//------------------------------// // The empire of Crystals, Part ten: The tournament and memories. // Story: A New Tale In Equestria. // by Sylif Daring Doo //------------------------------// ____*the Crystal empire jousting tournament, two minutes in.*____ Roxanne watched as the two combatants engaged, it was the final round between them, they were tied currently, meaning the next hit determined the victor. The two combatants charged, Helix was an Earth pony like Applejack, but his attacks were swift, he had caught Applejack off guard in the first round by suddenly halting and thrusting his lance at her. The second round, Applejack had anticipated Helix's movements and her lance impacted on his armor. Currently however, as the two combatants neared each other, Helix quickly sprinted and swung his lance in a sweeping motion. Applejack seemed to be caught off guard by this attack, but she quickly dropped and slid forward, she then thrust her lance at Helix. Roxanne could just barely make out Helix's eyes widening as Applejack's lance impacted on his armor. After the dust settled, the announcer walked out onto the field and pointed at Applejack. "We have our winner!.....Applejack of Ponyville!" He declared. The crowd soon burst into cheers as Applejack and Helix made their way to the preparation area, Roxanne chuckled. 'I almost forgot about that, Instead of losing one match and being removed from the tournament, all combatants have to be defeated at least twice unless it's the semifinals or the finals.' As the doors shut behind them, Helix shook Applejack's hoof and congratulated her on winning their match, but the reprieve was short lived as the announcer called out the next two names. "Now for our next combatants!" He shouted. Roxanne peered out the window and watched as the announcer pulled out two more names from the hat next to him, he then addressed the audience. "Our next match is between Suri and Adder!" He shouted. The doors opened and the next two combatants entered the field, Roxanne decided to examine the two more closely, she couldn't see their eyes but she could make out their other features. Adder was a dark green earth pony stallion, he didn't seem to have a tail or hair, his cutie mark was that of an hourglass filled with ashes. Suri was also an earth pony, but was a mare, she had short light blonde hair that you could just barely see from the helmet, she had a light blonde tail as well, her fur was similar to Applejack's but just a tad off, her cutie mark was that of three apples with a silver chain going through them. [1] The two combatants prepared themselves for combat, the announcer then stepped off the field. "Begin!" He shouted. Suri was the first to charge, Adder soon followed, when they got close enough, Adder quickly sidestepped and leapt at Suri, who was caught completely off guard by the reckless attack. Adder's lance impacted heavily on Suri's armor, causing the mare to be flung back a short distance by the force of the strike. Adder then begun walking back to his starting point, while Suri stood up and shook off the dust. Roxanne sighed. 'What a dick.' She thought. Suri got back into position and the two started charging again, just as the crowd continued cheering, as she charged, Suri's balance seemed to shift to the left, when the closed, Adder attempted the same attack again but Suri anticipated it, she slid and quickly aimed her lance at Adder, who soon impacted on the spear. Suri stood back up and watched as Adder stood back up and walked back to his position, she sighed and did the same. Roxanne blinked. 'So we have some good fighters in this tournament after all.' She thought with a grin. The two combatants charged again, but this time, neither made any odd movements, except when they were both in range of each other, when Adder thrust at Suri, who slowed and then swung at Adder, both were vulnerable, but it all depended on who got hit first. Roxanne watched as the spears neared each other, Adder's spear, coming close to hitting Suri in the arm, and Suri's spear coming close to hitting Adder's side. And then, in an instant, the fight ended, with the announcer stepping out onto the field. "We have a winner ladies and gentlecolts!...Adder has won the match!" He declared before walking off. Roxanne blinked and sighed. "Wonder who'll be next?" She muttered. As Adder and Suri returned to the preparation area, Roxanne watched as the announcer immediately returned to the field with the hat. "And now, let's see who fights next!" He said before taking two more names from the hat. Roxanne watched as the announcer read the names and looked to the audience. "Our next match is between Roxanne and Volt!" He declared. Roxanne took a deep breath and walked over to the door to get on the field, she then glanced to her opponent, a large and bulky earth pony stallion with blue fur, she could barely make out half of his cutie mark as a plank of wood, she couldn't see any hair on him or a tail, his eyes were brown and he had a calm expression on his face. The doors opened and Roxanne headed out onto the field and quickly shifted to all fours as she took her position, she could tell that the audience was confused about her being there, she paid them no mind however as she focused on Volt, who was getting ready to charge. The announcer then walked off the field. "Begin!" He announced. Roxanne and Volt both charged each other, Roxanne observed his leg movements and tried to figure out his plan of attack, it would have seemed like he was charging forward except for the slight deviation in his movements that gave away his plan. The moment the two were in range, Volt dropped to a slide and aimed at Roxanne's chest, but she had anticipated this and slowed herself, she then sidestepped him, his lance missed and she then hit him in the side, scoring the first hit. Roxanne then attempted to help him up but the stallion refused, so she simply rolled her eyes and headed back to her position at the opposite end of the field. Soon enough, when Volt reached his position, the two charged once again, Roxanne was once again examining his movements, she noticed no deviation from the stallion, but when they neared the center, Volt's movements predicted a rush, and that is exactly what happened. Volt rushed up to Roxanne and swung his lance in a sweeping motion, Roxanne then countered this by almost completely stopping and letting the lance swoop right past her, she then aimed her lance at Volt and tapped his armor. The crowd seemed stunned for a moment, but they soon burst into cheers and the announcer stepped out and pointed at Roxanne. "Our winner is Roxanne!" He declared. Roxanne stepped up and rubbed her right arm and walked back to the prep area. "This is gonna be hell on my arms." She muttered as she entered the prep area. ____*ten minutes later.*____ Roxanne groaned and rubbed her now sore arms, the past ten minutes had been constant jousting and they were now in the semi finals. The remaining combatants included Gwen and Applejack, Volt and Adder, Suri and Helix, a unicorn called Kunoz and Roxanne, a Pegasus called Inkiza and Talon, as the ten competitors waited the next round, Roxanne looked over at Kunoz curiously, the dark blue unicorn stallion was a literal last minute entry to the tournament, much like herself, Kunoz hadn't lost a single match, this wouldn't have been strange if not for the fact that he easily beat a former jousting champion with ease. Roxanne chuckled and looked around, her sight finally landed on Inkiza, a light blue Pegasus mare with cyan eyes and hair, she had no tail and her cutie mark was that of a blue feather and a half moon, the only thing off about her was a burn scar on her right wing and a bandage around her left ear, Inkiza was currently talking to Gwen, but Roxanne didn't pay attention. 'That girl has been oddly cheery during this entire tournament, at least it kept our spirits up.' She thought. Soon enough, Roxanne could hear the announcer get the attention of the crowd. "Everyone quiet!" She said firmly as she listened. The room quieted down and Roxanne listened to the announcer as he spoke. "After much discussion, the judges have decided that the rest of the tournament will be carried out through set matches!....as opposed to the random selection from before!" He declared. Roxanne rolled her eyes. "The selection isn't random anymore." She told the others, stirring up whispers of confusion. Soon enough the announcer continued. "The fights will continued as the following!......Gwen Dash versus Adder! Talon versus Suri! Volt versus Kunoz! Applejack versus Roxanne! And Helix versus Inkiza!....the fights will continue in five minutes!" He declared. Roxanne looked away from the window, she then leaned her head against the wall and sighed. 'I was hoping to avoid facing Applejack or Gwen until the end, but it looks like I don't have much choice now.' Gwen walked up to Applejack with a concerned expression. "Rox, are you alright?" She asked. Roxanne rubbed her leg and looked at Gwen. "Yea, I'm fine, you might want to prepare, we'll be fighting soon." She told her friend. 'Well, this wasone hell of a tournament.' She thought as she stood up and begin preparing, mentally and physically. _____*five minutes later*_____ Roxanne leaned on the wall as she waited for the announcer to declare the next fight, apparently the order in which the fights happen were randomized, but soon enough, she heard the announcers voice. "Ladies and gentlecolts!.....the time has come for the semifinals of this years tournament!......but as you all know, this year not only marks the return of our people, but the return of our ancient royal bloodline, and as the hair to that bloodline, our newly appointed leader, Princess Cadence, has asked us to not only host the tournament, but to also hold a special event, honoring the loss of all the brave men and women who gave their lives to defend their families, their friends....and their home." He said, looking to the sky for a brief moment. "But more of that later.....for now, let the semifinals commence! and our first fight is between.....Talon and Suri!" He declared as he moved off the field. The crowd cheered as the gates started to open, when they were fully open, Suri and Talon exited the prep area and went onto the field, Roxanne watched as both Talon and Suri got into position, and when the fight officially began, they both charged, neither one seeming to deviate, but just before they clashed, both Suri and Talon slowed and slid on the ground, both got hit, but Roxanne could not make out who got hit first, neither could the judges apparently, as neither one got a point or lost one. Roxanne chuckled and watched as they took their positions again, once again, the moment the round started, they charged, but this time, when they reached the center, Talon rushed forward suddenly and surprised Suri, Talon's lance hit Suri in the chest and the earth pony staggered back slightly before reorienting herself and heading back to her position. The crowd went silent with anticipation as the two charged once again, this time however, Suri seemed a bit dazed as she ran, and when they two reached the center, Talon attempted to rush the mare again, only for Suri to trip on her own feet and fall down sideways, and causing the tip of her lance to hit Talon's side, winning the round. Roxanne blinked and wondered how exactly HOW it happened, but she decided not to question it as it made the crowd happy, which was obvious due to the roar that the crowd gave. Suri stood up and rubbed her head, she shook herself and soon enough the world stopped spinning, she blinked and looked at Talon who stood up and seemed rather confused. 'Did I win or did something weird happen?' She asked herself and she walked back to her position. Talon walked back to her position and shook off her confusion. "It must have been luck, either way, I can't rely on rushing to win this." She muttered as she got ready. Roxanne watched as the round began just as the two were ready, this time however, when the two were in range, Suri sidestepped and swung at Talon, who attempted a thrust at her before she sidestepped, the clash ended and the two stopped moving, the crowd was cheering until the announcer stepped out and pointed at Suri. "Victory goes to Suri, who moves on to the finals." He then looked at Talon. "You have done well Talon, having made it this far, don't discard that." He told the mare as he addressed the audience while Suri headed into the prep area. Talon took a breath and headed to the prep area to remove the armor and lance. The announcer took a breath and spoke. "Let's all give a round of applause to Talon for reaching the semifinals everypony!" He said as he started clapping. The crowd then cheered and clapped for Talon as she entered the prep area. But soon enough, the announcer quieted the crowd and blinked. "Now, let's start the next fight shall we? the next fight is between....Helix and Inkiza!" He declared as he left the field. The crowd cheered as the two combatants headed to their positions, they both had looks of determination on their faces as they reached their positions on the field, the announcer then declared the start of the round and the two charged, Inkiza quickly set her gaze on Helix's center body, and she immediately noticed that he was slightly shifting his body weight to his left while his legs moved to his right, she blinked and when the two reached each other, Inkiza predicted Helix's sidestep and thrust at his landing point, hitting him dead on. Roxanne chuckled. "Helix needs a new strategy, either that or get better at covering his plan." She muttered, as the two combatants returned to their positions. When the two were ready, the round began and they both charged, Inkiza was once again analyzing Helix's movements but noticed nothing odd or irregular about them, but when they reached each other, Helix quickly sped up and planted his hooves in the ground, he then thrusted at Inkiza's chest. Inkiza smiled and slowed herself, she quickly attempted to dodge the lance by sliding across the ground, the lance came closer to her head and she lowered her head quickly to aptly and dodge it. Helix sighed as his lance just barely passed over Inkiza. 'One second, that's all it would have taken.' He thought as Inkiza's lance lightly hit him in the shoulder. The crowd cheered as the fight ended, with Helix losing and Inkiza just barely winning. Helix looked at Inkiza who was on the ground, he smiled and held his hoof out. "Good job Inkiza, you got me." He said. Inkiza nodded and took his hoof, she stood up and started to walk back to the prep area, with Helix shortly following. The announcer had the audience cheer for Helix and then went on to declare the next fight shortly after. "The next match is Gwen Dash versus Adder!" He declared. Gwen sighed and walked up to the door. 'I was hoping to avoid facing him.....now I see why Roxanne never mentioned who faces who.' She thought. Roxanne watched as Adder walked up next to Gwen and then headed outside. As Gwen walked, she glanced over at Adder but quickly focused on the match. The two opponents headed for their positions and both had looks of equal determination on their faces, so when they reached their positions, and the announcer declared the start of the match, they both charged at full speed. As the two neared each other, Gwen swiftly rushed up to Adder and attempted to hit his shoulder, but the stallion countered by simply moving to his left and hitting her in the chest. Roxanne blinked and rubbed her eyes, she wasn't stunned, just confused. 'What happened?....Gwen hasn't made a single rookie move through this entire tournament, what changed?' She wondered. Gwen looked around and shook off the recoil from the blow, she blinked and headed for her position. "Ok....that happened." She muttered. Adder stood in place at the opposite end of the field, he watched as Gwen got ready to charge, and when they were both ready, they charged again, his gaze focused on Gwen's legs, he found a slight deviation in movements that suggested a slide attack, but looked like a sidestep. Once again, the two combatants reached the center, and just before they clashed, Gwen did the unexpected, she halted entirely and leapt at Adder with her lance aiming right at his chest. Adder's eyes widened at the reckless attack, he then attempted to dodge the attack by sidestepping, seeing the lance slowly turn in her direction, he slowed himself and attempted to hit Gwen with his lance. All it took was a blink, one blink, and it was over, Roxanne blinked and was left wondering what happened, but when the announcer stepped out, she understood what happened. The announcer looked at the audience and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlecolts.....Adder is the victor!" He declared. Roxanne sighed and watched as Gwen and Adder returned to the prep area, she could hear the announcer speak again, Roxanne was actually wondering if he was trying to get to the finals. "Our next fight will be between Volt and Kunoz!" He stated. After that, Roxanne seemed to zone out, she simply decided to watch the match and wait for her turn. ____*two minutes later, just after Volt and Kunoz's match.*____ The announcer stepped out into the field and addressed the audience. "Ladies and gentlecolts!.....Kunoz is the victor!" He declared, the crowd cheered and the announcer took a breath. Roxanne sighed and stood up, she watched as Volt and Kunoz entered the prep area, she walked over to the doors silently and got down to all fours as the announcer spoke again. "And now the final semifinals match.....Roxanne against Applejack!' He shouted. Roxanne glanced to her right and saw Applejack walk up."Thought i wouldn't have to fight you until the end, what about you?" She asked. "The same, but it looks like one of us is going to the finals alone.....good luck AJ." Roxanne replied as they marched out. As Roxanne walked to her position, she attempted to calm herself for the match. "Calm down girl....it's just a match, it doesn't mean anything." She whispered. Applejack and Roxanne both took their positions and faced off, the announcer stepped back and looked at the two. "Begin!" He shouted. Roxanne charged almost instantly and Applejack soon followed, as she charged, Roxanne observed Applejack's movements and found something.....off, about them. Whenever Roxanne observed Applejack before, she had always seemed either straightforward or coordinated, but now, she either had a limp or she was using it to hide her plan, either way, Roxanne was determined not to be caught off guard, so she slightly slowed her movements. Applejack noticed Roxanne's change in speed, but she did not think anything of it as she got ready. As the two neared, Applejack quickly rushed forward and then halted entirely, aiming her lance at Roxanne, who was caught off guard entirely. Roxanne attempted to dodge but she felt the lance hit her side and she fell to the ground. 'Well that happened.' She thought as she stood up. Applejack walked back to her position and sighed. "I might have overdone it....." She muttered. Roxanne returned to her position and got ready to move. 'You aren't catching me off guard this time.' She stated mentally. When the two were ready, they charged once more, this time, Roxanne was keeping her movement irregular, left to right, and right to left, meanwhile, Roxanne always kept on eye on Applejack's movements, attempting to discern her plan. But just as the two neared, Roxanne quickly rushed forward and thrust at Applejack, who attempted to slide but instead tripped and impacted on the lance. As Roxanne slowed from her run, she sighed and looked back at Applejack, seeing as her friend was unharmed, Roxanne walked over and offered to help her up. The two then walked back to their positions and got ready for the final round, Roxanne took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Applejack shook off a slight daze and charged at Roxanne, who followed suit. As the two charged, Roxanne was suddenly hit with an idea, as she watched Applejack's movements and noticed a possibility, she noticed a slight decrease of speed, so she decided to take full advantage of it, she sped up to almost double her current speed, catching Applejack completely off guard. Applejack attempted to aim her lance at Roxanne in time, but just as she went to strike, she had already been hit by the lance, she dropped down and began to catch her breath again. The crowd roared at this, Roxanne sighed and walked over to Applejack and held out her hand. "Need a hand?" She asked. Applejack chuckled, she then gripped Roxanne's hand with her hoof. "Thanks." She said. Roxanne nodded. "Well, it seems like the rest of the tournament will be a little more streamlined." She commented randomly. The two then started to walk back to the prep area as the announcer stepped back out. "Our winner is Roxanne ladies and Gentlecolts!" He declared. _____*ten minutes later.*_____ Roxanne blinked as she and the three others stared at the new chart, strangely enough, Suri forfeited the tournament, claiming that she couldn't stay. The fights were as followed, Adder against Inkiza, and Roxanne against Kunoz, while Roxanne wasn't exactly thrilled that she wouldn't be able to face Gwen in the tournament, she was glad that she would be able to wipe the cocky smirk off Kunoz' face. As the doors to the prep area opened, the announcer could clearly be heard speaking. "And now ladies and gentlecolts!......Adder versus Inkiza!" Roxanne personally zoned out as she sat down and watched the two head out, strangely enough, the current spectacle reminded her of one of her activation...... _____*two and a half months ago, Freddy Fazbears Pizza*_____ Two closed eyes opened to reveal golden irises, mechanical parts clicked and whirred to life as the animatronic came to life, a green staticky panel covered its vision, showing police contact information and a database, filled with criminals and local crimes, another display showed the core directives. Number one, Ensure saftey of children. Number two, Immediatly contact police in the event of a criminal sighting. Number three, Entertain to best of ability. The static vanished along with the displays, and then noise came to the recievers, the noise of children cheering and screaming for no apparent reason, but before the animatronic could look around, one last display appeared. Designation, Toy Foxy. Gender, Female. Other animatronics, Toy Freddy, Toy Chica, Toy Bonnie, Balloon Boy, Marionette. Name of home, Freddy Fazbears Pizza Locally designated name of building, Fazbears. The display vanished soon enough and full vision was restored, the room was dark, and there seemed to be a small hole that barely revealed people gathering outside. Footsteps were the next thing she heard, and after a few moments a voice made itself known. "Introducing the latest addition to Fazbears Pizza, Foxy!" Declared the voice. The the room was then suddenly bright, curtains fell down and Toy Foxy was greeted by many children cheering, a small error displayed in her vision, stating that a possible core malfunction was imminent, she quickly shut off all of the unnecessary systems and the warning vanished, she decided to simply let her programming guide her for now, and she greeted the children. "Hey kids!....lets party!" She greeted in a friendly tone. Toy Foxy had one thought as she began to entertain the kids. 'This should be interesting.' ____*end of flashback.*____ The round had ended and Roxanne snapped out of her trance, she then heard the announcer speak. "That was a great match ladies and Gentlecolts!.....Inkiza wins!" He declared. Roxanne watched as Adder and Inkiza entered the prep area, she sighed and stood up as she got ready for her match against Kunoz. "And now for our next match!.....Roxanne against Kunoz!" The announcer declared. The crowd cheered as Roxanne and Kunoz exited the prep area, and headed to the opposite sides of the arena. As Roxanne walked, she tried to focus on the match and push the memories back down for now. Kunoz stepped once more and turned to face Roxanne, who just got ready, his gaze focused and he prepared to charge. Roxanne faced Kunoz and as soon as the announcer started the match, she charged, intent on wrapping it up quickly. Kunoz charged and immediately tried to spot Roxanne's tactic, he noticed an odd deviation in movement on her left leg and moved to take full advantage of it, only for Roxanne to do something completely random and throw him off. As the two charged, it became evident that the battle would be decided by whoever could counter first, but as the two neared, Roxanne became stagnant and left a blind spot in her charge, and Kunoz took advantage of it, he quickly sped up and thrust at Roxanne's torso. Roxanne went to sidestep and hit Kunoz, but just as she began to sidestep she felt the spear hit her chest lightly. The two stopped and Roxanne rubbed her eyes, she then started to walk back to her position, and Kunoz did the same. When the two were ready, and the announcer confirmed that Roxanne did take a hit that round, the two combatants charged once again. This time however, instead of pure randomness, Roxanne did an unusual thing for her, she was going to be predictable. Kunoz watched as Roxanne's movements suggested a sidestep, but he found this odd, so he quickly prepared himself for all possibilities. Roxanne noticed Kunoz' change of movements, but she decided to continue with her plan, so when the two neared the center of the field, Kunoz rushed forward and aimed at Roxanne. Roxanne grinned and did the unexpected, she quickly sidestepped and thrust at Kunoz, who seemed surprised that Roxanne actually sidestepped. Kunoz simply allowed the lance to hit him as it would be pointless to try and dodge, so the lance impacted on his armor and he was forced to steady himself due to the force of the blow, he then walked back to his position on the field. Roxanne sighed and headed back to her side, somewhat relieved that either way, the tournament would be that much closer to done, and she could relax. After both of the combatants were ready and the announcer confirmed the rounds winner, the two charged once again. This time, instead, Kunoz was going to rely on his instincts, instead of his eyes, seeing as Roxanne would simply do something completely random. Roxanne decided to do something similar to last round, she would be predictable again and then wing it from there, not a solid strategy, but it was better than nothing. As the two neared once more, Kunoz decided to that it was time to act, so he quickly sped up and slid, but instead of aiming directly at Roxanne, who had moved at the exact same time, he instead aimed directly ahead of Roxanne. Seeing what Kunoz what doing, Roxanne quickly slowed herself and aimed her lance at Kunoz, but she noticed that she was still going to quickly, she slowed down even more and hoped that it was enough. The two combatants reached each other and the sounds of lances impacting on armor could be heard, the crowd went silent as Roxanne and Kunoz stopped moving and took a breather. Roxanne looked over at the announcer who was walking over, he looked to the crowd and spoke up. "After examination, the judges have determined.....that Roxanne is the victor!" He declared. The crowd roared and Roxanne chuckled, she looked back at Kunoz, who was walking over to her, she blinked as Kunoz sat knelt down in front of her. "That was an interesting tactic, I must admit, it caught me off guard." He said. Roxanne grinned. "Well, everyone always did say I was the odd one out." She replied. Kunoz nodded, he then levitated his lance off his side and drove it into the ground. "Well, in that case, you have my respect Roxanne, and as a knight of the Crystal Empire, I swear that I shall assist you in battle, should the need arise of course." He swore. Roxanne blinked and stood up. "Well, uh, thanks?....but anyway, we should head back in before the crowd gets bored of watching us do nothing." She said as she started walking back to the prep area. Kunoz nodded and grabbed his lance before following Roxanne. _____*back at the prep area.*_____ Roxanne and Kunoz entered the prep area, where they found Inkiza sitting on a barrel, apparently waiting on them. "Sup guys?" She asked. Kunoz chuckled and headed into the armory section to remove his armor. Roxanne crossed her arms and looked at Inkiza. "Looks like it's just us now huh?" She wondered. Inkiza nodded. "Yea, everyone else left, they wanted a better view of the arena." She explained. Roxanne leaned against the nearby wall, and looked at Inkiza. "Hey, you mind if I ask you something?" She asked. Inkiza shrugged. "Sure, but I get to ask you something in return." She replied. Roxanne nodded, she then closed her eyes. "Ok, so my question is this.....what made you join the tournament?" She wondered. Inkiza chuckled. "Well, truth is, I just wanted to do something different, to put it bluntly, I got bored." She replied. Roxanne blinked and shrugged. "Fair enough." She wondered. Inkiza got off the barrel and started to strap her lance back on. "Ok, my turn, how much do you know about familiars?" She asked. Roxanne raised an eyebrow. 'Well that was random.' She thought, she then looked at Inkiza curiously. "Not much to be honest." She replied. "All I do know is that they can be summoned and that they are magical creatures." She finished. Inkiza chuckled. "Ok, good to know." She commented. The announcer was heard speaking and the doors opened. "For our final round!....Inkiza and Roxanne!" The announcer announced. As the two combatants exited the arena, the crowd roared and Roxanne tried to block out everything else but the match. Roxanne and Inkiza walked to their positions, and the announcer stepped between them. "Alright ladies and gentlecolts, let the final match, BEGIN!" He shouted before getting the the field. The two combatants instantly charged at each other as the crowd cheered. Roxanne watched Inkiza's movements carefully to try and dicern her attack, but their seemed to be nothing off about them, she was simply charging in a straight line at Roxanne, who smirked and decided to let that be the basis of the match, so when the two reached each other, the only movements other then running was attempts to dodge. Roxanne felt Inkiza's lance hit her armor, but she did not seem to hit Inkiza, who had a small smile on her face, for some reason. The two combatants then walked back to their positions, along the way, Roxanne randomly looked to her left and spoke. "That girl is odd, don't ya think?" She asked no one in particular. [2] When the two finalists were ready, they charged once again, but this time, they made no attempt to hide, they simply charged at full speed, so when the two neared, they simply did the same as before, they aimed and attempted to dodge the others lance. This time however, Roxanne felt the recoil from her lance, but watched as Inkiza's lance barely miss her by a few centimeters. After the announcer stated that it was Roxanne's win, the two prepared for one final charge. The two combatants charged, and once more, they made no attempts to hide an attack, it was a full on charge once more. So when the two met at the center, and they attempted to hit each other, Roxanne was surprised to find herself remembering another memory from her past. But she quickly suppressed it as her she felt her lance impact on Inkiza's armor, but she also felt the force of Inkiza's lance impacting on her armor. Both jousters fell to the ground, Roxanne sat up slowly and looked around, seeing the announcer walk up to address the crowd, who fell silent to listen, she glanced over to Inkiza who had sat up and looked at the announcer. Roxanne decided to listen as the announcer spoke. "Ladies and gentlecolts, we have our winner........Inkiza!" He declared. The crowd cheered and Roxanne chuckled, she then stood up and walked over to Inkiza, and for some odd reason, Roxanne couldn't get the small smile that she gained at some point to go away. Roxanne watched as the announcer walked up to Inkiza and congratulated her on her victory, the announcer then walked to Roxanne and held out his hoof. "Congratulations Roxanne, making it to second place isn't as easy as it looks." He said to her. Roxanne nodded. "Thank you." She replied. After that, Inkiza walked over to Roxanne and grinned. "Glad you didn't do anything weird on me Rox.....facing someone head on apparently scares everyone." She said. Roxanne shook her head and started walking back to the prep area, with Inkiza in tow. "I guess so, but it was good for an honest fight, and between you and me?....I'm dying to get this armor and lance off." She replied. At this time, Roxanne let the memory soak in as she took the lance off, her curiosity of Inkiza reminding her of the old days. _____*flashback, Freddy Fazbears Pizza, fifteen days in.*_____ Toy Foxy looked around the restaurant, the kids cove was empty right now, as it was closed off for the day, she watched as the kids went to the prize corner to exchange their tickets, and went to Balloon Boy for balloons, and as they played in the arcade, ate their food, and watched the band play. Toy Foxy was bored however, but the engineer had told her that she was allowed to be online, so long as she didn't interfere with anything, so she had tried to entertain herself in various ways, counting the tiles in the room, counting the number of blue objects and clothes, and even twiddling her thumbs, but nothing worked, so she was left alone until closing, and by then, she had returned to her designated 'wake up' point in the cove. Suffice it to say, that when several of the staff moved a big covered up container into the cove and stood it upright before taking the container apart, Toy Foxy watched with interest but soon decided to shut down and wait for morning. ____*a few hours later, 11:47 PM.*____ Toy Foxy was curious, not as to the contents of the container, but as to why she woke up before she was supposed to, she opened her eyes and looked around, seeing only darkness, she activated the 'automatic adjustment system', as she began to call it, and saw that the restaurant was completely empty, empty and cold, she couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary but she got curious, and wanted to see more of the building, so she started to warm up her systems before moving. And speaking of curiosity, Toy Foxy looked over to where the container was, but she saw only a tarp covering a tall object, she then looked over and saw the camera, but she realized something odd about it, she noticed that it wasn't even set up completely, but then she recalled some men saying that they wouldn't be able to get the camera completely hooked up until a closed day. Toy Foxy then walked over to the tarp and pulled it off, and what she saw was breathtaking for her......if she had breath. What she saw was another animatronic, only she immediately realized that it wasn't in her database, but she knew that it was probably because she hasn't been updated yet, so she examined the new animatronic. It was that of a black wolf with multiple white patches along it's body, definitely a male, the eyes were closed so Toy Foxy couldn't tell its eye color, the actual wolf like body seemed to be made with some kind of fabric, instead of the plastic like material that Toy Foxy and the others were made of, the only thing odd about this new animatronic was its left arm, which was made of the same material that the Toys were made of. Another thing Toy Foxy realized was that this animatronic had long and sharp teeth, those that her sensors deemed unsafe, however she was unable to do anything as the animatronic was Fazbear property, so she simply sighed, seeing as most humans do it in certain situations. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Toy Foxy set off to explore the entire restaurant, but seeing as she had already familiarized herself with the dining room, she started to search the other rooms, like the arcade, prize corner and the game corner. Seeing as Balloon Boy, the Marionette and the band were not awake as well, Toy Foxy decided to search the rest of the building, starting with the bathroom hallway and party rooms. Seeing nothing in the hallway, Toy Foxy checked the first two party rooms but found nothing, so when she searched the other two rooms, she found something interesting.....vents. The vents were big enough that she could fit inside, curious, she crouched down and looked down the vent, she saw that it actually turned to the left, she decided to explore it more and crawled inside, making loud thumping noises, she immediately noticed a small camera in the vent, which she thought odd, but decided not to question it. As Toy Foxy crawled through the vent, and making loud banging noises along the way, she soon reached the tough part, turning to continue, so she slowly made her way along. Eventually, Toy Foxy reached the end of the vent, and found herself in an odd room, it was large and open, with a desk and chair, along with another vent at the opposite end of the room, and a large open archway in front of the desk. Toy Foxy soon realized that she was in the security office, she then started to back out of the vent and continue her exploring. It was at least a few minutes before Toy Foxy finally exited the vent, she then stood up and walked out of the room, seeing as she only had one room left to search, she walked to it. The parts and service room, that was the name of it, Toy Foxy had never been inside, but she had overheard the employees talking about it one day, saying that it was a 'museum' of Fazbear horrors, and while Toy Foxy never went inside before, she knew enough to be extremely cautious about the room. Soon enough, Toy Foxy stood in front of the parts and service room, so she opened the door, and stepped inside, but what she saw, burned itself into her memory, it was four animatronics, all broken down and decaying, a bear, a chicken, a bunny, and a fox, just around the corner, she quickly fled the room and shut the door, if she had breath, she would be panting. Toy Foxy quickly ended her little adventure and started to walk back to the cove. ____*back at the cove.*____ Toy Foxy stepped foot in the cove, but immediately noticed that something was wrong, the new animatronic.....he was missing. She quickly looked around for him but did not see anything, slightly panicking, she started walking around the room, looking for the new animatronic. As Toy Foxy searched the room, she heard loud footsteps coming from the main room, she flipped around quickly and walked towards the footsteps. When Toy Foxy entered the main room, what she saw was bewildering, the new animatronic was alive, and was leaning against a nearby wall, and he seemed to be.....smiling, at her. "Hey, what's up?" He asked, his voice calm but strangely cold. Toy Foxy blinked and stared at the animatronic, she noticed that his eyes were bright green, and they seemed to glow in the dark. "Who....are, you?" She asked, her words mixed and split apart. The animatronic sighed and blinked. "Oh I get it, you have a limited vocabulary, I'll fix that, but for now.....my name is Fang." He replied calmly. Toy Foxy blinked and tilted her head. "Fang?......fix?......no, engineers job." She replied to the best of her ability. Fang shook his head and walked away from the wall, he then looked around and spotted the band. "Oh yea, I remember now, I was replaced, but by who?....oh well, I'll figure that out tommorow." He then looked at Toy Foxy. "Since you know me, it's only fair that you tell me your name." He said. Toy Foxy nodded and walked around a little. "My name is Toy Foxy." She replied easily. Fang looked Toy Foxy over and facepalmed. "Eh...no, I don't see it, the original was male, not female, I'm gonna have to come up with a new name for you, in the meantime." He looked at Toy Foxy. "You up for a game?" He asked mischievously. Toy Foxy blinked. "Game?" She asked. Fang nodded. "Yea, a game, you woke up for a reason right?.....so why not have some fun quickly." He replied. Toy Foxy scratched her head. "What......are rules?" She asked. Fang grinned. "Simple, throughout the night we move around the restaurant, slowly making our way to the office, then we scare the crap out of the night guard, it's a game to play throughout the week, and as the week progresses, we get more active, oh and uh, I probably should mention the fact that the game can only be played from twelve PM, to six AM, sharp." He explained. Toy Foxy thought about it for a moment, but then shrugged. "Why.....not." She replied. Fang then moved to the prize corner. "Then let the games begin." He said quietly. ____*end of flashback, outside the prep area.*____ Roxanne walked out of the prep area and took a whiff of fresh air, she then started to walk back to the fair when she heard someone speak. "Nice match, I love a fair fight, not to say an unfair fight can't happen." The voice said. Roxanne sighed and readied herself by igniting a small fame on her right hand and reaching for Life. "Show yourself." She ordered. A chuckle was the response she received. "Fine then." A tall figure stepped out from behind a nearby pillar and Roxanne immediately recognized it. "Miss me?" The figure asked teasingly. Roxanne pulled her hand away from her sword and extinguished the flame on her right hand. "Lyaroa.....I see you've got your body back, could have been in better condition though." She commented. Lyaroa's body was still in bad condition, but there didn't seem to be any blood on her anymore, and her tail seemed to be healed. "That's true, but hey, I'm in no hurry to have this body completely healed, after all.....where would be the fun in being completely healed in a few minutes?" She asked. Roxanne chuckled. "So now what?....you gonna kill me and my friends so we can't oppose you?" She wondered. Lyaroa shook her head and looked up at the sky. "Naa....like I said, I'm sticking around to haunt you guys, besides." She paused as she teleported next to Roxanne. "You are WAY too fun teasing to simply leave." She finished. Roxanne grumbled and continued walking. "Whatever, just don't screw with our lives any more then you already did." She replied sternly. Lyaroa put her hand over her heart and grunted. "Your words hurt me Roxie, and after all we've been through." She said in a terrible dramatic tone. Roxanne stopped and groaned as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh god....you are insufferable!" She complained. Lyaroa grinned and teleported in front of Roxanne, she put her hands behind her back, bent down slightly and looked up at the fox innocently. "Aww....but I thought we had something going." She pouted. Roxanne then sighed and put her hands down to her sides, she then looked down at the Sentinel. "For a god.....you have a VERY strange personality." She pointed out. Lyaroa smiled happily and closed her eyes. "I know, but it's better then being dark and brooding.....I like it!" She replied. Roxanne shook her head and continued walking as Lyaroa followed. "Aaanny waaay." Lyaroa started oddly. "About what happened when we were looking for my body, THIS body, I actually did sense a trap there, and I think that you deserved to know." She continued. Curious, Roxanne looks at the Sentinel. "What kind of trap?" She asked. Lyaroa put a hand to her chin and shrugged. "A trap that would have triggered the Devastation spell, but seeing as I invented the spell....I knew how to counter it." She replied. Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "What's the devastation spell?" She asked. Lyaroa chuckled and tilted her head at Roxanne. "Oh nothing big.....it just would have made an explosion similar to that of an Atomic Bomb, just a scratch really." She replied easily. Roxanne stopped and her eye twitched, she could also feel her legs and arms tremble, but she quickly calmed herself and looked at the Sentinel. "Um.....please tell me your joking...." She said with a nervous laugh. Lyaroa scratched her ear a little and blinked. "Uhhh.....oh! sorry, that was the Armageddon spell, sorry for scaring you.....the devastation spell is a bit trickier, you see, there are three ways it can work." She started. "The first way it can work is that it spreads an incurable disease throughout a mile long distance, infecting sentient and animal alike, and unless it is cured, those inflicted with it will eventually die, thankfully, there are only five people who know of the spell, and one is dead, the two sisters and myself know it, along with Discord.....but that's another story." She paused as they passed some partygoers. When they were alone again, Lyaroa continued. "The second way it can work is very simple, it releases a plague that only affects organic plant life, such as grass, trees and kelp, it will then cause it all to die over time, and just like the first, unless cured, it won't stop." She paused once again for some more partygoers. "And the last one is very odd, as it only affects inorganic life, melting down rocks and minerals in mere minutes, this one however, CAN be stopped, all you have to do is find the area that's infected and sever it from all other inorganic life." Lyaroa explained. Roxanne sighed, she then looked at Lyaroa and grumbled. "Those are some nasty spells." She replied. Lyaroa nodded and soon snapped her fingers like she remembered something. "Oh yea! three things." She then held one finger up, which was oddly the middle finger. "One, if you ever want me to return Firefly to normal, let me know." She then put up a second finger. "Two, I can't do anything about your immortality so you are stuck with it, but you do have great magic potential so that's good." Roxanne watched as Lyaroa went to put up a third finger, but then lowered her hand to her side. "I'm sorry.....I never should have manipulated you or anyone else for my revenge, I didn't even see it through....I won't ask for forgiveness or any of that sentimental stuff, but I'm willing to move on." She said quietly. The two then silently stood there for a few moments, until Roxanne finally spoke up. "Lyaroa." The Sentinel looked at Roxanne with a curious gaze. "Yea?" Roxanne chuckled and gave Lyaroa a small grin. "Come on, let's enjoy the fair, maybe you'll find something that you like." She said. Lyaroa smiled and nodded. "Hell yea! I call dibs on the first whack a mole we see though." She replied happily. Roxanne shook her head. "This is Equestria, they don't have whack a mole." She pointed out. Lyaroa gave Roxanne a knowing look. "Oh yea?....come on then Foxy, I'll prove you wrong." She teased before running off. Roxanne's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks warm up, but she soon growled and chased off after Lyaroa. "Get back here you little troublemaker!" She shouted. Almost immediately afterwards, Lyaroa could be heard laughing, presumably at Roxanne. _____*A few moments later. [3]*_____ Roxanne sighed and facepalmed. "They ACTUALLY have whack a mole......" She stated blankly. Lyaroa had already paid the carnie and proceeded to play the game, she was doing pretty well so far, but Roxanne found her gaze diverted by the sight of people gathering, she checked Lyaroa and saw that the game had ended. Roxanne blinked and looked at the Sentinel. "Hey Lyaroa." Roxanne started. "What is it?" Lyaroa asked. "I want to check something out." Roxanne replied as she pointed in the direction the crowd was gathering. Lyaroa shrugged. "Alright, why not." She replied. As Roxanne started to walk with Lyaroa in tow, she began to remember another moment from her past. _____*flashback, Freddy Fazbears Pizza, 12:13 PM*_____ Toy Foxy and Fang didn't play the game last night, seeing as not all the cameras were in place, Fang considered it to be 'breaking the rules'. Toy Foxy's eyes opened, revealing the now dark restaurant, Fang had been a success with the kids, and his calm demeanor seemed to be a virtue with most of them, but just before he shut down until twelve, Fang had said something to Toy Foxy. 'I've been thinking on some names for you, I would like you to hear them sometime.' As Toxy Foxy looked around, she looked over at Fang who just powered up. "When, play game?" She asked. Fang blinked and he looked at Toy Foxy. "Soon, but first, we should get our systems online, after that, be creative, make up a jumpscare and a pattern, I'll do whatever." He replied. Toy Foxy nodded and returned to her sleeping position. The camera in the cove was finished at some point earlier in the day, and as such, Toy Foxy and Fang had to be more careful. Soon enough however, Toy Foxy heard footsteps, as she watched Fang walk up to the camera and stare at it. The light on the camera came on, and just as quickly flipped off. Toy Foxy noticed that Fang was just standing there, looking at the camera, but she decided to move for now, so she made her way to the main room, but just as she went to move, she froze in place the moment she saw the cameras light come on. A bright flash then enveloped Toy Foxy's vision, causing multiple errors, the light faded soon thankfully and Toy Foxy made her way to the prize corner, hearing footsteps heading to the bathrooms. Toy Foxy entered the prize corner and soon spotted the camera, she walked up to it and leaned down, she then looked directly at it just as the camera switched on. The camera then switched off after a few moments and Toy Foxy moved once more, this time headed for the bathrooms. Along the way, Toy Foxy found herself holding in place in the main room due to the camera, but once the camera was off, she entered the hallway, she then looked directly to the camera and waited as the time hit one o'clock. Toy Foxy managed to spot Fang moving down the hallway, he was down on all fours and had one hand on the wall, but a bright flash seemed to cause him to back off. Toy Foxy soon found herself once again blinded by a bright flash of light, but this time, it came repeatedly, and Toy Foxy was almost forced into a system restart, however, she quickly shut off her ocular systems and the errors vanished one by one, when she turned them back on, she quickly moved from the bathroom hallway and into the office hallway, she got close to one of the walls and looked down the hall, strangely enough, Fang seemed to have moved somewhere, and now there was creepy music playing. Toy Foxy was once again flashed by the bright light, but it passed quickly as she moved into one of the party rooms that had a vent, there, she quickly knelt down near the vent as the clock hit two, she saw the camera switch on but no flash came, she quickly entered the vent and started crawling through it. As the night progressed, Toy Foxy found a comfortable pattern to follow, she even ran into Fang a few times, he briefly explained that the Marionette was now active. Toy Foxy entered the left vent and crawled through, silently complaining, as the guard seemed to vanish in place of a Fazbear suit, and since she didn't know where the endoskeletons were, she couldn't do anything about it. Other than that, the night proceeded rather smoothly, with Fang entering from the hall, and Toy Foxy from either vent. Soon enough, the clock hit six o'clock and Toy Foxy headed back to the cove, where Fang was already at. 'This game is fun.' Toy Foxy thought as she entered sleep mode. _____*end of flashback.*_____ Roxanne and Lyaroa approached the gathering crowd, they found ample room to move around and did so, they noticed that they were all looking towards the castle, Roxanne noticed a familiar group of ponies and looked at Lyaroa. "Come on." She said. The two moved through the growing crowd and eventually reached the group of ponies, Gwen, Twilight. Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Skitter. Pinkie Pie, Spark and Firefly, to be exact. "Hey everyone." Roxanne greeted. Firefly immediately ran up to Roxanne and began to tell her about everything she found out during the fair, and even gave her point of view on the tournament, in full honesty, Roxanne thought that she would have to listen to this again In slow motion to understand it all. But after Firefly was done talking, Twilight looked at Lyaroa who was looking up at the sky curiously. Gwen however could not believe what she was seeing, the wolf before her and the others was undoubtedly the exact same one from the vision, but seemed, healed....the crazed look in the left eye was no longer there. Skitter looked at the white wolf and immediately knew who it was, but she decided not to say anything, eventually however, Twilight spoke up. "Hey uh...Roxanne, who is that?" She asked, while pointing at Lyaroa. Roxanne sighed and tapped the Sentinel's shoulder, getting her attention. "Everyone, let me introduce you to Lyaroa." She said. Skitter didn't need her special vision to know that everyone's jaws dropped and eyes widened....except Pinkie Pie for some reason. [4] Lyaroa blinked and tilted her head. "Hi." She replied. Twilight went to speak up, but she soon remembered the fair and kids, instead she sighed and looked to the castle. "Alright then, Roxanne, Lyaroa, do you know what's going on right now?" She asked. Lyaroa shrugged and Roxanne did the same, their expressions answering for them, Twilight sighed and pointed to the castle. "In a few moments, Cadence will be addressing everyone here, and hopefully, the Crystal Heart will activate." She explained. Roxanne nodded in understanding but as she went to join the group, she found her eyes covered up and a chuckle following it. "What was one of the first things that we did when we got here?" Asked an all too familiar voice. Roxanne's eyes would've widened if they were covered, but she quickly removed the blocking hands and turned around, a smile almost instantly appearing on her face, as she hugged the owner of the voice. Lyaroa could only watch with a small smile as everyone went to greet their friend. "Welcome back.....Fang." She said warmly.