"We all remember the moment from weeks previous where a brave young Dinobot femme threw herself into this very ring, to save her twin, correct? Even Megatronus himself was impressed by her bravery and strength! He opted to take her in under his own wing and Megatronus taught her, raised her to be a warrior; a gladiator!" The announcer who stood in the middle of the arena paused as the crowd cheered. The announcer smiled and started stepping back, bringing the emphasis off of him.

"Please help me welcome our newest gladiator, Angelonus!" He raised his hand and pointed it to the right side of the arena. The cheering erupted from the crowd as they watched the large door squeal open, revealing the Dinobot femme.

Compared to the last time they saw her, she had a bulkier and heavier plated look. The build of a true gladiator, ready for a battle. Even her pterodactyl wings, which extended off of her shoulder blades, were plated with shimmering metal, untouched by a blade; for now.

As Angelonus stepped into the sun and let the light bask over her, in her left servo she held her shield tightly. The nerves fully set in as she stared up at the large crowd of spectators. A shimmering metal sword was held in her right servo, her sharp digits fully wrapped around the handle.

She closed her yellow optics and let the world around her slow as she focused on her spark-beat. The rhythmic pulsing within her chest settled her nerves and she opened her optics, throwing her right servo into the air with her sword in her grip. The crowd cheered louder in response.

The crowd began to chant her name and as the chanting sped up, Angelonus knew exactly what they wanted. And she wasn't going to deny them. She lifted her wings, casting a shadow over her and she gave it to them. She screeched, the roar of a pterodactyl echoing through the arena.

-Hours Previous-

Within the pipes, below the pits in which she would soon be fighting, Angelonus was being fitted with her new battle armor with the help of her Sire Megatronus. She sat in silence; lost in thought as the nerves set in heavy. Her spark was thumping hard against her chest, threatening to jump out of her throat. Her leg bounced subconsciously and her ped clicked against the ground. Megatronus looked over at her, curious to what the tapping noise he heard was. He quickly picked up on her nervousness, set down the piece of armor he had in his hands and stepped up behind her. Megatronus gently rested his large servo on her shoulder.

"You have nothing to fear, my child" he stated. His tone was gentle but retained is raspiness. Despite him being quite an intimidating mech, he was always kind to her. Even compared to her sister, he favored Angel.

"I... I don't know if I'm ready Sire..." Angelonus glanced back at him. Her voice was shaking with nerves but was comforted by his touch.

"You are my dearest daughter," Megatronus stated and he paused, taking a seat beside her on the bench. "Since the moment I met you, you've done nothing but impress me. And I'm not one who is easily impressed."

"If I'm as good as you say, I should be ready. Not this shaking mess that I am now. It's a fight to the first knockout, not to the death and yet... I'm terrified." Angelonus stated as she shook her helm, frustration slipping into her tone. Her wings twitched against her back and she stared at her servos which she held together in a tight ball in her lap. Megatronus gently reached out and wrapped his servo around hers as a way to comfort her, his servo taking up both of her smaller servos.

"Do you think I was perfectly calm my first time I stepped out onto that arena to face my very first opponent?" Megatronus asked her, his blue optics glimmering with gentleness towards her.

"How could you be nervous? You're the best there is!" Angelonus argued and turned towards him, looking him in the optics. Megatronus shook his helm with a deep chuckle.

"I wasn't always. I had to work up to where I am today, just like everybody else. I've had wins, I've had losses. And you will too, I can almost guarantee that." Angelonus couldn't help but smile at her Sire as she gave a slight nod of understanding.

Megatronus released her servos and stood up, walking back over to the metal he was holding earlier. The final piece of Angelonus' battle armor; her helmet. Angelonus gently removed her current helmet as Megatronus stepped up behind her. He gently slid the helmet on her and it perfectly framed faceplate.

It was designed to retain her Dinobot features and it had a piece that ran down the middle of her face halfway. As Megatronus slid the helmet, Angelonus closed her optics. She listened to the announcer above rile up the crowd as it grew closer to time to fight.

"Are you ready, Angelonus?" Megatronus asked and Angelonus opened her optics in response to his low voice.

"Yes."

-Now-

Angelonus was flung across the arena floor and when she hit the ground with a slam the crowd responded with a group, "ooo!", all in unison.
"For being the most famous gladiators' daughter, adopted or not, I thought she would be better at this." One of the audience members mumbled to his friend with a smug smirk. Down below in the pit, Angelonus' arms shook as she struggled to push herself up. She stared up at her opponent and her Sire's words flooded into her processor from her memories.
"If you ever run out of strength and you're overpowered, use your smarts. Make them think you're weaker than you are, then strike them when their guard is down. Oh, and Angelonus my dear. Don't worry about if your actions are justifiable or not, this is the pits. You're a gladiator. Here, there are no rules."

"Fighting you is almost insulting. A fight to the first knockout? Mockingly easy." The opponent gloated in self-pride as Angelonus struggled to push herself up. He advanced toward her, spinning his large weapon in his servo.
Underneath her servos, she could feel the thundering peds of her opponents' stride turn into a charge. Angelonus quickly looked up to see his large sword up in the air, ready to strike down. As Angelonus felt the air around her shift, she quickly got her feet under herself and tossed herself to the side out of striking distance. She forced herself onto her feet and noticed her opponent's weapon had cut into the metal of the arena floor and gotten stuck. Angelonus had the upper hand, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away.
"Didn't think of that scenario did you big guy?" Angelonus chuckled.
"Talk during battle is a sign of weakness, little girl." He growled.
"Weakness huh?" Angelonus smirked as she took a few steps back, letting the panic slowly set into her opponent as he realized what she was gearing up to do. With a cry of aggression worthy of a true gladiator, Angelonus launched herself into the air with her peds and her large plated pterodactyl wings snapped open against her back. The wings scooped up the air around her and gave her more height into the air.
"You are a warrior!"
She angled her wings just right and quickly dove towards her stuck opponent and, with a powerful blow, she struck the joint connecting his shoulder and arm. Angelonus felt her sword slice through the thick metal and conduits. When she landed beside him on the ground, her sword dripped with energon. Angelonus watched as her opponent held his now armless shoulder, giving up on his sword. Fury grew in his optics.
"That was a cheap shot."
"First time in the pits?" Angelonus smirked, thinking the battle was in her hands at this point. She looked over to the arm that lay on the ground beside her and couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Her opponent burnt holes into the back of her head as she turned away from him, and towards the crowd. She made a very rookie mistake; celebrating too early.
"Never mind..." Stated the same audience member who had doubted Angelonus. The crowd uproared in cheering, chanting her name.
"Big, mistake." the opponent growled and the cheering of the crowd quickly turned to gasps as her opponent charged her. Angelonus turned to him but she turned too late. With his good arm, he rammed into her and sandwiched her between the wall and his large frame. This time, it was his turn to chuckle.
"Better luck next time kid." He smirked at the crippled Angelonus and watched as her optics flickered off. He had won the match.

-Later-

Angelonus sat alone in the weapons storage building and held her damaged helmet in her servos. Her sharp digit traced the edge of it and the door slid open. Angelonus was expecting Megatronus to step in but she was mistaken.
"You did pretty well out there, for your first attempt," Raven stated, stepping farther into the room. She strode over to the weapons along the back wall. "I was in the crowd, ya know? It was a great show." Raven continued and Angelonus lifted her helm and turned to Raven who was observing all of the weapons, all of them once used by their Sire. "Though the end could've gone a little better." Raven shrugged and Angelonus was offended by her tone as it was not sincere one bit. It leaned more towards being a mocking tone.
"Hey! I don't see you out there!" Angelonus shouted and stood up, setting her helmet on the bench.
"That's because you're his favorite!" Raven snapped and Angelonus was shocked by the sudden sourness towards her.
"Raven... What has happened to you?"
"Oh nothing much, I've just been forgotten by my own twin is all," Raven stated and turned away from Angelonus. Angelonus could feel the pain coming from within Raven through their weakening bond. Angelonus slowly walked up to Raven, reaching out to her.
"I haven't forgotten you, Raven." She stated softly and return, Raven quickly spun with a sharp dagger in her servo and she slashed Angelonus across the chest. Luckily, Angelonus still had her gladiatorial armor on, minus her helmet. Angelonus looked down at her chest in shock then back up to Raven. She could feel her spark shatter as she witnessed the hate and pain in Raven's optics. "Raven..." Angelonus' voice broke as she said her sister's name. Raven seemed to be in just as much shock at her own actions but she straightened herself out, fighting the coolant welting up in her optics. Raven threw the dagger and sprinted out of the building. Tears escaped Angelonus' optics as she looked over at the dagger and she broke. "How have I been so blind..."