Episode 3
Power and Responsibility, Part 2
In the Ring with the Minotaur
Twilight Sparkle was a very focused and organised person. She preferred things when they were tidy, made rational sense to her, and didn't cause any unnecessary stress to her delicate mind.
The world famous Gladmane Wrestling Emporium...was the complete opposite of that.
Unfiltered and unbearably loud noises were booming into her ears from all directions at once, people of all shapes and sizes were pushing and shoving each other all over the place, all while the stench of sweat and the suffocating quenched air nearly made her faint.
So why on earth would she be here?
Well, mostly because her good friend Rainbow Dash needed someone to hold onto her stuff while she was changing into her new spider-suit in the girls' public restroom. A task that Twilight, with the benefit of hindsight, was not very happy that she had agreed to.
While she stood there, waiting for Dash to get properly dressed, Twilight was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor with her arms crossed while also trying her best to avoid getting bumped into by anyone...which was definitively easier said than done. She had already been shoved by someone in here eight times already; and yes, she had kept count.
Beginning to grow impatient, Twilight checked her watch. 'She's been in there now for seven minutes straight. It shouldn't take nearly that much time to put on the suit. What could possibly be taking her so long?'
When she turned her attention away from the watch and back towards the door, she suddenly found herself only a hair's breath away from a pair of big white pupil-less eyes while the person those eyes belonged to blurted out the word "Boo!" in her face loud enough to nearly nearly make her glasses fly off.
Twilight's response came in the form of a very undignified "AAAARGHH!" while she nearly tripped over her own feet in the process. It took her a few seconds to calm her breathing down enough to comprehend what just happened, and that the strange white eyes were the ones she had made for the spider-suit that Rainbow Dash was currently wearing while laughing her ass off.
"Rainbow Dash! Will you stop doing that!?" Twilight fumed once she had recovered enough to speak, "One day you're going to give someone a heart attack!"
Dash stifled her laughter a little, "Hey, lighten up, Twilight! I only prank those who can take it, and you have simply the funniest faces when you're spooked, heheheh..."
"And what exactly qualifies someone as being able to 'take it'?" Twilight questioned with the appropriate air quotes.
"Simple: they're not Fluttershy, preschoolers or as old as Granny Smith."
"Oh, so Fluttershy gets special treatment while you're going all out on me. That seems very fair," she noted with a dash of sarcasm.
"Hey, have you even met her?" Rainbow asked in a slightly more serious tone, "Even the lamest and most harmless prank can turn her into a sobbing mess and lock herself in her room...then stay mad at you for over a week until you decide to get her trust back by helping her out at the animal shelter...and then offering her ice cream. Trust me, it's not worth it."
"That's...an oddly specific example."
"Not one of my proudest moments." Rainbow admitted with a sigh. Then she struck a pose and asked, "Anyhow, what'ya think!?"
"I think you should stop pranking people...period." Twilight answered bluntly.
Rainbow responded to that with an even blunter "Not gonna happen."
Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. 'Rainbow Dash, you can be a complete jerk sometimes.'
"Though I actually meant about the suit." Rainbow clarified. "I mean, just check me out! Do I make this thing look awesome or what?!"
Twilight adjusted her glasses a bit and took a good long look at Rainbow Dash in her new spider-suit.
'Hmmm...it looks a little different than it did in Rarity's blueprints, but it seems to fit Rainbow perfectly. The sky-blue primary colour is very appropriate given her love of flying, and the darker blue for the legs and back compliments it very well. The red spider emblem was a bit hard to make, but it works well in giving the whole thing some style...or something like that. I don't really know fashion. And finally those eyes, they're practically perfect. The red bolts at the edges gives her a sharp look, and the white fabric makes her be able to see the world clearly and without any obstructions while also hiding her true identity from curious onlookers.
I got to say, Rarity definitively knows what she's doing. I could never have come up with something like this myself.'
"It...actually looks pretty good...at least that I can see." Twilight commented out loud, "How does it feel though? It's a bit hard to determine how comfortable something is to wear without actually trying it on first."
Rainbow flexed her limbs around and stretched a little to get a feel of it, "Well...it's definitively easy to move in...and the fabric feels...uh, fine, I guess. I got to say though, I'm glad I'm not a guy because this thing goes up in the crotch a bit if you move your leg up too much. And...why couldn't you just try it on yourself?"
"I would, but we don't really have the same measurements."
"'Cause you're a lot scrawnier than me? That's understandable, not everyone could have muscles like these!" Dash boasted while showing off her biceps.
Twilight rolled her eyes, "No, the fabric's elastic enough to compensate for any changes in musculature. What I meant was that I'm actually a bit taller than you."
Even with her mask on, Rainbow managed to give her friend a salty glare after hearing her say that.
"You're saying I'm short?" She asked slowly and deliberately, almost daring Twilight to be foolish enough to confirm it.
Hearing Dash's tone made Twilight a bit apprehensive, knowing that she was now dealing with a slightly sore topic. "Um...well, technically-"
Rainbow cut her off and declared, "I'm not short! I'm...just...uh...aerodynamic! Yes, that's it! Aerodynamic! So don't you dare say anything else!"
"I didn't mean to upset you. I was just stating a fact."
"Well, you're wrong! Because I'm totally not short. No way, no how!" She stubbornly declared...seemingly though...in denial.
In an attempt to placate her, Twilight assured, "It's nothing really to be ashamed of."
"It isn't?"
"No, I wouldn't think so."
"You sure?"
"Well...at least there's less of a risk of bumping your head into something...and it might make it easier to fit into tight spaces. Not that you're that short, I was just saying that there are a lot of advantages that you might not be considering and that there is no reason to be hostile whenever someone brings it up unless they're deliberately teasing you or have something against people who...I'll just shut up now."
"Probably a good idea." Rainbow agreed, "I suppose you made a pretty good point though, or a few good points...or pointers. Whatever! You know what I mean."
For a moment, the two of them just stood there silently, not really knowing how to follow up their conversation.
Eventually, Twilight took another look at her watch and got reminded of the schedule at hand, "Oh! I should probably remind you that the sign up booth for the contest closes in about ten minutes, so you might wanna hurry if you want to be in it!"
Dash's eyes widened under her mask, "Ten minutes?! Why didn't you say anything earlier?!"
"I thought we had plenty of time a moment ago. I suppose you changing into that outfit took longer than I anticipated."
"Hehe, I was just giving it a good look in the mirror." Rainbow admitted with a small blush that her mask didn't reveal. "Anyway, gotta dash, while you need to find a good seat to watch me kick some serious butt from the sidelines! Put in a good cheer for me, would ya?!"
Twilight was about to respond to that, asking whether it would be okay if she could go home or do something else than ending up watching a wrestling match in a crowd full of strangers, but Rainbow Dash had ran off before she had time to open her mouth.
Twilight let out another groan. 'Darn it, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Now I have no choice but to see the whole thing anyway. Not that it would be awful, because it could actually not be that bad, but sitting completely alone in a crowd of hooligans probably will.'
Out loud, she muttered, "If only there was someone in this place I knew..."
Then, a very familiar and very unexpected cheerful voice shouted, "INCOMING!"
"Wuh-what?"
The confused Twilight Sparkle barely had any time to react before a certain peppy party-planning-person with pink poofy hair came out of nowhere and hugged her so tight that she was lifted a bit off the ground in the process.
While Twilight was struggling to breathe properly in the newcomer's iron-tight grip, said newcomer started to ramble a bit faster than she could keep up.
"Hey-ya Twilight! I was just on my way to deliver a couple of my newly baked chocolate muffins to your apartment when I saw guess who zipping past the street on her motorcycle! Spoiler alert, it was Sunset Shimmer...and she was really surprised that I recognised her in her biker outfit, even though I never forget what my friends look like, even brand new ones, but then she said you and Dashie were gonna see a wrestling game without inviting me, and I was like 'WHAAAAAAAT?', and then she was all 'Yeah, sure.', and I was like 'This I gotta see!', and that's why I'm here! Oh, and Sunset says 'hi'."
After she had been released from her friend's bone-crushing bear hug, Twilight adjusted her, now crooked, glasses back to their correct position and asked, "Pinkie Pie? Why are you-"
"I just told you that, silly! Where's Dashie? I haven't seen her anywhere, and believe me, I have looked EVERYWHERE! And also, who was that masked girl you were just talking to? She looked really funny. I wish I had a costume like that. Hey, do you think I can ask Rarity to make one for me? Well, do you, do you, do you?!"
Twilight blinked, just staring at the humongous smile on Pinkie's face...while also trying to process what it was she had just said.
"Umm...I don't know. And that's my answer to...all three questions, actually."
"Huh?" Pinkie voiced while noticeable calming down. "So you don't know where Rainbow Dash is, who that masked girl was or if Rarity can make a costume like the one she wore for me?"
"Basically...yes."
"What a bummer..." Pinkie noted sadly...then did a complete 180 and sported another huge grin, "Well I am certainly not gonna allow any friend of mine to watch the show all alone! No sirree! Come on!"
Before she knew it, Pinkie grabbed Twilight's wrist and ran off with her over to the ticket booth.
Pinkie was going to have some words with Rainbow Dash about not showing up...later...but for now, Twilight's happiness was her top priority, and she took her unofficial job as the cheering up-girl very seriously. Besides, Pinkie Pie hadn't been to a wrestling match in awhile, and if it was going to be so good that even Twilight Sparkle of all people went to see it, then she just had to see it as well.
Meanwhile, in a cramped, slightly dark and very sweaty corridor leading up to the main wrestling arena, Rainbow Dash was standing in line with over a dozen strangely dressed and very muscular men about twice her size or even bigger. She just so happened to be strangely dressed herself, but she still stuck out like a sore thumb in this hallway of testosterone...as Dash was temped to call it.
In truth, she wasn't the only female around here, but the other two women she spotted were still much bigger and older than her. While Rainbow Dash certainly was a well-trained and athletic person, those other women had the musculature of bodybuilders and also stood a few heads taller than her. Though to be fair, that wasn't actually too much of an achievement.
While Rainbow's boisterous and larger than life personality might fool you otherwise, she was actually very much on the short side. Last time she checked, she only measured to be 1, 58 metres tall...which was actually a full head shorter than Fluttershy. In fact, about the only one in her circle of friends who wasn't taller than her was Pinkie Pie, but she was a bit bigger in...other areas. Heck, even Twilight were a few inches taller than her!
However, while she may have been a teensy bit self-conscious about that fact, she never let it slow her down. For what she lacked in size, she made up for in speed, agility and determination. Granted, her slightly shorter legs might not have the same reach as someone like...say...Lightning Dust, but that only gave her an extra incentive to train hard and give it her all.
Also, while she didn't have the muscle mass to overpower someone like Applejack, Big Mac or any of wrestlers she was standing in line with, Rainbow could move a lot faster than any of them. Being built like a bodybuilder might make a person look tough, but a body like that was hardly practical, and more often than not just weighted you down and made you slow and bulky. Having a body more like an athlete would definitively give Dash the speed advantage she needed to win.
One might then assume that she was a fragile speedster, who could easily get damaged if her opponent ever managed to score a hit. And usually, one might be correct in that assessment. However...let's not forget that Rainbow Dash had very recently become far stronger than any normal human being usually could as a result of a certain bug-bite.
Just the other day for instance, Rainbow made a small test to see how strong she had actually gotten since the spider bit her, and even she herself was surprised when she managed to lift an entire car with just her bare hands. Sure, it took a lot out of her and she couldn't hold on to it for long, but damn if it wasn't impressive. Also, she may have set off the car alarm and had to run from a nearby police officer...who luckily enough didn't catch a good glimpse of her appearance.
Strangely enough though, Rainbow Dash's physique and built had not actually changed at all after she had gotten her powers. So the answer to where her immense strength physically came from was still anyone's guess.
Still, since she looked a lot weaker than she actually was, she could definitively use that to her advantage. Her opponent would no doubt underestimate her as soon as they saw her, and that would most likely be their downfall as well as her trump card.
Now, all she needed to do was to convince the old man with the moustache and sunglasses sitting at the booth at the end of the line to let her participate in the tournament in the first place.
This turned out to be a bit of a hassle though, for as soon as it was Rainbow's turn to sign up for the competition, the old man raised a sceptical eyebrow and looked at her inquisitively. While her masked appearance made it difficult for him to see how old she was, the fact that she was half the size in both height and body mass to all the others he had let in, made him a bit suspicious.
"Uhm...how old are you exactly?" He asked cautiously.
Thinking fast, Rainbow answered, "Twenty-one! That's...totally old enough for this thing, right?"
"Riiiiight..." While he remained sceptical, he didn't really have a way to actually prove her age and therefore had no choice but to let the matter slide. "So...what's your name then?"
Rainbow had spent the last week trying to come up with a good name to use in the tournament, and after all that thinking and deliberation, she had eventually settled on one that she was very proud of.
She put her hands on her hips and announced, "I...am the Awesome Spider-Dash!"
However, the old man's reaction to that name was not exactly what she expected.
"Spider...Dash? That's what you're going with? Oh come on!"
"What's wrong with that?!" Rainbow questioned, feeling a bit insulted.
"That last guy who signed up was called Excelsior, surely you can come up with a better name than Spider-Dash! How about something like...the Amazing Spider-Woman?"
"The Amazing Spider-Woman?! That makes me sound like some kind of sixties comic book superhero! No way I'm calling myself that!"
"Weeeeell...if you put it that way, why don't you call yourself something like...the Spectacular Spider-Girl?!"
"Hummm..." Dash considered it for a second, 'I guess that kinda works. Let's test it! Spider-Girl...Spider-Girl...does whatever a Spider-Girl does... Yeah, rolls off the tongue way better than Spider-Woman at least. Still like Spider-Dash more though, but...eh, whatever, just roll with it.'
She then shrugged and decided, "Sure, that works. Though I'm still keeping the 'Awesome' part in it."
"You sure about that? You know, I think 'Amazing' or 'Spectacular' works a lot better. Or I know, why not the 'Sensational' Spider-Girl?!"
Rainbow gave him a glare though her giant unblinking white eyes.
"...Just sayin'."
Her glare persisted.
"Alright, alright, the Awesome Spider-Girl it is." he conceded while writing the name down on the participant list, "Now, you'd better go to the next room and wait for someone to summon you. And also...good luck out there, true believer!"
"Gee thanks!"
"Alright, 'nuff said. NEXT!"
About an hour or so later, and a bit deeper inside the building, an audience full of wrestling fans, thrill seekers, people aspiring to becoming wrestlers themselves and...well...Twilight Sparkle, were all sitting in attendance, patiently (or impatiently depending on who you asked) waiting for the spectacle that they had paid to see to finally begin.
The gates had opened 40 minutes ago in order to give everyone plenty of time to take their seats and get comfortable in them while waiting. Though for some, that was a bit too much time.
Twilight herself was honestly just waiting for the whole thing to be over and done with so she could go home. Wrestling was really not her thing, and she felt extremely out of place among all the hardcore wrestling fans she was sitting with. Still, it could have been a lot worse: at least she got Pinkie Pie around to keep her company...even if she never stops talking.
"...and that was how I managed to eat two bags full of sugar-dipped doughnuts in precisely thirty-one seconds! I even timed it! Hey, maybe I can start a doughnut-eating contest now that people are getting bored with my cupcake-eating contests! Does that seem like a good idea? I mean, doughnuts are getting more popular these days, and while they aren't nearly as delectably delicious as the Cakes' homemade cupcakes, they're very goooooood...or at least Donut Joe's is. That place in Appeloosa had only boring doughnuts, and who wants that?! Clearly, Joe's the way it goes!"
"Not to sound rude or anything, Pinkie, but maybe you should consider slowing down on your daily sugar-consumption." Twilight suggested as soon as she got the word in.
Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight with a confused expression on her face and asked "What'you mean by that?" while she had her mouth full of marshmallows, a Pepsi bottle in one hand, and a cotton candy cone in the other.
"Well...you do eat an awful lot of candy and pastries every day, and that's not exactly a healthy diet."
"Oh Twilight, you worry waaaaaay too much..." Pinkie assured while patting Twilight on the head, "...I brush my teeth every morning and every night forever and haven't missed a single time in over six years, eleven months, and four days! Mom and dad are very strict about that."
"That's...good, but don't you risk diabetes or well...you know...gain weight?"
"Jeez, now you're sounding like Limestone." Pinkie snorted with a small huff, "She always tries to deny me my cupcake privileges just because I'm a pudgy pie. I mean, RUDE!"
"Sorry! I was just trying to help!" Twilight blurted out. 'What's with me and offending people today?'
Pinkie Pie however, wasn't actually offended in the least and quickly put a friendly arm over Twilight's shoulders, "Don't you get all panicy on me, Twility-Twilight, I know you didn't mean it like that." Then she looked down at her belly, "Though you may you have a point; maybe I should slow down a little bit..."
"Have you ever actually tried?"
"Oh, a few times. The longest record I've ever had in not eating anything sugar was five days and eleven hours...THEN I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
"Was it really all that bad?"
"WORSE! It was completely impossible! Can you even imagine what's it like to go through five whole long days with no candy whatsoever?!"
"...Yes actually." Twilight answered honestly. "That's pretty much most weeks for me. I only eat candy when its a special occasion or someone offers it."
Pinkie released a dramatic gasp and then stared her straight in the eye, "Then you have to tell me your secret!"
"What secret!?"
"The secret to resisting...", pause for dramatic effect, "...the temptations of sugar!"
Seeing a hint of desperation in Pinkie's currently unblinking stare, Twilight tried to come up with an answer to that question...but she didn't get a chance to voice it when a mighty fanfare began to blare into the arena and the crowd started to cheer loudly.
'I guess I'll have to save that question for later...' Twilight decided while turning her attention to wherever that fanfare was coming from.
In her defence, Pinkie seemed to have already completely forgotten about that question herself and now seemed far more interested in what currently was going on.
Several spotlights lit up and began to dance around the hall while the background music got progressively louder and more prominent. Eventually, a voice carrying a very affable and very American accent could be heard coming through a speaker.
"Why hello there, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for comin', thank you very much! Now, some of you may know who I am, uh-huh-huh! But if it so happens that you don't, however unlikely that may be, uh-huh, then I will do y'all the honour of introducing myself right here and now."
Then, a drum roll started to beat.
"I am the man with the shining smile, the owner and founding father of not only this little arena we're in, but also the grand hotels baring my illustrious name, the fifth wealthiest man in the state and also a proud contributor to helpin' poor children in need. But y'all may know me as the man of the hour...Gladmane!"
Then, the drum roll ended with a spotlight revealing a man standing in the middle of the ring with shining silver hair made in a style that haven't been seen since the seventies, a ridiculously expensive blue suit adorned with all kinds of glitz and glam, and a smile that simply oozed of charm.
This man was either a middle-aged and slightly overweight Elvis Presley who had somehow come back from the grave...or far more likely the aforementioned Mr Gladmane himself.
The moment he showed his face, the crowd went nuts, with many starting to chant his name over and over at such a loud volume that Twilight could barely hear herself think. It certainly didn't help that one of the loudest people around was also sitting right next to her.
To quiet down his adoring fans, Gladmane tapped a microphone that had been hanging down from the ceiling, and announced, "Now, while I most certainly appreciate all of your endless enthusiasm, fellas, uh-huh-huh, why don't we get right down to business, you hear?"
"Wow, this guy has an ego alright." Twilight observed from where she was sitting.
Pinkie shrugged, "He sure does, but he's also the owner of one of my favourite amusement parks, so WHOHOO FOR GLADMANE!"
Twilight rolled her eyes...but also smiled a little at her friend's enthusiasm.
"So then..." Gladmane began, "...you folks came to some action, didn't ya?"
The entire audience except for Twilight, which included Pinkie Pie, collectively answered with a big "YES!"
"Then I will not disappoint you, huh-huh!" he assured with his Elvis-like noise added at the end. "So let's begin with today's show: the mighty and grandiose 'Clash of the Titan' event! A contest that pits non-professionals, as I'd hate to call them amateurs, hehe...against our very own Titan of the Ring himself! Whoever, if anyone at all for that matter, bests the Titan in a battle with both feet on the ground and in the confines of the ring itself by the end of it, then that lucky winner will be crowned 'the CHAMPION' and receive a generous prize of three-thousand dollars, curtsy of yours truly! Uh-huh-huh!"
The excitement of the spectators was so high that it could practically be felt in the air itself. Now, Twilight may not have been a fan of wrestling, but even she was starting to look forward to seeing this 'Clash of the Titan' event...though probably not for the same reason as everyone else was.
'I guess this is where Rainbow Dash comes in.'
"Huh-huh! Now, folks, the question of the hour must surely be who is gonna be today's Titan, am I right?" When he heard cheers of agreement, Gladmane revealed, "Well then. The first thing I would like to confirm is that the rumours are most certainly true as life...because for this day, and this day only, we have been given the privilege to have the undefeatable...the unflappable...the unstoppable...and the indomitable wrestling legend...Iron Will the Minotaur!"
As soon as his name had been uttered, a new spotlight lit up while an instrumental rendition of 'Eye of the Tiger' began to play in the background. This spotlight however, lit up at one of the two entrances to the arena where the legendary Iron Will himself stepped forth.
Twilight's eyes widened in dread upon the sight of the beast of a man that stood before her. 'I thought Rainbow's opponent would be big, but I didn't expect him to be this big.'
To say the wrestler was just big would be a massive understatement. This guy was huge!
Standing nearly two metres tall, and with enough muscles to take a bull by the horns with his bare hands, one could immediately determine that this man would not be easy to take down in a fight. He also wore nothing on his waist up aside from a black tie and a nose ring, so his immense musculature and manly physique was very easy to make out. He also had a Mohawk on his head with a small goatee on his chin to accompany it, and wore a golden-coloured wrestling champion's belt with a bull's skull on it over his black shorts.
Twilight gulped. 'I really hope Rainbow knows what she's doing. Otherwise, this could be...painful.'
When he realised that he was in the spotlight, Iron Will began to make all sorts of poses to show off his muscles to his loyal fans...even going so far as to give both of his biceps a kiss each before sporting a massive haughty grin.
A chorus of "IRON WILL! IRON WILL! IRON WILL! IRON WILL!" could be heard chanted from every corner of the arena, and many spectators began to wave around signs with his name on them...including one that read IRON WILL OWN YOU.
Satisfied with the audience's reaction, the wrestler picked up a microphone from...somewhere, and bellowed, "Iron Will's my name, crushing weaklings is my game!" in a very deep, yet very energetic voice. "Now, friends, I want to hear you roar if you want to see some power!"
They roared.
"Roar if you want to see some strength!"
They roared even louder.
"Roar if you want to see me defeated by an amateur!"
Most of them began to roar this time too...but then stopped themselves when they realised what he just said. A few murmurs of confusion spread across the audience until they were replaced by laughter.
"Hahaha! Wow, he really got me with that one! Heheheheh!" Pinkie laughed in good measure.
But Iron Will managed to silence them all in an instant with a single sharp glare, then explained, "That's no joke, friends, as Iron Will is so confident in his status as champion of the ring that Iron Will has agreed to fight any and all beginners who think they have a chance of victory. That's right: ALL OF THEM! No breaks! No water! No nothing! Iron Will will keep on fighting until he is bested by someone who has the strength, speed and power to stand against the Minotaur in the Arena! But I pity the fool who doubts Iron Will's tenacity!"
He suddenly pointed directly at Twilight Sparkle and asked, "YOU! Girl in the glasses! You don't doubt me, do you?!"
Her heart almost stopped when she got singled out by the wrestler, and her face went beat red when the eyes of all the other people in the audience focused on her. Faced with the sudden unexpected attention, the slightly socially awkward girl could only stutter in response.
"Well, I guess I don't. I mean, maybe-"
"Maybies are for babies! Do you doubt me or not?!" Iron Will demanded in a harsh voice.
A bit intimidated, Twilight squeaked, "Uh...noooo..."
"That's what I want to hear." He noted in a calmer tone before he took his focus away from Twilight and openly asked, "But what I want to know is: WHO IS READY TO FACE IRON WILL IN THE RING!?"
"Ha-ha-ha, well, Iron Will, now isn't that somethin' we all wanna know?" Gladmane replied in an amused tone. "Turns out there's a whole line of people just outside, all waitin' for their chance to prove themselves, uh-huh-huh. But...will any, ANY, of them be a match for the Minotaur himself?! Well, let's take a look then, shall we? Uh-huh-huh!"
"...Sooooo exciiiiiiitiiiing..!" Pinkie Pie sing-songed in anticipation...while Twilight was busy trying to make herself as small as possible to avoid being singled out by anyone again. A situation not helped by the fact that Pinkie had gotten them front row seats for this match.
She may not be Fluttershy, or have the same crippling social anxiety issues, but Twilight was still not particularly comfortable doing anything in the spotlight if she hadn't carefully planned out every single detail from start to finish. Unlike Pinkie, spontaneous fourth wall breaks were not really her thing. (yes, fourth wall breaks can work that way as well, look it up)
"Ladies and gentlemen, be prepared for our first contestant!" Gladmane announced, "For he is no ordinary warrior, oh no. See, when you start somethin', some might suggest doin' baby-steps. You know, begin little, piece by piece? Well I certainly don't agree! I say we start big! And there's none bigger than our first champion of the day! Uh-huh-huh!"
To set up the mood for this mysterious challenger, an instrumental rendition of 'The Final Countdown' began to play.
"He trains harder than any man or beast has ever done before, he lifts cars and drags trains for breakfast, he has enough muscle on his body to make even the Incredible Hulk himself turn green with envy...hehe, I'm funny...and his roar is loud enough to scare a dinosaur right out of its grave, for he is...SNOWFLAKE!"
At the mention of the name he had chosen, the contestant stepped out from one of the entrances and into the spotlight, making nearly everyone gasp at the sight of his very...unique appearance.
While every wrestling fan in the world was used to seeing muscular guys, Snowflake, as he apparently called himself, took muscles to a whole new level. Not only were his arms practically enormous, but his chest, which was only barely covered by a sleeveless shirt, was built almost like a gorilla...on steroids, and his neck muscles looked strong enough to withstand a battering ram to the face, while his hands were...very small, strangely enough.
However, Twilight actually did recognise this guy. "Wait, isn't that that one really big guy working at the Ponyville Spa?"
"You mean Bulk Biceps?" Pinkie asked while trying to get a closer look at him, "Well, now that you mention it...Yeah, it's totally him! Wow, I had no idea he was so into wrestling."
"It's not that hard to imagine if you ask me. I'm more surprised that he decided to go with that name. 'Snowflake' is really not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him."
"Hey, at least it's better than 'Snowflame'. Trust me, that guy's a real party-pooper."
Twilight gave Pinkie a look, "Uh...who?"
Pinkie shrugged, "It's a long story."
After seeing who he was up against, Iron Will stepped into the ring with a determined look on his face. He looked Bulk Biceps, or as he was called in this match, Snowflake, right in the eyes and asked him, "YOU! Are you ready to get into the ring with the great Iron Will, battle ME in a battle of strength, endurance and tenacity?! Either lose when I blow my fuse, or try to prove that your pathetic hide is somehow worthy of the title of champion?! ARE YOU?!"
Snowflake's response came in the form of a loud and righteous "YEAH!!!", that he screamed at the top of his lungs, proving to everyone that he had the bravado to challenge the Titan of the Ring.
"Then stop stalling and let's start brawling!" Iron Will commanded impatiently.
Snowflake took Iron Will up on that invitation, and fearlessly stepped into the ring to face his opponent head on. The crowd eagerly cheering him on as he did so.
When he finally stood face to face with the Titan of the Ring, Snowflake shouted, "LET'S DO THIS!" while he clenched his fists intimidatingly.
Snowflake had trained his physical prowess nearly every day of his life since he was a little boy, he could bench press more than anyone else at his gym, and his immense physical size spoke for itself. Surely, he, if any, would be a worthy opponent to the mighty Minotaur himself...
...or so he would have you believe.
In truth, the fight didn't even last a whole minute.
While Snowflake may have been a very impressive body-builder, and certainly looked like a complete power-house...he unfortunately didn't have any actual fighting experience of any kind...or any idea of what he was getting himself into for that matter.
As a result, the second after their match started, Iron Will simply grabbed Snowflake and literally threw him out of the ring before he could muster up any type of defence whatsoever. And while his immense bulk softened the impact of hitting the floor straight on his tailbone a little bit, it was still apparently painful enough to make Snowflake whimper in pain and run away like a coward instead of trying to maintain any semblance of dignity.
To be fair, that fight could have gone down in history...but probably only as the most anticlimactic fight in wrestling history.
Twilight cringed a little at the sight, 'That's...not a good sign. If someone as strong as Bulk Biceps didn't stand a chance against him, what hope does Rainbow have? I'm starting to think this whole thing maybe wasn't a good idea...'
"Well, he didn't last as long as I thought." Pinkie commented out loud, then shrugged and took a bite out of a candy bar, "Well onto the next one then!"
"Yeah...the next one..." Twilight muttered with a bit of dread. 'The way I see it, the only way someone like Rainbow Dash, unless I've severely underestimated her new abilities, would be able to defeat Iron Will in this contest is if he starts getting tired after fighting off so many opponents after another. He did say he wasn't going to take any breaks after all. This means that Rainbow will have to be one of the last people they send in to fight him if we're going to have any chance of gaining any price money at the end of this...and also avoid the possibility of her ending up with any lasting injuries.'
Meanwhile, Iron Will crossed his arms and let out a sigh...then he looked at Gladmane and asked, "Is that it?"
Gladmane chuckled a little, "He-he-he, well that was just the first of what we got to offer! Though I believe that there is a lesson to be learned in all of this, uh-huh-huh! And that lesson is that looks can be very deceivin', you hear? Well, let's hope that holds true for our next contestant! See, up next we have someone very different than what we usually see around here, uh-huh-huh. Not only are we dealin' with a member of the fairer sex this time, but I have doubts that this lady is even human!"
Twilight bit her lip, 'Please tell this isn't going where I think it's going...'
Now, a more orchestrated rendition of what sounded like the 60's Spider-Man theme started to play over the speakers. How that song even exists in this universe is anyone's guess though.
"That's right, folks, now we are welcomin' the terrifyin', the deadly, and the venomous wall-crawlin' arachnid who can do everythin' a spider can do...the Awesome Spider-Girl!"
As soon as her new nickname had been uttered, Rainbow Dash, dressed in her equally new Spider-suit, leaped out of the gate, bounced off the floor and landed on top of the ropes around the wrestling ring.
There was a spotlight meant to illuminate her for the audience, but she had moved way too fast for it to keep track of her. Well, at least until she decided to sit still for a moment.
Once perched on the rope steadily enough, she cheerfully greeted her new opponent with a casual, "Hey there!"
"Oh no." Twilight quietly muttered from where she was sitting. '...and it is going where I thought it was going. Well...scratch that idea.'
"Hey, wasn't that the masked girl you were talking to before?!" Pinkie asked her once she had gotten a proper look at the Spider-Girl.
"I guess she is." Twilight replied with a sigh.
Iron Will, once he saw who he was up against, merely crossed his arms and scoffed, "Seriously? This is what the great Iron Will has to face? First cowards, now little girls!? I demanded an actual challenge!"
"You want a challenge, ox boy?!" Spider-Girl teased, then jumped above his head and landed behind him, "I'll give you far more than that!"
Iron Will let out a smile, "Well, at least you seem to have some spirit..." then he turned around to face her and finished that sentence with, "...BUT THAT ONLY MATTERS IF YOU HAVE THE SKILLS TO PROVE IT!"
"Touche," Spider-Girl answered, then took on a battle stance and uttered "Bring it on!" in an attempt to look badass...though internally...her thoughts were more along the lines of...well...'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm going to fight Iron Will the Minotaur! I. Am. Going. To. Fight. Iron Will the Minotaur! One of my favourite wrestlers of all time, and I am going to fight him! This is gonna be so AWESOME!'
Iron Will took on a stance himself, though his was a lot more intimidating given his much bigger size...and also because he wasn't the one wearing what looked like a skin-tight blue onesie.
Just from looking at them standing next to each other, the size difference between the two was very obvious. Spider-Girl barely reached up to her opponent's chest, and Iron Will had to actually look down to see her properly. Also, judging by his massive frame, big arms and noticeable abs, compared to her thin and light speedster build, the Spider-Girl didn't seem to stand a chance in a physical confrontation...at least at first glance.
However...things rarely are as they seem; and this time, it was Iron Will who had no idea what he was up against.
With a sharp sound of a bell, the match was on, and Iron Will didn't waste a single second before he charged at her like a raging bull, hoping for a quick and effortless victory.
That victory however, proved a bit trickier to achieve...when Spider-Girl's spider-sense kicked in.
She knew exactly what he was going to do as soon as he started moving, and with her reaction speed, she had more than enough time to expertly jump over him with a somersault added in for good measure. But she did not stop there. With the speed Iron Will was running at, he had no way to stop himself before Spider-Girl sent him flying straight into the ropes with a swift kick to the back, effectively using his own weight and momentum against him.
While he was lucky enough to not fall out of the ring, Iron Will did end up slamming his belly into one of the ropes at high speed. Needless to say, the impact was a bit painful...even for him.
Still, someone as stubborn as Iron Will would never go down that easily. In fact, all the attack really did was make him a bit annoyed.
The wrestler let out an irked snort through his nose and turned around to continue the fight.
Only...Spider-Girl wasn't there anymore.
"Yo, Willy, up here!"
Iron Will was a bit surprised when he heard her voice come from above him, but he was even more surprised when he saw that the Spider-Girl was hanging on to the metal contraption on the ceiling that the spotlights were attached to.
"You little spider-monkey!" Iron Will cursed, "GET DOWN HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"
"Why don't you come up here and fight like a spider?" Spider-Girl quipped back.
"Are you trying to mock Iron Will!?"
"Duh, of course I am! Is it working?"
Iron Will could only growl in response.
While she was already hanging up there, and could get a pretty good view of the place, Rainbow made a quick check of her audience to see their reactions.
'Wow, this is quite a crowd! Feels a lot different when you're in the spotlight instead of in the audience. This is way more exciting! Oh, and there is Twilight...and with Pinkie Pie? Wait, when did she get here? Also, is it just me or do some of the other people in there look kinda familiar?'
Something that one would probably never guess just by looking at her, was that Rainbow Dash had something a bit similar to a photographic memory that even she herself was mostly unaware of. This ability always gave her an acute awareness of her surroundings, especially when moving around at high speeds, and it helped her immensely when playing sports like soccer or basketball. Though she had had this ability long before she got her powers, the spider-sense meshed pretty well with it, and only made her more aware of what was going on around her.
However...there was one problem with this. See, for while she could keep a thorough check on her surroundings most of the time, she did have a terrible habit of missing things that were going on right under her nose...such as when Iron Will decided to reach up and grab her by her ankle while she was too distracted checking out the audience for instance.
Distracted as she was, she didn't even notice what was going on before he pulled her away from her perch on the ceiling and slammed her back down onto the floor. She hit it like a bug on a windshield, her chest and left cheek taking the brunt of the impact. Saying that it wasn't the most pleasant landing in the world would probably be a bit of an understatement.
Rainbow let out an agonising groan, 'Stupid spider-sense, aren't you supposed to warn me about these things?'
"That looked painful," Twilight commented while wincing at the sight.
"Yeah..." Pinkie agreed, "I hope she's okay though. I might have to make some hospital muffins otherwise. Do you think she likes lemon or chocolate?"
Having seemingly already defeated his opponent, Iron Will slammed his foot onto her back to keep her down, and then struck a pose for the audience.
"When someone tries to mock, I'll show them THAT I ROCK!" he loudly announced, earning another cheer from the spectators to fuel his ego. "Remember, kids, this is what happens when you act like a coward before the great Iron Will! I pity the next fool who tries to pull an attempt like this on Iron Will again!"
Pinned under his impressive weight, and still feeling the impact of being slammed down to the floor from such a height, Rainbow Dash was not exactly in a favourable position...to say the least. It didn't help that she was also wearing a full-body spandex outfit that was uncomfortably clinging onto her body when she was starting to get sweaty, with a mask that didn't make it any easier for air circulation either.
'Well, at least I tried.' Rainbow silently conceded, 'I suppose it would be too much to ask to win against someone as awesome as Iron Will the Minotaur on the first try, right?'
Though, just when she was about to give up...she realised something.
'Wait, wait, wait, the fight isn't over yet, is it? Hell no if I got anything to say about it! I'm freaking Rainbow Danger Dash! Since when did I give up this easily?!'
Under her mask, Rainbow's expression turned into a sly grin, 'Besides, no one said webs weren't allowed...'
Seconds before the match was about to be declared a victory in Iron Will's favour, the wrestler was taken completely off-guard when he suddenly got sprayed with a face-full of cobweb. A bit of a cheap shot, sure, but she had a reputation to maintain, and she wasn't going to let everyone's first impression of the 'Awesome Spider-Girl' be that of a pushover.
With Iron Will temporarily distracted trying to free his face from the sticky and surprisingly tough webbing, Spider-Girl ceased the opportunity to spin out from her position under his foot, quickly take a grip on his leg, then yank it hard enough to make him trip and fall down to the floor.
Now free from her previous predicament, Spider-Girl got up back up on her feet with a surprising spring in her step. And even though her body was still in a bit of pain, she showed no visible signs of any injuries and her outward attitude was just as sharp as it had been when she had first stepped inside the ring...probably even sharper, actually.
With a particularly hard pull, Iron Will finally managed to rip the webbing out of his face. Though...the act of doing that stung quite a bit. Now with his vision cleared, he shook his head and blinked a little in an attempt to make sense of what just happened.
The sound of a very annoying voice that he had very recently been introduced to then got his attention.
"I'm sorry, were you in the middle of something? Tell me what hurts most, your back or your ego?"
Iron Will immediately realised what she had done.
Just when he was about to win and move on to a hopefully more challenging and less irksome opponent, the little spider had somehow gotten the drop on him and turned the tables in less than ten seconds. In other words: she had decided to embarrass him in front of his fans with a cheap trick, and then rub salt in his wounds by mocking him.
Needless to say, now he was pissed!
Iron Will sprang up like a spring with a very clear look of irritation and barely controlled rage on his face. "Oh, OH, I'd hate to be you right now, for Iron Will is gonna rain down a world of hurt for trying to humiliate Iron Will!"
"Trying?" Spider-Girl scoffed, "Thought I succeeded with that already."
"YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" The wrestler shouted just before he charged at her again, this time with his arms extended in an attempt to catch her with an arm-lock.
Once again though, her spider-reflexes gave her the advantage, and she easily side-stepped out of the way while simultaneously ducking under the arms that were making a futile effort to stop her escape. It didn't even take her a second before she had ended up behind him again.
Before he had time to react to the Spider-Girl's quick escape, she proceeded to fire a sling of web at his back and used it to yank him across the ring and throw him straight back into the ropes on the other side.
As cocky as ever, Spider-Girl commented, "Hey, this is a lot easier than I thought, and this isn't even my final form!"
Spider-Girl's boast didn't really make much sense to Iron Will while he was recovering from his second painful impact with the ropes today. "Uh, what?"
"Sorry, been watching too much Dragon Ball lately." Spider-Girl admitted while scratching the back of her neck, "Though come to think of it, anyone ever tell you you sound a lot like that Hercule guy? I can't be the only one who's noticed that, can I?"
"I DID TOO!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted from the audience.
Rainbow couldn't help but give out a small chuckle at that, but Iron Will was not nearly as amused by the comparison...even if he had no idea what she was talking about. It didn't help that her next comment happened to be, "Well, I guess it makes sense considering that you're both just as impressive, which is to say...not much at all."
That was it.
Now practically seething with anger, Iron Will made yet another reckless charge at her while letting out a vengeful war cry. While it might have been more successful to learn from his mistakes and try something else, Spider-Girl's excessive taunting and cheap tactics had fuelled his rage to his breaking point.
However, this time, Rainbow decided to changer her tactic. 'Same thing three times in a row? I knew making him mad would be the trick. Now, time for my coup de grace...'
As soon as he came within range, instead of trying to avoid him, she gave him quite a surprise when she suddenly grabbed him by the torso and threw him over her shoulder with an expertly timed judo throw.
Rainbow Dash had dabbled a little in martial arts in the past, and her spider-strength gave her the edge she needed to perform such a feat. However, neither of those facts were Iron Will aware of, and considering his mood at the time, he likely wouldn't have thought about that even if he was aware of it.
This time though, the ropes didn't catch him, and Iron Will was flung out of the ring entirely with a considerable painful landing on the floor outside. Luckily, he didn't sustain any permanent injuries, but it was pretty clear that he was down for the count.
For a second there, it looked as though he was about to get right back up...but then he fell back down to the floor in exhaustion.
The crowd was shocked into silence by this outcome. Not a single one of them ever expected the great wrestling legend Iron Will the Minotaur himself...to get handily defeated by a little girl in a silly spandex costume who had never stood inside the ring of a wrestling arena before.
Heck, even Pinkie Pie was speechless! Not an easy feat, mind you.
Spider-Girl put her hands on her hips and looked around in the audience to see the spectators' very entertaining reactions. 'Man, the looks on their faces are precious!'
"What? Didn't any of you think I had it in me?!" She asked out loud, causing a couple of murmurs to be heard from the crowd.
"Well, well, well..." The charming voice of Gladmane began, the man himself stepping into the ring to stand next to the victor of the spectacle he had just witnessed from the sidelines. "It seems to me that we have a new winner, uh-huh-huh. Now, folks, let's all hear it for our new champion: THE AWESOME SPIDER-GIRL!"
With his announcement, everyone in the audience began to stand up and cheer as loud as they could, the shear power of their voices quickly filling Rainbow Dash with pride.
She completely relished in their attention and adoration, and pumped her arms in the air to show off her excitement, and after that even did a silly little victory dance.
It was even better when a chorus of "SPIDER-GIRL, SPIDER-GIRL, SPIDER-GIRL, SPIDER-GIRL, SPIDER-GIRL...!" started to echo across the room.
Even in the midst of this all, there was one voice among the lot who was cheering way louder than everyone else, even so much that Rainbow Dash could easily pick up on who it was.
However, the person who that voice belonged to...was not Pinkie Pie, surprisingly enough. She was cheering too, but Pinkie's cheers were nowhere near as loud as Twilight Sparkle's, who was just bursting with excitement and was practically bouncing in her seat.
"WHOOHOO! YOU GO, SPIDER-GIRL! HOOOHOOO! YEAAAAAAH!" The not so shy, but still nerdy Twilight shouted in an unexpected moment of bravado.
Even though no one could see it, Rainbow Dash was grinning like an idiot under her mask. 'This day has been freaking awesome! First, me and mom got over that stupid Gilda-thing, then I get to look cool while kicking Iron Will's butt, and now I'm gonna collect my reward and a new camera will be mine! Baby, I'm on a roll! Let's just hope my luck holds out.'