Round 1 Bracket 3-D
“Alright folks! It’s time for the next match picks!” Discord announced as Yona’s friends were congratulating her regarding what happened. “The next match up will be with…Shining Armor.”
“YEAH!!” Bulk Biceps shouted as he took to the air, flexing.
The Prince of the Crystal Empire shook his head before sharing a kiss with Cadence. “Discord, maybe you should teach that thing what the word ‘random’ means?” He said in a teasing manner as he walked up to Twilight and Spike, hugging the two of them.
“Ah…you all assume to much.” The Lord of Chaos said with a smile as Shining entered the arena, the clump of mass taking the shape of Canterlot Castles courtyard.
His smile turned into a frown upon hearing Chrysalis laughing. “Are you serious? Twilight’s pathetic brother is competing?” Her laughter was joined by Tirek and Cozy. “Oh, that is just too rich!”
“I’m surprised he ever made Captain of the Guard at all!” Cozy added with a snicker. "Has he managed to do ANYTHING useful since then?”
Twilight, Cadence and the two sisters all glared at them as Shining turned to face them. “There’s more to being Captain of the Guard then protecting the Princesses from threats.”
“There must be.” Tirek shot back with a chuckle. “After all the failures you have in doing just that…I’m beginning to wonder if that’s the reason you married into Royalty; It was the only way you could keep the position!”
“How DARE you!” Cadence flared her wings out for intimidation, only for Celestia to block her path with a hoof. Cadence turned her angry gaze to the elder Alicorn, who met them with a stern look of her own.
“Stand down, Cadence. This is something Shining must handle alone.”
“You can assume all you want, Tirek. I know who I am and what I’m capable of.” The unicorn stood at full attention. “I earned my position as Captain of the Guard and became Prince because of my love for Cadence.” This caused Chrysalis to hesitate, as she recalled how strong his love for the mare was. Tirek, however moved closer to the barrier.
“You can’t assume the truth, Pony. And the truth is, your younger sister is more capable of protecting Equestria then you are in protecting a single castle, let alone two.”
“Tirek!” Twilight shouted as she stomped on the ground, angry. Shining, however stood his ground as he met the centaurs gaze while the second panel grew close to picking his opponent.
“And I’m proud of her for that. It makes it more bearably to live with my failures, knowing she and her friends will set things right.” The Royal stallion turned, making his way to the side of the arena, flicking his tail at Tirek. “Despite our last encounter, I AM a capable fighter.”
“Of that, I can attest to.” The voice made Shining Armor stop in his tracks before casting a leer over his shoulder. King Sombra had approached the barrier with a grin. “Very few unicorns would ever have challenged me, but to also posses the wisdom to know when you have lost…you are a rare stallion indeed.”
“…keep your complements.” The Prince said as he continued to his side of the arena, his opponent having been selected.
“I look forward to seeing you in action, Shining Armor.” The dark King said to himself as Tirek eyed him with suspicion.
“And the next creature to compete is…Daring Do!”
“Heh. Prince Shining Armor huh?” The pegasus commented as she took to the air before looking at Ahuizotl. “Definitely a far cry from my usual encounters, hey Ahuizotl?”
The mythical creature gave a short laugh in response. “You are not worried, are you Daring Do?”
“Hardly!” She announced as she hoof bumped Rainbow making her way to the arena. “I’m more excited, then anything.” As she landed on the arena’s edge her half took the form of a thick jungle canopy with a temple courtyard at the far edge.
“Don’t hold back, Daring!” Rainbow called out as she landed beside Spike. Looking around she spotted Twilight still fuming at Tirek, her wings outstretched as anger came off her in waves. Braving the storm Rainbow approached the princess with a surefire smile. “Come on, Twi. Don’t give them the satisfaction. We know what happens to them, so their not worth it.”
Twilight calmed down almost instantly after hearing that, turning to Rainbow with a sadden look. “You’re right, Rainbow. But…what he said about Shining…”
“It’s Tirek, Twi! Getting under ponies skin is what he does.” Placing her hoof over the young Alicorns shoulders Rainbow guided her friend to the barrier and pointed at the arena. “Just look. Your brother isn’t even fazed by that creep.” Twilight looked out to see Shining bantering with Daring Do, a confident smile in his face. The younger sister smiled in relief before giving her friend a hug.
“Thanks, Rainbow. I can’t believe I let him get to me like that.”
“Forget him! Let’s focus on cheering on our friends!”
Spike hovered beside Twilight with a smile. “Yeah!” She said as the three of them looked towards the arena and the two fighters within.
Daring landed opposite Shining Armor as the two matched each others confident expression. “Nice to finally meet you, Your Majesty. I hope you don’t mind when I go all out to win this.”
“Heh. Of course not. I want you to give me everything you got.”
“Good. Cause I expect the same from you.” The two got into their battle stances.
“I gotta say, I was a bit surprised when Twilight told me you were a real pony.”
“I’ll bet. You a fan of my books?” She asked with a teasing expression.
The unicorn chuckled. “You can say that.” He lit up his horn as Daring Do took to the air, a blatant signal that they were ready to begin. Discord appeared between them with a smile.
“Now That’s more like it!” He readied his claw. “Combatants ready…Begin!”
As soon as he disappeared Daring took to the air as Shining fired a beam at her. He kept his horn ready as he watched Daring gather clouds from above the forest. “Uh-uh. That’s not happening.” Shining charged forward into the jungle, firing at the pegasus as he went. Daring easily dodged the beams as she continued to build her storm cloud. She had just started thinking about her failures in an effort to get sad enough when a pink glow shined from below the cloud. Suddenly, a pink bubble was surrounding her and the cloud, attempting to trap the two within. Daring shot herself through the only opening just before it closed completely, narrowly escaping capture.
She watched as the bubble floated down to her rival before compacting to the size of a hoof ball. With a smirk the unicorn made the bubble vanish with a pop as a ball on snow splat onto the ground.
“If you think I’m gonna let you use the weather against me, think again!” The unicorn fired a magical net at the airborne pony, attempting to capture her only to miss as she dove into the jungle. Eyeing his surroundings the unicorn lit up his horn as he ventured into the foliage.
“This is just like in ‘Terrifying Towers’ where she uses stealth to sneak past the unicorn guards, in order to infiltrate the towers!” Rainbow explained as she hovered in the air, Ahuizotl having joined them added.
“Yes, I recall she had utilized the vines to trap the towers guardian during her escape!”
Twilight smiles. “The difference here is, Shining knows she’s in there and will be expecting her.” Rainbow lost her excitement as she shared a look with Ahuizotl.
“Twilight…has Shining Armor…read her books?” She asked cautiously. Both her and Spike flashed them a cheeky smile.
Shining carefully made his way through the tight nit trees, scanning the canopy for any movement as his ears swivelled around; his horn never going out. A whoosh behind him caused the branches to shake as he quickly aimed a blast at it, just catching a glimpse of her tail disappearing within the trees. “Heh. You’re a very talented writer; the way you described your tactics in Terrifying Towers made me feel like I was doing them myself.”
“So you have read my books!” Her voice came from above, giving the soldier a point of reference. “Did you like them?”
“I did.” Shining cast a spell. “It was one of the few series I would read with my little brother and sister.” Rainbow and Ahuizotl gave the two siblings an annoyed look as they hoof bumped. “Though, you have to admit, It’s really risky describing your achievements like that.” A rustle of leaves come from above him, prompting him to cast the spell again. A light pink glow appeared above him. “Anyone could use it against you.”
“Oh, believe me!” Suddenly a branch snaps, resulting in a large net of vines and sticks came straight down. Shining used a shield spell to stop the net as Daring Do came swinging in from behind him. “I KNOW!” She swung into him, canceling his shield spell and sending the two into a tree. Using her wings as leverage the mare leapt backwards and grabbed the falling net, using it to tie the stallion to the tree by flying around it. “But that just adds to my advantage.” She said as she approached Shining, smacking his horn to cancel his spells. “If you think I’m gonna let you use magic against me, think again.” She said with a smug smile on.
Shining just chuckled as he met her smug expression with his own. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what?” She asked just before a large piece of temple crashed through the jungle canopy. She dove to the side as the piece crashed right where she was standing.
“Disabled the bubble spells keeping those broken pieces in the air.” He explained, using his magic to free himself as more pieces crashed down around him. “Shoulda kept your mind on more then just me.” Suddenly a piece crashed through above him, prompting him to cast a shield spell around him.
Meanwhile, Daring Do had retreated to the forest edge getting a better look at the still dropping temple pieces. “When did you send those up?”
“Right after you entered the jungle.” Shining answered as he left the trees, a broken piece of the temple sitting on his shield. He removed the piece and deactivated his shield as he continued explaining, his horn still aglow. “I knew you would use the jungle to trap me, making it easier for you to disable my magic.” He grinned at her before getting into a fighting stance. “So, I figured I lay some ‘sky mines’ in case you succeed.”
“That’s brilliant.” Flash said, intrigue in his eyes. “He managed to stay two steps ahead of Daring long before the match started.”
“To be fair, he had already read about her tactics from her novels.” Soarin said as he hovered beside the other pegasus.
“Yeah!” Bulk said. “She handy…handle…ha..Handicapped herself!”
“Maybe so. But if he uses that handicap to his advantage, she’s got no one to blame but herself.” Flash said in a serious tone.
Flaring out her wings Daring Do launched herself forward at Shining with a beat of her wings. A pink wall erected in front of him stopping her momentarily before launching herself to the side where the temple piece lied. Bouncing off the piece, she launched herself into Shining’s side sending them both sliding across the ground with a grunt. Shining maneuvered his body to flip the pegasus off him while returning to his hoof just in time to block a punch with his fore hoof. His horn still aglow Shining exchanged blows with Daring, blocking or redirecting hers while she dodged and used her wings to deflect his. Finally, Daring ducked under a jab placing her in position to trip Shining.
In the span of seconds Shining launched a blast of magic as he fell, hitting Daring Do in the wing as she was setting herself up for another attack. Before he could hit the ground the trained unicorn planted his fore hooves into the ground, positioning himself to deliver a buck as Daring landed right in his path of attack. As soon as she saw what he was doing, it was to late; Shining tensed his fore legs and bucked her clear across the arena and landing hard in the Castle courtyard, right between the two stairways.
Rainbow, Ahuizotl, Twilight, and Spike all groaned, cringing at the impact as Cadence launch into the air, cheering. “That’s it, honey! Show no mercy!” This display of excitement by the usual calm, cool, and collected princess earned her a lot of startled looks among her fellow combatants.
The adventurer slowly picked herself up, grunting as she did when Shining approached. “Ouch…It pays to be a Royal guard. I’ve fought Earth ponies who don’t kick as hard.” She said with through her heavy breathing.
“It really does.” He said as a shield started to surround Daring. On pure instinct alone she leapt through the opening, taking to the air before landing on a roof of the side building. “You should really think about joining.” He offered as his horn flared up conjuring a larger shield to cover the entire courtyard, starting from just above the tallest tower..
“Tempting, but no!” She said as she attempted to clear the area before being trapped. Shining smirked as his horn flashed brighter for a second as a pink wall appeared in Daring’s way, crashing into it. The unicorn jerked his head to the side sending both the wall and the mare hurdling towards the castle entrance.
“Daring!” Rainbow called out just before Daring crashed into it. With a flap of her right wing she managed to spin off the pink wall, narrowly avoiding become sandwiched. Looking to the side of the arena Daring made a dash for it upon seeing how close the shield is to trapping her.
“She’s gonna make it!” Soarin said in excitement.
“Yeah!” Bulk shouted as he grabbed the Wonderbolt in one of his forelegs. Just then Shining’s horn flashed again. Daring was mere wing beats away from escape before she was suddenly stopped in mid-air, crashing to the ground as the shield touched down, sealing the two in.
Frustrated the adventurer hit the ground with a growl, looking back to her hind legs she growled louder at seeing the pink ball and chain attached to one of them. She rose to her hooves and slammed a hoof into the chain with a shout, crushing the construct as Shining slowly approached. She cast an angry look at him. “How are you able to keep using your magic and not get tired?”
“I pace myself.” He replied matter of factly. “By keeping my magic ready at all times, I can easily cast whatever spell I need.” He fires a beam of magic which Daring dodges, struggling to keep up.
“You can’t keep that up forever!” She flew past him aiming for his horn but missed as he ducked, conjuring another wall before her. She stops just short of it and rockets to the side when it flew towards her. She landed behind a bush to catch her breath. “You’ll run out of magic, eventually.”
“That’s right.” He admitted while coming into view, scanning the open area for Daring. “Which is why I summoned the barrier. Can’t have you fly around a large, open area. Forcing me to use up my magic.”
“I can’t believe it.” Tirek expressed, smacking his hand to his head in surprise. “He really is competent.”
King Sombra chuckled softly. “I’ll give Discord this; watching what a creature is capable of, on their own, has been quite intriguing to witness.”
Tirek eyed the pony once again. “Now THAT is interesting.” Sombra turns to Tirek. “For somepony to reject the notion of working together, to praise those that fight alone…” He gestures towards Midnight and Stygian with a hand. “…to see him allying with others…?”
“Get to the point, Tirek!” Sombra demand.
“What are you planning, Sombra?” The two creatures locked eyes for a moment.
“I believe I made my position clear enough to the Princesses.” The unicorn finally answered as he turned back to the match.
“Heh. Don’t take me for a fool, pony!” Tirek warned as he leaned in towards Sombra’s head. “You’re after something else. Something they have.” A huge grin appeared on his face. “Something you want, all for yourself.” Sombra turned with a snarl, nose to nose with the centaur as a flicker of his purple flames flashed from his eyes.
“This is your only warning, beast! If you attempt to ruin my plans, you will suffer my wrath!” Tirek chuckled as he returned to his full height, maintaining eye contact with the dark unicorn.
“Challenge accepted.” He turned to view the match while crossing his arms. He gave Sombra a sideways glance. “May the best tyrant win.”
“Come on out, Daring! You won’’t win by hiding!” Shining called out as Daring took a deep breath, having managed to stay hidden long enough to rest. The pegasus rose to her hooves and aim herself at the unsuspecting unicorn.
“You’re right!” Leaping through the bushes she rocketed towards Shining who cast a shield around himself. Taking a chance on a hunch the mare gave a powerful beat of her wings, flying at top speed right for the shield catching the unicorn off guard. That moment weakened his shield enough for Daring to crash through it as if it were glass. With a satisfy grin on her face she slammed into Shining, but this time she wrapped her hooves around his stomach and took him straight up into the air.
“I knew it! Your shields have been just for show!” To prove this she slammed him right into the large barrier, smashing through it easily. As the glow of his horn faded Shining was hurting from the abuse he had just gone through, but ignored it in order to focus on keeping himself from throwing up as he saw the ground getting further and further away.
“Oh no…” Both Twilight and Cadence said at the same time, getting the attention of those around them. Before anyone could utter a word the sound of Shining throwing up filled the air, followed by groans of disgust and the sound of laughter. “His air sickness…” The two said with a groan.
“First of all, EWWWWW! THAT’S GROSS!” The poor mare holding Shining shouted as some of the vomit ran down her back.
“Sorry…” Shining apologized miserably.
“Secondly, you had better give up, now! Because if you throw up on me again, I will kill you!”
Shining attempted to say something when he say her wings flapping beside his face. Fighting through his sickness the unicorn looked back down and managed to think of a plan. “That’s…fair. Only…” Lifting his fore hooves up the stallion clapped them together, trapping her wings together causing them to plummet to the ground. “I’M NOT READY TO GIVE UP YET! He shouted as the adrenaline of falling allowed Shining to over come his sickness.
“LET GO OF MY WINGS!” Daring shouted as she struggled to throw her opponent off. “THAT SICKNESS HAS MADE YOU CRAZY!” As they past the top of the tallest tower Daring gave one last push, finally freeing herself from his grip and allowing him to continue falling. “SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?” She shouted before dashing after him, hoping to reach him before he hits the ground.
The stallion spread out his hooves as he quickly approached the ground. “HERE’S HOPING I HAVE ENOUGH FOR THIS!” Lighting up his horn a pink slide appeared below him. The pink construct crumbled after him until he reached the ground, tumbling through the courtyard until he came to a stop on his back, breathing heavily. The sound of flapping wings made him open his tired eyes, which went wide as soon as he saw Daring rocketing towards him with a hoof cocked back.
Shining Armor has trained his whole life to be a Royal Guard; after years of steady combat drills and scenarios his muscle memory and instinctive reflexes have been fine tined to react at a moments notice. Such as when a speeding pegasus is about to flatten his face into the ground.
Without much thought from him Shining raised his right hoof up, with all the strength he could muster behind it. The impact caused a cloud of dust to spread out from them, blinding the onlookers from what was happening. Inside the dust cover Shining had Daring’s right hoof roughly pressed into his cheek while his right hoof was embedded in her stomach. Her face was contorted in pain as soft groans of pain escaped her muzzle. Shining tilted his head freeing her hoof as the two locked eyes. He could clearly see her drive to keep going shine through her obvious pain. So, with a weak smile on his muzzle the Royal Guard used the last of his strength to turn himself over and slammed the mare into the ground with a powerful punch, its impact clearing away the dust cloud.
“Daring?” Rainbow called out, worried. They all watched as Shining collapsed beside the adventurer, breathing heavily, as Discord appeared over them.
“That!” He said to Shining, who was struggling to return to his hooves. “That right there is what I was looking for when I started this tournament! The banter! The action! The unexpected counters and comebacks that happens in combat! This is what…”
“DISCORD!” Twilight and her friends shouted, directing his attention to the unconscious Daring Do and struggling Shining Armor.
“Oh, right. Daring Do is unable to continue. Shining Armor wins the match!” After the announcement Discord teleport the two to their space, restoring them to perfect health before setting them down. Mage Meadowbrook was there checking on the two combatants before anyone else could reach them. Satisfied with both examinations she declared them both just fine.
“I’m sad to say that Daring Do will be resting for quite some time. I doubt the poor dear has ever been in such an intense fight before.” She deduced as she stepped away for their friends to gather. Cadence, Twilight, Spike and the two sisters gathered around Shining in celebration as Rainbow, Ahuizotl, Soarin, and Bulk Biceps mourned their friends defeat.
“That match was so exciting! I can’t wait to see who I’m up against!” Silverstream expressed as she and her friends watched from afar. Gallus turned to Gilda, who stood beside them.
“What about you? How does it feel to be up against an Alicorn?”
“I don’t care. I’m still gonna wail on her.” The younger griffin had a surprised look on his face.
“But…she’s a princess!”
“Yeah, so? What’s your point?” She looked at him with a bored expression as Gallus struggled to respond.
“OOO I hope I get paired with someone that will sing a duet with me!” Skystar said with a sing-song way.
“I really want to be next. Watching all these exciting matches has got me itching for a fight!” Smoulder declared as she jumped into the air, as Ember and Garble nodded in agreement.
“What about you, Vice Headstallion Sunburst?” Yona asked as she turned to the stallion, who was currently examining the arena as it changed back to its plain ball of mass.
“Uh. Vice Headstallion Sunburst?” Silverstream asked as she tapped his shoulder, getting his attention.
“Hmm? What? Did you say something?”
“Are you looking forward to your match?” The hippogryph asked as Discord sent Daring Do back and the selector started up.
“Oh, well. Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?” Smoulder asked as she landed beside Yona.
“Well, I have no intention of fighting. But, I AM interested in examining the arena.” He pointed towards it as he spoke.
“To what end, Sunburst?” Rockhoof asked, joining the group of creatures along with Flash Magnus.
“Personal curiosity, really. I mean, a substance that can become an exact duplicate of any form of mass? Requiring only a single touch to activate?” He became so excited he turned to face the arena, completely forgetting he was talking to others. “If I can understand its makeup, I might be able to duplicate it. Just imagine the possibilities…”
“And…there he goes.” Gallus said, having joined the other students as the first panel began to slow down.
“Haha! Leave him be, lad. A passion like his should be encouraged!” Rockhoof said with a smile.
“Exactly! Hehe. You should have seen the way Starswirl would get when…” Flash began before stopping abruptly sharing a sad look with Rockhoof.
“When, what?” Yona asked.
The large stallion let out a heavy sigh. “When he and Stygian would work together researching spells and creatures alike.” The two Pillars cast a sad glance over at the unicorn as the first panel finished spinning.
“Listen up, everyone! This is the last match of the bracket, so lets make it a good one!” Discord appeared over the arena. “And the first creature is…Sunburst!”
“Oh. Neat!” The stallion had a spring in his step as he made for the entrance.
“Are ya sure ya want ta do this, Sunburst?” Applejack asked as he trotted by, a concerned expression on her face. “This is ah ‘fighting’ competition after all.”
“I know. I just want to examine the arena.” He replied as he continued on. “As soon as I have what I need, I’ll just forfeit.” He stood at the entrance to the arena, excited.
“Can’t you just ask Discord about it?” Rainbow asked as Discord appeared around her, much to her annoyance.
“Why, Rainbow. I never thought I’d hear you make such a recommendation on my behalf.” The mare glared at him in response.
“I could…” Sunburst said as he tapped his chin a few times before setting it back down. “But then I wouldn’t be figuring it out on my own.” With that, Sunburst entered the arena. Before it started to change he had lit up his horn, casting a scanning spell as half the mass began to morph into the Crystal Empires library. Like a colt in a candy store the unicorn’s eyes widened in excited joy. “Amazing!” He walked over to the shelves, still scanning the area, and began to examine them and the books they held. “It's an exact copy of the book in the real library!” He proceeded to examine book after book without stopping his scans as his friends offered a modest laugh to his enthusiasm.
Then his opponent was chosen.
“And Sunburst’s opponent is….King Sombra…!”
All was silent until the book Sunburst had been holding hit the floor. An echo followed as Sunburst stood frozen in horror, his pupils dilated to pinpoints. Then the sound of hoof steps reaches his ears, making him swivel them towards the sound.
Clip clop. Clip clop. Sunburst slowly turned his head, his spell long forgotten.
Clip clop. Clip clop. He finally faced his approaching foe, a sinister smile on the dark Kings muzzle as his cape flapped behind him.
Clip clop. Clip clop. Sombra left the space allowing him to access his power, his eyes glowing green as purple smoke flicker from them.
Clip clop. Clip clop. Sunburst’s hind legs gave out causing him to sit, watching as short columns of crystal appeared on both sides of Sombra.
Clip clop. Clip clop. More columns sprang from the ground as Sombra approached, his half of the arena becoming his throne room.
Clip clop. Clip clop. As Sombra approached Sunburst was caught in the tyrants intimidating gaze, unable to do anything except to maintain eye contact.
Clip clop. Clip. King Sombra stood before the frightened stallion, holding his attention as he grinned down at him. The frighten unicorn shook uncontrollably as Sombra leaned in closer, using his magic to remove the Vice Headstallion’s glasses. Without that little protection he had Sunburst lose control of his breathing, hyperventilating as Sombra leaned in closer still.
All throughout this moment Twilight and the others were yelling and shouting; trying to get Sunburst’s attention, threatening Sombra, but to no avail. Finally, Celestia turned to Discord, pleading. “Discord, stop this! Can’t you see he’s not fit to fight?”
“…I’m sorry, Celestia…” The draconequus said genuinely, surprising those that heard. “The match has not officially started. And he has not forfeit. The only way I can call the match, is when Sunburst faints.”
King Sombra greatly enjoyed the fear Sunburst was emanating. The last time he felt fear this dense was the day he took over the Crystal Empire. However, he knew this had to end soon or risk being disqualified due to some ridiculous rule Discord invents on the spot. Keeping the fearful look in his gaze Sombra opened his muzzle. “Boo.” Sunburst gasped in shock before fainting to the ground, his glasses still in the dark Kings magical grasp. He chuckled, dropping them on the fallen pony’s body. “That never gets old.”
Discord teleported before Sombra in a flash so bright, it forced the dark unicorn to shut them with a grunt. Opening his eyes he glared at the Lord of Chaos as more columns erupted from the ground around them. The two held each others gaze, daring the other to do something. Finally, Sombra reluctantly yielded, turning his back to the creature with a flap of his cape.
“Sunburst is unable to continue. King Sombra wins the match.”
“You go too far, Sombra!” Princess Luna shouted as he made his way back to his space. “What reason do you have to draw out that exchange?”
King Sombra chuckled as he entered his space. “You talk as if it was my fault. You are the ones who surround yourself with cowards.” He flashed them a toothy grin as she stood on the opposite side of the barrier, all four Princesses shaking with anger. Daydream stood between Celestia and Luna, trying to calm them down as Tempest and Shining did for Cadence and Twilight.
“Well? How is he? Will he be okay?” Silverstream asked as Mage examined the unconscious unicorn, a smile crossing her muzzle as she nodded.
“He’ll be just fine. The poor fella just fainted from fright.”
“That nasty pony go too far!” Yona said with a stomp.
“Aye, lass. There is no honour revealing in other ponies suffering.” Rockhoof cast a dark look at Sombra as Stygian and Midnight joined him.
“We best send him back. I’m sure his friends will take care of him.” Mage gave a nod to Discord, prompting him to snap his fingers, returning Sunburst to his time.
“And with that, the third bracket has come to an end!” Discord directed everyones attention to the board which showed the results. “Who’s ready for a recap?” He said in an obnoxious way that was meet with a few groans. “What am I talking about? Of course you are! The next round of matches for the third bracket will be Princess Twilight Sparkle vs Gilda!” After calming down, Twilight shared a look with Gilda as Rainbow looked between the two, conflicted. "Rockhoof vs Prince Rutherford!" The two shared a confidant smile as they locked hooves with each other, threatening to have a hoof wresting match right there until Smoulder and Yona forced them apart. “Mage Meadowbrook vs Princess Cadence!” The two mares shared a sweet smile with each other. Nothing more. “And finally, a battle between opposites. The Past Ruler against the Current Ruler, in a rematch of the ages! Prince Shining Armor vs King Sombra!” The two stallions lock eyes with each other as they approached the barrier that separated them. Shining held a contempt expression on his face as Sombra smirked confidently.
“And now, it’s time for the final bracket of the round! After that, we can finally begin the second round of the tournament!” With a snap of his claws, the selector started back up. “Things are about to get interesting!”