After spending most of the day doing light practice and reading up on boxing theory with Twilight Sparkle, the two ponies headed for the gym. They found Matchstick warming up in the ring and the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing near one corner. Rainbow approached them and exchanged greetings with Scootaloo.
“Hi, Rainbow,” Matchstick said, walking up to lean on the corner post. “I see you’ve met my staff.” She winked at the crusaders, who smiled earnestly.
“Your staff?”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Corner Ponies!” the three shouted simultaneously.
“Heh. You guys are still doing all that crusading business?”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom answered with a nod. “We gotta keep crusadin’ until Sweetie Belle finds her cutie-mark.”
“I see. But I thought you would be rooting for me, Scoots.”
Scootaloo pouted and crossed her arms on her chest. “Maybe I would if you hadn’t told mom about the time I fell in a river. She took my roadster away!”
“You’ll get it back when you’ve learned a lesson about safety.” Matchstick wagged a hoof at her. “I don’t want you falling off cliffs anymore.”
“It was just the one time!” Scootaloo wilted under Matchstick’s first-rate angry mom glare and just mumbled under her breath.
“Well... Who’s going to stand in my corner, then?”
“Don’t you fret none, RD. We’re here.” Rainbow turned to see Applejack walking by, followed by Fluttershy and Rarity. “Good afternoon, y’all.”
Fluttershy simply smiled and nodded her salute.
“Good afternoon,” Rarity said, “I see we made it in time. Perfect! Miss Matchstick, I trust you will find these much more fetching.” A pair of beautiful golden shorts levitated out of Rarity’s saddlebag and in front of Matchstick.
“Wait... You actually got me a new pair of trunks?”
“Got? I tailored them for you, darling.”
Matchstick watched her, blinking. “Wha–? There’s no way I can afford those, I–”
Rarity interrupted her with a raised hoof. “Not another word! I wouldn’t have you pay for these. Simply knowing that you won’t be wearing that dreadful old thing is payment enough.”
“Seriously?”
“Of course.” Rarity smiled genuinely while Matchstick simply kept blinking.
“Wow,” she eventually said. “Thanks a lot, Rarity.” Without wasting a second, Matchstick took her ancient pair off and slid into the new one. The fabric’s luster made the golden color shine as if she was actually wearing jewelry, reinforced by a silver outline. The black bands on the sides matched her coat perfectly, making it look like it had been stitched directly on her.
“Now, that looks bitchin’!”
“I don’t know if I would have used that term,” Rarity answered with a cute chuckle, “but I am quite satisfied with how these turned out. Now don’t worry, Rainbow,” she said, turning to her pegasus friend. “I didn’t forget about you.” A second pair of trunks appeared out of her bag and found itself on Rainbow’s behind in ten seconds flat.
Rainbow Dash twisted herself around to get a good look at them. They were a simple black with a white outline at the belt and in an imitation of her cutie mark, a rainbow lightning bolt was running from that white part on each side of her legs.
“Aw yeah, those are pretty awesome. Thanks, Rarity!”
“My pleasure, Rainbow.”
Twilight Sparkle arrived near the ring, wearing her own special gear: a black and white striped shirt.
“Nice costume, Twilight. Are you disguised as a zebra?”
“No, Pinkie, I’m the referee...” She rolled her eyes, then froze. “Wait, how long have you been here?”
Everypony jumped when they realized that the pink party pony had apparently appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, they had managed to miss the bouncing mare...
“Oh, I just arrived a minute ago. I would have come sooner, but I had to prepare a celebration party for the winner. And a cheering up party for the loser, too.”
Applejack watched her with an amused grin. “Huh. And what’ll you do if the match is a draw?”
Pinkie Pie completely impossibly stopped in the air mid-bounce, with her jaw hanging low.
Applejack poked the pink pony, with no reaction. “Darn. Ah think Ah broke her...”
“Ha, don’t worry Pinkie,” Rainbow told her. “I’m going to win, there’s no way we’ll end up with a draw.”
She resumed her bouncing and smiled. “Thank you, Dashie!”
“Girls,” Twilight said after clearing her throat, “I think it’s time to get ready.”
Twilight magicked all of Rainbow’s gear in front of her. She almost took it before she paused. “Helmets? I thought that was only for training.”
“It’s an amateur match,” Matchstick answered while putting her own headgear on. “Only pro fights are done without helmets.”
“Oh. Okay then...”
Rainbow took everything under a wing and went to her corner to wrap her hooves. With Rarity’s help, she got her gloves on and all laced up, then her helmet and mouthpiece. In the opposite corner, Matchstick was waiting for her. Twilight had taken her place in the center of the ring and addressed both fighters. “If you’re ready, we should get started. As soon as... Wait.” She gasped. “We have no timekeeper!”
Pinkie bounced higher than usual. “Ooh, I’ll get one!” She zipped out of the building in a pink blur and came back before anypony had time to say anything, carrying a blue unicorn mare on her back.
“Where am I? What happened?” Minuette looked around her in panic until she saw the pony under her and calmed down. “Oh. Hello, Pinkie. Did you need something?”
“Yep! We need a timekeeper for the match.”
“Timekeeper? Match? What?” She gave a good look at the gym, with the mares in the ring and all the ponies around waiting to see the fight. “Whatever, I’ll do it.” She hopped off Pinkie’s back and took her place by the bell.
“Perfect!” Twilight smiled and beckoned the fighters near her. “Remember the rules: no hitting below the belt, no biting, no hitting with any limb apart from your hooves. If one of you is knocked down, the other must go to a corner while I make the count. The fight will go for five three-minutes rounds, with one minute between each. Now touch gloves.”
Rainbow and Matchstick bumped their hooves.
“Perfect. Let’s get... Pinkie, what are you doing?”
Pinkie Pie was walking around the ring on her hind legs, carrying a large panel saying “Round 1” above her head.
Twilight just shook her head and waited for her to finish before giving the timekeeper a nod.
*Ding!*
Rainbow and Matchstick stood up on their hind hooves and stepped in front of each other. Rainbow tried to get close, but Matchstick threw a few quick jabs to make sure she had to stay at a distance. Red Currant’s advice stayed on her mind: always watch out for her right hoof.
After a minute of both ponies circling each other, Rainbow understood that Matchstick didn’t want her getting close. Dash bobbed under a jab and stepped forward, ready to strike. She threw a short punch in Matchstick’s sides, but only found her elbows as she had already gotten her guard back in place. Rainbow narrowly avoided the counter-attack by stepping back.
Matchstick pursued her, stepping forward as she was backtracking and throwing more jabs. By reflex, Rainbow brought her hooves close to her face to cover her head completely and managed to block a combination that would have hit her straight in the chin otherwise. Dash threw her own jabs while stepping away from Matchstick, preventing her from continuing her assault.
Both mares went back to circling each other in the center of the ring, searching for an opening. Rainbow thought she had found one several times, but Matchstick let each punch slip harmlessly to the side of her head at the last moment. On the pegasus’ last attempt, Matchstick found a hole in Dash’s guard and threw a quick jab directly in her face.
Rainbow was only stunned for a split second, but it was enough. Match hit her with a long right, again in the face, and Rainbow had to cover up with her right hoof, while trying to counter-attack with the left. Matchstick bobbed under it with no difficulty and while she was crouched, hit Rainbow with a strong left hook in one side, then a thunderous right in her stomach.
Rainbow Dash buckled and fell on all fours.
Twilight stepped up, sending Matchstick in the corner while she started counting.
“One... Two... Three...”
*Ding!*
It took Rainbow a moment before she realized why Twilight had stopped the count.... Saved by the bell. She turned around at the voice of Applejack calling her in the corner and sat down on the stool she placed on the ring.
Fluttershy flew in front of her, beating her wings to give her some air, while Rarity took her mouthpiece away with magic and levitated a bottle to her.
“You okay there, RD?” Applejack asked. “She didn’t knock you out, did she?”
“No,” Rainbow answered after swallowing some water. “She just surprised me. I didn’t think anypony could hit that hard...” She rubbed a hoof over her stomach and winced. She was definitely getting a bruise later. In the ring, Pinkie was walking around with the “Round 2” panel.
“You’re a tough one, Rainbow. It’ll take more than that to stop you, right?”
“Right!” Rainbow said, taking on a determined face. “I’m unstoppable.”
*Ding!*
Rainbow bit on the mouthpiece levitating in front of her and went back to the center of the ring, intending to never let Matchstick hit her again.
She almost rushed in front of her opponent, with a simple strategy: use her speed to make sure she wouldn’t get hit and strike only when she had an opportunity. The bigger and heavier Matchstick couldn’t follow Rainbow’s moves around the ring and the two seemed to dance for a while. When Matchstick stepped forward, Rainbow slipped to the side and turned around her opponent, always keeping a comfortable distance between them. Matchstick’s quick jabs only found the air.
The pegasus waited patiently for her chance, getting used to Matchstick’s moves. Her unorthodox stance was a bit unsettling, but it also meant that she focused mostly on her right hoof and Rainbow had only this one to watch. Dash progressively let her come closer, let her jabs get very near her face, but never reaching. After almost two minutes, she finally saw the opening.
Following Red’s instructions, she slipped under the jab and leaned towards Matchstick to hit her in the ribs. She struck where she wanted, but Matchstick didn’t make any sign of feeling that hit and Rainbow had to quickly lean back to avoid a short left coming her way.
Rainbow smirked. Matchstick wasn’t invincible... Dash could keep hitting her while dodging her punches. In front of her speed, the strong mare was defenseless.
Rainbow Dash grew a little bolder. She bobbed and weaved under Matchstick’s punches, throwing her owns in every opening she could find. It almost seemed easy: duck and throw a few body shots, step back to avoid the counter-attack. A golden opportunity presented itself: Matchstick tried to hit her with a straight right but she was too slow. Rainbow slipped outside and stuck her eyes on her target. With a strong overhoof left, she struck Matchstick right on her face...
And nothing happened. Matchstick may have not even registered the punch. Rainbow had hit her hard, she knew it... And yet, her opponent simply took it without even a groan.
Rainbow’s surprise slowed her down for a moment that Matchstick didn’t let go to waste. Rainbow was hit by a light jab and a left hook to the head before she had time to pull back. Matchstick pressed her advantage, forcing Rainbow to backtrack until she felt the ropes behind her. Without any more room to escape, the pegasus could only cover herself with her gloves while Matchstick bombed her with body shots.
Rainbow quickly realized that if she stayed here, she would go down soon. She threw herself on Matchstick in what Pinkie would have considered a weird hug, but it allowed Rainbow to turn around, away from the ropes before Matchstick powered out by pushing the pegasus away with both hooves. Rainbow had room to move back again, but not before taking an extra jab to the head...
*Ding!*
Both mares walked back to their corners.
Applejack moved close to her while Fluttershy and Rarity were giving her air and sponging her off. “That was a good round, Rainbow. You got some nice punches in there.”
“Yeah, but it’s like I’m hitting a brick wall. I don’t think she even felt them...”
“Don’t worry about that, just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Don’t let her hit you, okay?”
Rainbow nodded. She would be fine as long as she wouldn’t let Matchstick strike with those huge blows...
That got her to thinking. Matchstick did hit her in that round... A lot of times, actually but she didn’t really hurt Rainbow the way she did in the first round. Could she be tired already? After five minutes?
Pinkie circled in the ring with the “Round 3” sign.
*Ding!*
Rainbow continued with the same tactic, being quick on her hooves and taking opportunistic shots, but as she expected, her punches barely seemed to faze Matchstick... The strange thing was that every time that she was struck back, Rainbow wasn’t really fazed either. The pegasus frowned as she formed her own theory and in a way that would make Twilight proud, decided to test it out immediately.
Rainbow opened her guard on purpose, offering a perfect target to Matchstick. The experienced fighter didn’t waste time and hit Rainbow in the chest.
She barely felt it. Giving Matchstick another opportunity, she was struck again, this time on the head.
“You’re getting sloppy, Rainbow,” Matchstick told her through her mouthpiece. “Tired yet?”
“No, I was just testing something.”
Rainbow stepped forward to strike Matchstick, not even bothering to cover herself properly. The two mares hit each other at the same time, doing no real damage on either side. She was certain now...
“You’re holding back!” Rainbow growled at her. “You’re not even trying to beat me...”
Matchstick raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Maybe you’re better than you think...”
Rainbow huffed and rushed forward, sending a flurry of hits. She didn’t even care for her guard at all and got hit a few times. There were no doubts... Matchstick wasn’t taking Rainbow seriously. She didn’t see her as a threat and was just having a little fun.
Dash gritted her teeth... or tried to through her mouthguard. “What are you doing? Take this seriously!”
Matchstick only gave her a curious look, but made no move to attack, only making Rainbow even more upset.
She exploded. Jumping forward, Dash unleashed a hurricane of punches in Matchstick. Mustering all of her speed and stamina, she pressured her relentlessly. She threw punches everywhere she saw an opening and Matchstick defended, blocking most of them and giving only weak counter-punches in return.
Rainbow put all of her strength in her hits. She smirked when a right hook in the ribs got a groan out of Matchstick. The earth pony finally tried to fight back, but Rainbow dodged and sneaked a quick combination right in her face. Matchstick tried to step back, but Rainbow followed, bobbing under the punches and striking her in the gut. When she straightened back up, Dash threw a vicious uppercut that missed only by a hair.
Matchstick’s eyes widened. Rainbow didn’t wait and threw the hardest left she could, straight in her face.
She fell on her back.
Rainbow needed a second to believe it, then grinned. “Ha! Take that!”
“In the corner, Rainbow!” Twilight pushed her away and turned to Matchstick.
The earth pony rolled over on her belly and stood up at a count of five. She gave Rainbow a harsh glare.
“I thought you were better than that, Matchstick.” Rainbow smiled cockily.
“Hold your horses, flyer. You just made me lose my balance.”
“Pah! Maybe I was wrong. You’re not holding back. You just can’t keep up with me, old mare!”
“What did you call me?”
Rainbow simply held her ground under Matchstick’s icy gaze.
“Fine. You want a fight? You’ll get one. But remember you’ve asked for it.” She got back into her stance, glaring daggers at Rainbow. “Make sure you remember that when you wake up.”
Matchstick rushed forward and threw jabs quicker than ever. Rainbow barely had time to see them coming. She covered her face with her gloves to block.
Her hooves did stop the hits... Only to hit her own face as she was unable to handle the power.
*Ding!*
Matchstick kept her eyes on Rainbow even as she walked away to her corner. Those green irises gleamed with barely restrained fury by then.
Rainbow walked back to her own corner with a smirk. Now, things would be interesting.
“Did you really have to rile her up like that, Rainbow?” Applejack asked from her side.
“What? I don’t want her to let me win out of pity. I’m better than that. I’m going to beat her at her best. Just watch.”
Applejack simply looked away in silence while Fluttershy and Rarity gave her worried looks. Rainbow frowned and ignored them, staring at Matchstick across the ring. She seemed to be in the same state, ignoring whatever the crusaders were telling her and glaring at Rainbow.
They barely noticed Pinkie showing the “Round 4” sign around.
*Ding!*
Rainbow decided that she shouldn’t waste time and go for the offensive. She stayed close, ready to exploit any opening. Each time Matchstick threw a punch, she slipped and struck back as she had done until now, taking advantage of her speed.
Rainbow saw a straight right coming her way and slipped outside, ready to strike Matchstick’s ribs again, only to find an elbow in the way... The punch she tried to dodge had never come at all and Rainbow fell for the feint. After blocking Rainbow’s attempt to hit her, Matchstick threw a huge right hook in her unguarded face.
Rainbow Dash staggered backwards, rattled by the impact. Matchstick had no intention of letting her recuperate and Rainbow found herself fleeing all around the ring, only staying alive thanks to her superior hoofwork. The short respite forced her to reconsider her strategy... If Matchstick was able to feint her like that, her counter-attacking tactics would be seriously hampered. That left one solution: straight-up offensive.
Rainbow no longer stayed out of range. She ducked and slipped between jabs to find an opening. Matchstick moved one of her hooves a little too far and Rainbow had a chance to hit her in the face with a left. She put all of her weight behind it, earning a grunt from Matchstick.
She also earned a huge swinging punch in her ribs that made her wince and stagger back.
Another opening as Matchstick spread her hooves a little too much. Rainbow struck her in the chest and received a hoof in her face in response.
Every time Rainbow had a chance to hit Matchstick, she took it, but invariably paid the price by getting a terrible punch back.
It didn’t take Dash very long to understand Matchstick’s tactic. She was simply trading punches with Rainbow. One for one. The difference being that Dash’s hit merely inconvenienced the seasoned fighter while Matchstick’s blows were shaking the pegasus like one of the Apple’s trees on harvest season...
Rainbow hesitated, she clearly wasn’t going to win a war of attrition and needed some time to think up of a new strategy. Unfortunately, her brief pause was like an invitation to Matchstick. She charged and threw a series of left jabs that Rainbow barely avoided. She tried to slip outside again, only to be met with a huge right.
The pegasus fled again, wondering what had failed as she dodged more left jabs.
Left jabs?
Her eyes widened as she realized that Matchstick had switched her stance at some point, throwing all of Rainbow’s defense off. She almost panicked, unable to decide on which side she should slip out, which hoof she needed to be watching for... Soon, it no longer mattered as Matchstick punched her hard in the liver, almost making Rainbow faint from the pain. She still managed to remain conscious, but her hooves went down and Matchstick used her face like a punching bag. A quick left stunned her to make room for a straight right, followed by a huge left hook.
Rainbow saw stars and fell.
She expected to land on the mat, but was caught in Matchstick’s arms. The earth pony held her up and whispered in her ear.
“Don’t go down yet, Rainbow. I’m not done with you.”
Rainbow felt a chill running down her spine. She had to get away. If only her legs would stop wobbling and carry her instead...
To her surprise, Matchstick didn’t attack but simply held her up until Twilight came to separate them. Rainbow Dash staggered back, struggling to stay on her hind legs. All she could see was Twilight’s face, giving her a critical gaze.
*Ding!*
The pegasus basically let herself fall on the stool in her corner. She had never been so thankful for a seat before...
Even as Rarity and Fluttershy fussed to help Rainbow catch her breath back, Twilight walked closer and observed her.
“I think you’re done, Rainbow,” she said bluntly. “I’m ending this.”
“What? No!” She almost jumped out of her seat, only held back by Applejack. “I can do this. Don’t stop the fight, Twilight!”
“Rainbow, you can’t–”
“Don’t stop the fight!”
Twilight hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a look with Applejack and the others. She seemed almost sad, but eventually sighed and nodded before going back to the center of the ring.
“I can do this,” Rainbow repeated. Nopony said anything, simply focusing on their tasks until the next round.
Rarity gave her the mouthpiece back as Pinkie announced the fifth round.
*Ding!*
The minute of rest had allowed Rainbow to get back into the fight. Now that she knew what exactly Matchstick could do, she opted to remain careful. At this point, any mistake would certainly be the last for her.
Unfortunately for Rainbow, she hadn’t seen all the tricks yet. Matchstick lured her by dropping her guard for an instant. The pegasus threw a left jab to the face, only to find it intercepted by Matchstick’s own left hoof hitting her a little above the elbow.
Her guard completely thrown away, she was too late to stop the right coming straight for her. Rainbow’s head shot back under the impact and she staggered one step back. Matchstick threw a strong right in her gut and by reflex, she lowered her hooves to cover her midsection... which left her face open for a quick jab followed by a straight left. She raised her hooves back up again, but left a space open in the center. She only had time to see the right uppercut coming.
She saw the ceiling above her.
“... eight... nine...” Twilight’s voice...
“Ten! Matchstick wins by knockout.”
What?
Twilight’s face appeared above her. “Rainbow? Can you hear me?” She waved a hoof over her eyes.
“Uh... Yeah...” Rainbow sat back up, spitting her mouthpiece away and stroking her chin with a gloved hoof. “Urgh... Twilight, why did you start counting at eight?”
The alicorn stared at her, blinking for a few seconds. “I didn’t,” she finally said. “You were out for the first seven seconds.”
“... Dang.”
“Oh my... Rainbow? Are you hurt?” Fluttershy landed softly in front of her, looking even more worried than usual.
“I think I’m ok... Did I really lose?”
“‘fraid so, RD.” Applejack walked next to her. “You went down like a felled tree.”
She lost... Rainbow frowned as the news sunk in.
“Hey, don’t look down,” Applejack said. “That was one heck of a fight. Ah didn’t think you’d last this long.”
“Rainbow!” Scootaloo had suddenly appeared in front of her. “You okay?” She didn’t even leave her time to answer before turning to Matchstick. “Mom! You said you’d go easy on her!”
“Well, I tried to,” Matchstick protested. “But she wouldn’t let me!”
Rainbow’s frown turned even more bitter. She tried to remove her helmet, only to fumble helplessly with it because of her gloves.
“Let me get this for you, darling.” Rarity quickly undid the straps and took the headgear away from Rainbow. “You gave a brilliant effort tonight, Rainbow.”
She didn’t listen. She didn’t care. She simply struggled with her gloves, getting more and more frustrated as the tight lacing refused to go. With an annoyed groan, she tried to rip them with her teeth, to no avail.
“Rainbow, calm down,” Twilight said, putting hoof on her shoulder.
She pushed it away and went back to struggling with her gloves until it became clear that she had no chance of winning that fight either. “Darn it! Get these things off already!”
Rainbow stuck her hooves in front of Twilight. A brief flash of magic later, the laces were untied. She bit on the gloves and yanked them away one by one, throwing them on the floor.
“Rainbow...” Even Fluttershy’s quiet voice couldn’t calm her down. As soon as she was free from her gloves, Rainbow jumped in the air and flew away from the gym, leaving her friends behind.
Rainbow was sulking.
She knew she was acting like a foal, but she didn’t care. She sat on her couch, only to stand back up and pace around a minute later. She walked to her room and flopped on her bed. She remained there for a solid ten seconds before jumping back up and heading to her kitchen. One glass of water later, she was back on the couch. And then pacing again...
Rainbow hated losing so much... She was mad at everything: at Matchstick, at her friends and at herself.
Crawling around on the cloud floor, the poor Tank had a hard time following his mistress.
Rainbow gave the placid tortoise a look... She wasn’t mad at him at least, he had nothing to do with this whole fiasco... That still didn’t help much her disposition.
She sat down for the umpteenth time. There was still something bugging her and she realized that she had never taken the time to remove her shorts. With a grunt, she slipped them off her thighs and threw them on the ground.
Five seconds later, she fluttered near and picked them up. She knew that Rarity had most likely spent a lot of time on these and she had to respect that... Rainbow placed them neatly on her bed, to be washed later.
Every time she watched the pair of colorful trunks, she couldn’t help but think of her defeat. And of what her friends had said...
“Ah didn’t think you’d last this long.”
“I think you’re done, Rainbow”
“You said you’d go easy on her!”
Rainbow kicked a wall in frustration, dislodging a tuft of cloud with a “pomf”. She turned around and caught it before it went far and put it back in place. She finally sighed in frustration. What was she supposed to do?
Tank gave her his usual tender smile and the corner of her lips tugged up, just a little bit. She grabbed him with her front hooves and went to sit on her bed, holding the pet in front of her face. He took the opportunity to lick her muzzle affectionately.
“Thanks, Tank,” she said quietly. Her eyes locked on the Wonderbolts poster on the opposite wall.
Her lifelong dream...
“You believe in me, don’t you, Tank?” He didn’t answer, of course, but smiled at her.
Rainbow’s gaze fell again on the poster.
“Rainbow Dash!”
Her eyes widening in surprise, she looked back at Tank. He simply stared, as if telling her “it wasn’t me.”
“Rainbow Dash!” The voice came from outside her house. “I know you’re in there.” She frowned as she recognized Matchstick calling her. “Come out or I’ll get somepony to fly me up there so I can drag you out!”
With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow dropped Tank on the floor and walked to a window. She spotted the mare on the ground below.
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk.”
“I don’t. Leave me alone!”
Matchstick furrowed her brow and stayed silent for a second. “Fine, then. I kicked your sorry butt, so you owe me a drink.”
“What? Says who?”
“Says me! And I’m collecting right now, so come down here.”
Rainbow Dash considered flying away or even simply ignoring Matchstick, but she probably would keep bothering her anyway. With a groan, she walked out and floated down to the ground.
Matchstick simply beckoned her with a nod and walked in the direction of the town center.
A short time later, Rainbow and Matchstick were sitting on each side of a bar table, a mug of cider and a glass of whiskey between them. Matchstick raised her glass, waiting for Rainbow to follow her. With a half hearted shrug, she clinked her mug against the glass and took a few swallows of the cider. It was nowhere near as good as Apple family cider, but at least it was hard cider.
“All your friends were worried about you,” Matchstick finally said. “I told them I’d talk with you... I think Pinkie Pie is planning a party to cheer you up.”
Rainbow didn’t answer, observing the froth in her mug floating on the tiny waves of the cider sea.
“What’s this about, Rainbow? You can’t handle being beaten?”
She gave Matchstick a sour look. “I hate losing...”
“That’s it? Why do you even care about a boxing match? You’re not a boxer, Dash. I don’t think you’ll ever be one...”
Rainbow frowned, raising an eyebrow while staring at Matchstick.
“You’re too nice,” she finally said. The tough mare took a sip of her whiskey before continuing. “Answer this: did you want to hurt me?”
“... No...”
“I could tell. That’s why you’ll never be a true fighter.” She put her glass down and sighed. “It’s boxing, Dash. Sure, there are rules, theory, technique and fancy names for everything... But in the end it’s all about two ponies beating each other up until one of them can’t stand anymore. If you can’t hurt somepony for no other reason than because he’s in the ring with you... You can’t make it.
“Sure, you can move fast and with some proper training you would be pretty good, Rainbow. You could even win some matches if you’d get really good technique. But eventually you would face a pony who just fights like a machine. The kind who can just keep hitting you for two hours without breaking a sweat. There’s only one way to stop those: they have to go down before you do and they won’t go down just because you ask nicely.
“I don’t think you have it in you,” she said softly.
Maybe she didn’t... Rainbow took another sip while she mulled her thoughts.
“Did you want to hurt me?” Rainbow finally asked.
Matchstick shrugged. “You were there. What do you think?”
“... I think you did.”
She nodded in confirmation.
“Why?”
“It’s nothing personal, Dash. That’s just who I am. That’s how I fight...” She emptied her glass and signaled the bartender for a new one.
“That’s not much of an explanation,” Rainbow muttered.
Matchstick sighed. “Well... I haven’t had an easy life. It left me kinda pissed off.”
“You mean the gang thing?”
Matchstick watched Rainbow with surprise. “How do you know about–” She frowned. “Red... How much did he tell you?”
“Not much about you actually, he told me his own story, mostly.”
Matchstick chuckled. “Yeah. He likes the sound of his own voice... So you know the basics, we grew up in the slums. Things are messed up over there, law of the jungle and all that... I learned to fight half because I needed to. Where the guard doesn’t go, a pony must be able to protect himself. That goes double for mares.
“The other half was because I liked it. I used to pick fights with anypony who so much as looked me wrong, back in the days. I gave a lot of beatings, took a lot too... It was just a way to vent, because everything in life seemed unfair to me. My family was dirt-poor... Still is, actually. And I always heard about rich ponies who threw away money like it was burning their hooves. That and a ton of other things made me mad. I was always pissed off and I needed somepony to blame and then beat up until everything could be better.”
Matchstick let out a sad chuckle. “I used to fantasize about going to Canterlot to beat princess Celestia. Punch her face until she swallowed her teeth... I thought it was her job to make everypony happy and... Bah.” She sighed. “It took me a while to understand that beating up ponies wasn’t going to help. It wasn’t anypony’s fault really... Sometimes life just sucks for no reason, you know?”
Rainbow hummed noncommittally while the bartender appeared with a new whiskey for Matchstick. She took another sip before continuing her story.
“I didn’t make peace with the universe all of a sudden, of course. Even today I’m still bitter about a lot of things, but boxing has given me a way out. I used to hope I could become a pro, maybe even a champion. For once, beating up ponies could actually accomplish something and if I didn’t win, then it would be back to the slums. That’s why I get mean in the ring: it’s like the pony in front of me is the one who’s responsible for everything that ever went wrong in my life. So, yeah... I want to hurt it. Bad.”
Her eyes went softer for a moment. “I hope I didn’t go too hard on you. I still don’t get why you wanted me to beat you up...”
“That’s not what I wanted,” Rainbow answered sourly. “I didn’t think you’d go all psycho because I called you old...”
“Hey! I’m twenty-seven. In what universe is that old?”
“Sorry, sheesh... I just wanted you to fight seriously, that’s all.”
“I know. And I did... But why? I was going to take it easy, win by decision... Or even let you win. It was just a friendly match, nopony cares about the result. I certainly don’t.”
“Well I do!” Rainbow said harshly. She grabbed her mug and downed it in one go, before waving it around for the bartender to see.
“But why? Why did you have to win at something you’ve never even done before? I don’t get it...”
Rainbow slumped on her seat. “Because nopony thought I could,” she said quietly.
Matchstick tilted her head to the side. “What?”
“Nopony thought I had a chance against you. My friends, even Scootaloo... They expected me to lose. They didn’t believe in me.”
“I... That’s...” Matchstick kept shut as the bartender came back with a new mug for Rainbow.
“They didn’t believe I could do it... And they were right.”
“I...” Matchstick looked down at her drink. “I don’t know if I really understand...”
“It’s just...” Rainbow propped her head on her hooves. “I’m always telling everypony how good an athlete I am. Because I am good and I know it. And... Well, usually, everypony believes me. They rely on me. They trust me...
“But then, when somepony doesn’t... I can’t just let them be right. I have to prove what I can do, you understand? Because if they’re right... If I’m wrong...”
Rainbow Dash looked down, absorbed by her cider. “It’s hard to explain. Becoming a Wonderbolt isn’t easy. I think I can do it, but if I’m wrong...”
She felt a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, everypony in Ponyville knows you’re the best flyer, flyer.” Matchstick gave her a wink. “You don’t want to prove them wrong, right?”
Rainbow let out a small chuckle. “No... I suppose not.”
“I wish I knew what to say... I guess all I can tell you is to always do your best. At least if you fail, you’ll know that it just wasn’t meant to be. That’s how I see things anyway.” Matchstick rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m not good with motivational speeches... Believe in yourself, kid, bla bla bla...”
“Heh. Yeah, that’s not a speech for the ages.”
“Whatever. Let’s just drink, then.” She raised her glass again, followed by Rainbow and the two mares chugged their drinks down.
Matchstick looked at the empty glass on the table. “Maybe I’m not a good example anyway. I never realized my own dream... Probably never will, either.” She pouted sadly.
“Becoming a pro?”
“Yeah. And a champion, too. I want to have a big title belt around my sexy milf hips!” Her eyes widened at her own words. “The fuck am I saying? Looks like the booze is getting to me...” She smirked at Rainbow. “You know what that means?”
“I think I do,” she answered with a grin.
“Another!” The two gestured at the bartender for the next round and chuckled together.
“But seriously, I often wonder what my life would have been. If it weren’t for Scoots... I’m a horrible mother,” she said, pouting and pushing her glass distractedly. “I can’t help but think of how things would have turned out without her.”
Rainbow had to admit that this was a slightly disturbing train of thought... “Do you think it would have been better?” she asked.
“Better?” The bartender gave Matchstick the opportunity to think of her answer. “Hmm... I don’t know. I would have gotten pro, that’s for sure. I don’t know if I would have won, though. Maybe I could be a champion by now, or maybe I would have gotten flattened by everypony, it’s hard to tell... But there would be no Scoots... And that? That would suck.”
“You like her that much, huh?”
“Are you kidding? From the day she was born.” Matchstick smiled fondly. “When I saw that little filly standing up and trying to walk to me... Well, if you have foals some day, you’ll understand.”
Rainbow smiled too. “I think you’re a pretty good mother, you know.”
“You do?”
The pegasus simply nodded.
“Heh. Thanks, flyer. And you know what? I’m sure you’ll be a Wonderbolt some day. It’s not just the booze talking, either. You’ll be the damn best Wonderbolt ever. Scoots says so and I believe her!”
Rainbow chuckled, soon joined by Matchstick.
“And they’ll make you captain. And build a statue of you in Cloudsdale!”
“Damn right, they will!” Rainbow shot back.
That last part might be a bit too much... Then again, it was Rainbow Dash’s dream and realistic dreams were for boring ponies.
No, Rainbow Dash was meant to aim higher than anypony before or after her... and then make it true. She grinned to herself as she already pictured the cloud statue in the center of the sky city.
In front of her, Matchstick smiled back. “And when they do, you know what?”
She raised her glass again.
“I’ll buy you a drink.”