//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Ready To Go // Story: Title Holder // by Closer-To-The-Sun //------------------------------// “G’evening everypony and everycreature to the most extreme wrestlin’ show in all of Ponyville! Let’s get ready for Ponyville Extreme Wrestling!” one of the announcers spoke over the speaker. “I’m Jim Reins and here with me as always is my co-commentater, Kerry Lawler!” “It’s going to be another great show for P.E.W. tonight, JR,” Kerry added, “You can feel the electricity in the air tonight with this excited crowd!” The entire arena was full of cheering ponies, dragons, gryphons, hippogryphs, and so many other creatures excited to see a night full of professional wrestling. Throughout the crowd, fans were representing their favorite brawler, hoping to see them claim victory in the empty ring that waited in the center. “Ya got that right!” JR agreed, “Tonight we have a few big matches going on in the A-Show tonight! We have Silversun facin’ off against Wolfmother. We have Thin Lizzy comin’ back into the ring to take revenge against De La Soul after that humiliatin’ defeat last time. And, our main attraction for the night; Minor Threat is going to try and take the title away from the undefeated Queen!” Kerry agreed, “Quite a treat of a show for everycreature in the building tonight! How much you want to bet that Minor Threat is going to take the full force of Queen’s famous Hammer To Fall?” “No doubt from me! Few have trotted away from the Hammer To Fall and lived to tell the tale!” “We will all have to wait to see, as we have a few amazing B-Show matches before to wet our appetites for the main spectacle!” Kerry said as he looked down at his papers. “In fact, our first match is a newcomer for the main ring!” Elsewhere, in a nearby darkened hallway, a figure was watching the wrestling ring in the arena and waited. She had a hoof touching the wall next to her. Her breathing was slowed and controlled, as if she had to remember how to breathe to stay calm. A soft whistle was coming from their lips. “She’s a big bruiser, weighing in at a hundred twenty-five kilos, hails from the great white north, and is here to bring the pain!” Kerry directed his attention towards the same hallway that the figure was standing in, “Let’s hear it for Mastodon!” Quickly pulling her mask over her head, the figure rushed out of the hallway and into the limelight of the arena. Upon entering, her mask lit up with all of the lights shining down upon her. The mask’s red and gold stood out against the yak’s brown coat. Her horns poked through the mask at the top, the same way as her hair braids fell below the mask. A bow was tied onto a horn, giving a cute flair to the yak’s appearance. As the wrestler rushed to the ring, cheers and applause filled the air, causing a bit of excitement for the yak. As she stood in the ring for a brief moment, her worries left her. Perhaps her first match would go well. JR interrupted her thoughts, “And, in this corner, you know them and you love ta hate them! Hailin’ from the endless corn fields of central Equestria, it’s Slipknot!” Out from the opposite side of the arena, another figure rushed the ring. It was an earth pony wearing an all black bodysuit that seemed to cling to their muscular build, hiding their coat color. Their mane and tail were a shade of orange while their face was covered in a damaged white mask that most likely was designed to give all onlookers nightmares. Slipknot entered the ring to boos and jeers from the audience, yet they seemed to revel in them. The referee entered the ring, calling for both wrestlers to come forward to the center. Slipknot, however, seemed to be enjoying the boos from the crowded too much. “Seems the crowd is not happy to see Slipknot back after what they did to Shonen Knife last week,” JR commented. “Can you blame them?” Kerry asked, “It was a close match, with Shonen Knife holding strong right up until Slipknot came in and finished up with the signature Vermillion. And let’s not forget all that gloating at the end.” JR shook his head, “Truly a heel for the ages. It seems that the referee is gettin’ them both to the center.” Both Mastodon and Slipknot looked at each other with the referee to the side. As the referee spoke, Mastodon wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she was scared. Not so much about the pony in front of her (though the gimmick they had wasn’t helping), but rather it was her stage fright.  She was brought back to the stage as Slipknot took the microphone out of the referee’s hooves and spoke. Their voice was low and gravelly, “Ya might have da strength, but ya don’t have the skill, Mastodon! This will be your first match, as well as your last!” While Mastodon was frightened by the words, she knew what she had to do. “Slipknot wrong!” Mastodon took the microphone away from her opponent, “In ring, only one who will win match here is Yo-, is Mastodon!” “Would you look at that, already got some bad blood between the two of them!” Kerry said as the referee directed the two wrestlers to their corners. “Let’s see if Mastodon can live up to her name and bring down one of the biggest threats in the entire B-Show of P.E.W.,” JR said just as the bell rang, “And that’s the bell!” With the sound of the bell, Slipknot galloped directly at Mastodon. However, she was briefly froze at the sound. She couldn’t help but almost trip over her own hooves as she tried to rush forward. Despite her momentary stumble, Mastodon also galloped forward. They met near the center of the ring and literally butted heads with one another. Slipknot placed their front limbs on top of Mastodon’s horns. Their heads pushing against one another. “Ready for yer first match?” Slipknot whispered in a soft, concerned voice. Their voice was still low, but far from the monstrous voice they used just moments ago. “Mastodon nervous about match,” she replied in the same hushed tone. “Don’t worry. Jus’ follow mah lead an’ let’s give them all a good show,” Slipknot spoke quietly before pushing Mastodon away.  “Seems that Mastodon isn’t the kind of fighter Slipknot can just push around,” JR spoke. “That’s right. After all, Mastodon is coming from an unforgiving land, so she can’t be just shoved around the ring,” Kerry agreed, “But I wouldn’t count Slipknot out just yet.” As the two moved around the ring, keeping their distance for a bit, Slipknot rushed up against the ropes along the ring. They then used the momentum to rush against Mastodon. With a stretched out front limb, they hit Mastodon. With the contact, she went down and hit the mat. “Ouch! Looks like all that muscle wasn’t enough to stop Slipknot’s clothesline!” JR spoke. “And the crowd does not like it at all!” Kerry added. The crowd added on the heat to Slipknot who trotted to the nearest turnbuckle. They raised a hoof up to their ear, soaking in the hatred of the crowd. “Give me all that hate! It fuels me!” they gloated. Mastodon got back up to her hooves. She was dizzy, but it was to be expected. After all, it comes with the territory of professional wrestling. Quickly shaking her head, she rushed toward the unsuspecting Slipknot. She caught him by surprise, wrapping one of her front limbs around their waist and placed a hoof on their mask. “Sorry about this,” she softly whispered, as she pushed their head down onto the turnbuckle. “You gotta be kiddin’ me! Not only did Mastodon get right back up after takin' a direct clothesline, but she’s up and going right for Slipknot!” JR stood up out of his seat. “She is not happy!” Kerry added on, “And right into the turnbuckle! This beast is out for blood!” Mastodon still gripped onto Slipknot’s mane, careful not to pull on the mask. Despite the mask’s dead-eyes not showing any signs of life, a small voice came from the pony, “Nicely done. Now, remember what’s next?” Without saying a word, Mastodon nodded. Letting go of the mane and scooting herself and Slipknot back a ways, she wrapped her arms around Slipknot’s waist. She briefly paused for a worried moment, but as she lifted the body upwards, she felt that her opponent was working with her and went through the entire act of throwing Slipknot over herself. The moment Slipknot’s body hit the mat with a loud thud, Mastodon let go and got back on her hooves, and faced her downed opponent. Kerry excitedly exclaimed, “A release Germane suplex! This is a promising new talent we have right here with Mastodon!” “Ya got that right! She threw Slipknot around like he was nothin’ but a ragdoll! It’s hard to believe that this is the same Slipknot that took out Ozomatli with a backbreaker!” JR said, “Good Celestia almighty, what does this beast have planned next?” Mastodon looked out from the ring, she heard the crowd’s cheers from beyond the blinding lights. The sound lifted her up, however she still had a job to do. “Mastodon will end Slipknot’s reign of terror!” she proclaimed as she drew close to her downed opponent. Reaching down, Mastodon grabbed one of Slipknot’s hind legs, stepped over their body and, with their free front limb, grabbed the other hind limb and pulled them both upwards. With this, Slipknot’s body was twisted and had they facing down on the mat. As the chorus of the audience cheered Mastodon on, the announcers joined in. “Amazing! Mastodon executing a stellar Bosal crab!” “We might not be able to see Slipknot under that mask, but that’s gotta hurt!” Letting go, Mastodon stepped off from the hold and absorbed the fanfare from the crowd. She might not have noticed it herself, but a smile was on her face. The energy, the crowd, the fighting all came together and made it an experience she adored. Looking back at Slipknot, she saw they were attempting to get back on their hooves. “Mastodon won’t let Slipknot get away with sneaky tricks!” She quickly moved to the nearest turnbuckle and climbed to the top. As she stood on top, Mastodon felt as if she was on the very top of Equestria itself. The lights burned down upon her, the cheers echoed for her to slam her opponent before her, and every set of eyes in the arena were fixed on her: she loved it. With a deep breath, Mastodon leaped from the ring post and flew threw the air. Everything seemed to slow down for her, and it was magical. “She’s comin’ down from the top rope!” With a thunderous slam, she flattened Slipknot with their back against the mat. To secure them into the pin position, Mastodon quickly moved a hoof under between their hind limbs, forcing them up against the mat. From seemingly nowhere, the referee appeared and looked down upon the brawlers. He looked down closely at Slipknot’s shoulders before slapping his hoof against the mat. The second his hoof hit, the arena erupted in cheers. “Amazing! This newcomer came in and managed to bring down the biggest heel in all of P.E.W.’s B-show!” “This young talent has a lot of promise! Mark my words: Mastodon is gonna be a power t' be reckoned with!” Mastodon got to her hooves, welcomed by a crowd of new-found fans. She might of been out of breath and her body might have been screaming at her, but none of that mattered.  With Slipknot also standing, the referee took both of their hooves and raised Mastodon’s high. Once again, the crowd cheered and the announcers continued to comment on what they had just seen. In the chaos of the victory, the two wrestlers left the ring and exited the arena as they began to prep for the next match. In the vacant hallway, the two wrestlers who had just become mortal enemies in the wrestling ring were casually walking side-by-side. “Great work out there,” Slipknot said with their mask still on. They weren’t trying to hide behind a fake voice this time, but spoke normally with their low voice. “Ya got a lot of promise here in werstlin’. Ah see why they chose ya ta defeat me out there. That crowd loves ya.” “Thank you,” Mastodon spoke meekly. She was still out of breath after that match. “So, how did it feel?” Mastodon had a big smile on her face, “Yak loved it.” --------------------------------------------- Later that evening, a figure was quietly sneaking through the dormitories of the School of Friendship. The entire school had turned in for the night, even to the point that only a few dimly lit security lights remained on. No creature was supposed to be out past curfew, and this individual knew they would be in a lot of trouble if they were caught. Carefully, the figure trotted down a familiar hallway. Reaching her dorm’s door, she carefully turned the handle and pushed the door open. The room was dark as they entered and quietly closed the door behind them. They slowly released their grip of the door knob so it wouldn’t make a sound. However, they were surprised by the sudden turning on of a lamp light. Quickly turning around, a blue-coated changeling was sitting at their desk with their front limbs crossed. “Good evening, Yona,” she spoke with an annoyed tone and expression to match. “Heh heh, hi Ocellus,” Yona gave a guilty smile as she sheepishly waved.