The crowd cheered and stomped their hooves filling the stadium with a mighty roar. Pinkie Pie took up the stand in her usual place with microphone close at hoof. The unicorn already there, lost in the thrumming of her headphones and her head banging, did not even take notice as Pinkie Pie sat down beside her. She flipped the switch on her microphone, an orange light being illuminated on the dashboard in front of her reading ‘ON AIR’, and began.
“Helooooo Ponyville”, Vinyl Scratch jumped, dropping her headphones and almost toppling her seat over. “Welcome to the eight-hundredth annual Earth Pony Tournament. I’m your announcer, Pinkamena Diane Pie-”
“And I’m VINYL SCRATCH!” Vinyl had snatched the microphone out of Pinkie’s hoof, “You ready to rock, Ponyville!” at this the roar outside reach new heights.
Pinkie grabbed the microphone again and pumped her hoof, “Yeah, woohoo!”
“First up, coming from the east corner, is the reigning champion Octavia!” Pinkie punctuated the word champion as she shouted into the microphone.
“Yeah, Octy!” Vinyl clapped her hooves and cheered at the top of her voice.
Octavia stepped out into the blinding light of the stadium. Keeping her helmet from sliding off, she smiled and waved to her adoring fans as she neared centre stage.
“And our challenger, Applejack, of Sweet Apple Acres!”
From the far side, Applejack cantered out into the stadium. Her usual stetson replaced by a slightly too big helmet that hung low, obstructing her view. She held the oversized helmet up and out of her eyes as she glanced around, scanning the crowds for her friends. Upon spotting Twilight, sitting rather inconspicuously in a gilded throne opposite the announcer’s booth, she waved. To this Twilight responded with a polite wave and a smile.
“Nice to see you again, Applejack” Octavia greeted as the two met in the centre of the stadium.
“Likewise, Octavia”
“Are you still sore about last year?” Octavia pouted.
“Ah been practising.” Appejack replied flatly, as she moved to her position across the stadium.
“Let’s hope it paid off then.”
Both contenders now stood facing each other, a few strides between them. Pinkie’s voice sounded over the intercom one last time, “Ok, everypony; we’re looking for a clean fight here— only Geomagic and bare hooves.”
For a moment there was only the thundering roar of the crowd’s cheers and stamping hooves. Then there was a loud squeal from the intercom silencing the crown and Vinyl Scratch’s voice came on, “And no help from friends!" She'd snatched the microphone from Pinkie Pie's hoof, "We don’t want a repeat of last time.” Somewhere in the crowd, a particular purple princess blushed and tried her best not to look guilty.
Pinkie grabbed the microphone back and glared at Vinyl, “And fight!”
Octavia gritted her teeth and kicked off the moment she heard the bell ringing. She barrelled towards her opponent at full speed.
Applejack, however, saw this coming and timed her jump carefully. Angling her body to the side, she kicked out with a hind leg just as Octavia passed her side, connecting squarely in the jaw.
“Ooh, right to the face! That’s got to hurt” Pinkie shouted over the intercom over the crowd’s pained wince.
Octavia was flung back and on her side, where she came to a sliding halt. Now it was Applejack’s turn. She adjusted her helmet and dashed towards where Octavia lay.
As Applejack approached, Octavia made a quick move and rolled herself over. She dug a hoof into the dirt and sensed for the magics below ground. She quickly latched on and pulled it up into her hoof, and then her foreleg. Streaks of energy started arcing across her hoof and into the soil around her.
She only had a moment before Applejack was upon her, and thus fired the energy out as quickly as she could. As bidden, blades of grass took root and sprouted into a bewildering wall. Applejack floundered and leaped through the grass to find Octavia not where she'd expected her.
“And a good move from Octavia, the Green Triumphant is a classic move from the game of ’23, named after its inventor and then champion Green Triumphant.” Vinyl nodded, though it was unclear whether she was agreeing or just lost in her tunes again.
Applejack glanced around looking for Octavia when she saw the flash of something out of the corner of her eye. She wasn’t fast enough though, a thick vine slammed into her side, winding Applejack and sending her sliding to the other side of the arena.
“Oh dear”, Twilight gasped. “I didn’t know she was a geomancer.”
Getting back her breath, Applejack lifted herself back onto her hooves and kicked the dirt away. Her helmet was now gone. “So is that how ya want’ a play, huh?” Applejack reared back and slammed her hooves into the ground, sending a shockwave through the area. The dust around her was kicked up into the air revealing an apple shaped, glowing insignia in the ground. “Ah got my own tricks up my hat ya know.”
“And AJ’s returning with her own classic move, the Apple tree buck.”
Vinyl lowered her glasses and glared at Pinkie, “Seriously?”
Pinkie shrugged, “Not my fanfic.”
Octavia looked around her, waiting for something to happen, “So?”
“Wait for it.” Applejack stated, confidently.
Octavia made a move to approach Applejack when it started. It began as a faint rumbling but quickly began to grow. Before she was able to figure out what it was, it became fairly evident. Tendrils of wood burst out of the ground, ripping her vines to shreds.
Before Octavia could do anything they had already taken her into their grasp, wrapping around her barrel and holding her legs stiff, suspended just far enough that she couldn’t reach the ground.
“And Octavia is incapacitated, she has thirty second to make a move before Applejack is declared the winner and new champion.” Pinkie slapped a large button on her console and a clock in the room began counting down.
TEN
Vinyl nudged Pinkie in the side, “Say, what is that?”
“Glad you asked”, Pinkie chirped. “For all you ponies out there, this is a little thing called Geomancy. As you know each race has their form of magic. Unicorns have traditional magic, Pegasi have Aileron, and Earth Ponies have Geomancy.”
“Geomancy is a far lesser known form of magic. It’s what allows Earth Ponies to keep in touch with the earth and what gives them their great strength. They use their hooves to pick up the ley lines in soil and living organisms and can use that to enhance their own strength. They can also influence those ley lines to get the earth to do as they please.”
“Of course this only works when they are in contact with the ground which is why AJ has suspended Octavia.”
“Mhm.” Vinyl nodded half heartedly, “I meant those things.” She pointed to the roots holding Octavia.
“Oh, those are roots; apple tree roots.”
Octavia struggled to get free from her make-shift prison. There was a loud beep and she could hear the crowd counting down. “Ten, nine, eight...”
Octavia was just about to give up when she found some give, she managed to move her left hind leg downwards ever so slightly and the tip of her hoof reached the ground. Energy arced up her hoof and outwards across the ground.
Around where Applejack was standing the ground shimmered and became fluid. “Woah nelly” Applejack waved her hooves in search for some purchase as she sunk neck deep into quicksand, and not long after the ground became solid again.
Gathering her strength, Octavia put all her might into pushing against the roots holding her back legs. They began to creak and crack, and with a loud wooden thunk shattered into splinters releasing their captive.
Octavia pulled her way free of the broken wood and cantered over to where Applejack was now trapped.
“And Applejack is unable to fight!” Pinkie began as Octavia approach, with a smug smile. "That's it folks! Give it up for winner and still reigning champ, Octavia!"
The crowd's cheers would up and Octavia leaned over and whispered into Applejack's ear, “Better luck next time, Background Pony.”
