Burned

Chapter One – Burned

Aria grimaced as she kept her right hand clenched in a tight fist as she rubbed her swollen cheek with her left. She looked up at the brute that so clearly wanted to continue, only for his swinish friends to hold him back.

“Hey Bosco, this chick ain’t worth the time,” said one. The man named Bosco cracked his neck and turned away.

“Get out of here,” he called as he walked back into the bar, “Next time I see your face, a backhand will be the least of your worries.”

Aria cursed as she turned away from the bar, the one place she thought she could get some respite from the long, cold nights. A little buzz would have warmed her up, or at least allow her to forget that she was in such a destitute situation. Several months passed since she and her sisters failed plan to gain supreme magical power and the loss of their singing voices. The former stung as it meant they were reduced to powerless humans. The latter as it meant their one true gift and talent was just as shattered as their pendants. Without their singing voices, they were nothing.

She tried to keep their group together. Adagio did not have a contingency plan, but she also did not like being challenged. The two fought, and unable to stand the sight of her any longer, Aria walked away first. She expected Sonata to follow, only to discover that she was going to stay with Adagio. That clinched the break-up of their trio. Aria walked away without another word, hands in her hoodie pockets for who-knows-where.

The echo of a clock bell told Aria in eight straight strikes that it was eight o’clock in the evening. The cold winter wind brushed past her exposed face, leaving her to bundle up even more. Her tattered runners crunched the snow beneath her feet as she looked for a place to hide from the elements and get some sleep. Some place with cover and even bare heating like a bus terminal.

The rumble of her stomach gave heed that she needed food. Actual food, as her stomach constantly reminded her, not negative energy that Aria could drain. Fishing out her wallet, she looked to find not only the source of her long term troubles, that being a lack of funds, but also the source of her short term funds.

That being a lack of funds to pay for a beer and then walking out of Bosco’s bar.

Aria rubbed her cheek again and winced when she felt the flesh. How had she gotten to this low, low point in her life? She thought being banished by Starswirl the Bearded to this miserable world was bad enough, now she was penniless, homeless, and starving. Having sold the majority of her belongings, Aria now had little to her name but the clothes on her back, and they were doing a poor job keeping the winter at bay.

Thus, she continued to walk the streets of the city until she saw someone familiar hurry along in the same direction. Aria squinted and saw that the young woman had a brilliant mane of pink hair and yellow skin. It couldn’t be one of those Rainboom brats, she thought. Her teeth clenched at the possibility one of the perpetrators of her downfall could be right in front of her.

Aria Blaze held a lot of anger in her heart, this she knew. She needed a way to let that anger out. The animal-lover would be the perfect receptacle of her rage. It was not rational in the least, but venting her pent up aggression would do her some good.

She kept to the shadows as she followed canary-girl, not wanting a confrontation in the open streets where the likelihood of outside interference was high. No, Aria would wait until the right opportunity to scare the living daylights out of her now-nemesis.

Clutching a bright yellow duffle bag covered in a myriad of butterflies, the pink-haired girl quickly looked behind her. Aria dove behind some cover, hoping the darkness would conceal her. Her target’s eyes darted back and forth until she resumed her trek through the snow-clad city streets. With a deep breath, Aria continued to stalk her prey.

What felt like fifteen minutes of walking finally ended after canary-girl walked into a small building tucked away amongst the skyscrapers. Aria looked up to see a rather dilapidated sign reading “Haven Gymnasium” fade in and out due to shorted out electrical wires. Aria bit her lip as she looked at the entrance. Gyms meant people and Aria did not want to confront her target with a bunch of musclebound jocks around her. Her cheek stung again just by the thought.

That said Aria also wanted to know what the girl was doing at a place like this. She didn’t look like an athlete unlike the rainbow-haired snot who helped destroy the siren’s powers. Instead of rushing in, she opened the door slowly. All that lay before her was a stone staircase and a rusty guardrail leading to the underground. Was this some kind of underground fighting ring under the pretense of a gym? Aria had to admit, she was impressed if that was what canary-girl was going for. Didn’t think she had it in her.

Aria walked down the steps until the saw a pair of doors leading into the “gym” proper. A steel mesh protected the windows as well as blocking the view. With a tentative hand, Aria was ready to push the doors open when she stopped. Was it really worth all this time and effort just to get into the face of a girl who was scared of a spotlight shining on her? Aria had bigger things to deal with, like finding a place to sleep and getting some food to eat.

Yet another voice told her she needed to get into that girl’s face, to yell and scream and do whatever, to get the anger out of her system. She liked that idea more; it was easier and more immediate to accomplish.

With a confidence fueled by rage, Aria pushed the door open to see exactly what Haven Gym was all about. Much to her displeasure, it wasn’t exactly like how she imagined it. It was a gym, but an older one with old equipment and a few mats lying about. It wasn’t a fight pit either, despite having a large boxing ring as the centerpiece.

For the inhabitants of the gym, Aria could only see three people. Obviously canary-girl was there, all dressed up in a white t-shirt and track pants, running on a treadmill and working up a sweat. Ok, she’s just doing a bit of cardio, Aria examined, I’m sure she could do that at Canterlot High. Why come to this dump?

Nearby was a massive young man with white skin and blonde hair, but he also appeared to be a walking brick house. Muscles bounded on muscles as he worked the bench press. His red eyes appeared to bulge as he lifted what Aria counted as four hundred pounds of weight on the bar. He worked the weights in reps of ten, taking only a few seconds for a break between them before going at the bar again.

Near the bulky student was a woman acting as a spotter for him. Much older than canary-girl, to which Aria guessed she had to be late thirties to early forties, she guessed that the woman was some kind of trainer for Haven Gym. A tall athletic woman with incredibly pale skin yet brilliant red hair, she kept the bar from falling onto the buff guy’s chest.

Aria walked around the gym for a moment while everyone was busy training. Several posters lined a bulletin board. Most of them advertised athletic pursuits like group therapy to weight loss programs, but others hawked local events of the professional wrestling variety. One poster caught Aria’s eye.

Special Event for all the brave and the bold, Aria read, come down to the Rodeo House Event Center this Wednesday for a chance to win one thousand dollars. All you have to do is survive five minutes with Amazon Wrestling Championship pro Konstance Paine. Sufficiently impressive performances may even be considered for joining the AWC.

A thousand dollars, Aria though with a hand to her chin. I could really use that kind of money. Five minutes with a meathead chick? That shouldn’t be too difficult.

“That’s enough for now, Bulk,” the trainer said, effortlessly putting the bar back on the rest. “Get cleaned up so you don’t miss the bus. You have violin practice tonight, right?”

Bulk nodded. “Yeah!”

The trainer tilted her head towards the room marked “Men’s Locker Room”. “Same with you, Fluttershy,” she said, “Your mom will be here in a few minutes.”

“Alright Miss… whew… Miss Del Diavolo.” Fluttershy pressed a button on the treadmill to make it stop. She took a moment to catch her breath, her chest heaving in a rapid lungful of air. Once she picked up her water bottle and took a drink, Fluttershy turned to go to the women’s locker room when she looked across the floor to the gym.

Right in the direction of Aria. The two locked eyes for a moment and both appeared just as surprised as the other. Fluttershy instinctively took a frightened step backwards, alerting Miss Del Diavolo of a new presence. The trainer turned her icy blue eyes to Aria, and true to the description she froze under such a gaze.

“Is there something I can help you with, miss?” Miss Del Diavolo walked towards Aria and the closer she got, the more Aria could see just how toned and defined the gym’s sole employee muscles were. Aria thought she took care of herself, but even she had to admit she was envious of Del Diavolo’s physique. The older woman crossed her arms as Fluttershy approached carefully behind her.

Aria stammered as she looked at Del Diavolo. She wanted a piece of Fluttershy, not a tussle against a jock. “Uh…” Aria tried to find the words. “I was uh… I… I saw my friend Fluttershy come in and was just curious what she was doing.”

Del Diavolo raised a single brow. She turned her eyes to Fluttershy who looked on with confusion.

“W-well she’s…” Fluttershy was about to say something when her trainer interrupted her.

“Why do you smell like mildew and disappointment?”

Aria boggled for a moment. She didn’t know disappointment could have a smell. The mildew though she could attribute to sleeping in the same wet clothes for months. She felt both shame for her lacklustre appearance and anger at Del Diavolo for pointing it out.

“I just got in from the cold,” Aria said, “I fell into some snow. The smell probably comes from that.”

Fluttershy observed quietly from behind her trainer as she continued. “Well, this is Haven Gym, I’m the owner, Roza Del Diavolo. It’s a place for people to work out in relative peace and quiet, so I don’t typically have too many people here. I like to keep it that way. I’m closing up shop once Fluttershy and Bulk are done, but if you’re interested in joining up, I’ll be happy to talk to you tomorrow.”

I can barely afford a sandwich, I don’t need a personal trainer. Before she could retort, Roza pointed towards the showers over her shoulder. “Why don’t you get cleaned up before heading out? I have some gear you can have to replace those soiled clothes and--”

“I don’t need charity!” Aria shouted at Roza, which only furrowed the older woman’s brow. She quickly took a step back and a deep breath.

“I…” Aria never realized how hard it was to say one particular word. She had to admit, she could use the shower. “I’m… sorry. It has been a very long day. I could really use a shower, if you don’t mind.”

Roza nodded and stepped aside, allowing Fluttershy and Aria to head to the locker rooms. Fluttershy hurried ahead of her, which only pleased Aria further. She might not be able to ream Fluttershy verbally, but the fact that she could intimidate her made Aria quite happy indeed.

Granted, it seemed everything frightened Fluttershy. Take your small victories when you can, Aria.

Aria quickly showered and felt rejuvenated for the first time since the last negative energy drain. When she emerged with a towel wrapped around her, her eyes turned down at the memory of such. She missed her power. She missed her voice. She missed her purpose. She even missed Adagio and Sonata.

Fluttershy stood in front of a mirror brushing her hair having finished her shower first. Remembering everything she lost and one of the sources of her loss right in front of her acting like nothing happened? How Aria hated Fluttershy and all her stupid little friends.

“Um…” Fluttershy spoke up for the first time since the two were alone. “A-Aria…”

“What do you want?!” Aria snapped, causing Fluttershy to squeak in fright. Aria focused on putting on the new clothes Roza left for her consisting of purple sweat pants and a white shirt with “Haven Gym” printed on it. Roza even left a pair of clean socks. The cotton felt incredible on her feet, though she regretted that such clean socks would soon be soiled in her dirty runners.

Fluttershy mustered some amount of courage to speak again. “You… um… you don’t look like you are doing so well. Do you need any help with anything?”

“I’m fine,” Aria snarled, “Just perfect. You know, after losing my ability to sing, being destitute on the streets, my only allies walking out on me, oh, and it’s all thanks to you and your stupid friends. Yeah, I’m doing great. How does it feel knowing that you ruined three lives? I bet it feels awful, huh? All that talk of friendship garbage, and now look at me? I bet you’re really proud.”

Aria smirked. Maybe it wasn’t the exact tirade she had planned, but she felt much better. Soon Fluttershy would cry and run out of the locker room crying. Oh yes, she would savour any victory no matter how small.

Yet despite her verbal barrage, Fluttershy did not flinch. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about what happened to you and your friends, but I’m not sorry about stopping you and your plan to steal magic. Conquering the world is mean and nasty and… and not very nice! I hope that you can get your life back together again, and I’m sure if you need it, my friends and I will be more than willing to help. Well, Rainbow and Applejack might need some convincing, and Rarity has a very busy schedule for the next couple of weeks. Sunset Shimmer should be able to help too, I should ask.”

Aria stared blankly at Fluttershy. She didn’t think she had it in her.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Fluttershy said, packing up the last of her belongings before walking out. Aria gritted her teeth as she realized Fluttershy stole even the smallest of victories from her yet again. She hated losing, and the thought that such a meek little girl could tear her down embarrassed and enraged her.

Unable to do anything, Aria sat down on one of the benches in the locker room. She did not want to go back to the streets. What choice did she have though?

“I’m better than this,” Aria muttered, “I’m Aria Blaze. That has to mean something to somebody.”

Slowly as if to draw out time, Aria stood up and collected what few belongings she had to her name. As she approached the door she heard Fluttershy and Roza conversing. She pressed herself against the door to eavesdrop.

“Everything should be ready, Miss Del Diavolo,” Fluttershy said, “Aria has already left. You can close up whenever you like.”

“Alright then, Fluttershy,” Roza replied, “Your mom is waiting for you. Had a good talk with her. I’ll be leaving the furnace on overnight, keep things warm. The last thing I want to do in the morning is use freezing cold equipment.”

“What about your alarm system?”

“Still on the fritz. I should get that looked at one day, but it’s a pretty safe town. Anyways, have a good night.”

Aria could not believe what that Fluttershy twerp just did to her. She and Roza just left Aria alone inside a gym with nothing but—

She paused for a moment and then opened the door to look at the darkened gym. Only the secondary lights were on, giving only the bare minimum of light. Aria rubbed her bare arms as she felt the warmth from actually being inside a building, a proper building with a furnace and everything. The silence of the empty gym comforted her in its own way. It certainly beat listening to cars on the streets.

Aria walked around for a little bit when she spotted what must have been Roza’s desk. Nothing interest lay upon it as it seemed little more than a surface for her to put training regimens on. What did interest Aria was an apple and orange left alone along with a bottle of water. She devoured the food and savoured every bite. To eat something that wasn’t in a wrapper or worse, half-eaten and in a garbage can gave Aria a delight she never thought she would taste again. The water felt heavenly as it flowed down her throat.

She discarded her waste and resumed her short exploration, now focusing on the ring in the middle of the gym. A simple yet functioning centerpiece, Aria wondered why Roza needed something like this in her gym. Maybe she also trained boxers? Aria slid her hand across the canvas. It felt rough against her hands, but then maybe it was simply callouses caused by homeless living.

A set of steel steps took up two corners on the outside, and out of mild curiosity Aria decided to walk them. She wanted to know what it would be like to step between the ropes and stand in the middle of the ring, if she was really serious about trying for that thousand dollars tomorrow.

Standing on the apron, Aria held on to the top rope and looked over the edge. The actual inside of the squared circle seemed much larger from here than it did when she stared at it from the inside. Slowly, Aria stepped under the second rope and into the ring proper. She walked around a bit, feeling the way her feet seemed to bounce off the canvas. She jumped on the mat and rather enjoyed the sound of the entire ring echoing from her bouncing feet.

Aria sighed as she leaned against the top rope. A thousand dollars was a lot of money. She would be able to get out of this wretched city with that kind of money, go somewhere else, and start over maybe. All she had to do was “survive” five minutes in the ring with someone named Konstance Paine.

“How hard can it be,” Aria muttered as she exited the ring. She needed to find a decent place to sleep for the night and the bench press did not look particularly comfortable. Aria looked back to the ring and flipped over the apron. She saw that there was plenty of room underneath; she could use a mat for bedding and her hoodie for a blanket. All that lay under the ring was a ladder, a table, and a few folding chairs. Good enough place to store stuff in.

Once she was under the ring and the apron back down, Aria could not help herself from falling asleep quickly. She clutched her hoodie close to her. Soon enough Aria would be out of this town. She just needed to last five minutes.

***

Aria awoke to the sounds of shoes walking about the gym. She peeked out from under the apron to see Roza unlocking the door of her office. With not a lot of time before Roza came out to open her gym proper, Aria slipped on her hoodie and quietly made her way towards the exit.

The door opened to reveal the bright morning sun and a clear blue sky. A cold wind still blew in from the north, causing Aria to bundle up. She walked down the street towards the Rodeo House Event Center, her mind racing at the thought that she would be competing in the evening. All she needed to do was survive for five minutes. No big deal.

“I’m Aria Blaze,” she said to herself as she walked past the crowds of people in the downtown core. “I can do anything. I’m tough. I am a mean, bad girl who doesn’t take anything lying down. I’m going to win. I’m getting the money. I’m getting out of this city. I can do this. I’m Aria Blaze.”

Aria stepped inside the building and looked around for where to register. What she found quite a large lineup of prospective competitors for the cash prize. Aria took her place in the line-up and spent the next few hours waiting in line. She spent the time daydreaming about what she would do with the money all over again. New shoes… new shoes were definitely on the agenda.

When it was her turn to register, Aria looked over the contract quickly before signing it. It required all the of the most basic information such as her name and age. Some of the blanks needed a bit of embellishment of course. Sirens from Equestria born centuries ago did not fit into a registration form easily.

“Do you have a ring name?” the registrar said in a rather uninterested tone. Aria blanked for a moment. A ring name?

“You mean like a stage name?” Aria asked. She didn’t think she needed a different identity to compete in the ring, but supposed that was just as much a part of the game as anything. She racked her mind for a good name when the registrar spoke up.

“Same difference,” he replied. He looked at the registration form closely. “Aria Blaze, huh? That sounds like a good enough ring name to me. Might as well keep that. Don’t forget to sign the contract and pay the entry fee.”

As Aria signed the contract, her hand froze. “Entry fee?”

“Twenty bucks.” The registrar pointed to a segment of the poster Aria did not read. “We have to pay for the prize money somehow. Tickets cover the cost, entry fees are for profits. Twenty bucks up front, come on.”

Aria paled. She did not have a red cent to her name nor could not just hand the clothes off her back. All she had left were her silver star hair pins, her most prized possessions. The last remnants of Sonata and Adagio. Gifts from a long time ago. Gifts that reminded her of better days with the closest thing she had to family.

She hesitated as she thought about how much the hairpins meant to her. Memories of Adagio and Sonata rushed to the fore, memories of all the good times they had together. Those memories quickly darkened as she remembered how Adagio took Sonata and abandoned her. Anger boiled inside her at the memory of their supposed “leader”. The pins would pay the price.

The fee needed payment though, and the thousand dollars would help in the end. If she won, she could buy them back. She unclipped the silver stars and handed them to the registrar. Her purple hair fell across her back as waited she for the registrar to accept them.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” he asked.

Aria sighed. “They are made of real silver. They should be able to cover the entry fee.”

The registrar simply raised an eyebrow and shrugged, putting the hairpins into a box with the rest of the money. “If you say so, kid. The order of competitors is determined randomly. You’ll be getting your number in the next hour.”

Aria nodded and headed to a back room where other challengers stood waiting. She took a place in the corner of the waiting room, crossed her arms, and simply waited for the competition to start. While she waited, a worker for the AWC approached her with a small booklet. Aria rolled her eyes but accepted the booklet, finding it a to be a set of rules and guidelines for the upcoming match.

By signing the contract, you agree that any harm to your physical being is not the fault of Amazon Wrestling Championship Inc. You also agree that your likeness and any audio or video recording may be used without compensation. The most important rule observed in AWC is the safety of all competitors. Our referees will ensure your safety.

Tonight’s open challenge is a singles match. The objective is to remain in the ring without getting pinned or submitted by your opponent within a five minute timer. You may also attempt to pin or submit your opponent to win. To pin, you must hold your opponents shoulders down for the referee’s three count. To force your opponent to submit, you must apply a legal submission maneuver of which the opponent will then submit by slamming their hand on the mat in rapid succession. All competitors must stay in the ring. Exiting the ring by any means will lead to a disqualification, which will cause the competitor to lose the match and therefore the prize money.

The following cannot be performed in the match. The official will give a warning, but repeated use will lead to a disqualification: gouge to the eyes, blows to the genitals, and the use of foreign objects. A pinfall or submission attempt cannot be made if the opponent is touching the bottom rope. Any holds or pinfalls must be released by the count of five. Failure to heed these regulations will be met with a disqualification.

Well, she did not make it this far and sell off her hairpins to get disqualified. She spent the next couple of hours poring through all the rules and regulations the ACW wanted her to abide by. As she read, some of the other competitors tried to talk to her. Some asked her out, some said good luck, while others boasted that she did not stand a chance against them or Konstance Paine. Aria ignored most of them, but the more obnoxious competitors got her iciest of stares.

She was not here to make friends. She was here to win the prize and she would have it.

“I thought the ACW was a women only wrestling promotion,” Aria overheard, “Awful lot of guys here.”

“Well, they did say it was open challenge. The actual league is exclusive to women. This is just a publicity stunt to attract attention. They do these once every four months as part of some scouting tradition. I heard the current world champ got her start here.”

Aria did not pay too much attention to the conversation, but could not help but have some mild interest. She was going to be in front of a crowd for the first time since the Dazzling’s disastrous defeat. She might as well know a little bit about the company that was going to pay her the big bucks.

When she finished reading the booklet, Aria looked up to see some of the ring crew passing around numbers. She took her number tag and noted it said “Three.” The clock on the wall said four o’clock. An hour until showtime.

“Competitors, please remember the regulations of the ACW as indicated by your booklet,” the ring crewman said, “Everyone please file into the arena in the order you have been given.”

Aria stood behind two large men and suddenly realized just how out of place she was in this competition. Everyone appeared as proper athletes ready to enter a contest of the utmost physicality. Compared to Aria, they were true warriors heading into the field of battle. She was a bum off the streets hoping to strike gold within a field of broken bones.

Loud heavy rock music spilled from past the curtain and once Aria was through, she saw exactly what she signed up for. While the arena was not large, it still held at least a couple thousand cheering fans, eager and ready for the mayhem to begin. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of so many spectators. Never before did she perform in front of such a capacity crowd. Canterlot High only boasted a few hundred.

Her elation at being back on stage deflated when she saw exactly was the stage was. While it was a wrestling ring like the one in Haven Gym, this one was also surrounded by a steel chain link cage that stretched all the way to the ceiling. Only a single solitary door allowed anyone in or out of the cage.

Aria swallowed hard. What did she get herself into now?

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the ACW quarterly open challenge!” A loud man with a microphone and a garish suit shouted to the arena. “Tonight, you will see the brave and the bold take on former National Champion Konstance Paine for the prize of one thousand dollars. All they have to do is survive for five whole minutes. Competitors… I don’t like your chances. Let’s introduce your collective opponent… at a height of six feet and eight inches, Konstance Paine!”

Aria gasped loudly as the ACW pro Konstance Paine stepped from behind the curtain and slowly walked towards the ring. A theme song played on the arena’s PA system, a rock song that instilled dread as Konstance made her way through the competitors. Red light only made the entire arena look like Hell itself, with the spectators being demons cheering on the devil himself.

She never met a woman of such stature as Konstance, and she could feel her heart beat rapidly out of pure terror. Wearing attire of black and red and razor wire as a decal, Konstance’s brunette hair cascaded down her most distinguishing feature; a cracked mask in the shape of a doll’s face with pitch black eyes. A single glove covered her right hand while athletics tape covered her left.

Konstance walked up the steel steps and into the ring by stepping over the top rope. Her muscles shone in the lights of the arena as she stepped in the center of the ring. She brought both of her hands up above her head before slamming them down to her sides. This motion seemingly caused fire to burst from pipes from the corner. An impressive pyrotechnics display that did their job well. Aria’s terror only grew.

I can do this, she told herself. I’m Aria Blaze. I can last for five minutes.

Aria watched as the first competitor entered the ring. The noise of the arena faded out around her as she focused on the upcoming match. A man wearing a black muscle shirt and matching track pants walked into the ring. Once inside, the ring crew closed the steel cage door and the ring bell run.

At the bell’s third strike, Konstance Paine moved faster than Aria expected from a woman so tall. Konstance charged the first competitor with her arm outstretched, slamming her considerable bicep into the man’s face. He fell over out cold, leaving Konstance to fall onto him with one arm pressed against his chest while the other mashed against his face. The official slid down to the mat and slammed his hand three times. In less than a minute, the first match was over.

One more and Aria’s turn was next.

The second competitor, another young man who looked more like a wrestler stepped into the ring. He tore off his shirt and tossed it aside. Wearing bright blue wrestling tights, he looked more prepared than the last athlete to challenge Konstance Paine, though to Aria, not by much.

The bell sounded and with the match underway, the second competitor moved to attack early. He started with some kicks to Konstance’s legs but that was as far as he got. Konstance replied with a backhand across his face, sending him staggering backwards and dazed. She then picked him up and hoisted him over her head, showing off her incredible strength. The second competitor kicked and screamed, but this only urged Konstance on.

With a shout from behind her mask, Konstance threw the man into the steel cage. He bounced off the cage wall and back onto the mat, allowing Konstance to go for the pin. The referee’s hand came down three times and called for the bell. The second match was over in a little over a minute.

Now it was Aria’s turn.

“And now introducing our next challenger! Please put your hands together… in prayer… for this brave young woman, Aria Blaze!”

The raucous chorus of boos and jeers resounded throughout the small makeshift arena. Aria swallowed the lump of nervousness that formed in her throat as she slowly entered the caged ring. She stopped in front of the ropes, finally getting a good look at Paine. She never met a woman as tall and imposing as her before and now Aria expected to be locked inside a steel cage with her for five minutes.

“Think of the money,” Aria told herself. “Just think about the money. You can do this. Just don’t let that masked mastodon take hold of you for five minutes. I’m Aria Blaze. I can do this.”

Slowly, Aria stepped under the second rope and into the ring. She took off her hoodie, tossed it to one of the ring crew, and then tied her hair back with an elastic band. With the two combatants ready, the crew closed the steel cage door. Aria felt cold sweat drop down her face and she did not even done anything yet. Konstance Paine continued to stand perfectly still in the meantime, leaving Aria feeling incredibly vulnerable thanks to the blank stare from the doll-face mask.

A chilling flush flowed through Aria’s blood. She swiftly turned to the ring announcer. All the talk about being a tough girl was just that; talk. “I don’t think I can do this! Can I go home now, please?”

“Sorry kid, you signed a contract!” The announcer smirked. “Not only that but the crowd craves carnage and we’re the ones that are going to give it to them! Ring the damn bell!”

DING DING DING!

Aria quickly turned to see Konstance charging at her with a head full of steam and a meaty arm outstretched and eager to take her head off. On pure instinct alone Aria ducked her head to avoid getting smashed by the oncoming forearm and quickly scrambled to create some form of distance between her and her opponent.

Konstance turned around, her mask completely shrouding any emotions. Aria only felt even more unnerved by the lack of emotions from Konstance. Only empty black pits stared back at Aria. The giant woman walked across the ring with methodical steps, taking the time to readjust her leather glove. Aria’s mind raced as the doll’s mask quickly shifted in front of her eyes into that of a hissing cat, with her playing the role of a frightened mouse.

As she lumbered forward, Konstance swung a backhand at Aria’s face. Again, she narrowly avoided the blow. The back of the giant’s hand smashed against the steel cage, causing the entire structure to rattle and shake. Like the competitor before her, Aria tried to take advantage of her small size and quickness and she delivered a few short kicks to the side of Konstance’s legs.

Yet each kick felt like she was kicking a brick wall. Aria chided herself as she created more distance between her and Konstance. She was not here to win; she was here to last five minutes. The need to anger Konstance by acting like a biting gnat was not there nor should it be. The tenacious Konstance never gave up the chase though.

Konstance clenched her fist and outstretched her arm again. Seeking another clothesline attack, she charged towards Aria and again Aria ducked underneath the arm. This time, Aria ran towards the one of the cage walls and begun to climb, scrambling to secure a hold on the chain links. Screw the money, she thought, I need to get the hell out of here!

Try as she may, escape would prove impossible as Konstance reached up and took firm hold of Aria’s shirt. With a great pull, she wrenched Aria off the steel cage and down towards the mat. Gravity and the hard surface rattled Aria’s very bones as she groaned in agony. Every nerve in her body screamed at the punishment it received. Aria turned her head to see Konstance lumbering towards her unflinching and uncaring. When she felt the padding of the ring’s turnbuckles, Aria knew incredible danger befell her.

Fists clenched, Aria stood ready for the inevitable doom that was Konstance Paine. With her arms outstretched, Konstance lunged for Aria in a grappling attempt. Aria back peddled into the turnbuckle and scrambled to the top rope. Konstance fell forward from her failed attack allowing Aria breathing room.

In the few seconds that Aria had, she saw an actual opening to attack Konstance. She stood up on the top of the turnbuckle and took a deep breath. This was her moment to shine. Adagio did tell her that the best defense was a good offense. All she needed to do was to keep Konstance dazed.

Aria lifted her fists above her head. With all her might, Aria jumped, bringing her fists down onto Konstance’s skull.

Only for Konstance to use that beguiling swiftness Aria saw earlier. Konstance thrust her gloved hand upward and caught Aria by the throat. Aria’s momentum died immediately and all she could do was squirm. She punched and kicked at the massive woman to no effect, as Konstance held and maintained a sizeable reach advantage. Aria choked, the grip on her neck cutting off her lungs from precious oxygen.

Konstance then hoisted Aria into the air, the sudden strength catching Aria completely off guard. Aria swivelled her head around, trying to find some way out of her predicament. Suspended seven feet off the mat, Aria looked around to the crowd. They looked even more demonic than when she first entered the ring.

They all clamoured for her downfall. They wanted her to crash and burn. They were just like the audience of Canterlot High.

The worst part? Aria could not do anything to stop Konstance Paine.

Konstance slammed Aria down back first to the mat. The shockwave reverberated throughout her body and Aria’s eyes dazed over. Everything became a blur and she could not even keep her eyes open. She felt Konstance cover her for the pin, but Aria did not respond to that. She faded from consciousness with only one thought on her mind.

I failed…

“ONE!”

I failed…

“TWO!”

I failed…

“THREE!”

DING DING DING!

The Real Deal

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Chapter 2 – The Real Deal

Her head felt like a thousand cinderblocks fell onto her one after another and they were not abating any time soon. Aria groaned as she rolled over in a rather soft mattress, pressed a hand against her forehead, and finally opened her eyes. She winced as the bright light above her seared her retinas. With a groan, she pulled the covers over her head.

“Sonata, it’s too early,” she muttered, “I have a splitting headache so get me some aspirin.”

A loud clack hit the table next to her. Sonata never slammed the pill bottle like that. Aria opened her eyes wide as she recounted everything around her: a warm bed, a soft blanket, the sound of medication offered to her, if a bit aggressively, and Sonata far away from her.

Aria shot up from bed and looked to see Fluttershy’s trainer Roza Del Diavolo sitting in a chair opposite the bed with her arms crossed and her expression none too pleased. She gestured to the aspirin bottle and the water right next to it. Taking up the bottle, Aria poured out two pills and swallowed them with an accompanying drink.

Memories of the night before rushed over her. The arena. The steel cage. Konstance Pain slamming her to the mat and finally blacking out.

“I…” Aria tried to choke back her tears. “I lost…”

The dam broke within her as she loosed all of her of her inner turmoil by beating up the mattress. Each hit only brought out more curses until she grasped her hair. This only reminded her that she sold her silver star hairpins to even compete in the ring. Now everything was lost. With no money and no hope, all Aria could do was cry while a stranger watched on.

Why should she care about what anyone else thought of her at this point? She definitely did not have her dignity anymore. Her pride vanished when Konstance pressed her shoulders to the mat for hundreds to see. Everything that Aria claimed to be was a falsehood that finally shattered inside the confines of a steel chair. All she had now where her tears.

Roza stretched her neck as she merely watched. When Aria calmed down a little, she spoke up. “If it helps a little bit, you set the bar for the rest of the night. Three minutes and twenty-six seconds. No one else managed to surpass that, much less win the big prize.”

Aria wiped away her tears with a sleeve. “It helps a little.” She clutched the bedsheet and looked at Roza with big puffy eyes.

“You don’t look like an athlete, so I’m guessing you were desperate. Probably thought wrestling was easy or some such nonsense.” Roza shook her head. “You had no right to be in a wrestling ring with one of the most brutal Amazons in the AWC. I suppose I should ask what you were thinking but let me see if I can figure it out on my own. You saw the poster in my gym, not knowing that AWC sponsors my place so I put up their ads. Being homeless, you wanted a means to be away from it all and a grand of cold hard cash would help in that regards. You went in thinking you were some tough chick, only to be fed to the meat grinder that is Konstance Paine. I, being the starling bit of both foresight and compassion, went to the event in hopes of finding a new student or two to join the roster of the ACW. Instead, I find you, a one Aria Blaze, lying flat in the ring as Konstance looks down on your battered body. I then drag your carcass back to my gym and make sure you made a speedy recover.”

Roza smirked. “Am I in the ballpark?”

Aria turned eyes away from Roza. “Homerun! Knocked it out of the park. Now I’m getting the hell out of here.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Roza pushed Aria back down on the bed. “Getting chokeslammed all the way to hell by Konstance is no laughing matter, especially for the absolute greenest of the green. No, you are going to stay here and recover. I’ll make sandwiches and get you some water. Just sit tight for a moment.”

Aria fell back down on the bed as Roza stepped out to make the sandwiches. The events of the previous night replayed again and again from the steel cage to Konstance Paine’s doll face mask. She picked up the water bottle and took a swig. The cool liquid refreshed her and after a while, she felt her headache finally disappearing.

Never the most patient of people, Aria stood up and began to walk around what she assumed was Roza’s office, due to the presence of a desk, a computer, and several filing cabinets. Why she needed a bed in her office, Aria could not guess. Several pieces of pro wrestling paraphernalia hung on the walls, including several pictures of a woman performing various acrobatic feats off the top rope. She wore a crimson singlet adorned with a black rose imprinted on the chest, with thorny vines trailing all around her body. The woman in the pictures also wore a mask with the same colouration in all of the pictures.

Aria approached the desk and picked up a small frame. The same woman stood proud in the picture wearing a championship belt around her waist while a man in tights and a mask stood next to her with his own title.

She put the picture down and looked to where the mask from the picture hung as the centerpiece of Roza’s memorabilia. Aria stroked the mask with a gentle touch, feeling the cotton fabric and the lace outlines for the eyes and mouth. She never wore a mask before and wondered what it was like to wear it, but to wrestle a match in it.

“The Devil’s Rose.”

Aria jumped at the sound of Roza’s voice. She turned around, embarrassed at her snooping. She tried to bring about her usual detached veneer, looking uninterested while she sat down opposite Roza, who took her seat behind the desk. On the plate lay several turkey sandwiches filled with lettuce and tomatoes. She also brought more water as well as several oranges.

“Got sick of apples after spending enough time in this city,” Roza said. She kicked her feet up and laid them on the table. “Anyways, The Devil’s Rose was my ring name back in the day. Had a lot of fun, but those days don’t last forever. Took my earnings and set up this gym. It’s not the fanciest place like Silver’s, but it’s a good place for people who don’t want to go to big gyms. Work out with a little bit of privacy. That’s why Fluttershy’s mother brought her here. Since she’s so timid around people, this is a good place for her. Helps I knew her mom from back when we were dumb kids.”

Aria turned away from Roza, though she did pick up a sandwich. “Whatever,” she said, before taking a bite of her lunch. Or was it breakfast? Aria didn’t care, the first bite of an honest-to-Betsy meal tasted divine, even better than the apple and orange she had the night before.

“Slow down there,” Roza said, “Eat too fast and you’re going to get sick.”

“Yeah sure, ‘Mom,’” Aria snickered, but she did slow down. This comment made Roza raise her eyebrow.

“Speaking of moms and dads and other familial units,” Roza continued, “Look, I was playing dumb last night because Fluttershy felt bad for you. I could smell the stank of the streets a mile away off of you. Don’t you have family you can go back to?”

Aria did not look at Roza. “Why do you care?”

“Family, friends, the people you rely on and the people that rely on you. Those type of people matter.” Roza shrugged. “Someone young like you shouldn’t be on the streets. Do you have anywhere to go? At all?”

Feeling her frustrations mount, Aria snapped at Roza. “I’m fine!”

“Like hell you are!” Roza snapped right back. “Sure, some folks go to the open challenge just for kicks or for a chance to win what they think is an easy grand, but I bet my bottom dollar they don’t do it looking like a hobo!”

Roza shook her head and took a deep breath. “Listen, Aria, kiddo, maybe I’ve been hanging around Fluttershy too much, but if you give me a chance, I’d like to offer you something. See, I saw something in you last night that I thought I wouldn’t see in a young woman in a long time.”

Aria rolled her eyes. “If it’s a ‘desire to step between the ropes’ then you are dead wrong.”

“No!” Roza slapped the table. Aria looked up at her with surprise from the sudden noise. “Though it would be nice if you wanted to become a wrestler. No, I see a young woman who hungers for attention. You want to be on the stage and adored. You want to be the center of attention, the big shot, and get the big payday. You want to be the very best so you can have the very best. Am I still in the ballpark?”

Aria considered Roza’s words very carefully. The Dazzling’s plan was of course to be the center of attention, and like the other sirens, Aria loved being front and center for a capacity crowd. Her mind’s eye attempted to visualize herself standing in the middle of the ring with a cheering crowd chanting her name and a title belt clasped around her waist.

Every other time the Dazzling’s performed, it was Adagio who took the lead. Aria wanted her time, her moment in the spotlight. She wanted to be the star, and without her voice, she needed a way to achieve her goals. She wanted to feel like somebody again. More than anything, she wanted her pride back. She wanted to feel like she mattered, like the name Aria Blaze mattered. Maybe Roza could help her do that.

Maybe to get her pride back, she needed to swallow what little she had and work with Roza to achieve a normal life and perhaps after that, greatness.

However, she did remember all too well how her first professional match went. Tossed around by actual wrestlers did not sound like a good time. The chokeslam from the previous night still hurt and Aria could feel another headache coming on.

Can I do this? Aria wondered, Can I be a wrestler?

“Alright,” Aria said, though he raised a hand to stop an overeager Roza from speaking. “Let’s say, hypothetically, I agree to this wrestling thing. What do I have to do?”

Roza clapped her hands before digging around her desk for a lined sheet of paper. She twirled a red pen with some flourish before getting to work. Aria watched intently as Roza explained everything. “One day you are going to look back on this day and not only thank me, but Fluttershy too.”

Not likely, Aria thought with a grimace.

“First thing’s first, you’ll need a roof over your head. Until we can find you a place you can afford, you can stay here in my office. It has all the facilities you need: a bed, indoor plumbing, even a small kitchen where I make the healthy foods for my clients. However, living here will come with a cost, and that is I am going to hire you here and now as an employee of Haven Gym.”

“I’m not exactly in the best physical shape to be a trainer,” Aria said, taking another sandwich.

“Who said anything about being a trainer?” Roza grinned. “You’ll be… senior chief custodial officer of Haven Gym.”

After a few moments of thinking, Aria quickly figured it out. “You’re making me a janitor!”

Roza’s grin never left her face. “A paid janitor, which is a touch higher on the totem pole compared to dumpster diner. Low blow, yes, but I have heel tendencies. You will learn all that. Moving on! I will pay you twelve dollars an hour for five to six hours, five days a week. Duties include mopping, window wiping, making sure the equipment works, stuff I’d rather not do. Unless you have another job opening available?”

Aria thought about turning away right then, only to shake her head. When she hit rock bottom, she cratered. Crawling out of said crater would take some doing, and if she needed a mop to climb, then she would take hold of that mop like a ladder to heaven.

“Now with a job out of the way, we get to the educational bits.” Roza nodded as she wrote down all her notes. “Training will commence for four hours every three days, provided I’m not busy. We’ll start with basic conditioning. Get you into proper shape. Train the body. Then we’ll go to the basics, but let’s take things one step at a time. Now, you have your high school diploma, right?”

Aria blinked. “Uh… well…”

It was Roza’s turn to blink in surprise. “How old are you? Eighteen? Nineteen?”

Aria considered the correct answer. After all, she could not say she was a several centuries old siren from another dimension. “Nineteen,” she answered. She looked the part after all.

“Nineteen and no diploma…” Roza shook her head. “Listen, Aria, I’m not going to lie to you. I want to do my best to see you succeed, but you need a fallback plan, and the single best thing you can do for yourself is getting your diploma. The ring is a rough place; you know that first hand it is only going to get harder. Now, we can get you into Canterlot High and—”

“No!” Aria stood up and looked Roza in the eye. “I can’t go back there! Not after… not after what I…”

She couldn’t find the words. How could she explain to this woman that she was actually an interdimensional siren who attempting to take over a high school and steal magical energy by singing to it during a battle of the bands only to get a friendship laser to the face? Even she thought the story sounded crazy and she was there!

Roza raised her brow. That gesture starting to grate on Aria’s nerves. “This isn’t about drugs, is it?” Roza said as she narrowed her eyes at Aria. “I run a straight-edge facility and I better not find out you are on some kind of happy pills. There is a bus that can take you to Canterlot High from Haven and back again and Principal Celestia is very forgiving and welcoming to students who want to put in the effort. Which you will, if you want my training. This is the first step for what could be the greatest ride of your life that leads to fame, fortune, and the respect of thousands of fans, maybe even millions but only if you put in the work for it. I’m offering this to you because I know you have what it takes. How about you? Am I telling the truth or are you going to make me a liar?”

Roza extended her hand towards Aria, who only looked at the offered appendage. She could become a pro wrestler… Well, it was not exactly as if Aria had many career choices left. Since otherworldly conqueror and musical idol were right out, maybe she could do something with this. She would be back on a stage again. She’d be a star again. As for going back to Canterlot High, while she did not look forward to going back, it seemed a rather simple condition. All she needed to do was go to school, study, and get her diploma. With a job and steady income, everything in her life seemed just that much easier.

One question remained. “ You are willing to do a lot for me. What’s in it for you?”

“Can’t keep much past you, huh.” Roza smiled. “Like I said, maybe it’s because I hang around Fluttershy so much that her kind heart finally rubbed off on a grizzled veteran like me. Maybe it’s because you remind me of me. Ah, but what I really want is to be a part of something great again. I can’t wrestle anymore, not to any acceptable ability. But I feel like I never passed on the torch, you know? So, what do you say? Hell of a deal.”

Hell of a deal indeed. Aria looked Roza straight in the eye and shook the hand with a firm grip. “Alright,” she said, “I’ll do it. I’ll do it all. I’ll take the job. I’ll go back to Canterlot High, and I will train to be a professional wrestler.”

I can do this, Aria told herself, I can succeed. I can do this because I’m Aria Blaze and my name means something.

“Woo!” Roza pumped a fist into the air. “Behold, o wrestling world, for Roza Del Diavolo has a brand new disciple! You’re gonna have a blast, kiddo. Now, I’m going to have to make a few phone calls, dial in some favours.”

She fished into her pocket and pulled out some change before handing it to Aria who looked at the money quizzically. “What’s this for?”

“To catch the bus to Canterlot High, of course.” Roza opened the door. “Enough to get you to school and back. Well, get going! You can recover on the bus! Daylight’s burning! Quick like a bunny, chop chop! MOVE!”

Aria grabbed her hoodie and dashed out of the door, unable to combat Roza’s commanding presence. She felt something different from such authority though. Before, it was Adagio who made all the decisions, and while Aria benefitted, she always felt Adagio looked out for Adagio first. Roza gave commands because it was good for Aria to listen to them. She was not sure how to feel about having a new authority figure in her life, but if her new trainer was willing to give her a roof over her head, Aria could not complain. Not openly, anyway.

She ran down the cold streets of the city until making it to the bus stop. With the fare paid, Aria looked up at the clock provided on the bus. Eleven o’clock. Hopefully she could slip inside the school and out without being noticed by the student body or worse, those crummy Rainbooms. Aria was in mood to deal with them as a group, especially after her short encounter with Fluttershy the night before. She’d show them. She’d show the Rainbooms, Canterlot High, and everyone else that heckled and booed her that Aria Blaze was back in action.

The bus ride took twenty minutes between downtown and Canterlot High. Once Aria stepped off the bus, she looked up at the entrance with a nervousness that grew in her gut. It was easier when she was with Adagio and Sonata. The three covered each other’s backs and leant each other their strengths. While she thought herself the strongest of the three, she suddenly felt very alone at the entrance. Taking a deep breath, she opened the doors and stepped inside.

No one walked the halls at this hour as morning classes were well underway. Aria remembered the way to Principal Celestia’s office. She walked the same path as she did before, only this time without Sonata and Adagio by her side.

I don’t need them, she told herself, I’m going to succeed without them. Won’t they be jealous when they see Aria Blaze a winner alone on the stage. Ring. Whatever.

Aria walked past one of the school’s bulletin boards when a poster caught her eye. The poster announced the winners of the Battle of the Bands, with the Rainboooms front and center. “Rainbooms make stellar music and defeat heated rivals the Dazzlings in a spectacular performance.” Aria growled as she tore the poster from the thumbtacks. Why did Roza have to send her to this school? Couldn’t she have gotten the diploma from any other school? Still, she was here, and at least the environment was familiar. Aria knew she needed to be grateful for small mercies.

She approached the principal’s office and knocked on the door only to see a sign saying that Celestia was away for a conference. Aria muttered as she headed instead towards the next office over. Belonging to Vice Principal Luna, Aria knocked again. This time she heard a strong woman’s voice say, “You may come in.”

Vice Principal Luna looked up from her assorted paperwork, her eyes widening slightly in surprise at her guest. “Miss Aria Blaze,” she said, standing up. “I did not expect to see you again after you and your friends suddenly vanished after the Battle of the Bands. Your very presence here has piqued my interest. Please, take a seat.”

Aria sat down across from Luna in the offered seat. She noticed that dim lighting of the office, which only helped accentuate Luna’s rather intimidating posture. Luna’s cool demeanour hid an imposing woman that Aria could not trick with her magic now that it was gone. Instead, she kept a stiff upper lip and waited for Luna to speak first.

“I cannot say what happened exactly after the Battle of the Bands,” Luna began, “but what I do know is that after the competition, you and your friends were nowhere to be seen. We have tried to call your emergency contacts, but found only wrong or unused numbers. Would you care to explain your disappearance?”

“I can,” Aria said, trying to sound confident. “You see, we were… I am homeless. We, I mean I, stayed with some… nice people… for a while, and then I came to Canterlot High. With my friends. And we wanted to do the showcase, but then I thought a Battle of the Bands would be a lot more fun. What’s wrong with a little competition, right?”

Luna raised a single eyebrow. “Of which then you ran away once your scheme came to light?”

“Scheme?” Did Luna know about Aria being a siren? About her magic? Things were about to get even more awkward if that was the case.

“I was at the battle, if you recall. If I may say so, the Dazzlings sounded like a wailing cat dragged down a chalkboard. Whatever computer trickery your crew tried to attempt failed miserably at the worst opportune time.”

Aria did not look Luna in the eye. While not exactly the truth, it was better than what would be deemed impossible in this world. Still, this did not bode well for Aria.

“A punishment should be arranged due to your actions,” Luna stood up and walked over to the window. She clasped her hands behind her back. “However, I would not wish your current circumstances on any young person. Do you have a place to stay now?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” Luna turned around. “And now you return for what reason?”

“I’m here to complete my high school education,” Aria said, “It was stupid of me to run away, but now I’m back. I always finish what I start, Vice Principal Luna. I’d like to make amends if at all possible.”

Get the diploma, get trained, get away from here. Aria figured that Luna did not need to know about Roza’s offer since it was not any of her business. She just needed to act the part of the repentant student and get back into the school.

Luna did not say or do anything for a moment. She then looked at Aria with a critical eye. “It would not be the first time I heard that,” Luna said, “And it will not be the first time I believe it as well. Very well, Miss Blaze. You may re-enroll to Canterlot High, provided you are on your best behavior from here on out. Your grades will have suffered at this point, so I will make it your first priority to catch up. I will need new emergency contact information, of course.”

After receiving new registration forms, Aria wrote down every relevant piece of information. Once complete, Luna gave Aria more paperwork. Of course, she would need to choose new courses and then catch-up on the work. Aria sighed. She missed the days when a few notes would have others do the work for her. Still, if she wanted independence and if she wanted Roza’s training, she would have to do this on her own.

“Thank you, Vice Principal Luna,” Aria said, extending her hand. “I promise I’ll do things right this time.”

“I’m sure you will.” Luna shook Aria’s hand. “You may have today and tomorrow to decide what courses you wish to take. Some classes will unfortunately be full, but if you need assistance, you are welcome in my office. I trust we won’t have any more incidents like the Battle of the Bands and that you get along with your classmates.”

Aria nodded. “I will.”

“You are free to go. The lunch bell is about to ring anyways.” Luna opened the door of her office and motioned for Aria to leave. Aria flashed the vice principal her most brilliant smile, only to scowl when she left. Six months to get everything right was all she had.

I can do this, Aria told herself, I’m Aria Blaze. This will be easy.

The lunch bell sounded and the student body of Canterlot High poured from their classrooms. Aria merged with the masses, hoping beyond hope that no one would recognize her. Unfortunately, many of the students did so and they pointed and whispered in her direction. She shot them dirty looks back as she took her course book to the cafeteria. All she wanted to do now was figure out what she wanted to take in order to graduate.

As she entered the busy cafeteria, she stopped immediately when she saw a table filled with familiar faces. All of the Rainbooms sat together, chatting away or eating their lunch. Their presence angered Aria, but did not stop her dead in her tracks. No, what cause this was the sight of someone even more familiar sitting at the corner with the red and orange haired girl who put the final nail in the siren’s proverbial coffin.

A part of Aria wanted to turn around and go somewhere else, but another part, a stronger part, urged her forward. She walked up to the table the Rainbooms sat at and stood there for a moment, wordless. When they finally noticed her, they too became silent. The girl in the corner stood up and mouthed something before finally speaking.

“Aria?” she said, which allowed the only reasonable response from Aria’s lips.

“Sonata?”

I Walk Alone

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Chapter 3 – I Walk Alone

“Awkwaaaaaaard.”

Aria broke eye contact with Sonata to see the poofy pink girl standing next to her with a shocked expression on her face. When Aria glared at her, the girl simply smiled and resumed her seat with her friends. With that out of the way, Aria confronted Sonata.

“What are you doing here, Aria?” Sonata stepped forward with her arms outstretched as if to embrace Aria. Scowling, Aria pushed Sonata back.

“I should be asking you the same question.” Aria crossed her arms being none too pleased to see Sonata with the Rainbooms. “And what are you doing with these losers?”

“Losers?!” The rainbow haired girl stood up, only for the girl in the cowboy hat to hold her back.

“Aria… you have no idea how happy I am to see you!” Sonata continued to smile despite the rebuke of her hug. “I know we left on bad terms, but I always hoped to see you again. How have you been? You look good! What happened when you left? Oh, I have so many questions, but only have a half-hour to talk until lunch is over. Thursday is Half-off hot dogs! We can go get some and talk if you like!”

Aria turned her back on Sonata. “I’m fine, no thanks to you or Adagio. I see you’ve replaced me with six new friends. Not only new friends, but also the same group that stole our powers, destroyed our voices, and ruined our lives! It only makes sense for a ditz like you to cozy up to the people who beat us. I’m surprised you made it this far. You could hardly function without me and Adagio around.”

The orange-red haired stood up and walked between Aria and Sonata. The latter’s eyes welled up and she looked like she was about to cry. Aria felt a pang of regret at making her fellow siren cry, but her anger overruled any other reasoning. She smirked at the sight. She didn’t need Sonata. She didn’t need Adagio or anyone.

“Have you considered that maybe because of your cruel treatment of Sonata that she left with Adagio?” said the girl Aria remembered was Sunset Shimmer. “She’s staying with people who care about her now. She’s trying to get her life back in track, going back to school, and making real friends who can help her become a better person. What have you done, Aria?”

Aria sneered. “I’ve done plenty!” she lied, “I’m doing great by myself, just like I knew I would. I walk alone, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”

The poofy pink girl leaned in uncomfortably close to Aria. “You don’t look happy,” she said, “You still look like the Dazzling’s frowny face. I know what will turn that frown upside down? A Pinkie Pie patented party palooza!”

“As if.” Aria focused her attention on Sonata. Before she could continue, Sonata gasped and pointed at Aria’s head.

“Your sparkly starpins!” she cried, “Did you lose them? That’s so sad, they looked so pretty in your hair. Your pigtails looked so cute, especially when you were scowling.”

Aria felt her frustrations mounting. “They’re gone, OK? They’re as gone as you and Adagio when I left you. Listen to me and listen good, Sonata. I don’t need you. I don’t need Adagio. Unlike you, I don’t need friends. I’m just here to get the freaking diploma so lay off me, Sonata. I don’t need you. I never needed you. I’m going to follow the lead I should have followed from the beginning. My own. So have fun with your stupid friends. I’m out.”

Before she could even step away from the table, Sonata grabbed Aria’s arm. Aria turned to look Sonata in the eye and yank her arm away when saw tears well up in the other former siren’s eyes.

“Please…” Aria begged, “I missed you, Ari. I know I got on your nerves a lot, but I still considered you my bestie! Please?”

Aria did pull her arm away. She made her anger clear in her eyes. “Go. Away. Sonata. You made your choice, and I’ve made mine.”

Sonata started to weep as Aria walked away. She heard Sunset Shimmer try to calm Sonata down while she felt the icy daggers from the eyes of their friends. Unable to concentrate on picking courses, Aria decided to leave Canterlot High. She did not make eye contact with anyone else in the school as she made her exit.

Instead, she chose to walk back to Haven Gym rather than take the bus. It gave her time to think.

She needed a lot of time to think.

***

Aria walked into Haven Gym and then towards her locker, where she changed into the workout clothes Roza provided her. Once changed, she exited to the main floor when Roza emerged from her office. She yawned and stretched, waving a groggy greeting.

“Welcome back, kiddo,” Roza said, “Did you get all the Canterlot High stuff done and over with? Pick some cool courses?”

“I did well enough,” Aria said. She headed over to the stretch apparatus and began to loosen up before she began her training. She started with her legs, stretching out her hamstrings and quads and then moved on to her arms. She knew one of the most important parts of physical training was to stretch before any major workout or activity to avoid injury. The last thing she wanted was an injury this early in the training.

Roza did not press the issue, only instead preparing some machines. Once Aria finished her stretches, she walked up to the ring in the middle of the gym and climbed the steps. She was about to enter the ring by crawling under the second rope when Roza shouted her down.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Roza called, climbing onto the apron. “I told you, before we start in-ring training, we have to get you in shape. You won’t be able to take five bumps before crying uncle, much less start doing suplexes. Also, we need to get one thing out of the way, are you dainty or short?”

Aria blinked at the rather random question. She was not super tall like Konstance Paine but liked to think she had some height to help intimidate other women. She also was not dainty in the slightest. “No?”

“Then get into the ring by stepping over the second rope.” Roza demonstrated, stepping over the second rope with authority as she stood in the ring. “Only small people and non-wrestlers step under the second rope, which, as you will learn, is a commentary about what I think of some of the ACW roster.”

Aria followed Roza’s lead, stepping over the second rope and into the ring. Roza looked about the ring with Aria in it and shrugged. “Might as well do some basics then, since we already made our way in here. All right, we’re going to run the ropes. It’s a simple but fundamental exercise inside the squared circle. You run across the ring, turn, and then bounce back. You use the momentum to help with some techniques, or to simply prevent you from spilling out onto the floor. I’ll show you.”

Roza stood in the middle of the ring as Aria took a spot against one of the turnbuckles. She watched as Roza launched herself towards the rope, turning on her foot and then bouncing off the ropes before return to the opposite side of the ring and repeating the process several times. Aria smirked. It looked easy enough.

“Think you can handle it?” Roza asked before giving the ring to Aria. With a nod, Aria took up a starting position against one of the side ropes before launching herself full tilt to the other side. By the time she reached the other ropes however, she turned too late and hit her side on the ropes, bounced off them, and landed face first into the mat. She reached for her back, moaning in pain all the while Roza offered her hand. Aria ignored it and got to her feet on her own.

“Ring ropes look like they have a lot of give, but to the rookie, they leave their marks.” Roza smiled and pointed at Aria’s arm. She turned her head to see a large red welt on her arm from her failed attempt. “What you want to do is this; when you are about a foot from the ropes, you are going to stop, pivot on your lead foot, and then fall back onto your shoulder blades with a little momentum, allowing the ring ropes to push you back. Start from the pushback position. Just fall back onto the ropes for now, run to the other side, stop, and then push back again.”

Aria nodded, getting back to her feet so she could try again. She started slowly this time and fell back to the ropes, focusing the impact on her shoulder blades. She did as Roza instructed, stopping on one foot, pivoting, and then falling backwards.

After a few go’s at the ropes, Aria collapsed in the middle of the ring, breathing heavily while her back felt like it was on fire. She knew training was difficult, but never imagined it to be this bad. Now she was starting to regret her decision if this was merely “lesson one.”

Forty-five minutes later and Aria started to feel the wear this supposedly simple lesson gave to her body. Her shoulder blades burned from the constant impact from the ring ropes, but she felt confident that she figured out how to run the ropes. She took her time exiting the ring, the very act of bending over shooting pain across her back. Once on the floor, Aria turned to see Roza flip herself over the top rope and land feet first onto the floor.

Show-off, Aria thought, though she did wonder if she could pull something like that off one day. It looked far cooler than stepping through the ropes.

“Your form is a bit shaky, but after a couple months, you’ll be running the ropes like a pro.” Roza noticed Aria scowl at the mention of months. “Listen kiddo, this is going to be a process, much like your regular schooling is divided into lessons to teach the overall subject. The ropes are just the first part. You’ll be running them for the rest of your career so you never get rusty. It also makes for a great but simple cardio workout. Once you have this down pat, we’ll move on. Think of running the ropes like addition in math class. Sure, it’s easy, but it’s fundamental to math. If you don’t know how to add, how can you hope to subtract or multiply?”

“I got it,” Aria responded, “And I’ll be fine. I’ll run the ropes a hundred times a day if it gets me what I want.”

“That’s the hunger I miss seeing.” Roza smiled and then checked the clock on the wall. “Hey, looks like Fluttershy will be here any moment for her appointment, so you can have free reign over the equipment unless I say so. Why don’t you two train together? It’s always good to have a partner to spot you.”

“No.” Aria walked away from the ring to the back to get some water. She did not feel the need to explain to Roza her disdain for Fluttershy or her friends. All she wanted now was a drink of water and some ice for her back. Once she took hold of both, Aria laid against a chair and allowed the soothing chill ease her aching muscles.

She let her eyes drift closed while she rested and visualized herself running the ropes all over again. She would practice more later, but conceded that Roza had a point. She would need to get some proper conditioning for her body later.

The door of the gym opened which revealed Fluttershy walking in. She tightly clutched her duffle bag as she made her way to locker rooms. The two locked eyes shortly, with Aria scowling at Fluttershy while the latter ducked away with some measure of haste. Aria shook her head only to turn her head and see Roza standing nearby with her arms cross.

Though she said nothing, Aria could feel disapproval from Roza’s gaze. Instead of meeting it or saying anything to justify, Aria walked off, her back feeling much better. She retreated to the back to get some dinner, which consisted of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes chopped up into a haphazard salad. Still, it beat what she ate before coming to Haven: a whole plateful of nothing, hold the plate.

Once satisfied and with a new bottle of fresh, cold water, Aria sat down and looked over her course choices once again. She chose the perquisites needed for a diploma, though to attain the much-needed credits, there was not exactly a lot she could choose from, especially this late in the school year. Thus, she chose classes that could be of use in the future. Canterlot High offered a great assortment of classes, and as such, Aria took on many that piqued her interest. Mathematics, language arts, social studies, and physical education were needed, but she also took home economics and finances. The last thing she wanted was to be broke on the street again, especially now that she ranked among the employed peoples.

Her paperwork complete, Aria returned to the main floor and headed for an elliptical machine for a basic cardio workout. She chose a machine the furthest away from Fluttershy, who ran on a treadmill, her ears covered by small pink headphones. Ignoring her, Aria focused on her own work, moving on the elliptical and generating a fine sweat. She never realized how slight she became from long months of not eating, and the very sight of her body being mere skin and bones upset her. Aria admitted only to herself that she was a bit of a diva, and she liked having a pleasing physical form. Since draining negative emotions was no longer an option for the former siren, hard work in the gym would take its place.

After an hour of going at a good pace, Aria felt her legs buckle from beneath her. She took deep breaths as she walked to the showers. She looked back over to see that Fluttershy moved on to some light calisthenics. Again, they did not meet eyes while Aria walked past her and soon Aria was inside the locker room alone.

She took a quick shower and noticed the time showed seven on the clock. Closing time loomed, so Aria put on some fresh clothes and walked out of the laundry room. As she opened the door, Fluttershy appeared on the other side. They simply stared at each other until Fluttershy broke the silence.

“Um… hello Aria,” Fluttershy said in a voice barely a whisper. Aria scowled and did not return the greetings, choosing instead purposefully bumped into Fluttershy with her shoulder.

However, Roza stood nearby and saw everything. Her arms crossed, she said, “Well now, think you’re a tough cookie pushing my client in my gym, huh?” Roza walked over to Aria, and for whatever reason appeared far bigger and stronger than earlier. The glare from her piercing blue eyes made Aria feel small in comparison to the ring veteran, but somehow she found some nerve.

“It’s because of Fluttershy and her stupid friends I ended up on the streets in the first place,” Aria said. Roza shook her head.

“That is something I cannot believe.” Roza turned her back on Aria. “Listen here and listen well. I gave you a job. I gave you an opportunity to make something of yourself and when you abuse my clients, you might as well be spitting in my face. Haven Gym’s number one rule is that this is a safe place for any who step through my doors and that includes Fluttershy or anyone. I don’t care what she did or what you think she did, if you step a toe out of the line I draw in the sand, your ass is on the asphalt. I am taking as much of a gamble as you are, Aria. I don’t have to do anything for you, but like I said, maybe hanging out Fluttershy has rubbed off a little kindness on this heel heart of mine. Now you go to the back and you apologize before I start getting upset.”

Aria did not know what an upset Roza looked like but as the trainer’s muscles seemed to tighten before her eyes, she knew the only thing she could do was go and make amends, even if she did not want to. Grumbling, she made her way to the back where she heard the shower was still running. Aria took a seat on the bench when she noticed Fluttershy not only left her bag wide open, but some of the contents spilled out of it.

Not wanting to get into any more trouble with Roza, Aria ignored the contents in the bag. Only mundane items like pens, pencils and books poured out of the gym bag. However, several photographs peeked out from a binder. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Aria opened the binder and felt surprised at pictures within.

Many of the pictures showed what Aria considered rather banal scenes: images of Fluttershy hanging out with her friends in the park during summer, to another of a pair running through a path during fall, while another showed them all having a grand old time under a tree with a roaring fire nearby. That picture, however, showed not six smiling, happy high school seniors but seven.

Sonata sat among them, her bubbly smile radiating through the photograph.

Aria grimaced at the sight and put the picture away. How easy was it for Sonata to buddy up to those Rainbooms? Did she turn her back on Adagio as she did to Aria? Show a little bit of kindness and Aria was putter in your hands, and that’s what Aria knew they did to her. Yet try as she might, she could not look away from the picture. Sonata honestly looked happy, and instead of enraging her, Aria felt her heart sink at the sight. Sonata did move on from the Dazzlings. From her.

Fluttershy emerged from the change room looking ready to leave when she spotted Aria with her photos. She approached Aria cautiously, not wanting to upset further the former siren. She did need to pack up her things and leave. “E-excuse me,” she nearly squeaked, “But…”

Aria stood up quickly, dropping the photo with the tree. “Oh, uh…” she struggled with the words, not wanting to say them. “Listen, I… I’m sorry for bumping into you like that. I promise it won’t happen again.”

In the gym at least.

“Oh… it’s OK.” Neither of them made eye contact as Fluttershy collected her things. Aria tried to make the ceiling the most interesting thing in her life right now, but a provocative question remained.

“Hey,” she said without the usual edge in her voice. “I’m sorry for going through those photos. I couldn’t help but see Sonata was in them. How… How is she?”

Fluttershy blinked in surprised. Aria sighed. Having a conversation with her wasn’t that difficult, was it? “Well,” she said, “She’s… good. Her grades are… good. So I guess she’s doing really… good?”

“Oh. Well. Good.” Aria found the ceiling to be marvellous once again. “Uh… I was just wondering… if you know where Sonata is now. We weren’t exactly in the best financial situation.”

“Well, um…” Fluttershy looked unsure how to answer. Aria softened her expression to coax Fluttershy into answering. “Well… Sonata is staying with Sunset Shimmer right now.”

“What about you, Aria?” Fluttershy asked, “Sonata always wondered where you were. Adagio too. If you’d like, I could send a message to her when I see her at school tomorrow.” Fluttershy offered Aria her most sincere smile. Aria broke eye contact and looked away, though she had to give Fluttershy credit. After blowing up on Sonata at school, she likely guessed that Aria was not about to mince words with her soon.

“Tell her I’m fine,” Aria replied, “I’m fine and I’m doing great. Now don’t you have a ride to catch?”

Fluttershy squeaked and dashed off towards the entrance. She ran by Roza who entered the locker room with a quizzical look. “Since she’s not bawling her eyes out, I assume you apologized and didn’t dig a deeper hole for yourself.”

Aria nodded, her focus more on what Fluttershy said about Sonata rather than what her trainer said to her. Roza shook her head and took the keys to Haven out of her pocket.

“Well, I’ll be locking up now,” Roza said, “See you in the morning.”

With goodbyes said, Aria went back into Roza’s office, took off her socks, and fell back onto the bed. Mixed emotions ran through her head and the options to deal with them seemed limited. On the one hand, Aria was still angry over Sonata choosing to go with Adagio instead of her. She made friends with the enemy, with the girls that ruined their lives.

On the other hand, Aria could no longer deny that she missed the ditz. Sonata both calmed and enraged her at times, and Aria missed her very presence. Once again, Aria needed to make a decision, to swallow her pride and admit she was wrong. She punched the mattress in frustration. Things would have been much better if Adagio followed her lead. They would have been adored by the masses. They would still have their siren powers.

They would still have their voices.

She would still have the silver star hairpins Sonata gave her.

Aria shut off the light in Roza’s office and climbed underneath the covers. Her shoulder blades ached as she tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but eventually she would drift off into slumber, though it would not be peaceful.

***

“Here is your winner, Aria Blaze!”

The official raised Aria’s arm in the air as she won the biggest match in her young career. Her opponent now lay as a heap on the mat, moaning and rolling about in pain. Not that it matter as Aria focused on the screaming masses who chanted her name. A championship belt appeared around her waist and in celebration, Aria climbed the turnbuckle to show off the gold.

The elation felt magical. For the first time in a very long time, a massive crowd stood up on their feet, clapping and cheering for their champion. Aria raised the title belt above her head and gave the fans a good look at their champion and her gold. Money, fame, and the love of the fans; everything was hers now and she did it all without the help of anyone.

DING DING DING!

Aria fell of the turnbuckle and onto her back at the sudden sound of the ring bell. She clamoured for the ring ropes to help her up. In the middle of the stage stood seven shadows, each with glowing eyes and wide, eerie smiles.

All of the arena’s lights began to shut off one by one, each with an audible boom shaking the very ring. The crowd became silent until it seemed they were no longer present, with the only lights being the one on the ring and the light on the stage. Despite the light, the seven girls continued to grin widely until one with a large ponytail picked up a microphone.

“Aria Blaze!” she cried out, “Look at you! A big, bad, champion for realzies! At least, that’s what you think. You know the truth, don’t you? That you are just a very small, insignificant little ant in the grand scheme of things. You have nothing, you are nothing, and the name Aria Blaze will be little more than dust in the wind.”

The ring suddenly became a lot larger than before, or maybe Aria shrank. Either way, the eighteen foot ring suddenly shared the dimensions of a football field and the turnbuckles became like skyscrapers. Scared out of her wits, Aria ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the edge of the ring, only for a wall of flame to explode in front of her, barring her path.

“Look who’s the loser now!”

“Dang yellowbelly think she can get away.”

“What do you expect from such a boorish young woman?”

“She doesn’t deserve a second chance!”

“Let’s have some fun with her! See how loud she screams!”

“BURN!”

Aria turned to the stage as another explosion of fire burst from the floor. Stepping out of the flames was the giant Konstance Paine, her theme music twisted into a disturbing cacophony. The seven girls stood to the side, their evil eyes and grins never once looking away from Aria while Konstance slowly made her way to the ring.

“Making her way to the ring!” The ponytailed demon shouted into a skull-tipped microphone. “Standing a height that makes elephants shake in terror. All the way from the depths of hell, the mistress of fear! The harbinger of flames! The source of all. Your. Nightmares! Konstance Paine!”

With both hands reaching for the top rope, Konstance pulled herself up and stepped inside right through the fire that blocked Aria’s escape. She hyperventilated as the masked menace stared at her, the doll face mask shifting to that of a fanged demon with empty voids for eyes. Aria screamed and tried to get away as she now stood no higher than Konstance’s knee.

“I’m sorry!” Aria screamed, “I’m sorry! I’ll make peace with the Rainbooms! I’ll beg Sonata for forgiveness! I’ll do anything! Please! Please!”

Despite her pleas for mercy, Konstance continued to walk towards her until Aria pressed her back against the turnbuckle. Aria screamed and screamed, but no one would come to help her. Konstance loomed over her. With her leather glove, Konstance reached out and took hold of Aria, who was little more than a doll in the mitt of a giant.

Aria struggled to break free, punching and kicking at the great hand of Konstance to no avail. The more she struggled, the more the hand tightened around her. As she grew closer to Konstance’s mask, Aria saw the mouth suddenly open, an abyss to darkness waiting for her. Her screams echoed throughout the throat of Konstance as she fell…

Right off the bed and onto the floor of Roza’s office. Aria stood up on shaky legs and leaned against the bed, taking deep shallow breaths. “Just a nightmare,” she said in a quaking voice, “Just a nightmare. Dreams can’t hurt me. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

Aria got to her feet and walked out of the office, needing some sleep. She looked at the clock and saw that it read eleven-thirty. Groaning, Aria walked around for a bit, her bare feet padding across the dimly lit floor of Haven Gym. Having nowhere to go at this time of night, she walked to the steps leading to the ring. The moment her foot touched the cold steel she recoiled from the chill. She took a deep breath and let her foot rest on the stairs for a moment. Once ready, she climbed the stairs and entered the ring, just as Roza showed her.

Once in, Aria rested against one of the turnbuckles, her arms crossed as she replayed the vivid nightmare repeatedly. Those shadows looked too much like the Rainbooms, with the one summoning Konstance appearing to be Sonata. Aria had nightmares before of course, but nothing so vivid. She also remembered what she said in the dream, about asking for forgiveness. It seemed like a bad idea to go against what one said in a dream, but on the other hand, it was just a dream.

“Just a dream,” Aria said to herself, “Just a stupid dream.”

Unable to sleep, or perhaps unwilling to deal with another nightmare, Aria stayed in the ring and mulled over her upcoming training. Running the ropes proved hard enough. Only Roza knew what lessons were to come, but Aria knew that they would only be harder on her body and on her mind.

“Do I have what it takes?” Aria said to the darkness. “I didn’t have any real goals before. All we wanted was to steal negative energy. Then Adagio got it in her head when Equestrian magic appeared in this world that we could take it over. What good did any of that do us? We’re not sirens anymore. We don’t have any power.”

Maybe she needed to stop thinking like a siren. Maybe she needed to start thinking like a human. Maybe she needed to get a hold of her life and try something new. Being a hardass worked when she had magical powers accentuated by her fellow sirens.

Maybe, just maybe, she should listen to her dream and try to talk to the Rainbooms. She definitely needed to talk to Sonata, at the very least.

“If Sonata can do it, I can too,” Aria told herself.

The longer she looked at the ring ropes, the more Aria wanted to run them one more time. She got to her feet and stood in the middle of the ring. She took a deep breath. Once ready, Aria ran towards the ring ropes, pivoting on her lead foot, and slamming her shoulder blades into the top rope. She winced at the sudden impact and the pushback from the ropes, but continued to run to the other side of the ring. She bounced off the ropes and continued the motions, a smile growing on her face. She was doing it! She was running the ropes.

Granted, she could not run them for very long as the sudden sprints made her very tired in short order. After the tenth bounce, Aria took a breather, rolling out of the ring and back to the floor. She made her way back to the office and back to bed. While her back screamed for respite, Aria felt some measure of pride. She knew she could do it. All she needed to do was get her life back on track. Perhaps her siren magic was a crutch that she needed to cast aside. Adagio could have been the same way, though it pained Aria in no small way to think such. As angry as she was with her, both Adagio and Sonata were like sisters to her.

Aria went back to sleep, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a challenging day. The first day back at Canterlot High. The first day actually working at Haven Gym. The first day she swallowed her pride and acted like a decent human being.

A New Day

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Chapter 4 – A New Day

Aria stepped into her first class of the day: math. She groaned as she approached the door. Even before she took the whole schooling thing seriously, she simply did not get math. Sure, she could add and subtract easy enough, but when she tried to throw in trigonometry and weird angles, she thought she could feel her brain frying.

Instead of focusing on the numbers, Aria kept her sight on simply surviving her first day of school. She arrived early in the morning to hand in her chosen courses and to her surprise Vice Principal Luna told her all of the classes still had room. As such, today would be her first day back at Canterlot High as a regular student, not as a potential world conqueror.

She opened the door and stepped inside, seeing that everyone was already in his or her seats and ready for the day. Only one seat remained, front and center, with two familiar faces sitting at that exact spot.

“Ooh, ooh! Rarity, look!” Pinkie Pie bounced in her seat. “It’s Aria! Hey! Aria! Over here! We have a nice spot right here, just for you! Prime real estate right here, and property tax is very cheap! We just need one smile a day.”

Rarity looked up at Aria. Unlike Pinkie’s warm welcome, she gave a cold look. “Aria.”

Aria did not reply and only begrudgingly took the last seat in the class. She ignored the pair as she pulled out her books and a pencil to get to work immediately. She would have to speak with the teacher, a Miss Cheerilee, after class to get her catch up work.

The dream from last night returned to her, and her desperate plea to escape from the nightmare Konstance echoed in her head. Aria sighed and forced a smile on her face. She turned to Pinkie who clapped and whooped.

“Now that is a fine first installment for your smile tax,” she said, “Trust me, you don’t want to miss a payment without a good excuse. The ISA will be on your butt like frosting on a cake. Ooh, that sounds so good right now. Mind if I have a snack?” Pinkie then reached into her bag and pulled out a full chocolate cake with reach strawberry icing. Aria blinked as Pinkie began to slice it up, looking between her, the cake, and Pinkie’s bag.

“How…? ISA? What?” Aria simply balked at Pinkie. Rarity shook her head.

“It’s best not to ask,” she said, “The more you try to understand how Pinkie Pie works, the more you will develop migraines. Just smile and nod.”

“I always like the smile parts!” Pinkie slid a slice of cake onto a plate. “Do you want some, Aria? You are looking kinda skinny.”

Aria stared at the cake and felt her mouth water at the sight of the decadent dessert. Her stomach rumbled, demanding that it be fed delicious chocolate cake right now. She looked up at Pinkie, utterly confused. “You’d offer me cake after the way I treated you and Sonata?”

Pinkie nodded. “Cake makes everyone happy, whether heavenly angel food, tantalizing cheesecake, or, for the cake aficionado on the go, portable cupcake versions. Besides, everyone is a bit grumpy now and then. You probably just had a frowny day.”

“Thank you,” Aria said, her gratitude genuine. Now was as good enough time as any. “I know I was a bit of a bag yesterday. Things haven’t been easy since I split from Adagio and Sonata. I suppose I was just angry and let that run my mouth. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry.”

Rarity spoke up, her harsh gaze lightening up. “Well, I can accept your apology for your words yesterday,” she said, “and since Pinkie offered you cake, consider that her acceptance as well. Though I really think you should find Sonata and apologize to her.”

“I will,” Aria replied, “I have a lot to apologize for.”

She ate her cake quickly if only because she did not want to be caught eating food on the first day of classes. Fortunately, she finished and cleaned up right on time as Miss Cheerilee entered the classroom.

“Good morning class!” Miss Cheerilee announced, “I know it’s Friday and you are all eager to get this day going, but we still have a lot to cover! I would also like to announce that Aria Blaze has joined our class, so please let her feel welcome and help her should she be struggling.”

Aria looked around to see the rest of her classmates. Many of them did not bother to smile back, not that she could blame them. A few, however, decided that they needed to mimic choking gestures as a reference to the Dazzlings last performance. Aria shot them a glare that screamed bloody murder and the class clowns quickly stopped.

“Aria, come see me after class so we can figure out how to get you caught up on the curriculum.” Aria nodded to Miss Cheerilee. Satisfied, she turned to the white board and began her lesson.

“Alright class, let’s review rational functions again. This will be on your final exam…”

***

The next class was social studies with Mr. Doodle taking the reins. Aria did not see any of Sonata’s new friends in this class. The class went by quickly and once again, Aria stayed behind for a little bit to get the needed work required to catch up with her grades. The math workload seemed daunting enough but piling all of her social study homework made the task of catching up seem impossible. Worse, she did not have a lot of time to get everything done.

To her great relief, the lunch bell rang after the second class, giving some respite from the day. While Pinkie’s cake helped her hunger, Aria did want a real lunch. She walked into the noisy cafeteria and paid for her meal with the advance to her pay that Roza gave her. Nothing special advertised on this Friday in the cafeteria and Aria chose a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup with some bread.

Aria walked down the cafeteria to find a seat when she spotted Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and their other friends already seated and chatting. While her math classmates smiled and welcomed her, the other two did not. Fluttershy appeared indifferent to the whole affair, or at the very least, she decided to divide herself from any confrontation by looking at her salad as if it were the most interesting salad in the world.

Sunset Shimmer did not sit with the group. Much to Aria’s surprise, neither did Sonata.

“Where’s Sonata?” she asked, “I wanted to talk to her. To apologize.”

“Sure as shootin’ right you need to apologize,” Applejack replied with narrowed eyes. “Poor sugarcube cried her eyes out after yesterday. Took Sunset a long time to get her to calm down. So when she does get back on Monday, you’ll have your chance to apologize to her right here in front of us.”

“Monday? Why Monday?” Aria wanted to apologize as soon as possible, not wait three days.

Rainbow leaned back and rested her feet on the table. “Dunno if we should tell you why,” she said, “After all, we’re just a bunch of losers. I’m sure you don’t want to associate with us.”

Aria already felt her temple pulse in frustration. She wanted to shout at Rainbow to knock it off and just tell her where Sonata was, but knew that anger would just get them to push back against her. Instead, she slackened her shoulders, set down her lunch, and looked towards Applejack and Rainbow.

“Look, I know I wasn’t that friendly the first time we met. And I wasn’t exactly the perfect angel after you stopped us from…”

Applejack raised a brow. “Taking over the world.”

Aria sighed. “Don’t remind me. Even now, it seems like a weird dream. Or maybe a nightmare. The point is, I’m sorry. About the whole battle of the bands, about calling my astral siren projection forth in an attempt to destroy you, and for calling you all losers.”

Applejack and Rainbow looked to each other in silent contemplation. Rainbow shrugged and then looked back to Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Pinkie giggled, stood up, and wrapped an arm around Aria’s shoulders. “Come on, we gave Sunset Shimmer and Sonata a second chance, and their super fun! We should accept her like we did Sunny and Sonny. With open arms and chocolate cake!”

“Pinkie, your answer to everything always seems to be cake.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, shook her head, and then smiled at Aria. “She does have a point though. We did forgive Sunset after she turned into a demon and did forgive Sonata and she did the exact same thing you did, so I guess we can forgive you too. As long as you never call anyone, especially me, a loser ever again.”

Aria nodded. “Alright, I promise. No more calling anyone losers. Or taking over the world.”

Rarity beamed at the sight. “Wonderful! Now sit down with us, darling, your soup is getting cold.”

Aria joined the others, though she felt hesitant to do it. They were so accepting and friendly despite everything she did to them that it confused her. Was friendship this easy to them that they would forgive her? Still, Aria was not one to complain. She picked up her tray and sat down with the others. While she did not feel comfortable calling them “friends”, she did feel a sense of appreciation for their acceptance. Maybe it was the same feeling Sonata and Sunset felt after their downfalls.

Aria ate her soup very quickly, almost devouring the meal without a second thought. When she did look up, she saw everyone was staring at her. “What?” she said, looking about, “is there something on my face?”

“No,” Applejack replied, “just the way you’re eating reminds me of Sonata when she came to us. The way she ate made it look like she never saw food before. She said she lived on the streets with Adagio until she got tired of living on scraps and came back to CHS. Care to share about the way your holding up?”

Aria took a deep breath. “Like I said yesterday, when you stopped us and destroyed our magic gems, I had an argument with Adagio and decided to go my own way. I wanted Sonata to come with me, but she went with Adagio instead. I lived on the streets alone until recently. I found a place to stay, a job, but my employer said that I needed to go back to school and get my diploma if I’m going to keep said job. So, here I am.”

She neglected to mention that she not only lived in a gym and trained to be a professional wrestler in that same gym. A part of her still thought the whole turnaround in her fortunes to be some kind of magic, though she was not about to complain about such.

“Well, that’s cool,” Rainbow said, “I couldn’t live on the streets. Not a place for awesome people like me to be. I guess I can tell you where Sonata is now though. She’s taking a work experience course so she can have a good resume and make a little moolah on the side. That’s why she isn’t here. She also works weekends, which is kind of lame.”

Aria felt surprised at Sonata’s current enterprise. She did not think Sonata capable of such. “Where does she work?” she asked. Maybe she could see Sonata at work, depending on the circumstances.

“Ooh! She’s a waitress at Tres Carnales Taqueria!” Pinkie’s eyes glazed over as she daydreamed. “Oh, just the thought of those yummy enchiladas make my mouth water… mmm…”

Aria shook her head. Sounded like a place with tacos. Now that sounded like the Sonata she knew. She took down the address of the restaurant from Rarity and made a plan to visit Sonata over the weekend if work, training, and the mountain of homework allowed for it. She needed to speak to Sonata as soon as possible if only for her own mental health.

They ate in relative silent, though mostly on Aria’s part. Once lunch was done and the bell rang for afternoon classes, Aria went to her last class of the afternoon: a double block of biology. She entered the class to see that she would be sharing it with Fluttershy. As before, Aria sat next to Fluttershy as class began. Unlike Rairty and Pinkie, Aria and Fluttershy did not speak much. Since the two not only share words often, but the lesson quickly began without allowing any discourse.

When class did end and Aria collected her homework and assignments to catch up, Fluttershy looked at Aria. She seem to try to say something, making little “ums” and “uhs”, with Aria’s only reply being a raised brow of curiosity. “You can say something, Fluttershy,” Aria said, “I don’t bite. Anymore at least.”

“Oh, well…” Fluttershy stammered a bit as she walked with Aria. “You didn’t tell the others that you were living in Haven Gym.”

Surprised, Aria stopped in the middle of the hallway. “How did you know? It’s not like I told anyone I was living in a gym.”

“Roza told me when I went for my sessions.” Fluttershy looked a little apprehensive, yet continued. “She said if you had a problem with to tell you, ‘It’s my gym and I can do whatever I please.’ Um… she added a few expletives I chose not repeat. I hope you understand.”

Aria rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she said. Roza did have a point, even if she decided not to tell Aria directly. She did not openly complain, as the last thing she wanted was Fluttershy to say something, whether inadvertently or not, to Roza and make her out as a complainer. Yes, she lived in a gym and only wore gym clothes, but it was certainly a step up from the cold streets.

They exited the school together, and Aria found it nice to be walking with someone again. She had grown accustomed to the presence of Adagio in the center of their little trio with Sonata and while the two argued and bickered over the direction they went, there was a comfort in numbers. Aria did not realize how much she missed it until that moment. Now she wanted to apologize to Sonata even more than ever. She then decided on her next course of action.

After that, she would find Adagio.

“You must have been very lonely, Aria,” Fluttershy said as they made their way to the bus stop. “Living alone in the cold, I mean. I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”

“A little, I guess.” Aria tried to maintain some veneer of toughness. She did not want to lose her edge after all. She would need it in the ring. “Are you going to Haven tonight?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I go to Haven every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, since I’m at the animal shelter every other night except the weekend. Oh, and if the shelter needs more help, then I call Roza and tell her I’ll come in and make up for lost time another day.”

“If you don’t mind me saying, you don’t seem to need a personal trainer.” Aria looked Fluttershy over and noted that Fluttershy looked incredible, likely due to Roza’s influence and training. She could hope that when her training was done, she could look as good as Fluttershy. Of course, it would be best if she looked incredible. Aria regarded her thin arms, a sign of her malnutrition.

Fluttershy blushed profusely and looked to the bus floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “Um… thanks…” she muttered. “My mom was worried that I wasn’t getting proper phys. Ed., so she called a friend from her high school days, that being Roza. I’m… not exactly confident around a lot of people, especially in the gym when people are watching you and relying on you and the stares from the boys just…”

Fluttershy sunk into her chair to make herself as small as possible. “Sorry,” she said, “Even the thought of people looking at me is frightening.”

Aria rolled her eyes. She will never get how this shrinking violet helped to stop the Dazzlings’ plan for world domination.

They arrived at the Haven Gym and walked in to see Roza helping another client on a treadmill. The large rotund woman huffed and puffed on the treadmill while Roza kept up her encouragement. Aria could not help but snicker at the sight of such a fat woman on the treadmill, but when she turned to the locker room to change, Fluttershy glared at Aria. The sudden shift in attitude within Fluttershy took Aria completely by surprise.

“You shouldn’t be cruel to someone who is obviously trying to do their best to better themselves and stay healthy.” As Fluttershy stared at Aria, she felt a compulsion to back down immediately. Aria was no fool, but she never thought that simple eye contact would make her feel ashamed of her actions, especially from Fluttershy.

“Alright, I’m sorry, you’re right,” she quickly said to the typically meek girl. “It is good she’s getting some help. Roza helped me, she helped you, I’m sure she can help that woman make all her fitness goals.”

Fluttershy’s eyes eased in their intensity. “Thank you,” she said, bringing back her small yet comforting smile. “See? Isn’t it nicer to be kinder to others than to be cruel? I’m sure you’ll love the warm feeling inside you when you give someone a helpful hand a warm smile.”

As long as I don’t feel the immense pressure of your deadly gaze, yes, yes it is. Aria and Fluttershy split up to change when she noticed a small package waiting for her. Once she locked away her schoolwork and textbooks, Aria opened the package to discover coveralls with the logo of Haven Gym embroidered on the back and her name on the front. A small note fell from the package.

Hey Kiddo, it read, this is your working uniform. Wear it, love it, and grab a mop. Day one begins now. Your boss, Roza.

Aria stifled a snort as she put on the coveralls. She also found a ball cap with the Haven logo on it as well and once she put it on with her hair through the hole, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked the part of a janitor. She did not give a great celebration.

Instead, Aria did as instructed. She grabbed a mop, a bucket of water, and began to work by swabbing the locker room. While she detested such manual labour, she could not help but find some small comfort in it. Work meant a job and a job meant money. Since Roza did not state that Aria needed to pay rent for staying in her gym, she gathered that all of her earnings belonged to her and her alone. Sure, she would have to pay for the bus and food, but she had funds to actually buy things.

Aria knew the first thing she was going to buy. She would find her silver stair hairpins and get them back. The thought of being somewhat financially independent made her smile and despite the dirty mop in her hand, she worked diligently.

Time passed rather quickly as Aria exited the abandoned men’s locker room and moved on to the main floor. She passed Fluttershy on the way while Roza began to lock up Haven. “Hope the locker rooms are clean as a whistle,” she said, “gonna stop your clock around nine-ish, so you have the rest of the night to yourself. I’d suggest you start hitting those books. They don’t hit too hard. Sometimes.”

Aria nodded as she took off her ballcap. “Alright,” Aria replied, “I’ll get on the mountain of homework I have to deal with. Can I ask you a couple of questions before you go?”

Roza nodded. “Shoot, kiddo.”

“First, do you know a restaurant called Tres Carnales Taqueria?”

The question seemed to surprise Roza. “Suppose I do,” she answered, “It’s about ten blocks south, three blocks east, by the art museum. That place is not exactly on the cheap. You have a good wage, kiddo, but don’t burn it all quickly.”

Aria shook her head. “I’m not. There’s just someone who works there that I really need to see. I was wondering if I could get another advance on my pay, so I don’t get kicked out for loitering or something.”

Roza sighed, reached into her bag, and pulled out a couple hundred dollars in twenty-dollar bills. “Here,” she said as she handed the money to Aria. “A full advance for the next week. Go see your friend, have a nice meal, and buy yourself some decent clothes. As much as I like idea of you being a walking billboard, it probably doesn’t help your social situation if you keep showing up at school with only one outfit. Sometimes I wonder how people function with the same get-up day in and day out.”

Aria did not reply to that, considering most of the student body at Canterlot High only seemed to have one outfit, save for Rarity.

“However!” Roza raised a finger a hand to stop any reply from Aria. “I expect you to be here every night with your homework done, Haven spotless, and you ready for some serious training. I’m putting a lot of time, effort, and resources on you, kiddo. Consider my expectations sufficiently raised.”

Aria smiled at the wad of cash she received. She had not seen this much money in a very long time. Before, she and the other sirens would sing to make people buy what they needed. One could say they literally sang for their suppers. However, this was money freely given on a promise based on trust between herself and Roza. For some reason, Aria wanted to show Roza that she earned such an advance. While not a thousand dollars, it certainly eased Aria’s mind.

“Thanks a lot, Roza,” Aria said, smiling at her trainer. “You won’t regret this. But… why take a chance on me like this?”

“Like I said before, kiddo,” Roza replied as she turned to leave the gym. “I see a lot of myself in you. In a lot of ways. Get yourself ready, tomorrow we’re getting you into shape. The sooner we get you into proper training, the better. Have a good night.”

Roza waited for Fluttershy to leave before locking up. The meek girl gave Aria a small wave, which Aria replied in kind. Once they were both gone, Aria walked around the lonely gym for a moment before sitting down on a bench. She thought back on her day and realized the stone cold truth of it all: she was being friendly with the same people that rainbow beamed her powers away. Whether it was simply to get rid of the nightmares or not, Aria began to ponder if this was a good thing or not.

She liked being tough. Whenever Sonata got too airheaded or Adagio became too bossy, Aria was there to keep them grounded. Granted, she did not stop Adagio and her plan for global domination, but desperation made people do strange things. Like deciding to become a professional wrestler.

Impatience got the better of Aria as she sat alone in the gym. She wanted to see Sonata now, but it would not do to take a walk at night to a restaurant she did not know in less than presentable wear. She wanted to find Adagio as well. Despite the two often clashing, Aria admitted to herself that she cared for Adagio and wanted to make sure she was all right.

Antsy to do something other than study, Aria walked up to the ring, stepped over the second rope, and began to run the ropes just as she did the night before. She counted her steps as she ran and felt the rebounding force of the top rope against her back. She ran the ropes for several minutes, taking a moment to only to start running again when she felt ready.

How rapid did change come to her life? One moment she hated Fluttershy’s guts and pushed her around in a gym. Next, she was waving goodbye and being cordial. She cursed Adagio’s name when she lived out in the cold, yet now she wanted to find her former fearless leader.

She recalled something she read once and subsequently blew off. “To live is to change,” she said aloud, “and to be perfect is to change often.”

Those words warranted consideration now. She changed a lot in such a short amount of time, and she felt it was for the better. Now she needed to make the changes mean something to her.

Aria took a deep breath as she finished running the ropes. Tired, she rolled out of the ring and headed to the office. Shoes and socks off, Aria slipped under the sheets and pulled out her biology textbook. Day one of her new life ended, but the next would come with new challenges.

“One thing at a time,” Aria said, “one thing at a time…”

It Just Feels Right

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Chapter 5 – It Feels Just Right

“Come on, kiddo!” Roza barked, “two more pushes! Just two more! Come on! One!”

Aria grunted under the strain. “Can’t… it’s too hard…”

“Don’t tell me it’s too hard! Just tighten your grip, take a deep breath, and push!”

Aria cried out as she pushed the barbell upwards with all of her rather limited might. A pair of red plates on either side reminded Aria that she needed to push sixty pounds two more times. Roza insisted that training on Saturday morning started the moment Aria got up.

First, she ran on the treadmill for half an hour, only to feel completely winded. After that, Roza moved her to the bench press. She needed to keep her composure on the heavy strain, but Roza continued to shout orders at her. Thankfully, she also acted as a spotter for Aria so that if Aria failed to carry the wait, the bar would not fall and crush her.

“One more!” Roza yelled out again. “One more! You want the fame, the money? You want your name on the marquee? Then you will push this bar one. More. Time!”

Aria felt her arms shake under the weight of the barbell, yet she wanted to show Roza that she could push the weight. She extended her arms with a shout, lifting the bar above her chest. She breathed heavily while her arms shook. Roza helped to get the bar back onto its moorings while Aria took deep breaths.

“Good start,” Roza said as she helped Aria to her feet. “You can lift half your own body weight. A few more months of weight training and not only will we double that, but I bet we can quad it real nice!”

Aria looked back at Roza, the bench press, and then back to her trainer. “I don’t want to be a giant beast of a woman, you know,” Aria said.

“You won’t be, don’t worry.” They walked over to Roza’s ring and climbed inside for the next wrestling lesson. “But you will need to improve your upper body strength. Not only will you need to lift your own bodyweight, but you will need to get stronger if you want to have any chance against some of the ACW roster. You’ve already met Konstance Paine…”

A cold chill ran down Aria’s spine at the mention of that name.

“But the ACW has plenty of powerhouses besides her. She isn’t the only giant on the roster and you will invariably meet the others. I do not train in a strength and power style. After all, I’m not that big. But I will train you in a technical style focused on holds and submissions, as well as several high flying moves that will drive the crowds wild. And they hurt too. For both parties involved.”

The sound of trying to defy gravity did not appeal to Aria all that much. “Why should I worry about the crowd?” she asked, “After all, they are already there to see me. Well, soon enough, I mean.”

Roza quickly closed the distance between them, almost nose to nose. “Here’s something you need to learn real quick,” she said, “that crowd? They mean everything to a professional wrestler. They buy the tickets to show up in the first place. They buy the merch, which allows you to get royalty checks at all. Whether they love you to bits or hate you so much they want to see your guts on the floor, your job is to get a reaction from the fans. If you don’t put on a show, the crowd gets bored and the last thing you want is a bored crowd. Think of the crowd as the source of a wrestler’s power. The more heat you can generate from them, the better you will become. I can only train you so much. The ACW might throw you some bones, but if you don’t know how to work the crowd, you’ll be cut faster than chaff from the wheat.”

“You need to prove to everyone that you are the cream of the crop, that you will rise to the top just like the cream in my coffee cup. You do that, and you’re golden. Fail and it’s down the drain for you.”

Aria looked Roza right in the eye and felt a great weight lay on her shoulders. She performed well in front of crowds, but that was when she sang for the people. She also had Sonata and Adagio to back her up.

Now she was to be alone in the ring with only her skills that she has yet to acquire.

“Alright,” Aria said at last. “I’m doing this so I can be famous after all, make some money… if I can’t get the crowd behind me, then it won’t be worth much, will it? Who’s gonna buy my shirts?”

“First thing we have to worry about is getting you trained up for the ring, then you can worry about your name on a shirt.” Roza took a position opposite area and raised her hands, ready to grapple. “I’m going to teach you the most important thing you can ever learn if you want to survive the business is how to take your bumps.”

Aria looked at Roza with a quizzical stare. “What do you mean?”

“Bumps means how you fall and how you take a slam or throw.” When Aria visibly balked at the idea, Roza held up her hands. “Listen, my training is great, but face facts: someone is going to get a hold of you, they are going to lift you up, and then they are going to drop you on your head… unless you know how to prevent it. That is what I am going to show you today.”

“Running the ropes was a good exercise, but this is where I determine if you have what it takes to make it in this business. This is the one lesson you will need for the rest of your career. It will save your body a lot of unneeded punishment. Are you ready?”

Aria wondered exactly what Roza meant and nodded. “It can’t be that bad, right?”

A slow smile formed on Roza’s lips. “Alright then, tough chick, follow my lead.” Roza stood in the middle of the ring, only to fling herself back first onto the mat. Aria looked at her trainer as if she just went insane, only for Roza to quickly get up and then fall right onto her back. She repeated this process with dexterity and speed, something Aria did not expect.

“Why are you falling over?” she asked. Roza brushed aside some loose hairs and took a breath.

“Simple, my back can take a lot of punishment.” Roza pointed at her back. “Especially the shoulder blades. If you can fall flat on your back, you absorb a lot of damage from things like suplexes or clotheslines. We’ll get to those later. Falling over like this prepares you to change the direction of your fall. It’s still going to hurt, I’m not going to lie, but once you learn to fall on your back, your chest, and your hands, you can really alleviate the hurt. The main thing you must always remember is to always protect the head and neck. If anything happens to those, you’re done, not just in this line of your work, but in life. ”

Aria thought hard on what this meant to her. She did not like getting hurt and the idea of causing pain to herself did not appeal in the slightest. Still, she did agree to the training and if she wanted the glory, then she needed to show some guts. She was Aria Blaze, the toughest chick one would ever meet.

“No pain, no gain.” Aria nodded to Roza and readied herself to do a backflip. Her heart began to race as she prepared mentally and physically to toss herself to the mat. She clenched her fists. She stared ahead. Her body tensed up. All she needed to do was jump up and land on her back, just like Roza showed her.

Staring at the display Aria gave, Roza motioned to her to continue with some impatience.

Aria nodded her head, took a deep breath, and jumped. She shifted her weight so that she would fall back first, but no preparations helped in getting ready for the pain. As she collided with the mat, pain shot all along her body as gravity did its job very well on her. She just squirmed on the ground for a while as Roza leaned back against the turnbuckle.

“You done?” Roza asked with a bored expression.

“Just need a moment…” Aria slowly got back to her feet, though it took some effort. She became uncertain if Roza was training her to wrestle, or working her to the grave. “And I need to keep doing that…?”

“As much as possible if you want to survive in the ring.” Roza walked to the center ropes and with her back facing them, flipped over the top, gracefully landing on her feet to the outside. Aria muttered show off, but hoped that Roza did not hear. She did not need her trainer ornery this early in the morning. As she watched Roza walk off to another machine, Aria shook her head and began the training regimen once again.

Her back did not appreciate it.

“When are you going to show me how to toss other people around?” Aria called out on her back.

“When you learn how to defend yourself properly, when you learn how to take punishment, then I will show you how to dish it out.” Roza set a few dials on exercise bikes, not looking back at Aria. “I need to know you want to continue. This… this is the hard part.”

Aria groaned, but got back to her feet and proceeded to continue falling on her back. As she fell, her thoughts drifted to her plans for after training. She needed to find Sonata tonight and make amends and now that she knew about Tres Carnales Taqueria, she could get there by today. She did need to pick up some proper clothes, but that would come later. For now, she needed to focus on training, even if it felt like she put her body through the ringer.

“Don’t forget the to fall on the front side!” Roza called out to Aria. She could only reply with a groan.

***

Aria walked into Tres Carnales Taqueria and was immediately thankful for the forward on her pay Roza gave her to buy some decent clothes. The place looked like something out of a five-star review website, with every detail utterly immaculate. She could hardly tell it specialized in Mexican food due to the rather ritzy décor. Pillars of polished marble held up the structure while a faded light gave it a relaxed, but still classy mood.

The greeter welcomed Aria with a bright, cheery smile. “Good evening and welcome to La Tequila. Are you with a party, waiting for someone, or alone?”

For some reason Aria felt a pang of annoyance when the greeter asked if she was alone. “I’m by myself,” Aria answered.

The greeter’s smile never faltered. She pulled out a small menu. “We have plenty of room in our lounge if you’d like.”

“Actually…” Aria hesitated. She did not want to seem like some kind of creeper looking for a specific waitress, and as she looked around, she noticed the waitresses were all very pretty and wearing tasteful clothes, namely short black skirts with black pantyhose, shoes, and shirts.

Aria steeled herself. “I was wondering if I could go to the section covered by Sonata Dusk. She’s an old friend of mine and I was hoping to surprise her.”

“Then you are just in luck!” the cheery greeter replied, “She’s covering the lounge right now. She’s often requested to be our patron’s servers. Just take a seat wherever you like and she’ll be right with you.”

A spot near the window overlooking a small garden surprisingly remained open, so Aria took a seat and waited for Sonata. She looked around the lounge and noticed that she was the only person sitting alone. The other patrons sat with friends or loved ones, but collectively the entire room gave Aria a sense of isolation. The chair on the other side of the table seemed to mock her with its emptiness.

She took the time to browse the drink menu, but after ten minutes and no Sonata, annoyance began to take form on her features. The other patrons shared such as they looked around for their waitress. Eventually one did come by to take orders, but she was not Sonata. Aria let her disappointment take form on her face.

The waitress walked up to Aria. “Welcome, I’ll be your server for the evening. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Uh…” Aria quickly browsed the drink menu again. “Can I try the strawberry beer?”

The waitress smiled and acknowledged the order. Before she went to get the drink, Aria asked for her to wait. “I was wondering if Sonata Dusk was around? I’m a… old friend of hers.”

She knew the hesitation in her voice did not help matters, but Aria still needed understand this whole ‘friendship’ thing. All her life, she, Adagio, and Sonata worked together because it was mutually beneficial. They were sirens and together, their musical magic held more potency when they joined forces than each separately. Aria had no doubt that if their plan at the Battle of the Bands worked, the three would turn on each other in a heartbeat.

That was no longer the case. None of them had magic anymore and Sonata at least tried to turn a new leaf. Aria as well, though for the same reasons as why she joined Adagio a world ago in the first place; for her benefit. Was she not making friends with Sonata for that same goal, to simply make sure the horrid nightmare never returned?

“I’m afraid Sonata decided to take the night off,” the server replied, “I hope this won’t be a problem.”

Aria sighed. “No. I’ll just have the beer please.”

Did Sonata see her and run off? Did Aria truly burn down the bridge between them? These questions swirled around her head as she sat alone. When her server returned with the golden drink, Aria did not feel like taking the first sip, her stomach twisting into uncomfortable knots. Her heart sank as she leaned onto her hands, elbows resting on the table. She stared blankly outside into the winter night, a light snow falling onto the shrubberies outside.

This was a mistake, Aria thought, I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have yelled at Sonata. Maybe she was right to leave with Adagio than stay with me. I can honestly say I would have treated her badly.

“Aria…”

Aria looked up at the sound of her name being hissed into her ear. She looked around the table to see no one around, and even the other patrons now vanished. Now more alone than before, Aria’s eyes darted around to see if anyone else remained, but found only silence.

The lights began to go out one by one and panic set inside her. Aria tried to stand up, but found her body utterly frozen to the chair. From the shadows a tall figure stepped out. Cloaked in darkness, Aria saw its shape inch closer to her until the candle on her table revealed the face.

Konstance Pain stood at the other end of the table, the light of the candle illuminating the doll-face mask she wore. Aria, frozen in fear, could not even scream as the source of her nightmares stood like a mountain before her.

“Aria…” Konstance hissed as she adjusted the leather glove on her right hand. With slow, deliberate movements, she raised the leather-clad hand high above her head, the fingers wriggling and eager to take hold of Aria’s neck.

“Please…” Aria begged, still unable to move. “I’m trying! I’m trying to change! I’m trying to make peace!”

Konstance ignored her. Instead she thrust her hand forward towards Aria’s neck. Aria shut her eyes tight and readied herself for the inevitable chokeslam.

“Aria!”

Slowly, Aria opened one eye. Instead of seeing the frightening visage of Konstance and her mask, she saw Sonata standing in front of her with a worried expression.

“You zoned out there for a little,” Sonata said, “Is everything alright?”

Aria blinked several times as she tried to realize that she was back in a full lounge with the person she sought standing in front of her. Konstance Pain was not there, just a mere figment of Aria’s overacting but incredibly frightening imagination. She needed to step up her efforts if she was having daydream delusions. Perhaps day nightmares was a more apt expression.

“I’m fine… I’m fine.” Aria tried to smile at Sonata, but it felt shaky and forced. The image of Konstace reaching for her neck still burned in her mine. She offered the chair opposite of her own to Sonata. “I was hoping you could join me. I’d like to talk to you, if you don’t mind.”

Sonata looked at the chair offered and hesitated for a moment before accepting. She sat down and Aria took a moment to take a good look at a fellow former siren. Sonata looked good, with a healthy glow in her blue skin accentuated by the candle light. She wore the same black outfit as the other servers which Aria admitted looked cute on Sonata, save for having removed her nametag.

A silence fell over the two as both seemed to struggle to find the words to say to each other. Aria finally took a sip of her beer, needing a bit of liquid courage to start the conversation. Surprised by how much she liked the flavour, Aria took another sip, drinking bit more this time around.

Sonata broke the silence first, much to Aria’s quiet gratitude. “What are you drinking?”

Aria set her glass down on the coaster. “Strawberry beer. Fruli, I think the brand was. It’s pretty good.” Sonata giggled, causing Aria to have a quizzical expression on her face.

“Sorry,” Sonata replied, “It’s just like you to have a bit of an edge but still have that feminine quality. Like your old clothes when we first arrived at Canterlot High.”

“Didn’t realize drinking beer was edgy.”

“It’s not that usual in a place like this. Most women guests have wine or a cocktail.” Sonata pointed at the bar. “Sometimes I work back there, and I like to think I mix a mean martini.”

“I thought you were working tonight,” Aria said, bringing the conversation back to her primary purpose. “I was kind of hoping to surprise you.”

“You did,” Sonata replied in a quiet tone. “I didn’t want to see you at first, which is why I didn’t come out to see you at first. You… you hurt me, Aria. All those mean words. They cut pretty deep.”

Aria did not respond, but instead slunk into her chair and turned her downcast gaze back outside into the night. Her tongue cut with the precision of a razor and created terrible wounds, a trait she took pride in on more than one occasion. However, this was the first time she ever regretted slicing into another person’s ego. She needed to make it right.

She took a deep breath and readied herself. She did have some practice in this after all. “I was angry, Sonata. Angry at you and Adagio, yes, but also angry at myself for everything that happened. Things were bad for me; though I’m sure they were no better for you. I guess seeing you happy and with the people who brought me low made me snap. I know this sounds like an excuse, but I’m really sorry for what I’ve done. I only recently learned that I put my own hurt to one of my best friends. I can’t take back the things I’ve said, but I can ask for forgiveness, which is yours alone to give.”

Sonata stared at Aria as the latter opened her heart to her. She smiled and nodded. “OK.”

“OK?” Aria raised her brow. “Is that it?”

“Sure. I forgive you. We were all under a lot of stress back then, but for the two of us, everything turned out ok, so there is no reason to stay mad at each other. I’m just glad to see you again, and seeing you find a way off the streets.”

Aria breathed a sigh of relief. An enormous weight shifted off her shoulders and Aria felt like she could truly breathe again. Maybe this friendship thing worked after all and did more than summon a giant ethereal unicorn with Equestrian magic.

Maybe it could heal a few more wounds.

The server returned to take orders for appetizers, of which Sonata recommended the corn soup. Being that she worked in the restaurant, Aria agreed to it, with Sonata asking for a bowl for herself. The two chatted for a while until the subject of Aria’s current living arrangements came up. She debated if she should tell Sonata the truth, but decided in quick succession that the truth needed to be said.

“I lived on the streets for a while after we split up,” Aria explained, “but now I’m living in a gym owned by a woman named Roza Del Diavolo. She’s letting me stay and gave me a job as a janitor, which is much better than what I had going for me before. Only thing she wanted is for me to go back to school, which is how I ended up back in CHS.”

“Well, that’s awfully nice of her,” Sonata said, sipping on some fruity concoction Aria could not remember the name of.

“That’s not even the half of it,” Aria continued, “the night before she gave a roof and a job, I went to wrestling event where all I had to was survive five minutes to win a prize of a thousand dollars. I was going to take the money to leave this city, but I barely lasted two. So Roza brings my unconscious carcass back to her gym and offers to train me to be a professional wrestler. Isn’t that crazy?”

Sonata thought about Aria’s words, her eyes staring at the ceiling as she absent mindedly sucked on her straw. Aria could not help but be impressed by such, as Sonata was not known for being the deepest of thinkers or taking the time to consider things carefully. Usually she just blurted out whatever was on her mind, for good or for ill.

“Maybe it sounds a little crazy, but you should totally go for it,” Sonata said, “someone is being so generous as to give you a place to stay, a simple job, and even training for a career down the line. I think you would be a completely awesome wrestler! You have a mean streak a mile wide and don’t take no guff from no one!”

Aria chortled. “‘Take no guff?’”

“I’ve been watching some old shows.” Sonata drained the last of her drink just as the soups arrived. They ate in silence, which gave time for Aria to think. Sonata seemed very accepting of Aria training to be a wrestling much more easily than Aria herself did. Maybe she did have what it took to be a wrestler, but after this morning’s first round of taking bumps, Aria did not know if she wanted to continue. Her body still ached from being tossed around.

Instead of focusing on wrestling, Aria focused on her soup. If she thought sandwiches were amazing, then the soup tasted utterly divine. She scooped spoonful after spoonful with increased haste, gobbling down the soup until nothing remained but the leftovers stuck on the bowl. She needed to resist the urge to simply pick up the bowl and lick it clean.

“That was incredible,” Aria said once she wiped her mouth, “I haven’t had something that tasty since… well, I suppose since we drained negative emotions.”

“I know, right!?” Sonata bounced on her chair with the excitement of a young child. “I mean, we knew food was tasty but never to this level! That’s why I was so excited to see this place have an opening for the work experience course. I’ve learned so much, and the GM even said he can try to get me into line cooking.”

Sonata continued to surprise Aria. “A cook?” she asked, taking another sip of her beer. “I didn’t think you’d be much for cooking.”

“It’s fun, and I like it a lot.” Sonata beamed with pride. “I’ve been cooking for a while now. It started with just wanting to make tacos, of course, but then I wanted to cook all the food. Sunset was worried at first, but I think I got the hang of it.”

This new information took Aria aback. “Sunset? As in Sunset Shimmer? As in the one who hammered down the last nail in our proverbial coffins?”

Sonata appeared to immediately regret bringing up Sunset Shimmer. “Don’t be mad at her, Aria. Sunny has been really nice to me, as have all the other girls when I went back to Canterlot High. She knew the kind of situation I was in and let me stay with her. It’s the other reason I took the work experience course, so I could help pay rent.”

“I’m…” Aria hesitated. She still felt a tinge of anger inside her for what happened, but it no longer seemed fair to blame it on the Rainbooms or Sunset Shimmer in particular. “I’m not mad at her,” she finally said, “in fact, I kind of want to thank her for helping you as much as she did. I’m glad you are doing alright for yourself. I think we became better when we stopped thinking like sirens and more like people.”

Sonata smiled at that, which gave Aria an inkling that she said the right thing. For the first time, she called herself a person, a human, rather than a siren stuck in a foreign world. Acceptance of her now permanent situation was not so bad.

However, one question remained and Aria knew it needed to be asked for the nightmares to truly go away. “I said some bad things to Adagio too. Do you know where she is now?”

At the mention of Adagio’s name, Sonata did not look Aria in the eye, focused instead on the night outside of the window. She did not answer for some time, giving Aria a deep concern, which only furthered by the sight of tears rolling down Sonata’s face.

“She…” Sonata took a deep breath, but it only came out in a sob. “It was only a few days after you split up from us. I wanted to bring us back together, so I tried to convince Adagio to go back and find you. We’ve been a trio for so long; I thought we wouldn’t be able to go on without you for long, and that you would need us. I wanted us together again because that’s how it was always been.”

“But then she got really mad at me.” Sonata’s tears flowed freely now, her makeup now ruined and streaking down her face. “She had this look in her eye like I was simply the worst. And then… and then she hit me! Slapped me in the middle of the street! Then she walked off and I haven’t heard anything from her since.”

Sonata continued to bawl her eyes out. Aria bit her lip as she tried to figure out way to comfort her friend. At the same time, a new anger burned inside her chest. How could Adagio hit Sonata? Sure they got on each other’s nerves at times, and Sonata could be rather ditzy, but they never once got overtly physical. Something was wrong, but if Adagio went missing, things did not bode well for her or Aria’s state of mind.

“We’ll find her,” Aria said with confidence. “I promise that, Sonata.”

That promise appeared to heal Sonata’s broken spirit as she gave Aria a faint smile as she wiped her tears. They spent the rest of the evening simply talking, something that Aria realized she had not done with Sonata… ever. When they were sirens, every moment of everyday existed solely to satisfy their hunger for energy. They never really just sat down and had a conversation.

Aria found it nice.

By the time the clock struck nine did Aria and Sonata noticed the time. Both reached for their bags to pay for the meal and drinks which only caused a brief moment of awkwardness.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Aria said, “I’m the one who came here unannounced after all.”

“I work here, I get an employee discount.” Sonata already pulled out some money. “Besides, you only just got on your feet. I insist.”

“No, I insist.” Aria maintained her smile, but now it had the added edge of annoyance. “Think of it as an extra with the apology.”

“The apology was enough. Think of this as a gift for coming back into my life.”

“I insist!”

“No, I insist!”

The two stared each other down, neither backing off as they both grabbed their money, eager to pay the bill. However, Sonata broke down into giggles first, which only left Aria laughing as well. They both figured out how silly they acted over something so small as a restaurant bill.

“Easiest solution is for us to pay for ourselves then,” Aria said, “but we can definitely make use of your discount.”

Once they paid for their meal, they left the restaurant where a cold wind bit at Aria’s face. She zipped up her jacket only to feel a warm body embracing her. She looked to see Sonata hugging her tightly as if Aria was about to slip away again.

“I’m glad we’re friends again,” Sonata said, “I hope we can find Adagio soon.”

“We will,” Aria replied, “I promised that after all.”

A honk of a car horn alerted Aria and Sonata, who broke their embrace to see a rather older beater for a car with the headlights on waiting outside. The car shut off and Sunset Shimmer stepped out into the winter air.

“Oh!” Sunset looked surprised to see Aria and Sonata together, but she did have a warm smile on her face. “I’m glad you two made amends.”

“Sunny!” Sonata leapt onto her Sunset, wrapping her arms around her. “Isn’t it great! Aria had an epiphany and now everything is awesome again!”

“Could say that.” Aria tried to be cool about the whole situation, but she could not help but give a small smile to display her own happiness.

“Well, I’m glad,” Sunset said, still holding onto Sonata. “I may have been a little defensive of Sonata, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time here in this world is that people can change, from she-demons to sirens.”

Aria was not certain she changed and even more uncertain if it was for the better. This was new, yes, but she did do everything simply to appease her own twisted nightmares. Still, there was something in Sunset’s words that gladdened her heart.

Her eyes went wide in complete shock, however, as Sunset and Sonata leaned in close for a quick kiss. Mouth agape, Aria could not find the words for a moment until both Sunset and Sonata blushed.

“How long has this been going on?” Aria asked, her voice raised a pitch due to the surprise.

“Well… a little while. It’s a long story.” Sonata rubbed the back of her head. “I told you we live together now, and well… one thing led to another and… here we are! Tada!”

Sunset laughed. “I come down to pick up Sonata after work. I can bring you home if you’d like too, Aria. Where do you live now?”

Aria continued to stare blankly. She knew Sonata was doing alright for herself, but not this good. “I live in Haven Gym downtown,” she answered, not realizing she just gave away that she did in fact live in a gym.

“A gym?” Sunset looked just as surprised as Aria.

“Yep!” Sonata chimed in. “She’s working there as a janitor and training to be a pro wrestler! Isn’t that just the coolest?”

Sunset looked at Aria with a rather bemused expression on her face. Aria replied with a shrug. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you on the drive there.”

She Looks Good

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Summer fast approached with warmer temperatures and clear blue skies greeting Aria's every day. Only less than two months of regular classes remained, followed by final diploma exams. Aria had to admit she never thought she would make it this far, let alone care for her academics. However, she did make it this far, and she felt determined to not only see it through to the end, but to succeed with a gold standard.

On this Saturday morning, Aria poured over a history textbook when Roza entered her peripheral vision. "Hey there kiddo," she said with that lopsided smile. "What kind of busy are you today?"

Aria looked to Roza, to her book, and then promptly closed it. It wasn’t really that interesting to begin with. "Got a clear schedule for today," Aria replied, "what did you have in mind? More training?"

Roza shook her head. "Not quite. Was thinking that if this whole wrestling thing is gonna work, we need to get you some appropriate attire. Just one issue."

Aria raised her brow. "What issue?"

Roza sat next to Aria. "Thing is, the chick I worked with to get all my gear done up nice has long since retired and moved out of the country. That leaves me in a bit of a bind. We could hire someone else, but no one like her lives in the city, and it would take too long to get the stuff here. We need local."

Aria immediately had someone in mind, though the thought of her making wrestling clothes amused Aria to no end. "There is someone I go to school with... A friend. She's a great seamstress who should be able to help."

Roza turned her head and looked at Aria incredulously. "She work on gear before?" Aria only shook her head in response.

Taking a deep breath, Roza could not help but chuckle. "What are the chances? A rookie helping a rookie. Alright, wait for me outside."

"Where are we going?" Aria said as she got to her feet.

"Going to see your friend," Roza answered, "like I said, need to get this done sooner rather than later. Call her up, tell her we're coming, or else you’re running the bridge again. Either way, something wrestling related will be done today."

Aria could not really argue with Roza's logic. That and she really did not want to run the full length of the High Level Bridge another twenty times both ways. Nodding in acknowledgment, Aria went to grab her cell phone and text Rarity.

hey do u mind if i come over? need fashion help

Knowing that a gossip like Rarity would not be far from her main source of information, it did not surprise Aria when her phone chimed that it received a reply.

Of course, darling! Come over whenever you can!

Rarity then sent her address of which Aria scribbled onto a notepad for Roza. Slipping on some jeans, a tshirt, and her boots, she gave the note to Roza, who merely replied with a thumb to the outside.

Aria and Roza left Haven Gym and proceeded to head to Roza's car. Once she took shotgun, Aria waited for Roza who jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

The drive was short, taking only fifteen minutes from downtown to the suburbs where Rarity lived. Aria marvelled at the house in all its splendour. The place was massive and she could not help but think her eyes turned green with envy if for a moment.

Roza shut off the car and whistled. "Friend has nice digs," she said. Aria silently agreed.

Aria led the way up the steps and rang the doorbell. Loud chimes emanated from the house, with a mouth louder voice calling out "I got it! I got it!"

The large double doors swung open revealing Rarity's younger sister Sweetie Belle. The excitement in her eyes immediately died when she saw it was Aria and an older woman at the door.

"Oh, it's you," Sweetie Belle said coolly, "the girl who faked it at the battle of the bands."

Aria tried to smile in an effort to be polite, but it felt like she was baring her teeth. Roza only looked at her with a quizzical brow.

"I'm here to see Rarity," Aria said, "I texted ahead."

"Coming," a voice all but sang. Rarity suddenly appeared, pushing her sister out of the way and welcomed Aria with her biggest smile. "So wonderful to see you, darling! I simply cannot wait to get started!"

Rarity then noticed Roza. Her eyes lingered on Roza’s ratty leather jacket. "Oh my, I thought you would be by yourself. Is this... Your mother?"

Aria half expected that to be an insult, but Roza only gave her vintage smirk. "Nah, I'm her boss and wrestling coach. We came by to get her some proper attire but all my usual contacts are out of the game. Aria said you were pretty good, so I was hoping you could help her out."

Rarity's smile faltered for a moment as she registered the request made to her. "I'm not really one for designing wrestling attire," Rarity admitted, "and I am really ill prepared to start work on such. I don't even have any references."

"Got a computer?" Roza asked. When Rarity nodded, Roza clapped her hands. "Then the Google will be all the reference you need."

Aria looked at Rarity and shrugged and the latter simply replied in kind. Rarity then welcomed Aria and Roza into her home and led them upstairs.

With the push of a button mounted on the wall, a staircase leading to the attic slowly lowered. Aria saw the excitement return to Rarity's eyes as she bounded up the stairs. The wrestling pair followed only to be met with a surprise.

The entirety of the attic assaulted Aria's eyes with a cavalcade of colour and pristine white walls. Mannequins stood tall wearing various garments of a variety of styles. Large wooden shelves lay stocked with any and all tools and materials needed for fashion. In the centre of the room near a large circular window sat a desk stacked with paper and pencils for the design phase.

"Like a vogue magazine exploded in here," Roza said.

"I will take that as a compliment," Rarity replied, "Can I offer you any refreshments to start?"

Both Aria and Roza shook their heads. Rarity turned on her computer and in a moment's notice opened the browser to the search engine.

"Very well," Rarity said as she turned to Aria. "How shall we begin?"

Roza interjected before Aria could say a thing. "All material will be compensated by me, as well as five hundred dollars commission for each set of attire that Aria and myself approve of. We give you full creative control but final approval belongs to Aria. To begin, we will ask for three outfits. We will need them by early September, so due to the short notice I will include a bonus of two thousand once the job is done. Is this arrangement acceptable?"

Aria's eyes went wide at Roza seemingly throwing money around and for her benefit, but Rarity had her beat in the saucer ocular department.

"That is... That is..." Rarity stammered, losing her composure in the process. Aria would have found it funny if not for the fact she was stunned too. "I mean... I can do it, yes of course."

"Great!" Roza said with a big smile. She offered a hand to Rarity who tepidly shook it. "The deal is done, let's get to work. Get to the ACW website and look to the roster."

Rarity complyed and typed in the website. One click later and she was looking at the roster of over forty professional wrestling women. Aria took a good look at them as well, a slight sense of intimidation creeping along her spine.

That feeling turned to dread when she saw the doll face mask of Konstance Paine. Aria quickly turned away while the other two were distracted.

"Quite the array of styles," Rarity said, actually sounding interested. "I suppose it helps with the presentation. Some look like they prefer form over function, others carry a look of flash and mystery. Is... Is that a dominatrix?"

"Never mind her, she's a jobber and I don't train any jobbers." Roza pointed at one of the wrestlers named "Octane." "Like her for example. Lots of talent but far too nice. I've seen her get mean once and it was scary. She doesn’t get mean often though and it costs her some pretty good matches. Shame to see such talent go to waste."

Aria turned to look at the picture of Octane and saw a yellow skinned woman with platinum blond hair. She smiled her photo so wide that Aria could imagine her and Pinkie Pie having a smile-off. The fact that they both had striking blue eyes only helped the comparison.

Aria the focused on the attire Octane wore. It was mostly a black top that looked more like a sports bra followed by booty shorts and black boots. Her name was embroidered on the chest in red sequence, while she wore armbands with red tassels. Her knees and elbows were also covered with pads, each with a burning "O" in the centre.

"Elbow and knee pads are a must in my opinion," Roza said, "want to protect your joints at all costs."

Rarity put on her red glasses and began to take down notes. "What about the basic form? Those shorts are a bit risqué for my liking, but I think they could help mobility."

Aria only silently nodded. Rarity moved on to another wrestler, this time looking at someone named "Kass." Aria noticed right away two defining characteristics about this one. First, her portrait told that she held the ACW World Championship.

The other was that she was seven feet and an inch tall.

"Current top dog of the ACW," Roza added, "and unlike some giants, she is very much in her prime and can snap her legs like a whip. Get hit by her Decap Attack and you will learn why that move got its name. And that isn’t even the most deadly technique in her arsenal.”

Aria noticed that Kass wore long camouflage sleeves on her arms as well as a single strap on her white top. Her skin shone like gold while her hair was more a dirty blonde. She also word long white tights with large red biohazard symbols on the front. Black pads across her shins and boots completed the ensemble.

"You'll be facing someone... Like that?" Rarity gave voice to Aria's concerns, but Roza waved them off.

"When she makes it that far, she'll be able to take Kass." Roza looked to Rarity and asked, "You’ve seen two sides of the spectrum, but I'll leave the rest of the research to you."

"Of course," Rarity replied, "I'll try to get some designs to Aria by Tuesday at the latest. I would like to take some measurements today though."

"Will leave you to it then," Roza said as she walked towards the staircase. "Need to get some air anyways. Too much lace, not enough leather."

With Roza gone, Rarity raised the staircase ensuring some measure of privacy. In an instant, she began to giggle with glee, though Aria simply continued to stare at the rather unladylike display.

"You seem awfully happy," Aria said, and Rarity replied with a happy sigh.

"Oh but I am darling! I have never had a commission like this before! Sure, it is a bit unorthodox, but now I see it as a challenge, one that says if I can overcome this, nothing is too difficult for me! It's just one step closer to being a fashion icon extraordinaire."

“And it has nothing to do with the money?” Aria said with wry smile.

Rarity matched it with one of her own. “The money is a definite plus.”

Aria could not help but smile. For some reason it felt good to see Rarity to get closer to accomplishing her dreams that Aria chided herself for not having any of her own. When she was a siren in both Equestria and this world, her only concern was where the next meal ticket would be. Then Adagio put it in her and Sonata's head that they could conquer the world. It seemed possible with Adagio's leadership, but now, so long after their defeat, how possible was it really.

Thinking about Adagio only soured Aria's good mood, so instead she focused on Rarity. However, her distracted mind only heard one word.

"Strip."

Aria's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"I said you can go ahead and strip so I can take exact measurements," Rarity said. She gave Aria a coy look. "What did you think I meant?"

"N-nothing just..."

Rarity tittered. "Is big, tough, professional wrestler Aria Blaze a little shy? Really it's nothing I haven't seen before, and you can keep your undergarments on."

With her cheeks on fire, Aria kept an eye on Rarity as she pulled her shirt from over her head. She quickly scrambled out of her jeans when she heard an audible gasp from Rarity. She quickly covered up with her discarded clothes and glared daggers at Rarity.

"Getting weird here!" She barked. Rarity took a deep breath and motioned Aria to calm down.

"Please, darling, I meant no disrespect," Rarity said, "it's just, while at first I thought you were evil monsters, I thought you were at least very attractive, if not pretty in your own way. Now seeing what all that training has done... Well... How to put it succinctly..."

Rarity rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I suppose if Rainbow she would say 'Damn.' I mean, Aria, have you looked in the mirror lately?"

To prove her point, Rarity pushed a full-length mirror in front of Aria. Taking a moment to look at her own body, Aria realized exactly what Rarity was talking about. She had not look at herself in a mirror, but now she saw the fruits of her labours. Her body was lean and toned with only the barest hint of body fat. Her abdominal muscles showed clear definition that they would give her the proverbial six-pack. And her legs!

"I guess..." Aria took a deep breath. "’Damn’ is right."

"I thought you'd see the difference." Rarity looked at Aria with concern. "Why haven't you looked in a mirror?"

Aria turned away from Rarity, her darkened mood returned. She covered herself with her arms, a new shame now risen. "Maybe I was afraid of what I'd see."

A warm hand held Aria's, and only for a brief moment she wanted to pull away. However, the look in Rarity's eyes told Aria that her new friend only had her best interests at heart.

"I see a stunning woman who received a second lease on life and is taking full advantage of it," Rarity said with a smile. "You'll do wonderfully in whatever you set your mind to, and the other girls as well as I will cheer you on from the stands.

Despite being in her underwear, Aria acted first and pulled Rarity in for a hug. This friendship thing wasn't so bad, Aria decided. She never felt so accepted before in her life. With Sonata, Sunset, and the others, Aria actually felt happy. While Adagio may have rejected her, Aria was now convinced more than ever to rekindle the bond they had, no matter the cost. She wanted to share this feeling of proper friendship.

Rarity proceeded to take Aria's measurements, and soon compiled a list of design choices for the appropriate attire. Aria put her clothes back on and went back to the computer. While Rarity reviewed her notes, Aria finally took the moment to look at her competition. Some looked like characters from a comic book, while others looked like they ate bowls filled with nails for breakfast, without any milk. It was only now that it dawned on Aria that she was woefully unprepared to face such women in the wrestling ring.

They all looked strong and confident, having trained to be in this business, while Aria acted the part of the outsider, stepping into the squared circle with little more than a few months of training. Sure Roza put her through the ringer and said that this method of training would bring Aria up to speed very quickly, but she still felt like she walked the road to the lion’s den with a dozen steaks strapped to her body.

A few clicks did not help her confidence. She saw a punk with a bright blue mohawk named Anarkee. A stout yet powerful looking woman named Siege. Apex, who appeared to enjoy breaking limbs for a hobby. Hardened veterans of the wrestling business, all of them, and Aria meant to jump into the thick of it only because Roza said she could hang.

Another click and Aria’s blood ran cold within her veins. On Rarity’s computer screen stood an image of Konstance Paine, her black, soulless eyes from her doll’s mask staring back at her. Aria wanted to close the window, to look away, to do something, but the image of Konstance and her eyes bored their way into Aria’s psyche.

Flashes of the night she first encountered the monster sent pangs down her back. Aria felt everything from that night as if she relived it there and then, despite the safety of Rarity’s home. The roar of the speakers as Konstance’s music hit. The heat from the flames as her pyro erupted from the pipes on the turnbuckles. The tight hold of her gloved hand around Aria’s throat. The pain Aria felt as she was chokeslammed all the way to hell.

The image of Konstance began to move and she raised her gloved hand above her head, just like the night Aria crossed her path. She appeared to come closer to the screen and for a moment, Aria thought she would reach out and grab her by the throat once again and drag her into Rarity’s computer.

“Aria?” Rarity’s voice broke Aria’s concentration on the computer screen, making Aria blink rapidly. She looked back on the website and saw Konstance back to her usual pose, unmoving but still threatening. Rarity looked over Aria’s shoulder, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Is that another one of the… wrestlers?” she asked, “How bizarre. She looks monstrous. Those black locks appear to never seen a decent shampoo and her outfit screams ‘axe murderer.’ In addition, that mask, ugh, hideous! I certainly hope you never have to cross paths with such a beast.”

Rarity noticed the perspiration on Aria’s brow as well as her rapid breathing. “Are you OK, dear? That woman looks frightening but it’s just an image.”

Aria looked at Rarity and then back to the image of Constance. “Just an image, right,” she said, not wanting to let Rarity know that she already crossed paths with the masked monster. “Just an animated image. Right. So, what’s up?”

“Well darling, the Friendship games are starting soon with those rather pompous Crystal Prep students.” Rarity took off her glasses and placed them on a nearby table. “With your new physical training, I bet you’d be a star in the games. Sonata already said she won’t be able to make it due to her work experience course, so I’d thought I’d offer it to you. If not me, then be sure Rainbow Dash would say something in the coming days.”

It did sound interesting, but Aria felt she needed to decline the offer. With a shake of her head she said, “I’d like to help out the school, but I have to do all this studying and training, I don’t think I’d have time to help out. Besides, after I get tossed around the ring a few times, my body feels like it needs an ice bath just to numb the pain.”

Rarity bit her lip at the mention of pain. She put away her pencils and other implements, tucked away her paper, and then took hold of Aria’s hands. The sudden contact surprised her, but the look in Rarity’s eyes gave Aria pause. They held fear. Fear for her.

“Aria, I know I’m a little biased when I say I think this professional wrestling business is completely uncouth and hardly dignified.” Rarity’s hands squeezed Aria’s and her gaze took on a pleading look. “But I must ask if you really thought this through? This business you are training to enter is dangerous. You could get seriously hurt! Crippled even! Are you sure this is what you want?”

That was the million dollar question to Aria, wasn’t it? Was this really what she wanted? It was one thing for her to question the decision to be a wrestler; it was something else entirely to have someone else entirely ask her if this road was in fact the one she wanted to walk. Aria admitted silently that she still held doubts, but this… after everything she’s been through and all that Roza gave her, she felt she needed to at least try to make this work.

Of course, that meant she needed to assuage Rarity’s concerns on the matter.

“I’ll be fine, Rarity,” Aria said, “I got this. I’ll do what I can to protect myself, but I’ll also do what I can to succeed. I am… I was a siren. I belong on a stage. I can’t sing anymore, but I can still perform and if that means stepping between the ropes, then so be it. But it would mean the world to me if my friends were in my corner.”

“We’ll be with you every step of the way,” Rarity confirmed, “Friends are there for friends no matter what the circumstance.”

The two talked for a little more, just about anything and everything that came to mind. Aria enjoyed the conversation when her phone buzzed, signalling that it was time to go. She thanked Rarity for all her help and made her way out of the house and to the car. Once she sat inside and buckled up, Roza pulled out of the driveway and headed back to the city.

They drove in silence for a little bit when Aria finally spoke up. “You… you really are going to pay that much money to Rarity? For me?”

Roza did not turn to look at her. “I am,” she said as she made a left turn “I’m hoping maybe one day you’ll remember the woman who took a chance on you. But seriously, I want you to succeed. You are going to go far, so it is about time I teach you the last tools of the trade: how to throw someone else around. When we get back to the gym, I’ll show some of the best moves in the business. We’ll get you ready in time for some independent leagues in the summer, get you experience. However, I will need to put you under a special test, a final exam match as it were against an opponent of my choosing. I need to be absolutely sure you are ready.”

Aria nodded to her trainer and then turned to face the city as it blurred by the car. Things were coming to a head. The question was if Aria was ready? She did little else besides train and study. She hardly had time to see the new friends her helped her on her road. Now Roza was talking about independent leagues and an actual match to test her abilities.

What if she failed? What if she really was the chaff in the wheat? What hope was there for her then? Roza would not let some vagabond like her stay at the gym forever. She needed to succeed for her own sake.

Taking a deep breath, Aria looked up to see the car approach Haven Gym. Time to get to work.

Right Here, Right Now

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With her training well under way and her reunion with Sonata leading into rejuvenated friendship, life for Aria appeared to have taken a turn for a better. Granted, it was not the comfortable life she enjoyed while she possessed means to magically manipulate minds, but it certainly beat living in bus stops and scrounging for half-eaten burgers. Everything Aria did now held a measure of difficulty she was not used to, but knowing that she was safe under a warm roof with food in her belly helped alleviate the pain and frustrations from her new daily activities.

She went to her classes every day of the school week, and trained with Roza every night. Aria did not find ease in either; she really didn’t know anything about this world beyond what common sense and similarities between this place and Equestria could gleam for her, but thanks to Sonata and her new friends, Aria quickly brought the ever important “grade” to something respectable. She was no brainiac, but if she maintained her current pace, she’d have that diploma Roza made a requirement for her training.

Thoughts of training only made Aria’s body ache. Day in and day out, Aria pushed her body to limits she never even knew she had. If she wasn’t running on a treadmill, she was lifting weights. If she wasn’t getting tossed around by Roza to learn how to bump, she was tumbling around the ring like some fool monkey. Things only got more surreal when Roza brought in a training dummy she affectionately called “Slappy.” Made of bean-bags in the shape of person with a big smiley face for a head and targets all over its body, Aria practiced the various grappling positions, throws, and other techniques on her silent-yet-heavy training partner when Roza didn’t feel like taking a tumble.

When she did not train, Aria took up her mop and other cleaning implements to be Haven Gym’s very best chief custodial officer. Roza did in fact pay well and on time, two things that kept Aria going doing the dirty work. Thankfully there weren’t too many messes; Roza’s client base was limited to around twenty people who kept relatively good care of their own environments. Her job mostly amounted to keeping things looking good for the morning.

With schoolwork, training, and a job complete, Aria spent what little of her free time as she had to searching the city for Adagio. It would have been easier to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. People walked the streets in droves every day that when Aria went on a morning jog, she never saw the same face twice in a week.

Try as she might, Aria did not know where to begin the search for Adagio. The city was large and vast, the greater metropolitan area even more so. Until she hatched a plan, Aria needed to put the search on hold. It also meant that the nightmares involving Konstance Paine menacing her would continue, though thankfully they became rare in the last couple of weeks.

Now those final exams lay behind her and she just needed to wait for the final grades, Aria knew a new stage of her life was about to unfold. She never imagined she’d be in the situation she was in now. Aria always thought she’d be a Siren forever, singing and using her magic to get people to do what she wanted. Now she worked for what she wanted. It felt… good.

Her phone suddenly buzzed, stopping Aria mid jog. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and received a text message from Roza. It read:

It’s time. Tonight @ 6. Haven. Ur gear is here. Good Luck.

Aria’s heart began to race. This was it then. The final exam match against an unknown opponent. If Aria did not win…

No, Aria thought as she clenched her fist and stared out into the sunrise. I will win. I’m Aria Blaze. I’m going to make my name mean something. My road to glory begins now.

***

Aria opened the outer doors of Haven Gym, walked down the stairs, opened the inner doors, and met with a surprising coterie of her friends gathered in front of Roza’s ring. Steel folding chairs faced one side of the ring while the group chatted while waiting presumably for her. Sonata, facing the doors, smiled wide when she saw Aria arrived and swiftly ran towards her, pulling Aria into an uncomfortable but not altogether unpleasant glomp of a hug.

The other soon joined them while Sonata said, “Isn’t it exciting, Aria!? Roza asked Fluttershy to bring us for your final exam! When we got here, we’re supposed to play the part of the roaring crowd! I can’t wait!”

Aria looked past Sonata where Roza leaned against one of the ring posts with a large smug smile on her face. The last thing Aria wanted was for her friends to see her make a fool out of herself in the supposed “final exam” match. She also looked around for her opponent that would test her, but saw no one unusual.

“We’re looking forward to seeing your training,” Sunset said as they made their way back to the ring. “You’ve been working hard for so long. This is going to be great!”

“Not exactly my cup of tea, dear,” added Rarity, “but we’re here to support you all the way. Just try not to get too hurt in there.”

Roza clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “All right, we’re getting this show on the road. Kiddo, your gear is in the locker room. Put it on and we can get your final exam going.”

Her friends parted, giving her positive reinforcement while she walked to the back to change. When she entered the locker room, Aria saw a set of wrestling attire waiting for her on the bench. Standard black boots and kickpads longed to be laced up. They stood next to a roll of black tape. Good for her fingers and wrists to maintain her grip. Emerald green tights with her surname ‘Blaze’ embroidered on the side using red sequence. A bright yellow top with ‘Aria’ stitched in, this time in violet. Lastly, knee pads and elbow pads to protect her joints.

The gear of a professional wrestler, all perfectly crafted by Rarity. Aria was really doing this as she picked up one of the boots. This was going to be her life now.

“I can do this,” Aria said, preparing herself for the match ahead. “It will be different this time. I will do this. I’m Aria Blaze.”

Half an hour later, Aria stepped out of the locker and into the gym. Everyone turned to see their friend emerge and all gave a collective gasp. She felt embarrassed for a moment until the compliments came in.

“Looking good!” said Rainbow.

“Good? She looks hot!”

“You’ll eat them up and spit them out!”

Her friends began to cheer and chant her name as Aria approached the ring. If her confidence was a part of her, it would be swollen to a ludicrous degree right now. She was hot in this get-up, even if she felt a little silly in front of her friends. Their collective encouragement and admiration eased her doubt for the match to come and made it easier for her to approach the ring.

Just as Roza taught her, Aria jumped climbed onto the apron before turning to her small yet enthusiastic crowd. She raised her fist to the sky as a sign of confidence and everyone cheered in response. Stepping over the second rope, she stepped into the ring and stood by the corner, hopping on her toes to keep warmed up.

Roza, standing on the outside, nodded in approval of Aria’s entrance. She then rolled into the ring and stood up, looking Aria over. “You look the part, kiddo, but now it’s time to put up or shut up. Strapping on a pair of boots does not a wrestler make. I taught you all I could about competing in the ring, but now I need to find out if you can dance with a real opponent.”

This was it. The moment Aria waited for. “I’m ready. Who am I facing?”

Roza smirked. “Me.”

Pulling her shirt over her head, Roza revealed a simple black sport top that did more to accentuate her musculature. She then pulled down her sweat pants to show she wore plain black wrestling tights and black boots all laced up and ready to walk all over the ring. Aria stood back and kept a close eye on Roza. What was her angle? Roza was a three-time world champion while Aria was greener than fresh lawn in summer. She was going to be destroyed.

Roza bounced on her feet, looking eager and fresh despite her age. “Can’t just send you to the lions without knowing if you can hang with them,” she said, “Besides, I asked your friends to give some help for tonight’s main event. Since I like her so much, Fluttershy will be the official time-keeper.”

Fluttershy sat next to the bell, holding the hammer gingerly in her small hands. After getting pointed out by Roza, she sunk back in her chair trying to look as small as possible.

Roza then pointed at Sunset. “Pinkie Pie has a set of lungs on her, so she’ll do the ring announcing. Gave her cards so she knows what to say.”

Pinkie’s grin stretched from ear to ear as she waved her flash-cards at Aria.

“Lastly,” Roza continued, looking toward the doors, “We’ll need a referee. I asked your friends and they said there was really only one choice. Come on out!”

The doors opened and out walked a familiar lavender-skinned girl wearing the stripes of a referee. Aria’s eyes went wide as she recognized the girl as Twilight Sparkle, one of the lynchpins that led to the Siren’s defeat. Even with her large, thick-rimmed glasses, Aria knew it was her.

Aria stuck her head out between the ropes and called Sonata over. “Sonata, what is she doing here? I thought she went back to Equestria!”

“That’s not Twilight from Equestria, but the Twilight of this world!” Sonata explained, “You’ve been so busy training and catching up with school, you didn’t get a chance to meet her! She showed up at the Friendship Games!”

Twilight walked up the stairs and stepped under the second rope, looking nervous for her first gig as a referee. Adjusting her glasses, she waved to her friends before turning to the competitors in the ring. Aria’s mind swam as she thought about the fact that there were two Twilight Sparkles, but at least this one didn’t seem to know about her and her days of a Siren.

“I’ve studied all the books and manuals about refereeing a professional wrestling match,” Twilight said to Aria as if to reassure her. “Especially those under the purview of Amazon Championship Wrestling. I just want you to know that I’ll be calling this match right down the middle. May the best woman win.”

That did nothing to help Aria’s confidence. The best woman was right across the ring, someone who already travelled the champion’s road not once, not twice, but thrice.

Pinkie jumped up from her seat and bounced over to the ring, performing an impressive vertical leap onto the apron that took Roza by surprise. She then proceeded to jump over the top rope into the ring, further catching Roza off guard by her athleticism.

“Maybe I should have trained her,” Roza joked, though Aria only glowered at Roza in response.

Standing in the middle of the ring, Pinkie raised one of her flash cards and began to announce its contents. “Ladies and… more ladies! The following contest… ooh, there’s a contest?! Can I play too?”

Roza rolled her eyes. “Just read the card.”

“Right!” Pinkie cleared her throat, starting anew. “The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Introducing first! From Canterlot High, the amazing, the astonishing, the astounding, the—“

“Pinkie…” Aria looked to Pinkie who smiled back at her.

“ARIA… BLAZE!”

The small crowd of Aria’s friends began to cheer, already starting a “Let’s go, Aria!” chant. Aria had to admit that it felt good to hear her name chanted. Would it be the same way when she competed in an arena filled with hundreds, no, thousands?

That is what this match against Roza was all about, wasn’t it? To prove to herself that she could hang. If she could at the very least survive against a world champion, then she could survive in the ring. She could survive more than three minutes against the likes of Konstance Paine.

“Introducing her opponent!” Pinkie continued, “From Haven Gym, she is the raucous, the rambunctious, the ravishing, the…”

“Pinkie!” Aria snapped, only for Pinkie to show her the card.

“I’m just reading what it says!” Pinkie gave the card to Aria to see that all those adjectives were indeed on the card. She then looked at her own to see that the descriptors Pinkie used were absent. She added them herself.

“Can we please just get this show on the road?” Roza called.

Pinkie nodded and went back to her assigned duty. “Right! Give it up for Rrrrrrrrrrroza! Del! DIAVOLO!”

Aria’s friends gave another cheer, though not as heartfelt as it was for Aria, but more out of respect. Sonata, on the other hand, stood up and began the opposite of cheering.

“Boo! Boo!” she called out, “Aria’s gonna kick your butt! Go get her!”

With introductions done, Pinkie jumped over the top rope, landed on the ground, and sat back on her seat with only a smile on her face. Twilight stepped between Aria and Roza, arms raised to show they could not engage without her say so. Aria hung on to the top rope, rocking her legs back and forth. The butterflies in her stomach decided to turn into tornadoes. Roza looked calm and collected, but then she did this hundreds of times before.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked Aria, who nodded in the affirmative. She asked Roza the same and she replied the same.

“All right! Ring the bell!”

Tink tink tink

Aria looked over to Fluttershy who held the hammer against the bell and wondered if she actually rang it. Roza, frustrated that the match wasn’t going exactly like she planned, walked over to the ropes and pointed at Fluttershy.

“You can hit the bell a little harder,” Roza said, “I need a good resounding ring from the bell to get this started!”

“A-are your sure?” Fluttershy replied, “I don’t want to ring it too loud. It might hurt someone’s ears.”

As they argued, Aria already saw an opportunity. Roza’s back was turned. She could win this easily in one swift motion, so long as she kept silent and Roza remained unaware. Twilight’s focus was also on the bell rather than the ring.

Rainbow Dash shifted in her seat uncomfortably only to get up and raise Fluttershy’s hand. “Let’s get this going right now!” she said with a raised voice, smacking the bell hard with Fluttershy’s hammer, her hand still gripped on the handle.

DING DING DING

Aria sprung, running over to Roza and then getting on her knees behind her trainer. She reached out between Roza’s legs and pushed against her abdomen, forcing Roza to fall backwards onto her back. Her shoulders on the mat, Aria got back to her feet and used her height as leverage for the pin. Twilight slid down to her side and raised her hand.

“One!”

“Two!”

Roza pushed her legs outward and managed to get her shoulder up while also pushing Aria against the ropes. Aria clung to the top rope, caught off guard while Roza did a reverse somersault to get back to her feet.

“Sneaky. I like that,” Roza admitted, “But it takes more than a roll-up to put me away.”

Aria pushed herself off the ropes now a bit more careful. Arms raised, both Aria and Roza locked up, collar-and-elbow, and began test of strength to see who would get the advantage. Her friends continued to cheer her own, but good feelings could not help the fact that Roza was much stronger, able to push Aria towards one of the corners.

Her back against the padding, Aria tangled her arms with Roza’s and lifted them away from her face. Twilight called out to Roza to let go, citing that she needed to get out of the corner and back to the middle of the ring. Roza broke her hold on Aria, raising her hand and nodding to Twilight. Aria took a breath and prepared herself to get back into this match when Roza suddenly struck Aria’s gut by slamming her thigh into it.

Winded, Aria crumpled into the corner while Twilight stood between the two. Once more Roza held up her arms as if she didn’t do anything wrong. Groaning, Aria used the ropes to prop herself up and tried to regain her composure. She raised her arms again and stepped away from the turnbuckle only for Roza to sidestep Twilight and catch Aria in a sidelock. Caught and groggy, Aria could not resist being picked up in a side suplex. Before she was dropped, instinct kicked in and she managed to shift a bit so she landed on her shoulders rather than on her head.

It did nothing to stop the pain.

Before she could recover, Aria felt her arm getting wrenched behind her back and Roza’s knee pressing against the small of her back. The pain shot through her body, and she reached out towards the bottom rope, knowing that making it would get Twilight to break Roza’s hold. It was a long way to the ropes and she was facing the other way.

Roza began to pull harder on her arms. “Ask her, ref!” she called to Twilight, all the while Aria gave a scream as if her arm was being yanked out of its socket.

“Do you submit?” Twilight asked, her eyes almost pleading for Aria to say yes.

It would be a rather simple thing, to give up now. To let all of her training mean nothing. The pain was unbearable and her screams went unheeded. She should just tap out. Just quit.

Yet as Aria looked up to see the ropes that could save her, she also the saw the door leading into Haven Gym. She came into the business to make a name for herself. She trained, she sweated, she endured pain to make it. She felt the sting of defeat once at the hands of a monster. She would not feel it again thanks to Roza.

Despite the pressure on her back, Aria managed to push her feet until they were propped on the mat. With one hand outstretched, Aria propelled herself towards the bottom rope. Even though her arm and back hurt even more by giving Roza leverage, she did manage to make it to the bottom rope.

“Rope break!” Twilight called, “Roza, break the hold!”

Roza grumbled but did as she was told and, thankfully, let go of Aria. Aria reached for the second rope to get back to her feet when she felt Roza’s hands lift herself up. Suddenly she was hoisted onto Roza’s shoulders, her eyes wide as to what she was doing up here.

Turning to face Aria’s friends, Roza’s smirk was wide and sinister. Aria looked into the eyes of those she once called foe but now called friend. They were worried for her. This match wasn’t fun for them and they made such very clear. She was getting worked and they wanted her to stop.

She wouldn’t stop though. She came this far; Aria wasn’t going to back down now. Moving her arm, she began to pummel the side of Roza’s head with solid strikes using the back of her triceps. She felt Roza’s hold slacken and quickly shimmied off her shoulders until she was behind Roza. Wrapping her arms around Roza’s midsection, it was Aria’s turn to give a suplex of her own; the German Suplex.

Roza crashed into the mat shoulders first until she laid out sprawled. Aria’s recovery and subsequent counterattack was enough for the girls to start cheering again. Their voices drove her back to her feet, where Aria ran to the ropes, bounced off them, and jumped for a leg drop right on top of Roza’s chest. The blow connected and Roza held her chest in pain. Aria took advantage and went for the quick cover.

Twilight dropped to the mat and began the count. “One!”

“Two!”

Before her hand could get to three Roza pushed a shoulder off the mat. Twilight raised two fingers to the air. The match was still on.

Back on her feet, Aria grabbed Roza’s arms and lifted her up. With Roza standing, Aria draped Roza’s arm over her shoulder. She then began to lift, using what little momentum she had to carry Roza’s weight and entire body until Roza was completely vertical and upside down in the air. Aria continued the motion until both fell on their backs, though Roza took the brunt of the vertical suplex.

Aria rolled onto all fours, her eyes wide as she realized what she just accomplished. Before she tossed a dummy around, now this time she delivered an impressive suplex to an actual opponent. She tossed a world champion around!

Feeling the adrenaline rush, Aria jumped to her feet. Rather than going for the pin, Aria pressed the attack by running to the ropes, bouncing off, and while approaching Roza, jumping up. She extended her leg, aiming to drop it onto Roza’s chest.

Only this time, Roza was ready for the leg drop. She rolled out of the way of the leg and with Aria committed to her jump she crashed down onto the mat without a body to fall under. She moaned in pain after landing hard on her tailbone, only to look up to see Roza recover, bounce off the ropes, and take to the air herself for a dropkick. Aria only managed to get her hands up in time to protect her face, but the force from the dropkick still hit her hard.

Flat on her back, Aria felt Roza lift her leg for the pin. Twilight began to count, but before she could hit her hand for the three, Aria managed to get her shoulder up in time. She wasn’t done yet, despite her body wanting to quit. The pain, while immense, was merely pain and it would pass the moment she won this match. She intended to do that.

Granted, Roza did not make it easy for her. Grumbling, she grabbed Aria by the hair and pulled her up until the younger woman was on her knees. “This is who I spent time, effort, and money into shaping!” She pointed at Aria’s face while staring daggers at her friends. “This… this is the face of a loser! A failure! I should have tossed her ass out onto the snow the moment she came through those doors!”

Aria’s mouth gaped open. Roza… she didn’t mean that, did she? After everything Aria went through, all of the indignities of being a lowly janitor, of having to go to the school where she ostracized herself, of going through training from hell… Roza would not just toss her aside like she did?

Was she right though? Was everything for naught? She couldn’t beat Roza. She did not have the experience, the skill, or the power. Aria might as well lie down and get pinned.

“You’re wrong!” Sonata yelled, her voice snapping Aria out of her malaise. “Aria came too far to lose to you! She’s not a loser! She’s stronger than you know! I believe in Aria, and she’s going to win! ARIA! ARIA! ARIA!”

Sunset Shimmer took Sonata’s hand and followed her lover’s lead, chanting Aria’s name. The others soon followed, standing on their feet and pumping their fists in time with her name. Even Twilight, who should have been unbiased, silently mouthed her name. They believed in her. They wanted to see her win.

If they could believe in her, maybe Aria should get started on that as well.

Despite Roza’s grip on her violet locks, Aria managed to prop herself onto one knee. Standing up, though hunched due to Roza’s hold, Aria turned to face Roza. Her fists clenched, she lashed out with hard punches square on Roza’s abdomen. Having not expected nor the ability to quickly defend herself, Roza keeled over from the blow to her gut. She let go of Aria who quickly rebounded off the ropes for momentum. When Roza looked up, her eyes met Aria’s briefly as Aria extended her arm and performed a clothesline on Roza’s chest.

Roza, though knocked down, quickly recovered. Already on the move, Aria bounced off the ropes and clotheslined her again. Once more Roza got back to her feet, only now for Aria to be ready. Taking hold of Roza’s top and tights, Aria lifted her mentor into the air and dropped her on her extended knee for a gutbuster. Roza collapsed onto the mat. Aria roared, the adrenaline surging through her blood.

“Go for the pin!” Applejack yelled, “You got her!”

Aria agreed with Applejack and went for the cover. Twilight once more slammed her hand twice, but once more did Roza get her shoulder up before the three count. Aria looked up at Twilight in disbelief as she held up two fingers. That flurry should have put Roza away. Breathing hard, Aria grabbed Roza by the arm and pulled her up. If she wasn’t going to stay down, then Aria would give more hurt. With Roza’s arm in her grasp, she pulled for an Irish whip into the corner—

Only for Roza to stand her ground and reverse the Irish whip with one of her own. Flung into the turnbuckle, Aria collided with the padding giving a small grunt of pain. Frustration mounted and she threw herself forward to immediately counter attack with another clothesline. Roza ducked under Aria’s outstretched arm and used the turnbuckles as steps. Both women turned around, but Aria only had enough time to raise her hands once more to protect her face as Roza, fast as a whip, threw a kick that struck Aria’s hands, and thus her head, with great potency.

Fallen, Aria’s vision blurred and her mind swam. She felt her leg getting tugged upward. That was strange… it meant she was getting pinned.

She was getting pinned!

Aria kicked out of the pin, rolling her shoulder up just in time. Her vision returned and Twilight looked exasperated by the whole affair. So was Roza. Shaking her head, Roza grabbed Aria and dragged her to the center of the ring.

“You’re not ready,” Roza said, though loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re not ready. I have to pull the trigger before you get in the ring and hurt yourself. Time to put you down.”

Her body refused to move as she lay on the canvas and only able to watch as Roza stepped over the second rope and began to climb the turnbuckle. Roza was wrong, Aria was ready. She felt ready despite all the damage she took in this contest. She needed to show not just Roza or her friends that she was ready, but the world.

Perched on the top rope, Roza took flight with what Aria understood was the frog splash. The way she jumped resembled that of a frog. Time seemed to slow down for Aria as feeling returned to her limbs. When Roza’s blocked out one of the lights, Aria made her move and rolled out of the way.

Roza crashed to the mat face down. She clutched at her midsection and kicked her feet, her eyes squeezed shut from the pain. Aria climbed up the turnbuckles in the corner sluggishly, draping her arms across the top portion while trying to catch her breath. She saw Roza roll over to her hands and knees, her own breaths hard and laboured. This was it. The moment Aria was waiting for.

She crouched low, not once leaving sight of Roza. Everything unimportant to this one critical moment vanished. The gym, her friends, and Twilight were all covered in shadow. This was her moment to seal Roza’s, and her own, fate.

Back on feet, Roza turned to face Aria though her motions were groggy and slow. The moment now come, Aria surged towards Roza, her head low and her arms outstretched. Roza did not get out of the way and Aria pushed off the canvas and connected with a charging spear tackle, slamming Roza’s head and back to the mat with force.

With Roza down, Aria went for the pin. Twilight, though exhausted, still managed to slide down and begin the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

“THREE!”

DING DING DING

Aria fell onto her back and breathed heavy, the room spinning as the adrenaline gave way to exhaustion. She could feel Twilight pulling on her, talking to her, but her body felt numb and her ears muffled the voice. She thought she heard cheering, but she wasn’t sure. It seemed impossible… did she…

Did she… win?

Aria flipped over to her hands and knees. She slowly began to rise when Twilight lifted her up and excitedly raised Aria’s arm. The other girls ran towards the ring, all of them cheering and singing Aria’s praises. Roza rolled away from the group and sat in a corner as the others made their amazement known.

“That was incredible, Aria!” Sonata said, hugging Aria tight. “I knew you could do it! I knew it I knew it I knew it!”

“So violent…” Rarity said, though her smile didn't falter. “But I have to admit, seeing you perform in that outfit made my heart skip a beat! You looked incredible in every way possible!”

“AHEM!” Pinkie caught everyone’s attention, looking stern and serious. “I still have a job to do as a ring announcer after all.”

“Here is your winner… ARIA! BLAZE!”

They all gave a great cheer that shook Aria’s ears, but she did not mind. While her body ached, her heart soared. Aria Blaze won. She went toe-to-toe with a world champ and prevailed. The time for reflection was over.

“It’s time celebrate!” Pinkie yelled out. “We should totally have a great big bonanza of a party!”

A loud cough from Roza silenced everyone. She walked up to Aria and the two locked eyes for a moment. Aria could see that Roza was proud of her as her trainer had a genuine smile rather than her signature smirk. Roza then took hold of Aria’s wrist and raised it to the air, eliciting another chorus of cheers.

“Good match, kiddo,” Roza said, “You got what it takes. I can see that now, more than ever. Just keep your head on straight and you’ll do fine in this business. Now go on, get out of here, party with your friends. We’ll get the details of actually getting you working in the business done soon enough.”

Aria’s face began to hurt only because she did not stop smiling. One by one her friends exited the ring with Aria being the last as they all talked about her and her match. Aria retreated to the change room, changed into some proper clothes, and reunited with her friends. The hard part now over, she just wanted to celebrate with those who gave her confidence and strength.

Roza was right: the challenges of tomorrow could wait. For now, she was with the people who cared for her and they were going to have a great time.

***

Roza watched as Aria and her cadre left Haven Gym for whatever kids fresh out of high school did for fun these days. Her side hurt but she was no worse for wear. It was time to get the kid’s ball rolling. While it may seem underhanded to video record someone without their permission, Roza figured it was the best way to go about things. A live camera would only give Aria undue stress, at least more than necessary. The kid had enough to deal with.

She headed to her office where the hidden camera streamed the match to the interested party. Clicking on a communication program, Roza then clicked on the “share cam feed” button. A turquoise face with green hair tied in a large bun sat at her desk, her fingers steepled while thick yet fashionable glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.

“Well then,” Roza said as she unlaced her boots. “What do you think? Kid’s got talent.”

“A lot of people have talent, Roz,” the woman said, “but is she money?”

“She’s young. Hot. Fresh. Talented. Hungry.” Roza sighed in relief when she finally got her boots off, casually tossing them aside. She wiggled her toes about, not once facing the woman on the cam feed. “All the ingredients to a rising star.”

“Or another money sink.” The woman did not sound overtly impressed, though Roza did not let her annoyance show outwardly. “You are fifty-fifty with your trainees, and I don’t like those odds. Then again, the last one proved to be great money.”

An awkward silence drifted in Roza’s office as she kept one eye on her computer where the woman was deep in thought. Finally she said, “She has a look, I’ll grant you that, and she moves well for a complete rookie. I won’t decide anything here. I’ll sleep on it, but I also want to speak with her.”

That was something at least. “Great!” Roza said, her attention now on the screen. “When do you want to meet her? We can get her into some indy leagues, get some experience.”

“Tomorrow,” the woman answered. “Remember, this is business.”

Alarm bells rang in Roza’s head as she realized the implications of those words. Before she could object the feed cut off and her computer said the woman signed off. Taking a deep breath, Roza put on more sensible clothes and locked up Haven Gym for the night. Once in her car, she zoomed off back home.

Things were moving quickly, so she needed to respond in kind. Hope the kid was ready, things were about to get real rough.

Welcome to the Queendom

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Aria awoke to a throbbing headache, her ears still ringing from the night before. She never experienced a Patented Pinkie Pie Party and she did not drink a drop of alcohol, but last night’s festivities as well as the match that precluded it did nothing to help her constitution. Groaning, she rubbed her head and swung her legs onto the floor of Roza’s office, bare feet recoiling from the cold ground. A quick look and Aria saw that the office door was wide open. Normally she closed it before going to bed; maybe the party made her forget to close the door.

As she groggily stood up and stretched, Roza rushed into the room uncaring that Aria was in her pajamas. “Up and at ‘em, kiddo,” she said, sorting through a pile of paperwork. “We have a high profile day ahead of us. I already called your friend Rarity and picked up some appropriate attire for the day’s activities. They are waiting for you in the change room.”

Giving her head a shake, Aria saw that for once Roza was not in jeans or gym wear, but in a white blouse, a tight black skirt, pantyhose, and sharp heels. Her red hair tied in a ponytail, Roza belied her professional appearance by cursing as she opened the drawers of her desk.

“Care to explain what’s going on?” Aria asked. Roza did not answer but instead grabbed at a paper bag and thrust it into Aria’s arms.

“Egg O’muffin, hash brown, and a coffee.” Roza turned around and went back to her desk while Aria looked inside. “It’s the only meal you are getting this morning at short notice so eat up, brush those chompers and put on those clothes. We’re on a tight schedule so move it!”

Aria did not argue further, though her confusion continued as well. She shrugged, slipped on her slippers, and made her way to the locker room with an egg sandwich in her mouth. As she munched away, she saw the clothes Roza mentioned. There lay a sunshine-yellow blouse, lavender skirt with small matching heels, and a green blazer. It was her old outfit only far more businesslike. She wanted to go back out there and demand an explanation, but Roza did not steer her wrong before. Instead she quickly ate, washed up, and then put on the offered clothes.

As she buttoned up the blazer, Roza stuck her head in the door. “You decent and professional yet?”

“Yeah,” Aria replied, “but could you please explain why I look like I should be playing the stock markets?”

“Make better money that way, don’t know about easier, definitely more painful if you botch.” Roza rushed behind Aria and ushered her on. “I’ll explain in the car, drink your coffee.”

Once Haven Gym was locked up and Aria sat in Roza’s car, Roza started the engine and headed towards the downtown core. For the first time that night Aria paid attention to a clock, namely the one in the car. Eight A.M. Far too early now that she was done with school.

“Alright, here’s the deal,” Roza said, her hands gripped on the wheel. “I’m gonna be level with you: I had the match we did last night livestreamed.”

Aria’s eyes went wide at the revelation that someone or perhaps multiple someones were watching her make a fool of herself over the internet. Granted she always thought if she did such it would be much more scandalous, but this was a serious breach in trust. Aria would know; she broke the trust of people all the time back when she had siren magic to control them.

“Care to explain that then?” Aria demanded, holding her coffee cup with a tight grip.

“Sure,” Roza said without a hint of guilt, “Only one person was on the receiving end of that broadcast, namely a one Victoria O’Cash. Chairwoman of Amazon Championship Wrestling Incorporated. She wants to meet you.”

Once again Aria’s eyes went wide, but this time out of utter shock. “She… wants to sign me?” Her heart began to race. This was everything she wanted. Soon she’d have a dotted line to sign and cash in her bank account. She’d have to get said account first, but that wasn’t the important part.

“‘Meet you’, kiddo, don’t get dollar signs in your eyes just yet.” Roza’s words deflated Aria, but only slightly. “She meets any prospective talent before sending them to the Head of Talent Relations, Double Check. Needless to say, you need to look as presentable as possible. She’s a business woman first, hence our business attire. I’m going to back you up should anything substantial happens. You don’t know the industry like I do. And for all that is good, only refer to her as Mrs. O’Cash unless you are a complete badass. Which, since you are not signed, you are not.”

The car continued down the road towards main downtown. “Moving too fast,” Roza muttered, “way too fast. Wanted to get you some more practice in the indies, more matches against real opponents, more respect from the fans and then present you to her. This is good news, but also troubling. If you don’t look good to her now, you won’t get a second chance. But if you can get in, you’ll be in.”

“The way you talk about it, I feel like the show cow at the country fair,” Aria said with a bit of snark. “I’m not a piece of meat to be paraded in front of an executive.”

“You are a piece of meat,” Roza chided, “You are going to walk down a ramp, compete in a wrestling match, and look good while doing it. This is show business and you are going to be showing everyone your body as much as your skills. You just have to be smart about it. That’s why I’m managing you. You are still a rookie, remember that.”

Aria nodded, though she could not help but feel a little annoyed by Roza looking down on her. Last she checked, she won their last encounter. Aria could take care of herself; it took a lot to intimidate her. She could face the likes of a businessperson in a suit.

“How did you get Rarity to get these clothes for me on such short notice?” Aria asked. Roza smirked.

“Called her, told her what I needed, and offered two c-notes. If she’s a businesswoman like O’Cash, she knows she needs as much capital as she can to get started. Besides, she has your measurements so it was easy enough. I swear you high school types are carbon copies of each other.”

They approached a large office building in the middle of the city, right when the workday of everyday people began. The summer sun shone down over the city while Roza wheeled her car into the building’s parking lot. Aria looked around to see many very nice, very expensive vehicles in the parking lot. The kind Aria knew she’d never afford. Maybe she was a little intimidated.

“ACW Headquarters,” Roza said as she drove the car into a spot. She set the park brake. “Let me do the talking unless O’Cash asks you something directly.

They both stepped out of the vehicle, heels clicking against clean pavement. Other business types walked in and out of the building where two large security guards stood at the doors. As they made their way to the doors, Roza flashed a card of some sort at the security, who only nodded and opened the door for them.

“Mrs. O’Cash is waiting for you, Mrs. Del Diavolo,” said one of the guards. “Floor Thirty-two. Your student will need a guest pass though.”

The other guard gave Aria a small green card with the word “GUEST” in bold. Aria looked the card over and saw the ACW logo on the back. After clipping it on her blazer, she followed Roza to the elevator, all the wall regarding the atrium of the building.

The open space made malls look small in comparison, with a massive crystal rendition of the ACW logo in the center of the room right above the reception desk. Pillars of marble supported the building, gilded in bright polished brass. Near the back where the elevators lay waiting stood a statue of a woman in a wrestling singlet and boots with a championship belt around her waist. Her arms on her hips, the statue smiled at visitors of to the ACW headquarters. On the pedestal lay a plaque that read:

“Those who dream, dare.

Those who dare, accomplish.

Never back down from a challenge.

For challenges are the steps on the road to greatness.

-Jungle Queen”

“C’mon,” Roza barked as she waited for the elevator, “We don’t have a lot of time to gawk around.”

Aria quickly returned to Roza just at the moment the elevator went ding and the doors opened for them to enter. Roza pressed the button for floor thirty-two and after a jolt, the lift began its ascent upwards. Classical music played on hidden speakers. Aria looked out the glass windows towards the city, the morning light covering it in a bright glow. The very sight of the city sent her heart to the races and she went full tilt.

Roza seemed to notice and patted Aria on the back, though she did not say anything further. Aria closed her eyes and took deep, measured breaths. She needed to calm down. This was just a business meeting with the head of a multi-million dollar company. The result could be that Aria finally made her on her own and that her name had worth, or she could crash and burn and go back to being a janitor living in a gym. No big deal, just everyday occurrences.

The elevator dinged again, the doors sliding open to an elaborate foyer that led into a long hall decorated by exotic plants the like Aria never seen before. Large plush leather sofas sat against the walls of glass where the ACW logo was once again in prominent display. A secretary seated at her desk waited for them in the middle of the hall. As they walked up to her, she smiled at the two and pressed a button on her desk.

“Mrs. O’Cash, your nine o’clock is here.” She then looked up to Aria and Roza. “Please step inside the office. She’s waiting for you.”

“Remember,” Roza whispered as she approached the double doors, “Let me do the talking.”

They walked inside to a room both exactly and at odds with what Aria envisioned. The furniture like the desk, chairs, and couches all held a modern, sleek design to them. Filing cabinets filled one corner of the room while strange abstract sculptures and paintings were placed in choice locations to give the feeling that the one who worked in this office was a businesswoman of expensive tastes.

However, on the back wall hung what appeared to be hundreds of picture frames from across generations. Professional wrestlers, both female and male, posed or performed holds throughout the small gallery. Several of the photos looked old and faded, while others showed a more modern time in wrestling history.

What drew Aria’s attention most was the belt that lay across the desk. Aria walked up to the belt and stared into the golden plate. It shone like a mirror and she saw her reflection perfectly. Rubies and diamonds lined the outside as a single figure in platinum, a woman wielding a spear, held her weapon in a victory pose. The ACW logo stood prominently around the warrior. On the bottom of the front plate was a nameplate with “KASS” emblazoned on it.

“Do you like it?” said a voice from behind Aria, very different from Roza’s. “It’s the ACW World Championship. The highest honour in this company and in women’s wrestling.”

Aria spun around to be face to face with a tall, lean grey-skinned woman with striking red eyes. Dressed in a sharp black pantsuit, Victoria O’Cash looked over Aria as the two met. Her dark grey hair tied into a severe bun, O’Cash did not smile nor did she scowl at Aria’s presence. Aria suddenly felt small in front of O’Cash. She was wrong. The woman did intimidate her with her building, her office, and her very being. She looked like a woman who knew what she wanted and took it without any questions asked.

For her part, Aria kept her stance as strong as she could while facing O’Cash. Her gaze into those scarlet irises did not falter. Her breathing remained normal, relaxed. Aria intimidated others, not the other way around, though she figured it would be prudent not to try to push a millionaire around.

After a moment of silence, O’Cash walked around both Aria and Roza and sat down on her leather chair. She motioned to two chairs opposite to her, of which then the pair took their own seats. Roza was the first to speak, her eyes never once leaving the championship belt.

“What’s that doing here?” she asked. For the first time Vicky smiled, though a small one.

“I wanted to polish it later while I’m on a conference call for this Sunday’s Calamity Pay-Per-View. I also wanted to show this young lady the biggest prize in the company.”

She turned her attention to Aria. “Well, Miss Blaze? Would you like to touch it? Hold it?”

Aria looked at the belt as it lay shining on O’Cash’s desk. Did the chairwoman of the ACW really just ask her to hold the greatest prize, if even for a moment? Aria wanted to touch the gold. She wanted to hold something of prestige. To feel what it would be like to be a champion. But what if this was some kind of test by O’Cash. To see how she reacted to the prize in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, Aria gave O’Cash her answer. “I don’t want to touch it.”

O’Cash raised her brow in subtle surprise.

“I want to wear it.”

At this O’Cash let her smile widen, if only a little bit. “Interesting answer. I can’t let you wear it right now, it would disrespect the current champion and Kass is not one to be easily disrespected. But perhaps, one day… In any event, I’d like to speak with Aria alone, if you don’t mind, Roza.”

Roza and Aria met eyes and nodded at each other before the former stood up and walked out of the office. Looking nervous for a change, Roza shook her head and made her way out of the office. Once she was gone, O’Cash picked up the championship and moved it aside so that she and Aria could speak without a large golden distraction.

“Here at Amazon Championship Wrestling, I pride myself on building a company that treats women’s wrestling as seriously as any men’s league.” O’Cash stood up and motioned to all the photos. “From the day Jungle Queen took the WGP Women’s Championship and founded this company with my great grandfather, ACW has stood the test of time as a bastion. Here, women are treated with respect. They can still be sexy and sultry, that is just good money, but the best have the skills in the ring to back it up and become champions. Every woman has a place in the ACW should they find their success and it is my job to find the best individuals for the ACW.”

“Normally I don’t speak with talent like this,” O’Cash said, her voice taking a sharper tone, “but this is an extraordinary situation. Do you know how many women try out to get into the ACW? Probably not, but I will tell you it’s quite a sum. I leave that to Talent Relations to determine who can be added to the roster, though of course I have final say. There are ways to get bumped up on the waiting list, would you care to hear them?”

Aria nodded and O’Cash continued. “First is to show incredible in-ring talent, typically through the independent leagues or through developmental. We look for champions in the smaller promotions, those who show athleticism, daredevil risks, or good in-ring presence. How many matches have you competed in in your career, Miss Blaze?”

Her heart began to sink. She knew where this was going, but maintained her poise. “Two.”

“Two!” O’Cash turned her chair away from Aria and walked over to her espresso machine. “Two matches, one of which you didn’t win or last longer than three minutes. Oh yes, I know about you and your appearance at one of the ACW’s cash prize open challenges. Needless to say, you have far, far less experience than most competitors. I could give a spot to hundreds of women who have competed in hundreds matches and have won hundreds of victories. Why should I give it to you?”

“Espresso?” O’Cash suddenly asked, taking Aria by surprise. She exhaled deeply, trying to gain her composure. This was all a test, she told herself, this was all a way to find out if she was ready for the ACW.

“No, thank you.”

“Terrible vice of mine, coffee.” O’Cash pressed a few buttons on her machine and it began to hum. Another distraction. What game was she playing at? “In any event, you don’t have much in-ring experience, but you have an excellent teacher. Roza and I, we go way back. Let’s move on to the second thing that puts folks on my short list. Simply put, I want the roster of the ACW to be diverse. I have monsters, giants, demons, and the Reaper herself. I have rockers and hip-hoppers. I have luchadoras and technicians. I have dominatrixes and good wholesome girls from the farm. I have angels and I have a pit of snakes. I have women from all around the world, from all walks of life. What exactly do you bring to the ring? Hmm? Youth? Plenty of that. Looks? Plenty of that too. You may possess those, but so do countless others.”

Aria, uncertain what to do after two barrages of degradation, did not know how to respond to O’Cash and her criticisms, so she decided to stay quiet. If O’Cash gave her the chance to make her case, she would, but only when O’Cash was done. She held all the cards after all, while Aria held an empty hand.

“So, Miss Blaze, you are oh-for-two.” O’Cash returned to her desk and set her coffee down on a granite coaster. “So with that said, it must seem odd that we are having this discussion at all. However, there is the last way to get the attention of Talent Relations and thus my attention. That is, simply put, to have recommendations. This is a tier system inside a tier system with weight added to certain names. One recommendation bumps you up the list, two makes you’re a front runner. Three gets your name on my desk. You of course likely figured that Roza counts as one of these, and I do value her opinion highly. She was money and the women she trained became money. So that opened the door for you. There was another recommendation, this time from a source that wishes to remain anonymous. Lastly, and you’ll know this name well, was the last recommendation: Konstance Paine.”

Something akin to a mule kicking her made Aria’s eyes pop at the mention of Konstance Paine. Her blood chilled. Her skin paled. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She almost felt the presence of the masked monster in that very office breathing down her neck.

“K-Konstance?” Aria’s voice cracked with a hint of fear after being reminded of that monster.

“Yes,” O’Cash replied, “You must have made an impression on her in those three minutes. Needless to say after getting three recommendations and seeing your performance, I needed to meet you myself. Three women I consider high profile all vouched for you. I wonder what that makes you now.”

This was her chance. “May I speak?” Aria asked as politely as she could, hiding the edge of frustration in her voice. Not only did she endure the belittlements from O’Cash, but finding out that Konstance Paine and some unknown benefactor acted as references gave her more questions than answers. She’d deal with those questions later, for now she needed to make a strong case for herself. Her eyebrows raised in slight amusement, O’Cash gestured for Aria to carry on.

Aria cleared her throat. “More than half a year ago, I was living on the streets with nothing but the clothes on my back. I stumbled into Roza’s gym and saw a sign for the ACW open challenge. I thought it would be easy to get a thousand dollars. After all, I just needed to “survive” five minutes with Konstance Paine. I learned the hard way that it wasn’t so easy. Roza took pity on me and helped me get back to my feet, but she also gave me an offer to make me a professional wrestler. I thought it was ridiculous, but I also didn’t have anything else to go for.”

“Being a wrestler is a hard life,” O’Cash said, her voice softening, if only a little. “And being in the ring is only a part of the pie. Appearances, photos, videos, the long hours, the travel schedule when the show goes abroad... we don’t hold many pay-per-views in the arena here in the city. You could have an easier life as an office worker or in retail. A much more stable life. Less bumps.”

“I don’t want that kind of life,” Aria said, “I’m a performer. A star. I have the tools and the attitude to make it. All I need is the door opened. I can do the rest.”

O’Cash said nothing but continued to stare Aria down. Aria, for her part, felt she stood her ground well, but O’Cash’s face was one meant for poker or big business decisions. With a calloused hand, O’Cash picked up her coffee cup and took a long sip. She set down the cup and wordlessly walked towards the door, giving it a firm knock. The door opened and Roza stepped back into the office. She looked to Aria, her eyes seemingly wide with worry. The whole “let me do the talking” thing did not pan out after all.

Roza returned to her seat and O’Cash to hers, but still no one said anything. O’Cash turned her attention to her computer, typing away at the keys without any acknowledgement that Aria or Roza sat in her chairs. The sound of a printer filled the silent air with two sheets spilling out onto O’Cash’s desk from a printer hidden in the desk. Setting the pieces of paper in front of her, O’Cash reached for a gilded fountain pen, dipped it in an inkwell, and then looked up at Roza.

“Two years,” O’Cash said, “Total salary of two hundred, with extension talks after the first year. Guaranteed one hundred for the first year.”

“Three years,” Roza countered, “Extension talks after the first year are fine, with royalty options to be determined after six months.”

Aria looked back and forth at the two as they discussed. Where they actually having this conversation?

O’Cash mulled on Roza’s counter for a moment and shrugged. “Agreed then. I have the right to terminate should I and Talent Relations deem performance to be lacking. Performance appraisal will be done after six months, where we can determine if she deserves royalties. Presence must be available at all times for scheduled events, including those abroad. This includes photo ops, appearances, and any other official ACW events. She will be given the option for two weeks for time off, but she’ll have to job to be written out of TV. Should she suffer any injury, ACW will of course reimburse all medical and rehabilitation costs.”

Aria couldn’t believe it. They were having this conversation. Roza snapped her fingers in front of Aria’s dazed eyes.

“Hey,” she said, “I’m trying to get you the best deal here, stay with us. Is the deal good for you? I can explain what all this means now. To be honest, this is one of the better arrangements a rookie like you can get.”

She needed to calm down. Take a deep breath. Once Aria settled, she reached for the contract with a hand that wanted to shake with anticipation but only through sheer force of will did she stop. Holding the contract gingerly in her hands, she started to read. Most of it was legalese, but in general everything was as O’Cash described. She knew what appearances were, photo ops, and she was sure Roza would help if she did not know anything about a certain event. Her eyes lingered on the promised salary though: three hundred thousand dollars split between three years. Guarantee pay of one hundred thousand. Half a year ago she was getting tossed around for one thousand. Now she was about to multiply that three hundred fold.

Aria needed to make sure this was real and that this was good. She passed the contract to Roza who began to read it, her eyes darting back and forth along the page all the while O’Cash sat with her fingers steepled. She looked like some kind of cartoon villain, but Aria kept quiet about such.

After a while, Roza looked up from the contract. “There’s a caveat.”

It felt like her heart stopped when Roza said those words. “W-what do you mean?”

“She wants me to sign for one match.”

O’Cash’s lips curled into a smile. “You still draw a crowd, Roza. I’m just asking for one match, not a serious long term commitment. I was thinking Wrestlelysium, but—”

“A match of my choosing,” Roza immediately countered. “Against an opponent of my choosing, at a time of my choosing, within the next year.”

Alarms rang out in Aria’s mind. It didn’t sound like a big deal, so why was Roza fighting against a single match. When Aria turned to gauge Roza’s expression, she was surprised to see her mentor looking troubled. Was there something about this one match that bothered her?

Roza caught Aria staring at her and gave her a weak smile. A glint in her eyes seemingly told Aria ‘we got this’.

“Very well,” O’Cash finally conceded, “One match of your choosing against an opponent of your choosing, whenever you want it to be, by next Wrestlelysium at the latest.”

“Deal.”

With that done, O’Cash placed both the contract and a fine silver pen in front of Aria. “We just need your signature and the deal will be done.”

Aria stared at the bottom line of the contract in complete shock. This was really it. All she had to do was sign and all of her problems would be over. She’d have everything she ever wanted. Taking up the offered pen, Aria signed her name on the bottom line. Roza took a pen of her own and signed the witness line next to it. With the contract back in her hands, O’Cash then added her own signature to the contract.

The deal was done.

“Thank you,” O’Cash said, standing up and offering her hand to Aria. “And welcome to the ACW.”

Aria stood up and shook O’Cash’s hand, though she could not stop her body from trembling. “I look forward to working with my friend’s newest protégé,” O’Cash continued, “An ACW booklet detailing rules and regulations will be sent to Haven Gym within the next few days. I’d like you to be present on the first Tuesday of the next month for SLAM! at the Parthenon Arena. That will be your first match against an as-of-yet undetermined opponent. Please arrive promptly at three o’clock. That is all.”

Now dismissed, Aria walked on shaking legs out of the office, out of the foyer, and back towards the elevators. Roza kept a short distance behind her. Her hands trembled at the very idea of what she did. From literal rags to riches. It sounded like a bad cliché, but this was all too real.

Her mouth felt as dry as a desert as she pressed the elevator button. Both she and Roza did not share any words as they descended back to the ground level and towards the parking lot. They did not speak as they got back into the car and Roza drove them home.

Aria only stared out of the window, her mind both blank at one moment and abuzz with images the next. What would her friends think of her now, a real professional wrestler with a great contract? An Amazon of the ACW? What would Sonata think of her newfound success?

What would Adagio have thought?

They arrived back at Haven and continued the silence until they made their way to the lower level. Roza flipped on the lights and tossed away her hair band. “What a morning,” she said, exhaling heavily. “That went better than expected. A little unorthodox but—“

Roza suddenly found herself in a tight embrace from Aria. Warm tears flowed from her eyes as Aria barely spoke above a whisper. “Thank you. Thank you so much. For everything. I don’t even want to think where I would be right now without your help.”

Roza’s features softened as she tentatively raised her arms, not sure what to do. She then decided to just return the gesture, hugging Aria tight. “Don’t worry, kiddo, I won’t let you down. You’ll be great.”

Letting go of the hug, Roza held Aria with her hands on the latter’s shoulders. “This is the big leagues and you never even stepped foot in the minors. The entire industry will be against you the moment you step through those doors and between those ropes. A lot of people are going to be envious of you. Some will even try to destroy your career. Always keep your head on a swivel, one eye open, and an ear to the ground in that locker room.”

“Not only that, but we only have a month to get some of the toughest, most grueling training you’ll ever do done. You need a moveset. You need techniques that will win the crowd and show that you can hang. After a month, there won’t be much more I can do than advise you.”

Aria understood what Roza said to the letter. There would be those who would try to bring her down by any means necessary. Whether through hook or by crook, they would try.

Let them try.

“I know what to do,” Aria replied, already heading towards the locker room to change into her gear. “Let’s get to work.”

Here to Show the World

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This is it. This is the first day of the rest of my life. Deep breaths Aria, deep breaths. You can do this. You are Aria Blaze.

Aria stared out the window as Roza’s car drove down the road until she saw the arena come into view. She held onto the straps of her duffle bag as if it were a lifeline that she needed to have an iron grip on. Should she let the strap slip, Aria would tumble down an endless void of sorrow and despair. Needless to say, her imagination got the better of her thanks to anxiety.

Roza seemed to notice. “Calm down, chica,” she said as she lazily guided the car. “Two things might happen tonight. One, you have an awesome debut and you are on your way to wrestling greatness. B, you lose, become ashamed, and you stay at my gym as chief custodial officer. Either way, I win.”

“Way to boost my confidence,” Aria said with all due sarcasm. “I’m sure you already have the mop and bucket waiting for me back at home.”

“Aw, you called Haven Gym home.” Roza snickered. “Should I get you a welcome mat, maybe a few houseplants? Trust me, I’d love nothing more than to have you stick around and clean up after everyone, but I’d also like you to get your own place so that I don’t have to say I harbour a hobo.”

“I have my contract,” Aria said with a measure of pride. “I still can’t believe it. Three hundred thousand. It seems like yesterday I was digging around garbage cans for food and scrounging for loose change. Now I can afford my own place. This is great!”

Roza shook her head as she held a loose grip on the wheel. “Don’t let that confidence get to your head. You still have to actually perform in the ring, you know. O’Cash got you to sign the dotted line, but you still need to do your part. All of my training doesn't prepare you for a live crowd and knowing that your face is going to be on TV for millions. It’s a lot of pressure, especially on a chick fresh outta Canterlot High.”

Aria silently conceded that point. She was used to performing for crowds as a siren, but not as a wrestler. What if she missed a step? What if her opponent caused irreparable harm? Everything she attained could be swept out from under her in a heartbeat. Maybe things would get so bad that she was worse off. The thought chilled her.

Roza seemed to notice Aria’s anxiety and laughed in some effort to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry so much,” she said, nudging Aria’s arms with her fist. “You were trained by the best so you can be the best. Just go out there and do what you need to do, and that’s to win. Keep out of trouble for a little bit, just get some experience in the ring. Most important, don’t get pushed around by anyone. The wrestling game is played more outside of the ring than inside. There are going to be chicks in that locker room that are going to try to get you to doubt yourself. They will want to get in your head before you even step between the ropes. You just worry about yourself and not what they have to say. Go out, perform, win, come back in one piece. That’s all.”

The car rounded a bend on the highway giving Aria a good view of the Parthenon Arena. Large in scale, Aria learned from the internet that it held a standard capacity of eighteen thousand people and was built by the O’Cash family. As the arena for many professional sports teams, the Parthenon Arena saw lots of use, but of great uniqueness was that it was the home of the Amazon Championship Wrestling federation where ACW Tuesday Night SLAM took place.

The building seemed to loom over Aria like a massive fortress the closer they drove. The sun’s convenient position allowed the arena to cast its long shadow over the road, which did nothing for Aria’s confidence.

Roza guided the car around the building until they were at the rear where several large trucks sat as workers unloaded pallets of concession food. The car stopped inside a parking space with Roza leaving the vehicle first. Aria followed still clutching her bag tight in her grasp.

Aria saw that her mentor did not move for a while. She merely stared at the building with a stern look on her face. The sunglasses hid the expression on her eyes, though she eventually broke eyesight. Coughing into her fist to get her attention, Roza smirked at Aria and motioned to the entrance. “Employees entrance is right over there, kiddo. I’ve got some stuff to do, so you’ll be on your own from here on out. I’ll be in the crowd watching, but not at ringside. You need to make a name for yourself by yourself. Seeing me in your corner can cause complications.”

Aria nodded at Roza. If she was seen with Roza, the other Amazons might not respect her and look at her as riding a former champion’s coattails. Taking hold of her duffle bag, Aria stepped out of Roza’s car and walked towards the employee entrance. She turned to wave at Roza who responded in kind before driving off. With a deep breath, Aria walked up to the building, fishing for her ACW badge to get inside.

As she dug around her pockets, Aria briefly checked her watch. Two forty-five. Fifteen minutes before when O’Cash wanted her to arrive.

A quick swipe of her card and the door clicked open, giving Aria entry. The inside of the arena looked clean, with some stage-hands moving equipment and paperwork about. One even carried four different trays of coffee in what looked like a precarious balancing act. Aria took off her sunglasses and tucked them away in her jacket. She looked up and saw a sign that read “Talent Locker Rooms.”

“Must be where I’m supposed to go,” Aria said. She slung her duffle bag over her shoulder and headed in the direction of the arrow. Silence ruled the corridors of the Parthenon Arena. None of the workers stopped to talk to Aria or even say hello. Aria shrugged it off as them simply preparing for tonight’s show. O’Cash must keep her workers on a tight leash.

Making her way to the locker rooms, Aria noted that several of the doors had different signs attached to them. One door read “ACW World Champion.” Another read “ACW National Champion,” while another read “ACW Tag Team Champions.”

Further down, Aria saw more doors with more signs. One side had a strange character on the sign. Another: “VIP.” “Main Event.” “Mrs. O’Cash.” Aria stopped in front of that door and contemplated knocking to see if her new boss sat within. Deciding against it, Aria kept walking until she found another door. “Talent Locker Room A.”

“This must be it,” Aria said aloud. Another deep breath. She needed to ready herself for whoever waited for her on the other side. With a hand on the door handle, Aria turned it and stepped inside.

Inside was a room filled with women of varying sizes, shapes, and colours the like would give Rainbow Dash’s hair a run for its money. Several stood around in varying degrees of undress as they changed from street clothes to wrestling attire. Some were already changed, while others remained in semi-casual clothes. They chatted amongst themselves while others did stretches. What unified them was that they all had fit athletic bodies and that they all stopped what they did and stared at Aria.

While some continued to stare, some started to whisper. The hushed voices bothered Aria the most. Slowly she stepped inside, almost bumping into one woman who jumped around on one foot trying to get her tights on.

Aria held onto the woman before they both fell over. “Whoa! Almost took a tumble there,” said the red haired woman. She looked familiar to Aria. Besides crimson hair, her skin also held a bright red hue, though several large black tattoos marked her arms and the full length of her back. Bright green eyes stared down Aria as the woman continued her tirade. “That would have been so bad to knock you over because you might have gotten hurt and if you got hurt then you wouldn’t be able to make it to your match and if you can’t compete because of an injury then O’Cash gets mad and—“

“Octane!” a large, well-built woman approached the other one. “We don’t need the rookie scared off because of your motor mouth. Besides, you have opening match tonight, so get ready.”

Octane hopped away while the larger woman pointed to an empty locker. “You can use that one if you like,” she said, “Get changed quick, the booker will be here announcing tonight’s events.”

Aria nodded and started to unpack her things. She could still feel the eyes of the other Amazons on her back, making her rather uncomfortable with the prospect of changing. Then again in a few scant hours, all comfort would be out the window when she stepped between the ropes. Sighing, Aria started to take off her clothes and got into her wrestling attire.

Once her boots were laced, her tights and shirt on, and her elbow pads strapped on her arms, Aria cut some black tape and began to work on her fingers when a woman in glasses and a clipboard walked into the locker room.

“Ladies,” she said, adjusting her glasses, “I’ve already spoken to those in locker room B, so let’s get this started. Tonight, Octane versus Vesper. Siege, you have five minutes promo time before you take on Apex.”

“Sweet, more TV time.”

“We then have a segment between Ice Cold and Kass for fifteen minutes, followed by newcomer Aria Blaze taking on Dame Lash. Is Aria present here? I didn’t see her in B.”

Aria stood up. Her heart began to race once again. “I’m here,” she announced, “I’m ready for tonight.”

“Good,” the booker said, “After you, Mei Xing versus Tera Ryzing, followed by a ten minute promo between Chihiro Shinigami and O’Cash, then the Coterie against the Unity. Finally, our main event is Kass versus Chihiro Shinigami with Ice Cold on commentary.”

With the schedule posted on a bulletin board inside the locker room, the Amazons of the ACW resumed their previous activities, while some already milled out of the locker room. Aria took another look of the schedule. Nowhere did it say the name “Konstance Paine.” Good. Aria was not certain what she would do if she went face to face with that monster again.

She looked around the locker room at all the other women and wondered if one of them was the third recommendation that got her the meeting with O’Cash. She knew of Roza and Konstance’s contributions, though she did not know the motive of the latter. The fact that a third name joined the others but remained unknown bothered Aria.

Her gear on, Aria decided to go for a walk before the opening bell rang and the show began. As she stepped outside, she bumped into something large and solid.

Aria needed to look up. Way up. Standing in front of her, the tallest woman Aria ever met looked down on her with vivid brown eyes. Long blonde hair cascaded down strong facial features while golden skin shone in the corridor lights. A single white top matched white tights with bold red biohazard symbols running down the length. Slung over her shoulder was the ACW World Championship Title.

In her haste, Aria just bumped into the seven foot tall ACW Grand Champion, the Living Weapon, Kass.

Kass adjusted her championship so that the front plate shone more prominently. “Never seen you around here before,” she said, her voice deep, clear, and concise. “You must be the new girl, Aria.”

The champ heard of me, Aria thought, could she have been the third name, as unlikely as that sounds?

“I am,” Aria said. She raised her hand to Kass for a shake; it made sense to give the current champion some respect. Surprisingly to Aria, Kass took hold with one of her massive mitts.

“Keep your nose clean,” Kass said as she gave one firm shake. “And make sure you know who your friends are.”

Aria did not know what to make of Kass’s words of wisdom, though she filed them away in her mental file cabinet. Instead of worrying about the champ, Aria focused on the coming match. With plenty of time between now and showtime, Aria took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the Parthenon Arena and her fellow Amazons.

***

The night went on and the card progressed, Aria watched as wrestlers with years of experience under their belts. First, Vesper beat Octane. While Octane possessed impressive speed and acrobatic ability, Vesper seemed to know how to counter such with excellently timed counters. Aria did not know what she was going to learn simply by watching the TV, but she focused on it as if it was the window to her destiny.

The match between Siege and Apex was a violent affair, as both women were taller and more muscular than the average woman. Siege alone had biceps apparently made of steel. However, large muscles proved ineffective to simple cunning as Apex smashed Siege’s face into the mat. Aria felt certain that she did not want to meet either woman in the ring, but that was not her decision.

Aria took a deep breath as she stood outside of the curtain. A sort of quiet hung around the arena which quelled the din of the crowd. Thanks to Roza, she was fast-tracked into the position she was in now. Half a year ago, Aria scrounged for loose change to buy food and took shelter in bus stops. Now she readied to walk onto the ramp and towards the ring, where the waiting thousands in attendance would see her.

Her heart raced. Her breathing quickened. Her fears mounted. Yet despite all this, Aria kept telling herself one thing, one truth:

I am Aria Blaze, and I will be a champion.

The crewman who wore a headset looked at Aria and held up his hand to wait. Another crewman walked with a woman wearing what amounted to a black leather corset with matching hot pants and boots, all embroidered with shining silver thread detailing flowers. A black cape drifted behind her, tied around her chest by a bright red stone that made Aria more uncomfortable than the woman wearing it. It looked too much like her siren pendant, though not exactly. She adjusted her elbow pads and kneepads when she looked up at Aria and smirked.

“Hey there, rookie,” she said, “Don’t worry. I’ll try my best to be gentle.”

Aria did not reply but instead kept bouncing on her heels. Her opponent for the night, Dame Lash, headed over to the curtain. The Dame blew Aria a kiss as the crewman signaled for someone. Lash did not impress Aria and really made her question if joining the AWC was the right move. She was, after all, wrestling what appeared to be a dominatrix. It made some degree of sense, but only in the way that any wrestling gimmick seemed to make.

Suddenly the lights darkened in the arena, with only a dark shade of pink lighting to set up the mood. A slow musical theme, accentuated with the sound of a whip cracking every few moments. Aria watched Dame Lash make her entrance on a nearby screen. She walked with confidence, stopping only for a moment to wave her cape with a bit of flourish as the nameplate appeared on the screen, telling anyone who just tuned in who this competitor was. Fans in the front row stuck out their hands for a quick high-five, but Dame Lash merely ignored them.

Dame Lash walked up the steel steps to the ring and slid under the second, taking a moment to let the camera focus a bit on her rear. Again, Aria wondered if all the talk from Roza and O’Cash about treating women wrestlers with respect was just that; talk. This seemed rather blatantly sexual, rather than simply sexy due to good looks.

Once in the ring, Dame Lash posed again, putting emphasis on her bust until she cracked her whip. Aria heard the snap from the Gorilla Position and wondered why someone was allowed to bring such to the ring. She tucked that thought away as the music ended. It was her turn soon.

The crewman who still had his hand up all this time began to count down. Aria counted his fingers as moment by moment he brought the count to zero. At zero he gave the thumbs up to another member of the crew, who pressed the button that would play Aria’s theme.

The roar of an electric guitar signaled the arrival of Aria. With a head full of both anxiety and confidence, both in constant struggle, Aria stepped through the curtain and into the arena.

She was not sure what to expect. She was the new girl, the rookie, the greenhorn, and the icy reaction backstage did not help matters. However, as she stepped foot in front of the cheering crowd, they did not boo her at first appearance. They cheered and clapped, all for her. The children in attendance pointed in her direction looking rather excited. Fans in the front row stuck out their hands again, hoping for that brief touch with a wrestling star.

Aria soaked it all in for a moment, almost overwhelmed by the tangle of emotions within her. She almost wanted to cry that she was not only back in front of a crowd, but on live TV being broadcasted to people watching at home around the world. While she did not sing, Aria could perform once again.

She then remembered that she was on live TV and needed to continue her entrance. Aria stepped to the front of the stage and posed, turning to her side and bending her right leg to show off her figure while pointing up to someone in the upper bowl of the arena. It was Roza’s advice after all to make everyone in the arena seem important.

With steps filled with pride and confidence, Aria walked down the ramp, taking the time to give high fives and slap as many hands as possible. As she walked, the ring announcer raised the mic to her lips.

“Introducing her opponent, the newest addition of Amazon Championship Wrestling… ARIA BLAZE!”

Her heart floated to the heights of the rafters when Aria heard her name blasted on the arena’s sound system. She looked into the eyes of as many fans in the front row as possible and soaked in their cheers and adulations. Soon they and the world would see exactly what she was made of. It would be her name they cheered for.

Aria walked up to the apron of the ring and, forgoing the steel steps, climbed up to the edge. She stared down Dame Lash, her grip on the top rope tightening as adrenaline pumped in her veins. Aria jumped over the top rope, her feet landing on the mat with a thud.

Now in the ring proper, Aria walked past Dame Lash and looked her right in the eye. She then walked over to a turnbuckle, climbed up, and posed for the crowd. She pointed with each hand to the sky, standing tall on the second rope for all to see. Once she got off the turnbuckle, Aria walked over to her corner, only to see the Teratron for the first time displaying her name. She gasped as she saw every letter on her name set on fire with a spinning, flashing violet background.

“My name is in the lights,” Aria said aloud, though only barely above a whisper. “I’ve made it. I really have made it.”

Aria snapped out of her reverie and continued her walk to her corner. She still had a match to win after all.

The referee looked to Dame Lash and asked if she was ready. The Dame, already bored, yawned and nodded to the referee.

He then looked to Aria. “Are you ready?”

Aria nodded. “Let’s do this.”

With both competitors ready, the referee signaled to the timekeeper to ring the bell.

DING DING DING!

With the bell rung, Aria and Lash approached each other with arms outstretched, ready to grapple. They met in the center of the ring and immediately locked up in a collar-and-elbow hold. As they both struggled, Aria felt the sudden strength of Lash push against her, taking her by surprise. Forced backwards, Aria found it difficult to match the strength of Lash and soon noticed her back pressed against the pads of the turnbuckles.

Lash pushed her forearm into Aria’s face, preventing any movement from her. Aria cursed inwardly as she struggled to push Lash off while the referee called for a break from the hold. Lash raised her hands, appearing innocent of any wrong doings while Aria looked at her like she just grew another head.

However, before Aria could react or do anything, Lash struck her with a swift knee to the stomach. Aria’s eyes went wide from the pain, only for Lash to repeat her attack. The referee called for Lash to stop and warned that he would disqualify her. This seemed to drive Lash off, only now used her long, leather clad legs to press her boot against Aria’s chin.

“Lick my boot and maybe I’ll go easy on you!” Dame Lash laughed as the referee began to count again to five. At four, Lash released her illegal hold, this time allowing Aria to fall to the mat. She pressed her hands against the back of her neck as the pain pulsed through her body.

Lash grabbed Aria’s hair and pulled her opponent to her feet. Aria, now sufficiently annoyed, clasped her hands together unbeknownst to Lash. When her opponent exposed her abdomen, Aria stuck hard by driving her elbow into it. The first blow took Lash completely off guard and the second forced her to release her grip on Aria.

Now free, Aria took the opportunity to go on the offensive. She quickly took hold of Lash’s head and tucked it under her right arm in a front facelock. Dragging Lash to the center of the ring, Aria lifted her right leg up only to swing it, and her entire body forward, for a powerful DDT, slamming Lash face first into the mat.

Lash immediately recoiled, holding her face in her hands as Aria flipped her over and made a pin attempt. The referee slid down and began the count. The crowd began to shout the countdown as well.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Before the third count, Lash pushed her left shoulder off the mat, signaling that she was still very much in the match. Aria took the moment to catch her breath as she lifted Lash by her hair this time. Once her opponent stood upright, Aria grabbed Lash’s arm and threw her in an Irish whip towards the ropes. When Lash instinctively bounced off the ropes and back towards Aria, she extended her arm in an attempt at a clothesline.

Lash, far more experienced than Aria, ducked underneath Aria’s arm. When Aria turned, Lash struck out with a hard kick to Aria’s stomach, sending her reeling from the pain. As Aria suffered, Lash bounced off the ropes again, only this time she reached out, grabbed Aria’s head, and swung her body around into a swinging neckbreaker. Aria fell back first to avoid damage to her neck, but the attack still caused a lot of pain.

Lash went for the cover and brought his hands down one, two, only for Aria to raise her shoulder to avoid the pinfall loss. She ground her teeth together as she tried to get into an upright position. She was not about to lose her first match in the ACW. Everything she worked for in her life depended on this match.

And what would she say to Sonata and the others if she lost to a dominatrix? She would never live it down.

Now Lash went back on the offensive. She immediately set to work on Aria’s stomach once again with vicious stomps, all the while taking the time to crush the arms with her boots. When she deemed Aria sufficiently softened up, Lash sat her upright and then pulled on her arms. With her knee, Lash pushed against Aria’s back. The pain caused on her back and her arms coursed through Aria’s body like fire.

The referee beckoned for Aria. “Do you submit? Do you give up?”

Aria screamed from the agonizing pain, but shook her head. She did not get this far only to tap out now. Her defiance in the throes of the hold was only met by Lash pulling on her limbs even harder. She removed her knee only to grind it into Aria’s back again to reintroduce the pain.

“Give up, rookie!” Lash yelled. “This is the big leagues and you don’t belong here!”

Desperate to escape the hold, Aria pulled her arms forwards, trying to get some kind of leverage against Lash. She also began to shift her legs as she bent her legs so she was on her knees. Lash fought against Aria’s movements by increasing the pain, but Aria ignored everything except the need to be flat footed again. Once on her feet, Aria slowly stood up, forcing Lash to choose between keeping her knee on Aria’s back or hopping around on one foot.

She made the decision to release the hold, only to quickly wrap her arms around Aria’s midsection in an attempt at belly-to-back suplex. Before Lash could gather the necessary strength to lift her, Aria struck Lash in the side of the head with a sharp elbow. Lash reeled back, giving Aria an opportunity to counterattack.

With her hand raised high, Aria chopped Lash in the chest right on the collar bone. The crowd gave cheers of “Woo!” with every chop until Aria forced Lash to have her back to a turnbuckle. With Lash stunned and her chest now red from the chops, Aria hoisted her onto her shoulders and walked over to the center of the ring. With a primal shout, Aria threw Lash off her shoulders while falling with her, driving her own shoulders into Lash’s chest for twice the impact; the Death Valley Driver.

Aria crawled over to Lash and made for another pin attempt, this time hooking the leg. The referee slid down and began the count again.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Again, Lash managed to kick out of the pin, with the crowd giving a collective call of “Two…!” Aria shook her head in disbelief. She needed to do something big to put Dame Lash away.

With a fistful of hair, Aria lifted Lash to her feet, only for Lash to push her off and towards the ropes. Surprised by Lash’s sudden stamina, Aria bounced off the ropes and headed towards Lash’s own clothesline. Like her opponent, Aria ducked under the extended arm and turned to hit the ropes. As she turned, Aria saw Lash jump attempting at a dropkick. Instead of receiving a pair of boots to her chest, Aria hung onto to the ropes. Lash’s eyes went wide as she missed her attack, falling flat on her side without any impact to make up for it.

Now that Lash lay on her back, Aria responded with an attack of her own. She ran from her side of the ring to the ropes parallel to Lash. Heart racing at the thought of her next move, Aria threw caution to the wind and jumped towards the ropes. Her feet pressed against the second rope as she held onto the top and with momentum from the ropes, Aria launched herself with a springboard moonsault, or as it was more well known as by the name “Lionsault”.

Aria did not go for another pin this time. Instead, she got to her feet and stood next to a turnbuckle and simply waited for Lash to get to her feet. Standing low, Aria kept one hand holding the second rope as she watched Lash slowly stand up, her eyes dazed and groggy. Lash turned to face Aria which was all the signaling she needed.

Running at a full tilt, Aria sprinted across the mat and towards Lash. She pushed off with her feet and caught Lash, lifting her up and slamming her down in the middle of the ring with a violent Spear.

Lash, now stunned, could not do anything as she lay flat on her back with her limbs splayed about. Aria made for the pin attempt and once more hooked the leg. The referee moved back into position and raised his hand while the crowd shouted the numbers.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

“THREE!”

DING DING DING!

Her theme now blasting from the arena speakers, Aria slowly got to her feet once the adrenaline of the match wore off. She stood up to hear the crowd cheer as the referee raised her hand in victory. Aria’s grin reached from ear to ear as she soaked in the adulation of what she just accomplished: her first victory in the ACW. The first time the world saw her victorious in the ring.

The announcer raised the microphone to her lips. “Here is your winner by pinfall… ARIA! BLAZE!”

The crowd erupted in cheers as her name echoed in the arena. While the referee went to check on Dame Lash and help her get out of the ring, Aria celebrated by climbing the turnbuckle and giving the crowd and the TV cameras a good look at the winner. A new high overcame Aria as she took in the crowd, a feeling that she missed since the days of being a siren long ended. They watched her. They cheered for her. This was not some kind of nightmare, but a waking dream of bliss.

Aria exited the ring and made her way to the ringside seats, giving high fives to anyone who wanted them. She walked around the ring and continued to celebrate, though she knew she needed to give up the ring for the next match on the card. Taking her time, Aria blew a kiss to the crowd in the middle of the ramp before she disappeared behind the curtain.

Backstage, Aria was met by the applause of a number of her now fellow wrestlers. Many of them shook her hand or patted her on the back.

“Great first match, rookie,” said one.

“You did great!” said another, “I can’t wait to see you in the ring myself one day.”

Octane rushed out from out of nowhere and tacklehugged Aria. “You see? You see? I knew she was going to be great, and you all didn’t believe me, but I believed me, and now I’m right so woohoo for me but more WOOHOO for you! That move in the end, the way you rushed out all zoom! And then KAPOW! Right on Lash’s spine! You were A-maz-ing!”

Aria could not help but smile at the praise she received from her peers, though she did wish Octane would settle down. “Thanks,” Aria replied, slipping out of Octane’s embrace. “Though I hope Lash wasn’t too banged up from that.”

“Wrong choice of words when it comes to Lash, rookie,” said the muscular blue-skinned woman. “Lash is probably… ‘enjoying’ herself. Total masochist. One of the reasons I think she likes being a wrestler and a heel. She will try to win, but she isn’t bothered by losing as some are, only that she loses well. Name’s Siege, by the way. Welcome to the ACW.”

Aria nodded and began to walk with the others as the next competitors prepared for their own match after the commercial break. On the other side of the hall, however, stood three figures which gave Aria and the small crowd of wrestlers some pause.

“Lucky break, rookie!” taunted the one with green skin, “but—“

“Shut it, Vesper.” Their leader hid her face behind a large black cowboy hat as she looked down on the floor. “Ya’ll did good, Blaze. Made quite an impact for yourself.”

The woman looked up, revealing her face, and gave Aria a serious case of deja vu. Her pale green eyes stared right into Aria’s. “It takes more than one win to be someone of worth around these parts. Keep your nose clean, greenhorn, and so long as that nose doesn’t come in my business, we’ll get along just fine.”

The black-hat woman and her two cronies walked towards the locker room. Aria stared at the back of that hat when Octane piped in.

“Ooh, you got Ice Cold to notice you,” she said, “she doesn’t normally care about rookies so long as they don’t interfere with her in multi-women melees, but she totally has a chip on her shoulder a mile wide and she always has her two stooges Vesper and Apex with her so you should really be careful with her because she’s got…”

Siege shook her head. “Never mind Octane, she will go on and on if you let her. But she is right about one thing: Ice Cold Apple Cider is not a woman to trifle with. She’s got a mean streak a mile wide.”

Aria did not immediately respond as she focused all of her attention on Ice Cold. “Apple Cider, huh?” Aria muttered, “she wouldn’t happen to have a relative named Applejack, would she?”

The question only received a shrug for an answer. “I don’t know,” Siege replied, “not like she actually talks to any of us. But she’s money, which means O’Cash treats her like royalty, despite getting on the bad side of a Flash Freeze Stunner more often than not. Also, never call her by her name, only by Ice Cold. She really gets ornery when someone calls her Cider.”

“Hey hey hey!” Octane shouted, pointing at a nearby TV. “The next match is starting. Mei Xing versus Terra Rysing. I hope Mei snaps out of her funk soon, she needs to start winning some matches! Hard to believe a five-time champ can get knocked down as much as she has. I bet…”

Others began to congregate around the TV. Aria thought about going back to the locker room and changing, but found it nice to be around people she shared something in common with, even if it was just their occupations. When Siege offered a steel chair to watch the rest of Tuesday Night SLAM, Aria accepted it with thanks and sat with her new peers and began to watch.

What A Rush

View Online

Aria collapsed on the mats in Haven Gym once she and Roza returned; utterly exhausted by both the match and the crowd she just competed for. She pressed her hands against her face and closed her eyes, wanting only to remember the bright lights and the roar of the audience. They cheered for her. She wrestled for a live audience. A live television audience. People around the world saw her wrestle a dominatrix and win.

Rolling onto her front, Aria turned her head to Roza. “Tonight just happened, didn’t it? Everything… it was real.”

Roza smirked at Aria. “Do you feel sore all over?”

Aria nodded.

“Then yeah, it was all real. Good match by the way.” Roza extended her arm and Aria took it, getting back to her feet. The two walked over to the office while Roza continued. “A solid performance. Do more like that and the sky’s the limit, but pace yourself. If you go too hard, you could end up hurt.”

Aria agreed, though she wondered if she didn’t hold back in that match. The adrenaline rush she felt from the opening bell was something she never experienced since the last time she consumed emotions. She had to admit, she wanted that feeling again and could not wait for next Tuesday for her next match.

“Now that you have a job, we have some business between ourselves to discuss.” Roza opened the door for Aria to enter, motioning to one of the cheap plastic chairs. Aria took a seat across from the desk, her smile now seemingly set permanently on her face. There was nothing that anyone could say that could ruin her good mood.

Roza sat down on her side of the desk and steepled her fingers much like Victoria O’Cash did. She cleared her throat and did her best O’Cash impersonation. “Now that you are an ACW Amazon with all the rights and responsibilities therein, I believe our arrangement has come to its logical conclusion. You’re fired.”

Aria laughed. “I guess I can’t be expected to be Chief Custodial Officer of Haven Gym if I’m busy with a wrestling schedule.”

“Also you're evicted effective next Tuesday.”

This stopped Aria cold in her tracks. “You’re kicking me out,” she said, not as a question, but as a statement.

“You make more money than most teenagers even dream of at your age,” Roza replied. She then tossed a small booklet at Aria. “You have one week to find a place, just don’t spend it all on one place. Get a nice apartment condo fit for one. A bachelorette pad, if you will. But you can’t stay here anymore. You need to live your own life by your own standards. Something tells me you don’t want to sleep in a gym the rest of your days.”

Aria knew this day was soon to come, she just didn’t imagine it would be right now. She did not even know what to look for, what she could afford, or who to talk to. She supposed the booklet was a good place to start, but she felt incredibly uncertain about the whole thing.

“Don’t worry, kiddo,” Roza said, clapping Aria’s shoulder, “I’ll help you out just like I did for everything else. I bet your friends would help out too, so why not give them a call? You have until next week after all. After your next match, you’ll go home, to your own home. A roof over your head that you own. Doesn’t that sound great?”

Aria did admit that it sounded pretty sweet to have a place to call her own. What would Sonata think of it? Her other friends?

What would Adagio think?

The thought of Adagio gave her pause. After all this time, Aria focused on her training and little else, but she still needed to find Adagio. She needed to restart the search for her fellow siren now that she made it into the ACW. Perhaps Roza could help?

“I’ll give my friends a call in the morning,” she said while Roza opened a bottle of water and took a swig. “There is one thing I’d like to ask you though. A favour, not related to money or wrestling or anything.”

Aria took a deep breath. “There’s a friend of mine, Adagio Dazzle… she, Sonata, and I were like a trio back in the day, but a really bad day made us break away. I was able to reconcile with Sonata, but I haven’t found Adagio. I… I want to make amends with her. We used to do everything together. I miss her and want her back in my life.”

Roza’s features softened after Aria made her request. She turned her chair around and looked to her various memorabilia, especially the photos of her and what looked like a twin. Aria regarded the photo from a distance, seeing two Devil’s Roses with matching attire and masks holding tag team titles.

“I had someone like that in my life once, after my husband passed away.” Roza spoke in a low voice, just loud enough for Aria to hear. “My… my tag partner. She was a lot like you, in a way. Loud, brash, but confused in life. We were a great team. Our chemistry in the ring was second to none. No one kicked out of our Hellfire Flash double-team move. We only won the ACW Tag Titles once, but held on to those belts for three years. Unprecedented at the time. We were… we were great.”

Aria never saw her trainer this depressed before. “What happened?”

Roza took a deep breath as she held the picture frame in her hand. “I was nearing the end of my run in ACW while she was just starting hers. At the end of our title run, I thought she was holding back in our matches. She wasn’t moving with the same enthusiasm or purpose as she did before. When we lost our titles, she got pinned, and I blamed her. I cared more about those titles than I did our team. I challenged her to a match to get her to snap out of her funk so that we could take our titles back.”

“The match never happened. She walked up to the ring, tore off her mask, and then walked right of the ring, out of the ACW, and out of my life. I tried to talk to her, get her to see reason. That if we couldn’t get back together, then she should at least make a run for the World Title. She would have none of it. I’ve heard things here or there, tried to extend an olive branch, but she never took it. Last I heard she moved out to the west coast. That was near fifteen years ago.”

Roza laughed, catching Aria off guard by the sudden shift in mood. Was her trainer bipolar or something? “I like you, kid,” she said, her eyes filled with warmth. “Look at you, getting me all retrospective and stuff. Yeah, I’ll help you find Adagio. I’ll even do it out of the kindness of my heart. What does she look like so I can keep my peepers open and my head on a swivel?”

Aria nodded, thankful to Roza for her help. However, she hesitated when she struggled to find the words to describe Adagio. She tried to remember as she was when they were together. “Well, she’s like me… same age, height, that sort of thing. She’s thin… no… svelte. That’s more fitting. Light, soft, orange skin. Really curly orange hair. She’s pretty. Really pretty. Very confident. I bet she’s doing fine, but still. I just want to make sure. She wasn’t at CHS.”

“Alright kiddo, I got this,” Roza said with a smile. “You go and get some sleep. You’ll be busy the next week. Still have to keep up with your workouts and training to keep your edge after all and I’ll bet the ACW will be making appointments for you. Things will get more hectic from here on out.”

Aria understood that the ACW would call her for photos and such, though she still wondered if all of this was just a rather lucid dream. If so, she did not want to wake up. With the property booklet in hand and bidding Roza goodnight, Aria went to her bed in the office and flopped onto the mattress. She leafed through several of the advertisements within, but sleep easily took over as her eyes drifted closed. The sound of the ring bell faded in her head, but for once the sound comforted her.

***

Roza locked up Haven Gym behind her and walked to her vehicle, a storm of thoughts ran through her head. She wanted to help the kid, she really did, but with little more than a brief physical description, she did not have a lot to go on. She was a trainer after all, not a private investigator. Finding one person in the city would not be an easy task.

As she sat in the driver’s seat and started the engine, Roza went over the facts she did have. Aria’s friend was named Adagio Dazzle. Apparently hot, with bright orange curly hair. That was what Aria told her. What Aria did not tell her, Roza inferred on her own. Like Aria, Adagio was down on her luck. They had a fight and split, but unlike Aria, Adagio did not wander into her gym.

Her thoughts shifted, if only for a moment, to her tag team partner. Roza pulled out her phone and thumbed through the contacts. She still had her name in the list. Her finger hovered over the call button for a moment, only for her to shut the phone off. Roza needed to focus.

A young girl in the middle of the city with nothing but her name. A tale Roza knew all too well. But where was one girl fresh into her late teens supposed to go? What was she supposed to do?

“Ah hell,” Roza cursed as realization dawned on her. She prayed to whoever would listen that she was wrong. Driving into the night, Roza exhaled her frustrations. Tonight she would make a dozen calls or so it seemed, just to see one dumb kid happy and another dumb kid out of a terrible life.

***

Aria sat at a patio table sipping on a strawberry drink as she waited for Sonata to arrive. She sent Sonata a text message asking if they could meet downtown for an exciting announcement and also to bring as many of their friends as possible. Unfortunately, most of her friends were preoccupied with other commitments. Applejack had her farm, both Rarity and Twilight were out of town, Rainbow Dash practiced for an athletics scholarship, Pinkie was busy at Sugarcube Corner, and Fluttershy was working at the animal shelter. That just left Sonata and Sunset who were free.

That was fine. She wanted to see Sonata’s reaction to the news first and foremost. Maybe rub it into Rainbow Dash’s face if only a little bit.

Her phone began to buzz and with a press to the screen, Aria found her inbox flooded with messages from the ACW. Emails and texts told her of her upcoming schedule, including photo-ops for the website, other media, as well as video recordings for the entrance video. Beyond that, Aria was supposed to visit two doctors for evaluations as well as a meeting with the booker, Double Check, to go over the upcoming travel schedule.

It would be dizzying if Aria did not enjoy the ride as much as she did.

“Aria!” Sonata’s voice filled the air and Aria lowered her sunglasses to see her fellow siren running towards her with Sunset trailing slightly behind. Aria stood up just in time to be on the receiving end Sonata’s flying hugs. It was funny; when they ran about as sirens stealing energy from other people’s positive emotions, Aria did not stand Sonata and her ditzy ways. Even though they needed each other, Aria treated Sonata badly.

Now she saw Sonata not as a means to power, but as a friend to cherish. Was that what was missing all that time ago? Was that the reason she walked away from Sonata and Adagio? Because she did not see them as friends, but as tools?

Those days were behind her now. Things were better now, and all because Aria changed her attitude. She wondered if Adagio did the same. Something in the back of her mind told her that Adagio’s stubbornness would get in the way of any meaningful change.

Aria, Sonata, and Sunset took their seats on the juice bar patio. Taking off her sunglasses, Aria fished around in her purse while Sonata expressed her excitement.

“I’m glad you two came,” Aria said as she pulled out the documents, “I can’t wait to show you this. All the struggle I’ve been through? Totally worth it. Did either of you watch TV last night? Specifically SportsWorld?”

Sunset shook her head. “I was busy studying for the university entrance exams and then talked to Twilight.”

“I was working,” Sonata added, “besides, we don’t really watch SportsWorld unless some big game is on and Rainbow wants us to watch it.”

Aria was slightly disappointed that they did not see her big debut, but then she didn’t exactly tell them to watch. Everything was still up in the air after all. Now was a good as much time as any to get them to see her on the small screen.

“Well, I’d like you two to tune in to SportsWorld every Tuesday for ACW’s Tuesday Night SLAM.” Beaming with pride, Aria slid the copy of her contract towards the couple. Sunset picked it up and held for both her and Sonata to read. Immediately their eyes went wide with shock as they looked over the terms, privileges, and of course the rewards that came with it.

“You are looking at the newest addition to Amazon Championship Wrestling.” Aria crossed her arms, leaned back, and simply smiled. Utterly pleased with herself, she waited for their combined reaction.

Sure enough, Sonata pushed herself off of her chair threw herself onto Aria in another hug which she happily accepted. Sunset smiled and nodded as she returned the contract to Aria.

“This is incredible!” Sonata cheered, “You’re on TV! You’re going to be famous!”

“I’m officially amazed and happy for you, Aria,” Sunset said, “You’ll make a lot of folks jealous with the kind of money you’re making, the fame, everything. But don’t you think this is all moving kind of fast?”

Roza said the same thing when they went to meet O’Cash, but Aria shrugged it off. “I’ve been training through hell for this for over half a year. It turns out I’m good at it. You’ve seen me face off against Roza and last night I took on another wrestler. Kind of awkward to wrestle someone dressed like a dominatrix, but whatever, I showed everyone in the Parthenon that I could hang.”

“I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” Sonata said, “That business looks scary.”

“I’ll be fine,” Aria said with a playful wink. “I’m a tough chick. Anyways, the reason I called you here was to get second and third opinions on the matter of real estate. See, Roza’s kicking me out of Haven Gym, and to be honest, I’m kind of glad she is. Can’t live like a hobo forever.”

“Not with the amount of money you getting annually, it seems.” Sunset pulled the contract closer to her, scrutinizing the words closely. “We’ll definitely help you find a reasonable place, but looking this over, you have to be careful with how much you spend. You are getting paid quarter annually of twenty-five thousand, so you’ll have to budget your money to cover mortgage payments, utilities, all that stuff. And definitely don’t forget that you’ll need to pay income taxes.”

Both Aria and Sonata stared blankly at Sunset as she detailed all of the costs associated with living on one’s own. Of course, it seemed like she possessed plenty of experience on the matter. Something about the way she said it seemed to drain all the fun from the idea of home hunting, yet Aria did not argue that Sunset had a point. She did need to be wary about her money and realize she was on a budget.

There also stood the obstacle that her continued employment with the ACW did not have any guarantees. She had to be careful or else it’s back on the streets. O’Cash and the rest of Talent Relations would review her work in six months. Aria ought to continue to perform quality matches for the ACW, get the crowd behind her.

“Alright, you made your case,” Aria conceded, “I can’t just throw money around. I’ll get a decent place to start, but I could use your help.”

Sunset smiled. “Like we always say, we’re with you all the way. Let’s go.”

With Sunset’s car, the three drove around town looking at small condo apartments and other reasonably priced properties for Aria to call home. What Aria thought would be a good time turned out to be long and arduous. None of the places in the flyer booklet really jumped at her, and those that did turned out to be outside the price range as recommended by Sunset.

As they drove around town, Aria came to a realization; she had no good way to get to place to place. She’d have to get a vehicle of her own at some point, but also learn to drive them. Aria asked Sunset if she could teach her how to drive, of which she replied in the positive.

“Of course I can,” Sunset said as she stopped at a red light. “I’ve been trying to teach Sonata how to drive. Emphasis on ‘trying’.”

“Hey!” Sonata giggled, giving her girlfriend a playful punch to the arm. “I’m learning. Just slowly. Sunset may know her way around a set of wheels, but give her a spatula and a frying pan and she looks like a lost puppy.”

Sunset rolled her eyes then gave Sonata’s hand a quick yet affectionate squeeze. Aria looked down on the display and felt a slew of emotions. On the one hand, she was happy that Sonata found someone to be with who clearly showed affection and love for her. On other hand, Aria could not help but feel a little jealous. The way they looked at one another, the way they talked to each other, laughed with each other and at each other; it made Aria sick. Lovesick that is.

Could she find someone to be with? She wondered, but shook such thoughts away. She’d rather put focus on her career at the moment. It was, after all, still in its infancy and needed nurturing.

Instead of mulling over it, Aria asked, “So how did you get so much money anyways? The way I see it, you were no better off than we were when you came to this world.”

“Let’s just say I brought a bag of bits with me from Equestria,” Sunset explained, “and it turns out solid gold goes a long way in this world. I found a couple of guys in an old pawn shop who paid a lot of money for the coins. I didn’t want to draw attention, so I only brought enough as I needed, as well as brought them to different pawn shops across the city. I still have to work for a living to maintain things.”

They stopped at the last place on the list of apartments to check out, though Aria did not feel as much confidence on this place as she did with any of the others. The area was nice though, with plenty of tall green trees and clean streets. The people walking the paths appeared friendly enough.

The building looked good too. Not as tall as many apartments, the white walls shone in the sun while some were decorated by artisan bricks. Small, yet affordable. Aria’s mood brightened, but then this happened before. She needed to see the insides.

“Last stop,” Sunset said, pulling up to the parking lot. “If not, we can try again tomorrow.”

Aria shook her head. Her schedule with the ACW did not allow for such. If she wanted to keep looking for a place, she’d have to do it on Sunday. Instead, she took a deep breath of fresh air and began to walk to the entrance.

They met the real estate agent in charge of selling the units, who brought them to the one Aria showed interest in. A top floor unit, they opened the door to a white walled interior with hardwood floors, a fully equipped kitchen, and little else. Aria looked around the unit and nodded; thought it was the same as many of the others, she liked it well enough. However, something was missing.

Before she could put a finger on the missing element, Sonata rushed over to the large windows. She squealed at the sight and pointed downwards. Aria and Sunset joined her as she opened the door to the patio. The sight stopped them dead in their tracks.

The unit overlooked the city’s river valley to such a degree as to be called picturesque. The river glittered as if made of polished sapphires, while tall trees stretched out as a sea of emerald green. Aria had to admit, the view alone was worth the price of the unit. Sunset smiled as she stared out into the distance. Sonata already gave it her seal approval.

“What would Adagio think?”

Aria realized too late that she said that out loud and quickly clammed up, though for naught. Sonata’s downcast gaze drifted to the land below. A grim silence lay overhead, despite the bright sun and the cloudless sky above them.

“You two miss her, don’t you?” Sunset asked.

Sonata nodded and sighed. “She was mean, but she meant well. I think she wanted the best for us deep down. We just got caught up being, well, sirens.”

“I’ll find her, Sonata,” Aria said, “And I’ll bring her here. I’ll bring her back to us. I already asked Roza if she can help. I like to think that will make a difference.”

Sonata nodded and then perked up. “You want to bring her here? So does that mean…?”

“You always find what you are looking for in the last place you look,” Aria said, turning back to head inside and to talk to the agent. “Let’s get this deal done. Then we’ll go to dinner, my treat. I feel better than I have in years, and it’s thanks to you and the others.”

Soon, she thought, Adagio, I will find you soon. Then we can be friends again.

***

In the week after choosing her new home, Aria spent her time divided with the legal and financial woes of buying property, the commitments to the ACW, and finally getting furnishings she liked for the condo unit, Aria felt time slip away. Tuesday came sooner than it probably should and once more Roza dropped her off at Parthenon arena. She quickly changed, read the schedule, and waited in Locker Room A for show time.

Aria’s match was second on the card and her opponent was someone named Wave Racer. Aria looked across the room to see her opponent lounging on one of the benches, absent mindedly talking to another Amazon. She turned her head, brushed aside one of her loose green dreadlocks, and gave Aria a strange gesture with her bright blue hand by sticking out her thumb and little finger. Aria opted just to nod back.

“Aw yeah,” Siege said as she plopped down on the bench next to Aria. She thought she felt the entire bench tremor. “You’re looking good, rookie. Looking confident. Scoping out your opponent. Good idea.”

“I’m not getting anything out of her except she’s snoozing,” Aria replied, “She isn’t stoned, is she?”

“Better not be, O’Cash would tan her hide.” Siege sat back and took a more relaxed position. “Have a pretty strict anti-drug policy around these parts. Just keep your eyes on Wave and you’ll be fine. She’s really just looking for the big adrenaline rush.”

Octane slid down the length of the bench and stopped only inches away from Aria. “This is your second match! Are you excited because I’m excited, I’m so excited I was all GASP when I saw you as second on the card and against Wave Racer, she’s pretty good so be careful, she’s been around for a few years, hasn’t won a title, but that’s because she’s in it for the rush than anything else, we’ve met a few times in the ring and I’ve come out on top most of the time, but the one time I took my eyes off her she did this crazy spinning thing and—“

“Octane!” a call came from outside the locker room, “You’re opening bell tonight against Vesper! Clock’s ticking!”

Octane bounced back to her feet and hopped over to the door. “Gotta go!” she said, waving at Aria and Siege, “Wish me luck, hope I don’t break a leg, I mean Vesper is tough but she’s a bit arrogant because she hangs out with the Snake Pit but I mean if you had Ice Cold in your corner you’d be arrogant too and they don’t like me too much but I mean come on what is there to not like and—“

“Octane!!”

Octane gave the locker room a cheeky smile then disappeared from view as she bounded to the gorilla position. Aria shook her head and started to stretch to limber up. As she stretched her limbs, Wave sat up and looked to her while fumbling for a hair tie.

“So like, we’re facing each other tonight,” Wave said, tying her mess of dreadlocks into a ponytail. “Hope you’re ready, dude, because I’m kinda stoked for this. I like taking on the new fish in our happy little school.”

“I’m sure we’ll have a good match,” Aria said. She just noticed the assortment of piercings have had all over her face. Nose ring, eyebrow studs, ear bars. Wasn’t that stuff dangerous in the ring?

“Oh I know it, babe, I know it.” Wave then peeled off her hoodie to reveal a matte crop top that showed off a swimmer’s physique as well as mess of tattoos. Intricate artwork used Wave’s blue skin as a canvas showing off waves, beaches, palm trees, and dolphins. Aria could not help but be drawn to the artistry that went into Wave’s skin art.

She turned her attention to the screen to see Tuesday Night SLAM get started. Vesper and Octane already made their entrances and the opening match got underway with the ringing of the bell. With her match against Wave Racer next, Aria stood up and left the locker room, heading towards gorilla position.

Show time.

***

As Aria waited opposite of Wave Racer, Vesper emerged first from behind the curtain, looking quite pleased with her victory over Octane. She smirked at Aria before joining Apex, the tall magenta woman and fellow member of Bad Company. The two returned to the locker room, leaving just Aria and Wave alone with the production crew.

Soon Octane came out of the curtains, clutching her side. “My bad,” she said, speaking a little slower than usual. “I thought I did enough to keep her down for the count. Guess not.”

She offered a weak smile to Aria, only to wince in pain after. “Good luck, Aria,” she said, “just remember: always keep an eye on Wave Racer.”

“Aria Blaze, Wave Racer, you two are up in five,” a crewman said, “You’ll come out first, Aria.”

Aria nodded and waited for the signal. A commercial played hyping up a new movie. Another, this time for the upcoming pay-per-view, Retribution. Aria wondered if she would get a match on that card.

The feed then went back to the show. The crewman motioned to the soundboard worker, who pressed a button which started “This Fire Burns.” At the sound of the theme starting to play, the crewman motioned for Aria to get going. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the curtains with on thought in mind.

My name is Aria Blaze. I will be a champion.

Same as the week before, Aria emerged from behind the curtain to a decent reception where the people in the stands cheered. She felt their energy and soaked in it. They’ve seen one exciting match. Now was time for another.

She struck the same pose as before, accentuating her figure by bending the leg, before continuing her entrance. Her boots hit the ramp and while the music continued to play and the crowd continued to cheer. Those who sat at the sides of the ramps stuck out their hands for their brief moment of contact with a star. Aria obliged them, giving them high fives when she could.

The announcer in the middle of the ring raised her microphone. “The following contest is scheduled for one fall! Making her way to the ring… ARIA! BLAZE!”

Aria climbed onto the apron and then jumped over the top rope. With no opponent to stare down, she instead made her way to the corner post, climbed the turnbuckle, and posed to the crowd. She raised her hands to the sky, signifying that she would emerge victorious in the match. The crowd liked it well enough, it seemed, as they responded by cheering.

Returning to the mat, Aria now just had to wait for Wave Racer’s entrance. Her music faded and a low hum came across the arena. Aria flexed her fingers and bounced on her heels. She mentally prepared herself for the match ahead of her. A new opponent.

The lighting turned to blue and white quickly as the opening chords of a very energetic theme struck the arena. Swirling like the sea, the lights focused on the ramp as Wave Racer made her way out, throwing up that strange hand gesture she showed Aria before, this time with both hands.

“Introducing her opponent… WAVE RACER!”

Wave Racer took to the steel steps, only to then jump onto the top of turnbuckles. She balanced on the top of the post as if she was on a surfboard, her arms outstretched and waving about. She then performed a front flip and landed on her feet. Aria kept to her corner as Wave went up to the ropes, throwing up her hand gestures to one side of the arena and then moving to the other side of the ring to do the same.

Once Wave settled into her corner, the referee took the center of the ring. He held up his hands towards Aria and Wave. “Are you ready?” He asked Aria. She nodded, still jumping on her feet. He then asked the same to Wave, who simply replied with her hand gesture.

With both competitors ready, he called for the bell.

DING DING DING

Aria and Wave approached each other, though oddly enough Wave took a more defensive position by simply extending her hand. Aria looked on with caution but reached out with her own hand so their fingers entwined. They then clasped their other hands and began a test of strength, pushing against one another with all of their might.

For once, Aria was the stronger of the two as she pushed the smaller Wave Racer backwards. Wave tried to push back, taking some ground if only slightly. Aria tightened her grip and continued the struggle until Wave bent over backwards. She gritted her teeth as she fought to take the upper hand.

Wave then took on a smirk as she contorted her body so as to have the leverage in the test of strength, but Aria rapidly losing her own. She felt her grip on Wave’s fingers slip, only for Wave to jump, twisting around until she was upright and Aria at an awkward angle.

With a sharp yank of her arms, Wave pulled herself free but Aria fell forward. She tried to recover but Wave move quickly, snatching Aria’s head and delivering a powerful inverted DDT. The back of her head drove into the mat hard, but Aria kept up the fight despite the pain.

Her opponent down, Wave ran towards the ropes and immediately rebounded off them. Aria flipped to her front in a push-up position. The hope was to stop Wave from launching herself onto Aria which worked as she opted to jump over Aria’s body instead of colliding with it. She did continue to run into the ropes once more, giving Aria time to stand up.

Aria bent down with the intent to give Wave a back body drop, only to be on the receiving end of Wave’s boot right into her face. She recoiled from the blow, but not before she felt Wave grab onto her with her… shins?

Before she could react, Aria was thrown to the mat from Wave’s leg muscles with a hurricanrana. Aria fell over forwards, flipping her body until she landed on her back. Wave dove down to make the pin attempt. She hooked Aria’s leg and the ref got to the ground with his hand raised.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Aria managed to get the shoulder up in time, making the ref lift his two fingers in the air. Wave took hold of Aria’s arm and lifted her to her feet. She then tossed Aria into the ropes with an irish whip, making the rookie rebound towards her.

This time Aria was ready. As Wave reached out for some kind of grapple, Aria sidestepped her and took on a gutwrench hold. From there Aria lifted the much lighter woman into a German suplex, dropping her onto her back. Now Aria ran to rebound off the ropes. Wave recovered from the suplex, only to just be able to raise her hands to protect her head. Aria took to the air and delivered a dropkick right to Wave’s face.

Now that Wave went down, Aria made for a pin attempt of her own. She hooked the leg and the ref slid to the mat to make the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

However, Wave managed to kick out before the count of three. The crowd gave an enthusiastic “Twooooo!” throughout the arena. As much as they were having fun, Aria wanted to win this. Her grasp on Wave’s arm firm, Aria dragged Wave back to her feet until they both took on a standing position. Still holding onto her arm, Aria placed it over her head, planted her feet, and began to lift for a vertical suplex.

As much as falling backwards with the full weight of Wave overhead, the fact that she even performed such a technique surprised even Aria. Such surprise even dulled the pain of falling on her back. Aria rolled to her front and once more made the pin, only to once more see Wave make the kickout. She looked at the ref in disbelief. Maybe she should go for the Spear now?

Aria lifted Wave once more to her feet, deciding she better keep dealing some sort of damage. As she stood up, Wave suddenly pushed Aria towards the rope. Caught by surprise, Aria could do nothing as Wave performed a dropkick of her own. The kick stung as it stuck against her chest, but as she fell backwards, Aria felt her body slip between the ropes.

She crashed shoulder first into the apron and then promptly followed up by landing face first into the padding outside the ring. Aria groaned as she tried to get up, but her body refused to recover; it hurt too much.

Whining and complaining would do her no good. Instead, Aria pushed herself up to her feet, though she felt wobbly. She winced as got back to her feet. She heard the ref counting up to ten. She heard the running of feet on the mat. What was it Siege and Octane said? Always keep an eye on Wave Racer?

Now she knew why they said such as Wave Racer rebound off the ropes and ran full tilt to the other side of the ring. She performed a somersault then jumped into the air with a plancha that landed flush against Aria. Once more Aria felt her body collide with the padding outside the ring and now with the added weight of Wave Racer, pain shot through her body.

Another moan of agony escaped her as she tried to get back up. She felt rough, calloused hands take hold of her wrists while the ref counted anew now that Wave joined her on the outside. Wave lifted Aria to her feet and pulled her towards the ring. From there she rolled Aria underneath the bottom rope, of which Aria kept rolling until she was in the middle of the ring. Her vision still blurry, she managed to see the shape of Wave begin to climb the turnbuckle. Alarm bells rang in Aria’s head. If she stayed here, she was going to have a bad day.

Once again Wave made her strange hand gesture, but also shouted out, “Hang ten!” Not wanting to find out what that exactly meant, Aria sprung to her feet and rushed over to Wave, smashing her in the face with a forearm. Dazed, Wave could not resist as Aria hoisted her into an inside cradle. Firmly on her shoulders, Aria dropped Wave with the Death Valley Driver maneuver. With Wave flat on her back, Aria once more made the pin. The ref started his count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Before his hand could hit three, Wave again brought a shoulder up. Aria sat upright and looked at the ref in disbelief. Now was the time for the Spear.

Aria crawled over to one of the corners and took a squatting position. She held on to the top rope and stared down Wave as she struggled to get back to her feet by using the turnbuckle pads as support. All she needed to do was wait for the right opportunity for a Spear.

Wave stumbled to her feet, but still turned to face Aria. Seeing her opponent turn, Aria ran full tilt towards Wave, intent on ramming her with a full-bodied Spear. She pushed off with her feet and leapt for the Spear—

—only to see Wave turn around and jump herself. She caught Aria’s head in a headlock and their shared momentum to drive Aria’s face into the mat with a bulldog. Aria crumpled as she collided to the ground and she held her face as it stung from the intimate meeting with the canvas. She felt her body turn over so she was face up. Then her leg was lifted into the air and the weight of Wave Racer applied the pin.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Aria kicked out of the pin just as the ref made for the three. Aria breathed hard as she rolled to her side to recover. She heard Wave get back to her feet and move away from her, only to start climbing the turnbuckle once again. Aria kept one eye open as she lay on her back.

Wave again made her hand gesture but this time she did not shout, instead opting to leap from the top of the turnbuckle. She bent her legs backwards while in mid-air, clutching her ankles, and then followed by letting go and extending her legs for a high elevation leg drop.

Seeing Wave plummet towards her, Aria pushed off the mat and rolled out of the way, just in time to see Wave collide with the canvas. Wave’s eyes squeezed shut as she landed on her tailbone and she fell over from the mistake. Aria took advantage by getting back to her feet, running towards the ropes, and bouncing off the middle rope for the springboard moonsault. She flipped in the air and landed the press flush against Wave’s midsection.

Not finished yet, Aria rolled over backwards until she squatted in the corner and took up the position for the spear once again. As she prepared, she heard the crowd begin to chant “Spear! Spear! Spear!”

Aria could not help herself but smile. They were chanting something at least. They were chanting for the Spear.

Wave stood up and, still dazed, turned to face Aria. Her moment now here, Aria sprinted towards Wave. She lowered her shoulders and rammed into Wave with the full force of the Spear tackle. Wave’s back and head smacked down onto the mat while Aria made the pin.

Hooking the leg, Aria held on tight as the referee made the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

“THREE!”

DING DING DING

“This Fire Burns” started to blare once more on the arena loud speakers, Aria stood up while referee raised her arm in victory. Her body felt like every bit of skin was held under a torch, but the elation of victory and cheers of the crowd numbed the pain. She was getting good at this.

The announcer raised the microphone to her lips again. “Here is your winner… ARIA! BLAZE!”

Still on an adrenaline rush, Aria climbed up the turnbuckle and raised her fists in the air. She soaked in the chorus of cheers and applause while Wave sat in another corner, shaking her head. Aria did the same to the other corner, making sure everyone got a good look at the winner.

As she made her way back to the center of the ring, Wave stood waiting with a small smile on her face. She offered her hand to Aria as a gesture of goodwill and sportsmanship. Aria looked at Wave and shook the offered hand. Wave then raised Aria’s hand again, which elicited even more cheers.

“You did great, babe,” Wave said with a smile, “I think you’ll do well. Won’t be so lucky next time though, but I expect tough competition. Always keep your head in the game.”

Wave left the ring by rolling under the bottom rope and heading to the back through the side curtains. Aria continued to smile as she left the ring by leaping over the top rope and hitting the floor. Her joints ached. Her limbs were sore. Her bones creaked. Yet as she walked to the back, slapping hands of fans and hearing her theme song play, Aria could not have felt happier.

***

Roza called her while the show went on but Aria did not receive the message until after SLAM finished and she changed back to her street clothes. The message read that Roza was busy tonight and wouldn’t be able to pick up Aria from Parthenon. Also that she would not be allowed to stay at Haven gym like a hobo anymore.

The corner of Aria’s lips curled into a smirk of her own. She didn’t tell Roza about the place she got. She wanted to save it for a surprise.

Aria called for a cab and gave him the address: one-zero-seven Maplewood Drive. After a half-hour long drive, Aria stepped out, slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and looked up at the condo building.

Her new home.

The sky was clear and glittering with stars. Aria smiled and thought about how pretty they looked tonight. She’d have a good view of them from her balcony. If she made it that far. Aria let out a long yawn, loudly expressing her fatigue. Fumbling for her keys, Aria entered the building and took the elevator to the fourth floor.

She walked to the door of her apartment and inserted the key into the lock. The door swung open without a sound and only pitch black met her save for the glow of a television. Aria did buy a TV, but she never had a chance to really unpack and get her furniture set up. As she turned a light on, she saw the TV was paused to a recording.

A recording of her match with Wave Racer.

Aria looked around for a remote control, but could not find one. Before she could question the weird events inside her new home, the recording unpaused itself.

“Here is your winner… ARIA! BLAZE!”

A loud chorus of cheers erupted right behind Aria, startling her senseless. When she turned around, her heart eased as her friends with Sonata in the middle of them cheered for her. Sonata gave Aria another of her big hugs, surprising Aria with hidden strength.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Rainbow exclaimed, “You looked incredible in that ring! The way you jumped in the ring, the way you tossed that surfer chick around, and that finish! Wham! You could probably give the football team some pointers!”

“How are you feeling?” Fluttershy asked, her hands still visibly trembling. “We all saw your match. I was scared for you a few times back there. You look like you were getting hurt. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, really,” Aria lied. She was sore all over after all, but she decided on showing a stiff upper lip. “I’m surprised you are all here. What’s going on?”

Pinkie giggled. “Well, duh, we’re here to have a ‘Congratulations On Your ACW Contract, First Win, Second Win, And Housewrecker Party!’”

She pulled on a string hanging by her and sure enough a large banner fell from the ceiling saying exactly what Pinkie said. Aria had to admit, she was rather impressed by her dedication to parties. That they did it all for her and her success simply blew Aria away.

“Thank you, everyone,” Aria said, “I couldn’t have made it this far without help. I’m glad you all welcomed me as your friend. If I hadn’t turned a new leaf… well, I don’t want to think about that.”

Sunset smiled at Aria. “I know from experience how rough and uncertain it can be to make a complete one-eighty in attitude, but seeing how far you’ve come, I’m glad you took the second chance offered.”

“Yeah yeah, friendship is great and all, but I’m starving.” Rainbow butted in and headed to the kitchen. “We have bunch of pizza here and I’m not waiting anymore. Besides, I want to hear about how you pulled off that sweet flip off the second rope.”

Aria’s smile never falter while the others joined Rainbow in the kitchen for pizza. However, before Applejack could enter, Aria called her over. There was the matter of Ice Cold to go over.

“What’s going on, sugarcube?” Applejack said. Aria wondered about that term of endearment Applejack tossed around but pushed that thought away.

“Before we join the others, I had a question.” Aria pointed to the TV where the recording of Tuesday Night SLAM continued to play. “I met someone in the ACW called Ice Cold Apple Cider. I was wondering if she was related to you.”

Applejack frowned. “Yeah, she’s a second cousin, twice removed. Even for a herd as big as the Apple family, you are bound to get a black sheep.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you had family in the ACW?”

Appplejack sighed and did not meet Aria’s accusatory gaze. “She owed me a favour and part of the arrangement was that I don’t talk to her or about her. Cider’s a rattler through and through. She’d sooner sell Granny Smith if it meant she could achieve her goals. She cares about no one but herself and she lets everyone know it. It’s better if you keep away from her. Let her do her own thing and you just do yours.”

As Applejack went to join the others, Aria wondered about what she said calling her own cousin a rattlesnake. She would have to give Cider a wide berth if she even gave concern to Applejack. As the smell of fresh pizza wafted into her nose, Aria forgot about Cider and the ACW for a moment. Now she would just party with her friends and simply enjoy life.

***

She let out a large sigh as she absent mindedly watched the TV while sipping on a citrus drink. Not that she could hear anything from the TV anyways because of the blasting beats of the club. Professional wrestling did not interest her anyways. It was more something to see during her break.

“Break’s over,” came the gruff voice of her boss, Mister P. “Get back to it, Ada.”

The woman called Ada took a deep breath, downed the rest of her drink, and turned away from the screen right when the newest rookie of the ACW was about to perform. She stood up from the bar and headed to the back, turning one sad gaze at the stage in the middle of the room.

She passed through the curtains and wondered how those two were doing. The thought of them only made her angry. Ada hid her emotions well enough though, as Mister P did not like any of the girls to look unhappy regardless of anything. If any of the girls were unhappy, the clients were unhappy, and she was lucky enough to have a job right now.

So she plastered on her fakest smile and headed out to do her job.

“One day,” she muttered under her breath, “I’ll have it all again.”

Out of the Fire

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With Roza acting her spotter, Aria grimaced as she held the barbell on her shoulders. While the squat machine looked simple enough, but with the added weights Roza put on the bar, it took all of Aria’s strength to push upwards. She clenched down on her teeth and lifted the weight, feeling the weight push down on her shoulders.

“Remember, ease into the weight, don’t force it,” Roza said, “The last thing you want is to pull a muscle and be unable to compete. That won’t do too good for your prospects in the ACW.”

Aria nodded and did as instructed. She slowly pushed the weight back to its ready position until her legs were straight. Roza recommended fifteen reps in four sets, and since she decided on her own to stay as Aria’s trainer, Aria took her advice to heart. She was the expert in the field after all.

Grunting, Aria focused on a large red dot painted on a pillar on the other side of the gym. Roza told Aria to focus on the dot as she made her reps. Supposedly, it was to help her keep her from being distracted and just worried about lifting. It worked, for the most part. She focused only on the dot until Roza said something.

“So how was the first two weeks in the ACW?” Roza asked while Aria lowered into a squatting position.

“Pretty… good…” Aria replied, beginning the effort of raising herself to a standing position. “Decent folks there…”

“Being a wrestler is like being in a family.” Roza looked off into the distance, “Wait until you go on tour. The road trips can be long and annoying, but that’s where the best the stories come out of. That’s where memories are made.”

“Thought it was… in the ring…”

Roza shook her head but continued to smile as fond memories washed over her mind. “That’s the other half.”

Aria finished her last set and placed the squat bar back in its holding position. She exhaled loudly after another hard workout and picked up her water bottle for a swig. The cold water felt great as it went down her throat. Roza tossed Aria her towel and she promptly wiped the sweat from her brow.

“So when’s your next match?” Roza asked. Aria sat down to rest and pulled her phone out of her bag.

She flipped through several messages, most of them from the ACW such as the mandatory post and pre-match doctor check-ups. Another message asked if Aria could attend something with Sonata, though Sonata did not say what. Aria replied asking what Sonata wanted; she did not like going into things blind.

Finally she found the message on her next match. “Next SLAM I’m up against Octane. She seems nice. Has a bit of a motor mouth though. I think she gets on everyone’s nerves in the back, but Siege seems to put up with her.”

“She’s fast,” Roza said, “Incredibly so. I saw her run the ropes once and it was like watching a roadrunner with a sugar rush and death wish. She will go vertical if she ever gets a chance, so watch the corners at all times.”

Aria nodded and started to head to the locker room to change when Roza called her attention. She motioned for Aria to join her in her office. She wondered what this would be about but did not voice her concerns, simply following her into what she once called her bedroom. Roza closed the door behind her and sat at her desk while Aria took the familiar spot across from her trainer.

“What’s up?” Aria asked. Roza did not immediately reply, choosing instead to tap a pen on the desk.

“I’ve just been wondering if finding Adagio is a good idea.” Roza looked away as Aria’s lips curled downward into a frown. “Look, I know you want to find her. I just want to spare you the heartache if you find something you did not want to see.”

Aria felt her blood boil beneath her skin. Why was Roza pushing her away from her goal to find Adagio once again? Maybe she was right. Maybe Aria should not know what happened to Adagio. But the more Aria thought of her former siren partner, the more she wanted to know exactly where she was, if she was safe, if she was doing well, anything. No one, not even Roza would stand in her way.

“I’m finding her,” Aria said with an edge in her voice, “I’m grateful for what you did for me, but this is something you don’t get to make a call in. I’m finding her, and I’m making amends and that’s the bottom line.”

“‘Cause Aria said so?” Roza crossed her arms but this was something Aria would not budge on. Aria then had a thought. She furrowed her brow and looked Roza dead in the eye.

“Have you found Adagio? Did you find something about her?”

Exhaling loudly, Roza slid a sheet of paper towards Aria who picked it up and looked it over. The sheet showed a list of addresses, business names, and phone numbers. Aria did not understand what Roza tried to show her with the list. Did Adagio go to all of these places?

“I thought about what you said,” Roza said, her gaze never leaving Aria’s. “These are some of the places I figured young, good looking, desperate girls will go. Those too big for their britches, but also too needy to turn down a job. The way I see it, if she’s not in any of those places, then you should count yourself lucky. It narrows the field a bit, but kid…”

Roza never got a chance to finish as Aria stood up from her chair and rushed out of the door. Jumping to her feet, Roza yelled Aria’s name, but not even that stopped her. The implications in Roza’s voice and her list shook Aria to her core.

As she pushed the doors of Haven Gym open and walked out into the summer sun, Aria pulled her phone out and began to dial the numbers on the list. Her legs simply carried her as she wanted privacy as she made the calls. Yet every number she dialed came up with a busy tone or a voice machine. Groaning in frustration, Aria put the phone down and sat on a nearby bus bench. She needed to think.

Adagio… she wouldn’t work in one of those types of places… would she? Aria knew her as a manipulator, a schemer, but a very goal driven person, even if those goals were for world domination. She reveled in her siren ways. A thought came to mind: maybe Adagio lost all of that because she was, for all intents and purposes, no longer a siren.

To lose one’s identity was something Aria could fathom and it brought no little amount of dread. Every day she told herself that she was Aria Blaze, even when this world seemed to want to forget the name. What if there was no one around to say something similar to Adagio? What if Adagio forgot her own name, or worse, pushed it aside?

With only a list to give her direction, Aria set out for the first place. Without a car, it appeared she was walking the city to find Adagio.

***

Aria did not know if failing to find Adagio was a blessing or a curse. Perhaps it was both. For the few locations on the list Aria did manage to visit, Adagio was nowhere to be seen. This was good, as many of the places were scummy bars, dead-end taverns, and worst of all, strip clubs.

The windows to search were few and far between. With her obligations to the ACW eating up the majority of her time including doctor visits, meetings, and working out to maintain herself, she used what little spare time she had solely for finding Adagio. She had to decline the event invitation Sonata sent her before, and all other social obligations fell to the wayside.

She felt so close, yet with each failed attempt, Aria felt so far as well. Thankfully, if Aria was at none of these less-than-stellar establishments, it meant she could be somewhere else. Maybe somewhere better.

“At least I’m narrowing things down,” Aria said to herself. She then looked down to the list. Only a few places left. One of them being yet another strip club.

She wouldn’t come to a place like this, Aria thought as she walked up to the joint, she has way too much pride. She didn’t even so much as touch another human when we controlled them with our songs. Thought they were all beneath her. What if things changed once we lost our powers? I know I changed. Survival demanded it. Survival could demand something similar from Adagio.

Aria pushed those thoughts from her head. Right now she needed to focus on the goal at hand. She came here to speak to Adagio and maybe, just maybe, make things right.

With a deep breath, Aria pushed the door open when she heard a chilling, familiar voice behind her. It was faint and distant, but Aria could tell that voice anywhere in this world or the next.

She turned around to see the back of a head of bright, curly, orange hair step out of a very nice, shiny convertible driven by a man with slicked back hair and expensive sunglasses. Her throat constricted from nerves. She felt her heart rate beat a hundred thousand times a minute. It had to be her, it just had to be.

Aria moved swiftly across the street, completely ignoring the traffic on the road, eliciting several honks and shouts of annoyed drivers. She did not care. She came too far to be deterred by simple motor vehicles. Adagio was right there. Aria had to reach her.

The choruses of honking horns made the orange haired woman and the man in the convertible turn their heads. Aria finally crossed the street and then ran towards her target, her runners scraping against asphalt. As the two came face to face, Aria could not find the words to say first.

It was Adagio.

She was here.

In front of her.

After all this time, Aria and Adagio stood in the same place. Yet as she looked Adagio over, Aria felt a new anger rise in her throat. On the onset, she looked fine, pretty even, but that was an all illusion created by cosmetics and clothing choices. Her cheeks were sunken and her eyes held a dead gaze that only brightened when she recognized Aria standing before her. Adagio looked gaunt as if she did not eat for months.

“Adagio…?” Aria finally said. The look of recognition on Adagio’s face turned to annoyance.

“Do… Do I know you? You’re crazy to walk through live traffic like that. Do you want to get killed?” Adagio’s response stung Aria more than she ever figured could be possible. Was it possible for Adagio to forget her? What happened when they went their separate ways?

“It’s me, Aria!” As Aria tried to get closer to Adagio she backed away. This got the man in the convertible to step out of his car.

He stood a full foot and a half taller than Adagio and Aria and he took off his sunglasses with menace. “This chick bothering you, babe?”

Aria raised an incredulous eyebrow. “‘Babe?’ Adagio, don’t play games with me. You have no idea what I went through to find you. What I’ve been through to get this far!”

Adagio’s façade of ignorance broke like an overburdened dam. “I have no idea?! You have no idea what life has been like for me! You walked out on me, remember? You walked out on me, leaving me with that ditz Sonata! I never should have found you in the ocean! I never should have brought you to Canterlot! You two ruined my life!”

“We were in this together!” Aria fired back, “It was always your plans though, Adagio! You’re plans that backfired because you never wanted to listen to anyone else!”

“Hey, you stop yelling at my girl or we’re going to have a serious problem, bitch.” The man stepped between Adagio and Aria while he took off his jacket to show off his muscular frame. Aria, incensed by how poorly this reunion was going, would not be intimidated by such a display. Instead, she took off her own jacket and threw it down on the ground, allowing both him and Adagio to see the results of her training.

Adagio merely gaped at the sight of Aria’s gym-toned body. Her hands balled up into fists. If he wanted a fight she would give it just for a chance to speak with Adagio.

The man took a cautious step backwards. Aria figured he was not used to seeing his challenges met.

“Back off, hair grease,” Aria fired back. “This is between me and Adagio.”

“No, it’s not,” Adagio quickly jumped in. “So you lifted a few weights. It doesn’t stop the fact that you walked out on me.”

“That’s why I wanted to find you,” Aria said, her stance softening. Her hands unclenched. “I wanted to say I was sorry. Sorry for abandoning you. We needed to stick together more than ever then, but I was too stubborn to see that. But things are better now. I found Sonata, Adagio! She’s doing really well! She’s working at a restaurant and has a place to stay. I have my own place too. We can be a trio again, just like the old days in the ocean! We even made friends with the Rainbooms. We don’t have to just survive anymore. We can thrive. We can do all this together.”

If there was one word to describe the look in Adagio’s eyes at that moment Aria mentioned the Rainbooms, it was pure, unbridled hatred.

“You made friends with the people that stripped us of who we are?!” Adagio roared, “Who stripped me of my voice!? You gave up on everything that made you a siren. You died that night, just like Sonata died, just like Adagio died! You are all dead to me! You hear me!? I hate you! I HATE YOU!”

Adagio turned on her stiletto heel and walked off towards the club. The man she came here with shot Aria the dirtiest of glares as the two crossed the road while the lights allowed. As they disappeared into the club, Aria gave a shout of frustration, garnering several strange looks from passers-by. Shaking her head, Aria turned around, not having the will to pursue her.

It was Tuesday night after all. She was needed in Parthenon.

***

Aria went through the motions of putting her ring gear on. Thankfully the other wrestlers gave her a wide berth. Her mind swam from the altercations that occurred during the day. Such thoughts would distract her from her match tonight with Octane, but Aria found them very difficult to push away.

Thankfully, her thoughts could come later. She and Octane had the opening match tonight after a lengthy promo from World Championship challenger Shinigami Chihiro and World Champion Kass. The sooner she got in the ring, the better. She could think about facing Octane rather than facing Adagio again.

Aria waved over Wave Racer when she noticed that Octane was not in the locker room. “I haven’t seen Octane all day,” Aria said, “Have you seen her?”

“Octane’s been up front for the last hour,” Wave explained, “When she found out she was facing you, she was, like, completely excited. I haven’t seen her this hyped since her last ACW National Championship match.”

“She wants to fight?” Aria asked feeling rather confused. The two got along well; she didn’t want to have a conflict with someone else. Especially after the events earlier in the day.

“Why don’t you ask her?” Wave replied as she lay down on the bench once again. “She’s up in Gorilla.”

Aria shrugged and decided that was the best course of action. She left the locker room and headed towards the Gorilla position, where Octane was exactly as Wave said she would be. The sprightly wrestler did in fact jump up and down in one spot. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she spotted Aria.

“Hiiiiiiiii!” Octane waved at Aria while she continued to bounce on her feet. “This is going to be so great because we don’t get a lot of rookies and I like facing the new girls because I feel we can really learn a lot from each other but don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you’re knew because I’m going to give it my all, one-hundred-and-ten percent pure Octane that is exactly what you are going to get so you better be one-hundred-and-twenty percent Aria if you even want to stand a chance because—“

“Octane!” Aria snapped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Look, I just want to make sure everything is fine between us. I heard from Wave that you wanted to fight me.”

“Well duh I want to fight,” Octane said in a rather nonchalant way. “It’s kind of my job and I like facing new friends in the ring because my daddy always said one of the best ways to get to know someone is to tussle with them and you got to train with Roza Del Diavolo and I’ve never faced anyone trained by her so I’m so excited to see you in action because I can always learn something new from somebody new and—“

“Aria!” The stagehand called, “You’re up!”

“This Fire Burns”, started to play as the opening guitar riff shredded through the arena air. Aria emerged from behind the curtain then out on the stage, making her now signature pose. Even with all the thoughts that went through her head, she still went through the motions of her entrance. Adagio may hate her guts, but Aria was still intent on becoming a star in the ACW.

“Introducing first! ARIA! BLAZE!”

Aria could not help but get a little tingle down her spine whenever the announcer called her name. The roar of the crowd, the sound of her name; it drove her to new heights.

Aria jumped onto the apron then jumped over the top rope. She climbed the turnbuckle and posed once more as she smiled for the crowd. She was on a real stage, even if it meant taking bumps. People came to see her perform. Roza was wrong; Aria was not a piece of meat being paraded in front of people. She was a competitor, a rising star. Her momentum was all hers.

Adagio, on the other hand, was the piece of meat swinging around a pole. If that was the life she wanted, she could have it.

The lights suddenly changed as the ones near the stage rapidly blinked on and off. The roar of an engine came to life followed by the sound of an electric guitar. Octane emerged onto the stage with a big smile on her face. She continued to bounce on her toes as she pointed to people in the crowd, only to then get to one knee with her right hand in the air. She moved her hand as if she was throwing a bowling ball down a lane but then two wheels that Aria did not see before came to life, spewing sparks into the air.

“Making her way to the ring! OCTANE!”

Getting back to her feet, Octane broke into a mad sprint towards the ring. She took to the air with a leap that cleared the top rope and she landed gracefully with a roll. She tumbled onto her feet and outstretched her arms for the crowd to soak her in. Aria had to admit, she was rather impressed with Octane’s entrance. The sheer height she attained from the jump alone…

Now Aria realized just who she was facing, but she would not let herself be intimidated.

As the music ended and the crowd focused on the match, the referee stepped into the center of the ring. He looked to both competitors and asked if they were ready? Aria nodded yes. Octane did the same. The referee called for the bell.

DING DING DING

As the bell rang for the match to get under way, Aria tried to push any and every thought about Adagio out of her head. She tried to ignore all of the barbed words, the accusations, and most of all the admission of hatred that Adagio spewed out to her. She had to focus on Octane who looked amped up for the match as she continued jumping in one spot.

Yet try as she might, Aria could not help but feel like all of her efforts were for naught. She finally found Adagio, but instead of making amends, the rift between them only grew larger. The way Adagio acting, it seemed she always hated Aria’s guts.

Well then, that was all right by her standards. Aria didn’t need Adagio in her life anyways. Unlike Adagio serving drinks at a dive music club wishing she could sing again, Aria turned her life around. She made more money than they ever got when they were sirens. She was on a stage, not just cleaning one. Not only that—

Aria never finished her thought as she suddenly felt a pair of boots slam into her chest with enough force to knock her on her backside. She quickly recovered and remembered that she was in a match right now. Octane put her hands up and gave Aria a quizzical look.

“Come on; get your head in the game!” She said, before raising her hands for more grappling. She was right; Aria did need to get her head in the game. No doubt somewhere in the back, Victoria O’Cash watched the match and would judge harshly if Aria did not deliver. Her contract, after all, was not ironclad.

They locked up collar-and-elbow, with Aria possessing the greater upper body strength compared to the much smaller Octane. Aria used her advantage to position herself behind Octane and still managed to maintain control by locking her hands around Octane’s midsection. Octane struggled to break free as she pulled on Aria’s fingers, but a quick shift by Aria as well as a well-placed foot brought down Octane to the mat with Aria right on top.

As long as she held Octane down, Aria neutralized her opponent’s speed factor. From her position, Aria took hold of Octane’s right arm and wrenched it behind her back. However, Octane still had use of her left hand, which she used to pivot on the ground and give her some elevation, enough to twist her entire body around until Aria’s hold on her right arm slackened. Aria did not expect this, nor did she expect Octane to use her entire body weight to pull Aria down. Soon Aria found herself on her back, with Octane on top.

Now elevated, Octane released the hold on Aria and ran for the ropes. Roza was right, Octane moved so fast in the ring that she appeared like a blur to Aria. However, Aria was still fresh herself, so she was able to get back to her feet before Octane made her attack. Aria raised her arm and struck Octane hard with a short yet effective clothesline, shutting down Octane’s offense.

Seeing her opponent down on her back, Aria decided to rush to the ropes herself. She jumped and used the second rope as a springboard, flipping in the air for the lionsault. As she neared for the press, Aria saw, far too late to do anything, that Octane already rolled out of the way.

She crashed into the mat without a soft body to cushion her fall, clutching her midsection from the botched attack. The miscalculation hurt and cost her precious momentum. The pain that shot through chest and limbs from the crash only added evidence to that particular argument.

Aria managed to crawl onto her hands and knees, but not until she heard the running of boots and Octane once again applying a dropkick to Aria’s side, specifically around her kidneys. She gave a shout of pain as she rolled from the force of the kick, though she had to ignore said pain as Octane made for the pin.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Aria would not allow herself to lose so easily, so she lifted her legs and used the force of kicking down to help bring her shoulder up in time. It also helped that the amount of power she used to kick out gave Octane a start and she backed away immediately. Aria got to one knee as Octane approached her, hands outstretched to try a facelock. Instead, Octane’s stomach met with hard rights from Aria and the meeting was intimate. Each strike pushed Octane back until Aria managed to get back on her feet.

Taking the opportunity, moved behind Octane, wrapped her arms around the midsection, and lifted her into a German suplex. Octane’s back smashed into the canvas and she crumbled in a heap in the corner while Aria turned from out of the bridge position.

Standing up, Aria picked up Octane off the ground until they both took a standing position. Aria draped Octane’s arm around her and used her own right arm to cradle the neck, she lifted Octane off the ground and then brought her down with a vertical suplex. Upon impact, Aria broke the hold, which allowed Octane ample opportunity to show her pain by arching her back and screaming out before collapsing once more. Aria crawled over to Octane and hooked the leg. The ref slid into position and started the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

However, it was Octane’s turn to make the kickout. Aria took several deep breaths as she brushed her hair out of her face. She then stood and lifted Octane to her feet before winding up and delivering a knife-edge chop across Octane’s chest. The crowd gave a big “woo!” with that strike and Aria looked to be in control, only for Octane to lash out with a chop of her own.

Aria clutched at her chest as she felt the burn of the chop even though she wore a top that covered her entire chest. Grinding her teeth in frustration, Aria delivered another chop to Octane. The crowd gave a “Woo!” with each subsequent chop as the two traded chops in the center of the ring. As great as it was that the crowd got into the match, Aria needed to swing the momentum back in her direction.

It was not meant to be as Octane kicked hard and fast right into Aria’s stomach. Keeling over forward, Aria did not resist as Octane locked her arm around Aria’s neck and fell over backwards with a DDT. The tremors that rocked through Aria’s head shot like a rocket full of pain. She did not have time to recover as she felt Octane drag her body to the middle of the ring. Turning her back, Octane performed a standing moonsault and pressed her weight on top of Aria. Aria cried out but still had enough strength to kick out when Octane made for another pin.

As Octane dragged Aria to her feet, Aria tried to rally back as she clutched her hands together to ram her elbow into Octane’s abdomen. Octane recoiled backwards just as planned, allowing Aria to grab her arm and throw her to the ropes with an Irish whip. Instead of rebounding off the ropes, Octane held on to the top rope. Not exactly what Aria planned, but she could take advantage of this. With a head full of steam, Aria rushed forward with her arm outstretched for a clothesline.

Octane was ready though and pulled down on top rope. She positioned her body so that she could flip Aria out of the ring and onto the floor. Aria’s eyes went wide as she flipped over the top rope, though she just managed to hold on with one hand and stay on the apron.

Yet as she turned to get back in the ring, Octane battered Aria’s stomach with a shoulder block right between the top and second rope. Aria held on to the top rope while clutching her gut her pain. Octane took advantage by flipping over the top rope and more importantly over Aria’s head. As she made her way to the ground, Octane grabbed Aria’s sides and slammed her down to the floor with a sunset flip powerbomb.

Aria never felt pain like this before but if she had anything, she could say it would be ‘damn that hurt.’ Yet words would not come, as Aria could only lay unmoving in some effort to recover from Octane’s unique offensive. She thought she heard the referee begin the countout. Aria rolled over onto her front and blinked rapidly to get her vision back. She felt around for something to hold on to, her hand clutching the fabric of the apron. She climbed up until her hand felt the hard edge of the ring, but she also felt the gloved hand of Octane on her arm.

With a hard pull on Aria’s arm, Octane moved for an Irish Whip of her own. She tried to throw her towards the steel steps, but Aria, acting purely on instinct, reversed the whip by planting her feet and keeping her weight down. Instead, she used the momentum from Octane to throw her into the steel steps. Octane, due to her small size, could not resist the throw and she crashed into the side of the steps with a thunderous roar. Octane arched her back as she collided with the cheap steel and she fell to her side. Aria took the time to catch her breath and get her focus back.

The referee made the count to three and called for the two to get back in the ring. On painful legs, Aria walked over to Octane and pushed her back into the ring. While Aria rolled under the bottom rope, Octane recovered and climbed back to her feet. The two clashed again as they stood tall, lashing out at each other with another series of chops. Annoyed, Aria rushed forward for a short-range clothesline, only for Octane to duck under her arm, turn, and take hold of Aria’s midsection. With a heave, Octane lifted Aira into the air, and then extended her right knee. With the aid of gravity Aria’s tailbone landed flush with Octane’s knee, sending shocks throughout her body. Aria fell to her front, kicking her boots on the mat before Octane turned her over for the pin. The referee slid into position and began the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Again, Aria managed to get the shoulder up, though now it was getting more difficult. Octane shook her head and breathed hard, but stood up in on one knee to continue the match. Hoisting Aria to her feet, positioned herself in a rear grapple and pushed Aria towards the turnbuckles. There, she lifted Aria into the air and sat her on the top padding. Aria gave her head a light shake as she felt her knew elevated position and then the grappling hold of Octane’s hands around her stomach. Instinct took over as Aria, instead of getting the bad end of a superplex, delivered sharp elbow strikes to Octane’s side. With a final shove from her shoulder into Octane’s jaw, Aria pushed the smaller wrestler off her and saw that she fell to the mat.

With Octane flat on her back, Aria turned around on the top turnbuckle, seeing a high risk but great possibility. Standing tall, Aria pointed towards the ceiling to hype up the crowd and then leapt from the top rope with her elbow aimed at Octane’s chest.

Octane rolled out of the way just in time for Aria to plummet to the canvas. Her elbow stung with pain and she held onto the joint while moaning from the agony. With both competitors down and not getting up, the referee began another ten count. Aria rolled over to her back and looked at Octane. Just how was she going to put this daredevil away? Vesper did it twice. Maybe she should have watched those matches.

Despite the brutal nature the match took on, Aria saw that Octane was smiling. For whatever reason, Aria could not help but smile as well. As hard as the match was on her body, Aria found herself enjoying it. She’d enjoy it more if she won, of course, but now she found a newfound respect for Octane and the sheer toughness she showed in the match.

They both stood up at the same time, their chests heaving with each laboured breath. Octane moved first, extending her foot for a powerful kick aimed right at Aria’s jaw. Aria caught the foot just in time and pushed Octane back into the ropes. Octane rebounded on uncertain footing, so much so that her stance wobbled under her own momentum. Aria took advantage by ducking down and lifting Octane onto her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. She then dropped Octane onto her back with a Death Valley Driver, remaining on top of her to make the quick pin. She hooked the leg and the referee made the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Yet still Octane got the shoulder up. The match continued.

Aria shook her head and could not believe the beaten Octane took. It was time to put her down. Aria slowly made her way to the corner, her eyes locked on Octane’s form. She held on to the second rope and rocked back and forth as she waited for Octane to crawl back to her feet using the turnbuckle for support. As she waited, the crowd began to chant: “Spear! Spear! Spear!”

As Octane stood up and turned to face Aria, Aria ran at a full sprint with her shoulder lowered for the full on tackle. As she neared, Octane dropped down, holding on to the middle rope while Aria threw herself straight into the ring post.

The smack echoed through the arena and the crowd seemed to collectively wince as bone smashed into steel. The misery that rippled through her body from her shoulder was unlike anything she ever faced before. She did not even have it in her to cry, moan, or make any other disparaging noise. Instead, she fell over backwards and grasped at her hurting shoulder. She did not think it was broken or dislocated, but it did hurt like hell.

Octane took a deep breath and stood up. She then grabbed Aria’s left arm and leg and dragged her body away from the turnbuckle. With Aria still out of it, Octane then ran towards the turnbuckle and began to climb it. Squatting on the top of the turnbuckles, Octane raised her hands in the air, pointing to the sky, before taking off with a great leap. She flipped once in the air as she neared Aria—

Only now for Aria to roll away for a change, leaving Octane to smash front-first into the canvas. Once again both competitors were down and the referee started another three count. Aria continued to roll towards the ropes until she was certain she could climb them without being harassed. Octane managed to crawl towards the ropes closest to her as well. Both of them breathed heavy. Both of them were battered and bruised.

But neither would give up.

Both competitors climbed up to their feet and stared at each other from across the ring. As the two approached each other to continue the match, the lights suddenly went out, putting them in complete darkness. The crowd murmured in anticipation, though Aria looked around in annoyance. With the exception of the emergency lights and exits signs as well as many, many cellphones, Aria was stuck in the dark.

The Teratron then suddenly came to life showing a grainy image of a small porcelain doll. The sight of it sent chills down Aria’s spine. A great, gloved hand that picked up the doll drove Aria to further terror. Aria pressed her back against the turnbuckle, her eyes wide as she could only watch the Teratron. She wanted to look away, but something compelled her to watch.

Another hand appeared and held the doll gently, while the gloved hand stroked its long, violet hair. A high-pitched voice, one belonging to a little girl, whispered her words, though the sound system in the arena allowed it to be clearly audible.

“Dolly, dolly, play with me.”

As the gloved hand stroked the doll’s hair, a flame ignited near the scalp. Soon flames engulfed the doll, while still held in the clutch of the hand. The hand then casually dropped the doll, of which the camera followed the doll until it collapsed on the floor.

As soon as the doll hit the floor, a firestorm erupted from the stage. The explosion of pyrotechnics filled the arena followed by a wild chorus of cheers. From the loudspeakers came a guitar riff Aria hoped to never hear again. Yet as the music played, the arena lights turned red, and the figure emerged from behind the curtain, she knew her fears came true.

The nightmare Konstance Paine strode to the ring, each step carrying the full power of dread wherever she walked. The red lights did nothing to lessen the incredibly twisted visage of Konstance and her doll-face mask. Strands of long, greasy black hair covered her face somewhat, but the empty voids that were her eyes gave Aria no small amount of horror. She felt paralyzed by her own fear. This was the creature that so easily tossed her around at the open challenge.

Now it seemed she came to finish the job.

Konstance reached up for the top rope and after taking hold, she lifted herself onto the apron. She then stepped over the top rope and into the ring proper.

Before Konstance could even do anything, Octane already went on the offensive and tried to deliver forearm smashed to Konstance’s face. Yet the moment Octane came into range, Konstance struck out with her gloved hand and wrapped her fingers around Octane’s neck. With a great heave, Konstance lifted Octane in the air just to promptly drive her into the canvas with a s thunderous chokeslam.

Seeing someone else get chokeslammed did not help Aria’s state of mind. Aria fell backwards and felt trapped in the corner. It was just like her nightmares. Now they are all too real.

Konstance cocked her head at Aria and took her time to approach. Aria hyperventilated as the nightmare lumbered towards her. The crowd’s noise turned to a humming din as Konstance now hovered over her. Placing her hands on the top ropes at the corners, Konstance leaned forward, trapping Aria in the corner.

Aria’s breathing stopped as she gazed into the abyss that was Konstance’s eyes. The doll mask leered at Aria, close enough that Aria could smell Konstance’s sweat.

Her voice just above a whisper, loud enough so that Aria could hear, Konstance said but two words:

“You. Failed.”

Konstance rose up and then walked away from Aria, heading to the ropes while her theme played on the loud speakers. Turning to face Aria, she extended her arms on the ropes and flipped over them backwards, an impressive feat for one of her size. Her boots touched on the ground and she resumed her slow walk to the back.

When Konstance was finally out of sight, Aria felt like she could breathe again. She quickly left the ring by rolling under the bottom rope, only to see Octane still down for the count, having rolled away herself. Looking to the curtain with a worried gaze, then back to the downed Octane, Aria made the decision to help her former opponent. She lifted Octane to her feet and draped the right arm over her shoulder. Octane paid for Konstance’s sudden arrival. The least Aria could do was to bring her to the back.

They made their way up the ramp, to the back, and through the curtain past the Gorilla Position. There an interviewer waited for them, obnoxiously sticking his microphone in Aria’s face.

“Aria Blaze, I’m Digging Dirt, correspondent for ACW.com,” the interviewer said, “I’m here to find out for the ACW fans what exactly happened out there. Why did Konstance Paine interfere with your match? What did she tell you in the corner of the ring, if she said anything at all?”

Aria looked at the interviewer and shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Loaded

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Aria awoke to throbbing shoulders and pins aching joints. Her shoulder still hurt from smashing it on the post after a failed attempt at a spear. She looked over to the clock on the side of her bed. Nine A.M. With a groan, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and sauntered off to the kitchen to get some coffee going.

She did not sleep well the previous night thanks to images yesterday’s Tuesday Night SLAM stuck in her head. On the positive side, everyone in the back seemed impressed with her match with Octane until Konstance interfered. The crowd was into it, reportedly O’Cash was into it, and even the amazons in the back were into it.

As much as Aria wanted to be pleased with her performance, the fact that Konstance arrived in the flesh to torment her sent chills down her spine. She picked up a zip-up sweater and put it on just to feel a bit of warmth.

Opening the curtains, Aria frowned when she saw overcast. Maybe that was where the chill came from. In any event, Aria went to her kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. As the water started to boil, she picked up her phone to see if there were any messages.

Besides the usual request for her to see a doctor post-match, Aria found that her voicemail inbox filled with messages. She checked the sender in the history: all of them were from Sonata. Aria turned on the phone’s speaker and then went to work on getting some breakfast made.

The first message began to play. “Aria, it’s Sonata, I saw your match and I’m worried about you! The way you hit that post did not look good, and that big scary woman with the mask… I’ve never seen you so scared! Call me!”

The second message: “Aria, I know you must be really hurt after that match, but I’m worried about you, so if you could please call me that be great!”

Finally the last message played, this time from Sunset. “Aria, it’s Sunset. Sonata is beside herself with worry about you. Take care of your shoulder, but if you could, can you please call Sonata as soon as you can? I can’t bear to see her like this.”

Frustration marred Aria’s face as she turned the phone off right when the coffee machine was done with her morning brew. Sonata was such a baby sometimes. Aria was fine; after all she was the one who carried Octane out to the back. Her shoulder stung, but she could still move it. Thankfully she had a week to rest before the next SLAM event. Her shoulder would recover by then.

She poured the coffee into a purple mug and drank it black. Thumbing through the messages, Aria raised her brow as she got a message from O’Cash, rather than the head booker. It read:

I was very impressed with your match with Octane. I use her as a measuring stick to see where talent is and to judge their position on the card. With that said, and the nature that your match ended in a no contest, I am putting you and her in a tag team contest against the Coterie, Brujah and Salubri. I am looking forward to the result of your match. If you two can do so well against one another, I wonder how you two will do on a team.

You are showing yourself to be a good investment. Keep up the good work and the sky's the limit.

Aria leaned back on the counter, sipped her coffee, and thought about that matchup. She never met the Coterie before, so they were a couple of unknowns to her. Teaming with Octane did not sound so bad. They got along well enough in the locker room. Maybe they’d do well as a team? O’Cash did not make any mention of Konstance or her interference though.

Just as Aria was about to get to work on cooking her breakfast, the buzzer blared. She had a visitor. Aria grumbled at whoever bothered her this early in the morning. She walked over to the intercom and pressed the speak button.

“Who is it?” she asked curtly. She wasn’t in the mood for guests.

“Aria, it’s me!” Sonata’s voice came through. Aria felt her headache grow in magnitudes. “You wouldn’t answer your phone so I got worried! I brought stuff to help you out. Please let me in?”

“Ugh,” Aria groaned, “Fine. But you are still the worst.”

Aria pressed a button that would allow the front entrance to unlock and within three minutes there came a knock at her door. She opened the door only for Sonata to drop her bags and throw her arms around Aria in a tight hug. As much as Aria wanted to appreciate the gesture, the pain in her shoulder said otherwise.

She called for Sonata to get off her and then rubbed the tender muscles on her arm. Sonata, looking apologetic, gently yet firmly sat Aria down on a chair and went for her bag.

“I brought hot packs and cold packs and even lukewarm packs,” she said, “as well as a bunch of other medicine Sunny said would help you. Have you eaten yet?”

Aria shook her head. Sonata winked and dashed to the kitchen. “Don’t worry then! I got this!”

Sonata moved like a blur in the kitchen leaving Aria to go through the bag of medical supplies. It appeared as if Sonata brought a whole pharmacy with her. Some of the implements looked useful like the hot packs. Some looked extreme like the bandages and the iodine. Others, like the cough medicine, really held no prevalence to her current condition.

“Cough syrup, upset stomach remedies… laxative?!” Aria looked at Sonata incredulously while the latter mixed eggs, spices, and vegetables in a bowl.

“In my line of work, you want people to be as regular as possible,” Sonata replied matter-of-factly, “Besides, I didn’t know if you had other problems besides the shoulder so I just brought everything I could fit in the bag.”

Aria sighed and put the bag on the counter then went over to see what Sonata worked on. Sonata moved with such deftness as to show her experience and training in the kitchen. She hummed a tune as she worked, though it was off-key and very sharp. Aria paused as she put more thought into Sonata’s humming; she could still hear the minute details of music, but could not sing herself.

Sonata dug around one of the cabinets and pulled out a frying pan. She then applied a small amount of butter and let the heat from the element melt it. Spreading it around the face of the pan, Sonata then poured her egg concoction onto the pan. A delightful smell of spices filled the air and Aria took a deep whiff of Sonata’s cooking. With the omelet on the pan, Sonata opened the fridge, grabbed some sliced whole wheat bread, and popped two slices into the toaster.

“How did you get good at cooking?” Aria asked, “Not like we ever had to cook before when we had our gems.”

Sonata had a blank look on her face, which meant she was deep in her own little world. “I don’t know,” she answered, “Once Sunny helped me get back on my feet, I went back to school. They had another one of their awesome Taco Tuesday’s, and you know how much I love tacos, so I wanted to learn how to make them for myself. Next I’m taking home ec courses and then applying for work experience at that restaurant. Turns out, I’m pretty good at it!”

With one hand on the handle, Sonata gave it a quick flick, tossing the omelet into the air and catching the uncooked side back onto the pan. “It’s all in the wrist.”

“Huh,” was Aria’s only response. The toast jumped out of the toaster into Sonata’s waiting hand and she applied a decent layer of strawberry jam onto the slices. She then slid the finished omelet onto a plate and served it to Aria.

With fork in hand, Aria sliced off a piece of the omelet and took a bite. Her eyes went wide as the flavours Sonata mixed together seemed to perform a symphony in her mouth. Everything about the simple meal worked in such a way that she found near indescribable. Aria looked up at Sonata and it took all of her willpower not to cry.

“This… this is amazing, Sonata!” Aria quickly began to eat her breakfast while Sonata smiled.

“I know, right?” Sonata straightened herself up. “Chef Flambé said I have a lot of promise. That I’m like a musician in the kitchen.”

When Aria finished her breakfast, Sonata offered her a glass of juice to wash it down. As she drank and Sonata worked on cleaning up, Aria found herself thinking about the other day and wondering if she should bring up her less-than-favourable meeting with Adagio. Sonata looked so happy and content right now; to bring up that Adagio claimed she was dead would ruin the mood.

Yet Aria thought Sonata deserved to know. They were once inseparable because they needed each other. Starswirl the Bearded threw them all into the mirror at once. The three were the only sirens-turned-humans in the world. At one point, they might have been friends.

“Sonata,” Aria said, her tone turning dour. “I found Adagio.”

The clatter in the sink of fork and plate falling from Sonata’s hands made Aria flinch. She then turned around and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward until she was almost nose to nose with Aria. Her eyes were wide with anticipation.

“You found her?!” Sonata exclaimed, “Where? How is she? Please tell me she’s ok!”

Aria never thought explaining where Adagio was would be so difficult, yet she found herself hesitating. She hardly believed who she met the other day herself. It just seemed so surreal to see Adagio brought to such a low. There was a time Aria thought Adagio would never be in the state she was in now.

Sonata deserved to know.

“Things…” Aria kept her gaze away from Sonata. She walked over to the window overlooking the balcony and thus the river. “Things are complicated, Sonata.”

“I’m not a kid, Ari,” Sonata said, a bit more defiantly this time. “Tell me what happened! Did you two get into another fight?”

“I didn’t want to!” Aria snapped. She took a breath to compose herself once she saw how upset Sonata looked. “I found her outside of a… outside of a strip club, OK? She was with some guy in a convertible. She looked really thin, like sickly thin. Gaunt. We did get into a fight. She’s… she’s still really angry about losing her singing voice. She then went into the club, and I had to get back to Parthenon for the show.”

Sonata slumped on the couch. Her eyes darted about as she tried to compute everything Aria told her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Aria sat down beside Sonata and gentler wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They both sat in silent, yet shared disbelief for several long minutes.

“Adagio is strong,” Sonata said, breaking the quiet. “She’s tough. She always has a plan. This… this doesn’t sound like her at all! Maybe you found this world’s Adagio and not ours?”

Aria shook her head. “I wish it were the case, but she recognized me. Laid into me pretty good too. I deserve it though. I did walk out on her. I was just so frustrated. I don’t know what to do now.”

Sonata regarded the gloomy skies through the windows in silence. They simply sat together when Sonata suddenly stood up.

“I know what I have to do,” Sonata said with a new fire in her eyes. “I’m going to find Adagio and make her see reason!”

Aria looked at Sonata with a blank expression. As much as she wanted to be hopeful, this was Sonata she was looking at. Sonata, nice as she was now, could at the best of times be called a toolbox short of a screwdriver. Still, Aria would not dissuade her course of action considering how much of a disaster she enacted.

“If you think you can do it, I won’t stop you,” Aria said, “Just be careful. She’s working at a strip joint now. Not exactly the most civil of places.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sonata said with a smile. “I’ll get Sunny to help me. Besides, Adagio will never expect the two of us at the same time. We’ll talk to her. You just worry about your career right now.”

“Speaking of which… That match was super exciting, but why did that masked giant suddenly appear and attack your opponent? Why did she just stare at you like a monster?”

Because she is a monster, Aria wanted to say, but the chill that ran down her spine silenced her. She wanted to know why Konstance attacked Octane as well. Why she did so, Aria could only guess. In any event, she would deal with Konstance in the ring. For now, she focused her attention on Sonata.

“I’ll find out,” Aria said, “Octane will be fine though, I think. She’s been in this business a lot longer. They all have. Sometimes I think this still is some lucid and painful dream.”

“But it’s real, Ari,” Sonata said, her face still holding that infectious smile. “Dreams are nice, but I think life is better. Even though it has its ups and downs, the ups in life are always so worth it. Making friends with you again. Cooking a delicious meal. Being in Sunset’s arms. Kissing Sunset…”

Aria made a face by sticking out her tongue. “Gah, I don’t need to hear the details between you two,” she said though with a playful tone. “But I can see you are crazy about her.”

“Well duh!” Sonata pulled her phone out of her handbag and quickly found a picture of her and Sunset. “I mean, just look at her! Those beautiful eyes that simply scream ‘passion’, that hair like rays of the sun…”

Aria rolled her eyes and got up from the couch and headed to the bedroom so she could change. She quickly donned clean jeans and a yellow shirt before returning to see Sonata still espousing the many facets of Sunset.

At one point, Aria would have been jealous of seeing Sonata so happy. The two really never got along when they were sirens simply due to their nature as predators. Hunger for emotions drove them and little else. Now that they were human permanently, Aria wondered if her very nature changed at the realization. Sonata adjusted rather well.

Maybe that was Adagio’s problem? Maybe she did not adjust to losing her siren essence. It took a while for Aria to adjust. If Adagio could not, then Aria could see how that would just compound on her already volatile emotional state.

It was the only conclusion Aria could reach about Adagio. Getting to such a point only made her feel worse about leaving her.

Still, she could not dwell on such thoughts forever. It was high time Aria got going on her day. She took an aspirin to help with the pain from her shoulder, and then gathered up her coat.

“I have to go to the ACW doctor for my post match check-up,” Aria said. “Why don’t we just hang out today afterwards? It won’t take long.”

Sonata smiled once more and nodded enthusiastically. With that contagious smile now infecting her own face, Aria left her home with Sonata by her side. The weather may be cold and gloomy and the shadow of Konstance loomed over her, but Aria felt warmth from Sonata that helped her more than any flame could.

***

Aria laced up her boots to get ready for the next match when Octane bounced up to her. She had a wide grin on her face as she hopped on her feet. “I’m so excited! Are you excited because I am I can’t wait to tag with you, we are going to be so good and we are going to take out the Coterie and their dumb weird fake vampire nonsense and—“

“Octane.” Aria interrupted her tag team partner knowing that she would go on in she let her. “This is still new to me. One, I’ve never been in a tag team match before, so I don’t know what to expect. There’s still the whole ‘I’m being stalked by Konstance Paine’ thing. You seem to be doing alright, considering you took a chokeslam.”

Octane simply shrugged. “Wasn’t the first time, not likely to be the last time but I do wish she wouldn’t be so mean but that’s kind of her thing you know with the whole crazy insane doll-face mask, I wonder why she wears that. Anyways, we’re up against the Coterie which means we're facing off against the gothic tabletop rejects, Brujah and Salubri.”

Aria had to admit that she was impressed Octane managed to stop her own run on sentences as she slid the kickpads over her shins. Once they were secure, Aria stood up and stretched her arms. Octane focused on stretching her quadriceps muscles.

“This is your first tag team match?” Octane said, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “I can give you the run down real quick. First, you have to hold on to the tag tope in our corner or else the tag won’t count, oh and the referee either has to see or hear the tag, he’ll make a gesture that the tag is made, and don’t forget we have a five second grace period where we can both be in the ring at the same time so we can do some awesome double-team moves and definitely don’t forget that if either of us is in trouble we can jump in and break a pin or a submission, but we can only do it once per match so pick your spot carefully because if we do it too many times then the ref will DQ us and that won’t look good on anyone’s record sheet.”

Aria blinked at the slew of rules for the tag team contest, but she thought she got the gist of things. The only thing that concerned her was the fact that Konstance Paine was in the arena tonight, but Aria did not know where. Everyone she asked all confirmed her fears: that Konstance stalked the halls, but otherwise they did not know where she was going. Not like Aria could ask anyone to follow the walking nightmare anyways.

“I want to ask something,” Aria said as she raised one finger. “And I want you to answer it in ten words or less. How does someone like Konstance fit in around here? Does she just show up, chokeslam people, and then leave?”

“More or less,” Octane replied as she adjusted her top. She raised her hand to count her words. “She’s big and strong and she’s money.”

Aria looked at Octane quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, she does what she wants when she wants because she’s a draw because I think people like big freaky girls wearing masks, maybe because I think some of them might think it’s kinky, but she’s also a really tough wrestler to be in the ring with and she’s really good, but she doesn’t go for too many championships and only a few people can really stand up to her like Ice Cold, though Terra Rysing took the ACW National title from her, but that was a brutal match that sent Konstance away for a few months but I heard she came back for an open challenge and—“

Aria raised her hand to get Octane to stop. “I get it, I get it. I was the one at the open challenge.”

Octane gasped incredibly loudly, enough to make the other wrestlers in the locker room take notice. “You were the one who lasted the longest? We heard about it but wow, for a complete rookie… I mean, you were greener than green! To last three minutes against Konstance, fresh off the streets…”

A loud cough caught both Aria and Octane’s attention. They looked to see the booker pointing at the schedule. It was time for their tag team match. They both got up and headed down the corridors towards the Gorilla position. When they arrived, Aria noticed that the other tag team, the Coterie, were nowhere to be seen. Then again, they remained in Locker Room B and so she never met either Brujah or Salubri.

“Where are our opponents?” Aria asked.

“The Coterie will make their appearance after your entrance,” she replied, “theirs is… unique. Just get ready for the signal. Commercial is ending soon.”

Aria nodded and began to bounce on her toes to stay warmed up. As they waited, Octane looked to the booker. “Hey, so I was wondering about this Sunday…?”

“The card is finalized, so you should be in the Grand Melee match as typical, Octane.” The booker shook her head and began to walk off. “You need to start winning some high profile matches if you want on the Hades pay-per-view, however. By the way you’ve been going, you won’t even make Wrestlelysium.”

Octane’s face fell, but she remained surprisingly silent considering the rather harsh criticism. Then again, as far as Aria knew, she did lose back-to-back matches with Vesper Adder.

She then thought about Sunday. Sunday meant a pay-per-view, a marquee event for the company. Aria tried to remember what the event was called, but could not recall the name. Playing dumb, she asked the booker, “Do I have a match Sunday?”

The booker looked to her tablet and then nodded. “You do, Miss Blaze. You are entered into the Grand Melee as well. Straight from O’Cash’s desk. This is an excellent opportunity, regardless of the outcome.”

This really was an opportunity of a lifetime. What would people say if the rookie Aria Blaze won the Grand Melee? Could she win? The odds were astronomical, but what were odds to a chance at being the champion she sought to be?

A gloved hand lay gently on her shoulder. Aria turned to look at Octane as the latter gave her a comforting smile with her kind eyes. She did not say a word but Aria heard the message loud and clear. Octane believed in her, not just because of the match tonight, but that she could take on Konstance. It felt nice to have someone believe in her like Sonata did, or Sunset, or any of her other friends. Adagio never believed in her. She just barked orders and took all the credit for their schemes.

Thoughts of Adagio did not help Aria’s already fragile mood. Sonata said she would try to talk to Adagio, but Aria didn't think she would have any more luck with the situation then she did. In any event, her match was coming up soon. With Octane bouncing at her side, the two prepared for the upcoming tag team match. The stagehand beckoned for Octane to come out first. Aria would come out second, then the Coterie.

Octane gave Aria thumbs up and stepped through the curtain, just in time for the roar of an engine to rip through the arena eliciting cheers from the crowd. Aria wondered how, even after two straight losses and a no-contest, the crowd continued to stay behind Octane. Was it her energy? Did she have some sort of secret charisma? She never heard Octane on the microphone. Then again, Aria never had promo time before. How would she be at delivering a speech in front of a live crowd?

Aria heard the announcer from behind the curtain. “The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall! Making her to the ring! OCTANE!”

When Octane finished her entrance, the stagehand signalled for Aria to get ready. As “This Fire Burns” began to play over the arena speakers, Aria emerged from the curtains and back into the Parthenon arena proper. The crowd sounded even louder than last week; maybe they were into the match she had with Octane. In any event, now the two would team up against the Coterie.

“Her tag team partner! ARIA! BLAZE!”

Aria went through the motions, posing on the stage, walking down the ramp, jumping over the top rope, and then performing another pose on the turnbuckle. When she finished her entrance, she joined Octane in their corner. Octane raised her hand for a high-five and Aria reciprocated. The crowd then grew silent.

The silence got to Aria as she waited for the Coterie to arrive. Octane just bounced in her corner. Did something hold them up? Why were they not in the gorilla position like everyone else?

The arena lights suddenly dimmed and replaced with a scarlet glow. A low, brooding tune sounded from the speakers while a ring of fire formed on the stage. Aria watched that spot carefully as the crowd started to boo.

The music picked up a faster tempo, incorporating drums and guitars. On a platform that raised itself upwards in the ring of fire, two athletic women emerged, both of them bearing long fangs in their mouth. One looked like a biker complete with tattered jeans, a black muscle shirt, and leather jacket. Her long black hair framed a grey-skinned face. The other wore blue wrestling tights with a red ankh on the left leg and matching top. She had her hands up against her forehead like a triangle. As they walked down the ramp, Aria saw that the woman was bald save for long white hair that started at the back of her head and trailed down her back. A third eye was painted on her forehead.

“Approaching the ring! BRUJAH AND SALUBRI! THE COTERIE!”

“The biker babe is Brujah and three-eyes is Salubri,” Octane said, her voice low but loud enough for Aria to hear. “Brujah likes to brawl, but Salubri is the more technical of the two so just watch out for her. I’ll start the match since I’ve tangoed with these two before.”

Aria looked at Octane with surprised at her rather normal conversation speed. Perhaps she simply entered a serious mode of thinking when in the ring? It did not matter as Aria stepped under the top rope and took her spot on the apron. She held on to the tag rope as if it were a lifeline.

Both of the vampires walked up the steel steps and into the ring. Brujah tried to be intimidating by baring her fangs, as she walked past Aria and up towards the turnbuckle. Salubri climbed the turnbuckle opposite of her partner. Both posed with their arms outstretched, their bodies posed to look like the ankhs they wore on their attire.

Brujah and Salubri went back to their corners, with Brujah starting the match for the Coterie. Octane bounced on her toes as the referee stepped up between the two teams.

“Are you ready?” She asked Octane and Aria. Both nodded in the positive.

“Are you ready?” She asked the Coterie. Salubri nodded slowly while Brujah roared like an animal. Satisfied, the referee called for the bell.

DING DING DING

Octane patted Aria on the back and motioned for her to stay on the apron. Aria looked on at the Coterie, namely the brutal biker Brujah and relented to her partner. Octane had more experience and skills. It made sense that she should start the contest. She stepped between the ropes and hung back by the post. Just as Octane said earlier, Aria took hold of the tag rope and watched as Octane got the match started with Brujah.

The two locked up in a collar and elbow hold, but Brujah, the bigger of the two, easily converted the hold into a headlock. Brujah wrenched the hold, twisting the skin of Octane’s neck and kept her head in a tight grip. Looking at Aria with fearsome red eyes, Brujah bared her fangs as she wound up and smacked Octane on the top of the head with a hard fist. The strike took Octane off her feet and down to the ground where she held on to the top of her skull.

“Come on Octane!” Aria called out, stomping her foot in some effort to get Octane to rally. Brujah sauntered over to Aria and with an act of sheer disrespect, slapped her across the face.

“Stupid rookie,” she said through her prosthetic fangs, “You don’t belong here.”

Aria stepped under the top rope, incensed by the sheer audacity Brujah showed, only to be stopped by the ref. The ref argued that Aria could not step inside the ring or else he would disqualify her team. Yet as Aria was pushed back, she saw Salubri enter the squared circle and deliver a vicious stomp to Octane’s back, keeping the high-flyer down.

“Damn it, ref, behind you!” Aria shouted.

“Right now you’re my problem!” The ref fired back, “Stay in your corner unless you want to be DQ’d!”

Brujah lifted Octane to her feet and threw her to the ropes with an Irish whip. Octane rebounded off the ropes and as she neared the waiting Brujah, faced the receiving end of a release suplex that sent her skidding across the mat.

With an almost feral smile that once more bared her fangs, Brujah snatched up Octane and threw her into the Coterie’s corner. Brujah slapped Salubri’s waiting hand and the referee acknowledged the legal tag. Brujah raised Octane’s arm, exposing the body of which Salubri took full advantage by delivering a hard kick to Octane’s side. As Octane reeled from the blow, Brujah took up a position on the apron as Salubri hoisted Octane into the air and dropped her with a sidewalk slam. With Octane planted, Salubri hooked the leg to make the pin.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Aria cringed at the impending loss, but Octane managed to get the shoulder up in time. Octane rolled onto her front and took hard laboured breaths while Salubri got back to her feet. Extending her arm, Aria called out for Octane to make the tag. If she was going to lose, she’d rather be seeing the lights because of her own mistakes, not because of someone else taking the fall.

Salubri turned to look at Aria and like Brujah bared her fangs at Aria. This small moment to intimidate Aria gave Octane an opportunity to break into a run towards the ropes. She rebound and when Salubri turned, her head was suddenly caught between Octane’s shins. Using her entire body to shift momentum, Octane tossed Salubri to the mat with a hurricanrana. Salubri arched her back from the slam. Octane landed next to her corner, reached up, and made the tag to Aria.

As Aria stepped between the ropes, Salubri managed to prop herself onto her hands and make the leaping tag to Brujah. Aria looked over at the brutal Brujah, took a deep breath, and charged towards her opponent, throwing caution to the wind. Brujah extended her arm for a clothesline, but Aria had the sense to duck under the attack. She then pivoted on her heel and turned and just as Brujah did the same, Aria took to the air with a drop kick. Both of her boots connected with Brujah’s chest, dropping the would-be vampire to the canvas.

Brujah grumbled as she stood up, turning her baleful gaze towards Aria. What she did not expect was Aria to rush towards her after bouncing off the ropes. Aria took the air with her leg outstretched and dropped it onto Brujah’s shoulder blades, driving her into the mat. With Brujah face down, Aria turned the larger woman over and hooked the leg for the pin.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Brujah did not just kick out, but kicked out such force that Aria almost flew across the ring. She rolled until she made her way back to her front to see Brujah turn onto her stomach. She bared her fangs again and snapped back to her feet. Aria thought she hurt Brujah, but all she did was make her mad.

She gave her corner a quick look and saw that Octane held on to the second rope breathing deep. She was in no shape to take a tag. Aria was stuck in the ring with an angry vampire wrestler. Brujah advances and took hold of Aria collar-and-elbow. With a wrenching throw, Brujah tossed Aria across the canvas. As Aria tried to recover, Brujah grabbed Aria and lifted her as if to drop her in a vertical suplex. However, unlike the kind of suplexes Aria used, Brujah stalled the suplex by holding Aria in the air. She thought of kicking about, doing something, but at that height, she could get hurt by landing awkwardly.

She felt her body shift as Brujah, after several seconds, finally began the body drop to complete the suplex. Aria braced herself for the fall, tightening up her shoulder blades.

The impact came swiftly and with force. Aria’s back crashed into the mat with a thunderous roar. She arched her back and kicked her feet from the blow, only for Brujah to plant her forearm against Aria’s face and then hooked the leg.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Even though Brujah planted Aria, she still managed to slip her shoulder up to prevent the three count. Brujah hissed at the referee before grabbing Aria’s arm and dragging her to her feet. Dazed, Aria could not resist as Brujah whipped her back to the Coterie’s corner. Aria looked up to see Brujah make the tag with Salubri. The bald wrestler stepped between the ropes and grabbed Aria’s right arm while Brujah tightened her grip on her left.

Both members of the Coterie whipped Aria to the ropes. She instinctively rebounded even though the strength both used meant she almost sprinted across the ring. As she rebounded, the pair delivered a well-timed gut kick that made Aria keel over in pain. They doubled up on the damage to her abdominal by both of them lifting Aria into the air and performing a team gutbuster.

Aria never felt anything like it and wished she never had. Her stomach filled with her agony and she moaned from the pain, clutching her gut as Salubri turned her over to go for the pin. She did not think she had the will to break the attempt. Brujah made her way back to her corner so that the referee could begin the count.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

Aria could not raise her arm, her focus completely on her hurting stomach. Thankfully, the referee was not able to make the final count as Octane dropped a padded elbow right on Salubri to break the pin. The referee stopped the count and stood up to shout a warning at Octane to get back to her corner. Salubri shot up to her feet and went after Aria’s partner, but did not get far since the ref stood in her way. With Salubri distract, Aria took a deep breath and pushed the pain away. She needed to continue the match.

Salubri turned and Aria knew she only had a few scant moments to capitalize. Getting back to one knee, Aria rushed towards Salubri and pushed against her with her shoulder. Having caught her by surprise, Aria lifted her with a fireman’s carry and quickly dropped Salubri onto her back with the Death Valley Driver. Her brief stint of adrenaline failed there, then, and Aria fell over onto her back while Salubri remained grounded.

On one side, Octane reached out towards Aria, screaming for her to get up. On the opposite end, Brujah did the same, roaring for Salubri to get back.

Both Aria and Salubri rolled onto their fronts and started to head towards their partners. Aria’s vision blurred, but she could hear Octane’s voice despite the ringing in her ears and roar of the crowd. Octane looked around at the crowd and began to clap while still holding the tag string. As she clapped, the crowd began to join her until the Parthenon arena rumbled like thunder with the sound of clapping hands.

Aria felt their energy in the air. Her vision returned. She was so close. All she needed to do was get that one last push.

Propping herself onto her feet, Aria leaped forward and made the tag to Octane. As the ref counted it as legal, Salubri managed to crawl her way to Brujah and tag her in while Octane already jumped over the top rope.

Unlike their first exchange, Octane did not become victim to Brujah’s great strength once more. As Brujah rushed for a short run clothesline, Octane ducked under it and jumped for an enziguri kick that landed against Brujah’s face. The kick knocked Brujah aside, but Salubri did not go back to her corner as Aria thought she should. Instead, Salubri shouted and charged herself.

Octane, showing her experience in the ring, lashed out with a hard superkick that connected with Salubri’s jaw. Salubri fell over backwards and rolled under the ropes. As Octane struck, Aria saw that Brujah recovered from her own damage and quickly menaced Octane.

With a stiff kick that connected against Octane’s stomach, Brujah took hold of Octane’s midsection as the latter keeled over from the blow. Lifting Octane up above her head, Brujah held the speedster aloft across her back, extending Octane’s arms as if they were like outstretched wings. Brujah faced the hard camera, laughing up the fact that victory seemed certain. She did not see Aria prop herself up against the turnbuckle.

If Aria wanted to keep this match in their favour, she needed to move quickly.

Aria burst into a sprint, a missile headed to her target. Before Brujah could have a chance to react, Aria slammed into her with a vicious Spear tackle. The Spear connected and dropped Brujah flat on her back with a massive thud, keeping her down, while Octane fell over backwards onto her side. Aria, still aching from the double gutbuster, rolled out of the way until she reached the ring ropes. She would have made the pin, but she was not the legal woman of their team.

Taking hold of the bottom rope, Aria managed to pull herself up to a sitting position. “Octane!” Aria called out. “Finish it!”

Octane looked to Aria, then to Brujah, to Salubri who was still on the floor, then back to Brujah. She moved swiftly towards the corner opposite of Salubri, stepping between the ropes to the apron. Climbing the turnbuckles, Octane perched herself precariously on the top rope. She took a huge breath of air while the crowd cheered even louder.

As she stood on the top ropes, Octane looked… uncertain. Hesitant. Aria saw that Brujah stirred and moved her limbs weakly. On the outside, Salubri grabbed at the bottom rope but still did not make her way back into the ring. If Octane did not finish things soon, one of the Coterie would ruin their golden opportunity at victory.

“Octane!” Aria shouted, “You can do it, but you have to do it now!”

Something seemed to snap Octane out of her stupor and her determination returned. From the top rope, Octane stood tall and then took to the air. She made a flip that saw her body move in a complete four hundred and fifty degrees before landing with a splash right on top of Brujah. Brujah’s body reacted by coiling on itself, bringing both of her legs up right for Octane to hook for the pin.

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

“THREE!”

DING DING DING

On the receiving end of two finishing maneuvers, Brujah could not kick out of Octane’s pin. Octane’s theme song played on the arena sound system to a roar of cheers. Octane breathed heavily as she registered the fact that the referee was holding her arm up. Aria shook her head yet could not help but smile. Getting upright, Aria joined Octane in the center of the ring.

The announcer brought the microphone to her lips:

“Here are your winners, the team of OCTANE and ARIA! BLAZE!”

With the announcement made, the referee raised both of their arms into the air. As Aria tried to settle down, Octane quickly pulled her into a very tight hug. Aria looked and saw that her partner still could not believe she won. Was her losing streak really that bad before Aria’s debut?

On the ramp, Brujah and Salubri took large laboured breaths as they stared at the ring in disbelief. Such turned to anger as they pointed to Aria and Octane and shouted threats of vengeance. Such words fell on deaf ears as Aria and Octane celebrated their victory.

Yet while they reveled, Aria kept an eye on the stage for the eventual arrival of Konstance Paine. Yet, as she kept vigilant, Konstance did not appear. There was no grand pyrotechnic display, no haunting metal track to signify her arrival.

“Aria?” Octane asked, her eyes filled with concern. “You ok?”

“Konstance,” Aria replied, “She’s out there, isn’t she?”

Octane quickly looked behind her as if the nightmare would simply appear behind them. The crowd continued to cheer, but not like the pop Konstance garnered last week.

She shook her head and stepped between the ropes. “I don’t think she’s coming. “The Grand Melee is this Sunday. That’s the big focus, and even Konstance knows not to divert attention from it to her. If anything, I’d be careful at the Melee. She will enter and she will gun for you then.”

Aria swallowed hard as she left the ring and made her way to the back. She saw the cameras follow her, specifically focused on her rather haunted expression. She wondered what the commentators said right now as they watched her leave. She did not look into the cameras, preferring not to draw attention to her own terror.

Konstance lurked in the background, and she would make her presence known at the Grand Melee. Aria needed to be prepared to face a terror in the middle of a battlefield.

Champion's Road

by OmegaPony11

Burned

The Real Deal

I Walk Alone

A New Day

It Just Feels Right

She Looks Good

Right Here, Right Now

Welcome to the Queendom

Here to Show the World

What A Rush

Out of the Fire

Loaded