Can you smell it...? Something is cooking... A millennia old being, with eons of knowledge, and vast power bored from centuries of peace decides to take steps into a world one would least expect it. Where the bell breathes victory.
Celestia loves her little ponies, more than anything in the world. She has fought for them, sacrificed for them, and given herself completely for the needs of her subjects. Though a thousand years of doing the same thing would take their toll on even the most patient of people, Celestia not being an exception. Missing the days where every other week was a grand battle, Celestia begins longing for the chance to throw some excitement into her now droll life. Her wish is answered, though not in the way one would think. But complaining gets one nowhere in this world, and all that matters is the roar of the crowd, and the sound of the bell.
A thunderous roar echoed throughout the arena. The screams of the crowd were so passionate they united into a single ground-shaking cry. The blinding flashing lights served only to add to the spectacle unfolding in the arena.
The only noise that could pierce the excited crowd and the uproarious announcers was the smashes and cries coming from the centre of the arena, where two mares were locked into a battle of body and wit. A Pegasus and Earth pony, both mares, were intertwined in a tangle of limbs, curses, and punches.
Covered with sweat and bruises the two wrestling mares were locked in a test of strength, their hands tangled in a crushing grip. Each mare pushing against the other with all the strength they could muster. Each mare staring into the eye of the other almost like an animal would its prey.
Piercing through the chaos of the crowd, the loudspeaker of the announcers came to life, "Mares and gentlecolts! What a spectacle we have before us tonight! These two mares have been trading blows like mad, yet neither are willing to back down!" The energetic mare of the pair of announcers exclaimed with an almost unhealthy fervour.
Rolling her eyes at her partner's excitement the other announcer spoke up. "Right you are my friend, we've rarely seen such tenacity in display before. Most others would have quit by now." She flatly stated, causing a unique contrast to her partner’s rather loud uproar before her.
Boasting the superior power the Earth pony overpowered the Pegasus, in a flash she rushed in arms spread, too fast for her opponent to react in time. wrapping her arms around her opponent's waist and squeezing as hard as she could. This kept up until a pained wheeze came from her opponent, clearly not enjoying having to bear the bear hug.
Smirking at her opponent's weakness, the Earth pony squeezed harder and leaned back as fast as she could, tossing her opponent face first into the canvas in a reverse suplex-like throw.
A merciless "SLAM" echoed throughout the ring, drowning out the crowd for the briefest of moments, sending waves of pain throughout the thrown Pegasus' face.
"OH! I could've heard that one from a mile away, a vicious bearhug followed by facebuster, that chick ain't showing any mercy to her opponent tonight! These ladies are getting physical and I love it when gals get physical!" The energetic mare spoke up again, prompting another eye roll from her partner at her shameless comments.
The Pegasus was knocked to the edge of her limit, a burning ache searing across her face once her short trip had ended.
Fading in and out of consciousness the Pegasus could only groan in pain and caress her face with her hands. Trying to soothe the burning on her front, to little success.
Having disabled her opponent the Earth pony stood up and briefly smirked at her downed foe, taking some sick joy out of the Pegasus’ pained moans. Muttering an insult under her breath, the Earth pony decided to end this as painfully as possible.
Stepping over her opponent and turning around so she was facing her feet, the Earth pony reached down and tucked the Pegasus's legs underneath her armpits, preparing to finish this match with a fan favourite, taking her sweet time to soak in the crowds growing excitement at seeing her opponents grim fate.
If the crowd’s reaction didn't clue her in, the slight cramping in her back and her opponent grabbing her legs definitely did. Desperate to escape her painful end, the Pegasus began flailing, squirming and flapping her wings in hopes to escape in time. Much to the amusement and slight annoyance of the Earth pony.
Growing tired of her opponent’s spazzing, the Earth pony wrenched the Pegasus' legs as hard as she could before sitting back on her upper back, pinning the troublesome flailing wings underneath her ass. Grinning, the Earth pony taunted "not so tough without ya' wings ain't ya?"
The crowd exploded into a cascade of hoots and hollers at the spectacle before them, many of the stallions catcalling and whistling at the sight of a squirming sweaty mare pinned beneath the bigger sweaty mare's flank.
There was some top quality jiggle physics on display right now.
Joining in on this perversion the young announcer nearly exploded. "BOSTON CRAB! BOSTON CRAB! Holy shit she's bending her in half, someone stop the damn match!" Her excitement only serving to excite the crowd to even higher levels.
If the Pegasus was uncomfortable before, now she was in agony, her back being wretched and contorted in an unnatural way, her legs threatening to pop out of their sockets at any moment, and the unforgiving weight of her opponent's flank crushing her sensitive wings and pinning them at an unnatural angle. The Pegasus let her displeasure known by letting loose a bloodcurdling scream in pain from underneath the earth pony, pawing at the ground with her hands in a vain hope of escaping.
The earth pony only smirked harder when she heard the Pegasus’ scream, enjoying the feeling of the trembling legs under her arms and the twitching wings under her butt. Every time the muscles in the Pegasus' legs relaxed even slightly the Earth pony made sure to jerk herself back, sharply pulling the poor trapped mare's legs further towards her head briefly, prompting a pained cry to come from the Pegasus with each cruel yank.
After around a minute of this the once-confident Pegasus was reduced to a blubbering mess on the floor, her face soaked in a pool of her own tears. Consumed by humiliation, and defeat nearing her, all she could do is cry to try and relieve some of the pain on her tortured back.
Growing tired of this, the Earth pony figured it was time to end it. Mustering as much strength her Earth pony body could give her she scooted her flank further up her opponent's body, pinning the side of her head underneath her ass before wrenching back as far and as hard as she could.
In one second the Pegasus let loose a scream dwarfing all the others. In two seconds she pawed like a desperate animal reaching for the ropes in vain hope of relief from the pain. In three seconds the Pegasus gave up, tapping furiously on the mat and begging for the earth pony to let her go.
" And there's the tap out! The poor girl couldn't take the crabs! Her body looked like a damn C!" While disappointed that the show was over the announcer couldn't shake the hype she felt from the display of power that unfolded before her.
The crowd (and one announcer) went nuts, showering the victorious mare in a cascade of praise and applause, while leaving the defeated mare with nothing more than second glances and cruel jeers.
Seeing the tap, the ref signalled the bell and told the earth pony to release the hold. Feeling nasty the Earth pony gave a final hard wrench of the suffering Pegasus' leg, prompting a final moan of pain, and a harsh bounce of her butt on the Pegasus' head crushing her face between her ass and the mat in a cruel act of rubbing in her victory. The crowd roared in a crazed excitement at the cruelty of the action, enjoying seeing the display of dominance by the victorious mare.
The ref led the victorious mare to the centre of the ring and lifted her right hand into the air, the crowd chanting her name as the screen above the arena displayed her victory for all to see. The grin on the earth pony couldn't get any wider, basking in the adoration and celebration of her victory. The Pegasus mare was left in her curled-up heap, sobbing and moaning in the centre of the ring, wishing for a way to end the pain in her back and cursing her failure.
The display of such elation next to one of pure defeat was a sight that only served to make the crowds almost barbaric celebration all the more powerful, taking great enjoyment at seeing one mare triumph over another in such a manner. The announcers of the match, even the stoic one of the duo who had been quiet throughout the match joined the crowd in its excitement at the savage treatment of the downed Pegasus.
The crazed frenzy of the crowd grew into the trademark roar the stadium was known for. To the victorious mare, none of the crowd’s noise made it to her. To the Earth pony, she was in a world of her own, a satisfied grin spread wide across her muzzle. This was the life, the dominance; the excitement; the glory. All leaving an excitement within her like many other mares who stood in victory lane all felt in this moment. The thrill was as enjoyable as it was addictive.
A high that would only grow when the loudspeaker came on for the last time, having swiped the mic from her loud partner in order to save the eardrums of herself and the crowd, she speaks up. "Ladies and gentlemen! By way of submission, here is your winner!"
Never would any of these victorious mares give up this life for anything. To them, this was a heaven like no other.
"That could have gone better." Celestia sighed under her breath.
Passing through one of the many hallways of canterlot castle, Celestia had just returned from what would be considered one of her worst meetings of the year.
Her usual regal posture and friendly aura that was hand in hand with the solar princess seemed hampered, almost lacking the fire it typically had. Her eyes had a slight gloom and tired feeling to them, her smiles seemed to have some effort put into them, and her voice quivered from time to time if she was careless enough.
Normally days such as this did not have as much of an impact on her. However, it would seem that the powers that be today was taking great pleasure in testing Celestia’s patience to the fullest.
Some poor soul had mixed up the castles routine organization, the misprint caused all of the castles daily activities and several of the planned meetings to be fast forwarded by several hours ahead of time. To make things worse, they were also clumped far closer together, leaving the castle in chaos trying to keep pace with the demanding timeline.
Ironically, Celestia was not a morning pony. Having had to wake up three hours earlier than what she was used to didn't go over too well with Celestia's mood. Nearly forgetting to raise the sun, and almost forgetting that she put on her clothing backwards, which she still cannot figure out how she managed to do.
A mood that did not improve much once she began her duties and assignments for the day. It would seem that all of the most trivial and maddening meetings and discussions were all clumped into today. The highlight of them being the most recent one she was just now exiting.
Celestia rolled her eyes at the memory, the two nobles were arguing about the legal rights they had over which land they could put up statues of their family's heritage. Nearly two hours of the meeting down the drain was spent translating what each noble was shouting over the other.
"Why is it that the nobles always seem to find something to bicker at one another about?" She silently mused to herself. Her ears were still slightly ringing from the heated conversation the nobles had.
Taking a sip of coffee and letting the heavenly elixir release her of some of the evil of mornings, a slight sigh escaped her at the enjoyable feeling of warmth it gave. Using magic, with a bit of focus and a slight popping sound, the horn on her head began to glow its signature golden glow, and a moment later Celestia summoned her list of duties that remained.
Through weary eyes Celestia opened the source of her pain to find out what task she had next. To her great surprise and even greater relief, luck had decided to show her mercy, for in her sleep induced stupor Celestia had not noticed her progress through her requirements, an act of kindness by fate has left only one more duty for the day.
A simple advertising discussion was all that was left. Praising every god she could think of for this mercy, and taking another sip of the hero's elixir, Celestia began her journey through the castle to where the meeting was taking place. Several doors and hallways later of relative silence, Celestia got to see the results of this unfortunate accident. Dignitaries, serpents, guards and maidens were rushing through the hallways in what was one step away from becoming a full-on stampede. Tails were crushed under hoof, panicked shoving followed by brief apologies. The chaos was so thick one could almost cut it with a knife.
Celestia's ears dropped slightly at the sight, feeling pity for her subjects for having to endure this madness just as she had. Navigating through the chaos with relative ease due to years of experience, Celestia made it through relatively unscathed, however the same could not be said for some of the other poor souls.
The sight of their princess attempting to pass through had spurred even more chaos at trying to let her through, which led to all the more infuriating mess that crowds are known to cause get increased tenfold. Almost comical in a way, but Celestia kept her laughs to herself.
Having made it through the madness, Celestia let out a sigh of relief before resuming her pace down the hallways towards her destination. For some odd reason, whoever decided to design the castle took great pleasure in making the nobility and commoner’s government rooms as far as possible.
"Guess some mindsets never change." Celestia sighed sadly.
Despite her best efforts to make Equestria better, it would seem no matter how hard she tried there were some things that she could never change. The nobles were always snobby, the public was always freaking out over something, an obscure law leading to disarray and debate in the senate. Celestia admitted it took its toll from time to time. While justified, it didn't make it any less tiresome.
To break her out of her bleak mindset she looked up to find out where exactly she is. It would seem that even in deep contemplation Celestia still knew this castle like the back of her hoof, getting lost was never a concern for her in this castle. In mere moments she mapped out where she was and, to her happiness, she recognized the hallway in a way only she could, the tiny little details in her castle was like her own little map.
Okay, just one more turn left and down the next hallway Celestia thought, relieved at the news. Making the final turn, she smiled at the sight that greeted her.
It would seem she had led herself down the path that would take her though the appropriately dubbed 'era of the sun'. Massive stain glass windows decorated in such patterned to capture beautiful images of history for all to see. One of the many hallways that was, as the name suggested, of Celestia's reign as the single ruler of Equestria.
The old name of the past era sparked a sense of happiness and sadness, for while during that time Equestria was in a time of greatness, it was also the loneliest she had ever felt, with Luna being banished to the moon. Her ears dropped at the memories.
To derail her mind from the dark places it went, Celestia distracted herself by recalling each event as she passed through the final hallway. Nostalgic feelings were being brought back at the familiar images before her.
As memories of many glorious battles flowed into her memory, a slight smile crossed Celestia's muzzle, her ears perking in tandem with her mood. The rush and freedom of each victorious battle felt like a rush like no other. Things were much simpler back then. Celestia complained to no one in particular. A strange feeling grew inside her as she continued down literal memory lane.
Celestia's thoughts soon evolved into mutters. "Everything was so much simpler during that time, ponies could do what they needed to do with no doubts or restraints.” Celestia let loose a smirk on her muzzle. “Now everything is a mess, no one can do what's right unless it makes more money or pleases some agenda."
The odd feeling within Celestia grew with each silent whisper and stain glass picture she passed. She focused so much on the rather heated debate in her head that Celestia almost missed the room she was heading to. A faint blush spread across her cheeks at her almost clumsy mistake.
Approaching the door the two guards situated on either end gave her standing attention followed by a picture perfect salute, giving their princess the utmost respect they could muster.
Celestia smiled, at least the guards are the same.
Returning the gesture with a polite nod, the guards instinctively began to open the door. Steeling herself with what she believed to be another typical triviality, a final sip of her now cold coffee and a poof of magic, it was gone, and Celestia began her final meeting of the day, expecting the familiar boredom to follow.
The first thing Celestia noticed was the smell, a strange stench washing over her as the doors opened before her, almost like someone neglected using a mint and proceeded to breathe with all their might. It took Celestia's years of experience to not gag at the smell’s strength.
Her eyes scanning the room for the source of the odd scent, her sight got fixed to a figure in the room.
Sitting at a table within the center if the room sat a lone stallion.
He was rather uninteresting to look at, an earth pony in stature, mane combed over in a fashion that many old folk do to hide their retreating hair lines, the faint grayness of his hair more pronounced near the edges where stifled and groomed by far too many hair products, giving it an almost shiny-like appearance, a nice pairing to the brown fur of his coat.
He was wearing typical attire for one in a meeting such as this, a normal plain business suit that undoubtedly cost more than what most of Celestia's subjects could afford in a year. It's dark grey hue, while matching well with the old fellow's hair, clashed almost sinfully with the colours of the rest of the room.
The stallion was flanked by another figure, female by the looks of it, a unicorn, she was dressed less than regally when compared to the stallion but nonetheless held the same amount of refinement as the stallion beside her. Dressed in a simple business dress with a pair of glasses almost too big for her face, the simple outfit meshed well with her light blue fur.
Probably the ponies I came to meet Celestia figured.
Upon her entrance the couple in the room seemed unaware of her presence, seemingly in their own world with their discussions about various subjects, barely registering their surroundings, preferring instead to muse among one another, until one of the Guards by the door that had followed Celestia in, spoke up.
"Her royal majesty, Princess Celestia, has arrived!" He announced with authority. His voice echoing throughout the room, Celestia internally cringed at the enthusiastic amount of loudness put into the shout, her sleep-deprived ears still picky about the volume they get subjected to.
Almost immediately the pair snapped to attention and faced Celestia, seemingly pulled out of their little world in an instant. Their faces each held a neutral expression and they regarded the Princess. Standing up, they both bowed out of respect before rising again in an almost uncanny unison, before the old stallion let a small smile loose on his face.
"It's so nice to meet you Princess," he said with genuine pleasure, his voice filled with an energy almost unfitting for one his age, "I was beginning to worry we had missed our appointment."
"Oh, no need for concern, I assure you," Celestia responded, smiling with all the strength she could muster to combat the strains of sleep. "It was my fault for arriving so late, the castle has been somewhat busy as of late.”
Understatement of the century the back of Celestia's mind snarked. She could almost feel the eye rolls of the guards surrounding the room at her comment.
She didn't blame them.
"Nonsense! Such matters need not damper her highness, such matters should be typical of a castle." The old stallion said, almost without a second thought.
You have no idea. Celestia slightly smirked.
Making a gesture with his hands the old stallion beckoned Celestia over to the table.
"Please join us so we may get started, your majesty. We both are very probably busy people after all, so let's not delay!" The old man said this while continuing his beckoning, almost comically so as if he was unaware to the extent his arms were moving.
Letting out a chuckle at the enthusiasm, but mostly display, the stallion was performing, Celestia made her way to her spot at the table, a giant stone platform too big to have any right to be called a chair lay dormant at the end of the table, cushions littered around the seat almost excessively, a giant sun engraved near the top.
Reaching her chair flanked by two guards at either side, Celestia sat down with a less-than-graceful flop. Maintaining enough dignity to pass as acceptable but nonetheless careless.
It took Celestia all of her will to not fall asleep into the comfort the cushions gave her tired self.
Before her will gave out the old man broke the silence.
"Okay now let's get to business Princess." his loud voice snapping Celestia out of her brief stupor. Regaining her composure and steeling herself for the final meeting of the day, Celestia sat as upright as she could and gave the stallion as much attention a sleep-craving brain could, trying to ignore the somewhat rude opening the stallion just used.
"Very well sir let us start." Celestia responded with somewhat genuine longing for the end of the meeting already,
"As you wish your majesty." the old man replied before snapping his fingers. Almost immediately, the mare who had been silently, staring at the two behind him snapped to life nearly in an instant, with a brief glow of her horn and a small spark a stack of paper materialized in front of the assistant.
Snatching the papers out of the air with her magic, the mare levitated the papers over to Celestia, placing them on the table in front of her with a small thud, with not a single paper out of place. Satisfied, the stallion, with a wave of his hoof, the mare returned to his side without a word, like a ninja she strolled back to his side, her footsteps nearly inaudible.
Creepy.
Taking the papers laid out in front of her, taking care to not disturb the organization the ninja mare had left them in, Celestia levitated them up to her face. Her eyes skimming the pages through her magic's golden glow.
Once the old stallion had seen this, his attitude had taken on a far more solemn stance, the cheer seemingly evaporating from him. Even Celestia felt somewhat disgruntled at the sudden change in the stallion before her. Then he began to speak in a far softer yet authoritative manner.
"To get straight to the point, our employer has asked us to discuss some advertisements regarding his corporation." He began as if rehearsed endlessly to perfection, "to be brief we hope we can resolve this manner as fast as possible."
Raising an eyebrow at the discreteness of the stallion, Celestia spoke up.
"Your employer? Are you not the stallion who owns this corporation?"
Raising the papers slightly for emphasis, having only barely gotten through the second page, nothing of interest yet, just liabilities and rights.
"Goodness no Princess, I am not." The old man said, almost appearing appalled at being compared to this mystery man. As if it was like a man being compared to a god.
Maybe i should have read that list more…
Raising an eyebrow at this Celestia continued.
"May I inquire as to who your employer may be then? It would certainly make these negotiations far simpler if we met face to face."
Celestia knew something was up from the anonymous nature of the employer and the business stallion in front of her’s cryptic attitude, but she had yet to sense any malicious intent from them, and from her years of experience she knew pressing for information in such a matter was a no go.
Wincing a little at her comment, the old stallion fumbled in place a little, his eyes rolling slightly in contemplation. After slightly more shifting he seemed to light up at receiving an idea.
"For personal reasons our employer has opted to remain anonymous, he is very fond of his privacy, so I'm sorry Princess, but I'm contractually obligated to not disclose his name, seeing as how I don't even know it." The stallion finally got out.
Celestia was not unfamiliar with business ponies doing this, it would seem that they would prefer to have absolute anonymity from contracts. Most likely to try and avoid the full weight of any public or legal outcry at the deal.
While not illegal to do so it is somewhat frowned upon by the legal system, but it would seem that despite the nonsense that has ensued before due to this legal grey area, the nobility are unwilling to make any changes.
Most likely due to the massive repercussions of being completely transparent.
Guess there's no beating it then, too tired to care. Celestia mused. Once again it would seem that nothing has changed, nobles refusing to help the little guys in favor of keeping themselves safe.
After gazing through the pages some more, Celestia decided to press a little.
“May i inquire as to what your names are then?” Celestia figured that she might as well test her luck, as she was growing somewhat tired of the guessing game that was ensuing around this meeting.
With a minor pause and a look of contemplation, a brief awkward moment followed Celestia’s request, then letting loose a smile the stallion nodded his head in an obedient bow.
“Of course, your highness. My name is Busy Body,” letting loose a shrug he gestures to the mare beside him “and this is my assistant Rosa Booker.”
At the revelation of her name the one called, Rosa Booker let loose a mild head nod towards the princess before seamlessly resuming her military-like stance beside the old stallion.
Smiling a little at the small victory and her information gain Celestia glanced back to the somewhat-neglected piles of papers on the table, having forgotten about them for a moment.
Picking them up, Celestia resumed from her place within the pile of papers, briefly skimming through a seemingly endless chart of liabilities and conditions and the typical legal requirements of a advertisement deal such as this. Though, to her surprise, it had yet to disclose what, exactly, they were planning on advertising.
Figuring it would be further in the pile, Celestia sped up her speed reading of the legal agreements of the document, having grown used to what they would normally say.
About three quarters of her way through, the papers suddenly took on a different color, the usual browning grey of parchment was replaced by a slick black smooth paper, smooth enough that Celestia had to strengthen the grip of her hands to keep it from slipping.
Though what drew Celestia’s attention more than the quality of the paper was the big bold letters covering the top half of the page. With a series of words written underneath each letter.
E.M.W.L. Equestrian Mares Wrestling League.
“And this brings us to the roots of our meeting” the old stallion spoke up, noticing the Princess turning to the page. “I was hoping we would get to this soon.”
“The Equestrian Mares Wrestling League?” Celestia repeated what she read on the paper, slight confusion in her voice. Celestia was really wishing she had read the briefing more thoroughly now, having no idea this meeting was for something like this.
“Yes your majesty, this is the company we have come to represent.” Busy Body replied, picking up on the Princess's confusion.
Reading further ahead to the next page, the document held what was a complete hundred eighty degrees from what was beforehand, no legal rights were in sight, but instead a series of reviews and charts were scattered neatly throughout the paper.
What stood out about the charts Celestia noticed that every one of them had something in common, they each displayed a decrease in something.
“As you may be able to tell by the charts, our company is losing money. It would seem that despite the massive amount of popularity we have, we can barely cover the funds of hosting each match.” Busy Body said grimly. “We are on the verge of bankruptcy at the peak of our popularity. It would seem that ponies have found ways to see the matches without having to go to the arena.”
Abruptly standing, Busy Body began a slight pace around his side of the table, face twisted into a deep and concerned look.
“Every advertisement we have made seems to be only minor gain for long term loss, costing more then they make us… having celebraties visit us, posters on every street, even once having every billboard in the city showcasing our sales and deals of prices for our business has cost us more than it made us.”
His voice growing ever more passionate with each word he said, a big contrast to the confident stallion Celestia saw when she entered, his concern for this business was apparent from miles away, his increasingly exaggerated words seemed almost unintentional to Celestia.
Even the silent mare beside him seemed just as invested as he was, though she hadn't said a word, her eyes seemed to be just as passionate as the ranting stallion.
Busy spoke up once again.
“We had hoped that this final attempt at advertising and promotion would be able to pull us out of tor downfall, we are prepared to offer our biggest amount of money yet to you in exchange for what we ask.” he gestured for Celestia to turn the page once again, almost as if his life depended on it.
Having a sneaking suspicion at what the stallion was requesting, Celestia turned to the next page at the stallions silent request. There in front of her in bold and clear font was something she would have never expected a company like this to pursue.
‘The E.M.W.L cooperation humbly requests that our royal highness princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna attend the latest match hosted in our facilites tomorrow night, we are prepared to cover any and all expenses that may come of this.
We hope you consider our request. From V.M.
I should have known
It was not completely uncommon for businesses to request the princesses’ appearance at one of their hosted events, though usually it was the sort of festivities or events that were somewhat small in scale, or relatively quiet in nature. She had never received a request to attend something like this in a very long time.
“So what do you say Princess? Will you and your sister attend?” Busy asked, his eyes almost seeming like a child begging for a cookie.
Regaining her thoughts Celestia prepared her response, deciding to play this by the books as of now, though deep within her, a growing feeling began nagging at the back of her mind.
Something different...
“While I appreciate your offer Mr. Body. Wouldn't it be wiser to consult Luna on such matters? I cannot think for my sister after all. Besides, she is the one in charge of any night going activities.”
Giving a sheepish grin Busy seemed to have a slight bashful smugness about him.
“Actually Princess, we asked her before we asked you.” Rubbing the back of his mane with his hand. “And she was very much enthusiastic about it too, take a look”.
Gesturing for the mare behind him to come forward again, she produced another piece of paper seemingly out of thin air, and approached celestia with it, her stoic expression still ever present on her face, though once again her eyes betrayed her by having a faint glow to them.
I should have known
Taking the papers from the mare Celestia glanced at the writing on it, in bold font was the exact same message left to her by Busy, the only difference was swapping places of names and appropriate vocabulary. With Luna’s unmistakeable writing proudly on top of the space for her agreement signature.
Celestia wouldn't have guessed that Luna would have had any interest in a sport such as wrestling, though then again she was enthusiastic about sports as a young mare. And she had a colorful history of joining things without her sister being informed.
Sighing, Celestia handed back Luna’s agreement paper using her magic to Busy, seemingly out of nowhere Rosa snatched it out of the air with the grace only gained through years of practice, Busy barely flinched at this, as if used to this.
“So… I assume everything is in order then?” Busy inquired, that filly-like look returning to his face. “Can we expect you to join us tomorrow night?” Letting out a small sigh Celestia nodded her head.
“Very well Busy Body, I believe it is settled then, my sister and I shall make our appearance to your festivities tomorrow night”
Celestia’s horn began its golden glow, before a small poof appeared over the paper, a small pen being levitated by magic began writing Celestia's signature over the paper. From the corner of her eye, she could see Busy getting happier and happier with every letter she wrote on the contract. Even Rosa seemed overjoyed at this, at least as joyful one can be while mimicking a statue.
A smile which got uncanny in size once Celestia finished writing, with a small flash the pen disappeared and Celestia levitated the papers to Busy, but unlike before Rosa didn’t snatch the papers out of the air, instead it would seem Busy himself wanted to hold the document.
“I cannot express how happy both myself and the company I represent you have just made Princess.” Busy said with a bow filled with enthusiasm. “We will see to it that your visit is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible”.
Standing up, Busy and Rosa began to make their leave, with a final bow they walked towards the door Celestia came though, the guards instinctively opening it in mere moments with trained perfection, turning around Busy muttered a final word to Celestia.
“Thank you.” He said with a smile and a small wave, before the door closed behind him.
What have I gotten myself into?
Sighing in relief that the weird meeting was at its end, Celestia stood up and she too began to make her way out of the meeting room.
Her mind racing over the events that had just transpired. The stallions jumping from one personality to another and his seemingly desperate need for Celestia to sign the paper had left her in some confusion, but no shortage of intrigue as well.
He seemed almost too well prepared for this, Celestia couldn't decide if the speech Busy made was a well-rehearsed act or genuinely came from his heart, it seemed almost flawless in delivery yet filled with emotion as well. And the fact he had convinced Luna beforehand to sign his papers.
Perhaps I should consult with Luna Celestia thought, just wanting to make sure nothing out of order was occurring. She made her way through the castle in search of her sister.
It would seem that fortune decided to have mercy on Celestia’s sanity. The few and far between appearance of servants and the near silence of the hallways made the chaos that ensued mere hours ago seem like it never happened. It would seem that most of the events from the accidental schedule had been completed, just some rudimentary items here and there that the servants needed to tend to were all that remained.
Celestia did not complain about the peace, thankful that the madness had ended for today. Making great time across the castle’s expanse, Celestia felt her thoughts wander back to the meeting beforehand, the moment where she found Luna’s signature going to the forefront of her memory.
Of all ponies to be interested in such a thing, I never would have pinned Luna to be one of them, let alone remain silent about it all this time
While she was usually the silent type, it was unlike Luna to not inform Celestia about matters involving documents such as this, as she took her royal duties rather seriously, still directing herself with the olden times mannerisms and procedures.
Shrugging her shoulders, Celestia continued her walk. While she could have easily teleported to her sister, Celestia had recently gotten into the habit of enjoying walking through her castle to get where she needed to be. Partially because she enjoyed the sights within the castle, and partially because of her sister’s playfully cruel jeers at her royal decor getting a few sizes smaller over her frame.
Nonsense.
Celestia comforted herself, trying her damnedest to ignore the tightness of her dress around her hips.
As if to prove a point Celestia quickened her pace though the castle, going from a casual stride to a power walk down the many corridors. Her massive size making her speed like a sprint to the guards and maids she briskly passed, almost accidentally trampling a few in her hurry.
Within a few minutes Celestia reached her destination; the door to Luna's chambers stood before her, the dark blue hue with the many artistic imprints scattered throughout the door contrasted almost blaringly to the pure white of the surrounding castle. Its great expanse, while big to normal ponies, was around average to Celestia, having been custom made to be grandiose for the lunar princess rather than herself.
Approaching the door and reaching her hand out Celestia gave a short and polite knock on the door. The sound caused a slight echo to surround Celestia, the old wood making the knock louder then it would normally have been.
Her ears shuffled as she heard the sound of approaching foot steps towards the door, her ancient years of knowledge allowing her to identify the sound of the heels on the floor anywhere.
Smiling as the door took on a familiar blue hue, it swung open to reveal the figure of her sister standing behind it, a similar friendly smile spread across her face, almost a mirror match to the affection she was receiving from Celestia.
Dressed in a similar style, with the only difference being instead of pure white like Celestia’s dress, her's was a dark navy blue with black outlines around it, and her regalia was a similar color as well. Though her's was a little unkempt when compared to her sister’s. Luna was never good at keeping ner clothing tidy.
Celestia would never change that.
“Greetings sister!” Luna enthusiastically exclaims, breaking the silence. “What brings you to my chambers at this time?”
Regaining her train of thought, Celestia made her smile grow a bit more before responding.
“Greetings to you as well Luna, unfortunately it’s business that causes my visit at this time.” Celestia said with a smidge of unfortunate sadness. She wished she could have been visiting for other reasons. Preferring to spend time together with her sister to enjoy themselves and not just political matters.
If Luna felt the same way she didn’t show it, her stance still having a small bounce to it.
“Well as usual sister, your timing is impeccable! I had just finished with the final preparations for a rather unique request!” Luna said brazenly. Celestia didn’t have to think long to figure out what the mystery preparations were.
Luna began to motion for Celestia to come inside, standing to one side of the doorway to make room for her sister to enter her chambers.
“Come in sister, I am earnest as to what this matter you have come to us beholds.” Luna announced, her giddy hopping continuing.
Nodding her head, Celestia entered the room, one of the few places she had not seen as much as the rest of the castle, mainly due to her wanting to give Luna her privacy, and to establish to the masses that there was a difference between matters for her and matters for Luna. It was one of the more subtle attempts at getting the public to re-accept luna back into society and politics.
The room itself was not a pony’s chamber in the traditional sense, as it was actually a small portion of rooms separate from the castle, containing several similar rooms to the rest of the castle, each interconnected through various hallways that were separate from the rest of the castle, though there were several doors connecting the two different “realms” of the castle just for ease of getting from one to the other.
Celestia had chosen the entrance to Luna’s own meeting hall, figuring that Luna would be slightly behind in terms of getting her duties sorted up. Celestia sighed a little, thankful that she picked correctly at where her sister was, but a little disheartened at the thought that her sister too was feeling the brunt of the schedule fail that happened.
Apparently there were still night-based activities that the schedule forgot to add to it. Meaning Luna was working far overtime to compensate for missing almost an entire day’s worth of work.
Her sympathy only grew when Luna turned to face her, having reached the night court’s table already. Even through her dark coat Celestia could spot the dark bags underneath her eyes, as if irony was playing a cruel joke on the princess of the night, as apparently the ruler of sleep was not immune to the effects of skipping it.
Closing the distance, Celestia joined Luna at her table, sitting at an appropriate distance, obeying the rules of political etiquette that had been drilled into her so long ago. A few moments passed of the two getting comfortable. Celestia was the first to speak up.
“So, Luna, as I'm sure you still have many matters to attend to I would like to make this as brief as possible.” Celestia began, trying to show Luna her sympathy for her situation. Seeing Luna nod she continued “It is a matter regarding one of our public appearances.”
Luna smirked a little, her playful smiling starting to fill with friendly yet mischievous intent.
“Celestia, as I've said before, it is not up to me if you want to observe the cake eating contests going on later this week.” Luna chipped in with a smirk.
Ouch
Trying to smile at the small quip about her addiction, Celestia smiled at the humor of it at least, before continuing.
“No sister, it is not a matter of attend-observing of an causeni eating contest.” Celestia quickly corrected herself, not wanting to give in to her sister's taunts. “It is of a matter of an appearance contract that I had just recently signed.”
Hitting the nail on the head was what Celestia was known for, going straight to the point seemed to make Luna almost relieved in a way, though Celestia didn’t seem to know why.
Gauging Luna’s reaction and taking the initiative from Luna’s silence, Celestia continued.
“According to the document, it had requested that we make an appearance to a sporting event known as the E.M.W.L.” pausing to take a breath preparing to ask her question. Noticing Luna’s eyes sparkling slightly once she mentioned the name. “It would seem that due to this document requesting both of our appearances, you neglected to inform me of your signing beforehand. I would think you would have informed me of such a matter?”
The last part was more of a question then a statement, Celestia was genuinely interested as to why Luna neglected to say anything to her. She wasn't mad, just curious.
A somewhat guilty but happy look swept across Luna’s face. Taking a moment to formulate her answer, she shuffled in her seat a little.
“Yes… about that sister, It was something that me and Busy Body had decided, I was more then happy to attend his event, and, upon seeing my interest, he hoped that by seeing my agreement to it you would be interested too, due to you having a slight history of disagreeing with attending things like that.” She answered moreso then responded. A sheepish grin spread across her muzzle, her ears flattening on her head in slight embarrassment.
Thinking back on it, it was Luna’s signature that convinced Celestia to sign it in the first place, and the way Busy was acting at the meeting began to make sense, as he had planned it out. Quite impressively in fact. Luna wasn’t wrong about Celestia being interesting in her selections. Favoring the quiet and calm attendance requests rather than any uproarious ones.
Celestia was going to comment on this, only slightly annoyed at what was said, her mind swaying about whether or not to follow through with the agreement and not cancel the whole thing. Though before she could voice her thoughts, she was interrupted.
“I really hope that this doesn't change your mind, I really want to go~” Luna’s tone took on a childlike plea near the end, her eyes becoming almost like a puppy’s. She knew exactly what Celestia’s weaknesses were when it came to decision making. Luna was extremely excited at the idea of attending this show. Something that was quite rare these days was Luna being this dedicated to anything going on recently.
Celestia couldn't bring herself to deny Luna this, the last of her suspicions having been snuffed out by the eyes of Luna. Sighing, Celestia nodded her head.
“Very well Luna, we shall be attending the event tomorrow. Though next time please inform me about something like this beforehand.” Celestia said with a small smile.
Luna’s ears shot straight up, her tail almost wagging behind her. Her smile made Celestia’s heart melt straight away.
“Oh thank you sister, we are most pleased with your decision, I was always curious about what the most popular nighttime event our subjects enjoy!” Breaking into olden Equestrian out of excitement, Luna proclaimed her appreciation on Celestia agreeing.
Standing up, Celestia offered a slightly bigger, yet tired, smile in return. She nodded towards Luna before beginning to make her way out of the meeting room.
“Glad to see you so happy Luna. Now if you'll excuse me, I am tired and wish to retire for the night.”
Luna was so excited that she didn't offer a reply in response, just a small wave and a nod of her head in return before beginning to exit the room as well, most likely to begin her final duties before beginning her retirement for the day as well.
Exiting the room, Celestia closed the door behind her, a slow creak followed by a muted clunk signified the doors closing. Celestia stood just outside of the door’s expanse, her mind in deep contemplation.
What have i gotten into?
Shrugging her mind, Celestia made her way to her bedroom, a deceptive amount of time had passed throughout the meeting she and Luna had, the threads of night beginning to creep into the windows that hung over the castle walls.
Seeing this, Celestia made her way to her bedroom, thankful for the chance to rest her mind.
Thankfully it would seem that the morning was relatively uneventful. Having learned their lesson from yesterday, the ponies in charge of the organization of the daily activities of the Canterlot royalty took far more care in making sure that there was no repeat of the insanity that occurred yesterday. Celestia in particular was somewhat more relaxed than the rest, her schedule being exceptionally shorter than the one from yesterday, her current and final duty for the morning was the appearance she and Luna were scheduled to attend.
The trip though the city was rather dull. Having seen the pure white marble buildings and the blemish-less roads of Canterlot so many times before, they had lost their sense of wonder for Celestia, a feeling that left any newcomer to the capital of the country speechless and filled with awe only sparked minor memories for her. the occasional tree and statue only added minor variation to the pure white foreground of the city.
The occasional subject would wave and callout in praise or shock of seeing her, the children jumping around giddy with excitement, or the occasional guard patrol of the city bowing upon her approach.
Celestia sighed, same old Canterlot…
The rumble of the magic carriage as it sailed through the roads of the city created a somber rumbling that sounded almost soothing to the old princess. At the very least, the automated carriage provided some uniqueness to Celestia's evening. Being a recent invention that had changed nearly all of how Canterlot functioned by making shipping far faster and easier than ever before. At the very least it made Celestia's life easier in regards to shipping laws.
And most importantly, cake got to the castle faster.
She was also thankful for the rather spacious room the doorway and the inside of the carriage provided, being made to accommodate the size of an alicorn rather than the typical pony, though Celestia would deny it to anyone who mentioned it. A common problem with previous royal carriages was that they were built with the size of a large pony rather than a towering Alicorn, so while traveling somewhere in one of them was not uncomfortable, it felt somewhat cramped.
A rather embarrassing moment that happened once, that Celestia would have denied to anyone who mentioned it, was an incident where her butt got stuck in a doorway. Luna didn't let her live that one down for a long time. She could almost still hear the stifled laughter.
Taking her mind off her boredom and embarrassing memories, she focused her thoughts on counting the rumblings of the carriage and the mild thumping, with the magical whistle easing her wandering mind for a time. Which quickly got boring. Instead Celestia decided to reminisce on the meeting between her and Luna.
A small smile wormed its way onto her face at remembering Luna's reaction to the offer of making an appearance at the arena, a child-like giddiness reminding Celestia of the childhood she and her sister had shared.
Though she would never admit it, she missed the simpler times between her sister and herself, when things were much simpler. It was just them and nothing else. Every day was an adventure, and every adventure was world-changing. Sombra, Tirek, and Discord, while incredibly dangerous and held the fate of all in the balance, Celestia would be lying if those adventures didn't share one thing.
Fun!
Luna was quiet throughout the journey, a rare occurrence for her, especially considering her rather upbeat reaction in the castle. Usually the two sisters would make idle small talk during the many trips they always have every day.
Looking at her sister’s face, Celestia noticed Luna's face seemingly mirrored her own deep contemplation, but the big contrast was the big smile that was spread ear to ear. Luna also seemed to have a slight bounce in her posture, one that was far too exaggerated to be caused by the mild thumping of the carriage.
She always gets like this when she's excited. Celestia remembered with a smile.
This was one of the few unchanging things that Celestia didn't grow bored off. The cute little wiggle her sister made whenever she was exited for something. The little shake of her rump combined with the slight wag of her tail she would do as a filly when she saw a cookie, or the near full-on dance she made when she was allowed to raise the moon for the first time, her tail practically waving like a happy dog.
Celestia would never forget the squeak Luna made when she did it.
Even as an adult, Luna still has yet to grow up.
Celestia smiled at the memories, the little warm and fuzzy feeling they sparked in her causing some relief from the weird feeling she had been feeling as of late.
As if sensing the somewhat elated mood of her sister, Luna broke the silence.
“Have you ever heard of this E.M.W.L before sister?” Luna asked in earnest in an attempt to make small talk. “It sounds like the most splendid of places.”
”No I have not,” Celestia responded, “it would seem that among the many things I've had the pleasure of knowing, wrestling was not at the forefront.” Celestia half-lied, as she had heard of things like this before, but never on a scale such as this. So she was aware of its existence due to the extreme popularity, but she had no idea as to what, precisely, it was. All she had to go on was based on the descriptions of her subjects and her sister. And the little Busy Body had told her.
Rolling her eyes at the slight sarcasm, her energy never dieing down. Luna spoke up again.
“By what the old stallion said it sounds wonderful, Almost like the gladiators of old!”
Luna always did love those.
Smiling, Celestia reminisced on those ancient fights, unlike most other cultures, the Equestrian gladiators didn’t fight to the death, but rather to the first yield. In some way it would seem that made the fights all the more intense. Luna absolutely loved watching those fights as a young mare. The young Celestia watched it for the hot colts.
“Indeed Luna, though it would seem that this is quite a bit more popular, and no shortage of flashiness if what we were told is anything to go by.” Celestia said. “It seems almost nostalgic appearing in an event like this before the masses.”
Nodding in agreement Luna opened her mouth to speak “I-”
“We are hear your majesties!” the loud voice of the guard driving the carriage interrupted Luna with his loud report.
Luna’s ears perked up like a cat when she heard this, followed by a small giggle of giddy excitement.
Looking out the window, Celestia saw the imposing black dome covering nearly all of her vision, though her view wasn't exactly the greatest due to it being obscured by the masses of ponies, various of which belonged to the press, being held at bay by the local guard to the best of their meager ability. It would seem the stallion who ran this wrestling company spared no expense at taking full advantage of the news of having the princesses’ themselves appear at this match.
Waiting a moment for a hole in the sea of her subjects, Celestia opened the door and proceeded to step out of the cart. An uproarious torrent of questions bellowed out of the press ponies at the sight of the Sun Princess. A roar that got ever louder once Luna stepped out as well.
No matter where I go the press follows.
Having grown used to this, Celestia took a moment for a breather, then put her trademark smile on before the ponies, her trained eyes having grown used to the almost constant bright flashes of camera lights. Though her ears still seemed to protest at the deafening sound of the interviewers’ combined shouts.
As if she was parting a sea, Celestia began walking through the crowd, the guards working, far harder than any stallion had any right to, to keep a steady path through the crowd to make sure their princesses’ path was as unobstructed as possible.
Giving small nods and polite waves to the ponies, Celestia cast a glance back. It would seem that Luna still wasn't completely used to the attention her subjects gave her. It would seem she was still used to the silent and obedient crowds of olden days. While Celestia tried her best to get Luna more used to the modern way of things, it would seem that despite her best efforts, she still needed some work.
Shooting a glance of sympathy at Luna in her disgruntled disposition within the crowd, with the press hot on her heels like a predator stalking a limping prey. Celestia pressed onwards, making her way towards the grandiose entrance to the dome before her.
As she made her way towards the entrance, through the sea of ponies and paparazzi, Celestia began to notice what could only be described as billboards. Made like a giant curtain, they were hanging from various parts of the dome where various images of what Celestia could guess were the contenders of the sport. Masked mares littered the expanse of each display, each standing in a proud and dominating pose.
The most stunning of them all hung way above the entryway, the symbol E.M.W.L., printed in large golden letters, stood proudly out in the center of the cloth. Beside it were the images of two mares staring at each other, a big VS inbetween the two.
It didn't take Celestia long to guess what the main event was, as if it was not obvious already, and to top it off underneath the title sign and the images of the mares, imprinted in a manner similar to the title, was this ‘championship title match, who will go home with the belt? Join us tonight at the E.M.W.L.!’
An impressive advert as it is. Celestia would give them props for going all out in such a thing, although at the very bottom of the advert was this, which Celestia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at.
‘Making a special appearance tonight, the princesses themselves. If the princesses’ are attending, you should to! Join us tonight, see you there!’
Seems that they wasted no time in using the princesses appearance as part of the ad. They must have worked overtime just to advertise that part on the massive cloth in just a day’s time. Celestia rolled her eyes.
Guess to some ponies i’m just a walking publicity stunt.
Celestia smiled somberly as she approached the door, with Luna trailing behind her, having survived the mob of paparazzi and press that seemed more reminiscent of a zombie outbreak.
An earth pony, of large stature, who would be imposing to most dressed in standard security guard awaited them. Upon their reaching the doorway he politely but silently opened the door and gestured them in.
Celestia and Luna offered a silent nod in return as thanks before making their way into the building, the security guard closing the door behind them with a less-than-graceful slam to cut off the mass of ponies outside attempting to make a dash to them. Celestia could see the guard fending off the crowd to the best of his abilities, with the aid of a few guards whom had broken off from the main escort to offer some assistance for the desperate guards outside. An admirable but herculean task, clearly they weren't paid enough for this.
Returning her gaze to what's in front of her, Celestia couldn’t help but be impressed by what she saw. A massive hallway stood before her, littered with various ponies, each going about their business, most likely either stragglers about to attend the match or, as the majority would suggest, employees scurrying about making last minute preparations for the event, and the closing of several food stands.
The scale of the room could rival some of the bigger rooms in Canterlot castle, while nothing compared to some of the biggest rooms, it could easily put to shame most of the medium-sized areas, not saying that the size was to be sneezed at, and could probably fit thousands of ponies within this hallway, and judging from the size of the dome from before, Celestia doubted that this was the biggest this place had to offer.
Though Celestia was marginally impressed, her sister was a different story. Luna’s mood took a huge shift from the one she had outside, her shy and confused look replaced by a sense of wonder, it came as no surprise to Celestia, as Luna was still getting used to the new ways of architecture of the modern era. She was staring at everything with a sense of wonder, like a child seeing their hero for this first time.
“This way your majesties,” one of the remaining guards said to them. Breaking Celestia and Luna out their little worlds, the guard gestured for them to follow him. “We have been given instructions as to where you will be attending, please follow me.”
The guard made a small gesture with his hand as a motion to follow him, to which Celestia and Luna followed behind, the little march of the princesses and the platoon of guards accompanying them had drawn a fair bit of attention from the surrounding ponies, each one either gasping in surprise or nearly headbutting the floor in a reckless bow. The latter would have been amusing, if it wasn't so tiring to be bowed at all the time.
Eventually Celestia figured out where they were being led to, a section that contained far less ponies, was a layout that was far more upkept than the rest, a big V.IP. sign hung overhead the doorway, several guards ponies stood at attention at the door, their posture straightening out even more at the arrival of the princesses.
Though what drew the princesses’ attention was the familiar face awaiting them at it. Busy Body stood idly by, leaning against the door in a showcase of some tiredness, which quickly vanished at the sight of the princesses. Giving off a tame but excited wave, he waited patiently until the princesses had reached the door.
Upon reaching their destinations, the guards filled outwards, each taking positions surrounding the door, while some went on ahead into the V.I.P. section to check to make sure the way is clear. Busy Body stood before the princesses, scanning their faces and letting loose a smile at Luna’s never ending grin.
“Welcome, your highnesses, so glad you can join us!” He proclaimed with honest happiness. “I hope your trip was comfortable?”
Was until the press mob.
Celestia smirked a little. While not the nicest of thoughts, it wasn't far from the truth. The ride was somewhat pleasant until the mob of paparazzi all but mauled them on their way into the building, the guards and security had at least tried their damndest to make it work.
As if like a psychic Busy Body read that smirk like a book, a small frown and a slightly sad gleam came over his eyes.
“So I see you encountered the press I suppose? I didn't think it would be that bad…”
Luna scoffed a little at this, clearly the less tolerant of such a welcome, eying Busy with a silent silent malice.
“Bad is an understatement…” Luna muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Celestia and Busy to hear.
His ears going flat for the briefest of moments, Busy Body had what was what Celestia thought was a look of apologetic regret forming over his muzzle, even his tail seemed to drop a bit, until he perked up slightly before speaking once again.
“I guess I should have known. It wasn't a very well-kept secret that you two would be joining us tonight, and the press is hungry for any news as of late.” He said this with slight bashfulness, probably embarrassed that he hadn't thought of that before.
Celestia wasn't one to hold a grudge over such things, stuff like this was nothing new to her, very rarely did the higher-ups of companies spare any chance of using the princesses as flagships for their marketing whenever possible. The amount of times cake companies still bring up that embarrassing news story is something Celestia would never live down.
A slight rumble emanating from behind the door where Busy was currently standing, seemingly out of nowhere, caused Busy Body to shed his slightly upset aura and replaced it with the familiar weird energy the old stallion carried with him. His face brightening up as if he just remembered something.
“Well the past is the past I suppose! But unfortunate beginnings aside, that is not the reason we are here no? Please follow me.” he beckoned the princess forward to the door, the guards parting at his words. “I don't think the ponies could wait any longer anyways.”
As if the energy was contagious, Luna seemed to shed her rather sour mood from before and regained her giddy excitement once again, especially so at the mention of a crowd.
The princesses offered only a nod in agreement, which Busy took as a good sign before passing through the doors and standing to the side, motioning for the princesses to go first as a show of respect. Making their way into the hallway before them, with Busy Body trailing behind them, the guards closed the door behind, and opened his entrance.
The sight that greeted Celestia definitely held up to the V.I.P. label outside of the door, the hallway held a certain class to it that the main area of the building certainly lacked, a cleanness that was unfitting for a public arena of this stature and a scent that carried a hint of roses wafted around the hall.
Images of various mares adorned in flashy attire with faces obscured by masks were plastered throughout the hallway, each one bearing no similarity to another. Each striking a imposing or confident pose that carried its own charm, in a way. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine these were the more popular of the athletes that were in this federation. The pictures added a sense of authority and age that complemented the grandiose-like layout.
Several guards that had separated from the main group lined the hallway, saluting out of instinct at the entrance of the princesses. The majority of them were standing by one of the doors near the princesses, and from the quality of the frame alone compared to the others, it wasn't hard to guess where the princesses would be seated.
Silently they approached the door, not a long trip due to its somewhat close proximity to them, before Busy Body spoke up once again.
“I hope you do enjoy your stay here princesses, we have spared no expense at making this our best event to date!.” He proclaimed this with honest enthusiasm, before moving aside and opening the door for the princesses to enter.
Celestia let loose a mild sigh, time to get the show on the road.
To say Celestia was overwhelmed by the many things that greeted her upon entering would be an understatement. Her eyes squinting in a sore reflex at the sudden bright light, ears flattening upon her head in an attempt to shield themselves from the uproarious sounds of music and the rows upon rows of her subjects lining the stadium.
Taking a brief moment to recover, she blinked her eyes in quick succession and let loose a mild cringe from the ringing in her ears. She began to step forwards once again, now focused enough to take in the sight before her. What she found could only be described as stunning, even to someone who has seen as many things as her.
Her eyes now in working order, the first thing Celestia noticed was the size. It would be safe to say where the size of the colosseum she had seen from the outside had went. Before her was what could only be described as absurd in its scope, but nonetheless real; a massive stadium filled with hundreds of thousands of her subjects lined the seats, their figures and the erratic movements of the audience an unintentional synchronization that seemed, from Celestia's high perch in her seat, like ocean waters in a storm.
With some effort, her eyes traveled upwards, away from the makeshift living water and took in the source of the brightness. Above the stadium, at a height Celestia only assumed would require a pegasus team to reach were several hundred lights, each ablaze with a unique color scheme that ranged across the spectrum, each one switching on and off at a unorthodox pace, causing the light of the arena shift from one blend of colour to another. It never faltered from the exciting atmosphere they produced.
Shifting her focus back to the crowd before her, her ears finally caught up with her. The source of her ear’s suffering was quickly identified by Celestia, having heard this sound many times before. A unified howl of tens of thousands of ponies thundered across the arena, seeming like each member of the audience were trying to outscream each other, all melding together into a war-like cry.
Overhead were several speakers, each blasting out a high-pitched beat so strong it occasionally overtook the sound of the crowd and caused Celestia to mildly shake at some of the louder parts.
Steeling herself, and having taken in her surroundings, Celestia once again moved forwards towards the edge of the balcony. Two seats stood before her, each one flanked by two guards. One a pure white marble, the other a calm night oppal. It wasn’t hard to guess which seat she would be sitting in.
A gasp from behind Celestia caught her attention away from the overwhelming sensations before her and back behind her. Luna, who had once again gone quiet while they were approaching their booth, had a look that could only be equated to pure honest unyielding fascination, her eyes and ears traveling wildly at the experience before her, her hands clasped together in front of her in what Celestia assumed was a way she was trying to compose herself. Her eyes shined brightly with the energy of a child.
Like Celestia she to took a moment to take it all in, though Luna was more out of enthrallment rather than curiosity. Before she too found herself and began to make her way towards the black chair, though her walk now seems to carry a sense of a far lighter skip.
After basking in Luna’s cute moment, Celestia followed her sister's example and made her way towards the front. Upon seeing the sheer size of the crowd, Celestia decided to correct her assumption about the size of the crowd.
At first it seemed like tens of thousands of her subjects were attending, when she could only see from the little window behind the chairs. With the ceiling of the room now behind her, her view became unrestricted.
Before her were not tens of thousands of her little ponies, a more correct answer would be, what Celestia could guess, could easily be mistaken for nearly hundreds of thousands. Several rows of seats that celestia had not seen had been lined above her booth, nearly an additional thirty feet containing dozens of rows filled with ponies were above her, seemingly overkill when compared to what Celestia could guess was fifty feet of packed seats beneath her.
A crowd of such a size, while not new to Celestia, took her by surprise at first. She never would have guessed that such a lauge number of ponies would be interested in such an event. Usually a gathering such as this would be for speeches of great importance, usually given by Celestia herself. She could not help but be astonished and impressed that a similar number would attend an event such as this.
It would seem Luna shared her sentiment when another gasp emanated from Luna’s side of the balcony, even less accustomed to such a large scale event prompting such a number of her subjects to attend. Luna was never one to enjoy public speeches, and, as a result, she was far less used to massive crowds, which was in full display to her far more apparent stunned state at the view before her.
Smiling a little at her sister's stupefied face, Celestia turned back to the massive colosseum before her, her eyes scanning over the masses of bodies filling up row after row of the stadium. Now giving it her full attention this time, Celestia's eyes wandered downwards towards the middle point of the arena, quickly recognizing the structure before her from the pamphlet given to her by Busy Body.
It took Celestia a moment to recall the exact name of the structure before her, but her mind quickly disclosed the name to her; it was a ring.
A massive black, box-shaped platform was stationed within the middle of the arena, with several ropes each attaching themselves to poles on all four corners of the ring, with another pole attached slightly behind the first poles, but had no ropes attached to them. They reminded Celestia of flagpoles, in a way.
In the centre of the ring was a bright orange painting of the wrestling’s name, proudly proclaiming itself from the black hue of the ring, almost as if it was demanding your attention at all times.
The ring itself was much larger than Celestia would have guessed. If one was particular enough, they could fit at least 20 or so of the contenders in there with relatively plentiful room to move.
Celestia's eyes trailed a bit, straining a little with the ever-changing lights above her. Squinting as hard as she could, Celestia could swear she could see what seemed to be a glass dome surrounding the empty area that the ring did not cover, it seemed to expand to about three times the size of the ring and lifted to above about four times the height of the poles attached to the ring. Celestia could not figure why such a dome would be needed.
“Are you comfortable princesses?” A voice from behind Celestia called out, her eyes shifting on her head to pinpoint the source over the ever-growing roar of the crowd. A faint clearing of the throat allowed her to pinpoint where it was coming from.
Turning her head to find its source, she was Busy Body was sitting down next to her, opposite of Luna, on what was equatable to a folding chair, probably pulled up at the last second. He was looking at her with somewhat curious eyes. Raising his eyebrows awaiting her response.
Celestia gave a silent nod in return, before turning her head back towards the audience. While not false the nod was a quiet half lie on her part. The chair was indeed quite comfy, though the army of screaming bodies before her made it a little difficult to relax as Busy Body was inquiring to.
His face softening at the nod, Busy Body looked out into the crowd as well. From the corner of her vision Celestia could see faint traces of a smile forming across the stallion's face.
“Good to know, I was worried that this would be a little off putting to most.” Busy spoke up again, sounding a little relieved and a little somber.
Where did that come from?
Before Celestia could inquire about an answer to her thoughts, a loud sigh followed by another voice pierced the crowd, pulling the attention of both Celestia and Busy Body. Princess Luna was staring at them, with unamusement plastered over her face.
“Forgive us for the interruption, but may I ask when this will start?” Luna asked with a slight annoyance. Her once childlike excitement replaced with a equally childlike boredom. Her cheeks comically puffed out slightly. “I would indeed like to be able to hear the spectacle before I go deaf from the enthusiastic crowd.”
Luna never was one to wait for something she was excited about
Busy Body could only offer a smile in return, finding amusement in the Moon princess’s childlike behavior.
“Funny you should ask princess. Do not worry it shall begin shortly, in fact…” Busy Body trailed off, turning his attention towards the ring in the centre of the arena. “It should be starting right about… now!”
As if on cue, just after Busy Body was finished speaking, the lights within the arena all shut off at once, the music shifting from its loud techno-esce noise to a soft but powerful orchestral build up, gradually building up in volume and intensity as each second passed.
Celestia would be lying if she said it was not easier on the ears.
The crowd's frenzy exploded to even higher levels, Celestia figured it was because the audience new what the music meant.
Once the music reached a level of loudness that rivaled the crowd, several searchlights ignited at the edges of the arena. Circling the crowd several times before each pointing towards a section a little ways beyond the ring.
A hiss heralded the arrival of smoke arose from around the lit up area, obscuring the floor from view, before a dull hiss sounded out, and the sound of mechanical humming replaced it. As the smoke cleared, Celestia spotted two mechanical doors slowly opening from within the smoke screen, the orchestral music playing in synch with the speed of the doors.
Slowly the platform started to rise, carrying with it a large table with a shining golden object within the centre, two chairs stood side by side facing the ring behind the table, where two figures were gradually rising with the rest of the platform. The crowd, seeing the pair, went nuts and thousands of screams of adoration echoed throughout the arena. Showing their support and excitement at the appearance of the two figures.
Celestia's ears twitched a little at a new sound, caused by the orchestral music taking on a harsh electronic-like rhythm, its loud beat reverberating around the arena.
The crowd began clapping along to the rhythm, nearly in unison, as if they had performed the act so many times before.
Turning her attention back towards the lifting platform, Celestia spotted some movement from one of the figures sitting at the elevating table. The figure appeared to be reaching towards something close to the center of the table in front of them, before bringing it towards their head.
Suddenly, the speakers above silenced, their beat only a quiet echo throughout the arena. The crowd seemed to follow suit, quieting down to faint murmurs across the seats. All eyes fixated on the one moving figure down below.
“Mares and Gentlecolts! Are you ready for some action?!”
It would seem that the object was a microphone, the many speakers awakening again at a deafening volume at the figure’s question. Female by the sound of it, Celestia noted.
The question seemed to reignite the crowd, the silence being destroyed by the familiar deafening roar of an excited audience.
“YES!” the incomprehensible roar of the crowd was pierced by a unified voice of many of the ponies, each exclaiming their answer to the question as if their life depended on it.
Celestia smiled a little at the excitement the crowd had, it had been awhile since she had seen such excitement within a crowd of this size, let alone at something so simple as a mere question.
They always did get riled up over so little.
The figure that spoke seemed to be satisfied with that answer, taking in the crowd's roars before holding the mic up to her face.
“Now that's what I like to hear! I’m lovin this energy tonight! Without further ado…” the mare paused mid sentence, and there was a faint sound of snapping fingers. And suddenly, almost as quickly as the smoke appeared, a dull magical hum followed by an arcane-like glow overtook the surrounding smoke, and with a mechanical ‘woosh’ the smoke vanished. No longer obscuring the center of the colosseum. “Let's get this show started!”
Soon the mechanical sound that occurred for the platform began to happen once more, though this time it was increased tenfold. The sound echoing across the arena as the mechanics of the stadium flared to life.
The lights hanging overhead began to move, each one heading towards one of the edges of the ceiling, slowly creating a vacant space within their numbers. Slowly, another door opened up in the center of the newly-created space. An object began descending, with various images begin being played on repeat over and over across its frame.
Celestia quickly recognized the new object as a series of screens, four in total, with one facing each side. Each one’s size rivaling some of the biggest billboards she has ever seen.
Soon the light show on the screens was replaced by two faces. Celestia recognized them as the faces on the advertisement in the entrance to the coliseum.
“Wow~~~” Celestia's ears once again traveled to her right. She didn’t need to look to figure out what it was. Luna, who had been quiet up until now, couldn't control her excitement anymore, and a sound that sounded more like a squeak than any word escaped her lips.
Smirking a little, Celestia continued watching the spectacle before her. Finishing its decent, the the images on the screen changed. Replacing the faces was the same question the figure asked.
ARE YOU READY?
“Here we go!” As if on cue, several of the overhead lights that had lain dormant sprung to life, each aiming towards the table beside the ring. Illuminating the dark area for all to see, the two mysterious figures were revealed.
The two mares sat side by side, each one looking out towards the crowd. The one with the microphone clearly the more energetic of the bunch, with a bright orange coat and dark red hair, an ear to ear smile, and waving slightly flirtatiously towards all the nearby fans. The figure beside her was a unique contrast. Unlike the energetic mare beside her, she only gave polite nods towards the audience. Her appearance was simple; a pure grey coat with a blue mane tied neatly into a bun behind her head.
Now that Celestia could see them, she couldn't help but blush slightly. The attire choice of the two mares was... ‘unique’ to say the least. The two were wearing what Celestia could only guess was a competition-like swimsuit she had seen some athletes wear, the key difference being that they had to be at least two sizes too small for them, each suit hugging their respective mares within their black embrace, leaving very little to the imagination.
It wasn't hard to guess why most of the stallions behind the table were the ones cheering when the fiery mare stood up.
“Those are very… interesting costume choices for those two.” Celestia muttered slightly towards Busy Body. He could only offer a sheepish smile with a mild blush covering his face.
“Our boss has unique tastes when it comes to costume designs…” Busy Body was nervously giggling a little at the end of his retort. His hand rubbed the back of his head.
“Good evening mares and gentlecolts! Welcome, to the third annual championship title!” Both her hands raising once she finished, pointing towards the ceiling in an excited manner. “This will be a night to remember!”
The figure beside her reached forward as well, her hand grabbing the second microphone that was placed before her.
“Right you are Flare, and what a turnout this has been. It would seem like all of Equestria has come out to witness this event.” Once again, contrast to her companion beside her, she kept her cool on, her announcement carrying a far calmer and collected tone, before sitting back down in her seat once she finished.
Bouncing a little, the announcer beside her, Flare as she was known, spoke up at her fellow announcer’s ending.
“I'd have to agree with ‘ya on that one Jaycee. In all my time serving as an announcer, this has to be the biggest turnout yet! We’ve had to have broken a record somewhere! Let's have a big hand for our lovely audience tonight!” Clapping her hands Flare gestured towards the crowd to follow suit, the stadium being filled with the sound of hands slamming together filled the place.
Even Busy Body joined in on the applause, seemingly lost in the moment of the scene before him.
“No surprise there my friend. After all, today is quite the occasion. On top of it being a championship bout for the title, we have a special treat for you fans. Attending tonight are two special guests.” Standing up, the one known as Jaycee pointed towards the booth Celestia and Luna were sitting in. Several cameras hidden from view pointed her way, causing the image of the screens above to display the princesses in all their glory.
There it is.
Celestia was wondering when they would be brought up. She quickly readied herself, looking as regal as she could in the two milliseconds before her image showed up. Celestia only offered a small smile and a curt wave towards the audience.
Luna, however, was far less graceful in her quick appearance check; fumbling around for a moment, surprised at being broken out of her stunned amazement, not ready for the sudden attention, before blushing and waving meekly at the audience.
The crowd went absolutely nuts at the revel of their guest, even more so once they saw them displayed on the several screens of the hanging box. It would seem that their presence went unnoticed. Most likely distracted by the energy and light show being offered before them are to blame.
The image of the two princesses remained on the image screen for a while before fading away, returning to the image of the two masked mares.
“Our lovely princesses have blessed us with a surprise visit! If even the princesses came you know what's goin’ down is bound to be great!” Flare exclaimed, fist pumping before sitting back down into her seat.
“I’d have to agree with you on that one Flare. Let's hope this match will not disappoint with such high-status figures attending tonight.” Jaycee responded, nodding in agreement before shifting her attention towards one of, what Celestia figured, was one of the many hidden cameras, her face appearing on the screens. “I think we’ve been waiting long enough, so without further ado…”
Snapping her fingers, similar to how Flare did to activate the screens, a series of fire columns erupted in a line towards the left of Celestia. These columns illuminated a path that Celestia could have sworn was not there before, before the fire contorted into a square, where it lit up a newly formed door.
“Let the match begin!” Jaycee exclaimed, displaying some fervour more expected of Flare at this point. Ending her proclamation by pointing towards the now illuminated door.
Here we go then…
Celestia followed Jaycee’s point towards the door, her eyes rising slightly in curiosity at what may come out first.
“You heard her folks, let's get this party started!” Flare spoke up, clearing her throat. She followed Jaycee’s example and gestured towards the door.
“Introducing the challenger. An old school fan favorite and an old school gal, the mother of all magic and caretaker of pain. Give it up for,” Flare paused, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, building up the moment and taking in the crowd’s growing frenzy. A few moments later, opening them, “MIDNIGHT ROSE!”
Yelling with all her might, Flare pointed towards the door, several of the spotlights above her following suit. Each one pointed at the platform just before it, causing a purple-like glow.
The fire surrounding the door changed, turning purple as well, before being enveloped with a magical glow and forming a ball of flame in front of the entryway.
The doors behind the fire opened, and slowly the ball of fire grew in size, nearly doubling its presence before making its way down the flaming alleyway.
Once it was about halfway across, several small sparks shot out in several directions from the flame, their purple glow leaving behind a trail of fire behind them, traveling across the arena they created a mock light show that put the one before to shame.
One of the flames came up towards the princesses’ booth, the flame stopping just short of the two princesses.
Celestia eyed it with curiosity, as she had never seen pyrokinesis used in such a way before. She gave the caster some credit for the creativity.
Luna's eyes were fixated on it; she was like a moth staring at a flame, her childlike demeanor increasing tenfold at the sight of the fire before her.
The flame began to move once again, hovering towards Luna, who was too stunned to notice, the fire quickly rushed forwards, and quickly booped Luna on the nose.
A slight squeak escaped Luna as her snout screened up a bit at the warm touch of the fire along with the sudden movement towards her face, her eyes lightly crossing to look at the now close fire. Celestia’s heart almost melted at the cute overload.
The fire then suddenly vanished as quickly as it appeared, rushing towards another part of the arena.
The central flame had made its way towards the barrier around the ring. With a brief flicker the barrier opened up a hole just big enough to allow the flame to proceed comfortably inside.
Making its way towards the edge of the ring, the fire levitated itself up over the side of the ring, passing over the ropes with the grace of a bird.
Upon landing on the ring’s floor, the several flames dancing across the arena all rushed towards it, passing through the barrier with ease as if it wasn't there. As if it was unnoticeable to the magic creating it.
Each flame stopped just before rejoining the final flame, orbiting around it like planets would a star, before all rushing into it at once, creating a bright lavender-like glow.
Several acaric-like hums sounded out from the fire, magic making the sound loud enough for all to hear. The fire then suddenly began flickering. A few moments later the fire exploded in a way similar to a firework. A loud bang following the sudden burst of magical inferno spread through the arena.
Standing where the fire once hovered, was a mare.
The dull purple aura her horn produced confirmed it was a unicorn. Her coat a smooth silver-like grey that shone brightly as if washed by dozens of different shampoos. Her mane draped over her back in a single long purple and white ponytail.
Zooming into her face, a camera displayed the mare's face on the screens above her. Her face was obscured by the purple mask adorning her head, the silver flames and stars making it seem almost ethereal.
Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes gracefully opening and staring into the camera. Her light blue eyes shone powerfully with age and magic.
Zooming outwards the image of the mare's face increased to her figure. Celestia noticed that It would seem that the outfit for this mare was far more tame than the two announcers.
Like her mask her uniform took on a similar color scheme; a purple top that ended just before her shoulders and descended low enough to cover most of her midriff, followed by skin tight pants that hugged her lower body. Purple dominated most of the colour on it, but, matching her mask were various silver flames adorning the ends of the limbs of the costume, with a silver star adorning the center of her chest.
To say the crowd was excited would be an understatement. Already riled up from the flame show, the crowd exploded into a mass of excited cheering, each pony showing their adoration of the newly-appeared pony before them.
Making her way across the ring, Midnight Rose made her way towards one of the nearby corners, seemingly blocking out the chaos of the crowd around her, as if she couldn’t hear it. Upon reaching it, she silently turned around and leaned against it, her eyes closing once more as if in deep contemplation.
She reminds me of someone…
“Damn, what a show! Guess amazing magic comes with the territory of this magical mare!” Flare spoke up, her voice resonating across the crowd, her eyes filled with excitement as well, as clearly she enjoyed the performances as much as the audience.
“I’ll say, clearly Midnight is in it to win it today.” Jaycee nodded in agreement, her excitement limited to a small smile upon her face as she eyed her partner’s giddy bouncing before starting out and facing the door once again. “Hope you enjoyed that folks, cause the best has yet to come”
Her eyes taking on a silent glow, becoming more lively than they had to this point. Jaycee stood up and exclaimed with a authorite tone.
“For our next competitor. The Champion title holder, the kicker of flanks, the baker of all, give it up for... The Terminator!”
On those words the fire around the door regained the orange, fiery look, before springing to life and increasing in ferocity tenfold. The doors opened once again, although this time only a single figure walked out. Another mare walked out of the doors, showing herself from the get go unlike her opponent did before her. Displaying herself for all to see.
Wings flared, the pegasus began to walk down to the ring, waving to and fro as she did so. Her blonde mane swung freely behind her head, flowing almost majestically in tune with her strides. Wasting no time, the cameras did not wait for her to enter the ring to begin filming her, her form quickly being displayed on the overhead screens for all to see.
Celestia once again felt her face flushing a little, this uniform putting even the announcers to shame. The mare’s uniform was a simple black colored two piece uniform with golden lines in various places, adding some sense of royalty to her. The top part doing little in terms of covering her assets up front.
Though what stole the show, and the source of Celestia's blush was what the mare was wearing as bottoms, or rather, lack of what she was wearing as bottoms.
To say the mare was bottom-heavy was an understatement, her body shaped in a textbook hourglass-like form. It was a miracle that such a well endowed behind was able to exist in the first place. Its size only emphasized by the lower part of her uniform.
It would appear at first glance that the bottoms were just normal sport shorts, but due to the mares well endowed nature, it would be more appropriate to call them underwear at this point. The clothing stretched to its limits to fit around the mare.
It made sense as to why the cheers for the champion got louder after she passed them.
Her cheerful bounce was not helping to defuse it either.
Celestia could feel the awkwardness emanating from Busy Body, almost as if he could sense the princess’s question. All he could do was offer another sheepish grin.
“And here she is, the champion in all her glory, making her way down without a care in the world!” Flare announced, somehow even more invigorated than the last time, her face painted with a bigger smirk with a mild blush on her cheeks.
Making her way towards the side of the ring, passing through the barrier with a nonchalant strut, and folding her wings against her back, the Terminator decides to enter the ring to old fashion way; hopping up onto the side of the ring, she proceeded to bend over, going underneath the rope in order to enter. Taking a bit longer then most would to fit her behind through easily. Much to the enjoyment of many of the hot blooded stallions able to see the view.
Once inside the Terminator made her way towards the corner opposite of the one Midnight was leaning on, and the Terminator gave what seemed to be an attempt at an intimidating glare at her opponent, but Midnight was still too deep in her own world to notice.
“Now that everything's in order, time to get to the fun!” Flare spoke up, before proceeding to face the audience to address them. Standing up, Flare reached over the table, gesturing towards an area beyond the ring, before retracting her arm, and pointing it to the sky.
Upon those words a song similar to the one Celestia heard upon her entrance began to play. Its beat many times louder than before; the lights above rotating around in various circles around the crowd, showering the audience with an array of colours. The overhead screen’s speakers springing to life, their robotic-like voice repeating what Flare said, over and over, to the beat of the music, asking the same question every time.
ARE YOU READY?
The two mares in the ring seemed unfazed by it. Midnight was still seemingly lost in her own world, her face never once showing even the slightest movement. The Terminator, however, was a different story. Upon hearing the voice asking its question, she began pumping her arms, pointing towards the sky.
Thrusting her arms in sync with the voice she began to chant, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
With every yes she followed with another arm thrust, her head flowing back and forth as she moved her gaze across the crowd, a massive smile across her face as she did so. Her voice being blasted from the many speakers hanging overhead, Celestia was intrigued as to how the accomplished that, sensing no magic emanating from the mares mask.
The crowd seemed to enjoy the little show The Terminator was giving, as one by one they all eventually began following her example. The crowd becoming a unified chant in time with the overhead voice.
“YES! YES! YES!” they cried over and over, timing themselves with the mare down below. The Terminator, seemingly pleased by this, began jumping up and down across the area of the ring, coming to each side of the ropes and shouting along with them, her smile growing larger every time the crowd repeated her.
Celestia’s ears instinctively flattened themselves out at the sudden volume, trying in vain to save her eardrums from the might of the loud chant all around. Celestia was tempted to use magic to aid in her ear’s losing battle.
“Yes!” Through Celestia’s suffering her ears unwittingly picked out Luna’s voice, chanting along with the crowd. Turning her head to face her she could see a giddy Luna pumping her fist in the air along with the crowd’s chant. Her face was one of pure glee as she did so.
Luna’s positivity rubbed off a little on Celestia, who couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her sister, happy that she was enjoying herself. More and more of the Luna that Celestia remembered as a child was showing this night. A sight she was most grateful for, it was a huge improvement over the immensely shy Luna she had seen coming here.
Turning her attention back towards the ring, Celestia saw Flare begin to follow in the chant with the crowd, the key difference being that Flare also had a microphone. Her loud and proud cheering equaling the Terminator’s voice in volume and passion, much to her partner's dismay.
Flare was getting deep into the moment, when she stood up suddenly, her voice growing ever more passionate as she cried into the microphone she held up to her face, her other hand pumping in sync with the crowd-wide cry. Even starting to add a slight jump to her stance, much to the enjoyment of the more hot-blooded fans near her, her uniform not leaving much to the imagination.
This continued for some time, around a minute by Celestia's guess, before the overhead screen abruptly changed from its rhythm of chatting. The words ceasing to be spoken by the screen’s many speakers, the crowd and the wrestlers following suit with their chanting, all fixed on the jumbo screen, the removed word was quickly replaced by another.
THEN LET'S GET STARTED!
Upon finishing its message, several small arcane-like beams began to glow from the underside of the screen. each cascading down towards the arena in a manner more suited to water then light, all gradually hovering downwards until they reached the ring’s center. The barrier surrounding the ring temporarily opened slightly to let them through before resealing itself with a faint ‘crack’.
The two wrestlers eyed the ball with a familiar glow in their eyes, Midnight only briefly acknowledging it while the Terminator had a huge grin accompanying hers. It would seem this spectacle was nothing new to them.
The balls of watery light stopped their descent just before reaching the arena’s floor, before they all began to combine with one another. The centermost ball gradually getting bigger quicker and quicker with each one.
Before long, the glowing ball reached a size similar to that of the average stallion, dwarfing the two wrestlers by a good foot. Another magical ‘crack’ was made, this time from the ball of light.
The ball began to shimmer and wave slightly, like rippling water that had a rock thrown into it. Gradually the ball began to take on a new shape through its shuffling.
Celestia could begin to see the traces of what seemed to be bipedal features beginning to take form. The ball of light gradually forming into what appeared to be similar to a grown mare’s body, but is devoid of any and all features. No eyes, mane, no anything. Just a pure white mass.
It took Celestia a while to notice, but her ears eventually picked up an unusual sound. In an uncharacteristic twist, the crowd seemed to be nearly silent, only a faint echo reverberating across the arena. Each and every one seemingly enthralled by the being before them. As if a child awaiting a favorite part of a movie.
Even Luna seemed to be stunned at the figures formation, her wide eyes filled with curiosity, her mouth open, gaping with enthrallment.
The white figure’s head seemed to trail along the crowd, and even though it had no eyes, it still seemed to look at each and every one pony there; staring at them with a mystifying intensity.
The creature seemed to stare a fair bit longer at Celestia once her head turned to face her. Celista could feel some sort of unusual energy flowing through her as it did. While not uncomfortable, it felt… unusual in a way.
The two stared at one another for a second. Intrigued, Celestia raised an eyebrow at the form. As if on cue the figure turned its head away.
Odd
The figure below returned its attention to the wrestlers before it, its head scanning their form. Each wrestler gave the figure a respectful nod. Seemingly satisfied with that, the figure turned its attention towards the announcers, walking towards them with a slow stride.
Stopping just before reaching the ropes along the side of the ring, the figure seemed to give a silent addressing to the two mares at the table. A series of small beeps and whistles emanated from the form.
Not even with her centuries of experience could Celestia decipher what the creation had said. No language she had heard before that could sound anywhere near the oddity the creature had just spoken.
It was a different story for Flare and Jaycee, once the creation had finished its message, the two each gave the creature a nod, Flare adding a thumbs up and smirk to hers.
Somehow , the creature seemed happy to see these reactions, returning the silent nod before returning towards the center of the ring.
The figure raised one arm in the air, similar to how the crowd was doing while chanting. Another bright flash emanated from the figure. Celestia’s eyes immediately raised their complaints by tearing up at the sudden discomfort.
When the light faded, replacing the figure was another white ball, this one orbiting around the logo painted on the floor before shooting upwards, heading back towards the massive screen above it.
The white orb vanished once it reached the screens, its form exploding into a cascade of white ethereal-like sparks. The screen booted up once more.
“There you have it folks! The ref has given us the go ahead!” Shattering the silence, Flare spoke through the overhead speakers, breaking the crowd out of their stupor; the cheering started up once again, this one seemingly the most frivolous of all the ones before it. It would seem that they had been waiting for this the entire night.
Smirking at the crowd’s returning excitement, Flare returned her gaze to the overhead screens above her. “I'll leave it to you ref!”
At this the screens ceasing their mechanical lightshow. Replacing them was the face of the ethereal figure. Its blank face covering all four of the massive screens, almost as if it was staring at the very soul of every attender there.
“WELCOME MARES AND GENTLECOLTS TO THE E.M.W.L. ANNUAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH!” A soft but archaic voice echoed across the stadium, the figure in the box announcing to the entire crowd. “THE FOLLOWING MATCH WILL BE A SINGLE DOWN PINFALL MATCH-UP, STANDARD RULES APPLIED.”
“You heard it folks, couldn't have said it better myself.” Flare spoke up once again, her eyes scanning across the stadium once more. Her smile once again growing ever larger with each person she passed. “We're going to be doing this the old fashion way~”
Once Flare finished speaking, two beams of blue light shot out of the overhead jumbotron. Each one aimed towards one of the two wrestlers down below.
The one aimed towards Midnight struck her in her horn, though seemingly unaffected, as if she didn't feel it, her grey horn took on a bright blue glow around it. Almost like another being was using it. The other struck the Terminator in the wings, once again, a bright blue glow enveloped them. Almost seeming like it was pinning the wings to her back. The Terminator only smirked a little at this however.
Unusual for a pegasus, most are very protective of their wings
Once the beams of light ceased to emanate from the jumbotron, satisfied with what she saw, Flare picked up her microphone once again.
“Now that we’ve got that taken care of, Ref, would you do the honors?” Flare asked to the jumbotron.
Once again another blue light shot out of the screens, this one however, instead of being a beam was more like a bright searchlight, each one passing over the wrestlers like a scanner. Traveling down slowly across the two mare’s bodies, before reaching their feet and shutting off with a quick ‘zap’.
“NO ILLEGAL ITEMS FOUND, WRESTLERS TAKE YOUR POSITIONS.” The overhead voice spoke up once again, its order being heeded with haste from the two wrestlers, the Terminator practically skipped over towards the center of the ring, stopping just left of the logo plastered on its surface, Midnight however, upon being addressed looked up slowly, her eyes being the only sign of compliance two the voice, before striding slowly towards the right of the rings logo, opposite of her opponent.
The two wrestlers give each other a brief nod to one another before both got into a fighting stance, the Terminator raising her fists into a makeshift boxing stance, smirking while shuffling to and fro on the balls of her feet. Midnight crouched down low, bending her knees with one foot in front and one foot behind, crouching down into something like a football player's stance. Her stoic expression never changing, her eyes piercing deep into her opponent's carefree face.
“I believe the fun is about to start, your majesties.” Busy Body muttered towards the two princesses. His calm expression contrasting quite heavily to the surrounding chaos that surrounded him, his face softening slightly at the sight of Luna. “You can breathe now your Highness.”
Luna’s face had been puffed up throughout the new development, her cheeks turning a bright red from the strain. Upon hearing Busy Body, her cheeks took on a brighter shade and let out her lungful of air with a quiet sigh. Before offering what seems to Celestia to be a mixture of an embarrassed child and a passive adult… it was a look only Luna could seem to achieve.
“And now, for the moment you have all been waiting for…” Flare’s voice took over the arena, grabbing Celestia's attention away from Luna’s childlike antics once more, her voice taking on a somber tone and her face filled with barely-contained excitement, “Let the countdown begin!”
The crowd went completely silent, faster than any crowd should have any right to do so, and Celestia would be lying if it didn't creep her out a bit. The chaotic masses of the audience seemingly freezing in place, all noise stopped, all movement ceased, all eyes were turned towards the overhead screens that came to life once again.
“TEN”
The voice of the jumbotron overtook the arena again, reverberating the stadium with its power, displaying the word on its screen for all to see. Almost immediately after, a few members of the crowd near instinctively repeated the same thing, their cry only just piercing the silence of the crowd.
“NINE”
This time, the crowd was more in sync, matching up almost perfectly with the jumbotron’s countdown. This time, most of the stadium was joining in on it as well.
“EIGHT”
The entirety of the crowd was in on the countdown, matching up perfectly with the voice in a way that seemed almost rehearsed, and it was all but confirmed to Celestia that her subjects came to these quite often. It's a wonder she had not heard about it at all...
“SEVEN”
Another number, another chant. The ease with which the crowd could match the jumbotron was almost uncanny to Celestia, there not being any stragglers to the chant at this point; every spectator as far as Celestia could see was chanting in perfect unity, the sound morphed into a single solitary roaring-like voice, powering through the bodies of all who heard it.
“SIX”
Celestia almost involuntarily began to smile. It would seem that the energy flowing from the crowd was starting to rub off on her, and never before had she heard such enthusiasm from her subjects in such a manner. Indeed, even at places when it was her giving a speech before an audience, this arena was rivaling some of the loudest cheers she had ever received every passing second.
“FIVE”
The two wrestlers down below in the ring seemed to be affected by the growing excitement of the crowd, the two began shuffling in anticipation. Midnight Rose and the Terminator’s stare down growing ever more filled with ire and focus, Midnight’s glare only sharpening with each passing number, and the Terminator’s smirk growing ever larger.
Celestia had to admit, she was impressed by the twos’ determination.
“FOUR”
“Four~!” resembling more a squeak than a voice, Celestia could hear Luna and her meek little cheer alongside the roar of the jumbotron and the crowd just barely being heard by Celestia's ears. Celestia’s heart fluttered slightly at Luna being so happy about this, as it had been so long since Luna had been so happy. She couldn’t help but let some of her sister's excitement get to her, her smile growing ever wider, this time almost completely voluntary.
“THREE”
The beginning of the final stretch of the countdown began, the crowd’s roar sounding almost like a crazed war cry of a massive army rather than an audience. It was joined by Luna’s voice, almost indistinguishable from the masses by this point. Celestia couldn't explain what she was really feeling; it was the sort of tingling one gets from awaiting something incredibly important, the kind a child gets when watching the school clock, awaiting it to strike the end of the final period and rush out into freedom. Combined this with the internal vibrations caused by the loud sounds, creating an unfamiliar, yet almost enjoyable feeling.
“TWO”
This feeling grew ever stronger with the following cry of the crowd (and one happy princess). It was almost overwhelming to Celestia, she had not felt like this for a long time, her empty husk of a mind seemingly filled with the warmth of a fire. Her heart beat beginning to race, and her growing smile being completely genuine. The feelings of curiosity and contagious excitement finally seems to have an effect on her.
Celestia couldn't help but join in for the final chant.
“ONE”
With a cry to dwarf all others, the final number was proudly proclaimed by all of the audience, the energy reaching to new heights, powerful enough to even rattle the arena. The final shout gave way to the absolute biggest grin that the announcer Flare had given for the entirety of the night. Standing up and pointing towards the sky, she yelled,
“Let the match, Begin!”
On cue, an image of a bell appeared on the jumbotron, followed immediately by the sound of bashing metal reverberating across the stadium with its power.
