonidas." With these words, he extended one claw while he kept himself with his wings at Thiemo's eye level.

Now he remembered where he had seen this griffon before. He had fought against Entlas in the preliminaries. His weapons had been two metal claws with which he strengthened his natural ones. Those weren't to be seen anywhere.

Thiemo returned the greeting and shook the claw, only for Leonidas to strengthen his grip. "What's wrong, lad? No strength in your arms?" He felt the claws drill a bit into his flesh, but that didn't stop him from returning the favour. "Ha, so not just soft flesh. Come on, lad, let us put up a good fight." The griffon grinned and released Thiemo from his clasp. He returned to the other side of the fighting stage and turned his head to the entrance through which he had come from. "Anvil, my shield!"

At first, Thiemo thought that it was another griffon who brought Leonidas' weapon of choice, but he was wrong. At least partially. Indeed, Anvil had the head of a griffon and its forelegs, but the part usually belonging to a feline predator was swapped with a pony. White head feathers and grey short fur, the hippogriff entered the arena and handed Leonidas his shield. He fastened it at his foreleg just so that Thiemo could only see the claw used for standing. Then he looked again at Thiemo. "Come to think of it, bring me a second shield." The human was left confused as the griffon folded his wings. The hippogriff vanished shortly in the entrance, only to return with another wooden shield seconds later.

"Oh! Leonidas chooses a second weapon in favour of his wings! This promises to become an exciting fight!" Meanwhile, Thiemo pondered if Leonidas knew which weapons he preferred.

"Thank you, Anvil. You may go now."

"As you wish, father," the hippogriff replied dryly and left the arena.

"Okay then! Looks like as if our combatants ready. Let the fight begin!" The barrier was erected, only noticeable by the audience no longer being audible, and instinctively Thiemo grabbed his bag with the talismans. Leonidas didn't give him the time to take out any. The griffon jumped forward, rolled over both of his shields by bringing them in front of his face, and jumped again as soon his hind legs felt the sandy ground. With no time to react, the human was buried under the feathered muscle mass which was part of the great race of griffon.

"Come on, human! Show what you can!" mocked Leonidas and rammed one of his shields into Thiemo's stomach before he jumped off him again, removing a good piece of Thiemo’s clothes with his claws.

The human didn't need to be told twice and used the stone that he had barely managed to take out of his bag. Thiemo still turned around on the ground and fired an ice ball after the gryphon, who just blocked it with one of the shields. At least this gave Thiemo enough time to get back on both legs and to ready more lapis lazulis, which he used without any hesitation. Two more ice balls sailed through the air, but Leonidas simply jumped to his side and let them shatter at the magical barrier.

Thiemo recognized waste of ammunition when he saw it and pulled Legion out of his mantle's pocket. "It has been long since I've seen such a weapon. Come on, puny human!" Leonidas smashed his shields together. "I dare you!"

The rhodolith split into thousands of tiny pieces before it reformed as one sword in each hand. "How did you know that I fight with two weapons?"

The griffon grinned. "Your hands." Thiemo stopped short. "They both show light calluses, a sign with humans that they work with them. With fighters, it’s a clear mark which hand they use." The meaning of his words didn't escape Thiemo. Leonidas had already fought against many humans. Still, Thiemo was sure that the griffon never had an opponent like him.

He returned the grin for a moment and pushed himself up from the ground, practically gliding over the ground, both swords aligned forward to undertake a pincer attack. What he didn't expect was that Leonidas suddenly raised himself on his hind legs. With both wings stretched and shields held high, his opponent awaited his attack. His left shield smashed Thiemo's right sword to the side before Leonidas stepped aside, so his other shield bore itself into Thiemo's back and send him to the ground again.

"Never underestimate your opponent, lad. You never know what surprises he has for you." He had no idea why the griffon told him this and he barely cared. His back hurt as well his wounded pride, but he forced himself to roll away from Leonidas and raised himself up, using the swords as crutches.

The griffon still stood on his hind legs, balancing with his wings. He used gaps in the rules just like Thiemo. He wasn't permitted to use his wings to fly, but nothing stopped him from using them like that. "Are you here to teach me lessons or to fight?" Thiemo shot back.

"You look like one who needs them." This time, it was Leonidas who made a jump. He dove forward, pulled his wings in, and rolled over both of his shields again. He landed on all fours in front of Thiemo, extended his wings again, and turned around on the sand and used one of his shields. The human couldn't react fast enough and once more was swept off his feet, eating dust again. In one fluid motion, Leonidas turned fully around and smashed his shield against the human, this time aiming for the stomach. His opponent twitched inevitably and rolled to his side. "Remember, regardless which living being, the stomach is always a sensitive spot. In particular if you only want to hurt but not to kill."

Thiemo couldn't care less for the gryphon's gobbledygook. It felt like his breakfast wanted to take the emergency exit due to the sheer vehemence with which Leonidas bored his shield's edge into his stomach. Would it have been a normal metal shield with a point, he would have had gaping wound in his belly. It was a paralyzing pain, not dissimilar to the one if he had been hit a few centimetres south.

"If this is all, then it would be a good idea to stay down. Come back once you have learned to fight with the weapons that have been entrusted to you." Through pure will alone, Thiemo shakily rose again and returned to his battle stance. He changed the grip around his right sword, the blade now showing away from him while he held the left one defensively in front of him. He had to choose a defensive tactic – that much was clear to him now.

Again he went to the offensive, this time moving up his left blade for the attack. As soon he noticed that Leonidas was prepared to block, he went to his knees and struck with the right one. Again his crystal blade hit only wood. Thinking fast, he let go of his left sword and pulled the arm to his body. The pressure that Leonidas exerted against it caused the sword to turn, and as it was below the shield, Thiemo grabbed it anew and pushed forward. The griffon evaded the stab with a skilful movement of his head and moved the paws of his hind legs against Thiemo's chest before he pushed off and shoved the human back once more.

"That was better already, but it will not be enough, lad. Do yourself a favour and surrender." Not that Thiemo planned on doing so, but his body protested heavily against standing up. It wasn't even the number of hits that wore him down; it was where he had been hit. Leonidas had aimed for paralyzing spots on his body. Spine, stomach, and if his right sword hadn’t been at the right place, the shield would have connected with his kidney.

Thiemo rammed one of his swords into the ground and forced himself to his legs. His free hand moved into his bag and searched for another lapis lazuli. All he felt were sapphires. Of course he could use them to boost his speed, but the last attack had been successfully turned against him even though he should have been faster than an ordinary human.

"How about we make this a bit more exciting? We still have five minutes left. If you even manage to land a single hit, I'll yield. I'll cede the victory." Thiemo said nothing. The trap was obvious as it could be. Leonidas merely wanted him to attack him mindlessly once more. Instead, he gripped his last sword and the sapphire which he had pulled out of the bag, then let the magic flow. He leaped forward, let go of his expended talisman, and grabbed his second sword before he jumped into the air. As soon he was over the griffon, he threw it on him and landed behind him. Still accelerated, he used the moment to land on the back of the griffon. Both he and his sword would hit his opponent at the same time, an attack which could not be defended against.

Leonidas' claw moved in the air and grabbed the falling sword at the hilt. Instantly the sword shattered into its parts, but instead of being shocked, the griffon jumped into the air and, with the help of his wings, made a long roll over Thiemo's head. Immediately, the human slammed his feet into the ground and changed his direction, but at the cost of much of his momentum. He crashed into the Leonidas' shields, but it was still enough to break the balance of the griffon. He landed on his back, wings stretched and his belly unprotected.

Thiemo used his chance at once, spinning around and bringing his sword down.

Two paws with extended claws pressed against his hand, and with his claws pushed together, Leonidas stopped the blade at its tip. "Not bad, but as I said, not good enough!" With a scream worthy of a bird of prey, the griffon rose up and pushed Thiemo a few steps back.

The human fell on his knees, his physical power expended. His stomach was revolting, and he fought to keep its contents inside of him. Sweat was running in streams down his face and burned entering his eyes. His shirt couldn't be saved even by the best tailor and his pants and coat had seen better days. The griffon was simply superior.

"I yield!" Leonidas called and lifted a claw into the air while he stood on his three remaining legs.

Thiemo merely stared in bewilderment at the griffon who was already on his way towards the exit, where his son made also seemed to be shocked. "I told you: get a hit in and I'll yield. I fight for fun. But you are fighting for something different, aren't you? No matter. If you want to have this stone repaired, visit me in my smithy. My son knows all about these things." With that, Leonidas was out of hearing range and tossed his shields to Anvil while both left the arena. Anvil seemed to be talking his father’s ears off.

Author's Notes:

I can finally say it: Not all griffons are jerks! Finally. I hold back the whole time. If Harry Potter taught us something, it's that griffons are very loyal beings. I think that's also the reason why they gave Rainbow a griffon friend in the show. The griffons in this story are loyal, honor bound, viking like warriors. That means, they never would leave their country, their people and their lands without reason. All those griffons Thiemo met until this point (besides his boss from the bar he worked for) were freaking criminals. Scum thrown out by the other and so on. Of course they are jerks! Leonidas has a very good reason to leave his lands on the other hand. His son is a hippogriff, I think you can guess the reason. And we will see more of them in the future.

I (as in the author) may don't like griffons very much as far as mythical creatures go, but that doesn't mean I will write them evil or something like that. If you like griffons you should read Bad Mondays, but I think I mentioned that story one time to much at this point.

Thanks to Verequus for translating this chapter.
Special thanks to JBL for proofreading and editing.