Twilight Sparkle's Anguish

by Trailblazer Rocker

Fighter's Paradise

Trailblazer was escorted out of his room, with a lot of white creme covering his body. AppleJack walked towards him, wondering what it was all about.

"Now, sir, you're out of your sunstroke, but keep in mind that the creme we're giving you is to heal those burns. Use it at least twice a day, and they should be gone soon enough," one of the doctors said.

"Yeah, yeah..." said Trailblazer, unenthusiastic. "You won't see me on a metal raft at sea ever again."

The doctor let him go. AppleJack walked up to him.

"Hey, sugarcube..." she said softly. "Feelin' better?"

"Well, I'm not sick anymore, so, that's something. But I still got these burns," he told her.

"Here, let's getcha back in action here."

The two walked back to the lobby to see the other five waiting for them.

"Um, hi, Trailblazer..." Fluttershy started the greeting. "Feeling better now?"

"Well, yes and no," he said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not suffering from sunstroke anymore, but I'm still burnt."

"Oh, I see now..."

"Okay, now then..." Rarity thought. "Do any of us know how to get to this Sagastrome place?"

"Sagastrome?" AppleJack and Trailblazer said this simultaneously.

"Here, let me explain..." said Twilight. "While you two were here, we went to see this wizard by the name of Merlow. And he gave us sone info on these Sacred Stars. When we find one, it'll tell us where the next one is. Merlow had one already, so it pointed to that city. Once we have all five, we can go take on Steel Sword. He's the pony responsible for getting that Sario Hole to show up."

"Hmmmmmm..." Trailblazer closed his eyes and rested a hoof beneath his chin. "Okay, so that's the lecture on the Sacred Stars. Now, what about this Sagastrome place?"

"You're gonna love this... That place has a fighting arena, where ponies from all over this region gather to fight and become number one."

"All right!" laughed Trailblazer. "We ought to get going!"

"Um, my question?" Rarity said. "How are we supposed to get there?"

None of them said anything as they looked at each other.

"I suppose we'll have to ask around."

They began to walk back to their hotel. It seemed like a perfect place to get answers on tourism and transportation.

"Exsuse me. Sir?" Rainbow Dash flew up to the counter. "Is there a way to get from here to Sagastrome?"

"Oh, yes, definetly," the pony said. "Near our hotel is a magnet train that can take you all there in a matter of an hour."

"Oh. Thanks for your help." Rainbow Dash flew back and headed outside with the rest of them. "There's a train near this hotel that can take us directly to that city." She paused. "Now, how did I miss THAT?"

"That must be it over there." AppleJack pointed to a train station that had a sleek metallic train with an aerodynamic shaped car at the ends. They all walked to it to get on.

"Would you like to board the Raut-Strome Magnet Train?" one of the workers said.

"Yes," said Trailblazer.

"All right. It'll cost 15 coins per passenger."

All of them forked over their money to get on board.

"Good. You may board now. We will be leaving shortly." The worker got out of the way to let them pass through the gate. They all got in the same car and took their seats next to each other. As they waited, more ponies got on the train in other cars. Once they the train was fully occupied, the gates closed.

"ALL ABOARD!" the gatekeeper shouted.

The train began to move, and the magnetic force below them took effect. The magnet train accelerated quickly to a speed of 60 miles per hour, and headed towards Sagastrome.

Later that afternoon, they reached a train station in the city of Sagastrome. It stopped in downtown, which had a lot of square buildings that reached at least four stories high. Most of them were small businesses and retail stores, with streets made if concrete. It was almost another Marehattan for them.

"So, how are we going to find this next Sacred Star here?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Look over there! It's an advertisement for the arena here!" Pinkie Pie hopped to the poster she found.

"Yeah? So?"

"Take a look at the trophy!" Pinkie motioned them to take a closer look. On the ad was a picture of the arena in the city, known as the Mega Ring. It was a big building made of concrete with a little sloped glass dome that spanned the whole building. On the foreground was the trophy. It had a wooden base and a slender gold body that widened at the top. Sitting on top of the trophy was a gold star that had an identical resemblance of the Sacred Star Merlow gave them. AppleJack and Trailblazer looked at it curiously, while the other five that were with Merlow last night eyed it intensely.

"Could that really be the next Sacred Star?" Rarity thought.

"Is that what they look like?" asked Trailblazer.

"Well, yeah, they do. But, if that's really it, then..."

"We'll have to fight our way to it?" wondered Pinkie.

"I think so..."

"Well, it looks like we'll have to investigate on this deal," said Twilight. "And to do that, we need to head for the Mega Ring."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!"

The seven walked through the city to look for the arena. It was easy to find, as it stood out in terms of eye-catching decorations in front of the sign and architectural design. The flashy exterior defined the Mega Ring as a place of glitz.

"Wow, they really went overboard with making this place stand out," said Fluttershy. "Uhh, that kind of tells me... that the inside will be the same..."

"Well, one way to find out," said Pinkie.

They found the enterace to the arena and entered a lobby. There was a red carpet that split to two other doors on the sides of the lobby. Between those doors were a set of stairs on both sides that led directly to the upper levels. In front of them was the enterace to the arena for spectators, and below them was a chandelier with many pearl-shaped lights that were hanging and were attatched to it. The whole lobby itself was a light gold with a few fans, security workers, and a couple interviewers that were paired with their own cameramen.

"Move along, folks," one of the interviewers said. "Go watch the fight. You're getting in the way of my upcoming interview with our next champ."

"Riiiiight..." Rainbow Dash said to him. "And this next champ is, who?"

"Go see for yourself. I need to stay here to get an interview with him as soon as he comes out of the ring."

"Whatever..."

All seven of them walked through the doors in front of them and found themselves seeing a mide of a fight. A fat red pony was fighting off a smaller purple unicorn. They were punching each other for a little bit, and then the red one leaned forward and pinned the unicorn. He was crushed under his weight, leaving the big one to be the victor.

"So, this is what my opponent was made of? This guy doesn't have the guts!" he yelled.

The the official walked towards him with a microphone in his hand. "Well, HOW-DEE! That there was a fine whuppin' you put on! So, uh, any thoughts on winning this match?" he leaned the microphone towards the winner.

"What are you thinking? There isn't ANYPONY that can take me on! I'm large and in charge! Any other pony that comes at me will get flattened!" The earth pony known as Grub Gut lifted a hoof straight into the air. "YEEEEAAAH! I, AM, NUMBER ONE!"

The official handed him a trophy that looked exactly like the one they saw on the poster at the train station. Grub Gut hoisted it into the air, and the crowd roared. All seven of them noticed it.

"That must be it! The Sacred Star is right there! But... How are we supposed to get it?" Twilight yelled, trying to speak over the noise.

They all walked out of the arena, where they could hear themselves think. "Well, we now know that the next sacred star is here, but what are we going to do?" pondered Twilight. "I mean, we can't just go and take the thing off..."

"Oh, I gotta laugh..." Trailblazer chuckled. "With me around, we can take on anything. I say we battle our way to the top and then grab it."

"Well, we aren't thieves, that's for sure. I like the way you're thinking, Trailblazer," Rainbow Dash smirked. "Bust a few heads, take a few names, and then, it's ours!"

He nodded, then looked around. "So, where's the manager's office? He must be the guy to talk to."

They all walked to one of the doors on the sides of the room. There was a security guard in front of it.

"This area is reserved for registered combatants in the Mega Ring." the guard said.

"Well, that's the thing... We're lookin' to become fighters here."

"Oh, so you have business with Smash Crash. Okay, you can all head on through. Smash Crash's office is straight down the hall from here. You can't miss it." The guard stepped aside and let them pass. The hallway they entered was gray and dimly lit compared to the bright lobby they were in. There were more security guards standing in front of the doors in the hall. At the end of the hall was a brown door, with yet another security guard in front of it.

"Excuse me, is this the office for registration?" asked Rarity.

"Yes it is. You must have business here, I take it," the guard said.

"Uh-huh..."

"All right, give me a second." The guard turned around and knocked on the door. A call was heard from inside, and the guard opened the door to walk inside. "Mr. Crash, we have a group of fighters that would like to register."

"All righty then. Bring 'em on in," they heard the same voice as the announcer say. The guard motioned the seven ponies to walk inside. There, they saw an office with a mahogany desk, and a laptop sitting on top of it. Behind the desk was the announcer.

"Well, how-DEE!" he said. "Ah'm known 'round these parts as Smash Crash. So, what can Ah do for ya sprouts?"

"Well, first of all, we're looking to become fighters here," said Trailblazer.

"Oh, boy, howdy!" said Smash Crash. "It's good to see some youngin's comin' in to fight... Yep, some fresh new blood in this here dome. But before we talk buisiness, Ah'd like to tell y'all a li'l somethin'." He walked out from behind his desk and into the more spaced area of the room.

"When Ah was just a wee filly, we didn't have nuthin' growin' up. We were poor, mind y'all, but that's just how this rags to riches story goes. Ah dreamed big, and Ah wanted a bright future. That's how this arena got built. Ah worked my tail off to raise some money, and built this place from scratch! So now, here Ah am! A business owner without any signs of retirin'! Y'all see this bod of mine? Ah'm 60 and still goin' strong! This is my career, and Ah'm LIVIN' the life! Ain't NO way that Ah'm gonna stop! Yessiree, Ah dreamed big, worked hard, and in charge!" He turned around to face the group. "Y'all feel the same way?"

Trailblazer jumped a little bit, then looked at the others, then back at Smash Crash. "Uh, yyyeeeahhh... Sure. Big hopes and dreams here."

"That's the spirit! Like Ah said, it's good to see some young able-bodied fighters come in to my business." He walked back to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. "Lemme just explain this for a sec'... Ya fight, earn money, and rise in ranks with each victory you earn. Ah set the rules for y'all, and if ya meet the standards, you get to fight a higher ranked opponent. Winnin' without meetin' the standards means y'all have to fight a lower ranked opponent. Losin' to a higher ranked opponent lets you keep your rank, but losin' to a lower ranked opponent will lower it. Does this make sense here?"

"Oh yeah, Ah get it, all right," answered AppleJack.

"Loud and clear," said Rainbow Dash.

The rest of them nodded.

"Good. Now then, what Ah just explained is all here on these li'l ol' contracts. Just sign here, and yer good to go."

"Um... I'm not if I can do this..." Fluttershy shuddered.

"Please, dear," said Rarity. "We're all in this together, are we not? Certainly, NightWing would be proud to have a pegasus that can stand up to this challenge."

"I'm in for this, but I'm not signing until we're all clear on this," reasoned Twilight Sparkle.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Well... Okay, I'll go. Don't think that I'm doing this just to give in!"

Trailblazer looked at her skeptically, then shook his head. All of them signed their contracts.

"All right! Good choice, there. You are gonna go BIG, Ah can tell. Now, let me think of a name for your group..." He thought for several seconds. "All right, how about... 'The Devastators'?"

"Hey, that name doesn't sound half bad!" Trailblazer smiled.

"I like it!" said Rainbow Dash.

"It's okay, I guess." said Twilight.

"Uhhhh..." Rarity wasn't amused.

"Perfect! Now then, let's get y'all started!" Smash Crash pressed a button on his desk that was attatched to a small speaker he had. "Say, Sapphire, would ya mind comin' to my office for a sec'?"

A deep blue earth pony showed up a little bit later. "Yes, Mr. Crash?"

"Be a dear and go take these youngin's to their room, please."

"Yes, Mr. Crash," she said. "Follow me, if you will, newcomers."

Sapphire led them back into the hallways outside the ring and went back down the way that they came. They stopped two thirds of the way, where she had a security guard step aside from the door he was in front of. Behind that door was a dingy locker room, with many lockers, a few of them beat up a little bit, a cushioned bench with a spring sticking out of the broken fabric, and at least 10 beds. The walls were a dull gray, and the floor was a checkered gray and dark red.

"You will all be starting off the minor league, of course, since you all have just signed up to become fighters." said Sapphire.

"Figures, but... Does it have to look so... Beat up?" questioned Rarity. "Do they keep the minor league rooms this way to motivate the others to do better?"

Sapphire ignored her question. "Now then, you can reserve a match using the terminal here on the wall." She pointed to a computer monitor she was talking about. There was a screen saver of sort sort on the monitor. Sapphire touched it and got the screen to revert back to a match reservation screen. "You have two options here. The first one is to reserve for your next match, and the other let you view your rank. You can reserve one now if you wish to do so."

"Ehhh, why not?" said Trailblazer. He walked up to the screen. There was text on it, along with two buttons named of the commands Sapphire just mentioned.

"This is the Match Reservation Terminal. What is your command?"

"Reserve a Match"

"View Ranking"

He tapped on the touch screen on the Reserve button.

"One moment please..." There was a buffering circle below the new on-screen text. After a few seconds, Smash Crash showed up on it.

"Well, hey there, Devastators! Ah see that Sapphire is guiding you through the match reservation process. Okay, now, let's see how ya do in yer first match. Here, you'll be fighting... The Shag Bros.! Okay, in this match, Ah want ya to try to finish the match as quickly as you can. Folks are gonna be curious as to what yer made of. Yer the new ones here, after all. So, get in there and take 'em out in a jiffy!" He disappeared, and the match reservation screen reappeared.

"Okay, so your match is reserved. Now, you just have to wait until security comes to escort you."

There wasn't much of a wait. A guard showed up in a matter of 30 seconds.

"Hey, Devastators, your match is ready. Follow me," said the guard.

"Okay, now that security is here, they'll take you to the ring. Smash Crash requested that you finish the match fairly quickly. See if you can do that."

The seven ponies followed the guard outside.

In the ring, the Shag Bros. were already on it, waiting for them. Smash Crash was on stage with them, holding his microphone.

"And now, we are bringing you a new team of fighters! But first, let's have a word with the Shag Bros.!" Smash Crash walked up to the quintuplets, who had creme colored coats with varying styles of manes and tails, all brunette. "So, what are your impressions on these new fighters?"

"What, they think they're going to be some big shots?" the one in front said. "These noobs are gonna gave another thing coming! We'll teach them how harsh it can get here!"

The doors on the opposite side of the ring opened, and the seven ponies walked in.

"And, here come our new set of challengers, The Devastators!"

They all walked up the stage, ready to fight. Smash Crash walked up to them now.

"Here, let me explain a li'l somethin' 'bout how these fights work..."

"HEAD UP!" The lead Shag brother ran and jumped at Trailblazer. He saw him coming and protected himself from the attack. He ran back to his group after making his attack.

"Hey hey hey! What was THAT for?!" yelled AppleJack. "The bell hasn't even rung yet!"

"Oh that? That was just a welcome gift for you wimps!" he bad-mouthed them with.

"Hey, hang on for just a moment, these babies need to get spanked," said Trailblazer to his friends calmly. He turned around to face the Shag Bros. "Awww, would you look at our tiny weaklings we have to pummel! Hi, fellas!" Trailblazer told them in a cutesy voice. It suddenly got stern. "You want a fight, you got one!" He charged at the Shags and rammed the oldest one, and then threw him on the ground near the end of the ring. He turned around to kick the second one that came at him, and then the third one too. He jumped and landed on the fourth one, and tackled the last one. The whole fight took just six seconds. All of the Shag Bros. were dazed and laid down on the floor, injured.

"Uhhhnnnngghhh..." the third one moaned.

"We have a winner! THUHHHHHHHHHH DEVASTATOOORRRRRRS!" shouted Smash Crash.

"You come trying to pull a dirty move like that again, I'll shove your heads right up your asses!" Trailblazer yelled at them.

Smash Crash trotted back to them. "So, what are your impressions on the first bout?"

"That fight?? What a JOKE!" Trailblazer answered him with.

Smash Crash brought his microphone back to him. "Ladies and gentlecolts, what you just witnessed was a thrashin' at it's finest! Shag Brother comes by for a headstart, and, BAM, he single handedly K.O's them in a matter of SECONDS! These ponies are GOIN' places! Let's give it up for, The Devastators!"

Some confetti rained down on them. Trailblazer raised a hoof and pointed at himself. His eyes were closed, he looked smug, and continuously nodded as the cheers were heard.

After the match, Smash Crash and Sapphire met back with them in the locker room.

"Job well done, pardner!" Smash Crash told Trailblazer. "Yer the Trailblazer feller in this group, right?"

"Yeah," he said, happily.

"Good to hear. Anyways, Ah got the names of everypony else in the group." He pointed to each one as he called out their names. "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, AppleJack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie."

All of them were saying their "yes"'s.

"Now then, Sapphire here will give ya your fight money. Ah'm lookin' forward to your next fight in the ring, and THAT'S sayin' sumthin'!" He left the room after saying that.

"Here's your fight money, everypony," said Sapphire. She handed each of them 10 coins.

"And we're getting paid to fight too?" Trailblazer was feeling better by the second. "Man, I might just live here."

"Feel free to do whatever you'd like when you're not reserved to fight," said Sapphire. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way." She left the room after saying that.

"Now THIS, is going to be fun!" said Rainbow Dash.

"This may be our easiest job yet," said Trailblazer. "Win, earn money, win, earn money... This little quest for this Sacred Star is going to be a breeze!"