//------------------------------// // The Everfree Forest- part 1 // Story: Equestrian Throwdown // by Hex Mark //------------------------------// His bare feet against the forest grass was a bit unnerving to the human as he was weaving through the trees. The sounds of the other familiars running served only to motivate him to keep going, but he had to keep an eye out. Taurus might try to prove his point and go for me first...and that displacer beast didn't look too happy either. he thought, ducking to avoid a rather low reaching branch. He could hear Taurus' grunt-like breathing, imagining it was a piece of cake for a minotaur to run in conditions like this. The human, on the other hand, began to slow down, his hand traveling to his stomach- which felt like it was burning up. Stopping near a tree, Skylark looked around at his surroundings as he tried to catch his breath. Gritting his teeth, the human shook his head, but to no avail. Memories flooded his mind as he put his palm against his forehead. "Little bro? Please, just hold on a bit more- we're almost there!"a woman's voice echoed, the sounds of heavy breathing and hurried foot steps flooding his ears. He shook his head again, before he continued to run. For what seemed like forever navigating through the trees, the human kept glancing around until a sickening sound was heard, coupled by the pained roars of something deep in the forest. "And it seems like one of our contestants has just been eliminated!" the announcer called as the magic-image of the manticore had flickered then faded- much to the mixed surprise and joy of the crowd as they went wild. Fluttershy, who was sitting with her friends for Lyra's sake, let out a soft whimper and trembled. Applejack, who was sitting right next to her, gave her a gentle hug in her attempt to comfort her. "Why are these ponies enjoying this?" she asked, doing her best not to cry out of her fear as she buried her face against Applejack. "They're cheering for the death of innocent creatures.." she whimpered, and the orange earth pony rubbed Fluttershy's back. "These ponies are insane, Flutters." AJ replied bluntly, but smiled softly and nuzzled her friend. "But I'm sure we'll be able to put an end to this soon...I just wish we could have done so three years ago- it'd save so march damn trouble." she sighed, and Twilight Sparkle let out a dejected sigh from hearing that. "If the Elements of Harmony weren't dampened, we would have stopped these 'games' from starting to begin with. But we can't forget about the friends we all have. We need to support her through this- and to save all of our other friends from this insanity." the purple unicorn said as Bon Bon kept her hooves together, as if praying for Lyra's sake. Lyra, who had zoned out from her intent stare at the forest, flinched a little when Onyx Heart decided to speak. She looked at the black stallion, who had a cold, yet curious look on his face. "That was an interesting creature you summoned...He called himself a 'human', right?" the stallion asked, but did not wait for an answer. "I'm no expert on humans, but just from looking, I can tell his chances are slim." he bluntly told the human-obsessed mare, who naturally lashed out. "You don't know that for sure!" she yelled, only to cause Onyx Heart to chuckle. "You're right, I do not know for sure. I am not certain if he is anything more than an overgrown chimp- but he certainly looked the weakest out of the Yellow Block." Onyx justified his statement while Lyra looked back at the forest. Please...be safe... she thought, hoping for the best when it came to her familiar. Back inside of the Everfree Forest, Miles managed to run into a clearing, the sun in the sky setting as the moon was rising. He wondered how much further he had to go, but before he could look for a tall tree to climb, the human smirked slightly. "I know you're here, Taurus." he called out as the minotaur, now carrying a makeshift hammer made out of a large stone and a branch, revealed himself, gritting his teeth a bit while letting out a loud snort. "I didn't think you'd catch on so quickly." the minotaur commented, hands tightening around his hammer. "I didn't think a minotaur's horns could stick out so far, you compensating for something? It's ok- no one is perfect." he replied nonchalantly, easily pissing off Taurus as he began to bull-rush the human, swinging the hammer wildly as the human rolled out of the way, focusing on dodging the minotaur's attacks. A bull with a short fuse is one thing...but as I am right now, a direct hit from that hammer could seriously mess me up. he thought to himself while ducking a strong swing. Stamping his hoof onto the human's foot, Taurus smirked. "Hold still!" Taurus shouted before swinging his hammer again. Skylark only had a split moment to react, choosing to turn his body so that his left arm would take the brunt of the impact before he was sent tumbling along the grass. Son of a bitch that hurt! he thought, trying to push himself up as blood trickled down his left arm, the jagged parts of the stone hammer having gouged into him. His right hand instinctively clutching the wounded area, the human struggled to push himself up and tough it through the pain. However, a deep, purr like growl caught his ear, prompting him to glance behind him. Oh that can't be good.. he mused, looking forward at Taurus, who smirked. "I gotta hand it to you, you are quicker than you look." the minotaur laughed, clearly amused by the human's struggles to stand. "Don't tell me you still plan to fight me like that." Taurus taunted Skylark, who maintained a serious look on his face. "That's what I would say, but we have a bigger problem to deal with than each-other." he winced as his left arm throbbed, his right hand glistening from the blood on it. The minotaur prepared himself to swing the hammer once again, arcing a brow with a confident smirk. "And what might that be?" the minotaur mockingly asked before charging at the human. Skylark ducked as a large cat pounced at the minotaur. "That!" Skylark yelled as he got back up, watching as Taurus flinched, backhanding the six-legged panther and causing it to tumble to the side. "I didn't think the displacer beast would single us out like this." he commented, and the minotaur laughed again, much to the human's surprise. "You're scared of an overgrown kitty?" Taurus asked, but as the beast went to lash out at him, he moved to the side, only for his right arm to receive a sizable wound- from the look of it, it was a claw-injury. "What in Tartarus?!" Taurus asked, and Skylark realized why it happened. "That creature can trick us into thinking it is where it is not!" he informed the minotaur, keeping his eyes focused on the grass. "I fought an illusionist back where I came from. Focus on the ground and-" he attempted to relay a tactic to the minotaur, who immediately rejected the idea. "I'm not gonna look at the dirt just because you say so! That's no fun at all!" Taurus shouted, annoying the human. "Do you have any better ideas then?!" he asked, hopping to avoid a swing of the spiked tentacle from the displacer beast. Back at the stadium, the announcer smiled as he saw the images of Taurus, Skylark, and the displacer beast flickered and flashed red for a moment simultaneously. "Alright everypony! Looks like three of our contestants have just ran into each other. Our relayers will display the scene for you all to see now!" he called out as five unicorns projected a large image depicting the clearing of the Everfree Forest, showing the three contestants getting ready to have it out. "Skylark!" Lyra called out at the sight of the injured human on the display, while Cobalt and Onyx watched with interest as their familiars were also in the fray. Fluttershy began to cower while Rarity, Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie focused on comforting the yellow pegasus. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight all watched intently. "I saw we just charge this pussy-cat and get it done!" Taurus shouted, and Skylark hesitated a bit before sighing in a defeated manner. "Do what you have to do and so will I." he said through clenched teeth, looking at his bloodied palm before back at in the general direction of the displacer beast, focusing on the moonlit grass. Two on one helps our chances...but I wish I didn't have to use that just yet... he thought as he cracked his neck and took a breath, the displacer beast scanning the two with predatory intent. ~tbc~