Venquis disappeared as the sword came crashing down onto the ground. He reappeared later hundreds of meters away, injured beyond belief. The injuries started to heal almost instantly due to a trait from his super form as his horn reappeared as looked at Silver. For the first time in decades, Venquis was furious. He got into his stance as he looked at Silver with murderous intent. “There is no need to be your equal. Your dragon magic only heals as long as your mind is working Equestrian.” Another copy of Venquis appeared behind Silver, levitating almost lazily above him. "You see Silver. You can’t savor all the… little emotions when an opponent is using a gun or a knife. In… you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did." Venquis said before powering up with his rainbow aura and charging his Spell-sword. "Would you like to know which of them were cowards?"
Dreamer stood, looking around. As he had seen, the world had jumped back. As he had told his team before-hand, time had jumped back. "It happened. Time to change history." He looked up the mountain which he had been standing at already. It was time for him to win. Obsidian and Jack glanced at the cave, and, remembering who was in it, both laughed. Obsidian backed away from the entrance as Jack pulled his sword out and slashed the rocks, causing a cave in to block the entrance of the cave completely, trapping Moonshine inside. They immediately began, back en-route to the mountain. Kat immediately stopped following Midnight, knowing what would happen, and instead starting running as fast as she could out of the tundra towards the mountain, her cat form allowing her to easily do it before anyone could even notice. Lola stood at the far side of the field, hating how much energy she had wasted despite the knowledge of the time reverse happening. She just had doubted Dreamer so much. She knew she'd have to go through another small forest and cursed herself for having to do it twice. (I figured out how I could work with this.)
"None of my friends are cowards, Ryborian. The only coward here is you. You speak..." He rushed forward, appearing in the air high above Venquis. He went into a steep dive, aiming to plunge his swords into the Ryborian's skull. "...When you should be fighting!" Moon Shine very nearly panicked when she heard Obsidian and Jack approach the mine. When the entrance caved in, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. She was a genius inventor, enchanter, and alchemist, and they had trapped her in a mine filled with machinary, magical crystals, and rare plants. She got to work right away.
"Guess she's off then." Steel ran out of the foliage and towards Gearburn. Once reunited they began the long walk towards the mountain together. Robin whocwas a long away from the city by now was at the east base of the mountain. He sharpened his grappling arrow and shot it towards an open cave. Once it was secure he began climing.
It didn't take long for Cricket to find Blackout. She flew down, and greeted him with a kiss. "Hello, my handsome Unicorn husband." He smiled the same goofy grin that he always wore around her. "Hello to you as well, my beautiful Changeling wife." Moon Shine's voice came through the crystals they wore. "Would ya PLEASE git a darned room?! Yer gonna make me sick with all that lovey dovey talk!" "My apologies, Missus Lock..." "Dagnabit, Blackout! I told ya not ta talk about Match! I ain't a 'missus' no more!" "Sorry, Shiney. He's a bit thick sometimes. Where are you?" "I'm trapped in a mine. 'Fore the entrance caved in, I saw some buildings off ta the west. It looked like some kinda city." "Hold your position. We'll come to you."
(Alert me if i did 'that' again. Trying to reintroduce myself to my older style or RP'ing.) Silver's blade came down upon Venquis and hit him directly on his skull. What should have been a solid slice in half turned into a nightmare for Silver as the blades...did nothing. Nothing happened, the enchantment in his blades did nothing, nor did the sheer velocity of which Silver was traveling at do anything to help. Venquis was still standing, unharmed, acting like nothing happened. "The only coward here is you..." Venquis perfectly mimicked in Silvers voice with his shape-shifting ability's. "You are speaking tough for somepony who is afraid to die. You remind me of Dovian." The Ryborian said as a clone with the exact likeness of Dovian Frenzia appeared behind him and slashed down at Silver with the clone's sword being enveloped in the element. After the attack, the clone took a female appearance of Venquis. "Pay attention Silver, this is the part of the story that gets really interesting..." Venquis said as the clone suddenly jumped onto Silver and turned into an unknown substance which turned harder than diamonds that covered from his legs up all the way to his mouth to remove the ability to use Dragon shouts.. Venquis walked up slowly towards him, laughing. "All i need to do is destroy or remove the magic from your pretty little mind Silver, and your Dragon Magic will be rendered useless. We both have had a good run, an experience from which i have learnt about you. Unfortunately, one of us is leaving alive." The Eriborian said until he stood face to face at him. "What's that matter? 'You should be fighting'?" "It seems Venquis has backed Silver into a corner Blue. With no ability to use his magic, or move for that matter, this might signify the elimination of the first and one of our most powerful contestants unless Silver does something quick!" Red announced as the crowd cheered, with the Ryborian quarter of the arena screaming in support for their leader.
Paralyzed and unable to move his wings, Silver dropped from the sky like a stone. If he could have laughed, he would have. He could see cracks forming in rock below him, indicating that the molten rock below was starting to seep through. He crashed through the weakened rock, plunging into to pool of magma below. The strange substance that covered his body burned away almost instantly, freeing him. Realizing that his swords would freeze the magma and trap him, he sheathed them. Twenty seconds after falling into the magma, Silver flew out of the pool, laughing. "Why would I fear death, Ryborian? I have already died, and returned stronger!"
"I see your point" Venquis added. "And i know that not being able to sheath your weapons would have been your downfall. " Venquis had little emotion on his face, he was having trouble fighting Silver. It appeared that he almost has done no damage to his body at all. Except... His hooves were covered in a blue flame as he got into a stance. He was going for Silver's pressure points, which would cause the targeted areas to shut down. Even with regeneration or various forms of magic, this was easily the most dangerous in terms of lethality. All he had to do was touch him, and the points around his body would permenently shut itself down. If he aimed for the heart, it would stop instantly or explode inside the body. He got into stance before rushing towards Silver. However, Venquis was getting faster and faster. While Silver appeared to be getting slower. He remembered that both of them could only battle for so long, and effects were starting to destroy his opponent for the inside. Venquis unleashed a war-cry as his hooves targeted his legs.
Luna watched the fight, laughing. "Venquis is fighting him as he would a normal Pegasus! Does he not realize that Silver is more Dragon than Pony?!" Silver grinned. Venquis had failed to realize that Dragon magic came from the very soul of it's wielder. He waited until Venquis was nearly upon him, and shouted again. "Force. Balance. Push. FUS RO DAH!!!" The instant the powerful wave of energy had left his mouth, Silver leapt strait up into the air and unfurled his wings. He soared into the sky, laughing. "Do you honestly believe that any of your little tricks will work on me?! To fight me requires raw power! Do you have what it takes?!"
“I don’t think we should underestimate the Ryborian, he currently holding his own very well against your Paladin sister. He might be able to turn this around.” Celestia told her sister as she continued to watch. Venquis was pushed back by the wave of energy that sent him backwards. He landed not far from Silver was originally standing even though he faced the full force of the shout. He looked at Silver in the air, thinking. If he attacked him in the air, it would give Silver an enormous advantage. Forcing him upon the ground would make the battle equal. Venquis then heard about Silver talking about raw power. Then, a lightbulb turned on in his head. “Raw power?” Venquis laughed as he vanished from the ground and appeared in the sky. “Very well then my friend. You shall receive your wish.” Venquis closed his eyes and put his legs and arms closer as the clouds in the sky were being sucked into him like a vortex, alongside lava and large amounts of air. He then sent an explosive wave that destroyed most of the volcanic land below him and sent Silver back. Venquis had increased his power, but physical changes were non evident. However, his physical and magic capabilities were vastly improved. His hooves turned blue once more, but had something special on his side. Luck. He then rushed toward the lunar Pegasus and charged up an enormous blow. When he got close, he suddenly puffed into smoke as suddenly dozens of Venquis’s surrounded Silver from all directions, every one of them having the blue flames on their hooves as they came towards him. “You want power, my friend. I shall give you power, I shall give you MY power!”
"'Paladin,' dear sister?" Luna smiled wickedly. "What gave you the idea that Silver is a virtuous Paladin? You forget that his true loyalty is to Nightmare Moon. He is loyal to me because he believes that she will someday return." Silver watched in amusement as a small army of clones surrounded him. "Time. Sand. Eternity. TIID KLO UL!!!" The world around him stopped, and Silver flew lazily through the horde, slicing at the copies. His blows would not be enough to harm the real Venquis, but he was certain that they were enough to destroy any copies. As the flow of time returned to normal, Silver was several hundred feet above Venquis, laughing. As Moon Shine continued her work in the mine, Blackout and Cricket rushed to join her. Just outside of the city, they found Holly, whose sensitive nose led them to a collapsed mine entrance. The three quickly got to work clearing the rubble.
Not amused, Venquis looked at Silver. He is simply cutting through his clones like they were nothing. Dragon magic was nolonger practical to Silver, now it was more annoying than anything. He knew that a close ranged attack would mean another time manipulation shout, which was problematic. He had his Spell Sword out while the remainder of his hooves turned blue again. He had an idea, risky but rewarding. As he smiled, hundreds upon hundreds of clones appeared. Requiring almost no magic at all to form due to them being shadows, the Eriborian could summon as many as he wanted as the clones rushed to distract Silver. As expected, they were merely cannon fodder. The real Venquis then appeared again directly above the Pegasus while he was rushing down. Once he got close enough, he took his chance. Purposely missing Silver on purpose, a magical sphere the size of a room appeared and enveloped Silver. Silver was completely frozen inside a familiar green void that produced a negative effect and appearance while inside. The same green void he used on those sailors and during the battle for the Crystal Empire all so long ago. It did have a weakness, it uses huge amounts of magic to use. Unfortunately for Silver, Venquis was in his super form, meaning that it would last hundreds of times longer then his normal form. Silver was completely frozen, the only thing he could be able to move being his eyes. The clones then reduced their numbers to form five much stronger copies of his opponent. Remembering that while Silver was frozen solid and the fact that Venquis could move faster than the speed of light inside the void, Silver will not stand a chance unless he does something really quickly. His dragon magic possibility being the only thing that could save him, but it's effects being unknown in the void. The real Venquis pointed Moonsaber at Silver in the void, knowing that the end was near. "My turn..."
"I grow tired of this game... Fade. Spirit. Bind. FEIM ZII GRON!!!" The shout turned Silver ethereal, unable to attack or be attacked. It was quite similar to Jack Knife's phasing ability. He moved out of the energy bubble, shaking his head sadly. "I had had hoped that you would be a warrior worth fighting. You have incredible power, boy, but you do not understand how to use it. You forget that before my race took the name 'Lunar Pegasi,' we were called 'Dragon Ponies.' Everypony knows that Dragons have a high resistance to magic." Silver, still ethereal, flew away towards the mine where his team was waiting. "I am leaving now. My team needs me. If you wish to fight me again, make sure you're ready. When we next meet... I will not be holding back." "Sweet Celestia, Blue! I think Venquis may need some ointment for that BUUUURN!!!" "I can't help but wonder how the Ryborian will react to such an insult! Round two will certainly be interesting!" "It certainly will, Blue, but for now, let's get back to other teams!"
Venquis watched as Silver flew away. He was insulted, but understood what he meant. Venquis, by Ryborian standards, is in his early 20's while Silver has spent many of his adult years fighting. This was where Silver had his biggest advantage, he was technically more experience than he was. Not to mention that with Silver's resistance to magic, Venquis's primary source of fighting was rendered almost useless with the exception of several moves. However, the Ryborian simply shrugged his shoulders and pretended like it wasnt bothering him. All he wanted was to become stronger and by facing powerful opponents, and Silver could be considered his greatest mentor. He powered down as he returned to earth and sheathed his Spell-Sword. Instead of being saddened by his 'defeat', the Eriborian was quite pleased about how it went. He messaged his comrades through his necklace as he began to make his way towards the mountain. "Lost to Silver, but allowed me to live, seems he wants me to face him again. Tried my best, but lost due to his shouts and resistance to magic. En route to our meet up place at the forest before we head to the mountain together. Hope to see you all there." Venquis had a smile on his face as the volcano erupted behind him, raining lava across the battlefield and onto the Ryborian. Nothing was going to wipe the smile of his face... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jackpot and Crimson quickly met up with each other before making their way up a cliff to get a good overview of the environment and what layed ahead of them. Together, they were amazingly powerful. Isolated, and they were weakened. Midnight Dawn, the strongest of team Starlight who somehow managed to enter to tournament due to his practically god like abilities was allowed entry due to him being mortal. He would be able to meet up with him soon, with their Ryborian much later. Ocean however, could already be at the mountain. As they stood at the top, they seen everything. Carefully, they could even pinpoint selected individuals from opposing teams. They then went down to meet up at their gathering point. Hopefully, nothing would disturb them.
Silver landed near the mine not long after leaving Venquis. Blackout, Cricket, and Holly had succeeded in clearing away the rubble, and were waiting near the entrance with Moon Shine. Cricket wore a worried look on her face. "Captain... we all heard your battle with Razona. Were such taunts truly necessary? You insulted his honor, his abilities... even his religion. The only thing that you did not insult was his appearance!" Silver's hoof shot up to his face and he groaned in frustration. "Of course! I forgot to call him 'ugly!'"
Crimson and Jackpot were traveling along to their gathering point in the large forest. Surprisingly, there was a campground with two rows of brown wooden tables and a bonfire setup with wood already equipped for those wanting to use it. Jackpot and Crimson decided to rest for the tournament, using the fire to cook their first food in days. Half an hour later, Midnight arrived as he flew down besides Crimson and Jackpot. “Heads up guys. Ocean is already at the mountain, and Venquis is several hours away after having to fight against Silver. Rest could be a lifesaver, so let’s catch up on it while it can.” Midnight said as he pulled out several fish he caught before he arrived and added it to a pot full of water for a recipe he made during his banishment. “Hope you guys like fish, because it’s what I could catch at the time.” While Ocean and Crimson were enjoying their meal, Venquis arrived early. He greeted his comrades as he pulled out some ingredients for his own recipe, a bottle of wine and two ingredients similar to hay and a strange brown meat. The rest of his teammates raised their eyebrows at him, until he had to explain what he was making.” “Ryborian delicacy dating back dozens of Fenzina (Roughly 100,000 years), known as Greigona. It’s like a stew, except with several changes. It requires wine, hay for sweetening and some Zarlap meat. Yet again, only native to Ardelan. Zarlaps are a small cute animal like a bunny which is surprisingly lethal due to its claws. Dangerous, yet delicious.” The Ryborian said as ingredients were levitated into bowls and mixed. “I used to cook in my spare time as a survival necessity, plus I always liked doing it.” Afterwards, the four Starlight members enjoyed their meals. Venquis had to perform prayer, but Ryborian prayer was usually short. Ocean missed out, due to her already being at the mountain. However, she wasn’t hungry anyway. Once they all gathered together for some team preparations and two hours of sleep, they headed towards the mountain.”
Kat and Lola had met at the base of the mountain, and were now circling it, looking for a way up. Obsidian and Jack followed their path , arriving at the mountain quickly. Dreamer however was climbing fast. He had no path. He jumped up rocks, traveling quickly. He past a low cloud and smiled. Only two timelines could stop him now. "Ocean will see me. He will come for me. He will fail. Hopefully."
After Silver explained his reasons for insulting Venquis, he turned to Moon Shine, grinning. "Alright, you beautiful genius... you were in that mine for nearly a full day. What did you create for us this time?" Moonshine rushed into the mine and returned pulling a minecart filled with various weapons and machines. The first thing she pulled out were four small crossbows. "I didn't have time to use my normal forgin' process, but I did what I could with these. The alloy is dang near unbreakable, and the wood's been treated to be fire-resistant. Just... don't go divin' into any volcanoes." She strapped one of the crossbows to her hoof, and motioned for the others to do the same. "The bows are nothin' special, but the ammo..." The next items pulled from the minecart were four quivers of bolts. She pulled one out and loaded it into her crossbow. "Crystals from the mine, coated in cave mushroom poison and enchanted with a fire spell. If it nicks the target, it'll cause partial blindness. If it strikes with full force..." She fired the bolt into a nearby tree, which exploded into a ball of fire. "The toxin's burned up in the explosion, so ya got no need to worry 'bout shrapnel." Holly whined, disappointed that she hadn't gotten anything. "Don't worry, pup. I got somethin' fer ya right here." The final item in the minecart was a beautiful suit of jet black armor, made for a Timber-Wolf. She put it on Holly, who barked happily and ran to show Silver. He examined the armor carefully, and gave a nod of approval. "Impressive, Miss Shine. Is this...?" "Black diamond. That's what the miners were after. Real rare, real valuable, real tough. Ain't nothin' gonna break that armor."
Ocean eventually made it to the top of the mountain only to see every single member of the beasts looking at her. She had a word if she were to take all of them at the same time, suicide. Against some of her much stronger opponents, especially against Jack, she looked around depressed. "Well.....this is awkward." She looked back at the world below before looking at The Beasts again. She was alone against five highly trained killers beyond her level. In terms of physical abilities and technical, she would be massacred. However, she only had one advantage against them. Her speed. Regarded as the fastest in the tournament, she had to use it constantly to even stand a chance. She then tapped her necklace, which then sent a S.O.S signal, indicating that she would not last long against her opponents. However, she was alone. The only help to arrive in time would be Midnight. He could take one and even two opponents easily, five would be troublesome. She sighed deeply before looking at her opponents. "Diplomacy wont work, so fighting back in the arena is too dangerous then." She said as she pulled out her daggers. "Might as well accept my fate then." ---------------------------------- "Ocean Wave against every member of The Beasts? She wont last long, this will be over in minutes." Red announced. "She might have the lowest stats in the competition, but her speed easily sets her on par with an opponent that sits on 40. She is not called 'The Blue Flash' for no reason! Her armor is custom built, and rumor has it there is nothing in her pockets but knives and lint when in combat." Blue announced. "Plus, she's representing the ladies!" "That doesn't mean anything Blue if she is the first eliminated. Which she has a huge possibility that she will. However, she is a brilliant fighter and her 'Sacrifice' will not go in vain. She will be honored and respected always. Let's give her an appause!" The audience then applauded as it zoomed in on Ocean getting into a stance and opening her wings. The Pegasi in the crowd cheering the loudest which put the rest of the crowd look disappointing in comparison. Ocean was in for the fight of her life.
Jack and Obsidian had met up with Lola and Kat at the start of a path up the mountain. Using Obsidian's powers they had reached the top at the same time as Dreamer. They found only Ocean waiting for them. The group smiled to each other, except Dreamer who looked around for the "finish line" so to say. "Bring it speed demon." Jack started toward Ocean. "Cheetah." Obsidian's legs glowed faint yellow. Lola's robots stepped forward, each changing into a silver copy of Ocean. Kat changed into her cat form, revving her chainsaw like a showoff. Dreamer continued to look around, confused. He could not locate the victory circle. He wasn't concerned with Ocean, or anypony else for that matter. His vision had told him where the circle was, but he couldn't find it. (ps. say where it is.)
