Fighting is Magic

Maim stared across the table at his companion, a pink Unicorn that was barely more than a filly. She was glaring at him with unbridled rage.

"You're forming an alliance now?! Maim, you just hit eighty-five-K. You realize what this is going to do to your career-- or more importantly, my profits?!" She was one of his biggest monetary supporters. She had bet on him in his early days after Blood had left, when the odds against him were so long that nopony in their right mind would place money on him. She had done so anyways, and won a small fortune. Afterwards, she had approached him as a sponsor. She would pay for his food and personal quarters at the arena, as well as buy any weapons or armor he needed. In exchange, he would give her eighty percent of all money he won in a fight. He'd agreed simply because he didn't much care for money.

Now, he was dropping his rank, and his pay was going with it. Instead of reaping in two-thousand bits per fight, he would crape by with a bare minimum of ten. Instead of having his fights be advertised across the city to bring in more profit, he and his team would have to drag their way slwoly to the point where advertisement was even possible.

His sponsor, Cherry Blossom, had every right to be angry at him. He, however, just shrugged. "I wouldn't be doing this without good reason. Besides, with a four pony team and cumulative ranking, I'll be back in the top hundred-thousand soon."

"Not if you die along the way, Maim! I saw you in earlier times! You won a lot of fights based off of a lucky shot, or because your opponent was crippled, or didn't want to fight. Your luck isn't going to hold you through a second time!"

"No, but I also have a lot more practice now than I did back then. And I have a good sponsor who will make sure that my team and I receive the best gear and training we can get. Right?"

"... Ugh, fine! I've already put this much into you, and what's a few hundred bits when you've earned me millions."

"That's the spirit. Would you like to meet the others that you're going to be sponsoring?"

"I suppose it's necessary.." She stood, trotting past him towards the blood works. "So, am I trading in your private room for a suite? Maybe you'd like to move into town somewhere?"

"We'll discuss it with them. You won't have to worry about gear too badly. I'm set from years past, two of them are already funded for supplies, and the third doesn't use armor or weapons."

"No armor or weapons? He's asking for death."

"He says it 'encumbers' him. But he's fine without it, believe me. Though you might invest in a supply of strong mead."

"Mead?"

"You'll understand all when you meet them."

Their group was down in the blood works, joking with each other as they cleaned themselves. All three had had matches that day, though Maim and Cherry Blossom had missed them for negotiations. Stabber was just congratulating Blind over his first paid fight. Blind was grinning like a fool as he cleaned the blood off of his horn and forehead.

Blood Axe turned to Maim and Cherry, smiling a bit. "Hello Buckwheat. Ah, is this the infamous sponsor who steals most of your wealth?"

"She doesn't steal it, I give it to her," Maim corrected, sighing. "Yes. This is Cherry Blossom. She's going to be our sponsor and treasurer. We give her some of our winnings and she uses her resources to buy us gear, lodging, training..."

Blind turned his head towards them, smiling. "What about mead? I get cranky without it."

Cherry Blossom frowned. "Yes, I'll buy your liquor for you if it will keep you out of trouble."

"Woo! I like her, Maim!"

"You like anyone who buys you a drink." Maim rolled his eyes a bit. Blind apparently had no intention of revealing his true depths to what was effectively his new boss. Maim couldn't really blame him, since Cherry might cut him off otherwise.

"Now, something that Maim and I were just discussing. I can pay for you each to have individual lodging, but it would cost a good deal of money until you get up on the charts. Or, I can pay for a set of rooms for the four of you outside of the arena, but still owned by them. It will be cheaper, but you'll have to share space with one another."

Blood looked to Stabber, shrugging. "We're Hunters, so close quarters don't bother us."

"I'm a drunken lay-about, I can't take care of myself," Blind put in.

Maim chuckled. "I guess it's unanimous then. Cheap set of rooms it is."

"All right then, I'll make the necessary arrangements with the owners. There's actually a nice apartment just down the street from my place."

The announcer was probably the least important pony on the arena's payroll. Her job was to tell who was participating in each fight, and that was it. No commentary was necessary for the brutal fights, so she usually kept her mouth shut. To make up for this fact, she tended to get a little long-winded with introductions.

Like right now, for instance. "I cannot believe this folks, what an odd turn of events! Maim has joined into a partnership with three fresh faces! Or maybe I should say two fresh faces and an old blast from the past. That's right, his old partner has returned from her extended vacation. Anyone else think she was dead? But she's not! Blood Axe the barbaric Unicorn is ready to fight again!

"Along with them is a Pegasus by the name of Back Stabber, a master of the Wing Blades favored by his kind. I've never seen anyone fight quite like him! And then a fourth member, a Unicorn named Blind Drunk. I don't know what he does exactly, but his first fight ended with workers having to scrape pasty pieces of pony off of the walls and floor. Team Ravage is here to fight for your entertainment today!"

The crowd cheered, and Maim had to hand it to her. That pony knew her job. As he led his teammates out into their first exhibition, he kept his head up and his eyes forward. Exhibition matches were used to show off a new fighter or team without risking them actually dying. The fight usually went until first blood had been drawn, though in this case it would be the team with the last unblooded fighter who won.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blind take a deep swig from a wine skin, belching a bit for effect. The other team stepped from the other tunnel at the side of the arena. Maim couldn't conceal the look of surprise on his face. Four of Empress Luna's Night Guard stood across from them, bat wings splayed, fangs bared. These ponies had black fur and dark blue manes, their eyes a deep red color. And, worse, they all wore silver armor that would protect them from most attacks.

"And the second team: a group of Luna's guard, trying to regain favor with their Empress. Who will win this fight? Let's find out."

This wasn't a fair fight. Maim grinned a bit, flexing his right foreleg a bit. Before coming up, he had had Blood wrap said leg in a device of his own creation. It was a leather harness with several spikes, nails, and barbed hooks sticking out of it. If he hit somepony with it, they would bleed. But it wouldn't go through that armor, which meant he had to go for their faces. Excessive violence always put him in a good mood.

He saw Blood's axe appear, surrounded in her dark red magic. Stabber's blades flashed in the noon light. Blind hiccuped loudly as he took another swig of ale, his horn flaring to life. Maim grinned. "I'll take the ugly one."

Blood snorted. "You always get the ugly one. I suppose I'll take the one on the left."

Stabber nodded. "I'll go for the one in back there."

"Whish meansh that I'm takin' the one on the riiight, right?"

"Right." The match started, and both teams surged forward. Blood's axe flew forward in front of her, swinging at the Night Guard she had chosen to attack. The bat-winged Pegasus dodged it nimbly and came down at her, fangs bared.

As he got closer, her horn glowed and a shot of dark red magic hit him in the shoulder, sending him spinning through the air and down to the ground.

Maim turned his attention away as he neared his opponent. He smirked the slightest bit, raising his weapon-leg to swing wildly, throwing the guard off the attack. The Night Guard watched him coolly for a moment, then leaped into the air, moving to buzz Maim. Maim ducked just in time, feeling the hairs along his back get cut shorter by the blades. He cursed to himself, spinning to face his opponent.

Stabber and the third guard were circling each other in the air, occasionally flying forward to slice wildly at each other and miss. The two kept their distance, gauging their opponent's strength.

Blind, meanwhile, was having absolutely no problem fighting his guard. He was always moving two seconds ahead of any attack made, and despite his tumbling and spinning, he seemed to have no trouble avoiding the lethal blades. With a sudden vicious grin, he focused on his horn. The flash of purple light was blinding, and when it cleared there was no more Night Guard in front of him. Instead, the sand was scorched and there was the outline of a pony in the soot. He turned, staggering his way towards Maim's fight.

Maim raised his leather-clad hoof, catching the blade on the guard's wing. With a roar of triumph he shifted his weight, pulling the unfortunate Pegasus to the ground. He brought the sharp point of several hooks to the guardspony's face. He felt a barbed fishing hook meant for catching larger fish dig into the opponent's cheek and pulled back and upwards, ripping off a chunk of flesh and black fur. The guard screamed, blood gushing out as his cheek was torn off, revealing sharp white teeth and tender pink gums.

Blood Axe had advanced her technique since the last time Maim had fought with her. Instead of one large axe, she now was able to create multiple ones, each independent of one another in its attack. As the crowd cheered her on, Blood brought them all at the guard from different directions. The bat-winged pony flew up to avoid them, failing to see the one that was coming from above. It dug into his back and he gasped, falling to the sand as his spine was severed.

Stabber had engaged his opponent in a more personal fight, opting to grab hold and slice at him instead of buzzing around him. The enemy had no maneuverability as the Hunter wrapped his legs around the soldier's waist. He dug one blade into the joint of his opponent's wing. As they fell, he jerked the blade up, dismembering the appendage. He let his foe go, watching him drop helplessly.

The crowd was going ballistic. They had never seen such a bloody exhibition fight before. The four survivors turned to look up at their Empress, who was laughing at her guards' misfortune. In a swirl of stars and darkness, she appeared in the arena herself. She approached the remains of her guards, horn glowing. "Tell me now why I should just kill you painlessly. You have disappointed me greatly, and that deserves suffering."

Wild cheers swept through the crowd as Luna ensnared her guards. None of them responded to her, resigning themselves to their fates. As the first scream built in their throat, four fighters moved in front of Luna. Each had stepped forward independently, none waiting for their comrades.

Somehow, they all wore identical expressions of fury, and the scene was bathed in red and purple as the Unicorns powered up. It was Maim who spoke. "I would rather you kill them and have done with it, your majesty. They fought well, and deserve an end."

Luna regarded him with a cold, calculating look. Her horn was still glowing faintly, but she was not actively casting a spell. "Only the noble would stay the suffering of their foes. For that, I will give you your wish. Step aside, and watch."

The team did as they were told. The Night Guards were stripped of their lunar alignment, returning to normal ponies of different colors. With a quick spell, Luna had destroyed them, leaving not a trace of their existence. She then turned to the others. "This fight was not to end in death, yet all your opponents are dead. This fight called for first blood, but you all chose to disfigure them. You are easily the most violent cutthroats I've ever seen."

She smirked lightly. "It has been long since I have involved myself int he arena. But you four have caught my eye, and earned my contribution. Your sponsor is named Cherry Blossom, correct? I would have words with that one. Just remember what happens to those who displease me. And do not think to stand against me again."

The four bowed, Maim muttering a "By your leave," and Luna vanished again as the four of them retreated to the blood works.