>Still day 26 in Equestria
>You are currently in the gymnasium awaiting Slazd and Freedom Keeper
>The arena, as makeshift as it is, will do fine for the upcoming match
>It was a large sheet covered concrete covered block with poles in each corner connected by stretchy rope
>Outside of the ring were a circle of different colored gem staffs, which none of the other creatures could apparently get through; when one tried, they got electrocuted and thrown backwards
>The prison guard ponies said that it was a barrier that created an anti-anti-aggression zone inside of it and that only creatures with authorization could pass through it
>You were not sure if you had authorization or not, but the sight of what happened to that unfortunate creature from earlier still lingers in your mind; don't want to end up like him
>Poor guy is still lying on the floor stunned AFTER IT HAS BEEN 30 MINUTES
>Everything is prepared, though, and it is almost time for them to show up
>Well, almost everything is prepared
>You still don't have the gloves you requested
>It isn't a proper boxing match unless you have your safety equipment, because safety is obviously the most important thing to think about in a sport where your objective is to beat the crud out of the person in front of you
>"Hey Anon, you're not gonna go crazy like you did earlier, right?"
>Behind you, Flizzy asks you a question in concern
>"The last thing I wanna see is ya gettin' yourself hurt because ya weren't thinkin'."
"Don't worry, I am--"
>"Or how about this? Let me fight him instead. I don't wanna see you in a wheelchair again; I can beat some sense into that wyrmling for ya."
"Flizzy, it's quite alright. I--"
>"Or we could make this a partnership match. I'll take the hits and keep ya safe. It'll be simple if we just--"
>This time you cut her off, placing your hand on her belly
"Flizzy, calm down. It will be alright; I promise."
>This doesn't comfort her much, but it does stop her from speaking over you
>You will admit, the thought of fighting a dragon in any way is actually kind of discomforting for yourself, so you can see why she worries for you; you could never have seen yourself doing this sort of thing even just a month ago
>BUT, this is your fight to face and you didn't want Flizzy making this have anything to do with her
"Flizzy, you mentioned earlier that you liked me because you saw me as 'weak', but I am not as weak as you think. I may not be as strong as you, but no misbehaving child is going to beat me in a one on one; I do have some experience fighting after all. So please, as usual, just trust me. Alright?"
>Flizzy looks nervously from side to side for a moment, likely pondering whether or not 'trusting you' on this was a wise decision or not, but then looks down at you and promises
>"Fine Anon, I will trust ya. Just please don't get injured too badly. I wanna spend my time with ya playin' around, not wheelin' ya around."
>You nod towards her and promise back
"Absolutely. I promise that no matter what, I will not end up too injured from this. Hopefully, not in the slightest."
>Flizzy and you stare into one another's eyes, her nervously smiling while you confidently smile
>You used to box all the time back home, both as a competitive sport and as a backyard rough-housing type of thing
>While you had a number of defeats in the competitive scene, in the backyard you were unbeatable; your uncles actually used to call over neighborhood kids that thought they were the toughest to fight you, betting on who would win
>Thinking back upon it, your uncles were kinda terrible people..
>But that is why you aren't too afraid of getting injured today, because this was your home-turf you were going to be fighting on
>Slazd was likely going to be the same as those huge kids from the backyard; large and powerful, but inexperienced and easy to read
>And even if he was a good fighter, using only his gloved claws, you still had a lot of experience to back up your confidence
>Just because you got injured by unforeseeable events in this prison did not mean you were weak; and you were going to show that to Flizzy today
>..Seriously, that 'weak' comment she made may have been her idea of a compliment, but it really irked you
>As if you could "strength" your way out of being cut open, flung around, and all the other uncontrollable crap that has happened recently
>Whatever, when that brat shows up today, you are going to teach him why it is better to be courteous than brutish
>Sure he was just a kid, but he was slightly larger than you; that makes it okay in your eyes
>Also, he has scales hard as a motherfucker's dick upon seeing Octomom's big bulging belly
>Gonna have to try to find a way to beat through that solid S+ level defense he is rocking
>...
>After about another twenty or so minutes of waiting, both Slazd and Freedom Keeper enter the gymnasium
>Finally!
>They are a bit early, but you were a lot early, so it feels like they are late
>"Are ya ready for this Anon?"
>Flizzy asks you nervously
"Ya. I am more than ready."
>You take off your prison jumpsuit and reveal your black tanktop and green shorts underneath
>Some mares and female creatures let out a squeal of delight as your do this, while Flizzy just seems startled with delight
"Yeah, I know I'm sexy."
>The testosterone is pumping through you as you imagine over and over the different ways you are going to take Slazd down
>"ANON!"
>You hear Slazd scream out at you from across the room, pointing towards you in anger
"SLAZD!!"
>You scream out much louder, trying to show your dominance before the match even begins
>"ANON!!!"
"SLAZD!!!!"
>"ANON!!!!!"
"SLAZD!!!!!!"
>"DISCORD! AHAHAHA!"
>What the?..
>A long grey and brown strange looking creature slithers his way down through the air, into the middle of the ring
>This weird creature looks like a mash up between so many different creatures; is this another prisoner?
>How did he go through the anti-anti-aggression field without any problems?
"Who is that?"
>Most of the creatures in the room are staring at him also, either frozen in fear or giving him angry glares; a few other creatures are looking at him as confused as you are
>"T-T-T-That is--"
>A scared guard pony stammers out, before being interrupted by the flying anomaly
>"Oh Anonymous, how could you not remember me? And here I thought we were best buds! Amigos fantastico! Chummy chums! Brothers from other mothers!"
>The flying creature pretends to be distraught over your lack of recognition of him
"I don't think I've even ever met you. Sorry if that isn't the case."
>The creature flies over to you and places his hand on your shoulder, wrapping around you
>"HEY!"
>Flizzy is noticeably disturbed by him doing this, but is too visibly nervous to do anything about it
>It doesn't look like she is terrified of him, but definitely cautious and a slight bit frightened
>Does she know something about this creature?
>"Oh Anonymous, don't feel too bad for breaking my poor little heart."
>The creature pulls out its own still beating heart, as it shrivels up and starts to cry, then places back in and extends his arm
>"Hopefully in time you will remember your savior, in more ways than one. But I am not one to hold a grudge, so let me just reintroduce myself.."
>He then takes off one of his horns, bows dramatically in mid-air, and says in an overly fancy tone
>"I.. am Discord. Master of chaos, ruler of the demented, and your new best friend!"
"Wait what?"
>"Yes, I do need more friends after all. Fluttershy and Smooze are not enough. And you know what you humans say, 'two's company but three's a crowd' and 'the more the merrier'! Perhaps the two sayings could be synonymous in my case."
>What is this guy even on about?
"Wait, you know about humans?"
>Discord does a little twist and flip in mid-air, saying in delight and putting on a theatrical performance while speaking about humans
>"Of course I do! Your kind is such a delight, it would be a shame to not know about them. Doing chaos in their own special ways, making things go 'BOOM', and just being such a contradiction of a species. Seeking peace and order, but destroying it as soon as they gain it. If I weren't trapped in stone during their creation, I would have thought I accidentally created them on a drunken Tuesday night. But alas, that creation just ended up being the Platypus; which I cannot stand. I created them and yet they still refuse to ever visit me on Father's day. For all I care, they don't even exist."
>Discord stops himself mid-tangent to get back on topic
>Across the room, Slazd and Freedom Keeper are giving a much different reaction than the rest of the crowd
>While most are in awe, anger, or confusion, Slazd looks more bored and impatient than anything while Freedom Keeper looks unhappy but undisturbed by his presence
>Meaning he is the second creature you have ever seen to knock her out of her normal groove, which is strange due to the fact that you would think his erratic behavior would be something she would enjoy
>"But as I was saying, or not so much saying as of yet, but now am, I am here to enjoy your little display of tough-guy bravado. I even thought I would pop in to spice it up a little; nobody likes to just see bloodshed alone, there has to be some sort of entertainment accompanying it."
>He disappears in a sudden flash of light and then reappears next to Freedom Keeper
>"But let's first hear what she was going to be saying."
>What? Is the warden in on this? Is that what is happening?
>Freedom Keeper just sighs, looks away for a second to recollect her normal self, then starts to explain with a forced cheerful expression on her face
>"I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING WITH THIS DISCORD, BUT I'LL JUST PRETEND YOU WERE NEVER HERE."
>Freedom Keeper starts to completely ignore Discord, which causes Discord to hold his mouth and laugh silently
>"FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE TIME TO MAKE GLOVES FOR THE TWO OF YOU, ONE PRISONER VOLUNTEERED TO BE YOUR GLOVES INSTEAD!"
>Wait, someone 'volunteered to be your gloves'?
>As she finishes her sentence, the green slime from the basketball game slithers into the gymnasium behind her
>"SYDNEY HERE WILL BE FORMING YOUR GLOVES AND WILL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING STAYS SAFE."
"Wait! I don't want to do that! That would be cruel to him.. err.. her? It?"
>"SYDNEY IS BOTH MALE AND FEMALE, CALL HIM OR HER WHATEVER YOU WISH!"
"Umm, okay then. But that wasn't my point. If we punch with him or her on our hands, wouldn't that cause him or her to get hurt?"
>Freedom Keeper shakes her head and then knocks her hoof on Sydney's body a few times
>"SYDNEY IS ONE OF A FEW ODDITIES IN THIS WORLD THAT IS BOTH INDESTRUCTIBLE AND IMPERVIOUS TO PAIN. SYDNEY ALSO DOESN'T SEEM TO AGE, BUT MY POINT IS THAT YOU CAN'T HURT SYDNEY NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY. THAT IS WHY I WAS ALRIGHT WITH SYDNEY BEING YOUR GLOVES. ANY OBJECTIONS?!"
>Well if he is impervious, then you really don't have any
>But Slazd raises his claw
>"I don't have an objection now, but if this causes Anonymous to have an unfair advantage again, then I will."
>Slazd begins moving towards the ring, but is stopped by Discord floating next to him and grabbing onto his shoulder
>"Oh don't be such a party pooper. I have a special thing for this match."
>Slazd just snarls at him
>"Let go of me before I break you."
>Discord ignores him and gets in his face with his own smiling face
>"*inaudible whisper*"
>He is whispering something Slazd, which causes his sour expression to turn into one of slight delight
>Which, after a bit of yellowish magic enveloping the both of them, Slazd starts moving his arms around in front of him at an insane speed
>You don't know what he is doing, as he is moving his arms about 50x faster than how fast you could flail your arms, but it looks as if he is swiping through something
>After about 30 seconds, Discord nods his head and Slazd stops moving fast, placing his arms down to his side with a devious smile
>"Not quite what I expected you to choose, but if you insist."
>Discord then teleports over to you, startling you and causing you to fall backwards onto Flizzy, who catches you
>"Are you alright Anon?"
>You just nod your head and stand back up
>As you straighten your posture, Discord says to you in a whisper
>"And now it is your turn."
>And with that, the same yellowish light that enveloped Slazd now envelops you instead, causing time to start to flow MUCH MUCH SLOWER
>Everything around you, except Discord, is practically at a halt
>And in front of you, a large yellow hologram screen stands before you
"What is this?"
>You ask, completely confused to what just happened
>"Oh, well, you see; I thought it would be much more entertaining if you both had some sort of theme song that played when you entered the ring. It would make all of this feel much more interesting, as if it were--"
"As if it were wrestling?"
>Discord shrugs
>"Well you can't deny that the sorts of theatrics they use create a much more amusing experience."
>While you are not used to playing as some sort of superstar, fighting for the crowd's amusement, you do kind of enjoy the thought of being some sort of good guy character in the ring who taking down the big bad dragon
>The testosterone, still flowing from earlier, causes you to think less and act more on your intrigue
"Well, if you say so. What sorts of music does this world even have?"
>Discord turns his head upside down and shakes it
>"No no no! That is not how it will work at all. You see, because you are the one to suggest this, I decided it would be best to use your dimension's music. Make it feel more like home."
>He then plugs his ears and sticks his tongue out
>"Also, Equestrian music makes me gag! Too civil, too orderly, too.. boring."
>You look down at the yellow floating screen and reach your hand out to touch it
>Wait.. Something about this looks familiar
>"You like it? I designed it myself. I call it the iDiscord Operating System. It is currently connected to your memories, allowing access to every song you had ever heard. Just swipe around and find what song suits you the most. I will be here, judging your taste in music."
>...
>For the next thirty minutes or so in this super slow world, you surf through all of the songs you have ever heard in your entire life
>You are still only on page 38 of 1,228
>During the entire past half hour Discord has just been dancing, pretending to vomit, or commenting on the good/bad the song you were scanning past was
>There were two songs you were looking at using, but neither of them seemed perfectly right to you
>How much longer was this going to take?
>Sure, listening to all of these songs brought massive nostalgia to you, but you didn't like having tears in your eyes while listening to music
>Especially because you kept thinking of how you will likely never hear this music again after this
>Bad thoughts need to go away, you are about to fight after all
>Welp.. next page
>Geez, how much longer was this going to ta--
>..
>"A mashup huh? You sure have listened to a lot of those. If only they were a bit more messy, I would probably enjoy them a lot more. But this one isn't so bad."
>..
>PERFECT!
>...
>As you finish choosing your song, Discord unfreezes time and things start to move normally again
>"What in Dragontopia was that? How did ya do that Anon?"
>Flizzy asks from behind, finally moving faster than a dead snail being gently brushed by the wind
>As you are about to respond, Discord interrupts and explains
>"Now remember Anon, just think of the song once you enter the ring and the slime will do the rest."
>And with that, Discord flies up above the ring
>"I will be watching, so you two better put on a FUNTASTIC show!"
>He spins around for a second before teleporting out in a flash of light, leaving only an audible 
>"Ta Ta!"
>And with that, everyone in the room stops staring at where he was and instead begins looking around for where he would be
>Everyone except Freedom Keeper, who is moving towards you to allow you to enter the ring, and--
>"GET IN HERE ALREADY YOU WUSS!"
>Slazd screams that from inside of the barrier, already wearing his Sydney gloves, a bit outside of the ring
>And after a few seconds, Freedom Keeper walks towards you with Sydney the slime following inside of the barrier, who is leaving a tiny trail of goo from him to Slazd
>"Good luck. Remember, don't go berserk. Just be yourself."
>Flizzy says softly to you, now beside you
>As a response, you lift your right arm and grab the muscle, nodding with a cocky smile
>As Freedom Keeper grabs ahold of you to lead you into the barrier, Flizzy returns your gesture in the exact same way; she must not completely understand what it meant, but that doesn't stop her from copying it
>You can't help but let out a chuckle at that, as you walk away towards the ring
>...
>Both Slazd and you are outside of the ring, holding onto the ropes and standing on the very edge, as Freedom Keeper goes into the middle of the ring and starts to announce the match
>"LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS! TONIGHT WE HAVE A SPECIAL ATTRACTION FOR YOU ALL! THE FIRST EVER VIOLENCE ARENA ALLOWED IN THE PRISON, USED MORE FOR SPORT THAN HARM! THE TWO CONTENDERS TONIGHT ARE FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT OF NOT BEING WRONG IN THEIR PETTY SQUABBLE!"
>Freedom Keeper points towards Slazd, with a huge mischievous smile on her face
>"THE FIRST CONTENDER TONIGHT IS A NEWCOMER TO THE PRISON, MAKING WAVES AND ENEMIES FASTER THAN A RUDE TIDAL WAVE, THE DRAGON WITH A MOOD AND SOMETHING TO PROVE, SLLLAAAAZD!!!"
>Slazd steps into the arena, raising his claws and looking around triumphantly while most of the crowd "BOO"s him
>And from seemingly out of him, a loud song starts to play louder than the booing of the crowd
>https://youtu.be/GcfzQVYNHnU
>What the hell?
>His theme song is?
>You then remember what Discord told you, how this match would only have music you remembering hearing before
>Still..
>The music keeps playing as he circles the ring, jumping around and thrusting his claw into the air to try and create hype for himself
>It somewhat works, now with some of the crowd cheering for him instead of booing him; though most of the crowd is still booing
>As the song ends, he jumps over to his side of the ring and motions you into the ring with a viscous smile upon his face
>Freedom Keeper then points towards you
>"AND OVER HERE, WE HAVE THE SECOND CONTENDER! HE IS A HYOOMAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, YOU KNOW HIM WELL AS THE CRIPPLED CREATURE--"
>Oi!
>"--, AS THE KIND AND FRIENDLY ADDITION TO THE PRISON FAMILY--"
>Well shucks~..
>", AND AS THE ONE AND ONLY OF HIS KIND; HERE COMES ANONYMOUS!"
>Almost every creature in the prison begins to cheer and chant your name
>"ANONYMOUS! ANONYMOUS!"
>Wow, holy crap
>This is a bit embarrassing, having so many individuals cheering your name at such a loud volume
>You begin to blush as you enter the ring, scratching the back of your head and nervously laughing
>When you fully enter the ring, the crowd goes absolutely wild
>You are now the center of attention, as everyone waits while screaming for you
>The feeling of the need to impress overcomes you, so much so that you start sprinting around the ring like Slazd did
>But it feels as if you are forgetting something
"Oh shit! I almost forgot."
>You look down at the green slime surrounding your hands, acting as gloves, and start to think of your song
>Suddenly, little indents, that look like a speaker's grill, appear inside of Sydney and start blaring out a song
>https://youtu.be/nS_zXRgg9H4
>When the song comes on, the crowd goes even wilder, with some creatures literally jumping on top of each other to get a better view of you
>You feel on top of the world right now, gotta do something
>Do something to impress!
>You get over to the side of the ring where most of the spectators are and whip off your shirt, starting to flex for the crowd
>As you do that, a guard mare that was located inside of the barrier lets out an excited shriek and faints with her hoof resting on her forehead
>You then run over to the other side of the arena and do the same over there
>A few female creatures shriek over there also, but the loudest one is the red minotaur from yesterday
>Rocko screams like a little girl getting to meet her boy band idol, waving his hands up in the air
>Okay.. Now feels like a good time to put back on your shirt..
>As your song ends, you walk back over to your side of the ring and put your shirt back on
>Slazd is just looking at you, slightly disgusted
>"Wow, along with being a cheater, I didn't know you were a show-off too."
>Normally this would bother you, but you are basking in your own hype too much right now to care
"Tsk. You're just jealous they love me more."
>As you say that, Slazd looks away and starts muttering angrily under his breath
>The sounds of the crowd cheering start dying down as both Slazd and you begin preparing for the fight
>"HEY ANON! YOO HOO~!"
>Is that Discord?
>You look over to the side of the arena to see Discord standing there, wearing a shirt and hat with your face on it and waving a flag that has the writing "Anon #1" on it
>And next to him is!
>"Your biggest fans are here cheering with me! Don't let them down okay?! Heheheheh"
>"Go Non-E-Mus!"
>Next to him is the grey tricorn, bandages on one of her hooves, over the left side of her head, her left eye, and surrounding most of her torso
"Holy shit.."
>Even though so much damage had been done to her, she is cheering for you in her soft and somewhat high pitched voice you had only heard for the first time earlier today
>"Non-E-Mus! Go! Non-E-Mus!"
>And.. she is smiling as if she didn't have a care in the world
>This is the first time you have seen her smile so earnestly, it is heartbreaking to see it combined with her in so many bandages
>Next to the both of them stands Flizzy, who is looking at you calmly with a straight face
>She doesn't look angry, but more like she is confident you can do this without her help
>Or at least that is what you would like to think
>"WOULD BOTH OF YOU COME TO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING?"
>Freedom Keeper shouts for the both of you to start the match
>The anticipation starts to fill your stomach with butterflies, as you begin feeling both anxious and excited
>As you begin to walk towards the middle of the ring, you hear Discord yell to the two of you
>"To the winner of this match, I will give you a secret that you didn't even know you wanted! Just to make this even more exciting!"
>Wait? A secret you didn't even know you wanted?
>What could that possibly be?
>"SO! I LOOKED OVER ALL OF THE RULES ANONYMOUS PRESENTED AND FOUND THAT ALL OF THEM WERE FAIR AND BENEFITED NEITHER SIDE, THUS THEY ARE THE RULES THE MATCH WILL BE USING! DO YOU BOTH KNOW THE RULES?"
>You nod and Slazd lets out an arrogant remark
>"Duh! Of course I know all of the rules. Unlike that cheater, I actually do things fairly; so keep your eyes on him before me."
>Freedom Keeper ignores that remark, which makes you scowl at him, and yells
>"THEN TO SUMMARIZE THE RULES VERY BRIEFLY, YOU CAN USE YOUR GLOVES FOR ATTACKS. THERE WILL BE NO GRAPPLING, NO KICKING, NO BODYSLAMS, NO HEADBUTTS, NO ELBOWS, NO KNEES, AND NO BITING! NOW TOUCH GLOVES AND PREPARE TO FIGHT!"
>Giving each other an angry gaze, you and Slazd go into the middle of the ring and gently touch gloves together, before moving back slightly and waiting for the warden's signal
>"READY?"
>Freedom Keeper steps away from the middle of the ring towards the ropes
>"FIGHT!"
>Immediately after she starts the round, Slazd dashes towards you and starts swinging wildly for your face
>Holy shit, he is going crazy right out of the gates, you have to stay calm and--
>*WHACK*
>While you are trying to dodge his blows, your back hits the rope and stops your retreat, allowing one of Slazd's blows to hit across your face with enough force to flip your entire body sideways and cause you to slam into the ground
>"BACK UP!"
>Freedom Keeper runs over and gets in between you two, with Slazd complying and backing up towards the ropes while looking down at you with a shit-eating grin
>Holy shit, that hurt like a bitch!
>He is only swinging wildly, but even just a single one of his blows has enough force to knock you flat on your ass
>You get back up and crack your neck
"I'm fine."
>Freedom Keeper says to you
>"TWO MORE OF THOSE IN THIS ROUND AND YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED T.K.O.!"
>You reply angrily at her, without even noticing
>"I know!"
>Once again, though, she ignores the hostility and returns to the center of the ring
>"FIGHT!"
"Shit, just gotta stay calm."
>Once again, Slazd dashes towards you and starts swiping for your head
>This time, you are more prepared
>You don't just back up, but dance around his blows also
>With every swing, you try to buy time to try and analyze how he fights
>*SWING*
>*SWING*
>Even though he is swinging haphazardly, the amount of time you have to try and counter attack is almost non-existent
>There has to be some sort of opening you can exploit
>His abdomen seems to be open most of the time, but going in and attacking could be costly
>Though if he continues to make such wide swings for your head, you could duck under his swing and get a few good hits before he can retaliate
>*SWING*
>*SWING*
>NOW!
>You rush in towards his abdomen, but get stopped once you are inside of his defense when one of his swings go straight into your right ribcage
>He switched up his swing and aimed lower than you expected, causing him to get a massive hit upon you
>The blow pushes you slightly to the side and knocks the wind out of you
>As you quickly step backwards to get out of his range, he steps forward and catches you with a sloppy uppercut, knocking you backwards onto the ground
>Your head is ringing and your jaw aching as you hear a muffled
>"BACK UP!"
>And then, as Slazd leaves your shaky vision, Freedom Keeper enters it and starts counting
>"1!"
>"2!"
>"3!"
>As she is about to hit 4, you start to slowly stand back up, the world around you still swaying.. or maybe it is you who is swaying
>"ONE MORE!"
>After a few more seconds of your vision recorrecting itself, you hear Freedom Keeper yell
>"FIGHT!"
>And suddenly, a Slazd is rushing quickly towards you
>Oh shit..
>You quickly dodge left and right, trying your best to make sure he does not hit you even a single time
>How much time is left until the end of the round? You need to stall as long as you can
>You are feeling so sick and your breathing is getting harder each second
>Slazd may not have any technique, but he has the strength to make up for it
>*TAP*
>Slazd's gloved fist just barely grazes your nose
>If you were even an inch closer, your nose would be broken right now
>Knowing this startles you enough for you to completely retreat as fast as you can towards one of the ropes
>Once again, your back hits the rope
>But this time you react fast enough to duck under Slazd's swing and rush past him towards the center of the ring
>Jesus Christ! This dragon is a fucking monster!
>He is nothing like you were expecting; his strength and speed feel unreal
>And along with those, he also has his defense, which you originally believed would be the only worry you had
>His stamina seems absurdly high also, as he can swing nearly endlessly without showing any fatigue
>You have to find a strategy and you have to find it fast; the next hit he lands could be your last
>Slazd starts charging towards you, swinging as wildly as ever
>Shit shit shit!
>As you prepare to start evading some more, you both hear
>*DING DING DING*
>This doesn't stop Slazd, though, as he continues rushing at you while swinging
>As you move to your left, getting lower to the ground, he stops aiming at your face and instead swings for your chest
>Oh shit, that's gonna hit!
>As you lose concentration, you trip over yourself and move right into his swing, but narrowly miss it by going under both his glove and his entire arm
>Hang on..
>That's it!
>"THE ROUND IS OVER! STOP FIGHTING OR YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!"
>And with that, Slazd backs up
>"What? Why?"
>"BECAUSE THE BELL HAS BEEN RUNG, WHICH IS THE SIGNAL FOR THE NEXT ROUND. NOW BACK TO YOUR CORNER."
>Freedom Keeper is not angry, but she is not happy either; though her fake smile may fool some, you are not that dumb
>Slazd exclaims in astonishment to this
>"Ooooooh! That was the bell!"
>Surprisingly, Slazd actually apologizes to Freedom Keeper
>"Sorry, I didn't know."
>Though, his tone shows that his misunderstanding of the rules doesn't bother him that much
>After his dry apology, he returns to his corner of the ring and you return to yours
"Holy god damn.. That guy is terrible as a boxer, but he is still a scary dragon."
>You look over at Flizzy, upon thinking of "scary dragon" and see her looking at you sternly
>She doesn't seem to be worried at all; it is more like she is slightly annoyed by your performance
>You understand, though
>After all, you did promise her that everything would be alright
>A sharp pain goes down the right side of your torso, causing you to grasp it and wince
"Shit.. That took more out of me than I was expecting."
>You look down at your side as you slowly let go of it
>Nothing felt broken, just sore from the two hits in a row
"Can't just go straight in.. His swings can be aimed anywhere in front of him. It doesn't help that I can't block any of his shots without having to worry about it breaking through my guard either."
>And as you look down, you see the foot you tripped over and think about that last thing that happened
>You were able to dodge his attack on accident by going straight under one of his swings
>Maybe..
>Just maybe..
>*DING DING DING*
>The next round is starting, you better get back in there
>You look back over to Flizzy, Discord, and the tricorn
>The tricorn is still smiling and yelling your name as best she can
>"Non-E-Mus! Non-E-Mus!"
>Discord is sitting on a floating chair while eating popcorn and yawning in an over dramatic fashion
>Flizzy is still looking at you as straight faced as possible, but this time you pick up a hint of worry in her gaze
>God dammit..
>You promised her to trust you; you weren't going to betray that trust
>And the tricorn still is cheering for you with all her heart, there is no way you are going to disappoint them both
>Discord.. you don't really care much about what he thinks
>You just met him, why should you? Plus, he kinda seems like a bit of a sarcastic asshole
>Meh..
>But for those two
>You stick out your arm in the same manner you did earlier when speaking to Flizzy, holding onto your muscle while you nod confidently towards them
>Without checking their responses, you walk back to the center of the ring and prepare for the beginning of the second round
>It is only a hunch, but you think you finally see the flaw in his offense and defense
>Especially if that sloppily executed uppercut is any indication
>"FIGHT!"
>Slazd rushes towards you like he normally does, but instead of dodging back or forth, you also rush into him
>As you duck towards his abdomen, he aims his punch towards your chest like you expected
>But instead of going straight into him, you duck under his arm and armpit, twisting your body enough to get a free near full-powered blow into his side
>"GAH!"
>He grasps his side and stops in place as you rush around him and back up enough to get to safety
>Holy shit..
"Holy shit!"
>That worked!
>You understand now, you understand exactly how to beat him
>He has a perfect defense through having an extreme offense if you are going to be fighting him in a either a hit-and-run style that employs going in for a few hits and then backing out or if you have a blow for blow style, which relies on you blocking or taking their shots so that you can counter to give a more devastating blow in return
>But, against such a guy, a hit-and-run strategy that relies on completely dodging past his offense and moving through his defense to another side of him seems to be the best option
>He employs only wide, powerful swings, and does not have any technique for striking from below
>If he attempts an uppercut like before, you should be able to either trade blows or back out easily, getting a few free blows in when his form is in such an awkward position
>As you are devising your strategy, Slazd comes rushing back in, swinging faster and harder than before
>"Lucky hit! You can't do it again though!"
>It's only theory, but here goes nothing!
>Once again, you wait for him to throw his punch, then duck under it, run under his armpit, and then throw a hook right into his side as you roll right past him
>And once again, Slazd stops himself and turns around while looking at you, holding his side, while you stand on the other side of the arena
>Yes!
>You've got his rhythm!
>You look over to Flizzy, who is noticeably surprised at this sudden change in events, then look back at Slazd, who is fuming angry at your sudden counter attacks that have made it through
>And suddenly, all of the anticipation and nervousness from earlier have turned into excitement and pure adrenaline
>Jumping up and down, letting your body loosen up and move while Slazd stays still for the next few moments, you once again sport your cocky smile and motion to Slazd to come at you
"Anytime you're ready."
>Falling for the taunt, Slazd once again rushes at you while swinging wildly
>Before running in also, you wipe the tip of your nose with your right thumb and use it to give him a thumbs down, stating with a grin
"Time to put this kid to sleep."
>https://youtu.be/eblVD0RiFgg
>As you dash at him, you dodge his myriad of blows, you start testing how much room you have to dodge without being hit
>Under his arm, dodge back then in and past, around the arm and hit his cheek, staying in a bit longer for more hits, tons of different ways to punish him for the ridiculous amount of openings he is showing
>And each time you hit him he gets angrier and angrier, letting himself swing more wildly and unskillfully
>One of the times he swings you are able to hit him hard enough to make him lose his balance and fall over, though he didn't stay down very long
>Within not much time at all, dodging and releasing a flurry of blows into him has become so easy that your fight has turned more into a dance, with you being the star of the show and him being a prop you use to make yourself look good
>The only problem is that his scales only allow you to do a bit of damage at a time
>And with your blows being softened by the gloves, you are now making less of an impact than ever before
>Now that you have perfected the way to get attacks in on him while dodging his own, you have to find a way to make each hit actually count
>He must have some sort of weak spot
>*WHACK* *CRACK*
>"GRAAH!"
>In his desperate rage filled attempts to get a hit, Slazd tried to uppercut you without having a proper set-up to actually hit you, allowing you to back-step it and counter with an uppercut of your own when he was pulling his arm back down
>Your fist landed right into his nose, causing it to make a slightly audible cracking noise and start bleeding similar to how it did before
>And without a pause, you backed up as fast as you could to refuse him the chance to counter-attack you back
>Now you are waiting for him at the other side of the arena while he swings one of his arms around him wildly while clutching his nose with one claw
>*DING DING DING*
>The crowd is in an uproar as you both go back into your corner
>"ANONYMOUS! ANONYMOUS!"
>"HAS ANYPONY FOUND THE PUPPY I ADOPTED?!"
>Wiping the sweat from your forehead, you lean on some rope and look over to the three individuals you are fighting for
>Well.. two of them, but you can kinda count Discord because he will tell you a secret you apparently want to know if you win this match, and you have always been a sucker for finding out secrets
>When you look over, you see Flizzy cheering wildly for you, hugging other creatures while saying stuff like
>"THAT'S MY HYOOMAN! AHAHA!"
>Needless to say, she was ecstatic about your sudden turnaround
>The tricorn was just smiling up at you as you looked down at her, not even screaming anything anymore
>Maybe she was tired or maybe she felt you didn't need encouragement anymore, either way her enthusiasm has died down to the higher levels you expected them to be at in the first place
>And Discord.. is still eating popcorn and yawning
>Is he serious?!
>You are finally making a comeback and kicking this dragon's butt! How does he still find it boring?
>Calm down, Anonymous
>You don't really care what he thinks; you just barely met him
>The rest of the crowd is cheering for you, that is enough to give you the confidence to go kick some serious dragon butt
>Speaking of which, you wonder how Slazd is doing
>"GRRRRRR"
>He is in his corner, still clutching his nose and growling angrily
>Wow, he must be in a lot of pain to still be clutching his nose like that
>Either that, or his nose is like a bloody waterfall when it is hurt
>While this should make you feel guilty, because even back home you didn't like hurting people too much during a match, you can only feel a sense of satisfaction from watching him suffer
>Not because you are actually happy he is miserable, but instead because you finally have found a weak spot on him; something you could use to finally finish this fight
>What other weak spots could he have, you have to think about it because you may not get another chance to get a clean hit on his nose, let alone several chances
>What other spot could you hit, what other..
>...
>*DING DING DING*
>When the bell rings for the next round to start, you happily strut to the middle of the arena
>Within the amount of time between the rounds, you were able to identify two more potential weak spots; technically three, but hitting below the belt is both dirty and illegal
>One of them was his throat, right in his larynx to cause his adam's apple to choke him long enough to get some good blows in on his nose
>The other was the bottom of his jaw, with you hitting him hard enough to rattle his brain cage and knock him out
>The only problem with those two theories is that, first, you don't even know if dragon's have an adam's apple to hit and, second, you didn't know which part of a dragon's jaw to hit to rattle his brain cage, or even if that works dragons
>But he couldn't hit you as it was, so you were not that worried in testing your theories
>As Slazd approaches the middle of the ring, his eyes bloodshot and blood still running down his nose, he shoots you a glare of pure insane rage
>To be honest, that glare really scares you; it is what you would expect from someone who had nothing but the intention to rip out your throat at the first given opportunity
>You will have to watch out for any new and erratic behavior he may exhibit this round, especially if it is something that changes the way he fights
>"READY?"
"Damn straight."
>Slazd doesn't even respond, he just continues to glare at you with crazy eyes
>"FIGHT!"
>Okay, first plan of attack, you're gonna--
>*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtQSEFACYo4*
>And within a second of the round starting, you are engulfed in searing hot flames surrounding your body
"AAAAAHHHH!"
>It burns! It fucking burns! Oh shit lord fuck!
>Fire! Fucking! Fire!
>The last sound you hear, before the deafening noise of flame-spitting drowns everything else out, is Flizzy shrieking out in horror
>"ANON!!!"

>Be Flizzy
>Be FREAKING THE BUCK OUT
"BREAK! BREAK YA STUPID BARRIER!!!"
>You keep trying to hit the anti-anti-aggression barrier, smashing against it with all of your might
>Each time you hit it, though, you are given a slightly painful shock and pushed backwards
>It looks like there is nothing there, but the energy repelling you is all too real
"ANON! ANON HANG IN THERE! I'M COMING!"
>Your eyes start filling with tears more and more as you continue to fail at breaking the barrier
>You are not the only one who is trying
>One of Anon's friends, Umbright, who is practically made of energy himself, was even unable to get through the barrier
>When Anon went up in flames, he immediately started screaming like a madpony and tried to break the barrier by dashing at it while fully illuminated
>Though, upon trying he was stunned, thrown backwards, and knocked out
>If you didn't have such a high tolerance to magic, the same would have likely happened to you
"SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! HELP ME BREAK THIS THING!"
>You look over to Discord, the so called "new best friend" of Anon
>He is on the edge of his seat, laughing and clapping at this all
"DISCORD! DO SOMETHING! DO SOMETHING PLEASE!"
>Discord just keeps laughing
>"This is the absolute best thing ever! Ahahaha! I wasn't expecting order in this fight, but this is above and beyond my expectations! How absolutely marvelous!"
>You can't do anything to get inside, you have to get Discord to help
>He may not be inclined to help ponies, but he is your last hope.. ANON'S LAST HOPE
"DISCORD! I BEG OF YA! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST HELP ANONYMOUS, PLEASE!"
>Yelling at him this time seems to actually get his attention
>But he doesn't seem too pleased, as he drops his popcorn, poofs away all of the floating furniture he was using, and then teleports down next you
>He is holding your shoulder and giving you a discontent frown while rubbing his forehead with his lion paw
>"Look.. Flitsy."
"Flizzy.."
>"All of this 'freaking out' and 'OH NO ANONYMOUS' stuff is really killing the wonderful mood we have going on. So how about you take that teensy weensy little freak out you are having--"
>Discord grabs your head, removing a tiny version of you, who is kicking and screaming
>"-- and instead, just relax and enjoy the show."
>And before you can react, Discord pushes you backwards onto a large smiling chair that seemingly comes out of nowhere
>He then twists around the chair and looks from behind, while grabbing your mouth and forcing it to smile
>Discord may be about half the size of you, but his grip and strength is overwhelming
>Unable to escape the hold he has on your mouth, you plead through a forcibly smiling mouth
"Dshcrd! Plsh do shmthin'! Plsh!"
>"Hush hush! The good part is about to start!"
"Huh?"
>..
>From inside of the flames, you hear something like a muffled violin being strummed
>It is a very violent sound, something that reminds you of the music you heard earlier when Anon and Slazd entered the ring
"W-Wht ish! Are yoo hlping him aftrall?!"
>Discord must be doing this, there is no other way! Please let him say--
>"No."
>Huh?
>"I couldn't help him if I wanted to. That little one's magic prevents me from doing so."
>'That little one'?
>Is he talking about?
>You do your best to look down at the tricorn, twisting your head enough to see her sitting their straining and gritting her teeth
>Her horn is not glowing, though, it just looks like she is thinking extremely hard
>It couldn't be her he is talking about, her horn isn't alight. She couldn't be casting any sort of sp--
>Hang on..
>Her horn is glowing..
>But it is some sort of invisible color; it looks as if some form of super condensed air is flowing around it
>W-What is she doing?
"Dshcrd! W--"
>As you are about to speak, a loud thump is heard from in front of you, followed by a much louder
>*SLAM!* *CRASH!*
>As you turn your head, you look over to see...

>Be Anon
>Be FREAKING THE FUCK OUT
>Fire, a scorching inferno, is surrounding you
>Slazd couldn't fight with just his fists, so he had to resort to something a lot more deadly
>Everything around you is extremely hot and you can feel yourself burning alive
>But..
>You are not actually on fire nor is anything burning on you
>It is more like you are being surrounded by air that is becoming hotter by the second, as if you were being blasted by some really hot steam
>It hurts like a bitch and is turning your skin red, but it is not killing you
>Nonetheless, the heat and pain is keeping you from backing out of the fire, your body is too much in shock to move at all
>And with each breath you take, your insides feel as if you are inhaling near-boiling water
>If you don't do something soon, this could be the end of you
>You try and move, but to no avail
>Over and over, you try to move forward, but are unable to
"Dammit. Is this is it? Am I seriously gonna die like this?"
>Your vision begins to waver as you see your spirit start to surround you and pour out of your body, probably trying to find its way out; just like those Mexicans who used to work for your grandfather used to tell you
>Shoulda listened to them more, they were obviously more wise than you originally thought
>Your spirit begins circling your body, as the heat and pain go away completely
>Huh.. so when you die, it really is painless
>That is good to know..
>..
>..
>*POP*
>OH FUCK! THERE'S PAIN! DEATH IS PAINFUL!
>Wait, that was your shoulder dislocating
>That must mean.. YOU'RE NOT DYING!
>B-But how?!
>You try and pop your shoulder back into its socket, your body finally able to move
>It is surprisingly easy, but still painful as fuck
>"Non-E-Mus.."
"Huh?"
>"Please.. No die!"
>That voice, could it be!
>"Non-E-Mus.."
>Your body continues to be surrounded by this spinning aura of what seems like air, as your skin's coloration turns back to normal and it protects you from the heat
>But at the same time, your finger pops out of place 
"Fuck!"
>And along with that, the part of Sydney that was covering your hands begins to violently shake, as if afraid, and moves up your arm onto your wrist
>"Non-E-Mus.."
>Could it be? Is she doing this?!
>Inside your head, you continue to hear her voice calling your name, each time sounding sadder and sadder
>It is as if, just through the sound alone, you can see her crying
>Seeing her over and over, as heartbreaking and rage inducing as when she was crawling, broken and beaten, towards you earlier
>"JUST HELP ANONYMOUS, PLEASE!
>For a brief second, the fire outside of the spinning aura surrounding you opens up enough for you to hear and see Flizzy
"Flizzy!"
>You try to reach out, but the flame comes back around and swallows up the opening
>She was crying, begging Discord to help you
>..
>Okay, this needs to stop
>Right now
>You remember the promise you made to Flizzy, how you would come back to her fine
>She gave you her trust, and because of Slazd, you nearly lost it
>Your rage begins to boil up once again
>His selfishness is out of control, this whole situation is out of control
>You will keep your promise to Flizzy
>You won't go berserk or lose yourself in hatred
>You will remain yourself
>..But you, as yourself, really want to deck this overgrown lizard until he learns just how badly he fucked up
>..
>From Sydney, on your wrist, another speaker-like indent appears
"You may just be a kid Slazd, but that is all the more reason to punish you."
>Out of Sydney, fuzz and static begins to sound as the wind-like aura around you pushes the fire further and further from your body
"It seems your parents aren't here to teach you right from wrong, so I guess I will have to fill the part."
>Slowly, Sydney's noise starts to come off more and more clear, sounding less like static and more like a heavy metal guitar
"But don't be so grateful, because like my mother, momma-Anonymous has a lot of tough love to give."
>Your body becomes more and more light, as another bone dislocates, this time in your left ring finger
"And for brats, like you, that don't know how to behave.."
>You curl your fists up, relocating your ring finger
>Your concentration and determination causes the sound from Sydney to quickly gain clarity, as the sound of guitars and other background instruments overtake even your voice in volume
>https://youtu.be/ucyYfzbrYkQ
"..Well, I've just gotta continue to spank your ass until you learn!"
>And with that, you lunge forward out of the flames and towards the one exhaling it
>You break free from the blazing inferno, jumping forwards with your fist cocked back looking eye to eye with Slazd, who is wide-eyed unable to comprehend just what is going on in time to dodge
>*SLAM*
>You release your fist, throwing it with much greater force and speed than you believed you could ever muster, causing Slazd to fly backwards into the floor
>*CRASH*
>As he slams into the ground, he hits the stage hard enough to rip through the sheet and crack a small indent into the concrete below
>"A-Anonymous?!"
>Slazd quickly gets up, confused from the sudden predicament he was being faced with
"SLAZD!"
>Without slowing in momentum, you rush at him
>Trying to defend himself, Slazd swipes at you, but you duck under it and uppercut him in his stomach, forcing him into the ropes behind
>*CRACK*
>The the crystalline scales in area you punched start to form cracks across them, as Slazd has the wind knocked out of him
"Not yet!"
>Without a second in between your hits, you land a second body blow on him, hitting the exact same area as before, causing him to cry out in pain as some of the scales shatter and fall off of him, revealing darker blue skin under them
>"GAAAAH!"
>And at the same time, your right shoulder again dislocates
>While you are much to hopped up on whatever this aura was providing you and pure hormones to feel the pain, Slazd attempts to hit you backwards to get himself out of being cornered
>"ANONYMOUS!"
>Even though his reaction was near instant, time seems to be going slightly slower as you are able to react in time to only get hit hard enough to cause you to fly back a few feet
>Slazd gets up and starts to charge you, while you attempt to fix your dislocated shoulder
>As he gets into swinging range, you are able to get your shoulder popped back inside of its socket, but not in time to evade his haymaker
>"YOU'RE NOT FAIR! I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT YOU MUST BE CHEATING!"
>As his blow is about to land, you lift your arm and lean into it instead of trying to dodge it, intercepting it and deflecting it back in the direction it came
>With all of his strength being so suddenly redirected, Slazd's entire body recoils backwards and causes him to stay entirely open
"SHUT--"
>You regain your own balance and cock your entire arm back
"--YOUR SELFISH--"
>The clear aura surrounding you spins faster than ever, making it seem as if you were creating your own hurricane, as you dig your feet into the ground
"--IGNORANT--"
>Slazd sees what is coming and tries to lift up his left arm up to defend himself
"--DUMB ASS--"
>With every ounce of strength you can muster, you swing your entire body forward, jumping forward and kicking up large chunks of concrete under your heels, to give the most powerful and momentum driven punch of your entire life
"--UP!!!"
>Your fist flies forward and stops right after it crashes into Slazd's arm, causing small cracks within it
>Meanwhile, every bone inside of your arm begins to undergo extreme pressure and dislocate as its momentum is transferred into Slazd
>The force exerted through your punch into Slazd causes a magnetic field effect around the two of you, keeping you both frozen in place, as excess kinetic energy from your collision collects into many tiny plasma streaks within the air around you and travels into the concrete below, leaving scorch marks on its surface
>After a few seconds of you hanging from Slazd, held up by your forward momentum and the magnetic field around the both of you, a large blast of air expels behind Slazd and causes him to rocket backwards, with you following right behind, slamming into and sliding across the ground
>Slazd's body flies into the ropes, snapping them in two, into the barrier, forcing him straight through it and collapsing the entire thing, and into the back of the gymnasium's tiled walls, breaking every tile his body hit
>As he falls to the ground, the scales on his body shatter and disintegrate into a fine powder
>Against the wall sits Slazd, completely unconscious, broken, and scaleless
>And you see this entire thing, crumpled and in pain from most of the bones in your body no longer being connected properly, while being unable to move
>While you are not in good condition yourself, the sight of what has happened to him causes a sudden dread to overcome you
"Oh shit.."
>The entire gymnasium is silent and in awe of your overly powerful blow and its effects
>Even Discord is staring in complete disbelief, his eyes wide open, his pupils contracted, and mouth hanging
>Flizzy is pretty much mimicking Discord's face, but in a lot less dramatic fashion
>The tricorn, noticing that the barrier is down, runs over to you and lays next to your broken form, looking at you with worry
>Finally, Freedom Keeper is looking straight ahead at absolutely nothing, a horrified look upon her face as she hyperventilates
>And with that, you are officially the third individual that has ever made Freedom Keeper lose her cool..
"I think.. I-I may have overdone it.."

- END OF PART XII -