Filler Chapter 7: Equestria Games - Part 1 (Edited)
[Aurora Ring, Equestria Games - Day 1 - Opening Ceremony]
The Crystal Empire, Equestria's coldest region and the last city before entering the Frozen North, hosted the kingdom's biggest athletic competition in the Aurora Ring. The Empire's architects designed the stadium to be comparable in size and shape to the Rising Sun Arena, but with a more modern design that fused with crystal architecture, thus keeping the city's legacy and heritage. It was truly an impressive sight of engineering, especially considering the isolation they experienced from the rest of Equestria for 3000 years.
At least 100'000 ponies and other beings from all over the kingdom filled the seats, while the stadium's staff and the Crystal Guards were finishing the last preparations for the upcoming event. The athletic delegations waited in the stadium's tunnel for Shining Armor's signal to start the parade. "Places for the procession, everypony!" shouted the Captain of the Royal Guards as he stood in front of the flag-bearers of the Crystal Empire and Manehattan, "Two minutes!"
At the Royal Podium, the princesses of Equestria, the nobles, mayors, and delegates from across the Kingdom were happily waiting for the beginning of the opening ceremony. However, Princess Twilight's seat was still empty and Princess Celestia was a bit worried about her. Before she could ask about her, an old acquaintance of hers spoke in a Prench accent, "Long time no see, Celestia."
Upon hearing that voice, the Goddess of the Sun turned her head and saw Duchess Diamond Waves of Monacolt standing next to Twilight's seat. She was a yellow-coated unicorn with a long mane colored with three different shades of blue - just like her daughter - and a long tail having the same scheme of colors. She was wearing a golden diadem, and her Cutie Mark was a big seashell. "Diamond Waves!" she exclaimed, happy to see her friend again as she approached her, "It's so nice to see you again. It has been quite some time I must say."
"Eons!" joked the unicorn, "But yes, it is nice to finally meet each other after all this time.”
It was then that Celestia realized that somepony was missing. “Where’s Mirage? Isn’t she supposed to be with you?”
“Oh my, Celestia mon ami, it seems your memory has become hazier than last time,” Diamond Waves said in feigned shock. A faint blush appeared on Celestia’s cheeks, feeling quite embarrassed at that dramatic yet truthful statement.
“But on a more amicable note, Mirage will be representing Monacolt in the field of Martial Arts,” she said with a hint of pride in her voice, feeling proud of her daughter’s prowess in not only martial arts but in magic as well.
Celestia was quite surprised by the unexpected news. She knew that Monocolt had qualified for the Equestria Games and knew of the martial training Mirage took part as part of her royal duties, but she didn’t expect the heir of the Duchess to partake in the tournament herself.
“I must say, Diamond, I wasn’t aware of your daughter’s participation in the games,” Celestia said honestly.
“Well, you can say that her entrance will be more enthralling than the last time we met. As much as I want to continue our chat, the games are about to start. I’m sure we'll have the chance to talk later, Adieu."
After that quick conversation, the noble unicorn went to her seat, which was just below those of the princesses. Celestia went back to her seat as she looked at Twilight's empty one, asking, "Cadence, did you happen to see Twilight anywhere?"
"Oh, you'll see her soon, don't worry," she answered with a smile, much to her auntie's confusion.
Right after that, the flag-bearers, along with their respective delegations, began to enter the grassy arena one by one. The formers planted their cities' flag in the center as the athletes gathered in front of the terrace with a giant and sophisticated cauldron that, once lighted, would start the games officially. When the Ponyville Delegation revealed its composition, many marveled at the fact that there was a princess among them. Princess Celestia was surprised by this revelation, as the reason behind Twilight’s absence from the Royal Podium was finally revealed. Another pony more surprised than Celestia was Shining Armor, who could not believe what he was seeing.
Cadence already told him some time ago that his little sister would attend the Equestria Games, but it was still shocking to see it. He always thought of her as more the intellectual type, so seeing her participating as an athlete in a sports event was more than just unusual. His wife also told him that a certain Son Goku trained her so far and, upon noticing an alicorn stallion among the Ponyville Team, he found out who he might be.
Once all of the delegations stood in front of the cauldron, Spike, who had the honor of taking part in the ceremony, lit the cauldron up, marking the official start of the Equestria Games.
[Equestria Games - Day 5 - Aerial Relay]
The first event, Aerial Sprint, ended with no surprises as the favorites, the Wonderbolts of Cloudsdale, won the gold medal; the Griffons of Baltimare acquired silver while Ponyville acquired bronze. The second event, Aerial Acrobatics, was another gold medal for Cloudsdale, with Ponyville reaching second place while the Crystal Empire earned third. With two gold medals, Cloudsdale was already leading the games, but Rainbow Dash was determined to stop their charge in the next event, the Aerial Relay.
The Aerial Relay was a round-robin tournament that lasted a few days, depending on the number of participants. During this period, Ponyville faced and defeated Canterlot, Baltimare, the Crystal Empire, and Las Pegasus. Now, they had to face Cloudsdale, who evened up the score after defeating Canterlot.
The route was an ascending 200 meter-wide spiral marked by flying rings. There were no rings in two specific points as those served as the checkpoints where the racers would pass the horseshoe to their teammates. Goku and Soarin would be the first ones to race, followed by Twilight and Fleetfoot, and Rainbow Dash and Spitfire finishing the race at the final third of the race. All of the participants wore jackets with the colors of their team's flag, as a way for them to be recognizable to the spectators.
"Hey dude, good luck," wished Soarin to Goku as he pointed his hoof toward him, "and may the best team win!"
The black-maned alicorn understood that it was an invitation for a fistbump, so he accepted it and replied, "Let's give it our all!"
After that, confident smiles appeared on their faces as they grabbed their respective horseshoe. One of the referees approached them and stood at the side of the track. "Alrighty then, gentlecolts, on your marks!" he said as he pulled out an air horn, with the competitors setting themselves in crouching positions, ready to blast their way onto the track, "Get set! …” silence took over the arena as everyone waited in trepidation. Suddenly, the loud sound of the air horn was heard throughout the area, marking the start of the race.
Both flyers blasted off, creating a small shockwave in the process. Like racing planes, Goku and Soarin were speeding through the rings as the public cheered in excitement. They were racing neck-and-neck, something that surprised the black-maned alicorn as he didn't recall any of the Wonderbolts being so fast. "Hey, you improved since the last time," he commented.
Soarin smiled in confidence and said, "After witnessing your performance back at Rainbow Falls, we decided to train harder than usual. We didn't want to go down without putting up a fight!" After that, he increased his speed and put himself ahead of Goku by a noticeable distance, catching him off guard.
The alicorn, however, smiled at this and started flapping his wings harder. Goku had little experience in flying with wings, however, due to his strength, he excelled in sheer wingpower. His opponent, on the other hoof, was a veteran flyer and, despite having inferior wingpower, he knew how to exploit aerodynamics to their full potential. The ponified Saiyan struggled to reach Soarin, not only because of his veteran experience but also due to the size of the rings, which made the passage of two high-speed ponies difficult. To touch one of them meant five more seconds added to the overall timing of the squad.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Fleetfoot were waiting at the end of the third curve as they watched their teammates racing. "Woohoo!" exclaimed the light arctic blue-coated pegasus, "There you go, Soarin!"
"You can do it, Goku!" cheered the Princess in a bit of worry as the racing stallions hit the second curve.
As the stallions dashed through the rings, Goku noticed that his opponent left enough space on his right for him to catch up. With his strong wingpower, he started flapping his wings as soon as he found himself between the rings, reducing and nullifying Soarin's advantage. The Wonderbolt was impressed that his rival could reach him with sheer wingpower, but he still had the upper hoof. Due to his inexperience in races and flight skills, Goku didn't know that he picked the external side of the curve, which meant that Soarin would come out of the spiral of rings first.
Both flyers hit the third curve at supersonic speed, but Goku and Soarin were still tied. The scarlet-eyed alicorn tried to fly faster, but the pegasus changed his head and wings' angulation to be more aerodynamic, making him penetrate the air better. At that point, Goku understood that he was racing against an ace, so he had to come up with something as sheer speed wasn't enough. He had to use his battle experience in this, or else Twilight wouldn't have it easy against Fleetfoot, so he started thinking about a solution.
Usually, he used Ki to outpace a foe, but it would be like cheating in this contest, so he dismissed this option. He thought about many things until he remembered that race he had with Piccolo when Chi-Chi forced them to get a driving license. He smiled, and, with a flap of his wings, he followed the circumference of one of the rings counterclockwise and placed himself above Soarin.
Instinctively, Soarin went to the right, allowing Goku to take over his previous position. Now, it was the scarlet-eyed alicorn who had the edge as his opponent lost his strategic advantage and lacked the sheer wingpower to catch up with him. "Oh no!" Soarin internally exclaimed, as he blamed himself for that mistake.
"It's over, Soarin!" exclaimed Goku as he flew faster, putting himself ahead by a sizable distance right before reaching Twilight and Fleetfoot. The scarlet-eyed alicorn passed the horseshoe to the lavender princess, who sped off immediately afterward. However, the fastest member of the Wonderbolts was just behind her as she received the horseshoe half a second later than her.
"That was a good race," commented Soarin as he was catching his breath, "Nice move, by the way. You caught me off guard there."
"Hehehe," giggled Goku as he rubbed the back of his head.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Fleetfoot were speeding through rings bigger in size than those of the first three curves, meaning both mares had an easier time outstripping each other. Only the fastest mare would win the second phase of the relay. The light gray-maned pegasus was the ace of the Wonderbolts in terms of speed and overall experience, giving her a significant advantage over the princess.
Twilight, on the other hoof, had nothing more than her quick start and slightly superior wingpower over her opponent as she wouldn't use Ki, due to her training being focused on fighting rather than flying. She could perform a Sonic Rainboom, but she didn't remember how she did it back at Rainbow Falls and feared to hurt Fleetfoot with the shockwave. Moreover, using the technique could potentially see her miss the curve as a result of its excessive speed, costing her valuable time. She did, however, know the secrets of flight on a theoretical level, so she could use her intellect to even up things, that is if she was able to put them into practice.
Fleetfoot exploited some favorable winds to outpace the lavender alicorn without effort, putting herself ahead by a sizable distance. Upon seeing this, Twilight accelerated to close the gap, partially succeeding as the azure-coated pegasus increased her speed as well.
The situation didn't change until they hit the fifth curve when Twilight started to analyze it. From her point of view, using algebraic, geometric, and trigonometric calculations to determine the distance between her and Fleetfoot, more speed was needed to surpass her, as wind velocity, direction, and air resistance could be seen.
She discovered that Fleetfoot was using air currents from the north and the south to increase her speed during the first and last phases of the curves. However, there was a gap right in the middle with no wind whatsoever, so that was her only possibility to close the distance between them. "But it will be futile if I don't stop her from using those air currents," she thought while looking for a solution. But then, an idea formed in her head, followed by a smirk appearing on her face.
Fleetfoot was about to hit the sixth curve while also focusing on the environment and her opponent. Her opponent was still behind, so her victory was almost assured, but she wouldn't relax yet. She was racing a princess, so it would be an insult to the crown if she underestimated her or mocked her by not putting in actual effort. Moreover, it wouldn't be fair behavior in general.
When the pegasus entered the ascensional phase of the curve, she didn't feel the wind flowing through her feathers or touching her body. Instead, she could hear a sound resembling that of a tornado nearby. Turning her head, she saw something she didn't expect. Twilight was spinning on her axis so fast it created a small tornado around her.
Her maneuver captured the winds used by Fleetfoot to increase her speed while creating a small vacuum in the middle that drastically reduced air resistance in front of her. In this way, Twilight nullified her opponent's advantage while increasing her speed with little effort. In the blink of an eye, the lavender princess surpassed the light silver-maned pegasus and hit the sixth curve first.
Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were watching the whole thing and marveled at such a maneuver. However, the former shook her head and cheered, "Way to go Twilight! Keep it up, you can do it!"
"Come on, Fleetfoot!" shouted Spitfire as soon as she recovered, "Cloudsdale's counting on you!"
Once Twilight stopped spinning, she felt sick from her daring performance and began to lose speed, giving Fleetfoot the chance to close in the relatively big gap. Upon noticing this, the lavender alicorn tried to accelerate again, but she was still feeling the effects of her aileron roll. The pegasus mare reached the princess, with the latter being ahead by just a few centimeters.
Eventually, Twilight's sickness disappeared, leading her to use her wingpower to increase the distance between her and her rival. However, Fleetfoot countered it by assuming an aerodynamically better position. Nothing changed until they reached the end of the curve, in which the azure-coated mare used the air current once more to increase her speed.
The Element of Magic tried to exploit that wind too, but the Wonderbolt member had a better flying stance. Twilight didn't perform the tornado maneuver again as she could hurt Fleetfoot, who was too close for her liking. Finally, they reached both Rainbow Dash and Spitfire, with the latter receiving the horseshoe a second before the former.
[Royal Podium]
At the Royal Podium, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were astonished by not only Twilight’s technique but her overall improvement in flying.
“I must say, I’m quite impressed by Twilight’s aerial abilities, especially that maneuver she employed to overtake Cloudsdale,” Commented Luna, observing the race with excitement.
“Indeed, I too felt the same way when I visited her in Ponyville,” Cadence said, reminiscing the adventure she had with her sister-in-law.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave Rainbow Dash a run for her bits,” Shining Armor stated, still having difficulty processing his sister’s drastic improvements in athletics.
“Regardless of her speed or techniques, I’m glad to see her adapt to her new alicorn form so quickly,” Celestia said with a smile. Despite losing the advantage, Twilight showed great progress in the art of flying, and it made the Sun Goddess feel proud of her. Cadence noticed her auntie's reaction and smiled as well, but she knew that this was just the beginning.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire dashed through the rings of the seventh curve. Unlike the previous ones, the last sections' rings had different sizes; some were even too small for two ponies to pass through. The key to winning the race now was to reach those small rings first.
However, the rainbow-maned pegasus was already leading the race, thanks to Goku's training. Unlike Twilight, she focused on speed and stamina, so her wingpower, with the absence of Ki, was the greatest among the three. Considering her experience in flying and aerial acrobat training in the Wonderbolts Academy, she was by no means inferior in anything to Spitfire.
As they flew at supersonic speed, this was growing more evident to the Captain of the Wonderbolts. However, she didn't want to give up and tried to reach Rainbow Dash, with her attempts ending in futility. The cyan-coated pegasus was already hitting the eighth curve while Spitfire had yet to complete the seventh. "Shoot, when did she become that fast?!" she wondered in both awe and frustration. They trained to counter Goku's speed, but she never expected to be outpaced like that by a cadet, regardless of her training and talent.
[Spectators Area]
The Mane 4, Goten, and Spike were watching in awe as their friends raced against the Wonderbolts ace team. However, they marveled even more at how easy Rainbow Dash was winning against Spitfire. They recovered soon after and began cheering for their friend and the Ponyville Team as a whole.
"KEEP IT UP, RAINBOW DASH!" shouted Pinkie Pie, speaking for the others as well.
Spitfire couldn't close the gap between her and Rainbow Dash, but she was able to stop it from becoming wider. About 30 meters separated them, and such distance remained until the rainbow-maned mare reached the goal. The entire stadium burst into a loud cacophony of noise, as Rainbow Dash cheered in joy for her team's victory over Cloudsdale, for they have just won their first gold medal for Ponyville in the Equestria Games.
"Congrats for your victory, Rainbow Dash," she suddenly heard. When she turned her head, she saw Spitfire flying toward her.
"Good race we had there," she answered enthusiastically as she was still thrilled for the victory.
"It seems that Cloudsdale has a new rival in the Equestria Games," said Spitfire with a confident smile as she stopped in front of her and crossed her forelegs, "Let's see which team wins more gold medals."
"I was about to tell you that," replied the rainbow-maned pegasus as she smiled back.
[Equestria Games - Day 10 - Martial Arts Event]
For the past five days, the competing delegations battled for supremacy in numerous events. Saddle Arabia dominated Athletics, The Crystal Empire showed its superiority in winter-related sports followed by Vanhoover and Whinnyapolis, Cloudsdale reigned over Aerial Athletics, and Canterlot and Monacolt owned the martial sports such as Fencing, Ice Archery, and Javelin Throw.
Overall speaking, Ponyville was doing well as they won 16 Gold Medals, 12 Silver Medals, and 22 Bronze Medals so far, excelling in teamwork-oriented sports. However, that medal haul wasn't enough to top that of Saddle Arabia, Cloudsdale, Canterlot, Monacolt, and The Crystal Empire. There were nine days left to the end of the Equestria Games, so the small town still had enough time to climb the ranking and this was the right place to start.
The Martial Arts event was an Elimination Tournament that would last three days, during which the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and finals for both winning and losing teams would unfold. Each of the eight teams would field all of its three fighters during a match, making teamwork the key for victory.
The Crystal Guards built a square-shaped fighting stage, 80 meters wide and 1 meter tall, with their magic while others activated a cylinder-shaped magic shield, 100 meters in height, all around the arena to protect the spectators. Right after that, the fighters approached the stage from opposing directions, with half of the martial artists facing the other half. They were wearing the same armbands they wore during the qualifications in Baltimare.
While the referee was informing the martial artists on their team’s assignments and their opponents, Vegeta had his eyes closed as he crossed his forelegs. Then, he opened his eyes when sensing the Ki of that mare, Mirage, on the opposite side of the stage. He then turned his head to see the unicorn that defeated Kakarot standing a few meters on Mirage's right, while Majin Buu and his team were next to hers. The prince smiled in confidence as he thought, "Once the weaklings are gone, you and this entire kingdom will witness my might, especially you, Kakarot."
Meanwhile, Yamcha was talking with his teammates. "We're finally here, girls," he said with enthusiasm, "Let's give 'em all we got!"
"No need to mention it," answered Apple Cobbler with an amused tone, "We trained for this after all."
"Especially you guys," replied Moonlight with a smile, "However, do not underestimate your opponents because of your new techniques. It may cost us victory."
"Don't worry Moonlight. We already know that we shouldn’t lower our guard," assured the stallion as he faced onwards, looking at Vegeta.
Meanwhile, Mr. Satan and Soundwave were performing stretching exercises as Majin Buu watched them. "What do you think about the other teams, Mark? Especially those of your friends?" asked the gray-coated pegasus as she tried to reach her hind-hooves while in a sitting position.
"All I know is that we must be careful," answered the brown stallion as he performed a seated side-stretch, "I hope the little trick you taught me will work."
"It's a team match, so it will work as long as we cooperate," she replied with a smile as she kept on doing her exercises.
"She's right, but Buu is what will make the difference against Goku and the others," he thought with a bit of worry.
Nearby, the Ponyville Team was getting ready for the fight. Goku looked at the rest of the fighters with a competitive smile while his teammates and students were doing the same exercises as Mr. Satan's team. "This is going to be fun," he thought, but then his gaze fell upon Moonlight. His smile vanished for a moment as he remembered his battle with her in Baltimare, but then his smile came back and thought, "This time it will end differently."
Twilight, on the other hoof, was preparing herself mentally as she was stretching her legs. "Calm down, Twilight, this is just a friendly competition," said the princess to herself, "And a martial arts' test. I just have to put into practice what I've learned so far, without hurting anyone that is."
Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Goku, who asked, "Hey, Twilight, are you ready?"
"I think I can handle it," she answered with a bit of nervousness in her tone.
Rainbow Dash put one of her forelegs around the lavender alicorn's neck and cheered, "Oh c’mon, relax, you'll be okay. We're gonna fight together, after all, so you won't be alone." This fact reassured Twilight as she remembered that her friends would help her if something went wrong.
Right after that, the referee finished establishing the matches, which appeared on the stadium's scoreboards. Apart from the princesses and the martial artists, the umpires were the only ones authorized to use magic during the Equestria Games.
Once the matches were established, a stallion wearing a purple suit and pair of sunglasses entered the fighting stage and announced to the spectators, "Mares and Gentlecolts, the Single-Elimination Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin!" The roar of the excited public echoed across the stadium in response, then he continued, "The rules are simple: each team must eliminate at least two members of the opposing side to win. The winners qualify for the Elite 4 while the losers qualify for the Bottom 4! The fighters can use their natural abilities, including magic, but weapons and magical items are not allowed."
[Royal Podium]
Meanwhile, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were taken aback by Twilight's presence among the fighters, while Princess Cadence giggled at her aunties’ reactions.
“It’s one thing to see her compete in the Aerial Relay, but to see her partake in the Martial Arts event is another,” Celestia said internally. She looked at a certain alicorn standing beside her, “What did you teach her, Son Goku?"
“It seems dear Twilight has finally adopted martial arts,” Luna thought with interest, looking at Twilight in both surprise and intrigue, “I wonder what she has in store for us to see.”
However, their thoughts were interrupted by Monacolt's Duchess, Diamond Waves, who said, "Intéressant (Interesting), one of the princesses is attending this event; Winning will not be as easy as my daughter expected after all."
"Although surprising, the presence of Twilight Sparkle isn't what shall make this martial event challenging," stated Luna, much to the unicorn's surprise, "Other warriors will shine on that stage as well."
"Indeed," supported the Sun Goddess, "There are ponies with… peculiar abilities among them, it wouldn't be a surprise if either Ponyville or Manehattan rise victorious. From my understanding, even the pink creature competing for Vanhoover is a tough warrior."
"I was also thinking about somepony else when I said that," said Luna as her gaze fell upon the Seaddle Team, much to her sister's confusion.
"Well, shall we make a bet?" asked the Duchess as she turned her head to see the princesses.
"What kind of bet?" asked Celestia with intrigue.
"Oh, it's nothing special," she answered, "Just a little game between friends: Let's choose a team and see who's the winner."
"Hmm, interesting," commented Luna with a confident smile, "Do you want to join us, Cadence?"
"Why not? It looks like fun," answered the crystal princess with a smile.
[Fighting Stage]
"...And now, without further delay, it's time for the first match to begin," stated the referee, "Monacolt versus Manehattan!" Both teams jumped onto the stage, standing in line-formation 7 meters away from their respective opponents, as the sound of cheering drowned all other sounds in the arena. Once the announcer left the stage, the magic shield was established. Right after that, all of the six warriors got into their fighting stances while staring at the rival team. Vegeta was looking fiercely at Mirage, who wasn't bothered at all, but before either could speak, the referee exclaimed, "Begin!"
"Minima, Massima," called out Mirage as she locked her gaze on Vegeta, "Just as planned: their leader is mine; you get rid of the others."
Both sisters nodded in response. Seconds later, Mirage and Vegeta disappeared while their teammates engaged their respective opponents. The light gray-coated mare and the stallion were exchanging blows at high speed as they traveled across the stage. Vegeta was forcing her to retreat due to the might of his blows, much to Mirage's surprise. She already knew he was stronger than her, but it was clear that he improved his physical condition during the previous four months.
"What's the matter, mare?" mocked the pegasus, "No more vanishing tricks?"
The future duchess smiled confidently at that and vanished as soon as one of Vegeta's blows landed on her. Her action caught the ponified Saiyan off guard, but what truly surprised him was the fact that he was near the edge of the stage. At that point, Mirage reappeared behind him and double-kicked his back, forcing Vegeta out of the arena. "Just waiting for the right moment," she replied in a mocking tone.
However, before reaching the ground, Vegeta used his wings to fly back to the stage. Once he landed, he said with a cocky smile, "Don't tell me you expected that to work; it will take more than a petty kick to get rid of me."
"Bien sûr que non (Of course not), we are just getting started," she replied, right before resuming her battle against him. While Mirage was calm due to her special spell, Vegeta was struggling to figure out how to bypass such an annoying technique. He spent the past four months training, but he couldn't develop a countermeasure to something he didn't understand yet.
Something was at least different from the situation in Baltimare: Mirage's sneak attacks weren't working as he was capable of blocking them all; this, however, resulted in the same stalemate that Vegeta wanted to get rid of immediately. So, he retreated several meters, stood in midair, and started firing Ki blasts, much to the spectators and his opponent's surprise.
The rain of Ki orbs hit Mirage, who vanished, and bombarded the area, creating small craters and a curtain of dust and smoke on the stage. A pair of seconds later, Vegeta stopped attacking and waited for the cloud of smoke to dissipate. Suddenly, he noticed a dome-shaped, blue shield shining in the fog, and confidently smiled as it meant that his attack was enough to nullify her technique.
However, Mirage caught him off guard by appearing behind him all of a sudden. "What the...?!" said Vegeta as he blocked his opponent's punch by using one of his wings. He quickly took a look back at the shield and saw it disappear as soon as the dust settled. "What the hell is happening here?" he thought, "That shield was just a distraction? No. Although she can vanish upon contact, she has to reappear somewhere, so my attack would have hit her at least once."
"Interesting," said the unicorn as she was engulfed in a magical aura, meaning that she was using the levitation spell to fly, "I never heard about Pegasi using magic like that, not even in the Grande Bibliothèque ( Great Library ) of Monacolt." Then, she asked, "Are you a prodigy or something?"
"Exactly," Vegeta said as he repelled her with the wing he used to block her punch, then he replied, "At least I know I'm not battling a fool."
"I have to be careful with that ability of his," thought the Duchess of Monacolt's daughter as she landed, "He almost discovered me earlier. Despite his arrogance, it's crystal clear that he has a lot of fighting experience to back it up; the way he adapted to my surprise attacks proves it. My spell's secret might not stay as such for long."
Meanwhile, Minima and Massima De Spell were pushing back both Speed Wagon and Lionheart. Vegeta's teammates were stronger and younger, but the sister duo had a superior combat style and more experience. Monacolt's Martial Arts Academy style consisted of deceitful movements and false vulnerability, relying on the opponent's confidence or confusion to drive him to his downfall. In short, it was similar to Master Roshi's Drunken Boxing Style.
Manehattan's style emphasized the use of the hindlegs as they were more powerful than the forelegs, which were used only for close quarters. However, it was ineffective against the traditional fighting style of Monacolt, which was too unpredictable for both stallions. The coastal city changed its fighters and techniques to nullify Manehattan's domain in the sport while remaining a step ahead of its real rival, Canterlot.
Speed Wagon tried to hit Minima with a roundhouse kick, but the old mare dodged it with a seemingly clumsy move and counterattacked with an uppercut that looked like it wasn't even an attack, but a gesture instead. The blow, however, was strong enough to lift him for a few meters before falling near his teammate, who was panting after unsuccessfully trying to land a blow on Massima.
"I don't remember… Monacolt's… fighters be this good," Lionheart panted as Speed Wagon slowly stood up.
"Their fighting style was always this irritating," replied the purple-coated stallion while massaging his chin, then he looked at their opponents and smiled confidently, "But it always fails against our technique."
Massima giggled at his statement and said, "Sorella, sembra che affronteremo la loro invincibile tecnica (Sister, it seems that we're about to face their unbeatable technique)."
Minima giggled too and replied, "Vediamo che sanno fare questi pivelli, allora (Let's see what these beginners can do, then)."
Suddenly, both stallions rushed toward the old mares, who jumped backward to avoid the attack. However, in doing so, they separated from one another, which was what their opponents were looking for. Speed Wagon and Lionheart started running at incredible speed in two concentric circles around Minima and Massima, creating two spinning walls of wind and dust. The wind generated by that combined technique was strong enough to draw Vegeta and Mirage's attention and to force most of the combatants near the stage to cover their faces.
"It seems that Manehattan's Team is beginning to use the technique that assured them the victory for 12 years!" exclaimed the announcer, "The Perfect Press Zone!" The spectators roared in excitement while Manehattan's mayor and fans were proudly expecting their city to defeat Monacolt as usual.
Meanwhile, the unicorn sisters found themselves divided. Minima was trapped inside the internal circle while Massima stood between the external and internal walls. The spinning dust stopped them from seeing each other or their running foes while also slightly reducing their visibility. All they could see was a nine-meter high wall getting closer as the seconds ticked.
Both mares tried to activate a magic shield around them, but flying stones hit their horns, stopping them from doing so. Speed Wagon and Lionheart were cracking the stage with the might of their hooves, thus creating small rocks to throw at their opponents' horns with stunning precision. Normally, poking the horn wouldn't be nearly enough to stop a skilled unicorn from using magic, but the psychological impact caused by the technique made it possible.
"So, this is Manehattan's famous technique that makes you panic," thought Massima as she was trying to cover her head from the dust, wind, and stones while retreating. Her sister was in a similar situation and felt like she was about to be crushed by those closing walls.
Meanwhile, Vegeta, who was still looking at his teammates' technique, said, "They stopped goofing around I see." Then, he smiled confidently, looked at Mirage, and stated, "It looks like those grannies lost, so even if I can't touch you, I won."
The future Duchess looked at the wall of wind and dust for a moment, seemingly with a worried expression. But then, she looked back at pegasus and replied with a small, confident smile, "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, mon ami (my friend)."
"What are you babbling about?" asked Vegeta as he kept his confident smile, "Those two idiots are far stronger than them. That match is over."
"Well then, observe," she replied as she pointed at the tornado in front of them.
As the grasp of the Perfect Press Zone was getting tighter, the old mares understood why their predecessors failed in defeating Manehattan's Martial Arts Team at the Equestria Games. This technique was able to make them lose their cool, despite being seasoned fighters. So, they could only imagine how those young ponies felt staying where they were right now. However, they were far from done; they weren't the former Ducal Guards of Monacolt for nothing. So, to counter their technique's psychological impact, they closed their eyes and started concentrating.
They pointed at the ground with one of their forehooves as an azure flowing aura engulfed their bodies. Suddenly, both old mares started to rejuvenate until they looked like they were in their 20s. Then, a small light-blue orb formed on the tip of their forehoof pointing at the ground. Once it was ready, the young unicorns fired it at the ground, generating two dome-shaped explosions that disrupted the stallions' technique.
As a result, Manehattan's fighters flew in opposite directions while both mares teleported away before being hit by their technique. Lionheart tried to stop himself with a backflip, but as soon as his hooves touched the ground, Minima kicked him in the face so hard that she sent him against the magic shield around the arena in an instant.
"Lionheart from Manehattan is out!" exclaimed the announcer.
This shocked Vegeta. Not just because of the elimination of one of his teammates, but also because those mares used spiritual energy. However, he had no time to process what just happened as Massima was about to eliminate Speed Wagon with the same flying kick used by her sister. So, he disappeared from Mirage's sight and reappeared in front of his teammate, blocking the mare's powerful attack with his left foreleg. He then repelled her with a gesture.
"Thanks, Ve..." tried to say Speed Wagon, but the ponified prince interrupted him.
"Hmph, if it weren’t for that stupid rule of total elimination, I wouldn't have helped you." Right after that, they both looked at their foes again. That was when they noticed that the old mares were now young, much to their surprise. Even Goku, Twilight, and the others watching the match marveled at it. "What’s the meaning of this? Do your tricks have no end?"
"We're just getting started, amico mio (my friend)," said Minima as her sister put herself on their right side and Mirage on the left one.
Vegeta attacked to get rid of the two nuisances, knowing that, unlike their leader, they weren't intangible. However, before he could land a blow on Minima, the three unicorn mares activated a multi-user spell that trapped them all inside a gigantic, purple cube. It was 12 meters tall and exceeded the arena's zone of elimination. After that, Minima dodged Vegeta's blow with little effort and reunited with her teammates.
The prince was caught off guard by this as he thought he was faster than his opponent. As Speed Wagon approached him, he turned to see Monacolt's team standing a few meters in front of them. Then, they saw those two mares becoming old again, much to everyone's confusion. "This is getting weird," thought Vegeta's teammate.
The pegasus, however, had enough of their tricks and decided to end it now. He powered up, unleashing his white aura, and rushed toward the mares, but something unbelievable happened: they dodged him with ease. "What the...?!" he exclaimed in shock. However, he put those thoughts aside, powered up again, and engaged Mirage, who was the nearest foe. They both exchanged kicks and punches at high speed while dodging each other blows, much to Vegeta's surprise.
Mirage, on the other hoof, was surprised as well, something that didn't go unnoticed by the ponified prince. However, before he could say something, the unicorn buried a kick on his belly, making him spit saliva and sending him to the edge of the stage. Speed Wagon tried to intervene, but Minima stopped him from reaching his teammate. As Vegeta was getting up, he asked, "What in the world is happening? You weren't that strong a few moments ago! What's this trick, mare?!"
Mirage was looking at his hooves in awe when he asked that, "Who's this pegasus? I feel like I can split a mountain in half with a punch right now!"
"Answer me, you insect!" exclaimed Vegeta, demanding an explanation.
She moved her gaze toward him and answered with a serious tone, "C'est simple (it's simple), we all are under a high-class spell. An enchantment that switches the strength of all the fighters within this cube."
"What?!" asked Vegeta in surprise.
"The strong becomes weak and vice-versa," she continued, "It's the Ducal Guards' ultimate spell. Welcome to the 'Trick Room'."
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This reminds me of the tournament of power, from super; with the opponents using tricks and skill rather than raw power. Good chapter love it.
nice work.
Do we now crossover with Psyren too?
Oh boy, Vegeta is in big trouble...!
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I can't say I read that manga, so I guess it's a coincidence; hopefully, a pleasant one.
Come on vegeta, go super saiyan on their butts!
This is good but i would recommend going through it again. There are several instances that don't sound right with how its worded.
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I rewrote and corrected the phrases that looked off, so thank you for your feedback.
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You're welcome, i like this story so far and i'm happy to help you by letting you know about things like this
10383384
This time you will lay out the chapters quickly and right now you are writing a new one.(Rus-Eng)
Once again, great to see a good author like you is still alive, kicking and still making great stories like this! The 'trick room' was worthy of M. Night Shamylain himself!(the one who made sixth sense not Avatar, the good one.)
God be with you and be safe!
Nice chapter cant wait to see what Vegeta's got planned.
Ugh, this is why I HATE magic users vs martial artists!