Twilight and the Spartan Stallion
Part 17: The Match

Daring Do turned the lights of the working area on. There were dozens of tools strung about the room, but really she just wanted to come look at him again. Spartan Shield’s clean-up had come along fantastically, and he was all done and ready for display. “You know, I’m really lucky to have found you.” She told the statue, cantering over and grinning grandly. She sighed at the sleek shine he’d been polished to, studied each tooth in his roaring mouth, and even touched the tip of his raised metal spear. “Mhh!” she said, chuckling and walking around him in a quick circle. “This is gonna make my career. And True Facts’s too.” She snickered. “Can’t forget True Facts!” she looked around conspiratorially, then sidled up to the statue. “What’s that, Spartan Stallion? Run away with you?” she leaned on him a bit, covering her mouth with a haughty giggle. “Why, what would my lover say?!” she put her forearm over her forehead and giggled, falling under him like a car mechanic to examine his underside once more (everything had to be perfect for the museum curators that were coming in the morning… though it was already 1:30am so it was technically already morning.) Snickering to herself, too excited to sleep, Daring Do adjusted herself length-ways and opened her wings at the statue. “Oh, Spartan!” she said, turning her head to one side and laughing scandalously. “Don’t ravish me! Just think of my virtue!”

“You haven’t had any virtue in three years, Daring. I’d know, I took it from you.”

“EEP!” Daring sat up too quickly and struck her head on Spartan Shield’s stone chest. She yelped, fell down again on her back and rubbed her head. “Whossat?” she demanded, clenching her teeth and hissing in pain.

“Oh just me, your real lover.” True Facts snorted, leaning over her and into her view. He nuzzled her sore head. “Come back to bed, baby…” he whispered intimately. “You’re gonna look like hell if you’re up all night flirting with this thing. What would the curators think?” There was shared giggling between them and Daring turned upright and onto her hooves. Red stained her cheeks and she smiled bashfully, standing up at last.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t stop thinking about him.” Daring Do turned and looked up at the statue, a great smile plastered across her face. “Tomorrow, you and me are gonna make history!”

“—And finally be able to pay all of our diggers.” True Facts added. “—And be able to pay for all of the everything we’ve been borrowing for the past few years. I just hope there’s anything left over at all at the end of all this.” He seemed glum at the thought.

“True Facts, that’s not the point!” She cupped his cheek affectionately with her hoof. “We’ve had great adventures tracking down artifacts and stuff together. This time we just happened to hit the jackpot. It’s the journey, not the prize at the end!” True Facts smiled at her lovingly. Now and then, Daring Do said something really wise and sage-like. He really did need to get started on those books he’d been thinking about. Sure, he wouldn’t make a very interesting character, but Daring sure would!

“Come back to bed.” He insisted again, pushing the giggly mare along with his nose. She relented at last, heading for the exit, all smiles. “Stay away from my marefriend, you!” He threatened the statue, which made Daring break into louder giggling. He would spend the next hour or so doing other things to exhaust her and make her go the buck to sleep. The coming morning was going to be important. Spartan Shield stood ever stoic in the darkness, frozen in his poise of epic battle.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
12 Years Later…
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ponyville Square had a massive tent set up in it, and it was packed to the gills with ponies in bleachers. There were standing ponies, and ponies trying to lean over their fellows to get a better look at the middle of the place. It looked like a boxing ring, or a wrestling ring, but for now it was empty.

“Apple pies here! Gets yer fritters and pie slices here!” Applejack had set up a little snack stand at one of the entrances. “Be sure to donate to the charity!” she jabbed a hoof at a huge glass jar by the main entrance.

The jar was piled with golden bits, and every now and then a pony would toss in a few more to add to the pot. The sign next to it read ‘Charity – New Playground for Ponyville Elementary!’ There wasn’t a pony alive that could argue with such a good and pure cause. How to express it? By going to a big violent wrestling match of course! Who didn’t wanna see two great big stallions beat the stuffing out of each other for charity? …what? It’s a legitimate sport!

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Spartan Shield approached on foot. Spike was wearing bright red track shorts, had a whistle around his neck, and a clipboard in his hands. The purple mare did not look happy, but looked rather resigned. She had her nose in a book about first aid as she walked alongside Spartan Shield.

The Spartan Stallion was something to behold, as well. He wore laurels, a crown of leaves, on his head and wore a very regal expression as he approached his battleground. Having spent the past couple of days naked, the sun seemed to make him look more and more radiant each day. By the time the big match had arrived, he almost seemed to be glowing a supernatural bronze-y look. But that was probably the anointing oils in his fur, right?

“Just remember to stay focused, Spartan! You can win!” Spike was doing his best to be a coach. He’d made sure Spartan had done no drinking or fighting the past few days, and made sure he went to bed extra early the night before. Other than that, all he could do was offer encouragement for the big lug.

“Hey thar Twilight! Hey Spike! Spartan too, howdy!” Applejack waved from behind her stand after she’d finished selling a pie slice to somepony. “Wanna buy a snack?” she offered.

“No thanks,” Twilight said a little glumly. It was easy to see by the look on her face that she did NOT approve of any of this. But, it wasn’t like she could stay home and concentrate on her studies.

Applejack tilted her head a little, seeing the look. “Aww, don’t be a party-pooper, Twiligh’! It’s just some wrastlin’!” the farm pony chuckled, nodding thanks as another few bits went in the giant donation jar. “For charity, too! You can’t beat that with a stick!”

“How are our funds turning out?” Spartan Shield asked, leaning at the jar that was as tall as his chest. “Hmm!” he smiled with approval. The jar was over half-full already. Thanks to Twilight, he’d calculated that the twenty-five hundred bits mark was somewhere around the two-thirds mark in the jar. They were either close, or had already reached their goal—and ponies were still coming! “Excellent.” He smiled. “Thank you for watching over the donation jar for us.” he told Applejack, bobbing his head once.

“Aww, t’ain’t nuthin’, Spartan Shield!” Applejack waved him off with a smile. “’Sides! It’s gonna be fun watchin’ you get yer sorry flank kicked by mah big brother!” she teased.

“We shall see if his wrestling prowess matches his handsome midriff, then.” Spartan stuck his tongue out in a playful gesture he’d learned perhaps a week ago. He knew it had worked when Applejack giggled back at him, shaking her head. See? See? He could get just a few local customs and expressions in now and then.

“Hey Spartannnnn!” Rainbow Dash descended from on high, wearing his helmet on her head. This made her top-heavy and she almost crashed face first. Ponies scattered to make way as she made a rough landing, laughing nervously like she’d meant to do it the whole time. “Hey! Hey! I’m totally rooting for you, dude!” she grinned her biggest grin and showed the world her biggest wingspan she possibly could. “Ponyville’s two biggest, strongest stallions going at it? This is gonna be! So! Awesome!” she squeed, pressing her cheeks together into a squee-face with her hooves. “I gotta find a good seat! Good luck!” she raced inside to do just that.

“Thank you!” Spartan called after her, but she was already gone. Twilight rolled her eyes a little, learning about how ice helped if muscles were badly torn in sporting events from her health book. The large stallion turned, looking at Twilight silently for a long time. “Er.” He said to catch her gaze. “Will thou wish me good luck too, Twilight?” he asked with just a grain of sheepishness. Applejack quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. Was he being flirty?

“Just try not to get hurt. Or hurt Big Mac.” Twilight said a little bit coldly. “You and me are gonna study twice as hard when this is all over, I tell you that.” She closed her book and floated it into her saddlebag. “Glorifying violence in a sporting event isn’t what Princess Celestia asked us to do.” Spartan wilted just a little at her words, and she sighed at him. “I know it’s what you do best, but after this no more, okay? We’re gonna find you something non-violent to do with your time and…” she gestured to his impressive muscled physique. “All this.” She said. He smiled just a little, turning his ears back at her.

“Art thou that angry with me?” he said in a quieter voice.

“I know this is the best way you can raise this much money.” Twilight said with a sense of finality. “Good luck.” With that, she turned and headed inside to find her own seat in the gathering tent.

Spartan Shield sighed, and Applejack winced a little from behind her stand. “Aww, don’t get down, big guy!” she waved him over and pushed a sample apple slice into his mouth. “Twiligh’s not the wrastlin’ type. She just wants to help you adjust to not answerin’ all yer problems with violence, is all.”

Spartan nodded his understanding, smacking his lips a few times after he’d finished chewing the apple slice. “After this, I shalt find some way to make it up to her.” He said, bobbing his head to make it official. “She seemed to like it when I brought her flowers a few days ago,” he paused to screw up his face in a serious thoughtful expression. Applejack’s face was a surprised one. Him? Flowers? Twilight? Five weeks had shown they SORT OF had a thing going, but none of it was official (beyond Rarity’s gossiping)—but Applejack had a hard time picturing the burly stallion giving Twilight a bouquet. “Perhaps I could find a field of flowers for her next time.” He said with a growly murmur of dedicated concentration. “She deserves an afternoon to frolic, away from her studies.” Applejack GIGGLE-SNORTED, her cheeks pinkening. Spartan Shield could not have possibly known it, but ‘frollicking in the flowers’ was a springtime sexual innuendo in small towns like Ponyville. “What?” he looked over at the orange mare.

“Nothin’! Nothin’!” Applejack’s cheeks bulged out and she looked skyward, to the right. Spartan briefly wondered if the poor thing was constipated, such an awkward face she was making. “Good luck then, you’ll need it against Big Mac!” the orange mare shoo’d him away quickly, smirking as she bent to get another apple pie from her stash.

Spartan shifted a little, but then headed around to a side entrance with his coach in tow. “Is there anything else thou can tell me about Big Macintosh, Spike?” he asked, looking down at the baby dragon.

Spike flipped a few pages in his clipboard. Being Twilight’s assistant had rubbed off on him a little bit, for he’d gathered notes for just such a question. “Ehhh, let’s see.” Spike said, briefly cocking an eyebrow at his own writing.

“I’ve fought with him once, I know his strength.” Spartan said thoughtfully. “And we fought together against the timberwolves. Other than those two times, I know not what he’s capable of.”

“He’s pretty strong, you know that much.” Spike said, turning another page. “He can endure quite a bit, too. He spends all day working on that farm.” He gestured vaguely to Sweet Apple Acres. “It’s not gonna be easy, I tell ya. You guys are pretty evenly matched.”

“Wrestling matches at the Olympics have never ended in a draw. At least, not in my era. I don’t know about yours.” There was a note of teasing in his tone, and Spike rolled his eyes a little. “Has he any weaknesses?”

“Ehh, not that I know of. He’s a big guy. I’ve never spent much time around him, to be honest.” Spike shrugged a little. Spartan sighed and wondered what exactly Spike had written for pages and pages if he had no information on the stallion he was about to face. “This one time, on Hearts and Hooves Day, he drug a house down a street.” Spike told him.

“Thou lies!” Spartan said, gasping. “No stallion is so strong!”

“It’s true!” Spike said. “Lots of ponies saw it! Er, then again,” he paused. “He was under a love spell at the time, that prolly had something to do with it.”

“A love spell? Huh.” Spartan Shield shrugged. “We had no such things in my time. I suppose that’s all I can learn, then.” He squared his shoulders. “Come, it is almost time.” He squatted and let Spike climb on his back so they could go into a smaller preparation tent.

=-----=-----=-----=-----=

“L-----adies and gentlecolts!” Pinkie Pie popped up from behind the announcing stand. “You’ve seen ‘em brawl in the streets! You’ve seen ‘em do amazing feats of strength! It’s time for the rematch between Ponyville’s strongest stallions!” The tent erupted into cheers and thunderous hoof-stomping. There were signs declaring allegiance to one stallion or the other dotting the crowd. Some of them had massive hearts, others with crude drawings of their favorite combatant, others still wanting to bear the foals of one or the other. It was an energetic crowd, ready for the fight! A pair of cloaked stallions approached the ring, clambering up and between the ropes. Cameras flashed back and forth, and one of the two startled a bit. The cheering got louder and louder as both pulled their hoods back and went to opposite ends of the ring. “In this corner over here!” Pinkie Pie gestured, “We’ve got the apple annihilator, the crimson crusher, the studly stallion—BIG! MACINTOSH!”

“Eeyup!” Big Mac threw off his cloak, rearing up and flailing his hooves. The crowd roared its approval and he stomped his front hooves, shaking the ring they stood in. Ponies jittered back, wide-eyed and laughing nervously. Working himself back and forth like he’d been told to do, the red draft horse started doing warm ups with all four legs.

“And in this corner!” Pinkie Pie gestured the other way, enjoying her microphone way too much for her own good. “We’ve got the millennial masher, the sand-colored smasher, the mare-melting—SPARTAN! SHIELD!”

“Wh-hah!” Spartan Shield flourished his cloak off with a shout, his laurels glittering in the spotlights that had been set on the ring. He seemed to glow with fantastic athletic energy, smiling grandly. He reared up, shaking the ring with a mighty stomp of his front hooves. The ripple of muscle and the crack of thunder under his pounding was glorious.

The crowd exploded with fervor, popcorn flying everywhere and mares squee-ing in excitement. Sweet Celestia they were both so… so--- MHHHH! So much studly, steaming, stallion-y POWER could not be contained in just one event tent! One of the two of them would have to leave soon or things were gonna get crazy!

“Big Mac! Have my foals! Please! I want you to have my foals!”

“Spartan! Knock ‘em dead! WOO!”

“Rabble-Rabble-Rabble! Rabble-Rabble!”

Twilight Sparkle sighed from her place in the crowd, picking popcorn out of her mane and watching with disinterest. If they got out of this with no permanent damage, she would be happy. Until then, she would have to endure.

Pinkie Pie popped into the ring, suddenly dressed in a referee’s black and white stripes. She waved both combatants forward. Both stallions came forward, setting their faces in competitive, under-the-eyebrows smiles. “Alright you two, I want a good clean fight!” she coached them both. “No poking in the eyes or hitting each other in the boy parts! TEE-heeheehee! I said boy parts!” she giggled, hooves over her mouth. “Uh! Anyway! No pulling on the lips or ears! No biting! The match ends when one of you gives up, or gets knocked out of the ring!” she looked back and forth between them. “Understand?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded.

“Eeyup.” Spartan Shield teased, grin widening.

“Okie dokie lokie! To your corners until the bell rings, then come out bucking!” Pinkie said. She retreated to one side of the ring, letting the crowd build up its anticipation and shouting back and forth. The energy was palpable! Pinkie was a little jealous, to tell the truth. She hadn’t been to many parties with this kind of furious excitement.

“You can do it, big brother!” Squealed Applebloom, who stood perched on Applejack’s withers.

“Show ‘im what fer, Big Mac!” Applejack shouted over the din.

“Go Spartan! WOO!” Rainbow Dash was still clad in Spartan’s helm as she shouted and cheered for him. Twilight was the only silent pony in the crowd, staring down at the ring with concern from her high seat on the bleachers.

“Yeah Macintosh, woo-hoo!” A wall-eyed grey mare cupped her hooves over her mouth to shout, then fell backward and off of the bleachers. There was a crash and a splintering of wood, for she’d crushed a snack stand with her butt. “My ba-aaad!” she chirped in mild pain from where she lay in a heap on the ground.

BING-BING!

Both stallions started forward with audible harrumphing sounds. Rearing up, they locked arms impressively, clutching each other by the shoulders. Muscles quivered and they butted heads as sweat began to go down their sides. Packing a event tent full of crazy shouting ponies had super-heated the place, so they began to shine with effort immediately. The two of them stood locked for over ten agonizing, muscle-quivering, mind-splitting seconds of powerful agony. The crowd shouted and frothed at the mouth, screaming as the two gauged each other. Big Macintosh began to use his superior height for leverage and torque, ever-so-slowly forcing Spartan Shield back. With a RUSH of strength, he shoved the sand-colored pony back into a corner. Spartan bounced a little, quickly righting himself and tossing his laurels to the crowd. The initial test of strength had been settled! Big Mac was stronger! Sweet CELESTIA!

Rushing forward and using superior momentum Spartan rushed forward into Big Macintosh, colliding with him and forcing the red stallion back into his own corner. It was pay back! The farming pony stood quickly with a grunt, shaking out his mane. The stallions charged at each other again, locking hooves and mashing their chests together with audible whinnies of power. They head-butted each other two, three, four times, skulls cracking together stubbornly.

They pushed apart and Big Mac bounced off of the ropes, rushing forward and leaping onto Spartan! They fell in a mess of tangled hooves, rolling about and beating at each other’s undercarriages with their hooves. Bruises were going to form later, but for now it was all adrenaline. Spartan shifted their weight, tumbling atop his opponent and head-butting him again. Big Mac pushed him off and they quickly parted, panting a little, clutching at their respective ropes.

The crowd was going bananas, throwing popcorn and shouting and cheering wildly. “I don’t believe it folks!” Pinkie Pie screeched into her microphone. “The strength! The muscle! Can you believe it!?” Applebloom stood perched on Applejack’s neck and head now, wearing the way-too-big for her hat. This was exciting! Who knew her big brother could be so fierce when he wanted to be? He was a big ol’ softy all the time, but wow-wee, this was amazing!

“So! Awesome!” Rainbow Dash squee’d, bouncing in her seat as she waited for them to go at it again. She adjusted Spartan Shield’s helm quickly so she could see better. “I can’t believe how awesome it is! It’s gotta be like--- like--- almost as awesome as me! EEE!” she squealed with a few other fan-mares in the crowd.

Twilight sat there silently, trying to puzzle it all out. What was so exciting about it all? She studied the scene. Was it because it was like a circus, under a big tent? Was it because the two combatants were so popular in Ponyville? Maybe because they were both big and ponies just had to know who would win in a fight? “Hmm…” she grumbled, her face scrunching into an adorkable pout. Maybe it was some sort of primal instinct to like to see strong stallions go at it? A feral herd mentality to decide the alpha? The mares certainly seemed to like them both, couldn’t they just like both and let them NOT fight? Twilight didn’t know. She scratched her head, still confused by what the big deal was.

Both stallions turned at the same time, rushing and crashing into each other again! The crowd ooooh’d as they flailed their hooves wildly. Suddenly Big Mac got a hold around Spartan’s middle and picked him up bodily. The sand-colored stallion gave a shout as he was picked up, turned upside down and dropped like a barrel of apples. The impact had to be bone-shattering! But no! No! He was getting up again! Big Mac pressed his advantage and made a charging thrust to push him out of the ring. Spartan laid flat and the stallion ran over him and into the opposite ropes. The apple farmer tangled himself with a shout, wriggling furiously while Spartan staggered away to recover himself for a moment.

Shaking his head quickly, Spartan Shield coiled his hooves and kicked Big Mac in the chest repeatedly. K’buck! K’buck! K’buck! The draft horse grunted in pain with each strike. Hoof-shaped marks dotted his chest, but soon he’d untangled himself and moved away. Both stallions glared at each other, slathering with frothy drool and gasping for air. Suddenly, with more speed than Spartan gave him credit for, Big Mac swerved about and coiled his legs. K-BUCK! The Spartan Stallion flew through the air and into the farthest corner of the ring, striking it so hard the post cracked. “Ohhhhh!” went the crowd.

“Wow! You could break down an apple tree with that bucking!” Pinkie Pie shouted, standing and leaning on her commentary table. “Can Spartan Shield even get up from that?!”

Spartan staggered to his hooves, holding his chest. Two jet-black hoof-shapes were on his chest, dark enough to be seen through his fur with ease. The strike had penetrated deeply. He’d never seen such dark bruises. His back legs quivered a bit and he shuddered a little, coughing. The crowd jittered. Was he going to fall over? Sweat beading down his flanks, chest, and powerful legs, he started forward with a shout. Shining brightly under all the sweat and powerful spotlights, the Spartan Stallion shoulder-rushed into Big Mac, crushing him into a corner. They traded blows back and forth, drawing blood from a nostril here and there. It was slowly turning into a more savage fight, and neither stallion would yield. With Big Mac pressed into a corner, upright, it made for an easy grab. Spartan seized the stallion around the middle and pulled into a backward roll—CRASH, a Germane suplex smashed Big Mac’s head into the battle mat!

“Ohhhhhh!” went the crowd again.

Big Mac was slower to rise, his vision spinning a little. He snuffle-snorted, shaking his head a few times. Staggered a bit. Spartan saw his opportunity and rushed forward while he was disoriented. Coiling his back legs with all he had, he thrust his back hooves into the air and under Big Mac’s chin. His head flew back in a glorious spray of flying sweat and gorgeous stallion muscle.

Snap.

Big Mac crumpled with barely a shout, onto his back and then rolling onto his side. There he stayed, Spartan gasping and panting, waiting for his opponent to get up again. The crowd was shouting and cheering. What a fight! “This is just fantabulous, everypony! I’ve never seen two stallions go at it like this! And all for charity too, don’t forget to donate on the way out!”

Referee Pinkie Pie popped out again. “One! Two! Three! Four!” she started counting.

Spartan Shield rushed forward angrily. “He isn’t done yet! Stop thy infantile counting!” he shoved her away, nursing his chest again as he paced in a quick circle around the heap that was the apple stallion. “Get up, Big Macintosh! We shalt fight more!” Spartan was still gasping, but the thrill of battle carried him on. More! There had to be more! “Get up!” he coaxed again. Big Mac didn’t even wiggle. His face looked horror-stricken, though, and his mouth was moving rapidly. Oh? The nearly-mute stallion had something to say? Right now, of all times? Spartan knelt down to hear him over the screaming crowd. “What?!” he shouted. “Speak up! I cannot hear thou over the crowd! Speak up!”

"Sp-Spartan! Ah cain't feel mah legs. Ah cain't feel mah LEGS!"

End of Part 17