//------------------------------// // Fight Night in Las Pegasus: Round 4 // Story: Rainbow 8 // by Koiyuki //------------------------------// 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!"