//------------------------------// // The wrestling tournament // Story: Apple Scratch : Onward to the Equestria Games! // by Mariacheat-Brony //------------------------------// "Good afternoon, everyone! I hope you had a very nice lunch to recover from the awesomeness that was dripping from the final of the Titanian duel competition." Pinkie Pie said through her megaphone. "I know it took some time for me to do so. Anyway, while I'm speaking you can see that they are adding the finishing touches on the arena in order for it to meet the standards for the upcoming wrestling competition." Pinkie explained with her usual cheerfulness. Pinkie turned around to face said arena. "See? They're setting up those tatami mats as I'm speaking. That's a funny word. Tatami! Tatami! Tatami! Hey, it gets funnier when you repeat it... Tatami! Tatami! Tatami! Tatami! Come on, people! Say it with me!" Pinkie shouted happily. "Tatami! Tatami! Tatami! Tatami!....." She kept on going like that for two seconds before being joined by the crowds. "........" Twilight stared at Pinkie in silence. "How did she convince the crowd to do that?" "Twilight darling, we told you already to leave Pinkie's antics alone for the sake of your sanity." Rarity said slowly with an evident concern. "I know! I know!" Twilight said with a nod. "But, I can't help to ask myself questions." "My dear student, while I normally congratulate your thirst for answers and knowledge, I must advise you to follow the recommendations of your friends." Celestia said slowly. "Some things are destined to never be explained and I think Pinkie is one of those." "I hope the competition will be as entertaining as this morning." Luna said happily, ignoring the comments about Pinkie Pie. "Does the program say who will be competing for each team?" She asked with curiosity. "If what I read is true." Cadence said slowly, her un-patched eye fixed on the program. "First match, Boris Yurinov from Stalliongrad vs Iron Will from Las Pegasus..." "Isn't Yurinov a veteran from the Stalliongradi special forces?" Luna asked her sister. "I think so..." Celestia pondered. "He's supposed to be retired though." "It'd still be quite a show if he's against that Iron Will." Luna said with a shrug. "What about the other matches?" "Let's see...." Cadence focused her eye back on the program. " Watari Yukifuji from Neighpon against Alfero from Manehatten.. Snowflake from Cloudsdale against Armen Mkertchian from Saddle Arabia..." She kept on saying the line up for the first round up until the last match."...And Quake from Canterlot against....." Cadence's eyes grew a bit wider. "Rarity, Applejack's not participating in this competition." "Yes, I know." Rarity replied casually. "That's surprising." Luna said slowly. "From what I keep on hearing about her, she's probably one of the strongest competitors of these Games. Who's taking her place." "Raindrops Silverain!" Cadence read on the program. "Why didn't they choose Applejack?" "Zecora must have her reasons." Rarity explained with a shrug. "That name sounds familiar to me. Who's this Zecora?" Celestia asked with curiosity. "Ponyville Team's coach." Twilight answered, before taking her binoculars and looking toward Ponyville's pit. "There, she's talking to the nurse." She said before passing her binoculars to the princess. "Mhmmmm...." The Sun Princess took a few seconds before her gaze fell on the black woman with a black and white mohawk. "Ha! I see... It's not really a surprise anymore that Ponyville's team is doing so well now, with her as a coach." She said in realization. "What do you mean, Sister?" Luna asked before looking at Zecora through another pair of binoculars. "Ooooh. At least now, we know where she's been." She added when she recognized Zecora. "Do you know her, your Highnesses?" Rarity asked. "Indeed, we do." Celestia nodded. "It's Zecora Michieka from Zebrica." Her declaration was met with silence. "And?" Twilight asked slowly, breaking the couple of seconds long silence. "Oh, right!" Celestia chuckled sheepishly. "You probably haven't heard about her, since none of you is deeply interested in the Games' history." "She was captain of the zebrican team in Games about..... Was it sixteen years ago, Sister?" Luna started with doubt. Celestia nodded. "At that time, Zebrica had been the great winner of the Games, all thanks to her! She was an excellent leading figure for her teammates and one of the best athletes of her generation." Luna explained. "It had been quite a surprise when she decided to stop the competitions and to leave her country in order to travel around the world a couple of years later. It turns out she ended up in Ponyville." "Really?" Twilight asked in amazement. "Wow, that's impressive." "That's far cry from the small herbalist and potion brewer that lives inside the Everfree forest." Rarity said in a tone that matched Twilight's. "Indeed." Twilight nodded. "If Zecora chose Ms Silverain instead of Applejack, I suppose that we can trust her." Celestia commented softly. "We'll see if she can win against Quake, Sister." Luna interjected. "He's far from being a novice." "That's very true, Luna." Celestia acknowledged. "Anyway, the first match is about to start." The first round matches went along just fine. No incident, no severe injuries. Except one or two dislocated shoulders, but that was bound to happen at some point. There was only one match to end the first round, Ponyville vs Canterlot. Raindrops had finished her warming up exercises while listening to Zecora's last minute advice and now she was about to leave the pit when she stopped in front of Applejack. The two women looked at each other for a few seconds before grabbing their hands in a grip similar to the one used for arm wrestling. "Good luck, Raindrops!" Applejack said with a confident grin. "I needed luck when I was training with you, now it should be piece of cake!" Raindrops replied with an even more confident smile before letting go of Applejack's hand. "Don't you think it's an excuse for passing on the Lucky Muffin!" Ditzy chimed in with a playful, yet serious tone. "I don't need luck from Applejack, Ditz'!" Raindrops said slowly. "But, the Lucky Muffin is always a necessity." She added with a wink before partaking in the team/Ditzy's ritual for good luck. After kissing the Lucky Muffin, Raindrops flew gently to the arena, landing on her side of the tatami. Her opponent, Quake, was getting ready. He was a tall muscular man with short ashen blond hair. When he heard her landing, he looked up to Raindrops before sighing with a small annoyed frown. "There's a problem?" Raindrops asked with narrowed eyes. "Sort of," Quake said with a shrug. "I don't really like fighting with women and I was expecting to face someone else." "Well, that's very gallant of you." Raindrops commented. "But, who were you expecting?" "I was expecting Applejack." He explained. "Ever since I've arrived in this town, I've been hearing about her strength. I was hoping a real challenge." Raindrops snorted her annoyance. "I doubt that I won't be a challenge. Also, you can't really aim at the stars without learning how to fly first..." "Are you saying that you agree that you're weaker than her?" Quake asked with a mocking laugh. "That's not a very good way to sell yourself as a challenge." "We'll see if you still think that after I wipe the floor with you." Raindrops growled, taking her starting stance. "BEGIN!" Pinkie Pie shouted in her megaphone. Quake and Raindrops lunged at each other, seizing themselves bodily in the center of the arena with a small bang as their shoulders clashed together. Soon after, they locked their hands together and both tried to push the other off without great success. After a few seconds of status quo, Raindrops started being pushed back, her feet could get a 'grip' on the tatami mats. 'No real surprise, he's stronger than me...' Raindrops thought, a bit of disappointment in her thinking voice. 'But, I'm not done yet' Raindrops quickly changed her footing. She let her body fall backwards, taking Quake with her as he wasn't prepared for such move. When her back touched the ground, she lifted her feet to make contact on his abs and pushed. Quake was sent flying above her thanks to her backward roll, landing loudly on his back with a pained grunt, letting go of her hands. With the swiftness of a feline, Raindrops got up and lunged on top of Quake, securing his legs with one arm and pressing all her body against his torso to make him stay down. Pinkie Pie started to count in her megaphone. "That's it, Raindrops." Cloud Kicker commented. "Grab him and pin him down. Ride the man like every woman should." She shouted in a sultry tone. "Do ya have to make it sexual like that, CK?" Applejack asked with a crooked eyebrow. "How is mixed wrestling not sexual, AJ?" Cloud Kicker asked in bewilderment. "Hang on, even non-mixed wrestling is totally sexual! Look at the position she's in." She said pointing at Raindrops. "She could easily have a small grope at her opponent's crotch without anyone noticing it. He would probably like it." "See? That's why ya ain't the one wrestling despite yer trainin' in the guard." Applejack explained with an annoyed voice. "Ya would have turned it into one of them things ya see in some trash novels." "You know, you can say the word orgy, it's not gonna make you burst into flames." Cloud Kicker chuckled. "Beside, I'm in a serious relationship now. I'm done with those kind of things." She said with conviction. "Good to hear, Sugarcube." Applejack nodded. "Unless Twilight agrees with it of course." Cloud Kicker chuckled playfully. "Then, I'll try to convince you and Vinyl to join us and to bring Rarity and Octavia along, it would be so......" Applejack cracked her knuckles while glaring at Cloud Kicker. "You're going to punch me if I ever finish that line, right?" Applejack nodded. "Let's just watch this non-sexual mixed wrestling competition, shall we?" "The smartest idea ya had today, CK." The count down had almost been up to ten when Quake managed break Raindrops' grip and shove her away from him. He stood up only to be nearly tackled back to the ground by the teal haired woman. Once again, they locked their hands togethers in a strength contest. Raindrops tried to hold her ground as Quake pushed with a growing strength. Her wrists twisted under the pressure and she slowly put a knee on the ground as he was overpowering her. 'I got to fight back...' Raindrops thought as she was pushing harder, trying to stand up. "That's admirable..." Quake commented with a grunt as he was repelled a bit by Raindrops' effort. "But..." He stopped pushing and turned around before making Raindrops pass above his shoulders with one move from his arms. Raindrops landed violently on her back. Before she could even gasp in pain, Quake blocked her legs with one arm and maintained her upper-body on the ground with the other by pressuring on her clavicle with it. "One!" Pinkie started the count down. "Damn it." Raindrops said before being nearly crushed by Quake in order to lock her arms. "Two!" "Get off me!" Raindrops groaned. "Three!" "You're going to lose!" Quake said. "Four!" "I trained with the top fighters in the world!" Quake explained sternly. "Five!" "And, none of them could escape my hold." "Six!" "I don't care..." Raindrops muttered. "Seven!" "You might have trained with elites...." "Eight!" "... but, I've trained with..." "Nine!" "... a fucking monster!" Raindrops roared before pushing violently her torso upwards, making her shoulders leave the ground and breaking Quake's grip. "SAFE!" Pinkie shouted. Raindrops straightened herself quickly before lunging at Quake, making him turn around so that he wasn't facing her anymore and passing her arms around his waist. "Now! Get lost!" Raindrops shouted before lifting him vigorously and leaning backward. "What the...?" Quake said in surprise before his shoulders hit the ground with a loud clash. The crowd gasped loudly at what the saw. Raindrops had her body entirely flexed backward with for sole supports her feet and Quake's shoulder blade. "Hooo! What a nice suplex from Raindrops!" Pinkie commented as Raindrops let go of Quake before pinning him on the ground. "One! Two! Three! Four!" Raindrops kept the pressure on Quake who wasn't even fighting back as he was grumbling something inaudible and had his eyes nearly spinning around. Raindrops started to grin as the count down nearly ended. "...Nine! Ten!" Pinkie shouted happily. "Winner: Raindrops Silverain of Ponyville!" "OH RIGHT!" Raindrops shouted her arms raised in victory as the crowd cheered for her. "YEAH!" After her victory against Quake, Raindrops had her confidence at full charge for the rest of the competition. She had earned quite a few bruises during the competition, but nothing the combined knowledge of Zecora and Redheart couldn't handle. She had really merited her place in the final. The Zebrican wrestler had been a tough one to beat. At some point, she thought she was about to get her right shoulder dislocated in trying to break away from her opponent's grip. She had won but her shoulder had been left pretty sore from the fight. Since she didn't feel anymore pain from it, she shrugged it off. She had gulped a bit when she had seen the semifinal between Iron Will and Snowflake. The violence each overly muscled man had displayed in their attempts to beat the other had been very intimidating for her. She wasn't sure about her victory in the final anymore, not after having witnessed Iron Will launch Snowflake out of the ring. "Ya're okay, Raindrops?" Applejack asked with worry. "Oh, yeah! I'm good!" Raindrops said with a well put up bravado. "I'm just a bit stressed by the final, that's all." It wasn't really a lie so Applejack didn't see through it like she normally did. "Ah reckon Ah'd be nervous about it too if Ah were in yar shoes." Applejack said in a comforting voice. "It's perfectly normal." "Yeah, right!" Raindrops chuckled sarcastically while rolling her eyes. "What's the matter?" Applejack blinked in confusion. "Applejack, please! If you were in my shoes as you say, this tournament would've been pointless!" Raindrops said with a crisped chuckle. "Ah don' follow..." Applejack said slowly with uneasiness. "There would be no reasons for you to be stressed if you were in my place." Raindrops explained with a sigh. "You'd have just crushed your opponents without any difficulty." She added with sincerity. "Come on, you're just talkin' stupid!" Applejack waved off with an embarrassed blush. "Applejack, I trained against you." Raindrops said with a hint of admiration. "I'm probably one of the few to know with certitude that there's no one in this competition who could hold the candle to you." ".... Ah don' need no candles!" Applejack said with a puzzled frown. "We're in the middle of the afternoon!" Raindrops nearly had to bite her lip to the blood to hold back her laugh. "....I....I meant that you're probably the strongest competitor in these Games." "Oh...Right... Now, Ah get it." Applejack chuckled awkwardly. "I wish I was strong like you." Raindrops said slowly. "Yer far from being weak, Raindrops!" Applejack claimed firmly. "Don't let anyone tell ya otherwise!" "I appreciate the thought, AJ. But, it's not easy to stand in your shadow." Raindrops blew out a defeated sigh. "None of my opponents really took me seriously. Quake even said to me he was expecting a real challenge out of the fight between Canterlot and Ponyville because he was expecting you." "Raindrops, why do them idiots' opinions matter?" Applejack said softly. "They were foolish enough to underestimate ya and ya beat the crap out of all of them! And, let me tell ya that none of them weren't taking you seriously. Ah watched yer matches carefully, they were all focused on ya and ya still beat them!" "You're just saying that to make me feel better." Raindrops said with a soft smile. "Ya know Ah can't lie to save ma life, Raindrops!" Applejack chuckled. "Ah only stick to the truth." Raindrops smile grew bigger. "Thanks, AJ." She noticed that Iron Will was back in the arena. "Anyway, I must go." "Be careful with him, Sugarcube." Applejack warned her teammate. "He's a toughie!" "I fought scarier and probably tougher than him." Raindrops winked at Applejack before flying toward the arena. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Here we are for the final of the wrestling competition!" Pinkie said through her megaphone while Raindrops landed on her side of the tatami. "After many exciting fights, we are now left with two finalists! Iron Will from Las Pegasus!" "Iron Will will crush you and win this final!" Iron Will said with a dynamic pose while flexing his arms to show off his muscles. "And, Raindrops Silverain from Ponyville!" "It's going to take more than that to impress me." Raindrops said with a grin she wanted confident, unfazed by Iron Will's mountain of muscles, or at least trying to look unfazed by it. "Begin!" Pinkie shouted happily. Unlike her previous matches, Raindrops didn't lunged at Iron Will immediately, knowing that seeking the clash of power between him and her right from the start would be plain stupid. She took small side steps to her right instead, Iron Will mimicked her movements. They were like two predators circling around each other, waiting for the right moment to bite the other's throat. Without any warning, Iron Will dashed at Raindrops. There wasn't much distance between the two of them, so dodging was out of question. Fortunately, Zecora had taught her a small trick for that kind of situations. She shifted her body in profile compared with Iron Will's body. As he came nearly in contact with her, her shoulder line was perpendicular to his. It was the moment to act. At the last tenth of seconds, Raindrops made a side-step to the right, grabbed Iron Will's left shoulder with both hands and pulled it down as strongly as she could while her right feet tripped his left leg up. The maneuver worked. Iron Will fell face first on the ground. Before he could stand up, Raindrops leaned on his back, literally climbing on top of him as he was a real colossus compared to her. She placed each of her feet on his bend his knees while locking his left arm behind his back and pressure his shoulders on the ground with her upper body. Pinkie Pie started the count down. Pinkie Pie didn't count for long. Iron Will straightened up on his knee with Raindrops still on his back. Raindrops had the reflex of jumping away from his back as he let himself fall backward. Hadn't she moved in time, she'd have been crushed under his weight. Before she could even blink, Iron Will stood up and, with a speed no one would have suspected on someone his size, lunged at Raindrops, locking hands with her in a power contest. At first, the status quo was maintained, but Iron Will quickly put more strength in his push, making Raindrops wince in pain as her previously sore shoulder started to ache. Raindrops was losing her ground slowly, but surely. 'Holy F... If my shoulder wasn't hurting...' Raindrops thought in pain as she put a kneel on the ground. 'Who am I kidding?' A nagging voice in her head interrupted her. Raindrops recognized the voice as being the expression of her reason and/or her common sense. 'Even if I was uninjured, it'd be the same!' '.... Yeah that's true... He's stronger than me....' Raindrops admitted as she was being pushed back, the pain on her right shoulder's was growing more and more vivid. 'A lot more stronger than me!' Her reason insisted. 'I'm going to lose....' 'I still made to the final, it's not so bad.' 'But I don't want to lose. I've done that too many times during the last months.' Those were practices with Applejack, that doesn't really count. I should just give up, he's too strong.' Her reason claimed with wisdom. 'But..... 'But?' '...Is he stronger than her?' '.....' Her reason was dead silent. 'IS HE?!' Raindrops shouted internally at herself. 'No!' The reasonable part of her mind admitted with conviction. 'Not even close!' 'I refuse to bow down... Not to someone other than her! Or at least someone stronger than she is!' 'Figured as much.' Her reason would have rolled her eyes at this point, were she another being than Raindrops. 'But, how I'm gonna do it?' 'Well, there's one trick....The one trick I pulled off that made Applejack lost her footing during a spar. She still beat the crap out of me afterward but still, I don't have anything else...Unless I decide to go check on Cloud Kicker's ideas....' Her reason pondered. 'Lets not go there...' 'Agreed!' 'Why not? I think it might be fun!' Raindrops' lust chimed in. Weirdly enough, her lust sounded a lot like Cloud Kicker to Raindrops. 'QUIET YOU!' Raindrops and her reason shouted in unison. 'You bunch of prudes!' Her lust snorted in annoyance. 'Anyway, let's try this!' 'If I can grope him a little while I'm at it, that would be nice!' Her lust suggested. 'I missed the time when that part of me was so quiet.' Her reason sort of sighed wearily. Finally ending her internal debate, Raindrops pulled off the same trick as against Quake. She rolled backward, taking Iron WIll with her by surprise, and pushed him away with both her feet. But, unlike with Quake, she didn't try to hold him down after he fell on the ground. She stood up and took a few steps away from her massive opponent. Iron Will stood up as well, a small grin on his face. He was enjoying this fight. He watched Raindrops taking a few steps backward while she was facing him. Iron Will slowly walked toward her until she didn't have anymore place to go as she was driven back against the limit of the tatami. Iron Will charged at her, hoping to bring her out of the ring. Iron Will noticed Raindrops taking the same stance as earlier, when she first shoved him on the ground. He grinned internally while making an angry frown, he wasn't going to fall for the same trick again. Before making contact, he simultaneously took sidesteps in the same direction as Raindrops, making her the perfect tackling target. But Raindrops' expression didn't falter at Iron Will's move. Instead, she let her right leg slide in front of her, making her upper body come at Iron Will's stomach level, bending it forward a bit. She extended her right arm below his crotch. As Iron Will's abs came in contact with her shoulder, she shifted her fulcrum on her right leg while with a perfect smooth upward move from her right arm and shoulder she lifted Iron WIll above her. While her right shoulder was on fire because of the effort and the pain that followed, her levering action added to Iron Will's momentum had succeeded in sending the champion of Las Pegasus flying slowly toward the exterior of the ring. She had come up with that action against Applejack by copying a technique well in use in Cloudsdale that used the wing instead of the arm as a lever. Applejack still beat that move by managing to grab Raindrops along her flight and tossing her away after she had landed on her feet. But, Iron Will was way to massive to be able of such agility. But, she hadn't taken in account the large constitution of her opponent. Iron Will being as heavy as he was, he didn't fly very far away from Raindrops and one of his massive legs still hit her on her right shoulder and she got send backward as well. "Out of the ring!" Pinkie said in her megaphone. "Winner of the wrestling final," Iron Will landed loudly face first on the ground out side of the ring. "Iron Will from Las Pegasus!" "What?" Raindrops shouted in disbelief as she was rubbing her again sore shoulder. "I'm sorry, Raindrops. But look down!" Pinkie Pie explained softly. "What do you mean by..." Raindrops widened her eyes when she looked down. "...that?" She finished softly. Her backward stumbling had made her set a foot out of the ring, presumably a couple of seconds before Iron Will touched the ground. Raindrops fell on her knees and punched the tatami with her left fist, growling in frustration and disappointment. She had lost because she couldn't take a small hit without making a few step back. She had the victory in the bag and it escaped her because of one small step. As tears were threatening to bawl out of her eyes, she left a huge hand grabbing her left wrist and pulled her up and lifted her hand in the air. She looked at her side and saw Iron Will wiping the dirt of his bearded face. He gave her a small smile before shouting at the crowd. "Iron WIll would like all of you to applaud this woman as much as you're going to do for Iron Will! No, she even deserves more than that!" He shouted firmly. "She didn't give up and won this fight in Iron Will's book. Give her the applauses she had rightfully earned." The crowd started to applaud and chant Raindrops and Iron Will's name at the same time. It was impossible to say who was receiving more cheers than the other. Tears rolled along Raindrops' cheeks, not frustrated or sad tears anymore, nothing but happy tears. "Thank you..." She whispered softly to Iron Will. "Don't mention it." Iron Will said with a genuine smile. "Iron Will looks forward in another match with you!" He added, letting Raindrops' hand fell down her side. "Perhaps when your shoulder's not hurting anymore?" "I'd like that." Raindrops said with a nod. "How do you know about my shoulder?" "I noticed that your right arm was losing ground faster than the left." He explained slowly. "Anyway, good luck for what's next." "Thanks..." Raindrops said while watching him go. As she kept on watching him, her gaze fell lower than acceptable and she decided to listen to a part of her mind that used to be quiet for a very long time. "Iron Will!" She called him. "Yes?" He asked with curiosity while turning around to face her. "Are you free for a drink tonight?" She asked eagerly.