45. Visiting Day
Scholar Arc
Year 2, Month 1, Day 16
Atlas was doing warm-up exercises off to the side of the stage. It was visiting day at the academy and the grounds were swarming with all kinds of unicorns. From all over the city, family and friends had come to see how life at the academy was for their loved ones.
As a result, various shows and events were being performed in honor of the occasion. Demonstrations, explanations, and presentations were held everywhere, inside, as well as in outside forums.
It was exactly for one such demonstration that Atlas was preparing himself. The chatter of the excited crowd reached his ears, as he did stretches. After completing his physical warm-up, he switched to magical exercises.
The event that he was about to star in, was one of the most popular and well-visited ones every year, or so he had been told. So to compensate for the large crowd, a team of unicorns had erected huge stands smack dab in the middle of the academy grounds; they surrounded a rectangular field, roughly one-hundred feet long on either side.
It was in this field that Atlas was about to duke it out with today's opponent. They'd hold a sparring match, no holds barred, flinging whatever spells they could at each other. For now, Atlas didn't know who his opponent would be, since the teachers thought it appropriate to not tell the participants so they would compete on an even playing field.
Security measures had been taken to ensure the safety of the audience, such as a strong magical shield erected by the teachers. Of course, they also wanted to ensure the relative safety of the combatants, so the participants had been ordered to wear a specially enchanted armor that would activate a powerful protective spell once a certain damage threshold was exceeded. The gear looked like regular guard armor, minus the helmet.
"Welcome! Welcome, everypony!" The voice of an announcer resounded over the crowd, silencing it almost immediately. "It is finally time for the moment you've all been waiting for! The first match of the day is about to commence!"
Cheering and applause could be heard from the other side of the wall, as the ponies did their weird stomping thing they used instead of clapping.
Atlas fired three small icicles he just conjured into the ground before him. He took a deep breath before exhaling it in an attempt to calm his nerves. All his friends were here to watch him, including Belle. He’d already promised that he'd win his fight, so whatever happened, he could not afford to lose.
The huge crowd didn't really help his nerves either.
"Now, before we begin, let me explain the rules!" The announcer boomed again. "The combatant's goals are to either knock their opponent unconscious, or make them unable to fight back. Do not worry! We have taken the necessary precautions to prevent accidents from happening! We might see a broken leg or two, but rest assured that we have a competent medical team on-site, ready to tend to any injuries!"
The crowd cheered once again, showing their support for the medical team. After all, ponies working in the medical field were something akin to nobility in the Crystal Kingdom.
"A time limit has been set to fifteen minutes, so in the unlikely case of the match exceeding that time, we'll let all of you decide who the winner of the bout is!"
The crowd cheered their acknowledgment of the rules.
"Now then, without further ado! Let me introduce today's first combatants, and let me tell you, they've set up a real doozy for this one!"
The announcer had to wait for a few second for the audience to calm down again.
"Entering from the left corner! A pony who, when he joined our prestigious academy, didn't even know how to access his own magic! Now, he's the first pony ever with a triple affinity, as well as considered a prodigy by teachers and students alike! Please welcome... Atlas!"
Picking up on his cue, Atlas walked out of the shadows, entering the field proper. He waved to the crowd as it went wild, making his way towards the center, where the announcer, a mint green unicorn stallion with a white mane, was waiting. On his way he tried to spot his friends, but due to the large number of ponies he wasn't able to.
The announcer gave a small nod towards Atlas before continuing. Meanwhile, Atlas went over his general strategy one more time before he finally would find out who his opponent was.
"Entering from the right corner! A pony who found his calling in the art of combat! Backed up by his magic affinity, he has achieved a mastery in his field, that many only reach decades later! He has been called 'the god of war' a great many times and I'm sure a few of you already know him! Amethyst Blade!"
Atlas chuckled as the crowd cheered for his friend currently entering the field. He was well aware of the silly nickname Amethyst had received and thought it to be hilarious. And even though they always wanted to, they'd never found the time to actually spar with each other before today, so this fight would be their first.
A figurative god against a literal one, friend versus friend.
Amethyst reached the center, standing opposite of Atlas, a huge smile spread on his face.
"You know, I should've really seen this coming," Atlas chuckled.
"Scared, Atlas?" Amethyst asked, trying to shout over the crowd.
"You wish," Atlas rebuked.
Any further attempts at a conversation were disrupted by the announcer.
"Combatants! Take your places!"
The two friends nodded at each other, before retreating towards two white dots drawn on the field, about fifty paces apart. While taking his place, Atlas thought about what he was going to do. Since they were roommates, both of them knew a great deal about how the other would likely fight.
Amethyst would definitely win in terms of experience, since Atlas started his training a mere year ago. But Atlas had an ace in the hole which might just let him win. One thing he found out relatively quickly was that ponies lacked creativity on the battlefield. They just learned what they were told and applied the lessons like a surgeon, exactly as described. Thinking outside the box and searching for alternative uses for his spells quickly brought Atlas to the top of his class.
Atlas had a variety of basic spells available, such as the standard ball of energy or the shockwave, but what he was truly proud of was his elemancy skills. Since he had an affinity to water he could use a vast array of spells at once since he could use all three states water could exist in.
"Welcome back to the stage of history!" Atlas smirked as his proposed opening line was used. "Battle one! Fight!"
Immediately Amethyst started summoning various swords, making them hover behind him. In a span of seconds, twelve magical constructs were summoned and neatly arranged. Although he had seen it before, Atlas was once again impressed by the sheer number of blades Amethyst could control at once. The crowd seemed to agree, as they voiced their amazement with 'ooohs' and 'aaahs'.
For now, Atlas simply observed his friend, rushing in thoughtlessly would get him nowhere, so he decided to go on the defensive and react appropriately.
Not giving him any time to think, Amethyst launched four of his blades at him, all approaching on a different trajectory.
Atlas waited until the last second before he summoned a shield of ice, surrounding himself completely in a fortified igloo. As soon as he heard the blades shatter against his shield, he cast a shockwave, sending the wall of ice flying in all directions. He immediately burst forth from his now destroyed cover, making a beeline for Amethyst.
It was obvious that Amethyst didn't want to engage in close combat, so the best course of action was to close their distance. As he sprinted towards his friend he counted the blades hovering around his friend before his eyes went wide. Only six of them were present.
Atlas dove to the right as soon as he realized, and not a moment too soon. Two blades embedded themselves in the ground where Atlas stood mere moments before. The crowd gasped as Atlas pulled himself out of his roll before he resumed his course towards his opponent.
Amethyst could be seen replenishing his Arsenal, something which Atlas wanted to prevent. He conjured three sizable icicles and sent them flying straight at Amethyst. His eyes widened before he jumped to the side, effectively dodging Atlas's spell but also having to stop his own conjuring.
Amethyst shot him a smirk, which he immediately had to drop since another volley of icicles was rapidly approaching him. With no time left to dodge, three of his own blades were sent to intercept, expertly hitting Atlas’s projectiles mid-air.
Atlas used the resulting shower of ice as cover for his approach, finally within striking distance, Atlas jumped at him, cocking his right front hoof in the process. He coated his hoof with brittle ice as an added damage factor. Amethyst didn't have enough time to react this time as the punch connected. The thin layer of ice on his hoof was crushed under the force, leaving various cuts across Amethyst's face as the crowd cheered at the first successful hit of the match.
"Am I going too fast for y..."
Atlas wanted to taunt Amethyst which proved to be a fatal mistake, as a hammer almost half his size connected with his right side, sending him flying.
Amethyst was what was widely known as a construct mage. While swords were his preferred construct, he could also produce a lot of other things. Including hammers, as was just demonstrated.
Atlas hacked and wheezed as he struggled to get up from the prone position he landed in. He had to recover fast since a follow-up to Amethyst's attack was without a doubt already on its way.
Giving up on standing up for now, Atlas began to roll to the side, avoiding another volley of blades narrowly missing him.
Barely managing to stand up, Atlas conjured four orbs of water, each around fifteen inches thick. For now he simply let them orbit around him, ready to launch them at a moment's notice.
In the distance, he could see Amethyst launching more blades at him while simultaneously replenishing his lost ones. Atlas, once again, conjured a wall of ice. Although this time, instead of completely covering him, he just protected his front. Since the constructs were flying straight at him it should’ve been more than enough to defend him.
The satisfying sound of magical constructs shattering like glass could be heard as Atlas was already casting his next spell. He created a massive energy ball, at least three feet wide and filled it to the brim with steam.
It was one of Atlas's newly invented spells, which he simply named 'Steam Ball'. Once the ball shattered on impact it would release copious amounts of hot steam, burning anyone unfortunate enough to be too close to the point of impact. It also created a temporary screen of mist; however due to the cloud’s low density, the screen dissipated rather fast, giving a maximum of ten seconds before it’s disorientating effects cleared.
He sent it flying over his cover and readied himself to run as soon as it exploded. A faint explosion could be heard, followed by the temperature rising as steam flew past his ice wall.
Atlas bolted from his cover and into the mist, running to where he assumed Amethyst to be. Spotting a silhouette, he fired off two of his water orbs, sending them straight at Amethyst. Their main objective was to drench his opponent, allowing Atlas to effectively freeze the water on him, rendering him unable to move for a short while.
Both of his projectiles connected, earning him a satisfying yelp from Amethyst. As the mist started to clear, Atlas lost no time and immediately started freezing the water on his opponent. Amethyst stopped moving almost immediately, giving Atlas enough time to pull off the next part of his plan, which needed some accuracy and time.
He split one of his remaining water balls into four pieces, which he used to freeze Amethyst's legs to the ground. The last ball went to completely cover his horn, before freezing solid, rendering Amethyst unable to cast any more spells.
"Looks like I win," Atlas gloated, happy to have incapacitated his friend.
As he was waiting for the referee to announce him as the winner, Amethyst shattered into a thousand little pieces. Atlas's eyes went wide in shock. This shouldn't have happened! None of the spells he used were lethal, they should have left Amethyst with a few nasty burns at most.
"Amethyst!" Atlas called out in shock.
"Right behind you!"
Once again, Atlas was sent flying as another hammer connected. Quickly recovering this time, Atlas got up on shaky legs, spotting his friend standing there, completely unharmed.
"I've been saving that one just in case we had to fight each other," Amethyst called out. "It's a construct made to look like me!"
Atlas was incredibly annoyed at Amethyst's words. Not only had he made him worry, but he also made a complete fool out of him. Angrily Atlas began to cast another spell.
"Oh yeah, by the way, you should really look down," Amethyst called casually.
It was the oldest trick in the book, but Atlas remembered a certain rulebook, which stated that you should look regardless while keeping your adversary in sight. So he quickly shot a glance towards the ground before immediately turning pale.
Instead of grass, a solid sheet of purple energy greeted him.
"Fuck."
It was the only thing he was able to say before he was launched into the air. He helplessly ascended around ten feet high, where another barrier was already waiting for him. He was smacked straight out of the sky and hurtling towards the ground, only to be sent flying by the original barrier again. What followed could be described as a combo straight out of Dragonball, since he was smacked in every imaginable direction while mid-air.
Every impact felt like being thrown full speed into a concrete wall. Atlas tried to think of anything he could do to escape his current situation, but the constant influx of pain prevented him from gathering his thoughts.
The crowd began to worry some even calling for the referee to make a call. They went ignored, as neither of the victory conditions had been met yet.
Finally, the barrage of attacks conceded and Atlas fell limply to the ground. He was hurtling headfirst towards the ground and if he didn't do something it wouldn't end pretty.
Still unable to gather his thoughts to cast any complicated spells, he simply conjured a block of water to cushion his fall. A huge splash sent water flying everywhere as Atlas impacted the body of water, successfully saving him.
"Had enough?" Amethyst called over. "You wanna give up?"
Atlas used the time to gather his thoughts while Amethyst continued to taunt him. His body ached all over and he could already feel a huge headache coming on, but he refused to go down without a fight. There was one last thing he could do. Something he had been setting up since the fight began.
Glancing up from his spot on the ground, he confirmed one thing. The whole arena was positively drenched in water, Amethyst included. A smile spread on his face as he was sure his plan would succeed this time.
Atlas got up on his hooves trying to stand steady despite all the pain. The crowd cheered at his 'resurrection', happy that the fight would still continue.
Finally standing, he shot Amethyst a devious smirk before launching himself into the air via conjured ice pillar. Once he left the ground, he started casting another one of his invented spells. He gave it the rather fitting name of 'Ice Age'.
By combining an amplified version of the shockwave spell with the spell he used to freeze his water, he created an extremely low-temperature shockwave.
Combination magic, such as this, was almost exclusively used by unicorns with multiple affinities. Amethyst could theoretically use them too since he had a magic affinity, he just never studied them. His love for construct magic was just too great.
The shockwave was released, it's effect immediately visible. Everything it passed was frozen solid, including Amethyst. While falling, Atlas conjured small icicles on all of his hooves, creating something akin to spiked shoes. Having them allowed him to walk on the ice without slipping, giving him yet one more advantage.
Landing on the ground he immediately started to cast his final spell. He was now close to emptying his mana reserves, which had considerably grown over the last year, so this would be where the fight ended.
One way or the other.
Amethyst was already struggling against his frozen prison, the thin layer of ice already peeling off him. Meanwhile, Atlas was conjuring water around him, as much as he could. He had to close his eyes due to the sheer concentration needed to control the amount of water.
Something akin to shattering glass could be heard, telling Atlas that Amethyst had finally broken free. His time was up so he sent all of the water he conjured towards Amethyst's position.
Atlas opened his eyes again since timing would be crucial for this last part. The water formed a six feet high wave that was hurtling towards Amethyst, who was trying to get out of the way but failing hilariously. Due to the ground being frozen solid he just kept on slipping every time he got up. The purple stallion could be heard cursing as the mini tsunami mercilessly approached.
Amethyst gave up his attempt at running away and his horn started glowing an extremely bright purple. He was obviously preparing some grand spell, but alas, he was out of time. The wave reached his position as the crowd went completely silent with anticipation.
"Gotcha."
In a split second, the wave froze solid. With the last of his reserves, Atlas used the spell 'flash freeze', a spell designed specifically to quickly freeze large bodies of water.
The crowd cheered at the display, deafening applause greeted Atlas as he waved, going even so far as to do a few quick bows in celebration of his victory. A big grin spread on his face, as he couldn't wait to rub his victory into Amethyst's face afterward.
As time went on Atlas's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed a few things that were… off. The referee never announced his victory and the crowd didn’t really seem to be cheering for him. His heart sank as he heard a gasp run through the crowd and he spun around to where the frozen wave still stood. His eyes searched for a hint of purple within, but couldn't find any.
"Above you!" He heard Amethyst call out.
He immediately turned his head towards the sky and was awestruck at the sight that greeted him. Apparently, there was another spell that Amethyst kept a secret from Atlas.
Huge purple wings sprouted from Amethyst's back. Consisting of countless little adjustable plates, they seemed to function similar to pegasi wings.
The last thing Atlas thought before he received a diving kick straight to the face was:
Damn, that's cool!
Then, everything went black.
--------------------------------------
Atlas awoke, a few jackhammers happily hammering away at his skull. A groan escaped his lips as he tried to open his eyes and was greeted with a blinding light.
"He's waking up!" A voice said next to him.
The voice sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't place it right now. Shortly after, a mass of white filled his vision, before another light was shined straight into his eyes.
"Reaction seems normal. How are you feeling Mr. Atlas?" A new voice asked.
"Like shit," Atlas groaned.
"That's to be expected. Your friend did quite a number on you after all." The voice responded. "Here, that should help with the headache."
Atlas could hear the telltale sound of magic being activated, shortly followed by his headache subsiding to manageable levels.
"Now, you just rest up and you'll be bright as day again," the voice said.
He could hear a set of hooves distancing themselves. Atlas let out a sigh, choosing to lay still for a while. So he had lost. Of course, he already knew that it would be difficult to win against Amethyst, but for a while, he really thought he had him on the ropes.
His musings were disturbed by a hoof poking into his ribs, causing his eyes to shoot open. They were immediately closed again as the light assaulted them before he reopened them, this time slowly so they had time to adjust.
A look around confirmed his suspicion of being in the medical tent next to the arena. The cheering of the crowd nearby being a big indicator as well. Rows of beds lined the large tent, with Atlas being the only occupant at the moment. Next to his bed stood an amused looking Amethyst, covered in various bandages.
"You lost!" He announced gleefully.
"Eat shit, Amethyst." Atlas rebuked with a sigh.
He wanted to be mad at his friend, but since he knew he'd gloat just as much, had he won, he took it in stride. Amethyst laughed at his quip, playfully smacking his shoulder, sending pain through it and making Atlas wince.
"Sorry!" Amethyst said. "But seriously, that was some impressive stuff out there. Who'd have thought you could craft such magnificent spells? Maybe I'll have a look into making use of my own affinity after all..."
"You say that, but what the hell was that move at the very end?" Atlas said outraged. "That was insane! I mean, a unicorn flying around with conjured wings? Unheard of!"
Amethyst chuckled at Atlas's rant.
"Pretty impressive huh?" Amethyst said. "The mana requirements, as well as the precision, make it almost unusable, though. It's not even a completed spell yet. I really thought I was done for when I saw that wave coming towards me and that was the only way I could think of to get away..."
"When you're done complimenting each other, you have visitors," The doctor said as he reappeared next to Atlas's bed.
All their friends were filing into the tent, front and center a worried looking Belle. She reached Atlas's bed long before everypony else, immediately pulling him into a hug.
"Ow, ow, ow. Belle, you're hurting me!" Atlas called out.
"Why would you willingly subject yourself to such a grueling fight?" Belle asked before letting go of him.
"Something we'd actually like to know as well," Crimson interjected once he arrived at the foot of the bed. He was joined by Blue Current, which sidled up to him. Their relationship had been steadily growing and they officially started dating half a year ago.
"Yeah, wasn't that too brutal for a simple sparring demonstration?" Blue Current added.
"Isn't it obvious?" Amber asked. "It's because they're idiots," She said as she stuck out her tongue for emphasis.
"Well, yeah. We know that," Crimson replied. "But there has to be more than that to it.
"Actually," Amethyst answered. "They don't let us actually fight in class since the armor we wore is really difficult to make as well as really expensive."
"So the spots in the demonstration are heavily sought after, since apart from exams, it's the only way we're allowed to go all out." Atlas continued off Amethyst's answer.
"Still seems awfully stupid if you're getting this hurt in the process," Blue Current replied.
"Worth it," Atlas and Amethyst answered at the same time.
"Ugh, boys," Blue Current said. "Promise me you won't become as stupid as them Crimson."
"I promise," Crimson immediately confirmed.
"Wha-pish," Atlas said while doing a whipping motion with his right hoof.
The action garnered him a few confused looks from his friends, but none commented on it since they were used to his weird jokes by now.
"Does it still hurt?" Belle asked worriedly.
"Yeah I'm aching all over." Atlas sighed. "At least the headache is mostly gone. Thanks for that one by the way," he added, shooting an annoyed look towards Amethyst, which pointedly ignored the jab at him.
"Turn over to your stomach," Belle ordered, to which Atlas grudgingly complied.
Shortly after he had gotten comfortable he could feel two hooves on his back, massaging him. At first, it felt just like your normal everyday massage, but soon after, a pleasant warmth started to spread throughout his body, originating from Belle's hooves.
Her studies of the healing earth pony magic were coming along slowly, but Atlas would be damned if she didn't give the best massages ever after all her training which is saying something for a pony. Well except for White Mallow of course, but the old stallion didn't count.
"Thanks, Belle," Atlas said, feeling like putty beneath her hooves.
"Don't mention it," Belle replied softly.
As the others were discussing the battle, Atlas slowly drifted to sleep, feeling like he was being massaged straight into heaven.
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Interesting stuff. The fight scene was particularly good.
NOW I know what this story reminds me of.
This story is Hogwarts for Unicorns.
7810214 So that would make Amethyst... Hermione Granger.
7810273 Could also be Ron, since they bunk together. Or Malfoy...
7810312 I went with Amethyst as Hermione because he's smart and good with spells... As for Ron well I think Amber fits the bill with her personality and also the whole chess scene now that I think about it reminded me of Harry and Ron doing something similar at Hogwarts.
7810325 and of course, the main star, Atlas, as Harry. I mean think about it, they're both relatively new to the world of magic, both protagonists and are both with destinies.
It fits!
I like how the two of them just decided to go all-out -- well, obviously nonlethally, but close enough. Makes for a good duel, and, well! How else would they learn how to fight? And of course, the post-combat repartee was just as much fun to read. Great chapter!
And yeah, gilded barding can't possibly be fun to replace.
This ought to be a match to remember!
FIGHT!!!
How come almost every time I read a story with a fight like this, the character I really like loses...my dumb luck.
The armor for the spar was a nice touch, I remember that their was an LN that used enchanted wooden mannequins as proxies to take the damage and show how lethal moves and spells are if taken. Like your armors, they too were expensive, so tournament slots were limited.
dayumm
Fight, but don't become the Round one.
Actually, here they aren't too cruel... Winner doesn't have to fight any extra matches. Assigning Atlas to fight under same rules was a bit risky. They don't know if he couldn't suddenly blow up the district.
I have been a while sense see have had a good World building of the Unicorn Kingdom I wish we could see more about the the culture and the issue of classicism and corruption that had been talk about when they arrived in the area. Still the fight was interesting and Atlas is OP just yet.
A bit obvious having those two face off, not gonna lie. I was expecting it, but was hoping it wouldn't be that cliché, but it was.
Fascinating, really.
So when will he creates water plasma?
7811648
To be honest I find it more likely for Atlas to use pyrokenesis to make and control fire, already a plasma, to create additional water by combustion the hydrogen and oxygen in the air.
7811736 Science really open up a lot of ways to use magicz.
dats y u don b smug n stuff
7811827
Though, I do have to admit, streams of blue glowing energy wrapped around him with glowing runes sounds really cool.
Happy for new chapter, but I'm extremely put off by the fight. Not the outcome just how bs the entire thing was. I'll start with the end. Now magic isn't real but the show gives us a good idea of how it works, and one rule is that the harder the spell the longer and harder it is to cast. Hell it takes twilight several seconds to teleport which is one of the hardest spells ever, and she's been practicing it for years. So the fact that amethyst was able to create those wings is bullshit, firstly it's an incomplete spell you even say so, incomplete spells don't work, just like incomplete code doesn't work. Secondly he created it and he says he has not had much practice, not to mention he casts it in like 10 seconds, it should have failed or hell even backfired on him there is no chance of luck in magic, despite that's it's called magic it's actually a science. So yeah that's my main pet peeve. I dont expect atlas to be unbeatable, but he should have won this battle. I don't like how you made atlas a wuss however, he can overpower a unicorn magic inhibitor but he can't fucking blast amethyst? Yeah that seems a little stupid imo. Third amethyst was being a huge dick, like really uncool, he made atlas think he killed him I mean come on!! And he just beats the shit out of atlas no care for his safety. So yeah I think you need another chapter before you time skip, but it's your story and it was a good chapter one the less.
7812118 Well, to start off, I believe you're severly overestimating the teleportation spell. I'll just remind you of Ticket Master, where she jumps around in rapid succession with almost immediate casts. There's a ton of spells out there which are way harder, I believe. (f.e. giving Rarity wings)
As for the incomplete thing, I believe we have a different understanding of the word "incomplete". To use your example of code, think about it like this: Let's say you're coding a game. When you're in the Alpha or Beta stage your game technically works, but is incomplete. Bug-ridden af and crashes half of the time. BUT, it technically works, same with Amethyst's spell.
It literally says nowhere that he doesn't have a lot of practice with the spell, so I have no idea how you came up with that argument ^^ inventing a new spell even has the implied meaning of testing it over and over again with different variations, so I'd even go so far that Amethyst knows that spell like the back of his
handhoof.Whether or not Atlas should've won could be up for debate as it is a matter of taste. For me it just felt more natural. Yes, Atlas got strong fast and he's the MC, but he's still just a newbie who's pitted against an experienced fighter whose special talent is literally fighting. TBH Amethyst should have mopped the floor with Atlas(which he even kinda did.)
As for the 'Atlas can overpower an inhibitor' argument, I'd like to remind you that this happened during a surge WHILE being supported by the Atlas fragment. So you really shouldn't compare those two situations with each other, since their completely different.
As for Amethyst beating the shit out of Atlas... Atlas was kinda trying to do the same? The whole point of the bout was to go all out, so why hold back? As for making Atlas think he killed Amethyst, Atlas was just a little gullible in the heat of the moment. If he had a clear mind at that moment, he could've figured out that there was absolutely no way in hell that a spell which really only creates a surface freeze could shatter a pony like that. You'd need a complete deep freeze to accomplish that, in which case the pony would be dead long before being shattered.
/rant
Sorry if I come over really defensive about this, but IMO almost none of your reasons have a solid base.
7810538 Even in defeat, the warrior carries on. Battle Two! Fight!
7810726 that sounds like a fun way to do this as well. Would also be an awesome concept for gaming.
Sorta like this :D
7811236 Keep in mind that they had a whole year to study him. They probably deemed him safe to participate.
7811264 Politics and stuff will come up again as we near the windigo incident from the show ;D
7811648 I actually have no idea what water plasma is ^^ I'll have to look into that...
7811736 Why use science to make water if you can just convert mana into water?
Well, the only upside might be if the energy to water rate would be more efficient that way. Still, if he's close to a body of water he wouldn't even need that. (earth mages must be fucking OP ^^)
7811882 taunting and tea bagging are generally a bad idea in the middle of a fight :D
7812695 I should've clarified, they're still fighting like in this chapter, the mannequin takes the majority of the damage like how your armor reduces the blow. Like if I smack you upside the head with a mace or lit you on fire, you'd still probably be concussed or singed but at least you're not dead. All the while, the mannequin off stage would have a sizable chunk of its head blow off or burst into flames.
That story judged the round by the same parameters as yours, just that each fighter would have three mannequins, and when all suffer fatal damage, then the competitor loses, then on the occasion of the clock running out, judge based on damage
7812695
Not many people know how OP earth mages really are. The conversion of energy into mass is something that is possible with only a massive amount of energy. Even then it's only theoretical. Why? Because you have to be moving at the speed of light for that theory to be possible. Another theory is that by moving at the speed of light, you can change the flow of forward time. You're probably familiar with this one because it was one of Einsteins more popular theory, I mean, who dosen't want to live forever with their loved ones?
In other words, they are moving an exceedingly gigantic amount of energy, through time itself. That is pretty OP if you ask me.
7812679 hmm technically my reasoning had a basis but it was a basis of misunderstanding. Also I don't think you were being overly defensive (you do seem a little frazzled tho), I came off a little too strong I believe. I'm still enjoying the story, I just had a few pet peeves with this chap. Again I agree that atlas shouldn't be some god tier Gary Stu, I don't want that at all. The fact he lost like that just feels.. cheap I guess? I don't know it really just messed with me for some reason. However it's cool to see all that atlas has learned. Here's to the next one.
7811648
water plasma cannot exist. You would only have a plasma of hydrogen and oxygen. Plasma exists when matter gets so excited that the electrons shoot away and form a charged cloud. The covalent bonds formed between 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen to form water would be destroyed by causing the water to stop being water and enter the fourth state of matter.
7813138 I just read up on what plasma actually is(as a bonus I also read up on Coulomb's Law) and have come to the conclusion that I don't understand like 80% of it. So I guess my story will have to remain plasma free. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sorry, 7811648
7813206 Railgun then...Magical or otherwise.
Oh, and honeycomb-pattern shield.
7812695 Well, i was more thinking of
7813236 Is there a Certain Magical Railgun you're thinking of?
7813432 Not really Railgun per-say...Just Coilgun. Coilgun can be automatic, Railgun can't.
And I'm thinking about the C-14 Impaler to be exact. Oh, the one from Pen Mightier's story too.
And a plethora of other weapons of the Ghost from Starcraft. With every guns have some sort of MAC element in them.
<Taken from Starcraft Wiki Page>
"I think the female ghosts have nicer equipment..."
- A disgruntled male ghost.
In addition to the hostile environment suit, ghosts have been known to wield the following weapons:
AGR-14 rifle
BOSUN FN92 rifle
C-10 rifle
C-20A rifle
Combat knife
E-11 lockdown device
Hellfire shotgun
Monomolecular blade
Psyblade
Tactical nuke launcher
Torrent SR-8 shotgun
7813454 Apparently someone either ignored/didn't get the reference.
I was making a reference to an anime.
7813717 I don't do anime...
7813732 Oh.
Tl;dr....
funimation.com/admin/uploads/default/spotlight_thumbnails/7555570/bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGH_k27957y.jpg
statici.behindthevoiceactors.com/behindthevoiceactors/_img/franchises/695.jpg
7813824 Forbidden and stuff...
Link didn't work.
7813912 Really?! Huh.
Okay, retry.
funimation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Index-showdown-share-image.jpg
anime-planet.com/images/anime/covers/to-aru-kagaku-no-railgun-2683.jpg
7813717 don't worry, I got it ;D
7814229 Worry? Who was worried?
7814058 The second link still doesn't work....
7814326 Really? F
ing really? 
if you feel like it, look up A Certin Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun.
7814775 sigh....
Never mind...
I will take me a customized C-14 Impaler and CMC-400 anyday over a pre-space flight Railgun....
7815343 i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/054/193/c7f.jpg
But in all seriousness, racism is bad, mkay?
7813206 Worse case scenario, your steam bomb could be converted into a vapor trap, lock someone in the field then shift the water's state to change the atmospheric composition to mostly water vapor. I don't think anyone there knows enough anatomical knowledge to how drowning works.
But that's just human ingenuity to killing with imagination
Hell, while a person drowns, freeze the fucker
Never do what I suggest...
... Atlas never watched the Last Airbender did he?
Also, he really dropped the ball when he went for a big showy finisher while his oponent was trapped. Build up another inch or so of ice around Amythest's legs, then just sheer it. Four simultanious broken legs.
... Or convert it to steam, cover him in burns, and lose most of his coat.
I have a feeling that atlas would get his but kicked by a normal unicorn to now he just seems so weak like a twig could kill him
arsenal,
its disorienting effects cleared.
Or, less obtusely, playing tennis with him.
ceased
its
Two things don't seem to have been addressed in the story itself so far, despite having impact on it. The first one is that when Atlas went to the recruitment office, he didn't wonder much about the duration of military service. I mean, if someone told you, you have to serve 20 years in the army for the education, wouldn't you wonder why that is required overall? After all, education takes in our world at college level (which seems to be the equivalent here) 4 to 8 years. As a point of comparison, in the German army, if you take the study path, you have to stay in the army for 8 years afterwards. So why didn't Atlas ask, what the duration for the education is? I suspect due to an author note, that it takes about 30 years, which makes the 20 years of army service more reasonable, especially if ponies live longer.
The second point is that after Dusty bit the dust, the investigators didn't seem to care that Belle is the crown princess. I would expect that under truth spells this fact would have come out. As well as Atlas supposed immortality. So what am I missing here?
7903244
what?
8535323
Uh... huh? Um... taking a shot in the dark for what you said, but if the ‘normal unicorn’ is referencing Amethyst, then you’re sorely mistaken. Amethyst is literally twilight sparkle but male.
I would to have seen that part where he works up to ask her out and all of stuff and fallout with her dad involved