The sound of cowboy boots echoed through the sky blue halls of Crystal Palace, the Las Pegasus hotel modeled after the genuine article in the Crystal Empire. Applejack, clad in her well worn jeans, plaid orange button up and leather jacket, turned to her sister and asked, "So what made you wanna come along, after all the fuss you raised about me puttin' myself in harms way?" Apple Bloom, in her denim overalls, returned her sister's glance.
"I may not agree with what you're doin', but you're still family, and family is always there for family. I know you wanna do the Apple clan proud, or else you wouldn't have put in all the work you have these past few months" Applejack smiled and nodded, holding back a tear as she adjusted her 10 gallon hat.
"Your friends have been trainin' with Twi, right? Learned anything about 'er I should know?"
"Well ever since that fight with Rare, they've been talkin' about how strong she's got. Why, I heard she even knocked someone clean out one time! Had trouble walking out of the ring, from what they told me"
"Clean out, huh? Guess I gotta respect her space more than I was fixin' to. Whatever happens, though, I know Sweet Apple Acres has gained a heap of eyeballs and a heap of new business from all the jibber jabber the media's been doin'. Probably might get more after this fight, too, even in the unlikely event I don't come out on top" Applejack bellowed out a laugh as they got closer to Rarity's room, where Spike and her friends were waiting to meet her for the weekend. As Applejack knocked on the door, her sister said, "Does that mean you're gonna win? Does that mean you won't end up knocked clean out? Does that mean you'll be OK after the fight is over?" Applejack kneeled down looked dead at her.
"If fights were that easy to determine, them bettin' folks would be a lot richer than most are. Now be good, alright? I gotta get ready for the 'Presser,' I think Rare calls it" She then left Applebloom with her friends, the door revealing a spacious room colored in calmer blues, with a big screen flat-screen on one side and marble columns framing Queen sized beds on the other. Spike, clad in his purple tee and faded green jeans, offered her an ice cream sandwich from the minibar.
"Thank you, Spike, but ain't those pricy here?"
"Princess Luna said she'd take of everything while we're here, so don't worry about that too much. I know you're probably sorting through a lot of emotions, knowing what your sister's about to do" Applebloom nodded, sitting on the bed with her friends and unwrapping the cookies and cream treat from its container. With a hand on her friend's shoulder, a jeans and orange tee clad Scootaloo said, "Your sister can handle herself, not to mention all the medical staff they have on hand, in case stuff goes sour. Besides, don't you think she'd want you to be happy? She brought you to one of most awesome cities in Equestria to have all the fun you can handle, with someone else footing the bill for the whole thing!"
"Under my and Big MacIntosh's supervision, of course." Said Spike
"Rrrrright, what he said. But anyways, you shouldn't be wasting all your time here moping about. Right, Sweetie Belle?" Sweetie Belle plopped in beside Applebloom on the bed, adjusting her white sundress.
"Totally, Scoots. If it means anything, I'll be cheering for your sister, too, the whole time! Scoots and Spike may not be, but I definitely will be. Also, you totally have something on your upper lip" Apple licked at the bit of ice cream resting there and asked, "Did I get it?"
"Sure did! Now let's have some fun! Spike, could you set up that music game Rainbow Dash brought along?"
"Sure thing, just give me a moment to make sure everything's wired right. If you don't mind, maybe you could order me a pizza with jewel toppings while I'm getting everything set up?" The girls went on to play multiple band sessions, order multiple pies and gorge themselves on multiple snacks while they were waiting for the press event to come on, Applebloom remembering that one of her classmates somehow got to be a reporter covering the fight. "Hey girls, did y'all ever figure out who went to that press event?"
"Obviously someone from the Foal Free Press" Said Scootaloo. "And who, in the Foal Free Press would have the means to try something like that?"
"Well the Press event's comin' on a few, let's tune in and find out" With a click of the remote, a slicked haired, pinstripe suited gentleman was on the screen, standing in front of the podium and saying, "Good evening, folks! I'm Palomino, head of Top Tier promotions. Before we start, let me make a little presentation." He pulled out a dark marble plaque from under the podium, "Top Tier promotions is always looking to push new grounds, and now we have, with this certificate officially stating that this fight is going to be seen in 3,520,000 homes, making it the highest selling match in the history of boxing"
"3,520,000 homes!?" said Applebloom as the promoter went through the formalities and presented the certificate to Thunderlane. "Is that how many folks are gonna see Twi and my sis go at it?" Spike answered with a nod
"I don't know how many strings the Princess pulled to make this happen, but now those people are gonna see the results of 3 months of hard work. Makes me wonder what the press is gonna ask them" They watched the commissioner and the president of EBO stand in front of a black background tiled with the logos of EBO and Top Tier Promotions while they gave their spiel about the fight, waiting for Twilight or Applejack to take the mic. Who they saw invited to the mic, instead, was Rainbow Dash, dressed in her fitted powder blue tee and jeans.
"Thank you, kind commissioner, for allowing me my say.
Now let me tell you all what you'll see on fight day.
You'll see Flint Rock and Thunderlane, who'll fight like heroes
You'll also see Twilight, who's fight count is zero
What she lacks in experience, she makes up in brains
Not to mention how smart that girl trains
She's grown faster and stronger than ever before
Even made a poor soul fall right to the floor
That much was thanks to the speed of her hands
The same speed she'll use to make her best stand
Against Applejack, the girl with hands like bricks
The girl who so wants to make her hits stick
The girl who so wants to, but won't. Why? She knows
Her heart's just not into the big boxing show
No, her heart's not here, it's still back on the farm
On winning folks over with wit and with charm
"Me lose to Twi? Hah, that's funny.
Everyone know's this'll be easy money"
I can see those thoughts just by seeing your eyes
They're looking past Twi and right to the prize
But if nothing else, your mind's gotta take
That looking past her will be your biggest mistake.
Before anyone could be shaken of their stunned silence, Rarity, dressed in her best white button up long sleeve and purple bell bottoms, took the podium and said, "If I may offer a rebuttal, sir?" She looked towards Palomino, who offered a nod, propelling her into her own prose
One, two, three
The number of months that Applejack has been molding herself into a force of nature
Four
The number of ruffians who took her on and fell, and the number of them who wanted to train with her afterwards
Five
The number of hours I've seen her studying film on the greats every day after training
Six
The number of times I've had to stop her from working herself to utter exhaustion
Seven, Eight
The number of businesses who wanted to be affiliated with a proven winner, and the number more waiting to get some of the action
Nine
The number of news outlets who've asked us for a moment of their time, just so they can understand what makes her so captivating
Ten
The count Twilight will hear when she's on her back, looking up at the lights
Applebloom looked to Scootaloo and asked, "Are all pre-fight conferences like this?" as Palomino started asking for questions from the press
"With the poems, and all that, not really. There is a lot of tension and trash talk, yeah, but it's normally not in prose form. Thought that was something only the greats did in their day." The girls munched on a pizza topped with apples, carmelized onions and walnuts while the fighters got into their best verbal sparring stances, eventually hearing Summer Epic from the Fillydelphia Inquirer ask Applejack “How have you prepared for this fight?” Applejack stood up straight and stared straight at the reporter
"Firstly, thank you for the question, ma'am. I've actually, as Rarity alluded to earlier, been workin' my tail off getting in shape, chuckin'rocks, hitting the speed bag, drilling defensive moves, learnin' how to counter punch, lots of things you'd expect the greats to know. If I remember correctly, she actually had me lift more than my max at the time, to try and increase my punchin' power, as well as doin' some crazy things to increase my cardio, like takin' full on body shots, underwater boxin' and flippin' the tires on my farm equipment! Them things about as light as a well fed cow, I'll tell you what" Applebloom nodded in agreement.
"That's what I expect from my big sis! She's been trainin' hard for as long as I knew 'er, and if you ask me, she goes hard enough to make medicine sick!"
"'Hard enough to make medicine sick'?" Asked Sweetie Belle. "That doesn't sound like something someone who hates boxing should know, especially since those words are a lot older than we are" Before Applebloom could defend herself, Palomino picked another reporter from the crowd.
"Circus Inkwell from The Manehatten Times. Twilight, you said earlier that you want you want to bring a lot of intensity to the fight and want it to be as decisive as possible. Can I get your thoughts on the cliche ‘Saved by the bell’?” Twilight, clad in a rose tank top and violet skirt, approached the mic.
"So I made it onto the EBO special, did I? Well, as you all know, being saved by the bell implies that if there were a couple more seconds to the fight, that person wouldn't be on their feet. I'm guessing that lots of people think that about me and other underdogs, and that's fine. I may not know the full extent of Applejack's strength nor skills, but I know the time I've put in and what I've gained during those 3 months, and seek to do everything possible to let my skills decide the outcome, not a clock, and not someone sitting at ringside. Honestly, I think if someone is thankful to be saved by the bell, they have much bigger problems than the opponent in front of them"
"You tell 'em, Twi" said Scootaloo. "Every day I worked with her, I could see her pour everything into her workouts, just like you and I did, right, Sweetie?"
"That's right! Naturally, yeah, I'm pulling for the person my sister trained all this time, but I can't deny that Ms. Twilight has gotten really good. You remember how she sparred against Dash, right?"
"You mean the way she matched her blow for blow? Absolutely! It was like watching the sweet science at its sweetest! Applejack's sure to be tougher to keep up with, though. I mean, she's had her chin checked for durability, and all, hasn't she?" Just then, they heard Blossoming Chord from the Trotterton Daily said "Applejack, you've been called one of the best athletes in Equestria. Considering this will be your first time in the ring, are you nervous about your fighting in front of a crowd this size?”
"I reckon if you ain't just a tiny bit nervous before somethin' big, you probably don't got the expectations for yourself you should, as my folks like to say. I know what I can do, and I'm darn certain y'all will see it as clear as day, but I still got a bit of the shakes in me. To me, though, that means I also got the fire in me to do what needs to be done, and achieve what I wanna achieve, no matter what the outcome is" Just then, someone among the media shouted, "Are you guys serious with this stuff? These are softball questions!" On the screen, they saw someone dressed in a light violet button up shirt and cornflower blue khakis stand up and say, "Let's ask these athletes something a bit harder hitting!" Twilight scratched her head and asked, "Is that you, Diamond Tiara? Does your dad know you're here?"
"He and I insisted I be here on behalf of the Foal Free Press! And on behalf of the Foal Free Press, I'd like to ask you this: There are rumors around Ponyville that you’ve went through some extreme training measures to get ready for this bout, not to mention several eyewitness accounts telling me you've trained so hard, you vomited. Is this true?"
"If by extreme you mean cutting edge, then yes. I originally wanted to train in the style of the greats, but Dash said that if the greats trained the way she laid out for me, they would've been even more prolific and skilled than they were in their day. That in mind, we worked together to develop our version of Dynamite Strength, the methodology I used to sharpen my instincts, my skills and my body for the upcoming fight with Applejack over there. Thanks to a tough regiment, measured recovery time and well-balanced eating regimen, I've grown immensely the more me and my trainers worked together, perhaps more so than if I did train in the style of the greats, as seems to be the case with Applejack"
"Now hold on sugarcube," said Applejack as she stepped towards the mic "Are you telling me that you think your way of training can make you better prepared than someone who's trained in the style that molded legendary champions? I may not know about any of the fancy pants science that went into how you trained, but the way I train has been proven time and again to create great boxers, and last I checked, this sport is built on long running traditions that people flock from all around to see done to their utmost. If that kind of training makes people that strong, that fast and that good in the ring, why try to mess with it?"
"Because times change, along with the standards a society holds? I have much respect for the traditions of the sport, but by your logic, boxers wouldn't be allowed to stop fighting until someone hits the floor for the 10 count, even if it's because they dropped dead in the ring, or even if they had no possible way of defending themselves from the opponent's offensive, and became more of a punching bag with each blow they absorbed. On top of that, the methodology for how strength and health is measured, then worked on has improved immensely, allowing boxers to have far longer careers than if they were allowed to box until they developed a brain disease. Yes, such things are an inherent risk of the sport, but how can you say that something that functions shouldn't be improved when that attitude lead to one of the greatest figures of the sport developing Parkinson's Disease from all the punishment their head absorbed? That's bound to leave the sport in the past, and for it to have a future, it needs to maintain the spirit it has at its core while keeping up current cultural practices"
"Because current cultural practices have made plenty of fine folks like yourself, who had to train hard for 3 months straight just to get close to the standards boxing has for its practitioners. Why, if it weren't for this, you'd be the same as you were as a kid: as soft as a pillow and about as able to absorb serious punishment. I respect your intellectual pursuits, and all, but this ain't no exam you pass by cramming, you pass by winning with skill and power, something I've been honin' my whole life while your folks were happy to let you sit with your nose in a book"
"So then what about Flint Rock, here? He's been seen as the underdog in many of his bouts, including this one! Every single time he was, he used his tactics and precision to win, whether by hard fought decision or by a well-placed hook. If it doesn't matter to him, then it doesn't matter to me, either. Boxing is a union of the body and the mind, and on fight night, you're gonna see that first hand. Bet on it." The two walked toward each other, prompting their trainers, then Flint Rock and Thunderlane to get out of their seats to hold them back, the two pros repeatedly yelling "Save it for the fight!" as Twilight and Applejack struggled in their grip. Scootaloo looked over at Applebloom-by that point on the edge of her seat and asked, "So, are you gonna watch with us on fight night?"
"I wouldn't miss my sister put Twi in her place for the world"
