Beneath Town Hall
Nobody liked Pipsqueak, but Pipsqueak didn’t give a damn. He sat outside the principal's office, bored, waiting. He couldn’t remember how many times he’d been sent here. He’d lost count, something around a dozen times so far this year. Mostly on account of back talking his homeroom teacher and slacking in class. It wasn’t as if he tried to get in trouble.
He leaned back in the waiting chair, staring at the grey ceiling. The wall near the principal’s door was lined with identical grey chairs opposite the secretary’s desk, and the walls were the same warm brown and cream as the rest of the school. The only noise in the room came from the typing mare in the center of the office. It was a small, dull room. A number of certificates and achievements adorned the walls, denoting Ponyville High as a distinguished academy of learning. Pipsqueak couldn’t help snorting. He felt like he hadn’t learned a thing in all his years here. Then again, that might have something to do with him never paying attention in class.
The door opened, and a female voice beckoned him. He sighed, pushed himself out of his seat and walked in. He’d been through this many times before, in fact, he knew the principal better than almost anyone else in his life. Cheerilee sat behind the oaken desk, which seemed far too large for her, gesturing for him to take a seat.
Cheerilee had used to teach at Ponyville Elementary, only a few blocks from Ponyville High. After winning teacher of the year awards a number of years in a row, she was promoted, and when the principal of the elementary school had resigned, she took over. She worked there for about three years before switching over to Ponyville High in Pipsqueak’s freshman semester. He had known Cheerilee for most of his life.
As he sat, she looked at him with the same concerned eyes he remembered from the last time. Almost the same anyway, there seemed to be more wrinkles than he recalled previously. “What did you do this time.” she sighed. Pip shrugged.
Cheerilee considered him silently as he averted his gaze. “Are you going to tell me, or do I need to ask Mr. Rhombus?”
Pipsqueak groaned. “I just can’t stand that guy. He woke me up and asked me a question he knew I didn’t know the answer to, just to embarrass me. He’s an ass.”
“You were sleeping in class again?” Cheerilee asked, looking wearied.
“His monotone could put anypony to sleep,” he answered.
“That isn’t the point Pip.” she said, “and I’m guessing that isn’t the only reason he sent you either.”
“He drew a picture of runes and asked me which one was out of place. He knew I didn’t know the answer, he just wanted to make me look like an idiot.”
Cheerilee frowned. “And?”
Pip shrugged. “And I told him the only thing out of place was his hairpiece.”
“Pip, we’ve been over this,” Cheerilee sighed, “You know Mr. Rhombus is very sensitive about his hairpiece.”
“Well, it would help if it matched the rest of his mane,” responded Pip. “It’s so noticeable.”
“We all can notice it,” Cheerilee conceded, “but pointing it out in front of everypony is not an appropriate thing to do.”
“Yeah I get it.”
Cheerilee had heard Pip repeat this line many times before, a token phrase he always used when being scolded.
She still remembered him from elementary, when she had been his teacher. He was so adorable back then. She always felt a certain obligation to watch over him, especially after he lost his parents. Whatever happened that day had really affected Pip. He built up a lot of resentment after that, and over time, as his accent faded, he became much more apathetic towards school. These days, it seemed he couldn’t get along with anypony, and was constantly rubbing the teachers the wrong way…
Cheerilee pulled out a paper from a nearby folder and looked over it.
“Pip, we need to talk about your grades. This semester is almost over, and then there will only be one more semester before you graduate.” She looked back down at the paper. “But you’re failing two of your classes, and barely passing the others…”
Pip sat in the chair and waited for Cheerilee to get done lecturing. The last thing he wanted to hear about were his grades. He stared out the window beside Cheerilee’s desk as she continued talking. It was a warm day, and he was eager to leave this stuffy school. He could see the back of Golden Oak’s Library from here, what used to be Twilight’s home, with a small crowd of tourists just entering. It wasn’t a home anymore, or a library, more of a museum, filled with Twilight’s old things. It had been years since Twilight had taken her seat beside Celestia in Canterlot, and ever since she became a standing princess, ponies had come from across Equestria to see where she had lived. It was part of the reason why Ponyville was bigger than it ever had been before, with businesses opening and ponies moving in from as far away as Saddle Arabia.
Pip was interrupted from his thoughts by Cheerilee. “Did you get that?” She finished.
“Uh… yeah, yeah I got it.”
Cheerilee narrowed her eyes. “Pip, it won’t be too long before you graduate. Just… I know you’re a bright colt; I’m sure you realize this is an important time in your life…
Pip went back to staring out the window. Since things were so busy around the town, it was easier for him to find odd jobs to work. After school, he would probably go see if he could get work on the construction of the hotel Filthy Rich was having built. He didn’t like the work, or any work for that matter, but he was starting to run low on bits.
“Pip,” said Cheerilee sternly.
He looked back at her again. “What?”
“Pip, can you promise me you’ll try to get along with your teachers?”
“Does that include Mr. Rhombus?”
“Yes, Pip, that includes Mr. Rhombus.”
“Hmmm…” Pip thought about it. “Thats a pretty tough deal…”
Cheerilee glowered at him.
“Okay,” he gave in under her stare, “I promise, I promise.”
Pip stood up from the seat and retrieved his saddle bags from the floor. “I have detention tomorrow.”
“Yes,” she confirmed, “tomorrow after school for an hour and a half.”
She said goodbye as he left her office. He had received detention many times now, it was almost an unspoken arrangement between them at this point. He thought it was ridiculous that a pony his age still had to sit through detention, but considering how many times he’d gotten in trouble, it was lucky it wasn’t anything worse.
After leaving, Pip went to Sugar Cube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake had several additions made to the business over the years, the building being almost three times the size it had originally been. There was the Sugar Cube Bakery, where ponies could order food baked to order, and delivered, as well as the Sugar Cube Pub, which stayed open pretty late most nights. Pip wasn’t old enough to drink, he usually ate at the Corner, which had become the town’s most popular eating spot.
It usually had a pretty sizable crowd, and today was no exception. Pip used some of his remaining bits to buy an omelette and a milkshake from the mare operating the register. While Mr. Cake still worked the counter from time to time, he mostly concerned himself with running the place. The Cakes had hadn’t wanted to hire anyone outside the family, but after Mrs. Cake took ill, and Pinkie moved away, they had given in and hired help.
Pip ate his food alone, and afterwards headed to the construction zone downtown. Ponyville was bigger these days, but everything was still relatively within walking distance. There seemed to be more faces he didn’t recognize each week. He passed by town hall on his way. It was a bit run down compared to the rest of Ponyville; it wasn’t really used anymore. After Mayor Mare had stepped down, the new mayor had a new town hall built downtown. He didn’t really know what the point was, this hall seemed just as good.
The hotel construction had been going on for a few weeks. It was more of an elaborate add-on really. The spa patrons had just sold the day spa to Filthy Rich last month for a lot of money. Filthy Rich had supposedly been trying to get it from them for years, and now that he had it, he was converting it to a full fledged inn.
After looking around a bit, Pip found the yardsman.
“Sorry kid.” Spoke the gruff stallion wearing a hard hat. Behind him, a team of workers was packing up. “We don’t need any help this week.”
“Fine.” said Pip.
“We might need some extra hooves when we put up the north wall next Wednesday,” the stallion said, turning away from Pip.
Eh, he hadn’t really wanted to work today anyhow. He trotted over to an old oak situated around the center of the square. He lazily leaned back against it, sinking to the ground. His eyes drooped as the town buzzed around him. Pip dozed away the afternoon.
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Bathed in the light of the setting sun, Sweetie Belle cleared her throat. She stood alone near the edge of Ponyville, not far from her house; Rarity’s old boutique. She glanced down at her sheet music before beginning again. She sang the song she had been practicing for a couple days, at the behest of her vocal tutor. Her voice had improved significantly ever since she acquired her cutie mark, a triplet of three black quarter notes. Nobody that knew her was really surprised when it happened, although Sweetie was.
She liked to come to this spot to sing. Cherry blossom trees framed the area, lending the air a sweet scent, and it was separate enough from the rest of town that other ponies didn’t often come.
Halfway through the song, she raised her head as she belted out the high note. She held it for three seconds before her voice noticeably cracked.
“Dangit, not again.” she said, stopping the song in frustration. She always had this problem, sustaining the high notes. “How am I going to get the role if I can’t even get through the song?” She said, annoyed at herself.
“I thought it sounded great.”
She turned to see Pip watching from the side.
“Oh boy,” she said, unexcited.
Pip had known Sweetie for a long time. She was a sweet pony, he admitted he’d had a bit of a crush on her for a while now. They were even in some of the same classes at school. But while Pip barely scraped by, Sweetie had excellent grades, and was near top of the class. Not to mention being extremely talented and dedicated…
“What,” he asked, “I was just saying, your voice sounds as beautiful as ever.”
Sweetie groaned, but couldn’t suppress a bit of a blush.
“I’m serious,” he continued, coming nearer, “I’m sure they’ll give you the role. In fact, I bet they’ll give you the lead role.”
“Yeah right.” Sweetie turned back to her sheet music. “If I can’t sing it well when I’m alone, there’s no way I’ll be able to sing it well in front of an audience.”
“You still have a few weeks. That’s plenty of time. I’ll even stay here and act as your audience, so you can get practice singing in front of ponies.” Pip sat down against a tree.
Sweetie did feel somewhat comforted. Still…
“You know you’ll get in trouble if he sees you around me,” she said softly.
“Pffft,” he retorted. “I’m not scared of him. What’s he going to do?”
Sweetie sighed. That’s the first thing about Pip, and his most obnoxious trait. He never listened to anypony. “Well all right, but don’t interrupt.”
Pip nodded silently and leaned back against the tree as Sweetie started the song again from the top. He really did enjoy her singing voice.
Two silhouettes stood a distance away, eyeing the scene. A plain looking grey stallion, and a dark brown stallion wearing a propellor hat.
“We’ve already warned him twice Button…” The grey pony said.
Button glowered down at the clearing where Sweetie was now apparently laughing at something Pip said. “That pony is really starting to get on my nerves.”
“What do you want to do?”
Button broke his iron stare from Pip to look at the grey stallion. “Where are the others?” He asked.
“I think some of them were hanging out at the bowling alley.”
Button turned away from Sweetie and Pip. “Let’s go.” The grey stallion dutifully followed Button as he left.
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Sweetie looked at the sky. The sun had dropped completely and it was nearly dark. She had made some pretty good progress on the song, she thought.
“Hey Pip, I-”’ She turned to Pip, only to find him laid out against the tree, gently snoring. “Typical.” That was the second thing about Pip, the perpetual capacity to fall asleep at a moment’s notice. After packing her sheet music into her saddle bag, she looked over at him before leaving. “Thanks,” she said.
It was the chill night time breeze that finally prodded Pip awake. He blinked and rubbed his eyes before stretching widely. He looked around. The street lamps had turned on by this time, lighting the thoroughfares, leaving the alleyways and side streets bathed in black. Pretty soon, all the shady characters in this town would start coming out. Pip left before then, heading to a small field just outside Ponyville. There was a small cottage there, Pip’s home, the house his parent’s had built years before upon moving from Trottingham. Just outside his house was a rock wall, training dummies, metal bars for pull ups, and a weighted harness. Pip flipped the lights on, illuminating the area.
His father had been a military officer in Trottingham, having these things brought over from their old house. He always stressed the importance of physical strength, and used to try getting Pip to work out alongside him.
“A weak body and a weak mind go together like pudding and peaches.” He used to say. Of course, Pip had always been a slacker. He was so much smaller than other ponies, what was even the point? Pip knew his father had been disappointed in him: born weak, and always goofing off. And his father died being disappointed in him. It was sickening to think he could have done something to save them, if he hadn’t been so weak, if he would have listened to his father.
Pip had used the exercise equipment every night since. He had grown much stronger over time, but he still felt the same disappointment in himself his father had felt. He gritted his teeth.
I’m still the same.
That’s what bothered him the most. He tried to act like he didn’t care about anything, but honestly, everypony else he knew had a talent, something they were working towards. They knew what they were doing with their lives. What was he doing with his? He had hoped when he got his cutie mark, that would give him a direction, somewhere to go. And when he finally got it, he was even more confused. His cutie mark was two criss-crossed lighting bolts. What the hell did that mean? He didn’t even know what his own cutie mark meant!
Pip ran the gamut of training exercises to take his mind off it. When he had first started doing the exercises, he could barely go for five minutes without collapsing in exhaustion. Despite his relatively small size, he was pleased to find he could do more now than even his father had been able to do. It made him feel good, but mostly he did it to occupy his mind.
After about an hour, Pip took off the weighted harness and put it back near the wall. He caught his breath before heading back around to go inside. He’d probably lounge about and re-read some of his old comics before going to sleep.
Pip thought he could hear the rustling of the wind against brush. Pip stopped. Hoofsteps approached from behind, and a voice called out.
“Hey.”
Pip turned around just in time to get a hoof slammed into his chest. He staggered back but didn’t fall, facing his attacker.
Button Mash. He glared at Pip with a pair of baleful eyes. Pip backed up as more ponies appeared around him. He recognized them, Button’s crew, ponies hailing from the bad side of Manehattan. Most of them had moved in about a year and a half ago, and had caused a number of problems for Ponyville. A lot of them had either dropped out of school or been kicked out. Ponyville was generally a peaceful town, but these guys were genuine bad news.
“I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do this,” Button Mash intoned. “I told you before not to be harassing Sweetie.”
“Harassing?” Pip rubbed his chest as he regained his composure. “Screw you Button. You’re just looking for an excuse to be an asshole.”
Button began to circle Pip, eyeing him maliciously. “No, I don’t think you understand. Sweetie isn’t like you. She’s going places. So am I. What she doesn’t need is a lug headed orphan half-wit following her around trying to make a move.”
Pip gritted his teeth in anger. He didn’t get angry easily, but something about Button made him want to blow a gasket. The other ponies had formed a wide circle around the two.
“Let me spell it out for you Pipsqueak. Leave my girlfriend alone.” Button stared him straight in the face. He stood almost a full head higher than Pip. “If I catch you making trouble for her again, we’ll come back here and make you pay. Understand?”
When they were younger, they had been good friends. They had the same classes, and hung out at Sugar Cube Corner after school. Sometimes Button would even invite Pip over to play Neightendo 64, which was fun, except when Button lost. He would get so mad when Pip beat him at Mare-io Kart that he would throw a huge tantrum, and his mom would have to bring Rice Krispie treats to calm him down.
Even though he’d changed a lot, he’s still the same, Pip thought. Still throwing tantrums when things didn’t go his way.
“Button,” Pip began, staring back at Button with a straight face. “Suck my balls.”
Button hadn’t been expecting that. His face contorted in a show of anger. Without warning, he flung his hoof into Pip’s face, throwing him back. Pip tried to regain his footing, but was caught off guard as Button followed up with another jab, connecting straight in Pip’s face for the second time, sending blood showering through the air.
A strange figure stood at the edge of the forest, continuing to watch the event unfold. The figure absently chewed a sprig of grass as it viewed the scene.
Pip grit his teeth. He had never been in a fight before, but he would be damned if he was going to be beaten by this nerdy programmer. As Button aimed a third punch, a surge of adrenaline welled through Pip. Pip deflected Button’s attack with his front leg, and in a flurry of motion connected two hits straight to Button’s jaw and nose. His nose cracked loudly and his head was thrown back by the force of the blow. Pip moved forward and spun, wheeling his back legs to face Button before he could respond. Pip closed his eyes and bucked with the full force of his entire being.
There was the kick, a moment of silence, and the thud as Button landed hard on the ground, fully on his back. His friends stood in disbelief. The field was eerily silent as Button clutched at his chest and wheezed painfully, barely able to breath.
Button’s friends stood with their mouths agape. One moment Button was beating him down, and before they could register what happened, the small pony had knocked him off his feet and out cold. The moment of silence evaporated as the grey stallion angrily grabbed Pip.
“Now you really messed up.”
The ponies were on him in an instant. Pip bucked wildly, but the flurry of hoofs beat him to the ground. Once he was on the ground, they proceeded to mercilessly kick him, spraying the ground with blood all around. Pip hung at the edge of consciousness, seeing red. He could only faintly hear the sounds of hoofs crushing into his side and stomach. He watched as one of the ponies rear back, preparing to smash in his face.
“All right, thats enough.” A voice announced dismissively. The voice had almost a magical effect to it. The ponies stopped in their tracks, looking over the the dark figure which had emerged. The mysterious pony was hooded, and wore all dark clothing, hiding all his face, other than his horn.
“And who the hell are you?” The grey stallion asked angrily.
“I suggest you all get out of here,” the stranger said, ignoring the question, “you’ve all done enough for one evening.”
As Button and Pip both lay gasping on the ground, there was a moment of hesitation as the group looked to the grey pony for direction. The moment of confrontation hung heavily in the air. “Let’s go,” the grey stallion finally said. Not taking their eyes off the stranger, a few of them grabbed the wheezing Button and carried him off, the group at last leaving. Pip watched them go with blurry eyes. The whole episode had lasted only a few minutes. He closed his eyes and passed out.
“Hey.” said an incessant voice. “What are you doing?”
Pip barely responded. “Huh.”
A hoof prodded his side. “I didn’t say you could go to sleep.”
Pip groaned as the pain made its way more clearly into his head.
“What do you want…” He pained, opening his eyes to see a blurry night sky.
“Get up,” the stranger said, “we should talk.”
Pip looked in the direction of the strange pony. “I just got beaten by a gang of thugs. Aren’t you at least going to ask if I’m okay.”
The stranger was silent. “Are you okay?” He asked.
“I’m covered in my own blood,” Pip spat. “Of course I’m not okay you jackass.”
The stranger looked down at Pip for a moment, before announcing, “you’ll be fine. Now get up.”
Pip grit his teeth in annoyance. Since the stranger apparently wasn’t going to let him pass out in peace, Pip forced himself to his hooves.
“I saw the whole display, it was really quite something.” The stranger gestured grandly at Pip. “Who would’ve thought a pony like you would have a power like that?”
Pip stared at him, a gash over his left eye still bleeding out. “If you saw the whole thing, why the HELL didn’t you help me earlier?!”
“I wanted you to see how much you can take,” the stranger replied matter-of-factly.
It took a moment for Pip to process what he said. “Excuse me?”
“I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition for what,” said Pip, annoyed. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“Well, less of a proposition,” the stranger continued, “and more of an invitation.”
“An invitation to what?” Pip yelled.
“An invitation into an exclusive organization interested in the gratification of a collective enthusiasm.”
Pip still had ringing in his head; he only caught about half of what the stranger said. “You know what,” he said, turning towards his home. “Good luck with that. I’m going to go pass out in my house.”
The stranger clapped a hoof on Pip’s shoulder. “You and I can really help each other Pipsqueak. Take this.” He handed Pip a small yellow card with a few small, handwritten words printed on it. “I’ll be waiting at the location mentioned on the card at 11:50 p.m. tomorrow. I expect to see you there. And I guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
Pip gave in and took the card. “And what am I looking for?”
“Same thing everypony looks for.”
Instead of responding, Pip just shook his head and walked towards his house. The stranger watched him go, still dripping blood. “And be sure not to come looking like that. Clean yourself up!” He shouted as Pip entered his house
“Bucking weirdo,” murmured Pip, shutting the door behind him. He bandaged his bleeding wounds before passing out on the bed.
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Pip was late to class. He was late to class everyday, but even more so today. He had spent an hour getting treated by the doctor that morning, and was feeling terrible. All considering, he hadn’t gotten hurt too badly, only receiving a few head injuries, a broken rib, and a number of cuts and bruises. He still looked horrible though, and felt it. He ignored the looks he was getting from his classmates as he took his usual seat near the back of the class. Button sat in the second row with a split lip, black eye, and a significant chest bandage. Pip walked right past him on the way to his seat, neither making eye contact. Sweetie Belle looked between them, seeming horrified.
Although Mr. Rhombus gave him a visible sign of disapproval, he didn’t say anything. Rhombus used to give Pip a speech about being late to class, as he did with every student. but had given up on him long back. He went back to teaching the lesson, something about the difference between ursal and umbral hexes… Pip yawned. He still didn’t understand why he needed to learn about this. He wasn’t a unicorn, and he wasn’t interested in magic.
Pip took out the piece of paper from the night earlier.
Left side alley next to the east-side joke shop 11:50
Pip crumpled up the note before shoving it back into his bag. He couldn’t believe that guy expected him to show up. Pip rued as Rhombus continued to talk about whatever he was talking about.
As per usual, Pip went to Sugar Cube Corner for lunch. He couldn’t stand the disgusting stuff they served at the school cafeteria. He walked up to the counter where Mr. Cake was polishing some glasses with a rag. He still did stuff like that from time to time out of habit, even though he had employees to do it for him.
“Hey Pipsqueak, what can I do you for,” greeted Mr. Cake.
“I’ll take the usual.” The usual of course being an omelette with a side of milkshake.
“Are you sure? We have a special today,” said Mr. Cake, pointing to the menu. Griffith chocolate cupcakes. Pip loved griffith chocolate! Made from special cocoa beans that grew only in Griffon country, it was considered one of the most delectable treats in Equestria. It was also the most expensive items on the menu, and Pip was running low on money as it was…
“I’ll take three,” Pip declared, mouth watering.
“Coming right up.”
Pip headed back to class contentedly with a full stomach. On his way, he saw Sweetie Belle talking with Button near the cafe. His feeling of contentedness were quickly replaced with irritation. He took the long way around them.
Once the class had gathered, Mr. Rhombus began passing out papers to each student. “Pop quiz,” he announced. “I hope you all were listening to the lecture.”
Damnit.
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After the quiz, more magical sciences, and after that, mundane sciences, and after that, Pre-Discordian history, and after that, detention. Pip hated school. But he didn’t hate it enough to drop out. He’d thought about dropping out before, but what would he do after that? And he could imagine how disappointed Cheerilee would be...
Pip left the school after detention ended. He saw Cheerilee coming his way, but he pretended not to notice her. She would probably ask why he was injured and bandaged, and he really didn’t want to make up an excuse. He was a terrible liar anyway. The last thing he was going to do was talk to anypony about last night’s incident.
It was getting colder this time of year, the leaves just starting to fall from the trees. Pip’s eyes were drawn to the sky as five pegasus streaked over Ponyville. Even from here, their vibrant rainbow sashes shown brightly, denoting them as members of the Wonderbolt Elite Rainbow Brigade. It was always an awesome sight, albeit a brief one. Being the fastest fliers in Equestria, they disappeared from over Ponyville in a matter of moments, probably headed back to Cloudsdale. Pip watched them vanish into the horizon before continuing on.
The hours passed as Pip lazed in his house. His side hurt, and his face hurt, he didn’t want to do anything today, and he didn’t really want to see anyone. There was one thing he couldn’t get out of his head though.
“I expect to see you there. And I guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
There was something familiar about the way the stranger had talked. It almost felt like Pip had heard him before… He hadn’t said anything concrete, yet Pip couldn’t help feeling a bit curious of what he had been alluding to.
There’s no harm in just showing up, he thought. He looked at the time. 11 o’clock.
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The night sky hung oppressively over Ponyville. It felt like a completely different town than in the day. Guarded by dark, suspicious figures exchanged hushed words. The occasional pony moved quickly through the flickering light of the street lamps. Even the whimsical joke shop seemed foreboding to Pip as he passed it. He was a few minutes early.
A pony was mugged a couple weeks back. It was a big deal, that sort of thing happened in Manehattan and Phillydelphia, but never in Ponyville. And this was only a week after somepony’s tandem bicycle had been stolen. Stealing a pony’s bicycle, especially a tandem bicycle, was considered a serious offense throughout Equestria. A motion had been brought before the mayor to install a police pony, but she had firmly denounced the notion though, saying that they were isolated incidents, that Ponyville had never had police ponies before, and didn’t need one now.
“Well well, you’re early.” Pip was startled by the sudden voice. The stranger was barely visible in the glimmer of moonlight, still wearing a heavy hooded cloak. “It’s nice to see you showing some initiative. That’s what I like to see.” The pony walked out into the light. He was taller than an average pony, certainly much taller than Pip, and had a creamy yellow coat. “Ready?” he asked.
“Ready for what exactly?” Pip cautiously asked.
The stranger turned and began to walk away. “You wouldn’t have come if you weren’t prepared to see for yourself. Let’s go.”
Pip followed the stranger as he moved through the dark alleys, heading for the center of Ponyville.
What am I even doing with this guy…
The stranger led Pip into the town center. It was almost completely dark, lit dimly by the light of the moon; there weren’t any lamps around this area. He walked straight to the door of the old town hall. Pip was wondering what he planned to do. This old place had been cleaned out and since the mayor had built a new one a couple years ago. Pip was surprised as the stranger produced a key from his cloak, fitting it into the lock. The door swung open, revealing the interior of the old town hall. A single large, open area with a stage, overlooked by a large central balcony lit by a single candle.
“How do you have a key to this place?”
The stranger shut and locked the door behind Pip. “We all have one.” He directed Pip to a cupboard next to the stage, opening it to reveal a large number of cloaks, similar to the one he was wearing. “You might want to wear one of these, if you don’t want to be seen.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to be seen?” He asked slowly.
“I don’t know. It’s up to you.”
Pip sighed and donned one of the small cloaks. He didn’t understand, but he had already come this far, so he might as well go all the way.
The stranger walked onto the stage and behind the curtain, beckoning for Pip to follow. Near the back wall was a pair of closed wooden doors which looked to lead down to a cellar area. The door opened suddenly, startling Pip, and what looked like an inebriated pegasus exited. He stumbled past the stranger and Pip, heading out. A large, blue earth pony stood guard behind the cellar doors, and was just shutting the doors as he saw the stranger approach.
“Hey,” he greeted, holding the doors open for the stranger to enter. Beyond the doors, there was a wide staircase leading downwards, deep into the ground. He could hear noises from below, what sounded like many yells and whoops. Pip paused.
“What is this place?” He asked the stranger. The stranger chuckled.
“Ponyville’s best kept secret.” And with that he descended the steps.
Pip hesitated. The guard pony stared at him. He wore a suit and had what looked like a padlock for a cutie mark. “You coming in or not?”
“Uh… yeah.” Pip entered and followed the stranger, becoming less and less sure what exactly he was getting into. They descended together, turning a corner to see a few ponies drinking and talking on the steps. One of them nodded to the stranger as he passed, who nodded back. The noises were growing louder, dozens of voices yelling and cheering boisterously . As they passed a few more ponies, they entered the central chamber. Pip was amazed. It was a huge room, with about half of it taken up by a large caged ring, around which a crowd of ponies thronged.
“Whoa.” murmured Pip. There was a frenetic movement within the cage, Pip struggled to see into it from where he was, the crowd obscuring his view. Suddenly a yellow pony was thrown against the wall of the cage, bloody and beaten.
“Uppercut! Give him the uppercut!”
“Get back in there Flash!”
The yellow pony called Flash struggled to regain his composure, turning around to face his opponent. Pip’s view became blocked by a large buffalo spectator. Unable to see, he moved closer to the ring, trying to get a gain sight of the action. He stood up on his hind legs to peer over the heads of the raving spectators. Flash was on the ground, a blue-maned pegasus utop him, beating him into the floor. He tried to cover his face, but was unable to protect himself as he took punch after merciless punch in the gut and jaw. The crowd intensified.
“Finish him!”
“Get up you sack of trash!”
“Elbow! Elbow!”
Pip was blown away by the energy of the fight and crowd. There were stallions and mares of all types jumping and whooping. Some of them blasted excitement, while others looked intensely angry, shouting commands at the fighters. Pip squinted as he saw a mare he knew.
Is that Mrs. Cake?
Pip gawked as Mrs. Cake jostled against the cage. “Rip his head off!” She shouted manically.
The Flash’s face was a mess of blood as his opponent continued to beat him. The yellow pony’s strength appeared to fail as the onslaught was just too much. A stallion entered the ring to grab the pegasus and pull him off his beaten opponent. Breathing hard, the victorious stallion raised his hoof to the crowd, who responded with a violent cheer. Although he had bruises and a bloody nose, Flash was much worse off. The pegasus exited the cage as a few stallions tried to bring Flash around.
The stranger approached Pip as he looked around at the commotion. Pip jumped as the stranger put a hoof on his shoulder.
"Welcome to the Ponyville Fight Society.”
------------------------
Pip and the stranger sat in a booth in a quieter part of the room. After the fight had died down, most of spectators had migrated to the money changing station, where winning bets were cashed in. Some ponies stayed at the bar afterwards, while some left.
Pip had noticed that besides the fighting, the bar wasn’t like Sugar Cube Pub, or other bars. Ever since Celestia took the throne, there had been a strict Equestria-wide limit on alcohol, along with many other laws. All ponies were limited to a couple drinks a night, and all alcohols were strictly regulated to ensure low potency. Here, there was no limit, and judging by the behavior of some of the ponies, the alcohol was stronger to boot.
A good number of the patrons wore disguising cloaks, while others dressed normally. Once the the fever pitch of the room had subsided, Pip began to pick out more than a few ponies he recognized from around town. However, his conversation with the stranger tore his attention away from them.
“Let me just get this straight.” Pip was looking disbelievingly at the stranger. “You want me to fight.”
“That’s right.” The stranger replied nonchalantly, taking a sip from his drink.
Pip stared at him. “I weigh 100 pounds,” he said, speaking slowly, as if to make sure the stranger understood, “I’m a head shorter than any other pony in my class. Why in Equestria would you ask me to fight?”
“I have an experienced eye for these things. What you did last night to knock out that pony was something else. The ferocity. The strength. The speed.” He looked at Pip, emphasizing the words. “It was something I’ve only seen experienced fighters pull off. Where exactly did you learn to do that?”
“Well, I mean, no one really taught me, I just-”
“-Brilliant.” The stranger cut him off. “Absolutely sensational. I knew it, a natural talent!” The stranger took a hearty swig of cider.
“Talent?” Pip asked, surprised to hear the word mentioned. “No, no. You couldn’t be more wrong about that. I don’t-”
“-Wrong? Nonsense. I haven’t seen a talent like that in years. For a complete novice to deliver such a devastating blow with no trace of hesitation, my boy its remarkable. I can only imagine where your talent could be taken with the proper training.”
“First of all,” started Pip, “stop interrupting me. Second of all, I was only able to do that because it was against a game programmer. Of course anypony could knock out a nerd like that! But you want me to compete in a fight club? There’s no way I could-”
“-Pass up an opportunity like this,” the stranger finished. “My boy, you were born to compete! Can you honestly tell me that after you made that stallion crumple at your feet, you didn’t feel exhilarated?
Despite his annoyance, Pip knew the stranger was right to some extent. He hadn’t been able to savor the experience for long, due to being beaten by a gang of ponies, but kicking Button’s ass had been immensely satisfying. He wasn’t going to admit it though.
“Look.” Said Pip, standing up. “Fighting in defense is one thing, but this,” Pip gestured to a thoroughly bruised and battered Flash, “is something else. Thanks for showing me your illegal fight club, I guess, but this isn’t something for somepony like me.” Pip began to walk towards the exit.
“Oh did I mention?” asked the stranger loudly, “The pay for the first match is 100 bits.”
Pip stopped in his tracks. He turned his head. “How much?”
“Just sign right here,” motioned the rough-looking pony at the counter. Pip stood before the large, barred money changing window, behind which a pony had produced a sheet for him to sign for his first match.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
With a heavy sense of finality, Pip signed the sheet. “Excellent,” gestured the stranger. “Wonderful. Supremely divine.”
“Remember, I’m only going for one fight. After I get paid, that’s it. I won’t do anymore.”
The stranger smiled. “Of course, my boy. I understand perfectly.”
The pony behind the counter spoke up. “Your first fight is in two days.” Pip blanched a bit at the words.
“Two days? I thought I would have more time than that.”
“Well,” said the pony behind the counter, “normally you would. But you’re late in signing up, so you only get two days. You’ll be fighting the other late sign-up.”
“Whose that?”
The pony behind the counter pointed to a corner of the room, where a massive white pegasus with tiny wings sat. Pip’s mouth was agape. “Bulk Biceps?!”
The stranger caught up to Pip just as he was headed out the doors of the town hall. “What are you doing?”
“Are you BUCKING INSANE?” Yelled Pip. “Bulk Biceps?! He is literally five times my size! This is nuts!”
“What’s nuts is losing spirit just from seeing your opponent. How can you expect to be a fighter acting like that?”
“You think I can fight him? You’re a nutjob! He’ll eat me!”
“Listen, my boy,” said the stranger, grabbing Pip by the shoulder. “Yes, the odds will be stacked against you. Yes, everypony will expect you to lose. Yes, everypony will be betting money that you will get beaten to a bloody pulp. But that is what will make it a great fight! You will put a fight worthy of champions! You will stand resolute, and shock them all!” The stranger took a step back. “There is one night left between now and your fight. Tomorrow night, you will meet me in the eastern field near Sanctuary, at the same time. I’ll teach you the tricks you’ll need to know. After tomorrow night, you’ll be ready to take on ten dragons.” The stranger put a hoof on his own chest in a show of sincerity. “Trust me.”
Pip looked at the stranger. There was something powerfully persuasive about him. The way he guided the conversation, never accepting no for an answer… seemed very reminiscent to Pip.
“When I left my house, this wasn’t quite what I had expected…”
“No pony expects their talent before they discover it. That’s part of the beauty of it. Now, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Pip sighed in resignation. “I guess…” He walked out of town hall into the chill night air. He turned to the stranger. “Who are you?”
“From now on, consider me your manager.”
Pip headed back to his house, through the dim streets and dark fields. After entering and shutting the door, he leaned back against it, pondering the events that had transpired.
What the buck just happened?
-----------------------------
“So who was that?” The blue guard pony asked the stranger.
The stranger flashed a brilliant smile. “My ticket back into the game.”