Rainbow 8

Chapters

Head First
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 1
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 2
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 3
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 4
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 5
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 6
Applejack's Day Off
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 7
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 8
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 9
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 10
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 11
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 12
Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 12(Confronting the Dream)
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: the Pre-fight Press Event
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: The Weigh In and Round 1
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 2
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 3
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 4
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 5
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 6
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 7
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 8
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 9
Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 10
One Month Later

Head First

Twlight wrangled in her purple, Hime cut mane with a hair band. Her friend, Fluttershy, did the same while she waited on the other side of the squared circle. With Fluttershy's flowing pink locks neatly tied, the two raised their gloved fists for combat, Twilight clad in both her indigo halter top and her purple with pink trim gym shorts. Twilight aimed her violet gaze at her friend and asked, “You ready for this?” Fluttershy shooting her a nod and an emerald stare.

For their exercise day, Fluttershy chose an oversized cream yellow shirt with pale pink sweats, thinking she wouldn't take part in what Rainbow Dash called 'sparring' in the middle of the ring, even as her friend gave her special pink boxing gloves, Twilight given purple ones when they got to Ponyville's gym. The bell rang, and the two began their flurry, fighting in what ringside observer, the freckle faced, blond haired, ponytail braid sporting Applejack, described as “two fillies fightin' over the last apple”

From her exercise bike, Applejack, dressed in improvised jean shorts and white and red tank top, saw Twilight's wild and weak swings combat Fluttershy's meek, but measured jabs, laughing when her slips made Twilight swing at air and catch a counter jab square in the face. The moment Twilight's backside hit the canvas, Rainbow Dash, the 7 colors in her hair running wild, called the fight, saying, “Alright, alright, I've seen more than enough of this for the day. Twi, c'mon, on your feet”

“Okay, Dash. So how'd we do?” Rainbow Dash stood her in her powder blue tracksuit and stroked her chin.

“Well, from what I saw from Flutters, she's focused on creating distance, leading her opponents to rush into her precision punching-which you did.” Fluttershy rubbed at the back of her neck as Rainbow Dash turned her attention to Twilight. “As for you, well...I couldn't really tell what you were doing. You had no real defense, your swings were all over the place, and your footing wasn't anywhere near solid enough to pack the power you were hoping to have”

“How can that be? I followed what I learned from literature on it. If it's the sweet science, shouldn't it follow that one can develop their skill through a scientific approach?”

“Book learnin' can't do much without real world learnin', sugarcube” Said Applejack.

“That is true, but those paired with the proper training regiment should prepare anyone to match up against anyone. Fluttershy could stand toe to toe against Rainbow Dash, and I could hold my own against you, if I really wanted to.”

“Fluttershy, I can see. Somewhere in her is an intense fire that could let 'er take on anybody, if it meant protecting something precious. You, on the other hand, spend all day in that library readin' books. It's like RD said: You got no technique, no practice, and nowhere near the shape you need to be in to go the distance. Pardon my temerity, but just from looking at you, I know you can't beat me no way, no how.”

“That's quite presumptive of you, Applejack.” said Princess Celestia, riding the exercise bike next to her in her baggy white sweats and Toga-styled mini top. “Perhaps you would care to prove it?”

“I dunno, she's still got that whole magic thing to fall back on”

“If she's up to it, I assure you she won't be able to use it for any of the training leading up to and during your bout. That's if she's up to it, of course. I would hate to push my faithful student into anything she didn't want to do.”

“Your faithful student is more than up the challenge, Princess.” said Twilight, shooting a defiant glare at Applejack.

“Splendid! Then it starts immediately. From this day on until the fight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie will be your trainers, and Fluttershy and Rarity will be training Applejack. As she stipulated, your magic will be sealed until the fight is over, to keep it fair.” Celestia snapped her fingers, and a sun shaped tattoo appeared near the base of Twilight's neck. “ I would suggest you take this time to adjust to life without it”

“A f-fight!?” exclaimed Fluttershy, her hand reaching for her mouth. “But they're friends! Friends don't fight friends.”

“That, they don't. They do, however, still hold the desire to compete and prove their prowess to each other, whether it's at chess or in the ring. As a matter of fact, my sister and I have had many rousing sessions of 3s”

“3 what?”

“I shall demonstrate later. My point is that competition can both bring people to be better than they are and strengthen the friendship they share. Applejack and Rainbow Dash know this very well, don't you, girls?” They nodded in unison. “Alright, then, with that settled, I shall set this up with the Las Pegasus Fight Counsel. I and the rest of the royal court will watching from the front row, so I trust you two will put on a magnificent show 3 months from now” The sound of royal horns came from her sweatpants's pocket. “Well, duty calls. See you all later!” In an instant, she vanished from her exercise bike, leaving a note next to Rarity on stair step machine.

Rarity looked down and sighed as she saw the message, “Wipe that down for me, would you, deary? I'll place many orders, if you do!” Well she has been a good customer, with all the alterations and measurement adjustments she keeps ordering for her dresses, she thought to herself. From Twilight's corner, Pinkie Pie, wearing her favored Flashdance-like gym outfit, leaned over and brushed her poofy pink mane aside as she asked, “So no magic, huh, Twilight? You sure you're ready? RD's methods aren't what I'd call 'soft'.”

“Like I said, this is the Sweet Science. Now that you and Dash are backing me up, I know the scientific method won't fail me, especially if I can stick to the right regiment...like no cupcakes.”

“That's silly talk. Cupcakes can be perfectly healthy and delicious! You've had our shop's vegan variety, right?”

“She'll have some after we're done whipping her into shape.” said Rainbow Dash, now upright and in the center of the ring. “Right now, we gotta her into that regiment she's talking about. No offense, Twi, but the way you are now, AJ would turn your brain into applesauce”

“That I would.” said Applejack. “Don't get the wrong idea, you're a dear, dear friend, and always will be; because of that, I respect you enough to give you all I got, even that means you end up in the hospital.”

“Your sincerity is much appreciated,” said Twilight “but if this training goes well, I'll be more than able to hold my own in 3 months. Just you wait, Applejack” Applejack smiled at her, and went back to her exercise routine, her candy apple red headphones going back over her ears.

“That's right,” replied Rainbow Dash. “because starting tomorrow morning, I'm gonna dedicate every moment I'm not managing the weather to getting you into the best shape of your life, just like I did for Pinkie awhile ago.”

“You did? How'd that go?”

“Why don't you ask her yourself? You're gonna see more than enough of me tomorrow, so for now, I'll let you get familiar with Pinkie, while me and AJ go for a jog. C'mon, AJ!” She jogged out of the gym, with Applejack following close behind.

“Alright, Pinkie, you've trained with her, what's she like?”

“Well why don't you and Fluttershy spar for a bit, while I tell you about it? Need to get a gauge for what I'm working with, after all!” Twilight nodded in agreement, and they returned to sparring. “When we first started, I felt like I was terribly out of shape, and knew I needed to make a change after a quick jog up the stairs of Sugarcube Corner left me super wheezy.”

She told me about what she could do to help, and warned me about how tough she was going to be on me. I didn't believe her until I accepted, and, before the sun rose up, found myself in the middle of the Everfree Forest being splashed awake by Dashy, with her telling me to stretch! After that, she made do sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks, rope jumping, and a bunch of other stuff that got me pooped before we even got to the gym for what she called 'the real workout'”

She was relentless, she was demanding, and at no point did she let me quit, even when I felt like I had nothing left to give. That really burned me up, so much so that while she was teaching the fundamentals, I actually took a swing at her, which was the last thing I remember before I hit the canvas, and woke up with her looking over me, asking if I was OK and still willing to continue with her training.”

After a few days to heal up, I could feel my body changing, and knew that her way would get me where I wanted to go, so I got in touch and told her I wanted to keep it up, with her even giving me a routine to follow during the winter months. We still train together, and now that I've seen the results, I can say her regiment has put me in the best shape of my life. It even inspired me to help the shop develop healthier tasty cupcakes, which have turned out to be big hits with our more health conscious customers!”

Pinkie looked over at Twilight and Fluttershy, puzzled at why their jaws were dropped so low.

“Rainbow Dash...did that?” Asked Fluttershy

“Do you mean knock me out or get me in the best shape of my life? Because the answer to both is yes. You've worked with her, Fluttershy, you know she's a tough cookie”

“Yes, but I didn't know she was that tough on people...”

“She wants the best from everyone she works with, I'm just here to help people ease into it, hopefully a lot more than I was!” Pinkie Pie said that with a giggle as she stared squarely at Twilight. “Speaking of, Twilight, do you mind if I show you some of the basics Dashy showed me? I promise I'm much gentler about it than she'll be tomorrow.” Twilight nodded as Pinkie motioned for Fluttershy to stand beside her. “Now, I was watching you and her spar, and took notes on how she kept sticking you with defensive jabs. Why do you think those jabs kept landing?”

“Because I can't read her offense yet?”

“There is that, but the big thing is her technique. Look at how her stance is. Her feet are closer together, which lets her move around with much less effort; her hands are closer and up in front of her, which lets her both block easier and attack when the chance comes. Most important of all, notice how her head is lowered and her chin is tucked further in; when she does that, she minimizes the chance she hits the canvas. Remember: if the chin's struck hard enough, it becomes that person's magic off button! Go on, Twilight, give it a shot!” Twilight proceeded to alter her stance to Pinkie's specification, wiping her purple and pink hair out of her eyes. “Excellent! Now that you're getting the stance, it's time to work on shrinking how many punches you absorb. First, hold your hands in front of your face.” As Twilight did so, Pinkie ordered Fluttershy to repeatedly jab at that area.

“I take it this is blocking?”

“For basic straight punches, yes. I call it putting on my mask! Put on the mask, and it's tough for them to touch your face! For defense against hooks, though, you'll need to put on your earmuffs”

“Earmuffs?” Pinkie snapped her fingers. Fluttershy threw the looping blow. On reaction, Twilight's arm moved up to her ear, blocking the right hook.

“Yup. Wearing the earmuffs stops someone from getting their hooks into you-and believe me, those hooks hurt.”

“You do similar things for blocking blows to the guts and ribs.”said Fluttershy “See?” She leaned down and showed her the different body blow blocking techniques, with Pinkie Pie nodding in approval as Fluttershy's elbows were brought close to the sides of her body. “Sorry about the sucker punch, by the way”

“Don't worry about it. That'll be nothing compared to what Applejack might have planned. I'm just wondering if I can wrap my mind around all these techniques in time”

“Of course you can!” said Pinkie Pie. You've read enough to know what a jab, straight, hook and uppercut are, right?” Twilight nodded at her. “Then you also know where they can be aimed, so blocking them should be a cinch! Just know where they're headed, and you'll ready for anything! C'mon, let's practice! High jab, mid straight, high hook, mid upper, high upper, mid hook...” Pinkie Pie continued giving Fluttershy punch commands until she felt Twilight could block on instinct, smiling all the while as she helped Twilight fine tune her punch delivery. After jogging home with her, she expressed looking forward to working with her as she went back to Sugarcube Corner, leaving her one warning, “Sleep early! She strongly believes in the early bird getting the worm, when it comes to this stuff, so she won't let you sleep in the way she normally does. Believe me, she dislikes it just as much as you will, and will probably take her grogginess out on you the whole morning. Be sure to keep one eye open”

Author's Note

This has been outlined to be roughly 3 parts, and the next one is a journal format following Twilight's growth into a proper boxer. Look forward to it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 1

True to what Pinkie said, Rainbow Dash was right beside when I woke up, as grouchy looking as I was groggy. Luckily, though, I didn’t wake up in the middle of Everfree Forest, and in fact, as my eyes opened, I saw that before me, while I was in my bed, Dash was serving me breakfast on that tray with the foldable legs my folks love! On that tray was a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal, a glass of OJ and a glass of eggs. That much didn’t register until I realized they were raw, fresh eggs in that glass, and that my training wasn’t starting until I downed them. I know she wants me to get the most protein in the least time, but isn’t there a more sanitary way to do it? My intuition told me this was a test of how much I was willing to submit myself to her methods, so I looked deep for the needed grit and swallowed them, that grit becoming something of a theme that whole first week of training with her

Since I don’t come from the warrior-centric culture Dash grew up with, I was nowhere near ready for what she had in mind, and it showed in spades. From the very first exercise, I was struggling to keep pace, which manifested when I was reaching for my toes and I could barely touch my calves. After 2 sets of 20 jumping jacks, curls, push ups, trunk lifts, leg lifts, and who knows how much else, I felt like I had nothing left to give, and as I was gasping for air, Dash stood beside me and said, “Alright, enough warming up, it’s time to get to the real workout” I imagine Pinkie had a similar sense of dread fill her up the first time she heard those words, more so as her body cooperated with her less and less.

Speaking of which, when we got to the gym, Pinkie was there to greet us and spot me as I “hit the weights,” as Dash puts it, to gauge my strength. I was quite proud when I learned that I was able to bench 90 lbs and felt ready to take Applejack then and there...until I found out that’s 30 pounds below average. My time at the Chest Press, Chest Fly, and other machines was just as ego deflating, and by the time I was done for the day, I had many doubts over if I could even compete against someone who, according to Dash, could lift more than twice the average on every single machine. Twice! Even when she’s as dazed as someone just waking up for the day!

I think Pinkie heard me express these frustrations during the week, because after one of my warm ups, she pulled me aside and said, “Didn’t you say that with me and Dash in your corner, you know your methods wouldn’t fail? I know this won’t be easy to do, but your focus, determination and creative thinking has come through for you once before, and they will again with us backing you up! I mean if Dash can get me in shape, then imagine what she can do for you” The proposition intrigued me greatly, so to measure how far I’d go, I decided to keep this journal and hopefully reveal what will give me that critical edge when fight night rolls around.

Goal for next week: Reach my toes and not be so pooped after the warm up!

Song of the Moment: The Power is On, by The Go! Team
This one Dash turned me on to during my first sessions with her, and I have to say it suits my time with her well. Certainly helps me push on when I feel like I can’t push no more

Author's Note

This is week 1 of the 12 weeks Twilight has to prepare for the big fight. Next week she hopes she Dash'll give her the tools she needs to survive 10 rounds with Applejack. How will she fare? Tune in and find out!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 2

After my warm ups, Dash and I discussed the concept of styles, in this case meaning how someone boxes. “If a boxer builds the right style,” she said as I hit the weights, “then they majorly up their chance at a win, even when they're totally outclassed.” To clarify this, she contrasted the styles of a few past sparring partners against her own, a style she describes as a crafty rush of speed. Against Rarity, she noticed a lot of setups into pinpoint punching, while Fluttershy leaned on turning defense into offense, like when she rolled with Rainbow Dash’s straight and shifted into a chin raising uppercut. Pinkie Pie developed into what Dash calls a ‘grab bag boxer’ during their training, and Applejack countered speed with power, power so raw and untamed that only one of her punches landed, that one landing square in Dash’s stomach and sending her crumpling to the mat

She must’ve seen the fear of Celestia struck into me, because not long after, she said, “And that’s why, along with proper training and conditioning, you gotta develop a good style, and that starts with a solid foundation!” At that point, it was time to manage the weather, so she let Ms. Grab Bag Boxer, herself, teach me the fundamentals, starting with footing. She spoke at length on how stance width affects mobility, likewise increasing how often an opponent’s punch makes contact, which, unless you’re into that sort of thing, isn't highly desirable. Concerning proper distance, she said, “Everyone has their own sweet spot, but as long as your legs are pitching a little tee-pee, you’ll be A-OK!” Vividly colorful, to say the least, as was much of my time under her wing.

The whole time she was teaching me the basic system of movements-including the gallop-like shuffle used to dart in and out of range, the thing that stuck with me most was the moniker she gave it: the Pop, Boom, Pow Shuffle. Her reason for the name? “It creates the space you need to let your punches go pop, boom, pow!” When I asked her to teach me those punches, she insisted I first learn about the 3 places a punch can start from: the shoulder, the hips and the feet. As she had me block her jabs from those 3 spots, I could feel why she wanted me to learn this before we began, as her shoulder punches allowed for a quick pace and threw off my timing, leading to me eating many punches before I found my groove. Accordingly, punches from further down allowed for more impact, at the cost of speed and mobility, with that much carrying into her lesson on the Jab, Cross, Hook and Uppercut, the 4 punches essential to building a style.

The uppercut, as she demonstrated, is a rising punch built to both pop the target upwards and split mask guarding, something I learned when she split mine and bopped me on the forehead(repeatedly, I might add). The hook, in contrast, goes right around mask guarding and attacks their sides, with altered angles creating altered attack paths they need to account for before the damage piles up too high. With the Cross, the opposite hand punch crosses the body to deliver maximum impact, should the target leave enough of a landing pad for it. On the other hand, the jab is a quick, lead hand punch Pinkie calls the Pester Punch; according to her, “you can move around with the quicker versions of it and pester them into going where you want them to go, blocking where you want them to block and leaving an opening for your other hand to fill, preferably with a more potent strike”

At that point, she went into the concepts of rhythm and combos, both of which the Jab plays a crucial part in creating. Done well, the Jab can interrupt your opponent’s rhythm and let you establish your own through well executed spacing between strikes, leaving ample time to weave together a series of them-also known in boxing as combos. To help me develop my own, she detailed a 1-6 number system she uses to memorize any combos that pop into her brain, 1 being the Jab, 2, the Cross, 3 & 4, lead and rear hooks, and 5 & 6, lead and rear uppercuts(with the letter b following any punches aimed for the body). It was very confusing at first, but the way she set those numbers to a rhythm really helped clarify how her system worked, more so when we practiced a few of them, like 1-2-3, 6-3b-2 and 1b-2b-3-4-5. I only hope my combos are as easy to remember and easy to break out when the punches come fast and furious!

Progress since last week: I can finally touch my toes! Feel so much more flexible now, although I’m not quite sure what that has to do with Boxing

Goal for next week: Create and memorize my own combo. Maybe a variation on 6-3-2?

Song of the Moment: “Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J
Heard this on Pinkie’s headphones while we were taking a break from training, and I must say, it puts me right in the mood to get up and work until I ensure that I can look over at Applejack and say, “Don’t call it a comeback!”

Author's Note

Tune in next time, when Twilight starts her real workout regiment and Dash teaches her about Dynamite Strength. Don't miss it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 3

During my downtime, my trainers and I decided to have a movie night, Pinkie bringing her copy of Monty Python. We were having our laughs and discussing the Ponyville rumor mill, when Dash brought up how much each of us weigh, revealing that Applejack came in at 125 the last time they hit the gym, the exact same weight as me! I was flabbergasted she packed that kind of power into that kind of frame, and openly wondered how that was possible, prompting Dash to reply, “Dynamite Strength” Sensing my lack of understanding, she elaborated on the intensive muscle memory signature to that brand of strength training, the training, itself, said to increase power while maintaining the practitioner's weight level.

Later, she showed me that it starts with 1-3 repetitions, or reps, as she calls them, of a given weight lifting exercise set at the athlete’s absolute maximum lifting capacity-also called someone’s Max Weight, according to Dash. After 5 minutes of rest, they then perform a related exercise involving explosive movement, such of jumping or throwing a medicine ball around, with another 5 minute rest leading into a regiment built around the movements and physical needs their position demands; in my case, that means mine will hone how hard I throw the leather, as well as how much leather I can weather being thrown at me (hey, that rhymed, sort of!)

Pinkie illustrated these principles by first doing 3 Max Weight Deadlifts, then, during the break, taking the medicine ball to the open air basketball court behind the gym and chucking it right over her head, Dash taking flight as it flew far behind her. After she got her reps in, Dash smiled an unfocused smile and said, “Your turn. Remember to lift with your legs, or else you might throw your back out.” I still remember the first Max Weight Deadlift I did, primarily because of how it demanded energy from every fiber of my body.

I squatted down to take the proper form, and not a second after I started the lift did I feel every single muscle struggle to hoist up the bar and its weight plates; as I dug deeper within, I could hear Pinkie cheering me on and Dash barking out her motivations, which, in that instant, sounded about as loud as the heartbeat pulsing in-and possibly right against my chest with every centimeter it rose off the ground. When I finally completed the motion, I let out what was surely a primal shout of victory knowing that, even though Dash was sure to make it harder from there, I was ready for the challenge; what I wasn’t ready for, however, was the quite literal grab bag nature of my regiment.

After warm ups, she flipped a bit to determine whether the upper or lower body would be the focus of the day. From there, she pulled out 2 baggies from her messenger bag, one holding the initial paired exercises, the other, the rest of my day leading up to its bookend: drills and running. Before we began, she explained, “When you adjust to something, you get comfy, when you get comfy, you get lazy, when you get lazy, the way you grow gets slow, and this method does everything possible to counter how the body slows the grow”

Through this method, she revealed many fascinating machines to me, like the Cable Pulley we used to help develop my punching motion power and the highly advanced, “Plastic Pipe Handles on 2 Suspended Ropes,” a personal favorite of her’s that uses the body’s own weight against the user to force them to use whatever they have in them to complete their exercises and grow stronger. It was odd how Pinkie carried a bucket around during these sessions, but when she said it was “For when you finally workout ‘til you puke,” odd grew right into unnerving. When that moment came(quite suddenly, too, during a run), Dash held my hair back and said, “Congrats, Twi, you hit your first wall. Now it’s time to smash through both it and the others you’re bound to run into”

Progress for the Week: I concocted my own combo! 1-1b-2-5b-4, which, theoretically, can force a lot of different options. For example, if they duck the 2, they duck into the 5b, thus setting up for the 4, and ensuring the fight leans towards my favor. Theoretically, of course

Goal for Next Week: Increase my Max Weight, possibly by a couple pounds, or more. Gotta shrink Applejack's advantage by as much as possible, after all!

Song of the Moment: “Come and Get It” by Krewella
This one's a recent favorite for Dash, and I find myself more able to break through my own limitations and keep going every time it comes on. I remember when it came on as my legs felt like they were ready to give way, and this got me right back in the mood to run(although it was also the same run I had to use that bucket for)

Author's Note

Next week, Twilight and Dash have a 100m showdown at the Ponyville track. It's the student going head to head with the master! Who will win? Tune in to find out!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 4

According to my research, excelling at the sweet science lies not just in how well one boxes, but also in their cardiovascular fitness, or what Dash calls their Cardio. As she puts it, “If your Cardio sucks, you’re practically wearing a ‘punch me’ sign the longer you can’t knock ‘em out and allow them to tire you out,” thus why she stresses me getting my own up to snuff. To me, that should make running, jumping rope and other Cardio building exercises top priority, but Dash says, “That final leg, where the only thing you’re running on is fumes and moxie, that’s when you need your Cardio most, and that’s why you gotta learn how to fight through your own body telling you it’s time to quit.”

That much stayed with me the whole week of training, urging me on every time I hit a wall. Every time Dash set a new max weight, every time my muscles tightened up on me, every time running or my time jumping rope spread out my aches, a voice inside me kept asking, “Do you wanna quit?” Each time I heard it, I found my answer in Dash’s eyes and kept moving forward, no matter how badly I wanted to say yes. Perhaps that's why Dash said she wanted to show me something special at the end of the week; in order to get it, however, I had to challenge her to a race at the Ponyville Track.

When I got there the next morning, I discovered that not only were my trainers there, but so were Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity, each of them lounging in the bleachers while they knocked back a cold one(Sweet Apple Acres brand, naturally). As they looked on, Dash threw down the gauntlet: 100m race to the finish, and if I wanted to accept, all I had to do was get in the starting blocks. I knew well how much of an edge Dash had, but something inside me wanted to let Applejack see what I could do, so I got in the blocks and waited for Pinkie to fire her portable party cannon. The fire in my soul burned stronger and stronger as I heard her say, “Ready!..Set!..”

The moment the cannon let out its pop, I pumped my legs as hard as my body allowed. My lungs were on fire, my sides felt like pincushions being pricked with each stride, my mouth was gulping down air, all of it in an effort to finish first and validate that month of toil and troubles. My eyes were locked in on the goal just ahead, that focus showing that not only was Dash pulling away, but also already in the final 1/4th of the race. Running backwards. With her hands behind her back. By the time I got there, I only had enough energy to take a knee and catch my breath, fresh in my mind the fact that everything I had to give couldn't even let me keep pace. Before I could get too deep in a funk, though, Dash tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a bottle of grape Pegasaid, a smile on her face as she said, “You did good, Twi.” She then motioned for me to follow her, leading me behind the bleachers and to that special something she promised, which, for some reason, involved a Rickshaw and her suiting up in a Wonderbolts-esque flight uniform, a Carabiner hanging on each side.

I got on board and asked her why she was hooking herself up to the vehicle, to which she said, “Because it's aerial tour time, Twi! Not only did you train all this week to go against your body telling you to quit, you also told your brain to shut it. Besides, what were you expecting, a make-out session?” When she took flight, I realized that, in comparing my capabilities and hers, I knew I had no chance in Tartarus at ever beating her. Despite that, when it came time to either take her on or walk away, that solid month investment of blood, sweat and tears instilled in me that if I gave it all I had, maybe there was a chance I could match or even beat the best athlete in the land. The reality, of course, was soul crushingly different, with Dash saying, “That’s what the folks in Las Pegasus call ‘rolling the dice,’ and that’s what’ll let you do things you never thought you could, even if, sometimes, you’re unlucky enough to hit Snake Eyes.”

As she gave me her amazing aerial tour of Equestria, that sentiment rolled around in my thoughts, more so as the wind flowed through my hair and we flew through Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, even Canterlot-where I believe I caught a glimpse of the Princess and Luna playing some 3s on a movie screen. This month of training, alone, has made me much stronger, faster and more resilient than I've ever been; I've even had to start buying belts and looking for new clothes because of how much the training has trimmed away. Admittedly, I accepted the fight against Applejack on impulse, but if I can come this far in just a month's time, I can only wonder what changes await me by the time fight night rolls around. Although there's no way I'll ever take Dash in a contest of speed, with the progress I'm making, I'm sure I'll be able to go the distance with Applejack. Who knows? Maybe this training will give the kind of Pinkie Sense I need to win by more than just the judge's scorecards.

Progress for the Month: When I see myself in the mirror, I'm seeing muscle definition I never had before! I can see the outline of abs on my stomach! My biceps have a shape other than cylindrical! I caught a book that was falling on my head right out of the air! Exciting times, these

Progress for the Week: My Max Weight went up to 105! Still about 15 shy of the average, but still a fairly big jump from where I started. Hope to go much further before fight night!

Goal for Next Week: Cut down my 100m time and actually win a race against someone. Maybe Pinkie? From what I saw after my loss, she seems fast on her feet. Surprising, for someone who's diet looks like it's mostly cupcake-oriented

Song of the Moment: Bodyrock, by Moby
I heard this during my drills, and it's quickly become one of my favorite tunes to jam when I need to get into a deep focus, like in my runs, or when I do research into spells and the techniques of great pugilists in the sport

Author's Note

Next week, a special guest joins Twilight and her trainers in the gym, someone who's also been one of Rainbow Dash's biggest admirers. What will Twilight learn from her? How will they get along, when this person gets her first taste of Rainbow Dash's style of training? These answers and more await in the next edition of Twilight's Workout Journal. Don't miss it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 5

I was browsing through Applejack’s selection at the Farmer’s Market, when Scootaloo suddenly bumped into me, fresh apple fritter in hand. Naturally, the conversation soon centered on Rainbow Dash, and she asked me increasingly more pointed questions about my my time working with her, prompting Applejack to say, “Y’know, instead of just jibber-jabberin’, why don’t you ask RD if she wants to work with Scoots? Shoot, with how long you've worked with her and that good head on ya, you could teach ‘er plenty.” After hashing it out with Dash, later, she agreed with the assessment, and tasked me with easing Scoots into the regiment when she showed up that morning.

It was quite an experience seeing her take on her 1st full day of Dash’s workout system, more so because, despite her struggling as greatly as I had the 1st day, she never showed any signs of relent. I heard her heavy breathing during our warm ups, I felt her pouring energy into each and every weighting lifting rep, I saw the sweat streaming down her face as she ran 2 miles up 15 inches of treadmill incline, yet through all that, she kept pushing forward. When I asked if she wanted to take a break, she shot me a glare of tired intensity and said, ”I appreciate the concern, but as long as I have my Pegasaid, I won’t stop until the day is done and I've put in the work I need to.”

The attitude proved to be very infectious during our time together, with her becoming more of an invaluable workout partner the more her capabilities came to match my own-although I’m not sure if I should be impressed or depressed that someone several years younger can match my strength and speed. Regardless, she was a highly curious sponge soaking in her new environment, asking about things like Dynamite Strength, proper eating regimens (load up in the morning, ease up in the evening, and always have an after meal snack is what Dash taught me, in that respect), and gym etiquette. A big part of what Dash drilled into about that is in wiping down your work area before moving on to the next one, that emphasis becoming even clearer one day when we got to the Bench Press station and found a puddle of someone else’s sweat waiting there; needless to say, Dash reacted less than favorably when she figured out who the puddle belonged to.

Now, I certainly appreciated that Scoots was working out with me, spotting me and all that, but I never could peg why she was doing so until she invited me and my trainers to the recently finished big air ramp in Cloudsdale. As we stood on what felt like the top of a mountain (complete with the whistling winds at the peak), I saw Scootaloo hop onto her scooter and ask, “So you wanna know why I wanna work with you guys, right? Why I wanna get stronger?” Seconds later, she blazed down the ramp as she said, “This is why,” backflipping high into the air, then pushing her scooter into a backflip during her flip, and tailwhipping it as she got back on and completed the motion right into the cloud pit (according to her, the sequence before the tailwhip is referred to as a Celestia Flip). Before my jaw could hit the floor, though, Dash, riding her skateboard down the ramp, followed that with a heelflip backflip, Pinkie well strapped into her rollerblades as she launched into a cartwheel bellyflop. It was among the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life, and didn't know what I could do to get anywhere to close to that on the scooter the place loaned to me.

My knees were shaking like crazy, and to this day I don’t know why it happened, but I felt my legs guide me onto the scooter and push off into a rapid descent. The air rushed through my hair and all around me right up to the second I flew off the ramp and backflipped with all my might, the world continuing to spin as I landed safely into cloud pit. Head first, yes, but at least it was into something relatively soft. As Dash and Pinkie pulled me out, I could hear Dash’s voice saying, “You know Twi, that was completely reckless, and if you messed up, you could’ve gotten seriously hurt. That’s the kinda attitude I like, and that’s gonna get you the win when we hit Las Pegasus! Hopefully, though, you don’t lead with your head there, too, ‘cause you know gloved fists are nowhere near as soft as clouds are on your face”

Progress for the Week: I actually got my 100m meter time down to 13.9! In a win against Scootaloo! Sure, I beat someone years younger than me, but a win's a win...right?

Goal for Next Week: Build a better, more sustained rhythm on the Speed Bag. Surprisingly tough to keep the pace going without wearing out my arms too quickly. Hopefully improving at this improves the pace I keep when I need to apply my training to live opponents

Song of the Moment: Intense Energy, by Agression
Scoot's had this on her headphones the first day she came in for training, and as the title states, it's intense energy all the way through. Rather short, in keeping with the skate punk tradition, but it's the perfect amount of energy for the long, nausea inducing (As Scoots soon learned) training sessions

Author's Note

Scootaloo rather enjoys her time with Twilight and her crew, so much so that next week, she brings a friend along for the ride. You know what happens you spread the word: they tell one person they know, then they tell one person, then they tell one person, then they tell one person, and so on, and so on, eventually reaching the ears of someone who wants to put her skills to the test. How well can she teach Scootaloo's friend? Who would want to test Twilight? Who will be the last one standing? Tune in next week and find out!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 6

Scootaloo arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed for training one day, with her companion, Sweetie Belle, being much like myself on the first day: half asleep and possibly silently cursing her friend for waking her up so early. When Dash heard her grumblings, she asked if this was her first time, to which she replied, “First time getting up this early to work out, yeah. What’re you, coocoo for Cocoa Puffs? You’ve gotta be to think this was a good time for a workout” I could see the beginnings of the angry eye twitch popping up on Dash’s forehead, so I, along with Pinkie Pie, volunteered to ease Sweetie Belle into the program, while Scootaloo went along with Dash for their session. I’d hate to think what Dash might’ve put her through if they were left alone at the gym, but, as a pleasant side effect, I got to understand more about Sweetie Belle’s motivations, as well as why only she came along.

From my understanding, she first heard about it during one of their Cutie Mark Crusader meetings, during which Scootaloo brought up her “amazing” time with my trainers and I. After demonstrating the 1b-1-2-3b combo I taught her, the girls were really interested in training with us, and soon started to discuss the sweet science-including the more dangerous aspects of the sport. The more Apple Bloom discovered things like concussions(which, let’s be honest, is what makes a Knock Out punch a Knockout) and long term brain damage, the more she was turned off by the idea of joining Scootaloo that day, saying, “I can’t go trainin’ with you, if it means trainin’ myself to hurt folks that badly”

Nonetheless, Sweetie Belle was quite game, and stuck with it throughout the no doubt taxing amount of effort she was putting out just to get to the end-why, if I remember correctly, we had to break out the puke bucket the first day of her training, before we even finished warm ups. Afterwards, though, she demonstrated a very innate understanding of how boxing works when we taught her the Pop Boom Pow shuffle and the 4 basic punches-so innate, in fact, that she was learning and applying it faster than I could explain it. I had to know how she learned this so fast, and she started talking about how her sister and her used to train after school at a gym run by Cus D’Amare. They never met Cus, but his students taught them a ton about boxing theory and philosophy, including wisdom straight from Cus, like, “The only difference between Heroes and Cowards is how they feel and how they do what they do.” That mentality showed up in spades when we had her and Scoots, fresh from her session with Dash, spar before we all went for our end day runs.

They had lots of fun with each other in the ring, but seeing them fight revealed many techniques I never saw before, including Sweetie’s volley of pulled punches and the series of weaves into hooks I saw Scoots try to execute. So intense, were their spars, that Dash was close to throwing in the towel on several occasions, including when they exchanged right crosses and knocked each other on their backsides, laughing about it before they got back up and resumed their session. The highlight, for me, has to be when Sweetie goes off and says, “Thanks for being such a great teacher, Twilight” before doing whatever she does when she gets home.

As I went around town, people around town started talking about Scoots and Sweetie, mainly the young ones, and mainly about how much they also wanted to train with someone, “As awesome as Rainbow Dash and that one great teacher with the purple hair,” to quote someone I heard during my daily errands. My senses told me that someone was spreading the word about their time with me and my trainers, which would lead to a curious onlooker or two coming to take a peek at how I train, that curious onlooker soon coming in the form of Sweetie Belle’s sister. Near the end of the week, she just walked in the gym and started doing her own workouts near where her sister was, saying nothing, even when we went for our jog.

The second I saw her, three thoughts crossed my mind: What is she doing here? Why is smiling at me? and What is she wearing? I don’t know where she comes from, but to me, azure short shorts and a white hoodie with azure on the underarms don’t exactly scream “I’m here to work up a sweat”. Seeing as I had training to do, though, I didn’t pay her much mind, even when we were doing drills and practically giving her the blueprint for how I planned to take on Applejack. The end of the week came, and Sweetie Belle had the biggest smile when she went up to talk with her sister, gushing about my teaching methods and how she could now push herself harder than ever before in her quest for a Cutie Mark. Rarity gave her a bag of bits and smiled at her whole time Sweetie was leaving the gym with Scootaloo, immediately turning her gaze towards me and sauntering her way towards the ring. As she did, she said this to us:

I just wanted to thank you all for working with my dear Sweetie Belle. I’m sure she told you about our time in Cus D’Amare’s fabulous gym, but when she got a cut during a sparring session, our parents suddenly pulled both her and I out of the program. We were both simply gutted, and working with you brought out a focus and fire I haven’t seen in her in ages. To show my appreciation, I would now like to test your current capabilities and help you find the kind of fire you lead my dear Sweetie Belle to. If you understand that I won’t hold back and wish to accept, all you have to do is put ‘em up.

I looked over at my trainers, and they gave me a silent nod, the thought, “The only difference between Heroes and Cowards is how they feel and how they do what they do,” prompting me to “put ‘em up,” and Rarity to snap her fingers, summoning two medics to her corner. One held her azure gloves and the other, a bag with a red cross, surely there in case something drastic happened to either of us during this on the fly boxing match. She laced her gloves up and told me I had “3 minutes to prove that you’re good of a pugilist as you are an instructor. As I will be aiming to make you taste the canvas, I expect the same from you, towards me. Don’t disappoint me, now, darling.” The whole thing was a total blur for me, so afterwards, I asked Dash, the makeshift judge at the time, what went down.

According to her, I was actually doing quite well for the first minute of the bout, landing a lot of quick combinations and displaying excellent defense, even implementing defensive techniques we haven’t approached yet-all of which, especially slipping and weaving, I pulled from my memory of Dash and Scoots practicing them. Unfortunately, things started going south when Rarity introduced a technique Dash had yet to either teach me or practice with Scoots: feints.

I didn’t understand what could set up into pinpoint punching until the feints came out, and she conditioned me to start blocking, slipping and weaving into her game plan, which included using double right jabs to the head, then body to get me to duck down.That pulled body jab flowed into an overhead hook aimed right behind my ear-the other magical off button, as Dash explained. Not sure how I held on, but I got my bearings and tried to survive until my 3 minutes were up.

My attempt at catching her duck lead to her slipping my right upper and drilling a cross into my face. After missing a right hook to the head, my sway back from what I thought was an overhead left lead to my ribs absorbing 2 right hooks. My attempt to emulate her feints lead to my overhead right being slipped and answered with a left hook to the body; her feinted jab lead into a guard splitting, head raising uppercut, then, as Dash saw to her horror, a vicious, head swiveling left hook on my chin, with me falling to my knees, then face first onto the mat.

It was humbling, to say the least, to hear the detail Dash recalled in my fight, and allowed me to start thinking about what went wrong as Dash served me a Panini pressed Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich with a glass of milk. The second I saw those treats, I knew something had changed, as the day we began, she forbade those kinds of snacks until she saw I was ready to go beyond what I thought possible. She smiled at me and said, “As you and I both knew, at that point, you had no business trying to put your training into action, but when you laced ‘em up, you showed me you had the guts to go hard, as well as the skills and intuition to pull out everything you had to put up a good fight. Those first 60 seconds totally showed me you have the basics down pat, so it’s time for us to get into the meat of this stuff and give you every tool you’ll need to even the odds and use that egghead mentality to overcome her trying to crack the shell.”

Progress for the Week: I held my own in a fight! A real, honest to goodness fight! Granted, it could've ended better, but the fact that I almost made it to the end of 3 minutes is a very big deal. Hopefully my next fight will end a bit more pleasantly

Goal for Next Week: Refine my technique and my defensive tactics. Knowing Applejack, she'll be a very sturdy, very powerful opponent, and if I expect to win, I have to learn how to minimize how much of that power my body absorbs and maximize how much energy I can make her expend trying to land a punch

Song of the Moment: Gotta Work, by Amerie
We heard this blasting out of Sweetie Belle's headphones during one of our runs, and she actually did an offhand performance of this song afterwards, when we were all resting up. Found a great deal of new relevance after that bout with her sister, and is something that's definitely gonna be a big part of my playlist down the line, since I know there'll be times I'll need to remember that "when you're feeling low, and you can't get no lower, that's when you know you're close."

Author's Note

In Boxing, it take two to tango, and while Twilight is getting herself ready for the big night, Applejack is putting in plenty of work on her end, too. What could going through the mind of someone with a much bigger advantage and a much bigger audience wondering how she'll fare in the fight? Find out next time, when we follow Applejack and her trainers to the local spa for a chance to unwind and mull over what they need to bring into fight night. Don't miss it!

Applejack's Day Off

Taking in the spa atmosphere, Rarity soaked in the top grade waters and let the hot tub jets caress her aching muscles. A towel wrapped her indigo mane as she reflected on her time training Applejack, her hands cradling her head. “It’s so unusual. Applejack already holds 4 inches of height on Twilight, 2 inches of reach, and an immense power edge, yet she still trains to widen the gap. Exactly how hard does she want to punch the poor thing? Perhaps she seeks to end it in one shot and shorten the amount of punishment she absorbs. After all, 10 rounds is grueling enough for professional boxers, never mind someone who’s only lifted literature before this whole fiasco.”

“Hey there, Rare!” Said a towel wrapped Applejack, dipping into the hot tub. “Thanks again for treatin’ me to a day at the spa”

“Don’t mention it, darling. You’ve put in a lot of work these past couple months, you’ve earned the pampering. The free publicity doesn’t hurt much either, if the stacks of inquiries at my shop mean anything”

“Ain’t that the truth. Sweet Apple Acres’s been busy as a beehive, and the only thing I’m doin’ is what I do naturally! Can’t say it’s been all easy going, though, considerin’ how ragged you’re runnin’ me with all these power lifts, clap push ups and rock flips and such”

“Do you expect me to let you step out into that ring and be anything less than magnificent?”

“‘Spose not, Rare” A chuckle quickly followed her reply. “I’m guessin’ RD wants the same thing for Twi, knowin’ how competitive she gets.”

“It takes two to do the tango, and you two dance like it’s second nature. Really, it feels like you two been at it since the day we all met, even in something as simple as drinking milkshakes. Oh, the heaving that day brought.”

“I admit it wasn’t my brightest idea, but it made for some fun times, didn’t it?” Rarity smiled and nodded. “Besides, The princess said it herself: done proper, conflict can bring out the best in us and let folks release their energy and frustrations in as controlled an environment as the circumstances allow; I’m sure some would feel different about it, though. Ain’t that right, Fluttershy?” Applejack glanced beside her at the person in question, both of them chest deep into the waters.

“Well, games can be fun, but this is Boxing, one of the most dangerous games one can play”

“That’s true, but this ain’t exactly a back alley, bare knuckle brawl. When it’s fight night in Las Pegasus, the best medics in the business are always ready for action”

“That doesn’t change that it’s basically two fighters making a sport of bruising and concussing each other. How can causing concussions possibly bring out the best in them? Some of their best can’t even talk straight by the time they retire”

“Hazard of the craft. Lots of sports out there are just civilized combat, and I figure those risks ain’t far from the minds of those playin’ ‘em”

“If you knew all that, then why did you decide to fight Twilight?” AppleJack stretched her arms upwards, scratching lightly at her crown

“In all honesty, the thought never crossed my mind ‘til the princess proposed it. I’m still not keen on the whole idea, but considerin’ she exiled her own kin to the moon for a 1000 years, I don’t think she’s the kind you turn down”

“Does that mean you’ll go easy on her?” AppleJack gestured towards Rarity, who shook her head softly and briefly

“There’s your answer. She may be a ‘egghead,’ as RD puts it, but that don’t mean she’ll fall over if I so much as flinch at ‘er. Speaking of which, I heard you laced ‘em up against Twi not too long, Rare. How’d she do?” Rarity scrubbed her arms with a loofah.

“As your trainer, I say this with the utmost respect for your skills, power and toughness: if you sleep on her, she will put you to sleep.”

“What, from how long it takes her to get anything goin’? Don’t tell me you actually went down”

“Of course not. When we fought, she was far too rough to land many significant shots, so I fainted her into exactly what I wanted to execute.”

“And how’d that work out?”

“With her face down on the canvas, naturally. Can’t say it was easy to do, though.”

“What makes ya say that?” Rarity cast her relaxed gaze towards Fluttershy

“Fluttershy, do you remember when you and Twilight sparred?”

“I do, but what does that have to do with her?”

“From what I recall, you displayed an excellent grasp on blocking and counter punching, yet I don’t ever remember you having a background in the sport. Is this natural talent, or is there something you’ve yet to divulge about your downtime habits?”

“Well, I’ve been wanting to get stronger for a while, so I could better serve and protect the animals. That’s what lead me to ask my workout partner to teach me how to box.”

“And they taught you well, as Rainbow Dash has done for Twilight and continues to. May I ask who your workout partner is, by the way?”

“Umm...Ms. Cheerilee, if I’m not mistaken?” AppleJack’s jaw dropped the second she heard that name.

“Cheerilee? Apple Bloom’s teacher? How in Tarnation is that possible?”

“She was actually an amateur boxer when she was in college, and she taught me a lot of the stuff Rarity brought up”

“Stuff I’m thankful you’re takin’ the time to pass onto me, even if you do feel as shaky as Apple Bloom does about me enterin’ the ring” AppleJack looked down at her reflection in the water and sighed

“I thought your family was excited over the idea. Every time I’m down there, they’re more than willing to help with training.”

“They are, Apple Bloom ain’t. Ever since Scootaloo told her about concussions in the sport, she’s done everything short of headin’ to Appleloosa to remove herself from all this. Why, I doubt even the promise of a cutie mark could convince ‘er to get involved. Hey Rare, am I on the money about this?” Rarity shot her a nod

“When Sweetie Belle went off to join her friend at the gym, she mentioned how vehemently Apple Bloom refused her invitation, as well as extolling the quality of Twilight’s instruction. From what my dear sister’s shown, Twilight’s gained quite a bit of skill at the craft. Who knows? She may even find a way to best you in the ring”

“Are you serious?”

“Well you’ve both had all this time to do your due diligence in the ring, not to mention she’s being trained by one of the finest athletes in the land”

“So with you and Fluttershy training me, what does that give me?”

“Impeccable defense, precision counterpunching and the art of deception paired with the steeliness and power molded by your years of work at the farm”

“Sounds like a winning formula, if you ask me” Rarity shook her head and chuckled

“You do remember The Tortoise and the Hare, don’t you? I’m positive you remember that this tortoise has already bested you once, and will again, if you take her lightly. Once the bell rings, she will put her all towards making taste her leather. I would suggest you respond in kind if you want your hand raised.”

“Bet on it, sugarcube. I hope the stretcher don’t have to make an appearance when it’s all said and done, though.”

Author's Note

Next time, Rainbow Dash decides it's time for Twilight to learn some defense to compliment her offense, and imparts onto her the technique she invented in the clouds and perfected in the squared circle: the Rainbow 8. Can she progress after tasting the canvas for the first time? How much can Twilight learn about defending herself? Can she come to grips with the Rainbow 8? Find out in the next edition of Twilight's Workout Journal! Don't miss it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 7

When Dash said she was going to get me into the meat of boxing, I honestly had no clue as to what to expect. I thought what Pinkie taught me was everything I needed to know about the sport, prompting Dash to say, “For self defense, yes. For use in the ring, that stuff’s barely scratching the surface” during our meet up after my bout with Rarity. From then on, she started delving into the philosophy and strategy behind each punch, starting with her illustrating why I lost. According to her, “It wasn’t ‘cause your skills were sloppy. They were actually way on point, but the way you strung it all together made it as easy for her to pick apart as the reading her sister does for school everyday”

When I requested clarification, she compared it to writing a book, in that while every book uses words and grammar, the way the author assembles them determines the impression the reader gets, in turn effecting how well they can see where it's going. “In this case, though, the fists are the quill and the opponent is the paper they’re using to write their masterpiece, each round becoming another chapter in the kind of story they wanna tell” The more we talked it over, the more I realized that, like a good mystery story, how I boxed needed layers of subtlety, surprises around every corner, and, most important of all, the kind of twist the reader never sees until it’s already presented itself.

To get to that point, Dash and I went over both the punches and something I came across during my studies: Operant Conditioning. Rarity, as Dash showed me, used this to great effect with both the feints and when she used those quick jabs to get me to change my defense , leaving me open to her offense. To do the same, Dash taught me about the best ways to use feints, jab steps and other ways of conditioning a response in order to get my opponents to fight on my terms, instead of trying to match or exceed theirs. A large of part of that involving using ducks, sways, slips and weaves to make them whiff their attacks, and thus discourage them from throwing them out too casually

As I learned about the different evasive measures, Dash pointed out where I could be struck, if the opponent started sensing I was leaning on them too much, ducks inviting uppercuts, slips to my left and right leaving each opposite side vulnerable, and sways doing that with my mid section, as I learned the hard way. Done well, however, they make the target leave their own opening and allow for stronger punches, like slipping a left hook and changing the trajectory of a cross, thus making it cross either over or under their arm(the other reason it’s called a Cross, as Dash explained). Turning the body slightly back before unleashing a punch is, in her terminology, loading it up, and the more I learned to combine loading a punch with an evasive movement, the more I could feel the power flowing through it, making me feel like I could hold my own by the time I had to put ‘em up.

In that respect, Dash went on to show that to improve my defense, I couldn’t let myself think that defense and offense were two separate things. Through her instruction, she showed me how they can flow into each other and put the target on the toes trying to keep up, with their apex coming in a form of a technique she first developed flying through the obstacle course in Cloudsdale. She started demonstrating the same series of head weaves I first saw from Scootaloo, the motion, from my view, painting a rainbow colored infinity symbol the faster they became. Because of how often her sparring partners espoused similar sentiments, she eventually gave it the name “Rainbow 8,” even though eight is a vertical symbol, not horizontal.

To show what the Rainbow 8 can do, we went to the heavy bag and started up the motion, Dash quickly incorporating a hook after each weave, each one slamming the heavy bag harder than the last. She hit it high, hit it low, and hit it with a fury I’ve never seen from her until then, the sound echoing throughout the gym as her onslaught poured down on it. To me, the fact that it combined the elusive properties of weaving with the destructive power of hooks made it an invincible technique, hearing that prompting Dash to say, “I wish!” and explain that even the Rainbow 8 is subject to the same weakness in all boxing techniques: predictability. To demonstrate, she beckoned a young woman with flowing blonde locks and a grey tanktop and shorts.

After whispering some instructions, she began the Rainbow 8 motion again, the cross eyed, boxing glove clad gym goer proceeding to jab Dash at will, no matter how fast Dash moved or how much she mixed up her motions. I puzzled at how she was able to lay a finger on her, and Dash, after thanking her and taking a moment to recover, said, “Because once they time your movements, it don’t matter how fast you are or how good you are, all they have to do is wait for the one moment in time when they can let you have it, as Derpy, over there, did to me.”

As much as instilled a sense of dread into me, it also helped me realize that the same held true for anyone who relied too much on a set way of doing things, inspiring me to redouble my studies and continue to refine my defense. In spars, Dash took note of how many more of my sparring partner’s blows struck at air, as well as how often I was able to turn that evasion into an invasion of my own offensive plan. During the week, however, she kept reminding me that, “You can’t pull out the Rainbow 8 anytime you want and expect to do awesome. You gotta read your opponent first, then figure out where you can work in the weaves so you can get those punches in and make 'em pay for being predictable,” something I hope to do when it’s time to determine what Applejack has in mind

Progress for the Week: I've learned how to better evade punches and use that to come back with a harder attack, sure to come in handy if I survive long enough to determine their plan of attack

Goal for Next Week: Learn more methods to counterattack, so I can continue pressing the offense in the face of braving my opponent's. This likely won't be fun, but the taste of victory is sure to be worth it

Song of the Moment: "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya" by the Dropkick Murphys
I found it quite strange that Dash would play a song so clearly against violence during our session, but the energy of it can't be denied, nor can Dash's message to me afterwards, "In a fight, we become someone totally different than who we are, and the things we do then can stay with us the rest of our lives. Be sure that whatever you do, you can still can look yourself in the mirror, and say you have no regrets"

Author's Note

Next week, Twilight learns what it means to put everything on the line, in order to come out on top, even if it means putting your self in harm's way. Will she learn to brave the storm of punches? Can she develop the nerves and the reflexes to be able to counter attack? How well will she be able to take a punch? Find out next time we peek into Twilight's Workout Journal! Don't miss it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 8

“Alright, Twi, I want you to hit me as hard as you can.” That’s what Dash said the second I stepped into the ring to practice my drills, her punch mitts low at her sides. By that point, I learned not to question Dash’s instructions, so I let loose with the hardest overhead hook I could muster. At the last possible second, Dash put 'em up and deflected it into a slap strike to my exposed ribs. With the sting still fresh, I asked what that was, to which she answered, “Counterpunching, the thing that makes matches turn on a dime, done right.”

As she explained, the counterpunch is a punch that either interrupts the opponent’s attack or lands in a defensively created opening, as in dodging and her last second parry into a strike, or the Swat ‘n’ Bop, to use her terminology. I wondered if this meant risking the chance of taking the damage, if it fails, with her saying, “That’s why you make it to where it doesn’t” It was easy enough to practice those created by dodging and punch interruption, but when it came time to drill the Swat ‘n’ Bop, something caused me to lock up. No matter how slowly Dash jabbed at me, I couldn’t block fast enough to complete the Swat ‘n’ Bop; to be honest, I was getting quite frustrated. Perhaps sensing this from my increasingly wild swings, Dash asked if I was scared, then proceeded to tell me about Pinkie Pie’s journey to our town.

According to Dash, Pinkie Pie left behind some rather tough times at her family’s rock farm. Every time they talked, Dash learned more about how Pinkie, despite the care her family gave her, was given no other choice than to leave the rock farm and try to make her way in the world. Even though she didn’t have a bit to her name, Pinkie still found it in her to face the world with a smile and keep pressing on, including when her traveling took her to the doorstep of Sugarcube Corner, giving the owners her song and dance. Just as I was about ask what Pinkie’s bravery had to do with counterpunching, she said, “To be able to fully counterpunch, you gotta face those punches with the same amount of fear Pinkie’s had about everything she went through: zero. Lessen the fear, and your vision gets clearer”

That’s easy enough to say when the counterpuncher isn’t someone who’s strength is her livelihood, but surely enough, her training helped me grow into the habit of slipping into punches, timing punches and swat ‘n’ bopping. So quickly did my counterpunching grow, in Dash’s eyes, that she thought it was time to to give those skills a real test, summoning Pinkie Pie over to be my sparring partner while pulling a bag of bits from her windbreaker pocket. “You see this, here? This is 100 bits. Every time you fail at a counterpunch, Pinkie gets one bit, with you getting one everyone you nail one. I’ll be setting the combos she uses, and you have to guess where she goes. Are ya game?” We nodded, then put ‘em up as Dash stood a few feet behind me doing who knows what to signal Pinkie, reminding me, “No fear”

Every time Dash said, “Go!”, I understood more and more what grab bag boxing encompassed, as Pinkie’s punches came at me at every possible angle and variety, including the sweeping underhand hook she tagged with at the end of her first combo(the Bingo Hook, I believe she calls it). I tried to time it with her shoulder twitches, but she punched so fast and fluidly, there were none, only the punch. Her technique was amazing and amazingly hard to counter, with me losing about 20 bits before I started to get the hang of things. We traded punches the whole way, and it wasn’t until there were only a few bits left that I was finally able to put wins together and show Dash how much I learned on the defensive side of boxing. I slipped and punched, timed her to perfection and started to Swat ‘n’ Bop like it was second nature, with Dash doing her best referee-breaking-up-a-brawl impression when the last bit was decided.

As Dash stacked up who got each bit, I noticed something unusual: towards the end, the stacks were starting to even out. I couldn’t understand how that was possible, but Pinkie Pie said, “That’s the way competitions always go, isn’t it? You feel like you have no chance to win, but you keep going anyways, just to see how far your work will let you go. Besides, it’s so boring to let logic talk you out of taking chances and seeing what the world has to offer, and I know you wanna have some fun!”

Progress for the Month: Now, instead of just being someone who's learning how to box, I feel more like a Boxer. I can turn in a decent 100m time, I can lift more than body weight, punch harder and more cleanly, not to mention how much better I am at taking, blocking and countering someone's offense. If I can improve my in ring tactical ability, I know without a doubt that I'll see just how far my training will let me go against Applejack

Progress for the Week: I can better pick apart someone's offensive plan and find a way to exploit its flaws, as I know Applejack will be doing with mine once we step into the ring. If my defense doesn't fail me, then I know it'll come down to who can find that crucial opening first

Goal for Next Week: Improve how much how I move both myself and my head around during the bout. I'd hate for my BBBFF to see me become a standing speed bag because I didn't learn how to keep my head on a swivel

Song of the Moment:Jet World, by Mutsuhiko Izumi
My trainers and I played this when we hung out during the weekend, Princess Celestia's stipends paying for the game's rather hard to get equipment. I had such fun going wild on lead guitar, as I'm sure Dash did doing the rhythm and Pinkie did banging the drums! Not sure to take the whole "Who knew an egghead like you knew how to let loose?" thing from Dash, though

Author's Note

In combat, it's easy to forget that the fighters and the trainers aren't the only ones interested in the outcome. It's easy to forget that, in the audience, is often those close to them wanting to see them thrive, cringing whenever they absorb the blows and injuries the fight brings. Next time, three such people pay a visit to Twilight: her parents and her BBBFF. How will they react when they witness the transformation of their kin? Will they stand behind her in her quest to go the distance against Applejack? Will they see her as more than 'Twily'? Tune in next time and find out! Don't miss it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 9

When I first came here, my folks were worried I wouldn’t eat right, that I wasn’t ready to do stuff on my own, and that I would be as irresponsible as others my age, e.g. the party first, business never types. Considering how boneheaded I’ve seen some of my peers act, I can’t say their fears were unfounded, so when they came to the gym, I know they were surprised to find me doing a boxer’s training. If I remember correctly, moments after Dash explained the situation to them, my mother fainted into my BBBFF’s arms, her purple and white hair flowing all over the place. “Do you realize how dangerous what you’re training for is!?” was the question he asked as he tried to prop my mother upright

At that point, I told him and my father about the research I did into the craft and all the risks it could incur, long term, as well as of the techniques I developed with Dash to measure my balance, reaction times, agility and much more; each day was dedicated to building those things and ensure that I would be the absolute best I could be when I entered the ring. He was right that I could easily go to Celestia and back out of this, but by that point, I wasn’t the ‘egghead’ who would back down from something because logic says it’s too much of a bother. This time, I had at least two people who believed in me enough to lend me their time, energy and expertise so I could become more than what I was. They believed that I could go the distance with the proper training, and because of that, I found myself getting up each morning to train not only for them, but also for myself.

Now, If I remember correctly, he first heard of what I was doing through his wife, who heard it from Celestia, herself, so-since I’m certain my brother knew it a fool’s errand to debate with the Princess, it’s likely he wanted to come over and check on everything . He watched the whole week the family was there, observing silently while Pinkie did her best to inform and entertain my folks about what the sweet science brings. He and Dash had some long chats about her methods after my training was over and I went to hang with my parents for the day, and eventually, those talks lead to him asking to meet one on one at the track one morning, where I found him dressed in his own red windbreaker.

When we met, the very first words out of his mouth were “Drop and give me 20!” setting the tempo for the training he had in mind-which I learned later was the same stuff they do with the royal Canterlot guard! He had me do stuff like the Sumo squat, Single-leg dead lift, Side-to-side knee lifts, Front kick alternating to touch, Tuck jump, Straddle run forward and backward, Half-squat lateral shuffle, Frog jumps,Quarter-turn jump, Jump lunge, and a bunch of other drills I haven’t seen in my life. It was the first time my brother was ever that tough on me and the first time I heard him use rather unsavory language, e.g. “I know you can do more than that, maggot!”

It seemed to go on without end, but by the time our workout was over and he offered me a glass of cold milk, I wasn’t even that tired. He was rather impressed, and immediately apologized for his behavior during the drills, explaining that, after he spoke with Dash about my training, he wanted to test how tough I had grown mentally. “When I was in the Cadet Academy,” he got out between chugs of milk, “my instructor told us you don’t find out what you’re really made of until something or someone punches you in the face. I found that out lots of during my training, and so did mom and dad,when they had to become a dual income family in order to pay for our schooling. Shoot, Dad said it was so hard on them, that he woke up one morning to mom sobbing her eyes because both of us weren’t there anymore. Judging from the determination you showed, though, I’m guessing you’ve been clocked enough times to realize this”

We spent the day after that hanging out and catching up on old times, me learning about what it’s like to be married to royalty, and him hearing about the weeks of time and energy I poured into getting where I am, including my less than successful debut in the ring against Rarity. When I got through detailing how I did, he asked “Did it teach you to move your head more, Twily?” before we played that rhythm game with Pinkie and Sweetie Belle. Typical big brother. Just like he was when we played dodgeball as kids, and he asked if he could teach me how to use my opponent’s aggro against them.

Before he went back to his duties in the Crystal Empire, though, he offered to show me a technique he learned during training, and told me to take a swing at him. When I did, he slipped it right into a straight aimed right at my head, stopping inches short before he flicked me on the forehead. The one who taught it to him calls it the Starswirl Counter, so called because, according to them, it requires the wisdom of Starswirl to be able to read an opponent well enough to slip their offense, then drive your fist into them with everything you’ve got. We hugged as we stood in front of the carriage he was taking to the station, and he looked in my eyes as he said, “Twily, I know that when you step into that ring, you’re gonna do me, Mom, Dad and everyone else pulling for you proud. Just be sure to keep yourself moving and look for the one chance you need to make your training count”

Progress for the Week: I'm much better at keeping myself mobile, thanks to both Dash's drills and my BBBFF easing me into how to make those kind of movements a natural part of how I fight, part of which lead to me learning the Starswirl Counter. I only hope it serves me well when the time comes to bring it against someone less friendly than him

Goal for Next Week: Bolster my skills on the offense and defense and learn to apply my physiology studies towards where I aim my punches. After all, strike strength is often multiplied when it's on a place hard to guard, like the place behind the ear and the solar plexus, as Dash demonstrated one night when someone that barely met her got a bit too friendly, and started getting aggressive, prompting Dash to slip away from them and duck into a hard hitting straight aimed there. Spent much time curled into a ball, her target was

Song of the Moment: Green Grass and High Tides, by the Outlaws
This is the song my BBBFF and I played when he came for a visit, a favorite of my dad's that became a favorite of my brother's over the multiple times my dad played it around the house. As a matter of fact, my BBBFF played this for my babysitter, if memory serves, and started them on the road to that grandiose wedding they had

Author's Note

Word has been going around the land about Twilight's fight, and the color commentator, a retired pro boxer, Hoshikawa, has decided to do an interview with her as part of the TV side of it. Coming with her is a traveler she met with strong ties to Twilight, someone who thinks herself Great and Powerful enough to take her down. What will Hoshikawa learn about Twilight? How will Twilight fare against her unknown foe? Will her foe even let her make it to fight night? Tune in next time to find out!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 10

I still remember the day I got that letter from Princess Celestia, when she set up the bout between Applejack and myself, and somehow got us on the undercard of Flint Rock v. Thunderlane. When I learned from Dash that it would aired live on Equestrian Box Office, or EBO, as she refers to it, I got super nervous, and doubled my efforts, so I could put up a decent showing in front of all those people. It didn’t matter whether they were in the arena or watching it from the comfort of home, I knew I had to put up a fight...although they’re probably betting a lot of their bits on Applejack to take me out in the 4th round, if not earlier.

It actually grew pretty far from my mind the deeper I got into training, but that much changed majorly when one of the commentators decided to visit. I couldn’t quite grasp who the woman with flowing silver locks was until Dash started going fanatical. The second she saw her enter, that person's black tank top, black and white sneakers and red Tartan jeans made Dash just about stop everything she was doing, Dash saying, “Oh my sweet Luna, that’s Hoshikawa, the undefeated Super Middleweight World Champ” With a smile, Hoshikawa corrected her with, “Retired World Champ. Glad to know I still got fans out there after all these years.”

After some time observing their chat, I learned that the Fillydelphia-born boxer was here to interview me for their TV package, picking my brains to better understand who I was and how to edit me into who they wanted their audience to see. It was quite a fascinating experience being under the camera’s glare, but I couldn’t help but notice someone hanging out near the back, her taped up fists pounding away on the heavy bag. In her brilliant azure halter top and shorts, she kept staring daggers in my direction as Hoshikawa asked about my training methods and motivations, punching harder when I mentioned the people I faced off against. After she said, “Alright, cut, I think we got more than enough material for the truck to work with,” though, I could feel a change in her demeanor, her ruby red eyes growing fiercer the more she spoke.

“So let me guess,” she said as she leaned towards me in her chair, “Princess Trollestia put you up to this? Because there’s no other way to explain how two people with absolutely zero ring time under their belt could be put on the undercard of one of the biggest fights of the year, when people who’ve given their lives to the business like I have got bupkis. To be honest, people like you, who were born with the crap they needed to have a good life, who never had to invest a single sweatdrop to get on the path their life took, whose connections let them spend their day reading books without ever worrying about keeping a roof over their head or food on the table, are people I’ve grown to despise down to the last hair on their buckin’ head.” Her stare never broke, but a smile formed across her face as she continued, “You’re lucky I know about all the crap you’ve been through and all the sweat you have invested. As someone who was there for Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom, I would expect no less effort from someone she’s training. That’s where Moony, over there, comes in” She gestured towards the person on the heavy bag

“IT’S TRIXIE! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TR-R-R-RIXIE!” That person replied.

“It’s gonna Lazy Bones Bum until you backup your buckin’ ticket outta Fillydelphia!” She soon explained that she ran into Trixie while she was doing some street magic over there, which lead to her finding out more about me, and ultimately bringing her to Ponyville so she could challenge me. According to her, she’s not allowed to use her magic to throw things in the ring or otherwise disable me; if she does, “I’mma get in there and knock ‘er block off” That, of course, didn’t stop her from using it to enhance herself, as I found when she stepped towards the ring with a magic aura flowing all around her and fire in her eyes. Hoshikawa gave us the usual rules and acted as the ref in the ring, commencing the fight and letting Trixie come at me full force.

The torrential pace Trixie punched at was unlike anything I ever faced, even during spars with Dash. It was like trying to navigate a hailstorm of jabs and crosses, each one flying in at wild, near unblockable angles. She had me on the defense the whole time, and the only way it was going to stop was “When one of you drop,” as Hoshikawa put it. It was as if there was no gap in her offense, nor any way to create any, and the whole time Dash was yelling “D2O!” the shorthand she made for turning defense into offense; the longer it went on, the more uncertain I was in how I could D2O, but then, the moment she reared back for a cross, I saw my chance. I slipped away from it, and felt it scrape across my cheek as I turned my hips into a cross aimed at her head, the power shooting all the way through my arm and into the strike.

After that landed, I felt much more confident in my ability to D2O, and started using what I learned about her offense to block, dodge and parry into my own plan of attack, slowly but surely pushing her back the more I diverted the force of her blows. We actually started trading body shots, but when she threw herself into overhand hooks, I weaved into my own and felt my fist plant firmly into her face. My body was swaying into the Rainbow 8 motion the more I dodged her attacks, and by the time she caught on, I was able to block her full body straight outward and tag her on the chin with a Bingo hook. She briefly left her feet and fell back first onto the mat, an odd, glazed over look in her eyes that Dash calls the “I got rocked” stare.

Hoshikawa stood over Trixie and, in a way I never forgot, said, “You got knocked the buck out!” before helping her onto her feet. To be honest, after seeing that downward look on Trixie’s face, I felt really bad, but Hoshikawa looked dead at me and told me not to. “The kid put up a good fight, and will get what she fought for. That much is what any boxer should hope for, whether they’re amateurs or pros, and that much is what you should aim for, knowing what you put into this. It doesn’t matter that Trollestia handed this to you on a silver platter, it matters what you do with the chance, so don’t buckin’ blow it, alright?” She spoke about some of the stuff she learned interviewing Applejack, and told me if I was to stand a chance, I would have to fight as hard, if not harder than someone who’s earned everything she has by the sweat of her brow.

Progress for the Week: My preparations have finally paid off! Thanks to my work with my trainers and my physiology studies, I was able to break through the defenses of someone who had me outmatched in punch speed and land a knockout strike! It was kind of unsettling, though, that Trixie was hit so hard, Hoshikawa had to help her out of the gym. Hopefully she found whatever she wanted to find in the fight.

Goal for Next Week: Find out how far my training has taken me. After all this time pushing my body to its absolute limits, I have to be able to stand up to anything Dash has to throw at me. If I can stand up to Dash's training, then I can stand up against Applejack and win.

Song of the Moment: Lovin' You, by Electric Eel Shock f/ Joleen Grunberg
During our downtime in the interview, this is the song she played while she put work in on the heavy bag. She flowed so smoothly and effortlessly, like a far more refined version of Dash's style. I asked if that was the kind of skill I needed to win in my bout, and without breaking stride, she answered, "If my title defenses have taught me anything, it's that when two fighters have the same amount of juice left in the tank, will beats skill every time. That's why skilled fighters train to where they don't have to discover if they have the will in them"

Author's Note

On the first day of training, Twilight could barely get through to the end. Now that she's come this far, faced opponents far greater than herself and managed to capture her first win, how will she fare this time? With her family and friends waiting to see her in the bright lights of Las Pegasus, will she find it in her to make that final push? What will Dash have in store at the end of it all? Tune in next time and find out! Don't miss it!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 11

Dash was markedly impressed with the way I fought against Trixie, and didn't think I grew that proficient that quickly(to be perfectly honest, neither did I), so shortly after Hoshikawa's visit, she returned to the workout plan that left me utterly demoralized first time around, just to measure how far I've come. From the moment I woke up, I breezed through the warm up routine, then the different machine reps, then the drills, then everything else I couldn't take on when I started this whole thing; why, my original bench press max was so light in my grip, it felt like I was lifting a pamphlet. It was quite empowering seeing my progress laid out in such a tangible fashion, and when Dash compared the original numbers in each with my current Max, it was like night and day. I still remember the first time I tossed the medicine ball behind me, when it barely flew a few feet; now Dash actually has to fly after it to catch it while it sails through the air(which still isn't that far, but progress is always incremental)

By the time we got to the track, Dash was thoroughly convinced that I wasn't the 'egghead' that couldn't throw a punch if my life depended on it. Instead, she imbued a new title on me after I set a new personal best at the 100m: Super Egghead. I wasn't completely with the moniker until she explained that it encompasses me pairing the study methods I've been using all my life with the hard training that goes into making an athlete the best athlete they can be, as I've done with studying different training methods, nutritional plans, as well as the history and techniques of the sport. Before we left, though, she said that to fully earn it, I had to meet her at the gym the next morning, where she had something special waiting for me to take on.

That morning, I was expecting her to take me to some military-style obstacle course that would push me to my absolute limits and make me that much stronger of a person. What I got, instead, was Pinkie and Dash in the center of the ring, Dash dressed in her powder blue halter top, boxing shorts and matching boxing gloves. I asked what this was about, and she tossed me my gloves as she answered my question with her own about the rhythm games we played, which left me scratching my head. As far as I knew, she loved the stuff, enough so for me to set up something similar at her place, but I didn't know what that had to do with our training, to which she said, “Since you've shown you can hang with a Magically Juiced boxer, I think it's time we see what you can do right here, right now, and share some of that rhythmic fun. You game?”

In that moment, I saw that beside Pinkie was a boombox ready to go, so, with minimal hesitation, I laced 'em up and entered the ring, Dash saying, “All you have to do is survive one song with me. I promise it isn't too long, and is super awesome” The hanging silence was penetrated by that song's blaring brass, Dash patterning her offense on its wild, near unpredictable rhythms. At first, I couldn't form any kind of defense, and kept getting tagged with rapid fire jabs until I learned to read her movements and get in sync with her groove-granted, this involved spending the first 1/3rd of the song getting peppered with punches.

The longer it went, though, the more I could feel its groove becoming part of me, letting me better defend, and eventually attack Dash when I could practice her patented D2O style of fighting. Although I could never match her pure speed during the bout, I was able to trade shots with her and continue pressing my offense while the song blasted throughout the nearly empty gym. During the final 1/3rd, I was even able to break through and land some big body shots on her, those shots driving me to fight harder than I thought possible against Dash and keep going at her until the sudden end. At that point Dash effortlessly weaved through my punches and got right in my face, bopping me on the forehead and saying, “Alright, that's enough of that, Twi. Save the rest for AJ, why don'cha?”As we cooled off with a glass of milk and Pinkie's specially formulated cupcakes, I asked her why she wanted to do something like this so close to fight night, and she answered with this:

These past couple months I've seen you physically blossom into something I never expected, even now, your growth is totally awe inspiring. Yeah, Rare might've laid you out, but the way you fought against Trixie showed me how much you've absorbed in our time together. Shoot, you not only knocked her out, you also managed to stay on your feet for two minutes against me! And I assure you I wasn't holding a shred of my skill back while we sparred. Actually, now that you've went 2 minutes with me, I'm positive your body is tough enough for Las Pegasus. Of course, this still leaves one major question: is the rest of you tough enough to go 10 rounds?

Progress Since Last Week: I faced one of the best athletes in the land in 2 minutes of boxing fury and managed not to hit the canvas! This is amazing! She'd likely grind me down to a nub if this wasn't a spar, but this is a very positive sign for my bout with Applejack. If I made this much progress, though, then what must Applejack be like? Rarity is nowhere near as powerful, and she easily turned my lights out. If nothing else, it will quite interesting to see how she does when Rarity's skill and Fluttershy's defense compliment her power

Goal for Next Week: When Dash asked if the rest of me is tough enough to go 10 rounds, I wondered that encompassed. My studies have shown me many cases of people giving in to dire circumstances, so perhaps I need to reflect on not only the strength of my strikes, but also the strength of my spirit, so to speak.

Song of the Moment: Travelin' Band, by Clearwater Creedence Revivial
It reminds me of the songs I hear at Applejack's farm all the time while she's working. So much energy and punch to it! Perhaps that's the secret behind how she gets so strong? Maybe some of that energy will carry over when it's time to put 'em up and see how far I've come

Author's Note

In the battle and in life, we often learn the most when put under the worst circumstances imaginable. What would you do if the people you were working with all this time were taken from you? If it were a dream, it might be your worst nightmare, and before she heads off to Las Pegasus, Twilight must face hers. Will she face up to the people who want to see what she's work with and for taken from under her feet? Is Applejack truly her greatest opponent? Will she be the hero someone would hold out for? Tune in next time and find out!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 12

When I wake up, I expect Dash to be standing there in her windbreaker, ready to get into the best shape of my life for a fight that's quickly approaching. What I got, instead, was Pinkie Pie in her Flashdance inspired workout clothes, holding a tray with both roughly the same breakfast I had our first day together(the eggs are well cooked and not in a glass this time, thankfully!) and a note from Dash. As I noshed on my cinnamon oatmeal, the semi scribbled handwriting said, "Alright, I know your body is primed and ready for Las Pegasus, so take it easy this week and work on getting your mind right. I don't want you wasting 3 months of gym time, puke bucket intensity and who knows how much research because you got the jitters, got me? Don't go slacking on me, now, or I will deck you"

That in mind, we got to work maintaining my peak conditioning, this time using Pinkie's more relaxed and festive style of training. Most of time, it felt like one big party with her, more so when we got into some retro choreography, and actually started attracting a crowd of people, all of them following along, and turning it into an impromptu exercise class. Miss Cheerilee, especially, was quite into the groove, if the neon colored leotard and black tights mean anything, and asked Pinkie if she was teaching a class later on, after we all got done, and it was time to move on to the next part of our regiment. I wonder if Pinkie will take her up on it, and find a way parlay the desire to sweat and party into how she'll fill her bit bag.

Speaking of which, because her style is less intense and Dash's, we got in a lot of chit chat that Dash would normally greet with a stare colder than the wind during Winter Wrap. I was very surprised at the range of Pinkie's knowledge on stuff like hair care, relationships and world politics, of course explaining it all in very rosy terms-or about as rosy as you can explain one kingdom slowly taking over the world and having them adapt to its laws and precepts. What really caught me off guard, though, was how much Pinkie was willing to open up about her time before she got to Ponyville, along with all the heartache and struggle she had to put up with to get where she is today. Dash only spoke of briefly beforehand, so hearing her go into the depth she did made me realize how much her travels have shaped her.

If memory serves, over the course of the week, she said, "I was actually considering if I was ready to live on my own, when my dad told me the family business was going under, and we were about to lose our home. After speaking with the family, I decided that even though I didn't know how, I was going to make my own way in the world, throwing one last party with them before we all went our separate ways. I slept on benches, in barns, and under the stars, busing for bits the second after I woke up and rustled up some grub from the trash. You wouldn't believe the stuff people throw out, like sweaters, shoes, sandwiches with one bite taken out of them, even an entire roll up mattress!

"Anyways, it was during one of my busing acts that I ran into the Cakes, who asked me about what I was doing, and if, after a bit of cleaning up, I would be willing to work in their shop. They said if I did well enough after my trial period, they would also let me stay in the area above their shop, so I worked my tail off those first two weeks, giving it everything I had to bring some fun and bring in some customers! Sure, 2/3rds of my paycheck is paying for essentially living in an attic, and I only have about 100 bits a week to spend on food and other stuff, but it sure beats being on the streets! Besides, they've been great to me in my time there, and the money we'll get from this fight would not only go a long ways towards giving back to the shop, but maybe to my family, too, who I heard are trying to set the old business back up. Win or lose, we'd still get a lot from the purse Celestia put up, but if you won, we could do a ton more, maybe even throw a better afterparty. I mean, it's not like you plan to lose, right?"

It was very heart warming to hear her story, but at the same time, the more we talked, the more I started having nightmares about everyone involved, slowly congealing into a consistent narrative involving my trainers being kidnapped and taken to the Crystal Palace. Each time I thought I was able to get to who I thought was responsible, something kept defeating me before I could, and before they could finish me off, I awoke in a cold sweat, often well before Pinkie got there in the morning. The one moment she saw me wake up this way, she recommended I headed to the cave that dragon was sleeping in to go clear my head, even making a fun regiment out of the journey-I don't know how you can call climbing a mountain fun, but with her, it was less unbearable. By the time I got to the cave, though, I was ready to sit down, catch my breath, and meditate on what was haunting me all these nights. The deeper I got into it, the clearer the dream became, eventually becoming as clear to see as a photograph, a moving one that put me right back where I started, with Pinkie and Dash being kidnapped by a mob of Rarities and Fluttershys.

Author's Note

This isn't the end of this week's entry, folks! Come back next time, when we see what she faces down in the dream, quite possibly including a glimpse into her past...and her future. Stay tuned!

Twilight's Workout Journal: Week 12(Confronting the Dream)

There I was, in my best Snake Plissken get up, watching the two people who've been there with me all these months being taken away by an army of Raritys. With Tonfa firmly in hand, I rushed after the azure short shorts and white and azure hoodie wearing horde as fast my legs could carry me, slipping between the closing doors to find them crystalizing Pinkie with their magic. I was too focused to hear what Pinkie was trying to yell out, because if I wanted to rescue her, I had to slash, smash and thrust through everyone in my way, each one going up in a puff of smoke the moment I made solid impact.

All the defense and evasion Dash taught me let me weave through them towards Pinkie, but when I got close enough, someone shouted, "Swarm that ruffian!" Raritys soon piling on me from every direction. I felt myself get slower and slower the more they piled on, triggering something deep inside to fling them off and smash the crystal with a mighty overhead. Pinkie burst out of there in her Flashdance-like gym outfit, an extendable red staff in hand. She twirled it and swung it about like she was holding a hurricane, the mob flying with each swing. One them flew through the door on the other side and opened the way to the castle's spiral staircase. We worked in tandem for every step we made up that staircase, the close quarters forcing me to dodge their attacks like my-or in this case someone else's life depended on it while they laughed and let out a "Wa ha ha!" every time one of 'em landed a significant shot, as one did when Pinkie caught a magic blast point blank.

I could hear yelling coming from the door at the top, and judging from the voice saying things like, "Is that all you got? Angel bites harder than that!" I knew it was Dash. One of the mob tried to block the door, but I reared back an overhead hook, smashing not only through them, but also through the door. Quickly, it revealed that Dash was tied up and hung on the ceiling, a squadron of Flutterflys patrolling the skies. Their oversized cream yellow shirts and pale pink sweats flowed through the air when they spotted us and immediately zeroed in. When I jumped out of the way of one, I felt something strange, like the air, itself, was trying to cut at me as she passed. Pinkie, as only she could, offered to sling me onto the chandeliers near Dash so I could try and free her. With few other plausible plans in mind, I put my weapons in their hip holsters, got on the tip of her staff and let myself get chucked through the Fluttershy's working to prevent my landing.

Each time I leapt closer, I saw them barrel at me, leading to split second aerial battles before I grabbed onto the next chandelier closer to Dash. As I saw them swarm around her and wait for me to make my move, I realized that the only way to get her free was to somehow cut the rope to where the knot wasn't a factor in binding Dash. That in mind, I jumped towards her and watched as one of the Fluttershys flew into the rope below the knot, cutting through it to get to me, and not expecting me to simply fall past the person I was trying to save. As I saw the ground below grow ever closer, I felt someone grab me from behind, saying, "Have you lost it!? I thought eggheads had more sense than that!" I saw from the shield, short sword and powder blue tracksuit that Dash had broken free, setting me down near Pinkie and returning to the skies for battle.

It was amazing, the way Dash floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee while we were figuring out where the way out was. She cut through them like they were warm butter, but even she couldn't keep her frantic pace for long, so Pinkie and I had to move fast. As I looked around the room, it seemed like there was no door in sight any of us could get to, and the Fluttershys just kept on coming from seemingly thin air, when Dash called out, "Hey, come on, guys, it's time to move!" I saw her fly to the back of the room, then dart through the mob and into a small opening in the roof, bursting it wide enough open for Pinkie and I to ride her pole up to. In that room were a legion of the two combatants filling it to near capacity, leaving an opening at the back of the room. It was almost like they wanted me to see the open doors, like they wanted me to see Applejack and someone behind her standing there.

I looked to my trainers, and with a nod of approval, I rushed in the room, the doors slamming shut as soon as I was inside and face to face to Applejack. Just as I was taking my stance, Applejack walked past me and said, "I don't got time for this jibber jabber. Take care of you, won'cha, sugarcube?" revealing that person behind her...was me, dressed up in my purple plaid PJs, with her hair as messy as if she just rolled out of bed, and a wide, psychotic smile on her face. Before I could even blink, she teleported behind me and fired a magic blast right at me, continuing to fire the more I dodged and weaved her barrage, her laughter filling the air. Everything Dash taught me about movement kept me away from those blasts, but even with her training, I couldn't hold up forever, and when I hesitated for a split second, I felt my feet being blasted, then being covered in crystal. The crystal inched its way up my body as she walked towards me, and said this: "So how does it feel to know you couldn't beat me? How does it feel to know you've let your friends down? How does it feel to know you that you will never have enough to beat Applejack? I mean you know how your genetic coding put you together, shouldn't it have told you something about how pointless your training was?"

When she got in my face, I swiped at her with my Tonfa, the other me knocking them away with two effortless swipes and continuing, "Think about it logically. She's been training her body her whole life, and you've only been training it for 3 months, if that. She's faster, stronger, and far more experienced than you ever will be, and because of that, you never stood a chance, and should've given up when you had the chance. You going up against her is like an ant fighting against a Griffin, and will end with you being thoroughly crushed. Maybe if you take a dive, she'll let you walk away under your own power to consider how foolish you've been. Then again, maybe she'll do the same thing she would've done if you came at her with all you have: pound your face into a pile of-"

Normally, that would be where the dream ends, but I felt something different flowing through me. As I sat there is the stillness of the cave, I could feel a surge of power coursing into my muscles and giving me the strength to burst out of the crystal and punch her right in the mush, as Dash would put it. She flew smack into the door behind her and burst through it, revealing someone tied to a chair, with Applejack standing beside it. I rushed in after her as Applejack did the same, greeting me with an air moving hook to the head. I ducked and shot a drilling straight into her gut, pushing her closer to the person in the chair and revealing her under the lamp above her head. The closer I got, the more I saw her royal pink dress, the sapphire hair with violet and pink streaks, and the crown that looks straight from the Elements of Harmony.

Before I could ponder what that could've been, the other Twilight was back on her feet, and coming at me in tandem with Applejack. The bobbing and weaving Dash drilled into me allowed me to hold them off long enough to think of a strategy for fighting multiple assailants...for which I was drawing a complete blank, while they were happy to wail away. Thankfully, though, I saw Dash blow past me and right at Applejack, Pinkie not far behind with her staff. Just I thought the odds were about to swing in my favor, the other Twilight runs away, towards the person in the chair as she said, "Guess I'll settle for the second place prize" I ran after her, dodging every magic blast flying at me, every spike rising up from the floor, and every rock that rained down on me to try and close the gap. The floor fell away all around me the close I got, and when I felt that person was close enough to reach, I leaped and reached my hand out to meet hers, only to have the dream end as I opened my eyes, finding myself back in the cave, with Dash standing over me.

***

"So, you ready to rock, Twi?" she asked as she helped me up. I shot her a nod and told her I was ready to put everything I had into the fight, because in that moment, I thought I was fighting for my family, for Sugarcube Corner, for the trainers who believed me enough to spend 3 months of their lives building my skills and physical ability up. She laughed, giving me a lift home to pack for Las Pegasus as she said, "C'mon, Twi, you've become something amazing because you committed to the program and put yourself through all that hard work and study. Stop trying to prove things to "us". There shouldn't be just an "us". You're more important to yourself than we are or ever will be. You're ultimately who matters when you step into that ring. Pinkie and I care about you, sure, but there's no need to get our seal of approval for the crap you choose to do, because we'd be there for you, even you weren't the best at it. In the end, you're getting in that ring for yourself, Twi, not just for us. You've already proven to me and Pinkie you're willing to throw down and make the sacrifice, now it's time to prove to yourself you've got the right stuff to leave it in the ring"

Those words echoed in my head as Spike, my trusty assistant, nutritionist and part time sparring partner, helped me get packed for the trip, asking, "So Twi, now that you've gone through all that stuff, do you think you're ready to throw down against someone like Applejack?" The only thing I could say was, "I don't know if I'm fully prepared for her, but I'm fully prepared to spend all 10 rounds proving that I belong in that ring, and can give her the hardest fight of her life. I owe myself that much after all the time I've put in honing my skills."

Progress for the Month: This the best shape I've ever been in, and no matter what, I'll walk away knowing I've gotten stronger, faster and more healthy than at any point in my life, something I plan to maintain and improve as long as I live

Progress for the Week: Physically, I feel like I have a better sense of rhythm and can stay looser for longer, which I attribute to Pinkie's methodology. Mentally, I feel far more certain about what lies ahead, and know that whatever happens, I'll be ready to show Applejack every last ounce of my strength. This certainly won't be easy, but I know, if nothing else, it will prove quite interesting, if the incredible shape my body's in is of any indication. Perhaps now I can run to Canterlot in one trip?

Goal for Next Week: Win. That's all there's left to do after 3 months of rigorous work, deep research and carefully measured eating regiments, and I won't stop until I know everything in me was put towards getting the decisive result. Hopefully, though, I fight hard enough to not leave my fate in the judge's hands. As Dash puts it, "Never Let the Judges Decide How Hard You Fought"

Song of the Moment: "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler
This one I heard during one of my workouts with Pinkie. Very high energy and makes me wanna get up and move, a feeling I also saw in the crowd that gathered. Ms. Cheerilee, especially, was deeply into the groove, as she, at points, was even sweating harder than I was! Maybe people are deeply connected to the retro feel than I thought?

Author's Note

And thus, 3 months of training come to a close. Now it's time to get involved with the pre fight press event and show how much each of them wants to go at the other, with Spike, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo watching from their hotel room. What will they say to each other after all this time spent preparing for combat? What will the press goad them into doing? Will things get even more heated? Tune in next time and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: the Pre-fight Press Event

The sound of cowboy boots echoed through the sky blue halls of Crystal Palace, the Las Pegasus hotel modeled after the genuine article in the Crystal Empire. Applejack, clad in her well worn jeans, plaid orange button up and leather jacket, turned to her sister and asked, "So what made you wanna come along, after all the fuss you raised about me puttin' myself in harms way?" Apple Bloom, in her denim overalls, returned her sister's glance.

"I may not agree with what you're doin', but you're still family, and family is always there for family. I know you wanna do the Apple clan proud, or else you wouldn't have put in all the work you have these past few months" Applejack smiled and nodded, holding back a tear as she adjusted her 10 gallon hat.

"Your friends have been trainin' with Twi, right? Learned anything about 'er I should know?"

"Well ever since that fight with Rare, they've been talkin' about how strong she's got. Why, I heard she even knocked someone clean out one time! Had trouble walking out of the ring, from what they told me"

"Clean out, huh? Guess I gotta respect her space more than I was fixin' to. Whatever happens, though, I know Sweet Apple Acres has gained a heap of eyeballs and a heap of new business from all the jibber jabber the media's been doin'. Probably might get more after this fight, too, even in the unlikely event I don't come out on top" Applejack bellowed out a laugh as they got closer to Rarity's room, where Spike and her friends were waiting to meet her for the weekend. As Applejack knocked on the door, her sister said, "Does that mean you're gonna win? Does that mean you won't end up knocked clean out? Does that mean you'll be OK after the fight is over?" Applejack kneeled down looked dead at her.

"If fights were that easy to determine, them bettin' folks would be a lot richer than most are. Now be good, alright? I gotta get ready for the 'Presser,' I think Rare calls it" She then left Applebloom with her friends, the door revealing a spacious room colored in calmer blues, with a big screen flat-screen on one side and marble columns framing Queen sized beds on the other. Spike, clad in his purple tee and faded green jeans, offered her an ice cream sandwich from the minibar.

"Thank you, Spike, but ain't those pricy here?"

"Princess Luna said she'd take of everything while we're here, so don't worry about that too much. I know you're probably sorting through a lot of emotions, knowing what your sister's about to do" Applebloom nodded, sitting on the bed with her friends and unwrapping the cookies and cream treat from its container. With a hand on her friend's shoulder, a jeans and orange tee clad Scootaloo said, "Your sister can handle herself, not to mention all the medical staff they have on hand, in case stuff goes sour. Besides, don't you think she'd want you to be happy? She brought you to one of most awesome cities in Equestria to have all the fun you can handle, with someone else footing the bill for the whole thing!"

"Under my and Big MacIntosh's supervision, of course." Said Spike

"Rrrrright, what he said. But anyways, you shouldn't be wasting all your time here moping about. Right, Sweetie Belle?" Sweetie Belle plopped in beside Applebloom on the bed, adjusting her white sundress.

"Totally, Scoots. If it means anything, I'll be cheering for your sister, too, the whole time! Scoots and Spike may not be, but I definitely will be. Also, you totally have something on your upper lip" Apple licked at the bit of ice cream resting there and asked, "Did I get it?"

"Sure did! Now let's have some fun! Spike, could you set up that music game Rainbow Dash brought along?"

"Sure thing, just give me a moment to make sure everything's wired right. If you don't mind, maybe you could order me a pizza with jewel toppings while I'm getting everything set up?" The girls went on to play multiple band sessions, order multiple pies and gorge themselves on multiple snacks while they were waiting for the press event to come on, Applebloom remembering that one of her classmates somehow got to be a reporter covering the fight. "Hey girls, did y'all ever figure out who went to that press event?"

"Obviously someone from the Foal Free Press" Said Scootaloo. "And who, in the Foal Free Press would have the means to try something like that?"

"Well the Press event's comin' on a few, let's tune in and find out" With a click of the remote, a slicked haired, pinstripe suited gentleman was on the screen, standing in front of the podium and saying, "Good evening, folks! I'm Palomino, head of Top Tier promotions. Before we start, let me make a little presentation." He pulled out a dark marble plaque from under the podium, "Top Tier promotions is always looking to push new grounds, and now we have, with this certificate officially stating that this fight is going to be seen in 3,520,000 homes, making it the highest selling match in the history of boxing"

"3,520,000 homes!?" said Applebloom as the promoter went through the formalities and presented the certificate to Thunderlane. "Is that how many folks are gonna see Twi and my sis go at it?" Spike answered with a nod

"I don't know how many strings the Princess pulled to make this happen, but now those people are gonna see the results of 3 months of hard work. Makes me wonder what the press is gonna ask them" They watched the commissioner and the president of EBO stand in front of a black background tiled with the logos of EBO and Top Tier Promotions while they gave their spiel about the fight, waiting for Twilight or Applejack to take the mic. Who they saw invited to the mic, instead, was Rainbow Dash, dressed in her fitted powder blue tee and jeans.

"Thank you, kind commissioner, for allowing me my say.
Now let me tell you all what you'll see on fight day.

You'll see Flint Rock and Thunderlane, who'll fight like heroes
You'll also see Twilight, who's fight count is zero
What she lacks in experience, she makes up in brains
Not to mention how smart that girl trains

She's grown faster and stronger than ever before
Even made a poor soul fall right to the floor
That much was thanks to the speed of her hands
The same speed she'll use to make her best stand

Against Applejack, the girl with hands like bricks
The girl who so wants to make her hits stick
The girl who so wants to, but won't. Why? She knows
Her heart's just not into the big boxing show

No, her heart's not here, it's still back on the farm
On winning folks over with wit and with charm
"Me lose to Twi? Hah, that's funny.
Everyone know's this'll be easy money"

I can see those thoughts just by seeing your eyes
They're looking past Twi and right to the prize
But if nothing else, your mind's gotta take
That looking past her will be your biggest mistake.

Before anyone could be shaken of their stunned silence, Rarity, dressed in her best white button up long sleeve and purple bell bottoms, took the podium and said, "If I may offer a rebuttal, sir?" She looked towards Palomino, who offered a nod, propelling her into her own prose

One, two, three
The number of months that Applejack has been molding herself into a force of nature
Four
The number of ruffians who took her on and fell, and the number of them who wanted to train with her afterwards
Five
The number of hours I've seen her studying film on the greats every day after training
Six
The number of times I've had to stop her from working herself to utter exhaustion
Seven, Eight
The number of businesses who wanted to be affiliated with a proven winner, and the number more waiting to get some of the action
Nine
The number of news outlets who've asked us for a moment of their time, just so they can understand what makes her so captivating
Ten
The count Twilight will hear when she's on her back, looking up at the lights

Applebloom looked to Scootaloo and asked, "Are all pre-fight conferences like this?" as Palomino started asking for questions from the press

"With the poems, and all that, not really. There is a lot of tension and trash talk, yeah, but it's normally not in prose form. Thought that was something only the greats did in their day." The girls munched on a pizza topped with apples, carmelized onions and walnuts while the fighters got into their best verbal sparring stances, eventually hearing Summer Epic from the Fillydelphia Inquirer ask Applejack “How have you prepared for this fight?” Applejack stood up straight and stared straight at the reporter

"Firstly, thank you for the question, ma'am. I've actually, as Rarity alluded to earlier, been workin' my tail off getting in shape, chuckin'rocks, hitting the speed bag, drilling defensive moves, learnin' how to counter punch, lots of things you'd expect the greats to know. If I remember correctly, she actually had me lift more than my max at the time, to try and increase my punchin' power, as well as doin' some crazy things to increase my cardio, like takin' full on body shots, underwater boxin' and flippin' the tires on my farm equipment! Them things about as light as a well fed cow, I'll tell you what" Applebloom nodded in agreement.

"That's what I expect from my big sis! She's been trainin' hard for as long as I knew 'er, and if you ask me, she goes hard enough to make medicine sick!"

"'Hard enough to make medicine sick'?" Asked Sweetie Belle. "That doesn't sound like something someone who hates boxing should know, especially since those words are a lot older than we are" Before Applebloom could defend herself, Palomino picked another reporter from the crowd.

"Circus Inkwell from The Manehatten Times. Twilight, you said earlier that you want you want to bring a lot of intensity to the fight and want it to be as decisive as possible. Can I get your thoughts on the cliche ‘Saved by the bell’?” Twilight, clad in a rose tank top and violet skirt, approached the mic.
"So I made it onto the EBO special, did I? Well, as you all know, being saved by the bell implies that if there were a couple more seconds to the fight, that person wouldn't be on their feet. I'm guessing that lots of people think that about me and other underdogs, and that's fine. I may not know the full extent of Applejack's strength nor skills, but I know the time I've put in and what I've gained during those 3 months, and seek to do everything possible to let my skills decide the outcome, not a clock, and not someone sitting at ringside. Honestly, I think if someone is thankful to be saved by the bell, they have much bigger problems than the opponent in front of them"

"You tell 'em, Twi" said Scootaloo. "Every day I worked with her, I could see her pour everything into her workouts, just like you and I did, right, Sweetie?"

"That's right! Naturally, yeah, I'm pulling for the person my sister trained all this time, but I can't deny that Ms. Twilight has gotten really good. You remember how she sparred against Dash, right?"

"You mean the way she matched her blow for blow? Absolutely! It was like watching the sweet science at its sweetest! Applejack's sure to be tougher to keep up with, though. I mean, she's had her chin checked for durability, and all, hasn't she?" Just then, they heard Blossoming Chord from the Trotterton Daily said "Applejack, you've been called one of the best athletes in Equestria. Considering this will be your first time in the ring, are you nervous about your fighting in front of a crowd this size?”

"I reckon if you ain't just a tiny bit nervous before somethin' big, you probably don't got the expectations for yourself you should, as my folks like to say. I know what I can do, and I'm darn certain y'all will see it as clear as day, but I still got a bit of the shakes in me. To me, though, that means I also got the fire in me to do what needs to be done, and achieve what I wanna achieve, no matter what the outcome is" Just then, someone among the media shouted, "Are you guys serious with this stuff? These are softball questions!" On the screen, they saw someone dressed in a light violet button up shirt and cornflower blue khakis stand up and say, "Let's ask these athletes something a bit harder hitting!" Twilight scratched her head and asked, "Is that you, Diamond Tiara? Does your dad know you're here?"

"He and I insisted I be here on behalf of the Foal Free Press! And on behalf of the Foal Free Press, I'd like to ask you this: There are rumors around Ponyville that you’ve went through some extreme training measures to get ready for this bout, not to mention several eyewitness accounts telling me you've trained so hard, you vomited. Is this true?"

"If by extreme you mean cutting edge, then yes. I originally wanted to train in the style of the greats, but Dash said that if the greats trained the way she laid out for me, they would've been even more prolific and skilled than they were in their day. That in mind, we worked together to develop our version of Dynamite Strength, the methodology I used to sharpen my instincts, my skills and my body for the upcoming fight with Applejack over there. Thanks to a tough regiment, measured recovery time and well-balanced eating regimen, I've grown immensely the more me and my trainers worked together, perhaps more so than if I did train in the style of the greats, as seems to be the case with Applejack"

"Now hold on sugarcube," said Applejack as she stepped towards the mic "Are you telling me that you think your way of training can make you better prepared than someone who's trained in the style that molded legendary champions? I may not know about any of the fancy pants science that went into how you trained, but the way I train has been proven time and again to create great boxers, and last I checked, this sport is built on long running traditions that people flock from all around to see done to their utmost. If that kind of training makes people that strong, that fast and that good in the ring, why try to mess with it?"

"Because times change, along with the standards a society holds? I have much respect for the traditions of the sport, but by your logic, boxers wouldn't be allowed to stop fighting until someone hits the floor for the 10 count, even if it's because they dropped dead in the ring, or even if they had no possible way of defending themselves from the opponent's offensive, and became more of a punching bag with each blow they absorbed. On top of that, the methodology for how strength and health is measured, then worked on has improved immensely, allowing boxers to have far longer careers than if they were allowed to box until they developed a brain disease. Yes, such things are an inherent risk of the sport, but how can you say that something that functions shouldn't be improved when that attitude lead to one of the greatest figures of the sport developing Parkinson's Disease from all the punishment their head absorbed? That's bound to leave the sport in the past, and for it to have a future, it needs to maintain the spirit it has at its core while keeping up current cultural practices"

"Because current cultural practices have made plenty of fine folks like yourself, who had to train hard for 3 months straight just to get close to the standards boxing has for its practitioners. Why, if it weren't for this, you'd be the same as you were as a kid: as soft as a pillow and about as able to absorb serious punishment. I respect your intellectual pursuits, and all, but this ain't no exam you pass by cramming, you pass by winning with skill and power, something I've been honin' my whole life while your folks were happy to let you sit with your nose in a book"

"So then what about Flint Rock, here? He's been seen as the underdog in many of his bouts, including this one! Every single time he was, he used his tactics and precision to win, whether by hard fought decision or by a well-placed hook. If it doesn't matter to him, then it doesn't matter to me, either. Boxing is a union of the body and the mind, and on fight night, you're gonna see that first hand. Bet on it." The two walked toward each other, prompting their trainers, then Flint Rock and Thunderlane to get out of their seats to hold them back, the two pros repeatedly yelling "Save it for the fight!" as Twilight and Applejack struggled in their grip. Scootaloo looked over at Applebloom-by that point on the edge of her seat and asked, "So, are you gonna watch with us on fight night?"

"I wouldn't miss my sister put Twi in her place for the world"

Author's Note

Next time, we see the two combatants get weighed and come in for the event they've given 3 months of their lives to preparing for. The training of the greats vs cutting edge methodology, which will prove victorious? Find out as we see them go at it after weigh ins in Round 1! Don't miss it!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: The Weigh In and Round 1

"Quick, the weigh ins are gonna start any minute!" said Spike. The girls, Spike and Big McIntosh had been gallivanting around Las Pegasus having as much fund as their unlimited budget and limited time would allow, Spike and the girls hitting the arcades, while Big McIntosh used his patience from working the farm to work the poker tables, always making sure to mosey on out before the eyes watching the casino floors burned his massive build, Hawaiian print shirt and cut off jeans too deeply into their memories.

"After all," Thought Big McIntosh, "Pa always said you gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em" As they rushed into the room, Big McIntosh asked the girls, "Y'all ready for this?" The girls shot him a nod, and he turned on the TV, the graphics package for the big fight greeting them as a booming voice said, "Good evening, folks! Gold Mike, here, with my commentary partner in crime, the undefeated Super Middleweight World Champ, Hoshikawa. How're you doing there, partner?"

Hoshikawa stood near the scale, dressed in her spiffiest black jeans and fitted, red, EBO branded t-shirt with a mic in her hand. "I'm actually overwhelmed by how much buzz this event's seen on Social Media. I always knew it would be hype, but after that press conference, Whinny's been blowing up my phone with how many Whinny-ers are Whinnying and Re-Whinnying about it. Oh geez, I sound like those kids at the local coffee shop, don't I? Anyways to kick this off, let's welcome one of the people responsible for this fresh wave of frenzied attention: Applejack!"

Applejack stepped on stage, decked in white and red sneakers, red with orange trim boxing trunks and a red, Sweet Apple Acres branded t-shirt, waving to the crowd as she stripped down to her orange sports bra and boxing trunks. They carefully tipped the weights on the old school scale, Hoshikawa finally announcing she was "127!" Applejack flexed for the cameras and stepped towards the commissioner on the other side, shaking his hand as she awaited her opponent's appearance.

Not a moment later, Hoshikawa bellowed out, "Aaaand her opponent, Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight stepped out in dark indigo shoes, well worn jeans and a purple hoodie with the words "Team Twily" stitched across the chest. "I do wish my BBBFF and Cadance chose something ELSE to put on there" thought Twilight. "I mean, seriously, I'm about to fight for a record setting crowd, and they want the world to see "Team Twily"? I kind of hope Celestia, Luna or someone is gonna smite me where I stand" As Twilight zipped out of her hoodie, Applejack's sap green eyes grew wide as she took in Twilight's chiseled abs and highly toned arms, noticing that 'Team Twily' was also printed across her purple sports bra.

"Well I'll be a monkey's uncle," Thought Applejack. "Maybe she and I can have some serious fun in the squared circle" Soon enough, she, too, was weighed, Hoshikawa announcing she was also "127! Right on the mark!" Twilight, after her flex, got back in her clothes and went to shake the commissioner's hand, she and Applejack squaring up for the cameras, then getting in each other's face as they uttered words the mics couldn't catch, their expressions intense and focused right on the other in front of them. "Looks like the commissioner's got his hands full." said Big McIntosh, noting how Palomino was struggling to split the girls up.

"I know you're slightly biased, as am I," said Spike. "But what do you think's gonna happen tomorrow night?"

"Both of 'em got no ounce of quit in 'em, so if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's this: one of 'em won't be leavin' that ring under their own power. I'd bet my winnin's on that, if that were possible."

"By not leaving under their own power, do you mean...no way. A knockout? Applejack, I can understand, but you think Twilight has that in her, too?"

"You've been at her side all these months, haven't ya? You've seen the way her body's transformed, thanks to that Dynamite Strength stuff she's been through. I still think my sister's got a big edge, but I've watched enough boxin' to know that you always gotta expect the unexpected. In 24 hours, that's what I want y'all to do, too. What fun would boxin' be if the outcome were written in stone?"

***

The next night, they were once again in front of the TV, tuned in to the biggest boxing event of the year, getting there just in time to see the introduction of the Tale of the Tape by Gold Mike. "While Applejack is 23, and giving up 4 years of youth to Twilight, she, at 5'10, also has a 4 inch height advantage and 2 inches of reach on her, with those 26 inches cannons hanging off of each shoulder. To enlighten you on the rules these two first timers will face, I'll turn it over to Hoshikawa. Partner?"

"This is set for 10 rounds under the Equestrian Boxing Commission's unified rules. In short, that means No 3 Knockdown Rule, and that nobody but the ref can stop the fight. If one of 'em is cut by an accidental headbutt after Round 4, they'll go to the scorecards. If one of them gets caught with a lights out punch after the bell rings, that's it, 'cause here, the bell won't save them in any round; not the first, not the 6th, not even the very last one. If you would, Goldie." They listened to the team discuss what Applejack brought up in the EBO special, the graphics fading away to reveal a grand boxing venue packed to the rafters, big screens facing each side of the audience. In the front row on the right was Granny Smith, Braeburn, and the entire Apple clan-minus the empty seats reserved for Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh. Opposing them in the front row on the left-minus the seats reserved for Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Spike, was Twilight’s Parents, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, The Cakes, Derpy, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, all of them people Twilight has met over the course of her training, and all of them here to see her through. The camera soon focused on Applejack and her trainers going through last minute preparations in their dressing room

***

"If you could reiterate the plan for me, darling." said Rarity, dressed in her white and azure trim hoodie and sweats. Applejack, in her red, Sweet Apple Acre branded boxing robes, shadow boxed as she answered her request.

"Make her bring the fight in close, create openings for power punches, and test her chin every chance I get?"

"Precisely" Fluttershy, in her oversized cream yellow shirt with pale pink sweats, massaged Appplejack's shoulders.

"You put a lot of energy into your style of boxing, so use your defense to make her expend hers and make every blow count. Those people you train with know you have the power to end it, and so does your family. I bet even your sister thinks you can do this, if you fight smart." From under her hood, Applejack shed a tear, smiling as she said, "C'mon, guys, let's head to our corner." As they walked towards through the halls, the theme they chose echoed throughout the arena, the crowd rhythmically cheering "Applejack!" as the song entered full swing, and Applejack removed her hood. "Just you wait, Apple Bloom," thought Applejack as she waved to her adoring public and her family. "I'm gonna make you proud and show you how amazing Boxing can be! I don't care what I gotta do to make it happen, I will reveal the essence of the sweet science, and I will show you how the Apple clan handles a fight to the finish!"

***

Twilight, covered by her Team Twily boxing robe, made their way towards the ring with her trainers, Twilight noting the mic in Pinkie's hand. "So Pinkie is serious about doing my intro song live, Dash?"

"She wasn't spending our week off laying around, I'll tell you that much. When she met up with Vinyl, they instantly clicked, and, if I remember correctly, pumped the song out in a matter of hours. I think you'll like it, but seriously, Pinkie, why live?"

"Because we're the opening act, and our role is to give these fine folks their money's worth! Besides, everyone here is so tense, and needs something to get loose. What better way to do that than through song?"

"Yeah, what better way to incite the traditionalists that already wanna see Twi's head knocked clean off her shoulders?"

"C'mon, Dash," said Twilight, as they got closer to the entrance. "She's just having some fun with this. We already know what's on the line, and I already know what I need to do. I need to keep Applejack on the outside, force her into wasting every bit of gas in her tank, and make her fight as sloppy as possible, so I can fill her openings with power shots." The song Pinkie was performing came on over the sound system, Pinkie getting herself ready for action. "Looks like it's time to get busy, right, Dash?" Twilight stepped into the arena to the roar of the crowd, some saying, "You can do it, Twily!" others screaming, "I hope Applejack makes you taste the canvas, you disrespectful bum!" while Pinkie performed without a hitch, and they entered the ring

***

The ring announcer, Mighty Heart, popped on camera, and said "This night of boxing is brought to you by Palomino's Top Tier Promotions in association with Everfree Vodka, Solaria Communications, the new movie, DragonHeart, and our host, The Collesseum at Luna's Palace. At ring side, our judges, Crimson Swirl, Warding Spring and Onyx Pearl. Tonight's referree is Zathura." Mighty Heart gestured to his left. "In the Red corner, hailing from Sweet Apple Acres in the Red trunks, Applejack!" Applejack smiled for the camera, and showed a quick 1-2. "In the Blue corner, from the library in Ponyville in the Indigo and pink trunks, Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight shed her robe, and clapped her gloves together, staring dead at Applejack. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, from The Colosseum, at Luna's Palace in Las Pegasus, the time has come for tonight's opening bout, it's time for Applejack Vs. Twilight Sparkle!" They met at the center of the ring. Zathura, in her blue button up and black khakis, looked at them and issued her commands.
"10 rounds. Touch gloves, nothing below the belt, obey my commands, let's box." They walked to their corners, never breaking eye contact until the salt and pepper haired Zathura said, "Alright, ring the bell, and start this thing!" They returned to the center, touched gloves, and immediately started to let their punches fly.
"This is it, Goldie, the cannon tries to nail the mosquito, with both of them trying to prove themselves in the first fight of their lives. Make it count, guys!" Applejack shot a jab upstairs. Twilight blocked, sending two to the body as she circled her target. Twilight pestered her with jabs, going upstairs and down stairs, high and low, head to gut until Applejack got sick of it and rushed in. She rushed right into Twilight's brick stiff straight towards the eye, much to the crowd's approval. "Is that blood I'm seeing?" Asked Gold Mike.
"Correct, Goldie. It's only a trickle, but that straight opened something above Applejack's right eye, a fair price to pay for being impatient."
"If I'm not mistaken, though, Applejack's got quite a chin on her, at least enough to manage that kind of knock"
"Even the toughest of rocks break if their struck hard enough precisely enough and often enough. If she wants to keep that trickle a trickle, she needs to make Twilight play her game and stop brushing off those mosquito bites" Applejack continued to rush in, swaying away from a uppercut and weaving into two lightening quick body hooks. Twilight parried the follow up straight into a whipping jab to the face. Applejack sniffed out the body blow and backed away, backing into the corner and waiting for Twilight to catch up. As soon as she sensed Twilight get close, Applejack pivoted out of the corner and tried to trap her there with a furious flurry.
"Smart stuff from Applejack." Noted Hoshikawa. "Now Twilight has to deal with the kind of boxing Applejack likes: in close, with little room for the opponent to run from the dynamite she has in both hands" Twilight immediately went for a clinch, stopping Applejack's building head of steam until the ref split them up. Twilight ducked the incoming hook, responding with 3 hard uppercuts to the gut. "Looks like I gotta fight a might smarter this time" Applejack thought while she kept blocking Twilight's blitz. "Wonder if that counter I learned from Fluttershy still works against her?"
Twilight charged into an overhead hook. Applejack swayed back and charged into an arrow straight jab. It drilled right into Twilight's forehead, and knocked heright on her butt. Twilight sprung right to her feet before Zathura could count to 4, suddenly defending herself from a barrage of quick jabs. Applejack started backpedaling, but her jabs kept Twilight from getting any closer, the slap of the 10 second warning going off. "That didn't look like a very hard jab, partner." said Gold Mike
"No it didn't, but it was hard enough to score the knock down-and likely the round for Applejack, if the judges have their eyes on the action. Hopefully Twilight brings something fierce to make up for that clowning Applejack just laid on her" The bell rung, and the cameras went to each fighter's corner.

***

"Alright, let's get that nick taken care off" Said Fluttershy as she worked on the cut.

"She may have made you bleed, but you made her fall, a far more important development." Rarity told her fighter, giving her water and a spit bucket. "Just keep up the pressure and keep her guessing wrong. "As long as you play it smart, we'll be celebrating on the strip in no time, alright? No more slip ups!"

***

"Wow, Twi, really?" Rainbow Dash asked, offering water and a spit bucket. "I know Applejack's strong, and all, but a jab shouldn't have lead to a knockdown. Gotta say, though, your defense is overall doing well, and you're getting plenty of shots. Now it's time to land those shots where it counts."

"Look at the bright side:" said Pinkie Pie "you got out of the way of a ton of Applejack's hard shots. All you gotta do now is stay out of the way and make sure you make openings for your big time blows! Got it? These folks need to you at your best!" The bell rung, and the two boxers returned to the center, touching gloves and kicking off Round 2

Author's Note

With her confidence in full swing, Applejack starts to let loose with her offensive arsenal. How will Twilight get through the onslaught and reach Round 3? Will she pull from the knowledge of those who've come before her? Find out next time, when they mix up for the next round of furious action!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 2

Not a moment after they touched gloves, Applejack charged like a bull at Twilight, every swing coming heavy and hard. Twilight tried to feel her way through with jabs, but those 2 inches Applejack had on her made pushing forward a dangerous proposition. As Twilight felt each unforgiving straight and hook push her further back, she remembered the mantra Dash repeated during defensive drills: a calm mind creates clear vision, and clear vision always reveals the sure shot. In time, she took control of her breathing, feeling the weight of her body in that ring, the air flowing around her skin, and her breaths drawing into and out of her lungs with each moment. The roar of the crowd and the sounds in the ring began to meld as one, her focus zeroing in on how Applejack's brute force was pushing her to and fro. In that moment, she thought, "Why should I allow her to hurt me more by trying to resist everything, when allowing her punches to flow away will let it pass safely by?"

Soon, Applejack felt her hooks slide away, and her straights fly past, even when they hit her right on the head. "Are these hits even hurtin' 'er?" she thought each time they made impact. Gold Mike saw how Twilight was leaning against the ropes while Applejack wailed away, asking, "Should she be soaking up all that punishment without dishing anything more than jabs and quick straights back?"

"Doesn't need to fire back, right now" Hoshikawa replied. "You see how her body's kinda riding out each punch? The way her neck twists a little with each head shot? How her body swerves with each blow? It's super risky, but if she's got the cardio, it's a sneaky way to save her gas while the other guy runs through theirs trying to hurt 'em. Classic strategy the greats used to burn out rock 'em sock 'em boxers, like AJ seems to be. I just hope Twily's cookin' up some O to go with that D"

"Twily?"

"What? That's the name on her boxing trunks, isn't it? Maybe if Applejack wises up, she'll be able to make Twily look as silly as that name sounds" After taking a few counter shots to the head, Applejack thought it time to change her approach, feinting a body blow into a cannon ball straight. Twilight dodged it right before impact. A cut formed on her left cheek. A smile crossed Applejack's lips, pressing the offense with double jabs and short combos. Cross, Upper. Jab, body hook. Overhead, underhand, step in jab. Twilight saw these combos and others come at her at a blistering pace, Dash screaming, "Nobody likes a punching bag, Twi! Get busy!" For the rest of the round Twilight couldn't get out of defense long enough to attack, a soft chuckle escaping as it entered the dying seconds. So there is a method to the madness, she thought to herself. Now to see if I can dissect it

***

"Excellent, Applejack," Rarity told her as she toweled her off. "Now just ensure you smother her with power and leave no room for escape."

"Remember, though, that there's still 8 rounds to go." Fluttershy brought up. "Save some energy for the final leg, so you can finish this marathon"

***

Dash got right in Twilight's face as she worked on her cut. "You know this is a fight, right? You know that the busy boxer gets the decisions, right? You know she has one punch power, right?

Pinkie offered her the Team Twily branded water bottle. "I know you've got a plan, but waiting for the right time to execute it won't get you far, here. Fortune favors the bold, especially in this sport. If there's any perfect time to be bold, it's gotta be now!" The bell rung, and the two boxers once again touched gloves ring center, Twilight waiting for the right moment to push her plan into action

Author's Note

Twilight's learned how to read between the lines since before she came to Ponyville. Can she do it again on the biggest stage? How will Applejack fare against this kind of ring generalship? Find out along with the CMC, Spike and Big McIntosh in Round 3!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 3

As Applejack beared down on Twilight, Spike, firmly nestled into the bed in front of the big screen, asked, "Have you been a fan of boxing long, Big McIntosh?" The strapping young lad in question took a swig of his cider before nodding at him

"Also been inside the squared circle my fair share. Been a long runnin' tradition for the Apple men, far as I reckon"

"The way your sister fights, you'd think the whole clan laced 'em up" This drew a chuckle from the big guy as he watched her pinpoint defense go to work.

"Ya wouldn't believe how many of my kin turned up to share what they know. Braeburn, especially, made sure she learned heaps about settin' up power shots, as you can see" As if on cue, Twilight was blinded by a jab, then drilled with a straight to the body, Spike cringing slightly.

"So Applejack has a whole family of boxing knowledge going into each punch? Sounds like the odds are stacked well in her favor"

"Eeyup. Don't mean Twi can't handle herself, though. Just watch how she finds the perfect opening for each punch." From Applejack's high hook, Twilight weaved into a one-two body blow, dodging her uppercut, and responding with another to the solar plexus.

"That's amazing. If she can do that, though, why hasn't she knocked her out, yet?"

"The short answer is 'cause strength ain't 'er strength, tactics is"

"Tactics?" Asked Apple Bloom. "As in boxing tactics? The kind my sister's been studying from the greats for hours after her workouts?"

"The same kind Twi can break down in a two shakes of Winona's tail. If you don't believe me, why don't I show y'all while the fight's goin' on?" The girls nodded, Big McIntosh taking a seat beside them as the round entered the final 1:30.

***

Y'all know Applejack's never been into that fancy stuff, and her style reflects it. She puts her everything into everything she does, like this step in jab, and the wild overhead she just chased it with. Mighty powerful stuff, but mighty easy to plan for, if you're sharp enough. All Twi has to do is wait for 'er to wind up the high heat, like right now. While Applejack was rearin' back, Twi tagged 'er with a 1-1-2 right between the eyes. Of course, since she's built double tough, that just felt like a stiff breeze, which means she still ain't respectin' Twi's space, and will keep on workin' in the pocket until somethin' convinces 'er not to, like, say, gettin' knocked on her flank. If you ask me, Twi's boxin' like a bookworm learnin' to play chess, and Applejack's boxin' like she's playin' Blackjack, workin' to get that jackpot shot she, I, and everyone that's met 'er knows she's got in that bag o' tricks

***

Their jaws hug well low from Big McIntosh's insight. "You got all that...from watching 3 rounds of them boxing?" Asked Scootaloo

"The world can show ya plenty when ya pay it due mind. Learned that watchin' Applejack blossom into a wreckin' machine for tonight. Even Apple Bloom knows what this means to 'er, don'cha?"

"If you mean how she pushed past her own limits to do us proud, then yes I do." Applejack was fixated on her sister, watching how each power punch she threw suddenly couldn't find their mark. "I just hope she can catch 'er with that Jackpot shot, though. Don't know how she can when Twi won't stand still"

"If Twi did, this would never have gone beyond Round 1. I imagine Twi knows this, too, that's why she's always on the move. Can't KO 'em, if ya can't even keep up with 'em"

"But AJ is one of the best athletes around!" Sweetie Belle pointed out. "How is her not being able to keep pace even logical?"

"Movin' on the racetrack ain't like movin' in the ring, Sweetie. Applejack learned that the hard way sparrin' with our kin. All of 'em did what Twi's tryin' to do: make 'er work so hard at keepin' pace, she won't have nothin' left in 'er swing. In other words, ropin' a dope"

"That's just nonsense!" Exclaimed Apple Bloom. "There ain't no way Applejack would fall for that! You know she's studied film from the greatest there's ever been, right!"

"She has. Now we'll see if she's learned anything from 'em." The bell rung, and the camera went to each fighter's corner.

***

"Oh come now!" Rarity let out as she toweled Applejack off. "You're better than this, and you know it! If you make it this easy for her to read you, the only thing you'll strike at is air!"

"This is a marathon, Applejack, not a sprint" Said Fluttershy. "To finish here, you have to get to the end. Just relax, and be more patient. The time to strike will come, just make sure you have the energy to capitalize on it"

***

"I'm liking what I'm seeing, Twi" Said Rainbow Dash. "Now that you're finding those gaps, though, I wanna see punches come in bunches when you do, alright?"

"Make sure you're getting most out of each one, too!" Pinkie Pie added. "The judges like it, and it'll sting a lot more down the line! Remember, full extension brings adulation from both the crowd and the people scoring this thing!"

Author's Note

In a battle, there often comes a moment where the combatants realize how critical the moment is, and decide to pull out all the stops. Before it can happen, though, someone has to land that awakening blow. Who will land that crucial strike? Find out, in Round 4!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 4

Applejack cocked back a right hook, Twilight rushing in. A stiff jab to the face greeted her, with the hook following close behind. Even with split second ear muffs, the sheer power sent her staggering backwards, Applejack closing the distance as Gold Mike asked, "Is that what it's gonna take to take her down?"

"You know what they say:" answered Hoshikawa. "If you can't catch 'em, trap 'em. With those hummingbird boxers, that's a brawler's bread 'n' butter. Make 'em think they can nail ya, then right after they take the bait, wham! Light's out, fight's over, hand's raised. Now to see if Ms. Purple Trunks keeps taking the bait and ends up tasting the canvas." This reality fresh in her mind, Twilight found herself working her defense while she drew up a Plan B, Twi's jab meeting with-and losing to Applejack's. For every high hook Twi dodged, Applejack followed with one thrice as hard to her body. Blocking her straight to the body lead to her eating a head ringing double jab. Swaying away from an uppercut earned her an underhand hook to the liver.

I know I can't keep taking pot shots like this, Twilight thought. But each time I work my way inside, she sets up another power shot, and pushes me out! She thought back on the dangerously unorthodox methods Pinkie used to close the gap during their spars. Perhaps now's the time to think Pink.

She continued working her way inside, and sucked in as she left openings for Applejack's follow up blows, trading shots and using every trick in the book to minimize their immense impact until the time was right to move in. Just as she starting to gulp down her breaths, she saw that Applejack was readying a line drive straight, prompting Twilight to charge ahead. Once again she ate a stiff jab, the straight in hot pursuit. As it closed in on her face, Twilight parried and turned with the impact. The power shot flying past her, Twilight turned her hips into an overhead right, then a body hook, then another, then a cross, then an uppercut buried deep in Applejack's gut, the crowd and Gold Mike thrown into a frenzy. "And out of nowhere, Twilight pulls out a 5 hit combination! Partner, how did that just happen?"

"That, Goldie, was sparked by a flash of mad genius. Instead of trying to stuff the trap, she redirected traffic, serving up a full course meal of leather right after. Question is, though, who's gonna get full first? Right now, they both ready to serve up seconds" While they continued to trade short combos, Twilight kept on analyzing Applejack's patterns, in time sniffing out the gaps in them and responding in kind. She dodged her upper into a biting body hook and jab. She swayed a rushing Applejack into a 1-2 smack between the eyes. She ducked her hook, and popped up into a piston-like double body upper. Although none of it seemed to faze her, Twilight felt like she was making some headway as the bell rung on another round

***

Applejack spit out her red, apple flavored mouthpiece. "So how'd I do, Rare?" Rarity offered her a fresh one.

"Better, but you're absorbing too many combinations. Let her get too confident, and she'll start letting the hard stuff fly." Fluttershy massaged her fighter's shoulders.

"The faster you shut her offense down, the quicker you can end it with your own. Find her openings, and hit them hard"

***

Rainbow Dash worked on her fighter's sore spots "That was excellent, Twi! Now you need to make her miss more and make those hits critical." Pinkie offered her the spit bucket

"You know plenty about the body's weak spots, right? Now that you're reaching the 1/2 way point, it's time to put some mustard on it! Do that, and this fight is yours!"

Author's Note

Only when someone's tested to we find out what they're really made of. Now that they've reached the half way point, both are look to expose the other with the gameplan. Who will do it first? Come back for the next round, and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 5

As the two boxers re-engaged, Hoshikawa's scorecard for the 4 rounds appeared on screen, giving a 10-8 split for Applejack in the 1st round, 10-9, in the second, 9-10, in the 3rd, and 10-10, in the 4th. "I know Twi looked great during the 2nd half of that last round," Hoshikawa explained. "But the whole time before that, Applejack was in the driver's seat, the way she has to be now, in order to keep that outburst from meaning anything down the stretch." Twilight started thinking about possible opening in the sport, seeing targets painted on Applejack's eyes, chin and everywhere else on her head. The constant weaving and dodging Applejack employed told her that, although they would lead to a KO, she was too seasoned to make herself a standing target. As she blocked her offense, she remembered the weak points on the body, especially the liver, stomach and solar plexus, knowing both how much a boxer leans on them for their base, and the intensity of Applejack's conditioning.

If what I saw in that special is true, she thought to herself, Then I'll need to hit her full on before I can even phase her. Dent her like Dash taught me to dent the heavy bag. On top of that, my gas has to last 5 more rounds after this one, so whatever my plan of attack grows to be, I gotta be efficient with it. Applejack, with similar aims in mind, used her jabs to keep Twilight out of rhythm and out of range. Twilight, in due time, ducked forward into double body jabs, Applejack letting loose with an upper. Twilight swayed back, but got clipped on the forehead on the way out, stumbling for a moment before regaining her footing. "If that found a home, I doubt she'd still be on her feet." Declared Gold Mike. Hoshikawa nodded in agreement as she saw Applejack press forward with one twos.

"That's the risk of fighting inside: read 'em wrong, and you're on the floor faster than you can ask 'what happened?' That's why whatever Twi's got cooking, she's gotta put it into motion sooner, rather than later. The longer she waits, the more chances AJ has at the sure shot she's getting closer and closer to landing." The sting still fresh, Twilight stuck and moved as a hypothesis took shape within her. The Hot-Hand Fallacy says that if someone feels close to a result, under similar circumstances, they'll likely repeat their approach. Twilight stepped in behind a jab, bracing for Applejack's hammering body hooks. Time to test how valid this is. Twilight blocked low, and Applejack readied a right upper. As it came at her, Twilight dodged to her right, the blow grazing the air near her cheek. Twilight turned her body into a counter straight, The power erupting from the soles of her feet, surging through her body, shooting down her arm, and landing square into Applejack's solar plexus. Gold Mike stood at attention as Applejack hit the deck, and the crowd fell silent. "That was a brilliant piece of counter-punching!"

"Set up by a highly calculated risk" Hoshikawa added, the referee administering the 10 count while Applejack was catching her breath, and staggering to her feet. "Twilight banked on, and cashed in on that vicious uppercut waiting for her when she went downstairs. Since it paid off, AJ was left sucking wind and looking mad salty, as my folks like to say." Applejack rose to her feet by the count of 6, a scowl on her face as she confirmed to the judge that she wanted to continue. She blocked and dodged Twilight's volley, her ears catching every "Make her pay!" coming from her kin and supporters as she worked in quick combinations to salvage what was left of those 3 minutes. By the time the bell rang, there was only one thing on her mind: payback.

***

Rarity offered her a squirt of water. "I imagine you'd want to rectify that embarrassment. To do that, you need to break her stride and ensure she cannot build anymore steam" Fluttershy held the spit bucket

"If you give her a chance to think, you give her a chance to repeat that. Mix up your tactics, and you'll land much more than a glancing shot"

***

"A knockdown on AJ!?" Asked Rainbow Dash, toweling Twilight off. "You know she won't take that lying down, so stay frosty, and keep your D sharp! This is about to get serious." Pinkie Pie gave her a chocolate flavored mouthpiece.

"She's gonna smother you like frosting from here on out, so be ready for lots of pocket boxing. You've learned plenty on short range power, so just use that brain of yours to wear her down, and finish this right!

Author's Note

The moment of truth has now come for Applejack. Someone managed to put her on her back. Now she knows what's really on the line. How will she respond? Tune in next time, and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 6

Not a moment after they took their positions, Twilight threw out a jab, and immediately ate a rocketing straight. The second she landed a body hook, Applejack slammed an upper into her core. Every inch Twilight backed up, Applejack took for her own. Every sidestep she took, Applejack matched, using her jabs and straights to cut off her escape paths. The violent force Twilight felt thrown at her told her it was time to 'put some mustard on it,' as Pinkie like to say, prompting her to dig her heels in and start pushing back. Twilight lead with a hook. Applejack ducked into a straight. Twilight caught her with an underhand hook, jab combo. Applejack shook it off and smiled as she closed the gap. She blocked Twilight's jab, and weaved under follow up her hook. She answered with 2 to the body, and Twilight rained an overhead down on her. Applejack smacked her with a hook, and Twilight smacked her right back.They got in each other's faces and hammered each other with body uppers until the ref split them up

"This kinda boxing really takes you back, don't it?" Asked Gold Mike.

"Right back to the first bet I won as a kid." Hoshikawa answered. "In those days, they didn't want to win by points, they wanted to win by beat down. I just hope they work on their defense more, so we can savor the robust, brutal beauty!" The second they locked eyes, Twilight felt a piercing stare greet hers, sensing a animalistic energy she understood the more they exchanged blows. Celestia's right, she thought to herself, It's not just what you do that sways others. There's also what they think you can do. Each blow felt increasingly more like flying bricks pelting her sides, gut and face. Therefore, because I knocked her down, she'll fight me the same way she'd fight Dash: with absolutely no mercy, the way most natural to her, I suspect.

She blocked her jab, watching as it pierced her gloves, and struck her right between the eyes. She parried the follow up straight, and slapped her with jabs as she stepped right. She stepped into a Jab, and Applejack stepped into her own. She slugged her with a straight, and Applejack slugged back with her own. She nailed her with a hook, and Applejack nailed her with her own. She caught her with an upper, and Applejack caught her with her own. Neither one was willing to back down, slugging it out and answering each other up to the final bell, where each discovered they were more sore than they ever thought possible, in more places than they thought possible.

***

"You gave as good as you got, darling." Said Rarity, toweling off her fighter. "Now I want you to give to her where it counts, alright? Show her everything you're made of." Fluttershy gave her a generous helping of water.

"She can't outlast you at this pace, so keep testing her chin until she leaves you the opening you need to put this away. You got through once, you can do it again"

***

"Man, Twi, you took a beating." Dash noted as she massaged her shoulders. "Good news, though, is that you beat 'er just as hard. Try doing that next round, too, without the whole 'letting her wailing on you like a heavy bag' thing. Pinkie iced Twilight's mid section, looking her in the eyes.

"I know you're trying to put the brakes on, with all those body shots you threw out, but if you wanna do that, you gotta work the body harder. Less air in the tank, less pop in her punches, something I'm sure you'll appreciate in the later rounds"

Author's Note

Family always have a vested interest in their kin doing well, something the Apple Clan and Twilight's family are discovering more with each passing round. How will they react after seeing so many rounds of one of their own getting the tar pounded out of them? Tune in next time and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 7

Granny Smith, clad in her best lime green flyaway dress, chuckled to herself as the crowd around seemed to grow even more blood thirsty. "Female folks is mighty different these days, ain't they?" she said to no one in particular. Braeburn, enthralled by his cousin's brutal precision, adjusted his ten gallon hat and asked, "Why say that?"

"In my day, folks like me were only expected to take care of the home and feed our family." The crowd roared as Applejack landed a solid liver blow. "Now they're runnin' gov'ts, runnin' businesses and runnin' their fists into each other without a second thought."

"And how do ya feel about all that?" He smiled the more he saw Applejack bob and weave, just the way he taught her to during their defensive drills.

"Like that's the way thing's shoulda been!" Granny Smith intently watched her granddaughter chop away with body hooks, the leather loudly clapping against her opponent's sides. "I mean, look at how well Applejack's done, and tell me she can't keep up with the men in the Apple clan!"

"She has done well, but outside of norms and such, I don't think her gender has a whole lot to do with it" Right in front of them, Applejack weaved her opponent's hook into a 1-2-body upper. "It hinges more on if they can find and develop where they're strongest. Lot more fun to be master of a trade, the way I see it"

"That don't explain why she's our only female to do what she's doin'" Braeburn cringed the moment they traded right hooks to the eye.

"Change ain't ever instant. Takes a lotta pushin' to change the world you were born into to the world we know now. Look at Twi, to see what I mean" He gestured to the fighter with a bruise forming below her left eye." I'm sure she went into this knowing the mountain she had to scale, and, throughout whatever she's been doin', found the stuff in 'er she needed to start that climb. Folks like her carve the path for folks like AJ to travel on."

"So what chance are you givin' 'er at reachin' the top?" Braeburn analyzed each flurry the two boxers pelted each other with, hearing their breaths grow louder with each passing second.

"Considerin' that even the strongest folks give their whole lives to make an inch of progress, I'd say about the same chance as findin' a needle in a haystack"

"Because she's facin' an Apple?"

"Because Applejack made someone with a granite chin taste the canvas. In a spar." Granny Smith let out an audible gasp as her granddaughter landed a hard straight to the gut.

"Oh goodness gracious! Always knew she was strong, but never that kinda strong! Has she always been that way?" Braeburn shook his head.

"Our kin didn't see that 'til we got deep into 'er trainin'. The first time that happened, I saw what you're seein' now: once she's locked in, she ain't stoppin' 'til either she does what she sets out to or someone makes 'er-and so far, nobody's been able to make 'er" The bell rang, the swelling under Twilight's left eye seemingly pulsing itself larger as she went to her corner

"And nobody will, based on what I've seen from 'er all these years"

***

"That round was simply fabulous!" Exclaimed Rarity, offering water and a spit bucket. "Keep pressuring her, and she'll fall in no time at all!" Fluttershy massaged her biceps up and down

"Remember to parry punches, too. The opening it makes could be just what you need to put the round away, if not put her away"

***

Dash immediately put ice on the bruise. "I hope that shiner will remind you how much more it'll hurt if you stand in front of her, how important is it for you to dodge more." Pinkie toweled her fighter off.

"A punch that hits air exposes them way more than the ones you block. I mean, after they miss, they're wide open to everything you've got in your arsenal! Remember that when you're working your way inside and working on exposing the holes in her plan."

Author's Note

Few things are worse for a parent than watching their child take punch after punch trying to hold their in the squared circle. What do they do when the child they'd give everything to protect is beyond anything they can do to protect them? How do they react when it looks like their child is losing the strength to fight back against the forces working against them? Bring back next time and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 8

Twilight Velvet watched in horror as her daughter was pummeled in the middle of the ring, wringing her pastel purple skirt hard enough to turn coal into diamonds. On her left, her son, husband and daughter in law chanted 'Go Twily Go!' while Twily weathered Applejack's barrage of power shots. On her right, those her daughter met during her training, including Derpy, the Cakes, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch, were yelling advice. Vinyl, in her fitted white tee and stonewashed jeans, shouted "She playing to your rhythm! Throw her's off!" at the top of her lungs. Curious about the Cobalt Blue and Cyan haired young woman next to her, Twilight Velvet said, "I don't think we've met. I'm-"

"Twi's Mom? Yeah, I know, she's told me plenty about you while we sparred"

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like how you fainted after you learned about this whole dealie, for one"

"I imagine you would be shocked, too, if you found out someone you cared about risked getting their face rearranged this way" Her hand came to her mouth as Twilight got clipped by a hook

"Probably, but I know my friends, they can handle it, if they need to. 'Course, you probably ain't seeing kinda person in the ring right now, are ya?"

"Maybe. Mind telling what I'm seeing, then?"

"Something my folks saw when I booked it outta their place to get my own: their precious baby girl goin' where they can't protect her, can't help her, can't do much beyond watch her struggle it out" Twilight Velvet got an up close view of her daughter being pressed against the ropes, navigating her way through the furious whirlwind of hooks and uppers. "Every fiber of you wants to take them away from that pain, but you know there'd be as much point to it as trying to change the tides"

"Seems like you have experience with that kind of thing, Ms. Scratch"

"As Tavi's friend, no doubt." She looked to her black suit vest clad friend, who shot her a nod before returning her attention to the match. "Every time we met up at the local record store as kids, she mentioned how some punks spread rumors about her, threatened to cut her hair while they surrounded her, and blackmailed her into doing their dirty work for them, all because she had the nerve to be born into a decent rich family." Applejack parried Twilight's jab, and traded a straight with her body hook. "When her own friends joined in on the crap, I felt like marching over to her school and knocking some heads, but couldn't, because one, my folks wouldn't be too happy, and two, 'cause those punks also have rich, powerful parents who wouldn't like someone messing with their baby, and could ruin someone's life on a whim. Each time she told me, I felt so bucking-"

"Useless? Frustrated? Upset?" Vinyl nodded, wiping a tear from under her dark purple lensed sunglasses. "How did you handle not being able to do that for her?" Applejack blocked Twilight's hook. Twilight broke through with a quick Bingo hook to the chin.

"Did the only thing-the best thing, really, you can do for 'em: be there for 'em"

"Be there for them? But you just said you couldn't protect, help or do much for her, how could possibly be there for her?"

"By supporting me, ma'am" Said Octavia. The two friends nodded at each other, then switched seats. "When we met up there, she let me speak at length about the things I faced at the academy, always offering both words of support and a firm guiding hand while we browsed through their extensive catalogue" Twilight began to better evade Applejack's combinations, each punch catching more air as the round went on. "Because of that, I was able to search within myself for the strength to inform my parents, turn their tactics against them, and see things from their point of view. I'm certain you seek a similar strength for your daughter, correct?" Twilight Velvet hastily nodded. "Then do what I assume you came here to do: show her that you want her to succeed, and tell her what she needs to hear in order to tap into it. That person in the ring is not merely a product of her training, but also of the energy others that care for her give to her, so she can rise past her own limitations. Do remember that, Miss Velvet, won't you? If not for yourself, then for her." She gestured to Twilight, whose bruise grew larger and whose body was covered in sweat as she made her way to corner.

***

Rarity iced Applejack's reddened sides. "Alright, only 2 rounds left, and you're doing excellent! Time to pull out all the stops and put this away, darling!" Fluttershy changed out her mouthpiece.

"Be sure to make it as hard as possible for her to read you. Blind her with jabs, mix up your combos, make her respect your space. You've come this far, don't let up now"

***

"Your D has definitely picked up" said Dash as she iced the bruise. "Now you've gotta turn it into some serious O, so we can turn the party Vinyl's gonna DJ into our victory party" Pinkie brought the spit bucket.

"Applejack's finally getting pooped, so now you've gotta take the fight to her, and wear her down! Work the body, create spots for head shots, makes her feel every bit of power your body can put into those fists!"

Author's Note

With only 2 rounds to go, Twilight has a lot of ground to cover to try and rise to the occasion. What could she pull out that could match Applejack's punch power? How will Applejack try and put this away? Who will survive to the final bell? Tune in next time and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 9

"For having no bouts under their belts, these two have put out some serious fireworks, haven't they, partner?" Gold Mike asked as the two boxers met dead center.

"You gotta remember, though, that AJ's a proven athlete, while Twily was trained by one"

"Both rooted in Cus d'Amare school of the sweet science yet boxing as differently as night and day." Twilight shot out a straight. She weaved under Applejack's, and slammed her stomach with an upper.

"The way I see it, Twily's plan has always been to use that difference to set up something big, something that, based on how much air AJ's gulping down, we might see soon." Twilight heard Applejack's breaths grow sharper with each body blow she absorbed, her head snapping more violently than before. Every punch Twilight dodged instilled more confidence in her technique and convinced her to go bigger, as her trainers told her she needed to at each training session. She turned with Applejack's jab and threw a hook at the side of her head. She batted her upper aside and buried a straight into her side. She shoulder charged into her chest and planted an overhead into her forehead.

From their corner, Dash saw her pupil's evasion grow more rhythmic, recognizing the 8-shaped path her head was following and asking herself, "No way, she can't be going for that, she doesn't have that kind of speed...does she?" Twilight weaved under Applejack's hook and replied with her own. Just as Apple Bloom said would happen, Applejack felt those weaves flow into hook after hook after hook, turning with each one until a strategy Fluttershy demonstrated struck her. She slipped under the next one and rose up into a powerful right hook as she thought, It's been fun, Twi, but your time is up. Her fist pulsed with the blow's power as it grew closer to Twilight's chin, only to find her own met with a stunning underhand hook.

For an instant, Twilight caught a glazed over look in Applejack's eyes, and built up the speed of her weaves, pounding away at her opponent's gut with what seemed to be endless Bingo hooks. Dash's jaw dropped as she witnessed Applejack hunch further over with each punch in the onslaught, all but losing her mind when a Bingo hook smacked the side of Applejack's face, and chucked her to the canvas. Quickly, did Dash turn to Pinkie and ask, "What was that!?" Pinkie flashed a grin as Twilight went to a neutral corner.

"Something we worked out after you taught her the Rainbow 8. She drew up every potential weakness she could find in the technique, and wanted something on hand in case Applejack ever figured any out, eventually leading to us making what you just saw: the Atomic Rainbow Party. Pretty neat, right, Dash?" Applejack's lungs were working triple time to bring some air into them. The 10 count rang loud in her ears, and every aching muscle worked to lift her off of the floor. Right before the ref got to finish, Applejack got herself into her stance, the ref then asking "Do you want to continue?"

The instant she saw the Apple clan on their feet chanting her name, she nodded and waited for Twilight to get within range. As soon as it happened, she threw out a hook. Twilight weaved into her own. Applejack, inspired by one of Twilight's tactics, barged into her shoulder first and unleashed a hook square into her solar plexus. The grand gasp for air brought a smile to Applejack's face as Twilight crumpled to her hands and knees a second before the bell rung, the ref now counting her down to 10. Hearing the crowd erupt with cheers for Applejack made her shake with rage, driving her to lift herself inch by pain filled inch into her feet as her trainers urged her on. By the time she got herself upright, she was showered with boos, barely hearing the ref ask if she wanted to continue. She nodded at her, then dragged herself to her stool, slumping into it, while feeling like the millions watching her on TV wanted nothing more than to see her face down, unable to accomplish what she held in her heart all this time.

***

"You have to admit that for most of that round, you were looking rather shabby out there." Said Rarity, offering the spit bucket. "If you can repeat what you did before it ended, though, you have this match well in hand" Fluttershy iced her fighter's tender midsection.

"I know your body is tired, but so is her's. You have more enough to burn her out, so burn out every bit of fight she has left and finish her. Everyone thinks your cardio is superior, now it's time to prove it"

***

Dash poured water into her fighter's mouth "For most of that round, you were amazing. Now you gotta be amazing one more time, alright? Break out the formula you used to keep her off balance, and I know you can take this" Pinkie tended to the bruise, getting right in Twilight's face.

"Listen, Twi, you've spent 3 months transforming your body for this moment, you just proved you can go the distance, and Applejack knows without a doubt how strong you are. Now show her you can finish this fight!" From the corner of her eye, she saw that her mom was on her feet and yelling something at her, hearing her say, "C'mon, Twilight, I know you're stronger than this! You were a top student for a reason, right? For goodness sake, you stared down the Ursa Minor! Get up there, and whoop her flank!" Twilight rose up the more her section chanted "Whoop her flank," nodding at her trainers, and staring dead ahead at Applejack as the bell kicked off the final round

Author's Note

And now we approach the conclusion of this journey, both of them seeking to make the people cheering them on proud. Who will land the deciding blow? What do they left in the tank? How will they find the strength to reach the end? Time in next time, and find out!

Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 10

Soon after they touched gloves, the millions watching on TV saw Hoshikawa's scorecard through 9, giving a 10-8 split for Applejack in the 1st round, 10-9, in the second, 9-10, in the 3rd, 10-10, in the 4th, 8-10 , in the 5th, 10-10, in the 6th, 10-9, in the 7th, 10-9, in the 8th, and 8-9, in the 9th. Both traded right hooks, and Hoshikawa saw them staggering to stay upright, "That look in their eyes right now?" she said, taking note of the piercing gaze each gave the other. "That's the look you get when you can taste the victory you've trained for months. That's the spark you get when the only thing you're running on is what these two are digging deep to find: fumes and fire. Mark my words, someone will be looking up at the lights before this is over"

Twilight's bruise as her target, Applejack fired off an overhead right. Twilight slipped left and shot a head-snapping straight back at her. Applejack stuffed her advance with a jab, then rocked her with a body upper. Twilight ate a hook, in order to uppercut her weaving opponent, both of them starting to feel their legs wobble. Not long after, Applejack started bobbing and weaving everything Twilight dished out, following an 8 shaped trail the faster she went. Recognizing the setup, Twilight let loose a line drive straight, trading with Applejack's thunderous hook, and sending each other stumbling back. They nodded, then circled the ring, waiting on who'd move first. Applejack stutter-stepped, Twilight charging in behind a double jab. Applejack swayed out of range. Twilight weaved the jab that flew at her into a body hook. Applejack popped her upright with an underhand blast. Twilight stumbled about trying to reestablish her footing. Seeing this drew out a wind up overhead from Applejack.

With aching forearms, Twilight blocked and diverted the force, serving up a 1-2 before stepping to Applejack's left. Applejack blocked the incoming body hook and shot off an upper. Slipping out of its path, Twilight threw a hook, then weaved into an underhand. Applejack's weaves ensured they only struck air. While each continued evading the other, Twilight thought, Looks like she's dismantling the Rainbow 8 methodology, as expected. A second after Twilight linked her weaves together, Applejack pecked away with precision jabs to the eyes and gut. Since I don't have Dash's blinding speed, I sense it's far easier for her to dissect and attack than it should be. If my hunch is correct, she'll soon try to shut it, then me down in quick order. A surprise power cross pierced Twilight's block. The punch now an inch away from the bridge of her nose, her instincts took over and let her slip out of danger. If I expect to leave this ring under my own power, I better figure out how she's gonna do it!

Hacking away with hooks, Applejack pushed her opponent around the ring. I can feel it comin', thought Applejack, as each one made contact. Twi can barely defend 'erself, by now, and with how shaky her legs look, I know she don't got the energy to get off the canvas again. The crowd knows it, I know it, shoot, I'm sure even Twi knows it from how loud they're chanting my name! With a deft parry of Twilight's upper, Applejack popped her with a stiff jab. All I need now is make one good shot find a home, so I can finish 'er off. Twilight started a right hook motion, Applejack blocking appropriately and eating a surprise straight. Applejack laughed it off and poured on the hooks and uppers, watching Twilight's head create the now familiar 8-shaped trail the more she avoided each potential finishing blow. Her trusty right hook loaded, Applejack barged in shoulder first, aiming to open Twilight up and make her pay for her stale tactics.

Immediately, Applejack felt like a speeding train crashed right into her ribs. Blocking an incoming jab, she failed to see what belted her on the chin. Her body now failing to cooperate, she watched as a loaded right hook sailed towards what Twilight knew as a fighter's off button. Her head swiveled violently; her mouthpiece flew onto the mat; her body, now as stiff as a freshly cut apple tree, fell face first, Gold Mike screaming "Down goes Applejack! Down goes Applejack! Down goes Applejack! The crowd is stunned silent!" The ref turned her over, seeing the glaze in those eyes, and calling off the fight, the medical staff immediately called into action. To Apple Bloom's horror, they replayed and commentated on the sequence that took her sister down, Hoshikawa saying, "It started off with a counter punch to the body, then after tricking her with the jab fake, popping her with that sick upper and finishing her with a full body hook."

"If I'm not mistaken, that's-"

"My Sunday punch? Yup, that was a perfectly done Akebono Special, and I'm glad to see it's still got that KO potential" Soon after the medical team cleared her, the ref called both fighters to the center of the ring for the official results from Mighty Heart.

"The winner by knockout: Twilight Sparkle!" She wept as her hand was raised, and she yelled, "I bucking did it!" hugging her trainers as hard as her sore muscles would allow. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hoshikawa approach with mic in hand.

"Twilight, that was an amazing way to kick off the night. What was the plan coming in?"

"Well, I knew she had one punch power in both hands, so I had to outlast her, and wait until the time was right to cash in. That was only possible thanks to my trainers, my sponsors, my sparring partners, my-" Applejack stepped in front of her and shot her a piercing stare. A moment later, she patted Twilight on the shoulder and said, "Thanks for a mighty fine match, Twi" With a quick hug and back pat, she flashed her a smile. "Maybe we can do that again sometime?" They bumped fists, and the crowd roared "Applejack!" as she left the ring. Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, Dash shrugging as Hoshikawa said, "Congrats, again, on the hard fought win, kid" Undeterred, Twilight looked to her supporters, and yelled, "Did you see that, mom? Your little girl did it!" as she made her way to the dressing room

Author's Note

As one must rise, another must fall. How will Applejack deal with 3 months of training leading to a loss? How will Twilight and the rest deal with what this brings? What waits for them beyond this bout? Tune in next time, and find out!

One Month Later

Applejack, decked in her burnt orange halter top and sweats, had a death grip on the 305 pounds of barbell and weight plates as she lay on the bench, Dash screaming, "C'mon, AJ, gimme one more!" The sweat poured down Applejack's face as she clenched her teeth and worked every muscle in her arms to lift that above her head, Pinkie at the ready with the bucket. With a bellowing grunt, she thrust the weight up, and locked her arms in place, waiting for Rainbow Dash's permission to stop. Dash, clad in her powder blue tracksuit, let out a chuckle as she helped put the barbell back in its resting place. "And you said you couldn't do it"

"No, I said it wasn't smart to do it, and I don't know why I agreed to it."

"Maybe because you know what my style of training can get done? Or maybe you forgot what happened a month ago?" Applejack shot daggers with her stare, and Dash shot her a smile as she helped her off the bench. "Really, though, this month has been pretty crazy, hasn't it?"

"Mighty manic, especially for you if I'm not mistaken. Haven't folks been pounding on your door ever since you offered to train 'em the way you trained Twi?" They made their way to the Plastic Pipe Handles on 2 Suspended Ropes, Dash showing her how it works while Applejack caught her breath. Without breaking stride, Dash answered, "Totally. Thankfully Pinkie and Super Egghead helped me organize everything, so I could make it jive with both my day job and Wonderbolt training. Gotta admit, though, I never figured so many folks would ever want to train Wonderbolt hard."

"The right motivation can easily keep 'em pushin' through Tartarus and back." said Applejack, taking the push up position, and going through the demonstrated motions."I mean, would you push yourself way you do if you didn't think you'd reach your goal?"

"Without a doubt! Fighting for a goal when it seems impossible is only they're ever achieved! Shoot, if you guys had enough faith in Dynamite Strength to sponsor it, why shouldn't I? Even when they're with Pinkie, they don't stop until we tell 'em to, and she's supposed to be the gentle trainer!"

"C'mon, I don't go that gentle on them!" Replied Pinkie. "Aerobics and dancing push plenty of our customers to give more than they thought they could! I know I still sweat plenty after each session!"

"Guess I'm still wrapping my head around the concept of a workout grind not feeling like punishment. Well, not conventional punishment, anyways"

"The way I see it, if you find something to like about the stuff you do, you're gonna dedicate that much of yourself to it to see it through. I mean isn't that what keeps you doing what do to become a Wonderbolt? Isn't what keeps Applejack working the fields of Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack stopped for a moment, nodding at her, then drawing in deep breaths to finish her set of reps.

"Every day I'm out there, I remember how much joy I see on people's faces when they try our Zap Apple Jam, or have the first taste of a freshly baked apple fritter, and find the energy to bring in that last batch of apples or make that last bit of preparations for the next day, no matter how much my body wants to quit. Same way I imagine you feel about Sugarcube Corner" Dash nods at her, then gestures to the Cable Pulley as Applejack gets off, and moves towards the machine, Dash setting the weight plates she thought appropriate.

"By the way, Pinkie, I heard that place got slammed with orders after we got back to Ponyville. How'd you guys deal with it?" Pinkie showed Applejack how to use the machine, then let her practice her punching motions.

"At first, not very well. After a couple test runs, we found that cupcakes don't hold up too well against the stresses of long distance travel. None of us could really figure out what do to until I was feeding the Cake's kids and thought 'What if we could ship cupcakes in jars? It took a lot of research, experimentation and testing, but after a couple days of strike outs, we finally nailed it, and sent the first samples off to Hoshikawa for final analysis."

"Testing? Experimentation? Those sound like things that egghead would say." Applejack paused for a moment to take a drink of her specially formulated bottle of cider.

"Probably 'cause sure learned 'em straight from 'er. You know Twi loves to help folks work with that scientific method stuff. Probably has a few specially formulated samples in her collection, too, if you know what I mean" Pinkie smiled at her, and gave her a sip of the cider.

"Thanks to the work we did in the kitchen, word of mouth brought in enough business to justify expanding the business beyond Ponyville, and setting up a delivery system to help us ship our stuff all over Equestria! Why, if I remember correctly, Hoshikawa liked her sample so much, she regularly has her assistant come in to pick them up when she's on the road."

"Wait, doesn't she travel a lot? Not to mention that Ponyville and Fillydelphia ain't exactly a hop, skip and a jump apart. How could her assistant deliver the goods?"

"Magic. Kinda like what I hear Fluttershy has in her massages if what you said in that show is to be believed"

"You heard correctly" Applejack followed Dash to the heavy bag, toweling herself off while Pinkie got her gloves ready. "After my workouts, I got a head to toe massage from 'er, on Rare's recommendation. Sure as sugar beats the ice bath, not to mention I felt a whole lot more recharged after each session." Applejack slipped the gloves on, and quickly went to work on her combinations. "Have to admit, though, it felt mighty strange gettin' naked in front of 'er, not to mention how much I found myself openin' up about things."

"Like what?" Applejack stopped and smiled at her for a moment.

"That much is between me and her, but I will say it was good enough for me to suggest she open 'er own business, which I think she's close to openin', based on all flyers for animal care and intimate therapy goin' 'round"

"Intimate therapy?"

"What she calls all the massages, cuddlin', chattin' with folks and such she wants to do. I'm still not entirely sold on the concept, but from what I've seen, she's got the right stuff to make all the pieces fit"

"Like the ability to see the best in others when they're at their worst?" Applejack nodded and let out a chuckle.

"While I was training with her and Rare, Fluttershy was always the one to give me a listening ear whenever I needed one. I'm sure you know how lonely hard trainin' can get, RD, so having someone willing to just sit listen to you go on your about personal nonsense...hard to describe how good it felt, really, more so after a long day of Rare's merciless drills and workin' the farm." Dash lead her to the speed bag as she asked, "C'mon, this is Ms. "This is the worst possible thing" we're talking about, how tough can she be?"

"I take it you don't remember how she KO'ed Twi? That wasn't the kinda punch you get from dumb luck. You get it from hours in the gym, intense dedication, and never letting yourself quit, the exact same stuff she drilled into me since day one." Applejack started building her rhythm on the speed bag. "I hated every minute of her regiment, but I'm grateful she didn't let me ease up on it. If she did, I doubt I'd be half as good as I was in the ring that night. I'm sure that tough-minded thinkin' will serve 'er well in her new business ventures."

"New? Is she quitting her fashion shop?"

"On the contrary. After all the hype her shop got during the 3 month buildup, she expanded her line to include sports ware. In fact, this getup is actually plucked right from the new line-and let me tell you, it fits like a dream."

"Given all that, how'd she take what happened to you?"

"Well, all things considered, she's been a rather cool customer. On our way to the locker room, she told me about how failure can be as big a factor in how someone grows as success, asking me if I felt hungrier, if I learned anything about where I can be better, and if I realized there was a life to live beyond that night. To be perfectly honest, though, I was far too crushed to be aware of any of that until much later."

"Well, if 3 months if training amounted to an L, I probably wouldn't be too happy, either. I was actually wondering how you were doing, since you wouldn't talk to any of us the whole week after." Applejack slowed her rhythm and looked square at Dash.

"You really wanna know, RD?" Rainbow Dash nodded. Applejack stopped, and took a swig of her cider, before heading to the ring with the others, Pinkie lacing up her punch pads

"After I realized what happened, I was angry, I was humiliated, I was more doubtful about myself then than I ever was in my life. I mean, I pushed myself past my own limits for 3 months to do my family, my trainers and myself proud" Pinkie slipped her punch pads on, Applejack quickly working on her combos and defensive drills. "I knew Twi would put up a good fight, but after everything I went through to get ready, I had no doubts I was gonna win. You saw it for yourself, in the last round, didn't you? I was one good shot away from putting her away, but just like that, my win was taken out from under me. One mistake made 3 months of training worth as a much getting knocked out in front of a record crowd. It was just...it was-"

"An enormous kick to the pride jewels?" Applejack let out a hearty laugh

"You could say that. During that week, though, I found out that, despite what happened, there lots of folks out there pulling for me. The first time Big Mac brought me the letters and packages folks were sending in, I thought it was just him trying to cheer me up. Soon after, though, I started getting messages from my folks telling me how proud they of my performance, some of them in person! All of them touched my heart, but I think the one that stuck out most, though, was the one I got from Apple Bloom."

"What'd she say?"

"Wasn't so much what she said, but what she did. The morning I was getting ready to hit the market, she came up and said she was amazed by how I fought, asking if I could teach 'er how to box like me when I had the time."

"I was wondering why she came to me training after everything her friends told me about how dead set she was against the sport. If I'm not mistaken, she should be out with Twi doing warm ups right now" Rhythmic footsteps were heard coming closer to where they were, Dash immediately throwing the bottle in her hand towards the entrance. As quickly as it flew from her grip, an unseen force stopped it, suspending it in the air as Dash said, "Good to see your magic skills haven't gotten rusty, Twi" Twilight, in her purple and pink trimmed windbreaker and sweats, tossed the bottle back as she entered the gym, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Apple Bloom's friends close behind

"Good to see you think I'm still sharp enough to catch an object flying right at my face."

"Wouldn't expect any less from someone who made a record crowd fall silent. I just hope getting your magic back hasn't made you lazy again." From a corner of the ring, Twilight watched Applejack intently drill her combinations and defensive tactics, leaning on the ropes.

"Considering that a habit takes 66 days of consistent effort for it to take hold, I think it's safe to say I'll more apt to the regiment we went through all these months. Can't say it was all fun and games, though."

"I wouldn't expect anyone to say working out hard enough to puke is. Unless they're into that sort of thing, of course." Dash offered Applejack a swing of her cider. "Anyways, how've been doing since the big fight? Haven't heard a whole lot from you after that big after party we had"

"The first couple weeks, I was fielding a lot of interviews from different media outlets, including The Manehatten Times, Bint Magazine, Foal Free Press, and lots of fitness and science publications asking about my methods and training. I can only imagine how professional athletes deal with this every day, especially with those autograph seekers and persistent hecklers."

"Why who would ever want to heckle you?" Asked Rarity, dressed in her azure short shorts and white hoodie with azure on the underarms, a gym bag slung on her shoulder.

"I found out shortly after Spike reported back on how my Whinny was doing." Applejack stopped for a moment and turned her attention to Twilight.

"You have a Whinny?" Pinkie slapped her upside the head, Applejack promptly returning her focus to Pinkie. "I got one awhile back for the business, and I haven't a lick of you on there."

"Spike convinced me to start one after I started working with Scootaloo and Sweetie. At first, it wasn't followed by that many people, so I had some really great interactions. After the EBO special aired, however, that changed in a hurry, and my followers increased just as rapidly as the amount of 'shade,' as Dash calls it, I got thrown at me. Of course, being around the academic crowd as long as I have, it doesn't really phase me when someone says I should go back to the kitchen, fellate them, or sends me some half-hearted death threat. Among them, however, I saw something from someone I never expected."

"Well, who was it, sugarcube?"

"May I ask you to stop for a moment, and direct your attention to the young lady in the light gold tank top and trunks?" She gestured towards Fluttershy. "In her original message, she said she was quite unhappy with what Pinkie said about her. If you could please reiterate it, Fluttershy" Fluttershy's glare was pointed right at Pinkie

"You said that my methods would get Applejack destroyed. You said that a tree hugger like me could never really train a winner. You said that me training Applejack was like a tortoise teaching someone how to run."

"We talked it over during the month, and it seems she wants to box you, much like how I boxed against Trixie." Slack-jawed, Pinkie said, "You can't be serious, can you?" Twilight used her magic to open the gym bag, and lift out a pair of pale pink boxing gloves

"You tell me. Are you game?" Pinkie nodded and Twilight handed the gloves to Fluttershy, Dash scrambling to grab Pinkie's hanging on the wall behind her. Dash chucked the gloves at Pinkie, and Fluttershy stepped towards the ring, Twilight laying down the ground rules.

"One round, no time limit, only ends when someone either can't beat the 10 count or gets KO'ed, no below the belt stuff." They squared up in the center of the ring, Twilight teleporting beside them, and acting as ref. "Ready? Touch gloves, and get it on!"

Author's Note

And that's all, folks! Thanks for sticking around for the whole ride, and I'm fixing to serve you something good again real soon! If you wanna hear the the soundtrack to this story, check it out here!