//------------------------------// // Training // Story: Fight Club: The Underground // by KaiTheDemon //------------------------------// The morning sun rises in Ponyville, waking up Lightning Blitz on this new day, just hours after he lost his chance to fight for the championship. "Damn it. How could I let myself get taken down? I know that's where it all went downhill." He lays in his bed, covering his eyes from the light. "Today I need to train, and train.... And train. I also need to get Silver geared up for his first fight." He rolls out of his bed and heads into his bathroom to wash off his face. "At least I still look good." He laughs, and carries on through his house and out his door. "Prepare yourself Silver Lining. Today, you become a fighter!" Lightning starts marching down the road while in the meantime, Silver himself is just waking up. All he can think about is Lightning's loss last night, and how would he possibly be any good as a fighter? "I think I might just tell Lightning I've changed my mind..." Silver gets up out of bed right as a loud thud hits his front door. "Oh, who in the hay is that"? He goes over and opens the door, and to no surprise, it's Lightning who invites himself in. "Morning Silver! Ready to start training?" Lightning gives Silver an intense look, hoping for a good response. "Well, actually...-" "Good enough for me!" Lightning grabs a hold of him and yanks his out the door. "Where are we going?!" The silver stallion didn't know what to do or what else to say, so he just let his friend drag him along. "We are going to the gym. And we are going to train, and train, and train, until we fall off our hooves." Lightning had sort of a confident step as he marched to the gym with Silver. This was different then what it usually was though. There was something more to it that isn't explainable. "Think you could go any faster? We need to get there and get started!" Silver sighs, but starts walking faster, getting ahead of Lightning. Soon it turns into a race between the two, they start getting faster as each one gets ahead of the other. They even bump into each other trying to slow one another down once they get into a running movement. "Race to the gym?" Lightning smirks at Silver, who nods as the two start heading full speed toward the gym, until Silver collides with somepony. "Oof, I'm so sorry- AH!" Looking down at the pony he is hovering over top of, the purple mare from last night, Pandora is laying on the ground looking up. Both lightly blush and the silence goes on for some time, and slowly grows awkward once they realize what it must look like. "Uhm, hello there Silver." Pandora gives off a smile through the awkwardness, with Silver returning it and finally helping her up. "Uh, sorry about that. We were kind of racing." He runs his hoof through his mane. "Oh that's fine. I was out for a morning jog myself. Where were you headed?" The mare starts jogging in place to make up for lost time. "Lightning and I were headed to the gym actually. Today I guess I'm going to start preparing for my first fight." Silver is unsure though. After seeing the fights last night, he isn't sure if he can stand up to the competition. "Well good luck. Lightning is no sap when training. I will catch ya later." She walks by Silver and flicks her tail up at him as she starts her jog away. "Hmm... Oh! Lightning!" Already at the gym Lightning is quick at work on a punching bag, throwing his hooves left and right at it. "This can't be forgotten. Losing is unacceptable. Come on Lightning." A final hoof hits the bag knocking it back hard, then Lightning quickly moves over to weights. "Leg weights.. Perfect!" He starts running in place when Silver finally comes through the door of the gym. "Silver! Get on these leg weights over here and start working the bag!" "Huh? Oh.." Silver hesitates for a moment, but goes and does what Lightning told him to and starts working a punching bag with the leg weights on. "I hope this works..." "Of course it will! Be more positive for once! And after this get ready to spar. I want to see what you got!" Silver stops moving and gets a blank look on his face. "Y-y-you want to f-fight me?" "Of course! Just some sparring. Nothing serious." Lightning knows he is serious. He has wanted this chance to fight his best friend since Silver said he wanted to join the club, and he was finally going to get that chance. Silver isn't so sure what to think though. He doesn't believe he is anywhere close to prepared for even sparring. He rarely works out. "You're sure about this?" Lightning chuckles and walks over, putting a hoof on Silver's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you! I just wanna see whatcha got." With that said, Lightning hops up into the fighting ring in the gym, waving Silver to follow. "Oh man. I'm gonna get pummeled. There is no way I'm ready for this." He hops up into the ring as well, and puts on an intense look. But there is no way I'm going down without a fight! I must do my best!" The two take a moment to have a stare down when all of a sudden, the bell rings. To their shock, they quickly look over and see the purple mare, Pandora standing ringside next to the bell. "Sorry if I startled you guys. I was getting bored of watching you two admire one another." The stallions facehoof at the same time. "We were not admiring each other!" Both yell, then stare at each other with intent to attack this time. "Prove it." Pandora says with a grin on her face. That's all Silver needed to hear to give him a spark. He quickly charges over to Lightning and throws himself into him, knocking him down for a moment. "Finally fighting huh? Well take this!" Lightning quickly hops up and throws a hoof at Silver, barely missing with the first, but throws a second and connects with Silver's rib cage. "Well... That wasn't so bad for a first hit." That's all the words the silver colored stallion can get in, as he has to jump back to dodge more attempted hits. Finally he throws one back, he misses, but gained confidence and throws another. Trying to hit Lightning multiple times, Silver finally hits one, connecting with Lightning's upper torso. The two back off of each other to breathe for a moment. "Heh, looks like I finally got you." Silver says huffing, trying to catch his breath. "One shot. Want a medal?" Lightning chuckles. "Give him a break. It's his first time." Pandora defends Silver while she watches on in amusement. The two collide, headbutting one another, pushing against the other in a test of strength type of move. The bell is rung again by Pandora, and the two back off of each other. "Hey, what gives?" Lightning yells from in the ring. "You two don't want to over do it. Besides, I've seen enough." Pandora starts to walk away with the same grin she's had the whole time. "Wait a damn minute! Who said you get to determine how long we fight?" Silver demands an explanation. But, she keeps walking leaving the two stallions confused as to what to do. "So, what do we do now?" Silver inquires. "We wait till tomorrow, and repeat this process until your first fight. Which is in four days." Lightning is keeps a serious tone in his voice. On the inside, he wants to make sure that Silver will win his first fight no matter what it takes. The two exit the ring, and the gym. They wave each other off to officially begin their normal days. "That was interesting. I'm not sure if Lightning went easy on me, or if I actually did good. I just have to keep focus on improving before Friday. Four days. Looking up to the sky, Silver puts on a confident smile and heads on to make a living as a mailpony. Lightning on the other hand, besides fighting, works as a handyman for Town Hall. Fixing up anything that needs to be fixed around town. "Silver was okay, but he needs to step up tomorrow. I hope he was just nervous." To noponies surprise, out of nowhere, Lightning is bumped into by Pandora. "Will you please stop coming in out of nowhere?" "What's the matter? Don't like me Lightning?" Pandora teases on like she normally does with him. "What do you want?" "Somepony is snippy today. I just came to talk about Silver." Lightning stops walking and puts his head down. He is angry, but doesn't want her to see. "Don't say it Pandora. He has potential." To his surprise he is met with her hoof on his shoulder. "I know he does. I was just going to say, don't let him get hurt. I know how I was when you first entered the club. I was harder on you then I shoulda been." "Yeah you were! You had no right to say some of the things you said to me!" Lightning yells and backs off of her hoof. "I know. And I'm sorry. You know what I was mixed up in then as well. I just don't want to see another victim of the clubs influences." "And neither do I. I'm hoping he can defend himself from that. The club isn't kind to newcomers. Too many now have been forced out from what they got into." Lightning keeps his head down and his eyes closed. Until Pandora hugs him that is, which even though he is stunned, he returns the hug. "The past is done. We have to look at the future. Especially Friday night." Pandora tries to comfort Lightning. "You're right. For now, I know you have your eye on Silver for more then just the club." She smirks. She knows she's caught red hoofed. She has taken 'interest' in Silver. "I'm not sure how you found that out, but it's not what you think. Anyway, I have to get out of here and go to work. I will catch ya later Lightning." She flicks her tail and as fast as she came in, she's gone again. "I will never understand that mare." Lightning looks up and puts on a huge smile. "I have a feeling things are going to get interesting. Friday can't come soon enough!" ---------------------------------------------------------- Thank you all for being patient, as I wrote half of this chapter tonight alone. I know I need to work on it faster, and probably will now that I've gotten this far. But in the next chapter, the clubs past will be explained, as well as a romance finally heating up. Things are going to get good! I promise! Until next time everypony.