//------------------------------// // (Present Chapter 26): Dark Tournament: Part 1 // Story: The Unique Properties of Dark Magic // by Shadestyle //------------------------------// "I'm so excited, just look at them all!" Weiss claims, waving an arm out where various scary-looking individuals are signing up over his telecommunicator. "Oh wow, I didn't even know that there could be such a thing as a half-dragon, but that goat sure managed somehow," Weiss's eyes bug out at the sight of a firebreathing goat covered head to toe in scales, signing up for the "Best Old Fighter" bracket. Tempest shifts slightly, before wincing in pain. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Weiss." Weiss's expression dims slightly. "Do you need some of your pain medicine?" Tempest considers his words, before nodding. "That would be for the best." He snaps his fingers, dropping a bottle of pills and a glass of water into his hands, which Tempest accepts gratefully, using the latter to help swallow a pill from the former. "Cheer up, sir. You'll need your boisterousness for this operation to be a success," Tempest orders, wheeling herself closer to the window overlooking the arena. Weiss chuckles slightly at that. "Will I now? "Very well, if I have no choice," he sighs, hand in his face as he grins. "...Are you certain Princess Celestia will show up? Doesn't she hate your guts?" Tempest asks, while Weiss stares wistfully at the stone tiles far below them. "Oh I'm sure. She's been waiting for this for a very long time. And the chance for a rematch with me? I'd be worried that something happened to her if she didn't show," Weiss claims chuckling to himself. He looks to the camera screens, his eyes widening. "Oh man! Well, there's Torch! Shit, I might not even get to fight Celestia if we match up. Hell, we might not if she gets matched against him." He switches the camera to the line for "Best Young Fighter" entrants. "Oh goodie, I read Rainbow Dash like a book, it seems," Weiss comments, as the grumpy-looking pegasus hovers above the grungy-looking thugs and street-fighters that had come in to sign up. He stares for a few moments at the heavily robed pony-shaped individual who is also signing up. The individual glares at Rainbow Dash hatefully, making Weiss's smile widen further. He shudders slightly with giddiness. "I could just sing." Celestia carefully shaves a single grain off of her armor, bringing it exactly down to the Dark Tournament's 100-pound limit on outside equipment. "Oh this is going to be so much fun!" she states, chuckling faintly to herself. Councilor Gray Guff, who had nervously followed the princess into the strange cavern she had carved under Canterlot, attempts to dissuade her. "Princess, please, think of your reputation, how can fighting in some bloody death sport help Equestria?" he says, only for the princess to eye him deliberately. "Please, do have mercy, Guff. You haven't the slightest idea what the Dark Tournament is like. Equestria has an opportunity, here and now. Do you know how many countries Weiss advertised this to? How many immortals remember the previous Dark Tournament? "There are few things in our world that could make up for the loss in reputation we would receive by not participating." Guff tries again. "But I worry for your safety, your maj-" Celestia heaves over, holding in laughter. "Oh my, I apologize, Councilor. What a ridiculous notion. You speak as though I'll be entering a fight for my life." She sighs. "No, what I'll be entering is so much grander than that. Now then..." she hums to herself before teleporting the armor onto her body. Ivory-white and polished to a shimmer, faint swirls are patterned into the material, as though it were made of seashells. She trots around the room for a few moments, testing her range of motion. "What do you think, Guff? Is it as fabulous as it aught to be?" "It is quite grand, princess," Grey Guff claims, defeated. She almost giggles. "Oh, I feel like I could just sing, I'm so full of anticipation." Weiss trots around the room, his screens zooming in on various fighters. ♪ "Look at these guys, aren't they neat?" ♪ he asks, going through the list. Dragons, dragons, an immortal creature of stone, time-displaced samurai... ♪ "With noble fighters my arena's replete! "Wouldn't you think I'm the guy... The guy who has everything?" ♪ - ♪ "Look at this tome, wonders untold," ♪ Celestia demands, leafing through the Grimoire Noir and Weiss, picking out the choicest spells to add to her own repetoire. ♪ "Just how much spellcraft can one grimoire hold?" ♪ she questions, unfolding a sizable diagram of a golem armor schematic, its basic principles instantly woven into her own armor. ♪ "Snooping around here you'd think..." ♪ she ponders, spotting a spell for cleaning under one's hooves, of all things... "Sure! He's got everything!" ♪ - ♪ "My reliquaries have relics aplenty" ♪ Weiss claims idly, wiggling his fingers as various odd objects float by, like staves topped with flickering flames, wands set with gems and glowing pieces of feather and bone. He suddenly flicks his fist out, assuming a firm stance as he softly punches the magical objects away, sending them flying into portals. ♪ "I've got secrets and styles galore" ♪ he admits, pulling out a long saber and holding it up as he turns to look at Tempest. 'You want sword disciplines?" he asks, swinging his blade around in a rapid flourish. "I know twenty..." ♪ He shrugs, tossing the blade aside as it disperses into ashes. ♪ "But who cares? "No big deal..." ♪ He gestures to the screen, watching two of the competitors sparring, where one of them, a Pegasus, sends a sharp gale towards their Hippo companion, whose skin seems to flash as it strikes, deflecting it away. ♪ "I want mooore..!" ♪ - Celestia hums to herself as she climbs aboard her chariot, waving to prompt the pegasus guards to begin their long flight to the Everfree Forest. ♪ "I want to be where the fighters are" ♪ She waves her hoof around ponderously. ♪ "I want to see... Want to see 'em brawling!" ♪ She throws a few fake jabs with her forelegs. ♪ "Trying to get at their foes and-" ♪ She pauses for a moment. ♪ "What is it they say..? Oh, 'Rend'!" ♪ - Weiss sighs slightly, plopping down into a chair. ♪ "Training alone, you don't get too far. Foes are required for learning, growing! "Fighting alongside a... "What's that word again?" ♪ He snaps his fingers. ♪ "Friend!" ♪ - "Down where where they fight," she points at the arena below as her chariot begins it's descent. "With all their might! "Down where blades ring out through the night!" ♪ Celestia hums with nostalgia, remembering her past battles. ♪ "Defeating our foes "Wish I could go "Back to that wooorld!" ♪ - Weiss's voice fades, nearly inaudible as he stares at the arena, lost in thought. He really did make it exactly like the old one... ♪ "What would I spend "If they could send "One last goodbye?" ♪ He sighs heavily. ♪ "What would I trade "To be in the shade "Warm in my home?" ♪ - ♪ "I bet'cha in there, they don't even care," Celestia starts, a small tear threatening to escape as she looks at the looming building where entrants are expected to sign up. "I bet they don't despair near their princess," ♪ she claims, remembering just how frightened everyone is of an alicorn's abilities. She smiles. ♪"Bright young brawlers "Standing taller "Than this old mare! ♪ - Weiss suddenly leaps onto a table, throwing out a flurry of blows at nothing. ♪ "I'm ready to learn what these people've learned. "See what they got, and show em what I got!" ♪ He spots one buffalo holding a green flame between their horns. ♪ "What can they do, and how do they... do it..?!" ♪ he ponders, walking out of the room and calling in guards to protect Tempest as he makes his way towards the lobby. - Celestia shoots a sly look to King Torch, who watches her carefully from outside as she deliberately flourishes writing her name down on the roster. ♪ "Now it's my turn! "And I'm prepared! "Prepared to fight and see how I'll have fared! "And off of my throne "For a day I'll be shown "Back to that wooorld~!" ♪ she finishes, entering the lobby. "Ahh, Lord Weiss, or perhaps 'Fellow Gladiator' is a more apt term?" Celestia says, lowering herself to a bench across from Weiss, both of them tuning out the ruckus around them of warriors posturing and arguing. "Only once the games begin, Gladiator," he wags his finger at Celestia. "Ahh, of course," she says, winking. Celestia looks around, spotting only a few faces she recognizes. "So, were you not able to separate the wheat from the chaff? Not all of the fighters here seem up to the challenge of the immortal bracket." Weiss sighs, shrugging heavily. "I can't stop people from signing up for the advanced tournament, only discourage them. There are yet more mortals on this earth who can do battle with us. However rare they are." Celestia lets out a very small chuckle. "I look forward to being surprised." "Speaking of surprises, I've never seen armor like that. A secret for a secret?" Weiss offers, staring at the ivory plates adorning the princess. "No need, Weiss. I'm more than happy to explain. You see, I see no reason to shy away from ponies with good ideas, and one of yours was rather fantastic." "Usually, armor is so worthless to me. It's weight for nothing, considering how fragile most substances are. Yes, the pie family produces a few indestructible stones, but those are obviously difficult to work with. And then I learned to grow unicorn horn, from your lovely book," she holds up an armored hoof, revealing the ivory horseshoes nailed in firmly. "You can't imagine how delightful it is to have a set of shoes as slim as these that actually last. Before, I had those giant enchanted golden ones, it was a mess, really." Weiss chuckles, but it's a nervous chuckle. "An entire suit of armor, made of synthetic unicorn horn. Will wonders never cease?" Celestia smiles. "Is that a hint of fear I detect, Weiss?" He waves her off, scoffing. "Far from it. I'm impressed, really. Anyone else would have come up with something rather sly using that spell, and yet you've proven once again the merits of power overwhelming." "Why thank you, I do love proving such merits," she grins, as a slight whine rings out over the PA system in the room. "All competitors please enter the stadium," Grubber's voice rings out, prompting the various figures that can fit in the room to begin exiting it, while the rest simply begin going through the gigantic archway between the walls and the inner stadium in single file. "Good luck Weiss, I hope to see you defeated by my own hooves, so don't disappoint me by losing before then." "Same to you, Celestia. You might get funny ideas if I don't get the chance to teach you humility," "Welcome one, welcome all, to the second Dark Arts Tournament, where warriors from all across Equestria and beyond will fight for pride, glory, and an ultimate prize!" Grubber shouts, floating overhead on a levitating balcony. Tempest steps forward, looking every bit as healthy as she was before, her hands grip the microphone, taking it from Grubber. "The rules are simple. Fighters will be paired off at random, and go on to do battle in one-on-one combat. The winner goes on to the next round, fighting others who had won their own battles." "The two among the young and old brackets who win all of their battles will become the Champions of the Dark Tournament, and will receive a prize unlike any other. Life itself." She gestures behind them, where a gigantic ornate glass bottle, gilded with ivory and gold, and shaped like a trophy rests. The inside of the trophy is filled with a glowing white fluid. "One hundred years of life force, obtained ethically and stored simply. For immortals, it represents a return to youth. For mortals, a second lifetime to do with as they will." Her eyes narrow as she looks down on the slavering crowd. "Fight hard, warriors, and prove yourself the world's strongest." "There is one final rule, simple, yet ironclad. Anyone who kills or injures a competitor outside of the ring will be disqualified. And any who attack a member of the staff will be vastly displeased with the results. That is all. Let the games begin!" Gigantic holographic screens appear over all four corners of the stadium, displaying the randomly-generated matches. "Best Young Fighter's Bracket, First Match: Rainbow Dash vs Unnamed Fighter #4" the screen reads in bright bold letters. Rainbow adjusts her gi as she flies up onto the arena floor. On the other end of the arena, some weird pony in a cloak walks up as well. Tempest Shadow leaps down, landing between them. "As part of the Young Fighter's Bracket, if any of you are knocked out of the ring and land on the ground outside of it, it is considered a loss. If you are unable to continue battling, or are teleported out of the ring to prevent a lethal blow, it is considered a loss. You may begin when ready," she states, walking to the far end of the ring to act as referee. Rainbow Dash smirks. "Alright chump, I'm ready when you are!" Her jaw drops when the figure throws the cloak off of themselves, revealing none other than what seems to be a robot duplicate of herself. "Is this a joke? Hey, uhh, Iron Mare, you got a good reason to be ripping off my style?" Rainbow Dash demands, prompting the machine's eyes to narrow. It bleeps and beeps incessantly, before stomping a hoof and cracking the tiles below it. "I mean, you're right about the first part, but you're crazy if you think you're the real deal, scrap-head," Rainbow Dash smirks, before her eyes widen as she only narrowly avoids a blisteringly fast charge from the robotic double. "Horseshoes she's fast," Rainbow Dash balks, watching the mecha-mare curve around for another attack, rockets flaring as their metallic maw twitches up in a smirk. "Alright faker, you want some? Come get some!" Rainbow Dash yells, flapping her wings and charging towards the robotic double. The two crash into one another violently, landing in the middle of the ring as they attempt to grapple each other. Rainbow Dash hisses when one of her wings slaps into the red-hot thruster on Metal Dash's back, denting it in and making the pair disengage, Rainbow flapping hard as Metal unleashes a spurt of fire. The two land on opposite sides, breathing heavily. Metal Dash beeps, standing up straight and rolling their neck as the dent in their thruster pops out. "Oh yeah? Well your garbage isn't going to match up to the real deal." Metal Dash couldn't agree more, judging from their confident boops. The two approach each other on the ground, galloping towards one another and rearing up to demonstrate their karate talent. Hoof strikes steel as the two parry, block and punch at one another. In perfect sync, the two flip onto their front legs, swinging around and bucking at one another, skidding away when their hooves collide. Rainbow looks back, grimacing when she realizes that her legs are stinging a lot more than that damn robot's. Celestia hums, watching the fight between the two autonomous mares. "So that's Metal Dash, is it?" she asks rhetorically. "Indeed. Only in this era could I obtain the final ingredient needed to complete it," Weiss admits, knowing full well that if Celestia referred to his creation by name, then she must already know about it. "Does it defy Starswirl's law of spell stagnation?" she wonders. He shakes his head. "Not in the slightest. The golem might act like a living thing, but it's still just a golem. It's drawing cues from an almost perfect snapshot of Rainbow Dash, from the exact date of the Sonic Rainboom." "So there's a good chance Rainbow Dash will win, then?" Celestia poses, as the pegasus in question dodges a vicious chop from their double. Weiss chortles. "God, I hope not. Not only has Rainbow Dash had less than a year to deviate from that snapshot, but Metal Dash is equipped with cutting-edge tech. Even though most of it is a thousand years old, it's still the best damn attack and defensive systems that money can buy." "For god's sake, the poor mare can't even keep a dent in Metal Dash. I'm not sure how she could go so far as to win." Celestia watches the fight carefully, observing how Rainbow Dash is even now adapting to Metal Dash's patterns and tactics. "Well, Weiss, all she has to do is overcome herself, and overcome your technology. You have a nasty habit of setting up situations in which both of those things occur, don't you?" Weiss glances to the side. "Are you suggesting I sabotaged my own creation, just to test the Element of Loyalty?" She hums noncommittally. "It's what I would do, if I were 'Evil'," she says, flicking her wing-tips to emulate air-quotes. Weiss snarls. "I can't believe you would suggest such a ridiculous thing, as if I would go so far as to create a weapons platform and then implant a personality core that is not only incapable of learning on it's own, but also doesn't innately have the ability to access it's inbuilt weapons systems or comprehend it's internal orientation and navigation equipment." He waves a hand blithely. "What a ridiculous notion." Celestia laughs inaudibly. "Of course, how could I be so blind. The great Weiss Noir? Having plans dependent on him failing? "It's quite out of character for you." Rainbow Dash breathes heavily, glaring at the doppelganger before her, who looks decidedly smug. "I hope you don't think I'm going to just lay down and take this." Metal Dash beeps smugly. "Oh that's it!" she shouts, charging the metal double head-on, trying to push it back with all her might. Unfortunately for her, the machine is equipped with a frankly unreasonable amount of thrusters, allowing it to easily begin pushing her towards the edge of the ring. Her eyes narrow as they lock with the machine's, wings struggling to push air behind her while her enemy barely looks winded, jets calmly spewing out rays of flame that drive them steadily backwards. Metal Dash emits a whistle of victory, gritting it's jaw as it's jets erupt with even more power than before. "Oh yeah? Well you might have fancy robot parts, but you will never, and I mean never beat what I've got. And that's my friends!" She notices something about Metal Dash that she would only have seen up close. Namely, the fact that Metal Dash's thrusters can only swivel so far in the opposite direction. Unlike a true pegasus, who can stop on a dime... With a mighty heave, Rainbow Dash executes a judo flip that makes Metal Dash emit a dial-tone of confused shock as they go flying out of the ring, slamming into the barrier protecting the audience as though it were a bug zapper. The audience laughs and cheers as Metal Dash whumps into the ground with a loud clang, causing an instant loss. The robot shakily stands up, barking out several shrill whines and revving up it's engines to fight anyway, before suddenly, the light fades from it's eyes and it collapses to the ground, deactivated. Rainbow pants with a smile. "If it's dumb and it works..." she mutters, basking in the ego-inflating cheers as she trots off stage merrily, and a cleanup crew drags the robot out of the arena. Metal Dash blinks alive in a dark lap, whistling angrily before beginning to beep rapidly at Weiss. "Yeah. I saw that. Rainbow Dash's attack caused you to shut down-" he starts, prompting Metal Dash to bleep with fury. Weiss pauses. "Right, an easy mistake to make. The other Dash's attack caused you to shut down. I couldn't tell you why, but I'll look into a solution. This isn't over, Dash." Metal Dash emits a low hum. "Don't give up. One loss isn't everything. This experiment proved that you have what it takes to take down that other Dash. We'll just have to keep trying." "Remember who you're doing this for," Weiss finishes, ending the call and plunging the machine into darkness. While there may be cheering and fighting miles away, Luna recognizes this tournament for what it is. Bait. But while Weiss is off fishing, he's left Luna with a golden opportunity. Or rather, he's left her with a mess to clean up. She stalks into The Tower, it's defenses refusing to engage against her. Weiss, instantly alerted to the Lunar Princess's presence, opens up a screen that follows her. "Ahh, Luna! To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asks, idly watching one of the matches in the background. Luna shakes her head. "I left something here by mistake. I'll retrieve it and leave." Weiss's eyes narrow. "Technical truths, Luna? How dishonest of you." Luna doesn't respond, tracking the scent of nightmares through the Tower's halls. "I know why you're there, and you really should just leave. I'm not done ripping the wings off of that butterfly." Luna doesn't look at Weiss's screen, instead turning down a passageway and ripping up the flooring, where a hidden passage trails deeper into the complex. "Hmm. I see I can't dissuade you with words alone," Weiss hums with annoyance. "Couldn't you have just-" Luna frowns. "Be silent." She reaches an iron-clad door, which opens easily to her telekinesis, metal shrieking and ripping away to reveal a disheveled filly-like creature unconscious in the middle of a treadmill. "So, then. How did you figure out they were here?" Weiss wonders idly, as Luna levitates the creature onto her back. "You allowed them to sleep. A mistake that will see you defeated by me anywhere in Equestria or beyond. Did you think that my powers in the dream world were anything but thorough?" "But I used a Moon Crystal, the dreams should have been isolated." Luna shakes her head. "You are a fool, Weiss. A shelter won't hide the scent of a nightmare from me. This farce of yours is over. I will have words with you, before this day is through." Weiss sighs slowly. "I suppose you will. No matter, I've satisfied my revenge adequately on that thing. It's useless to me now." Luna doesn't respond, instead teleporting away in a flash of blue. Weiss silently closes the call, leaving the Tower immersed in utter quiet. The various battles of the Dark Tournament continue, fighters fighting, brawlers brawling, and, one might even say, people beating each other up. But there can be only one winner in the end, one who Tempest announces after several days of matches. "For their stunning prowess in battle, endless determination, and sizable muscles, I award the Dark Tournament's Best Young Fighter trophy to none other than..." "Big Macintosh!" she finishes, waving the stallion to walk on stage with a bored expression. "Do you have anyone you'd like to thank for your achievements?" Grubber offers cheerfully, hopping up and over to the stallion and thrusting a microphone in his face. "Eeyup." Grubber pauses. "...Are you going to say any of them now?" "Nope." "Is there anything at all you'd like to say, after kicking no less than twenty other competitors into the hospital? Anything at all," Grubber pleads, attempting to break the awkward silence. "..." Big Mac shrugs. "Right..." Tempest states after a few moments, when the microphone rings slightly. "Well, let's give him a round of applause, he is the best young fighter in all of Equestria." The crowds cheer, and a faint "Eeyup" is heard in the clamor as he drags the trophy off of it's shelf and plods out of the arena casually. 'Hey, Granny's been getting on in years. It isn't my fault if none of the other competitors can take a kick,' Big Mac thinks to himself.