My Little Pony Fan Fiction ❯ A Walk Among Spirits ❯ Chapter 25

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Nip Tuck swirled her wine in her glass as she waited for the next round. She was excited about the next match. When she finally pitted these two against one another, she almost got Jukebox up the night before so she could watch them fight. However, she restrained herself and waited for today. Her excitement skyrocketed when she watched the two combatants rise up from the floor. She moved to the edge of her seat and waited for Jukebox to begin.

 

"Alright folks, let's keep this train rolling! In the red square: she's the mare of the desert. This is Sandstorm!" Jukebox announced. The audio of the crowd exploded with cheers as Sandstorm waved like she was auditioning for the Mrs. Equestria pageant. Sandstorm was a sunburn red mare with violet mane and tail. The cheering was so loud that the sound started to distort. When the cheering died down, Jukebox continued, "And in the blue square: he's the stallion of time. This is Chrono!" the crowd cheered as Chrono yawned. Chrono was a rust red stallion with a sand brown mane and tail.

 

"Did you seriously wake me up for this?" Chrono questioned before he yawned again.

 

"Oh come on love. Don't you want to have a fun time with a beautiful mare?" Sandstorm flirted.

 

"That would be fun, but there isn't a mare like that around," Chrono said before he yawned, "So I just want to go back to my room and sleep."

 

"How rude!" Sandstorm yelled.

 

"Alright, folks let's get this party started. Red square are you ready?" Jukebox asked. Sandstorm didn't answer. She just glared at Chrono who didn't really pay too much attention to her. His eyes were half closed and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. When there was no response. Jukebox then asked, "Blue square: Are you ready?" Chrono just nodded as he yawned.

 

"Alright, our combatants are set so count with me! 3, 2, 1! Begin!" Jukebox said.

 

The dirt started to rise up around Sandstorm and take the shape of snakes. She glared at Chrono and hissed, "You shouldn't ignore a lady like that. It's quite rude." Chrono lifted his right front hoof and Sandstorm waited to see what he would do. Her anger boiled over when he placed his hoof in front of his face as he let out a yawn. She slammed her front hooves on the ground and screamed, "Stop ignoring me!" the dirt snakes jetted towards Chrono.

 

Chrono let out another yawn as he groggily said, "Time out." Everything around Chrono turned black and white. The snakes stood still in the air while the dirt that dripped from their bodies stayed stationary in the air. The only thing that moved was Chrono as he yawned again. Chrono walked towards Sandstorm and stood in front of her. He took a long look at her before he shook his head. He took her head in his front hooves and violently snapped her neck so her head rotated one hundred and eighty degrees. He then turned tail and walked back to where he originally stood. He yawned again and said, "Time in."

The world once again found its color. When that happened, the snakes made of dirt fell to the ground three feet away from Chrono. Sandstorm's head was rotated one hundred and eighty degrees. She fell to the ground as Chrono yawned again. The wall opened up and two mares wheeled out a cart. Chrono watched them push the cart over to him. They didn't seem scared of him when he walked over to them. He got on the cart and laid down. He fell asleep even before they started wheeling him out of The Arena.

 

A few moments' later two stallions wheeled the second cart out and placed Sandstorm on the cart before they wheeled her out and the wall closed behind them. Nip Tuck's smile formed a Cheshire cat grin as she watched Sandstorm be wheeled out. She took her wine glass in her magic and sipped it before she said, "That'll teach that bitch to comment on my age and appearance."

 

It took thirty minutes before the next two Ponies rose up from the ground. In that time: Nip Tuck ate the majority of the food she had ordered and poured herself a second glass of wine. She sat back and got comfortable as she waited for Jukebox to start the third match.

 

"Alright folks, since the last match was a quick one. I'm sure this next one will set a fire under your chairs. So let's start stoking the flames. In the blue square: he's the stallion with a red-hot temper. This is Pyro!" Jukebox announced. The audio of the cheering crowd echoed throughout the dome as a shit-eating grin formed on Pyro's face. He was an avocado green stallion with a jet black mane and tail. Once the audio died down, Jukebox continued, "And in the red square: He's the Pony that's walked through Tartarus and back. This is Hades!" the audio of the crowd cheering once again sprung to life through the speakers. Hades was an Ash white stallion with an ivory colored mane and tail.

 

"Alright folks, let's get this show on the road," Jukebox said before he counted down, "3, 2, 1! Begin!" The audio of the crowd cheered. However, both Hades and Pyro stood there examining one another.

 

"Are you going to do something or just stand there and eye me all day?" Pyro asked.

 

"I'm just waiting for you to do something. The Pony that makes the first move has a fifty, fifty chance of losing the battle," Hades said.

 

"I don't need a strategy to beat you. I just need to get fired up," Pyro stated before he punched the air. A fireball shot out of his hoof and headed towards Hades. When the fireball hit Hades, it exploded and stirred up dust and dirt. Pyro laughed and said, "All talk and no action. What a waste of a Pony."

 

"Was that it?" Hades said. Pyro watched as the dust and dirt settled. When it did: Hades wiped away the dirt that got on his coat. He looked at Pyro and smiled as he said, "Well, now that you've done your thing. Let me do mine."

 

A red circle began to carve into the dirt. Glowing Amethyst symbols began to edge into the ground on the outside of the circle as more lines began to stretch and expand inside the circle until the Amethyst lines created the shape of a Pony skull atop the Chaos Star. The circle and symbols glowed before bones spat out of the circle and hovered in the air. The bones then flew towards one another and created a Pony skeleton. An Amethyst light glistened in the eye sockets of the skull before flames engulfed the whole skeleton. The skeleton reared back and let out a bone-chattering wail before the Pony skeleton charged towards Pyro. The flames engulfing the skeleton were keeping it together like skin, muscles, and tendons.

 

Pyro once again punched the air and shot another fireball. The fireball raced towards the Pony skeleton. When the fireball made contact it exploded. The skeleton let out a wail like a lobster being dumped in boiling water. Pyro smiled as the smoke cleared and made sure Hades saw it. Hades on the other hoof didn't look too impressed. Five more red circles appeared around Hades and they all spat out bones that created Pony skeletons. Each one was engulfed in flames. Two of the skeleton Ponies let out a bone-chattering wail before the five Ponies charged towards Pyro.

 

"Now this is a battle I can get fired up about!" Pyro yelled as he slammed his front hooves into the ground. He charged towards the Pony skeletons. He lunged for them and his body morphed into flames and changed into a fireball. The fireball soared towards the Pony skeletons. It slammed into them and turned them to ash before soaring towards Hades. Hades didn't look too impressed with Pyro. A red circle appeared in front of Hades as more bones spat out and formed into a large four talon claw. The Fireball slammed into the claw and began to push towards Hades. However, the claw didn't move, it stayed firm and didn't budge.

 

The fireball suddenly flew back and slammed into the ground as the claw fell to the ground and turned to ash. The flames of the fireball morphed as it shrunk and changed back into Pyro who had a smile on his face. He laughed and yelled, "This battle is amazing! It lights a fire in my hooves!" eight fire spikes shot out of his back and floated in the air. The spikes took the shape of eight eagles made of flames.

 

Hades didn't seem impressed as eight circles appeared around him. They all spat out bones that connected and created eight condor skeletons. An Amethyst glow glistened in the eye sockets of the skulls before all eight condor skeletons were engulfed in flames. The two groups of birds hovered in the air for a few seconds before one of the condor skeletons let out a bone-rattling wail and the two groups of charged each other. The two groups of birds collided and lit up the sky.

 

"Yes, yes! Now, this really fires me up!" Pyro yelled before he changed into flames and took the shape of a Dragon made of fire. Hade's right eyebrow rose up as a much larger red circle appeared on the ground behind him. It spat out much larger bones before they connected to one another and created a 20-foot tall, five-headed hydra skeleton. An Amethyst glow glistened in the eye sockets of each skull before the Hydra skeleton was engulfed in flames.

 

The Dragon of flames let out a roar before charging at the hydra. The middle head of the hydra reared back and breathed out fire infused with sharpened bone spikes. The Dragon didn't change course and flew into the flames. It let out a large wail of pain before Pyro fell from the flames. When he hit the ground he began to roll around. He stopped and quickly stood up and stared at Hades in surprise. How? How can this bastard make me? ME! Feel like I'm being burned. I'm fire itself! Pyro thought.

 

"Can't stand the heat?" Hades mocked.

 

"I'm fire itself you bastard! I can't be burned by any fire!" Pyro yelled. His anger was now boiling. He had been having fun with the battle but after the feeling of being burned. He was starting to get angry.

 

"Your flames are nothing compared to those of Tartarus," Hades said.

 

"No flame can touch me!" Pyro screamed before he once again took the shape of the Dragon made of fire and charged at the hydra again. The middle head breathed fire again and once again the Dragon charged headlong into the flames. It wailed again and Pyro fell to the ground and rolled around as he felt like he was on fire.

 

"Your flames are nothing more than a spark compared to the flames of Tartarus," Hades said.

 

"You honestly expect me to believe you can harness the flames of Tartarus?" Pyro said as he slowly stood up. He still felt like he was on fire, but he pushed the pain to the back of his mind.

 

"No mere Pony can control the flames of Tartarus, but controlling the creatures that inhabit Tartarus is a different story," Hades said with a smile.

 

"What!?" Pyro said in disbelief.

 

"I can summon the creatures that inhabit Tartarus, but not only can I take from Tartarus. I can give to Tartarus," Hades stated.

 

A red circle appeared on the wall behind Pyro and from the circle shot out four chains made of bones and engulfed in flames. The chains wrapped around all four of Pyro's hooves. Pyro screamed in pain as he felt the chains burn his skin. He quickly morphed into flames, but the chains were still wrapped around him. The flames shot every which way to break the chains but they kept their bind around him. The chains suddenly pulled and Pyro was suddenly ripped from the flames and slammed into the wall with the red circle.

 

"Now become a member of Tartarus," Hades said. Pyro's skin began to melt as he screamed in pain. His muscles burned off and his tendons burst into flames. The only thing that remained was Pyro's skeleton. However, that too became nothing but ash and it melded into the red circle. Hades smiled as the hydra roared and also turned to ash. He turned to where the wall would open. When it did, he walked towards it and was escorted out of The Arena by a large group of stallions.

 

"Finally, we're at the climax," Nip Tuck said as she poured more wine into her glass. It took another thirty minutes before the trapdoors opened and the two Ponies rose up from the floor.

 

"Alright, folks it's finally here! The main event of today's Suicide Dome! Let's get right into it! In the blue square: he's the stallion of metal. This is Metallic!" Jukebox announced. The audio of the crowd went wild with cheers. Metallic was a Bronze yellow stallion with a dark silver mane and tail. He snapped a few joints in his neck and smiled at his opponent. When the cheers died down, Jukebox continued, "And in the red square: The stallion of pure diamonds. This is Diamond Cutter!" The crowd once again went wild with cheers. Diamond Cutter was a wood brown stallion with a burnt umber brown mane and tail.

 

"So you're the Diamond Cutter I've heard so much about," Metallic said with a smile.

 

"Likewise, I've heard a lot about you as well Metallic. Besides the Viper mare, I've heard about. You're one of the three I'd wanted to see in action," Diamond Cutter said before he added, "Shall we wait for Jukebox to start?" green emerald started to coat Diamond Cutter's left hoof.

 

"Nah, let's not wait for that idiot to finish his little routine," Metallic said as silver liquid started to seep out of his right hoof. It coated it and hardened.

 

"Alright, let's get," Jukebox began to say before both Metallic and Diamond Cutter ran at each other. Diamond Cutter's left hoof coated in emerald diamond and Metallic's right hoof, which was coated in silver metal. Collided and sent a shockwave throughout The Arena.