The Grandest Stage of the Year (and I got a ticket to see it!)
Author's Note
I had some writer's block with Iron and Crystal... To alleviate this, I wrote this mini story for fun. Hope you enjoyed.
Live for one night only!
Come on.
1...
Come on!
2...
COME ON!
Thr… and he escapes!
“Damn it!”
Rainbow Dash fell back on to her couch watching the television. It was almost tradition for the young high schooler. Every week, after practice, she would get home, start up the DVR, and watch last night’s wrestling match. Given Rainbow’s love of sports and all things competitive, any one would think that she would despise a predetermined event like pro-wrestling. However, Rainbow knew this going in and didn’t care. In a genuinely competitive sport, she would hate someone who tried to rig the game for their own benefit. But this wasn’t the same type of competitive sport. The competition was memorability. The point of each match was to establish, develop, and reinforce a character. To Rainbow, each match was like a semi-scripted TV show episode. And, honestly, that was the appeal to her. With the ending decided, the wrestlers needed to focus on how they got there.
For this match, she was lucky enough to get to watch this event live! Her only complaint as that her favorite star, Ka-Boom (yes, that’s the name he picked), was fighting a new, up-and-comer. While she liked that new talent was being brought in, this match was giving every indication that the new guy would win. The high schooler watched as the high-flying, explosive star tried to retain his momentum against the young upstart in blue spandex. She continued to watch, hoping that Ka-Boom wouldn’t be beaten by a new, younger wrestler just yet. She knew it would happen, but she wanted it to wait. As she watched, Ka-Boom knocked his opponent to the ground again and leaped up to the top rope.
“What’s this? Could it be?!” The commentators looked on as Ka-Boom stretched out his arms while dropping into a squatting position. “It is! Sound the sirens! It’s an… AIR RAID!”
Ka-Boom stood and launched off the ropes, curling into a ball to land on his opponent’s stomach region. He sprawled out and spun around to lift his opponent’s leg, setting up a pin attempt.
1… 2… 3!!! The three rings of the bell signaled the end of the match and Ka-Boom stood back up.
Rainbow flew up from the couch and pumped her fists into the air, “YES!”
“A great match and a great debut for Leo; but, in the end, Ka-Boom proved too tough an opponent for the young man.”
“Don’t you touch that remote, we’ve got one more match for you all tonight after these commercial messages!”
Dash took this time to gather herself again. She was ecstatic that Ka-Boom won the match, but there was something else on her mind as well. The Grand Wrestling Circuit (or GWC) was finally coming to Canterlot and she had tickets to the show! She bought two tickets with the intension of brining Scootaloo, who became a fan after learning about the acrobatic lucha wrestlers. However, Scootaloo’s class was going on an overnight field trip to the new physics museum in the city, so she couldn’t go. This left Dash with an extra ticket and a dilemma. ‘Who to invite?’
None of Rainbow Dash’s friends gave off any indication of prior wrestling enjoyment. As a result, she either had to offer her ticket to someone who might enjoy the event or waste her purchase. Considering how expensive they were, she would prefer the first option. But who could she bring?
Apple Jack was the first person to come to mind. AJ is a competitive type, but she’s more the type to compete rather than watch a competition. Plus, she’d probably gripe about the matches being ‘fixed’. So, probably not going to invite AJ.
Pinkie was the type to enjoy anything and everything. But her overly enthusiastic nature (and that’s putting it lightly) could grate on the nerves when she’s confined to a set space. Pinkie needs room… So, not the best idea.
Fluttershy… would be scared off before she entered the building. She also doesn’t like violence… So, not inviting Fluttershy.
Rarity would probably have a heart attack if she saw some of the costumes for the wrestlers. Ka-Boom, in particular, with his pink camouflage tights and explosion themed entrance coat. Rarity just wasn’t the type to enjoy wrestling…
This left Twilight and Sunset, both of whom just didn’t seem like the type to enjoy it. Dash had no evidence to support that notion, but didn’t have evidence to dismiss it either.
But that didn’t matter right now. Now was time for the main event of the night.
“Welcome back! Tonight, we have a big match between two mega stars to decide who will be joining Sky Fire at Sunday’s Main Event!”
“Who will earn the chance to take the title? I’m giddy just thinking about it!”
Rainbow had to agree. She was bouncing up and down in her seat waiting to see the two fighters.
A loud creaking sound coupled with the sound of chains told her who was first on the card. “Entering the ring, led by Coslov the Gate Master… Standing 7 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 356 pounds… the Prisoner of Tartarus, Tirek!” The large, imposing man appeared on the stage covered head to toe in various chains and locks. His hands were cuffed, his legs chained, a heavy weight rested on his shoulders, and a brace kept him from moving very quickly. Tirek was a force to be reckoned with before he was ‘captured’ in the Gates of Tartarus story line. Now, he was still a powerful opponent, but Coslov held all the power in the ring for Tirek. Tirek, once the most infamous heel in the GWC, had been reduced to a prisoner forced to fight as a face. That said, he was far from a nice character. When Tirek arrived, the referee started to unlock his chains before Tirek lunched forward trying to choke the official. Coslov stopped him and made the large man settle. With his chains removed, Tirek stood in the ring as a force of nature once again, but still under Coslov’s watch. Rainbow leaned forward, waiting to see who could possibly challenge the monster that is Tirek.
She didn’t have to wait long. An almost Gregorian chanting began before the chanters became distorted, sounding almost pained. It was called Hell’s Choir and signaled the approach of Tirek’s opponent. “And his opponent. Standing 6 foot 7 inches tall and weighing 297 pounds. From the deepest pits of Damnation! The Red Sun of Hell! Solaris Sin!” A rather muscular man appeared, obscured by flames from the stage. As he walked down the ramp in his red entrance coat with [SOLARIS] emblazoned on the back, flanked by fire the whole way down, he seemed rather hellish in the light of the flames. He entered the ring and shed his coat, revealing his dark, storm blue attire beneath accented by a red sun on his back with [SIN] written beneath.
Dash knew Solaris mostly by reputation as he didn’t fight very often. He was usually brought in for big matches or when someone on the roster gets too big an ego and needs a reality check. She knew he was an older talent, having been in the game for at least a decade. Dash knew Tirek would have his work cut out for him in this match. Tirek had previously won most of his matches through careful planning ahead of time. One match he won because he distracted his opponent by kidnapping their best friend and lording it over them when it was clear he couldn’t win on his own. That was Tirek’s style. As for Solaris, from what Dash had seen, he was a brutal machine of pain and suffering.
The announcers gave their two cents about the match-up:
“Tirek and Solaris! This is going to be good!”
“But I wonder… can Tirek beat Solaris without cheating?”
“It’s called prep, K. His in-ring performances have always been clean, he was just getting into his opponent’s head.”
“Call it what you want, he can’t do it now. He’s alone in that ring with Solaris Sin.”
Dash knew Tirek was tough, but she was also curious about just what Solaris was capable of. She was giddy again and she wasn’t about to hide it.
Then her doorbell rang.
WHY?! Why now?!
No one else was home, so she had to at least find out who was there, but she didn’t want to move. This was a big match and she didn’t want to miss any of it. She reluctantly stood up, thankful she was recording but still mad, and made her way to the door.
“Who’s there?!”
“It’s Brawley Beats!”
Dash had hoped it was someone she didn’t know in some form… but she had to at least crack the door open and see what the drummer (and her neighbor) wanted. “Can I help you?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could. Cal got out again and we think he got under your porch…”
“You need to keep that dog on a leash…”
“Not my call to make. Wanted to get permission before I went looking.”
“Sure. Go nuts.”
“Thanks.” With that, Brawley quickly made his way to the porch and crawled under, retrieving his pet.
As they walked off, Dash closed the door and rushed to the TV, hoping she didn’t miss too much. She arrived in time for Tirek to lift Solaris over his head and throw him from the ring onto the floor outside. A painful maneuver that forced Dash to recoil seeing it. Tirek seemed to be on top of the match. After five counts from the referee, Solaris stood up and calmly made his way back onto the canvas of the ring, though clearly pained by the drop. He hardly seemed to take Tirek as a threat. She hadn’t seen much of the match, but she could tell Solaris was a tough nut to crack.
“And he shrugs off Tirek’s spine breaker!”
“This guy is a juggernaut! How is he still going?!”
Dash couldn’t wait to see what had them writing him off after that.
“What’s this?!”
Dash watched as Tirek grabbed Solaris by the throat and lifted him off the ground. “Chokeslam!”
“He’s going to chokeslam him?”
“The move might have been popularized by Grave Digger, but that doesn’t make it just his.”
Tirek wound back and threw Solaris into the ropes, causing him to bounce off and slam into the canvas.
“Ooh… That’s got to hurt!”
“Yeah, no kidding. That was just mean!”
Solaris stumbled up to his feet. He wasn’t done yet.
“Looks like Solaris is still in this!”
“How?!”
Yeah! How?!
Solaris landed a few strikes before grabbing Tirek’s arm and wrenching him toward the ground. He stood over the larger man and squatted down next to him.
“What’s going on?”
“A big move, that’s what!”
Solaris waited as Tirek started to get to his feet before grabbing him by the neck and twisting him around. Solaris kicked Tirek’s legs into folding and forced him to his knees. Once Tirek was grounded, Solaris grabbed the back of his neck and slammed him into the middle rope. Solaris followed up by jumping onto Tirek’s back and furthering the pain from the move. After that, he picked up the groaning monster and tossed him out of the ring to begin the ten-count.
As the count reached 5, Dash was leaning forward. Did he beat Tirek?
On the TV, Solaris stood quietly as the count reached 8. At a count of 9, Tirek started to stir, but it was too late. At 10, the match was over by count out with Solaris as victor. The arena erupted in cheers as the smaller of the two raised his fist in victory.
Holy crap! Dash jumped up again and pumped her fists, “That was awesome!”
“Looks like Solaris is off to the Canterlot Stadium this Sunday!”
“Hope to see you there!”
That reminded Dash about her situation with the tickets. Considering she put all her focus on the match and likely would have forgot in the post-match haze, it was helpful and appreciated. Who could she offer the ticket to? She had a few days to figure it out, but she would prefer to have the idea before the night of the event.
\/
The next day, Dash was thinking in the hallway after school. This was one of those days where one or more her friends had plans and they couldn’t practice. This off time gave her the opportunity to think about who could get the ticket. She didn’t want to waste the purchase, but she also wanted to make sure the recipient would actually appreciate it. She wanted to give the ticket to a fellow pro-wrestling fan. The question remained… who?
“For the last time, NO!”
Dash turned toward the shouting to find a familiar set of former sirens. Thanks to their actions during the Battle of the Bands, they were put under serious scrutiny at school and, with all the paperwork being officially accepted, they were stuck in the establishment. Principal Celestia refuses to sign off on their dropping out since they don’t have guardian approval. However, it was clear that being stuck in the school was akin to a punishment to the sirens. Dash saw two of them in the hallway. The first was the blue haired siren, Sonata, I think it was… The other was the siren with the twin tails and a bad attitude, Aria…
Dash was going to just keep walking until one phrase from Sonata grabbed her attention, “Come on! It’s the biggest event of the year! Solaris is back!!”
Aria pinched the bridge of her nose, “I don’t care! You don’t have the money, blame your spending habits.”
“But I had to pay expenses this month! Come on! I’ll pay you back next pay check!”
“No. Frankly, I’ll be happier knowing that I can get some peace and quiet without you yelling at the top of your lungs every other minute. So, no. I won’t lend you the money.” Aria quickly turned and left the peppy siren alone in the hall with a look of disappointment.
Dash stood there for a moment, not sure what she should do. On the one hand, it sounded like Sonata was a pro-wrestling fan and couldn’t see the show. On the other… this was a siren, one of the three that threw the school into chaos. Though… she didn’t have her magic now…
Dash relented and walked up to the disheartened siren. “Hey…”
Sonata was caught off guard and jumped a bit. She turned around to see the rainbow themed student, “Um… hi?”
The awkward tension was thick, but Dash had decided to at least try… “What was that all about?”
“Uh… It was just a little dispute over money…”
“Right… And… About Solaris?”
“I thought you were the more outgoing of the Rainbooms…”
“I am. But…”
“Right…” Sonata pointed to herself to make the point, “Siren. Hard to trust/talk to thanks to how we acted during the Battle…”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Dash took a deep breath before continuing. “That money issue, was it to see the match this Sunday at Canterlot Stadium?”
“Yeah, actually. Why?”
“Well… I was planning to see the event live, buying tickets for me and Scoots… but she can’t make it and I wanted to make sure the ticket still got use…”
“Wait… You have tickets to the match?!”
“Yeah.”
“And… you’re offering it to me?”
“Like I said, I wanted to make sure I gave the ticket to someone who would use it. I don’t know too many people in the school who are fans.”
“That makes sense…”
“So, do you want it or…”
“YES! I mean… Yes. I do want the ticket.”
“Alright. Guess we’ll meet on Sunday to go to the stadium…”
“Alright! I can’t wait to see the Commander in action again!”
“Commander?”
“Commander Solaris…”
“You mean Solaris Sin?”
“Technically… I’m just too used to the old gimmick, so I just keep using it.”
“There was an old gimmick?”
“You don’t know?! How do you not know?!”
“I’ve hardly seen anything about Solaris since I started watching!”
“You must have come in after the Death on the Battlefield storyline… Okay! As thanks for the ticket, I’m going to teach you about the Commander!”
“Uh… you really don’t…”
“I know! But this is important, so I’m going to!”
Sonata grabbed Rainbow’s sleeve and dragged her off and out the building. After a moment, they arrived at a small, modest abode. Sonata pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door, continuing to drag Rainbow; who was trying (unsuccessfully) to free herself. Despite the taco lover’s unassuming figure, she was rather strong. She dragged Rainbow to a room and pulled her in, leaving the door open. Inside was a modest collection of posters and collectables of the GWC’s various stars throughout the years.
Rainbow was finally able to wrench her hand away and turned to Sonata. “Why did you drag me here?”
Sonata pointed to the back corner, which was saturated by one face: a man with a light-blue buzzcut and the attire of a World War era soldier. Listed on a small banner was the phrase [No Surrender! No Mercy!].
“Okay… So?”
“That was Commander Solaris.”
“Wait! That’s Solaris?!”
Sonata smiled, “Yep. He was the best of the best in the ring. His gimmick was that he was a soldier that fought his war in the ring. He took down a bunch of big names in his run. But, he’s never held the championship belt. One day, he decided to challenge for the belt, but he lost to Grave Digger and killed off in kayfabe. A year later, he returned as the unholy terror, Solaris Sin. The Tag line: Now he takes his orders from the Devil. Personally, I preferred the old version. He was my favorite wrestler, no contest! And to get the chance to see him live… even if it’s the new Red Sun gimmick… that’s just amazing!”
Rainbow was looking over the pictures and memorabilia. “Huh… That’s kind of cool… Hold on, this picture shows an untelevised event nearly fifteen years ago… You had to have been there to get that…” Rainbow turned back to the former siren, “How old are you guys, anyway?”
“Well… while we were absorbing energy with our powers, we didn’t really age. Now, without them, we’ll age like any other human.”
“Huh…”
\/
The big night. The bigger event! This had been on Rainbow Dash’s mind the entire week. Now? She had to share it… with Sonata. Don’t get her wrong, she’s happy that the ticket was used and appreciated by its wielder. But… Rainbow was sitting net to a former Dazzling. Safe to say, it felt weird.
Her thoughts were ripped away when the event began. “Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, and that technicolor rainbow in between! I have the honor of welcoming you to Canterlot Stadium. However, I have the pleasure to welcome you to the grandest stage of all! Welcome… to the Warzone!”
The crowd, including Rainbow and Sonata, erupted into cheers. This was the night they had been waiting for. This was the biggest night in wrestling! They were ready to see the best of the best fight it out!
That said, it was far from a perfect show. A few matches were mismatched, like the smaller, younger Windstorm fighting the gargantuan veteran Mountain Kicker and the match between the brutality of Goldman and the optimism of Mouth Piece. Fun fact, the latter match lasted all of 26 seconds. The Ladder Match, however, dragged on to 20 minutes. It was an okay match, but not what the people were hoping for.
That didn’t come up until the last few matches. The first was the Tag-Team Championship match between the duo of Cerberus and Coslov (called The Gatekeepers) challenged by Burner and Mithril (called Dragon’s Keep). It was an intense match that saw the Gatekeepers retain their title in a spectacular event. The second was the second-to-last event between Feather Fall and Cloud Breaker for the Women’s Division belt. Feather achieved an upset victory to take the belt in a grand display.
The last event of the night was the biggest, though: Sky Fire vs Solaris Sin. This was a match between the grand hero and Hell’s enforcer. This was the match they wanted to see. This was the main event.
The announcers seemed just as excited. “Alright! This is the big one! Sky Fire and Solaris Sin. What can it take for Sky Fire to take this win against the Red Sun?”
“K, it’s going to be a tough one for the young man. Solaris is a tough opponent with a repertoire of brutal moves and the endurance of a wild horse. The guy is Hell’s best, after all…”
“Well, we’re about to see what happens.”
“Entering the ring, the top performer and master of the aerial realm. Standing 6 foot 3 inches and 220 pounds, from Manehatten, Sky Fire!” Sky Fire walked out in his fire patterned cloak. He walked down to the ring and removed the cloak in one swing of his arm, revealing his blue wrestling attire. He jumped up on the ropes and raised his arms into the air, prompting the crowd to cheer.
He grabbed a nearby microphone and addressed said crowd, “Have you all been enjoying yourselves?!”
The crowd erupted in affirmations.
“Good! Because this match is going to be even better!” After a pause to let the crowd settle again, he continued, “That is… if the old Hellish one can even keep up! So come on Solaris! Bring your best!”
He got his answer when the lights dimmed and the screen above the stage showed a bright red sun rising over a burned horizon. “And his opponent! From the deepest pits of Hell…” Before the announcer could finish there was a loud screech as the recording was halted.
The owner of the company, Victor McPone walked out onto the stage and held up a mic, “Ladies and Gentleman, I’m afraid Solaris Sin will not be fighting today.” The crowd was filled by confusion, concern, a few reactions of anger before Victor continued, “As such, I shall be announcing this contender.” He walked over to the side and held up a piece of paper. “From the scenic hills of Canterlot!” The crowd was starting to get angry. They could handle a cancelled match, even if it was the main event (they would still be bitter) if it had to be cancelled. But this made it clear that this was a planned moment in the event. Even a local would be booed from the ring for this. Rainbow would join them… though she wouldn’t admit it later. “Standing 6 foot 7 inches and weighing 297 pounds…”
Wait… that sounds familiar…
“Welcome to the arena… Leader of the 13th Hell Dogs!”
Sonata jumped up from her seat and started to cheer. Rainbow looked from her to the ring. No way…
“Commander Solaris!” A familiar face walked out to the stage. It was Solaris without his mask. His light blue hair had grown out from the buzzcut to a shoulder length. He slowly walked down to the ring as the red sun on the stage’s screen continued to rise and lifted over the scene of a war-torn battlefield. He approached the ring and made his way between the ropes to the sound (or lack thereof) of confusion from the audience.
Sky Fire, on the other hand, was more vocal about what was going on. “So, what’s this? A reinvention for the biggest stage? Why bother? You still can’t win. Might as well just surrender now.”
He, and the audience was shocked when Solaris grabbed the microphone and raised it to his face, “No surrender. No mercy.” It was the first time Rainbow ever heard Solaris speak. His voice was gruff and daunting. Solaris threw the mic down toward the announcers’ table and walked to his corner.
*ding*
*ding*
*ding*
The match began and Solaris’s brutality had changed. He was efficient and focused on preventing his opponent from approaching the ropes, keeping him grounded. Solaris would place his opponent into a hold for a moment, only to release him and wait to strike again. No one in the audience, except for Sonata, was sure what was going on. They knew Solaris Sin, Red Sun of Hell, not Commander Solaris. This was jarring, but they soon got into the spirit as the fight went on. Twenty-five minutes of pure, wrestling bliss…
The match couldn’t last forever. Solaris grabbed Sky Fire’s arm and wrenched it behind the champion’s back. To some, this would be seen as an attempt at a submission hold. Sonata, however, knew better. She bounced in her seat and cheered, “This is it!”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion, “What’s it?”
Solaris used his other hand to wrap around Sky Fire and lifted him up and onto his shoulders. He held this position for a moment before spinning the champion around as he threw him onto the mat. He followed up by grabbing Sky Fire’s legs and starting to spin the younger man around. After a moment, he released and the younger wrestler hit the mat again. Solaris changed and landed on top of the champ in a pin attempt.
“Hell Fighter Combo!” Sonata jumped up, with arms up in celebration.
1…
2…
3!!!
The stadium erupted in cheers for the old talent. Solaris stood up, worn out from the match and having some difficulty in staying up. He moved toward the corner and raised his arm in victory. After a moment, he was handed the championship belt and a microphone, “First of all, thank you all for coming out. I want to say that this is the beginning. That, with my first championship win, I’ll begin a lasting run with belt in hand and no mercy for those who step up to fight me!” After a moment and the crowd calming, he continued. His shoulders drooping, “However, I can’t say that to you all…”
Sonata was confused for a moment. After a second to process, she pieced together what was happening, “Oh… sweet voice of the sea, no…”
Rainbow wasn’t so quick on the pickup, “What? What’s going on?”
Solaris placed the belt in the center or the ring. He soon followed this with a stand topped by a helmet with his Sin mask resting on top. He stood up and returned focus to the audience, “Unfortunately, I cannot continue this reign because I must retire.” The crowd was shocked by what he had said, each person reacting in their own way. “I might not be the oldest of the talent. There’s no serious injuries. I know I still have fight in me! But... I just can’t keep going. I’ve had my tour in this ring and it’s time for me to go home. I was Commander Solaris of the 13th Hell Dogs. I was Solaris Sin, Red Sun of Hell. Now… I am Titan Gleam… Goodbye.” He placed the mic on the mat and slowly left the ring and walked up the ramp.
The crowd was in shock. Sonata was straight-up frozen. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She knew he’d have to retire eventually, but to have been there for the end. He brought back his old gimmick for one last fight in the Warzone. She felt so lucky to have been here for that. At the same time, however, she felt numb. This was the end of an era. Solaris… No… Titan Gleam has retired. There was no lead up, no warning. It was shocking, but she knew it had to come eventually. She just hoped that winning the belt would mean he would keep going for a bit longer. Have a title reign and retire after giving it away to a younger talent. This? This was hard to process.
After a while, she came back to and found herself beside Rainbow Dash, outside the stadium. “That… happened…”
“Yeah.” Rainbow turned toward the former siren, “Are… you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been kind of out of it since Solaris announced his retirement.”
“It’s fine. I knew this was going to happen eventually… Just…”
“I get it. That did seem to come out of nowhere…”
Sonata sighed and nodded. “Well… it’s over now. I guess this is where we say goodbye.”
Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck, “I guess… that’s not necessarily true.”
Sonata turned to Rainbow with a questioning look on her face.
“I mean… There’s not a lot of people at school that I can talk to about wrestling… and, as far as I can tell… it might be beneficial overall if you had somewhere else to watch the matches.”
“Are you talking about my conversation with Aria…?”
“In a way. So, why not watch it together at my place?”
“Really?”
“Sure.”
“Awesome.”