//------------------------------// // 20 : The Night vs. The Champion // Story: Fighters Don't Have Friends // by BackroundVoice //------------------------------// "In the left corner, she's got a winning streak that's almost as infamous as her name, she's the queen of the night itself, the Night, Nightmare Moon!" Soarin howled for dramatic effect, prompting other ponies to do the same as he flashed dark purple spotlights over the armored unicorn. Her equally as intimidating armor shown like a full moon at midnight. Her hard red eyes looking forward to her opponent. "And in the right corner," Soarin continued, "words can't describe how great a fighter she is because watching her fight is as honest of a statement as saying she'll win! She's the champion of knuckle brick corner and the iron pony of the Everfree, Abigail Apple Jack!" The crowd picked up and roared Abigail's name. Abby smiled while glaring back at Nightmare. Orange and red lights strobing above her. Out of all of the fights in the tournament, this was the one everypony wanted to see. Ever since Abby got back the title, ponies were always talking about the title bout that would eventually occur between these two. And now it was finally happening. "The final three will fall, two at my hooves, and one by the claws of the beast." Nightmare promised, dashing that smile away on Abby's face. It's true, everyone was betting that I'd lose to Fiona in the end. But they had a different opinion of Abigail. She wasn't like the rest of us, misfit fighters. Who crawled from the bottom to get here. Abby was reduced to our level, only to return to glory faster because of it. Abigail would win, I knew she would. Abby remained silent, watching Nightmare closely. The air grew still as Soarin got the bell ready. A long string looped through a series of tiny hooped rings, leading to the bell above the fighters. The bars fell, Soarin, the crowd, me and the girls included, shouted for the fight to start, and the bell rang loud, igniting the fight between the two strongest fighters in Ponyville. They galloped to the middle, hoof hit hoof, wind rushing around Abby and Nightmare as they hit away attack after attack from each other. The armor wasn't bothering Abby at all. She was just concerned with where Nightmare was trying to strike at. Exclusively aiming for Abby's head, Nightmare wanted to do as much damage to her as possible. And, she was favoring that right hoof Pinkie had messed up in her last match. Stepping on it lightly, hardly attacking with it, but never using it to block Abby's persistent punches. The two looked like lions smacking one another with every jolt of strength forward. It was a good back and forth until Nightmare tried to get dirty. She got low suddenly, whipping a back hoof under Abby to jump over, only to get bucked with both of Nightmare's back hooves. Abby fell back against the bars. The first clean hit of the match had been landed, prompting Nightmare to continue, bringing a hoof up to hit hard and quick. Abby saw it coming, no time to dodge. So she brute-forced it, leading a punch of her own to hit it back. They both ended up hurting themselves, but not as much as Nightmare had. She had used her right hoof without thinking. Backing up, she shook off the pain and began dodging as Abby began her counter attack. It was now that Abby noticed the injured hoof. And they were still fighting an even fight. If Abby wanted the upper hoof, she'd have to force that right hoof out again. She smiled, a plan forming in her head. Making the next few moments crucial. Nightmare had started to pick up her pace again, jabbing elbows at Abby's head in an attempt to daze her, only to be kicked away as Abby hit back all of her incoming attacks, ready to bring both hooves down on her. Nightmare raised her hooves, the left in front of the right, still protecting that hoof above anything else. But it didn't matter, the force alone from Abby's attack pushed those hooves back into her face. And that's when Abby planted her hooves down under her, rearing back and bucking Nightmare into the wall of bars behind her. The tide had turned for Abby, but Nightmare was raring to go. Eyes ablaze with rage, Abby had no choice but to try and match it. No doubt recalling everyone Nightmare had hurt up until now to anger herself into a rage as well. And once they locked hooves again, I could've sworn I saw two completely different ponies in the ring. Abby was no longer hitting hard like usual, she was faking punches in order to lead into an unpredictable attack. And Nightmare was moving like a snake, striking with quick jabs aimed for Abby's neck and joints. This is unreal. Was it them, or the Alicorn blood directing them to change their fighting styles? Abby parried a hard left into an ax-kick, lifting a back hoof high, only to bring it down onto Nightmare's head, smacking it to the ground. Yet another change of style as Abby didn't even wait for Nightmare to stand before pursuing her win. Nightmare barely had enough time to look up before Abby reared back her famous buck, which, if landed, would definitely end the match. Abby extended her joints, firing her hooves into Nightmare, only to be halted by Nightmare grasping them at the last possible second. The crowd gasped, no one had ever been able to stop Abigail's signature attack before. But what do you expect from an armored monster? Nightmare lifted Abby off her hooves and slammed her into the ground. The action alone of being bashed onto the ground you stood on was humiliating enough, but to be treated to your own attack after failing to pull it off yourself must've hurt Abby in more ways than one, as she rolled across the ring, bucked by two armored hooves. Abby sat up, blood started to fall from her forehead as she managed to stand again. Nightmare rose to her back hooves, stance ready. Her heavy breathing echoed from inside her helmet. She was just as winded as Abby. And it was at this point, that no one knew how this would end. Only those fighting had an idea, but one look at either of them, and I'd say that even they didn't know. Abby glared at Nightmare with tired eyes. That dark orange glow, leaking like a distant flame. She focused on Nightmare's right hoof, it twitched in pain. The only weak point we've been able to expose in this entire tournament. And still looking forward, Abby glanced to me with her eyes. I pointed to Nightmare, warning her to stay focused on the fight, but Abby only shook her head and yelled at me as she charged for Nightmare. "Win you egghead!" she said, punching at Nightmare with no warning. It was blocked, granting Nightmare the chance to hit Abby right in the face. Abby took it and wrapped her hoof around Nightmare's attacking limb, holding her in place as she bent Nightmare's left back hoof out of place, resulting in a gut wrenching scream, silenced early with Abby hitting Nightmare in the head with a hard right hook. I heard metal bend, Nightmare's helmet had been indented, and with that last attack, I thought for sure Abby had won. But this nightmare was far from over. Nightmare, repositioning her hooves, remained standing despite it all and charged back with more fury than a dragon. Abby tried to dodge to no avail, forced to block attacks like a hammer hitting its nail dead center every time. And with every hit, Abby weakened, submitting to Nightmare's overpowering will until all she could do was stand and take it all. But the Abby I knew wouldn't lose like this. With one last jolt of energy, Abby readied one final punch. She had to block one first, but I could tell it was worth it to her in the end. She moved forward, forcing her hoof past Nightmare's right, hitting it so hard to Nightmare's head that her helm flew off on impact. Nightmare returned that punch in kind, only to miss Abby, as she fell, not to Nightmare, but to Abby's own lack of strength. Her final punch, a send off to Nightmare Moon. A rejection to lose or forfeit. Abby lost to herself. And no one could tell me different of that. "The Night wins!" Soarin declared once he was sure Abby wasn't getting up. Again, silence fell to Nightmare Moon's victory. With her helmet finally off, we could finally tell how distasteful she really was to the lot of us. Her black coat and night blue mane brought her blood red eyes out as sharp white teeth were bared. None of us were about to celebrate to Abby's loss. But that didn't stop Nightmare from bowing to her motionless opponent. Abby was still breathing, still conscious in fact. Dr. Sombra lifted her up to reveal her glaring eyes and pain stricken body. She wanted to fight, but her body wouldn't let her have that choice. Nightmare cracked her neck, then looked to me. "Four elements, crushed," she said to me, "the beast will devour you, and then we will be one moment closer to my eternal night." She talked as if she were prophesying. Declaring fate as if she were an Alicorn herself. If I didn't feel so lost for words after Abby's defeat, I might've retorted. But I had a sinking suspicion that she was right. The next bout was between Fiona and I. My rematch or maybe just another easy win for Fiona. Fiona's burning gaze was on me. She didn't care at all that Abby had lost. All she was thinking about was how she'd break me down. I trotted behind the counter to her. She turned away from me as I began to speak. "Why are you mad at me?" "I'm not mad," she quickly said, "I'm disappointed in you." "In what? That I'm not the fighter you envisioned? Or that I'm not Vinyl?" That struck a nerve as Fiona grabbed my hoodie, pulling me close, enraged. "You're nothing like Vinyl, none of you are!" she hissed, frustrated at the idea of comparing myself to the only pony she respected. I didn't care; that was the truth, wasn't it? She expected me to be something great, someone, who could solve all her problems. But that's not who I am. I'm not a princess, nor will I ever be. "Why did you follow me here?" I grabbed her hoof, squeezing it tightly. Letting her know that she wasn't leaving until she answered me. What was the real reason she came with me to Ponyville? Fiona remained unphased. No sign of pain in her expression. She tried to pull away, but I didn't give. Her anger shifting to annoyance when she finally spoke to me. "I came because Vinyl said you had a way of beating the Rage," What? "I obviously expected too much," she let go of me and pulled away. "After our match, and after I defeat the Night, I'm leaving. No sense in wasting my time in a town of broken fighters... I'm sorry." Fiona walked away, disappearing into the crowd again, going to spend her last few minutes before the fight alone. Vinyl said that about me? That I knew how to beat the Rage? I felt an overwelling pressure on me. Like I was back at the Magic Academy entrance exam. A dragon egg, placed before me. And I only had five minutes until the next fight to crack it. But whatever the answer was, it would not only solve our Rage problem, but it would get me to the finals. An audience with the princess of the night herself.