Professional Wrestling. Most ponies considered it absolutely repugnant, a violent sport where injuries were common, and death wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. But it was also what saved the Apple family. Long before Nightmare Moon ever escaped the Ponyville farm struggled. They only owned a third of what they would eventually call the Apple Family farm at the time, and could’t produce enough crops to keep others from trying to buy their land, keep the renovations going, nor feed their family a lot of the time. While the Zap Apples had always kept them from complete bankruptcy they needed something to help them flourish.
Applejack decided that something was wrestling. Starting in the local P.V.W.F. (PonyVille Wrestling Federation) she quickly found herself in the national spotlight as a member of the P.W.F. roster. Though she met with setbacks, rivals, failed opportunities, and more hardships she never gave up hope that she would bring home the coveted I.P.W.F. World championship.
Applebloom remembered crowding around the TV with her Granny Smith, and her big brother Macintosh and watching Applejack’s championship match against the Voidwalker. “Applejack,” “Applejack,” “Applejack,” the crowd shouted. Applejack wrestled in simple jeans and a T-Shirt bearing her catchphrase, “Apple Tough,” approaching the ring with trepidation and excitement for her first attempt at the coveted championship. The crowd loved her, but the commentators saw her as an outside choice if anything.
“Applejack is a tough farm girl but she’s facing off against Voidwalker, one of the creepiest, scariest, most enigmatic athletes that we’ve—“
A loud thunder clap interrupted the commentary as the ring entrance filled with smoke. A dark purple light flooded the arena, and the chanting had ceased, only the sounds of dread-inducing piano filled the air. Slow as possible the Voidwalker stepped out from the smoke, with the championship belt draped around her waist. The belt’s golden sheen reflected throughout the arena, emblazoned in the center was a sizable amethyst jewel to remind anypony that looked at it of who it currently belonged to, and had for the past eleven months.
Applejack bounced between the ring ropes and waited as the Voidwalker walked slowly to the ring. Most striking thing was the mask; depicting sharpened teeth and bright red eyes, the mask almost appeared porcelain. She stepped into the ring, handing her belt to the officiating referee and removing the robe. Underneath the robe was a purple unicorn, she wore simple black jeans, a tight black sports shirt and her fists were taped, all in black of course. Applebloom sat on the edge of her couch, staring at the TV intently; after what seemed like an eternity the bell rang.
Applejack immediately went for a side headlock as Voidwalker began throwing punches into the farm pony’s ribs. Applejack tried to bend herself backwards for a neck-breaker but Voidwalker, feeling her opponents grip loosen, threw AJ towards the ropes. As the earth pony bounced back towards her opponent an elbow went straight into her face, knocking her down. Applebloom sucked in air through her teeth watching the impact, her sister tried to regain her bearings on the ground.
“Reverse clothesline from Voidwalker, and this is why the Ponyville native isn’t going to make it in this fight. I don’t care how tough her apple is, that move right there is concussion city.” The unicorn commentator laughed at the display as Voidwalker applied her own headlock while lying on top of Applejack, restricting her ability to breathe.
“You can’t count out fighting spirit and that girl has it in spades.” The other commentator, an earth pony, was known for saying that, and always cheering an underdog like Applejack.
Applejack rose to her feet and ran backwards, with Voidwalker still on her back, against the ropes, and then back again. On the third pass Voidwalker let go and steadied herself against the ropes adjacent to the entrance ramp. AJ bounced off of the parallel rope and ran at her opponent slamming her with a running dropkick to the stomach.
“How did she?” the unicorn commentator screamed, baffled by the display.
“Heart and Soul, that girl has got it.” The earth pony commentator screamed.
AJ got up and pulled the Voidwalker further into the ring, hooking one of her opponents arms behind her head and hitting a DDT. The crowd cheered loudly as the earth pony wet for the pin.
The ref only counted to one before the Voidwalker got her shoulder up. The ref forced Applejack away as he counted to three. In I.P.W.F. wrestling when there was a failed pinfall or a rope break then the wrestlers were separated for a count of three to allow a certain amount of recovery. The purple unicorn rose slowly to her hooves, the ref finished his count as the two opponents stared each other down. AJ moved in closer but Voidwalker wouldn’t move, she stood, watching AJ’s every move.
“She’s read your book AJ,” the unicorn commentator jeered. Applebloom watched at home frightened. Applejack was going for the submission, a bear-hug, but Voidwalker knew that was her plan. The orange farm pony shrugged and ran backwards for the ropes, running in for a clothesline.
The world felt like it was in slow motion as Voidwalker moved. In one fluid motion she grabbed AJ’s arm mid-clothesline and swept her legs. The earth pony landed flat on her face, with her opponent still holding her arm. The purple unicorn fell horizontally on AJ, pulling her arm with her. Applebloom remembered grimacing as her sister struggled against the armbar.
“Black Cross in the center of the ring, this is the end, it is over,” the unicorn commentator screeched and cheered as Voidwalker locked the hold in. Some in the crowd were cheering for Voidwalker, “Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap,” they cried in rhythm.
Applejack’s face was contorted in pain, she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She clawed at the mat with her free arm, trying to propel herself to the ropes to force a break. AJ stretched her free arm as far out as it would go, then extended it some more… but still she couldn’t reach the ropes. Voidwalker pulled the arm further towards her, twisting it as she did so. Applebloom scanned the crowd and found that most of the ones that the cameras were pointing at were cheering against her sister. “Tap,” “Tap,” “Tap,” “Tap,” Granny Smith lowered the volume on the TV, much to Applebloom’s chagrin.
“She can do this,” Applebloom muttered while choking back tears. Her sister’s face was beet red, her arm twisted back in a horrible position. Applejack’s free hand extended into a palm to tap out, before rolling back into fist, this happened several times, as AJ struggled to hold on. Tears were now streaming down AJ’s face, she reached once more with one last burst of strength.
“No way, that, did that just?” the unicorn commentator looked flabbergasted as AJ reached the ropes, only just barely, but she did manage to get the hold broken. Applejack was gulping in air and trying to pull herself up by the ropes. The referee was scolding Voidwalker for not breaking the hold immediately when she was told to. The ref had kept her longer than the three count and it was clear that Voidwalker was getting anxious. “For goodness sakes ref she has until the count of five get over it and let her get back to fighting. AJ isn’t going to last much longer than this.”
Voidwalker pushed past the referee and started towards AJ. Applebloom gasped as her sister clocked Voidwalker in the face with a stiff right, cracking her mask and drawing blood from the earth pony’s fist. Applejack lifted her opponent vertically into the air, tucking the Voidwalker’s head underneath her arms, and fell back, slamming her opponent into the mat.
“Ciderbuster!” shouted the earth pony commentator. The ref fell to the mat and in one swift motion counted one.
“One,” the crowd counted along.
Applejack pulled the Voidwalker’s legs above her head, keeping her shoulders pinned to the mat. The referee smiled as his hand came down for two.
“Two,” the crowd counted, looks of excitement on their faces.
Voidwalker’s hand thrust upwards ending the count. AJ was pushed off by the force of the kick out. Voidwalker rolled out of the way and stood back up, though relatively shakily, and stared down her opponent. AJ could barely make it to her hooves, the arm that Voidwalker had worked over was hanging limply at her side, and looking slightly torqued. The ref started to call for doctors to come out and check on AJ only for Voidwalker to rush past him and grab AJ up, positioning her for a piledriver.
“NO!” Applebloom screamed.
The teenaged Applebloom burst out of her covers covered in sweat. The biggest night of her sister’s life… and it ended in tears every time. Applejack had failed to capture the title that night, but she would, years later, and not from the Voidwalker who retired two months after her fight with Applejack.
“7 years…” the 18 year-old earth pony remembered being so scared when the Voidwalker lifted her sister up like that. Applebloom shook the image from her head and cleaned herself up, today was important, and happy, hopefully.
The smell of freshly cooked breakfast lured Applebloom downstairs and into the arms of her waiting sister. “Yer gonna have to get up earlier than that…” Applejack stopped when she looked at the slightly downcast look of her sister. “Now what’re you all sad-looking for, today’s yer big day.”
Applebloom put her best smile on as she dug into the assortment of pancakes and bacon that were assembled for her big going away party… at least she hoped that was the case. The P.V.W.F. were holding tryouts and if she succeeded she’d be moving in to their gym to train.
“Hey, AJ,” Applebloom squeaked. “Why did you retire?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Applejack responded in a slightly rehearsed manner. “I get to spend more time with ya’ll, I get to enjoy working the farm I bought. I loved wrestling but I love the apple business more.” Applejack just smiled through the rest of the breakfast. After breakfast Applebloom and Applejack walked into town right to the P.V.W.F training center, where all of AJ’s friends were waiting Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were both dressed in simple gym attire, with simple protective gear to help AB warm up before the tryout. Fluttershy and Rarity were both dressed as cheerleaders, embarrassingly enough, with a simple bag slung over Spike’s shoulders bearing an embroidered AB.
“No. Way.” Applebloom muttered.
“Fraid so,” Spike joked, handing AB the bag. “Don’t worry I kept her from getting too fancy with the gear.”
“Rarity, you made me custom gear!” Applebloom’s face brimmed brightly as she tore into the bag, examining the red and yellow sports gear and matching gloved and boots.
Applebloom was hustled along by Pinkie and Rainbow Dash who took her inside to meet with her friends. AJ could feel the moisture tugging at the corners of her eyes. “She’s going to do great darling.” Rarity spoke softly, ushering Fluttershy and Spike into the building as well. That only left Applejack and Twilight.
Twilight was dressed in simple street clothes and was uncomfortably staring at Applejack’s head and hand. What was mere seconds felt like minutes for AJ, enduring the red hot glare of her friend. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Twilight asked softly.
“Ah’m fine, today isn’t about me it’s about…” Applejack stood there frozen, her words seemingly left her. Twilight didn’t answer back either, she just let the silence hang in the air as AJ stammered, trying to finish her sentence. Twilight started to head back in the direction of her home, “Hey, aren’t you gonna watch AB’s tryout?” Applejack called back. Twilight didn’t respond, she just kept walking, though AJ could’ve sworn that she heard a sniffling coming from the unicorn’s direction.
Once Twilight had gotten home she had managed to compose herself, as hard as it was seeing her friend like that. AJ had told Twilight about her history as a pro-wrestler, and how she had suffered concussions, but was never diagnosed with serious concussion-related illnesses… probably because she was never tested for them.
The purple unicorn flipped the sign outside of her door from OPEN to CLOSED, and opened a secret staircase in the center part of the tree down to her basement, and flipped the lights. A large screen TV with an old VCR player, tapes scattered around the floor with varying names and dates scratched onto to aging duct tape. And on the wall, a mask, a porcelain oni mask and underneath that a plaque which read… Voidwalker.
“Two!” screamed the crowd in the recording, eager to see their hero succeed. But then Voidwalker kicked out, Twilight kicked out.
In wrestling Twilight was encouraged that some ponies play good guys, or “faces” while others play bad guys “heels” so that the crowd loves them more, and buys more merchandise, which may lead to the promoter offering additional title opportunities. Twilight was a life-long heel, her face hidden underneath a porcelain mask, her move set highly criticized as dangerous.
Even though she couldn’t see her face on the recording Twilight remembered how she felt. Her instincts kicking in. This Applejack, before Twilight knew her, had almost taken Twilight’s prized possession away from her, had almost ended her undefeated title defense streak that was so close to lasting a year. Twilight, Voidwalker, furiously hoisted Applejack up in the recording, causing the Twilight of the present to close her eyes and look away.
“Here it comes!” shrieked Coal Miner, a unicorn commentator. He always cheered heels, no matter the circumstances, even if they did something as reprehensible as Twilight was about to do. “Void of Mercy!”
Her finisher. Twilight had done it countless times. She would grab the pony in the midsection, flip them in midair, pointing their head at the ground, and sit down. The shock of impact almost guaranteed that they wouldn’t kick out, especially because when she sat out it would directly lead to the pin, the ref could count as soon as the move was hit.
But she hadn’t lifted her high enough.
Too much of Applejack’s neck hit the mat, her neck spasmed as the ref reluctantly counted the three. Twilight got up and left the arena with her title, never looking back at the career she inadvertently ruined in the process of her hasty attack.
She was fined, and stripped of her belt, but not before making it to 365 days as champion, joining a list that only included five other wrestlers.
Underneath her fractured mask was her title belt, returned to her, with a new one commissioned, once she reached that milestone. Many years later she would meet the same mare she almost killed…
A ringing phone snapped Twilight away from her horrible memories. The number listed on the phone was BLOCKED-AGENT, one of the many ponies that Twilight had severed contact with following her self-imposed exile from wrestling. The purple unicorn hesitated before finally picking up the phone. “Black Stone unless this call…”
She could’t finish her threat before her old agent shrieked, “Holy Shit! You picked up, I actually kind of figured that you were dead or something.” The vulgar Trottingham accent poured loudly from her phone speakers.
“I’ve been away…” Twilight said, contemplating hanging up the phone and changing her phone number like she had been threatening to do for nearly 7 years. “I suppose it would be polite to ask how you’ve been.”
“The Deadmare doesn’t do polite,” Stone joked. “I would like to meet you sometime, I’ll buy you dinner in that fancy steak joint you loved so much.”
“I live in Ponyville now,” Twilight said, sitting down as the she slotted in another recording from the tapes scattered around the floor. “Besides I doubt this is you asking me on a date.” She joked dryly.
“Well I could always ask my husband to bring someone for you to meet, you do know that chicks dig scars.” Hearing this instinctively caused Twilight to scratch the area just below her bra. Black Stone continued, “I’ll admit this is a business call. P.W.F. has a pretty crazy idea and they’ve been calling all the old managers into action.”
Twilight Sparkle wanted to hang the phone up right there, but… Her eyes drifted up to her old mask, and the costume it sat on top of. “Go on.”
“A huge legends reunion. Bring back some of the retirees for a few matches throughout the coming year. Guaranteed title shots too, they want to give the youngins a run for their money.”
“Who else? And what else?”
“Well Fleur is already on board, Amp too, Lion Mask never even retired in the first place, Applejack…”
“What!” Twilight shrieked.
“Umm…” Stone stammered, realizing he had to choose his next words very carefully. “Applejack has already agreed to return for a title opportunity, and…” the agent trailed off.
“And?” Twilight growled through gritted teeth.
“A rematch with you… if we could get you to come back.”
Silence on both ends of the phone.
“She… she… she can’t though!” Twilight screamed. “There is no way that she’s been medically cleared to fight, no chance, not even a one.”
“She was cleared two months ago.”
“By who! Did they happen to get their degree from the back of a van? Damn!” Twilight’s livid screaming and thrashing led to her stepping on one of the many tapes scattered on the floor.
“You alright? Crap, you’re not hurt…”
“No, I just stepped on something…” Mistake, written in bold red letters over a bright red X, written over black pen scratched into duct tape: Championship Match: Applejack vs. Voidwalker. The biggest mistake of Twilight Sparkle’s life and career, left unspooled, torn by broken plastic crushed beneath her hoof. “When would this rematch be? I’m a little out of practice.”
Applejack was about to make the biggest mistake of her life, and Twilight was already resigned to hers. If Applejack stepped into the ring with opponents who were unaware of how severe her condition is she would be lucky to walk away paralyzed. But…
“Well AJ is scheduled for a match at the next PPV…” Black Stone muttered.
“Un-Schedule it. Now. Book me, I don’t care who against. She doesn’t fight anypony until me.” ‘That way if I beat her maybe I can convince her to go home,’ Twilight thought.
“Done, when can you come to Canterlot… Champ?” Stone’s smile could be heard through the phone, his prized client was coming home.
Twilight gazed into the cracked red eye of her old mask, before wrapping her fist in a nearby blanket and punching the glass through… “When does the next train leave?”
Author's Note
At the bottom of each new chapter I'll post the names/set-ups of all of the finishers and link to video if possible
Finisher list
Voidwalker
Void of Mercy - (Sit-out Tombstone Piledriver)
Black Cross - (Fujiwara Armbar)
Applejack
Ciderbuster - (Brainbuster)
