“Hmmm.” Starlight pressed a hoof to her chin and leaned forward. In the ring, Rarity and Suri stepped forward.
“Suri should be able to secure a win,” said Trixie.
“Well, she’s got a good head on her shoulders, but her Talent is on even terms with Rarity’s. Plus, Rarity has spells to fall back on.”
Nearby, Coco sighed.
“Which one would you like to see win?” Wallflower asked.
She glanced at Starlight, and then whispered, “I’m not sure.”
“I guess that’s fair.” Wallflower swiveled her head around. “Also, where’s Lightning? Shouldn’t she be healed up by now if Rainbow Dash is back?”
“Probably pouting somewhere,” Starlight sighed.
A few rows down, Twilight had her eyes on the ring, but her mind was focused higher up. Princess Celestia, please let this reach you.
Twilight? came Celestia’s voice a moment later. I imagined you’d try contacting me after the last match. I’ll add Spike in too since he’s probably concerned as well
Spike blinked and looked up at the royal box. Princess?
Yes, Celestia answered. I thought it best to inform you about Sunset’s spell too.
Spike glanced at the ring. Especially if she uses that on Rarity.
Twilight gulped. That was solar magic, wasn’t it? I thought only you could use it. Have you… been teaching Sunset too?
No, you’re my primary focus, Celestia answered. However, you should know that her skill hasn’t gone unnoticed by those close to me, and one such individual has sought out Sunset to mentor her.
Oh. Twilight turned her head down. I guess there’s a few ponies still worried about me bearing the Elements.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that. Sunset was chosen because she, like you, possess great potential and a drive to be a hero. Like your mastering the Elements, her mastering solar magic is a key step in her development. Although, she’s been advised that her magic is distinct from mine to prevent the power from going to her head.
Who is teaching her? Spike asked.
Sister, Luna called out so only Celestia could hear her. If you could, keep the matter private for now. I fear I have already done enough to disgrace myself before Twilight Sparkle.
“Hmmm.” Celestia focused back on Twilight and Spike. They would like to remain unknown for now. I hope you two do not mind.
No, it’s fine. Thank you, Princess. Twilight cut off the link between her and Celestia before glancing at Sunset.
Spike did the same and muttered, “I just hope whoever they are knows what they’re doing.”
In the parents’ section, Cookie cheered, “Get her, Rarity!”
“She’s got this, just like those competitions they used to be in,” said Hondo.
A stuffy laugh came from behind them. They turned and were met with a stallion wearing a fine suit with gold cufflinks and a shiny silk tie. His silver lapel pin displayed his clothing firm’s name Polomare’s Finest. “As I recall, my daughter won quite a few of those competitions as well.”
Hondo shrugged at Silky Polomare. “Eh, competition brings out the best in both of them.”
Silky wrinkled his nose at Hondo and pulled back, grumbling, “We’ll see how that works out.”
~~~
“You know, Rarity, since this is only the first round, I wouldn’t want either of us getting too roughed up,” Suri purred. “What say we agree not to go for each other’s face?”
Rarity smiled. “I don’t see why not.”
“Do what you will.” Rockhoof took his seat and banged his shovel. “Begin!”
Suri lunged at Rarity, transformed her hoof into metal and smashed her in the face. The blow kicked up dust that remained from the last match. She sneered for a second, before she felt her hoof pressed against something rough. Jagged crystal poked against her hoof’s frog.
“I suppose I’ll have to thank Sunset and Fluttershy for the debris.” Gemstone fangs flashed when Rarity spoke. Suri shivered. “I’d rather not show off what I look like when somepony truly riles me.”
“Um,” Suri gulped, “listen, that was jus—”
A leg with spires of crystal poking out of it slammed into Suri’s face. At the last second, she managed to metalize, but her cheek still cracked under Rarity’s blow. She smacked into the ring with enough force to crater it thanks to the weight her Talent added to her. The blowback cleared the air. The crowd caught a glimpse of something in the vague shape of a pony, but it was bulky and marked with rough crystalline structures that glistened too brightly to properly make out. When their eyes adjusted, Rarity, crystalized but otherwise appearing normal, stood over an unconscious Suri.
“That was for Coco,” Rarity snorted. “I’m not sure what you have on her, but I’ll be having a good talk with her after this.”
“And I thought the second match was a lightning round,” Vinyl chuckled.
“Winner, Rarity Belle,” Tantabus sighed.
Starlight clicked her tongue. “Seems I miscalculated.”
~~~
“What a knockout!” Pinkie cheered when Rarity returned to the seats.
Spike grinned from ear to ear. “Great job, Rarity!”
“Wish we could’ve seen it though,” said Applejack. She grinned. “Then again, you won’t be able to see much of me in this next match either.”
“About that.” Rarity looked up at Starlight’s group. Coco flinched. Taking a breath, Rarity stepped up and asked, “Coco, dear, may I borrow you for a second?”
“I, um…”
“Go,” said Starlight. “I doubt she could say anything worse to you than Suri.”
Rarity blinked. “How did y—”
“Let’s just go.” Coco sprung up and pulled Rarity down and into the corridors.
Starlight grinned. “Well, this might be interesting.”
“What do you mean?” asked Trixie.
“I’m amazed Suri stronglegged Coco this far. She’s an ill fit for the hero course,” Starlight explained. “That said, if she’s not under Suri’s hoof for this next match, Coco might actually get to show off a little, even if Applejack outclasses her.”
In the corridor, Coco shuffled in place. She stopped when Rarity bowed her head. “You’ll have to forgive me, Coco, but I happened to overhear Suri being quite uncouth to you earlier.”
“Y-you heard that?” Coco squeaked.
“I did, and I would hate for you to be forced into something just because Suri has dirt on you.”
“Oh.” Coco’s flopped her ears. “I guess there’s no point avoiding it: I don’t really want to be a hero myself, but Suri promised to give me the funding and the connections I’d need to be a successful costumer if I worked exclusively for her during school and for a few years after that.”
“I see.” Rarity grasped Coco’s shoulder. Coco looked up and was greeted with Rarity smiling. “That’s quite a simple fix. I’ve had a bit of a rivalry with Suri, so I’ve made connections of my own and, while I don’t like to flaunt it, my family is quite well-off.”
Coco’s eyes widened. “Oh no, I couldn’t…”
“Of course you can, darling!” Rarity declared. “What is heroism without the passion that lets us throw our lives down for others? If your passion lies elsewhere, then that is what you should pursue!”
“Rarity…” A few tears welled up in Coco’s eyes. She gave Rarity a quick hug and then disengaged from her. There was a fire in her eyes now. “I need to go hurry and ask the judges something!”
Coco galloped off, leaving Rarity to smile.
~~~
“Uh…” Applejack had just stepped up into the ring and stared at Coco. A case laid next to her. Metal rods ran from flashing circlets around her ankles up her legs to connect to a belt with various nubs, buttons, and blinking lights. A pair of adjustable goggles rested atop her head that also had what looked like headphones attached to them. Wires ran down them to blocky shoulder pads. Pinkie stood opposite of Rockhoof, springing up and down. “Somepony wanna explain what’s going on?”
“Your opponent has made a special request,” said Rockhoof. “She would like for both of you to use equipment during this match.”
Applejack furrowed her brow. “You think I’m gonna put on something my opponent made?”
“I made her Pinkie Promise nothing is booby trapped!” Pinkie giggled. Applejack snorted at her, but Pinkie grinned back. “Come on, Applejack, this’ll be fun!”
Coco blushed. “It’s… it’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Applejack took a deep breath. “Oh, what the hay? You don’t seem like a bad apple. Word of warning though, I ain’t gonna hold back.”
“Oh no, please don’t.” Coco tapped the case to open it. Applejack peered inside. There were two pairs of boots that ended in steel horseshoes. “I think you’ll find these quite useful for the match.”
“We’ve had some good smackdowns in the first half of this round, but it looks like we’re changing things up a bit!” said Vinyl. “Ever see anything like this, Tantabus?”
“We used to have the Management Branch and the Costuming Branch compete too. They often used matches to show off their specialties, but most of the students from the branches were eliminated in the first event. The branches now participate by watching the Festival and submitting strategies and costume ideas that may have helped the actual competitors. In addition, we have the Strategic Planning Summit for the Management Branch and the Winter and Spring Utility Shows for the Costuming Branch. As I recall, Ms. Pommel had gotten into the Costuming Branch too, but chose the Hero Course.”
“Seems like she’s still been hard at work coming up with devices.” Vinyl watched Applejack affix the boots to her legs. “Since I like to put a personal touch on my rigs, I’m looking forward to seeing how these gadgets shake up the match!”
“So…” Coco’s eyes glistened before she covered them with her thick goggles. “I’m going to try and dodge your attacks, please come at me as fast as you can.”
“That’s the plan.” Applejack tapped her hooves, testing her balance. “You sure you ought to be telling me what you’re planning?”
Coco nodded. “This will be a wonderful chance to test out my babies.”
“‘Babies?’”
Coco blushed. “I get attached to my creations.”
“Are you ready?” Rockhoof asked.
Coco flashed Applejack a small smile and put on her headphones. “Whenever you are.”
Applejack raked a hoof against the ring. “Let’s do this.”
Rockhoof drew back to his seat and clanged his shovel. “Begin!”
Instead of making a charge straight for Coco, Applejack zipped off to the side. Her boots lit up and she managed to twist a complete ninety degrees. Parts of the boots whirled, and steam blasted out of them. Now, she galloped at Coco.
Coco turned her head toward Applejack and grinned. With a tap to her headphones, a microphone popped out. Her amplified voice rang out from her shoulder pads, “How’s the braking, Ms. Applejack? Those boots stabilize and correct any sharp turns you might make!”
“They’re pretty nice, but you should focus more on the fight!” Applejack raised a hoof and struck at Coco. At the last second, the metal rods on Coco’s legs extended out and launched her off the ground. She arced through the air, aimed a hoof at the ground, and shot a rod into the ring. Metal claws popped out of the rod and secured it to the ground before it retracted and pulled Coco back into the ring.
Applejack rushed at her. “You’re wide open!”
“I would be.” Coco flexed a foreleg. “If it weren’t for this!”
A foamy substance sprayed out of the circlet on Coco’s ankle and into the air. Applejack jolted away from it and hooked at Coco from the left, but Coco swung the substance around and threw it between herself and Applejack’s hoof.
A second before Applejack struck it, Coco ran her hoof along the rim of the foam and it shifted into a rectangular shape an inch thick. Applejack slammed her hoof into it, but the foam clumped around it and hardened. With a rapid shake, Applejack freed herself. The material crumbled away back into a foam that floated beside Coco.
“I used my Talent to keep it afloat, but my Impact Sealant Foam can make instant barriers and reinforce support structures!” Coco declared. She gestured with her leg and the foam expanded and contracted. “As you can see, it only hardens once a certain amount of force is applied to it, making it useful in a number of situations!”
Coco Pommel
Talent- Seamstress: She can “sew” anything her hooves touch. Whether it’s solidifying otherwise unpassable swamps or performing precise operations on costumes or her “babies,” Coco uses her Talent to tie up any loose ends she may have to deal with. With Suri, that’s often a lot. Her “sewing” can be undone by enough stress and works better on inanimate objects.
“Hmph.” Applejack struck out at Coco with a flurry of blows. They were strong enough to solidify the foam, but light enough that Applejack’s hooves did not get caught in it. When all the foam was solid, Coco winced, and something snapped. The foam crashed to the ground and shattered. A sweep from Applejack sent the pieces out the ring where they dispersed.
Coco used her rods and dodged a swing from Applejack. “Interesting, so multiple hits can damage the structural integrity. Thank you for the new information, Ms. Applej—”
Applejack zoomed around her, used her boots to pivot without sliding, and bucked Coco across the ring. Her rods shot out and stopped her before she was knocked out. Applejack adjusted her hat. “Should really save the sales pitch for when you’ve won.”
Coco struggled to her hooves. The rod on her right hind leg had to extend out to keep her upright. “That’s fair. You can really kick.”
“Family pride.” Applejack zoomed towards Coco.
Coco raised her left foreleg and a square shield unfolded out of the circlet on that leg. The rods on the rest of her leg latched onto the ring. Applejack bashed a hoof against the shield, denting it, but Coco managed to stand her ground thanks to her tools. She raised the shield and swung it at Applejack, but Applejack jumped back.
Coco put her leg down and the shield detached. She kicked it to the side and grinned. “Excellent. I’d either be out cold or out of the ring without my babies! This is wonderful!”
“You’re about the happiest pony I’ve seen to be getting their flank whupped.” Applejack raked the ground. “Let’s give these boots of yours a stress test.”
“Eh?”
Applejack stomped against the ground. Her legs pumped up and down, faster and faster until they turned into a blur. Steam hissed out of her boot and parts of them bent and warped. The metal grew hot and turned red.
Twilight cast a spell to zoom in Applejack’s legs. “Hmm, that’s the move she used in the race.”
“Yep-yep!” Pinkie cheered. “That’s Applejack’s super-duper special move! It makes her so fast even I can’t catch her! Makes playing tag really fun!”
Applejack continued beating her hooves against the ground. A little sweat trickled down Coco’s face. “Got a tool to handle this?”
“Um,” Coco gulped. “Let me se—”
The tiles below Applejack burst apart. She took off with such speed that to Coco, and most of the audience, she vanished and reappeared right in front of Coco. There was no time to put up a shield or sink her rods into the ring. Applejack raised up her hind legs in a flash and then slammed them into Coco’s barrel. The force shattered the boots and sent Coco flying.
“Barnstorm Burst!” Applejack yelled.
Coco zoomed out of the ring. The barrier caught her before she crashed into the crowd. Unlike with Dash’s attack earlier, it bent like a net to dampen Coco’s impact. Coco rolled down it and flopped onto the ground.
“Ow,” she coughed. Glancing down at the indented hoof marks in her barrel and her tools, she managed to smile. “It was a good demonstration. So much to learn though…”
Coco then passed out.
“Speed seems to be the name of the game this year!” said Vinyl. “Winner, Applejack!”
~~~
“Hey cuz!” A stallion in a vest and Stetson hat jumped down from the rooftop to join the red stallion that stood a head taller than him. “I just passed by the saloon. Looks like Applejack killed it out there!”
Big Macintosh adjusted his costume’s yoke and blinked from behind the bandana that covered the top half of his head. “Good.”
“Think she’ll make it to the finals?”
“Eyup.”
“Got any plans for when she wins?”
“Eyup.”
“Party?” Braeburn chuckled.
“We can talk about it after I’m done patrolling,” Big Mac replied.
Braeburn grinned and admired the fact he had gotten a full sentence out of Big Mac. “Well, with you here, I’m sure we’ll be fine. Griffon or whatever has been causing a ruckus around us lately, it’s nothing against us Apples.”
A bell rang. It was not the uniform toll to announce the hour, but a rapid series of clangs. Big Mac and Braeburn rushed to the clock tower near the center of town. The saloon was nearby, and a few ponies dared to poke their heads out of it. Nearly everypony in town was at the saloon, so it made the surrounding streets dustier looking and more deserted than usual.
Upon seeing Big Mac and Braeburn, the pony atop the tower climbed down. He shook with each rung he descended. Big Mac helped him off once he was close enough to the ground.
“What’s wrong?” Braeburn asked.
“It… it was huge!” The watchpony’s teeth chattered. “Like no griffin I’ve ever seen! It was just like the reports: jet black feathers and fur and those horrible golden eyes!”
“So, it’s here,” Braeburn snorted and adjusted his hat. He looked over to Big Mac. “Looks like you were right about it following a set path. Well, we’ll stop that monster here before it sets another claw closer to Ponyville.”
“Eyup,” Big Mac declared.