Literally Snails

@Arid_Blitz @Dynamo Pad @reader8363 @dragon4111 @Unicorncob @DwhitetheGamer Time appeared to slow as Jade neared Rokata. Both fighters eagerly anticipating which would survive this clash, a true test of their mettle. But right at the moment that the two clashed, her vision was overtaken by a blinding yellow light, her hearing was overwhelmed with a constant ringing and she felt a warm sensation all across her body before her vision darkened, her hearing went silent, and the warm sensation changed to the cold hard surface of the cave floor. She heard a dripping sound and felt a droplet of water land on her face. She was in the exact same spot she was when she began her test. She could see the glowing light of the magical cuffs around her ankles and her whole body felt sore. There were a few things that were different from when she passed out. She didn't exactly feel stronger, but she had the sensation that something was different about her. Her body was also covered in cuts and bruises that must have happened when she absorbed Tricis' gift. "You have a warrior's composition, you have a right to be proud." Rokata said to Draco as he pulled himself back up to his hooves. He sounded sincere, even respectful. "I can't allow your interference to continue. But I will not end your life." Before Draco had completely stood up, Rokata slammed his claw into the ground, shaking the earth beneath Draco. Then Rokata gripped the ground then propelled himself forward, slamming into the off-balance Draco shoulder first, his body surrounded in an aura that made him as rigid as titanium. The impact would have completely disintegrated a normal pony, but Rokata knew Draco would survive the impact. It sent him flying, worsening his broken ribs while slamming him into an oak tree which snapped in half from the force of the impact. Rokata stood where Draco was standing before with his back turned to Tricis as she stood back up. She clenched her front left leg which was clearly badly broken. "So there really is nothing of you left?" She asked with a voice shaking with sorrow and rage. Rokata turned around and gazed at her sternly. "You're the one who's gone. You could have let your past make you stronger, as I did. Instead, you let it destroy you." He reached out his clawed leg and clenched it into a fist surrounded by a powerful red aura. "I'll show you what you could have had." "You're too far up your own ass to even see what's happened to you!" Tricis said, using all her remaining strength to charge at Rokata, surrounded by a fiery blue aura. She jumped at Rokata, pointing both her hind hooves down at him, slamming down at him with a double flying kick. Rokata stood his ground. As Tricis drew nearer to him, he swung his clawed fist at her chest, slamming into her body with such force that her midsection curled around his fist and she spat out a misty spray of blood. @Dynamo Pad "Yes, go and find a different tournament to lose. You're not really needed here anymore." Mason said smugly as Canteen was pulled away. He was surprised, however, when Dynamo seemed to agree with Sueno. He was certain she would want to find out what happened to his friends, but it seemed Dynamo was practicing some restraint. @DwhitetheGamer "Ah yes, Draco must have gone off to find them. Not smart, I'm afraid." A shadowy tendril curled under Copper's chin, stroking it softly. "It's true, I am taunting you," Mason admitted. "But you're being good little boys and girls, so I'll give you what you need. It's too late now anyway. Rokata was meditating at a cave carved in the largest mountain to the south of the stadium when Tricis and Jade attacked him. You'll find their corpses there."

While Draco was tossing Tricis away, Rokata grasped at the back of his head with his enormous claw. The knarled talons were large enough to nearly completely curl around the back of Draco's head. "I have no patience for this. You're intruding where you don't belong." Rokata tilted Draco's head back with overwhelming strength and slammed his other foreleg down on Draco's ribcage like a sledgehammer. He dropped Draco on the ground, hoping that injury would be enough to deter him from trying anything else. Before Rokata could look for Tricis, she jumped out from the trees and delivered a kick to his head, turning his cheek, but not causing any bleeding. He growled and grabbed her leg before slamming her back-first into the ground. "Ooh, isn't that a scary look?" Mason said, tilting his head and leaning closer to Copper, face to face. @Dynamo Pad @reader8363 While Mason was staring off with Copper, a tendril of shadow extended from his body, transforming to a claw. A monstrous, face with a red toothy maw made completely of opaque shadows extended from his back as the claw grabbed the chunk of cement and crushed it to dust. "We all need to be civil here. You wouldn't want to make the same mistake your friend Tricis has." He started pacing around the group, circling behind Dynamo and brushing across his body with a shadowy tendril. He may have been trying to stall, but with everyone injured and drained from their fights violence with a member of Team Rokata might be a bad option. "I can tell you where they are, sure. But you wont be able to save them. Why don't you just help your injured friend recover and wait for your turns to die." Mason stepped out from behind Dynamo, standing squarely in front of the others. "You see, Tricis is a jealous whore who hates Rokata because he's stronger than her. So she took Jade with her to go and attack Rokata while he meditated and now he's killing them both. Are you sure you want to know where they are? You might not want to see it."

"Well, you're taking this strangely well." Shining Armor said before turning his attention to Mason. @Arid_Blitz @Dynamo Pad Mason kept his ghoulish gaze during Canteen's characteristic silliness. But before Dynamo and Canteen could hug each other, a shadowy tendril wrapped around the side of Canteen's head and sealed his mouth shut, leaving a rectangle of opaque black energy over his mouth before the tendril disappeared. Canteen could still breathe, but he was completely muted. Mason cleared his throat and waited for the others to direct their attention to him. "Believe me, girl, I expected no different." He said to Rose before turning to Dynamo. "You should be worried about your missing teammates," He warned. "You're too late to save them now, but if you find them quickly you might be able to watch them die after Rokata takes out their hearts!" He chuckled sadistically to himself. It seemed like he might be making all of this up just to get a reaction out of them. This pony was clearly less restrained and more sadistic than other members of his team. "Don't pretend you understand anything." Tricis demanded, lifting Draco a few inches off the ground with a telekinetic aura. She'd given almost all of her strength to Jade, but she still had the energy to trap Draco in a field. She quickly hurled Draco away a few meters just as Rokata rushed to the spot where Draco was standing with blazing speed. He would have plowed through the pegasus if he was still standing there. Rokata swiped a hoof at Tricis as it transformed into a monstrous claw in mid-air. Tricis jumped out of the way, but the sharp tip of the claw sliced deep into her hind legs, spraying out a mist of blood as Rokata's leg slammed into the entrance of the cave, loudly thudding against the stone as it created a massive crater in the mountainside. The interior of the cave shook, threatening to collapse on Jade if this continued for too long. Rokata stopped and turned around in time to see Jade performing her new ability. It was similar to the spectral dragon the Spirit Warriors fought with, but the important difference was its intensity. The blinding light and overwhelming power Rokata could sense made him almost... nervous. He smiled as he turned around to face her. At last. An opponent I might not defeat. He extended his claw with an open palm as Jade rushed toward him. He braced himself for the impact but didn't attempt to dodge. But now isn't the time. Soon enough...

@reader8363 @DwhitetheGamer Shining Armor stepped away from Rose. The spell he cast was enough to stop the bleeding, but it would do nothing to get Rose her leg back. "Yeah, well your new friend's brother just ate one of your other friend's legs. So things are a little complicated right now." Shining explained. As their team owner spoke, Mason jumped down from the stands and approached Canteen, Melio, and the three present members of Team Lotus. Opaque shadows swirled around him like some kind of demonic aura, creating tiny tendrils that grasped at the air aimlessly. He approached the group with his head turned down and his eyes gazing up at them, chuckling in a shrill tone. "Congratulations, Dynamo Pad," He said, tilting his head up to reveal his smarmy smile. "Poor Jade and her decrepit friend put their faith in you and you pulled through for them!" His smile twisted and he opened his left eye wider than the right. "All it cost you was one of your friends. As long as Rose survives, that is." Draco landed between Tricis and Rokata, kicking up a spray of dirt and grass from where he impacted the ground. Both of the ponies looked at him, seeming equally annoyed by his presence. Rokata stayed silent, but Tricis spoke up almost immediately. "I'll only tell you this once, Draco. Leave and go get ready for the finals. This doesn't concern you."

@Arid_Blitz @Dynamo Pad @DwhitetheGamer @dragon4111 Topaz looked up from behind a pile of rubble, brushing some out of her hair. She saw Rose standing in what remained of the ring, blood oozing from her stump leg. Rose looked like she was badly injured, but she wasn't reacting too strongly. Probably because of adrenaline or shock. Topaz was about to react when Canteen declared that Melio had lost. She blinked at him, trying to piece together how Melio transformed back and how to call the fight. "I uh..." She stuttered. "The acting Captain of Team Crimos has conceded! Team Lotus will move on to the Finals!" That predictably resulted in some booing from the crowd, but the members of Team Lotus might have noticed that there was actually a few audience members were cheering. Shining Armor put down his shield and rushed over to Rose while Copper tended to Dynamo. Shining Armor stopped next to Rose and used his telekinesis to create a temporary field around Rose's severed leg. "Are you okay?" He asked. Mason, the short, grey earth pony from Team Rokata who attacked Rose earlier in the tournament, was sitting in the front row of the audience, waiting for Team Crimos to clear the ring with a slight smile on his face. When Jade retracted her flame aura, she could still feel a hot sensation moving through her veins. Something that felt more intense than any adrenaline rush. She didn't have her sword drawn, but she felt almost like she was holding it. Outside of her direct control, her aura was doing something. Tricis mentioned to Frostflame something about how a pony's body can create new abilities in times of great need perhaps that's what was happening to her. "I have waited. For far too long, Jade Lotus." Rokata said, stepping closer to Jade's wounded friend, "For you to pose no threat to me. This is unacceptable." He clenched his claw into a fist. The skin darkened as a bright red aura surrounded his bulging muscles. Meanwhile, back in reality, Tricis meditated outside of the cave when she heard and felt a familiar presence approaching. Rokata stepped out from the tree line. The two stared at each other for several long beats, neither of them seeming surprised by the other's presence. "All this time and you still haven't learned patience." Tricis spat. "Couldn't you let me get my own affairs in order before you bring me your own crap?" "How much have you told her?" Tricis frowned and narrowed her eyes as a breeze rustled the grass between them. "I told her that you're a spoiled brat who threw everything away when you couldn't get what you wanted." "And is she prepared?" Rokata asked with a smile. "I've given her all I can." "Well then..." Rokata took a step back into an aggressive stance, readying his right front hoof to strike. "I'd say your affairs are in order." "Mother."

@Arid_Blitz Topaz clenched her mic close to her chest, commenting from a safe distance. "Rose Beast is completely on the defensive, hobbling like a wounded animal! And it looks like Melio is ready for the kill! Is this the end of Team Lotus?"

"I can't really stick my head out from safety at the moment, but I think it's safe to say from the commotion that both opponents are very much alive and there will be more carnage to come!" Topaz announced from behind her rock. @Dynamo Pad @dragon4111 @DwhitetheGamer "Yeah, neat." Shining Armor said dismissively while leaving his bubble shield up around Copper, Dynamo and Draco in case there was another discharge. @Unicorncob Rokata saw Jade's attack coming out of the corner of his eye, but he managed to hit Dynamo first. The blue unicorn tried to defend himself, but was struck in the shoulder and sent back, violently crashing against a rock and splitting it open. He looked like he survived the impact, but he was too weak to get back up. The massive pegasus turned to Jade immediately after when her kick was about to impact him. He didn't have time to dodge, so he shifted his body so that she struck his shoulder instead of his side, blocking most of the damage. He then pushed her away with his left elbow. Before she could regain her balance, Rokata moved so fast he almost seemed to disappear again, appearing behind Jade to grab the back of her head with his claw and slam her face into the dirt. Tricis was standing outside of the cave, feeling the cool breeze rush by as she waited for Jade to awaken.

@DwhitetheGamer @dragon4111 @Dynamo Pad Shining Armor created a small bubble shield around the other members of the team to shield from the randomly firing spikes. They may have been able to defend themselves, but after their difficult battles, they were all low on energy. @reader8363 Topaz ducked against the side of the ring, putting herself out of the line of fire while watching the destruction on the crowd.

Topaz jumped slightly and tried to move out of the way while letting out a startled yell when Melio emerged from the dust to attack her. Before she could dodge, she was pushed out of the ring by Rose's copy, landing on her back in the grass with the wind knocked out of her. It took her a while to get back to her hooves, and when she did, she struggled to pick her mic back up. She announced weakly, "It's total chaos in there, and this kind of violence is just no fun at all because it's happening to me!"

@Arid_Blitz "Now I'm seeing doubles -no, quadruples!" Topaz commented, looking at the clones darting around the ring as the crystals rained from above. She seemed unaware that several of them were heading straight for her, so she was lucky that Rose created a shield to protect her. She flinched when the crystals clashed against the Rose clopy's shadow shield, exploding into a hail of sparking dust.

@Arid_Blitz (I'll take over topaz now) "Well this is disappointing..." Topaz said looking up at Rose. "The timid Melio has transformed into a beast, but Rose is just hanging in the air like a-" She blinked and stepped back as Rose started her dive bomb toward Melio. "Spoke too soon!"

@reader8363 @Dynamo Pad "You paid for an unpredictable match and I'd say you all just got it!" Topaz jeered, she didn't seem to be interested in checking to see if either fighter was going to get back up at all. She even kept announcing after Dynamo got back to his hooves. "Unfortely for our contestants and fortunately for all of you, another double loss still leaves the scoreboard unresolved at one to two!" Topaz stepped over a chunk of concrete and got back on the damaged ring. "Only one fighter remains on each team! Now that's what I call exciting! Who will earn their place in the finals?" She leaned over the side of the ring, it was unclear how the fighters would even be able to compete with the ring so damaged. "Captains, please send out your final fighters!" Rokata took another step toward Dynamo. His ears shifted at the sound of Jade's voice. "If only..." He said, a genuine longing in his voice, "I wish you were too strong for me, Jade Lotus. That would make things less painful for both of us." He raised his clawed hoof, tensing it into a fist as a fiery red aura surrounded his body. "Your words won't accomplish anything!" Jade had seen Rokata's punches decentigrade ponies without even touching them. There was little doubt this would be fatal if it landed, but Rokata was attacking slowly, giving Jade time to react.

Rokata took labored steps back with each strike Jade landed, they glanced off his flesh, bouncing off like rubber. Each times he hit him, her own aura created a small burst of light, but they weren't having any effect. It was like having an argument with a brick wall. "Like I said, I thought killing her would be enough. But clearly, you need more motivation." Rokata looked to his right, and out of the bushes Dynamo Pad stumbled into view, breathing heavily as if he'd been running for miles. He also looked like he'd been in a heated fight. He was covered in bruises and cuts. Rokata smiled and glanced between him and Jade. "I came... as fast as I could... The others are on their way," Dynamo said through baited breaths. "Yes, you always seemed most protective of him," Rokata said, he turned away from Jade and stepped toward Dynamo slowly, as if he was baiting Jade to stop him. Dynamo looked confused, but he took a fighting stance as the assailant approached. "You don't get to have companions if you can't defend them. I only hope your team can still continue without him." @dragon4111 @reader8363 @Arid_Blitz @DwhitetheGamer "It looks like Canteen is playing a high-stakes game of chicken, and Dynamo is taking the bait!" Topaz announced. Then she took a step back and shielded her eyes as gravity returned to the stadium, crashing concrete debris down and kicking up a cloud of dust. When she looked back, the dust had cleared and Canteen now had the upper hoof, or so it seemed, slamming two hooves down on Dynamo's back.

Rokata spread his stance and brought up his clawed leg to defend his jaw, just as she predicted, but the rest didn't go as she planned. Her rushing strike slammed directly into his mutated leg, but it held firm, once again blocking her like her power was nothing compared to him. Something was wrong. No matter how strategic she played it, she couldn't do any damage to him. This time felt even less effective than her last attack. She didn't hear any popping. "She gave you all that power and didn't even tell you how to use it?" The monstrous pegasus asked. He curled his right leg and smacked her across the chest, pushing her off. "You're fighting with no passion. I thought killing her would be enough. Perhaps I should find some more of your friends until you get the point."

Rokata kept the enormous grin on his face as Jade rushed toward him. So she can survive a blow like that? Some promise. ___________________________________ Tricis placed both her hooves on the unconscious Jade's back, a blue aura washed over her body as Tricis used what remained of her powers to try and stabilize her apprentice's condition. His connection to her is too strong. He's in there with her! She closed her eyes and focussed all her strength on keeping Jade alive. Fool. Why does he have to include us in his suffering? ____________________________________ Jade's leg swung at Rokata's head and he swiftly blocked it with his claw. Jade could hear a soft cracking sound as the bone's in Rokata's claw strained. The monstrous pegasus then gripped her hoof and pulled her closer, lifting her by the leg she tried to strike him with. "Don't you see it's pointless?" He asked. "These fettered efforts will get you nowhere if you don't even know how to realize your own strength!" Rokata kicked upward with his front hoof, striking right at the leg he was holding with his claw. He hit her leg near the joint, effortlessly shattering the bone of her foreleg with a loud pop.

Rokata didn't make an attempt to dodge or block, and Jade soon realized why. It felt like Jade's hoof slammed against a cement wall, except she struck with enough force to shatter a cement wall. Rokata was almost completely unharmed. His head barely moved, and the strike only created a red spot on his cheek and a tiny trickle of blood. Rokata turned his head back to Jade and retalliated with a swift punch to her gut using his leg that was still a hoof. She let go of her other leg with his claw to avoid ripping her leg off with the force of the strike.

@Dynamo Pad @Arid_Blitz Topaz hopped off the ring as Dynamo cast his freeze spell, almost tripping on one of the broken pillars. "Normally I'm supposed to remain professional, but in light of the current situation... retreat!" Rokata's clawed hoof smacked the ground, creating a rupture in the earth in an explosion of red energy. Even though Jade dodged it, the explosion would still be felt. Rokata smiled at Jade when she swung a kick at him. Finally, he was getting what he wanted. The monstrous pegasus held out his clawed leg and caught Jade's kick in his claw. His leg shook at the impact, but quickly held firm, absorbing the power of Jade's strike.

Rokata looked down at Tricis with a prideful gleam on his face. "It's anticlimactic, isn't it? You've known her for so long and now she's dead." He raised his claw, curling it to a fist. "But you won't have to worry about that for very long." He dashed to the right, moving so fast that he seemed to disappear before stopping behind Jade. He brought down his fist like a hammer toward her back. . . . Tricis watched Jade's body writhe on the cave floor. She'd given Jade all of the magical power her body could take, now it was just a matter of Jade surviving the process. Something was happening. Her body was glowing like a candle while her muscles spasmed and her skin dripped with sweat. I've done everything I can for her. I just hope it's enough.

Rokata extended his hoof again, this time not as an offer, but an aggressive stance. A blue aura surrounded his leg as his hoof slowly morphed into a fleshy claw, each finger growing out of the bones on his hooves. The claw was the same green color as his coat, but with puffy patches of purple flesh showing through. He had a twisted smile across his lips, happy to finally have a challenge from her. "I doubt youll be able to stop me."

Rokata didn't frown or smile at Jade's reaction. He put his hand back down and stared at her while she prepared to attack. "Are you really so arrogant that you can't see this is already right? Tricis came here knowing she would die. She didn't warn you because she didn't want you to interfere. And do you know why?" Rokata widened his stance, stomping his hooves into the ground, ready for Jade to strike. "It's because she knew she was wrong, but she didn't have the heart to teach you what you really need to know. You'll waste your life if you fail to reach your potential. And you will never reach your potential unless you let go of what holds you back. The only thing that matters is absolute force! And you can't prove me wrong because you can't defeat me! That is why Tricis is dead. She chose a life of weakness." "I'm probably not the only one who really underestimated Dynamo's upper body strength," Tricis commented, "Now he's throwing boulders at Canteen! I don't know if the ring can take much more of this epic conflict!"

The headbutt was enough to earn a reaction from the crowd. Everyone could empathize with that kind of pain. "That looked like it hurt!" Topaz said with one eye closed. "Tears?" Rokata asked as Jade rushed to Tricis. She was still warm and totally motionless. Rokata allowed Jade to discover for herself that Tricis wasn't breathing. Her heart wasn't beating. "That mare died before you ever met her, Jade Lotus. You have even less reason to mourn her than I do." Rokata started to circle Jade, slowly walking to her left side while peering down at her and Tricis. "She made her choice. She could have been something great but she didn't have the conviction that ponies like us have. She wasted her strength. Allowed it to fade." Rokata frowned at Tricis' body, "It was disgusting to see what she became. But now you have a chance to make things right. Use what she taught you to become what she could not." Rokata reached a hoof out to Jade, offering it to her. "I can show you how to make all of this pain stop." @reader8363 Shining Armor broke his attention from the fight and looked at Draco. "Is there something you need to discuss?" He asked.

A light slowly grew in front of her as she walked, and soon she would see that this time it really was the exit to the cave. She stepped out to see the sun still shining over the grassy clearing in front of the cave's mouth. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the sunlight but when she did... She saw Rokata. This was the first time she'd ever seen him before feeling his presence first. When she saw him, she started to feel his presence like before, but it was different. Instead of being overwhelmed with anxiety, she felt like her mind was being invaded with a sense of apathy and frustration. Rokata was standing tall, his massive body casting a shadow over the grassy clearing with the sun on his back. He was looking down with a sullen, even expression. In his shadow, Jade could see the thing he was staring at. Tricis was laying on her side between him and Jade. There was a bloody gash on her side, a deep wound that was still spilling onto the grass. Despite this gruesome injury, she looked peaceful, content. Her eyes were lightly shut and her face had an even, peaceful expression like she was deep in sleep. This seemed more real than anything else she'd encountered after starting her test. Even though she didn't hear any struggle or feel any signs of a fight, this didn't seem like another trick. The air of sadness made the scene feel visceral, and Rokata's eyes weren't glowing blue. They were sharp - lifeless, but also real.

Tatterhoof reeled back on his hind legs and crossed his front legs, grunting as his forelegs were enveloped in a warm blue glow as he tried to create some sort of shield, but Jade was able to slice through it after some resistance, breaking Tatterhoof into a blue outline of himself that quickly faded away. Jade was alone again, and things in the cave became quiet. She would need to keep traveling in the same direction to exit. @dragon4111 @reader8363 "Doesn't he realize that there won't be an 'after this tournament' for Dynamo if we lose?" Shining Armor muttered. He sat down next to Rose with his front legs crossed, intently watching the fight. They were still up by two points, but if Dynamo lost this, the last match could be unpredictable. "And Canteen is back after two counts!" Topaz announced. "The fighting is back on!" She watched Dynamo's next move, trying to send Canteen in the air while also blocking and launching blades at him. "Just try to follow Dynamo's moves, ponies! This young unicorn is a real multitasker!"

Tatterhoof pulled back as well. He was close to matching Jade in raw strength thanks to the magical cuffs restricting Jade, but the pegasus prevailed in the end, pulling the cane out of Tatterhoof's grip and forcing him off balance. "After a smashing move by Dynamo, Canteen is out of the ring! But a large section of our audience is clearly already aware of that!" Topaz announced with a smile. "Let's see if Canteen can make it back in Ten!" "One! ... Two!"