//------------------------------// // Applejack: Applejack v.s. Soarin // Story: Fighting is Magic: Story Mode (Mane Six Edition) // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// Applejack had no trouble clearing the first three rounds of the tournament. She was serious and determined, and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop her. Not to mention she was no stranger to holding her own, her and her brother use to playful fight all the time when they were younger. Of course, for the sake of good sportsmanship Applejack glanced at the tournament ladder, just to make sure she knew who she was facing off against. She also made sure to check and see how her friends were doing, and to her relief all of them were still in the running. Her opponent was a bit of a surprise for her. "What's he doing fighting against me?" Applejack asked herself. She didn't dwell on the matter for long though as she made her way to the stage. The stage itself seemed similar to the garden outside Canterlot castle. In fact had it not been for the shining sunlight Applejack would've assumed it was The Grand Galloping Gala all over again. "Wait a minute, you're not Rainbow Dash!" her opponent said. He was a sky blue pegaus stallion who was wearing a navy blue flight suit. "Of course I ain't." Applejack said. "Darn it all." the stallion said "I was hoping I'd run into her." "Sorry to disappoint you." Applejack said "So you mind telling me just who you are, and what the hay you're doing here?" "Oh, sorry." the stallion said "Where are my manners? The name's Soarin, co-captain of The Wonderbolts. Say, don't I know you from somewhere?" "What would give you that idea?" Applejack asked. "You look familiar." Soarin said. Just then a memory came back to him. "Ah yes, now I remember. You were the pony who sold me that big apple pie at the gala! That was so good!" "Why thank you." Applejack said "Cooking has always been a strong point of the Apple family." "No kidding." Soarin said "Gah, what am I doing?! I can't be thinking like that, you're my enemy! I can't be talking to you like we're friends! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Applejack was needless to say disturbed by Soarin's behavior. He seemed rather two faced. "Uh... are you alright there sugarcube?" she asked. "I'll be fine!" Soarin said sternly "Now can we please get this fight over with already?!" "Um sure..... I guess." Applejack said, still shocked by the sudden change in Soarin's mood. In the blink of an eye he had gone from being happy go lucky, to cold and perhaps a little crazy. Soarin slipped out of his flight suit and hoofed it to a tournament official, revealing his sky blue coat and a cutie mark depicting a yellow lightning bolt. "Let's go." he said. "Okay then." Applejack said. She was still a bit uneasy around Soarin, but she wasn't going to let that distract her. "Fighters are you ready?" Princess Celestia asked as both fighters took up their positions. Both fighters nodded. "Round 1, Fight!" Princess Celestia said. From the get go Soarin seemed to maintain his two faced nature, frequently switching back and forth between cheerful and friendly, to distant and emotionally detached. This personality switch troubled Applejack greatly. Almost to the point where she was afraid to fight back. "Well if you aren't going to make the first move then I guess I will." Soarin said. Using his wings to propel himself forward he attempted to hit Applejack with an uppercut. Applejack dodged it. "Nice one sugarcube." Applejack said "Now let me show you how it's done." She delivered a swift kick that had Soarin reeling. "Good attack." Soarin said "Wait no, I meant that was weak! Ugh, come on Soarin focus! Don't let yourself get distracted!" "Not this again." Applejack thought to herself. She really didn't want to keep listening to Soarin talking to himself. Especially since it would make winning the fight too easy. Soarin tried to hit Applejack with a mid level punch, but Applejack easily dodged it. She retaliated with an uppercut and then a punch. Soarin recovered before she could start a combo. "You're not going to beat me! I won't let you!" Soarin protested. "Uh no offense sugarcube, but you're taking this a little too seriously." Applejack said. "Don't tell me what to do!" Soarin snapped. "I was just offering some advice." Applejack said. "Well I don't recall asking for it." Soarin said "So keep it to yourself!" "But Soarin I-" Applejack pleaded. "No buts!" Soarin interrupted "Fight me!" "Okay okay sheesh." Applejack said. "I'm gonna break through to ya Soarin, if it's the last thing I do." she thought to herself. Surprisingly Soarin and Applejack turned out to be evenly matched. Soarin had always prided himself on being one of Cloudsdale's best athletes, even prior to joining The Wonderbolts. And thanks to her constant field work Applejack had become just as strong many stallions in Ponyville, including her own brother. So it wasn't a surprise to anyone to see the fighters become bruised and fatigued, It was just a sign of a truly impressive battle, a clash of titans so to speak. "You're pretty good." Soarin said. "Why thank you." Applejack said. "But you will still lose!" Soarin said, charging forward and intending to start a combo. But the set up kick was blocked by Applejack. Catching Soarin off guard. Not one to let an opportunity pass her by Applejack unleashed a combo of her own. She started off with a kick which, surprisingly, actually increased the distance between the two fighters. "Is that all you've got?!" Soarin asked. "Nope." Applejack said, she had a plan. She pulled out her signature lasso and grabbed Soarin. She pulled him close and began hiting him with punches and kicks. And whenever he tried to put distance between them, Applejack would quickly pull hm back. "You'll never get the best of me!" Soarin said, even as he continued to be attacked over and over again, despite his best efforts. "I'm sorry Soarin but I have to do this." Applejack thought to herself. She pulled him as close as she could. She then delivered one final kick. That brought him to his kness. "I think I just did." Applejack said. "You've done the unthinkable." Soarin said weakly, and collapsed. "K.O.!" Princess Celestia said "Applejack wins the first round." "You okay Soarin?" Applejack asked. "I'm fine." Soarin said cheerfully, a second later his mood changed "I mean, you haven't beaten me yet! I'll crush you like a bug!" "Why do you always have to act so tough Soarin?" Applejack asked. "You don't understand!" Soarin said "Being a Wonderbolt is a serious job. It's not as easy Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and the others make it look! It's a stressful job, and if you don't live up to the ponies expectations, your entire reputation can be ruined!" "Well you know something, you remind me a lot of myself." Applejack said. "But that's impossible!" Soarin said "You're just a humble cowpony trying to make an honest living. I'm a high class athlete. We're not the same at all!" "That's not true." Applejack explained "You and I are a lot more alike then you realize. We both have high expectations placed on us by others. We both strive to make a name for ourselves. We both have our pride. And we're both stubborn to a fault." "I'm not stubborn!" Soarin said. "Deny it all you want." Applejack said "I know a lie when I see one. In any case the important thing to remember is that, in the end, you should be able to look yourself in the mirror and be proud of who you are. If you can't do that then you're living a lie, a life that ain't worth living. But it's never too late to change all that." "How do you know this?" Soarin asked. "Part of it comes from my Granny Smith." Applejack explained "But for the most part it's just the sort of policy and style of life I've known for a long time. I was born and raised in a family that always valued living life honestly. And the Apple family motto has always been 'You should never put off til tomorrow what you can do today.' Lies and falsehoods may help you out of some situations. But that's the easy way out, and not the right way out." "I see." Soarin said. "So now do you understand, that what other ponies think of you shouldn't be what you build your life around?" Applejack asked "In the end, what should matter most, is how you view yourself, and how you want to be remembered. So the question now is, who do you want to be known as?" Soarin thought deeply for a while. But he eventually decided he liked being a laid back and easy going pony, more then a cold and distant pony. "Thanks for your help Applejack." Soarin said. "Don't mention it." Applejack said "So let's make round 2 a fresh start for both of us." "I couldn't agree more." Soarin said. As soon as he finished speaking those words Princess Celestia healed the wounds and restored the stamina of both fighters. "I'm ready when you are Soarin." Applejack said. "Let's go." Soarin said. "Fighters are you ready?" Princess Celestia asked as both fighters again took up their positions. Both fighters nodded with glee. "Round 2, Fight!" Princess Celestia said. "Don't think that just because I've changed I'm gonna go easy on you." Soarin said. "I would've been insulted if you had." Applejack said. "Then prepare yourself." Soarin said "Because here I come!" He flew forward and hit Applejack with a flying kick. "Now that's an attack." Applejack said. She then counterattacked with a kick of her own. "You're quite strong." Soarin said. "Well I've got years of applebucking to thank for that." Applejack said. She then attempted to lasso Soarin, but he flew up and avoided it. "I'm not gonna fall for that again." Soarin said. "I should've known." Applejack said. She then braced herself for a counterattack by Soarin. Like with the previous round it didn't take long for both fighters to find out they were evenly matched. As they traded attack after attack, neither one of them gained a clear advantage. Though Applejack appeared to have the upperhoof. Thus it was no surprise to anyone when both fighters started to become fatigued as they built up bruise marks all over their bodies. At one point it seemed like Applejack might actually score a victory, as she managed to catch Soarin off guard and combo him with a few punches, several kicks, and two uppercuts. But when she tried to lasso him into submission, Soarin evaded the attack, putting an end to Applejack's combo. To add insult to injury, he managed to deliver two strong punches to Applejack that very nearly brought her down. But neither opponent seemed willing to admit defeat, and against all odds they pushed themselves to the limits of their endurance. Both hoping to outlast the other. "20 seconds remaining." Princess Celestia called out. "Well it's been an honor fighting against you Soarin." Applejack said. "I assure you the honor was all mine." Soarin said. "But only one of us can win." Applejack said. "So let's find out who it's going to be!" Soarin said. He flew up, preparing to strike Applejack with a flying kick. But this time Applejack was ready for him. When Soarin flew down Applejack waited until the right moment and dodged the kick. She then lassoed him before he had a chance to escape. "Yeehaw!" Applejack shouted and used her lasso to fling Soarin as hard as she could. Poor Soarin was sent flying and only seconds later he crash landed. "K.O.!" Princess Celestia said "The winner of this match is Applejack." "Well, looks like I won." Applejack said "But you did a pretty good job out there." "Thanks." Soarin said "And I suppose I should give you some answers. I joined this tournament at Spitfire's request. I was hoping to run into Rainbow Dash so we could have a chance to talk about some things. But it looks like that will never happen now." "Well if I see Rainbow Dash I'll tell her you said hi." Applejack said. "Thank you." Soarin said "I just hope Spitfire hasn't beaten Rainbow Dash." "Something tells me that's not the case." Applejack said. "Good." Soarin said "And I hope they never face each other. Cause if they do I won't know who to root for." "Just root for whoever you feel like Soarin." Applejack said. As she finished speaking those words Princess Celestia healed both fighters wounds and restored their stamina. "Okay." Soarin said. Just then his stomach rumbled. "Hey do you think maybe you could find the time to whip up another one of your tasty apple pies?" "I'd love to but I can't." Applejack said "But if you swing by after the tournament is over, perhaps I'll have one ready." "Thanks." Soarin said "I love pie!"