The Tourney

by Emo Rainbow

Chapter 5 - Grocery

Sunny Day quickly shuffled around her empty, featureless room stuffing everything she'd need for the day into her blue saddlebags. Not that there was much anyway, aside from the various demeaning hats the diner made all of its waitresses wear, but in all honesty, almost everything she needed for work was lost with the apartment. She wasn’t going to give up though, because if she did, then who’d be there to do it for her? There was a mouth to feed, two if she counted Clarke, and many new additions that needed to be made to the house.

That being said, since the moment she stepped into this place she realized just how barren everything was. She guessed that once the owners of the house realized what was happening to it they removed most of the amenities she had seen the last time she came here. It felt like only yesterday when she came in pretending like she would ever in a million years have enough bits to rent it, and now here she was standing in it. Amenities or no, she couldn't believe she could finally call herself Sunny Day, Homeowner.

As soon as Sunny Day stepped out of her room she was immediately graced with the sounds of echoing voices coming from down the hall, signifying that she wasn’t the only one who decided to wake up early today. As she followed them closer to the foyer, she turned to the right as they reverberated out of the dining room just beyond the small hallway of a kitchen beside it. The closer she got, the clearer the seemingly hushed voices became.

“How are we even supposed to fight, if we never fight? You said it yourself, it’s inevitable. So why not get out there and do it instead of hiding like a bunch of scared turtles?” She heard the voice of her daughter as she propositioned a plan of some kind, but Sunny couldn’t quite figure out what for.

“Well I say laying low is our best option. So long as we keep out of trouble, most of the tough people will just knock each other out. Less problems for us.” Clarke responded, and suddenly Sunny began to feel a growing pit in her stomach. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say they were talking about the Tourney.

“That’s stupid, you’re stupid.” Fighter said while pointing up at him childishly, causing Clarke to let out a sarcastic little chuckle as he placed his palms on the table and looked down at her.

“Well hey there pot, my name’s kettle, have we met?”

“Excuse me.” Sunny said as she rounded the corner into the dining room, the sounds of her hooves clacking against the tiled floor, and the light of the large window door next to them illuminating it in a soft morning glow. Both Fighter and Clarke jumped in surprise as they faced her, and suddenly all previous conversation had been dropped.

“Oh, miss Day. Good morning.” He said nervously as he gave her a wide smile.

“So, uh, what are you two talking about? Why are you up so early?” She asked as she squinted her eyes. Clarke and Fighter shared a quick look and nodded to each other in response.

“We were just figuring out the best way to spruce up the place, it’s so empty in here don’t you think?” Clarke answered smoothly, too smoothly, almost as if he had rehearsed that line. Before she could respond to what he said, though, Fighter immediately picked up the conversation.

“Yeah, I mean what’s the deal with that? You’d think the princess would at least give us some chairs, I’m standing on a box.” She added in a very calculated fashion, attempting to change the subject.

“Okay, back up. What was that nod about?” She said as she shifted her hoof from side to side, pointing at them both. Clarke and Fighter Swan looked at each other, then back to her before shaking their heads.

“No, no, we didn’t nod.”

“Yeah, what nod?” They both said so quickly that she couldn’t even tell whose voice was whose. She shook her head for a moment as she recovered from the verbal overload and glared at the two of them.

“Oh no, don’t you try to gaslight me, I know what I saw. What was that nod about? What are you two hiding?” She questioned, already having a good hunch as to what it was. She just couldn’t say it though, since on the off chance she was wrong, then she’d be the one having to explain the Tourney to Fighter Swan. There was another moment of silence as they scrambled to think of an answer, until Fighter Swan felt a lightbulb conjuring in her brain.

“Hey mom, isn’t it already seven twenty? You’re gonna be late!” She said as she leaned forward on the table with a sense of urgency.

“Nice try Fighter, but I know the time. Right now I want to kno-” She was cut off as her sore horn began to vibrate; her magical alarm beginning to remind her that it was time to go. With a growl of both pain and frustration, she ended the spell and gave one last look to the both of them, taking note of the smiles that both of them had. "This isn't over." She said to both of them before specifically pointing to Clarke and motioning for him to follow her. With a quick nod, he did just that until they were both in the foyer standing beside the front door of the house.

“Listen, I have to go to work, and that means leaving you two alone. Normally I’d have Fighter go to school, but after what happened over the weekend I’d rather she not. That means it’s up to you to watch her.” She said in a low voice, as she could already see Fighter watching them from across the house in an attempt to eavesdrop.

“Of course, I’ll make sure she stays safe,” Clarke replied with sincerity. Hopefully, with this news, he’d be able to convince Fighter that laying low was the best option. Sunny glanced up at him, the look in his eyes filling her with an intrinsic sense of trust in his words. She still remembered just how hard he fought to keep not only Fighter, but her and her brother safe the first day he arrived. Regardless, there was still a precedent she needed to set until she knew for a fact she could trust him.

“Well, you better make sure you do, because if I find out that anything happened to her, and you weren’t there to stop it, or Luna forbid you were the one who caused it, I will drag you down to Tartarus myself.” She leaned in as she threatened him, and despite their size difference forcing her to look up, and him to look down, Clarke could still feel the power of her words as she placed a hoof on his chest. All he could do was nod in response to her until he felt a heavy bag being placed in his hand. Looking down he saw that it was quite small, only barely filling his palm, but still managing to have noticeable heft to it.

“What’s this?” He asked as he lifted the bag and inspected it.

“Those are the last bits I have on me, around forty I think. I’ll have more after work, but for now, I need you to go out and get some groceries today. We can’t exactly survive with an empty fridge.” She said in reference to quite literally the only appliance left for them upon arrival. Clarke snapped his head to her in confusion and fear, the reality of the situation quickly setting in.

‘So much for laying low today.’ He thought as he once again smiled and nodded wordlessly. While Clarke remained in his frozen state, Sunny turned to her slowly approaching daughter and knelt to be on her level.

“Okay Fighter, I’m heading out now. Behave yourself, be smart, and don’t lie to Clarke about the things we need, versus the things you just want.” She said with a stern gaze that Fighter just shrugged off while blowing a raspberry.

“Come on, when have I ever done that?” She asked nonchalantly, only for her mother to raise an eyebrow condescendingly.

“Hearth's Warming Eve, last year, you and Uncle Lucky? Need I say more?” Fighter's ears splayed backward in embarrassment, and a quick shake of her head was all the confirmation her mother needed. “Okay, quick and easy, shouldn’t take more than an hour or two,” She said as she opened the door, before stopping one last time and turning towards Clarke. “And keep your eyes on her.”

With that Sunny left the two standing silently in the foyer, both wondering what they should do next. Clarke looked down at Fighter nervously as he clutched the bag he had been given, and suddenly he was feeling that same sense of dread from last night.

“So… grocery shopping. That sounds fun!” Fighter said as she trotted for the door, only for her to be scooped up and cradled underneath Clarke's arm unceremoniously.

“So long as we’re safe about it. We do this fast, and we head back home before anyone has the time to ambush us. It’s a dangerous world out there.” He said as he carried her into the living room.

“How would you know? You haven’t even seen it.” Clarke set her down on the carpet before she had any time to complain about being manhandled and went to open up the blinds of the window next to them, filling the living room with the same morning glow as the dining room.

“If there’s one thing I learned from the verbal diarrhea that the princess gave me, it’s that dragons, griffons, and horrible melt your face off magic are littering the place,” He said as he looped around her spot and sat down behind her. “If that ain’t a disaster waiting to happen, I don’t know what is. Not to mention the whole psycho humans problem we’ve got to deal with here. What we need now is a game plan for if things go south.” Fighter was about to question what he was doing until she felt his hands glide into her unbraided mane and begin separating it into smaller bunches between his fingers. The sensations were very calming, and soon he was braiding her hair slowly and methodically as they talked.

“Well… you’re not wrong,” She conceded, partially due to the state of comfort she was beginning to fall into. “But what are the chances any of that will happen? I think we just need to go with the flow, y’know?” She suggested, chuckling at her impromptu rhyme. Clarke hummed to himself in thought as he braided, the motions being more muscle memory than anything else after the multitude of times his sisters forced him to do it for them.

“You know, that idea might just be crazy enough…” Fighter was getting ready to let out a happy gasp the moment he agreed to her plan. “To get us both killed,” Instead she only let out an ‘aww’ of disappointment at his answer. “And you better knock on some wood when we’re finished here.” He said with a stern tone. Fighter pouted for a moment as she thought of a different approach until she clapped her hooves together with a smile.

“Well how about this for a plan? I stay near you as much as possible, and if we don’t run into any trouble then that’ll prove just how safe this place really is! Easy peasy!” Her idea was meant with more hums of contemplation, only this time they lasted much longer.

Clarke knew that he’d need her to find his way around town, as well as purchasing things correctly. If she was willing to stay by him at all times, then he guessed there was no harm in testing the waters. Besides, she may have had a point. What were the chances they’d find another duo so soon after the last?

“Okay, we’ll do it your way, but when I say stay close, I mean stay close, got it?” He said as he finally finished her hair, leaving it just as good, if not better, than how Fighters own mother would manage with magic. She caressed the braids happily for a moment as she admired the work he’d done with only his hands, before looking up at him and nodding happily.

She’d use this chance to show him how good the day could be when you focus on letting loose. If Clarke was here to stay then she wanted to show him all the things she loved to do, because that’s what friends do. She’d never really had a friend before, but she was sure she’d read that in a book somewhere.

“Deal!”

---

“Kiki,” The small blue unicorn colt asked as he followed the tall woman down the busy streets, her short bob haircut jostling ever so slightly as she walked with an anticipation filled gait. Looking to the streets, he followed her even closer than before as he saw the various ponies frantically hopping into public carriages and running in all directions during the morning work rush. “Why are we all the way here in…” He looked around for a moment before looking up and trying to whisper as if he were about to say a bad word. “...district five?”

“Come on, you heard the rumors right? Explosions, unexplained noises, royal guards up the wazoo. This has got to be another human, and I can feel them getting closer.” Kiki said with a smile as she shrugged her shoulders in excitement and looked down at the bracelet that seemed to be guiding her in some way. Soon that wish would be hers, and with another win under her belt, she’d only get stronger.

“W-well… my parents wouldn’t like me being in district five,” The colt looked all around to the seemingly normal buildings and modest housing for middle-class ponies. He could only imagine the horror that befell these streets when things got dark, and thanks to the stories his parents told him, it was all he could think about. “It’s filled with trouble here, I just know it.” Suddenly the colt flinched as his white-skinned partner crouched next to him and wrapped an arm around his neck, her naturally narrowed eyes making him feel a tad uncomfortable.

“Listen, Tovar,”

“It’s Tremor.” He interrupted nervously, only for her to continue talking with little regard for his correction.

“Listen, Trevor, if you want that wish you’ve gotta be willing to get your hands dirty. That means taking the fight to them!” She said with a wide smile before ruffling his mane and practically skipping along as if there were no reason at all to be anxious. She then turned around, her smile turning more devious instead of jovial, and looked down Tremor eerily. “Besides, you’d better get used to feeling uncomfortable, we’re heading to district eight.”

Tremor froze as his entire face seemed to melt into a cartoonish expression of pure terror. “D-d-d-d-d-district e-e-e-e-e-e-eight!?” He exclaimed while barely managing to get the words out. If district five was already a spawning ground for vagrants and criminals unable to afford actual livable conditions, then district eight was a place that meant instant death. A veritable Tartarus on Equis was all he could imagine when thinking of district eight.

“Yeah, is that a problem?” Kiki asked while looking down at him with a glare and a very demanding tone of voice.

“N-n-no, it’s just-” He was cut off mid-sentence as Kiki just scoffed and continued walking.

“Great, I thought we had a problem. Besides kid,” She let out a low chuckle as the following words she was about to say brought a sadistic kind of joy to her heart. “You should know how strong we are by now. The other team couldn’t stop us, and a measly district won’t either.” Tremor shivered in place for a moment, the memories of what they did… what they saw all flooding back at once. He had finally managed to push it all to the back of his mind a couple of days ago, but now it was as if everything had been reeled back into the light by a massive fishing net made of guilt and shame. With his mind too preoccupied with thoughts of violence, he silently followed after her and became much more agreeable.

Kiki was glad she’d found such an easy way to shut him up, and hopefully, he’d just get over it soon. They were going to need to go even farther if she wanted to become more powerful, and the kids' hang-ups were only going to slow her down. As of now, she could feel the strange pull from the bracelet tugging on her soul, guiding her down the road. Truth be told, they might not have even needed to go to district eight, as something told her they’d find their prey soon enough.

The sun hung high in the sky as they shouldered past the masses of ponies around them. The hunt had only begun, but she could already feel it coming to a very short close.

---

Clarke slowly approached the glass door of the building, his heart racing a million miles a minute as he slowly pushed open the tall entrance. He stuck his head inside and looked from left to right, the familiar sight of cash registers, aisles, and various products and advertisements adorning the walls hitting him with a sense of nostalgia. The only thing that didn't remind him of home were the multitude of ponies within all staring at him like he was high on something.

"Coast is clear, move up." He said as he motioned forward into the store with two fingers next to his head. Soon he crept into the store while hugging the wall beside the door, followed shortly after by an embarrassed Fighter Swan who tried her best to hide her face from the onlookers.

"Clarke, this is so embarrassing!" She whispered as she followed the ridiculous human deeper into the store an inch at a time.

"Embarrassing," he started before dropping onto the floor next to a pyramid of soft drinks and looking around the side for any suspicious activity. Upon confirmation that it was only a yellow mare slowly backing away fearfully, he continued. "But effective."

'He has to have some kind of disorder.' Fighter thought to herself as she continued to follow him closer towards the main aisles of the store. Finally, he stepped into one of the aisles normally and chuckled as he dusted off his jacket.

"I think it's safe to say we're in the clear. What's first on the list of goods Fighter?" He said with a wide smile that only made her puff out her cheeks in anger and embarrassment. "Awwww." He said as he placed a hand over his chest, the sight being far too cute for him to handle. She growled for a moment and almost let him have it, but quickly she felt the fire fade into a sigh as she saw his kind and gentle expression looking down at her.

"First thing is the hay." She said in a monotone voice as she stared straight ahead, her head hanging low to the ground. Clarke gestured for her to lead the way, and so they began their very short grocery adventure.

"You know, I always wondered how hay tastes." He commented from behind her.

"You don't eat hay?" She said as she turned out of the cans aisle and into the wheat goods aisle.

"Nope, but I've always wanted to try it." He said as he followed her to the wall of bagged hay and reached for the one closest to him.

"No! Not that one!" She complained, causing him to put it right back. She then got onto her hind legs and leaned against the shelves while pointing towards one near the top. "Get that, the cheapest ones are always higher up since it's harder to get to."

"Sure are discount savvy huh?" He said with a chuckle as he reached up, but only slightly thanks to the lower height of everything around him, and picked up her preferred option.

"Nah, that's just what mom always tells me when we go shopping," Fighter looked off to the side and recounted her mental grocery list, realizing that they could also knock out the bread and nuts while they were here. "Clarke, get some nuts too. I'll go get a cart."

"Hey, woah, we need to stick together remember?" He said anxiously as he watched her beginning to leave the aisle.

"I'll be quick, besides you said the coast was clear right?" She shot back, causing him to fall speechless for a moment.

"Well what kind?" He asked dejectedly as she smiled at him

"They're all mixed bags, just pick one." With that, she left the area with no protest and quickly made a beeline for the front entrance where the carts were. As she approached the large train of carts all pushed together, she tugged on the one closest to the door until she heard the familiar ring of the door opening and instinctively looked at the entering party.

It was a young light blue unicorn colt, probably the same age as her, with some light bruising around his left eye and what looked to be a seismograph machine as a cutie mark. She inhaled sharply when she saw how ragged he was and even let go of the cart, but when she did he then turned to look at her. His reaction seemed almost identical to hers, only he seemed far more terrified than concerned.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked him, feeling worried for the colts safety as he began to shiver, but he gave no response to her question. Slowly she waved her hoof in front of his face, his eyes following it despite his frozen posture, yet he remained silent and still the entire time. "Okay… I'm gonna go now." She said slowly as she finally yanked a cart out of the train and walked back towards the wheat aisle while shooting one last glance back at him, his eyes still following her.

With that awkward experience finally behind her, she reentered the wheat aisle to see Clarke arguing with a black pegasus mare wearing the signature red apron store uniform. He was holding the bag of hay she’d picked out, as well as a bag of nuts on his shoulders. She slowed her approach as they argued, curious as to what the fuss was all about.

“Sir, I’m just trying to figure out why you’re here.” The mare said with a slightly condescending tone.

“Well golly gee, Sherlock, why would someone be in a grocery store holding grocery items? Truly a mystery for the ages.” He said with a bit of bite in his voice, and while Fighter didn’t exactly know what he was referencing, she still let out a small snicker.

“Listen, I know what you’re doing, so I’m asking you to please leave before I’m forced to involve the guards.” She said with a harsher, more demanding tone. Clarke however was not intimidated, and instead leaned closer towards her face with a look of disbelief.

“What did you just say to me?” Before things could get further out of hoof, Fighter approached them as loudly as possible and slammed the cart into Clarke’s legs, gently, of course, to draw their attention away from each other.

“Hey, I got the… cart.” She said with feigned ignorance as she looked between the mare and Clarke in confusion. “What’s… going on?” She asked childishly. Clarke, immediately picking up on her perfectly timed interruption, bit down a smile and rolled with it.

“Nothing sweetheart, thank you for getting the cart,” He said while plopping the bags into the cart, petting Fighter Swans head ever so gently, and shooting a glare at the mare who had already begun to back away nervously. “Listen, we only came here to do some shopping, not get harassed just because I’m different.”

“Sir, I am very sorry for the misunderstanding,” She said immediately backpedaling on her previous stance of him obviously being up to no good.

‘Misunderstanding my ass.’ Clarke thought as he continued to glare at the mare.

“Listen, I’m one of the cashiers here. So long as you don’t complain to my manager about this, I’ll make sure you get…” She looked around for a moment before getting closer and whispering to him. “Special treatment at register five.” She finished with a nervous gulp. Clarke looked down at Fighter and could tell that she was fighting even harder than he was to hide a smile, so he decided that now was as good a time as any to end it.

“You got a deal. Now can you leave us please?” He asked as he took hold of the cart, leaning forward a bit as he did due to its small size. She smiled and let out a nervous chuckle before lowering her head and backing away from them and out of the aisle. Once she was, Clarke let out a sigh while Fighter let out a very hard snicker of delight. “Thanks for the save Fighter.”

“What was that about anyway?” She asked curiously while still smiling from yet another successful deception.

“Oh, just grownup stuff,” Clarke replied dismissively, but one look at her unconvinced face reminded him that he should be giving her more credit.

“So being an adult means bothering others because they look weird? I’ll remember that.” She said with a grin that she quickly hid, but luckily Clarke already knew of her tricks and ignored her obvious bait while deciding to plant one of his own.

“Unfortunately it is, and I do not look weird, that’s subjective,” He said while pointing down at her. She hummed to herself in thought as she looked up to the ceiling as if she was contemplating the validity of his statement. “Fine, think what you want. I’ll just tell you now that that sounds like the tone of someone who DOESN’T want ice cream.” He threatened as he traveled down the aisle in search of the bread they’d need.

“Wait, ice cream?” She asked eagerly, only to see him walking away from her. “Wait… you know I was joking right!?” She called out desperately as she followed after him, only to stop when she felt a very familiar presence nearby. A set of eyes that felt like they were watching her intently. She spun around and caught a glimpse of something ducking behind a display near the entrance of the aisle. She stared for a moment, waiting until whoever was there would inevitably raise their head once more.

“Fighter?” Clarke's voice snapped her out of her statue-esque state as he called from the end of the aisle. “I know you don’t like following rules, but please at least try to stay near me?” He asked pleadingly as he nearly turned the corner without her.

“Right… coming.” She mumbled out as she gave one last glance to the display before turning around and joining him. As they walked off, Tremor slowly lifted his head to watch them from behind his hiding place until they left his line of sight.

They looked so nice, and as he continued to stare down the aisle, he couldn’t bring himself to justify a fight. Seeing them triggered memories of the last time, the ruthless nature of the team, their overwhelming acceptance of ending his and Kiki’s lives. To an extent, he knew they had no choice when faced with people like that, but that didn’t mean it didn’t crush him inside when they did. These two though, they seemed much different from every encounter he and Kiki had ever been in. They were just… shopping. Minding their own business, and laughing like there wasn’t a care in the world.

“Do… we have to?” He asked grimly as he felt the soft hand of his partner resting on his head.

“Oh Tremor, you know we do,” She said as she stepped beside him, the smile on her face betraying the somber tone she was talking with.

“Now we just need to set up an ambush.” She said as she motioned for him to follow. Tremor was about to wet himself, he was so scared, but still, he somehow managed to squeak out one last pathetic protest.

“W-wait!” He said while trying his best to remain silent and avoid being found by the others. Kiki turned to look at him, her face unamused, and quickly her neutral expression was growing angrier and angrier. “Maybe… w-w-w-w-we don-”

“We, we, we, we, we, we need to what kid, sit on our hands!?” She interrupted angrily as she walked closer to him and mocked his fear-driven stutter, her imposing height and expression making him feel helpless. “Listen here, and you listen well. There is one reason we’re here, and that’s for my wish. I’ll get it one way, or the other, and if you don’t help me then I’ll just make things even more miserable for you, got it!?” She said with a stern expression that did a poor job of hiding the rage under the surface. Tremor could only swallow down his sorrow and nod in agreement.

“Now follow me. We are going to set up an ambush, and we are going to be the only team leaving this store alive.” She said while not looking back, knowing full well that Tremor was going to follow her no matter how scared he was. She was so frustrated that even after going all the way last time, he was still so skittish and apprehensive. She hoped that this time he’d finally grow a taste for the hunt, but just to be on the safe side, she was gonna make sure that he was the one to finish them off this time.

Silently they made their way to the back of the store where the walls were lined with freezer and refrigerator doors. Kiki remembered overhearing something about ice cream, so she figured what better way to catch them off guard then when they try to get some. Without a single word needing to be shared between them, she nodded to Tremor and watched as he ran to the refrigerator back entrance and opened it for her. Once inside, they knocked out the worker stacking things within and waited for their unsuspecting prey to approach.

They must’ve waited for only around ten minutes as ponies of all kinds opened up the fridges and perused the contents, but for Tremor, it felt much longer. To him, an eternity passed before the moment of truth was finally upon them, and even then it seemed far too short of a wait when the doors were opened up by a brown human hand.

“You see Fighter, the trick with the milk is that you need to reach aaaaaaaall the way in the back.” The voice said as his hand grew closer to the end of the fridge. Kiki ordered him to make a move with a low whisper, and Tremor quickly grabbed the man's hand and pulled it all the way through, holding it as best as he could. He figured that the faster he did what she said, then the faster he could move on and pretend this didn’t happen just like last time.

“Clarke, everypony knows about that, that’s why you need to be one step ahead and get the ones upfront. Classic reverse psychology.“ The filly’s voice commented as she grabbed one of the cartons, but soon the grunts and groans of the man had grabbed her attention. “What are you doing?”

“My hand’s stuck. Some sorta icy hook must’ve latched onto my jacket.” He replied as the pulling from his arm grew stronger. It was only a matter of time before Tremor lost his hold, but that didn’t matter as soon as he saw Kiki approaching with a long metal pipe that she had found deep in the fridge.

“Hold it still.” She whispered with a small smirk growing on her lips. Tremor did his best to follow her orders, while simultaneously avoiding looking, but he was still preparing to hear the gut-wrenching noise of his bones breaking. The woman brought down the pipe directly on his wrist, but instead of the crack of bone and the screaming of pain, all they heard was the sound of the icy metal pipe shattering apart as it made contact with his skin.

“Gah, Jesus!” Clarke said as he yanked his freezing hand out of the fridge and rubbed his wrist. “Damn clamps.”

“You okay?” Fighter asked him with mild interest as she hopped onto the side of the cart and looked inside to tally up the cost of their haul.

“Yeah, just a bit of mishap,” Clarke turned to grab onto the cart, but when he did he thought he could hear the sound of hushed voices coming from the fridge door. “Hey, you hear that?” He asked, causing Fighter to turn her head to him. Clarke curiously opened up the fridge door yet again, but once he did the voices stopped. He stared into it for a moment as a sense of foreboding began to build in his gut, but just before he could warn Fighter Swan of any danger, it was too late.

“GARASEI!” A young voice shouted, shaking the very walls of the grocery store in the process. Then from behind the fridge shelves, he watched as a bright icy blue glow flared out to meet him in the form of a giant ice spike that penetrated the walls and carried him into one of the many aisles behind. His back slammed into the shelf, causing it to shake from side to side before falling over and causing a domino effect throughout the whole backline of the store.

Several ponies began to scream and run for the exits, and the ones unlucky enough to remain out of curiosity watched as a tall white-skinned creature and small blue colt stepped out of the newly made hole in the fridge shelf and onto the milk covered floor below. Fighter Swan immediately backed up as she felt a primal fear compelling her to move, but as soon as she did both of their heads turned to her.

She recognized the colt from before, only now he looked more broken than scared. Beside him was presumably his partner as she looked all around the store before settling her rage-filled eyes squarely on her. She was questioning why she hadn’t noticed a bracelet on the colt from before, and that’s when she realized that the frosted blue color of their gems blended well into his similarly colored coat. If only she’d paid more attention, then maybe they’d be in a more favorable position.

“I’m gonna tell you this once, little girl,” The woman said as the ice began to crawl up her sleeved arms, replacing the yellow fabric with sharp gloves of frost. Soon her legs underwent a similar treatment, replacing her black jeans with icy leggings ending in sharp boots, and finally, her head became enveloped in a masked crown of frost that made her eyes glow bright yellow. “Stay out of this unless you want the pain to last even longer.

“Tremor!” She said sternly while looking off to where Clarke had been launched. “Watch her closely, beat her up if she tries anything. I’ll holler if I need refueling.” The colt, now covered in similar hoof and mask ice as the woman, nodded silently and turned to her with an icy stare. Though somehow, Fighter could tell it wasn’t the magic that was making him do so.

“What in the hell are you doing!?” Clarke asked angrily as he rolled the massive ice spike off of him, the point of impact on his chest only feeling slightly sore after nearly being impaled.

“What am I doing? I’m trying to win a wish; what are you doing?” She asked as she pointed to herself and then to him, her massive claws of ice making her look more like a monster than a human.

“We were just shopping! If you want to move that into a fight I beg you to rethink your options.” He said as he looked around the store as some of the workers had already come by to see the commotion, before freezing in place at the sight of the woman.

She smirked at him as he stood up with absolutely no injuries before getting into a low fighting stance and pointing her claws at him. This guy was strong, there was no doubt about that, and she couldn’t wait for the power boost it was gonna give her.

“Why, afraid you’re gonna lose?” She said confidently.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He replied instantly as he looked down at the ground. This caused her to pause for a moment, her raging need to fight beginning to quell as she did. His posture, his voice, it all reeked of sincerity.

“W-what? Are you trying to say that you’re better than me?” She asked angrily, dropping her stance as she did. He looked up at her with sad, yet determined, expression and suddenly she felt her legs shaking beneath her. She took a step back out of shock, maybe even fear, and quickly looked away from his piercing emerald eyes. The encouragement to fight, the need to win, and the want of her wish all seemed to fade away for a brief moment as she looked down at the claws on her hands. She could almost see the crimson that stained them, and suddenly she felt incredibly dizzy.

“We don’t need to do this, we can just walk away and carry on. A wish is nice, but that’s no reason to turn on each other.” Clarke continued as he took a step closer to her, hoping that she’d say yes. She took another step back as he came closer and violently shook her head while shrieking like she was a banshee.

All she was doing was wasting time on the spell, that was his game, wasn’t it? He just wanted her to lower her guard and use up the spell. She was already losing her stance for Christ's sake. Kiki quickly recovered from his mind games and lunged at him with her claws jutting out like miniature knives, but quickly Clarke rolled out of the way as she impaled the claws into the tilted wooden shelf.

“Damn…” He said as he stood up and balled his fist, the look of the hyperventilating and scowling woman making him feel a heavy sense of dread. “I guess we’re doing this.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Don't you mean Tournament?

[Emo Rainbow]

10275329
They both mean the same thing, this one is just officially called "The Tourney". Not only that, but the active version of the word literally means, "taking part in a tournament" which is what the characters are doing.