//------------------------------// // Speed and Strategy // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// “Well, that air-head will have this wrapped up quick,” Sunset snickered, making sure she was just loud enough for Twilight to hear. “Ignore her, Twi,” Applejack snorted. Twilight kept her eyes forward, even though a part of her wanted to twist back and see exactly what Rainbow Dash was doing. “She has a point though. I can only guess by Dash’s running speed, but no matter where we set up the flag, Dash can get there within the first minute, leaving us trapped, and even if we could move, she’d likely be able to pin us down.” Applejack wrinkled her nose at Twilight. “You saying she can outpace me?” “Speed isn’t the only thing we have to worry about.” Dash’s scar flashed in Twilight’s mind. “We’re dealing with an opponent that may be able to strike faster than anypony can move. That’s not getting into whatever Lyra might throw at us.” “Come on, Twi. It sounds like you’ve already thrown in the towel. You’re telling me with all that magic, you aren’t the least bit confident we can take on Dash and Lyra?” “It… it’s not that.” Furrowing her brow and taking a breath, Twilight looked at Applejack. “I’m just trying to think of the best way to handle this situation. We need a strategy. Some way to keep the flag away from them without getting fried by Dash. Argh, I wish I’d studied Lyra’s moves a little more too.” Applejack came to a halt. “Twilight, say that again.” Twilight stopped and blinked at Applejack. “I wish I’d studied Lyra’s moves a little more?” “No, not that, earlier. About a strategy. You said we just have to keep the flag away from Dash and Lyra, right?” “Yeah, but I’m not sure how we can, given Dash’s skillset and Lyra as a wild card.” “Well.” Lifting the brim of her hat, Applejack displayed a sly grin. “We’re villains right now, and if I were a villain, I’d be thinking of the most cowardly, sneakiest, double-crossing move I could.” Twilight’s eyes lit up, a similar grin spread across her face. “I think I catch your drift, partner. Let’s get headed to where Pinkie and Tree Hugger set up their base.” “You think there might still be some traps laying around?” Applejack asked while she and Twilight changed direction. “That’d be a bonus, but even if there aren’t any left, the building is still perfectly set up. I just hope we have enough time to get things ready.” ~~~ “Pathetic,” Sunset jeered, watching Twilight and Applejack make their way towards the same building Pinkie and Tree Hugger had started in. “Do they really think an experienced flyer like that air-head will fail where the crybaby succeeded?” “I don’t know,” Pinkie replied. Sunset did not jump back this time, but she did glare fiercely at Pinkie. Pinkie kept up her chipper look despite Sunset’s open animosity. Her upbeat attitude also clashed with the bumps and bandages lining her body, which were visible since she had discarded her flying gear in lieu of a multi-hued vest of compartments and a carnival-style mask. “I’d think it’d be pretty silly too, but Twilight’s a smart cookie and Applejack’s a fast cookie. So, together they’re a super-fast smart cookie.” Pinkie reached into one of her vest’s compartments and pulled out a cookie bigger than her hoof. With a chomp, she devoured half of it, revealing its gooey chocolate center. “Mmm, cookies.” “I’m surrounded by idiots.” ~~~ “This is gonna be a breeze.” Dash punctuated her sentence with a few cracks of her neck and wing joints. “We might wanna take it slow,” said Lyra. Aside from Pinkie and Bulk, her costume was the only one to include a piece that covered up her legs and waist. The piece in question were some snippets of denim fashioned into baggy pants. Like Pinkie, she wore a vest, though hers was brown and more traditional, with just a few pockets. Under that, she had donned an orange polo shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A pink bow holding her mane in place completed the costume. Without a mask and her mane pulled back, her furrowed brow was fully visible. “Applejack might try and take you on head-to-head, but I get the feeling Twilight is gonna cook something up.” “Heh, like I’d give her the time.” Dash assumed a race start position right at the edge of the green square. “Whatever she or Applejack can throw at me, I can take it.” “Dash!” Lyra stomped a hoof. “That’s not how this exercise is supposed to work. We need to work to—” “My little ponies!” Celestia’s voice rang. “Begin!” A spell zapped Lyra and Dash in the head. Ahead of them, a building lit up like a flame. Images of Twilight and Applejack standing amidst rubble in a darkened basement filtered into their minds. “Ha!” Dash crouched. “Is this a joke? They’re in the same spot? Bring it on!” “Dash!” Lyra cried. “Wa—” Lyra’s plea was swallowed up in a blast of dust and wind. The air rippled and windows rattled in Dash’s wake. She was a splotch of blue that left a streak of rainbow. All Lyra could do in the face of such speed was go into a full gallop. Even a pane of glass did nothing to slow Dash down. She crashed through it and skidded into the building. Applejack was just coming up the stairs when Dash burst into the lobby. Bolting onto the ground floor, a purple barrier formed behind Applejack, sealing off the basement. “Come on, Applejack.” Dash grinned with fire in her eyes. “I wanted to have some fun with this, but you and Twilight are just making the same mistake Pinkie and Tree Hugger made.” “And what’s that?” Applejack shot back. “You underestimated how nimble pegasi can be, even in tight spaces.” Dash burst forward and lashed out at Applejack. In return, Applejack shot up a leg and blocked. “Did you think if Fluttershy could handle seizing the flag in the basement, I couldn’t?” Dash struck with her hook, but Applejack jumped back. Whipping out her lasso, she flung it at Dash, but Dash zipped out of the way. She buzzed around the room, weaving around Applejack’s rope. In a burst of speed, she slammed into Applejack. They crashed through another window and tumbled outside. Their legs turned into blurs of blue and orange as they traded blow after blinding blow. One of Dash’s goggles cracked. Part of Applejack’s mask was torn off. A hoof nicked Dash’s left cheek. A blow split Applejack’s lip. The attack made Applejack’s eyes flare up. She twisted, scrunched up, and slammed her hind legs into Dash. At the last second, Dash flapped her wings, flying backwards, but Applejack’s twin kicks still connected, rocketing her into the air. Applejack flipped back onto her hooves and rushed inside while Dash recovered. “Hurry it up, Twi!” Twilight’s reply came out muffled through the barrier on the basement. “I’m going!” “No!” Dash cried out as she raced back down. “I am! Your flag is mine!” She rushed at Applejack, but just before either of them could exchange blows, Dash swerved right, drew back her right front leg, and struck at Twilight’s barrier with all her might. Instead of striking concentrated magic though, Dash’s hoof cleaved through empty air. Momentum catapulted her down and she slammed into the stairs. Hooves then smacked against her back. Twilight pushed all her weight down against Dash and sprung up into the lobby with the flag floating at her side. She raced over to Applejack and handed the flag off to her. Applejack took it with her mouth and hastily holstered it to her waist. “You’re good,” said Twilight. “Now go!” “Don’t need to tell me twi—” “You’re not going anywhere!” Dash roared. She rose back into the air, hawkish eyes homed in on Applejack. “It hasn’t been a minute yet, so the only way that flag is leaving is with me!” “About that…” Applejack took off in a burst of dust and glass shards. Dash growled and gave chase. A gleaming barrier intercepted her immediately. A purple glow filled up around her, sealing all the exits. Twilight snorted, horn aglow. “You’re the one that’s not going anywhere.” The animosity vanished from Dash’s face and was replaced with a chilling grin. Her chuckle made Twilight’s fur bristle. “Alright, this is fine too. Show me what you’ve got, Twilight!” “Gladly.” Both raked their hooves against the ground, snorted, and then charged. ~~~ Applejack kept running, never daring to look back. This proved positive when she caught sight of the street ahead of her glistening. She swerved right, but found a similar glow encasing the ground. Digging her hooves into the street and sending up a spray of dust and bits of asphalt, she stopped just short of touching the enchantments. “Aw, darn, Applejack,” came a voice from above. With a spin, Applejack glanced up and was met with Lyra perched atop a lamp post. “Catching you in that would have made this a whole lot easier.” She grabbed the lamp post and swung around it. With two swirls, she launched herself towards Applejack with a leg extended. The attack came far faster than Applejack anticipated, but she managed to jolt back just before Lyra smashed into the ground. The asphalt shuddered, cracked, and caved in under the force of the blow. When Lyra got up, she gave her leg a shake. Instead of a hoof at the end of her leg, there was some sort of appendage that resembled claws, but its five digits were blocky instead of sharp. Applejack did not stare too long at the limb, knowing Lyra’s next move was imminent. She grabbed her rope and faced Lyra head on. It was only for a moment, but she could have sworn she saw Lyra’s eyes shift around before they squared off. Lyra lit up her horn. A green glow washed over the nearby streets, sealing her and Applejack into a ring. She jabbed out her transformed limb, using the second to left-most digit to point at Applejack while she contorted her spine to strike an angular pose. “Your reign of terror ends here, villain!” “See you got the speech down.” Applejack adjusted her hat. “Now, let’s see if you’ve got the buck to back it up, hero!” ~~~ Pinkie scarfed down a hoof full of popcorn drizzled with chocolate and hot sauce. With a grin, she offered the bag over to Fluttershy. Fluttershy shook her head, offered a squeamish smile, and gently pushed the bag away. Pinkie shrugged. “Your loss, this is getting good!” “Yez,” Photo purred. “Ze passion! Ze talent! It iz magnificent!” On one screen, Applejack dodged strike after strike. Both of Lyra’s front legs were now morphed to have five digits instead of hooves. The appendages were capable of punching like a hoof, but they could also grab with far greater dexterity, as Applejack learned when one of them clasped her mane and pulled her in for Lyra to headbutt her. The blow made her stagger back, eyes momentarily squeezed shut from the pain. Lyra sprung forward, flattened her left forelimb, and landed a chop onto Applejack’s left shoulder. The blow made her holler, but she gritted her teeth and pivoted into the blow. Using Lyra’s force against her while feeling bone grind against bone in her shoulder, she lifted her hind legs off the ground and smacked Lyra in the head. Applejack collapsed to the ground with her shoulder aflame while Lyra was sent tumbling across the street. Neither moved for a moment before grunting and getting back onto their hooves. The other screen showed Twilight surrounded by a blur of blue and rainbow. Every couple of seconds, a new dent would appear in her armor, or another one of her barriers would shatter. Bruises were visible on her exposed skin, and a bit of blood dibbled from her nose. “Twilight,” Fluttershy sniffled. Sunset glared at the screen, watching Twilight take blow after blow. “Tch, it’s over no matter what she does.”