Despite that the outer circle of the stadium was empty, Thiemo didn't feel alone. The elation of thousands of watchers was indeed dampened but always present. By the slightly altered volume, the human could vaguely discern when it came to an exchange of blows between Amaryllis and her enemy.

He took a detour around the stadium, as a judge had stationed himself at the entrance to the arena. Apparently it had been noticed somehow that half of the final participants had snuck out of their rooms to observe their possible opponents. He had no worries that Cadance, Shining Armor, his sister, or one of her friends could see him. They might not necessarily like him, but he didn't consider them to be tattletales. At least, they didn't give that impression.

His goal was the stairs behind the royal stands. It was the safest place he could think of, as it was surely the last one where a judge would look for him. "Why the haste? Did you find the time spent in your room to be a waste?" Thiemo flinched and turned his head to the side. Zarni sat in a meditative stance on one of the benches. Her eyes were closed as a small trail of smoke rose from her pipe.

He had overlooked the zebra due to his brooding. Regarding his old master, he wasn't sure if she'd inform the judge. Not because she bore ill-will towards him, no. She was simply someone who respected rules. Thiemo was even sure that Zende had been sitting quietly in his room and hadn't prepared any tricks. The result spoke for itself, even if it hadn’t mattered in the end. Against Eris, the zebra had simply stood no chance. "You were waiting for me?"

"Although it isn't always very clear, sometimes things are exactly as they appear. If you don't find it ill at ease, before I go, I wish to speak with my student if you please." Thiemo didn’t know if it was possible to feel both relaxed and anxious, for this was how he felt. "Your journey seems to come to its end, hmm?"

Thiemo had almost crumpled the letter in his bag. "One could say that, yes."

"I know for my teachings you no longer care, but this gem of advice I wish to share. I have seen your fight and have found you lacking; had you crafted your totem, that dog you'd have sent packing. As you should have rightly known, that diamond dog should not have been as difficult as he has shown." Zarni ended her meditation and grabbed a parchment from her saddlebag next to the bench. "Here are the runes for the ritual, should you decide to make your training more full. Take care and prepare yourself well. The spirits will not make it easy for you as you can probably tell.

Cautiously, he accepted the parchment and opened it. The circles were more complex than anything he knew, which wasn't that much to be honest. He knew maybe two fire circles, one earth circle, and a few air and water circles with the corresponding runes. After all, a circle was nothing but a combination of several runes. Several of these circles produced a spell. "Thank you," he said and pocketed the paper. In truth, he had toyed with the idea a few times to craft a totem, but he simply had no suitable medium. Without one, it would not have made much sense.

Zarni nodded and put on her saddlebag. "If my tutelage you wish to continue, then welcome to my hut are both you and your retinue." With those words, the zebra set off, her hooves practically silent as always, even on the crystal floor.

"Why doesn't she simply grab the other one out of the air with her magic?" Twilight turned to Auralia's direction as she asked her mother the question.

"Well… Ehm… Ya know…" Applejack noticed that they had Twilight's attention. "Twilight, could ya please explain?"

"That’s simple. It is forbidden. After all, it would be unfair to flying participants if somepony could simply rob them of their natural element with magic. Moreover, non-magic users have nearly no chance to defend themselves. It is possible to defend against a telekinetic grip, even as an earth pony or griffon for example, but it is a difficult matter that doesn’t only have to do with power. Your willpower plays a big role as well."

"So that’s the reason why Rainbow could never get out of ya grip. But why didn't ya grab her when Eris had her under her spell if it really is all that powerful?" Applejack mentioned contemplatively.

"Rainbow was willing to escape us and was near her maximum velocity without going supersonic. It would have taken a lot of concentration to stop such a force and pull her towards us." Applejack nodded. "At least without harming her," Twilight added quietly.

"Did I hear my name? Whatchya talkin’ ‘bout?" The light blue mare leaned forward so that her head poked out between Aura and Twilight.

"I was explaining to Auralia the rules of the magi—"

"Okay, thanks. Not interested." With that, Rainbow returned to her place.

“As I was about to say, it is also forbidden because of weapons. A unicorn could simply disarm an opponent and that would be it.”

Auralia nodded. It was the same nodding that Twilight knew from her friends when they stopped listening to her explanation five minutes ago. Somehow she wasn't even mad at the filly. It was simply the Applejack in her.

Amaryllis looked through her pink shield into the sky where Jewel Note floated. She was probably also waiting for her opponent to make a move. Jewel Note was leading, and even though the princess had succeeded in removing a horseshoe that allowed the crystal pony to fly, the advantage was still with the crystal pony mare. She was constrained in her movements without the magical iron on her hoof but was still very dangerous.

Again she went over the spells that she had practiced with her father, but no matter what went through her head, nothing presented her with a direct solution. "Think, Amaryllis," she reprimanded herself. "Do it like Thiemo. Use what there is to your advantage." The thought reminded her of how he fought. Fast, hasty attacks that could do great damage, assuming they hit. Accordingly, her lover got some hits as well, which didn't stop him from leaving as the victor most of the time. Or sometimes being carried.

However, she was missing the agility to implement that kind of attacks. Sure, she could fly, but not as elegant as a pegasi or even her opponent, who was moving almost as though she was dancing. Furthermore, the human enhanced his attacks with magic and used bullets to distract his opponents while he moved into melee range. Unfortunately, this was denied due to her injured wings. So Amaryllis came to the conclusion that she could not attack.

She was caught on the defensive and it left a bad taste in her mouth.

She needed an idea. Fast.

"Why don't you just give up, Princess?!" called Jewel Note from the air. "It would save us a lot of time."

A glance at the clock showed Amaryllis that her opponent meant it literally. The time she had to catch up to her opponent mercilessly went on. It wasn't a big advantage, but it was currently looking like even these few points would make the difference.

Her gaze wandered a little higher to the stands where her family was sitting. Amaryllis thought she saw the strained face of her younger sister and her father's nod. There was no doubt that the wild movements of her mother’s forehooves were meant to be waves. Or the alicorn wanted to tell her to hit her opponent right on the kisser. It was difficult to distinguish between them. Maybe it was even both.

Shaking her head, the princess shifted her gaze away from the stands and towards the still floating Jewel Note, who started to pat the dust out of her coat, at least where it wasn't covered by the crystal pony's unitard.

To think of Thiemo alone wouldn't help her here. She had learned from her father the shield spell that surrounded her. What would Shining Armor do if he faced such an opponent? Too bad that they never practiced something like that, as it should have never come to this, that someone succeeded in keeping her grounded.

Her father used his shields for everything. In their training battles, he had used them to block her missiles and to deal blows with them as if they were giant flycatchers. She had briefly resented him for it, but as she hadn’t sensed any malice in him, he didn't seem to be aware of the slight insult. Thiemo had said something about that character trait when she had told him while they had snuggled in bed. "I think that if Cadance asked Shining if she gained weight, he would simply say 'yes' and then be surprised why he had to sleep on the sofa. It’s a weakness that a lot of men have."

Maybe she could use the shield spell for something else. The question was only for what.

Amaryllis' eyes widened to an unnatural degree as her grey matter worked overtime. Or as her human would say, "I’m about to be brilliant!" In the past, she had never understood the words, as they were in his language.

Quickly, she went over the idea and nodded confidently. All she had to do was to be fast and surprise her opponent.

Amaryllis limbered up and prepared to sprint, keeping Jewel Note in sight. She tasted the arrogance of the mare who was sure of her victory. Then Amaryllis dropped her shield dome and began to gallop.

It was after a few seconds until Jewel noticed what happened below her, but when she did, it was already too late. Shields formed small platforms that filled the entire arena. A grinning changeling princess was only a blink of the eye away from her, a front hoof stretched out to score a hit that would surely hurt like hell.

But it was not a hoof that made contact with her face. Jewel was familiar with the feeling when magic pressed against her body.

Thiemo studied the runes on the parchment again. This was no doubt a spell. Runes formed a circle, circles formed a spell; he knew that. This wasn't the first one he had seen. As a shaman, he used the rawest form of magic, the elemental state. He only needed a few runes, so what he held in his hands was akin to a riddle.

The only thing he had figured out so far was that it took at least four charged gems to activate the spell. Its runes had to be transcribed into earth and surrounded by air, water, and fire. Lakes would be adequate as such, for it was not undeserved that their atmosphere mirrored the beauty of nature the best: a lake at night, a crackling fire, the silent ripples of water, and the play of the wind in the trees around you. At such a place, he had to sit down between the four described circles, his totem in his hand as he activated the spell. The rune for spiritual energy, or simply raw magic, he knew too well. After all, it was the rune that Zarni had always used to push magic through his body.

A shudder ran down his spine at the memories. Scars that no one would ever see began dully throbbing again.

"She always wins every time…" With a sigh, he rolled the parchment up and stored it in the pocket of his coat before he leaned back on the same bench where he had met his master. Through the glass, he could see a lot of ponies who had curled up on the grass outside and watched the spectacle on the big screen. Or maybe it was a monitor?

Groaning again, only louder, he leaned even further back so that he was lying only with his back on the bench, while his legs and head dangled over it like wet laundry.

How simple the lives of these ponies were. How they could sit on the grass which they could eat if they wanted to. A princess who cared for them, who solved all problems for them. All they seemed to need to be happy was a partner, foals around them, and a roof over their heads. Why did humans have to be so complex? For a second, Thiemo thought about what would happen if he asked Cadance if it would be possible for him to become a pony, but he shook the thought off and buried his face in both hands. "I blame you," he said to his tail, which twitched a bit as it was spoken to. "Oh yes, don't play innocent." Of course, his tail wasn't aware of being guilty of anything. How could it?

Elegant as always, the human slid from the bench and laid on the cold crystal ground. This was a point of no return. If he performed this ritual, a part of him would be always linked with Albion's magic. He didn't believe in spirits. It was a simple exchange. He would part with a bit of his soul which he would then fill with the magical essence of Albion. The separated part would then be sealed in the totem and the rest would also be charged with magic. Zarni had done so, as did every other master in her village. The power which came with it could not be disputed. Zarni could summon lightning storms within seconds. No magic from the outside and no runes needed. The element of air basically listened to her as if it were a part of her.

Thiemo was honest with himself for a moment. He had started the preparations for this ritual a while ago. So far, he didn’t have everything he needed, but that was subject to change if he won the tournament. The question which had to be asked then was what he would do afterwards. He didn't actually need this power. He had chosen the way of the shaman to find a way to return home, but now he had found a new one. As the saying went, better have it and don't need it than not have it and then need it.

A look out of the stadium showed that some ponies had discovered him and pointed to him. "Maybe I should get on." Thiemo didn't like to attract attention, for it had meant trouble in the past. Now, though, his marefriend was the princess of the country, and he dealt regularly with the ruling couple. Of course heads turned into their direction when they strolled through the streets of the Empire to the stadium. Some even recognized him without the presence of the royal family, even if only as the human who was basically always around the princess nowadays. Since the tournament had begun, his name was known, and he both loved and hated it. The years on Albion had taught him that keeping a low profile was preferable, but only because otherwise bad things kept catching up. That would not happen here, although apparently no one had told the cramps in his stomach that as he took in the sight of the crowd.

With a jump, the human changed his position from lying to crouching and patted his back before he straightened up. In that moment, loud cheers reached his ears, produced both by the audience inside the stadium as well as the one outside. It reminded him that Amaryllis was still in the arena and how he had intended to observe her fight.

He hurried further along the outer ring of the stadium towards the stairs leading to the royal stands. He didn't wish to enter them directly as he could be spotted, but he wanted to sit down on the highest step, hidden from the tribunes and the ponies already sitting there. Not that he believed that Cadance would betray him, but he wasn't sure with Celestia's brood. Both seemed to have a big sense of justice. After all, Twilight had chased after him to attempt to get him back. Also, if Thiemo remembered correctly, he had heard that Shining Armor used to have Caption Estoc's position.

He reached the stairs a few minutes later and was just about to climb them when he heard hooves nearing. Looking around in panic, he hid behind the first thing he found, a pillar.

Peeping quickly, he noticed Rupie who, after apparently returning from the restroom, now manned his post at the stairs. That was the last thing he needed. The stallion wore his usual armor, this time including a helmet. His eyes wandered past the crystal pony to the stairs. Even if he managed to get past the guard, all that Rupie had to do to discover him was to turn around. Thiemo was sure that the pony would rat him out. After all, they had still unfinished business because of an underhanded kick to his foal makers.

Of course, he could take him out and hide him in the restroom from where the pony had just returned, but Cadance would surely not approve of his conduct if he once again played a dirty trick on poor Rupie. On the other hand, since when did he give a fuck about what other people thought of him aside from Amy and Aura? No, he wouldn't use violence and that had nothing to do with the fact that Rupie had belted a sword at his side while he was unarmed, aside from his talismans.

After a few seconds, Thiemo facepalmed. During his time at boarding school, he had always been able to keep teachers busy. This wasn't that different. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a lapis lazuli and snuck over towards the door that led to the restroom.

The facilities didn't differ that much from their counterparts on Earth. A sink, four cabins with toilets separated by opaque crystal, and the stench of urine blended with cleaning agents. Thiemo opened the first toilet door and found the usual hole in the floor which the ponies dared to call a toilet. It was a bit more than just a hole. Around the hole was white porcelain in a long oval that lightly descended towards the drain. Above it was a lavatory cistern that could be opened with the pull of a string. Thiemo believed he had seen a similar construction in one of his history books. It was related with France somehow, he was sure of it.

With a splash, the charged talisman landed in the toilet, and Thiemo hastily ran into the next cabin. He pressed a hand and foot against the wall and lifted himself up. When he had barely built up the necessary tension, there was an explosion of water, flooding the restroom for several inches and crashing through the door into the hallway where Rupie was standing.

It took some time but eventually the guard stormed into the room and observed the chaos. Cursing about wet hooves, the door was closed again and Thiemo heard him depart, galloping along the hallway on the search for the attending janitor. The way was free.

As Thiemo left the restroom, he thanked Rarity once more that she made his boots waterproof. This was the second time that it had come in handy.

Skipping some steps, the human hurried up the stairs, but it was too late. "And we have a winner! This round goes to Princess Amaryllis!" the voice of Loudmouth reverberated. Indeed, the changeling stood, heavily breathing, in the middle of the arena over a motionless opponent. "With that shocking manoeuvre, she has no doubt surprised most in the arena and secured a victory few thought was possible."

"To copy the technique of her father and combine it with the human's one." Eris only grinned and shook her head. "Typical changeling. Too bad that her form isn't really suited for such a fighting style. She should really add more transformations to her repertoire." The door to her room suddenly opened, causing the concentration of the draconequus in pony shape to snap, along with the images in front of her mind's eye.

"Did you say anything, Miss Peel?" asked the crystal pony with the cap which identified her as an organizer.

"Not to you."

Puzzled, the mare looked around, didn't find anyone, and shook her head in bewilderment. "Anyhow, you are next."

Eris nodded and the door closed. Everything had gone according to plan like she wanted. Well, almost. If everything went as she planned, it wouldn't be chaos, would it?

Author's Notes:

And we are back! The final act of chapter 4 has started.
Despite what Zarni said, this journey will continue for a while. Like I said a couple of times already, this story will have 9 chapters at the end. Will something happen? Yes. Will you expect it? I don't think so. So, stay tuned, because we have a lot to experience. (Did anyone ever notice that this is not a R63 story? Did I ever say Eris is Discord in female? Why does everyone think so? Well, you will be surprised then.)

I got something for you guys too. I was searching through my computer a few days ago and I found this old high-comparison picture I did when planning the story. The only change I made in the final story is that Cadance and Shining are more as big as Celestia than Luna.

Also, I read this little story yesterday and maybe you want to take a look too. To find a story where vampires don't sparkle in the sun is rare these days: Bloodsong