While my household enjoyed a pleasant evening in Fillydelphia another pony in the same town wasn’t in my Equestria dreamscape. The waterfront was quiet and mostly free of activity. The only sounds were the random creaking of ships at their moorings, the lapping of water against pilings and hulls, and the occasional ships bell sounding the hour. The warehouses along the waterfront were dark and silent. Except for one.
 
Blind Eye looked around at the crowd gathered in the basement and spat on the floor in disgust.
 
This is what I am reduced to? This how are far I’ve fallen? Even winning tonight won’t make me a profit!
 
Assembled for the evening entertainment was about four dozen of the most disreputable, feral, and cheap-ass looking ponies he’d ever seen. They were sitting or standing around an area that had been temporarily laid out as the ring for this evening’s event on the basement floor. Strung just above head height was a low hanging cargo net. It made the room look like a giant cage. Which it was in a way.
 
In opposite corners were the two ponies who’d be providing the evening’s entertainment. Prancing and practicing various kicks and punches was a monster of a earth pony stallion. His body bore the scars of the many battles he’d fought in these backroom battlegrounds. Blind Eye watched him for a couple of seconds. He’d seen dozens like him before, and he would see dozens more. He didn’t know the stallion’s name but apparently he was some local favorite.
 
Blind Eye grinned. A local favorite for only a little while longer.
 
Orbiting the ring was a member of the local Association that worked out of Fillydelphia. He was collecting last minute bets before the event began. Blind Eye had carefully cultivated a private relationship with them. It was only the reason he’d survived the onslaught that had crushed his Association in Manehattan a few weeks ago.
 
The Association here had let him set up a small-time operation, and were permitting him to run events like this at locations they controlled. However he had to give them a portion of any winnings he made to them, and this meant he’d able just pay for another week at the cheap, rundown flat he and his small entourage were currently living at.
 
He’d only made it out of Manehattan minutes before Royal Forces had descended on his penthouse and other properties. Only a half dozen of his most loyal retainers had escaped with him along with what was currently his most valuable asset. Although at the moment that asset looked like shit.
 
Sitting limply on stool was a tiny batpony mare. She was slumped so far forward that her front hooves were almost touching the floor. Her head was flopped forward and her wings drooped as well. The woebegone mare looked like a puppet resting in corner with its strings cut. This of course meant the ponies gathered were betting against Blind Eye and his mare. She wouldn’t last a minute in the upcoming battle.
 
The stallion smirked. Go ahead and place your bets. Hope you didn’t have plans for that money you’re throwing away.
 
The bet taker came over to Blind Eye. “Okay that’s everypony whose putting money in has.” He glanced over at the mare. “Shit. Can she even stand up?”
 
Blind Eye nodded his head to a unicorn mare standing next to the bat pony. The mare discreetly removed a small case that had a syringe and small flask in it. With practiced grace she filled the syringe.
 
The earth pony stallion looked at his host. “Oh she’ll be fine once she’s had her candy.”
 
Noticing a new problem in his corner, Blind Eye excused himself and slowly strolled over. The bat pony had brought her wings around herself and sat shivering and rocking on the stool.
 
With an overly cheerful voice he addressed the mare. “Hey there Sunshine. Why you being so difficult? It’s time for your treat. Then you go to work.”
 
“Fuck off, and die!” Said the mare with a growl. “My, my name is Nightfall!”
 
Blind Eye sighed and sat down in front of her. For several seconds he just stared at her. “Yeah and I am one calling the shots. I need you to take your stuff, and then I need you to do what you do best.”
 
“Don’t. Want. To!” Said the mare as a new bout of shivers raced through her body.
 
“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to. I told you to go do it, and you will do it.”
 
Blind Eye leaned forward and looked at the trembling mare who was still hidden beneath her wing canopy. “Because if you don’t we’ll do to your little brother what we did to your little sister. Hmmm, remember that? He’s a tough colt so he might survive it, but do you want to take that bet? Hmmm? Your little sister didn’t.”
 
The wings slowly parted and a the mare raised her head. Pain and helpless rage filled her eye.
 
“I, I hate your fucking guts, and, and someday I’m, I’m going to rip them out, out, of you!” She hissed as another bout of pain caused her to clench her teeth.
 
“You don’t have to like somepony to work with them. Now quit stalling. Besides you need the stuff. You’re falling part at the moment.”
 
Slowly the mare raised her left front leg. Seeing an opening the unicorn mare quickly injected the bat pony.
 
Blind Eye grinned. “Good girl! Now the fun starts in a couple of minutes. The rules tonight are simple. No need to drag it out. The bets have all been taken. The fight ends when the first pony goes down and doesn’t get up. That’s it. Just the kind of job you’re so good at.”
 
He placed a front hoof under her jaw. He lifted her head and looked her in the eyes. “So. If you’re angry at the world I recommend you take your frustration out on him. He’s just the kind of pony you hate anyways. Big, cocky, and full of himself. The kind you love to break!”
 
The pony who was officiating the ceremonies came over to Blind Eye’s corner. With a thick, heavy Fillydelphia working class accent he spoke. “Lek wer gonna sturt dis. Is yer pony ruddy? If not yu gonna tu have tu ferfit.”
 
Blind Eye smiled. “Yeah lets not keep the crowd waiting. We’re ready.”
 
The pony officiating gave a look at Nightfall and shook his head and walked into the center of the ring. Giving a signal another pony started ringing a bell.
 
“Ulrught! Wer gonna tu sturt dis! Will buth of da kuntestunts kum ferwurd!”
 
The stallion trotted forward. For several seconds Nightfall remained on her stool. Then slowly she rose. With her eye staring at the floor and with shuffling steps she staggered forward until she stopped in front of her opponent.
 
“Ulrught! dis is a rully simple, so both yu lusten. When da bell sunds yu go at it. Nu rounds. Yu fight tul one pony goes down tu da floor und doesn’t git up. Ok? Lits du dis!”
 
Then he stepped back and the bell rang again. The stallion stared at the mare and laughed.
 
“I got up fer this! This isn’t a fight!” He reached out with a front hoof and casually smacked the mare in the head. She swayed but remained upright. “Hah! Ye think ye can defeat me?
 
“No.” Said the mare. “I’m not going to defeat you.”
 
“Then whatcha goin ta do?”
 
Nightfall head suddenly snapped up. Eyes filled with animalistic rage stared at the stallion.
 
“I’m going to kill you!”
 
With blinding speeding she struck upward under his chin with both of her front hooves. This rocked the stallion back on his hind legs. Lunging forward the mare followed through and grabbed the stallion with her front legs around the lower part of his barrel. Rearing up she rammed the stallion’s head through the netting entangling it. The front edge of her horseshoes had a razor-sharp edge to them. Nightfall screamed and slashed a front hoof of across his exposed throat. Blood splattered on the brick floor and the stunned faces of nearby watchers. She then proceeded to start pummeling his body a with flurry of blows.
 
The bell started ringing frantically and the referee pony stepped in. “Wu! Wu! Thut’s it! Thut’s it! Dis fight is Uver! Uver!”
 
Nightfall turned and growled at him. Blood was splattered across her face “He’s not on the floor yet!”
 
Blind Eye stepped forward with a smile on his face. “True but all your doing now dear is tenderizing the meat. It’s over. You won!”
 
The mare glared at him for a second. Then she slowly started wandering back to her stool in the corner.
 
To be continued.