Canterlot Academy Trials

Nebula, as well as Mei eventually returned to their seats followed by a healed Blue who was greeted with open hooves as they turned to watch their friend Grimrose fly into the arena with a vaguely excited smile on her face.

“...Holy Lord Torch,” Blue muttered as he watched Rose fly onto the platform, “...I’ve never seen her smile like that before. She must be itching to sacrifice her opponent to whatever underworld demon she worships.”

“I know,” Nebula swooned as he clapped his hooves in excitement, “Isn’t she awesome?”

Mei snickered, “Guess we don’t have to ask what you’re into, Nebula.”

Up in the announcer booth, Twilight would finish announcing her and move onto her opponent.

“Clocking in at 200 pounds, Grimrose is a pegasus pony with cursed feathers that uses her own cryptic magic to charm her opponents.”

Grimrose took a bow before the crowd, and glanced up at the similarly-dressed, gothic-style ponies who were in the stands watching her with their own smiles.

“And over here, we have an up-and-coming buck who’s looking to show his knowledge of the arcane. Weighing in at just 150 pounds…meet Thiasus von Solis!”

A hooded quadruped would teleport into the arena opposite of Grimrose. His hood-cloak was a bright white color with a triangular red pattern along the edges. His horns lit up with a bright gold color to push his hood down to show a small, wide-eyed face of a reindeer buck with a brilliant gold coat color to his fur.

“Salutations. I am Thiasus von Solis,” he greeted his opponent and levitated a tome in front of himself. “Shall we begin?” His voice was rather proud, yet calm, and collected--betraying the appearance of such a scrawny little reindeer.

Grimrose’s wings stood up on end as she realized who she was up against. The aura emanating from this buck…it was near-opposite to the aura that she herself had.

‘Don’t tell me…a white magic user?’ she thought to herself as she observed the deer with keen, narrowed eyes. ‘So they pit me up against someone with holy magic. Well-played, professors.’

“Greetings,” Grimrose replied as she took out her own tome. “I’m very interested in seeing what sort of abilities you’ve got in store, Thiasus.”

“Ah. You’ve trained yourself from a tome as well, then?” That’s when Thiasus realized just who he was up against, and came to a similar revelation. ‘She’s hiding some demonic abilities under her wings. Could that be why we were pit against each other? To see if students studying the occult and the arcane could counteract each other? Hmph…not bad.’

With their books raised, they awaited Twilight’s signal…

“BEGIN!”

To start thing off, Rose kept it simple.

‘Swarm.’

Rose’s tome fluttered open, and from it, a swarm of magical purple locusts appeared and started to fly towards Thiasus.

The buck reacted with haste, opening his own tome…

‘Purge.’

To counter the swarm of locusts, Thiasus’ tome released his own swarm of shining golden eagles that went forth and consumed each one.

Surprisingly, Rose’s response was a rather excited smile. The arcane arts ran counter to the occult, and she was more than happy to finally test her skills against someone who made use of the former.

So next, she would cast another spell.

‘Mire.’

Rose’s tome flipped open, and summoned an explosion of bluish-green gunk that appeared behind Thiasus--!

SQUELCH!

The explosion launched Thiasus towards Rose, but he reached by creating shield of light around himself in order to defend himself, and counter her attack. But Rose was able to react just as quickly. She hovered in the air, just above the platform’s floor, reeled her hoof back…

‘Death.’

And flung forward with a punch that instantly shattered the buck’s barrier with her entire hoof covered in jet-black miasma. Thiasus’ barrier shattered like glass as she nailed him with a right hook, sending him careening backwards and hitting the arena’s floor.

But as soon as he landed, Rose found her wings stuck in the confines of what looked like a bright gold rope made of runic symbols.

“What--?!” she gasped as she found herself forced down and unable to fly. “What in the seven circles is this?!”

“Nosferatu,” Thiasus chuckled as he stood upright with a smirk on his face. “I have you now.”

From the stands, the audience members watched in awe. Nebula in particular was shouting for Rose to rise. “C’mon, Rose! Get up!” he shouted, “You got this!”

But Grimrose wouldn’t be spared. Thiasus’ antlers lit up once more…

“Abraxas!”

Rose visibly panicked as she squirmed about in the hard light restraints. Her pupils shrank as she looked upwards…and saw a pillar of light ready to consume her.

“...Baphomet’s foot.”

SHING!

Grimrose’s entire body was overcome with a golden pillar of pure light energy!

“AAAAUGH!!”

She screamed a blood-curdling scream as the outer layer of her skin was burned to a crisp in some parts, revealing what looked like a hollow skeleton underneath her skin with no internal organs to speak of. Thiasus gasped and immediately stopped the attack as the crowd fell silent.

“W-wait, what?!” the buck yelped as he approached the scorched mare. Half of her body was burned off…thought she could be seen smiling despite this. “I’m sorry! I didn’t--that attack is only supposed to purge demons!”

Which is exactly why the left side of Rose consisted of a smiling skull. “...You didn’t know. It’s not your fault. If anything, I’m grateful…” she chuckled as she stood up, seemingly shaking the injury off, “Now I know what my limits are…but I’m not done yet!”

Thiasus was relieved that she was seemingly fine, but her biology threw him for a loop for a moment. “Wait a minute…you’re not just a regular pony at all. You’re at least fifty percent dem--!”

“HADES!” Grimrose cut him off and opened her tome. Giant black, tendrils rose from out of a portal seemingly from nowhere that reached out, grabbed Thiasus, and held him down. “Time to show what the occult can really do!”

“...!!”

Thiasus realized that he was now trapped in a pentagram with the symbol, “Ω” all throughout its edges. Now panicked upon realizing what he was caught within, the buck sighed and shook his head.

“I yield.”

And just like that, Grimrose’s dark magic disappeared, reverting the arena back to normal as Twilight called out the victor in a shocked sputter.

“...I-I guess that means Grimrose wins!”