(Starlight dips her quill in ink, and scribbles down the title of her next entry.)
Starlight's Journal: Eclipsa's Kung Fu Academy
Ponies, or rather most equestrians, are not fighters.
I mean, take me and Trixie for example. We're small, we're cute and colorful, and magic is the only form of self defense we know....me so, more than Trixie. No offense.
(Trixie looks away in a huff. "I'm letting it slide, cause you said I'm cute." she explains. "Which is very true.")
(Starlight returns to writing her entry)
The point is, Ponies are by no means "kung fu masters" or even your basic hoof to hoof combatant. We just don't have the tenacity nor the literal limbs to do so. At least, that's what other books have taught me.
This book however, has revealed that Eclipsa brought over the secrets of martial arts from her own eastern kingdom, to teach ponies how to fight in order to defend themselves. She built a large castle-like academy at the top of an old volcano that once stood out in the Badlands called Mt. Hothead. And she called this martial arts style:
The Exploding Hoof Style(Bakuhatsu-suru)
Bakuhatsu-suru or "Exploding Hoof Style" is martial arts discipline practiced and mastered by both citizen and soldier alike over in Eclipsa's Kingdom, before being brought over to the empire for other ponies to be taught it's secrets. From what I have read, it's possible to learn them on your own, but learning them the proper way takes instruction from a master, as all of Eclipsa's disciples learned the art through her intense (borderline torture) teaching methods. It apparently also takes several years to properly master it.
And when I say the training methods to even being able to practice this art is borderline torture....I mean it really is.
Training
Training in The Exploding Hoof Style includes such fun activities as:
- - Getting beat up by Eclipsa, to develop a proper form and build.
- Tree Hopping, Swimming through a shark infested bay, doing push ups on sand.
- Lifting giant statues, flinging cinder blocks, dodging logs rolling down a hill, withstanding a tsunami.
- Three miles worth of laps, hundreds of the same drills over and over, physical workouts and doing eighty push-ups every time a mistake is made.
- Least terrible part of training is Waterboarding.
- Running over hot coals, running while carrying hot coals, and push ups on the hot coals.
- Tying giant boulders to your back and limbs and climbing a mountain.
- One on one training with Eclipsa includes being introduced to her with a steel baton to your leg, swimming in a pool with armed Fishmen and a shark while Eclipsa throws grenades into the pool.
- Cutting down a tree with your face.
And what's your reward for surviving this utterly and completely insane training course? Honestly, I would say that being able to use these techniques, makes all the insanity worth it. Given that they even work at all.
Techniques
The following are all techniques that can be utilized with The Exploding Hoof Style. I will list them along with how the book describes each technique. (I will NOT however be listing how to do any of the techniques, as any normal pony will most definitely kill themselves trying to do so.)
Blink: A high speed leg technique where one is able to achieve impercivable movement speed, moving upwards of 100 meters every second. This is thought to be the most easy of the techniques to learn and use, as all one has to do is possess the necessary leg strength to kick off the ground 10 times in one second.
Blink is thought to be the most basic of the techniques to learn, and is also the most versatile and widely used of the techniques as well.
When using Blink, the user moves so fast they disappear from the spot, and creates afterimages all around the area, as they rapidly move around faster then their opponent can logically comprehend.
2.) Shell: An extremely strong defensive technique used to condense ones muscles to a level greater than steel, vastly increases your defensive capabilities in order to negate damage taken from any attack, magical or physical.
The method for doing this requires the user to have the utmost concentration and while it makes the user near indestructible, they cannot move at all when using it, unless they have completely mastered the technique.
Its very versatile as if one can master it, they can use it along with all other techniques such as Cloud Jump or Blink, moving around at impercivable speeds while your body is as hard and strong as steel. You basically become a light speed wrecking ball.
5.) Storm Leg: A very strong kick where your leg is moving so fast, it creates a massive wind blade that severs all opposition before it. One such Practitioner of this technique, a Eastern Tribe Pegasus called Wind Song adapted this into her own "7 Sword Wings Style" where she wielded a single sword with her teeth, and her legs would use this technique, acting as 4 more swords on their own. Together she would basically be wielding 5 swords at once, along with her two wings which would make seven.
One is also able to mold the wind blade from the technique into any shape you want, such as a Shuriken. (This takes a great deal of mastery however.)
4.) Hoof Gun: A very strong enhanced hoof strike that rockets ones hoof at such high speeds it leaves a literal hole in the target. This technique is hard to master, but not so hard to actually use as our hooves are already extremely strong and hard-hitting. Its just actually moving your hoof at the insanely high speeds that it requires, that is the hard part.
The amount of power behind this technique is devastating to get hit by, as it leaves an actual physical hole in whatever it hits. Be it an object or your very unlucky opponent.
5.) Cloud Jump: Another versatile technique that allows ponies to jump off the air itself and move in an omnidirectional pattern. Its most famous as being a way for earth ponies and unicorns to basically move through the air and along clouds, like Pegasai are naturally able to. It can also be combined with Blink in order to basically fly through the air as fast as or faster then a Pegasus.
Even more so, for Pegasai that can utilize this technique, this opens up an entirely new lineup of aerial techniques and maneuvers for them to perform, as they can kick off the air in addition to using their wings to fly. If they combine this technique with Blink, a Pegasus can actually achieve light speed, however this is extremely dangerous and physically exhausting to do, so it is not recommended for it to even be tried.
6.) Feather: A defensive technique where one greatly loosens one's muscles and body to point they can flawlessly avoid and dodge any attacks and float as if they are weightless.
Though very useful, this technique also requires ALOT of concentration, and a completely focused, steel trap mind. Losing your concentration could result in the technique failing completely or you getting seriously injured.
7.) Equine Shock: The very secret and most powerful of all techniques as it Utilizes all of the techniques at once in one attack. This is the hardest to learn, if not impossible to learn of all the techniques, requiring the user to have previously mastered all other techniques to their highest apex.
The Equine Shock is done by the user first using cloud jump to reach as high as they can into the air. Then harmonizing Shell with blink to become a rapid speed wrecking ball in the air. Then using feather to become weightless, and achieve even greater mobility. Finally the user slingshots down to ground, moves along the ground like a missile towards their opponent and as soon as they are about to hit them, the user conjures a Storm Leg in both legs, while performing Hoof gun in those same legs. Nothing, be it Frogfish, Ursa Mega or Deathclaw has ever survived this attack.
If two users fight with this attack on another, then they will both die.
It will also always go directly through the opponent, regardless of defense.
Despite the overwhelming power and usefulness of this style, I cannot say I have ever seen anypony actually do any of these things, so for all we know, It could just be a prank set up by Eclipsa.
I will this entry with this though: Just because I haven't seen it, doesn't mean there are not ponies out there who are not only able to to do all of these techniques, but have mastered them as well. Hopefully, they're good guys.
I will of course continue to study these things, along with continuing my studies of The Book Of Friendship.
Until my next entry!