Literally Snails

"Rock slides maybe? A few bats? It's just a cave. We could do this anywhere, but this location will over your body some shelter when it's vulnerable." Tricis stopped when they were deep enough in the cavern that the outside offered little light. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a wax candle, which she set up and lit with a match. "There's little more you can do to prepare yourself for this, not without years of conditioning that you simply don't have time for. Think of this as me donating my magical well to you. When I give this to you, your own power will expand tremendously, perhaps even enough to defeat Rokata. Essentially you will be like both of us combined. But there's a reason this is almost never done. Expanding a body's magical capacity so quickly is like putting more water into a balloon that's already full. If your body isn't strong enough take it, you'll burst in a manner possibly more literal than you're expecting."

Topaz felt a chillas the gush of wind rolled past her, ruffling her hair, but she maintained her composure. "Well, thats unusual," she said as Dynamo made his way to the ring. "The team Lotus replacement captain and a member of team Crimos seem to be exchanging pleasantries." She looked at Arid and Dynamo as the two squared off across from one another, giving them some time to banter as they discuss the terms to the match. Still, she found it important to narrate. "The tension is so thick you could slice it with a seven foot samurai sword..." she said for the benefit of the audience. "Can Team Lotus hope to win without their star captain? And just where is the undefeated Jade Lotus?" Tricis stood up once Jade was dry. She had a leather saddle bag that wasnt with her the previous night. "Are you ready to begin Jade? I cant remember if I gave you this warning before, but if you fail this test, it will kill you." She spoke with a deathly serious tone, slowly pacing to the mouth of the cave."

@reader8363 @dragon4111 @Dynamo Pad @DwhitetheGamer @Arid_Blitz Snow Frostflame walked alongside the rest of his team as they lined up on the side of the ring. He lifted one hoof a few inches on the ground and tried to cast a simple ice spell, but he was only able to create a few small ice crystals. "Or will it be Team Crimos?" Topaz asked, gesturing to the utter side of the ring as the door concealing Team C rimos slowly opened.

@Unicorncob After a long night of exhaustive training, Jade fell asleep on the forest ground outside the cave. The ground around her was surrounded by trees, and Tricis was leaning against one of them, watching Jade wake. After the previous night, she might have been able to sleep for days, but something inside her forced her to wake up. There was a fresh layer of dew on her coat. @DwhitetheGamer @Dynamo Pad @dragon4111 @Arid_Blitz @reader8363 Snow Frostflame, Dynamo Pad, Draco Omalley, Rose beast and Copper Strikes were waiting in the familiar white room outside the gates to the ring. Shining Armor was standing with them to support his team in Tricis' absence. Team Crimos was in a similar room on the opposite side of the stadium. They could hear Topaz outside giving an enthusiastic speech. Twirling on the ring, Topaz enthusiastically pointed up at the area's large viewscreen where the tournament's roster was on display. "You've made it this far, fans, and now only four years remain in this year's evergreen tournament! We've had enough brutal defeats this year to date even the bloodthirstiest of fans, but four teams still remain and they're ready to kill! Let's take a look at them now!" The screen flashed to a picture of Team Crimos. The image was taken at the beginning of the tournament, so their dragon was still in the image, and Arid was not. There was a moderate cheer from the crowd. "Team Crimos!" The screen flashed again and Team Lotus was on display. Copper was absent from the image and it looked like the photo was taken during the first round without them even knowing. The crowd started to boo, but it wasn't as vigorous as before. "Team Lotus!" The screen flashed again to another team. All five of them were dressed as Royal Guards, three stallions and two mares. There was some more cheering. "Team Forlorn Hope!" The screen changed one last time to Team Rokata in their typical formation with Rokata in the front, onyx towering in the back, and the shorter fighters on either side. The crowd broke into a furious cheer, chanting their name. "And Team Rokata!" After the crowds cheering died down, Topaz addressed them again, "But four is still three too many. Let's eliminate one of them now! Will it be Team Lotus?" The gates to Team Lotus' side of the arena slowly opened.

@Arid_Blitz @reader8363 @dragon4111 @Unicorncob @Dynamo Pad @DwhitetheGamer Alright, is that everything? We all ready for the time skip?

"Oh, good grief..." Dai said, rolling her eyes. "You flirt like a child, Drac-" She was cut off when he unexpectedly kissed her. At first she was surprised. But then she closed her eyes, allowing it to continue, feeling his weight on her. He probably didn't have long anyway. She could afford him this.

((Sorry! I completely missed this)) "Sure, it does," Dai said as she rolled on her back, looking up at the darkening sky. She flicked her tail and tilted her head to look back at Draco. "Just, what is it you think we're doing Draco? If you don't die tomorrow, you'll die in the finals. And if you don't die in the finals, you'll still die when I'm still young. I'll probably forget about you, you know." @Unicorncob Tricis kept barking orders at Jade. Every time she completed a task the right way, Tricis gave her a new one. And with the cuffs on, the training was becoming exhausting rapidly. The orders continued late into the evening. "Keep going!" She shouted. "Keep the sword up. Hold your guard. Strike that rock! I'm not giving my final test to a sissy, you know!" @reader8363 @Dynamo Pad @Arid_Blitz @DwhitetheGamer The sky blackened as the sun set over the hills. The day was winding down, leading into an important day tomorrow. The first day of the semi-finals.

The sword started to glow with a red aura, imbued with her energy signature and shining more brightly than her hooves ever had. Tricis nodded as she said, "Good! Good! You remembered. And even with the cuffs on, you have enough energy to do it. That's a good sign."

"Good job, you took it out of the sheath," Tricis feigned. "Though perhaps I should actually be impressed. You didn't do much of that during your fights. Now, why don't you do what I told you and use it the way you learned to when you and I first trained together. Imbue the blade with your magical energy."

Jeez, you guys really got to posting when I made that one OOC post. I came back to 14 notifications o~o

"Good," Tricis said with a nod. "That means you're going to be at peak performance any time you want to move." Tricis walked toward the mouth of the cave and sat down with her back against a tall rock. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you. Those cuffs will help prepare your body, but you will need to prepare your mind for yourself." Tricis paused for another moment, then pointed at Jade's sword at her side. "Take that out for me, Jade. Show me that you can still use it the way you learned to during my tests."

@Arid_Blitz @reader8363 @dragon4111 @Unicorncob @Dynamo Pad @DwhitetheGamer I'm not so sure what to do now aside from flirt with Draco as dai a bit more. The big thing I have planned of Jade needs to hold off until the next day of the RP. How close are the rest of you to being ready for a time skip to the next day?

Tricis smiled. "Good. Like I said before, you can think of those as training weights for a different kind of muscle. The longer you keep them on, the more benefit you'll get. Which Is why I expect you to keep them on at all times until the appropriate time to take them off. I trust you'll know when that is." "A treat?" Dai asked with a smirk. "Sure! go ahead and indulge~" She got up on all fours again arching her back before walking closer to Draco. She wasn't quite sure what the smoore ingredients would actually make.

When she concentrated, she was able to move with body and aura as one, stretching out her wings a and legs with glowing ropes of lightning connecting the cuffs. It was awkward and difficult. She needed to stay at peak power just to walk or flap her wings. Dai crossed her hind legs while watching Draco. "I've never heard of a pony living that long. Especially not one that eats stuff like that!"

"Hmmm," Dai hummed, not bothering for much sympathy. "You seemed pretty carefree to me. Didnt even wat for our fight to finish before you started flirting with me. Maybe youre just insane." She bent her left hind leg up in a stretch. "How many more years would a pony your age live? Like twenty or thirty or something like that right? Maybe I could even put up with crazy for that long."

"Ever cornered a deer?" Dai asked, the question likely catching him off guard. "You probably haven't. I have. The things go crazy when they're afraid, do things you didn't think they could, kick real hard. I dunno. It seems to me like fear exists for a reason. But why do you care?"

Dai blinked and blew her hair out of her eyes. "That's a stupid question. I would if I was a pony like you. You guys don't get to live very long." She jumped off the pole and landed on all fours on the grass. "Been thinking about it recently, have you?"

Dai switched to standing on two hooves and spread her hind legs in a split. "Do you know who you're gonna fight yet? Is that why you're training?"

Tricis circled around Jade as she wrestled with the restraints. Even if she managed to move them slightly, they just snapped back in place. "No amount of muscle will allow you to move in those cuffs. Think of them like training weights but for your magic instead of your strength. They'll also save your life. You can thank me later." "Remember how you fight, using your magic and body as one. That is the only way you'll be able to move in these cuffs. Focus. Mind and spirit at peak performance." She instructed. Dai rolled her eyes. Drago must not have had many interraactions with mares because he really laid himself out there. "I was just wondering what you were doing down there."

A long while after Draco had started his routine, once he was feeling the strain worsen, he felt something shift in the pole while he wasn't looking. Something light, but just heavy enough to notice had perched itself on the metal rod. Dai was doing a hoof stand on the rod with her front left leg, looking down at Draco curiously.

The tip of Tricis'hoof glowed with a yellow spark. "This might sting a bit. Just close your eyes and try not to cry." Tricis snarkily instructed. She traced a circle in the air around Jades hooves, and a glowing bond formed on her legs, suddenly snapping her hooves together in a grip so tight she couldn't pull them apart. Then Tricis did the same with her hind legs and her wings, until Jade was hot tied with magical chains.

"Very well," Tricis said with a hint of a smile on her face. "In that case, we can start making the preparations. Let's go somewhere with shade." Tricis walked Jade to an overhang of trees between a sheer walk wall and an entrance to a small cave. "Now hold out your hooves."

@dragon4111 If you'd like, I can give you something to do right now with dai.

Tricis' response was likely unexpected. "No, of course not." Tricis answered bluntly. You can't be. A pony is nothing but what she does. You havent done a thing to Rokata." Tricis looked away again, thoughtfully. "You're worried you're similar to him aren't you? Yes, you are. I suspect that that's part of the reason both he and I are interested in you." Tricis paused in thought. She lowered her head for a moment and turned back to Jade. "He will try to persuade you. He will ask you to be like him. I don't even know if he wants you to live his life. I doubt he does, but he will still try to convince you. It may even make sense to you." Tricis shut her eyes and looked away as a single tear slipped from her eye lids, she seemed to be shaking. "He is a spoiled foal who didn't get what he wanted! In chasing a child's fantacy he threw away everything he wanted to protect, stripped himself of happiness in some misguided penance! Rokata was so scared of his own weakness that he threw it away along with his very soul! You have to promise me one thing. Before I give you your final test, before I give you a chance to defeat him. Promise me you will never listen to a single word he says!"

Try this