Thunder ensues. There’s really no other way to describe the way the cavern vibrates and the stands shake. The sand under me is literally bouncing from the ridiculous amount of noise coming from the stomping. Whirlwind, still directly across from me, is nearly thrown off his hooves from the roar of the crowd as they cheer for me. It happens nearly every time I fight, but the realization that they are cheering for me to kill is no less jarring than the first time.

Eventually the rumble dies down enough that the stands stop shaking and the announcer can continue. “Just like always, the winner will walk away with enough to keep them fed for a month, and the loser… ends up dead!” The clamor at the last three words is indescribable. Some yell for the blood bath to begin, others realize what they’ve walked into but fear too much for their own lives to leave, and others stay completely silent, waiting and wanting the death but unwilling to voice it in the hope that if they don’t speak, they may hold on to their sanity. “Betting is encouraged here, folks; don’t be shy to bet against the house, but be prepared to pay up.” The announcer continues. What he leaves unsaid is more than enough to make sure only those who can avoid debt and Gladmane bet. “Now without further ado, let the fight commence! Challengers, are you ready?” I tense up. “On my mark... FIGHT!”

I lower my head, making sure to keep my eyes on my opponent at all times, charging my horn. Any power held by the different races is allowed to be used with one restriction for unicorns: no killing or maiming spells, and only basic combat magic.

Whirlwind charges towards me. He flaps his wings in anticipation for a leap. I begin to run too. Straight at him. He falters for a moment in surprise but continues on, charged by adrenaline. My spell isn’t done charging yet, so as he leaps, I prepare to leap too, but fake out and slide underneath him, the sand grinding against my armor. He barely touches down and is immediately leaping into the air circling around to confront me. With all my magic focused in my horn, I aim at his gliding form and fire. Each shot is a perfectly measured blast that only uses a fraction of my magic. Every blast is meant to stun.

I’ve had a lot of practice, so each shot is well-aimed and all the same strength, but the first time I used this tactic, everything was sloppy, and my first blast used up most of my reserves. Whirlwind dodges every round quickly, using the agility and speed of the pegasi. I race back across the sand, following the airborne stallion, blasting off shot after shot.

One finally hits the edge of his wing and knocks the pegasus off course and out of the air. He slams into the sand with a loud crunch as his wing is trapped between him and the ground. I skid to a stop, preparing a larger spell of solid electric power. Unfortunately he is on his hooves before I can release the spell. I backpedal quickly as he races towards me, now grounded with a broken or sprained wing. He still has far greater agility than I and manages to avoid every blast sent his way!

Suddenly a blinding slash of pain glances through my head, and I stumble, all remnants of concentrated magic receding before I can grasp them again. I gasp, unknowingly timing it perfectly with the gasp of the crowd as my opponent does a quick 180, rushing back towards me to take advantage of my lapse in concentration.

I am knocked to the ground as Whirlwind lands on top of me! The awful pain returns as my jaw slams into the sand. Dazed, I attempt to regain some control over my limbs and manage to throw the light pegasus off of me and stumble away. He’s back on his hooves before I can turn around and is coming at me with speed an earth pony would be proud of. I rear back quickly, fully aware that I nearly lost and no longer willing to use magic in case the pain returns.

He swings a hoof at my face. I block with my left hoof while bringing up my right in an uppercut. We are both balancing on our back hooves now and my well-placed punch knocks him off his hooves. I leap forward at the pony sprawled on his back. I land on him hard. My back hooves dig into his stomach and my front hooves are driven into his chest It knocks the wind out of him and cracks of few of his ribs. I jump off and spin, preparing for the last blow. As I complete my turn, I see him getting up and coughing out blood. I pull my front hoof back in a wind up for the last blow, but he sees me coming and attempts to dodge my hoof. While he gets his head out of the way, my hoof still hits his muzzle directly! I hear bones snap as blood spurts in rivulets out of his broken nose. The red stains his coat even more. Whirlwind spins wildly, flinging out a wing that hits me in the chest and throws me across the arena! I crash against the sand, beginning to gulp down air as soon as I stop skidding, trying desperately to fill my lungs as the distraught pegasus careens towards me.

I twist out of the way as he leaps and his hooves thud into the sand where my face just was! The crowd screams their delight. I push myself off the ground quickly and race towards my opponent. As we near each other, I see him preparing for a slide while pretending to get ready for a leap. I leap as he expects but instead of flying straight, I twist midair. Whirlwind is right under me as my hooves straighten out. Time slows as I look down and see the poor stallion’s face turn just enough to look me in the eyes. In his wide desperate eyes, I see pure panic, pupils contracting as he realizes this is his end. I lean forward as time resumes and slam into the back of his neck, right where the head meets the neck. I hear the sickening crunch as all the ponies in the room stare silently, trying to comprehend what just happened.

I tumble forward ungracefully, falling over the broken, bloody body of my dead opponent. I stagger upright and fold my ear back as the crowd screams and cheers and stomps for my victory. I feel like I’m going to be sick. Nothing unusual, but I hold it back, unwilling to show weakness to these cowards.

“Well, my guests, there you have it, our mighty champion!” The crowd unleashes a deafening scream as a door in the side of the arena grinds open. I walk out, making sure to keep my pace steady. Only once I’m in the tunnel and the door has shut behind me do I let go.

I break down in the hallway. I tremble and gasp. I set my haunches on the cold floor and have the silent freakout that by now is so normal I know exactly how to calm down. I take deep steady breaths and remind myself that if I hadn’t started doing this, my parents would not be alive, and I wouldn’t have the small chance to be alive and free that I’ve earned for myself. It works like always: my racing heartbeat slows to normal, and my hooves stop shaking.

I force myself up, wary not to make the ‘banker’ wait too long. I walk down the hallway, the chatter of the crowd a mere murmur now. My hooves clatter loudly against the floor, reminding me how alone I am in this world.

I enter the ‘bank’ and make my way to the counter. It’s a small room with a large safe in the back and a counter in front of the safe. I put my hooves on the counter. An overweight pony with a black and red mane and dirty white coat walks out of a room behind the counter.

“Ah, Miss Twilight. You won again. The Announcer contacted me and said it was quite lively up there.” Announcers always keep their name secret; it makes them seem more ominous that way. “He said tonight was good enough for 500, but pull another magic-less win again and you’ll never be welcome in the arena again.” The pony’s oily voice slides down my spine, making me shiver. I understand, magic makes fights more fun, meaning more can be charged at the door if a unicorn is scheduled, especially if that unicorn is an undefeated champion like me. Also once a unicorn has ‘burned out’ they’re no longer the draw they used to be, making them nothing more than a weak earth pony or a wingless pegasus. Being undefeated for over two years is almost unheard of; the only other pony to match my record that I’m aware of is a pegasus who fights in a different ring than I.

Talk of magic brings my thoughts back to the lightning-fast headaches from earlier. I contemplate what they could mean while the ‘banker’ retrieves my payment. Maybe I had too much magic concentrated at once, but that has never happened before… or maybe I have a miniscule crack in my horn that I don’t know about.

The jangle of bits hitting the counter brings me back to here and now. I give a curt nod to the dirty white pony and grab the bag. I turn and trot out, hooves clacking against worn concrete. I turn a corner and make my way onto the open streets.

Author's Note

This is my first fight scene I have ever put into words, planned it for a while. Hope it turned out well!
This chapter has now been edited.