Ah, Stalliongrad. There were so many things you could say about the place. Most of them would be horribly negative things, but it's not that bad...if you don't mind your city looking like a partially abandoned, de-militarized zone that just happens to have a lot of civilians trying to make the most of it.

I do believe a quick history lesson is in order.

Stalliongrad was originally a part of Equestria, but a particularly rebellious group of nobles decided that they didn't much like Celestia's rule. This was around four-hundred, fifty-three years ago, I think? That sounds about right. They wanted to do their own thing, free of Celestia's rule!

Equestria was right in the middle of a renaissance into a new golden age, and the last thing Celestia wanted was a civil war, and believe me, they were willing to go through with it. They'd garnered quite a following in - you guessed it! - Stalliongrad. You can probably take a minor guess as to where this is going.

Celestia turned the rogue city over to them, and under the fresh zeal of a new and ambitious ruler, they immediately put their resources to work building a giant wall around the city to cut it off from the rest of Equestria. Trade and travel was heavily restricted almost to the point of non-existence, but even those nobles realized that they needed trade in order to sustain their population. Unfortunately, they couldn't put the needs of their people above their pride.

It was fine at first, but as with all things, their rule decayed in quality as generations went on. The people of Stalliongrad tried, they struggled to make up for the poor government that had been forcibly established, but to no avail. To spare you a lot of the specific details, the oligarchy that had been established since the beginning wound up devolving into a shit-show of infighting, assassination attempts and very little actual governing of their tiny, one-city 'country'.

They barely lasted two-hundred and sixty-five years before the insurgents became too numerous for them to contain.

It took Equestria by surprise, back then. Took a while for news to spread, but eventually everyone heard about the massive, world-shaking explosions that decimated the outer rim of Stalliongrad along with the giant wall they'd built to contain and 'protect' their city. Homes were destroyed, businesses were decimated, and a whole lot of loyalists died in the process, but none of the Stalliongradi cared. They were free.

I asked Celestia about it once, back when I was reading up on Equestrian history. I asked her why she would allow such a thing to happen, and her answer was simple. Sometimes...her ponies need to be allowed to make mistakes, to learn the hard lessons. They caved to their own ambitions and desires without caution, wisdom or any care for those around them, and if she'd tried to force the people of Stalliongrad to continue to follow her rule, there was no doubt that civil war would've followed. They would've been galvanized into action against her.

A hundred and eighty-eight years later, and the city still hasn't fully recovered, though not through lack of trying. The isolation it had been put through devastated the place, and crime ran rampant pretty much everywhere. It was a cesspit of small-time criminal activity, with some big companies extending their reach into it in hopes of staking an early claim for the day when Stalliongrad finally rose above the desolation it was still covered in.

Oh, it has a nice chunk of itself rebuilt! Fancy stores, tourist traps, you name it. If you've ever visited some exotic locations before, you might know what I'm talking about. You'll have large areas dedicated to making that city look like far more than it actually is, and that's fine for tourists. Walk a few blocks outside of that tourist zone though, and suddenly you see what's really going on under the surface.

And this was the place I was choosing to do my business. If I didn't know better, I'd call myself stupid.

There's one other unique feature to Stalliongrad, one that seemed to have developed over centuries...and it's one of those things that becomes apparent to you the moment you step off the train. Ponies here are freaking huge. Not like, thick-muscled bodybuilder kind of huge, but they're just big. On average, a Stalliongradi is as big as Luna when she's back to full strength, and some can be even bigger than that! Not...y'know, Celestia-sized, but you get the idea.

I stepped off the train with my suitcase in my magic and my luggage being wheeled behind myself, also held in my magic. At least the luggage had wheels built into it. I had actually phoned ahead to get a reservation at one of the hotels far less likely to be robbed. You know, one of the hotels located in the 'tourist trap' part of the city.

Thankfully, the room they provided me with came with a safe, complete with a lock I could set the code to. I doubled up on the security with it and worked a temporary magic lock around the safe just to be sure. Nothing against the staff of the hotel or anything, but I just don't trust a lock I can open with the proper tools. I need a little magic wrapped around that sucker to be sure.

I stowed the cash I'd brought along in the safe, and went to work unpacking my things. The usual stuff you'd expect, a few spare suits, some more casual clothes, underwear, that sort of stuff. I'd even brought along my black and red pinstripe suit, with matching trilby! What? That's not fashionable, that's tacky? That's very interesting, yes...how about fuck you?

My stay was going to be for approximately two weeks, give or take. I had a phone in my room, and I certainly could afford the charges the hotel would levy against me if I used it, but I could go without calling home just yet. Spike wasn't that attached to me, at least not anymore. Besides, I had Octavia checking in now and then, and the two of them got along well enough. Now if only Octavia could keep that mouth of hers in check....

At least this time I had no plans to just sit around in my room. Instead, I had work to do, and that started with establishing a legitimate alibi as to what I was doing here. It wasn't like when I was younger and I could go wherever I pleased. I wasn't a celebrity back then. Not like a big movie star or model (though I'm sure if it weren't for my bum leg, I could pull off a modeling career for a niche crowd), but more like...that pony that answers to the ruler of the land directly.

Now I'm a hero of Equestria, and unlike Shady, I'm quite sure ponies in Stalliongrad have heard about me. I needed a whole lot of preparation before I dared to do anything illegal myself.

Now, perhaps you think I'm being lazy, skipping over the more legitimate business deals I strike up around the city. Truth is, I just don't want to bore you. It should get the point across well enough when I say that I had several businesses in mind, and a few smaller ones I stumbled across while walking back and forth between the locations. It's all a lot of complicated stuff that I doubt you want me to go into detail about. Do you really want to hear about the paperwork I'm filling out, and the shipping companies I'm making contact with to help ensure certain smaller businesses get the products they wish to sell? The hours I'm spending and days I'm burning through talking with executives and getting everything in order?

It's not hard to make stuff like that happen when you've got a little star power behind you. No one wants to be known as 'that pony/business that rejected Celestia's student'.

I spent four days straight doing this, and yes, it was quite tiring. This wasn't exactly a vacation for me, and I never intended it to be. Believe me, my work didn't stop there, but on the fifth day...that was when I started donning a disguise to tend to my more undesirable business deeper inside of the less welcoming parts of Stalliongrad.

The disguise, as it often was, was unremarkable. A simple coat of baby blue coupled with a royal blue mane and tail. There was nothing I could do about my messed-up leg, but I could at least somewhat hide it from view under a pair of sweatpants and a comfy, if a bit baggy, white shirt. Of course, I needed to bring a coat as well, something heavy and thick to keep warm in this icy climate, so a nice, light brown full-body trenchcoat worked well enough. Nothing too fancy to give away the fact that I had a whoooole lotta cash on me.

I had spent my evenings the past few days gathering information in the less welcoming areas, always disguised the exact same way. It was a risk, as with all things, but there were always ponies willing to talk to a nice sweet-talking mare with a cute face. Some try to overstep their bounds, but they don't get far when they do...not even Stalliongradi that tend to tower over me.

Truth be told, there's no absolute certainty as to how they became so big. The closest anyone has ever come to determining where their size came from is someone tracing lineages back to when Equestria was just starting out. Stalliongrad was a city established by particularly hardy ponies that didn't entirely like the idea of falling in line under Celestia's rule. That was how those nobles so easily swayed them. They're a very self-sufficient people, or at least they were.

Anyway, back then Saddle Arabia was quite amicable with us, and as our borders began to open up to them, Saddle Arabians took a particular interest in the Frozen North. It was so different from the hot climates, massive deserts and expansive canyons their kingdoms occupied, they couldn't help but be intrigued by something so different. You can imagine where a lot of their tourism led them to.

Some Saddle Arabians took to the icy, cold surroundings. They settled down there. Most did not. Some were outright disillusioned to the beauty of it due to the freezing cold alone. Can't say I blame them for running back home, to their hot deserts. They didn't have thicker coats of fur like the Stalliongradi did, even back then.

That was about the time when the crossbreeding started, and if you know anything about genetics, you can probably guess why I'm skeptical about this being the origin of Stalliongradi ponies' huge statures. There had to be some other reason for it. Then again, for all I know, there could be a magic-based reason all Saddle Arabians are so big, but surely the Stalliongradi aren't the first time there's been crossbreeding between the Three Tribes and the Saddle Arabians....

Gah! Now I've got something else to look into. My thirst for knowledge, nothing ever truly quenches it! I personally lean towards the theory that it's due to magic causing them to change over generations to be better adapted to the colder climate. Doesn't explain the size, but it does explain the thicker fur. Maybe it's a mix of both? It's hard to say with magic, it's not exactly a science.

In any case, through some careful talking and flirting with ponies probably twice my size on average, I caught wind of the location of just the kind of underground business I was looking for. With any luck, it would provide me more than just a source of illegitimate income. I just had to locate it first.

I walked down street after street, the bustle of the touring crowds fading out behind me along with the police presence, which appeared to be spread paper-thin near the outskirts of the area that those in charge of Stalliongrad wanted you to see. Two blocks beyond that, and instantly, the real Stalliongrad was on display. Old, decrepit buildings of brick and concrete, neglected and abandoned littered the streets I walked down, in-between small businesses struggling to turn over a decent enough profit for their owners. In the distance, I heard gunfire, and by the time I rounded a corner and reached the location of it, I saw an old stallion laying on the sidewalk in front of his store, the display window broken open and his shop ransacked.

Everywhere I went, ponies were giving me odd looks, some of curiosity, others of animosity or outright intent to harm me. A small, soft-looking mare like myself wasn't welcome in this more rugged part of Stalliongrad, surrounded by those far less fortunate than even the low-class of most other cities in Equestria. Despite my skills, and my magic at my disposal, there was something to be said for feeling like a tiny midget surrounded by giants. Every base, prey part of my mind told me to run back to safety. I ignored it. There was often a certain way this sort of thing went down.

It was only a matter of time before one of them began to follow me. Some big unicorn mare with a thick dark brown coat of fur, and a dual-colored mane of black and a very dark shade of green. Did I mention that Stalliongradi tend to have darker fur, mane and tail colors? Whole lot less colorful than normal ponies, but it's commonly believed they have darker colors to help them retain heat better.

She tried to pull a gun on me. She didn't get much of a chance. The moment she rounded the corner behind me, my magic was there, immediately overpowering hers and taking the gun from her. It was one of the old revolver models, like the one I carried around as a just-in-case. Considering their size, it wasn't surprising to see a Stalliongradi using a revolver instead of a more normal-sized gun.

Her next attempt was to both body me, and throw her magic at me. The magic was easy enough to deal with, for obvious reasons. She attempted to grab me, and I overpowered her magic entirely, which made her falter when she tried to charge at me. The strategy was sound, which meant that this probably wasn't her first time doing it to some wandering outsider like myself. Unfortunately for her, her size didn't mean much to my magic.

Next thing she knew, she was head-first into the side of the busted-up building next to us, and I slammed the side of her head into it a couple more times for good measure. She became a whole lot more amicable after she realized that my magic could trump anything she threw at me. Thanks to our rather noisy altercation, I'd gotten the chance to prove I wasn't a mare to be trifled with, and a whole lot of nosy ponies that thought I didn't notice them chose to keep their snouts out of my business now.

I held on to her gun while she gathered her wits. I had no intention of doing anything long-term to hurt her. To some extent I couldn't even blame her for trying. Her fur looked a bit mucky, and her mane seemed particularly disheveled. Who knew if she'd eaten yesterday, or today for that matter? I wasn't taking pity on her for anything, just...look, some ponies had a tough, shit life dealt to them. I didn't need to make it worse by metaphorically kicking dirt in their eyes.

I took the opportunity to question her about the location I was looking for, but she didn't know much of anything. She'd seen a few well-dressed ponies heading to the west of where we were, but that was about it. Quite fortuitous for me, since that was the direction I'd been heading in this entire time, but it still didn't narrow things down for me. I already knew this place was located to the west of where most tourists enter Stalliongrad at.

Still, I emptied the bullets from her revolver with a simple motion of magic, then sent them sailing through the air across the street, through the busted-out window of another abandoned building. I tossed her revolver back to her and kept my magic at the ready while she left, thoroughly put in her place. I watched her walk down the street and turn the corner before continuing on my way, feeling a bit more respected by those I passed by.

That was, until I found myself walking deeper and deeper into the abandoned parts of Stalliongrad. The places closer to the old borders of the city, just short of the walls that had come tumbling down on top of countless buildings when they'd been blown up, where only the most unfortunate of souls dared to try to live at. Sadly, Stalliongrad was full of a lot of those.

I walked past several piles of rubble, and multiple old metal barrels that had been filled with refuse and debris. Fires billowed from them, marking the way as the sun began to descend over the horizon, the crunch of snow beneath my hooves becoming far more pronounced as I began to venture to an area that very few ever had a reason to tread.

You might be wondering why I don't have my suitcase full of cash with me. Well, the reason is simple: I wanted to find this place first before I made any attempts to buy it. Plus, I needed to be absolutely sure of this place's location before I started carrying around oodles of cash into an area full of homeless or poor ponies more than willing to go trigger-happy in order to take it from me.

The burning barrels acted as vague sources of light at best, as the sun faded and the day faded into night. I was cold, the wind was picking up, and the lack of sunlight wasn't doing me any favors in regards to keeping warm. I had to stop at a few of those barrels to warm myself up a little, a few of the homeless around me every time. They were intrigued, but they said nothing to me. I had kept a small pouch of bits on me in case I needed it, and as things got darker, I decided to kill two birds with one stone.

I began to randomly offer homeless ponies I came across a few bits for information. I tended to aim for those that were isolated enough that others might not notice them getting enough bits to get a meal for the night. It wasn't like I wanted a lot of them knowing I had money either. Most of them couldn't tell me what I wanted to know, but I gave them the bits anyways. They needed it more than I did, and it's the small kindnesses that matter most to ponies in their situation.

Eventually, one of them told me what I wanted to know. He pointed me to the northwest and told me to keep an eye out for some guys standing outside a broken-down building, dressed in black suits, one an earth pony and the other a unicorn. I gave him another five bits for the info. I didn't care if it was correct or not. I had a general direction that helped me hone in on my destination better.

The only hitch in this plan was my lack of information, and a distinct lack of an escort, but the day I technically pimp myself out in order to get into a fucking underground fighting ring was the day I lost any and all respect for myself. I have no problem being an escort on occasion, but ponies that tend to frequent the kind of place I wanted to get into weren't likely to be paying for just some friendly companionship for the evening. That's the sort of encounter that they expect to end with my undies around my ankles and my front pinned to the wall.

Mm, just had a very pleasant memory come back to me...that's a story for another time though.

It took me a while to find what I'd been told about. Sure enough, that bum had been correct, and soon I found a spot that had a dim light illuminating the area outside of an old building that was partially caved in. Seemed like a strange place to set up shop, but I suppose it was remote and unsuspecting enough. They could just snuff the lights and duck inside if any serious problems arose. If it was really organized, it probably had some diamond dog workers ready to dig tunnels far away for ponies to escape through in an emergency.

I stayed out of sight, off in the darkness for the time being, just observing them. There were already carriages around the back of the building, hidden in the shadows, with a few ponies hanging out, conversing and keeping an eye on them. They were probably the ones in charge of pulling them. All of them Stalliongradi, which was fortunate for them. It was fucking cold out, and it was really starting to get to me. I wasn't shivering yet, but it'd been a couple hours out here, and my hooves were feeling just a bit numb.

Despite what I've said about Stalliongrad thus far, they did have their own unique brand of nobility. They just happened to be business tycoons, the type that most would call absolute slimeballs. Personally I had no issue with them. I've seen far worse, and them uniting a bunch of businesses to create a perfect face for Stalliongrad to fool the world with at the expense of the rest of the city? Yeah, that's filthy of them to do, but at least they aren't fucking toxic and spread across the entire country like the Mafia are.

In any case, I needed to be very careful with these guards. If method numero uno didn't work out, I'd probably have to go work my magic on one of those rich bastards tomorrow night. I'd also have to come up with a new disguise if I got caught. I ducked low and crept closer, staying in the shadows just out of their peripheral vision while lighting up my horn.

I weaved into their heads slowly but surely. Giving them any hint that magic was being used on them directly would probably instantly give me away, and if the worst-case scenario were to occur, they'd probably close the entire place down and abandon it. There was plenty of space, underground or above ground, for them to set up shop in.

Their jobs were simple, as I sat there, examining their memories for repetition. I needed to know the rules they'd been given, and even the smartest pony tends to repeat their tasks to themselves when they work. Well, unless they don't care about their job, then they probably couldn't give two shits, but considering these guys were in charge of watching the entrance to their employer's big, massively illegal operation, I don't think they could afford to not give a shit.

They had to keep a checklist of who was allowed in and who was turned away or, if they were particularly suspicious, taken inside for 'questioning'. The only caveat...was for fighters. Someone wanted to fight? Let 'em in, let 'em get examined, then have someone escort them into the back rooms where the fighters prepared themselves to throw down in the cage, the first time anyways. That was my way in.

Only catch was, I couldn't allow for an examination...so it was time to plant some fake recognition in their heads.

This was the part I tended to enjoy the most about doing things like this. Really lets you flex that creative muscle in your brain, you know? I've already proven I tend to get creative when I'm in the middle of a fight, you can only imagine some of the stuff I can come up with when I'm given reason to pick up a metaphorical pen and draw up a ton of fake memories!

Yes, I'm aware of what a pen is. We have them. Quills are just one of those things that Equestria hasn't let go of quite yet.

Unfortunately, this particular scenario didn't allow for anything flashy. I didn't want to stand out, so I had to make myself as unassuming as possible. I was a small mare, from out of town, named...hm, Dark Delight. An obviously fake name, as fake as the memories themselves, but making the guards believe it was fake was all part of the plan. No sane fighter would ever give their real name anyways.

As far as they knew, I performed poorly. Left the arena beaten to a pulp more often than not, and I only won two matches out of eleven. Piss-poor performance, really. Nothing special, nothing that stands out, and usually I only show up to watch fights, though occasionally I'll get fired up enough to take a shot at it once again. I had good income, not that I ever talked about my job with anyone, so they were fine with letting me in as long as I made sure to place a few good bets.

The earth pony had a bit of a soft spot for the underdogs that got their asses kicked nine times out of ten, too. I could use that to my advantage, if it became necessary. I continued weaving the memories together in my own head, carefully maintaining my connection with them the entire time, thoughts and falsifications twisting this way and that as my magic weaved through it and bound it all together into a cohesive format that their minds could accept.

The best part about this spell? I don't have to craft every single moment of every single memory I want them to have, though that's the far more safe way to do it. No one would ever be able to tell the difference between real and fake memories if I did that. That sort of thing would take hours, potentially days. No, this was more like...inserting an idea, and letting their brains run away with it. They would conjure the memories rapid-fire themselves in their subconscious, and I'd be watching the entire time to make sure I knew exactly what they 'remembered' of me.

A single pulse of magic from my horn was all it took. The unicorn flinched when I did it, but other than rubbing his head a little, he didn't seem to notice at all. I stayed where I was, carefully watching their brains go to work, like one's imagination running wild with possibilities, memories forming from nothing in mere seconds. It was like planting a seed and watching a tree with numerous lush, leafy branches sprout up in front of you in an instant.

When the memories finished forming, I double-checked everything they'd come up with before letting my connection to their minds go. It was time to play the part of the cocky brawler that just didn't know when to quit!

I approached calmly, stepping out of the darkness and into the dim light they had set up in front of the building. They both visibly tensed as I became more visible, but I could clearly see the moment they recognized me. They both relaxed, but the earth pony looked unsure, even worried. He was probably concerned about my reason for being there.

"Hey boys!" I called out to them, giving them an energetic wave of my hoof.

They both looked at each other, but the unicorn just shrugged and went back to looking around for anyone else approaching. Spark Point, I believe he was called. The earth pony kept his eyes on me, looking me up and down as I walked up to both of them.

"Hey, Delight," he said, smirking just a bit. "Come to get your flank served up on a silver platter again?"

"Why you asking, Rough? Is it a dish you'd just love to chow down on?" I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

He had the decency to blush just a little, but for the most part he just rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.

"No way, Dark. You know I got a mare back home."

"Aww, how unfortunate," I teased. "I'm a sucker for a stallion that's loyal."

"Sounds like a problem," Point chimed in, not even looking in our direction. "Since you can't have him because of said loyalty."

I hmph'ed and flicked my tail dismissively. "I happen to enjoy ogling quality merchandise when I go shopping! Doesn't mean I'm gonna buy it."

If I'm being entirely honest, I'd totally take him for a ride. That big intimidating stature, that Stalliongradi accent...can you tell I like them exotic, sometimes? Shame I had work to do, and a shame he was such a kind stallion. Kinda wish I'd found the time to buy him a drink sometime, he deserved it. He was really in the wrong line of work.

"So hey, uh...you're just going in to bet, right?" Rough asked me without missing a beat.

I idly flicked a bit of my mane to the side, smiling up at him. "You're real sweet to always be concerned. I can practically hear it seeping out every time you ask me that," I said, shrugging. "Dunno, didn't plan to fight, but if someone in there gets me going, I can't make any promises."

He didn't seem happy about that, but that was the best he was going to get out of me. Without a word, I walked past them and let myself in. Neither of them stopped me. It'd prove useful for the next few weeks, and after that, Dark Delight would disappear entirely...well, unless I owned the place by then. If that wound up being the case, Dark Delight would have to be one of those disguises I wrote down in detail somewhere to make sure I never forgot about it.

I stepped through the door, and found myself standing in an empty room, save for a single trapdoor that...well, it actually wasn't that obvious at first glance, but when you work for the Mafia as long as I have, you tend to get an eye for it. It looked heavy though, and I could hear some guys watching a movie in a back room. My best guess was that fighters were expected to be able to lift a trap door made of solid concrete.

I picked up the heavy, rusty steel ring in my magic and hefted it up with ease, the concrete noisily grinding against the inside of the floor until it flipped up, revealing a staircase that led down at a particularly steep angle. I'd have to watch my step, I guess. With only a vague feeling of apprehension, I descended down into the trap door and pulled the cover back into place, small lightbulbs strung up along the walls illuminating the way down.

There was a low thrum of activity further down, and it only got louder and louder as time went by. Seriously, the descent was ridiculous! I still can't believe any pompous bastard of the world would ever walk this far, and then walk all the way back up those stairs. Wait...fuck. I was going to have to walk back up those stairs! My right hindleg was aching at the thought of it already. Or maybe that was just the hours of walking to find the place...eh, either-or.

I could hear an announcer shouting over a series of speakers as I ventured to the bottom of the stairs. A semi-narrow tunnel led the way forward, and soon the noise was almost deafening as crowds cheered and the familiar sound of rattling chainlink fence reached my ears. In a situation like this, I would've used my mind magic to sharpen my senses so I could get a better feel for what awaited me ahead, but I'd managed to get in here without anyone being the wiser, so I wasn't particularly concerned about something like that.

It was only when I stepped out into the main area of this little venture that I really got an idea of what I was dealing with here. A diamond dog waitress wandered past me, her posture surprisingly formal and straight compared to the usual slouched-down posture most diamond dogs had. I suppose that was a necessity if you were going to carry trays of drinks around. Considering the overall design of the place, with wooden reinforcements bracing the stone and dirt walls, the chainlink fence surrounding an arena made of concrete, zero padding...the patrons of the place and the staff were behaving with surprising class.

Well, as much class as can be expected with the patrons shouting and cheering on their chosen fighters. It wasn't just rich ponies in here. There were a lot of Stalliongradi down here that were clearly just ponies that knew ponies that knew ponies. They were crowded around the cheaply-designed cage in the center of the huge underground room, egging on a pair of pegasi that were going at it like they were trying to murder each other. Wouldn't have surprised me if they were.

The sudden cry of pain from the ring was met with uproaring applause while I tried to find an empty table to sit down at. There were a few tables with some nice cushioned seats close to the ring, on an elevated section so their view wasn't obscured by the crowds that were there just to see some good old-fashioned bloodsport. The ring itself was very tall, almost up to the ceiling of the room itself, with a magic-resistant ceiling covering the top of it. Can't have any unicorns slipping a weapon into the ring from up top, right?

I eventually found a decent spot a bit further back, away from most of the richer-blooded types that surrounded me. Either way, I kinda stood out. The vast majority in the room were Stalliongradi, and I was tiny by comparison. I just played it cool and ordered a drink when one of the waitresses walked by. There were just a few ponies more my size around the room, but they were few and far between.

That was where I stayed for quite some time, that night. Hours ticked by while I watched fighter after fighter throw down in the ring. The vast majority of them were earth ponies and pegasi, but once in a while, I got to see two unicorns fight it out. They were never paired up with earth ponies because, well...do I really need to explain why? A contained space where a unicorn can't effectively run or put something between them and their target? You're just asking for the unicorn to get his or her ass kicked and their horn snapped off like a twig. S'not even remotely fair.

Then again, life's far from fair even to the most spoiled of brats, but still. It'll always find a way to fuck you over if you give it the opportunity, and trust me, everyone gives life a lot of opportunities to be a total douchenozzle to the eye.

The fighters didn't have anything special going on, as the night went on. Must've seen over twenty or thirty of them before something caught my eye. Even the noisy announcer was getting hyped up about it. Something about some really skilled mare taking the ring, a unicorn of all things. On top of that, they were pitting her against an earth pony!

"Welp. She's either dead or hospitalized by the time this is over." I muttered to myself, sipping on the drink I'd been brought.

Near a doorway previously hidden away in the shadows, I heard the crowd crowd cheering uproariously as a large Stalliongradi mare stepped out into the light of the room. My eyes widened at the sight of...okay, do you know how rare it is to see a unicorn that's as stacked as an earth pony that works out every day? It's really uncommon! I train every week several times a week with the Royal Guard in Canterlot, and I jog and exercise to keep myself fit and ready for action, but I sure as Tartarus don't look like that!

I don't mean to make it sound like she was gigantic or anything. She wasn't any bigger than the average Stalliongradi. It was the muscle definition that immediately caught my eye. Even among the Royal Guard, you rarely saw such a pure example of dedication to sculpting one's body. She clearly knew what she was doing too, because she didn't have that whole 'zero body fat, hundred percent muscle' look about her. No, it was...carefully balanced. It was the kind of body that adhered to strict dieting and exercise regimens, with no room for slacking off.

If she'd been born an earth pony, I think even with my magic I'd have been thoroughly intimidated by her. The scars didn't help. I couldn't make them out immediately, but as she stepped closer to the cage, I noticed that her body, from head to fetlock, was covered in random, strangely-shaped scars. Some of them were easily identified as injuries sustained in the arena, but others looked a bit more suspect. Bullet wounds, knife wounds...possibly even some scars left from magical burns. Whatever she'd gotten up to in her life, she'd been put through some shit.

Even her face hadn't been spared some of those marks. Sure, they were usually difficult to spot under fur, but with how Stalliongradi fur tended to be a bit thicker, it really stuck out. That being said though, she really cleaned up well. Despite clearly having warmed up in the back, her coat looked brushed and finely groomed, and I found myself wondering what kind of fur wash she used to get that dirty yellow fur looking so shiny. Almost golden, if you looked at it in a certain way. Really matched up with her pitch-black mane and tail, both of which looked equally as shiny...but, her mane seemed remarkably spiky. I also wondered at the time if that was just natural, or if she actually went through the trouble of spiking up her mane like that.

Oh, and she was a hermaphrodite like me. What? I was looking her over real carefully from a distance, you think I wouldn't notice a big pair of balls and a sheath between her hindlegs? It wasn't like she was even trying to hide it, and judging by how some mares were squealing and calling out to her, she wasn't afraid of letting the ladies have a piece. I couldn't even blame them. They had good taste.

It was actually a bit surreal for me. Strange as it may sound, that was the very first time I'd ever seen another hermaphrodite. I wasn't there to find good tail however, so it was more of a curious observation for me than anything else. Given how hyped up everyone was, I found myself even more interested in how well she fought. Sometimes you find those hidden gems, and I couldn't wait to see if I was eyeing a buried lump of diamond dog shit, or an actual diamond.

"Alright everypony, give it up for the Beast of Stalliongrad, Gadget Steelmare!"

Someone pulled the gate into the cage open, and she walked in like she owned the place. It was like she was channeling Rainbow Dash, with how she was grinning and flexing her muscles, striking poses for the crowd and getting some of the noisiest applause I'd ever heard. With a moniker like 'Beast of Stalliongrad', I guessed that she'd earned all of that approval.

It was only a few minutes after that that her opponent arrived. A ruddy-green earth pony with a blonde mane. Really garish coloration for a Stalliongradi, but I tried not to judge him. He didn't look half-bad either, all things considered. Certainly a lot less scars, but personally, I liked the scars Gadget was rocking. Every single one was a story waiting to be told, if she remembered at all. If experience has taught me anything, it's that ponies with her attitude love talking about their old battle wounds.

He didn't get much of an introduction. Shit, I don't even remember his name. All I remember was that he was Gadget's opponent, and he wasn't actually half-bad. He was simply outclassed.

They stood there in the ring, and the stallion seemed a bit nervous, but plenty fired up. Being an earth pony, he had the clear physical advantage. Gadget however, she...well, she was entirely confident. Not scared at all. Excited? Oh, definitely. I could see it in the way she lowered her stance and stomped one of her forelegs impatiently against the floor, her tail swishing back and forth in quick, jerking twitches. She wanted to tear into him, and I couldn't help but lean forward a little in my seat.

The moment the bell went off, I expected magic from Gadget. I was waiting to see that horn light up and decimate that earth pony by slamming him around like a ragdoll until he screamed for his Mother to come save him. You can imagine my surprise when they both charged at each other like stampeding bulls.

I thought she had a death wish until she swerved to her right at the very last moment. She barely got out of the way as he threw himself forward in an attempt to tackle her and push her back, but she was remarkably quick for her size. She jerked her entire body towards him and tackled him from the side, the stallion loudly grunting as she held him down and slammed a hoof into his ribs a few times.

Her attacks were unrefined, but they had a certain intelligence behind them. She knew exactly what to aim for. Instead of hitting him with the flat of her hoof, she made sure to attack just one of his ribs, and judging by how her hoof was angled, she was hitting him with the edge of her hoof to really dig in. I watched him cringe and curl in on himself in a reflexive attempt to get away from her with every hit.

Just when she was getting started though, she darted away from him and kept her eyes on his every move. A vast majority of the crowd seemed disappointed, but I was impressed. She definitely knew exactly what she was doing! It was standard tactics when a unicorn was forced into hoof-to-hoof combat with an earth pony. Weaken the body, but don't linger. It only takes one decent shot from an earth pony to break a unicorn. To say that she was playing a dangerous game taking him on without her magic was an understatement.

As it stood, she was taking chances to just wear him down. He knew how to fight pretty good as well, but she clearly had vastly more experience than him. He lunged at her again, but this time she ducked low to the ground, almost laying down, and got underneath him. She stood up and got her forehooves under his midsection, raising up onto her hindlegs and lifting him high into the air. The look on his face was priceless.

She let out a guttural cry while the audience watched on, screaming for blood. I could only watch in awe as she shifted him in her grasp and slammed him full-force into the concrete. Like a vast majority of the crowd, I cringed at the brutal impact of his body and skull against the floor, the sensation of sympathy pain making me rub the back of my head and back.

It wasn't something you could hear with how loud things were, but with the way his chest was heaving, he was struggling to get air. She didn't let up on him either. She was on him immediately, and he tried to take a swing, but it was slow and clumsy, and all she had to do was duck her head closer to him in order to make him completely miss. She'd gotten him good, and she was taking the chance to work that rib some more, throwing her weight into it. His face contorted with agony every time she hit him, and it was entirely possible that that rib was already broken.

What was happening to him didn't interest me at that moment as much as the look on her face did. She was smiling. No, more than that, she was grinning! There was a wildness in her eyes, that kind of joy you only see in someone that really loves what they're doing. I couldn't look away as she laid into him more and more, the stallion eventually going limp after she stomped on his head a few times. His hooves were twitching and his body was convulsing a little while blood poured from his nose and his mouth, but I was at least somewhat certain he'd survive. Then again, she'd really given him a full-body trampling once he'd finally given up.

She rose up on her hindlegs again and roared up towards the ceiling, working the crowd into a frenzy more than they already were, after witnessing an almost-murder right in front of them. I got up from my seat and walked towards the door Gadget and that other fighter had entered from, wanting to get a closer look at her. She had piqued my interest. It's not exactly something you often get to witness, a unicorn taking down an earth pony in physical combat.

If there were any doubts about me returning to get my hooves on this place, they were thrown out the window after what I'd just witnessed. I needed money, but more than anything, I wanted to see Gadget fight again. I wanted to see more than the small showing she'd put on that night. A plan was already formulating in my head if she proved to be just the kind of pony I was looking for...but I needed to be absolutely sure she was worth my time.

Author's Notes:

This took longer than I wanted it to. I may or may not have had my soul consumed by XCOM: Enemy Within, a game I was lured into playing all over again after XCOM 2 came out. A game that I can't play because my laptop would boil itself to death if I dared to even try. It already has an overheating issue if I play Enemy Within, let alone that super-hype sequel.

What? I'm crying? No I'm not. You're all liars.

.... *sniffle*

In any case, leave me some comments! I enjoy feedback.