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!