Applejack couldn't believe it; Sweet Apple Acres's hugest harvest EVER, and she and Iron had finished it before midday! This colt simply amazed her. "Well, I suppose I should pay you for your help." Applejack said, regretful that she'd have to part ways with Iron so soon. "That won't be necessary." Iron said. "I'm sorry, what?!" Applejack exclaimed "What do you mean 'That won't be necessary'?" she continued. "I don't want any money. Keep it." Iron said calmly. "Now that there's crazy-talk. There has to be someway I can pay you for your help." Applejack said, a hint of confusion in her voice. At that precise moment, Iron's stomach growled, loudly. "Ah know! We'll get somethin' to eat! Twilight and Rainbow were saying something yesterday about eatin' lunch at Rarity's. We can go there!" The mare exclaimed, excited about introducing her new friend. "Oh, I don't want to impose." Iron said, slightly worried. "Nonsense, let's go." Applejack said, she then grabbed Iron and dragged him into town.
* * *
The sun was directly overhead when they arrived at Rarity's boutique. As if on cue, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle soon strolled up and met Applejack and Iron at the door. "Hey Applejack," Twilight said to her friend "I thought you were working today" She continued, turning her head in confusion. "I was, but thanks to mah friend here, we finished early. And pulled in a huge harvest to boot." Applejack replied. "That's great, Applejack!" Twilight exclaimed. "So what's your name, anyway?" said Rainbow Dash, staring at Iron with a look of suspicion. "My full name is Iron-Gold Hoofscythe. Or Iron Gold for short. I also go by 'Iron'. I'm a farmer, from Oxhorse. And let me say that I am pleased to make the acquaintance of such a lovely group of mares." Iron said, almost musically. "A pleasure to meet you, I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said, her face rosy. "And I'm Rainbow Dash. Fastest Pegasus in Ponyville. Heck, I'd say in all of Equestria!" Rainbow boasted. "Well then, Ms. Dash, would you care to wager on that?" Iron asked. "What kinda wager?" Rainbow replied. "A race. If you win then I shall tell stories of your speed and beauty, all the way back to OxHorse." Iron replied, a little smugly. "Alright. But what if YOU win?" Rainbow asked suspiciously. "I get the honor of taking you out for dinner." Iron replied. At this, Twilight and Applejack exchanged shocked expressions. No colt had asked Rainbow Dash out before, all suitors were simply intimidated by her tomboyish mannerisms. "You're on! Tonight, in the square" Rainbow exclaimed, extending her hoof. "Can't wait." Iron replied, shaking her hoof. At that moment Rarity emerged from her home. "Sorry to keep you waiting everypony, but lunch is served." She said. And with that, the five ponies entered Rarity's boutique, all were anxious for the coming night.
* * *
The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Iron met Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and was given a tour of Ponyville. Twilight even mentioned him in her letter to Princess Celestia that day. But the real event of the day was reserved for the night. The time for the race had come. Fireflies illuminated Ponyville, and by their light, ponies from all over town came to the square to watch the race. "Alright!" Iron yelled above the anxious crowd, calling their attention to him and Rainbow Dash. "We'll begin by flying straight upwards, performing an immediate 90 degree turn at the hot air balloon Pinkie is flying. At which point we will fly toward the tallest mountain in that nearby range." Iron pointed at the mountain, "Then we will circle it, return to town, circle Ponyville, then go back upwards and straight down. Landing back here in the square." Iron said, assuredly. "Any questions?" No response. "Any objections?" Again, no response. "In that case, Miss Mayor, if you'd please?" Iron said, motioning to the Mayor, who was standing on a platform with a megaphone. "Alright." She said into the megaphone. "On your marks!" at this, Rainbow Dash crouched into a ready position while Iron removed his bandages with his teeth, revealing his wings, which were silver, like his coat, but had a black undertone, almost like highlights, and were golden yellow at the tips. "Get set!" now Iron too was crouched and extended his wings outward. "GO!" Both pegasi took off at lightning speed. As they soared upwards, Rainbow Dash managed to take an early lead. She quickly reached the balloon hidden among the clouds. "Hi Dashie!" Pinkie Pie yelled. Rainbow remained focus and made the 90 degree turn perfectly before speeding off, followed closely by Iron. He soon caught up and took the lead as they reached the mountain. Soon, they both were headed back to town. At this point, all that could be seen was a trail emanating from both pegasi. From Rainbow, her 6 color trail. And from Iron, a silver and bronze trail that shined like metal in the sun. They circled Ponyville, neck and neck at this point. It was time for the upward stretch, and neither pony let up their speed. Rainbow Dash believed she'd take the lead at the upward point once more, but Iron stayed on her, smirking confidently. Then, when they were above all the clouds, they dropped. Both accelerated to insane speeds, forcing the skin on their faces back. They continued picking up speed, making holes in hundreds of clouds. Neither pegasus cared. They wanted to win. The ground got closer, and Rainbow suddenly heard someone in the crowd yell "THEY"RE GONNA CRASH!". "They're right" she thought "We've gotta slow down!" Rainbow took a look at Iron, who showed no sign of slowing. The ground was getting closer, and at this speed, death was almost guaranteed. "NO WAY! I'm not dying here." Rainbow exclaimed. She slowed down. Iron, completely indifferent to his competition's choice, sped straight to the ground and crashed, leaving a huge gaping crater. "OH MY!" "In the name of Celestia!" "Is he okay" were some of the cries from the crowd, Rainbow gracefully landed by the crater and looked inside, a look of worry on her face. Suddenly, something zoomed upwards, out of the crater and Iron landed by her. "Looks like you and I....have a date."
End Chapter 1
The next day was not unlike its predecessor. If anything, it was even warmer! Rainbow Dash had noticed this, even as she walked angrily with Applejack. "So where exactly are we going, Rainbow?" Applejack said, yawning. Rainbow Dash had woken up before even her wake-up time, leaving her extremely tired. "I need to practice my flying, so we're heading out to the old stadium outside of Ponyville to do that." Rainbow said. "And why am I coming?" Applejack asked. "Because I need the only other athletic pony I know to help me beat that Cockney jerk." Rainbow Dash said, grinding her teeth as she mentioned Iron. "Now I'm obliged to help you Rainbow Dash, but are you sure about this? Iron ain't even that bad once ya get to know 'em." Applejack said in an attempt to calm her friend down. "Oh no. That two-bit jerk made me look like an idiot! He's going down. He's gotta!" Rainbow yelled. "Alright, alright. Let's hurry up then if you really think you need to practice." Applejack replied. The day hadn't even started and she was exhausted.
* * *
The two mares strolled up to the stadium door and opened it. But, before they could even take two steps inside, they found themselves yanked into a nearby room. The room was pure white and had two balconies near the ceiling and two doors on either side. As the two ponies broke free of their captors they walked around, before hearing a voice yell "Yous can't goes in theres." said a large colt, with an accent befitting a mobster's goon. The colt was about the size of Big MacIntosh and had a great many scars across his large body. A fedora cutie mark laid on the pony's orange coat, which was greatly contrasted by his greasy green mane, which was slicked back, as if by mud. His partner was smaller, about Applejack's size, and was much calmer. His cutie mark was a large blue fist, which lay on his white coat and matched his indigo mane. "WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA, BUSTER?!" Rainbow Dash screamed, her face red with anger. The larger one responded "Like Is said, yous can't goes in theres. Boss's orders." With that, the large one picked up Applejack and held her on his head while his smaller compatriot attempted to drag Rainbow out of the room. "LET US GO!" Applejack yelled, and with that let loose a powerful kick to the large colt's snout. CRACK! The sound let out through the room like an entire sheet of bubble wrap being popped at once. The volume only amplified the level of disgust and queasiness the ponies felt. The mares shivered and looked at the colt. His nose was scrunched up like a can, and covered in blood. His whole face was filled with the red liquid, and his face expressed only a blank stare. "NOOOO! YOU STUPID MARES ARE GONNA PAY FOR KILLING MY FRIEND!" the smaller one yelled, breaking the silence with his sobs. He attempted to smack Rainbow Dash, who he still held in his hand. Rainbow dodged the colt's hoof and judo-flipped him onto the floor, sending another sickening CRACK through the room as his spine broke, but this one was accompanied by the colt's ear piercing scream of pain. Rainbow Dash turned away, the sight of the corpse and the cripple overpowering her. Suddenly, the two mares heard a clapping of hooves. They turned toward the balcony and saw an orange colt with a microphone cutie mark, greasy brown hair, and the face of a criminal, full of scars and acne. His snout also held a thick mustache that made him look like a made man. "MAH OH MY! Whata show!" the colt said through a thick accented that sounded at home coming from the antagonist in a cowboy movie. "W-what're you talking about?" Applejack asked nervously. "Why, Ah'm talking about the way y'all handled them goons! Y'all have got some real talent for fightin', ya do." The colt said. The two mares continued to stare at him, confused. "The name's Mike, now how'd y'all like to work for me?"
* * *
The colt formally introduced himself as Mike Rophone. He was the founder and announcer for something he called "Fight Night". "What's Fight Night?" Applejack had asked. "Mah darling, it's the greatest thing in the whole wide world! IT"S AMAZING!" he replied. "Now the premise is quite simple, really. Y'all two, and errbody else in the Fight Club, have personas. It is a SECRET Fight Club after all, we can't have people knowing who y'all are. Lotta sore losers out there who want revenge. Now whenever y'all hafta fight, I'll send one a the boys after y'all, then he'll take ya here and y'all are gonna fight. You win, and you get paid. You lose, well......" Mike chuckled "Let's just say you won't hafta worry about what happens after that. Any questions?" Rainbow Dash spoke up "Are there any rules?" she asked. "Just three," Mike replied "ONE, KEEP IT A SECRET! Can't have the mayor or somebody comin' down here and shuttin' me down. TWO, respect the dead. Ain't no reason to disrespect a corpse. Leave it where it is." Mike said. "Wait, corpses?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Yup, and that brings me to rule numba three. It is, for the most part, a fight to the DEATH. Now, y'all CAN drop out if y'all wanna. But otherwise, ya fight until you're dead or knocked out. Any questions on THAT?!" Mike shouted, staring at them. The two mares did not respond. "Good, because your first fight's TONIGHT! Get in that dressing room and find somethin' to cover yoselves up! CHOP CHOP!"
* * *
"Filles and Gentlecolts! Ah would like to welcome you, to PONY FIGHT NIGHT!" Mike yelled into a microphone. The stadium was packed with less than desirable characters, all with betting waivers taped to their hooves. "Tonight we gotta real show for y'all! Last night we had the Deevision A openers and today, we open up Deevision B! And boy oh boy are these ponies RILED UP! Let's start our first match!" Mike yelled, he walked around the pit of the stadium and wore an orange tuxedo and blue bow tie, with his microphone conveniently located by the tie. He paraded around the pit and spoke of the contenders. From the hall nearby, Rainbow Dash and Applejack watched on. They wore full body black jumpsuits that constricted Rainbow's wings. They also had their manes tied up and hidden underneath cowboy hats, not unlike Applejack's own personal hat. Finally, their faces were covered with bandanas, giving them the appearance of jumpsuited bandits. Mike had given Rainbow Dash the stage name "Dusty" and gave Applejack the name "Mud". They looked a little unusual, but nopony could tell their identities, which meant that the get-ups fulfilled their purposes. Rainbow paced back and forth nervously while Applejack stared at the stadium. "Would ya calm down? You're makin' ME nervous!" Applejack yelled to her friend. "I can't help it! You heard Mike! It's a fight to the DEATH! Ponies DIE out there! What the heck are we doing here?! I don't wanna DIE!" Rainbow yelled neurotically. "Just calm down, Rainbow. I'm sure that he was just joking." Applejack said, trying to calm her friend down. "DON'T YOU SEE THOSE BONES? THOSE CORPSES! THIS ISN'T A JOKE APPLEJACK! THIS ISN'T A JOKE!" Rainbow yelled. Before Applejack could respond, she heard Mike speak. "Our next match is somethin' special. We got the debut fight for a new team! Welcome 'em out here folks!" Mike yelled. "That's our cue" Applejack said. She and Rainbow Dash then walked out into the pit and heard the crowd roar at their emergence.
"Makin' their Fight Night debut, please welcome, DUSTY AND MUUUUUUD!" Mike yelled, pointing at the mares. "And on the other side of the pit," Mike yelled again, pointing to the door on the other side of the pit. "With a combined killcount of 14 ponies dead at their feet, all the way from Mexicolt, please give a warm welcome to Señor and Chico, LOS LUUUUUUU-CHADORAYS!" Mike yelled, and at this two colts, a small foal and a large adult, emerged from the door. They both wore green and gold luchadore masks, and wore matching white, green, and gold pants. The smaller was a red pegasus, while his father was a green Earth Pony, with scars on his body. "All right ponies, Pound hooves and go to your corners!" Mike yelled. The four ponies did so and each took a corner in the Octagonal pit. Mike soon left through a doorway and yelled into his microphone "FIGHT!"
The Luchadores wasted no time in dashing for the two mares. The small one, Chico, managed to Roundhouse kick Rainbow Dash, knocking her down. The other one, Señor, tried to jump up and tried to kick her down, but the mare dodged, leaving Señor open to attack. Applejack quickly kicked Señor into Chico, knocking them both into a wall. Rainbow managed to recover then, and began to chew her jumpsuit. "What're you doin'?" Applejack yelled. "Evening the playing field!" Rainbow replied through her teeth. Soon, she had chewed two holes in her suit, which her wings easily fit through. Rainbow Dash was back in the air! She flew straight at the two Luchadores, who were still recovering from Applejack's kick. Rainbow grabbed Chico and threw him toward Applejack, who extended a hoof directly at his rib. A crack rang out in the stadium, but the noise was lost to all present, due to the heat of the moment. Señor, back on his feet now, smacked Rainbow away, gaining a roar from the crowd. Applejack ran toward Señor, but was pulled to the ground by Chico. "Dusty!" Applejack yelled. "Who? Oh! Me!" Rainbow replied, forgetting her stage name. "What?!" "Fly up and slam him!" Applejack exclaimed. While saying this, she got back on her feet and turned to Chico, who began coughing up blood but remained in the fight. He decided to steal Applejack's plan, and flew as far back as he good, before making a 180 degree turn and heading straight for Applejack. Rainbow, meanwhile, had flown straight up toward the sky and turned around toward Señor, who had switched his focus toward Applejack. Rainbow accelerated, making a beeline straight for Señor's back. Applejack turned around, facing away from Chico. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. In a perfectly synchronized moment, Rainbow Dash smashed Señor into the ground at the exact same moment Applejack had kicked Chico. Two extremely loud cracks rang through the stadium, this time silencing the crowd. The two colts were on the ground, disproportionate and broken. Señor's back was dented inward, making a sick, bowlike, structure. Chico, on the other hand, had his entire face forced into his skull. They both laid on the ground, dead. "And makin' their first kills, ever! Dusty and Mud WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!" Mike yelled into his microphone. Neither Rainbow Dash nor Applejack could form words to speak. What had they done?
End Chapter 2
It was a beautiful Autumn day in Equestria, the weather still held the warmth of Summer, which seemed to resonate within anypony who basked in the sun. As much as she would have liked to run around with her friends and enjoy it, Applejack knew that she had work to do. Not only that, but she had a new pony to train. The harvest had been more than the Apple family could handle that year and Big MacIntosh had broken his hoof from the strain, forcing Applejack to look for outside help to bring in the harvest this year. She emerged from the farmhouse ready for the long work day ahead. "Now where is that new colt? He was supposed to be here before dawn!" Applejack said, a tone of frustration ringing through her Southern belle accent.
"I'm right here Miss," said a voice from behind Applejack. Applejack jumped, startled at the seemingly sudden appearance of her companion, who came forward from his position beside the open door of the farmhouse. "Iron Gold, at your service," the silver colt replied. He was a strong looking horse, not as much so as Big MacIntosh, but he was bigger than Applejack nonetheless. Applejack studied him over, stopping at the bandages tied across his chest. "And what in tarnation happened to you?" she inquired. "Well, if you didn't already know, I'm a pegasus and I hurt my wing pretty bad in a......plowing accident." The colt replied in his musical accent. "The doctor said it should be all better by this afternoon. But better to be safe than sorry, right?" He continued, walking along the path to the Apple Fields. Applejack followed, studying him further.
He was a tall colt, but not very muscular. His shiny silver coat was offset by his ruby red eyes and his golden mane. At last, Applejack's eyes fell on the colt's flank, where a cutie mark in the name of a scythe lay. "I'm sorry sugar, what did you say your name was?" Applejack asked, her eyes glued on his mark. "Iron Gold, ma'am. Came here all the way from OxHorse, across the pond," her companion replied. As he spoke, Iron walked up to a nearby tree and began looking it over. "Well then, lemme show you the ropes of gettin' these here apples down," said Applejack. "Oh no need. This isn't my first time on an Apple Farm." Iron replied quickly. He then hit the tree in the middle of its trunk with a quick and precise strike from his front hoof. Suddenly, all of the apples fell in one quick shower of red. "Nice one, Iron! Keep it up!" Applejack exclaimed. Perhaps with Iron around, the work day wouldn't be as long as she thought after all.
End Prologue
