Of Flame and Shadow

by Garuda IV

Chapter 56- Road to Coliseum Champion: Part I

Despite waking up to see Twilight sleeping peacefully in his arms, Dark couldn't help but feel completely awake. With his thoughts on the fight at the Coliseum today, it became more difficult for him to remain with her in bed. Shadow Melding, Dark slipped out unnoticed from the bed and made his way into the hallways. From there, he went directly to the dining hall where he reappeared from the shadows. As soon as he did, the sweet smells of food assaulted his senses. Everything ranging from waffles, pancakes, omelets, and even...

"Is that bacon?" Dark asked, alerting everyone to his sudden appearance.

Surprised, Rainbow, Applejack, Spike, Pyre, Celestia, and Luna looked over to see Dark with his nose raised, sniffing the air.

"Umm, yes, it is," Celestia answered, surprised that he recognized the smell. "I'm surprised that you know what bacon is."

Dark gave a nervous chuckle and took a seat. "Remember when I crossed into that other world?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Well, while I was there, I was introduced to sausage, and later, bacon."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow said. "You ate meat?!"

"I didn't know it at the time... but..."

"But?"

Dark's mouth watered. "It was sooooooo goooood."

"Oh. I didn't know that you ate meat, Dark," Luna said in surprise.

"Did. I haven't had any since I came back to Equestria... minus the salami during the Hearth's Warming Ball. "

"Oh?" Pyre smirked. "So you haven't eaten pony?"

Dark glared at Pyre. "Ohhhh no! Don't you think that I don't know that you're asking, Pyre!" Besides, I already made that mistake with Sunset Shimmer once already. Dark paused as another thought came to mind. Hmm. Wonder when she and the other girls are going to come over for that visit?

"Could we not go there please?" Spike asked with a grumble. "I'd rather not think about stuff like that while I'm eating."

"I agree," Celestia spoke. "Though I appreciate some entertainment with my food, this is overdoing it. By the way, Dark, why are you up so soon? I thought that you would want to get as much rest as you could for this evening."

"Me too," he agreed, "but I was too excited when I woke up. That, and the smell of bacon isn't doing me any favors."

"If you want, we have plenty of bacon that you could have."

"Ah'm surprised that y'all even have bacon ta start with, Princess," Applejack commented.

"They're usually for foreign dignitaries who like to eat meat, Applejack," Luna explained. "Mainly griffons."

"And dragons?" Spike questioned.

"While dragons can eat it as you and Pyre have demonstrated, we rarely have any of them visit."

"Their loss," Pyre said, tossing another piece into his maw. As he did, he noticed Dark eyeing his bacon with a small strand of drool and decided to taunt him by slowly eating the next piece, causing Dark to whimper.

Noticing this, Celestia moved the plate of bacon over to Dark. "Go ahead and help yourself, Dark."

Before he began eating it, Dark looked back over to Celestia. When he got a go-ahead nod from her, he looked back to the pile of bacon before diving in maw first. After a few seconds of crunching bacon and crumbs flying around, Dark cleaned the plate of bacon. Giving a content sigh, he leaned back in his chair before letting out a flaming belch. Remembering where he was, Dark opened his eyes and looked around to see everyone looking at him in disbelief. Whether it was because of his manners while eating or his fire-breathing belch, Dark didn't want to guess.

"Oops," Dark muttered. "Sorry."

"You know, Dark," Pyre began with a smirk, "it's times like this when I see you as an actual brother."

"Dude, nice push," Rainbow complimented.

"Eeyup," Applejack agreed with a chuckle. "Glad that Rarity wasn't here ta see or hear that."

"I must agree," Luna said. "However, as good as that was, perhaps you could be a little cleaner while eating?"

"Sorry, Princess," Dark apologized. "I'm not really sure what came over me."

"Probably your dragon instincts," Pyre guessed with a shrug. "Happens to all of us."

"I take it that you liked the bacon then?" Celestia asked with a small smirk. "It's difficult to tell with how quickly you inhaled it."

"Very much, Princess," Dark answered with a smile. "I feel like I have more energy now after eating that meat."

"Don't get too excited now," Rainbow said. "You'll want to save it for this afternoon."

"She's right," Luna spoke. "Nopony has beaten the current champion since he took the title almost four years ago now. Plus, they changed the rules this year."

"How so?" Dark wondered.

"To fight the champion, you'll have to defeat fifty gladiators one at a time."

"Jeeze. Why'd they do that?" Rainbow questioned. "And why so many?"

"Too many ponies were making it to the champion, so they added it to 'thin out the herd', as they put it. So now, only the best can have a chance to fight him. They even added in a five minute break after every ten gladiators you defeat."

"But that still ain't fair!" Applejack protested. "Even with those breaks, by the time Dark is done fightin' all of them, he'll be too tired ta fight him."

"Or her," Spike commented. "Remember that nopony knows who this champion is, including their gender."

"Can't y'all just find out who this champion is? Ah mean, y'all are princesses, y'all can do that, right?"

"I'm sorry, Applejack," Celestia apologized, "but we've made an agreement when the Coliseum first opened that Luna and I wouldn't interfere with their rules in any way. That includes discovering the identity of the champion, should they decide to keep their identity hidden from everypony."

"It's fine," Dark said, grabbing a stack of waffles and drowning them in maple syrup. "All that I need to know is that this champion specializes in defensive spells like Shining does. And after our two fights together, I have a pretty good idea of how to beat him... or her."

"Care to share with us?" Luna asked.

"Depends on if you or Princess Celestia are the champion or not," he smirked. "After all, if nopony knows who this champion is, then it could very well be either of you in disguise."

Celestia and Luna both burst out loud in amusement.

"No, Dark," Celestia chuckled. "Neither Luna nor I are the champion, so it's safe to tell us."

"Okay then. In that case, when I first fought with Shining, I noticed that his barrier didn't cover the ground below his hooves when I had a Fire Seal placed on the ground. When he saw it, he froze like he knew that he was beaten. That's what I'm planning on doing if I face the champion. Well, that and one other thing that Pyre taught me."

"You mean when you face him," Pyre corrected.

"I told you yesterday, Pyre, that I'm not wanting to jinx it."

"Don't you worry your precious little head about it, Darky," Pinkie said, startling him and the others as she suddenly appeared from behind his seat.

"Gah! Pinkie! When did you get here?!" Dark shouted in surprise.

"Oh silly, I've been here the whole time," she smiled.

"Then why- nope, forget it, I'm not even going to start."

"Anyway, like I was saying, you'll do fine today. It's tomorrow that you should be worried about."

Dark raised a curious eyebrow. "Why should I be worried about tomorrow?"

Pinkie's smile turned to a knowing grin. "Oh, you'll see."

---

After Twilight and the others joined them and finished their breakfasts, she, Dark, Spike, Soul, and the Crusaders went back over to her parents' house to visit. Like yesterday, Velvet showered Soul with love and affection, which also included a fresh tray of homemade cookies that she baked. This was also the first time that Velvet and Night had a chance to meet Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. While they did see them during and after Shining's and Cadence's wedding, they didn't get to talk to them. But now, with them being Spike's three fillyfirends, they were more than happy to welcome and get to know them. So, it would be understanding that they would be surprised that each of them were the younger sisters of Twilight's friends.

"So, dears," Velvet began, smiling at them and Spike as they all sat on the couch, "how long have you four been together?"

After swallowing her cookie, Sweetie Belle was the first to answer. "Actually, it didn't start out as the four of us right away."

"Oh?"

"It was actually Spike and I who were together first."

"And how did that happen?"

"It's actually thanks to Dark that we got together. It started back in September when Dark was attacked by those timberwolves. After I heard that he was hurt, I went with Rarity to the hospital to support him." Sweetie Belle's mood dampened. "I wasn't prepared for the emotional toil it had. I wanted to be a good friend and be there for him, but it's hard when there's nothing you can do except wait. It was then that Spike came over and sat down with me. We got to talking and before I knew it, I started crying, afraid that Dark wouldn't make it. Spike was sweet, though. He hugged me and letting me cry onto him. I don't know how long that lasted for until I fell asleep. The next morning, I wake-up in my bed with Spike still holding me."

"Yeah," Spike sighed. "I guess that Rarity didn't want to wake us up, so she let us be like that after she brought us back to her place."

"And that's when you two decided to become a couple?" Velvet asked.

"Yep. Turns out that we've both had feelings for each other, but were too nervous to act on them... that was, until I woke-up and saw Sweetie lying there in my arms."

"Awww. So then, how did Apple Bloom and Scootaloo come into the picture?"

"Well," Sweetie Belle began, "as it turned out, both of them kinda felt the same about Spike, but were too afraid of ruining our friendship to pursue him after we got together."

"It wasn't till Spike, Twilight, and Dark went on their trip ta Canterlot least year that we talked about it," Apple Bloom took over. "Sweetie found Scoots and Ah in the clubhouse, and then we began tellin' Sweetie about how we felt about Spike."

"It took a little bit of convincing, though," Sweetie Belle said.

"More like you wouldn't stop bugging us about it," Scootaloo corrected, getting a small frown from Sweetie Belle.

"Girls," Velvet said sternly, trying to stop their bickering before it escalated. "You were saying, Apple Bloom?"

"Right," she began. "Anyway, after talkin' with Sweetie, and subtly askin' some of the grown-ups for advice, we all agreed ta share Spike."

"So you girls are in a herd with Spike?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sweetie Belle answered. "It wasn't until the morning after Nightmare Night that it happened. Of course, we had to ask Spike about his opinion first."

"And I still say that it's the best decision I've ever made," Spike said, pulling the three fillies into a hug.

"I can see that," Velvet smiled. She then noticed that Spike's arms almost reached around all three of them. "Spike? Have you grown?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!"

"When did this happen?"

"Just a few weeks ago. According to Pyre, this is actually natural for me."

"Well, it's nice to see you growing up. I remember hearing from you how you wished you could be bigger, and now you can."

Spike smiled. "That's not the only thing that Pyre told us." Lifting a claw and focusing on the plate of cookies, Spike used his new-found magic to levitate a single cookie off of the plate and into his waiting claw. "Turns out that my species of dragon is able to use magic. Isn't that great?!"

Thought initially startled, Velvet quickly regained her composure. "You mean that you can use magic like us?" she asked, getting a nod from Spike as he began munching on his cookie.

"Yep. Twilight's been teaching me how to use my magic properly, but it's still difficult for me to do. I can't levitate anything heavy yet. I tried with my luggage, but it was too heavy for me. Now these cookies or gems on the other claw, that I can do. Oh, and of course books too."

Velvet chuckled. "I'll bet that it makes reshelving Twilight's books easier for you."

"You have no idea. But I can't do it for too long, though, or else I'll start to get a headache."

For the next few hours, they caught up on what's been going on since they last saw each other. They were later joined by Twilight, Dark, Soul, and Night, who just came back from grabbing groceries from the market for lunch and tonight's dinner. After they had their lunch and cleaned up after it, they all sat together in the living room and watched some of the shows on Night and Velvet's gem. A few hours later of watching the first of the 'The Lady of the Rings' trilogy, Velvet turned it off.

"Alright everyone," she began, walking over to the door, "it's about time that we got going."

"Awww," the Crusaders whined in unison. "But we wanna see what happens next."

"You three can watch it tomorrow. Right now, though, we need to get ourselves to the Coliseum. Especially you, Dark."

Dark glanced up at the clock. "But it's not for another two hours, and the Coliseum is only a twenty minute walk from here."

"Maybe, but you remember what ponies were saying in the streets, right?" Night reminded him. "If what they all said is true, then the place will be packed."

Seeing that Spike and everypony else were already moving, Dark shrugged. "Might as well then. I could just use that extra time to look over my gear that I'll be using."

"Good," Twilight said. "Because we're also suppose to meet with the girls, Pyre, and the princesses at the Coliseum steps. Now let's go."

---

Just as Night had said, the Coliseum was already being flooded with ponies of all kinds at the entrance. From nobles to commoners, they came either by hoof, or by their wings. Even a few griffons could be spotted walking in. Standing across the street from it, Dark and the others watched as hundreds of ponies entered through the gates.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Dark commented.

"Do you see our friends anywhere?" Twilight asked, scanning the crowds for their friends.

After a few moments of looking, Soul, who was on top of Dark's back and had propped himself up on Dark's head, pointed over to their right.

"I think I see them," he said.

Sure enough, as soon as they all turned over to where Soul was pointing, they saw who they were looking for. Of course, with Pyre, Celestia, and Luna with them, ponies were keeping their distance from them.

"Okay, kids," Velvet said, "let's stay close now. I don't want any of you fillies getting away from us. That includes you two too, Spike, Soul."

"Okay," they all responded.

Positioning themselves in a circle so that Spike and the Crusaders were safe in the center of their circle, as a group, they made their way over to where the others were waiting. A minute later of accidentally having ponies bump into them and vice versa, they were able to reunite with their friends and family. With nopony coming close to them, the Crusaders split up and jumped on their respective sister's backs.

"Is everyone ready?" Celestia asked, getting a nod from everyone in their group. "Then let's go."

With her up front, Celestia led them towards the Coliseum entrance. As they went, some ponies stopped to bow to her, Luna, and Twilight, while others backed away from seeing Pyre walking with them, and a few other were watching Dark. When they got to the top of the stairs, they all stopped as they heard loud cheering coming from behind them. Turning around to see what was going on, they all saw four of the Coliseum guards escorting a pony in silver armor covered by a white cloak with a darkened hood.

"Is that..." Dark began.

"The champion," Celestia finished.

"This is a surprise," Luna said. "I've never heard of him coming here to watch a match unless he was apart of it."

"If he's here, then you must have a pretty good chance, Dark," Pyre commented.

Instead of responding, Dark remained silent, trying to use his night vision to look beneath the darkness beneath the champion's hood that hid their face. It proved to be impossible, though, causing him to give a small grunt of frustration.

"Can't see beneath the hood?" Twilight guessed, noticing his gaze and getting a nod from him.

"It would be so much easier to know who this pony is," he grumbled.

"Well, it looks like we're about ta find out," Applejack said, "because here they come."

As the champion and their escort approached, cheering fans parted way for them to walk, allowing them to pass unimpeded. That was, until they stopped briefly to give a silent yet respectful bow to the three princesses. When they finished showing them their respect, they continued past them.

As they did, Dark could practically feel the champion's glare lingering on him before entering the Coliseum. Once they were out of sight, Dark released a breath he didn't know that he'd been holding onto and continued to follow Celestia and Luna into the Coliseum.

"Wow, Dark," Rainbow said, hovering alongside him, "looks like somepony's got your number."

"No doubt that he'll be scouting you," Pyre added.

"Or her," Spike reminded.

"No, Spike. This champion is defiantly male."

"How can you tell?" Twilight wondered. "There were no signs of either gender. Even the armor covering the champion is throwing us off."

"I can tell by the scent. Even though it's diluted by the other smells around here, I could still tell that that pony is male."

"Okay, but how does that help me exactly?" Dark questioned.

"Hey, don't look at me. It's not my problem."

Passing through the Coliseum gates, they went up to the booths where they turned in their prepaid tickets, minus Dark who got in for free due to his participation. Entering the main lobby, they looked around and immediately noticed a familiar stallion approaching them.

"Well, well, well," he said with an eager grin, "haven't seen you ponies in a while. You either, Your Highnesses."

"It has been a while, hasn't it, First Strike?" Luna returned.

First Strike chuckled. "Yes, it has, Princess. I'm glad that you and Princess Celestia could come. Tonight's proving to be quite the outcome."

"So we've noticed," Celestia said with a smile.

Giving another chuckle, First Strike looked over their group and smiled. "So, new blood, are you ready for tonight?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be," Dark answered with a shrug. "And are you always going to call me that?"

"Hey, you've had only one fight here, so you're still new to us. Now, whether or not I continue to call you that will depend on how well you do tonight. By the way, should we be expecting a show like you put on for us last time?"

"Ehh, kinda."

"Huh?"

"While my fire magic has improved significantly, I've been forbidden to use my shadows and other magics."

"What? Why?"

"Because I was told to."

"But who would-" First Strike paused when he remembered how Dark's last fight ended. As he did, he glanced over to Twilight, who innocently looked off to nowhere in particular. "Ahh, I see now. So she's got you on a leash, huh?"

Dark gave a small grunt. "Yeah."

Twilight's ears perked. "What was that, Dark?"

"Nothing!"

"Good boy."

This raised a round of laughter from the others watching, including that of another who was approaching them.

"I must say, laddy, she's really got ye by the kahunas, doesn't she."

Turning to the direction of the voice, they quickly identified its owner.

"Hey, Anvil!" Dark shouted, happy to see the old smith again.

"Dark, how ye been, ye crazy bastar-"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a red and white striped round shield with a blue center with a white star hit the side of Anvil's head, knocking him down. Regaining his bearings, he watched as the shield somehow returned to its pink owner.

"Language," Pinkie told him.

"What in the blazes was that for, lass?" Anvil asked confusingly with a hint of annoyance.

"There are kids present," she said before pointing a hoof at him, "and language."

"What?! This is the Coliseum ye crazy-" Anvil was interrupted again with another flying shield to the head.

"Language!"

While the others laughed at Pinkie and Anvil, Celestia, while struggling to stifle her laughter, walked over to the downed stallion.

"Perhaps it would be best to listen to her for now," she suggested, helping Anvil back to his hooves.

"Aye, that sounds like a mighty fine idea, Yer Highness," he agreed, looking over at Pinkie. "And where did ye get that shield anyway, lassy?" Instead of being given an verbal answer, Anvil watched as Pinkie instead put the shield in her mane. "What in Equestria?"

"Dude, just don't," Dark sighed, putting a claw on his shoulder. "None of us know how Pinkie does what she does."

"... aye. If ye say so, lad. So, ye gonna use that weapon ye made at me forge?"

"With my magic being limited, the thought did cross my mind, but it would probably be better if I didn't. For their sakes."

"Aye, I suppose that's reason enough. Wouldn't want ye to accidentally kill somepony now, would ye?"

Technically, if I did, I could just regenerate their wounds and stuff their soul back into their body, Dark thought, but wasn't eager to test it.

"Sorry ta interrupt," Applejack said, standing between Dark and Anvil, "but shouldn't we try ta find ourselves some seats before they're all taken?"

"That won't be a problem, Applejack," Luna spoke, gaining their attention.

"Forgive me for questioning you, but are you sure, Princess?" Rarity asked. "After all, with all of these ponies here, it will most certainly be difficult for us to find a place where we can sit as a group."

Luna smirked. "Not if we use the box seats."

"Sounds like you got everything planned," First Strike said before turning to Dark. "Alright, new blood. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the waiting room. I take it that you remember the one I'm talking about?"

Dark nodded and followed First Strike. "The same one as last time, right?"

"Yep. Speaking of which, could you try to not break anymore of our equipment?" he half-jokingly asked.

"Don't worry about that. I brought my own gear with me this time."

Once Dark and First Strike were out of sight, Celestia turned to Anvil.

"If you want, Anvil, you're more than welcome to join us," she offered.

"Thank ye kindly, Yer Highness," he said with a bow. "It would be an honor ta join ye."

"You're welcome. Now then, let's get going shall we?"

Following Celestia, the others filed in behind her. As they walked down the halls, Anvil glanced over at Pyre.

"So, who's the giant red lizard?"

---

Down in the waiting room, Dark sat on one of the benches, trying to contain the adrenaline pumping through him. To help pass the time, he summoned his armor and pulled two of his weapons from his Shadow Storage. One was a two-handed battle-axe with an axe head the size of his body, and the other was a two-handed greatsword, which just happened to be one of the two that he used the last time he was here.

With them out, he pulled out a sharpening stone that he brought with him from the forge and began to sharpen their blades. It took him the better part of an hour before they were sharpened to his liking, leaving him with about a half-hour until his fight. With plenty of time to spare, Dark began to enchant his greatsword with an enchantment before enchanting his battle-axe with another. With the enchantments finished, Dark took the greatsword into his right claw, then the battle-axe with his left, and placed them both on his back.

Armed and armored, Dark retook his seat and sat patiently for him to be called. Before that, though, the door to the room opened up to First Strike entering.

"You look ready to go, new blood," he commented.

"I am, but this wait feels like it's taking forever," Dark complained. "How much longer until we can get this thing started?"

"Just a few more minutes. But first, I'm here to go over the rules with you."

"If it's about the new rule change where I have to fight fifty gladiators before facing the champion with a five minute break after every ten rounds, then I already know."

"... okay, that makes what I need to tell you easier. Yes, that was part of it, but there are a few others that you should be aware of."

"Okay."

"For starters, there will be no time limit for these fights. The match will end only when either one of you is knocked out."

"So same rules as when I fought Shining then?"

"... pretty much. The biggest part, though, is that you can stop at any time in-between rounds. If you do, then you're done and will receive a prize depending on how far you got. However, if you lose anytime during the gauntlet, you won't be awarded anything."

"Then I'll just have to make sure that I don't lose."

"Hah, that's what I like to hear."

"Now, what about placing an enchantment or spell on the field?" Dark wondered.

"With this kind of match, anything goes. Just remember that your opponent can do the same thing, be it covering the field in ice, turning it to sand, creating hurricane-like winds, or setting the entire field on fire."

"Wouldn't that be unfair if I did it, though? You know, considering that the next guy would have to walk into it?"

"It would," First Strike began with a smirk, "if the field didn't magically reset itself after each round. The only enchantments that won't be affected would be the ones placed on your equipment."

"Okay, that makes much more sense now. Anything else I should know about?"

"Yes, there is one more, actually," First Strike said, moving in to whisper it to Dark. When he did, Dark's eyes widened as an excited grin crept up on his face.

"Now that sounds like fun," he said giddily. "Anything else besides that?"

"Nope, that's about it. And besides." First Strike paused just before the sound of the horn blowing rang through the building. "It's time. Show them a good time, new blood! And good luck!"

"Thanks," Dark replied, waking over to the gate as it slowly opened for him.

Once it was fully opened, Dark walked into the familiar arena where the shouts and cheers of thousands of ponies echoed across the Coliseum. When he stopped near his half of the arena, he looked around at all of the ponies and few griffins who came to watch. Soon his sights fell over the princesses, his friends, family, and of course, Twilight, all of whom were cheering for him.

"Wow, that's a lot of ponies," Dark said to himself. "And it looks like they've got a new announcer."

"Welcome, everypony, to tonight's Coliseum matchup!" the announcer spoke through the speakers, causing the crowd to erupt even louder. "Tonight, we have a returning fighter who's got his eyes set on the title of Coliseum Champion. You might've seen him during his debut fight last year against Prince Shining Armor, who's match ended in an unexpected draw."

"Are they ever going to forget that?" Twilight asked.

"I doubt it," Luna answered. "You and Cadence did make quite the scene by dragging those two off like that."

"Not that I would complain about it, of course," Celestia said with a small smirk.

"Of course you would, sister. After all, it was Twilight's and Cadence's interference that led you to winning that bet."

"Mare and gentelcolts, I present to you, the kirin without reason, the berserk of hurt, the lord of fire-"

"That's me you stupid pony!" Pyre shouted with a raised fist, but was unheard due to the volume of the cheering.

"Dark Flame!"

Again, the crowd erupted in to cheers while at his announcement while Dark himself remained where he was and gave the crowd a small bow of his head. Of course, there was no denying that the adrenaline he was feeling was even greater now than it had just a moment ago. Doing his best to keep himself from bouncing with excitement like Pinkie would, Dark closed his eyes and tried taking steady breaths. As he did, the announce spoke up.

"Now, let me give a quick recap of the rules," he began. "First and most importantly, there will be no interference from any outside sources. And to assure that wouldn't happen... again, we've increased the power of the magical barrier surrounding the arena. Now that that's out of the way, with this match, the challenger will have to face fifty gladiators in one-on-one combat before he can face the champion. However, after ever ten rounds, there will be a five minute break for the challenger to rest and recuperate. If the challenger wishes it, he can bow-out at any time in-between each round. If he does, he'll receive a price according to his standing. However, if he loses at any point, even during the match with the champion, he won't receive anything. Now then, is the challenger ready?"

Throwing his head back, Dark let loose a loud, draconic roar that echoed throughout the Coliseum.

"I'll take that as a yes. In that case, let the first round... begin!"

Another round of cheers sounded as the gate opposite to Dark began to open. When it did, a gruff looking earth pony stallion wearing nothing but a pair of gauntlets walked out from the gate and approached the center.

"Round one... fight!"

Without hesitation, the gruff stallion charged Dark. But before he could get close enough, Dark took in a quick breath before unleashing a torrent of flame from his burning maw directly at the charging stallion. Seconds later when he'd stopped breathing his fire, Dark looked down at the scorched stallion before looking up to at the projection screen to see his health gauge had been depleted.

"Well... that was fast," the announcer said in surprise. "Okay. Next round I guess. Hey! Can somepony get that guy out of here?"

Seconds later, a group of ponies in white ran out with a stretcher and placed the charred stallion on it before making a quick exit.

"Is that pony going to be okay?" Sweetie Belle worryingly asked.

"Worry not, Sweetie Belle," Luna said reassuringly. "The ponies here will take good care of anypony who gets hurt. Besides, the damage absorbers took most of the damage for him."

"Alrighty, everypony!" the announcer spoke. "That fight was a bit lacklustered, so let's see how the next gladiator will do." Immediately afterwards, the gates opened to a pegasus branding a pair of daggers in her forehooves. "If both combatants are ready, then let us begin round two. Ready... fight!"

Much like the first one, this gladiator charged at Dark. However, as a pegasus, her speed and mobility was far greater than that of the earth pony stallion before her. And the twin daggers she was sporting only complimented her fighting style. Flying in fast and low, she sped directly towards Dark, but before he could ready another fire breath, she darted off to the side of him and dragged the curved blade of one of her daggers along Dark's side. Unfortunately for her, the chainmail lining beneath Dark's clothing glanced the strike off of him with no damage inflicted.

While surprised by her speed and swiftness, Dark readied himself by standing on his hooves and flexing his claws. The next time she came around for another strike, Dark met her dagger by gripping it in his claw. With the super-dragon durability and strength his draconic limbs provided, he held firmly onto the blade without drawing any blood from his claw. Smirking at seeing her trying to free her weapon from him, Dark tightened his grip on the dagger, causing the metal to crack before it finally snapped.

Taking her moment of hesitation over the breaking of her weapon, Dark reached below the hovering pegasus and yanked her down by her tail. With her temporarily stunned by the impact, Dark then began to fling her over him and slam her on the ground on his other side. He continued this several more times before he spun around in a circle, dragging her across the ground before throwing her up into the air. Before she could regain control, though, Dark had flown up to meet her before her body could fall and slammed his tail against her, sending her hurdling down to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Landing back down, Dark flapped his wings again and blew the dust cloud away, revealing the unconscious pegasus. And like the pony before her, the medical team took her away to tend to any injuries that she'd sustained. Once she was cleared, and with Dark's willingness to continue, the next pony walked in. This one, however, was a unicorn wearing what looked like royal guard armor, along with a spear and shield hovering on either side of him in his magic.

"Who's that, Princess?" Twilight asked, seeing the small glare Celestia was giving the stallion.

"Truant, a former member in the royal guard," she dangerously answered.

"'Truant'? But that's another word for-"

"Runaway, or Deserter, if you would prefer. Which is exactly what he is."

Now it was Twilight who's eyes furrowed. Looking back down, she lit her horn and subtly casted a telepathy spell.

Dark, can you hear me?

Dark's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the voice and looked over to its owner. Twilight? How are you-

Telepathy spell, she quickly explained. Listen, that stallion is a deserter of the royal guard.

Huh. Well that explains the armor and weapons.

Yes, and Princess Celestia isn't too happy to see him here.

Dark grinned. Are you asking me to punish him on behalf of the princess?

... in a matter of speaking.

"Hey! Freak!" Truant shouted, gaining Dark's attention. "You going to fight me, or are you too much of a coward to face me?!"

... I don't like this guy already, Dark mentally told Twilight. If you'll excuse me, hon, I have a flank to kick.

Have fun, she told him, breaking the connection and turning back to Celestia with a smile.

"You think that an abomination like you can beat me?" Truant scoffed. "I'll show you just how worthless you are compared to me!"

"Says the guy who deserted the royal guard," Dark shot back, causing him to give an angry snort.

Raising his shield and spear, Truant charged at Dark before running to his right and thrusting his spear at Dark. However, Dark grabbed the spearhead with his left claw while swiping at the shaft with his right, cleaving the spear in half. With his weapon broken, Truant discarded it and drew his sword. He took a few swipes with it at Dark, but each was met with a parry of Dark's claw. Feeling like he was being mocked, Truant lunged his sword and shield at both of Dark's claws, which he caught... just as Truant planned. With nothing blocking him, Truant fired a beam from his horn at Dark's face, but was too slow with his charging as Dark used his wings to shield himself and block the attack.

Jumping back to put some distance between them, Truant watched as Dark broke the sword with one claw while he threw the shield off to the edge of the arena with the other. With nothing else to fall back on, Truant created a magical barrier around him. When Dark came over and slammed his claw on it without damaging it, Truant began laughing at him.

"Hahaha! You stupid dumbplot!" he laughed, prompting Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack to immediately cover their younger sister's ears while Twilight did the same for Spike and Soul. "I was trained by Prince Shining Armor while he was still our Captain! You have no chance of breaking my barrier!"

Giving him a throaty growl, Dark reached his left claw back for his battle-axe and brought it out. Taking it with both claws, he positioned his footing and slowly raised his axe. By the time he held it high over his head, Dark gave Truant a fanged grin as he watched his pupils turn to pinpricks. Taking a moment to enjoy seeing him realize that he'd backed himself into a corner with his own barrier, Dark brought the battle-axe down upon his barrier.

The moment the axe blade touched the barrier, a fiery explosion erupted from the point of impact, filling the Coliseum with a thunderous boom, along with the sound of shattered glass. Despite the debris from the explosion, the crowd was still able to see the outline of Truant within the smoke and dust as the impact of the explosion hit him with enough force to cause his body to bounce off of the ground and up a few feet.

Showing no mercy, Dark brought the battle-axe back, and with a one-handed backswing, he struck Truant on his breastplate and cleaved through the armor. Like before, the battle-axe exploded on impact, sending him hurling like a cannonball towards the arena walls and embedding him into it when he crashed into it.

"Arrogant loudmouth," Dark muttered, sheathing his battle-axe on his back.

Returning to his starting place, Dark waited for the medical team to pry Truant out from the stone walls. While he waited, he looked over to his cheer section to see Celestia give him a satisfied and approving nod while the audience cheered.

"HAHAHA!" Pyre laughed. "He actually used it!"

"Used what?" Twilight wondered.

Pyre grinned. "I taught him how cast the Explosion enchantment, which he used on that axe of his. Now whenever it strikes something, it'll create a beautiful explosion. Really effective against some of the more denser obstacles."

"Like Truant's barrier," Twilight said. As she did, he came to a realization. "You taught Dark an enchantment for destroying magical barriers?!"

Pyre shrugged. "Hey, I only taught him the spell. He's the one who figured out its uses and applied it."

"But doesn't the champion specialize in those kind of spells?" Applejack asked, causing each of them to look over to the champion who was sitting in the custom-made box seat for the Coliseum Champion.

"Yes, Applejack, he does," Twilight confirmed, looking intently at the champion. "I wish I could read his facial expressions right now. Stupid enchanted hood."

Back in the arena, Dark was shifting from one hoof to the other while crossing his arms in annoyance and boredom. While that last fight did allow him to vent some frustration, he wasn't feeling like he was getting any sort of challenge.

"That's three down," the announcer said over the speakers. "Sweet Celestia this guy's making our gladiators look like fools out there. Anyway, would the challenger like to continue?"

Dark looked up to where the announcer was seated. "Yes. However, I declare Multus Gladius!"

No sooner did those words leave Dark's mouth did the audience go up in an uproar. Rarely has anypony declared Multus Gladius before, and even rarer has anypony actually succeeded. The crowd, however, seemed to fully support the idea.

"You've heard him, everypony!" the announcer excitingly announced. "With Multus Gladius in effect, the challenger will fight the number of gladiators remaining until his ten round break all at once! You seven gladiators! Get your rumps out here!"

His eyes glistening in anticipation, Dark stood his ground and watched as the gate opened with seven ponies walking out of it.

"Two light-armored, pegasi, three heavy-armored earth ponies, and two robed-unicorns," Dark smirked. "This should be fun."

Reaching back, Dark took both his battle-axe and greatsword into his claws and waited.

"Here we go, everypony!" the announcer shouted. "Multus Gladius round. Ready... fight!"

Immediately, the seven ponies took their positions around and above Dark, surrounding him. With them in place, everypony charged Dark while the two unicorns stayed back and fired spells off at him. While surrounding and charging all at once would normally be a good strategy against most, it wasn't against Dark.

Giving a small chuckle, Dark raised his battle-axe and swung it at the ground at his hooves. Once the explosion went off, it kicked up a dust cloud that blinded everypony... just as Dark wanted.

While the pegasi and earth ponies charged in, both unicorns felt a source of magic coming from within the dust cloud. Unsure of what to expect, they both erected a barrier around them. Their timing was good too, for as soon as they were complete, blades of fire began shooting out from the center of the dust cloud, taking the other ponies by surprise as they were being struck one after the other. After ten seconds of dodging and enduring the barrage, one pegasus and earth pony remained while the two unicorns remained beneath their barriers. But before they could cast one on the other two gladiators, a wall of fire erupted outward, dissipating the dust cloud as it consumed everything in the arena in fire.

When the wall of fire hit the arena walls, all that was left were scorch marks on the ground, and burnt ponies laying scattered with Dark standing in the center, and his greatsword plunged into the ground with its blade on fire. Removing the greatsword from the ground, Dark propelled himself over to the closest unicorn and shattered his barrier with his battle-axe while simultaneously knocking the unicorn out by the explosion and magical backlash from his shattered barrier.

Looking down at the unconscious unicorn, Dark turned around to see the other one cowering in her barrier. But, before Dark could go over and finish her off, she dispelled the barrier and rose her forehooves in surrender. With his victory achieved, Dark listened to the crowd cheering for him before seeing his gate open and walking in to take his break.

Once the gate closed behind Dark, the group of ponies and two dragons began talking amongst each other.

"What in the hay is he thinking?!" Rainbow shouted, both confused and annoyed. "Didn't he tell us at breakfast that he wouldn't be using his magic until the later rounds or unless he was forced to?!"

"He did," Celestia agreed.

"But he didn't look like he was in any kinda trouble," Applejack added. "If nothin' else, it looked like it was too easy for him."

"That wasn't his magic," Pyre spoke, gaining their attention.

"What is it this time?" Twilight asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Simple," he shrugged. "He enchanted that sword of his with fire. That's how he was able to do all of that. It wasn't his magic that was doing it, but his sword's enchantment."

"Another spell of yours I presume?" Luna questioned.

"Nope. He already knew it, I just taught him some of the things that he could do with it was all."

A few minutes later of talking, the crowd cheered again as Dark walked back into the arena. While the five minute break wasn't quite necessary, it still allowed for him to grab some water to refresh himself before the next round. Retaking his position near the center of the arena, Dark looked up expectantly towards the announcer.

"Aaaaand we're back, everypony!" the announcer spoke, prompting the crowd into another cheering fit. "So far, Dark has managed to defeat ten of the fifty required gladiators. However, Multus Gladius is still in effect. Does the challenger with to continue, or stop where you're at?"

"I will fight!" Dark shouted, causing the audience to cheer again.

"You heard him, everypony! The next ten gladiators! Get your tails out here!"

Despite it being a ten on one fight, the end was more-or-less the same as the ones before. While Dark fought them off with his battle-axe and greatsword, he was forced to use his wings to shield himself from a few of their strikes and magical projectiles. With the density and resilience of his draconic limbs, he barely sustained any damage, and his health gauge showed it. As the gladiators' health gauges all dropped and depleted, there was hardly a dent in Dark's.

With that, twenty gladiators were down and was going into the next ten. However, despite them being tougher, Dark didn't seem to be satisfied with the outcome. It was then when he returned from his five minute break that Dark buried both his battle-axe and greatsword into the ground, and looked up as the announcer spoke.

"Twenty gladiators have been defeated so far," he announced. "You're almost half-way there. Do you want to continue, or stop where you're at?"

"Continue," Dark answered. But, when the crowd began cheering, he raised a claw to silence them. "However, this isn't enough for me! So, with that said..." Dark's eyes and fangs glimmered with excitement. "I'm switching from Multus Gladius, to a Viginti Quinque Emissarius Uerius!"

Unlike the booming sounds of cheering that he'd expected, Dark was met with mostly silence. While a few muttered to one another, everyone else was too stunned by the sudden proclamation.

"He can't be serious," Luna mumbled.

"What did he just do?" Rainbow asked confusingly.

"Well now," the announcer slowly began speaking, "this is a surprise. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes," Dark nodded. "I know what I'm getting myself into, and am looking forward to it."

"... this is your final chance to back out. Are you absolutely sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Did I stutter?!" Dark snapped, plucking both his weapons from the ground and pointing his greatsword over towards the announcer. "These gladiator so far haven't provided me the excitement and challenge that I'd been expecting! Now send me the next batch already! All twenty-five of them!"

Author's Note:

I hadn't planned on this chapter being so long, but with how long it was turning out, I decided to split it up into two parts.

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

That Captain America reference!

And looks like Dark is getting a bit cocky... Hope it doesn't backfire on him....

[forrest yuchnitz]

if there are 50 combatants and he's only beaten 20 there are still 30 left so why did he say ALL 25 of them

[EmberLight]

7306706

Probably "Viginti Quinque Emissarius Uerius" would be used to fight 25 at a time, instead of every remaining gladiator.

[LordMentat]

blog.codinghorror.com/content/images/2015/04/are-you-not-entertained.jpg

[Neon Starch]

"Did I stutter?!" Dark snapped, plucking both his weapons from the ground and pointing his greatsword over towards the announcer. "These gladiator so far haven't provided me the excitement and challenge that I'd been expecting! Now send me the next batch already! All twenty-five of them!"

cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/28641795.jpg

[Garuda IV]

7306706 7306789 Viginti Quinque Emissarius Uerius is Latin for Twenty-Five Stallion Raid, which I got from WOW's Twenty-Five Man Raid. With the new expansion coming up in a few months, I thought it'd be a nice addition.

[Dive Bomb]

7306981 ha ha ha no im not!!!

[Mortefleur]

InB4 night is the champion (guess from his fight vs Shining)

[Hipparcos]

"Did I stutter?!" Dark snapped, plucking both his weapons from the ground and pointing his greatsword over towards the announcer. "These gladiator so far haven't provided me the excitement and challenge that I'd been expecting! Now send me the next batch already! All twenty-five of them!"

media.giphy.com/media/rzBUxFJm1EJ20/giphy.gif

[Derpy_DragonV1]

Since I have read this story before I see all of the signs that who the champion is it's so obvious that it's sad.

[Derpy_DragonV1]

Since I have read this story before I see all of the signs that who the champion is it's so obvious that it's sad.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a red and white striped round shield with a blue center with a white star hit the side of Anvil's head, knocking him down. Regaining his bearings, he watched as the shield somehow returned to its pink owner.

"Language," Pinkie told him.

"What in the blazes was that for, lass?" Anvil asked confusingly with a hint of annoyance.

"There are kids present," she said before pointing a hoof at him, "and language."

Captain America

[Admiral_Gravleos]

"Round one... fight!"

[Admiral_Gravleos]

I recommend listening to this :)

[stephen51991]

For the next few hours, they caught up on what's been going on since they last saw each other. They were later joined by Twilight, Dark, Soul, and Night, who just came back from grabbing groceries from the market for lunch and tonight's dinner.

Hold the phone.

Dark, Soul,

...How am I only just now seeing that?!

[Garuda IV]

8546389 Lol

[Bronyshot]

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a red and white striped round shield with a blue center with a white star hit the side of Anvil's head, knocking him down. Regaining his bearings, he watched as the shield somehow returned to its pink owner.

How ... You know what never mind.

[AstralFlare42]

7919233
This is my first time reading, but I figured it out a couple days ago.