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Sunset Shooter (EqG) [8/9/22 Hiatus 2: Electric Boogaloo]

By BetAnonTheSecond
Created: 2021-09-18 12:25:16
Updated: 2022-08-10 01:01:02
Expiry: Never
sunset shimmersafeeqgequestria girlspro wrestling

  1. [UPDATE/ANNOUNCEMENT 8/9/22]: I am unfortunately going to have to go on a hiatus once again. At first I lost a lot of motivation when I had to change laptops and in the process my dumbass lost a large chunk of an update. That set me back weeks but now I am having severe marital problems that may end in divorce. Needless to say I am in no right state of mind to want to write and I am just letting you all know. Hell, if I do end up divorced, there is no timetable to when I could return or if I will at all.
  2.  
  3. I hope to see you all on the other side.
  4.  
  5. >The lights are bright.
  6. >The air is hot and heavy.
  7. >The crowd is loud.
  8. >And you wouldn't have it any other way.
  9. >Be Sunset Shimmer.
  10. >A shining Pop Star!
  11. >You are wrapping up your latest performance.
  12. >A solid hour and a half of work.
  13. >You're finishing up your final, and most popular song.
  14. >The keys to performing is always to save the best for last.
  15. >Something you were taught years ago when you started to break into show business with your idol pop group.
  16. >The Equestria Girls.
  17. >You and 6 other girls were selected by a prestigious talent agency when you were all very young.
  18. >Once you were all chosen, you were then boarded together and were taught the workings of being a pop star.
  19. >Singing.
  20. >Dancing.
  21. >Etiquette and interactions with fans.
  22. >It was grueling.
  23. >Mixed in with a little bit of home schooling as well.
  24. >Also being away from your family was pretty hard at first.
  25. >But it was all worth it.
  26. >Your first single was a mega hit that launched your group into super-stardom!
  27. >Sold out arena shows.
  28. >Prime time TV spots.
  29. >Endless amounts of fan mail.
  30. >Yes, for a few years there you and the girls were on top of the world.
  31. >Of course, one cannot stay on top forever.
  32. >After a while some critics started to call your act “stale”.
  33. >And then add some inner turmoil between the girls and the agency management and label and you got a perfect storm for a break up.
  34. >Equestria Girls disbanded after only 2 years as a group.
  35. >You all went your separate ways.
  36. >Some went on to try and go solo.
  37. >And others went back into the quiet life.
  38. >Since you had no intention of going back to a quiet life, you were able to sign onto another label as a solo act.
  39. >And so far it's been...
  40. >...
  41. >Okay.
  42. >It's not like you are setting the world on fire and selling out large scale stadiums like before.
  43. >Or even medium size arenas.
  44. >But hey! You'll settle for small night clubs!
  45. >For now.
  46. >You are sure that you are just one major single away from gaining all the fame you had when you were in a group.
  47. >It's just a process.
  48. >And you hope it's not a long one.
  49. “Thank you for attending everyone!”
  50. >You tell your crowd, donning the biggest smile you could muster.
  51. >Most of which are still cheering their lungs out for you.
  52. >Sure, it's nowhere as loud as it used to be.
  53. >But for now you'll take it.
  54. “I super appreciate all your love and support!”
  55. >You yell out with a wink.
  56. >They eat it all up.
  57. >It's about time to wrap this show up.
  58. “I'll see you next time, and don't forget to buy some merch on your way out to continue your support!”
  59. >Gotta get that merchandise plug in.
  60. “I LOVE YOU ALL AND GOODNIGHT!”
  61. >You scream to your adoring fans as you exit stage left.
  62. >Once you are through the curtain and out of the public eye, you feel an enormous wave of relief.
  63. >You drop your smile immediately.
  64. >Keeping it on for too long really puts a strain on your cheek muscles.
  65. >”Great performance Shimmy!”
  66. >A woman was standing nearest to you with a bottle of water in her hand holding it out for you.
  67. “Yeah, yeah...”
  68. >You spit out whilst walking past her and snatching the bottle out of the woman's hand.
  69. “What was the final attendance for tonight?”
  70. >You ask the woman while opening the bottle of water.
  71. >Looking back on your performance, the crowd seemed pretty small for what this club could hold.
  72. >And it was a small club to begin with.
  73. >The woman hurries to catch up to your fast pace back to your dressing room.
  74. >”Well...”
  75. >The woman hesitates for a moment.
  76. >”It's hard to pinpoint an accurate number at this time...”
  77. >She says without much conviction in her words.
  78. “Don't bullshit me, Raven!”
  79. >You quickly turn to confront your agent and manager, Raven Inkwell, over her answer.
  80. >Raven jumps at your sudden outburst.
  81. >It's been bothering you for a while now, but you've noticed the crowds getting smaller and smaller with each town you perform at.
  82. >Raven recomposes herself after being surprised.
  83. >”You just walked off stage. And we need to count the walk ups from tonight!”
  84. >She quickly came back with an answer.
  85. >There was still a tiny hint of nervousness in her voice, though.
  86. >You just roll your eyes and turn back to head towards the back to your dressing room.
  87. “We'll talk about this more once we reach the next town.”
  88. >You tell her as you shut the door on Raven to your dressing room.
  89. >Leaving you to yourself.
  90. >You finish your water bottle and toss it to the side and you flop down on the couch.
  91. >Performing is always tiring.
  92. >But now the real chore is the after show meet and greet.
  93. >You like to lay down after every performance to get some energy back before you do that though.
  94. >The only issue though is that you specifically requested a polyester couch.
  95. >While leather is a much nicer fabric, it always overheats you if you lay still for too long.
  96. >You have already chewed out the stage hand for not getting what you want.
  97. >Seriously.
  98. >How hard is it to swap couches for a singe night?
  99. >It’s what these goofs get paid for and if they can’t even get one simple request right, they shouldn’t be in the position they are in.
  100. >You’ll have to complain to the building manager before you leave about this.
  101. >For now you have to lay some of your own fabrics over the leather because unfortunately nothing can be done and you still need the rest before the meet and greet.
  102. >While you do appreciate your fans, sometimes they can be a bit...
  103. >Forward.
  104. >It was endearing at first.
  105. >Then it got a little awkward with some of them.
  106. >Then really awkward.
  107. >You've had your fair share of marriage proposals from older men.
  108. >And you're weren't even 18 at the time.
  109. >Just a small price to pay for pop stardom.
  110. >Though you would like to keep those to a minimum.
  111. >After a few minutes of laying down and decompressing, you finally get back to your feet.
  112. >You exit your room and head towards the front of the club where a table is set up for you to sit at and meet your fans.
  113. >You are standing right in front of the curtain that will lead your out to your table and you mentally prepare yourself.
  114. >Hopefully tonight will go smooth.
  115. >You take a deep breath and put on a smile just before you walk through the curtain.
  116. >Once you go through these curtains, you have to keep an upbeat and positive attitude.
  117. >You then pass through the curtains and you are immediately adorned with cheers.
  118. >You smile and wave your way to your seat at the table to get the meet and greet going.
  119. >After doing many of these, you have gotten a routine down.
  120. >You sit.
  121. >They come by in a line to say hello.
  122. >You sign some merchandise.
  123. >They move along.
  124. >Thankfully tonight was an easy one.
  125. >There were a few people who wanted hugs and that was normal.
  126. >There also wasn't that big of a line either so you finished ahead of schedule.
  127. >Which you saw as another problem.
  128. >Smaller lines mean smaller revenue.
  129. >Another matter you are going to have to confront with Raven when you reach the next stop on your tour.
  130. >But for now, you are exhausted and just want to lay down and play some games.
  131. >After the meet and greet, you retreat to your dressing room and pack up your things and you head out of the club and to your tour bus.
  132. >There was another small crowd waiting outside to meet you but security was competent enough to keep you distant from them.
  133. >You still smiled and blew kisses to them as you walked onto your bus.
  134. >Once on the bus, you toss your things to the side and make your way to the shower.
  135. >You wash yourself clean of all the sweat and makeup and other unpleasantries of the day and then you head to the back to your private room.
  136. >You flop over onto your bed and pull out your hand held game console and begin to gain more levels in the RPG you were grinding on.
  137. >After some time, you hear the engine of the bus start and you feel yourself start to move.
  138. >You spend another hour or so on your game before you finally turn in for the overnight drive to the next city.
  139. >Phillydelphia.
  140.  
  141.  
  142. >Next morning.
  143. >You are awakened by your alarm and slowly you reach to turn off your alarm.
  144. >It's about 10:30 in the morning.
  145. >Time to get up and do some light exercises.
  146. >Nothing too strenuous.
  147. > A dozen jumping jacks and a light jog around the bus a few times is all you need for now.
  148. >Then a shower.
  149. >And a light breakfast of a cup of yogurt and some granola.
  150. >You wouldn't be performing today so it was an off day.
  151. >You were free to do whatever you wanted so you decided to check out the city for a bit.
  152. >You checked out a few clothing stores and game shops to see if anything caught your eye.
  153. >Nothing really did so you returned to your bus to prepare for your meeting with Raven inkwell.
  154. >Both of you were sitting in the living quarters of the tour bus with a fold out table.
  155. >Raven was sitting across from you with several papers spread out on the table.
  156. “Okay Raven, I need you to be straight with me.” You start off. “Just how did we do last night?”
  157. >Raven looks at a few pieces of paper that were in front of her and she looks like she tries to find the right words in her head.
  158. “And really, how are things looking overall for this tour?”
  159. >You add.
  160. >Now Raven's face starts to look a little more nervous.
  161. >”Well...” she begins to say in a shaky tone as she picks up one of the papers. “Last night there was a final tally of 98 tickets sold.”
  162. “That's it!?” You raise your voice to your manager again “What was the total capacity of the venue?”
  163. >Raven is quiet for a moment before she starts to speak again.
  164. >”The venue last night has a total capacity of 200.”
  165. >Fuck.
  166. >You couldn't even sell out half the place.
  167. “What the hell!? Has it been like this since the beginning of the tour?”
  168. >You start to raise your voice a bit.
  169. “You said it was smart to start this tour off small so we could make a profit! What the hell is happening?”
  170. >It's already bad enough that you've been reduced to performing in these small rinky-dink clubs and warehouses.
  171. >But to not even be able to sell those out?
  172. >You want answers.
  173. >Especially because you've used a good chunk of your royalty and residuals to fund this tour you are on.
  174. >Raven just shakes her head and sighs.
  175. >”Yes, I did say that it was smart to have a small tour.”
  176. >She says as she grabs for another piece of paper.
  177. >“The reasoning behind it was to get your name back out there to gauge fan interest after releasing your first EP.”
  178. >You didn't buy it.
  179. “So then why have the gates for these shows been awful? We've been doing a lot of promotions.”
  180. >You think you know the answer.
  181. >But you didn't want to admit it.
  182. >”The sales for your EP haven't been good and neither have the stream numbers.”
  183. >She's getting close to saying out loud what you don't want to admit.
  184. >Raven pauses for a moment to take a good long look at you.
  185. >Then she sighs.
  186. >”I think it's time to admit that you are not as popular as you thought you were.”
  187. >There it is.
  188. >She said it.
  189. >You figured that was the case, but you will never admit it out loud.
  190. >Because to do so would be failure.
  191. >And you cannot do that.
  192. >Not after where you have been.
  193. >You have been to the top of the World and you were determined to get back there.
  194. >You stand up from your seat.
  195. “I refuse to believe that!”
  196. >You say while you slam your fist on the table.
  197. “I'll show you! I'll promote the hell out of the last of my dates!”
  198. >There were only a few shows left on the tour.
  199. >But you had a few connections to get your name out there some more.
  200. >Radio interviews.
  201. >Online influencers.
  202. >You were not going to let this end in disaster and you look Raven dead in the eye.
  203. “What about the club I'll be playing tomorrow? What's the current advance gate?”
  204. >Raven then takes another piece of paper from the table and looks at it.
  205. >She then closes her eyes again and shakes her head.
  206. >”44 tickets sold so far.”
  207. >Ouch.
  208. >Your eyes go wide and you storm off to your bedroom to grab your cell phone.
  209. >You need to make some calls to get the word out there.
  210. >Sunset Shimmer was in town!
  211. >You sent out posts on your various social media accounts.
  212. >Called into a radio for an interview.
  213. >You were supposed to do it in person but you really didn’t feel like going out.
  214. >The station understood, of course.
  215. >You didn’t think it was that big of a deal.
  216. >You reached the venue on time for rehearsals.
  217. >After all that, it was showtime!
  218.  
  219. >Welp, the Phillydelphia show was a worse turn out than the previous one.
  220. >Even after all the calls you made to try and promote the show.
  221. >To make matters worse, once again a stage hand didn’t fulfill your accommodation requests.
  222. >You ripped apart one of the hands until they ran off crying and told their boss.
  223. >Who in turn informed the building manager.
  224. >Which led to a heated argument.
  225. >Not a good overall look so you just took your leave hoping to never have to come to this shithole of a city again.
  226. >The next stop didn't fare any better.
  227. >You are starting to feel disheartened.
  228. >All this work.
  229. >Just for diminishing returns.
  230. >You ended the tour in the red.
  231. >A total loss.
  232. >And a big hit to your own personal finances as well.
  233. >To add more fuel to the fire, you made the mistake in looking up online reviews of your shows.
  234. >Most of them were negative.
  235. >'She's just not that good without the rest of the cast.'
  236. >'Same stuff like from when she was with Equestria Girls and nothing interesting'
  237. >'She's washed up and too old.'
  238. >Too old!?
  239. >You're only 18 years old!
  240. >You fucking hate your fans sometimes.
  241. >You really do.
  242. >Well, not ALL of them.
  243. >But the pedos that only followed your group because you were a bunch of young girls looking cute really bugged you.
  244. >Especially since from your experience, they spent the most money on you and your group.
  245. >Well, now that the tour was over, it was time to head back home.
  246. >But not before a meeting you had to attend with your record label.
  247. >Which really made you nervous considering how your tour ended.
  248. >The meeting consisted of several of the execs, Raven, and yourself.
  249. >You were all sitting in an office in a large building in Manehatten.
  250. >You were sitting across from the executives whose backs were to the large window overlooking the Manehatten skyline.
  251. >There was this awkward silence for a moment.
  252. >”So, tell me how was the tour?”
  253. >The executive in the middle first spoke.
  254. >You hesitated for a moment.
  255. “It went well.”
  256. >You flat out lied.
  257. >Oh well, no turning back now.
  258. “I got to see a lot of my fans out there.”
  259. >You quickly added.
  260. >There was a long and uncomfortable pause.
  261. >”uh...huh”
  262. >The exec says unenthusiastically.
  263. >He then shuffles some papers and has a look at them before he speaks up again.
  264. >Well, to be honest and straight to the point. I certainly hope you enjoyed meeting those fans because with these numbers it very much looks like the tour did not go well.”
  265. >You try your best to keep your smile on.
  266. “Well. I’m still trying to get my groove back.”
  267. >You try to explain with a hint of nervousness in your voice.
  268. >”Right.”
  269. >The exec says deadpan.
  270. >She then pulls some other papers out from a pile next to him.
  271. >”Sunset, when we signed you fresh off the breakup from the Equestria girls, we had high expectations. Not only did our data show that you were one of the more popular members of the group, and given the recent success of Twilight Sparkle’s solo career, we were hoping for a little more than…”
  272. >He then drops the small stack of papers on the table.”
  273. >”This.”
  274. >You then throw your arms up and slam a fist onto the table.
  275. >”Not everyone can be Twilight! I just need a little more time!”
  276. >You shout back.
  277. >Then the other executive speaks up.
  278. >”And that seems to be another issue.”
  279. >You shoot your gaze over to the female executive.
  280. >”Over the course of the tour, we have received multiple complaints from building managers of your behavior.”
  281. >You scoff in disgust.
  282. “So I yelled at some staffers. Big deal! Bigger stars treat them much worse”
  283. >You rationalize.
  284. >”Yes, and there in lies the problem. You are no longer the star you were when you were in Equestira Girls.”
  285. >The third executive now chimes in.
  286. >You now glare over to him who just continues.
  287. >”Not only that. But we’ve also had complaints from local radio stations that you phoned in on your contractually obligated in person interviews and never bothered to show up in person.”
  288. >The middle exec now shakes his head.
  289. >”Again, a much bigger, more famous star can usually get away with such unprofessionalism, but you just don’t have it anymore.”
  290. >He then sighs.
  291. >”I think it’s best we all go our separate ways.”
  292. >Your eyes widen.
  293. “Are you saying you’re dropping me from your label?”
  294. >You ask quietly.
  295. >All three executives nod their heads.
  296. >You furrow your brow and stand straight up.
  297. “Fine! I’ll make it big somewhere else! You’ll see!”
  298. >You shout and storm out the room without another word. Leaving poor Raven to have to take care of the rest.
  299. >And that was it.
  300. >All that work.
  301. >Gone.
  302. >You need to get back home and just decompress.
  303. >You have a loft in downtown Canterlot that you were able to purchase not even a year ago.
  304. >You spend a month just cooped up in your home and do not leave.
  305. >And while you still have a decent amount of money still from your time with your former group.
  306. >It won't last forever.
  307. >But now what to do?
  308. >You spent almost all of your adolescence learning how to be a pop star and putting on a show and you cannot for the life of you see yourself doing any sort of 9 to 5 day job.
  309. >You think back to a lot of the stories of other failed girls who either didn't cut it or fizzled out early.
  310. >A lot of them ended up in the porn industry.
  311. >And not even the classy kind either.
  312. >The kind where they are degraded, insulted, abused mentally and physically and then fucked.
  313. >You REALLY don't want to have to go that route.
  314. >But right at the moment, nothing is coming to mind.
  315. >Tonight, you decide to watch some TV to clear your mind a bit.
  316. >You begin to binge watch a marathon that was going on until you fell asleep at the couch.
  317. >You wake up sometime in the middle of the night and the marathon you were watching before has long ended.
  318. >Now there is just some random local low budget show running so you were looking for the remote to turn the TV off and head off to bed when a commercial started.
  319. >”This Saturday come see the glamorous ladies of the 'World of Womens Wrestling' where Triple W world champion Shooting Starlet puts her championship on the line against the number one contender Blazing Stella!”
  320. >Pro Wrestling for women?
  321. >You continue to watch the ad with some interest as you see several women dressed up in tights running around in a ring.
  322. >Some women were even in skimpy two piece suits and did acrobatics as well.
  323. >It looks pretty physical.
  324. >But everyone knows pro wrestling is all fake anyways so you are sure it's mostly theatrics.
  325. >Maybe a step above what you are used to do since you've been conditioned to stand and prance for over an hour.
  326. >You feel like you have some of the basics down.
  327. >All you need is to learn a little bit of acting and boom, you're a wrestler.
  328. >And besides, it's not porn!
  329. >But perhaps you are getting ahead of yourself right now so you'll sleep on it and do a little more research in the morning.
  330.  
  331. >Next morning.
  332. >You wake up around the early afternoon.
  333. >Because what do you need an alarm for?
  334. >It's not like you have anything to look forward to at the moment.
  335. >You raise up from your bed and head to the bathroom to do your morning routine like washing your face and applying facemask and brushing your teeth.
  336. >Then you have a quick morning shower to and remove the face mask for a fresh glossy look on your face.
  337. >Afterwords, you then take a small walk around the city block where you live as a light exercise.
  338. >Finally you end your “morning” with a late breakfast, or early lunch.
  339. >Which consists of leftover take out from the Chineighse restaurant you usually order from.
  340. >Okay, not the wisest of decisions to be eating this kind of fatty foods, especially after your morning exercise.
  341. >But again, there isn't anything you really need to prepare for, so you are contempt with taking it easy.
  342. >Then it hit you again.
  343. >That ad last night about pro wrestling.
  344. >You should look it up while you enjoy your microwaved noodles.
  345. >What was the name of it again?
  346. >Oh, right, World of Womens Wrestling.
  347. >You have a seat at your computer desk and look it up on a search engine and find their website as the first suggested link.
  348. >There were many videos available to watch.
  349. >On their site there was a wealth of information.
  350. >As well as links to various news articles about them.
  351. >Stuff about how they have been in business for over sixty years.
  352. >About how they are the premier promotion for women.
  353. >How their exciting brand of sports entertainment has captured the hearts of millions and have integrated themselves into pop culture over the years.
  354. >And the big one that really got you excited.
  355. >Some of their home grown trained prospects have even gone on to become Applewood starlets!
  356. >That seems like a sweet deal to you.
  357. >You then decide to watch several videos of some of their matches from their long history.
  358. >Some of the matches were incredible.
  359. >There was a lot of physicality.
  360. >And flips.
  361. >Some of these women look like amazing athletes.
  362. >And it looks pretty intense.
  363. >But you are sure you could catch on easily as you are still in pretty good shape.
  364. >Then you look at your small carton of reheated greasy food.
  365. >Well, somewhat still in good shape at least as you chuckle and take another bite of your brunch.
  366. >You then look back on their website for more information on how to get into contact with them.
  367. >On their front page they were promoting their upcoming event that was this Saturday.
  368. >It has the line up for what is going to happen and...
  369. >No way.
  370. >This Saturday is going to be the debut of their newest prospect.
  371. >Rainbow Dash.
  372. >There is a picture of her in what would appear to be her outfit.
  373. >She was wearing this odd looking purple and white leotard with openings in several places like her thighs and shoulders and an opening showing off her modest cleavage and long white boots.
  374. >Her rainbow colored hair was tied into twin tails that spilled over on each side of her head.
  375. >Her face was partially covered with a matching colored bandana over her eyes with eye holes.
  376. >She had her signature confident smile that she had and was known for during her idol days with a balled fist.
  377. >You then scrolled down and read the press clip for her.
  378. >'This Saturday marks a monumental day as Rainbow Dash of 'Equestria Girls' fame ditches the microphone and dance moves to step into the ring and dish out a high flying, high octane offense and to work her way up to the top of the world like she topped the music charts!'
  379. >That's quite the hype up.
  380. >Man, you haven't seen or spoken to Dash since the group broke up.
  381. >In fact, you haven't really spoken to many of the other girls since the break up.
  382. >It was a kinda messy breakup and everyone wanted time to cool off.
  383. >Perhaps enough time has passed and some cooler heads have prevailed.
  384. >But now it's settled, you were going to this show to see what it's all about.
  385. >And perhaps catch up with an old friend.
  386. >You immediately grab for your cell phone and call Raven Inkwell.
  387. >”Hello?”
  388. >She answers.
  389. ”Raven!” You respond with enthusiasm. “I know what my next career move is!”
  390. >”Is that so?” her voice has a hint of interest in it “..and what would that be?”
  391. “Professional wrestling!”
  392. >You announce with confidence and there is a long pause on the other line.
  393. >”...what?”
  394. >The interest in her voice instantly dies and is replaced with bewilderment.
  395. “Yeah! Wrestling with the World of Womens Wrestling, or triple W!”
  396. >You repeat yourself.
  397. “I saw an ad for it last night and was mildly interested so I slept on it and today I looked it up, and it's perfect!”
  398. >You tell your agent excitedly.
  399. >”Do you have any idea what it even takes to become a pro wrestler?'
  400. >She asks you.
  401. “Oh! It can't be too hard.” You instantly downplay it. “I've been watching a bunch of videos today, it looks pretty straightforward enough! Just get my cardio up and learn a few acting chops and I'll be golden.”
  402. >You make it sound so simple.
  403. “Besides, the upcoming show this Saturday Rainbow Dash is having her first match with Triple W. If she can make it than why can't I?”
  404. >”Don't be ridiculous, Shimmy!” Raven putting a little bass in her voice. “Wrestling is an entirely different beast than just prancing around on stage. You could get seriously hurt or even be killed if you don’t know what you’re doing! And besides, Rainbow Dash was always the better athlete and most physical of the group so she was more likely to have ended up there and it probably came natural to her.”
  405. >You didn't think about that.
  406. >She has a point about Dashie, too.
  407. >At least about being the better athlete than you bit.
  408. >It sort of brings you back down to earth for a moment.
  409. >But then you perk back up.
  410. “Well, obviously I don't want to just jump in the ring right away!”
  411. >You answer back, trying to rationalize your decision.
  412. “Again, Dash is just making her debut, so that means she's most likely been training these past few years beforehand to be ready and if I were to reach out to the execs of Triple W and let them know I was also a member of the Equestria Girls I'm sure they would take me in to train me.”
  413. >You plead your case to Raven and you can hear her sigh heavily.
  414. >”You are very stubborn.” She begins. “...and it seems like you already understand that it will be a minute of training before you can step into the ring...”
  415. >There was a pause.
  416. >”Are you sure you understand what you are getting yourself into? How much work this will take?”
  417. >She asks.
  418. “Of course!” You answer back. “Why wouldn’t I?”
  419. >There was another pause again.
  420. >And another heavy sigh.
  421. >”Okay, if you truly want to go through with this, I'll reach out to the promotion to get the ball rolling.”
  422. >You cheer out in victory.
  423. “Ha ha! Alright! I think you and I should attend the event this weekend to see what it's all about”
  424. >You get ahead of Raven and she responds.
  425. >”Let me reach out to their talent relations department first and see what we can do about maybe even getting an audition.”
  426. “Sweet! Thank you and talk to you later.”
  427. >You hang up with her and go back to finishing off your leftovers while looking up more matches.
  428. >May as well enjoy it now before you begin your new journey.
  429. >For a moment you decide on whether you should reach out to Rainbow Dash about you wanting to join.
  430. >You think about it for a good minute.
  431. >But maybe you'll hold off.
  432. >Probably better not to so it doesn't seem like you were trying to ask her to put in a good word for you.
  433. >You then spend a good amount of the rest of the week checking out various matches from the promotion to have a better understanding of what you were getting into.
  434. >All the while you started your exercise routine back up and began to eat a little more healthy again.
  435. >Before you did all of it to keep in shape to be more appealing as a pop star.
  436. >And of course during this past month you stayed home, you eased off of it a bit.
  437. >But now that you have a goal in mind, it was easy enough to get back into it.
  438. >It wasn't anything intense, just some light stretches and a jog around your city block.
  439.  
  440. >Finally Saturday comes.
  441. >You get ready to head on over to the show.
  442. >You put on a pair of tight fitting jeans and a sleeveless orange shirt that was covered with your leather jacket.
  443. >Nothing too racy but maybe just a little eye candy just to drive home your figure.
  444. >Raven Inkwell is going to come by to pick you up and you two were going to the arena a little early.
  445. >She was able to reach out to the talent relations department and discovered there was an open tryout today before the show at the arena's secondary building.
  446. >And while it was too late for you to register for this one, they invited you to come by and watch how it all goes down.
  447. >Raven then calls you to tell you that she was outside waiting for you so you lock up and head down to meet her.
  448. >You exit your building and see her car idling in the street waiting for you so you rush to get into her car and she drives off.
  449. >She had her usual getup of a plain white blouse with a long black skirt.
  450. >Her black ridged glasses completed the 'secretary' look she rocks most of the time.
  451. >”Hey Sunset.”
  452. >Raven greets you with a more serious tone.
  453. >Usually she calls you Shimmy but it seems there was something on her mind.
  454. “What's up Raven?” You respond in kind. “Something on your mind?”
  455. >May as well try to get to the bottom of it now.
  456. >Raven shakes her head.
  457. >”Nothing really, I'm still just not one hundred percent convinced you should be doing this.”
  458. >At the very least she is still looking out for you.
  459. >You then pat her on the shoulder.
  460. “I appreciate your concern. I really do.” You tell her. “Everything will be okay and I'm sure we'll have all our questions answered at the tryouts.”
  461. >Raven then nods lightly.
  462. >”I suppose you're right.”
  463. >Her tone was much softer than before so at the very lest she seems to be slowly coming around to the idea now.
  464. >You just hope you are right about this.
  465. >It's not that you don't think you can do it.
  466. >It's more when you are about to jump head first into an entirely new line of work there is always that small lingering doubt that what if you can't do it?
  467. >Doubts like those never last though and you jut need to power through it.
  468. >Like you did when you decided to go solo.
  469. >You just hope this decision doesn't end the same way as that.
  470. >After some time of driving in silence, you finally reach your destination.
  471. >The Canterlot Gardens Arena.
  472. >It was over on the west side of the city and was a modest sized building that can hold up to 8,000 people.
  473. >You know so because you've sold out the place a few times in your idol group days.
  474. >The venue looks about the same as it did the last time you were there.
  475. >Not that it was too long ago when you were here last.
  476. “You said the tryout were being held in the secondary building, right?”
  477. >You speak up to confirm the details she gave you earlier.
  478. >”Yeah.”
  479. >She does so and so you point out where she needs to go.
  480. >You both approach a tollbooth and inform the guard on duty that you were there for the tryouts.
  481. >The guard then gives you a pass and directs you to the right side of the area where the building is.
  482. >Raven then parks her vehicle and you both exit the car and make your way to the entrance where you encounter a female valet sitting at a table near the door with a clipboard.
  483. >She had on a black T shirt with the logo for the wrestling promotion.
  484. >”Good afternoon, are you here for the tryouts?”
  485. >She greets you kindly with a smile.
  486. “Well, not really but...”
  487. >You start but Raven finishes your sentence.
  488. >”We were actually invited by Tight Ship to watch in on the tryouts. I'm Raven Inkwell and this is Sunset Shimmer.”
  489. >Raven presents you and her to the woman who then starts to skim through her clipboard.
  490. >”Ah! Okay, they are expecting you!”
  491. >She chirps happily and then hands you and Raven a lanyard.
  492. >”Those are special backstage guest passes, they will grant you access inside.”
  493. >You take yours and Raven takes hers and you hang your over your neck.
  494. “Thank you!”
  495. >You lightly bow and then continue on into the building.
  496. >Once inside, you look around for a bit.
  497. >There wasn't much to see in the outer ring of the building so you then enter further into the open space where smaller concerts are usually held.
  498. >Inside the open space were five wrestling rings littered around the area.
  499. >The floors were covered in a black padded mats.
  500. >It seemed like the area was curtained off with some black curtains so all you could really see were the rings themselves and some chairs along the curtains just out of the way of things..
  501. >Surrounding the various rings were many young ladies and hopeful future wrestlers who were all wearing the same outfit.
  502. >A gray t shirt that simply said 'Triple W Trainee' and a pair of black shorts.
  503. >A lot of these girls were real good looking, if you do say so yourself.
  504. >Many of them were doing some exercises like jogging in place and some were doing jumping jacks and some were even in the ring and running along the ring.
  505. >Well, so far so good.
  506. >Nothing seems to be too difficult but you are also not sure if the tryouts even started.
  507. >”Ah! You must be Sunset Shimmer!”
  508. >You heard an unfamiliar male voice call out to you from your side.
  509. >You then turn to see a gentleman with wavy brown hair with a big bushy brown mustache and light brown skin.
  510. >He wore a black polo shirt with the Triple W logo on the left Breast side of the shirt. Which you would assume he's someone in charge.
  511. >”And that must mean you are Raven Inkwell. I'm tight Ship and I run talent relations. We talked over the phone about Ms. Shimmer here.”
  512. >He finally introduces himself and reaches out his hand.
  513. >Raven then takes it first.
  514. >”Ah! Yes, pleased to finally meet you in person! I am Raven Inkwell. As you already know.”
  515. >She happily shakes his hand.
  516. >”And of course this is Sunset Shimmer!” She then directs him to you.
  517. “Hello.”
  518. >You greet him with a smile.
  519. >Tight Ship then extends his hand to you with a warm smile of his own.
  520. >”And hello to you too. I've heard a lot about you,”
  521. >He says as you take his hand and shake it.
  522. “I hope they were good things.”
  523. >You joke with a small chuckle to break the ice and he seems to laugh in return.
  524. >”Oh don't worry, I've heard lots of good things, and let me tell you, it is a privilege to have you, another one of the famous Equestria Girls, who has interest in joining our ranks.”
  525. >He says with enthusiasm and you nod your head in agreement.
  526. >”As I am sure you know, Rainbow Dash is making her debut tonight on the show.”
  527. >You nod again.
  528. “Yeah, I read all about it.”
  529. >”She was such a natural athlete and she took to it instantly. I have to admit that there are some big plans for her.”
  530. >He then eyes you.
  531. >”And if you were to sign with us and make it through training, I imagine you two could make some real good money.”
  532. >You smile at that comment.
  533. “I like the sound of that.”
  534. >You both then share a laugh.
  535. >”So, we were just about to get started so feel free to take a seat in any of the chairs along the walls and afterwords, maybe you can give us your feedback.”
  536. “Sounds good to me.”
  537. >You nod and both you and Raven then make your way to the nearest seats.
  538. >Tight Ship then gets into one of the rings and begins to speak out loud.
  539. >”Okay ladies; can I have your attention!?”
  540. >He shouts out with his heavy voice that carries all around the open area and all the women around you then stopped what they were doing and paid attention to him.
  541. >”Some of you already know me, and for those that don't I am Tight Ship and I am the head of talent relations and scouting for the World of Womens Wrestling! First and foremost I would like to welcome you all to the tryouts! We only do these a few times a year and roster spots are scarce so if you were invited here, then that means there was something special we saw in you so congratulations on that!”
  542. >He begins to clap and the women around him follow suit.
  543. >”Yes, now, with that being said the easy part is done and now it is time to put your nose to the grindstone and get busy! But before that, let me introduce you all to some key people.”
  544. >When he finishes his sentence you notice two women and a man walk out through the curtains and joins him in the ring.
  545. >Tight Ship then motions for the lone male to come up to him.
  546. >”So, lets start off with the reason why everyone is here in the first place, please give it up for the owner, promoter and head booker of the World of Womens Wrestling; Shale Backdraft!”
  547. >He lightly waves to the crowd to a loud applause.
  548. >The man looks to be in his late 40's, maybe early or eve mid 50's.
  549. >He had light apple green skin with a pale, grayish blue head of hair that was slicked back.
  550. >He doesn't look in the best shape with a large belly and no neck to really speak of.
  551. >His attire consisted of a khaki colored business suit with white shirt and black tie.
  552. >”Have any words of wisdom?”
  553. >Tight Ship asks Shale and he clears his throat.
  554. >”I am a man of few words. But I will say this. I inherited this promotion from my mother about thirty years ago, who started this business over sixty years ago! And when I inherited the promotion, the business of wrestling was in a much different place, and I worked tirelessly to change the image of us and to make people respect this fine promotion more than they used to, to respect YOU more than they used to! And now all that blood, sweat and tears over the yeasr has made this promotion THE premier promotion for womens sports entertainment!”
  555. >There was an applause to that.
  556. >He then motions his arms for people to halt their applause.
  557. >”Thank you thank you! But more importantly, think of the exposure you will receive when you represent us! Several of our previous starlets have gone on to become Applewood A-listers and you could be next!”
  558. >A louder response from the ladies.
  559. >”So keep that in mind during your tryout today of what is at stake. An opportunity to reach above and beyond anything you can imagine! Super stardom is at your grasp! How bad do you want it!?”
  560. >A much louder applause and cheers from many of the ladies, including yourself over his speech.
  561. >He then steps back and Tight Ship motions for the next person to step up.
  562. >Next up was a woman who wore the same black polo shirt as Tight Ship.
  563. >Her skin color was a golden yellow and her short hair was two toned orange and slicked back.
  564. >”This is Spitfire, our head trainer!”
  565. >More applause from everyone.
  566. >”Any words?”
  567. >Tight Ship asks her.
  568. >She nods and clears her throat.
  569. >”I hope you are all ready to sweat! Today I will be running you through the gauntlet of the basics of what we do in the squared circle!” She pauses and has a glance around at everyone. “I'm going to test you physically, I'm going to test you mentally. I'm going to throw a lot at you! Don't leave anything on the table!”
  570. >A cheer from everyone again and she bows and steps back.
  571. >Finally Tight Ship moves on to the last person.
  572. >And this one you already know who they are.
  573. >Her attire was no different than the outfits the trainees were wearing.
  574. >Except her shirt didn't say 'trainee' on it and jut had the promotions logo on it.
  575. >She had pearl white skin that was wrinkled and cracked.
  576. >Probably due to years of doing this but she still had this graceful look to her even if she looked rough around the edges.
  577. >In reality it really oozes 'badass' in your opinion.
  578. >Her hot pink hair with aqua blue streaks was short and styled in an almost gelled fauxhawk that stuck up in the air
  579. >”Lastly, this lovely lady needs no introduction but I'll give her one anyways. She is our current Triple W World Champion currently in her record breaking sixth reign! Making a title defense later on tonight against the tough Blazing Stella, ladies, give it up for the thirty year veteran, Shooting Starlet!”
  580. >She just stands there solemnly and looks at everyone with a bored expression on her face.
  581. >Including you.
  582. >”Any words of encouragement?”
  583. >Tight Ship asks her.
  584. >She takes a moment before she speaks up.
  585. >”Heart, desire and passion for what we do is what it takes to make it in this business, but sometimes even that is not enough. When you step into this ring, be respectful and show some personality!” She pauses for another round of applause. “What I'm looking for is someone who I can't stop looking at, no matter what they do I keep looking to them. Someone who has an 'aura' around them. We call that the “IT” factor. I want “IT” and you better bring “IT” today. I've been in this business a long time and I know “IT” when I see it.”
  586. >She steps back to another bit of cheering.
  587. >You can see Tight Ship chuckle a little.
  588. >”Just a word to the wise, Shooting Starlet still hasn't found “IT” so you better bring it today and maybe she'll find “IT” among us today! We are looking for RAW talent! Someone who we can mold into the next big superstar!”
  589. >He then claps his hands and steps back and Spitfire speaks up.
  590. >”Alright ladies, we're going to start off by getting your heart rate up!”
  591. >She then instructs everyone to run around the training area around the five rings.
  592. >Anytime anyone slows down Spitfire runs up to them to get in their face to pick it up.
  593. >This goes on nonstop for twenty minutes and a lot of the girls are already exhausted.
  594. >Next she has them do about fifty squats.
  595. >So far this seems no different than the regimen you had while you were a pop star to keep your figure.
  596. >Spitfire then has many of the ladies pair up and have them get in the ring to run the ropes and criss-cross each other for another twenty minutes.
  597. >Afterwords she then instructs and shows them some basic moves and how to fall down properly.
  598. >All the while they were being eyed carefully by Shooting Starlet, Tight Ship and Shale Backdraft.
  599. >”This seems pretty intense.”
  600. >You hear Raven comment to your side.
  601. “Learning to fall looks a bit harsh but really, it doesn't seem that bad.” You respond back. “I mean, it really doesn't seem that much different than when I worked out to stay in shape.”
  602. >Raven then turns to you.
  603. >”Come on, this seems a little more intense than that.”
  604. >You shake your head.
  605. “Well, maybe but I really think I can do this.”
  606. >You say again, now more determined than ever to go for this.
  607. >At long last the tryouts were over and many of the trainees were hunched over trying to catch some air.
  608. >”Good work today!”
  609. >Spitfire announces.
  610. >”Rest up and we'll being speaking with each of you individually about our assessments.”
  611. >Everyone now begins to file out of the area.
  612. >”And I'll see you all at the show tonight!”
  613. >She adds as she exits the ring and leaves herself.
  614. >It was then you were approached by not only Tight Ship, but Shale Backdraft himself.
  615. >”Well hello there.”
  616. >Shale is the first to speak and reaches his hand out to you.
  617. >”As I am sure you already know, I am Shale Backdraft and I pretty much run this place.”
  618. >You then take his hand and shake it.
  619. ”Yes, I heard the speech earlier and it is an honor to meet you.”
  620. >You respond with a dolled up smile.
  621. >”So, another Equestria Girl, huh?”
  622. >He adds as you try to let go of the handshake but he holds it for a second longer before he finally lets go.
  623. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash and I were in the same idol group some years ago.”
  624. >You say and he nods like he already knows the story.
  625. >”Well I must say, that Rainbow Dash has a bright future, and if you are anything like her then I think there can be a lot of money to be made with you two.”
  626. >He then drapes his arm around your shoulders and then looks out in the distance and waves his free hand.
  627. >”Just think, you two in a tag team together.”
  628. >You feel a little uneasy over how close he is but you keep your composure.
  629. >”Or better yet, we could make you two bitter rivals!”
  630. >He lets you free and starts to rub his hands together in glee.
  631. “Well, I'm still on the fence about all this.”
  632. >You tell him.
  633. >Maybe playing a little hard to get may increase your chances in getting in.
  634. >While his closeness is a bit creepy but it's not like you haven't dealt with his types before.
  635. >Shale then nods.
  636. >”I understand. This can be a really tough business, but tell you what, why don't you attend the show tonight and see what you think and then you can meet me backstage afterwords and you can tell me what you think.”
  637. >Tempting.
  638. >You rub your chin in thought and you look to Raven who shrugs her shoulders.
  639. >”You said you wanted to be serious about this.”
  640. >You bob your head to the side in agreement.
  641. “Alright, I'll catch the show and meet with you after and we can discuss it.”
  642. >Shale nods and claps his hands.
  643. >”Fantastic! I'll see you after the show.”
  644. >He says happily and turns to leave with Tight Ship.
  645. >Once he is out of earshot you talk softly to Raven.
  646. “Does he give off the creepy old man vibes to you too?”
  647. >You ask her and she hums.
  648. >”Eh, he does, but most shrewd business types like him are all like that and we've had to whether the storm with his kind before. So I'm not too worried.”
  649. “Same thought I had about dealing with his type before.”
  650. >You are feeling a little better that you and Raven were on the same wavelength about him.
  651. >Although you may still want to keep your guard up a little.
  652. >After all he is still a person in power over many women.
  653. >But you quickly lose that thought as you and Raven head out to go into the main building to watch some wrestling.
  654.  
  655. >After the tryout you head back to the entrance where you are once again greeted by the valet.
  656. >The valet then hands both you and Raven a ticket to the show for later tonight.
  657. >Courtesy of the promotion.
  658. >It is then explained to you that the lanyards given to you are good to get you into the backstage area after the show.
  659. >You both then head on into the main building.
  660. >The show wasn't going to start for another few hours but you were allowed in to roam around the outer ring of the arena and take in the sights and sounds.
  661. >The place already had a good amount of fans roaming around.
  662. >The clientele actually reminded you very much of what it was like when you were a pop star.
  663. >A mixture of young girls with their parents and awkward looking guys.
  664. >You were always told not to think too much about the older fans.
  665. >Other than money is money.
  666. >Guess that rings true here.
  667. >Interestingly, you were stopped several times by various fans who recognized you from Equestria Girls.
  668. >Most of them asked if you were there to support Rainbow Dash and you said you were.
  669. >It was a nice feeling to be noticed, you weren't going to lie, so this was only making you more encouraged in wanting to do this.
  670. >As you two were walking around you see a few large banners hanging along the walls of some of their current stars,
  671. >Shooting Starlet of course.
  672. >Spitfire even had a banner.
  673. >Except the name read 'Captain Spitfire'.
  674. >Seems like she plays some sort of military role.
  675. >She had on a navy blue leotard with yellow lightning bolts along that clung to her figure.
  676. >Then there was one for another woman wearing a nurse costume.
  677. >Which you would assume would be obvious since they are playing typical female roles.
  678. >Her nurse costume consisted of a short white dress with red leggings and nurse cap.
  679. >She also had off white skin with pale pink hair.
  680. >The name listed on the banner was 'Nurse Redheart'.
  681. >Another banner along the way had one for a wrestler who was covered head to toe.
  682. >Like, even her head was covered by a dark blue mask with a lighter shade of blue eyes.
  683. >The outfit was purple and she wore a cape with boots matching the color of the mask.
  684. >The name for the banner was 'The Mare-Do-Well'.
  685. >Of course there were more lined throughout the arena as you were walking along the arena a large crowd of people caught your attention.
  686. >Upon closer inspection you now see that it was the merchandise stand.
  687. >You decide to check it out and see what they have and both you and Raven join along in the crowd.
  688. > Once you get closer, you see that there were a lot of T shirts for many of the performers.
  689. >In addition to the shirts, there were several other types of items for sale as well.
  690. >Plushies.
  691. >Key chains.
  692. >Pins.
  693. >Signed pictures.
  694. >Again, very similar to what it was like when you were an idol group.
  695. >Maybe not the plushies.
  696. >But it's getting more and more familiar to you by the second.
  697. >It was then you caught sight of one shirt in particular.
  698. >A T shirt that had Rainbow Dash on it.
  699. >It consisted of her in a strong muscle flexing pose with her name written below her.
  700. >The shirt was of a purple color, the same as the outfit she was wearing as a performer.
  701. >There was also today's date, which you assume signifies her debut match.
  702. >You then look over to Raven.
  703. “Hey, we should buy one of Dash's shirts to show support.”
  704. >Raven looks like she thinks about it for a second then shrugs her shoulders.
  705. >”Sure, that seems like a good idea.”
  706. >She agrees so you two maneuver your way through the large group of people and you each purchase a Rainbow Dash shirt.
  707. >You also buy a program for the show that highlights the performers and the matches for tonight and then you stop into a corner and remove your leather jacket and slip on your shirt over your orange top and Raven goes into the restroom to change her shirt.
  708. >You then both wander around a little more until it gets closer to showtime you briefly stop for some snacks and then make your way to your seats.
  709. >You and Raven decide to just split an order of some fries.
  710. >Upon entering the main arena, you are wowed by the presentation and the stage.
  711. >The entrance for the performers was a giant colorful crown suspended in the air with a single curtain underneath.
  712. >Two big screens were displayed on each side of the crown so they could project the action in the ring in the middle of the arena.
  713. >The ring had bright pink ropes around the ring with black tarps along the side with a grayish white floor.
  714. >Your seats were located a few rows above from the ground in the lower bowl and they were in the middle of the arena, facing the stage.
  715. >Not bad seats if you do say so yourself.
  716. >You both take your seats and watch as many other fans file into the arena and take their seats.
  717. >As showtime gets closer there is a timer being displayed on the two screens above the entrance counting down until show time.
  718. >There is about two minutes left and you now notice that the arena is almost entirely full.
  719. >The timer continues to count down and the audience gets more loud with each second counting down.
  720. >Everyone begins to chant each number when it gets down to the last ten seconds.
  721. >Once the timer hits zero, the lights go out and the crowd begins to cheer loudly, including yourself.
  722. >There is then a large rumble that you can feel rock the area.
  723. >Probably the work of the arena's sound system.
  724. >Then the giant floating crown starts to light up several different colors and there are several spotlights that start to run around the dark arena.
  725. >Finally the two screens flash the logo for the company and everyone cheers once again and then the sound system plays some very loud pop music.
  726. >”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF WOMENS WRESTLING!!”
  727. >A very loud voice yells over the music and echoes throughout the arena.
  728. >The crowd get louder as pyrotechnics start to blast off on the stage.
  729. >”GET READY FOR A NIGHT OF ACTION, EXCITEMENT AND THE GREATEST SATRLETS THAT THE WORLD OF WOMENS WRESTLING HAS TO OFFER!!”
  730. >Another loud announcement as the lights flicker back on to shine on the ring in the center.
  731. >”LETS GET RIGHT INTO THE ACTION!”
  732. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnc4ImG3dPg [Downstait - The Epic(Dr. Brit baker's theme) - single] )
  733. >The stage goes dark and the two screens then show a white background and music starts to play
  734. >The first performer to step out onto the stage was Nurse Redheart.
  735. >She was wearing the same short white dress with red leggings getup from her banner outside the arena.
  736. >The lights surrounding the crown stage prop began to flicker with a red and white color scheme to go with her medical theme.
  737. >She raises both her hands and bows to each side of the audience and there are some boos from the crowd.
  738. >She enters the ring and stands on the ropes in the corner of the ring and raises her arms once again to another round of boos.
  739. >The music stops and she stops off the ropes and hangs in the corner when the next song hits the sound system.
  740. (https://youtu.be/Ji4IQR9Zbwo [WoodenToaster + The Living Tombstone - Love Me Cheerilee - Single] )
  741. >The lights for the stage now starts to flash a shade of pink and purple and the next performer makes her grand entrance as the crowd cheers.
  742. >She wore a beige colored crop top with a purple and sand yellow line going across her chest.
  743. >A matching colored frilly skirt, maybe a shade darker.
  744. >She also had a large blue and yellow bow on the top of her pale light grayish rose colored hair that was done up in a pony tail.
  745. >The woman skips her way down the ramp and to the ring with a big smile on her face and waving her hands to the audience with each step.
  746. >Once she gets in the ring, she does a twirl and her skirt flies up and she has matching colored trunks as her skirt. So at least it wasn't too inappropriate.
  747. >She then makes her way to the opposite corner to where Nurse Redheart was standing at.
  748. >A man wearing a tuxedo now stands in the center of the ring with a microphone in his hand and he brings it up to his face.
  749. >”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FIRST CONTEST, IS SET FOR ONE FALL WITH A FIFTENN MINUTE TIME LIMIT!”
  750. >The Crowd cheers as the man turns to Nurse Redheard.
  751. >”IN THIS CORNER, FROM THE HURTSVILLE MEDICAL FACILITY, WITH A RECORD OF 22-16. THE NURSE FOR THE WORSE! NURRRRRRRSE REDHEART!!”
  752. >She then takes a step from her corner and places her hands on her hips and looks around at the crowd as they boo her.
  753. >She has this smug look on her face as she does and then she steps back into her corner and the announcer then turns to her opponent.
  754. >”AND IN THIS CORNER! FROM THE HALLS OF HIGHER LEARNING! WITH A RECORD OF 14-18. THE CHEEREY TEACHER, MIIIIIIIIISS CHEERILEE!!”
  755. >She skips a few steps from her corner and throws her hands up as she is showered with cheers while donning the biggest smile she could muster and then retreats back to her corner.
  756. >The ring announcer then exits the ring and then you hear the sound of the bell to start the match.
  757. >The two ladies then meet in the middle of the ring with the referee and Cheerilee extends her hand out for a handshake.
  758. >Nurse Redheart look unsure and looks around to the audience for an answer.
  759. >The crowd overwhelmingly cheer for her to shake Cheerilee's hand.
  760. >Nurse Redheart then takes her hand and shakes it to a big applause.
  761. >Then suddenly she pulls Cheerilee into her and she elbows her with her free hand.
  762. >Knocking poor Cheerilee to the floor.
  763. >The crowd erupts with thunderous boos as Nurse Redheart laughs at her underhanded tactic.
  764. >Nurse Redheart then picks Cheerilee up and starts to knee her in the midsection.
  765. >Much of the match is Nurse Redheart beating up on poor Cheerilee.
  766. >She then tries to do the same move twice but Cheerilee counters the second move and the crowd comes alive again.
  767. >Cheerliee then mounts a fiery comeback and gains the upper hand.
  768. >She then prepares Nurse Redheart to lift her for a move but she rips the bow off Cheerilee's head and tosses it to the ref.
  769. >The referee is momentarily distracted and it was enough for Nurse Redheart to thumb Cheerilee in the eye.
  770. >While she is stunned and tending to her eye, she lets go of Nurse Redheart.
  771. >Nurse Redheart then runs to the ropes and does a front cartwheel towards the ropes and bounces off back upwards and lifts off into the air.
  772. >In midair, she flies into Cheerilee just as she looks up again Nurse Redheart reaches back and grabs her head and drops to the floor. Taking Cheerilee with her.
  773. >Cheerilee pop up and into the air and lands on her back.
  774. >Nurse Redheart then covers her and the referee beings to count.
  775. >1!
  776. >2!
  777. >3!
  778. >The bell rings to a huge chorus of boos as the referee raises Nurse Redhearts hand.
  779. >She is laughing menially as her music is drowned out by the disdain of the crowd.
  780. >You included.
  781. >You look over to Raven who is only laughing at you joining in on the boos.
  782. “Oh come on! Lighten up!”
  783. >You nudge her while you laugh yourself.
  784. >That move Nurse Redheart did at the end must have been her finishing move.
  785. >You pull up the program and look on her profile page and see that her finishing move is called the 'Lethal Injection.'.
  786. >Guess you shouldn't have expected anything less from a nurse character.
  787. >A million thoughts are going through your head of what you want your finishing move to be.
  788. >You start to get giddy over the thought of it as you eagerly await the next match.
  789. >The night moves on and the matches come and go.
  790. >Some were really exciting and some not so much.
  791. >There was a tag team match.
  792. >A three way dance.
  793. >And some others.
  794. >From the looks of the program there were only two matches left for the night.
  795. >”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS TIME FOR A SPECIAL SINGLE MATCH!!”
  796. >This must be Dashie's debut match.
  797. >The lights go out once again and the music plays.
  798. (https://youtu.be/Z4G9MU4wvTo [Yoko Shimomura - Theme of Guile(Epic Rock Cover) - Street Fighter II OST] )
  799. >Several of the lights begin to flash a blue and yellow.
  800. >The video screens above the stage begin to show some fighter jets flying.
  801. >Then out comes Spitfire, the head trainer.
  802. >Sporting the same outfit she had on the banners outside.
  803. >She also wore a matching colored envelope hat with a pair of amber aviator glasses.
  804. >As the music builds, she stands tall on stage until it kicks in.
  805. >The crowd responds to her well as she simply marches to the ring, not really acknowledging the crowd, like a stoic military leader.
  806. >Once she enters the ring, she stands in the middle and does a salute and then moves to her corner.
  807. >It's time.
  808. >You eagerly await for Rainbow Dash to make her entrance.
  809. >Once again the arena darkens, with the only source of light coming from the two screen projections.
  810. >The lights on the stage begin to flash a variety of colors as the music starts to play.
  811. (https://youtu.be/eGGYh05swAQ [The Rainbooms - Awesome as I wannt Be - My little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks OST] )
  812. >The lights flicker on and some fireworks go off along with a few fountains of sparkles as you watch Rainbow Dash make her entrance.
  813. >She has a microphone in her hand as she sings her way to the ring.
  814. >And it's even more encouraging for you if you were to make it as you could do the same.
  815. >She wore the very same outfit that you saw her in the promotional material online and in the program.
  816. >As she sings her song she uses her free hand to point into the air as she skips along to the ring to a mostly positive reaction.
  817. >The crowd seems to be really into her so far as she enters the ring and spins with her arms up in the air, taking in all the adoration before she steps back into her corner.
  818. >The ring announcer then stands in the middle of the ring.
  819. >”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A SPECIAL SINGES MATCH WITH A 30 MINUTE TIME LIMIT!”
  820. >More cheers from the crowd as the announcer looks to Spitfire.
  821. >”IN THIS CORNER, FROM FORT HOOF AIR FIELD, SHE IS SIMPLY KNOWN AS THE CAPTIAN, SPITFIRE!”
  822. >She steps up and simply stands tall with her hands together behind her back as there was a lukewarm reaction to her.
  823. >The announcer then looks to Dash.
  824. >”AND IN THIS CORNER, MAKING HER TRIPLE W DEBUT, SHE IS THE FORMER LEAD SINGER OF THE EQUESTRIA GIRLS! READY TO PUT THE MIC DOWN AND THROW DOWN! FROM CLOUDSALE, THE AWESOME AERIAL EQUESTRIA GIRL, RAAAAAAAINBOW DASH!!”
  825. >Dash then steps up again to a much more positive reaction than Spitfire.
  826. >One thing you thought was odd was that she was called the “lead singer” of Equestria Girls.
  827. >Which you know isn't true.
  828. >You were all one collective group and all agreed you were on equal grounds with each other.
  829. >Perhaps it was something they added to hype her up a bit more.
  830. >The announcer leaves the ring and the bell rings and both ladies meet in the center of the ring.
  831. >Spitfire reaches her hand out.
  832. >Dash hesitates for a moment before finally taking it.
  833. >The crowd approves the moment of sportsmanship and they both step back and start to circle each other.
  834. >Finally they both lock arms and start to struggle.
  835. >Spitfire then pulls Rainbow Dash and throws her to the ropes.
  836. >Dash bounces off the ropes and runs back only to be shoulder tackled by Spitfire.
  837. >Dash falls to the ground and there were faint boos in the audience.
  838. >They go for another lock and Spitfire does the same move.
  839. >This time though, when Dash runs back to Spitfire she leaps into the air and wraps her legs around Spitfire's neck and pulls herself backwards and tosses Spitfire with her legs.
  840. >That got a big reaction from everyone, including yourself.
  841. >As the match progresses on, Spitfire gets the upper hand and beats on Dash.
  842. >She goes for the cover a few times but only gets a '2' count each time.
  843. >Then Dash makes her comeback with a jump off the middle rope and she turns to body press Spitfire.
  844. >She gets up and runs to the ropes for momentum and as Spitfire was on her knee, Dash turns and bumps her rear end onto Spitfire's head, knocking her back down.
  845. >Rainbow Dash continues to show a high flying style by doing a back flip off the top rope and onto Spitfire.
  846. >Spitfire, to her credit, does her best to keep her grounded.
  847. >You are very impressed at Rainbow Dash and her abilities.
  848. >Spitfire tries to rush Dash but then Dash trips her and her upper body lands on the middle rope.
  849. >Dash notices that and rushes for the ropes on the opposite end and runs back to then grab hold of the ropes and pivot her lower body through the ropes and kick Spitfire back onto the floor.
  850. >As Spitfire lays there, Dash then jumps up to the top rope and does a front flip onto her and covers her.
  851. >1!
  852. >2!
  853. >3!
  854. >Dash has wins her first match.
  855. >And you finally feel yourself breathe again.
  856. >It was such a fast paced, high octane performance from both ladies.
  857. >And the sheer amount of athleticism from Rainbow Dash really left you in awe.
  858. >The crowd cheers for her and she looks ecstatic over her victory.
  859. >”THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH, RAAAAAAAINBOW DAAAASH!!”
  860. >The referee raises her hand and rotates Dash so she can face the cheering crowd on all sides.
  861. >After a few moments, Spitfire gets up and confronts Dash.
  862. >They lock eyes for a minute and then Spitfire once again offers her hand.
  863. >Dash smiles and takes it for a handshake and then Spitfire raises her hand as well.
  864. >After the mini celebration, they both head to the back.
  865. >Looks like there is one match left.
  866. >The main event.
  867. >Even though you were more there for Dashie.
  868. >First comes out the challenger.
  869. >Blazing Stella
  870. >A masked woman wearing an entire white body suit with red flame streaks patterned all around.
  871. >She's all serious as she stomps to the ring with a red color show from the stage.
  872. >The crowd starts to raise it's volume as the champions music hits.
  873. (https://youtu.be/ohExWtnwUfc [Shiro Sagisu - THE DRAMATIC SQUARE - Kimagure Orange Road OST] )
  874. >The music builds until the champion enters the arena to a show of fireworks.
  875. >Shooting Starlet.
  876. >You saw her earlier at the tryout.
  877. >She has an all business look then and she has the same look now.
  878. >It was hard to explain, but the aura she gave off was that of one who commanded respect.
  879. >And it seems like she is given it by the audience as they cheer for her as she simply walks to the ring.
  880. >Her attire consisted of a two piece outfit that was a lighter shade of her skin so you could distinguish what was her outfit and her skin.
  881. >On both the top and the tights there was a blue and purple star pattern with streaks behind them to signify shooting stars.
  882. >She enters the ring and holds her hands to the side and twirls to face everyone in the arena.
  883. >Around her waist was the championship belt.
  884. >From where you were, it looked like it had an almost oval shape gold center plate to it with a pink strap and a single side place on each side.
  885. >She then steps into the corner and the ring announcer stands in the middle for the final time tonight.
  886. >”LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS THE MAIN EVENT SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL WITH A SIXTY MINUTE TIME LIMIT AND IS FOR THE WORLD OF WOMENS WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!”
  887. >A pause and a cheer from the crowd as loud as they were for the first match.
  888. >The announcer then looks over to the Blazing Stella.
  889. >”IN THIS CORNER IS THE CHALLENGER! FROM SUNNY CALIFOALNIA THE EVER BLAZING FIREBOLT, BLAZING STELLA!”
  890. >She doesn't leave her corner and there was a mixed reaction from the crowd.
  891. >The announcer then turns to Shooting Starlet.
  892. >”AND IN THIS CORNER, THE CHAMPION, IN THE MIDST OF HER RECORD BREAKING SIXTH CHAMPIONSHIP REIGN, MAKING HER UNPRESSADENTED THIRTEENTH CONSECUTIVE TITLE DEFENSE IN ADMIST THE FINAL GAUNTLET WHERE IF SHE LOOSES THE CHAMPIONSHIP,SHE MUST RETIRE!”
  893. >There was a chorus of boos at that.
  894. >Huh, you didn't realize that was a stipulation.
  895. >”FROM THE UNFORGIVING TUNDRA OF WHINNYAPOLIS! WITH AN ASTOUNDING CAREER RECORD OF 1,990-1,461. THE REIGNING, DEFENDING WORLD OF WOMENS WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPION! ONE OF THE LAST OF A DYING BREED! SHOOOOOOOTING STARRRRRRRRLET!!”
  896. >She then steps up and unclasps her belt around her waist and holds it up in the air to a massive ovation.
  897. >The referee then takes the belt from Shooting starlet and walks over to Blazing Stella and presents the belt to her and Stella taps it once.
  898. >The ref then stands in the center of the ring and holds up the championship belt above her head and finally hands it off to someone outside the ring.
  899. >The Bell finally rings and the main event is underway!
  900. >Like many of the other matches, it starts off with a lock up.
  901. >Both ladies struggle for dominance with neither letting the other take advantage.
  902. >For the first few minutes, you felt that this match was boring.
  903. >Just a bunch of rest holds and grappling.
  904. >And then out of nowhere, somehow, someway, you found yourself hooked.
  905. >It was starting to get interesting seeing how methodical every move was.
  906. >And then it kicked into high gear.
  907. >Shooting Starlet's strikes looked like they hurt.
  908. >Like she was hitting them for real.
  909. >And Blazing Stella was dishing it back.
  910. >There was a series of suplexes and then Blazing Stella went for the pin.
  911. >1!
  912. >2!
  913. >Kick out.
  914. >You jumped out of your seat in surprise.
  915. >They only kept hitting each other harder from there.
  916. >Just back and forth.
  917. >Another pin attempt.
  918. >And another kick out.
  919. >The intensity was off the charts and you could feel the emotion from both performers.
  920. >Finally Shooting Starlet bent Blazing Stella forward and paced her head in between her legs.
  921. >She hooks both Stella's arms and picks her up and holds her in the upside down position for a moment.
  922. >Finally, Shooting Starlet falls forward and lands on Blazing Stella who fell on her stomach.
  923. >She then goes for the pin.
  924. >1!
  925. >2!
  926. >Another kick out.
  927. >Now Shooting starlet looks annoyed.
  928. >She gets back up and brings Blazing Stella with her.
  929. >She then tosses Stella to the ropes who springs back to her.
  930. >Starlet then wraps her right arm around Stella's neck and she falls backwards, making Stella land on her face.
  931. >Shooting Starlet then lifts her lower body and hooks her left leg over Blazing Stella's neck and clasps her hands together for what looks like a submission hold.
  932. >Blazing Stella taps her hand on the mat to give up and Shooting Starlet wins.
  933. >You jump out of your seat in celebration.
  934. >As does almost everyone else in the arena.
  935. >The referee hands her the championship belt and raises her hand.
  936. >”YOUR WINNER AND STILL WORLD OF WOMENS WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPION! SHOOOOOOOTING STARRRRRRRRLET!!”
  937. >Shooting Starlet lives to wrestle another day!
  938. >Hell, even Raven looked like she was invested in the match as well with a smile on her face.
  939. >Shooting Starlet does some more bows in the ring and then exits the ring and greets some fans at ringside.
  940. >Finally, she heads backstage and many of the fans start to file out of the arena.
  941. >Both you and Raven Inkwell stay in your seat until most of the fans are out of the arena.
  942. >”You still want to head backstage?”
  943. >Raven asks you.
  944. “Yes, definitely!” you answer with enthusiasm.
  945. >Raven then pulls her phone.
  946. >”Let me give Tight Ship a call to get us back there.”
  947. >She scrolls through her phone looking for his number and then calls him.
  948. >While you two wait for him to pick up, you start to move closer to the ring and the guardrail.
  949. >”Hey! It's Raven Inkwell, we were told by Shale Backdraft that if we wanted to come backstage after the show to do so.”she explains to Tight Ship and answers him with some 'yeah's'
  950. >”We are just next to the guardrail in the arena still.”
  951. >You continue to wait for the okay.
  952. >”Sounds good, we'll wait for you here! Thank you!” She hangs up the phone and looks to you. “He says he'll come out soon to let us in backstage. In the meantime he says we can use our lanyards and you can get into the ring to get a feel for it.”
  953. >Your eyes light up like a kid on Christmas.
  954. “Really?” You asked too excitedly and she smiles and nods.
  955. >You immediately show your lanyard to the security who was eying you two the entire time you got next to the guardrail and they create an opening for you two to get into the ring area.
  956. >You are now facing the ring.
  957. >It was much bigger than it looked from your seats and even back during the tryouts.
  958. >You start to circle the ring slowly, taking it all in.
  959. >Finally, you reach the corner of the ring with the steps lead up to the mat.
  960. >You slowly step up to the ring while music plays in your head like it's your theme.
  961. >You walk along the edge of the ring with your hand sliding along the top rope.
  962. >The ropes feel tight but also have a little give to them as you lightly pull on them.
  963. >You then go through them to enter the ring.
  964. >You begin to turn and look all around the now empty arena and imagine it was full of people once again.
  965. >The rush you are getting from just simply standing in the ring is more than you got when you were performing solo.
  966. >It gives you enough of a rush that you lightly jog around the ring.
  967. >After a few laps around the ring you head towards the ropes and lightly push onto them.
  968. >They spring out a little bit but they don't push you back.
  969. >Maybe you weren't going at it fast enough?
  970. >The feel of the mat was pretty soft too.
  971. >Which surprised you as it sounded pretty hard when they fell during the show.
  972. >You begin to think of how this all comes together in your head when then you hear someone call out to you outside the ring.
  973. >”Making yourself comfortable?”
  974. >You quickly clear your head and look over to see Tight Ship who was now standing next to Raven with a smile on his face.
  975. “O-oh, yeah I guess you could say that.”
  976. >You were a little embarrassed by being caught in mid daydream and you awkwardly get out of the ring and reunite with Raven and Tight Ship.
  977. >”Nice shirts by the way.” he comments on the Rainbow Dash shirts both you and Raven were wearing then looks to you. “Enjoy the show?”
  978. >He asks you and you nod your head.
  979. “It was super fun and Dash was amazing!”
  980. >Tight Ship chuckles with delight.
  981. >”Well, I'm glad you did and yes, Dash worked really hard for a little over a year to be ready for this big moment.” He states proudly as he eyes you now. “Think you have what it takes to join her?”
  982. >You nod without even thinking about it.
  983. >”Excellent! Shale is excited to meet with you backstage about possibly signing a contract tonight so lets head back there now and even meet some of the other girls.”
  984. >He nods towards the ramp and stage and beings to walk back.
  985. >You and Raven follow right behind him as you all walk up the ramp and see that there was a small stairway leading underneath the crown and into the backstage area.
  986.  
  987. >Once you make your way downstairs, you walk through a black curtain and there is a long dark hall that was also curtained off.
  988. >The further you go down, there is another curtain that you walk through and you are now backstage.
  989. >It looked like a hectic scene with some staffers running around and rolling up cables and packing up monitors and tables.
  990. >Along the halls you see some of the performers just lounging around and resting.
  991. >Tight Ship then takes you through another hallway and you are in a locker room.
  992. >A lot of the performers you saw out in the ring were here and they were packing stuff up in suitcases and duffel bags.
  993. >An interesting thing you see is Nurse Redheart and Cheerilee helping each other with putting makeup on.
  994. >They were both in street clothes and they had smiles on their faces and laughing together.
  995. >You start to look around to see if you can find Rainbow Dash but can't find her anywhere.
  996. >In the corner of the room, you see Shooting Starlet.
  997. >She was sitting on a chair, still in her gear, leaning back on it with her head resting on the wall with a cloth draped over her eyes.
  998. >There were a few ice packs resting on each of her shoulders and one she was holding on her left knee.
  999. >”Stay here for a moment while I go get Shale.”
  1000. >Tight Ship instructs you as he disappears into the back of the locker room.
  1001. >Both you and Raven stand in place, as to not try to attract too much attention from the other girls as some of them shoot you strange looks.
  1002. >”Sunset?”
  1003. >A familiar feminine voice calls out from behind you.
  1004. >A voice you hadn't heard in a long time.
  1005. >You turn around to see your former bandmate, Rainbow Dash.
  1006. >She was no loner in her gear and instead in a simple black leggings and sleeveless crop top t shirt.
  1007. >Her rainbow colored hair now lays flat behind her instead of the twin tails she had on earlier.
  1008. >She didn't look happy to see you.
  1009. >More like confused than anything.
  1010. >Now all of the doubts and all of the baggage from the past start to come back into your mind.
  1011. >So you force a smile.
  1012. “Hey Dash, long time no see.”
  1013. >You reach out your hand for her to accept.
  1014. >And she does not take it.
  1015. >Leaving you there looking like a fool.
  1016. “Okay then.”
  1017. >You retract your hand back to your side.
  1018. >This is already not going well.
  1019. >”What are you doing here?”
  1020. >She asks in a not so excited voice.
  1021. >You try to stay cool and keep a smile.
  1022. “I was going to meet with Shale Backdraft. I'm thinking of maybe joining up with you guys.”
  1023. >Dash then quickly gives you the stink eye before changing it to an uninterested look.
  1024. >”Really?”
  1025. >She seemed surprised.
  1026. “Y-yeah?”
  1027. >You answer back, your smile less bright and more awkward.
  1028. >Her now looks slightly annoyed.
  1029. >”And you really think you can do this?”
  1030. >You tilt your head.
  1031. “I think I can manage.”
  1032. >”You THINK you can manage?” She immediately fires back. “What? You just thought that after half-assing your way through and destroying Equestria Girls, and then failing as a solo act that now getting your ass kicked for a living is something you can 'manage'?”
  1033. >You step up to Dash.
  1034. “Hey!” You say loud enough that several of the other performers now notice the confrontation and some of them stand up and stare at you.
  1035. >Better tread lightly here, you look around and see that many of them are starting to gather around you.
  1036. >Raven takes a step next to you and places her hand on your shoulder.
  1037. >”M-maybe let's not do this here?”
  1038. >She tries to reason.
  1039. >”Yeah! Hold off for a bit and we can take advantage of this!”
  1040. >Another voice comes from out of nowhere.
  1041. >You turn behind you and see Shale Backraft along with Tight Ship.
  1042. >Many of the girls now back off and go about their business at his presence.
  1043. >He then comes up next to you and drapes his arm around you and lightly shakes you.
  1044. >”Turmoil amongst former idol members and friends! This can draw some huge money!”
  1045. >He laughs.
  1046. >”We aren't friends.”
  1047. >Dash shoots back.
  1048. >That one kind of stung.
  1049. >You know there was some bad feelings when you all broke up.
  1050. >But you never thought it deteriorated this much.
  1051. >Then again, as you think about it more, you haven't kept up with anyone after it all.
  1052. >”Really now? That's sort of a shame.” Shale responds and then looks to you. “That true?”
  1053. >He asks you and you don't respond, you just keep your eyes on Dash.
  1054. >And she keeps her eyes on you.
  1055. >”Ah well, no matter!” He easily brushes it off and then looks over to Rainbow Dash. “Think Sunset can make it with us?”
  1056. >He asks Dash and she just scoffs.
  1057. >”I wouldn't even bother but if you want to waste your time and money; be my guest.”
  1058. >She then storms past you and off to another corner of the locker room.
  1059. >You feel yourself calm down from that.
  1060. >And maybe a little dejected as well.
  1061. >Shale just chuckles and shakes his head.
  1062. >”Good enough! Here, let me introduce you to some of the other fine ladies on our roster.”
  1063. >He then Starts to pull you around the locker room and you introduce yourself.
  1064. >Some of the girls know who you are and greet you sweetly and you shake some hands.
  1065. >Finally you are in the far end of the locker room where Shooting Starlet is.
  1066. >She was still in the same position as earlier with a cloth draped over her eyes and still sitting on a chair while resting on the back wall.
  1067. >”Starrrrrlet!”
  1068. >Shale coos to her and she doesn't respond.
  1069. >”Didn't you catch that scuffle earlier?”
  1070. >He asks her.
  1071. >”Don't care about petty idol girl pillow fights.”
  1072. >She nonchalantly tells him and she then slowly raises herself from the wall.
  1073. >You notice her mouth wincing in pain and even slightly hear her grunt.
  1074. >She then brings her left hand up and removes the cloth to see you and darts her eyes to Shale.
  1075. >She looks slightly annoyed.
  1076. >He ignores her apparent dirty look and introduces you to her.
  1077. >”This is Sunset Shimmer who was part of Equestria Girls like Rainbow Dash.”
  1078. >You reach out your hand to her and force another smile on your face.
  1079. “It is an honor to meet you!” You tell her brightly. “I'm a big fan.”
  1080. >Not entirely true.
  1081. >But not false either.
  1082. >You just heard about her and wrestling a few days ago but she doesn't need to know that.
  1083. >And you did really like her match out of the rest of the event, so you are a big fan now.
  1084. >She looks at your hand and then looks over to Shale.
  1085. >”Another one?”
  1086. >She asks, clearly annoyed and still not taking your hand.
  1087. >”I know, exciting isn't it?”
  1088. >Shale responds, still upbeat.
  1089. >You were about to retract your hand when she finally reaches out to grab your hand.
  1090. >Her grip is inhuman and you wince but try your best to hide your pain.
  1091. >Also her hands was way more gruff and hardened than any other hand you've ever felt.
  1092. >Even moreso than the other performers whose hands you've shaken earlier.
  1093. >She doesn't say anything and leans back into her chair and places the cloth back over her eyes.
  1094. >Shale now escorts you away from her and towards another exit.
  1095. >”Let's step into my office and have a conversation about your future with us.”
  1096. >He looks over to where Raven was, who was in the middle of a conversation with Tight Ship.
  1097. >”Tight, we'll just be a minute!”
  1098. >He calls out to Tight Ship who looks over to you two and just nods.
  1099. >Raven also looks to you and you give her an 'okay' signal and she nods.
  1100. >They both continue their conversation while you and Shale go through the door.
  1101. >It led to a hallway and Shale starts to move.
  1102. >”Follow me, it's just through this door.”
  1103. >A few feet from the exit and across the hall was another door that had a paper tapped to it that read 'Shale Backdraft'.
  1104. >He opens the door and moves to the side to let you in first.
  1105. >You enter the office.
  1106. >There were several framed posters all along the walls of various sports figures from basketball players, hockey players and even rock stars.
  1107. >In the middle of the office there was a single wooden desk with a laptop and the black sofa on the side of the room.
  1108. >Shale then walks past you and sits himself at the desk and motions for you to have a seat across from him, which you oblige.
  1109. “What's with the different sports and music posters?” You ask about them, seeing as how it's odd that he wouldn't have posters of the performers.
  1110. >”Ah, this is just a temp office. As a traveling show going to various different arenas and venues I usually just use whatever office I can find in these places.”
  1111. >That makes sense.
  1112. >”So tell me dear, what did you think of the show?”
  1113. >You are brought back to facing him.
  1114. “I thought it was a great show!” You answer. “Everyone was really athletic and handled themselves and played to the crowd well.”
  1115. >Shale nods and smiles.
  1116. >”Great to hear that from you. All our ladies work hard.” He agrees. “Think you can do it?”
  1117. >That question sent doubts in your mind.
  1118. >Mostly because of what Dash had said earlier.
  1119. “I, I don't know anymore.”
  1120. >You start to shake your head slowly.
  1121. >”Oh don't worry about it!” He tries to reassure you. “We have the best training staff with years of experience who can guide you on your journey.”
  1122. >You sit back in your seat and sigh.
  1123. “Yeah, It's just Rainbow Dash...”
  1124. >You trail off.
  1125. >”Oh I wouldn't worry about her right now, but...” He adds. “If you were to sign on with us and if you work hard, there can be a big money program between you two!”
  1126. >He smiles as he imagines it in his head.
  1127. >”Two former friends and starlets from the hugely popular 'Equestria Girls'. We could even get the other members together and have a big confrontation.”
  1128. >You hold your hand out.
  1129. “Whoa now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.” You say. “Let's not bring the others into this.”
  1130. >He holds his hands up and sits back.
  1131. >”Okay, okay.”
  1132. >You then think of the annoyed look of Shooting Starlet.
  1133. “What about Shooting Starlet?”
  1134. >He cocks his head to the side.
  1135. >”What about her?”
  1136. “You saw how she was to me out there. She looked at me like I don't belong.”
  1137. >He then laughs.
  1138. >”Oh please, she's an old timer stuck in a lot of the older ways of this business, she hates anybody younger than 30 and think they don't belong! Hell she treats Rainbow Dash the same way!”
  1139. >That made you feel a little better at least.
  1140. >Shale then pulls out a small stack of papers and places it on the desk.
  1141. >”If you are truly interested, I already have a contract ready for you to sign.”
  1142. >He says as he slides it over to you.
  1143. >You reach out to pick it up and look at the front page.
  1144. >There was the Triple W logo in the upper right corner of the page and the word 'Contract' in bold in the middle.
  1145. >You flip the pages and quickly overlook the document.
  1146. >It was wordy for sure, but so are a lot of other documents and contracts you have signed in the past.
  1147. >You may want to hand this over to Raven so she can look it over.
  1148. “Mind if I hand this over to my agent so she can comb through it?”
  1149. >Shale shrugs his shoulders.
  1150. >”Sure, really, it's a developmental deal. Which basically means that we will be paying you to be spending your time training to be a professional. Now, the pay isn't that glamorous but I think being paid $50K a year for three years while you learn the basics isn't too shabby.”
  1151. >That doesn't sound too bad.
  1152. >”And you will need to relocate to Mareami where our performance center is, though. Hopefully you are okay with that”
  1153. >Mareami is a very nice sunny beach City,
  1154. “I am more than okay with that.” You say with a smile. “Just curious though, how much does a normal performer make?”
  1155. >He smiles and shakes his head.
  1156. >”All contracts are different for everyone. Firstly there is a base pay but that is determined by time of service. The real money is in the merchandise sales. All in all some of the top performers here make seven figures a year.”
  1157. >Your smile widens.
  1158. >”And really, that's not even the ceiling. It's like show business, the more marketable you are, the more relateable you are to the people, the more you could make! And just between you and me, you are much more attractive than Rainbow Dash so if you catch on like I think you will, there could be some huge paydays in your future.”
  1159. >Again, this is all music to your ears.
  1160. >You were just about ready to sign the contract yourself right here and now and deal with Raven's protests later when Shale stops you.
  1161. >”Now hold on.” Shale holds out his hand and places it on the contract. “Think about what you are about to do.”
  1162. >He stands up from his seat.
  1163. >”Countless people would sacrifice their lives for even a shot at this opportunity.” He then pulls back the contract. “Many young girls have shed their blood, sweat and tears while slaving away in the minor leagues for even a shot at the big time.”
  1164. >He begins to slowly walk around the desk.
  1165. >”Only the chosen few can make it up to the big time, and for everyone else, it's just broken dreams and broken bones. What you have before you is the golden ticket to bypass all the hardships. A head start, if you will.”
  1166. >He then rounds the table and stops right behind you.
  1167. >You keep your eyes forward, fearing what you think might happen next.
  1168. >”Of course, we don't just just give hand outs here.” He places one hand on your shoulder and you slightly jolt. “Even with someone of your... status.”
  1169. >You then feel the other hand rest itself on your other shoulder.
  1170. >You are starting to shake.
  1171. >Should you scream?
  1172. >Now would be a pretty good time to do so,
  1173. >”But all you need to do is do me one little favor and you will be set for life.”
  1174. >He now tries to reach one of his hands down your shoulder and grabs one of your breasts.
  1175. “Ah! Hey!”
  1176. >Now you finally react and jump out of your seat and push him back.
  1177. “What the hell are you doing!?”
  1178. >You yell at him.
  1179. >He seems surprisingly calm over that.
  1180. >”What? Did you really think I was just going to hand you a contract JUST because you were some big pop star a few years ago?”
  1181. >He takes a step towards you and you try to step back but are stopped by the desk.
  1182. >”Please, you are just one of the hundreds of failed idols who think they can just waltz into this business because they could prance around for a half hour.”
  1183. >He says as he gets closer.
  1184. “What about Dash!?”
  1185. >You ask in a panic.
  1186. >He stops and tilts his head.
  1187. >”What about her?”
  1188. “Did she...?”
  1189. >You didn't want to finish your question but Shale seemed to know what you were implying.
  1190. >He didn't say anything but he did don a big smile as he continued to approach you.
  1191. >”You former junior idols are all the same, stupid, self centered, naïve.”
  1192. >He is now inches away from you.
  1193. >”And desperate,”
  1194. >He once again tries to grab you.
  1195. “Ahh!”
  1196. >You scream again and slap him and force your way past him and storm towards the door.
  1197. >”Hold it right there!”
  1198. >He barks from behind you and you stop just shy of the door.
  1199. >You turn to see him with a face red with fury.
  1200. >”You walk out that door and I will make sure you never work in this business at all!”
  1201. >You scoff.
  1202. “You really think I want to be here if that is how you do things around here!? How you TREAT young girls!?”
  1203. >You shoot back at him and are once again about to open the door.
  1204. >”Think for once! What else could some pretty face with no life skills to speak of going to do out in the real world? Huh? A receptionist? Where you'll regularly get harassed by your boss there? Porn? At least here you only have to fuck me once and you'll everything you want!”
  1205. >The thought disgusted you.
  1206. “Fuck off! I'll be sure to get a lawyer involved and sue you and this whole operation for sexual harassment!”
  1207. >You yell back at him and he just laughs.
  1208. >”Oh will you know? With what lawyer? I can assure you our team of lawyers will tie anything up in litigation and dry your finances up faster than your short shitty solo career.”
  1209. >You furrow your brow and begins to grit your teeth.
  1210. >”And besides, you really think some down on her luck failed celebrity is going to get any sort of sympathy in the public eye? Especially one who doesn't have anybody to speak up from them?”
  1211. >That got you confused for a moment.
  1212. >What the hell does he mean?
  1213. >”What? You think I don't know about the break up with the Equestria Girls?”
  1214. >He then leans back and sits himself on the desk and smiles.
  1215. >”Tell me, how is Fluttershy doing nowadays?”
  1216. >Your eyes go wide.
  1217. “H-how do you...”
  1218. >His smile only widens.
  1219. >”When you run a business filled with wannabe starlets who think they can make it in showbusiness, you gain a few connections in other industries.”
  1220. >Now you're more frightened than angry.
  1221. >That was something that was kept to an absolute hush hush and only a few select people knew the details.
  1222. >If he knows, who knows what else he could possibly do?
  1223. >Or say?
  1224. >You hesitate for a moment.
  1225. >”That's it. Just give me five minutes and this can all be swept under the rug.”
  1226. >He reaches for his belt buckle and start to undo it.
  1227. >You snap back into reality and you turn to the door and storm out the office.
  1228. >You can her him yell something but you block it out and storm back into the locker room.
  1229. >”Hey! There you are, how'd the meet-”
  1230. >Raven greets you as soon as you enter the locker room but you stomp past her.
  1231. “We're leaving, now!”
  1232. >You bark at her.
  1233. >”What? What happened?”
  1234. >She asks as she tries to keep up with you.
  1235. >As you make your way through the locker room, you start to glare at all the other girls in the room.
  1236. >Which one of them has he fucked?
  1237. >You then settle your eyes on Rainbow Dash.
  1238. >Who has more of a confused look then before.
  1239. >You two stare into each others eyes for a moment.
  1240. >Was she really that desperate?
  1241. >Did Shale really fuck her, or was he just intimidating you?
  1242. >You continue to storm out of the locker room.
  1243. >Then the arena.
  1244. >”Hey!”
  1245. >Raven calls out to you while still trying to catch up with you.
  1246. >You finally make it to the car and frantically try to open the passenger door.
  1247. >”Will you talk to me!?”
  1248. >Raven exclaims.
  1249. “Open the door and lets get the hell out of here!” You raise your voice back to her. “I'll tell you on the way home.”
  1250. >She opens the doors and you quickly get in.
  1251. >As does she
  1252. >And now you're on your way home.
  1253. >”Okay, now do you care to tell me what the hell happened back there?”
  1254. >You take a deep breath.
  1255. >And you feel some tears start to form in your eyes.
  1256. >You tell Raven everything that went down.
  1257. >The contract.
  1258. >His advances.
  1259. >His threats.
  1260. >And about how you would sue.
  1261. >But that they would financially drain you.
  1262. >Everything except for the Fluttershy comment.
  1263. >You will still keep that one to the chest.
  1264. >Raven then starts to shake her head.
  1265. >”I had a bad feeling something about all this was too good to be true.”
  1266. >She sighs.
  1267. >”So what do you want to do now?” She looks to you but you keep your eyes forward. “Should we try to do something about it?”
  1268. >You slowly shake your head.
  1269. “No. I just, I just need to get home and forget everything.”
  1270. >You tell her and you can see her nod in the corner of your eye.
  1271. >”Sleeping on it is the best option for you right now, I guess.”
  1272. >She then pats you on your thigh.
  1273. >”It's usually how you come to your most grounded decisions.”
  1274. >You let out a much needed chuckle and wipe your eyes.
  1275. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”
  1276. >There was a lot to think about.
  1277. >What to do?
  1278. >Where to go from here?
  1279. >Did you still want to wrestle now that you've seen what it would have to take?
  1280. >Raven drops you off at your loft and you make your way inside.
  1281. >The first thing you do is you head into the shower and try to wash away everything that went down today.
  1282. >You spend about an hour in the shower.
  1283. >After a long shower, you head straight to bed.
  1284. >You have your handheld game system but you just didn't have the heart to play it right now.
  1285. >Everything that went down is just playing in your head.
  1286. >'We aren't friends.'
  1287. >Rainbow Dash's words.
  1288. >Seems like there were some bad feelings still after what happened.
  1289. >You then look at your phone.
  1290. >Should you try to reach out to the others?
  1291. >Reach out to Fluttershy?
  1292. >You sigh and set your phone to the side.
  1293. >You really don't want to deal with it now.
  1294. >Your mind goes back to Shale.
  1295. >'You walk out that door and I will make sure you never work in this business at all!'
  1296. >Those words play in your head as well.
  1297. >You don't want to think about it anymore and you just bury your head in your pillow.
  1298. >And do your best to forget everything.
  1299.  
  1300. >It's the next day.
  1301. >And you got no sleep.
  1302. >As expected.
  1303. >All you could do last night was dwell on everything that happened.
  1304. >You just couldn't get it out of your head.
  1305. >It was a little over 9 AM but you had zero energy to do anything.
  1306. >So you continued to lay there for another hour of not going back to sleep.
  1307. >You give in and slowly get up and try to will yourself into the day.
  1308. >Starting off with another long shower with just your thoughts.
  1309. >And the humiliation from yesterday.
  1310. >From Dash.
  1311. >And of course, from Shale.
  1312. >Your thoughts then go back to Dash for a moment.
  1313. >Did she really sleep with Shale?
  1314. >It was hard to believe because when you were all together in Equestria Girls, she was the one member who you thought would never stoop that low.
  1315. >She was just, always confident in herself.
  1316. >And proud.
  1317. >Sure she was a bit arrogant, but she usually backed it up.
  1318. >Did the break up really hit her that hard?
  1319. >You want to talk to her.
  1320. >But you also don't want to deal with her at the same time.
  1321. >After another while of thinking in circles you finally exit the shower and grab a cup of yogurt you still had in the fridge.
  1322. >You then have a seat at your computer desk.
  1323. >While still fresh in your mind, you decide to do some more digging on Triple W.
  1324. >Upon actually looking at more than just the top three results in the search engine, you now see an abundance of not so glowing articles about the promotion.
  1325. >Lots of suits from former performers for low pay.
  1326. >Injuries.
  1327. >Drug scandals.
  1328. >Lawsuits from other aspiring performers of sexual misconduct.
  1329. >Which would be the one you would try to file for.
  1330. >Most of them were settled out of court.
  1331. >Including a wrongful death lawsuit.
  1332. >In some instances the case was dropped entirely due to lack of evidence.
  1333. >Many of the victims wouldn't speak out about the experience.
  1334. >You then decide to look up the names of some of the victims and see if they had worked anywhere else.
  1335. >Or if they were famous before.
  1336. >There were a few former pop singers.
  1337. >Lots of former models.
  1338. >But nothing else really in the wrestling business.
  1339. >All of them had no history or anything after the lawsuits.
  1340. >Like they all went into hiding or dropped off the face of the Earth or something.
  1341. >Did they really have that much power in the industry?
  1342. >It does seem a bit odd that all of the women who sued would just up and disappear.
  1343. >Maybe this was too much for you.
  1344. >Perhaps you should just look for another industry to try and break into.
  1345. >Maybe Rainbow Dash is right and you would have just half assed it.
  1346. >...
  1347. >Like you did in Equestria Girls.
  1348. >...
  1349. >Like you did in your solo career.
  1350. >...
  1351. >Now you are starting to think to yourself if it's all true.
  1352. >You can now feel your grip on your mouse tighten.
  1353. >And you were starting to get angry.
  1354. >No.
  1355. >You were NOT going to prove her right.
  1356. >You were NOT the reason your group broke up!
  1357. >You do NOT do things halfheartedly!
  1358. >And most importantly.
  1359. >You will NOT sleep your way into any favorable opportunity!
  1360. >By god, you were going to see through this to the bitter end.
  1361. >No matter what.
  1362. >Even if you have to start at the absolute rock bottom.
  1363. >You quickly reach for your phone and call Raven.
  1364. >”Hello?”
  1365. “Hey!” You quickly answer her back. “I have decided that I am still going to go through with this. Even if I have to do it the hard way! I want to show Dash that I am not just some lazy washed up idol! I want to show that sleezeball Shale that he is not the only ticket to success!”
  1366. >There was silence on Raven's side for a moment before you start to hear her chuckle.
  1367. “What's so funny?”
  1368. >You ask.
  1369. >”Oh, nothing, Just being amused at how stubborn you still are about it even after last night. Like sleeping on it only made you more determined.”
  1370. >You were relieved, you were fearing that she was going to say this was a dumb idea.
  1371. “Well, to be fair, I didn't get any sleep last night so this may be me being delirious.”
  1372. >Raven's chuckle now grows into a full on laugh.
  1373. >”Okay then, I'll ask you one last time just to be sure you are thinking straight. Are you sure you want to go through with this? Because now it may be even harder to break into this business.”
  1374. >All you had to do was remember Rainbow Dash and Shale Backdraft.
  1375. >And their words.
  1376. >And what the hell, let's use Shooting Starlet's disgusted look as well for extra motivation.
  1377. >You'll show her that you belong and you are not just 'another one'.
  1378. “Yes, I am sure of it.”
  1379. >You answer her, ready for any challenge that it will bring.
  1380. >”Well, if that's the case we need to hurry and find somewhere that will take you in for training before Shale has a chance to blackball you.”
  1381. >She makes a good point.
  1382. “Where should we start?”
  1383. >You ask.
  1384. >”That's the thing, I have no idea.” She admits to knowing as much as you do on the subject. “I would assume we could just look up other promotions or even schools online and go from there?”
  1385. >That's why she was your agent.
  1386. >You and Raven meet up and begin to surf online for all the other promotions and schools around.
  1387. >And there were many.
  1388. >All Womens Wrestling, or AWW.
  1389. >They seemed mildly interested and wanted you to send a video of yourself of who you are and why you wanted to be a wrestler.
  1390. >You did just that and you were denied.
  1391. >The reason being they weren't looking for former idols.
  1392. >Which you found to be bullshit but you didn't let it get to you and moved on.
  1393. >Elite Womens Wrestling or EWW.
  1394. >Supposedly they weren't looking for new talent at the moment.
  1395. >Some schools even openly admitted they were hesitant on taking you in as they were warned if they did it would jeopardize their working relationship with Triple W.
  1396. >Which was a lucrative deal for them and had to pass to protect their bottom dollar.
  1397. >You couldn't believe it.
  1398. >It seemed like he successfully blackballed you.
  1399. >Now, there may be enough evidence for a lawsuit somewhere in here.
  1400. >But the threat of them just stalling it out in court was a can of worms you weren't sure you wanted to resort to just yet.
  1401. >Then finally, at long last, there was a glimmer of hope.
  1402. >A school just outside of Whinnyapolis named the 'Shooters Nest' was about to hold a six week wrestling camp coming up soon and had space for one more participant.
  1403. >Odd name.
  1404. >But it was a start!
  1405. >You figure if you impress them enough then it could lead to other doors being opened.
  1406. >You pack everything that you need for the entirety of the six week camp.
  1407. >Several changes of clothes.
  1408. >Grooming utensils.
  1409. >It also said to bring your own pillow and bedsheets.
  1410. >Which seems a bit odd that they wouldn't provide that but it's no matter.
  1411. >You also had to print and sign a release form to relieve them of any liability in case of injury and other legal mumbo jumbo.
  1412. >Raven books your flight to Whinnyapolis.
  1413. >On the day of the flight, she drives you to the airport to see you off.
  1414. >She stops on the curbside so you can unload your large rolling suitcase.
  1415. >”Good luck out there.” She tells you while taping you on the shoulder. “Remember why you are doing this.”
  1416. >You give her a quick hug and thank her.
  1417. “Thank you Raven, We'll keep in touch.”
  1418. >She nods and gets back into her car and drives off.
  1419. >You wait until she is out of sight before you turn to the entrance to the airport.
  1420. >Well, you've willed yourself to this point.
  1421. >May as well go all the way.
  1422. >You grab your rolling suitcase and enter the airport and go through all the checkpoints.
  1423. >And you enter the plane.
  1424.  
  1425. >The plane ride was a little over three hours.
  1426. >You finally land in Whinnyapolis, grab your suitcase at baggage claim and you exit the airport.
  1427. >You have already arranged for a ride share car to pick you up and to drive you to the facility that was another two hours outside of the city.
  1428. >The training would begin tomorrow but you were expected to show up the day before to get acclimated to your new living space.
  1429. >The driver who picked you up was a nice looking woman wearing one of those fuzzy winter caps and a matching colored thick jacket.
  1430. >She is mostly silent for the entire drive.
  1431. >The scenery begins to change from a more urban city landscape to a more rural one.
  1432. >There is lots of farmland and small patches of buildings running along the highway.
  1433. >You are getting closer to your destination and there are still a minimal amounts of any sort of city around.
  1434. >”What brings ya all the way out here?”
  1435. >The driver speaks up.
  1436. >You continue to look at your surroundings.
  1437. “A job opportunity.”
  1438. >The driver hums and she also begins to look around.
  1439. >”All the way out here? Is it for some farming company?”
  1440. >She continues to probe.
  1441. >You slightly chuckle and shake your head.
  1442. “I certainly hope not.”
  1443. >Now starting to hope you made the right decision.
  1444. >After some more time, the facility is just around the corner.
  1445. >It looked like it was nestled down this long narrow drive way.
  1446. >On one side there was a corn filed and on the other was a line of trees so it was covered well.
  1447. >You think you can see the top of the facility in the distance as you approach it.
  1448. >Then the building comes to view.
  1449. >It looked like a rundown warehouse with a faded white coat of paint.
  1450. >A single vending machine resting next to the opening which was a large sliding garage door that was risen from the ground by a few steps that made you look over the corn fields.
  1451. >What was most welcoming to you though, was that there were already several girls just standing around the entrance way.
  1452. >Many of them with their bags or luggage that they brought along.
  1453. “This looks like the place.”
  1454. >You tell your driver as she comes to a full stop and then turns back to you.
  1455. >”Okay then, I must say if there is any trouble, please don't hesitate to call the authorities, this place looks too shady.”
  1456. >You smile and nod at her suggestion.
  1457. “Thank you for your concern.”
  1458. >You then exit the car and she pops the trunk open so you can grab your bag from it.
  1459. >She gives you one last wave and she then turns around and drives back up the long driveway and out of your sight.
  1460. >You then take a deep breath and finally turn to the building.
  1461. >There are several women lounging about near the entrance with bags so you make your way up the few steps that lead to the opening to the building.
  1462. >You reach the front entrance at it was crowded with other girls.
  1463. >Many of the other women were looking at what was going on inside the building.
  1464. >You turn to see a single ring in the middle of the large open space and there were two girls wrestling in it but you don't pay too much attention to them and you go up to one of the girls nearest to you.
  1465. “Excuse me, is this where the wrestling training camp is?”
  1466. >You walk ask one of the other girls who was standing there with her suitcase on the floor next to her.
  1467. >She looks over to you and sizes you up for a moment, which you thought was weird.
  1468. >”Yeah, this is the place.” She answers you. “You one of the trainees coming in to tryout?”
  1469. >You nod nervously.
  1470. >This woman was about maybe an inch taller than you.
  1471. >She had light pale peach skin with streaks of dark and arctic blue and cerulean hair which was short and slicked back.
  1472. >She wore a simple navy blue polo shirt with a pair of violet purple pants.
  1473. “Y-yes I am.”
  1474. >You tell her and then she turns herself to face you and she reaches her hand out.
  1475. >”Name's Indigo Zap. Another one of the trainees, Nice to meet you.”
  1476. >She dons a smile and you are put to ease just a bit and you take her hand.
  1477. “Nice to meet you, I'm Sunset Shimmer.”
  1478. >You introduce yourself with a smile of your own.
  1479. >Indigo's eyes then shoot up.
  1480. >”Wait, are you THE-”
  1481. >You shush her before she finishes her sentence.
  1482. >”Sorry, are you the same Sunset Shimmer from the Equestria Girls?”
  1483. >She asks in a much more hushed tone.
  1484. >Your smile drops a bit but you nod.
  1485. “Yeah, I am.”
  1486. >”Ha, I knew it!”
  1487. >She responds once again in a hushed but still loud tone and looks at the other girls before continuing.
  1488. >”What are you doing here? I figured someone like you would have just jumped immediately to Triple W like Rainbow Dash.”
  1489. >She knows about Dash too.
  1490. >Your smile fades as an image of Shale flashes through your mind and you furrow your brow instead.
  1491. “No, I would rather keep my dignity.”
  1492. >You say with a bit of bitterness in your voice but Indigo Zap starts to laugh.
  1493. >”Ha ha! What makes you say that?”
  1494. >She inquires.
  1495. “It's just not as cracked up as it seems to be. I'll just say it like that.”
  1496. >You don't want to get into the details, obviously and it looks like Indigo takes your answer at face value.
  1497. >”Alright, alright, I get that.”
  1498. >She nods and looks back to the girls wrestling in the ring.
  1499. “What about you?”
  1500. >You ask her.
  1501. >”What about me?” She responds.
  1502. “Have you tried to sign up with Triple W?”
  1503. >She then shakes her head.
  1504. >”I tried, several times, but I couldn't even secure a tryout.”
  1505. >You want to say that's unfortunate, but it may have been for the better for her.
  1506. >She then continues.
  1507. >”I've never gotten past the screen test with them. It's like they care more for looks than actual athleticism or skills.”
  1508. >She's not wrong.
  1509. >All the gals you remember at the tryout when you watched were all beautiful girls.
  1510. “Trust me, you dodged a bullet.”
  1511. >You nonchalantly tell her.
  1512. >She looks at you curiously, but doesn't say much more.
  1513. “So, what's going on in the ring?”
  1514. >You ask.
  1515. >”Those are current students sparring.” She answers. “We are waiting for all the new trainees to arrive and they will start introductions and assign living quarters.”
  1516. >She also adds.
  1517. >You look at the area around you and see a total of nine girls.
  1518. “I assume we are waiting for a few more?”
  1519. >You ask Indigo Zap without looking at her and she grunts and nods her head.
  1520. >”Yeah.” She scouts around the area. “There was a total of fourteen spots for this camp and I count nine. Including us. So about five more.”
  1521. >As she says that, two more hopefuls show up
  1522. >They look about the same age and really they almost look like twins with little differences.
  1523. >One had orange skin with a lighter shade for their hair that was done up in a pony tail.
  1524. >The other girl with her looked liked her but her color was of a light blue with a white blueish color to her hair.
  1525. >The orange one introduces herself as Shimmy Shake and the blue one is Lighthand.
  1526. >You nod, introduce yourself and continue to watch the action in the ring.
  1527. >If you could call it that.
  1528. >Most of the wrestling in the ring was all ground work.
  1529. >The two girls were struggling with each other while rolling around in the ring.
  1530. >Where were the top rope moves?
  1531. >The flips?
  1532. >You were almost getting bored of this when you hear a car approach the building.
  1533. >Both you and Indigo Zap turn to see a small old beige hatchback car pull up to the building.
  1534. >Out from the passenger side comes this small looking girl.
  1535. >She had a light green skin and messy unkempt hair with a darker shade of green for her hair color.
  1536. >Her clothes consisted on this baggy two shade brown striped sweater and a pair of faded baggy jeans.
  1537. >The drivers side door opens up and an older looking woman steps out and goes for the back of the car to open the trunk.
  1538. >The girl looks over to you and meekly waves to you.
  1539. >”Is this where the wrestling tryouts are taking place?”
  1540. >The young girl calls to you.
  1541. >You look back at the two girls who were in the ring now finishing what they were doing and bow to each other.
  1542. >You then look back to the young girl and smile, nod and give her a thumbs up.
  1543. >She then nods and quickly moves to the back of the car with the older woman.
  1544. >The older lady had bright yellow skin with faded green hair that was done up in an old style victory rolls from like the 50's
  1545. >She also had on a flower pattern sundress and a pair of granny style eye glasses.
  1546. >The older lady starts to help the younger one pull out a large suitcase.
  1547. >She seems to be having a hard time moving the suitcase and the older woman helps her for a moment.
  1548. >”Another hopeful, I see.”
  1549. >You hear Indigo Zap comment right behind you, also noticing the new face.
  1550. >The older woman then gives the younger one a long hug before she then gets in the car and drives off.
  1551. >The younger girl begins to drag her suitcase up to where you were all standing.
  1552. >”She won't last a day.”
  1553. >Indigo Zap comments low enough that only you heard and you had to suppress a laugh.
  1554. >The girl sets her suitcase down next to you and sighs a breath of relief and smiles to you and Indigo Zap.
  1555. >”I'm Wallflower Blush.”
  1556. >She holds her hand out and introduces herself to you and Indigo Zap.
  1557. >You take her hand and put on smile.
  1558. “I'm Sunset Shimmer.”
  1559. >You introduce yourself and sidestep so Indigo can introduce herself.
  1560. >”I'm Indigo Zap.”
  1561. >She does and shakes Wallflower's hand.
  1562. >Wallflower bows to you two.
  1563. >”I'm so excited to finally be able to tryout for this school!”
  1564. >She comments excitedly.
  1565. >”Yeah, I bet.”
  1566. >Indigo Zap says in a bit of a snarky tone.
  1567. >But it seems like Wallflower thankfully doesn't pick up on it.
  1568. >”You do look a little too young to be trying out. How old are you?”
  1569. >She now questions.
  1570. >”Oh, I'm 17. I just graduated High School and I have the release from signed by my mother to try out.”
  1571. >Indigo Zap tries her hardest to hold laughter back as she just nods and looks away.
  1572. >”Is she okay?”
  1573. >Wallflower asks you about Indigo Zap and you quickly have to cover for her.
  1574. “O-oh yeah, she'll be fine.”
  1575. >You lie, trying to not cause drama so early into the tryouts.
  1576. >She seems to buy it and then moves along into the building to meet the other hopefuls.
  1577. >The last two trainees finally arrive and everyone is now present.
  1578. >Everyone is just kind of standing around for some time before someone now comes around asking for the release forms you were supposed to sign.
  1579. >You hand your form over to the girl and she moves on to collect it from everyone.
  1580. >Finally, you see someone climb into the ring.
  1581. >She was holding a metal folding chair that she opens up and places in the middle of the ring.
  1582. >”Okay ladies! Gather 'round!”
  1583. >Her voice had this unpleasant gravelly sound to it like somethings caught in her throat.
  1584. >Everyone starts to gather around the ring and huddle closer to each other.
  1585. >You follow the other girls to gather closer to the ring and once inside you notice to the left of you were a row of lockers stacked on top of each other.
  1586. >To the right past all the other women there was a small kitchen setup as well as many folding chairs stacked across the wall.
  1587. >Everything in the large space just screamed old and rickety as the walls all have peeling paint on them.
  1588. >You then get as close as you can to the ring with the rest of the recruits.
  1589. >The woman in the ring just stares down everyone.
  1590. >She then stares you down a little longer than all the others with her bright green eyes.
  1591. >Hopefully that's not a bad omen.
  1592. >Because you have to admit that she has a very intimidating look to her.
  1593. >Her blueish gray skin was rough and wrinkled for someone who didn't really look that old.
  1594. >She also had short gray hair that barely went down past her ears.
  1595. >Which her ears were deformed and puffy.
  1596. >She was wearing tight black spandex with a light gray crop top t shirt.
  1597. >”The name's Limestone Pie. I'm the assistant trainer here at the Shooters Nest.”
  1598. >She then leans on the top rope of the ring and looks at everyone again.
  1599. >”And I just want to be the first to welcome you all to Hell.”
  1600. >She finishes with a sadistic smile that didn't look too welcoming.
  1601. >”Oh, don't scare off the trainees, Limestone.”
  1602. >You hear an even more unpleasant voice call out from behind Limestone.
  1603. >Behind Limestone getting into the ring was an elderly woman.
  1604. >You can't pinpoint exactly how old she is but she looks... really fragile.
  1605. >Her skin was a faded pale light amber skin and her short hair lost all coloration as it was just a snowy white.
  1606. >You couldn't tell the color of her eyes because they looked to be almost shut and she wore a pair of thick round spectacles.
  1607. >She wore a simple light gray sweater and a pair of navy blue sweatpants.
  1608. >She was walking slowly with the aid of a cane until she got to the chair that was placed in the middle of the ring and sat down.
  1609. >Then there were four other girls who came into the ring and all stood behind the elderly woman.
  1610. >Much like Limestone, the elderly woman looked at each and every one of you.
  1611. >At least she didn't pay much attention to you.
  1612. >”They'll be scared off by the training in no time.”
  1613. >She comments back to Limestone with a sweet smile you would see from a loving grandparent.
  1614. >But that comment didn't sound too loving.
  1615. >”Good evening ladies and welcome to our humble wrestling tryouts.”
  1616. >She announces to everyone and there was a round of applause.
  1617. >”I see you have already met Limestone Pie.”
  1618. >She pointed her cane over to her.
  1619. >”She's my current longest tenured student and aids in much of the training.”
  1620. >She then motions to the group of girls behind her with her head.
  1621. >”These girls behind me are my current crop of students who will also be aiding in breaking in some of you new recruits should you make it past the training camp.”
  1622. >All the the girls nod but do nothing more.
  1623. >”Finally, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Morning Star, and I have been involved with wrestling for over seventy years!”
  1624. >Seventy years!?
  1625. >”I started when I was just eleven years old. I was the only girl wrestling my way through the old Snake Pit club back in Whinnygan, and as I am sure you could guess, it was not a pleasant experience.”
  1626. >She had a bit of bitterness in her voice.
  1627. >”I had my first match in the pro wrestling business around 1952 when I was about seventeen and since then, I have pretty much seen it all and have done it all.” She starts to sound nostalgic. “I've traveled the world, won some championships, started promotions, trained world champions and made a lot of money.”
  1628. >There was a collective murmur amongst the girls.
  1629. >”I started this school around thirty or so years ago because I wanted to continue to pass down my knowledge to a newer generation of aspiring professional wrestlers.”
  1630. >She once again looks at all of you.
  1631. >”I will not lie to you. My training methods will be harsh. Some nowadays may even call it unethical. Cruel, even.” She pauses for a moment and then continues. “You are either tough, or you are not, and my training will sort out who is and who isn't tough. It always does.”
  1632. >She chuckles for a moment and lightly taps her cane on the mat of the ring.
  1633. >”You will be pushed past your limits both physically and mentally, and once we're past that you be expected to keep going, but if you manage to survive, then on the other side you will be proud competent Professional wrestlers and NOT 'sports entertainers' as what they're trying to call themselves nowadays.”
  1634. >Then her face gets more stern.
  1635. >”So if you want to learn to prance around and perform like a circus act like the Floozies over at World of Women's Wrestling do, not knowing the difference between a wrist lock and a wrist watch, then get the hell out of my sight and my gym.”
  1636. >There was a long and awkward pause after that comment.
  1637. >Everyone seems to look around at each other and nobody seems to want to move.
  1638. >You almost thought you should leave because that was kind of what you were expecting.
  1639. >Granted, you weren't sure what to expect, but this is sounding more and more like a bad idea by the second.
  1640. >After about a minute of silence, you notice Morning Star put back on her sweet smile again.
  1641. >”Well, congratulations! You've all passed the first test.”
  1642. >Limestone and the other students in the back start to clap which in turn some of the other recruits clap in confusion as well.
  1643. >”Training will begin tomorrow morning. But before we get to the nitty gritty. I like to try and get everyone of you newbies to come up and introduce yourself to everyone. Name, age, occupation if you had one, any sport you did prior to this, goals for this camp.”
  1644. >Limestone then first points to Indigo Zap and calls for her to enter the ring.
  1645. >She does so and is facing Morning Star.
  1646. >”Name?”
  1647. >Morning Star asks.
  1648. >”My name is indigo Zap and I'm nineteen years old.”
  1649. >Morning Star nods.
  1650. >”Have you done any physical activities beforehand?”
  1651. >She now asks and Indigo nods.
  1652. >”I was the star track and field athlete back at Crystal Prep Academy! Even won state twice!”
  1653. >Morning Star nods again.
  1654. >”I assume since you are nineteen that you didn't have an occupation before this?” She asks and Indigo shakes her head. “Then what are your goals for this camp?”
  1655. >Indigo puffs her chest out.
  1656. >”To learn how to wrestle from a legend! And to show those clowns over at Triple W that they missed out on a dangerous asset!”
  1657. >Damn, you were going to use that line in your introduction.
  1658. >Now you'll have to think of something else to try and stand out.
  1659. >”Next!”
  1660. >Limestone yells out to another girl.
  1661. >And this is how it goes for the rest of the evening.
  1662. >All of the trainees go in one by one and introduces themselves to the trainers and to the rest of you.
  1663. >Some of them seem to be athletes like Indigo Zap.
  1664. >Many of them were former idols like you and even comment how it didn't look too hard to learn.
  1665. >You took special notice that Limestone and Morning Star had extra big smiles at those who said it would be an easy transition
  1666. >Now it was your turn to step up and introduce yourself.
  1667. >You begin to climb up into the ring and the first thing you notice is that the ropes are large metallic cables instead of the ropes you felt over at the Triple W event.
  1668. >Even the canvas you were standing on felt more solid than the Triple W one.
  1669. >You finally step up to Morning Star.
  1670. >”Name?”
  1671. >She asks like she did for everyone else.
  1672. “My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I am eighteen years old.”
  1673. >Morning Star raises her eyebrows and nods.
  1674. >”My, we've got a lot of young lionesses this time around, don't we?”
  1675. >She comments to Limestone who just nods.
  1676. >”And what were you doing before this?”
  1677. “I. I was a former pop star idol. With the Equestria Girls.”
  1678. >Now, up until now there were a few other girls here who were also former idols like yourself.
  1679. >But after you dropped your name and group, now some of the other girls started to gossip.
  1680. >Morning Star didn't miss a beat though.
  1681. >”Huh, I've actually heard of that group.”
  1682. >That's surprising that someone like her has heard of your group.
  1683. >But, maybe it was not too surprising since your group was the top act for a few years.
  1684. “W-well, thank you. That means a lo-”
  1685. >You were immediately cut off by Morning Star.
  1686. >”Don't get ahead of yourself! Your kind of music is brainless trash!”
  1687. >You were taken back a bit at her outburst.
  1688. >”I only heard of it because one of your little friends from that same group just debuted recently.”
  1689. >That makes more sense now.
  1690. >Morning Star now furrows her brow now and leans in on her cane.
  1691. >”Curious that you are here and not with the blue one.” she says in a low tone. “Why aren't you with them and learning to throw yourself onto others? They seem like a more fitting promotion for someone of your... 'status'.”
  1692. >You tilt your head in confusion.
  1693. “What status?”
  1694. >You ask, not sure if you want to hear her answer.
  1695. >”Former spoiled floozies who had everything handed to them and pampered every step of the way. You already have a connection to them with your friend, why not just use it to take another shortcut? Why come here just to get your ass kicked and stretched for six weeks?”
  1696. >She doesn't know that you and Dash aren't friends anymore.
  1697. >And she definitely doesn't know about Shale and his advances and threats.
  1698. >You almost want to blow up on her.
  1699. >But that may be a bad idea.
  1700. >In the meantime you didn't realize you were glaring at her and clenching your fists until it was pointed out to you.
  1701. >”Looks like I may have hit a bit close to home.”
  1702. >She says in a more amused tone and you immediately change your demeanor.
  1703. “No, I was just not what they were looking for.”
  1704. >Is all you answer back and Morning Star eyes you suspcicously.
  1705. >”Is that so? All they do is recruit for looks. If they wouldn't take you in, I have little hope you'll last a day here.”
  1706. >She tells you and then shrugs.
  1707. >”...But, I have been wrong before.” She adds and then asks. “So what's your goal for this camp?”
  1708. “At this point I just want to prove that I can survive.”
  1709. >You step forward and hold your hand up in a fist.
  1710. >She doesn't seem phased or impressed at your advance or your words.
  1711. “...And maybe make a little money?”
  1712. >You add at the end low enough that she heard.
  1713. >She then cracked a big smile.
  1714. >And began laughing.
  1715. >”That's probably the most honest answer you gave me.” She comments and then nods. “And quite frankly, it's the best answer. Getting into Pro Wrestling is all about making money.”
  1716. >She now happily waves you off and you exit the ring.
  1717. >Feeling like a huge weight was lifted off your shoulders.
  1718. >As you did so, you take one last look over to Limestone.
  1719. >And now she is shooting you the meanest look you've ever seen in your life.
  1720. >You wonder if it was something you said?
  1721. >Morning Star speaks up again.
  1722. >”Since it was now brought up, let me give you gals the first lesson and word of advice from a seventy year veteran; Pro Wrestling is a way to make money!”
  1723. >She once again slams her cane on the mat.
  1724. >”Whether it's a contest or a performance. If the money was in the right spot, that's where the match would go.”
  1725. >She pauses to look around at everyone with a stern face and continues.
  1726. >“And some people, myself included, lost matches that we could have beaten the other person in 30 seconds, but if the money was there, we would do that.”
  1727. >She loses her stern face and now smiles.
  1728. >”Then get on the next train and get out of town!”
  1729. >She then laughs and you and a few others laugh at that as well as that felt like tensions loosened up.
  1730. >Everything was so up tight until then.
  1731. >Limestone then calls for the next girl to come in.
  1732. >Now it was Wallflower Blush's turn to introduce herself.
  1733. >”Name?”
  1734. >Morning Star asks.
  1735. >”My name is Wallflower Blush, and I am seventeen years old.”
  1736. >Morning Star raises her eyebrows and tilts her head down.
  1737. >”Now, I'm not one to talk as I was very young when I started wrestling training but times have changed greatly since then. Are you allowed to even be here?”
  1738. >Wallflower nods.
  1739. >”I had my mother sign my release form. It took some convincing, though.”
  1740. >She says, a little embarrassed of herself about it.
  1741. >Morning Star looks over to Limestone who just nods.
  1742. >Presumably meaning that they have the form and are good to go.
  1743. >Morning star then moves on.
  1744. >”Well then, if that's settled, what are you doing here?”
  1745. >Wallflower nods.
  1746. >”I've been a huge pro wrestling fan since I was a little kid. I used to watch it a lot and I've even watched some of your early footage and even some of your Neighpponese tapes as well!”
  1747. >Morning Star continues to stare and sizes up Wallflower.
  1748. >”Have you done any physical activities at all in your life?”
  1749. >She asks.
  1750. >You think it's a fair question as Wallflower looks pretty frail and a stiff breeze could push her over to the ground.
  1751. >Wallflower nods.
  1752. >”I did some practices before and I've worked a lot on cardio before these tryouts.”
  1753. >Morning Star doesn't really react much.
  1754. >”Gonna need a lot more than that to get through this.” She tells the young girl. “But what do you plan on getting out of this?”
  1755. >Wallflower bows.
  1756. >”I hope to make it through this and become a great wrestler! I want to wrestle in Neighppon and to travel and see the world!”
  1757. >She says with enthusiasm but then lowers her head.
  1758. >”And if I fail, at least I went for it and I won't have any regrets..”
  1759. >She bows again and Morning Star shrugs her shoulders and waves for her to exit the ring.
  1760. >After that there were no more other recruits to introduce so Morning Star stands up from her seat.
  1761. >”Well, now that everyone has gotten to know a little bit about each other, Limestone here is going to show you where you will all be boarding for the six weeks you train, and while she does that, some of the students behind me will prepare a dinner tonight as a large group before the fun starts tomorrow.”
  1762. >She moves to exit the back of the ring and Limestone then steps forward.
  1763. >”Okay, everyone follow me!”
  1764. >She announces and exits the ring to the right side and begins to move to the back of the large room.
  1765. >You all follow her past the ring and you start to notice a lot of kettle balls and exercise bikes along the side of the room.
  1766. >On another end of the room were various sets of weights and odd looking clubs and maces at different sizes.
  1767. >There really doesn't seem to be much in the way of actual training equipment so you begin to wonder what these next six weeks will be like.
  1768. >You are all led to this hallway with wooden bunk beds that were lined along each side of the hall.
  1769. >There were three sets on each side of the hall and one set on the back wall.
  1770. >”Are you kidding me?”
  1771. >One of the random recruits asked out loud and Limestone just smiles.
  1772. >”What, you were expecting some fancy five star hotel or something?”
  1773. >Limestone answers back.
  1774. >”Not how we do things here. These beds are going to be your only personal space throughout the entire camp.”
  1775. >Your eyes go wide.
  1776. >Just a single bunk bed?
  1777. >That's ridiculous!
  1778. >And thankfully you don't seem to be the only one who thinks that.
  1779. >There were protests from many of the other recruits.
  1780. >”What about privacy?”
  1781. >Someone asks.
  1782. >”If you care that much about it, some recruits before were clever and tapped sheets over their bunks.”
  1783. >Limestone shrugs, clearly not caring about any of the other girls protests.
  1784. >Some other girls were still not happy and and voiced their concerns.
  1785. >”You're not here to be comfortable, you're here to learn to wrestle!”
  1786. >Limestone shouts like some deranged drill instructor.
  1787. >”If you have a problem with that, the door is over there because this will be the LEAST of your worries!”
  1788. >There was a collective silence from everyone around you.
  1789. >Limestone stares down and mean mugs all of you again.
  1790. >”Which there is no assigned bedding so you better claim yours right now!”
  1791. >She says with a small smile and now the recruits scatter and shove each other to try and claim a bed.
  1792. >You quickly just toss yourself onto a lower bunk nearest to you.
  1793. >You also have a feeling it's gonna be better in the long run to claim a bottom bunk.
  1794. >”What about our suitcases?”
  1795. >One of the other recruits asks and Limestone motions her head behind her.
  1796. >”There are sets of lockers in the front of the building for all the trainees to keep their bags and anything valuable locked up there.”
  1797. >Limestone then turns to leave you all to yourselves.
  1798. >”Settle it all out amongst yourselves and dinner will be ready soon.”
  1799. >She announces and leaves you all.
  1800. >Now that you have claimed your bed, you now see why you were told to bring your own sheets and pillow.
  1801. >The mattress felt pretty flat and didn't have much cushion to it and it did look faded.
  1802. >You just hope that was the only issue with it.
  1803. >You grab for your suitcase and pull out your sheets and pillow and dress your mattress to claim your spot.
  1804. >Once done, you rummage through your bag to see if there was anything else you wanted to keep out before stuffing your things in one of the lockers.
  1805. >You opt to keep your handheld game system with you as it's really the only form of entertainment you brought with you.
  1806. >You also decide to take out your pajamas for later.
  1807. >Once you have that situated, you wait for the rest to set up their beds.
  1808. >You notice some of the girls do in fact tape and cover their openings wit ha spare sheet for extra privacy.
  1809. >Once some of the other girls start to take their luggage to the front of the building you finally get out of your spot and follow the rest to do the same.
  1810. >The lockers at the front of the building were actually really nice looking.
  1811. >Like they were a new addition to the building as they had a dark metallic gray sheen to them.
  1812. >They all had a key sticking out from the top right corner so you turn the key and the door opens.
  1813. >You then stuff your suitcase in and close and lock it back up.
  1814. >Now that your belongings are as secured as they're going to be, you turn around and get a better look at the building.
  1815. >You start to walk around the ring.
  1816. >Some of the walls were littered with old photos of women wrestlers.
  1817. >Some in black and white and some were old blurry color photos.
  1818. >There were also several newspaper clippings about past matches.
  1819. >You honestly don't know any of these ladies on the wall so nothing really jumped out to you.
  1820. >On the back wall there was a staircase in the back left corner and a door right next to it.
  1821. >To the right of the door was a large display case that was filled with various trophies, gold medals and even championship belts.
  1822. >Many of the trophies and medals were for amateur competitions and they all had different names on each of the trophies.
  1823. >After the display case, there was another door and to the right to that door was a bookcase filled with all kinds of books.
  1824. >Finally, next to the bookcase was the hall that had all the bunk beds lines up where you will be sleeping.
  1825. >The rest of the building seemed like just one big hall with the ring taking up most of the space.
  1826. >On the opposite side of where you were was where the kitchen was.
  1827. >It was a small corner with a sink and a few stoves.
  1828. >One of the stoves had a large pot on it.
  1829. >Several of the students you saw in the ring earlier were busy making something for dinner.
  1830. >A few others, including Limestone were bringing in several folding chairs and folding tables and setting them up in an empty space between the kitchen and ring.
  1831. >After a few minutes of setting up, some of the other students began stacking bowls on one of the tables and then Limestone brings a large pot and sets it on the table with a ladle in her hand.
  1832. >”Dinners ready!”
  1833. >She calls out to everyone and she and some of the other students start to scoop whatever was in the pot into bowls and hand them out to the other recruits.
  1834. >Some of the girls you see have this disgusted look on their face while some had confused looks.
  1835. >You finally reach the table and one of the students hands you a bowl with a spoon.
  1836. >You take the spoon and stir the bowl of 'soup' that you had in your hand.
  1837. >There were some chopped veggies including carrots, sliced cabbage, mushrooms some greens, meatballs.
  1838. “Is this some sort of soup?”
  1839. >You ask one of the other girls.
  1840. >”You can look at it like that.” Wallflower is the one to answer you. “It's called Chanko Nabe. Or Chanko stew. It's a Neighpponese dish that sumo wrestlers eat for dinner to refuel after long practices.”
  1841. >You bring the bowl up to your face and get a whiff of the stew.
  1842. >It doesn't smell bad at least.
  1843. >You get a spoonful and try a bit of the broth and some veggies.
  1844. >It was mushy and a bit slimy.
  1845. >You didn't like the texture but at least it wasn't the worst thing you've ever eaten.
  1846. >”This is pretty much going to be dinner most of the nights so get used to it ladies!”
  1847. >Limestone yells out to everyone.
  1848. >There were some protests.
  1849. >”Isn't this a bit unhealthy to be eating?”
  1850. >Someone asks.
  1851. >”In large doses sure,”
  1852. >You hear from Morning Star who is now with the rest of you and is sitting in one of the chairs.
  1853. >A bowl of stew in her own hand.
  1854. >”There are enough fresh veggies and and natural fats in the stew that it's more healthy than you think, and besides, we aren't eating it for every meal!”
  1855. >Morning Star adds.
  1856. >”It's more for to recharge your body after the long hard workouts. Almost all the ingredients are from the local farms surrounding the school.”
  1857. >”What about the rest of the day?”
  1858. >Someone then asks.
  1859. >A good question.
  1860. >Limestone is the one who speaks up now.
  1861. >”Mostly oatmeal, or eggs, we've even got some ingredients for a protein shake if that's your thing.”
  1862. >That seems to have satisfied the girls as now everyone eats in silence.
  1863. >”So, what happens after the six week camp?”
  1864. >Someone now asks.
  1865. >”Whoever is left and makes it past camp is offered a full apprenticeship. In which you will be offered to live with us in the school's living quarters upstairs and continue to learn to wrestle properly.”
  1866. >Morning Star answers.
  1867. >“At that point there is a hierarchy amongst students. The lower you are on the totem poll, the more responsibilities you will have.”
  1868. >Limestone chimes in again.
  1869. >That sounds kind of dumb.
  1870. >”Stuff like, sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, doing laundry for the seniors, cooking the food for everyone.” She hold up the bowl of stew as she says this. “It's all about instilling discipline and earning respect.”
  1871. >You're really not looking forward to having to handle someone elses dirty laundry.
  1872. >”How long until we can have our first match?”
  1873. >Indigo Zap now asks.
  1874. >Morning Star speaks again.
  1875. >”It's different for everyone. It all depends on how quick you take to it and when I feel you are ready.”
  1876. >She pauses to take a spoonful of the stew.
  1877. >”Some get a clue six months in, some in two years, hell, there have been a few who wash out and never have a match.”
  1878. >That sounds brutal, to go through all this and not even get anything out of it?
  1879. >You finish your bowl and are instructed to just leave it in the sink and one of the students will take care of it.
  1880. >Hopefully if you make it and become a student that will be your duty.
  1881. >After dinner you are all free to lounge around.
  1882. >”Training starts tomorrow at 7:30AM, Be sure to be up and ready before then.”
  1883. >Morning Star says before retreating upstairs.
  1884. >Leaving Limestone with the rest of you.
  1885. >She starts to fold up chairs and move them to the wall.
  1886. >You and some of the other recruits help her out and fold up the tables as well.
  1887. >After all the chairs and tables are put back you see some of the students start to wash the dishes.
  1888. >”Alright, feel free to do what you want for the rest of the night but be ready for tomorrow!”
  1889. >Limestone announces.
  1890. >”We have a shelf full of books over on the back wall for your leisure or you can get to know each other a little more before lights out. Up to you!”
  1891. >She starts to make her way to the stairway before she turns back to you all one more time.
  1892. >”Sleep tight!”
  1893. >She yells and disappears upstairs.
  1894. >You and the rest of the girls are just there.
  1895. >Not sure what to do.
  1896. >Some of the girls head over to the book case to see what they have.
  1897. >You figure you'll just retreat to your bunk and just play some games until lights out.
  1898. >You nestle yourself into your bunk and was about to power on your mini console when someone tries to start a conversation with you.
  1899. >”So what was it like? Being in Equestria Girls, I mean.”
  1900. >One of the girls in the bottom bunk across from you asks.
  1901. >She was one of the girls who was also a former pop star like yourself.
  1902. >She had wavy yellow colored hair with a lighter shade for skin.
  1903. >If you remember correctly, her name was Honeydew Cross.
  1904. >You sit up in your bunk and face her and cross your legs.
  1905. “It was pretty fun.”
  1906. >You answer as you start to remember the good times.
  1907. “We got to travel the world, experience a lot of different cultures. I've met a lot of amazing people. Made a lot of money.”
  1908. >Kind of like what you hope to get out of this.
  1909. >You pause and remember the girls.
  1910. “I also enjoyed being around all the other girls as well.”
  1911. >Honeydew has this look of wonder on her face.
  1912. >”I wish my group blew up so I could have done all that!” She answers. “My group couldn't get a single hit.”
  1913. >You put on a smile.
  1914. “It's really hard to hit it big.” You say. “I feel we were just lucky.”
  1915. >Honeydew hums and sits back in her bed.
  1916. >”You all looked like you were having a blast together.” She says. “Our group couldn't stand each other.”
  1917. >Manufactured groups can be difficult.
  1918. >You don't know any of the other girls and you can either gel together or not.
  1919. “It certainly helped that we all enjoyed each others company.”
  1920. >You say about your group.
  1921. >”So then what happened?”
  1922. >Another girls speaks up out of nowhere.
  1923. >You see another one of the former idol girls get on the bed above Honeydew Cross.
  1924. >Blueish white skin with purple colored hair.
  1925. >Cobalt Sky was her name.
  1926. >”You guys ruled the pop world and it all just kind of ended.”
  1927. >She adds.
  1928. >You hesitate for a moment.
  1929. “We... had a falling out with our agency.” You say. “We felt we weren't getting our fair share of the revenue we were generating.”
  1930. >Which was half right.
  1931. >Your percentage of the profits weren't that much.
  1932. >But you were still making a huge amount of money.
  1933. >So it wasn't all just that.
  1934. >”Really?”
  1935. >Cobalt says as if not totally convinced.
  1936. >”So then the rumors were true?”
  1937. >She asks in a hushed tone.
  1938. >“What rumors?”
  1939. >Honeydew asks, now interested.
  1940. “Yeah, what rumors?”
  1941. >You ask as well.
  1942. >Again, everything that went down was kept to yourselves and a few key people.
  1943. >But seeing as Shale knows you are not sure if it actually got out.
  1944. >”The rumor that one of you secretly had a boyfriend and got knocked up which caused your agency to blow a fuse and kill the act? Not that I would blame them of course. You guys were on a roll and then for someone to ruin it all by being dumb?”
  1945. >She shakes her head.
  1946. >And you quickly laugh yourself.
  1947. “Ha ha! No, that wasn't it.”
  1948. >Both girls now look disappointed.
  1949. >”Aww, then tell us! What happened?”
  1950. >Honeydew pleads and you vigorously shake your head.
  1951. “We all promised each other to keep it to ourselves.”
  1952. >You tell them.
  1953. >Cobalt Sky pouts and just lays down in her bed.
  1954. >”Whatever.”
  1955. >She says.
  1956. >Honeydew Cross leans forward in her bed.
  1957. >”So, what are the others doing now?”
  1958. >She asks.
  1959. “Well, I'm sure you know Rainbow Dash is with Triple W. Twilight Sparkle is having a decent solo career, Applejack returned to her family farm, Rarity, I think, went to some fashion school, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy? They just kind of retreated back into private life and don't really want to be heard from.”
  1960. >Honeydew just nods and lays down on her bed.
  1961. >”At least you got to experience all that.”
  1962. >She tells you.
  1963. “Yeah...”
  1964. >You answer back and sigh.
  1965. >Then you lay back down to bring your attention back to your handheld.
  1966. >Crisis averted for now.
  1967. >You play on your console for the rest of the evening.
  1968. >During which time you start to hear an odd thumping sound coming from the top floor.
  1969. >It was rhythmic but you couldn’t gauge what it could be.
  1970. >It went on for about an hour and then stop for a few minutes and then would continue for another hour.
  1971. >After a while it stopped altogether and it was time for lights out.
  1972. >Time to rest up for the events coming tomorrow.
  1973.  
  1974. >Morning.
  1975. >You were actually woken up by some of the other girls' alarms going off.
  1976. >You reach for your own phone to see what time it was.
  1977. >6 AM.
  1978. >You groan and turn in your bed while you hear much of the others start to get up.
  1979. >After a few more minutes of laying about, you finally make it out of bed.
  1980. >There were several of the recruits who were already dressed and set up a table near the kitchen.
  1981. >Some of the actual students were in the kitchen area and were preparing some food for breakfast.
  1982. >You slowly make your way to your locker to get your workout clothes and change.
  1983. >There really wasn't much in the way of privacy but you did learn that the two doors on the back wall behind the ring was the bathroom.
  1984. >You walk in and there were four stalls for toilets as well as four shower stalls as well.
  1985. >At the far end of the bathroom were two jacuzzi style tubs next to each other.
  1986. >You enter one stall and change into a pair of black yoga pants and a white T shirt.
  1987. >You then make your way to the kitchen area with the rest of the girls and see there was a pot of oatmeal for everyone so you help yourself.
  1988. >There was a tense silence amongst everyone.
  1989. >Not sure how today was going to go.
  1990. >You finish your bowl and drop it in the sink.
  1991. >Some of the other recruits finish their bowls and go on to get changed.
  1992. >After some time, you see Limestone come down the stairs with Morning Star.
  1993. >They both seem to be wearing the same thing as yesterday.
  1994. >”Morning ladies!”
  1995. >Limestone yells out to everyone.
  1996. >Mostly everyone greets them.
  1997. >Once 7:30 hits Limestone then claps her hands.
  1998. >”Alright! Hope you're all ready for a day of hard work!”
  1999. >Limestone yells.
  2000. >She then gets in the ring and instructs all of you to get in a line.
  2001. >”First thing is first, let's get that blood flowing and the body warm with fifty jumping jacks!”
  2002. >She claps her hands.
  2003. >”Ready? 3... 2... 1..!”
  2004. >At the count of one she begins to jump in the air.
  2005. >You all then follow.
  2006. >Fifty jumping jacks.
  2007. >You do them with ease.
  2008. >So far, so good.
  2009. >”Okay good job!”
  2010. >She yells.
  2011. >”Now it's time to introduce you to a little thing we do every morning called the 'Morning Prayer'!”
  2012. >She announces.
  2013. >”Well, it's an easier version of the 'Morning Prayer' and once you get used to it, it'll get tougher.”
  2014. >She adds.
  2015. >”First we're gonna do fifteen burpees! For those not aware, a burpee is a combination of a squat thrust and a push up!”
  2016. >She does one as an example by quickly squatting down and placing her hands on the floor then kicking her legs out to flatten herself and then drops for a push up and hops back up on her feet.
  2017. >Ho boy, looks like it was about to get serious.
  2018. >”Get it? Got it? Good! 3... 2... 1...!”
  2019. >At one, she starts doing the burpees.
  2020. >She makes sure everyone does one before doing the next one.
  2021. >Your burpee was sloppy but you got it done.
  2022. >Everyone counts out loud each burpee until all fifteen were done.
  2023. >When that was done she quickly moves on.
  2024. >”Next up is twenty five push ups! I'm sure you all know what a push up is!”
  2025. >She says with a smile and once again counts down.
  2026. >Again, you all to the push ups and count in unison until all twenty five were done.
  2027. >A little intense, but still nothing you couldn't handle.
  2028. >”Fifteen more burpees!”
  2029. >Limestone calls out.
  2030. >Crap.
  2031. >You were a little more slow in getting the burpees done, but you did them.
  2032. >”Fifty Hindu squats!”
  2033. >She now yells and demonstrates what they look like.
  2034. >You mentally prepare yourself as she counts down.
  2035. >At one, everyone does their first Hindu squat.
  2036. >And you all count to fifty.
  2037. >Already your legs are starting to burn up.
  2038. >You start to walk in place to try and loosen yourself out some more.
  2039. >”Fifteen more burpees!”
  2040. >She calls out.
  2041. >Limestone starts to count down.
  2042. >And you do fifteen more of these hellacious movements.
  2043. >You and some of the other girls fall behind the count.
  2044. >Once the other girls finish their sets of fifteen, they call start to call you and the others who fell behind out.
  2045. >”Come on! Five more!”
  2046. >Limestone yells.
  2047. >Some of the other girls clap for you to finish.
  2048. >You finally finish your set and are already dreading what is coming next.
  2049. >Limestone gets out of the ring.
  2050. >”We do these every morning like a prayer.”
  2051. >Morning Star. Finally chimes in.
  2052. >You are already starting to feel sweat begin to form on your forehead.
  2053. >”And remember, this is just the beginner set of the 'morning prayer' It'll get more intense as we go along, but for now, everyone move to the outside to the side of the building!”
  2054. >Limestone calls out.
  2055. >You all make your way outside of the building and over to the wall on the right side of the building.
  2056. >Once everyone is present Limestone instructs the next exercise.
  2057. >”Next up in the morning prayer, I want everyone to line themselves up on this wall here and do a wall sit for one minute!”
  2058. >A what?
  2059. >”Everyone have your back to the wall with your legs parallel to the ground!”
  2060. >You hear a few groans from some of the other girls and a laugh from Morning Star.
  2061. >”Feeling the burn?”
  2062. >Morning Star muses as she is now holding a stop watch.
  2063. >Everyone is now in position on the wall.
  2064. >”Okay, start in..”
  2065. >Morning Star counts down and at one, you and every other girl slides down the wall to adjust your legs so you are sitting on air.
  2066. >You are already starting to breathe heavy.
  2067. >And your legs are burning.
  2068. >You hear some of the other girls start to clap to try and get their mind off the pain so you join in as well.
  2069. >”Okay minute is up!”
  2070. >Morning Star announces.
  2071. >You and several other girls breathe a sigh of relief that it was over.
  2072. >”Fifteen second break!”
  2073. >Morning Star yells.
  2074. “Then what?”
  2075. >You ask.
  2076. >”Then you sit for another thirty seconds.”
  2077. >Again you hear some of the other girls start to groan.
  2078. >Crap, you don't know if your legs could take that much more punishment.
  2079. >She counts the fifteen seconds and then you all put your backs to the wall and sit for another fifteen seconds.
  2080. >This time it was much more painful.
  2081. >More girls are clapping this time and you even hear some other girls breathe heavy.
  2082. >You just have your eyes tightly shut, trying to focus on anything other than the pain that is going through your legs.
  2083. >”Thirty seconds up!”
  2084. >Morning Star yells.
  2085. >Oh sweet relief.
  2086. >You immediately jump up to your feet and hop a bit to try and put out the fire in your legs.
  2087. >”Fifteen second break then another forty five second wall sit!”
  2088. >Morning Star yells at everyone and you can hear a collective gasp.
  2089. >Including yourself.
  2090. >”Back on the wall!”
  2091. >Limestone barks at everyone.
  2092. >For the record, she's been doing these along with you, so you can't complain about her in an ivory tower.
  2093. >You all set yourself up for another wall sit.
  2094. >This one is even more painful than the last one.
  2095. >You begin to let out audible groans and moans to ease yourself from the pain.
  2096. >Almost everyone is clapping for every second and you even notice some girls fall flat on their asses.
  2097. >”Come on, get back up!”
  2098. >Limestone yells as she seems unfazed with the wall sits.
  2099. >At long last, Morning Star calls the end for the forty five second session.
  2100. >You can't even stand from this position and you immediately fall on your ass.
  2101. >”Get up!”
  2102. >Morning Star barks at you and a few others who did the same thing you did.
  2103. >She yells it again and you try to get up.
  2104. >You are then pulled up effortlessly by Limestone.
  2105. >”Walk it off bitch!”
  2106. >She says to your face and does the same for the others.
  2107. >”Break for some water if you must.”
  2108. >Morning Star mercifully tells you all.
  2109. >Once everyone is back on their feet and had some water, Limestone waves her hand for you all to follow her.
  2110. >She then leads you all up the long drive way that you come up to enter the building and onto the main road.
  2111. >”I don't know about you all, but I am just barely getting warmed up!”
  2112. >She yells with enthusiasm and then twirls her finger in the air.
  2113. >”The block around our school is exactly one mile long so lets have ourselves a nice three mile jog!”
  2114. >She starts to jog in place and begins to run down the road.
  2115. >You squat down and groan some more and you feel a pair of hands start to pat you on your shoulders.
  2116. >”Come on girl, don't give up yet!”
  2117. >One of the girls tries to pep talk you as she starts to jog to follow Limestone,
  2118. >You are one of the last to start jogging and have to catch up to the rest.
  2119. >This actually wouldn't be that bad seeing as how you used to jog around your city block.
  2120. >But after you have just completed some exercises and wall sits.
  2121. >Now your legs are on fire as well as your core.
  2122. >And it makes moving much more painful.
  2123. >You are able to jog around the block once and notice Morning Star standing at the drive way.
  2124. >”Two more!”
  2125. >She tells you and you continue on.
  2126. >Your pace slows drastically while some of the other girls begin to lap you.
  2127. >After what feels like forever, you finally complete your third lap around the school and farm and are told to head back up to the school.
  2128. >Once you were there and reunited with everyone you were given another break to wait for the last person to show up.
  2129. >Who just so happens to be Wallflower Blush.
  2130. >Poor girl looked like crap and was sucking in air like it was in short supply.
  2131. >Now that it seemed like everyone was done with the run, Limestone once again eagerly jogs in place.
  2132. >”Okay now follow me!”
  2133. >She runs off to the left side of the building and you call follow.
  2134. >You are lead to behind the building where you see a building about five stories tall.
  2135. >It looked more like a tower, really.
  2136. >The tower itself looked really small and was a dark gray to black color with open windows all over the building.
  2137. >You continue to follow Limestone into the building and see that the building was only a flight of stairs.
  2138. >Almost like a fire exit.
  2139. >Inside was Morning Star who was already sitting on a folding chair, resting on her cane.
  2140. >”This building used to be a firefighter training building. Every so often the building would be set on fire and would simulate a fire escape to prepare firefighters on what to do.”
  2141. >She says and taps the steps with her cane.
  2142. >”It has long served its purpose and now we use it for our training.”
  2143. >She says and then Limestone starts to clap again.
  2144. >”Okay ladies! Everyone now must run up and down all five flights of stairs five times each!”
  2145. >You hunch over and audibly grunt.
  2146. >This is brutal.
  2147. >But you do it.
  2148. >Your legs are beginning to feel like jelly after the third trip.
  2149. >But you keep on going.
  2150. >You finally finish your set of five.
  2151. >You were about to fall on the ground to get some needed rest when Morning Star calls out again.
  2152. >”Oh we're far from over. Now find yourself a partner and like the great firefighters before us, you must fireman carry your partner up all five flights of stairs! five times and then your partner carries you up five times!”
  2153. >Your eyes go wide.
  2154. >”What!?”
  2155. >One of the other recruits yells.
  2156. >”Did I stutter?”
  2157. >Morning Star responds.
  2158. >”This is insanity!”
  2159. >She yells back.
  2160. >Morning Star points her cane out the building.
  2161. >”Doors that way.”
  2162. >The girl throws her hands up in the air.
  2163. >”Screw this!”
  2164. >She then leaves.
  2165. >Morning Star just laughs.
  2166. >”One down!” She calls out with delight. “Anyone else wish to join her?”
  2167. >Nobody moves or says anything.
  2168. >”Good, now pick a partner and get to it!”
  2169. >Everyone now scrambles to find a partner.
  2170. >Before you start to look around to find someone, you feel a light tap on your shoulder.
  2171. >You turn to see Wallflower Blush.
  2172. >Hunched over much like you were.
  2173. >”C-care to be my partner?”
  2174. >She asks as best she can.
  2175. >You just smile and nod immediately.
  2176. “Yes!”
  2177. >She looks lighter than a feather so carrying her wouldn't be a nightmare.
  2178. >You stand up and mentally prepare yourself for the task.
  2179. >Limestone then shows up with a black punching bag on her shoulders.
  2180. >”Don't think I'm gonna miss the fun! I got my partner ol' Bella the Bag!”
  2181. >Goddamn she was crazy.
  2182. >You bring your attention back to your partner and then lightly kneel for Wallflower to get up on your shoulders and you start to carry her up the stairs.
  2183. >Well, she was very light.
  2184. >But with each step you climbed, it felt like she was gaining ten pounds per step.
  2185. >By the third flight your legs began to shake and you fell over to the wall.
  2186. >You could feel poor Wallflower slam into the cold concrete wall of the tower.
  2187. “Sorry!”
  2188. >You apologize as you both lay there.
  2189. >But Wallflower didn't complain.
  2190. >You would have to set yourself back down to get her back on your shoulders and climb up the rest of the way.
  2191. >Another flight and you lean on the wall yourself for a quick rest.
  2192. >Honestly, now it feels like your body is getting numb at this point.
  2193. >You once again collapse just before you finish the final flight.
  2194. >And again you lose control of Wallflower and she falls over.
  2195. >You are gasping for air but you try to suck it up one last time for the last flight of stairs.
  2196. >Finally at long last you make it to the top floor.
  2197. >The trip back down wasn't as bad.
  2198. >Once you reach the ground floor with Morning Star she waves to you.
  2199. >”Now it's the other one's turn to carry you up and down, then you go again.”
  2200. >You now come to a realization.
  2201. >Wallflower had a small frail body.
  2202. >It was a minor miracle that she's been able to last this long.
  2203. >Now she has to carry you up five flights of stairs?
  2204. >You fall to your knees and Wallflower gets off your shoulders and leans on the wall for a rest.
  2205. >She then kneels down and pats you.
  2206. >”C-come on!”
  2207. >She breathes in a hoarse tone.
  2208. >Waiting for you to climb up on her shoulders.
  2209. >Needless to say you hesitated for as long as you could.
  2210. >”Come on, get a move on!”
  2211. >Until you were shouted at by Morning Star.
  2212. >You slowly and shakily lower yourself and make yourself as comfortable as you can be on her shoulders.
  2213. >Wallflower tries to lift you.
  2214. >Even from where you were at you could feel Wallflower's legs shake.
  2215. >At last, she was able to stand up with you on her.
  2216. >And she slowly starts making her way up the stairs.
  2217. >It felt like it took her forever to get up the first flight.
  2218. >She was beginning to grunt with each step she made.
  2219. >Until she collapsed midway through the third flight sending you crashing into the metal railing.
  2220. >Your face smashing right into the metal.
  2221. >Note to self, make sure you were facing the wall next time.
  2222. >You both lay there on the stairs still trying to catch each others breaths.
  2223. “M-maybe, you should stop.”
  2224. >You whisper to Wallflower.
  2225. >Poor girl had a tough time just getting you on her shoulders.
  2226. >And this was only her first trip up the stairs.
  2227. >There was no need for her to work herself to death.
  2228. >”N-no!”
  2229. >She said as loud as she could.
  2230. >And as if there was a fire lit under her, she gets back into position and motions for you to get back on her shoulders.
  2231. “R-really, there is no need to push yourself this much.”
  2232. >You try to reason with her but she will hear none of it.
  2233. >In truth you didn't want to get back on her shoulders and fall on your face again.
  2234. >But, looks like she won't quit.
  2235. >You finally position yourself back on her shoulders,
  2236. >And this time make sure you were facing the wall and not the railing.
  2237. >Then she continues her slow trek upstairs.
  2238. >It still took her some time to finally make it all the way up the tower.
  2239. >At least like your own trek downstairs, her's seemed to go smoother.
  2240. >Once you both got down to the ground floor, you put Wallflower back on your shoulders for the second trip.
  2241. >The benefit of Wallflower taking forever on her trip was at least you got a good rest and it didn't feel as bad.
  2242. >Even if it was mostly spent falling over and being scared to death of falling down the stairs.
  2243. >But this time you made the trip with even more collapses.
  2244. >And more face meetings with the wall
  2245. >Same with Wallflower.
  2246. >You both do the rest of your trips with each other.
  2247. >Credit to Wallflower though as she did not complain or whine about you being bigger than her one bit.
  2248. >Once everyone was done with their pairs of trips Morning Star and Limestone were waiting.
  2249. >”Nicely done!” Limestone says with a sadistic smile while staring down everyone. “Now this time one partner gets on all fours and the other carries their legs while you wheel barrel them up the stairs five times!”
  2250. ”Oh come on!”
  2251. >You instinctively cry out while many of the other recruits also groan and scream about it.
  2252. >Cobalt Sky then yells.
  2253. >”What is the point of all this!?”
  2254. >She asks Morning Star.
  2255. >”Lesson number three: Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
  2256. >Morning Star answers then gives you all a look but she focuses on you.
  2257. >”Nobody is forcing you to stay, but I have zero patience for weaklings and especially poor conditioning.” She continues on. “If you aren't in proper ring shape not only could you be a liability to who you are in the ring with, but yourself as well and could seriously injure yourself or even get killed.”
  2258. >Her voice is getting more tense.
  2259. >”So if you don't want to do it or you can't, than I have no use for you and you can kindly fuck off out of here and do something else with your life!”
  2260. >She exclaims as loud as she could muster.
  2261. >”Ugh, I'm done!”
  2262. >Cobalt Sky shrugs her shoulders and storms out of the building.
  2263. >Another recruit then follows suit.
  2264. >Two more quits.
  2265. >Everyone was just standing there until Limestone shouts once again.
  2266. >”Come on girls this is no time to be lounging around!”
  2267. >Some of the others get on all fours while their partners grab their ankles and they begin their ascent up.
  2268. >Wallflower and you look at each other.
  2269. >You then sigh.
  2270. “Guess I'll be the first to go.”
  2271. >Seeing as how Wallflower was the one to finish the fireman carry sets it's only fair you go first.
  2272. >You get on your hands and knees right in front of the stairs and one by one you lift your legs for Wallflower to grab a hold of.
  2273. >Once she has both your ankles in her hands, you start your climb up.
  2274. >Again, you feel like this wouldn't be an issue if you hadn't worked yourself to death already.
  2275. >You make it up the first flight pretty easily, if you do say so yourself.
  2276. >Halfway through the second flight is when your arms start to fail you.
  2277. >Your arms start to burn and shake violently and when you reach out to try and climb up another step you collapse and catch your chin on the edge of the stair.
  2278. >”Are you okay?”
  2279. >You can barely hear Wallflower call out from behind you.
  2280. “N-no.”
  2281. >You quietly to yourself.
  2282. >After a few moments of rest, you get back on your hands and climb.
  2283. >Another few steps and your arms give out once again and you slam the side of your face onto the steps.
  2284. >You then just uncomfortably pull yourself up the stairs until your arms felt like they could carry you again.
  2285. >It continued like this the whole five flights.
  2286. >By the time you finished your first set and are walking down, you begin to feel something drip down your upper lip.
  2287. >You wipe off your face and see a deep shade of red on your hand.
  2288. >Blood was dripping from your nose from falling on the concrete floor.
  2289. >If you could feel right now you would be freaking out.
  2290. >But the physical exhaustion you have there isn't much energy there to make a deal about it.
  2291. >On your way down you look at some of the other recruits who were doing this.
  2292. >Many of the girls you've seen now have various bruises on their faces.
  2293. >Some even have bloody noses much like yourself.
  2294. >Once down on the ground floor, Wallflower gets on all fours and she begins to wheelbarrow up the stairs.
  2295. >Much like yourself, she gets up the first flight easily and then she starts to fall apart from then on.
  2296. >Her arms collapsed more than you did and you could hear the thuds from when her face connected with the steps.
  2297. >She makes it all the way to the top and when she gets on her feet you can see the extent of the damage.
  2298. >Poor Wallflower's face was all bruised up with some swelling on one side of her face.
  2299. “You okay?”
  2300. >You try and ask her but she doesn't respond and just makes her way down the stairs.
  2301. >Four more sets.
  2302. >And four more excruciating trips for each of you.
  2303. >At long last, you two completed your sets.
  2304. >You were dreading what was going to come next.
  2305. >”Looks like it's time for the mid day break.”
  2306. >Morning Star gets off her seat and starts to head out the building.
  2307. >”Get a drink of water, have a small bite to eat if you're brave. Break for twenty minutes and meet us back in the gym.”
  2308. >You collapse on the floor.
  2309. >That was the best thing you've heard all day.
  2310. >A wave of relief washes over you as you sit there.
  2311. >Not wanting to move one inch.
  2312. >But you were also thirsty.
  2313. >You wanted to get back up to get back to the main building to get some much needed water but your body cannot respond.
  2314. >Your arms are shaking and your legs are numb and nothing is listening to your brain.
  2315. >Then you feel a pair of hands wrap around your arms and aid in helping you up.
  2316. >Wallflower Blush and indigo Zap both help you to your feet.
  2317. >”How ya holding up?”
  2318. >Indigo asks.
  2319. >She sounds just as exhausted as you do.
  2320. >Her face was not that beat up like the others.
  2321. >She reaches up and pinches your nose and it sends more pain signals to your head and you jolt.
  2322. >She lightly chuckles.
  2323. >”Just checking to make sure you didn't break your nose.”
  2324. >You only grunt in response.
  2325. >Both Wallflower and Indigo let you stand on your own power.
  2326. >Or, what's left of it.
  2327. >And you all make your way back to the main building and you head to the bathroom to wash your face.
  2328. >You make it to the bathroom and looks at yourself in the mirror.
  2329. >There were bruises and cuts all over your face.
  2330. >No swelling, surprisingly.
  2331. >There was a pretty big dry trail of blood coming from your left nostril and you wash your face to clean it up.
  2332. >You grab yourself a large container of water and then rest and sit on a chair for however long the break was.
  2333. >You count the remaining recruits around you.
  2334. >Overall, including yourself there were eight.
  2335. >Damn, the hopefuls were almost halved only halfway through the first day.
  2336. >Some other recruits must have quit during the wheelbarrow exercise.
  2337. >Finally, the break was over and Limestone was in the ring.
  2338. >”Alright ladies, break is over!”
  2339. >You and a lot of the other recruits are slow to get back to their feet and face Limestone.
  2340. >She looks at everyone with crossed arms and another worrying smile on her face.
  2341. >”What say we get your bodies warmed back up with another one hundred Hindu squats?”
  2342. >A collective groan from everyone once again.
  2343. >But you do them.
  2344. >Slowly of course.
  2345. >Then another hundred burpees.
  2346. >Hundred sit ups.
  2347. >What the hell, are they trying to kill you?
  2348. >You notice a few of the other recruits fall over.
  2349. >And they give up and go pack up and leave as well.
  2350. >Two more gone.
  2351. >Now down to six.
  2352. >”Aww, really?”
  2353. >Limestone teases.
  2354. >”These are the easy days!”
  2355. >That comment made you want to quit right then and there.
  2356. >But now you are driven.
  2357. >You will see through to the end.
  2358. >Even if you pass out.
  2359. >At least you didn't quit.
  2360. >After the sit ups Limestone exits the ring and does a few stretches.
  2361. >”Another two mile jog around the school!”
  2362. >This has to be deliberate now.
  2363. >There were some protests again but nothing else.
  2364. >You do the two laps around the farmland and slowly walk back up the road to the school.
  2365. >Where Limestone was waiting with something in her hand.
  2366. >”Alright ladies, good work today!” She congratulates everyone who was left. “Let's end the day with a little game called the 'Gotch Bible'!”
  2367. >She exclaims as she reveals what she had in her hand.
  2368. >It was a deck of playing cards.
  2369. >”Rules are simple.”
  2370. >She looks though the deck and pulls out four random cards.
  2371. >One for each suit.
  2372. >”Each suit will represent an exercise. For example; today the hearts will be Hindu squats, spades will be situps, diamonds will be burpees, and clubs will be Hindu pushups.”
  2373. >She then takes one of the cards and looks at it.
  2374. >”So I shuffle the deck and I pull off the top card, and say I pulled a seven of spades here, then we do seven situps.”
  2375. >She shows the card to you all.
  2376. >”Get it? We go through the entire deck! If I pull a three of clubs, then we do three Hindu pushups.”
  2377. >She puts the four cards back in the deck and shuffles the cards.
  2378. >”Finally, suit cards like Jack King Queen are ten each and the aces are eleven.”
  2379. >She slams the deck of cards on the ring mat and pulls the top card.
  2380. >”King of spades! Ten situps!”
  2381. >You do the ten situps.
  2382. >And you work through most of the deck.
  2383. >Until she pulls a Joker card.
  2384. >”Joker!” “She yells. “I forgot about the Joker, the wildcard if you will, counts as forty of a certain exercise or a new one.”
  2385. >She begins to think of what the joker should be and then she has an idea.
  2386. >”Joker is forty seconds worth a wall sit!”
  2387. >Oh fuck.
  2388. >You all find a spot on the wall where you could do it.
  2389. >And wall sit for forty seconds.
  2390. >Now you are starting to get a headache.
  2391. >But again, something in you kept you going.
  2392. >While working trough the cards a second joker card reared it's ugly head and you had to wall sit for another forty seconds.
  2393. >At long last you finish the deck of cards.
  2394. >Then you simply fall to the floor.
  2395. >You hear a flurry of steps whiz past you to the outside.
  2396. >And you hear someone start to puke.
  2397. >You simply did not have the energy to look at who it was.
  2398. >You just stayed as still as you possibly could.
  2399. >You were ready to pass out and give in.
  2400. >You still had a headache and it hurts to even think now.
  2401. >This truly wasn't worth it.
  2402. >Why were you even here?
  2403. >To prove some people wrong?
  2404. >Did it really matter what some people thought of you?
  2405. >At least you could say you weren't an easy lay like Rainbow Dash since all signs point to her having slept with Shale.
  2406. >You feel someone kick at you on the ground.
  2407. >”Get up!”
  2408. >Limestone's gravely voice can be heard right above you.
  2409. >”You're only making it worse for yourself, get up and walk it off.”
  2410. >You try to get up but fall back down to the ground.
  2411. >There is no energy in your body whatsoever.
  2412. >Limestone then grabs the back of your shirt and pulls you up with force.
  2413. >She lifted you like you weighed nothing and set you on your feet.
  2414. >As soon as she let go, you simply collapsed to the floor again.
  2415. >There truly was nothing left in the tank.
  2416. >And to be quite honest, the pain from falling back to the ground actually didn’t feel that bad.
  2417. >Limestone kicks you again and moves on.
  2418. >Real great motivator.
  2419. >While still laying there nearly dead. You start to hear some sobbing coming from outside the gym.
  2420. >You slowly crawl to your knees and finally get back to your feet.
  2421. >You limp outside and you notice Wallflower was hunched over to the left of you.
  2422. >Seems like she was the one who was puking earlier. Asa well
  2423. >You didn't pay too much attention to her and you just stand still on the ledge of the entrance and you can hear her quiet sobs.
  2424. “Hey.”
  2425. >You call out to her.
  2426. “You okay there?”
  2427. >She doesn't respond.
  2428. >And you won't pester her some more.
  2429. >Probably needs her space.
  2430. >”I don't think I can do this.”
  2431. >You hear her quietly sob.
  2432. >She seems on the verge of cracking.
  2433. >But give her credit, she has lasted this far.
  2434. “Well, at the very least you survived day one.”
  2435. >You tell her.
  2436. “That's a hell of a lot better than a lot of the others who came here.”
  2437. >You really weren't trying to be encouraging, but it was a fact.
  2438. >Her sobbing stopped for a moment.
  2439. >”...Thank you, that means a lot.”
  2440. >You were a bit confused but she continued.
  2441. >”Nobody gave me a chance to make it. Even my mom had said she would still be in town for when I quit..”
  2442. >You force a smile on your face
  2443. >Because for some reason it hurts to even smile right now.
  2444. “You and me both.”
  2445. >You tell her.
  2446. >You now remember.
  2447. >Rainbow Dash said you wouldn't make it.
  2448. >And while Raven Inkwell isn't your mother, you do feel pretty close to her ever since she became your agent.
  2449. >But she was somewhat encouraging.
  2450. >You and Wallflower both spend the evening just sitting there trying to regain energy and recover until it was dinner time.
  2451. >Again, it was set up by the current students and you were once again served Chanko stew.
  2452. >Which today tasted much better than it did yesterday and you scarfed down two bowls of it easily.
  2453. >Could be from all that lost sweat from the days workout.
  2454. >”So, when do we start working in the ring?”
  2455. >One of the few recruits left asks Limestone.
  2456. >”When your conditioning is where we want it at and we show you the fundamentals.”
  2457. >She answers the recruits question.
  2458. >Dinner comes and goes.
  2459. >You finally go and hit the shower and let the hot water soak into your body.
  2460. >To end the day you go and you lay in your bunk and look around you.
  2461. >Mostly everyone was gone already after one day.
  2462. >You still can't believe you made it through today and are starting to dread what tomorrow will bring.
  2463. >To try and get your mind off it, you attempt to pull out your handheld system and play it.
  2464. >But your arms are shaking from simply holding it in your hands and you can't stop so you put it back and just go to sleep.
  2465.  
  2466. >Day two.
  2467. >You wake up to an alarm you set.
  2468. >And holy fuck do you feel sore.
  2469. >You feel much worse than you did after the workout yesterday.
  2470. >It's like every bone and muscle in your body is locked up and every inch you move is forcing them to grind against each other.
  2471. >Your abs.
  2472. >Your legs.
  2473. >You shoulders.
  2474. >Neck.
  2475. >Arms.
  2476. >Everything.
  2477. >You almost want to cry.
  2478. >It takes a tremendous amount of will power just to get out of bed.
  2479. >Once you are finally on your feet, you look around at the now empty bunk beds.
  2480. >Save for the other five that were left standing along side yourself.
  2481. >You now see Indigo Zap slowly climb out from her top bunk.
  2482. >The look on her face seems like she is in as much pain as you are.
  2483. >She notices you standing there and she puts on a weak smile.
  2484. >”Morning.”
  2485. >She greets you in a weak tone.
  2486. >You smile back to her.
  2487. “You feeling it too?”
  2488. >You ask back.
  2489. >She winces as she nods her head.
  2490. >”Yeah. It's pretty bad.”
  2491. >Again she winces as she tries to shake off the pain but it looks like she is making it harder on herself.
  2492. >You finally turn to the open area to the school and make your way to the kitchen to see what you could do to try and fill your stomach before the torture they are going to put you through today.
  2493. >Some of the students were already up and enjoying their own breakfasts.
  2494. >You reach the kitchen area and search around for something to eat.
  2495. >It's hard to decide if you want something light or something a bit heavy just so you won't fall over from not having enough food to last through the day.
  2496. >You just go for one of the instant oatmeal packages you find and quietly sit and eat to yourself.
  2497. >Indigo Zap does the same and while you two were eating you see the rest of the recruits get up and make their way to the kitchen.
  2498. >After you are done with your meal, you go and get changed into your workout clothes.
  2499. >Your shirt from yesterday is still moist from all the sweat from the last workout and it just grossed you out.
  2500. >Thankfully you do have a spare shirt to wear today but you are going to need to do laundry because you won't have another.
  2501. >Plus your yoga pants are the only workout pair you have.
  2502. >Once you are dressed, you make your way outside to wait for Limestone and Morning Star to get things going.
  2503. >Right on time, you see Limestone come outside with the other students with her and sees all six of you who are left.
  2504. >”Feeling good this fine morning?”
  2505. >She mockingly asks.
  2506. >There was no response from you or the other recruits.
  2507. >She then shakes her head and chuckles.
  2508. >”Man what a difference a single day makes.”
  2509. >She amusingly states as she eyes each one of you.
  2510. >”I have to admit I'm impressed with how much of you are left. There have been times where there were only two left, hell there was one time when all fourteen recruits quit on the first day!”
  2511. >That sounds crazy but you believe it.
  2512. >She and the students then claps their hands.
  2513. >”Seriously, you all deserve at least one round a applause. Day one we usually like to run it hard to try and crack all the weaklings and wannabes.”
  2514. >She immediately stops clapping and don another serious face.
  2515. >”But don't get too ahead of yourself, there are still forty one more days of this left. So there is still plenty of time to blow up the rest of you.”
  2516. >After that comment she puts on another smile.
  2517. >”So with that out of the way, it's time for the 'Morning Prayer'!”
  2518. >You had forgotten about that.
  2519. >More burpees.
  2520. >Push ups.
  2521. >Hindu squats.
  2522. >Even more burpees.
  2523. >And another set of wall sits.
  2524. >Your only saving grace at this point was you were numb all over your body and everything was actually moving like if it were on autopilot.
  2525. >”Okay! Another nice three mile jog!”
  2526. >More running.
  2527. >Which you find the easiest of all the exercises.
  2528. >Again, the numbness is what kept you moving but there was this fear in the back of your mind that you were just going to drop dead at any given moment.
  2529. >In reality, it was the same as yesterday.
  2530. >Everything.
  2531. >The running the steps.
  2532. >Fireman carries.
  2533. >Wheelbarrows.
  2534. >More falling and hitting your face.
  2535. >Break.
  2536. >More exercises.
  2537. >And the now dreaded Gotch Bible deck of cards.
  2538. >Some days the exercises were different than the one before.
  2539. >At least Wallflower didn't puke like yesterday.
  2540. >And you didn't feel as shitty as you did when you finished the day before.
  2541. >All in all, this was how things went the first week.
  2542. >Only difference in the later days was Limestone being less nice and screaming in your face.
  2543. >”Give up!”
  2544. >She'd scream in your face while you did wall sits or while carrying Wallflower up the stairs.
  2545. >”You know you want to!”
  2546. >”Just like you gave up your shitty solo career!”
  2547. >Just rubbing it in.
  2548. >You couldn't tell if it was motivating or not.
  2549. >Some days Raven tried to call you but you would be too sore and in pain to want to hold a phone.
  2550. >And you would text her to let her know.
  2551. >She would text back words of encouragement to keep you going.
  2552. >By the end of the week there was only four of you left.
  2553. >You.
  2554. >Indigo Zap.
  2555. >Wallflower Blush.
  2556. >And a woman named Chromatic Dawn.
  2557. >A former collegiate wrestler.
  2558. >Unsurprisingly the workouts didn't affect her much.
  2559. >But now that just leaves you and Wallflower Blush as the only non athletes left in the camp.
  2560. >Wallflower seems to be doing well for herself after her initial doubts from the first day.
  2561. >As well as yourself.
  2562. >After the first few days, your body started to hurt less.
  2563. >You were able to do the morning prayer with more ease than before.
  2564. >Until you finally had an off day.
  2565. >And by off day, you mean you did the morning prayer and the three mile jog and you were free the rest of the day.
  2566. >You laid in your bunk and you finally gave Raven a call.
  2567. >”Hey there Sunset the Crusher!”
  2568. >She answers her phone enthusiastically and it makes you chuckle.
  2569. “Not quite yet.”
  2570. >You respond in kind and Raven laughs.
  2571. >”So, how are things going so far? Have they taught you anything cool like that head scissor flip?”
  2572. >Again, you laugh.
  2573. “No, and quite honestly that type of wrestling doesn't fly here.”
  2574. >You tell her and she hums in surprise.
  2575. >”So then what are they teaching you there?”
  2576. >You pause for a moment to try and sum up everything you've gone through so far.
  2577. “I guess I'd say they are teaching me to be tough.”
  2578. >That sounds about right.
  2579. “Because let me tell you, this first week has been the toughest thing I've ever done in my life and nothing else comes close.”
  2580. >You then explain everything you've done so far in the first week.
  2581. >All the calisthenics.
  2582. >The running.
  2583. >The stairs.
  2584. >You could hear Raven wince through the phone after you went through everything.
  2585. >”And you were doing these every day?”
  2586. “Yeah.” You sigh. “Though, I have to admit I'm amazed at how my body has been getting used to all the work and it's getting less and less painful.”
  2587. >Raven chuckles.
  2588. >”Well, they say pain is weakness leaving the body.”
  2589. >You laugh at that statement.
  2590. >That could not be more truer.
  2591. “Yeah I guess so.”
  2592. >You sit up on your bed.
  2593. “Well, it was good hearing from you and I'll try to keep in touch when I don't feel half dead.”
  2594. >”Okay, sounds good. Keep safe and knock em dead!”
  2595. >She hangs up.
  2596. >Leaving you with the rest of the afternoon to yourself.
  2597. >You continues to just lay in your bunk and you see Wallflower come to the bunk across from you.
  2598. >Where Cobalt Sky and Honeydew Cross stayed in for one night.
  2599. >She had a laptop in her hand and sits herself in the bottom bunk.
  2600. >”Hey Sunset, you wanna watch some old matches for some references?”
  2601. >She asks as she makes space on one side of the bunk for you to come sit with her.
  2602. >You take a deep breath and just shake your head.
  2603. “Nah, not this time. I just want to rest.”
  2604. >She seems a bit sad but still smiles and nods.
  2605. >”Okay then, the offer is still there if you change your mind.
  2606. >She then pulls out a pair of headphones and plugs them in the laptop and focuses her attention all on her laptop.
  2607. >You simply continue to lay about for a good chunk of the afternoon.
  2608. >After dinner, you again nestle yourself in your bunk and this time you are able to play on your handheld while counting the thumps from the ceiling that was a nightly occurrence until lights out.
  2609.  
  2610. >Monday Morning.
  2611. >The start of week 2.
  2612. >The pre-morning routine was about the same.
  2613. >Wake up at the same time.
  2614. >Breakfast.
  2615. >Lightly limber up and wait for the food to digest so it won't come out later during workouts.
  2616. >You and the others are greeted by Limestone.
  2617. >”Morning ladies!”
  2618. >She shouts out.
  2619. >”Again, congratulations on making it up to now!” She once again claps for you all. “Now that we think your cardio is at an acceptable level, we're going to kick up the routine and start some ring drills later in the day.”
  2620. >Finally, some ring action.
  2621. >”But first we're gonna change up the 'morning prayer' to fit your new level of endurance.”
  2622. >Shit.
  2623. >You're still slightly sore from the workouts last week.
  2624. >Now they're gonna ramp it up?
  2625. >”We'll still get our fifty jumping jacks to get us a little ready.”
  2626. >At least that is the same.
  2627. >You all do your fifty jumping jacks in unison.
  2628. >Now that you're a little warmed up Limestone moves on to the next one.
  2629. >”Okay! Now something a little bit more tougher.”
  2630. >Like many other times before she has her sadistic smile on her face.
  2631. >”Two hundred Hindu squats!”
  2632. “Ugh.”
  2633. >You instinctively groan out loud but you immediately shut yourself up.
  2634. >But not quick enough for Limestone to hear you and shoot you a glare.
  2635. >You straighten yourself up quickly.
  2636. >It's not like before where there were other girls to share your complaints.
  2637. >Indigo Zap and Chromatic Dawn are former athletes so this doesn't seem to phase them.
  2638. >And Wallflower, despite looking like she would lose a fight to a paper bag, is still going strong and has not made a single complaint about the workouts.
  2639. >You don't want to be the one that does.
  2640. >You do the Hindu squats.
  2641. >After those, now you have to do two hundred burpees.
  2642. >Lovely.
  2643. >It's almost like they're messing with you.
  2644. >But you do them.
  2645. >”Two hundred push ups!”
  2646. >Man.
  2647. >Even after the last week of getting your body used to the pain of all the workouts, it's like they know when to kick it up to make you sweat again.
  2648. >Now you're almost afraid of what the wall sits will be like.
  2649. >Once you finish the push ups, you are lead outside.
  2650. >But instead of going to the side, you are lead out to the main road.
  2651. >”Okay, now instead of a three mile jog, lets add a few more to make it five!”
  2652. >She starts to jog ahead.
  2653. >You know what?
  2654. >You'll take it.
  2655. >Anything but having to do wall sits again.
  2656. >Except now you have to do a five mile jog.
  2657. >Which isn't that bad.
  2658. >After the jog, you head to the tower.
  2659. >Curiously, you still only do the five sets of trips up the stairs.
  2660. >But after all the extra calisthenics, you slightly struggle to get them done.
  2661. >Then break.
  2662. >Now you are all in the building.
  2663. >Limestone and Morning Star are in the ring.
  2664. >Limestone steps forward and takes off her shirt and tosses it to the side.
  2665. >She has on a black sports bra on and the most toned body you've ever seen.
  2666. >Abs are nicely present and looks as if they've been sculpted out of marble.
  2667. >She starts to limber up.
  2668. >”Hope you all have a sports bra on!” Morning Star comments and steps forward. “Cause it's now time to take your shirts off.”
  2669. >You all look at each other.
  2670. >Unsure of whether to do it or not.
  2671. >Then again, Limestone is literally standing in the ring in just her gym pants and black sports bra.
  2672. >Thankfully you do have a sports bra and and you would assume the others have one on as well.
  2673. >Wallflower is the first to pull off her baby blue shirt and show off her white sports bra.
  2674. >Once she did it, you and the other two follow suit.
  2675. >Indigo Zap and Chromatic Dawn both had pretty good abs as they were already in shape while Wallflower and yourself had just flat stomachs.
  2676. >One thing you would like to point out though, is that your bust is the biggest of everyone here.
  2677. >And you were sure the other three were staring at you for a little longer than they should have.
  2678. >”Eyes back up here!”
  2679. >Morning Star shouts at you all and immediately look back up in the ring.
  2680. >”Good. Now, the very first thing you must learn in professional wrestling is to take a bump.”
  2681. >She then points to Limestone.
  2682. >Limestone takes a few steps forward and then quickly falls to her back with her arms spread eagle.
  2683. *THUD*
  2684. >A loud thud echos all around the open area as she gets back to her feet.
  2685. >”This very simple, very basic maneuver is essential to everything we do in this ring.”
  2686. >Limestone demonstrates again as she falls back and kicks both feet in the air and lands flat on her back.
  2687. >”Falling is basic!” Morning Star yells. “You have to know how to fall. If you don't know how to fall, you're gonna get hurt, and if you get hurt, you can't wrestle, and if you can't wrestle, you don't eat. It's that simple.”
  2688. >You try to suppress a chuckle over that comment just because you find it ridiculous that someone can't eat over not being able to wrestle.
  2689. >But the eagle eye of Morning Star seemed to have caught you and she points to you.
  2690. >”I'm glad to see you think this is funny! So thank you for being our very first volunteer!”
  2691. “Uh-”
  2692. >”Shut up and get in this ring now!”
  2693. >She commands before you could make any other sound.
  2694. >You audibly gulp and slowly crawl your way into the ring.
  2695. >Now you are standing before both Morning Star and Limestone Pie.
  2696. >You dart your eyes between the two.
  2697. >”It's pretty simple. All you have to do is fall back and kick your legs in the air as if someone pulled the rug from underneath you. As you fall you throw your hands out to the sides, palms down so your hands slap the canvas and tuck your chin in as you hit the floor.”
  2698. >She explains and waves her cane at you.
  2699. >”Well? What are you waiting for? Take a bump.”
  2700. >Morning Star barks.
  2701. >You hesitate for a moment before you lightly bend your knees and fall backwards on your back.
  2702. *thud*
  2703. >You sort of roll onto your back.
  2704. >There was some pain from falling slightly on your tailbone.
  2705. >”What the hell was that!?” Morning Star screams louder than you've ever heard from her before. “That was the drizzling shits!”
  2706. >She hits you on your shin with her cane.
  2707. >”Were you even listening to me!?”
  2708. >You stand to your feet and rub above your tailbone where most of the pain is.
  2709. “Yes.”
  2710. >You weakly tell her.
  2711. >”Then show me a proper bump and don't timber backwards! That's how you get injured!”
  2712. >You try to collect yourself and remember what she said.
  2713. >Throw your feet in the air.
  2714. >Like a rug was pulled from underneath you.
  2715. >Don't timber back.
  2716. >You throw your feet in the air and fall straight down.
  2717. *thud*
  2718. >You land fully on your back and feel a shock-wave go through your entire body.
  2719. >Also the floor to this ring was pretty damn hard.
  2720. >Also your head lightly whiplashed itself onto the canvas.
  2721. “Oof!”
  2722. >You feel the pain all over your back as you are slow to get back up.
  2723. >”That was still the shits.” She says. “You need to throw your arms out to the side with your palms down to slap the mat as soon as your back hits the canvas to make a louder sound. Also time your head tucking in better or else your head will whiplash on the canvas and you'll be concussed.”
  2724. >She explains again.
  2725. >You take a few breaths and try to mentally prepare yourself for it again.
  2726. >Again, you fall back and throw your legs up.
  2727. >This time you were able to time your palms hitting the canvas just as your back and you tuck your head in.
  2728. >You feel the same shock going through your body as the previous one you took.
  2729. *THUD*
  2730. >”Do it again!”
  2731. >She says.
  2732. >You lightly moan as you try to get back on your feet.
  2733. “Was that right?”
  2734. >You weren't sure but it felt like you did it wrong.
  2735. >”Good enough, now do it again!”
  2736. >You take a deep breath and fall down again.
  2737. >The same shock goes through your body but it's getting a little more painful.
  2738. >”Okay, get up and do it again. Only nine hundred and ninety eight more to go.”
  2739. >You look at her in horror.
  2740. “What!?”
  2741. >You raise your voice to her.
  2742. >”You heard me.” She calmly responds back. “Lesson number two, to learn to wrestle is to learn to fall. You must learn to fall properly. Like I said before, falling and taking a bump is the first and most basic thing you must master, and the shock you feel is always going to feel the same every time you fall so you are going to need to build up a tolerance for it. A thousand bumps a day for a few weeks should take care of that.”
  2743. >You look over to Limestone who looks nonchalant and then over to the other girls who all have this unsure look on their faces.
  2744. >”What's the matter? Can't take a little jolt to your system?'
  2745. >Limestone now eggs you on.
  2746. >You turn to look at her and she has this glare on her face.
  2747. >You instinctively glare back for a moment and she steps up, ready to take you down.
  2748. >That alone was enough for you to stand straight and take another deep breath.
  2749. >You fall back for another bump.
  2750. *THUD*
  2751. “Rrgh.”
  2752. >You grunt at the shock.
  2753. >It stings more now.
  2754. >”Do it again!”
  2755. >Morning Star repeats herself.
  2756. >And you do all thousand back bumps.
  2757. >One after another.
  2758. >Morning Star yelling “Do it again!” after each one until the last one and you slowly and painfully roll out the ring.
  2759. >”Any other volunteers?”
  2760. >Morning Star calls out to the other three recruits.
  2761. >Once you exit the ring you see that the other three were hesitant to want to go in and experience what you just went through.
  2762. >Surprisingly, Wallflower stepped up and crawled into the ring.
  2763. >”Alright, an actual volunteer.” Morning Star happily chirps. “Hopefully you were paying more attention than the other did. Now take a bump!”
  2764. >You turn to see Wallflower flop down and kick her feet in the air and slap her palms on the canvas.
  2765. *thud*
  2766. >Looked perfect on the first try.
  2767. >”That was the shits.”
  2768. >Well damn, you thought it looked good.
  2769. >”Tuck your chin in at the last minute so you won't whiplash. Now get up and do it properly!”
  2770. >Wallflower gets up slowly.
  2771. >You can see that much like yourself, the shock of falling on your back hasn't fully registered with her.
  2772. >But it will.
  2773. >You wince as you sit back down on the chair and watch the others take their bumps.
  2774. >Wallflower finally does it properly.
  2775. >”Gh!!”
  2776. >You could hear her lightly groan from the second fall.
  2777. >And then Morning Star tells her to do it again.
  2778. >Wallflower takes her thousand bumps and rolls out the ring for someone else to get in.
  2779. >When she gets out the ring, you now see it.
  2780. >All the black and purple bruises all over the bare parts of Wallflower's back from all the falls.
  2781. >You try to see if you could see any on your shoulders or back and you can actually make out some discoloration.
  2782. >”Limestone, would you be a dear and show them to the baths and ice machine?”
  2783. >She nods and gets out the ring.
  2784. >”Oh and pick another volunteer.”
  2785. >Morning Star adds.
  2786. >Limestone nods and points to Indigo Zap.
  2787. >”Get in there.”
  2788. >Indigo Zap looks a little worried but slaps herself and gets in the ring.
  2789. >Limestone then looks to you and Wallflower.
  2790. >”Follow me.”
  2791. >You two do as you are told.
  2792. >She leads you to the kitchen area and in a corner of the kitchen there was a large freezer like machine.
  2793. >When you open it there was a large chest full of ice.
  2794. >Limestone then grabs a bucket that was just sitting to the side of the machine and scoops it full of ice and then heads towards the bathroom.
  2795. >You follow her and she leads you to the jacuzzi tubs in the back of the bathroom.
  2796. >”You two can use these tubs and fill them with cold water and then fill them with ice from the ice machine to help with the sores from the bumps.”
  2797. >She drops the bucket to your feet and then turns to faucet for one of the tubs to fill with water.
  2798. >”You two can figure out who to go first and do it yourselves.”
  2799. >She then leaves you and Wallflower to figure it out.
  2800. >You two look at each other for a moment and Wallflower steps back.
  2801. >”You can fill yours first.”
  2802. >You shake your head and try to let her go.
  2803. “No, I'm already used to the pain so you can go ahead.”
  2804. >You try to bow but your sore back begins to burn.
  2805. >Wallflower tries to protest and you both go back and forth until you finally give in and grab the bucket to pour the ice in your tub.
  2806. >You need to go back to the ice machine to get more ice to fill your tub and you see Indigo Zap taking her bumps.
  2807. *THUD*
  2808. >”Do it again!”
  2809. >You chuckle to yourself at Morning Star still barking that for every bump.
  2810. >No wonder her voice was almost gone.
  2811. >You scoop another bucket full of ice and return to dump it in your tub of water.
  2812. >You have to make a few more trips before there was enough ice in the tub.
  2813. >After yours was filled, you hand the bucket over to Wallflower to start to fill her tub.
  2814. >As she leaves the room to fill her bucket, you take this time to pull off your sports bra.
  2815. >You contemplate if you should strip completely but decide to just take your pants off and enter the tub with the underwear you had on.
  2816. >You cover your breasts with one hand and first you slowly dip your right foot in the ice cold water.
  2817. >The cold sends shivers up your leg and all over your body.
  2818. >You are going to need to power through this and you take a deep breath and just plunge yourself into the deep tub.
  2819. “gasp!”
  2820. >You gasp at the feel of the ice water on your sore body.
  2821. >It's like you were being pricked with millions of tiny pins and needles and all your joints lock up.
  2822. >The tub was deep enough that it covered all the way up to your neck.
  2823. >Your lips were quivering at the cold and your head was shivering.
  2824. >You were about to jump out of the tub but you couldn't move.
  2825. >Then the pain just... stopped.
  2826. >Like the workouts earlier, everything went numb.
  2827. >And the pain was gone.
  2828. >And it started to feel relaxing.
  2829. “Ahh..”
  2830. >A long sigh of relief escapes your lips as you start to feel your joints and muscles relax.
  2831. >You shake slightly once or twice.
  2832. >But this was a nice enough feeling.
  2833. >Wallflower fills her tub with ice and takes off her clothes except for her underwear as well.
  2834. >Her underwear was more briefs than standard panties
  2835. >You watch as she does the same routine as you and first sticks her foot in and gasps.
  2836. >She then finally drops herself in.
  2837. >”Ahh~!”
  2838. >She lightly yells at the shock of the ice water covering her body.
  2839. >You can see her head shiver as she looks to you.
  2840. “Give it a minute.”
  2841. >You tell her.
  2842. >Once she gets used to it, her face softens up and tilts back.
  2843. >You both just sit in silence, listening to the faint thuds coming from the main room of the others falling on their backs.
  2844. >After a while, you finally gather up enough strength to exit the tub.
  2845. >You wrap yourself up in a towel and dry yourself off in one of the shower stalls and put your sports bra and pants back on.
  2846. >Before you exit the bathroom, you have a look at yourself in the mirror.
  2847. >Everything looks to be normal on the front.
  2848. >But as you rotate your upper half, you can see the purple and near black discoloration from the falls you took.
  2849. >After getting a good look, you sigh and exit the bathroom and you see Chromatic Dawn in the middle of practicing her bumps.
  2850. >Indigo Zap was sitting on the chair with her head held down and hunched over.
  2851. >Probably in pain.
  2852. >As you walk past her to have a seat you can see the discoloration on her back much like yours and Wallflower's backs.
  2853. >Limestone then taps Indigo Zap and points her to the bathroom to tell her to ice up.
  2854. >You continue to watch as Chromatic Dawn fall and get back up.
  2855. >Until she did her thousand bumps.
  2856. >Now that you all did your bumps for the day, Limestone informs Chromatic Dawn about icing up and the tubs in the bathroom.
  2857. >Afterwords, the other students who were further along in their training began to spar in the ring with Morning Star watching like a hawk.
  2858. >You never really paid much attention to the actual students and what Morning Star was working on with them.
  2859. >Now it looked like Morning Star was showing them how to counter some submission holds into other holds.
  2860. >Some of the students then flip their partner onto their backs on the canvas and you lightly wince at the sound of the thud and you get second hand shocks up your spine.
  2861. >Now that you know very well how that feels.
  2862. >They go on for a few hours well into the afternoon until it was time to prepare dinner.
  2863. >During dinner, you see that all of the other recruits looked a little bit miserable.
  2864. “How're you girls feeling?”
  2865. >You decide to break the silence.
  2866. >There was a small collective grunt from a few of the girls.
  2867. >”I knew this was coming and that it was going to hurt, but...” Wallflower speaks as she tries to sit up and straighten her back only to wince and hunch over again “I just didn't think it would hurt this much.”
  2868. >You always forget that she was the pro wrestling nerd of the bunch.
  2869. >“You'll get used to it.” Morning Star chimes in. “It's the same shock you'll feel every time you take a bump, but you will build up a tolerance for it.”
  2870. >Morning Star repeats herself.
  2871. >There was a moment of silence and then Indigo Zap speaks up.
  2872. >”I am not looking forward to feeling this tomorrow.'
  2873. >Her comment lightened the mood with a few chuckles.
  2874. >After dinner, you make your way to your bunk bed and look for a change of clothes to shower off and clean yourself for the day.
  2875. >Once you are clean and refreshed for the night you go back to your bunk and try to lay down but it still hurts to lay on your back.
  2876. >You lay on your stomach, which makes it a bit easier for you to get a bit of gaming in before lights out.
  2877. >And doing it all again tomorrow.
  2878. >Next morning.
  2879. >And of course your back is sore and stiff.
  2880. >You almost want to say it hurts worse than the workouts last week.
  2881. >You fight within yourself just to get out of bed and get ready for the day.
  2882. >And just like with the Gotch bible last week, all this week it was the same.
  2883. >The same intense exercises.
  2884. >Another one thousand bumps.
  2885. >The shock was still there.
  2886. >But the now raw, sore skin added an extra unpleasantness.
  2887. >Every time you took a bump, you grunted loudly and winced.
  2888. >It was a slow process to even get back to your feet.
  2889. >”Get a move on, we don't have all day!”
  2890. >Words of encouragement from Limestone always helped.
  2891. >Hell, even the ice bath afterwords to help less.
  2892. >And this is how it went for another week.
  2893. >And much like how your body got used to the vigorous exercises, it too got a little more used to falling on your back.
  2894. >Morning Star was right in that the shock and jolt from falling on your back was the same as the first one.
  2895. >But you were slowly learning to live with it.
  2896.  
  2897. >Week 3.
  2898. >Day one.
  2899. >Morning prayer and exercises were the same as last week thankfully.
  2900. >But now this week you learn to do a front flip bump.
  2901. >Which is basically still taking a back bump, but instead of falling backwards, you must now jump and flip forward.
  2902. >Your initial thought was it was ridiculous much like a lot of the other stuff they have shown you.
  2903. >Until you were in the ring and now realize how little you actually knew of what to do.
  2904. >You first few attempts were just you front rolling.
  2905. >”That was the drizzling shits!”
  2906. >Morning Star yells.
  2907. >It took you many attempts before you finally got it right.
  2908. >Really, it was barely any different than the back bump and didn't really see why you had to devote an entire week to it.
  2909. >Though, shockingly, Chromatic Dawn had trouble taking the front back bump.
  2910. >”Damnit! It's not like amateur wrestling! There is no point system! Just go with it and land flat on your back!”
  2911. >Morning Star barks instructions to her.
  2912. >It sort of made you feel slightly better that she was having trouble with something.
  2913. >By the end of the third week you can at lest now say you know how to fall.
  2914.  
  2915. >Week 4.
  2916. >Now this week, you were going to be shown how to run the ropes.
  2917. >Morning Star explains while Limestone demonstrates.
  2918. >It looks simple enough.
  2919. >Take big steps.
  2920. >Pivot your body and plank yourself just before hitting the ropes so you lean into the the top rope and lightly bounce back off.
  2921. >Making sure to grab the top rope with the hand on the side you pivoted into for security.
  2922. >Since you were the first volunteer last time when it came to taking bumps, you were automatically summoned as the first to run the ropes.
  2923. >However, they also had Indigo Zap enter the ring with you as well.
  2924. >You two were going to have practice runs and then would have to criss-cross each other.
  2925. >First up is you.
  2926. >You start on one end of the ring and you start your way across.
  2927. >You lightly jog across the ring and pivot your body too late and roll onto the ropes.
  2928. >It was then you felt something sharp dig deep into your skin.
  2929. “Gr!”
  2930. >You lightly grunt at the painful feel of the ropes and stop.
  2931. >”What the hell was that!?”
  2932. >Morning Star yells at you.
  2933. >”Again with the drizzling shits!” She slams down her cane on the canvas. “Do it right or get the hell out of here!”
  2934. >You are a little hunched over with your hand still on the ropes.
  2935. >Your hand lightly squeezes the rope only to notice that it doesn't give and they feel sharp.
  2936. “What are these ropes made of?”
  2937. >You decide to just ask and see if you get an answer.
  2938. >”They're aircraft cables wrapped in tape.”
  2939. >That explains why it felt like it was trying to tear your skin off even with your top on.
  2940. >You throw your arm up.
  2941. “Wouldn't it be better to use normal rope?”
  2942. >Morning Star then whacks you with her cane.
  2943. >”It doesn't matter what the ropes are made of if you can't run them correctly!”
  2944. >She spits back at you.
  2945. >”Now do it right or get out of my ring or I'll make you, and I won't ask again!”
  2946. >She commands.
  2947. >For a brief moment you wanted to try her.
  2948. >What could she do at her current state?
  2949. >Then you thought it was better not to make a scene.
  2950. >Especially since Limestone would be the one to put hands on you.
  2951. >You take a deep breath and try again.
  2952. >”Big steps!”
  2953. >Morning Star barks.
  2954. >You then widen your steps and bolt across the ring.
  2955. >This time you timed your pivot right and planked flat on the top rope.
  2956. >And again the feel of the aircraft cable dig into your skin even through your sports bra.
  2957. >You lightly grunt again but come off the ropes to run across to the other end.
  2958. >Now that you have a rhythm down, it was easier to run the ropes.
  2959. >But each time your planked on the top rope, you could still feel the sharp hard cables almost tear at your skin.
  2960. >”Next!”
  2961. >You stop and look at Morning Star.
  2962. >”Now for you.”
  2963. >She points her cane to Indigo Zap.
  2964. >Indigo nods and starts to run.
  2965. >She made the same mistake as you and got a similar chewing out from Morning Star.
  2966. >After that she was able to catch on and was able to run the ropes.
  2967. >You could also see that she had an uncomfortable look on her face every time she hit the ropes.
  2968. >Probably feeling the same thing as you.
  2969. >”Okay.”
  2970. >Morning Star announces and Indigo Zap stops.
  2971. >”Now the both of you run on different sides and criss cross each other.”
  2972. >You and Indigo take different ends of the ring and begin to run.
  2973. >At first it was going smoothly.
  2974. >Neither of you had to stop or readjust your speed in fear of hitting each other.
  2975. >After a few minutes of running the ropes, though, your patterns were getting sloppy.
  2976. >And you almost collided with Indigo Zap a few times.
  2977. >The more you hit the ropes, to more your upper back and arm would burn from rubbing off on the rope.
  2978. >You continued to run the ropes for a good fifteen minutes nonstop.
  2979. >Then Morning Star called for a fifteen second break for water or anything else.
  2980. >”Okay, now take one hundred bumps.”
  2981. >Fuck.
  2982. >Both you and Indigo begin to fall on your backs.
  2983. >There was now an extra sharp pain on the part of your back and arm where it was hitting the ropes.
  2984. >It was an exceptionally more sharp pain than the bumps before.
  2985. >Once your hundred bumps were up, you had to run the ropes for another fifteen minutes.
  2986. >Another fifteen minutes of almost running into Indigo Zap and feeling like your skin is being torn off.
  2987. >After that?
  2988. >Another hundred bumps.
  2989. >But this time they were front flip bumps.
  2990. >At the end of the day, you ran for a total of an hour.
  2991. >And took a combined four hundred bumps.
  2992. >You two were done for the day and you two went to the bathroom to take an ice bath.
  2993. >While you wait for Indigo to fill her tub with ice you go and look at yourself in the mirror.
  2994. >You pull off your top and turn to see that your skin was in fact almost peeling off from where the ropes were digging in to you.
  2995. >Since your arm was not protected by any clothes, that skin was peeled off.
  2996. >You lightly touched your now pink raw skin and could feel it burn.
  2997. >You jump and grunt at the pain.
  2998. >And again, for the umpteenth time, asked yourself why you were here.
  2999. >It's just been two weeks of getting your ass kicked.
  3000. >And there were four more weeks to go.
  3001. >Who knows what the rest of the camp was going to be like.
  3002. >Did you really want to find out?
  3003. >You start to wonder if Rainbow Dash had to endure something similar to this?
  3004. >You shake your head and sigh.
  3005. >Then you go to the other unoccupied tub and start to fill it with water while Indigo finishes adding ice to hers.
  3006. >Indigo finishes filling her tub with ice and you put your top back on to go out to get ice.
  3007. >You fill your tub with ice and climb in to try and relax.
  3008. >”Man, it doesn't get any easier, does it?”
  3009. >Indigo asks you from across the room in her own ice bath.
  3010. >You just groan in response.
  3011. “I almost don't want to know what's in store for the rest of the camp.”
  3012. >You admit to her.
  3013. >”Aww, come on, you made it this far.” She lightly encourages you. “And for not being a former athlete? You and that Wallflower chick are impressive.”
  3014. >You lift your head to look over to Indigo Zap, who was looking back at you.
  3015. “Really?”
  3016. >Indigo nods.
  3017. >”I mean, I can't say for sure about Wallflower, but you, since you were a former idol, and not some random wannabe D tier star either. An actual A list star who was pampered and everything! The fact that you didn't crack and quit like your other idol peers and is still in it is something to be proud of!”
  3018. >That actually made you feel a little better.
  3019. “Oh come on, I had somewhat of an athletic background.”
  3020. >You playfully tell her and she just chuckles.
  3021. >”Sure, but I think jumping and prancing isn't quite like long distance running, or tossing people around.”
  3022. >The second one was probably referring to Chromatic Dawn.
  3023. >”I mean, also consider that there were athletes amongst the other hopefuls who quit, and you still outlasted them.!”
  3024. >You smile at her words of encouragement.
  3025. >”Sometimes the obstacle is mental more than it is physical.”
  3026. >She then cracks a smile.
  3027. >”And it seems like you've got that down. Well, that or you are a masochist.”
  3028. >You bob your head and laugh a little yourself.
  3029. “Alright, alright. I get it.”
  3030. >You both smile as your body starts to numb itself from the cold ice water and the pain slowly dulls itself.
  3031. >You sigh.
  3032. “I'm not a masochist, by the way.”
  3033. >You add.
  3034. >Indigo Zap just smiles.
  3035. >”Could have fooled me.”
  3036. >She raises an eyebrow and you both just laugh.
  3037. >Maybe you could stick it out for a little longer.
  3038. >Who knows?
  3039. >Maybe you will surprise even yourself more.
  3040. >But for the rest of the week?
  3041. >You guessed it.
  3042. >Same routine.
  3043. >Hundreds of calisthenics.
  3044. >Miles of running.
  3045. >Hundreds of back and front flip bumps.
  3046. >And an hour of running the ropes.
  3047. >Your body got more tough.
  3048. >After days and days of just a really annoying stinging sensation of your torn skin from the metallic cables.
  3049. >But Morning Star kept you all doing these sets until it became second nature.
  3050. >The shocks from the back bumps were still there but it is now more a minor discomfort.
  3051. >Running the ropes and your skin toughened up and it didn't feel like it was trying to tear you apart.
  3052.  
  3053. >Week 5.
  3054. >Same exercises and running.
  3055. >But now you only do two hundred back bumps and just thirty minutes of running the ropes.
  3056. >Now you are shown how to lock up with an opponent.
  3057. >Which is the first thing most wrestlers do to start a match.
  3058. >You and your opponent step up towards each other.
  3059. >You then lock your right hand behind their neck and they do the same.
  3060. >Then your left hand grabs a hold of their right arm that is holding on to your neck and same for the opponent.
  3061. >It gets a little more intense as you are supposed to be struggling to gain control of the other.
  3062. >This time your partner is Chromatic Dawn.
  3063. >Who is way more into this than the others as she is roughing you up a bit and damn near rag dolling you.
  3064. >”Fight back!”
  3065. >Morning Star barks at you when you are easily pushed back by Chromatic Dawn.
  3066. >You grunt and you try to push back with all your might and you can barely get Chromatic Dawn to budge.
  3067. >Isn't this supposed to be acting?
  3068. >Why do you need to put this much effort into this?
  3069. >In addition to the lock you are then taught how to toss your opponent into the ropes.
  3070. >The Irish whip.
  3071. >You practice the lock up to the Irish whip for much of the afternoon.
  3072. >Lastly you are taught the hip toss.
  3073. >Where you lock a single arm under your opponent's and toss them over your hip.
  3074. >It's a little more than that.
  3075. >And of course you tumble over the first few times Chromatic Dawn attempts to toss you over.
  3076. >”That was the drizzling shits!”
  3077. >Morning Star criticizes your ability to take the hip toss.
  3078. >After many failed attempts, you finally get it right.
  3079. >And you are shown how to hip toss your opponent.
  3080. >Indigo Zap and Wallflower Blush are now in the ring learning the same.
  3081. >This went on throughout the rest of the day.
  3082. >At least this week you don't focus on one thing all week.
  3083. >Much of the fifth week is now finally learning how to do some basic maneuvers.
  3084. >The lock up.
  3085. >Irish Whip.
  3086. >Arm drag.
  3087. >Flying mare.
  3088. >Where you kneel down and flip your opponent over you.
  3089. >At last you are learning how to actually wrestle of sorts.
  3090. >And it only took you into the final weeks of camp for you to actually learn something.
  3091. >Day in and day out, you were focusing on these basic maneuvers.
  3092. >And by the end of week five you feel pretty good about getting these pat down.
  3093. >It was like everything was starting to click for you.
  3094.  
  3095. >Week 6.
  3096. >The final week.
  3097. >The agenda?
  3098. >”Survive.”
  3099. >That was all Morning Star said after you did all your workouts for the day..
  3100. >You had no idea what that meant.
  3101. >But boy where you in for a reality check.
  3102. >As with how it was the last five weeks of camp.
  3103. >You became the de facto first volunteer for everything.
  3104. >This was no different.
  3105. >This time, all you had to do was to spar with Limestone Pie.
  3106. >That's all you were told.
  3107. >which doesn't seem too bad.
  3108. >Then you remember that you still know next to nothing other than various tosses.
  3109. >It soon proved to be a farce.
  3110. >As you as you locked up, Limestone took control immediately before you could have a thought and tosses you to the floor with a flying mare easily.
  3111. >She keeps hold of your arm and uses her legs to lay you flat on your back and crosses her legs around your arm..
  3112. >Then she sits back and hyper extends your elbow.
  3113. “Ahhh!”
  3114. >You scream in pain as you furiously tap on the mat to signify you give up.
  3115. >All the while Morning Star is talking.
  3116. >”You see, you must always keep your wits about you in the ring.”
  3117. >She explains as Limestone loosens her extension on your elbow.
  3118. >But then she turns herself to lay on top of you across your chest.
  3119. >Her hand still had control of the same arm from before and lays your hand flat on the mat.
  3120. >She then slides her other hand underneath your arm and grabs her other wrist and then rotates her wrists upwards.
  3121. >Stretching whatever muscle you had in your shoulder.
  3122. “AHHHH!!!”
  3123. >You are screaming for dear life and tapping with your feet and free hand but Limestone was not letting go.
  3124. >”Even though what we do nowadays is more a work than how things were done back in the early days. There will always be some shithead who will try and go into business for themselves.”
  3125. >Limestone finally eases up on your poor shoulder.
  3126. >You both get back to your feet.
  3127. >”Another lock up.”
  3128. >Limestone instructs.
  3129. >You were hesitant this time.
  3130. >You look over to see the others who all had some uncomfortable looks on their faces.
  3131. >”Quit wasting time!”
  3132. >You now hear Morning Star yell from behind you.
  3133. >You take a deep breath and mentally prepare yourself for what was about to happen when you did.
  3134. >Finally, you step forward with your hands up and out to lock up with Limestone.
  3135. >But Limestone had different plans.
  3136. >She immediately ducks and takes you down from your legs and then wraps her arms around one of them.
  3137. >She then twists it one way and you feel an immense pressure begin to build around your knee.
  3138. >You scream and tap on the mat furiously again.
  3139. >”At any given moment the wrong person can end your career. So it is always important to always be on guard”
  3140. >Morning Star continues to talk over the sounds of your screams.
  3141. >This goes on for a while.
  3142. >You couldn't keep track of time.
  3143. >But it felt like hours even if it wasn't that long.
  3144. >Finally though, you are dismissed.
  3145. >You try to roll out of the ring and position your legs so you can stand on them but you just fall over.
  3146. >Everything in you hurts again.
  3147. >Limestone worked just about every part of your body.
  3148. >Your arms.
  3149. >Elbows.
  3150. >Wrists.
  3151. >Calfs
  3152. >Thighs.
  3153. >Abdomen.
  3154. >Jaw.
  3155. >You name it, she stretched it.
  3156. >She even stretched muscles you didn't even knew you had.
  3157. >And each time she got a hold of something, she wouldn't go easy on you.
  3158. >You even heard little faint popping noises in your joints.
  3159. >At least you can say you feel a little looser now.
  3160. >Wallflower and Indigo Zap help you to your feet and back onto a chair to rest finally.
  3161. >”Next!”
  3162. >Morning Star calls for the next victim.
  3163. >You don't see who was the unlucky lady but you do hear her.
  3164. >”AHHHH!!!”
  3165. >Yeah, sounds about right.
  3166. >Again, it took too much energy to keep your eyes open so you kept them closed.
  3167. >But from the sounds of the blood curdling screams, it seems like it was poor Wallflower Blush.
  3168. >”If you continue on this path of Professional Wrestling, you will certainly cross paths with a few bitter shooters who will love nothing but to stretch you just because they assume you can't defend yourself.”
  3169. >Morning Star says over the painful screams of Wallflower.
  3170. >After she was taken care of, Indigo Zap was the next to get in the ring.
  3171. >Morning Star continues to explain other types of shady people you will run into and what they could do to you if you were not careful.
  3172. >Except now Limestone open palmed Indigo Zap in the face and caused her nose to bleed.
  3173. >”There are people out there who will stiff you without warning and try to break something.”
  3174. >She explains.
  3175. >”Stiffing is where you hit somebody for real and with force.”
  3176. >Morning Star shakes her head.
  3177. >”If any of you make it out of here alive and manage to have the pleasure to wrestle in Neighppon, stiffing is normal practice over there. So be mindful of that.”
  3178. >She explains while Limestone continues to stiff poor Indigo Zap.
  3179. >”It’s also called potatoing someone.”
  3180. >In addition to also putting her in various submission holds and making her scream as well.
  3181. >Chromatic Dawn was no different.
  3182. >At least you can say Limestone didn't open palm you.
  3183. >But it's only the first day of the last week.
  3184. >Limestone tries to do the same with Chromatic Dawn, but she actually puts up more of a fight than you or the other two.
  3185. >In the end Limestone was still able to get Chromatic Dawn to sing.
  3186. >And that was the last week of “training”.
  3187. >Get in the ring and get stretched by Limestone.
  3188. >You were amazed just how many submission moves there actually were.
  3189. >You were never put in the same hold twice and you even tried to resist some of them but that made Limestone even madder and she would hold onto the hold a little longer after you were tapping out like crazy.
  3190. >But you kept at it.
  3191. >You made it this far, may as well tough it out.
  3192. >Or they can kill you.
  3193. >Honestly the latter sounds easier at this point.
  3194. >It was the day before the final day.
  3195. >In the late afternoon when the training was done for the day, you all sat around with ice packs on several parts of your respective bodies.
  3196. >Just wanting to lay about.
  3197. >You were all looking to one another as if someone had an explanation.
  3198. >You then looked over to Wallflower Blush, expecting some answer since she's the wrestling nerd.
  3199. “What is the point of this week?”
  3200. >You ask Wallflower.
  3201. >She doesn't answer immediately, but adjusts some of her ice packs and winces before she speaks.
  3202. >”I think it's just another tactic to get us to quit. -!” She grunts after her initial statement. “I've read a lot about how all of the really old time trainers would be really brutal to the trainees. Like Limestone said a while ago, they want to crack all the wannabes to get them to quit.”
  3203. >”So we're just supposed to sit there and let them beat us up?”
  3204. >Chromatic spits out.
  3205. >A hint of bitterness in her voice.
  3206. >She's one to talk since she can sort of hold her own against Limestone.
  3207. >Wallflower tries to shrug but can't move much of her body.
  3208. >”I guess... It's not like I can do anything about it.”
  3209. >She says and then Chromatic Dawn scoffs.
  3210. >”That's some bullshit, I'm not about to just sit around and let them stretch me anymore. I was a National Champion in amateur wrestling!” She lightly winces over her shoulders.”Limestone doesn't seven seem that tough! She's just bullying you all since you aren't really trained and accomplished amateur wrestlers.”
  3211. >She then dons a smile on her face.
  3212. >”Since tomorrow is our last day of camp. I think I have a little something up my sleeve.”
  3213. >That didn't sound good.
  3214. >”I wouldn't do that, I really wouldn't.”
  3215. >Indigo Zap warns Chromatic.
  3216. >”Yeah, just hold off for one more day.”
  3217. >Wallflower agrees with Indigo,
  3218. >Chromatic just lightly glares at them.
  3219. >”You two can let her stretch you all you want, but I need to establish myself and that I am to not be taken lightly anymore.”
  3220. >She finishes and she gets up from her seat and heads to the bathroom.
  3221. >You've got a bad feeling about this.
  3222.  
  3223. >Final day.
  3224. >Morning exercises are done.
  3225. >Calisthenics are done.
  3226. >Running was done.
  3227. >Time to get in the ring for one last “skirmish” with Limestone.
  3228. >She is exceptionally rough with you today.
  3229. >Even open handing you in the face like Indigo Zap and making your nose bleed.
  3230. >Every submission she put on you she gave it an extra tug.
  3231. >You genuinely thought you were going to be killed.
  3232. >Or have something broken.
  3233. >Once your beat down was over, limestone kicked you out of the ring and moved on.
  3234. >You cleaned your face off in the bathroom then quickly sat back down and watched as the others suffered the same fate as you.
  3235. >You wanted to see just what was going to happen with Chromatic Dawn.
  3236. >Chromatic Dawn stepped into the ring.
  3237. >She had a very serious look on her face.
  3238. >Once Limestone stepped up to try and lock up with her, She ducked and went for her legs.
  3239. >Limestone quickly tried to adjust herself to stop Chromatic Dawn but was taken down.
  3240. >Limestone tried to take back control and Chromatic Dawn was able to hold her off.
  3241. >They began to roll around the ring with neither of them gaining the upper hand.
  3242. >Finally, Limestone was able to kick off Chromatic Dawn and both were able to get back to their feet.
  3243. >Limestone looked pissed and started to rush Chromatic Dawn when Morning Star called her off.
  3244. >”Enough, Limestone.”
  3245. >Morning Star stepped forward with a smile on her face.
  3246. >”Looks like we have a feisty one today.”
  3247. >She says as she takes off her glasses.
  3248. >”I'm tired of your bullying! I'm tired of watching you take advantage of us!”
  3249. >Morning Star continues to smile.
  3250. >”I'm not gonna let you push me around anymore!”
  3251. >Morning Star nods and then hands her cane and glasses over to Limestone.
  3252. >”Limestone, be a dear and hold onto these.”
  3253. >She does what she is told and then Morning Star gets into a wrestling stance.
  3254. >”Let's see what the All Equestrian National Champion has against a real wrestler.”
  3255. >Chromatic Dawn has this unimpressed and annoyed look on her face.
  3256. >”You really want me to hurt an almost ninety year old woman?”
  3257. >Morning Star chuckles.
  3258. >”I would love to see you try.”
  3259. >She responds.
  3260. >They start to circle each other.
  3261. >Then Morning Star goes for a lock up.
  3262. >Chromatic Dawn goes low towards Morning Star’s legs.
  3263. >Morning Star is surprisingly still quick witted and steps back and counters her take down attempt.
  3264. >Morning Star sort of falls on top of Chromatic Dawn and slips her right arm across Chromatic Dawn's face and grabs her left shoulder.
  3265. >Morning Star quickly straightens Chromatic Dawn's right arm out and bends it backwards while now clamping her hands together and pulls back into a double wrist lock.
  3266. >”Tap out or I'll tear your rotator cuff right off the bone.”
  3267. >She threatens Chromatic Dawn who is now struggling and yelling.
  3268. >”Bite me!”
  3269. >She struggles to yell back and places her leg behind Morning Star and pushes her back to take her down.
  3270. >Chromatic then rolls over Morning Star and frees her arm from the wrist lock and tries to gain top position.
  3271. >Morning Star uses her legs to scissor Chromatic Dawn's head and pulls her off and once again goes for the arm and forces her to lay belly down while she puts on a hammer lock.
  3272. >”Last chance.”
  3273. >Morning Star says.
  3274. >Chromatic Dawn is growling loud.
  3275. >”Fuck off you old bitch!”
  3276. >Morning Star laughs.
  3277. >”Good spirit, wrong old bitch to be messing with.”
  3278. >Morning Star then rolls over Chromatic Dawn with her arm several times and then you hear a distinct snapping sound followed by several popping noises.
  3279. >It was loud and echoed all over the large room.
  3280. >Chromatic Dawn screams bloody murder and then Morning Star locks her leg and clamps her arm around her jawline and pulls up.
  3281. >It shuts her screaming up and you star to see discoloration in Chromatic Dawn's face when you hear another crackling sound.
  3282. >Chromatic Dawn's screams stop and you can see her body go limp.
  3283. >Morning Star lets go and she falls and lays limp on the canvas.
  3284. >You and several of the other trainees gasp in horror.
  3285. >Morning Star then gingerly gets back up on her feet and takes the cane back from Limestone.
  3286. >She then puts on her glasses and looks back down at Chromatic Dawn's lifeless body.
  3287. >”Call an ambulance. She's got a broken jaw and a torn rotator cuff.”
  3288. >She then motions for someone to bring her a folding chair into the ring.
  3289. >Someone does and she sets the chair in front of Chromatic Dawn.
  3290. >”While we wait for the paramedics to arrive, let me give you gals a little history lesson.”
  3291. >Morning Star then sits in the chair.
  3292. >”Pro Wrestling's origins can be traced back to the early traveling carnival days at the end of the nineteenth century. Back in those days the show runner, con-artist, or carny’ as you'll hear the term today, would hold shows of athletic performances with wrestlers.”
  3293. >She now leans on her cane.
  3294. >”Many of the shows would have a cash offer. An open challenge, if you will, for any local who could step up and last for a predetermined amount of time. Once in a while they would run into a pretty competent and tough local who knew how to wrestle. Since the carny would have no desire to loose money, they always had a wrestler amongst their ranks known as a 'hooker'.”
  3295. >You and Indigo Zap quietly snickered at the term.
  3296. >”Yes yes I am aware that the name has a different meaning nowadays.”
  3297. >She spits and slams her cane on the canvas.
  3298. >”But back in the day, the 'hooker' was a very experienced pro, who was especially well versed in the dying art of hooking, which is to say, tie up their opponent in a crippling hold that was unknown, or illegal in legitimate bouts. These were dangerous people who could hurt and cripple people with ease.”
  3299. >She then looks down at Chromatic Dawn, who was now starting to groan and stir in her place.
  3300. >”What you just witnessed was a prime example of a hooker taking care of a tough 'local' who is by all means a competent wrestler, a shooter, if you will, but not experienced enough to 'hook' an opponent.”
  3301. >There was now a silence.
  3302. >Well, except for Chromatic Dawn still moaning in pain.
  3303. >Indigo Zap then raises her hand.
  3304. >”Will you be teaching us how to 'hook'?”
  3305. >Morning Star smiles and shakes her head.
  3306. >”No I'm afraid not, hooking isn't something that can really be taught, I mean, I suppose it can be, but to truly learn the art of 'hooking' it requires years and years of hands on experience out in the wild, and with how sanitized, professional and 'soft' the business has become nowadays, there is simply no need for hookers anymore.”
  3307. >Indigo Zap nods.
  3308. >Now it was Wallflower Blush's turn to ask a question.
  3309. >”Have you ever had to use your ability to hook someone in the past?”
  3310. >Morning Star nods.
  3311. >”I wouldn't be called a hooker if I hadn't.” She answers. “Several times during my early years. Back in my day hookers were used to settle scores between rival promoters for territorial disputes and for Champions who were trying to go into business for themselves, like refusing to drop the title to someone the promoter wanted, the hooker would come in and cripple them and take the title off them and get business going again. Sometimes there were hookers who would cripple an opponent just because he didn't like them.”
  3312. >Morning Star shrugs.
  3313. >”It was a jungle out there back then. But now there are less than a handful of us hookers left, and anyone who would have such extensive knowledge of how to ‘hook’ would just go in to Mixed Martial Arts.”
  3314. >After that Morning Star looked to you.
  3315. >As if to see if you had any questions.
  3316. >You look back down at Chromatic Dawn who was trying to crawl with one arm and groaning with each movement.
  3317. “You sure you want to deal with the legal ramification for crippling her like that?”
  3318. >Morning Star laughs again.
  3319. >”She signed the release form prior to starting camp. Besides, she was an amateur wrestler, she know what she was getting into.”
  3320. >You had forgotten about that.
  3321. >That almost seems cruel that you would have to sign that and then something like this would happen.
  3322. >And now you are glad you didn't try anything earlier when you were annoyed with her.
  3323. >Morning Star then waves her cane at all of you.
  3324. >”Lesson number four, never let your guard down. That's the whole point of this past week.”
  3325. >You and the other two look at each other with unease.
  3326. >You then hear the sirens of the ambulance blaring in the distance.
  3327. >Which means the paramedics are close.
  3328. >The sirens get louder as they get closer until they are now outside.
  3329. >They rush inside with a stretcher and then fasten Chromatic Dawn to it.
  3330. >Some of the paramedics now start to question everyone at the school.
  3331. >They thank everyone and then wheel Chromatic Dawn into the ambulance and drive off.
  3332. >Morning Star is now back in the ring and looking at who was left.
  3333. >Wallflower Blush.
  3334. >Indigo Zap.
  3335. >And you.
  3336. >”Well, since I highly doubt Chromatic Dawn will be returning, I think it is safe to assume you three are what's left of the training camp.”
  3337. >She nods and smiles.
  3338. >”Congratulations. You survived.”
  3339. >Limestone begins to clap followed by the other students who were there.
  3340. >”I'm sure some of you have already guessed by now that this camp is mainly used to break any and all who want to make a career into Pro Wrestling and it takes someone special to make it to this point.”
  3341. >You start to really feel good about yourself.
  3342. >You made it.
  3343. >You wanted to quit so many times that you lost count.
  3344. >But you stuck it out.
  3345. >And truth be told, it was all because of the two other girls next to you.
  3346. >They were the only others out of the rest of the recruits who motivated you and kept you in good spirits.
  3347. >You turned to see a beaming Indigo Zap and Wallflower Blush had her face in her hands.
  3348. >She was quietly sobbing to herself.
  3349. >Both you and Indigo Zap then surround her and pat her on the back.
  3350. >She then looks up and you can see the tears on her face and then wraps her arms around the both of you.
  3351. >Holding you both in for a hug.
  3352. >”I don't think I would have made it without you guys.”
  3353. >Just like you.
  3354. >You smile and then wrap your arms around the both of them and start to laugh.
  3355. >”Yes yes, very sweet of you.”
  3356. >Morning Star chimes in.
  3357. >”Now that you all made it this far. You must now choose if you wish to go even further.”
  3358. >You all look back at Morning Star.
  3359. >”You three are invited to live on site and undergo an apprenticeship to become full fledged professional wrestlers. You will be rooming upstairs in the living quarters with the other students while you train and hone your craft.”
  3360. >You were starting to get excited.
  3361. >”Make no mistake, the training will only get harder from here on out, but if you were able to survive the camp, you should be able to handle what will be laid in front of you.”
  3362. >She pauses.
  3363. >”And maybe, just maybe, if you can stick with it long enough; I can make you into legitimate shooters, which is a notch below the hooker, but that will be enough for this day and age.”
  3364. >You now look at the other two.
  3365. >Wallflower Blush steps forward and nods her head.
  3366. >”Yes, I want to progress further!”
  3367. >Indigo Zap laughs and lightly pats Wallflower on the back.
  3368. >”Of course! I wouldn't have even came here if I didn't”
  3369. >She steps up next to Wallflower and now both girls look to you.
  3370. >You think for a moment.
  3371. >Then you smirk and raise your fist.
  3372. “I'm in!”
  3373. >You place your hand on Wallflower's other shoulder.
  3374. >Everyone from your past starts flashing through your mind.
  3375. >Including Rainbow Dash.
  3376. >And Shale Backfraft.
  3377. >You were gong to show him.
  3378. >You were going to show Rainbow Dash who you really are.
  3379. >And maybe you can even be called a shooter.
  3380. >Morning Star nods.
  3381. >”Excellent. The training will begin in one weeks time. That should give you all more than enough time to get things situated at your homes and for you to bring any extra supplies.”
  3382. >That's right.
  3383. >You'll have to do something about your loft back in Canerlot.
  3384. >Perhaps Raven could still take care of things or you could let family stay there for the time being.
  3385. >You have a week to think about it.
  3386. >Maybe you should fly back to grab a few extra clothes and things to bring back.
  3387. >And to officially start your journey.
  3388.  
  3389. >The next day you begin to make arrangements to fly back to Canterlot.
  3390. >Unfortunately of all times it seems like Raven Inkwell will be busy with other work.
  3391. >Sometimes you do forget she has other clients and responsibilities besides you.
  3392. >No matter.
  3393. >Once you arrive you just take another ride share back to your loft.
  3394. >And begin to pack up for an extended leave.
  3395. >The only problem is you are not sure how 'extended' of a leave it will be.
  3396. >Morning Star didn't make it clear how long the apprenticeship is going to be.
  3397. >But from what you have gathered it sounds like it could be a year or even more.
  3398. >You stand in your loft and look around at all of your belongings.
  3399. >High end gaming PC and desk.
  3400. >Sofa and TV with stand.
  3401. >Coffee table.
  3402. >Your various guitars you have bought over the few years you traveled with 'Equestria Girls'.
  3403. >And of course many kitchen utensils that you barely used.
  3404. >You decide to just sleep on it for the night.
  3405. >And boy does it feel so good to be sleeping in your own bed again.
  3406. >The next day you automatically wake up at 7 AM.
  3407. >You try your best to go back to sleep but your body was already accustomed to the daily routine you established from training camp.
  3408. >So you get up and do the morning prayer and jog around the city block.
  3409. >After your run, you hop in the shower to freshen yourself up and head over to the pantry to see if there was anything still good to eat.
  3410. >There wasn't much and a lot of things did expire while you were gone.
  3411. >So you'll have to do a cleaning sometime soon.
  3412. >Perhaps the best first course of action is to just start packing.
  3413. >Basically just a bunch more clothes.
  3414. >Including some of your more flashy and expensive designer clothes.
  3415. >Some makeup and other various cosmetics.
  3416. >You never know when they will come in handy.
  3417. >After that, there really wasn't much else you could think of to take with you so you start to clean out your fridge and pantry of any expired food products.
  3418. >You finally give Raven a call.
  3419. >”Hey Shimmy!”
  3420. >Raven answers cheerfully.
  3421. “Hey Raven!”
  3422. >You respond and match her cheerfulness while you plop down onto your couch.
  3423. >”Sorry I'm not able to see you in person. I have to take care of another client in Applewood while you are in town.”
  3424. >She apologizes while you chuckle.
  3425. “Ooh, Applewood? Look at you getting all big time!” You lightly tease. “Hopefully I won't become too much of a small fish for you now.”
  3426. >You both chuckle at your little jab.
  3427. >”Oh don't worry about that. I won't be leaving your side anytime soon.”
  3428. >She replies and you lightly scoff.
  3429. “Oh please, as if I need someone by my side all the time.”
  3430. >You playfully retort and Raven just chuckles.
  3431. >”Well with you learning how to slam people, you may just be right.”
  3432. >You both share a small laugh before Raven continues the conversation.
  3433. >”So what's up?”
  3434. >You lean into your couch and sigh.
  3435. “So, I'm pretty much packing up and moving to Whinnyapolis for proper training and I'll be gone for at lest a year, maybe more...” You pause to look around your loft. “...and I'm not sure on what to do with my place.”
  3436. >You then sit up from your slouched position.
  3437. “I really like this place and I don't really want to get rid of it, but, I can't just let it sit. You know?”
  3438. >Raven hums at your predicament.
  3439. >”Why not just throw all of your furniture and bigger items that you can't take with you into storage and lease your place out?” She suggests. “The area you live in is a hot location so you could charge a premium so that could pay for the storage and maybe even give you a little extra cash.'
  3440. >You smile.
  3441. >Then you had a thought.
  3442. “Wait. What happens if I fail a couple months in and I have the place leased out?”
  3443. >A valid concern.
  3444. >You really don't know what you are going to be in for.
  3445. >Raven seems to be silent while she also ponders this.
  3446. >”I guess failure isn't an option then now is it?”
  3447. >Your smile returns even wider.
  3448. “That's why you're my agent!”
  3449. >You announce excitedly while Raven just giggles.
  3450. “But seriously.”
  3451. >You add quickly.
  3452. >”Well, I guess you could stay in a hotel or something. Or with a friend until the lease is up.”
  3453. >She names some suggestions.
  3454. >If only you actually had some friends close enough that you could do that...
  3455. “Guess failure really isn't an option.”
  3456. >You parrot her previous statement followed by a nervous laugh.
  3457. >”Oh, you'll do well.”
  3458. >Raven continues to encourage you.
  3459. >”I'll get the paperwork arranged to set up a leasing agreement on my free time out here while you look for a good storage place. Once we find that then you can get your stuff packed and we can hire a moving company to move your things.”
  3460. >You hum and nod.
  3461. “Will do! Thank you so much Raven!”
  3462. >”Always. Talk to you soon.”
  3463. >You hang up with Raven and look around with new purpose.
  3464. >Over the next few days you look up online for a highly rated storage space.
  3465. >Once you find one you are confident in, you set up a unit and you begin to pack everything up.
  3466. >You keep touch with Raven throughout the entire process and she gets the leasing paperwork done while you have everything boxed up.
  3467. >Leaving your computer desk the last thing standing.
  3468. >On your last day in Canterlot, you pack the last bits of your furniture and wait for the movers to come in and start to empty out your loft.
  3469. >After everything is taken out. You take one last stroll around your now empty loft before you lock up and then mail your keys to Raven.
  3470. >She'll be taking care of the more heavy work on finding tenants and will keep you in the loop.
  3471. >Finally, you take a ride share once again to the airport and fly back out to Whinnyapolis.
  3472.  
  3473. >You safely make it back to the Shooters Nest where you regroup with Indigo Zap and Wallflower Blush.
  3474. >Now that all three of you are back and ready for the long haul, Morning Star and Limestone are in the ring staring down at you all.
  3475. >Behind them were five other girls who were already further along on their training.
  3476. >She seems to have a softer look on her face than she has had during camp.
  3477. >Morning Star then gently bows to you.
  3478. >”Hello again ladies and welcome back.” She softly says. “I see that you three were serious about wanting to train here so I am glad to see none of you actually pissed off.”
  3479. >She laughs.
  3480. >”There have been a few times in the past where someone would make it past the tryouts and wouldn't show back up for the real work.”
  3481. >Morning Star then turns to the other students behind her and Limestone.
  3482. >”Girls, I would like to introduce you to three new hopefuls to our flock.”
  3483. >She continues on to introduce you and the other two to the current students.
  3484. >And they then introduce themselves one by one.
  3485. >”Excellent.” Morning Star chirps and eyes you three again. “Moving forward they will be aiding in some of the training and will show you some of the things we've been teaching them.”
  3486. >She finishes and waves her cane to the students.
  3487. >”But for now, could you all be dears and show our new students to their living quarters?”
  3488. >She then looks back to you three to let you know to take your things with you.
  3489. >You now follow the students up the staircase on the back left side of the wall that you noticed from the beginning of camp.
  3490. >When you reach the top of the stairs, you were surprised at what you saw.
  3491. >With everything downstairs looking dated and gritty, you figured it would be the same.
  3492. >But, in fact, the second floor living quarters looked somewhat comfy and welcoming.
  3493. >It was a large open living room with a TV in the back wall and two couches lined vaguely in the middle in an 'L' shape and a coffee table in the middle.
  3494. >A single chair in the open spot on one side of the room.
  3495. >The walls looked freshly painted with a medium yellow and not chipped like how it looks downstairs.
  3496. >There were several plants lined along the walls and another display case in the corner of the room with various pictures and more title belts.
  3497. >Next to the case of memorabilia was another book case filled with assorted books.
  3498. >In another corner of the room there was this single string hanging from the ceiling that you had no idea what it was for.
  3499. >On the back left of the TV there was a hall way that led down further in.
  3500. >One of the students motions you to continue moving as you were stuck admiring how nice it looked upstairs.
  3501. >You continue on into the hall and then Limestone speaks up.
  3502. >”So we have a total of four rooms available for students to live in. We tend to room two people together if there are more than four.”
  3503. >You do the math and with the five students already here and now with Indigo Zap, Wallflower Blush and yourself, that makes it eight total.
  3504. >So that means you will be sharing a room.
  3505. >Then you thought of something.
  3506. “So, say there are more trainees who passed the camp and there are less rooms available to offer to everyone, then what?”
  3507. >You ask.
  3508. “Like, what if there was one training camp where everyone makes it through and you only had 4 beds available?”
  3509. >Limestone shrugs her shoulders.
  3510. >”We simply pick 4 of the survivors we think have the most potential.”
  3511. >Seems simple enough.
  3512. >But, also kind of an insult after the hell you are put through only to be turned away.
  3513. >Limestone then stands in front of a door and looks to you three.
  3514. >”Anybody want to volunteer to room together?”
  3515. >She asks you and you all kind of look at each other in confusion.
  3516. >You just kind of shrug.
  3517. “I'm fine with whatever.”
  3518. >You announce and then Indigo Zap speaks up.
  3519. >”Same.”
  3520. >You then look to Wallflower Blush.
  3521. >”I'm okay with whoever as well.”
  3522. >She shrugs.
  3523. >You now see Limestone roll her eyes.
  3524. >Clearly annoyed with the answers as she then growls out loud.
  3525. >”Fine!” She bellows and then points to you and Wallflower. “You two are now roommates. Congratulations!”
  3526. >She then opens the door to the room and moves for you two to enter the room.
  3527. >You were closer to the door so you lead the way inside and Wallflower followed close behind.
  3528. >”Make yourself comfortable as this is where you'll be staying for as long as you both are here.”
  3529. >She says and then slams the door.
  3530. >You can faintly hear Limestone through the door telling Indigo Zap where she is going to room in.
  3531. >Both you and Wallflower Blush look around the room.
  3532. >It was pretty plain, but still nice.
  3533. >Again, considering how it looks downstairs...
  3534. >There were two twin size beds with a small gap in between with with a night stand separating them.
  3535. >A single window on the far back wall the looks out to farmland as far as you can see.
  3536. >A drawer as on the other end of the room opposite of the beds.
  3537. >There was a door in the back corner next to the drawer.
  3538. >You walk up to it and open the door and find out that it was a closet.
  3539. >Good for hanging some clothes.
  3540. >You then look back to Wallflower.
  3541. “Any preferences?”
  3542. >You ask your now roommate about which bed she wants.
  3543. >She then simply sits on the bed closet to her.
  3544. >”This will be fine.”
  3545. >She says as she hoists her suitcase onto the sheetless bed.
  3546. >That means you get the bed closest to the window.
  3547. >You stake your claim for the bed on the far back wall and plop your suitcase on your bed as well.
  3548. >Looks like you're gong to need sheets for the bed.
  3549. >You then sit on the bed and look over to Wallflower, who is sitting on her bed.
  3550. >You both share a smile together.
  3551. >”Excited?”
  3552. >She asks, a little giddy herself.
  3553. >You chuckle.
  3554. “I think I'm more nervous. The training to even get here was hell.” You lie flat on your back on the bed. “I don't want to think about what I'm about to get myself into.”
  3555. >In truth the worry of flunking out of training and your home not being available.
  3556. >You sigh and sit back up and open your briefcase to start to unpack.
  3557. >Wallflower just giggles.
  3558. >”Just take it one day at a time.”
  3559. >You see her and her bright smile and you can't help but smile again yourself.
  3560. >Good advice really.
  3561. >No point in dwelling on something that may not happen.
  3562. >You nod in her direction .
  3563. “I think I'll do just that.”
  3564. >You tell her as you pull out various clothes.
  3565. >For the rest of the afternoon, you and Wallflower set boundaries and who gets what shelf on the drawer and what side of the closet will be whose.
  3566. >After that's all settled, you both exit the room and meet Indigo Zap in the main living area.
  3567. >Some of the other students are also seated around the couch so you and Wallflower find a spot for the both of you.
  3568. >Everyone seems to be paying attention to what was on TV.
  3569. >It was one of those reality shows where a bunch of people go and run obstacle courses for money.
  3570. >You strike up small talk with the other students before Morning Star presents herself in the living area with the rest of you and seats herself in the single rocking chair.
  3571. >She takes one look at the TV and then over to you and the others.
  3572. >”Also, if there are any little things you need, we take a trip into town once a week to shop for groceries and other necessities.”
  3573. >She slightly looks up and then raises her eyebrows.
  3574. >”Which actually today is the day we do that.”
  3575. >She adds and looks over to some of the other students who all nod.
  3576. “Oh nice! I really need to get me a set of bed sheets.”
  3577. >You happily chirp.
  3578. >Morning Star nods and waves her hand to the other students.
  3579. >”This would be the day to go out and do it. We need to head into town for some supplies.”
  3580. >The students get up from their seats and begin to file downstairs.
  3581. >You follow along with Indigo and Wallflower and are led outside and around the corner of the building to see several vehicles.
  3582. >A flatbed truck and a couple of older model looking vans.
  3583. >Limestone then appears and points to you three.
  3584. >”Since you are the new recruits you'll be coming along.”
  3585. >She then instructs some of the other students to stay behind and you three along with Limestone and a few other of the students pile into the van.
  3586. >Wallflower, Indigo Zap and yourself all sit in the back row while some of the more veteran students fill the middle row with Limestone in the drivers seat.
  3587. >Morning Star then comes out and fills the front passengers seat.
  3588. >You then drive about twenty minutes through farmland and into town.
  3589. >The downtown area feels real old fashioned with a couple of faded looking signs for local restaurants and bars.
  3590. >”Sometimes we run shows at the local veterans hall.”
  3591. >Morning Star comments as you roll past several buildings.
  3592. >The one thing that seems out of place and doubles as the most recently built building is the large chain big box store.
  3593. >Which is where you all went to do your shopping.
  3594. >You and the other two browse around the store to collect things that you might have missed before moving in.
  3595. >Like you said yourself, all you really needed was a set of bed sheets for your “new” bed.
  3596. >Wallflower got a few bathing supplies and Indigo bought a few little things while Morning Star and the rest stocked up on meats, fruits and vegetables for the upcoming week.
  3597. >You then all file back in the van and make the trek back to the gym and help unload the groceries.
  3598. >After which they start to make some chanko stew for tonight’s dinner.
  3599. >Once everyone has their bowl, Morning Star then hold her glass of water up in a toast.
  3600. >”To the new recruits.”
  3601. >Everyone else then holds up whatever they were drinking.
  3602. >”The real work begins tomorrow.”
  3603. >She adds and then has a drink.
  3604. >A couple of light cheers from Wallflower and Indigo followed up by a few giggles from yourself and some of the other students.
  3605. >”So, what time do we start?”
  3606. >Indigo asks.
  3607. >”Same time as always.”
  3608. >Morning Star speaks between having a spoonful of stew.
  3609. >So that means seven AM.
  3610. >”Same routine as what the training camp has been, then we can focus on showing you more of the ropes.”
  3611. >She adds and really not much else was said.
  3612. >After dinner, you were all free to go about your business and do what you like for the rest of the night.
  3613. >You go and put on your new bed sheets and then lay on your bed while Wallflower is sitting on her bed and spending time on her laptop.
  3614. >The reality is starting to set in that this will be your home for who knows how long.
  3615.  
  3616. >The next day.
  3617. >You wake up to the sounds of wallflower's alarm.
  3618. >She had hers set an hour before yours went off.
  3619. >She then gets up and makes her bed while you still lay in your own.
  3620. >You take your time to get out of bed and grab your workout clothes and start on your own morning routine to get ready.
  3621. >You make your way downstairs to see there were already a few of the other students who were up and about, including Limestone and Morning Star.
  3622. >They seemed to be in discussion over breakfast so you make your way to the kitchen to see what to make.
  3623. >Much like before there wasn't much to make but oatmeal so you grab a packet and grab the pot of already boiled water.
  3624. >Really, the morning was no different than how training camp went.
  3625. >Breakfast and limber up.
  3626. >Now the morning prayer.
  3627. >Except now the number of callisthenics went up from two hundred to two hundred and fifty.
  3628. >Which really isn't THAT bad since you've built up your conditioning over the weeks.
  3629. >Same distance run of five miles.
  3630. >After all that was done, you and the other two are gathered around the ring with Morning Star and Limestone.
  3631. >”So since we've already worked on much of the basics like running the ropes, taking bumps, lock ups, arm drags, and snap mares. I'd say we should start off with another basic but essential move.”
  3632. >She then steps back and Limestone and another student take center ring and then Limestone rears her right hand back and then tosses her fist over to the other student.
  3633. >She connects with the students face and the student staggers and Limestone goes for another one.
  3634. >Limestone continues to punch the student and starts to walk in a circle and the student continues to be dazed until Limestone rears further back then the other punches and hits her hard and the student falls and takes a bump.
  3635. >”The worked punch.”
  3636. >Morning Star explains as the student gets back to her feet.
  3637. >”The most essential move that a professional wrestler can have, and yet with the changing times it's becoming a lost art to throw a proper punch.”
  3638. >Limestone then slows her fist to you so you could see.
  3639. >”It's very much a little over dramatic, but it's pro wrestling so some theatrics are involved.”
  3640. >She explains as you see Limestone once again rears back.
  3641. >”You always want to show your fist so people think it's real but in reality you will learn to soften your fist up. Like you are holding an egg.”
  3642. >She says as Limestone does another punch but this time the student doesn't react at all.
  3643. >”You'll want to bring your fist back and hurl it like a haymaker.”
  3644. >Limestone continues to throw 'punches' and the student just stands there.
  3645. >“The trick is timing. Once you are close to your opponent, you want your fingers to touch their face and then to rotate your elbow downwards and pull the punch down and away.”
  3646. >Limestone demonstrates by throwing a punch at a much slower speed.
  3647. >”Lastly, to make this move seem bigger.”
  3648. >Morning star then points her cane down to Limestone's leg.
  3649. >”You can stomp your your foot along with your punch and it give your punch more impact.”
  3650. >Limestone then goes back to punching at full speed and her partner reacts to it again.
  3651. >Which Morning Star now points out.
  3652. >”The next most important thing you will be learning is how to sell.”
  3653. >Limestone does more punches and the student reacts as if she was getting hit.
  3654. >Once again Limestone looks like she reaches back further than before and throws a massive looking punch and now the student falls to the matt to take a bump.
  3655. >”Selling is to react to your opponent's worked moves to make it seem believable to the audience.”
  3656. >The student gets up and then exits the ring.
  3657. >”A lot of what we do greatly relies on selling and making the moves look like they hurt more than they should. Selling is a very important part of pro wrestling and during your stay here, you will learn how to sell properly. But we are getting a little too ahead of ourselves. So for now, we will take it one step at a time.”
  3658. >She then looks straight to you.
  3659. >”Since you've been such a dear as our go to volunteer during camp I think it is appropriate you continue to do so, so please make your way into the ring.”
  3660. >You scoff and chuckle at her comment but you do not hesitate to get into the ring.
  3661. >Limestone then closes the distance between you two.
  3662. >”So, Limestone is going to demonstrate her punch. Try not to flinch too much.”
  3663. >She tells you and you nod.
  3664. >You try to prepare yourself as Limestone rears back a little.
  3665. >She sends her fist out at full speed and you close your eyes and tense up.
  3666. >But all you feel is a light brush.
  3667. >”Simple, yet complicated.” Explains Morning Star. “Yet, takes a lifetime to master. There are other methods of striking your opponent and you will be taught them, but I always feel to get you started on working your punches from the start so you can perfect it. If you ever do.”
  3668. >Morning Star says as she looks out to the other two.
  3669. >”Any of you would like to volunteer?”
  3670. >Wallflower and Indigo look at each other, trying to see which of them wants to get in the ring.
  3671. >Indigo Zap is the one who climbs in the ring and Limestone steps aside.
  3672. >”Let's just have a little exercise to see.”
  3673. >Limestone tells Indigo Zap as she gets behind her.
  3674. >”So remember ball your fist, pull back swing like a haymaker.”
  3675. >As she explains this to Indigo she is guiding her hand.
  3676. >”Time it so your fist softens up and lightly brush your fingers over her.”
  3677. >Limestone adds as she takes Indigo's fist and brushes it over your cheek.
  3678. >She now lets Indigo Zap take a few slow practice swings and let her gauge the distance between the two of you.
  3679. >”Ready to give it a try?”
  3680. >Limestone asks Indigo.
  3681. >She looks unsure.
  3682. >Limestone then looks to you.
  3683. >”You ready?”
  3684. >You shake your head no.
  3685. >She just snickers and pats you on the shoulder.
  3686. >”You'll be fine!”
  3687. >She reassure you but you're not convinced.
  3688. >Limestone then pats indigo Zap and nods.
  3689. >”Just one shot.”
  3690. >Indigo Zap looks nervous as she holds her hand up.
  3691. >She looks at her hand as she balls it into a fist and then pulls back.
  3692. >There was definite fear in her eyes as she swings towards you.
  3693. >You stand there as her hand collides with the side of your face.
  3694. “Oof!”
  3695. >She clocks you with some force and you fall down to the matt.
  3696. >There is then laughter from Limestone and the other senior students.
  3697. >”Oh my god! I'm so sorry!”
  3698. >Indigo Zap rushes to your side to check up on you as you sit up and rub the area of your face where she connected.
  3699. >”Ha ha! Happens with every new student.”
  3700. >Limestone steps to your side and you look up to Morning Star who just has a cheeky smile on her face.
  3701. >”Welcome to training.”
  3702. >Morning Star says softly.
  3703. >This is going to be painful in ways you didn't imagine.
  3704.  
  3705. >The first few days you focused on learning to throw a worked punch.
  3706. >A method they showed you for good practice was to punch a shower curtain.
  3707. >If the curtain moved.
  3708. >Too late.
  3709. >If you didn't feel anything.
  3710. >Too early.
  3711. >Also the string that was hanging in the corner in the living quarters on the second floor was also used for practicing punches.
  3712. >Same thought process.
  3713. >Punch the string until it didn't move.
  3714. >Which is a lot harder than you think.
  3715. >Watching the students demonstrate on the string and shower curtain, you now realize that was the thumping sounds you heard during training camp.
  3716. >Much like training camp, most of the heavy work is done during the day.
  3717. >And while you are free in the afternoons and evenings, it’s pretty clear that you should be using this time to work on your own.
  3718. >Which both you and Wallflower took this time to practice your punches a little extra.
  3719. >Morning Star also uses this time while you practice around the string upstairs to further explain some of the pro wrestling terms.
  3720. >First on the list was the word 'Kayfabe'.
  3721. >”Kayfabe is basically our entire world in the wrestling business.”
  3722. >Morning Star explains.
  3723. >”Kayfabe is what we project out to the masses as what is real or believable. Feuds, angles, and gimmicks, which are all terms I will cover later, were all used to create an overall world or 'movie' in which we tell a story.”
  3724. >She continues on.
  3725. >”A story that simulates a conflict between performers with certain gimmicks.”
  3726. >She then trails off.
  3727. >”A gimmick is basically a role, or persona a wrestler takes on to try and draw an emotion from fans. It can be anything Like a Jane Everywoman, to an exotic shaman from some Foreign jungle, to even a space alien from outer space.”
  3728. >Her voice heavy with spite at the mention of an alien.
  3729. >”But the idea is you were to take up a role to sell yourself to the public and draw an interest. Be it positive or negative.”
  3730. >Morning Star pauses.
  3731. >”Which brings up the term 'feud'. Pretty simple really, a staged rivalry between gimmicks or wrestlers.”
  3732. >She then points at you and Indigo Zap.
  3733. >”An example, Indigo, you are the all Equestrian everywoman who fights for justice and for your country, while Sunset, you are the evil foreigner from which ever country we are at war with and you feud with Indigo over which country is superior.”
  3734. >You couldn't help but chuckle at her example and Indigo seemed to also find humor in it as well.
  3735. >”You laugh but it's a tale as old as time and can still work in certain areas.”
  3736. >She shakes her head but also lets out a small laugh herself over her example.
  3737. >”We would stage several matches and angles over months with you two to build that rivalry. And sell your heated rivalry as an attraction. This is what we called 'Kayfabe'.”
  3738. >She then put on a stern look on her face.
  3739. >”And in the old days, 'Kayfabe' was protected fiercely. If you two were in that feud together, you would NEVER be allowed to be seen together outside of the ring otherwise you would have broken 'Kayfabe'. It's like if an actor were to break the fourth wall in the middle of a movie. It kills all the suspension of disbelief and nobody is interested in your feud anymore.”
  3740. >Morning Star then sighs.
  3741. >”But nowadays 'Kayfabe' is mostly dead. The curtain has been pulled back and the business has been exposed. I suppose it was inevitable with the rise of the internet and camera phones everywhere now. Also the rise of mixed martial arts pretty much exposed the ‘theatrics’ of it.”
  3742. >You then raise your hand like you were in school.
  3743. >Morning Star just laughs but nods in your direction.
  3744. “So was there ever a time when pro wrestling was actually...”
  3745. >You pause, trying to choose your words carefully.
  3746. >Morning Star starts to chuckle, knowing where you were going.
  3747. >”There is no concrete evidence, but I would say Professional Wrestling stopped being legitimate during the early 1910's. Legitimate matches back in those days would last several hours and all you would be able to see was just two competitors grappling the whole time. Not very exciting, is it?”
  3748. >Interesting.
  3749. >”Of course this was going on along with the carnival wrestling shows and then sometime in the early twenties, several wrestlers and promoters got together and started the whole idea of working matches.”
  3750. “Working?”
  3751. >You asked, now curious.
  3752. >”A term with many meanings, for one, it's another more common word for kayfabe as we use it to describe manipulation or deception to elicit a desired response. For example, going back to gimmicks, Sunset, if you were an 'evil foreigner’, you would take an Equestrian flag to the ring, slam it on the floor, stomp on it and spit on it to anger the audience. You have just 'worked' the crowd to get them to hate you and pay to see some proud Equestrian to beat you up.”
  3753. >She pauses and continues.
  3754. >”Another example of a work is basically planning a match to a desired outcome. Say you wrestle a match with Limestone but we choose you to win even though Limestone is the vastly superior wrestler. The match would be worked so that you would come out on top even though Limestone could break your arm in less time than you could process a thought.”
  3755. >You lightly chuckle and look over to Limestone who doesn't seem to react at all to that.
  3756. “I don't know why you would have me beat Limestone.”
  3757. >You say playfully and Morning Star explains further.
  3758. >”Given your name and fame from that pop group you came from, it would be more profitable to have you go over since it would bring more interest, thus, more money.” She nods. “Because once again; the number one rule of Pro Wrestling is to make money.”
  3759. >Morning Star then gets up from her seat.
  3760. >”I think that's enough 'Pro Wrestling Lore' from me tonight.”
  3761. >She says as she points out to the bookshelf near her.
  3762. >”There are some excellent books on it if you are still truly interested.”
  3763. >She then takes her leave and disappears into the hallway.
  3764. >You were half tempted to see what there was but you also didn't want to be overwhelmed with information.
  3765. >After all, you were going to be here a while.
  3766.  
  3767. >The days flew by.
  3768. >And then the days turned into weeks.
  3769. >You were shown some more basics.
  3770. >Like proper footwork and how to walk around in a ring.
  3771. >Which again, you never really thought this much effort was put into it but when they break it down like they are, it makes a lot of sense.
  3772. >You were then taught the basics of amateur wrestling.
  3773. >Stances.
  3774. >Holds.
  3775. >Hand grips.
  3776. >Take downs.
  3777. >You were even starting to be taught some submission holds along with some basic anatomy to go along with it.
  3778. >There were some interesting things.
  3779. >Like how the area between your wrist and pinkie is called the blade and is used for many submissions.
  3780. >And how that little area makes all the difference to making someone tap out by driving it into their jaw while in a headlock.
  3781. >Or an easy way to force someone to turn their head is to dig your main and middle knuckles into their cheek bone, or jawbone
  3782. >You were shown different ways to get someone in a neck crank.
  3783. >Which is what it sounds like. Twisting someone’s head in a way it’s not naturally supposed to and make them quit.
  3784. >A lot of mat work and body control.
  3785. >Any time you were paired up with the more senior students, they would take liberties and stretch you just a little extra.
  3786. >Still not as bad as when you were paired with Limestone.
  3787. >You swear that bitch is just sadistic.
  3788. >After a few weeks of practicing, you were finally paired with one of your peers.
  3789. >Either Wallflower Blush or Indigo Zap.
  3790. >And when you were, you were instructed to just ‘go’.
  3791. >As in, just grapple until one of the trainers says stop.
  3792. >And sometimes you went on for over twenty minutes.
  3793. >You’d come out on top sometimes, and they would the other.
  3794. >Over time, you came to the conclusion that these were to help sharpen your reflexes and timing.
  3795. >But man they were tiring.
  3796. >Even with all the workouts in building your stamina, you couldn’t go for very long.
  3797. >”You're starting to get a clue.” Morning Star says to you and the others one day. “But we really need to start building up your bodies to take the much more rigorous aspects of wrestling in general.”
  3798. >She has a serious look on her face.
  3799. >”Because if we don’t, you could hurt yourself, or even get killed.”
  3800. >Morning Star has Limestone enter the ring.
  3801. >”First lets start with building muscles in your necks by practicing neck bridges.”
  3802. >She explains as you watch Limestone squat and lean forward and roll onto her head with her hands holding her.
  3803. >She then starts to gently rock herself forward and backwards, side to side while rolling on her neck.
  3804. >”This exercise builds your neck to be able to handle someone trying to headlock you or to try and pull into them by your head. This is a basic exercise for now and once you’ve built up your tolerance we can show you some more advanced neck bridges.”
  3805. >Morning Star explains.
  3806. >”I would highly recommend you add this to your morning prayer routine going forward.”
  3807. >So now in the mornings after all the calisthenics you now add a one minute neck bridge.
  3808. >At first it would burn your neck for a good part of the day.
  3809. >But with everything else, your body adjusts and builds a tolerance for it.
  3810. >After a week or two of doing front neck bridges, you are show the back bridge.
  3811. >Which as you guessed it, you bend backwards and arch your back and hold your neck and roll it.
  3812. >”This is also a good exercise to get you used to back arches, which are essential for performing suplexes.”
  3813. >Morning Star comments.
  3814. >”But with these we need to be careful, first we’ll start off with you holding yourself while you do them. Then gradually you will be able to hold yourself up with just your neck.”
  3815. >After a few more weeks, you are now able to hold yourself up in a back bridge with just your neck.
  3816. >You’ve finally built yourself up to hold in position for 3 minutes.
  3817. >Which is the maximum they recommend you hold it for as to not damage your neck too much.
  3818. >In addition to the bridges, you were taught how to use the mace.
  3819. >It is what it’s called.
  3820. >A heavy steel ball connected to a long metal pipe.
  3821. >the exercise was to hold the mace upright and then to ‘push’ it over your left shoulder, swing it and pull it over your right shoulder.
  3822. >The weeks keep passing and then turns into months.
  3823. >It’s interesting how much disconnected to reality you’ve become as you haven’t paid any attention to any current events.
  3824. >You’ve just been hyper-focused on your training.
  3825. >Throughout this time you've been practicing your worked punches in the after hours.
  3826. >While now in the ring you were being shown how to body slam and the mechanics of it.
  3827. >While picking up your opponent, they help themselves up by placing a hand on your thigh to aid in hoisting themselves up for you to drop them forward flat on their back.
  3828. >And to take a body slam you stiffen yourself flat like a board as to make it easier for your opponent to hold you and ‘slam’ you.
  3829. >With what you’ve learned in the first few months, you are now instructed to work a 30 second spot.
  3830. >Spot.
  3831. >Another wrestling term you learned from Morning Star.
  3832. >Which is a planned action or series of actions in the ring.
  3833. >So something simple like starting out in a lock up.
  3834. >Then you Irish whip your opponent they come back at you and you hip toss them.
  3835. >They get back up and you lock them back up and flip them over with a flying mare.
  3836. >Some times you even take someone down and grapple for a time.
  3837. >After your 30 second spot you look over to Morning Star.
  3838. >She jut shakes her head.
  3839. >”That was the drizzling shits.” She says. “You’re not going into the spots with enough conviction and your lack of selling makes it look more choreographed than the garbage they show on Triple W nowadays.”
  3840. >You let out a sigh.
  3841. >”Isn’t this supposed to be a work?” You ask. “It’s not like we’re trying to fool anybody anymore.”
  3842. >Morning Star slams their cane.
  3843. >”And the people will see right through your work if you continue to half ass it!”
  3844. >She explains.
  3845. >You take a deep breath and get back on your feet to lock up with Wallflower again.
  3846. >It’s not like you were going to get the hang of it off the bat.
  3847. >Snow begins to fall outside to signify the coming of winter.
  3848. >You were in the ring with Wallflower practicing your worked punches.
  3849. >And you were beginning to get the hang of the distance and motions.
  3850. *thump*
  3851. >”Oof!”
  3852. >You clocked poor Wallflower and she falls over.
  3853. “Sorry!”
  3854. >You immediately apologize and kneel down to help her back to her feet.
  3855. >”It’s okay.”
  3856. >She was slow to get up.
  3857. >You were still a ways away from getting it down perfectly.
  3858. >A month later it was announced that some of the senior students were graduating.
  3859. >Which basically means Morning Star was satisfied enough with said student’s growth and could venture forth and start booking themselves at other events.
  3860. >To commemorate their accomplishments, the school was going to hold a small show in town with some exhibition matches and then show off the graduating student.
  3861. >Since you and the others were still in the beginners stage, you were all designated for ring crew.
  3862. >You were all shown how to disassemble the ring piece by piece.
  3863. >Then load up the flatbed truck the school had.
  3864. >Drive into town to the local veterans club.
  3865. >And set the ring back up.
  3866. >Then arrange seats.
  3867. >All throughout this, you also pretty much had to cater to the more senior students as well as some wrestlers who came in to work a match.
  3868. >And by cater to you mean just greeting them and showing them respect, grabbing them things when they need it.
  3869. >As well as be treated like you were less than nothing by them.
  3870. >They never looked you in the eye.
  3871. >Or called you by name.
  3872. >They didn’t show you any respect but you were expected to show them it.
  3873. >It kind of reminds you of when you were on top of the world with the Equestria Girls and how you would treat the stage hands who did your bidding.
  3874. >Were you really this mean to them?
  3875. >Were you that demanding?
  3876. >You think back to those times and remembered a time when you threw an open bottle of water at one because it wasn’t cold enough.
  3877. >And the stage hand apologized profusely and ran off.
  3878. >It is starting to dawn on you that you may not have been the best person to be around then.
  3879. >And having to start at the absolute bottom of the totem poll is really changing your perspective.
  3880. >”It’s about respecting those who came before you.”
  3881. >Morning Star says in the back.
  3882. >”There may be a time in the future when you will be a big money draw. But that time is not now, if ever. So in the meantime, all you need to do is shut up, watch, listen and hopefully you’ll learn something.”
  3883. >As it gets closer to showtime you now start to collect tickets from patrons and then usher them to their seats.
  3884. >The crowd was pretty small.
  3885. >You’d say not even twenty people.
  3886. >Is this really it?
  3887. >After all the that you have done and how much you have suffered through.
  3888. >Was this really the sum of it all?
  3889. >Is this really how you were going to start?
  3890. >Even with the Equestria Girls you blew up instantly.
  3891. >...
  3892. >You shake those thoughts out of your head.
  3893. >This was a whole different deal.
  3894. >Especially since you had a golden opportunity to start high.
  3895. >For a price.
  3896. >A price you weren’t willing to pay.
  3897. >So now you must crawl your way to the top.
  3898. >So you sit and watch the show at ringside.
  3899. >After months of training, you are now picking out some little details from each match that you never noticed when you watched before.
  3900. >Things like the timing of some of the students moves.
  3901. >Times where you can clearly pick out where there was collaboration like trying to perform a body slam.
  3902. >The next match was a match between a former student and Limestone.
  3903. >The former student makes her entrance.
  3904. >Then it was time for Limestone.
  3905. (https://youtu.be/6yXXt1QWc7Y [Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 "From the New World" (Remastered) : IV. Allegro con fuoco])
  3906. >Limestone steps through the curtain and just stands there while her music plays.
  3907. >Her simple outfit consisted of plain white compression shorts and a sports bra.
  3908. >She stands tall with her hands behind her back looking like some imposing figure.
  3909. >It’s crazy because she looks no different than she would if you were back at school.
  3910. >Which is just her being intimidating.
  3911. >And the music really adds to her aura that you don’t want to mess with her.
  3912. >Some of the earlier wrestlers would pander to the crowd to garner either adoration or disdain while they made their way to the ring.
  3913. >Limestone just marched sternly to the ring.
  3914. >No frills.
  3915. >No emotion.
  3916. >With that mean mug you came to know her for.
  3917. >You have to admit though, her match was the best out of all the rest.
  3918. >Everything she did looked… crisp.
  3919. >Flawless even.
  3920. >Of course with your limited training, you really couldn’t tell, but damn if everything she did looked good.
  3921. >And painful.
  3922. >She won her match with a submission hold.
  3923. >The crowd really got into her match.
  3924. >And just like her entrance, she pretty much just marches to the back after the referee raises her hand in victory.
  3925. >The next match is the main event and it featured the graduating student who wrestled another student.
  3926. >Of course the graduating student won.
  3927. >And it wasn’t nearly as good as Limestone’s match.
  3928. >Once the match was over, you had to do take the ring down and pack it back into the truck and make the long trek back to the school.
  3929. >On the drive home you had a small discussion with the others about it.
  3930. >”Man, it’s weird seeing wrestling matches after all the training we’ve done so far.”
  3931. >Indigo Zap comments.
  3932. >”I know what you mean. Even with all the studying I’ve done, knowing how some of the bumps feel you start to kind of get a different appreciation.”
  3933. >Wallflower adds and then looks to you.
  3934. >”What about you Sunset?”
  3935. >You yourself were kind of zoned out when it was brought up to you.
  3936. “Huh? Oh, y-yeah, it’s weird.”
  3937. >You simply say back to the others.
  3938. “I just think watching the matches really puts into perspective how much actually goes into doing this.”
  3939. >The others seem to nod.
  3940. >”Yeah, I agree.” Indigo chimes in again. “Well, like they say, there are no short cuts.”
  3941. >She replies and slaps your and Wallflower Blush’s shoulders.
  3942. “Well…”
  3943. >You say out loud.
  3944. >”Well what?”
  3945. >Indigo then asks.
  3946. >There are shortcuts.
  3947. >And you thought about them tonight.
  3948. >Once again you think back to your meeting with Shale.
  3949. >And again to Rainbow Dash.
  3950. “Let’s just say that maybe the short cuts may not be worth it.”
  3951. >The others just stare at you for a moment.
  3952. >”What makes you say that?”
  3953. >Wallflower now questions and you just take a deep breath.
  3954. “I don’t know really. But I also don’t know if this is any better.”
  3955. >You insinuate about the training you’ve gone through so far.
  3956. “Guess I won’t know for sure unless I keep on this road.”
  3957. >You finish and just look out the window at the night sky.
  3958. >Being out in farmland with little light pollution you get a stunning view of the stars and constellations on the way back to school.
  3959. >And just your luck once you make it back, you have to empty the truck and set the ring back up.
  3960. >By the end of it all it was a little over 2 AM.
  3961. >”Due to the show tonight tomorrow can be an off day.’
  3962. >Morning Star mercifully announces.
  3963. >A collective sigh of relief from you and the others as you make your way to your rooms.
  3964. >The first thing you do once you enter your room is plop down on your bed and call it a night.
  3965.  
  3966. >Time continues to pass.
  3967. >As does the seasons.
  3968. >Which is good because you have now learned that winters in Whnnyapolis are brutal.
  3969. >Since you were still one of the beginner students, you were expected to shovel the snow from the drive way and keep it clear.
  3970. >Which was an almost daily chore with how much it snowed here.
  3971. >Add in to the fact that there was no heater in the school, working out and training in the ring was like wrestling in a freezer.
  3972. >But with Spring around the corner and it now getting warmer, things were getting a little more comfortable.
  3973. >If you can call it that.
  3974. >As you gradually improved your grappling game, some of the more senior students started to get a little more aggressive.
  3975. >Especially Limestone.
  3976. >She’d do small uncomfortable things like dig her elbow into your ribs.
  3977. >Or press her shin bone into your heel while she has you on the mat.
  3978. >She just loved to torture you before she mercifully submit you.
  3979. >All these months of training you found yourself in a routine of exercises, and ring work.
  3980. >Added in that you were on mop and broom duty which means you were responsible for keeping the gym clean.
  3981. >At least it wasn’t laundry duty.
  3982. >Which was given to Wallflower.
  3983. >Strangely she didn’t seem to mind.
  3984. >In fact, throughout this whole thing she has complained the least.
  3985. >Like she’s just happy to be here.
  3986. >Guess she truly is passionate about this.
  3987. >Indigo Zap was stuck with keeping the bathrooms clean.
  3988. >She wasn’t too thrilled about the chore but she definitely didn’t complain out loud.
  3989. >You continued working out in the ring.
  3990. >Morning Star showed you some more holds as well as a different striking technique.
  3991. >Which was much more simpler to perform than a worked punch.
  3992. >A forearm strike across the chest.
  3993. >Which was way easier to get down.
  3994. >”Just because you learned an easier strike doesn’t mean you should abandon improving your punches.”
  3995. >Morning Star would lecture as she watches you and Wallflower practice together in the ring.
  3996. >Throughout the past months, you and Wallflower were starting to mesh well together.
  3997. >You both could run through spots smoothly and you were starting to work together without even having to say anything to each other.
  3998. >Indigo Zap seemed to start to lag behind in some of her work.
  3999. >You and Wallflower spent extra time with her to help her catch up.
  4000. >She was having trouble with the worked punch
  4001. >But even the other more senior students all still had trouble throwing a perfect punch.
  4002. >But she also needed help with her footwork.
  4003. >And she couldn’t grasp the ideas of some of the holds.
  4004. >It’s like Morning Star said in the beginning.
  4005. >It takes different amounts of time for different people.
  4006. >With the continuous passing of time, Spring showers now led to Summer flowers.
  4007. >And the heat coupled with no air conditioning made working in the gym a humid mess.
  4008. >You’d spend extra time in the baths just to cool off.
  4009. >Before you knew it, A whole year has passed.
  4010. >Your birthday came and went with a few well wishes from family and Raven.
  4011. >For the most part you’ve been radio silent from any social media and have been hyper-focused on your training.
  4012. >The beautiful autumn leaves began to fall outside around the school.
  4013. >And it was the perfect temperature outside.
  4014. >It was time to hold a brand new training camp for some new recruits.
  4015. >Which should be interesting to see it from the other side.
  4016. >The first day of the new tryout.
  4017. >You watch Limestone stretch one of the other students as all the hopefuls arrive throughout the day.
  4018. >An interesting crop of fourteen women.
  4019. >A lot of good looking ones too so you wonder if they are also former idols or starlets.
  4020. >Once everyone has gathered, you enter the ring with the others as well as Morning Star.
  4021. >She does the same speech as your tryouts and everyone does the same introductions.
  4022. >As you figured, a lot of the pretty women were former singers or even models.
  4023. >Some of them even say they were passed over from Triple W.
  4024. >That leads you to two options.
  4025. >One.
  4026. >Shale probably tried to make his move on them and they refused like you.
  4027. >Or two.
  4028. >They genuinely weren’t good enough for Triple W.
  4029. >Which if it’s the latter, then they won’t last a day here.
  4030. >As cruel as that thought was, you are now sure some of the other students thought the same of you during your tryouts so, who knows; maybe someone will surprise you.
  4031. >After introductions and the tour they are left for the first night.
  4032. >While upstairs for the evening, you and the others were discussing the new students.
  4033. >”So, who do you think is going to crack first?”
  4034. >Indigo Zap asks both you and Wallflower.
  4035. >You were sitting with her and half paying attention to the TV.
  4036. “Come on, isn’t that a little mean?”
  4037. >Indigo chuckles.
  4038. >”It is a little mean, I’m not gonna lie.” She answers back. “But it might be a little fun to see who exceeds our expectations.”
  4039. >She then looks over to Wallflower, who was over by the hanging string practicing her punches.
  4040. >”I mean, I made it. So who knows?”
  4041. >Wallflower tells Indigo.
  4042. >Indigo then sticks her tongue out in response.
  4043. >”Ahh, you’re no fun.” lightly teases. ”Alright, how about this? When do you think someone will quit?”
  4044. >You nod at that question.
  4045. >That’s a more interesting one.
  4046. “I say the steps.”
  4047. >You instantly say and Wallflower whines.
  4048. >”Aww, I Was going to say that.” She then starts to think. “You know, I think everyone will make it until the Gotch Bible.”
  4049. >You chuckle and look over to Indigo.
  4050. >”I’m going to say the run because I think they’ll make it through the morning prayer but there won’t be much left in their tanks.”
  4051. >Understandable.
  4052. >You all continue your evening until lights out.
  4053. >Day one of the new camp.
  4054. >Someone actually quit during the morning prayer.
  4055. >Two of them, in fact.
  4056. >Damn, all three of you lost.
  4057. >And frankly that’s not a great start to this class.
  4058. >Three more dropped out during the running the steps.
  4059. >Then two more during the second round of calisthenics.
  4060. >Finally four more quit during the Gotch Bible.
  4061. >At the end of the first day, only three trainees were left.
  4062. >And for the record, all the girls you internally thought to yourself weren’t going to make did in fact, drop out.
  4063. >If they lasted the first day, you were sure they would last the first week.
  4064. >And they did.
  4065. >In fact, they all reached week 6
  4066. >Survival week.
  4067. >And then they all cracked gave up after only three days.
  4068. >One of them even threatened to sue over how rough they were treated.
  4069. >They were laughed out of the building by Limestone and Morning Star.
  4070. >And just like that, nobody survived this training camp so no new recruits this year.
  4071. >Which led to a question.
  4072. “So, if I may ask. How do you keep this place funded if so few students ever make it to proper training?”
  4073. >You ask Morning Star during dinner one night.
  4074. >”Well for starters, I own this property. So that helps tremendously.” She begins. “Your tuitions and some of the more senior students’ booking fees are usually enough for minor things like utilities and food, and of course, like I said before; I made a lot of money in my career that I have saved up to cover anything else.”
  4075. >Guess that makes sense.
  4076. >”Besides, this isn’t about money for me anymore. I’ve made my money. This is about passing down my knowledge and keeping the tradition of Catch-as-catch-can wrestling alive.”
  4077. >She pauses for a moment and sighs.
  4078. >“I’m not long for this world, so now more than ever I want to ensure I’ve passed enough down to you all so you can carry on the legacy while you hopefully make a lot of money for yourselves.”
  4079. >There was a long silence after that.
  4080. >And you thought to yourself.
  4081. >You did get in this business to make money.
  4082. >But now for some reason you feel an even bigger obligation.
  4083. >You can only hope to learn as much as you can and not fail again.
  4084. >The next few weeks were business as usual.
  4085. >It was then announced that another student was now deemed ready for graduation.
  4086. >So another show to plan for.
  4087. >Then Morning Star had an even bigger announcement.
  4088. >”Shimmer, Blush.”
  4089. >She calls out to you two.
  4090. >”Your progress together has been acceptable. So much so that I think I will have you two wrestle your first exhibition match as the opener at the show.”
  4091. >Wow.
  4092. >You were speechless.
  4093. >While you are certainly excited about being able to have a match already.
  4094. >You also had this feeling that you still weren’t ready.
  4095. >Even after a year of training.
  4096. >Morning Star has been the hardest person to please and she’s never really complemented you on doing anything right.
  4097. >Yet, here she is saying she felt you were ready to show your skills.
  4098. >You then look over to Wallflower and she has stars in her eyes with the happiest look you’ve ever seen on another person.
  4099. >”Are you sure?”
  4100. >She asks Morning Star, nervously.
  4101. >”I feel it would do you two some good if you were to work in front of people.”
  4102. >She shrugs.
  4103. >”Of course it won’t be a large crowd, but it’s better than working here with nobody to entertain.”
  4104. >Wallflower then steps over to you and holds you in an embrace.
  4105. >You return the kind gesture and pat her on the back.
  4106. >You look over to Indigo Zap.
  4107. >She has this sort of proud look on her face and nods your way.
  4108. >You now try to mentally prepare yourself for this new challenge.
  4109.  
  4110. >The show was coming up in about a month.
  4111. >So you had that much time to practice some more with Wallflower before the big debut.
  4112. >Morning Star even spent some of her time with you two for a good portion of the day.
  4113. >”So now that you are going to have your first match, it is time to teach you more about some concepts in wrestling.”
  4114. >She announces.
  4115. >Morning Star was sitting outside the ring while you and Wallflower were inside.
  4116. >First is to teach you the concept of the ‘Babyface’ and the ‘Heel’.”
  4117. >You notice Wallflower nod knowingly.
  4118. >Of course you are none the wiser so you keep your mouth shut and listen.
  4119. >”A wrestling match is a story in of itself.”
  4120. >Morning Star starts to explain.
  4121. >”And like with almost every story, there is always a conflict between good and evil. Pro Wrestling is no different.”
  4122. >She holds up her right hand.
  4123. >”On the 'good' side is the babyface, or just face. They are the heroes who pander to the crowds, who follows the rules and gets sympathy.”
  4124. >She then holds up her left hand.
  4125. >”The 'evil' side is the heel. The villains who will do anything to win, including taking advantage of certain rules and bending them, to outright break them and cheat.”
  4126. >She then balls both her fists and lightly clashes them together.
  4127. >”A basic usually has the heel beat up on the face for a good portion of the match, until the face makes a comeback and wins.”
  4128. >Morning Star then leans back in her seat.
  4129. >”Much like in acting, you can be whatever you want. But some people are naturally better at playing one role or the other. People can also turn one way or another so long as it was done reasonably within kayfabe.”
  4130. >She adds.
  4131. >”But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves.”
  4132. >She then looks to you.
  4133. >”Sunset, for this upcoming match, you will be playing the role of the heel.”
  4134. >You heart sank just a little bit when she told you that.
  4135. >”It just seems like a perfect fit. You can lean into with your history as a no talented popstar idol with a smug attitude.”
  4136. >That was rather rude but okay.
  4137. >”Yes, that scowl you have on your face is perfect!”
  4138. >She points out your grumpy face then looks over to Wallflower Blush.
  4139. >”Which would mean you will be the babyface. The down home girl next door look suits you well for now.”
  4140. >Wallflower has an embarrassed smile on her face as she bows.
  4141. >Morning Star then gets out of her chair.
  4142. >”There is a logic that each of you must follow as a babyface or heel and we are going to go over them until your match in a months time. So lets begin”
  4143. >She then explains the logic behind faces and heels.
  4144. >As the heel, you will almost never smile and must show little to no emotion.
  4145. >Unless you are breaking a rule.
  4146. >Always look menacing.
  4147. >You are to never show any favor to the audience and are encouraged to disrespect them.
  4148. >Simple things like faking high fives.
  4149. >Insulting them or their hometown or local sports teams.
  4150. >In the ring, you also wrestle with a different set of rules.
  4151. >You are to be more aggressive.
  4152. >Use questionable moves.
  4153. >And even some illegal ones when the referee is not looking.
  4154. >Like a thumb to the eye.
  4155. >The next few weeks you are shown these concepts by two of the more senior students doing examples and then are told to practice them with Wallflower.
  4156. >Some things are easier to get down than others.
  4157. >You practice your heel tactics for the next few weeks leading up to the show.
  4158. >Over that time, you reached out to Raven Inkwell to invite her to come up and see your first match.
  4159. >Which she was more than happy to accept.
  4160. >So there was something else to look forward to.
  4161.  
  4162. >As the day of the match drew closer, you were given a rundown on ring gear.
  4163. >For now you are to wear the very basics.
  4164. >Black long tights.
  4165. >A black sleeveless top, not quite a sports bra but something in the same vein.
  4166. >And finally, a pair of wrestling boots.
  4167. >An interesting design as they are high laced that goes halfway up your shins.
  4168. >When worn right they provided protection for your ankles so you won’t roll them easily.
  4169. >Since you were going to play the heel, you were going to wear black colored tights while Wallflower wears white.
  4170. >An easy visual for the crowd to know who to cheer and who to boo.
  4171. >Morning Star gives you information on where to purchase wrestling gear.
  4172. >Since it’s basic stuff there is now an online store that provides everything you need.
  4173. >And when you are ready to go out on your own, a name of a seamstress who can make custom gear for you.
  4174. >She then mumbles about how convenient it is nowadays to easily get wrestling gear and ‘back in the day’ you had to know a guy who knows a guy.
  4175. >You make a small comment about how grateful you were for her generation to make it easier for her to succeed and Morning Star just grunts and walks off.
  4176. >A few giggles were had amongst the students over the exchange.
  4177. >She is slowly but surely lightening up.
  4178. >When the gear comes in the mail, you and Wallflower try them on.
  4179. >It was skin tight but that is by design.
  4180. >And even though they were that tight, they were incredibly flexible.
  4181. >You were also encouraged to go commando or to wear a thong to minimize any lines showing through your tights.
  4182. >You stand with wallflower as you both look at yourselves in the mirror with your new ring gear on.
  4183. >Wallflower looks like she was ready to cry as you wrap your arm around her shoulders.
  4184. “What a difference a year makes.”
  4185. >You tell her.
  4186. >”Yeah, all the practice is now finally paying off.”
  4187. >You nod and then pat her on the back.
  4188. “Let’s go break this new gear in.”
  4189. >You tell her and she nods.
  4190. >Before you climb into the ring to train some more, some of the other students start to show you how to lace your boots.
  4191. >Once they are on and laced, you can now feel why they are used for protection.
  4192. >They just about hold everything in place and there was no way you could roll an ankle in these.
  4193. >You and Wallflower do a Gotch Bible routine together to see how the gear initially feels before you both practice some more in the ring.
  4194. >You practice some drills in the ring and start to plan out a match.
  4195. >Finally it’s the day of the match.
  4196. >It’s at a different veterans hall than last time.
  4197. >Nothing much really changed.
  4198. >You still had to disassemble the ring and load it into the flatbed truck.
  4199. >And you also had to reassemble it at the venue.
  4200. >As well as set up the chairs around the ring.
  4201. >Take tickets.
  4202. >The same as last time.
  4203. >As you were ushering in guests, you finally see Raven.
  4204. “Raven!”
  4205. >You call out to her in excitement.
  4206. >As soon as she sees you, her eyes shoot up in awe.
  4207. >”Shimmy?”
  4208. >She says, bewildered.
  4209. >You then go up to her and give her a big hug.
  4210. >”W-wow. I…”
  4211. >She seemed at a loss for words.
  4212. “What’s up?”
  4213. >You asked.
  4214. >”Look at you!”
  4215. >She exclaims as she runs her hands up and down her body and then puffs out her chest and widens her arms into this tough guy pose.
  4216. >It then clicks in your head that this is the first time you two have seen each other in over a year.
  4217. >The last time she saw you was before you started training camp and you now realized that you are now in much better shape than before.
  4218. >Including your shoulder and trapezius muscles that are now noticeable.
  4219. >You now start to chuckle.
  4220. “Oh right, this is your first time seeing me.”
  4221. >You respond to your agent.
  4222. >”Yeah. I mean, you look incredible!” she says. “Are you sure they’re not making you… You know.”
  4223. >She says in a hushed tone and then makes a gesture of sticking a needle in her arm.
  4224. “Oh god no.” You quickly respond. “I promise you this is all one hundred percent hard work.”
  4225. >You say as you lift one arm to flex while your other hand pulls up your shirt to reveal your toned abs.
  4226. >Raven still seems bamboozled and just shakes her head.
  4227. >”Man, maybe I should have a go at this.”
  4228. >That got a hearty laugh at you.
  4229. “Well, this show is because a student is graduating so we do have some open spots.”
  4230. >You answer back and Raven just chuckles nervously.
  4231. >”N-nah, I may just pass out after the first day If it’s as tough as you described it.”
  4232. >You nod in agreement.
  4233. “Oh it is.”
  4234. >You say and you look around and see some of the others still greeting other guests.
  4235. “I better get back to my duties. Thanks for coming though!”
  4236. >You tell her and give her another quick hug and return to finish your chores.
  4237. >Once all done you head to the back to dress and get ready.
  4238. >The back locker room has a lot of the students who were performing just sitting around, mostly doing their own routines to get them in the mindset of performing.
  4239. >You have a spot in the corner with a chair and a duffel bag with your newly bought wrestling gear.
  4240. >You open the bag and pull out the contents one by one and place them to the side.
  4241. >After you have everything, you walk into the bathroom to dress yourself.
  4242. >Before you exit the bathroom, you take one long look at yourself in the mirror.
  4243. >The transformation you’ve gone through is amazing.
  4244. >Your abs, biceps, trapezius and shoulders were all toned and defined.
  4245. >At least you didn’t look like a roided freak but definitely someone not to mess with.
  4246. >You truly are in the best shape you’ve ever been and you just smile to yourself.
  4247. >Once dressed, you exit the bathroom and sit back on your chair and begin to lace up.
  4248. >Once ready, you stand and take a few deep breaths.
  4249. >You then look over to see Wallflower is also dressed up in her white gear also doing some small exercises to limber up.
  4250. >It was almost time.
  4251. >You and Wallflower have one last talk with Morning Star.
  4252. >You two were going on first.
  4253. >Five minutes.
  4254. >Don’t get too complicated.
  4255. >Remember your training.
  4256. >You then hear the ring announcer in the distance welcoming the crowd.
  4257. >You take a deep breath and you and Wallflower make your way to the curtain that leads to the ring.
  4258. >”Y-you ready for this”
  4259. >You’re not.
  4260. >You feel like there is too much you don’t know.
  4261. >But you look over the Wallflower Blush and put on a smile.
  4262. “Gotta start somewhere, right?”
  4263. >You tell her nervously.
  4264. >”OUR FIRST BOUT TONIGHT IS AN EXHIBITION TRAINING MATCH!”
  4265. >You hear the announcer say.
  4266. >And then generic music starts to play on the sound system.
  4267. >Since this was as bare bones basic as it is, you and Wallflower were going to share the entrance music.
  4268. >You stop for a moment for one last chance to collect yourself before you step through the curtain.
  4269. >”Go!”
  4270. >Morning Star shouts from the back which shocks you into stumbling out through the curtain.
  4271. >The sudden movement freezes you right off the bat.
  4272. >You look around at the crowd.
  4273. >Lots of senior citizens with other middle aged people sprinkled.
  4274. >”Wooo!”
  4275. >You hear Raven cheer you somewhere in the crowd which is then followed by claps from some other fans.
  4276. >Hearing her voice actually clams you and you start to walk down to the ring.
  4277. >You put on a serious look and along the way some kid sticks their hand out for you to slap.
  4278. >You hold out your hand to meet with his and then pull away right before you make contact.
  4279. >”Hey!”
  4280. >The kid yells and you feel a little embarrassed over it but you can’t help but smile in amusement that something like that worked.
  4281. >Some of the people in the crowd starts to boo collectively at you.
  4282. >You reach the ring and get on the apron and face the booing crowd and then egg them on to boo you some more.
  4283. >Their boos get louder.
  4284. >Your smile now feels less forced and more natural.
  4285. >You go through the ropes and strike a pose with your hands in the air while the boos continue.
  4286. >Limestone, who is the referee for this match, escorts you to a corner of the ring to wait for your opponent.
  4287. >You do a few stretches on the ropes to limber up some more.
  4288. >Next out is Wallflower.
  4289. >She pops through the curtains with a big smile on her face and looks around at the audience.
  4290. >Again, there were some claps from the crowd and she begins to skip her way to the ring.
  4291. >The same kids who tried to get you to high five them try with her and Wallflower slaps their hands.
  4292. >She hops up to the ring and raises her hands with a big smile on her face.
  4293. >The crowd cheers somewhat for her and she then heads to the opposite corner to you and the ring announcer steps into the middle of the ring.
  4294. >”OUR FIRST BOUT TONIGHT IS SCHEDULED FOR ONE FALL!”
  4295. >The announcers voice echoes throughout the hall.
  4296. >They then turn to you.
  4297. >”TO MY RIGHT IS TRAINEE NUMBER ONE, FROM CANTERLOT CITY. SUNEEEEET SHIMMMMER!”
  4298. >You step out and raise one arm while keeping a stone face on.
  4299. >There were some claps but a larger number of boos rained down on you.
  4300. >The announcer then turns to Wallflower.
  4301. >”AND TO MY LEFT IS TRAINEE NUMBER TWO, FROM GREEN HAY. WALLFLOWERRRRR BLUSSSSSSHH!”
  4302. >She steps out from her corner with a big forced smile on her face and waves out to the crowd.
  4303. >There were about the same amount of claps but louder cheers for her.
  4304. >She looks a bit uncomfortable at the smiling.
  4305. >The ring announcer steps out of the ring and Limestone steps into the middles and motions for you both to meet with her.
  4306. >You both do and Limestone puts her hands together.
  4307. >”Alright ladies, shake hands.”
  4308. >She instructs you two and Wallflower reaches her hand out to you.
  4309. >You were going to reach for it to shake hands but then Morning Star’s voice echoed in your head.
  4310. >’You’re the heel so play it up as best you can.’
  4311. >A thought came into your head and you kept your hands to yourself.
  4312. >Then a chorus of boos started to erupt all around you for not shaking wallflower’s hand.
  4313. >Wallflower looked a bit confused at first but when the boos started she had a sort of moment of realization of what you were doing.
  4314. >She tried to force herself to not smile at you and just stepped back into her own corner.
  4315. >You did the same and waited for the bell.
  4316. >Limestone takes another look and points at the two of you.
  4317. >You each nod and Limestone signals for the bell.
  4318. *DING DING DING*
  4319. >Limestone steps back and you and Wallflower step up to each other.
  4320. >You both get close to each other and then start to circle each other for a moment.
  4321. >Finally you brace yourself and step forward to meet Wallflower to lock up.
  4322. >You both struggle for control and then it hit you.
  4323. >You already forgot what you were supposed to be doing.
  4324. >All the emotions and nerves weighed heavy in your mind and now you can’t remember what you should be doing.
  4325. >’push me into the corner.’
  4326. >Wallflower then whispers to you in the lock up.
  4327. >That’s right.
  4328. >You were going to overpower her.
  4329. >You then start to push her back and she cooperates.
  4330. >Wallflower is shoved into the corner of the ring and Limestone then taps you in the shoulder.
  4331. >”Alright, alright, rope break. Let go.”
  4332. >You try to let go but Wallflower holds onto you.
  4333. >Of course. You were supposed to be the heel.
  4334. >You push back and then Limestone gets aggressive.
  4335. >”Hey! I said let go!”
  4336. >She shouts and begins to count.
  4337. >”1! 2! 3! 4!”
  4338. >You have untill five before you are disqualified.
  4339. >A heel always keeps the hold on til the last second so you finally let go and step back.
  4340. >Some boos from the crowd and Limestone scolds you.
  4341. >”When I say let go, you let go!”
  4342. >She scolds you and she steps aside again.
  4343. >”Alright gals keep it clean!”
  4344. >She instructs and Wallflower then walks back up to you cautiously.
  4345. >You circle each other again and go for another lock up.
  4346. >Another brief struggle and Wallflower speaks again.
  4347. >’Now my turn.’
  4348. >She whispers to you and then pushes you to the ropes.
  4349. >Once your back hits the ropes Limestone once again comes to break it up.
  4350. >”Okay okay rope break!”
  4351. >She commands.
  4352. >’Shoot for my legs after I let go.’
  4353. >Wallflower says quickly and lets go immediately.
  4354. >She steps back with her hands in the air to some claps in the audience.
  4355. >You wait for a moment and step forward and then do as you are told and shoot for Wallflowers legs.
  4356. >You grab them and take her down and crawl up to get her into a head lock.
  4357. >Wallflower counters and grabs your wrist and tries to sit up and twist your arm into a wrist lock and you counter by wrapping your arm around her neck and pull her into a roll.
  4358. >You both roll with each other until you reach the ropes again and Limestone once again has to break you two up.
  4359. >”Come on girls! Get off the ropes!”
  4360. >She barks at you two and Wallflower whispers to you again.
  4361. >’when we get up-’
  4362. ‘I think I got it.’
  4363. >You hush to her instinctively.
  4364. >She has been an absolute help so far but something just clicked in your head.
  4365. >You let go and get back to your feet and step back to let Wallflower get back up.
  4366. >Once she is back on her feet, you reach out and motion your hands for her to come up to you for another lock up.
  4367. >Again, she hesitates but then steps up with her arms in the air and once you are close enough you send your right foot into her midsection.
  4368. >”Oof!”
  4369. >She hops up off her feet to sell the surprise kick and lowers her arms to her stomach.
  4370. >You then reach in and wrap your arm around her head and pull her in for a head lock.
  4371. >The crowds boos get a little louder and you can’t help but smile.
  4372. >’Give it a little more umph.’
  4373. >Wallflower lightly calls out from your head lock so you start to drag your arms across her face.
  4374. >Limestone then checks up on Wallflower to see if she wants to give up.
  4375. >Wallflower then positions her body behind you and tries to push you off her.
  4376. “Nope!”
  4377. >You call out as you set your feet down on the mat so you won’t be pushed easily and add a little more pressure to your headlock.
  4378. >Wallflower tries it again and you stop her again.
  4379. >She goes for it one more time and you use her momentum to then hip toss her to the ground and keep the head lock on her.
  4380. >Once on the floor, Wallflower lifts her leg and drapes it over your face to pull you off her and you roll down and she gets you into a head scissors.
  4381. >You struggle in the head scissors and wrangle your way to get your foot on the ropes for the break up.
  4382. >Limestone calls for the rope break and Wallflower lets you go.
  4383. >You both get back to your feet and you again go for the lock up and you try to kick Wallflower in the midsection again but she was wiser this time and catches your foot.
  4384. >Now on one foot, you try to hop away from Wallflower but she keeps you in your place.
  4385. >Wallflower then kicks your single that was left standing and you take a fall to your back.
  4386. >She then tries tp grapevine your leg to put you in a kneebar but you use your now free leg to kick at her.
  4387. >She then grabs your second leg and now tries to turn you over.
  4388. >You fight against it by turning the opposite direction she was going.
  4389. >She finally forces you to go her direction and turns you over and puts you into a Boston Crab.
  4390. “Ahh!”
  4391. >You start to yell out in pain.
  4392. >Of course you’re not really in pain.
  4393. >But you do have to portray the illusion that you are in pain.
  4394. >And a struggle.
  4395. >You frantically flail your arms and try to crawl to a rope to break the hold.
  4396. >Once you do so, Limestone calls for Wallflower to break the hold and she does.
  4397. >You get back to your feet to face her again and you storm right up to her and strike her on her chest with your forearm.
  4398. >It makes a sound and Wallflower flails over getting hit and you do it again.
  4399. >You strike her a few times then grab her wrist and pull her to toss her to the ropes for an Irish whip.
  4400. >When Wallflower comes back to you, you lift your right arm and knock her down with a clothesline.
  4401. >She falls to the floor and you begin to stomp at her midsection.
  4402. >Boos continue to rain down as you continue your assault on your opponent.
  4403. >Wallflower begins to try to roll away from you as you now start to kick at her.
  4404. >When she gets back on her feet she acts groggy and is stumbling.
  4405. >You take advantage and hook her head underneath your right shoulder and drape her right arm around your neck.
  4406. >You grab the side of her tights to try and lift her up for a suplex but she stops you.
  4407. >You try again and she steels herself so you can’t get her up.
  4408. >She then starts to punch your side with her free hand and you react by letting her go.
  4409. >Wallflower then reverses the hold and she lifts you up.
  4410. >She hold you in the air for a moment and the crowd cheers and then she falls back to drop you to the floor.
  4411. >The crowd cheers for the move and you see Limestone get down to the mat with you two.
  4412. >’Alright you two, time is almost up, bring it home.’
  4413. >She says low enough to you two.
  4414. >Wallflower is the first to get to her feet and starts to hype herself up and the crowd gets into it.
  4415. >You slowly get to you feet and then wallflower kicks you in the midsection and you hunch over.
  4416. >She then places your head in between her legs and underhooks both your arms and lifts you up and she leans sideways to toss you to the side on your back.
  4417. >She keeps a hold of one of your arms and when you fall to the mat she rolls you to your stomach and underhooks your arm into an omoplata and clenches her hands over your face and lightly pulls.
  4418. >You scream and immediately tap your free arm on the mat that you give up.
  4419. >”She gives! Ring the bell!”
  4420. *DING DING DING*
  4421. >Limestone calls for the bell and Wallflower lets go of her submission hold.
  4422. >You lay there for an extra moment while Wallflower celebrates her victory over you.
  4423. >The crowd erupts in cheers for Wallflower as you finally start to roll out of the ring.
  4424. >Once you were out of the ring you are escorted to the back by Indigo Zap.
  4425. >”Nice one.”
  4426. >Indigo says as she helps you to stay on your feet.
  4427. >Once you are through the curtain and in the back you try to stand up straight but all of a sudden you feel much more tired and you let out a hefty sigh.
  4428. “Oh man that was a lot more intense than I thought.”
  4429. >You comment.
  4430. >You were tired, but you also weren’t.
  4431. >The adrenaline rush you got from even that small crowd kept you moving with ever noticing your condition.
  4432. >Even after all the training you’ve done.
  4433. >Morning Star was sitting right there as soon as you got backstage and then Wallflower and Limestone both come through the curtain a moment later.
  4434. >Wallflower was still beaming from ear to ear and also let out a sigh of relief.
  4435. >”Wow, that was amazing!”
  4436. >She tells you and comes up to you for a hug.
  4437. >Both of you were a sweaty mess but it didn’t matter.
  4438. >You just had your first match.
  4439. >”That was the shits!”
  4440. >The gravely voice of Morning Star yells at you two.
  4441. >Then all of a sudden all the good vibes you had were sapped away.
  4442. “What? Why?”
  4443. >You asked.
  4444. >”You two rushed through your spots and the finish didn’t make sense!”
  4445. >She points to Wallflower.
  4446. >”If you’re going to finish her off with that move, you should have took some time during the match to have worked her shoulder to show that you had weakened it throughout the match rather than going for the hold with no buildup.”
  4447. >She then points to you.
  4448. >”Your timing is still off and your mannerisms weren’t convincing enough.”
  4449. >She then leans back in her chair.
  4450. >”This was your first match so it is to be expected. Learn from this experience, and learn from your future matches. It’s the only way you will improve.”
  4451. >Well at least she ended it on a high note.
  4452. >”Okay, I will.”
  4453. >Wallflower responds while you nod.
  4454. >You then head back into the bathroom and wipe yourself down with a towel as there are no showers in this building.
  4455. >You then dress back into a T shirt and some leggings and you go back out to continue your duties.
  4456. >The rest of the night goes by with no incidents.
  4457. >After the event, you help take the ring down and load the truck.
  4458. >You tried to have another minute with Raven but you were too busy cleaning the venue and packing stuff that you two just met for a moment and agreed to meet tomorrow for coffee somewhere in town near you.
  4459. >Thankfully the day after an event is an off day so you’ll have time.
  4460. >You part ways and rejoin your fellow students as you finish loading up and head back to the gym.
  4461. >You stop at a late night diner for a meal.
  4462. >”So, what was it like out there?” Indigo Zap asks. ”Was it comparable at all to any of your idol performances in the past?”
  4463. “Not quite.”
  4464. >You answer with a chuckle.
  4465. “The physical demands are much higher here and the pay is nonexistent.”
  4466. >You jokingly tell her.
  4467. >”If you get a clue and improve the pay will be better.”
  4468. >Morning Star then chimes in at your response.
  4469. “Will it though?” You instinctively ask Morning Star.
  4470. >Morning Star looks off into the distance in deep thought.
  4471. >”Well, I suppose if you hustle enough around here and land a regular touring gig in Neighppon. There still could be good money in it.”
  4472. >She then shakes her head.
  4473. >”Or you could just get signed by Triple W as they are the biggest promotion in the World now so their pay is far and away more than what any other promotion can offer.”
  4474. >Dash and Shale once again rear their ugly heads in your mind at the mention of that name.
  4475. “But shouldn’t I feel insulted to work for them now that I’ve had this training?”
  4476. >Morning Star just laughs.
  4477. >”With your training it would be a cakewalk for you. You could bully those other floozie ‘performers’ who play wrestle and bend them to your will and make a lot of money doing so.” She says. “Remember lesson number one.”
  4478. >Lesson One.
  4479. >Pro Wrestling is a way to make money.
  4480. >The whole reason you started on this journey.
  4481. >”So.”
  4482. >Indigo Zap speaks up again at the table.
  4483. >”When do you think I’ll be ready to have my first match?”
  4484. >She asks Morning Star.
  4485. >”When I feel you’re ready.”
  4486. >She responds automatically.
  4487. >Indigo has this look of annoyance on her face.
  4488. >”Even after all this time?”
  4489. >”It’s different for everyone and some people catch on faster than others. There are still many flaws in your game and I will not risk your life or any of the other student’s lives on a match when I feel you are not ready.”
  4490. >She sternly answers Indigo Zap who looks to have soften up about it.
  4491. >”I guess so…”
  4492. >She says and Wallflower pats her back.
  4493. >”You’ll get there. Maybe Sunset and I can work extra with you some more.”
  4494. >She tries to reassure Indigo who doesn’t seem too convinced.
  4495. >It was then when the waitress came by with all your food for the evening.
  4496. >You opted for a cheap steak with mashed potatoes.
  4497. >Not the best of food to be eating this late at night but after your performance earlier it’s much needed fuel to at least get home.
  4498. >Some of the others got chicken or egg whites while Wallflower and some of the other gals who performed tonight got bigger meals to gain some energy.
  4499. >Once all the meals are done, you make the trek back to the gym.
  4500. >You really should go for a shower but you are dead tired.
  4501. >Even more so than the last time you worked an event.
  4502. >You’ll make sure to shower first thing in the morning.
  4503.  
  4504. >The next day.
  4505. >You wake up.
  4506. >And you are sore.
  4507. >After all the exercises.
  4508. >All the preparation.
  4509. >All the practice and bumps.
  4510. >You were still sore after only five minutes of ring work last night.
  4511. >You lightly groan as you get out of bed to do some light exercises to jump start the day.
  4512. >Wallflower still seems to be out.
  4513. >She must be felling it too if you were able to wake up before her.
  4514. >You don’t bother her and dress up in the same outfit you wore at the event last night.
  4515. >Why waste another pair of clothes when you could just do your morning workout then shower?
  4516. >You do your stretches and calisthenics and run your miles and finally, you take a nice long bath.
  4517. >You clean yourself and then you fill up one of the tubs with ice and relax for a bit to sooth your soreness.
  4518. >Over the last year you came to really like the feel of the ice bath.
  4519. >It really wipes your mind clean and you are left with an empty space for good meditation.
  4520. >After about fifteen minutes of soothing relaxation, you finally get out of the tub to dry and dress yourself for the day.
  4521. >You were going to meet up with Raven to catch up some more so you pull your phone out to text her to see where to meet.
  4522. >After a few minutes, it was settled on this coffee shop in the small downtown near your school.
  4523. >You call for a ride share and meet with Raven downtown.
  4524. >The coffee shop was a small independently owned one with a quaint old feel to the decor.
  4525. >They had many different styles of coffee and even some varieties of teas available.
  4526. >At the counter there was a glass display that was filled with many delicious looking pastries.
  4527. >You opted for some tea and a strawberry crepe.
  4528. >It was an off day but you’ll just work a little harder tomorrow to make up for it.
  4529. >You and Raven had a long chat about little things during your year apart.
  4530. >”So when are you going to graduate and start wrestling around?”
  4531. >You take a deep breath but also chuckle at the ways she said it.
  4532. “I’m not too sure. I mean, my first match yesterday was a good sign that maybe it’s not too long from now.”
  4533. >You answer.
  4534. >”Well, I ask also because the lease with the current tenant at your loft is coming up so some decisions need to be made kinda soon.”
  4535. >You hum and nod.
  4536. “Let me discuss it with my school and see if I can find anything out.”
  4537. >Raven nods in response.
  4538. >You two continue small talk before it was time for Raven to catch her plane.
  4539. >Raven takes you back to the gym in her rented car and you two bid farewell for now.
  4540. >”I suppose I’ll be back down for your graduation.”
  4541. >She tells you and you smile and nod.
  4542. “Looking forward to it.”
  4543. >Raven then drives off to the airport to head back to Canterlot and you head back into the building where you see Morning Star doing some light exercises.
  4544. >You greet Morning Star before you head upstairs only for her to call out to you.
  4545. >”How’s your body holding up today after your first match?”
  4546. >You stop before you climb the stairs and look back to her.
  4547. >She seems to have this cheeky smile on her face as if she knows exactly how you are feeling.
  4548. “I figured after all the practice and bumps I’ve taken the match would have been a breeze.”
  4549. >You tell your trainer and she just laughs out loud.
  4550. >”You and Wallflower have now learned the difference between being in shape, and being in ring shape.”
  4551. >Ring shape?
  4552. >”It’s a different process and mindset when you are in the ring and have to go go go as opposed to when you’re training and you can stop and assess your spots.”
  4553. >She added before she continued on about her own business.
  4554. >You then head upstairs and to your room where you find Wallflower sitting on her bed and on her laptop.
  4555. “Hey Wallflower.”
  4556. >You greet your roommate and you flop down onto your bed and let out a hefty sigh.
  4557. >Wallflower giggles a little bit.
  4558. >”Feeling it too?”
  4559. >She asks as if she knows that you are sore from last nights match.
  4560. “Heh, yeah” You answer her back. “Didn’t think there would be much difference from practicing matches to actually working them.”
  4561. >Wallflower has this half smile half wince on her face.
  4562. >”Yeah, my neck and back are pretty sore. You would think after all the bumps we’ve taken during training would have helped more. But man…”
  4563. >She then stretches herself in her spot and sighs.
  4564. >”Hey, if you’re not busy, want to watch some old matches with me?”
  4565. >She offers.
  4566. >You smile at her.
  4567. “Maybe another time. I really want to just relax.”
  4568. >You decline her offer and she nods understandably.
  4569. >”That’s fine.”
  4570. >She says and then grabs her headphones and puts them on and hooks it up to her laptop as to not disturb your rest.
  4571. >Which you appreciate.
  4572. >And you lounge around for the rest of the off day.
  4573.  
  4574. >Well, you’ve now had your first match.
  4575. >A simple, basic bare bones five minute match.
  4576. >There was nowhere else to go but to build your move set and to get a heel character over.
  4577. >You were now spending more time rolling with Limestone.
  4578. >Who to this day still wouldn’t go easy on you and would make it uncomfortable to work with.
  4579. >Then one day.
  4580. >You had a breakthrough.
  4581. >You now picked up little things like Limestone likes to shoot towards your right and take you down.
  4582. >When she goes for it during your lock up, you instinctively use your right hand to grab hold of her chin as she lowers herself and you hold her in place.
  4583. >Once you have a grip on her, you hook your left arm over hers and step your right foot over her left foot and you toss her off to the side and on the floor and you plant your left knee into her ribs and twist her left arm.
  4584. >”Arrgh!”
  4585. >She struggles and you apply a little more pressure to make her tap out.
  4586. >You finally got one over Limestone!
  4587. >A lot of the other students who were watching were starting to cheer and holler over your first victory over Limestone.
  4588. >You let go and stand up straight and you look over to Morning Star, who was watching the whole thing.
  4589. >She had a faint smile on her face and nods to you.
  4590. >”Do it again!”
  4591. >She tells you.
  4592. >Which you have come to learn over time that that phrase is the highest praise she tells anyone.
  4593. >So you must have done something right.
  4594. >Except now limestone is pissed.
  4595. >You watch her as she gets back to her feet and she had a serious look on her face.
  4596. >You two circle each other before you go for another lock up.
  4597. >This time she pulls you back and flips you onto your back and then scissors your neck and twists her hips cranking your neck.
  4598. >You try to resist but she has full control and you have to tap out immediately.
  4599. >The next lock up wasn’t any different.
  4600. >Or the one after that.
  4601. >One step at a time you suppose.
  4602. >The next few months you hone your skills and continue to improve.
  4603. >A new event is scheduled.
  4604. >Not for a graduation, but to again gain some match experience.
  4605. >This time you and Wallflower wrestle different opponents.
  4606. >Once again you play the heel.
  4607. >And once again you lose.
  4608. >”That was the shits.”
  4609. >And once again it wasn’t good enough for Morning Star.
  4610. >Wallflower got to wrestle a former student who came in for the event.
  4611. >And she lost this time.
  4612. >The next day you still felt sore.
  4613. >But it’s nothing you can’t handle now.
  4614. >Time moves on and it’s almost about to be two whole years since you’ve been here.
  4615. >Then Morning Star calls out to Wallflower Blush while you two were working with Indigo Zap on some suplexes.
  4616. >”Wallflower!”
  4617. >Morning Star bellows out and Wallflower stands up straight.
  4618. >”Y-yes?”
  4619. >She nervously responds.
  4620. >Morning Star stands there for a minute looking ans sizing Wallflower up.
  4621. >”Your work has been acceptable and your eagerness to learn is commendable.”
  4622. >She tells her.
  4623. >”You have shown me that you are more than competent and can hold yourself in the ring.”
  4624. >She then nods.
  4625. >”I think you are ready to take on the world…” She pauses for a moment. “Congratulations.”
  4626. >Wallflower Blush has been chosen to graduate.
  4627. >You actually feel happy for her.
  4628. >You smile and then grab her by the waist and hoist her up in the air in celebration.
  4629. “Wooo! Congrats!”
  4630. >You tell your fellow trainee.
  4631. >Well, not a trainee anymore.
  4632. >But a wrestler.
  4633. >When you set her back down and look in her face she has this look of total disbelief.
  4634. >For a moment you thought she was having an out of body experience.
  4635. >Then a smile crept onto her face.
  4636. >She was beaming from ear to ear.
  4637. >And then the tears started to flow.
  4638. “Aww.”
  4639. >You wrap your arms around her and bring her close and she starts to sob.
  4640. “Why are you crying? You’re going to be a wrestler!”
  4641. >You encourage her and she wipes her eyes.
  4642. >”I, I just thought I’d never actually make it.”
  4643. >You start to chuckle.
  4644. “What made you think that?” You ask. “You’re seriously the best out of us!”
  4645. >You tell her.
  4646. >And it’s true.
  4647. >Well, maybe not better than Limestone.
  4648. >And you can’t really tell about the other senior students.
  4649. >But out of you and Indigo Zap?
  4650. >She was always the first one to get all the moves down.
  4651. >She was the one who was always hard at working to improve her game.
  4652. >Always the one who wants to watch wrestling tapes on their off days.
  4653. >She earned this.
  4654. >And that is saying something coming from you.
  4655. >You think back to your time with Equestria Girls.
  4656. >In the beginning, you were chosen to be part of the group because of your looks.
  4657. >As were the others, to be fair.
  4658. >And you were taught and schooled on how to perform and how to be a star.
  4659. >But you were catered to almost every step of the way and were given opportunities that most others would sell their souls for.
  4660. >And now, after being humbled buy having your ass kicked for over a year, you can see that you developed an ego over it.
  4661. >An ego that that manifested over the years of being told you were the star of the group.
  4662. >And that YOU were going to be the big breakout of the group.
  4663. >An ego that got in the way of the others.
  4664. >An ego that tore the group apart.
  4665. >And an ego the lead to…
  4666. >You quickly shake your head to rid yourself of those thoughts.
  4667. >Right now this isn’t about you.
  4668. >It’s about Wallflower.
  4669. >And her hard work paying off.
  4670. >You pat her on the head and then look over to Indigo Zap.
  4671. >She has a half smile on her face.
  4672. >But something about it seems off.
  4673. >She still hasn’t had her first match.
  4674. >You begin to wonder if she is starting to harbor bitter feelings since you and Wallflower are seemingly passing her by.
  4675. >Or maybe you’re just overthinking and maybe even projecting your former negative thoughts on someone else.
  4676. >Again.
  4677. >Not about you.
  4678. >Or Indigo Zap.
  4679. >But about Wallflower.
  4680. >And to now prepare her for her graduation match.
  4681.  
  4682. >You have about 6 weeks.
  4683. >Wallflower Blush will be wrestling another student besides you and Limestone.
  4684. >Speaking of Limestone.
  4685. >You drew the proverbial short straw and will have to face her at Wallflower’s graduation show.
  4686. >So that’ll be fun…
  4687. >You spend much of your preparation getting stretched by her.
  4688. >With a few wins sprinkled in.
  4689. >You are now noticing more little things about her game.
  4690. >Things that you can now exploit and catch her on.
  4691. >And when you do. She comes back harder and stretches you a little more.
  4692. >But you are proud that you are seeing improvements in yourself.
  4693. >Finally, it is the day of the show.
  4694. >Again, little has changed and you do your usual duties.
  4695. >Though one thing of note is that it’s a larger crowd than you have ever seen.
  4696. >It’s not huge but the place was sort of filled.
  4697. >What shocked you the most is a portion of the fans seem to be wearing ‘Equestria Girls’ merchandise.
  4698. >Some even come up to you and tell you they had heard you wrestled in the area before so a lot of them came to see you.
  4699. >Which took you off guard.
  4700. >You aren’t sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
  4701. >Good because you seem to already be making a name for yourself.
  4702. >Bad because this night isn’t about you.
  4703. >And because they are fans of ‘Equestria Girls’ and not necessarily ‘you’.
  4704. >But many of the people try to swarm you and ask for autographs and you are pulled away into the back room.
  4705. >”What the hell is going on?”
  4706. >You were asked by Limestone.
  4707. “What?”
  4708. >You ask back.
  4709. >She then points to the curtain out to the crowd.
  4710. >”It’s usually not this packed for an event, but a lot of them have those shitty girl band shirts on with your mug on it.”
  4711. >You shrug your shoulders.
  4712. “What do you want me to do about it? I definitely didn’t tell anybody to come.”
  4713. >Limestone seemed annoyed at it all.
  4714. “I don’t see the problem, I mean, they are paying customers right?”
  4715. >”Exactly.”
  4716. >Morning Star chimes in with a smile.
  4717. >”While I’m not that fond of your music and the influence it’s given you, it seems like your matches have drawn a buzz and seems to be bringing in some money.”
  4718. >She then stares at the curtain while deep in thought.
  4719. >”Sunset, change of plans” She calls. “Tonight you are going to play the babyface.”
  4720. >She tells you off the bat.
  4721. >Which to say you were taken by surprise would be an understatement.
  4722. >You were petrified.
  4723. >Mostly because you’ve been focusing all your training as a heel.
  4724. “Y-you sure?”
  4725. >You ask her in a shaky tone.
  4726. “I’ve only been practicing as a heel.”
  4727. >You tell her.
  4728. >Morning Star waves her hand at you.
  4729. >”Bah, it’s not too complicated.”
  4730. >She brushes you off.
  4731. >“Besides, most of these people seem to be here for you so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to kiss up to them. Especially if you say you were a pop star before.”
  4732. >Guess there is no arguing it here.
  4733. >You then look over to Limestone.
  4734. >”I’m sure Limestone won’t mind being a heel tonight.”
  4735. >Limestone dons a wicked smile and clasps her hands together.
  4736. >It’s not like she shows any emotion in her matches to be one or the other so it makes no difference.
  4737. >But you wont say that out loud.
  4738. >Now you just try and prepare for a new role.
  4739. >The show starts.
  4740. >You are surprisingly the semi main event.
  4741. >Whether it’s because you are working with Limestone or because of the large audience with your old group on their shirts is still beyond you.
  4742. >You try to settle yourself and adjust to a new mindset.
  4743. >Shouldn’t be too hard.
  4744. >Right?
  4745. >It’ll be like your days as a pop star.
  4746. >Smile and wave.
  4747. >Easy!
  4748. >It is now time for your match.
  4749. >You are first to go out.
  4750. >You step out through the curtains to a number of cheers.
  4751. >You quickly scan around and see that it is a larger crowd than usual.
  4752. >You quickly don a smile and start to wave to the people.
  4753. >There were several people who had their hands out for a quick high five.
  4754. >And you oblige this time.
  4755. >You make one quick run around the ringside and slap as many hands as you can before you enter the ring.
  4756. >Once in the ring you stand in the middle and wave your arms to the crowd.
  4757. >You then move to one corner of the ring and limber up some more.
  4758. >Because the next ten minutes are going to be a struggle.
  4759. (https://youtu.be/6yXXt1QWc7Y [Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 "From the New World" (Remastered) : IV. Allegro con fuoco])
  4760. >Limestone’s music starts and you take a deep breath.
  4761. >She comes out to her usual stone faced look and stands strong.
  4762. >She gets a lukewarm reaction from the crowd.
  4763. >It doesn’t bother her at all as she makes her way to the ring.
  4764. >All business as usual.
  4765. >You always found it odd after learning about the dynamics of faces and heels and Limestone shows no qualities of either.
  4766. >She enters the ring and makes her pose with her hands behind her back and then goes to the opposite corner of the ring.
  4767. >The ring announcer introduces the both of you.
  4768. >When you two meet up in the middle for a handshake you reach out for one.
  4769. >Limestone simply slaps your hand away.
  4770. >That got some boos out of the crowd.
  4771. >You both head back to your corners.
  4772. >The bell rings.
  4773. >You both meet back in the middle for a lock up.
  4774. >And then Limestone begins to toss you around for most of the match.
  4775. >Five minutes in and you start to make your comeback.
  4776. >And the crowd gets into it.
  4777. >You even perform a successful suplex and force her into a submission move.
  4778. >She breaks free and you both get to your feet.
  4779. >You two begin to exchange strikes and you take her down once again to cheers.
  4780. >You attempt to get her into a submission again on the ground.
  4781. >However, she grabs for and pulls your hair vigorously and you were not expecting it and get distracted and she takes advantage.
  4782. >She reverses the hold and puts you into a knee bar and really cranks it in.
  4783. >You yell and tap out immediately.
  4784. >Another loss.
  4785. >Limestone is greeted with a chorus of boos from most of the audience while you roll out the ring and are helped to the backstage area.
  4786. >Once you are backstage you stand up straight and make your way to Morning Star.
  4787. “What that really necessary?”
  4788. >You ask your teacher.
  4789. >”She is the heel, of course she was going to use such tricks to get you off your game.”
  4790. >She explains simply.
  4791. >”Perhaps you should start being more aggressive yourself otherwise veterans will take advantage of your naivety.”
  4792. >You just grunt and walk off to the bathroom.
  4793. >You’re not sure if you’re more frustrated with how Limestone acted as a heel or the fact that you still lost.
  4794. >Sure, you’re still learning and you were paired with Limestone.
  4795. >But, considering that a large chunk of the audience was there to see you and they were disappointed, they could have paired you with someone you could have beat.
  4796. >You then dress out of your wrestling gear and towel off the sweat and then put on your T shirt and shorts to join the other students.
  4797. >It was time for Wallflower’s graduation match.
  4798. >Her match was fifteen minutes.
  4799. >And she won.
  4800. >Pretty good match, if you do say so yourself.
  4801. >Once she was back with the rest of you she received a standing ovation.
  4802. >Which was given to the other two students who had graduated.
  4803. >She then leans on the wall and lets out a sigh.
  4804. >”Oh man, fifteen minutes was rough!”
  4805. >She huffs out as she tried to stand back on her own two feet.
  4806. >Morning Star then approaches.
  4807. >”Congratulations, you’ve successfully made your first step into the business.”
  4808. >She tells a tired Wallflower and then continues on.
  4809. >”Of course this is only the beginning. But now you are free to take bookings at any wrestling promotion to further hone your craft.”
  4810. >Morning Star pats Wallflower on her shoulder and she just nods.
  4811. >”As an added bonus, you are also welcome to continue to stay with us at the school and continue to learn, but now we ask for a ten percent cut of your future bookings so as long as you stay with us.”
  4812. >You can’t tell if that’s fair or stiff.
  4813. >Wallflower doesn’t seem to care as she nods as soon as she hears it.
  4814. >”I would like to continue to learn with you for as long as I can!”
  4815. >Morning Star nods back and smiles.
  4816. >”Wise choice. Most of the other graduating students opt to leave.”
  4817. >Wallflower is met with another round of applause from everyone and then Morning Star barks out.
  4818. >”Alright, sentimental time is over! Get to tearing the ring down and packing up!”
  4819. >She hits her cane on the floor and the rest of you scatter to start cleaning up the venue.
  4820. >You then help break down the ring and load the truck.
  4821. >You all have your post event meal at the same late night diner.
  4822. >You get back to the school and set the ring back up and you take a quick shower to rinse off the dried sweat and grime and head up to your room where Wallflower was already passed out and flop on your own bed.
  4823. >It doesn’t take long for you to follow suit and doze off into the early morning.

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