The time had come. Thousands upon thousands of ponies had gathered in the stands again to witness the first fights of the finals. This time, Thiemo wasn’t sitting amongst them. All the contestants had gotten their own room to prepare for their upcoming fights. Thiemo now sat in his own and checked every single gemstone again to see if they really were fully charged and the magic circles were carved correctly. During all this, his thoughts trailed back to yesterday.

After the opening show of the Crystal Empire, with its cheerful colour bursts and soft music, it was the other nations’ turn, each of them presenting their own show. Equestria had kept it simple and had hired a stallion to sing their national anthem. Well, not that simple. Harmony Note, the name of their representative, could hold a tone like no one else, Thiemo had to admit. From the first time he had opened his mouth, most of those present had moved along in time with him, mesmerized by his voice. Despite most of them being crystal ponies, even they had joined in the anthem. It was a simple piece that told of Equestria as a country of harmony and friendship, reigned by the glorious goddess Celestia. It was painfully obvious that it was written to exaggerate Celestia’s character traits and butter her up. What really caught Thiemo’s attention was that there was no mention of Luna, not even a word.

A clan of the diamond dogs had followed. The dogs had no own nation but were divided into various clans, as Twilight had explained to his confusion yesterday. Once she reached the point where she explained that a clan was a collaboration of various packs, he blanked out. He had learned that much from his interactions with them already.

The dogs had carried plenty of drums onto the centre of the stage. Just as the last one had taken his position in the circle, the twenty dogs began to howl before they let their instruments speak. As the mighty paws began to play the clan anthem that was accompanied by more howling, something animalistic began to rise from its slumber inside him. It was a hunting call, the wish to roam through the forests and stalk prey until it collapsed from exhaustion. It was rhythmic, the twenty drums were. At the end of the act, the dogs had turned around and used their massive tails to continue hammering on the drums in an ever increasing crescendo. Eventually they reached their peak, stopped the drumming, howled again, and bowed towards the audience.

The cheering had been great but not as loud as with the last two acts. They just hadn’t quite hit the ponies’ taste. In contrast, Thiemo had been impressed. Not only had it reminded him of a Native American war dance, but it also had an energizing effect on him. He had struggled for the next half an hour to keep his backside planted on his seat.

Then the second surprise of the evening came for him. Accompanied by a single beam of light, which again came from the darkened shield, Deerling came into the arena, her eyes closed while she held a bag in her mouth. As soon as she had reached the middle, she placed it down and took a flute out of it. She had sat down, took the instrument into her forehooves, and began to play.

Notes like he had never heard before escaped the small instrument and resonated through the stadium. Notes that recalled images in his mind. No, not only in his mind, he saw them with his own eyes. The large trees of Cervidas with their majestic shape. Trees that reached up into the clouds, higher than anywhere else in the world. Laughing fawns that ran through the high grass, playing with no hint of worry on their faces. Stags that sat, read, ate, and slept together below the branches of the forest. The wonder of life, of birth, and of death. No sadness. Harmony with nature and the cycle of life.

Suddenly he blinked and everything had been over. He had listened into the silence that followed the melody that had just enchanted him, but there was nothing. Of course it had been impressive in its own way. He hadn’t even been sure if a single note had ever left Deerling’s instrument. He had not been the only one. Amaryllis and the others seemed to have felt something similar. The deer had then packed everything together again, and Thiemo could have sworn that she had been grinning while walking out of the arena. Later he had realized that Deerling’s act had gone on for over an hour.

The final performance came from the griffons, and Thiemo hadn’t been let down by his low expectations. Oh, it had been impressive in its own way. Two griffons had entered the stage and stood on their hind legs, balancing with their wings and drew their swords. The special part about their blades was that they were split in the middle like a diapason, which led to every swing creating a sound. That, together with the dance-like movements, made it pleasant to watch, but in terms of atmosphere, it had been far behind the other performances. They just hadn’t been able to enchant the audience, which reflected in the applause they received. Aside from the attending griffons, who had loudly showed their respects with whistling, the rest of the audience had been rather calm.

With a sigh, Thiemo returned back to the present. He had to prepare for a fight. After the opening ceremony had been completed, the pairings for today’s duels had been drawn. In a few minutes, he would again face Hamson, the gigantic diamond dog. He had already felt his club and wasn’t keen on getting another taste.

He was still struggling with reading the extensive rule book that was next to his gems on the table. Unlike in the preliminaries, there was a time limit of thirty minutes but no score limit. The fight would go on until the time had expired or one of the contestants was unable to fight on. Rules on what attacks could be dealt to his opponents were outlined: no blows to the private parts, no choking, killing, and so on. Nothing out of the ordinary for what was supposed to be a fair fight. The other rule of interest was that only a registered weapon could be taken into the fight.

At that part, he took Legion into a hand and inspected the stone. “Good that we registered you, eh?” It had taken some time, but every single stone that made up his ammunition was scrutinised by the judges. Of course they found out what Legion was and that his slingshot was only a stick with some rubber, a loophole in the rules that Cadance had showed him, even if just indirectly. Thiemo didn’t expect that he would be the only one who had gotten that idea. Surely he would meet opponents that were holding back similar surprises.

No, that would be pure ignorance. “Sir? You are expected in the arena,” he heard through his door. He took a breath to clear his head one last time, then he grabbed his equipment.

He had expected thundering sound of thousands upon thousands of spectators that would be cheering. However, the combat fields were now almost completely cut off from the outside. The cheers were nothing more than a distant noise, like when you heard the ocean before you saw it. The only sound that he could hear clearly was that from the announcer, Loudmouth. “The time has come! The first fight of the final will begin! But before that, let me introduce the contestants!”

Thiemo had the urge to look up to the tribunes but couldn’t avert his eyes from Hamson. The dog, who was at least a metre taller than him, just stood there, ears perked while a solid flow of saliva dripped down into the sand around him. What unnerved him more than anything else about that was that the stupid look of the diamond dogs was completely missing. Their eyes met, speaking their own words. Both were sure they would emerge victorious, and neither of the two planned to allow the time run out.

“At the north gate stands Hamson the Giant! He comes from the vastness of the Broken Leylands, fighter of Alpha Behemoth and winner of the right to represent his clan today.” The announcer paused as the crowd cheered. “At the south gate we have Thiemo, the human. He has travelled here from the distant isle of Ti, studied in Cervidas, and trained by the shamans in Zebraica. He stands here today as the chosen champion to represent the Crystal Empire!” Again there were cheers, more than Thiemo had expected. The crystal ponies of course supported the champion their princess had chosen, but he didn’t expect the other races to applaud him as well.

His joy didn’t last long, as he realized why they were cheering. A human in the arena was rare, and this year there were even two. How often had a griffon challenged him or tried to get a piece of him, literally. The diamond dogs on Dragmire had never tried anything along those lines, but they were also a race where fighting was deeply embedded in their culture. For example, the next alpha was chosen by beating the former in a one on one fight.

“Contestants, get ready!” Loudmouth’s voice resounded across the arena again and brought Thiemo out of his thoughts. His left hand wandered to the piece of wood that was in his pocket while his right reached into the bag with his ammunition. Hamson did the same, shouldering his club and slightly crouching down, resting on his left front paw. Even with just three legs, the diamond dog was faster than him, something Thiemo knew all too well. It wasn’t hard to conclude that Hamson planned to score a few fast blows at the start as he did during their last fight. The question was just if he would throw the club or not. “Fight!”

The dog charged forward, as did the human. Both headed directly towards each other. The first thing that Thiemo heard from the diamond dog, aside from his heavy steps on the sand, was the growl that left his lips. However, he stayed on course against the colossus until they were only a few metres apart. His opponent suddenly stopped and used the momentum to throw his club at Thiemo. He had expected that, as he would have lost in a frontal crash. The dog knew that as well, so he had rather expected Thiemo to stop and wanted to beat him to it. Intelligence, when used incorrectly, could be your own greatest enemy. So he did the least logical thing: he didn’t stop. Hastily, he readied the first available stone from his bag, loaded his slingshot, and fired at his opponent’s face, but not without charging it prior.

Stone and club flew past each other, the latter landing behind Thiemo in the dust, the stone striking its target. With an explosion of fire and water, since he had used a lapis lazuli, the diamond dog’s view was blocked. Again his hand reached into the bag before he reached directly in front of his opponent and aimed again, but just as he was about to fire the sapphire, Hamson spun around and swiped Thiemo off his feet with his club-like tail.

Thiemo lost both sling and sapphire as he was thrown a couple of metres back and landed on his back. He didn’t have long to rest. The heavy steps of Hamson reached his ears again, announcing that his opponent had recovered from the hit. Hastily, he jumped back on his legs and a few metres backwards and to the side, and not a second too late. Where he had just been lying a second ago was where the club now struck the ground. However, he could no longer dodge the diamond dog. In full charge, Hamson lunged out with his paw and rammed Thiemo a second time hard enough to make him fly through the air a few metres. This time, Thiemo managed to find his balance in flight and turned the landing into a slide with his feet.

There was a momentary silence as both opponents allowed themselves a deep breath, but only for a second. Hamson charged directly at him again, picking up his club while running. Thiemo didn’t have much time to think of what Hamson’s tactic might be. The giant seemed to try to scare his opponent with his size and not giving him time to think. Opponents who fell back to their instincts often got into patterns, patterns that the dog could read. Additionally, he barely had the time to counter.

This time, Thiemo didn’t play along and dodged the dog with a sidestep, reaching for his bag and opening the loop a bit. Hamson immediately changed direction, heading towards him again. This move was risky but promised to hit his opponent hard if it were to be successful.

And indeed the diamond dog ran into them. During his evasion, some gems had fallen out of his bag, hidden by the sand of the arena, and now they exploded around Hamson. Fire and water formed a mixture of dust and steam. Satisfied, he took a deep breath, only to be hit by the club that came out of the smoke.

The wood struck his left shoulder and slammed him to the ground, whereupon he winced in pain. He had no doubt that it was at least dislocated. Gritting his teeth, Thiemo looked up from the ground. Hamson stomped out of the smoke. His clothes were only rags, his coat heavily scorched, and the skin underneath slightly burned, but he stood on his hind legs. His opponent’s eyes were almost piercing through his flesh as he continued to come towards him. If it would go on like this, he would lose.

With an aching arm that hung down like dead flesh, he stood back up. That he had time for that was a bad sign. The dog was giving him the time as he was certain to win. His right hand slowly wandered into his pocket where the stone that he didn’t want to be revealed rested. It was the second time now that Hamson would make him reveal his secret weapon too soon.

Legion roused to life, waiting for his order for which form to take. Since the stone began to glow, it was visible for everyone, even through his pants, which made the diamond dog pick up speed. He tried to reach Thiemo, but it was too late.

Thiemo held Legion in the air, and it splintered into a myriad of tiny crystals that hung for less than a moment in the air before forming a tall shield in front of the human. The dog, who had been running at Thiemo, slammed against it at full speed. It splintered again, but Thiemo’s opponent stopped and struggled to stay on his legs.

The splinters returned to Thiemo and began to circle around him, awaiting his next order. The training with his new weapon the last few days was really paying off. It was eating through his magical reserves like a fat kid massacred chocolate ice cream during summer, but he could keep up the different forms for about fifteen minutes, depending on how often he changed them. If Hamson smashed through the shield two or three more times, it would be over in five minutes.

His right hand grabbed his numb arm, and with a strong pull, followed by a painful hiss, the joint was back in its place. Thiemo’s eyes wandered around. They weren’t even five minutes into the fight and had battered each other so much that the end was in sight. The set time of thirty minutes was more than generous, as he noticed now. But he could plan and alter his strategy later. Now he needed to castrate a dog.

His fingers reached into his bag again. He took the time to find two sapphires, as Hamson still hadn’t recovered from the crash against the shield. It was an all-or-nothing situation for him, because when it came to stamina, his opponent was far superior to him. If the fight went on like this, he would collapse before the twenty minute mark was reached, which would be a safe round for Hamson. No, Thiemo had to knock his opponent out.

Thiemo activated one of the stones and sprinted forward. The diamond dog had just about managed to get back on all fours. With all his force, the human lifted off the ground and bent his leg so that his knee would make acquaintances with his opponent’s face, but again the attack was interrupted. Faster than Thiemo had anticipated, the dog grabbed for him, got hold of a leg, and used his own momentum against him. Hamson spun around and threw him back where he came from, the splinters of Legion following him. Quickly, he used the stone to stop himself, using up its charge as it crumbled into dust. Still, he slid for a few metres through the arena before coming to a halt.

Again they both stood opposite to each other and stared into each other’s eyes. Hamson was visibly battered, but he didn’t look like he would collapse anytime soon. Thiemo wasn’t doing so well. Legion was feasting off his reserves as did the many minor wounds.

“The human will lose,” Shining Armor said dryly.

“No way,” Rainbow Dash returned. “Haven’t you seen that cool move with the crystals? I say the diamond dog’s got no chance. Another explosion like that and he’s going down.” Rainbow would never admit it, simply because the human had bruised her pride, but he was strong.

“And I say that he doesn’t have the crystals to do that again. The move may have been smart, but it was a one time use. This is not a fight of agility but of pure strength and speed. The human may be exceptional for his species, but diamond dogs are naturally stronger than humans. And he isn’t just facing any of them. Even with his magic, he is weaker than him. Don’t get me wrong; what he tried was good, trying to end the fight soon since he has no chance in the long run. At least he had one now. But it backfired.”

“Never!” protested the small orange filly that sat next to her mother. “My dad will never lose to a dirty mutt.” Applejack coughed loudly and glared down at her foal.

“Exactly, kiddo. I say that your old man is gonna make it.”

“Don’t encourage her now, Rainbow!” Applejack snapped at the pregnant mare, who just stuck out her tongue.

Hamson swung his big club with as much ease as it would be with a flyswatter for a human. Thiemo dodged again with the help of the last sapphire in his left hand. He dashed over the dusty ground of the arena, his opponent close on his heels. From time to time, he sent some splinters of Legion into the direction of the tall dog. They pierced into his coat, but then no longer had the power to deal any damage. The spell that prevented any serious injuries to opponents limited its effectiveness, along with the fact that Legion simply wasn’t designed for that. However, it was the last plan that he had. The power of the dog was enough to smash any construct that he could form. If a shield couldn’t stand against him, how could a sword?

“Stay and fight!” Anger could be heard in Hamson’s voice. It was the first thing the dog had said and was, at the same time, a clear sign that his patience was reaching its end. Impatient enemies made mistakes, Thiemo knew that. The problem was that he just didn’t have the time to wait for them.

At the same time, he didn’t want to do what the dog had said. “Come and get me!” he just replied and skilfully dodged another swing of the club with a jump backwards. Again he sent splinters towards Hamson which pierced into his coat. The dog gnashed his teeth as he jumped after the human again, but stopped as soon as he noticed that his opponent didn’t seem to dodge this time.

“I’ve always wanted to do a monologue, you know?” Instead of answering, Hamson swung his club again, forcing Thiemo to dodge again. “Hey! You don’t interrupt someone who’s talking.” Hamson began to lunge out again but stopped in mid-motion. “I see you noticed it.” Thiemo just had to grin. The plan had come to him when they stood opposite each other. Most of the power of his swings came from the momentum he had. Physics 101. If he couldn’t move, then he would not just be as good as defeated, but also drained of most of his power.

Faster and faster, Legion began to grow like a second skin over Hamson, starting from the little splinters in his short coat. The dog, however, was not going to be passive. His muscles tensed underneath his coat and the crystals began to splinter. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t so easy this time. The splinters that were still stuck in his coat began to cover him again. “Don’t think this little trick can stop me, you worm!” Hamson again tensed in an attempt to break the crystals on his body.

That was Thiemo’s chance. His opponent was busy and if not now, then never. Just as Hamson turned his torso slightly to shake off the crystals that had formed at his shoulders, Thiemo charged forward, amplified by his own magic and a sapphire. He had heard about the effect of a decreased view at high speeds on television and the internet but hadn’t experienced it himself. It was as though someone had just suddenly put blinders on his eyes.

Unfortunately, his opponent reacted and raised his club. Thiemo didn’t have a choice now, and so he jumped and lunged out with his fist. Bone met massive wood before the former pierced into the latter and finally went through it. Thiemo’s fist made contact with Hamson’s jaw, throwing the diamond dog to the ground.

Thiemo landed next to him, fighting to keep on his legs. Something warm ran down his right hand while he waited for his opponent to move again. “The fight is over!” Loudmouth’s voice suddenly sounded again, together with the cheers of an entire arena. “The victory belongs to the champion of her Highness, Princess Cadance! Victory for the human, Thiemo!” With these eagerly anticipated words, he crumbled down into the dust of the arena and stretched out.

He had won, against an opponent that should have beaten him. Hamson had more experience, training, strength, and stamina than him, and still he had won. A dry laugh escaped his lips, which was only interrupted as the face of a pony entered his field of view. The blue crystal pony wore a yellow hat with the sign of the hospital. He said something to Thiemo, but he couldn’t understand it. Another face entered his increasingly dim view, this time a familiar one. Meena stood above him and seemed to give directions while pulling out a syringe from a bag. Thiemo saw how she injected it into his shoulder, and then his eyes closed.

“That… That must have hurt,” Rainbow Dash stammered and grimaced in slight sympathy. “I mean, it didn’t look natural how his claws bent there…”

“Fingers, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight corrected. “And yes, it did look painful.”

“He’s going to be alright,” Cadance assured them. “The human down there in the scrubs is Doctor Meena. She is our local expert for foreign species, especially humans. Combined with a bit of healing magic, he will be as good as new tonight.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Applejack let go of the filly that tried to jump down from the tribune and into the ring as she saw her father collapsing in the sand. “See, Auralia? He’s gonna be fine.” The filly nodded but still tried to get a better look and stretched out her neck as far as she could.

“I still want to see him…”

Applejack sighed. She knew that a foal meant a lot of work. After all, she, her brother, and her granny had raised Apple Bloom together. But those two weren’t here now, and as much as she wanted to follow the fights, she knew that this wouldn’t be happening. Cadance seemed to have noticed that as well. “The hospital wing is in the east wing,” the princess said while she leaned over to the farmer. Thankfully nodding, she rose from her seat and began to search, with the filly in tow, for her father.

“So,” Shining Armor began, Skyla still sitting in his lap, “you gave the human an Arondight?”

“It’s in my discretion as to how I equip my champion.”

“You still haven’t explained to me what you meant when you said you trust him because my long dead brother, who I’ve never met, seems to trust him.” Cadance smiled down at her husband and snuggled against him. Then she gave her daughter a kiss on her cheek.

“Everything in due time, my love.”

The prince rolled his eyes. “Skyla, when I’m as old as your mother and start acting like this, please, please take the largest hammer you can find and smash me with it until I’m normal again.” The filly nodded excitedly while Cadance giggled.

“You don’t know how similar you are to Blue Light sometimes.”

“Mom, dad, there’s Amaryllis!” Skyla suddenly shouted and pointed to the arena.

Author's Notes:

In the original German version this act was double of what it is now. Amaryllis fight was in this act too. But JBL decided that you don't deserve 8k words. Complains in anyway you should send to him. As result, we will have a chapter with 7 acts. Don't get used to it.

Thanks to Gron for translating this chapter.
Special thanks to JBL for proofreading and editing.

And give this story a try too:
Judge Luna