Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
Twilight attempted to steel the nerves that tried to shake her to her very core. As per her regular pre-match preparations, she found herself in a simple folding chair. In one hand sat a book, a tome that Twilight had deemed to be the target of her next reading conquest. In the other sat her chin as she desperately tried to focus on the pages in front of her, rather than the spectators in the arena awaiting her.
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
This was it.
This was it.
The Grand Galloping Gala, or simply 'The Gala'. The biggest event of the MLW year. But Twilight tried not to think about that.
Tens of thousands of people were on the figurative opposite sides of the walls that kept them out of her sight. Millions more, she was sure, were watching through the magic of the livestreams on the Internet or, for those who couldn't watch that way, the purchase of the televised Pay-Per-View event. But Twilight tried not to think about that
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
Tonight was bigger than big to Twilight. Tonight was probably one of the biggest night of her life. If she'd compiled a list of such days, this night would probably come in third. The day she first arrived in Ponyville would easily take second. If it weren't for that day, she wouldn't even be where she found herself at that moment. As a scholar at heart, she'd always hold her graduation from Canterlot Academic University in the highest regard.
Canterlot Academic University. The institute sponsored by Princess Celestia herself.
Celestia.
If nothing else, Celestia was the one thing in the world that she did not need to think about. Then again, Twilight probably had to thank her for everything that had happened in her life, from her education to her current location. A location that just happened to be just out of sight of what was quite possibly the biggest crowd she'd ever stand before.
A random stagehand walked quickly past where Twilight was sitting, trying to return to his position after a quick restroom break. Twilight looked up just before he rounded a corner.
“Excuse me!” She called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. “Would you happen to know how many people are out there?”
“In the audience?” He asked, frowning in thought. “Last I heard, it was a little over seventy-five thousand.”
Well, that didn't seem so bad. “Is that at capacity?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, good.”
“Over.” With that, the stagehand sped off again, leaving Twilight to the sudden look of shock she'd instantly developed. As she turned back to her book, she tried to block that particular thought out the hardest. She regretted asking. The number she'd heard set her nerves off all over again.
A roar of the crowd reverberated though the building. Twilight tried to distance herself from the show as far as possible without leaving altogether. She hadn't even watched the show to this point. As much as she wanted to be there for her friends, in one way or another. She hadn't watched the World Heavyweight Championship match, which Luna ended up winning. She missed Rainbow Dash lose her Intercontinental title. Heck, she didn't even see Applejack win the right to challenge for any championship at any time for one year.
“Twilight.”
Instead, she tried to focus on the book in front of her, eyes scanning the pages and restarting her breathing exercise to settle her nerves again.
“Twilight...?”
Maybe I should stretch out a little more? She thought to herself as her eyes scanned the pages. No, I've already done that enough. Don't want to overdo it before the match even starts.
“Twilight...”
There were those thoughts again. Thought about tonight. For all the times she'd heard the WarZone theme song, she knew the truth. Tonight was the night. The night where everything she'd done over the course of the past several weeks would culminate in the Gala's main event.
“Twilight!”
The shout snapped Twilight out of her thoughts and made her jump slightly. She looked up to see the source of the voice. An average-height young man looked down at her for the first time in years. He wore one of the trademarked T-shirts the MLW sold as merchandise, but no shorts or pants, leaving his short trunks and his knee-pads exposed. His normally-spiky green hair was matted with his sweat, with a dark patch just above his forehead. Twilight winced slightly. She completely forgotten about her younger brother's match. One that, for lack of a better phrase, put the young man through hell.
Twilight smiled. “Sorry, Spike.” She held up the book in her hand. “Kinda got too into it.”
Spike smiled and rolled his eyes. “Sure you did. The guys are looking for you. You ready to go?”
Twilight frowned. “Is it time already?”
At that point, words that Twilight spoke some time ago echoed through the hall as a song began to play.
“Who do you think you are?!”
“Yep. They're playing the video package now. Let's go before everyone starts thinking you skipped out.”
Twilight frowned. No, that wouldn't do. She'd alienated a lot of the MLW fans with her actions a few months back. Even though she'd convinced the majority of those fans, as well as much of the other competitors in the locker room, that she was acting in the best interests of everyone, she would still hear boos and hostile comments during her matches. The last thing she needed to do was stoke the fires of her antagonists, and by extension her opponent, by failing to show up for her match.
Not her of all people, Twilight thought.
Twilight and Spike jogged through the halls of the arena, the younger leading the older toward the entrance. As the two drew closer to their destination, a small group of people could be seen. Twilght smiled at the group.
Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy.
Her closest friends were there to encourage her. Well, most of them, anyway.
I can only guess where Rarity is.
No words were exchanged between the party members, only smiles and hugs being offered. Nobody needed to say anything. All of them knew
With one last breath, Twilight finally calmed her nerves as the announcement washed over the crowd and inspired a roar.
]“Ladies and gentlemen....this contest is for the MWL Championship!”
A few moments of relative silence passed. Before long, a drum solo pounded through the speakers throughout the arena, the warble of a guitar offering a steady tone in support. Twilight took one step, then another, and another on the path to the ring. Her eyes moved to the book she'd carried with her, creating the calm appearance she'd built her reputation on if nothing else. Spike followed closely behind, who was then followed by the other women. The group emerged onto the entrance stage to the cheers of the tens of thousands in the stands.
They paused on the ramp that led to the ring, Twilight's eyes still scanning the pages as the pace of the song picked up. She looked up from the book, now scanning the audience. Twilight smirked. For all of her calming exercises she tried away from this place, the sheer reaction of the crowd to her and her friends' presence settled her mind faster than anything. She committed the page number to memory and, with a flick of her wrist, snapped the book shut. Whether it was because the book thing was her “trademark,” as some had called it, or if it was because of the pyrotechnics that would always follow the book closing, she couldn't be sure, but the crowd always seemed to pick up in volume at that point.
With over seventy thousand spectators surrounding the ring, that increase definitely didn't go unnoticed.
The walk to the ring was a long one. Longer than she was used to. It gave her plenty of time to not only interact with the fans, as her friends were doing, as well as finish mentally preparing for the battle ahead of her.
I just have to hope that she's alone, Twilight thought to herself. Otherwise, this is going to be a bigger problem than I'd like.
The announcer again addressed the spectators.
“Introducing first, the challenger: Accompanied to the ring by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Spike.” Twilight smiled on the inside. That was probably the longest lineup the announcer had ever read. “From Canterlot, Equestria. Weighing in at one hundred twenty-eight pounds...” She ran up the steps that led to and stepped between the ring ropes just as the announcement finished.
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
The roar of the crowd made it difficult for Twilight to concentrate on her own thoughts. It worked out for the better, as it allowed Twilight to ignore the situation before her and simply focus on the eyes on her. She acknowledged the cheers, making encouraging hand gestures and pointing to nobody in particular to build the crowd's excitement.
Twilight took a deep breath as the music used to signify her entrance continued to blast through the arena's speakers. She bounced up and down lightly, shaking her arms. The music died down to nothingness, allowing the sounds of the men and women around the ring to stand out. Chants, cheers and claps passed through the arena. Twilight stood on the side of the ring opposite of the entrance ramp. She stared down and continued her breathing exercises from before. She wished that the music was still playing now that the nerves were coming back.
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
Moments of relative silence passed, small chants creating the only true sound. The anticipation began to build again with everyone in the arena awaiting the entrance of the biggest opponent of Twilight's life, let alone her career.
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
“YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME?”
Under normal circumstances, the blaring rock song and bright white flashing lights that followed those words would draw an immediate reaction from everyone in the building. When the person introduced first debuted, that reaction was greatly positive. These days, though, the crowed answered the question responded with boos and jeers.
The entrance ramp was covered with a billowing smoke screen, hiding the person coming in for a brief moment. Twilight's opponent stepped out from behind the screen with a large black-and-gold belt draped over one shoulder, igniting a greater hostile reaction. Twilight took another deep breath as her hopes were answered, revealing her opponent to be alone. A second later, however, a group of five emerged and flanked her on both sides, inspiring a single thought from Twilight.
Well, so much for that.
The group began making their way down the ramp. Twilight could feel herself tensing with each step that was taken. She didn't look to see her friends on the floor behind her, but she was sure that each of them, Fluttershy excluded of course, was feeling the same.
“Introducing her opponent: Accompanied to the ring by Princess Cadance, Shining Armor...” That name caused Twilight's eye to twitch. There went his Hearth's Warming present this year. “...Rarity Belle, Sweetie Bell and Discord. From the Everfree Forest, Equestria; she is one half of the Dyarchy of Equestria and the current MLW Champion...”
The second group paused just short of the ramp's end. The woman in the middle took the belt from her shoulder and held it both hands. She raised the belt high above her head in time with the announcement of her name.
“PRINCESS CELESITA!”
Another wave of negative feedback reached the ears of everyone at ring-level as the music continued to pound away at the speakers. But Twilight could hear them. The stage lights continued to flash brightly, illuminating the ring in a spectacular display. But Twilight couldn't see them. Instead, she focused her senses on the woman holding the championship belt. Celestia made her way up the steps and stepped between the ropes.
Teacher and student stared one another down in the ring as Celestia held the title above her head again. Twilight didn't move, opting to continue those same breathing exercises. After a few moments, the lights around the ring returned to normal and the music died down. The match's referee, who'd slipped into the ring right after Celestia, took the title belt from her and displayed it for the crowd to see.
The two combatants slowly moved to opposite corners of the ring, their entourages following suit. The referee looked around the ring for a moment before passing off the title belt to another stagehand outside the ring. He then wished he hadn't, just so that he wouldn't have seen how much trouble he was in. Ten hostile people just waiting for a reason to break out into a riot just outside the ring that was ready to play host to a championship match was not a place he wanted to be.
Moments passed as the referee made sure everyone involved in the match was aware of their roles and responsibilities. Celestia and Twilight continued to stare one another down, each of them playing out the match in their minds. The referee looked to Twilight and asked a simple question.
“Are you ready?”
Twilight slowly nodded and lowered herself, ready to spring forward at the start of the match. He then turned to Celestia and asked her the same question. Celestia also nodded, but didn't move, instead continuing to bear down on Twilight with her eyes. The referee took a moment before calling for the bell. Three loud, sharp dings resounded and the two fighters quickly closed in on one another to the cheers of the crowd around them.
As Twilight saw and felt one of Celestia's hands wrapping itself around the back of her neck, one question ran through her head.
Why did I ever listen to Rainbow Dash?
