Fractured

@DwhitetheGamer "Okay..." The receptionist took a quick leaf through all of the documents, making sure they were correct. Once she was certain, she nodded to herself. "Looks like you're all penned in. I assume that, uh... thatyou wanted this fight to happen as soon as possible, correct?

@DwhitetheGamer "I have learned that there are a great deal of ponies out there that I have still yet to meet. And abilities that I have yet to experience. In short, you've taught me to be on my guard, which is something that we must routinely be aware of, even after all of these years of living. It is never easy." Luna watched as the walls of the castle fell around her, to be replaced by the plain blue walls and floor of the bare arena. "I thank you, in kind." ------- @Silver Snow @J.R. "Oh, it should be. There's not really any particular qualifications fro being a contestant, save a few age restrictions which i'm sure you more than overqualify for..." Rarity paused, then flushed, realizing what she just said. She distantly waved a hoof. "Not to imply that you're old, or anything! Just that..." She heaved a sigh. "You're eligible. That's all." ------- "Oh?" The receptionist had been busy filing away papers, but now blinked up at him openly. "Two in one day..." She began to pore through her lists, making sure everything was clear. In the middle, she glanced up. "Are you... sure? It doesn't look like you've had any tournament matches, and the princesses are well..." She stopped "The princesses."

@DwhitetheGamer Luna simply gave a small smile. "You may stand, Copper Strikes." "Attention, ponies! The winner of the match between Princess Luna and Copper Strikes is..." "Regality is a long lost art. Some of us appreciate it that way. Besides..." "PRINCESS LUNAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Luna ignored the sounds of ecstatic cheering outside, too focused to pay real attention. "I believe both of us have learned quite a bit from this match. Correct?" -------- @Orion Caelum Heartthrob flushed, graduating into a slow blush, as her mane was ruffled. Anette nearly mimicked her, though it was a much lighter shade of red staining her cheeks. "Well... it is hard to have fun on an empty stomach..." She smiled at the waiter as he came, and took the menus, magically floating one over to Wilhelm, and keeping the other for herself. She peered at it intently. "The king's salad..." A very large, slightly expensive, three tiered salad, mysteriously combined with both fruits and vegetables, while somehow still looking appetizing. Even more so; it looked exquisite enough to practically jump off the page at her. "This looks incredible." She put the menu down, and grinned up at Wilhelm. "Looks like I know what I want."

@DwhitetheGamer With a simple thought, Luna dispelled the barrier, watching it crumble into flecks of darkness around her. She dispersed her sword in a similar matter, passing it behind her back to watch it disappear with a flash, before she made her way over to Copper Strikes. "A very interesting battle, indeed." Her horn began to glow again, as she cast a simple medical spell over Copper Strikes, designed to target most minor medical anomalies, and fix them. "Certainly the most unique I have seen, in quite some time."

@DwhitetheGamer Luna had already teleported downward to catch her sword, when she caught sight of the familiar stance up above her. A technique that had taken her a year, adopted in minutes by this pony. Interesting. Still falling, she teleported herself to the floor, dodging the incoming strike. Immediately afterwards, she formed a barrier spell around herself, the solid black shield at the least preventing the ensuing teleportations in. It also concealed her from further sight, for the moment.

@Unicorncob, @The Down Trotten Trixie noticed Starlight, and walked over to her. Her horn sparked with a light blue magic. "Here. I wasn't the best at healing magic when I was at Celestia's school, but I do know enough to get by." She pressed her horn to a spot just under Starlight's brow, releasing the magic that would temporarily dull the pain of the targeted area. "This is a little before the founders, actually." Terra looked Starlight over, confident that Trixie was taken care of her, and looked back, towards the town. "During this time, all of the tribes were completely separate, and interacted rarely, if ever. For some, the other races are either extremely rare, or a myth. This particular town holds to the former." ------- @DwhitetheGamer Luna dodged the first two strikes as she weaved in between them, but the third slipped her guard, connecting with a crack. Finding herself being forced downwards towards the ground, she flipped out her wings, cutting most of the speed. The impact was transitioned into a short backwards skid, before she came to a stop, a few feet away from where she had started. She looked up coolly, towards Copper Strikes. Quite the interesting expression. She drew her blade into the by now familiar stance yet again. I wonder if he realizes... With a single underhand flick, she launched her blade, sending its point directly at him as she charged right behind it. Moments before impact, she teleported it behind him to come strafing down his side, while at the same time, she launched a kick towards his front, with enough strength to level a small building. Maybe two.

@DwhitetheGamer Luna immediately flipped into a series of parries as the attack continued, alternating between blocks, and just flat out dodging the strikes. The pressure was beginning to wear on her though, as she noted that he seemed to have the higher raw speed, though for now, she at least had the reflexes to keep up. Keeping such thoughts in mind, she stepped into the dancing blade yet again. She blinked away from the sword strikes, this time advancing down from his back horizontally, to aim a strike there.

@DwhitetheGamer Luna quickly parried the techniques thrown at her, before dropping back to a position on the ground. "Is that so?" She folded, taking the same stance again. She charged forward, as before. This time, however, a potential parry wouldn't be made. An instant before blade clash, Luna would now be directly behind Copper Strikes, aiming for his back with the edge of her sheathed blade. Her speed hadn't changed in the slightest; part one of Shadow Dancing had begun.

@DwhitetheGamer She looked the blade over with interest, already making guesses at its size and general make. She kept her own sheathed, as she walked over. "So I see." She pulled it back, holding it outward from herself, as she shifted in her own, unique blade style. The dancing Shadow. "Then let's begin." Without pause, she shifted the blade's position, holding it directly in front of her, then went for straight charge, seeming to move in and out of existence as she rushed at the same ghostlike speed as before.

@J.R., @Silver Snow Rarity sat back with little more than a smile, letting him get it all out on his own. She had next to no compunctions about stallions crying, and besides, the expression on his face carried one of pure joy. It mean that he was happy. It meant that she had made it a job well done. She paused and blinked for a moment, as she heard her name called by an unfamiliar voice, addressing themselves as "Royal guard". She turned to shoot a look at the pony in question, while tapping one hoof on the table subtly in order to get Ice Blizzard's attention. ------- @DwhitetheGamer "I see." Luna closed her eyes, breathing out. From the floor, the dark form of the sword she had conjured earlier re-appeared, still in its sheathe. "There is much room for improvement, though ironically I believe it is your power that holds you back." She gripped it, stopping the first strike with the flat of the blade. And the next. And the next. And faster and faster, until she began to blur, moving into a complicated series of movements that seemed almost like dancing, as she parried every strike. She finished the last attack by blocking the kick, with the flat of the blade. She breathed deeply, before pushing back, with enough strength to fell a half a dozen of Equestria's tallest trees, with a stroke. Or enough to launch ten regular ponies into the far wall at the back of the room. ------- @Unicorncob, @The Down Trotten Terra took a small breath, before dipping down into the portal. When she re-emerged, the first thing that tipped at the edges of her realization was how cold it was. It seemed to be in the dead of winter, from what she could tell, as there was already snow littering the ground, at least a half inch deep. With even more, gently falling down from the sky. An almost endless expanse of white, covering the area from the flat field they had emerged in to the horizon, near as far as she could see. The sole exception seemed to be the splash of brown, off in the distance. A large series of crudely built houses seemed to litter the background, forming what appeared to be a small town. And it was, as she could remember this all. Home. She stared distantly, as she waited for the others to arrive. ************* When Trixie emerged, the first thing she realized was how blasted cold it was. And that somehow, she had managed to land herself in one of the few snowdrifts in this entire flat, barren area. She sighed, pulling herself out with some difficulty, before conjuring a scarf, to at least bite back some of the cold, though it did little, all things considered. She caught onto the small town a little after Terra did, and stared at it. How far back had they gone, again? ------- @Orion Caelum "Probably both." Anette smiled and looked up, as Glory landed in her mane, warily looking about the area. "You stay with someone long enough, you start to care for them. Especially when they can't take care of themselves. It feels almost like a duty, except you don't really quite mind it all that much. Because taking care of them is what makes you happy, in the end." She looked down as Glory did, giving a grin at the dolls seemingly bemused expression. "Though, honestly, with Glory and the rest of them, it's hard to tell." She laughed. "Most days, it feels like they're the ones taking of me!"

Luna watched calmly as the tendrils around her were destroyed, then flashed into action when Copper blinked out of existence. She folded her wings up above her, blocking the oncoming attack. Crystal fractured and shattered underneath from the resulting force, sinking her at least a foot into the floor. She looked up through the feathers, at Copper, still holding the force of the attack. "Well, it seems you've done well for yourself. At the very least, physical ability would see you a fair match for Twilight Sparkle." She teleported away, as the darkness began to fade, restoring the room back to its dimly lit setting. She re-appeared on the other side, regarding him calmly "No small feat for your average pony, in truth. Though it hastens me to question where such power came from..." ------ @J.R. "Oh, but i've already gotten you something." She reached over, and began to rustle around in her bag, searching for the item. The one she knew was there, right? She frowned after a moment of searching, thinking it was lost, before she finally discovered it, buried bottom deep at the end of the bag. She pulled it out, a tiny, elegantly done yellow and blue wrapped box, and laid it out on the table in front of her. "Everypony deserves to feel special on their birthday. Not to mention, I thought you could use it." She shot him a sly wink. "Go on, open it." ------- @Orion Caelum Anette grinned deviously as Wilhelm caught her implication, then gave a small laugh at his story, as she sat down, facing him. "That's hilarious. And strangely, adorable." She gave a bemused grin. "I didn't know that you taught students, though. And to be honest, I don't have much contact with foals, outside the occasional puppet show." She leaned forward, two hooves under chin, looking over at him. Her eyes sparked with curiosity. "Tell me; what's it like?"

Luna sunk into a pool before contact, re-appearing on the floor. As the orbs burst, they began to spew more darkness, and all light in the room gradually faded, and then beyond that. In seconds, the room was wrapped in a pitch, filled with inky blackness so strong, that it seemed to push on the light, rejecting it. Nothing could be seen. Except, Luna could. This was her comfort. Her home. "You remind me of my sister. Seeking the light, dwelling in it. I do not reject that lifestyle. In fact, I much admire it." Dozens of inky black, sharp edged tendrils rose from the floor. They snaked and twisted their way through the air, silently heading for Copper. "But there's no light here for you." They split, converging to cover as much area as possible as they tried to ensnare him. "You're in my domain, now." ------- @J.R. "Oh, really?" Rarity leaned forward, sparks of interest flashing in her eyes. "Do tell." In her mind, prospects of what it could be were already flashing through her head, but she couldn't for the life of her settle on a proper answer. She then blinked as she remembered, and touched her purse; she hadn't given Ice Blizzard his present, yet.

Every orb would stop when they were attacked, rupturing and breaking open impact. But they would also explode, solid black energy erupting in waves as all of the pent up energy they contained was released at once. The eight still remaining hung in the air around around the room as before, still spewing energy into the trails that drifted around the room. ******* Luna felt the darkness return to the room, from a dim shade to just barely enough to even see, and she grinned; it was almost like re-meeting an old friend. My eternal ally. Shadows started to form around her, settling down onto the floor until they'd formed a pool, big enough for her to stand. In a flash, she sank through it, into the floor itself. For better, or for worse. An instant later, she re-appeared, less than a few feet above Copper. She instantly shifted her position downward, sweeping into a blindingly fast drop kick, aimed for his back. ------- @J.R. "Awww..." She flashed him a small smile, as she placed her fork back into her bowl; she'd gotten the hint. "Honestly, I feel much the same about my Boutiques. Though everything from setting up shops to even designing the ensemble is hard work, there's not another feeling like the one that comes across you when can look up, see the full results of all your hard work and effort, and say to yourself..." She leaned forward, and made two small fanning motions with both of her hooves. "I did it." She leaned back. "Though, naturally, my journey's not done, and neither is yours. One step at a time, correct?" ------ @Star Saber "Much the latter." Nightingale smirked. "But do try not to worry. As opposed to most ponies who choose this occupation, i'm in it for strikingly little. I don't want power, or prestige, or even to make a change. I'm just in it for the hell of it." She leaned forward, and whispered, before dropping back to her seat. "Regardless, there's no cause for suspicion. What I want from your boss he should easily be able to give me. And in exchange for a job this size, he should be more than willing to pay." She went back to smirking. "This is going to cause a hell of a stir, all things considered."

The floor cracked under the force, splitting into different directions as Luna made impact. Back downward, she looked upwards in annoyance, before teleporting away, re-emerging some thirty feet away from Copper. She blew one strand of her mane away from her, before looking up to the orbs. _ It's time. _ In response to her magic, the orbs activated with a blink. Solid black energy lanced out in beams in multiple directions, powerful enough to shatter the ground and walls wherever it contacted it. And they continued to move; the entire room began to take on the presence of a laser cage as they scattered around, scorching the ground as they traveled. Slowly, the room's intensity began to dim, as the darkness returned, with a force. ------- @J.R. "Oh, don't worry, I know." She smiled. "I have fought you twice already. And, if I remember correctly, the last battle was only in my favor because of a corrupted La Clochette. I still don't know where that hurricane came from..." She paused, hoof to her chin, before she shrugged, pushing it away. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Point is, I know how strong you are. And I know that you've earned it; you're entire life has been a struggle for this exact spot. And you've finally made it."

The orbs had finally stopped growing, now bigger than a pony's skull as they hung in the air. They no longer had a light source to draw from, so just hung in the air, waiting... Luna took the punch this time, grunting and sliding backwards from the force. In retaliation, she reached out with her wings in the same instant, grabbing hold of the arm that had contacted her. Both wings holding on, she drew downward, aiming for the floor with enough strength to level several brick walls. ------- @J.R. "I see." Rarity smirked. "I thought it would've been your incredible fighting skills, or your indomitable fighting spirit, both of which you possess in abundance." She chuckled. "Really, Ice, surely you didn't expect the princesses to be exclusionary to the other races? Especially when it comes to combat." She poked at a leaf of her salad with her fork, and held it up. "My friend Applejack is better at fighting than most unicorns, i'd wager. Race has little to do with it."

"No... I did not suspect you would." Luna ignored the orbs for now. Using telekinesis, she began to pull on the floor, tugging on either side of Copper. With a massive tearing motion, both of the crystalline portions came shooting up, twin walls bigger than Copper himself bearing down on his location.

The orbs continued to eat the light around them, now the size of large grapefruits as they hung in the air, suspended. The crystal room had gone from a sky blue, to a polished white, an almost blinding reflection of light hanging on every surface. Even the shadows themselves had seemed to have disappeared, leaving not a single patch of shadow or shade behind. Luna once again folded her wings together in front of her, blocking the charge. She slid back an additional inch this time, only holding her ground with exertion. Can't use shadows in this light... Putting more strength into her push, she once again threw out her wings, hoping to propel him backwards. ------- @J.R. "True; I did see her last fight." She stopped, to put one hoof to her chin. "But, don't you think it's strange? For an alicorn to lose like that, I mean? Especially considering her opponent wasn't..." She tapped her chin, searching for the most polite response. "The best of fighters. Still, I suppose it wasn't the worst battle." She shrugged. " Very entertaining."

As the orbs hung in the air, they pulled in the darkness around them, growing bigger as they nipped at it. The room jumped up a shade in intensity, starting to glow, as light rushed in to fill what remained. It slowly began to take on a polished sheen... As Luna came to a stop on the ground, she tensed. Rearing up with her front hooves, she slammed them forward on the ground, hard enough to crack the surface. What would be otherwise damaging, however, turned into an attack, as the crystal responded to her magic, turning into a force. A wave of polished stone as tall as Luna herself shot from floor, heading quickly in Copper's direction. -------- @J.R. "Wow... it sounds pretty difficult. For me. It looks like you've managed to handle yourself pretty well, all things considered." She sat back. "It's funny... you'd think after all of this time, me and my friends would be some sort of expert fighters. We have saved Equestria at least a half a dozen times, after all. And yet, very of us have had any sort of real training. Though Twilight has come to training with Luna herself, and Rainbow Dash has her martial arts. And I have my fencing skills. It's not always helpful, in the situations we come across."

@Unicorncob As the time portals began to slow, guided by Starlight's magic, Terra could see. A tiny, near barren place of stone huts and a drifting winter. Much different than she remembered it, but still... home. She floated closer to the star that contained it. "Everyone; here!" Without waiting, she reached out a single hoof, and touched it. The world began to spin... ------- @The Down Trotten Trixie had been staring at the tiny star containing her timeline for well over a minute now. It was only a particular voice that snapped her out of it, ringing into her ears. "Yeah... someday." As she heard Terra's voice in addition, signifying that she'd found the portal, she let it leave her attention. She floated past Rhetoric, towards Terra''s location. "Let's go." ------- @Star Saber "Hmmm..." Nightingale flipped back in her seat, thinking. For this job, there was obviously going to be no small amount of things she could ask for. Though, she thought to herself with a smirk, secretly, she'd do it just for kicks. Still, there was one thing she needed... She shot a look back to Fuse. "I want a favor. Just one favor. But not from you. From your boss." ------- "Really?" Rarity asked in surprise, though it's not like she couldn't believe it; Ice Blizzard had been on no share of large and small adventures. "As an alicorn, I figured she'd be no slouch in the fighting department, but..." She took another bite of her salad, before leaning in closer to Ice Blizzard, all eyes on him. "What's it like?" ------- Luna kicked backwards with a single step at the magical attack, dropping backwards to slide across the floor. Almost immediately afterward, she jumped backwards diagonally, flipping out her wings and taking flight. She passed towards the back of the room, before she banked, strafing around the interior as she dodged the rapid fire blasts. All power, but no style. A single large dark orb split from her horn. Floating upward, it split into several pieces, before floating to separate corners of the room. They sat there, hovering. I'll have to thank my sister for teaching me this spell later...

Luna reached out with her second wing, blocking the shot, then tossed it backwards, flicking her wing with considerable force. She landed, inverting her body to return to all fours, as dark pillars similar to the first spiked outwards from her in a circular pattern, heading in Copper's direction.

As Copper backpedaled away, Luna noted the speed. As he disappeared, she blinked, before jumping upward experimentally. Copper's attack just barely grazed her as she rose. Her guess had been correct. "Teleportation..." Shifting her weight in mid-air, she twisted her body, now angling downward. A wing sharper than most swords proceeded to split the air as she fell towards him, aiming for a decisive strike.

Luna had calmly waited while Copper had transformed, taking little more action than to cast a single spell over herself. Her wings flashed with a hard sheen. As the transformation ended, and Copper led for a charge, Luna blocked, holding the force with those same wings. She slid back an inch, before holding her ground. From underneath Copper, two solid black and black tinged spikes surfaced directly beneath him as she casted them, moving for him with impeccable speed.

"Hmmm... I wonder if you do." From the floor, a glossy black blade rose up, still sheathed in its hilt. The light in the room visibly seemed to shiver as it materialized, the castle floor staining itself a dark inky black in its presence. Even the air in the room dropped several degrees, turning cold and bitter. Until Luna grabbed hold of it, ceasing the effects. She looked at it for a moment, before de-materializing it. She cast a side glance to Copper Strike. "You may take the first move."