Lyra Heartfield vs Astrid Ostberg - Falls Count Anywhere Match

[Pegasus]

The Selection barreled down on Sarabeth as the Young Lioness was fully at their mercy. She was getting punched and kicked around not knowing how to fight off multiple forces all at once. Skye giggled and jumped in place going to attack Astrid further before Astrid grabbed her head easily dispatching the bunny mask wearer and Skye whined holding her face as she went down on the floor clutching her head. Astrid came barreling into each member that hurt her daughter fighting off Cecilia, Miza, Saka, Roxanne, and Kanon trying to free her daughter from her torture chamber!

However, there was one threat forgotten and he saw to it that he inserted himself seeing his disciples need his leadership. The Anomaly grabbed Astrid by the straps of her leotard and spun her around to hit an uppercut! Then came the punches to the head! Astrid was then grabbed by the hair as the Anomaly saw a poster advertising Honie vs. Alania and a side-by-side poster featuring Arvidsson vs. Gaster. The Anomaly thrusted Astrid head up to see the posters as he fiddled with his voice modulator and spoke in his dark tone.

“Face your rage, Ostberg. This match never had to happen. In your mind, you wanted to be in either of those matches. That way, Sarabeth is safe,The Selection goes off on another pour soul, and you can take top billing again. Greed and selfishness fill your heart and all because Alania didn’t pin you for you to lose your championship. You felt unbeaten, but your fellow Norwegian stripped you of that feeling and now, you seek revenge,” The Anomaly stated before dragging Astrid by the hair out to the fans that started to gather around the scene. “Tell everyone your truth. Turn on them and be reborn as a dark spirit of vengeance. Or watch your kin suffer more.”

To prove his point, The Anomaly grabbed a folded steel chair passing it to Roxanne as she would await command to slam it into Sarabeth should Astrid refuse to submit to The Selection.

[CaptainL]

Skye's head hit the counter with the sound of a thump, and she crumpled to the ground soon afterward, collapsing in a heap. That was one less problem to worry about. But out of all Astrid's problems right now, Skye was just about the least of them. The other members of the Selection had descended upon Sarabeth like vultures, surrounding her and laying into her from all directions. Just looking at it made Astrid's eyes narrow in a glare, and her teeth clenched as a fist balled at her side. She couldn't stand around idly and let them do this to her daughter. She had to step up and say something about it - and with a roar, she came barreling into the fray!

Shoving her shoulder one way and her elbow the other, she swept aside Roxanne and Cecilia. She grabbed onto Saka and Miza by the heads and smacked their skulls together, causing them to fall slack a moment later, and then she grabbed Kanon by the shoulders and dragged her away with a single yank. Panting for breath, her face glistening with sweat, Astrid fought her way to Sarabeth - and then, she held her hand out to her, offering to help her up. "Sarabeth...please...you're okay..."

But before Sarabeth had a chance to answer, the Anomaly struck. The moment Astrid felt herself grabbed from behind, she froze, her face going pale and her blood running cold. Astrid didn't even need to look to know it was the Anomaly she was dealing with. All she knew was that she wasn't safe here - his very presence told her enough. But even still, she hardly saw it coming as the demon rammed an uppercut into her jaw, followed by a few well-placed punches upside her skull!

"GAH-!!" Crying out in pain, Astrid began to fall back. The world around her spun and blurred under the pain. But it wouldn't take long for her to return to lucidity when she became keenly aware of her surroundings - all too aware of her surroundings. When she looked up to see the poster showing Honie B. Bea and Alaina Sanders side-by-side, Astrid froze; her jaw dropped in a silent gasp, but no breath came up from her throat. Just beside it, Astrid Arvidsson and Clara Gaster. The Norsewoman's eyes went wider as her gaze wandered across every detail. She knew exactly why the Anomaly wanted her to see these posters - these matches that were going on this very same night. If she hadn't lost her title to Alaina, she would be the one facing Honie. If she hadn't lost to Arvidsson, she would've been taking on Clara in the main event. But what she'd put forth hadn't been enough - she hadn't been enough. And now her face was being rubbed into a brutal reminder of that very same fact.

"...no...it's-" Astrid began to mutter something in protest, but that was cut short when the Anomaly spoke up again. And it was his voice that made her skin crawl. That she was motivated out of greed, that all of her efforts to prove herself and push herself back to the top was a desperate grasp for power - she could feel her stomach churn and the ground beneath her teeter. Astrid wanted to deny it all. She knew it was more than that. She knew that she just wanted to prove her doubters wrong, to build herself back up, to achieve the glory she'd once had...but wasn't that selfish? And wasn't she the one endangering her own family over it? She opened her mouth; she wanted to say something - and yet, nothing came out, because she knew, deep in her heart, that she didn't have a rebuttal. The Anomaly had pulled the ground right out from under her.

When Astrid looked up to see the fans gathered around her, she let out a gulp; her whole body went rigid. Astrid was not a woman who wanted to look weak, not under any circumstances. But here she was, struggling with her own inner demons - and the world knew it. The hairs rose on the back of her neck as she lingered on the Anomaly's words. She couldn't give in; she couldn't let him win. And yet, when her eyes glanced back over to Roxanne, as she held the chair up in the air over Sarabeth, it just made something drop in the pit of Astrid's stomach - she wouldn't dare abandon her daughter, either!

It was then that she made up her mind. At last, Astrid realized what she needed to do! She wouldn't play by the Anomaly's games any more - she would decide her fate! "NO-!" she cried out, turning toward Roxanne and Sarabeth. She would then try and yank her head free of the Anomaly's grasp - it didn't matter if it would hurt; she would still hurl herself toward Roxanne, trying to tackle her before she could strike!

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth was held at bay as Roxanne had the chair ready to unleash more mayhem. Sarabeth knew this was a losing fight for her and her mother. There was the numbers game and the mind games. The Selection were just too good and it hurt her own pride to say that. Maybe this was it. They were running around like scared mice trying to get away from these guys only to end up back in their clutches and now, she was going to lose another mother. Tears wept at Sarabeth’s eyes, but her abandonment issues weren’t the cause this time. She was just sick of her family being torn apart and it wasn’t going to stop ever it looked like as she pounded the floor with a defeated fist.

However, Astrid refused to go down into the night and she barreled over Roxanne getting her away. Sarabeth groaned as her body ached, but her mother was truly stepping up in this moment! Sarabeth shook away the thoughts of defeat! It wasn’t any time to cry when this match hadn’t even reached its conclusion. Sarabeth got up grabbing a broom nearby ready to use the blunt wood end of the object charging into battle to fight Cecilia. Meanwhile, Lyra would start going back on the offensive and start punching at Astrid trying to battle her down the hallway as they were headed for a crowd entrance!

[CaptainL]

The Selection had confronted Astrid with a choice. She could give in to her fear, and accept that she was in the wrong - that she really had let herself be controlled by her darker desires, and that she really had betrayed the ideals she'd always stood for - or she could let Sarabeth take the hit. Neither option was an easy one to swallow; the thought of either made her stomach churn. She couldn't stand to let her family get hurt, and she wouldn't dare admit defeat on the psychological arena either. But when Astrid saw her stepdaughter helpless, right in the path of Roxanne's blow, she knew that just standing around wasn't on the table. It was then that Astrid realized she didn't have to make a choice. She wouldn't let herself be conquered, and she wouldn't let Sarabeth come to harm either! She was a former Heavyweight Champion - she didn't need to play their game!

With a roar of defiance, Astrid managed to tear free of the Anomaly's grasp. Her scalp still stung where a few hairs had torn free, and her eye watered from the pain, but not even that was going to stop her! Right on time, she barreled into Roxanne, knocking her to the ground in a defiant charge! Once again, the two of them were out to prove that they wouldn't let the Selection overpower them!

As Sarabeth armed herself, the other members of the Selection began to close in around her. Cecilia planted her hands on her hips, shaking her finger toward Sarabeth with a chiding tone. "My, my. You should be more careful with that...people could get hurt." If Sarabeth swung it at her, Cecilia would attempt to grab it by the shaft, jerking it closer to get into range as she prepared a jab to Sarabeth's face. And even if Sarabeth managed to counter that, Saka was lying in wait, creeping up silently behind her. When the opening was right, she was ready to pounce!

At the same time, Astrid looked back over her shoulder at the commotion - and there, her teeth clenched. She couldn't leave Sarabeth with the other disciples - it was too dangerous! At the same time, she couldn't trust in the Selection to leave her unscathed either - she needed to stay on her toes! "Sarabeth..! I'm over here; follow me..!" Astrid called out - but Lyra was quick on her heels, running in closer with a couple of punches. Some of them hit, but Astrid was quick to put up her guard in order to shield herself from further blows, and she reached in to try and grab Lyra by the arm before whipping her toward the wall. She kept one eye on Sarabeth the whole time - she couldn't afford to let her out of her sight. Astrid knew her priority here was getting back to the ring. If she could stick to an environment she knew, one that was predictable, then she could take back some confidence in her ability to turn this around - at least there, the Selection's ability to engineer the situation against her would be limited. For now, she would focus on keeping the disciples at bay while she made her exit. But she couldn't leave her stepdaughter behind, either...

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth knew this was a losing battle, because even without Lyra in the picture, she still had her own fight against six other women. Skye had recovered and stomped her feet like a little child ready to dish out pain. She only had a broom as her main weapon of defense and she knew it wouldn’t be enough. Not like Sarabeth had a choice right now. Either use it or get pummeled and her body was already weak due to her earlier beating and running around in the cold. A sneeze even left her nose as she cursed Mother Nature for giving her a slight cold.

Sarabeth still went into trying to hit Cecilia, but the former defiant soul grabbed the blunt end using it to pull Sarabeth into a jab! Sarabeth barely ducked it kicking at Cecilia’s legs, but Saka pounced on her back as Sarabeth tried getting the Wild Jackals member off her. She saw Miza advancing and threw Saka over on her partner as Astrid called out to her. Sarabeth tried making a run for it, but Skye caught her into a sleeperhold. Lyra grunted being thrown into the wall as she went down on her bottom and Sarabeth gurgled trying to get out of this predicament, but for a little girl Skye’s age, she had a strong grip. Not to mention, Skye held Sarabeth for Kanon and Roxanne, the two deadliest members of the Selection. Sarabeth gulped looking in their eyes as she was certain this was it for her!

[CaptainL]

Astrid's brawl with Lyra had carried her further down the hall and away from the concession stand, taking her toward the gate that led into the arena proper. But in doing so, she had been forced to turn her back on Sarabeth - and that meant Sarabeth had been left at the mercy of the Selection. Astrid knew she was in danger - there was only one of her, and god even knew how many of them; given that Skye had made her first appearance with the group tonight, Astrid had no idea how many reinforcements there were. That wasn't even getting to the fact that the Anomaly was still there, and Astrid wouldn't dare to leave Sarabeth alone around him. She realized the Anomaly hadn't done much since she'd escaped his clutches...but he was always there, in the shadows, and she didn't want to take her chances.

Sure enough, when Astrid looked back in Sarabeth's direction, she could see the girl was surrounded - she managed to fight off the Wild Jackals just in time for Skye to grab her from behind, leaping onto her back! As she fell to her knees a moment later, Astrid's jaw dropped with a gasp. She glanced behind her at the door, and then back at Sarabeth. No, she couldn't just leave her behind like this - not when they were here! She had to do something, even if it meant rushing back into danger!

"Rrgh...Sarabeth, hold on-!" Astrid grumbled - but then, she took off, running back toward Sarabeth as fast as her weary legs would carry her. As long as she had a purpose - as long as she was fighting for her daughter - then she could find the strength she needed! As she closed in on Sarabeth, she swung a double lariat at Kanon and Roxanne, sending both of them sprawling to the floor, before she went to wrench Skye off of Sarah. "Stay! Down!!" she roared, swinging her back toward the floor with a suplex! She didn't know how long she could keep doing this - hopefully it'd stick!

[Pegasus]

Sarabeth was released as Skye screamed in terror being suplexed on the hard floor crying out in pain! The Selection were sprawled out as the crowd cheered that Astrid actually stood a chance. This was the first time that the disciples had actually been thwarted and even though Astrid was exhausted, she at least had enough energy to dispatch them albeit with assistance from her daughter. Sarabeth ran for Lyra shoving her through the gate as both women were now in the crowd back in the proper arena as cheers were alive in Baltimore! Sarabeth grabbed Lyra trudging her through the crowd and back over the guardrail as Lyra groaned still not recovered enough! Sarabeth climbed over the guardrail as she quickly went under the ring to grab a table getting wild cheers from the crowd!

Sarabeth grinned wildly as they were about to do it. She started setting up the legs and brought the table up before getting Lyra to stand. She punched Lyra’s head a few times getting her on the table before getting on the apron.

“Mom, I’m going to let you finish this your way, but first, I’m finishing this my way!” Sarabeth exclaimed as she ran hitting a Swanton Bomb through the table and Lyra!

Sarabeth grabbed her back in pain staying down and she actually just rested knowing she couldn’t fight back much more after that. Luckily, when her mother got to Lyra, she wouldn’t have to fight anymore.

[CaptainL]

Still out in the halls, and caught up in the fervor of the moment, Astrid hadn't even noticed the cheers of the crowd - she didn't have the time for anything that could distract her from her goals. And right now, chief among her goals was surviving long enough to make it back to the ring in one piece. She knew all too well that at any moment, everything could change - there was no way to predict the Selection, and as long as they still had yet to be accounted for, the danger was not one that she could afford to underestimate. In the heat of the moment, when she was laying into the Selection, fighting her way through the disciples and hurling them aside with a sweep of her arms, Astrid hardly even noticed how monumental a turn of events this was - how important it was that she was actually managing to fight back in the first place! But as she managed to fight off the disciples who surrounded Sarabeth and kept her locked down, when she caught her breath enough and her adrenaline subsided enough for her to actually take note of her surroundings, Astrid grinned a little wider. Yes, she realized - she was doing this. She could turn back the tides! It was really working!

"Sarabeth! Come on-!" Astrid knew there wasn't a moment to waste. As soon as the coast was clear, Astrid beckoned for Sarabeth to follow her. And the two of them were grasped by a newfound surge of energy, now that they actually seemed to be making a difference! When they broke through the doors and charged into the seating area beyond, Astrid could see the lights once again, and hear the roar of the fans, and she breathed a sigh of relief as a grin broke over her face. Now, it seemed, the nightmare was over. She was finally in a place that made sense - a place where she knew what to expect. As long as she could see the ring, she was in her element. As long as she was in her element, she didn't have to worry.

And Sarabeth had a part to play, too - bringing Lyra along behind her on her way to the ring, she was able to set up a table, and placed Lyra on it! Astrid took a step back, and she looked out with a beaming grin on her face to see Sarabeth setting up the Swanton Bomb. When she saw her come crashing down onto Lyra and through the table, she knew it now beyond the shadow of any doubt - Sarabeth knew how to handle herself. She had come far, and she was ready!

The whole arena broke out into cheers as Sarabeth made impact, and as the table's legs gave way, sending both women clattering to the floor - and Astrid was right there, looking on with pride! Sarabeth knew she wouldn't be able to bounce back so easily after that, but Astrid wasn't worried, and she nodded her head to Sarabeth to say as much. "Don't worry, Sarabeth...I can take things from here!"

Indeed, she was ready for it! Her eyes fell down on Lyra, narrowing into a pointed glare as she pounded one fist against her palm and cracked her knuckles. Then, she scooped the fortune teller up from the mat, draping her over her shoulders. "You've made a mistake in bringing my family into this," she huffed. "Now I should show you how big a mistake it is!"

She took one step forward, onto the apron, and then through the ropes. And then, bellowing in rage, she threw herself down to hit Lyra with her finishing move - the Stavanger Buster!

Spoiler

[Pegasus]

Lyra groaned being hoisted up as Astrid marched around ringside with her. Astrid, against every bit of mind games, was able to secure victory and she just needed to connect. Astrid took a running start slamming Lyra hard on the padding and wasted no time hooking a leg for the pin! The referee was exhausted having to control chaos, but it seems she finally had the time to count.

“1! 2! 3!” The ref counted as the bell finally ended the nightmare! The crowd cheered their hearts out, but Astrid was kept down.

Astrid, Lyra, and Sarabeth laid in the wreckage of their match as medical officials rushed out to the ring. They tended to everyone ringside as stretchers were brought out. Lyra was helped set on one and so was Sarabeth and two people had to lift Astrid’s form on one. They were soon ushered to the back for further examination.

This was the first official loss for the Selection, but everyone knew better than to think this would effect them. Astrid barely beat Lyra and she almost succumbed from the numbers game early on. This was far from over. The inevitable was still in reach. The Anomaly just had more work to do.

Winner by pinfall: Astrid Ostberg