The bell rang and the fight was on; Rainbow Dash and Sapphire circled each other as they both looked for an opening to strike.
“Well, this is off to a bad start.” Soarin thought aloud.
“What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked. She decided that the best place to watch the match would be right next to the homeless pegasus.
“Rainbow is being her usual, arrogant self.” Soarin sighed. Seeing Scootaloo’s confused expression, Soarin pointed to the faces of the competitors.
Sapphire’s face was filled with fierce determination. After all, she was fighting Rainbow Dash, a pony who was so insultingly arrogant that she has garnered the dislike of every preppy. Dash’s face, however, was relaxed. Since she already defeated Sapphire before, the pegasus was confident she would win again.
With that in mind, Dash went for a strong right hook. However, instead of backing away from the hit as Dash expected, Sapphire ducked and quickly moved forward. The preppy landed two hard hits on Dash’s stomach and then followed it up with an uppercut. Dash stepped back from the attack as she massaged her chin.
“What’s wrong Rainbow?” Sapphire grinned as she threw a jab, “I thought you were going to clean house?”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Dash said as she dodged the jab and then threw her own.
“Well, you’re gonna have a tough time with that.” Sapphire said in her preppy, superior tone, “Since you came along, everypony here stepped up their training regime. We all became tougher just for you.”
“I’m honored.” Dash’s left hook managed to connect to the side of Sapphire’s face just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the first round. The two fighters stopped fighting and they walked toward their respective corners.
“Are you O.K, Dash?” Scootaloo asked as the rainbow-haired pegasus stood at her ring corner.
“Yeah, I never felt better.” Dash said as she took a deep breath.
“That’s great.” Soarin said dismissively as he held a bucket filled with water.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow, “What’s with the bucket?”
*SPLASH*
“W-what was that for?!” Dash sputtered as she tried to warm herself after being doused with ice-cold water.
“Oh, you know, I’m just trying to reduce the swelling of your ego.” Soarin said coolly as he set the now empty bucket aside, “Now, are you going to fight seriously, or are you going to be an idiot and get your flank kicked?”
“Chill Soarin, I’m not taking it easy. Turns out that all of the preps started working out more often to fight me, so I’m not going to let all of their exercise go to waste.”
“Good to hear. As for your fight, I suggest going for body blows to tire her out. If you see your opponent lower her guard, or try to hit your stomach, aim for the head.”
The bell rang and the second round began. With her newfound determination, and advice from Soarin, Dash was able to tire out Sapphire. However, Sapphire did get a couple of good hits on the pegasus. As the second round was drawing to a close, Dash landed a body blow on a weary Sapphire, but the prep wouldn’t go down without a fight. Sapphire unleashed a vicious haymaker, which managed to connect with Rainbow’s right eye.
“Damn.” Dash said softly, trying not to let Sapphire know the pain she caused. The bell rang and Rainbow rushed to her corner.
“Quick, Soarin, I need some ice.” Dash said as soon as she was at the turnbuckle. Soarin quickly pulled out an ice pack from the first aid kit, courtesy of the preps, and placed it on Dash’s eye.
“Nice work, Dash.” Soarin said as he continued to hold the ice pack to Dash’s eye, “You just to get in a couple of strong punches and the preppy should be knocked out.”
“Roger that.” Dash then turned toward Scootaloo, who was looking in awe and worry at the ice pack, “So, you enjoying yourself?”
“Of course!” Scootaloo replied excitedly, “It’s so cool to see you showing the preppies a thing or two. I mean, besides the jocks, the preps are the jerkiest ponies in school.”
“Tell me about it; they won’t be winning any popularity contest at school, unless they bribe the judges, but they’re generally harmless.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call the preppies ‘harmless’.” Scootaloo said as she gave a cautious glance to all of the surrounding preps.
This peaked Dash’s attention, “What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious that they love to make fun of other ponies, but the preppies also bully them. And by bully, I mean the type of bullying that Gilda and her gang used to do.”
“Are you serious?” Dash said, although she wasn’t really surprised considering the way the preppies act.
“Yep; the preps don’t exactly broadcast there bullying, they usually do it in secret, but they make a subtle effort to let everypony know they are the self-proclaimed better. Besides the greasers, not many ponies stand up to the preps.”
“Then it looks like I’ll have to stand up for them.”
The bell rang once again and Dash and Sapphire were resumed their fight. Both fighters were tired, but Dash, thanks to her enhanced endurance, was able to ignore it. Halfway into the round, Dash let loosed two jabs and an uppercut, causing Sapphire to drop to the floor. The referee was almost done with his countdown when Sapphire managed to get back up. The preppy was on wobbly feet when Dash’s straight punch smashed into Sapphire’s nose. She didn’t get back up.
“Winner: Rainbow Dash!” the referee called out as the bell rang for the final time. The referee held up Dash’s arm while the pegasus was doing her usual thing after every victory: trying to get the crowd to chant her name. Instead of that, the crowd merely clapped politely. Rainbow turned to the other side of the room where Block B was having there fight. She saw that the first match had just ended and Colgate had won.
In what felt like no time at all, Dash was preparing for her next fight. As she received a prep talk from Soarin and encouragement from Scootaloo, Dash softly touched her right eye with her glove. Soarin had said that the eye was not bruised, but he wouldn’t recommend taking another blow to the eye.
The 2nd match started off well enough for Dash; she managed to deliver more damage to her opponent than she received. However, she was panting by the end of the second round as the exhaustion from the first match was combined with the tiredness of the second match. None the less, Rainbow was able to pull off a victory by the beginning of the fourth round after her haymaker collided with the side of her opponent’s head.
And so it was that the semifinalists were revealed: In Block A, it will be Rainbow Dash vs. Lotus. In Block B, it will be Colgate vs. Aloe.
After a 5 minute break, the final four fighters entered their respective rings. As soon as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the match, Rainbow and Lotus began to trade blow after blow.
“You know, Dash,” Lotus said as she guarded from Rainbow’s jabs, “I am quite surprise to see you come this far.”
“Is that so?” Dash said as she bobbed past the prep’s left hook, “You shouldn’t be surprised, I mean, I’m not one of the ponies that you preps love to pick on.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lotus said innocently, but she couldn’t hide the small grin that her lips formed.
“Drop the act, I know. I could have tolerated your snobby attitudes, but when you bully other ponies, well, that’s when we have a problem.”
“Look at you,” Lotus said amusingly as she threw a cross punch, which Dash blocked, “thinking that you’re some big league fighter. Well let me tell you something, Dash, you’re not. You are just a pompous ingrate who has a dangerously swollen head.”
“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.” Dash’s left hook managed to graze Lotus’s chin.
“Wrong again, Dash. For you see, we actually are skilled fighters. And for some unfathomable reason, you are here. Let’s face it Rainbow, you don’t belong here.”
“O.K then, but tell me,” Dash quickly punched Lotus in her stomach. The prep momentarily lowered her guard and Dash quickly struck with an uppercut, then a right hook, and finished it with a left hook, causing Lotus to drop to her knees.
“If all you said is true,” Dash said as she looked down at the earth pony, “then why am I the one standing up and you’re the one on the ground?”
Lotus quickly got up and glared daggers at Dash and the pegasus returned the look with challenging defiance. After hearing how Scootaloo described the preppies, Rainbow was reminded of Lighting Dust and that only lowered Dash’s view on the rich ponies. After a couple more blows, the round ended and the fighters took their short break before starting the second round.
Things started off as usual in the next round, until Lotus began to slowly back away from Rainbow. Dash followed Lotus and the prep only guarded from the pegasus’s assault. Lotus finally stopped moving when she reached the ropes and leaned back against them. Dash had no idea why Lotus placed herself in this position. A small voice in the back of Rainbow’s head told her that this could be some sort of trap, but she didn’t care. To Dash, this was a golden opportunity and the pegasus was not about to waste it. Stepping up her assault, Dash punched every bit of Lotus that she could reach. Dash grinned as Lotus only resisted minimally with a couple of counter-punches that only grazed Dash.
Eventually, Dash tired herself out and took a step back to observe her work. Lotus rose from the ropes and she had a victorious grin on her face, which only confused the pegasus. The prep rushed forward and attacked. Dash tried to bob and weave, but after the amount the energy she put on her own attack, she was too exhausted to move as fast as she normally would. Lotus’s right hook struck the side of Dash’s head and the pegasus went down on one knee. Rainbow shook her head and got back up, only to be jabbed in the stomach three times before the side of her head was struck again by a vicious haymaker. Dash stood for a second before dropping like a sack of potatoes.
“Get up, kid!” Soarin shouted as the surrounding preppies and parents cheered.
“What’s wrong, Dashie?” Lotus cooed, “Whatever happened to all of that boasting of yours?”
“Buck off.” Dash growled as she gingerly got back to her feet. Through her life, Rainbow had felt tired, and she had felt bruised. But this very moment, Dash felt both at the same time. To Dash’s relief and annoyance, the bell rang and she slowly made her way to her spot.
“You still with us, Dash?” Soarin asked as soon as Rainbow was stationed. He then held up three fingers, “Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?”
Rainbow saw the fingers and grinned, “You’re not holding any fingers, but you are lifting up three of them.”
“Well, you’re still a smartflank, so I guess you’re O.K. Do you feel any severe pain anywhere?” Soarin asked as he placed an ice pack on Dash’s right eye.
“Just in my pride.” Dash answered back with what seemed to be a brave smile.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Rainbow.” Scootaloo said.
“Yeah, you already have the preps for that.” Soarin interjected.
Scootaloo threw Soarin a dirty look before continuing, “Even if you did get a couple of scrapes, Lotus is a lot worse for wear.”
“What are you talking about, squirt?” Dash asked curiously. Scootaloo grinned and pointed toward the opposite corner. Dash and Soarin turned to see and the rainbow-haired pegasus was pleased with what she saw.
Lotus was standing at her corner, her arms draped over the ropes as she panted heavily. She tried to massage parts of her stomach, the parts where Dash assaulted, but it seemed to cause her some pain. Her Corner was angry and appeared to be scolding her, no doubt for the huge gamble she did with her move with the ropes. Lotus began to argue with her Corner, but stopped when she saw the three pegasai looking at her with grins on their faces. With a wave of her hand, Lotus’s Corner closed his mouth and the preppy stared back at the pegasai with absolute contempt.
“Well, that cheered me up a bit.” Dash said as the bell rang, signaling the third round.
Rainbow and Lotus immediately started the match with a barrage of jabs, both sides forgetting the fatigue they felt moments ago. 20 seconds into the fight and the two fighters began throwing heavier punches. Most of the punches missed their mark or merely grazed the fighters, but some hit home. Lotus was able to land a hard hit on the side of Dash’s stomach, but the pegasus returned the favor with a cross punch to the earth pony’s face.
The fight dragged on with neither side slowing down. In the midst of the punches, Lotus started to put up her guard and she began to back towards the ropes. Her Corner began shouting at Lotus, ordering her to not try the move again. Dash, who already new of Lotus’s plan, did not follow her lead. This, however, only happened for a second as Dash’s eyes suddenly became focused and she continued to jab at Lotus as she followed her toward the ropes.
“Oh my Faust,” Soarin said in awe, “I can’t believe it.”
“I know,” Scootaloo said sullenly, “Dash is falling for the move again!”
“It’s not that, squirt.” Soarin said as a small smile formed on his mouth, “It looks like Dash actually has a plan. I honestly never thought I’d see the day.” Scootaloo was bewildered by the old pegasus’s statement, so she just watched and hoped that Soarin was right.
Lotus lead Dash toward the ropes and she once again leaned against the ropes. Dash threw a right jab, which Lotus took with an audible grunt. Rainbow prepared a left hook, but instead of landing the blow, she tucked in her left arm. Then, as quickly as possible, she spun in a complete circle and put her entire weight into a left haymaker and it slammed into Lotus’s already bruised stomach.
Lotus’s reaction was almost instantaneous. Her eyes practically bulged out of their sockets and all of the wind was knocked out of her. She lowered her arms to clutch her injured stomach and that sealed the deal. Dash began her ruthless assault of jabs and hooks. The preppy was unable to escape as she was trapped between Dash and the ropes. The prep tried to bring her arms up for defense, but Dash’s heavy hits broke through her guard as though it was wet paper. Just as the referee was about to intervene, Dash managed to squeeze in one last uppercut. To everypony’s surprise, the uppercut was able to send Lotus tumbling over the top ropes. There was a collective gasp form the audience as they saw the preppy’s face meet the hard floor on the outside of the ring.
Dash was panting heavily as she looked toward the referee, “So, what happens now?”
The answer came in the form of the referee beginning his count. After the ten second mark, the referee continued to count and Lotus was on all fours. There were words of encouragement for the preppy, but that didn’t make Lotus get up any faster.
“19…20!” the referee announced and Lotus shouted in anger as she smashed her fist in the floor, “The fighter was unable to reenter the ring in 20 seconds, so she is considered knocked-out. The winner is Rainbow Dash!”
“There you have it, folks.” The tuxedo announcer, who suddenly appeared in the ring, said as Rainbow began strutting around the ring, “We now have our finalist. On the Block B side we have Colgate; a purebred who was trained for business and boxing by professionals. On Block A side we have Rainbow Dash; a newcomer who, from what the others say, is from the slums of Cloudsdale who taught herself how to fight in order to survive. I don’t know about you folks, but this sounds a lot like an underdog story, and I love every second of it. The final match starts in 5 minutes, so get yourselves ready for the fight of their lives.”
Soarin patted both of Dash’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes, “Alright Dash, the time has come. Your opponent will no doubt try to psyche you out, but remember that she is just covering up how tired she is. Keep your guard up and only lower it when you know for sure you can get a strong hit in. Also, if you start to feel exhausted, there is no shame in focusing solely on guarding and backing away. So go out there and kick some flank.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “go show those preps that just because they have money, it doesn’t mean they’re better. Show them that you have more guts than all of them combined.”
Dash gave the two pegasai an appreciative smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you two down.”
Rainbow and Colgate approached each other in the center of the ring and half-heartedly touched gloves. As they stepped back, Dash turned her head slightly to see all of the preppies surrounding the ring. They were all looking at the two fighters with malice delight; they seemed to be waiting for Colgate to end the bane of their existence. Aloe, with her bruised face, seemed disappointed that she couldn’t be the one to fight Dash, but she settled with the fact that Rainbow wouldn’t come out of the fight as the victor.
The bell rang and the fight was on. The first thing the two fighters did was throw a hook punch and they both connected successfully. Colgate recovered first and proceeded with a flurry of jabs. Dash managed to dodge most of them and she then countered with a stomach punch. Colgate was stunned momentarily, but she came back with a vicious straight punch, striking the area under Dash’s right eye.
Rainbow backed off for a moment, trying to think of the best way to attack. She decided to go for a quick left and right hook. She took a step forward and saw Colgate’s left hook aiming for her right eye again. Dash instinctively moved her head the left to dodge and Colgate grinned. The unicorn had faked the attack and she quickly unleashed a right haymaker. Rainbow had no time to dodge the haymaker as it collided with her jawline, causing her to go down to one knee.
“Wow, a knock down in the first round; that’s a new personal best.” Colgate grinned. She closed in on Dash and as soon as she was within ranged, Dash quickly got up and let out a vicious uppercut. The prep, completely taken surprise, went flying until she landed on her flank.
“Save the talk until after I win.” Dash said confidently, with a smidge of arrogance. Colgate growled at the pegasus before getting up and resuming the fight. For the next minute, Colgate and Rainbow successfully managed to tire the other and themselves out.
“Are you still hanging in there?” Soarin asked after the first round ended and Dash was back to her corner.
“You bet.” The athletic pegasus replied with a smile, “I have a plan.”
“What is it?” Scootaloo asked curiously.
“It’s a secret.”
“And will this plan of yours work?” Soarin asked
“Yeah, I’m, like, 75% sure it will.” Dash then looked across to the other side of the ring. Colgate was getting advice from her corner when she caught Dash’s eye. The pegasus winked at the prep, who returned it with a loathing glare.
Dash turned back to Soarin, “Make that 95% sure.”
The 2nd round began and the fight was on. Colgate started off with a quick punch, which connect with Dash’s cheek. Surprisingly, Dash chuckled.
“That was a good punch.” Dash complemented. The prep was very surprised, until Dash continued, “that punch almost tickled.”
Colgate glared daggers before launching a left and right hook, which Dash quickly dodged.
“So close.” The pegasus chortled, “I tell you what; I’ll stand completely still and maybe then you might be able to hit me.”
Colgate was now positively fuming as she continued fight. All the while, she did not notice that Dash was leading her to the ropes.
“Oh no,” Soarin said as he watched Dash’s plan coming true, “Oh Faust, please no!”
Rainbow reached the ropes, and just like Lotus, she leaned against them and held up her arms to cover her face. At that moment, Colgate realized what Dash was planning. The unicorn thought about it for a second before letting her anger win and assaulting the pegasus. None of the punches managed to hit Dash’s face, but they all managed to hit her stomach. Rainbow gritted her teeth as she took the punches and even returned some of her own. As she was being assaulted, Dash questioned why Lotus would have risked this move a second time as only using the move once was an uphill battle.
After what seemed like forever, Colgate back away, gasping for air. She grinned at the stationary pegasus, who still had her guard up. The prep decided to get one more punch in and she got closer. Almost immediately, Dash launched herself forward and followed up with a haymaker. Colgate was too tired to dodge the punch as it impacted with her forehead. That punch was followed by a barrage of punches that Colgate never experienced. Dash’s jabs and punches were flying and hitting the prep. Colgate had to focus on protecting her head, which left her body wide open. Even with her guard up, Dash still managed to sneak in a couple of punches to Colgate head. By the end of the assault, parts of the prep’s face were bright red.
The unicorn stood like a statue as Rainbow tried to catch her breath. After the beating she took and the beating she dished out, Dash could have really used a nap. Thinking that she had the match won, Rainbow calmly made her way to the standing prep to deliver the final punch. Just as Dash lifted up her arm to punch, Colgate quickly clamped her arms around the pegasus’s arms and she then placed her head on Dash’s shoulder.
“What the hay?!” Dash cried as tried to move, or even lift her arms up. But after the energy she exerted, she could do neither, “I thought you said there is no grabbing in boxing.”
“This is clinching.” Colgate said as though it was a sufficient enough. The referee saw the clinching and immediately came to put an end to it.
“Alright you two, take a full step back.” The referee ordered. Dash took a step back, but Colgate didn’t. Instead, she took a step forward while the two were distracted and punched Dash in her right eye.
“Crap!” Dash cried in pain as she dropped to the floor. She glared daggers at Colgate for the cheap shot. Colgate simply grinned as she was being scolded by the referee. The bell rang after the little confrontation as the two went back to the corner.
To say that Dash was not happy would have been an understatement. Not only had her plan to knockout Colgate fail, the prep managed to get in a sucker punch, humiliating Dash in the process. Now, the pegasus was tired and in pain from the round. After some convincing and scolding from Soarin, Dash agreed to take it easy for the next round. But, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t fight.
The next round started and everypony could have agreed that it wasn’t exactly trilling. All of the previous matches could be compared to fierce waves colliding into one another in a restless ocean. This round, however, was more like small ripple of water in a pond. Dash and Colgate circled each other throughout the whole match while only throwing a handful of punches. But, things started to get interesting near the end. With some of their energy restored, the fighters decided to end the round with a bang. Dash and Colgate kept their jabs and hooks consistent as the round was nearing a close. In the last 20 seconds, Colgate decided to clinch again in order to save her energy. She managed to wrap herself around Dash, immobilizing her arms. The prep then held up her face in front of Dash to show off a cocky grin. This proved to be a fatal mistake as Dash, who grinned back, pulled her head back and viciously head-butted the prep. There was silence among the crowd as the sound of skull-on-skull echoed. Dash then felt something wet on her forehead as Colgate quickly pulled away just as the bell rang. That’s when Rainbow saw a moderate cut on Colgate’s forehead, which had a trickle of blood producing from it.
Dash was at her corner as Soarin was examining her.
“This is not good.” Soarin muttered as he got the ice pack.
“What’s wrong now?”
“Your right eye is swollen like Tartarus. Can you even see though it?”
“I can still see. Things are just a bit blurrier.”
Soarin sighed, “Alright, that’s it; I’m throwing in the towel.”
Dash’s eyes, or at least her left eye, widened in horror, “Wait, what?”
“You heard me; your eye is in a bad shape. It could be a sign that you got a head trauma.”
“You can’t do this, Soarin!”
“Actually, I can. You made me your Corner, and after hearing things from the other Corners, I know that I’m in charge of taking care of you and, if need be, stop the match if you’re injured.”
“I think he’s right, Dash.” Scootaloo interjected worriedly as she saw Rainbow’s blackened eye.
“Not you too, squirt.” Dash exasperated, “Listen, both of you, I’m fine.”
“No, Dash, you listen.” Soarin said in a stern, fatherly sort of way, “Whatever bravado you’re trying to prove isn’t worth your health. A good fighter knows when it’s time to back down. Besides, you already proved yourself by making it this far. And you also proved that the only way the preps can win is by underhanded moves. So, are you going to let me do this?”
Rainbow sighed, not sure what to do. She looked across the ring to see Colgate having a heated argument with her Corner. It seemed that they were having the same discussion the pegasai were having. The cut on Colgate seemed to have mostly stopped, but there was still a drop or two producing from it. From how their argument was going, Colgate seemed bent on continuing the fight, despite her injury.
“No.” Dash finally said
“Dammit, Dash-” Soarin started, but her was cut off by the rainbow-haired pegasus.
“Listen Soarin, and you too Scootaloo, I appreciate what you two are trying to do, even more than you know, but I have to continue. If Colgate isn’t giving up, then neither am I. And…I am not a quitter. I’m not about to stop just because of one stupid, black eye. I fought with worse injuries. So please, Soarin, don’t make me give up.”
The homeless pegasus was stuck. On one hand, he didn’t want Dash to get injured any further if there was something he could have done. But, there was a fierce determination in both of Dash’s eyes that could inspire a losing army.
“Alright.” Soarin said, “Against my better judgment, I won’t throw in the towel. But, you have to promise me to give it your all. Be safe, and don’t back down.”
“I never back down.” Dash said, causing Scootaloo to become star-struck at her friend/idol.
And so it was, that the final round started. Instead of a slow build up, the fight was intense in the first second. The moment they were within range of each other, Colgate and Rainbow threw punch after punch, neither one caring about guarding or dodging. In the beginning, it seemed like an even match; Dash would throw punch, and then Colgate would throw one. But, after a minute, something changed. Colgate was becoming weary and Dash was not slowing down. The pegasus’s sheer determination fueled each punch. For every punch Colgate threw, Dash launched two or three. That was when the prep went on the defense, but it didn’t help much. Rainbow didn’t slow down a beat as she continued to hammer against Colgate defenses, and the unicorn couldn’t fight back as much as she wanted to. Eventually, the clock ran down to mere seconds left with both fighters down to the wire. It appeared that victory was within Dash’s reach, but that’s when Colgate made a daring move. She dropped her guard and took all of the hits to throw one of her own. Colgate’s powerful, right hook flew wildly, and miraculously, it found its way toward Dash’s side of her head. The pegasus was taken by surprise by its sheer power that she was almost knocked down.
Almost.
Dash found her ground and she took a step forward. She then threw her entire weight into one, last haymaker. It smashed into the prep’s face and they both went sprawling to the floor. The bell rang, but that didn’t stop the referee from counting. Tired and beaten, but not broken, the two combatants slowly made their way to their feet.
“Well, will you look at that!” the announcer suddenly shouted, causing Colgate and Dash to jump, “It seems that neither one of the fighters achieved a knock-out. Now, it’s time for the judges to decide.”
Everypony waited with baited breath as the announcer walked toward the 3 judges: an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn. Dash leaned on the ropes, trying to catch her breath. She glanced at Colgate, who was looking strangely calm. After what seemed like an eternity, the announcer reentered the ring with a big grin on his face.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, first let me say that both fighters fought valiantly, but there could only be one victor. So, the winner, by split decision, is….”
Colgate cleaned herself up a bit as she prepared herself to take a bow.
“…RAINBOW DASH!”
“What?!” Colgate shouted, but it was drowned out by the cheers of three pegasai. Soarin and Scootaloo, still cheering loudly, jumped inside the ring and they each gave Dash a bear hug. The preppies surrounding the ring were in absolute shock that they were defeated in one of the things they prided themselves in. The parents and their associates were equally as shocked as the preps, but they decided to clap politely at this unforeseen turn of events.
Colgate glanced hatefully at Rainbow one last time before scanning the crowd of dispersing parents. After a while, Colgate finally locked eyes with the pony she was looking for: her father. The prep looked at her father with pleading understanding. The father returned his daughters look with a shrug, and unsurprised disappointment before exiting the gym.
Scootaloo and Soarin continued to congratulate Dash as the gym was slowly becoming empty. It wasn’t until the gym was only occupied by a few preppies and the pegasai when Dash remembered her prize.
“Oh snap, I almost forgot.” Dash said with a big smile as she quickly took off her gloves with her teeth.
“You almost forgot what?” Soarin asked. Dash was still untying her gloves with her teeth, so her replied was a combination of grunts and giggles. Finally, Dash took of her gloves and handed them to Scootaloo,
“You mind getting my things from the locker?” Dash asked.
“No problem.” Scootaloo nodded before exiting the ring and rushing toward the locker room.
“Alright Soarin, time to collect my prize.” Dash said, her grin still prominent.
“So what is this prize? Is it a bright, shiny trophy?” Soarin asked as the two exited the ring.
“A house.”
…
“What?” Soarin said as a look of absolute bewilderment engulfed his face. Dash giggled as they walked toward the preps, all of whom had changed back toward their clothes and were sitting at a bench near the stairs leading to the upper level. They all had a look of disappointment.
“What’s up preps?” Dash said nicely. With the prospect of becoming a home owner, the pegasus forgot all about her fatigue from the match and her animosity.
Colgate, who was sporting a couple of Band-Aids over her cut, looked up “What do you want, Dash?”
“I’d want world peace, to be captain of the Wonderbolts, and a house.”
“I’m pretty sure that none of those things will ever come true.” Colgate said as she stood up.
“Good one.” Rainbow laughed, “But seriously, I won, so that means I get my house, right?”
“Oh, that’s what you meant.” Colgate said innocently as a look of contempt formed on her face, “Well, sorry Dashie, but no.”
Rainbow blinked, “What do you mean, no?”
“Well, no is the opposite of yes. So the opposite of you getting a house is you don’t get a house. It’s that simple.”
Scootaloo had just returned from the locker rooms with Dash’s bag when Soarin confronted Colgate, “You know what I find funny. From what I know, boxing is supposed to be a noble sport with honorable fighters, who keep their words. So, why don’t you set an example and follow up on your promises.”
Colgate turned toward the homeless pegasus with disdain, “I would love to be honorable, but my hands are tied. You see, the house doesn’t go to the victor, but to the victor’s parent. Of course, I would be more than happy to give Dash her house, but I would need her parent’s information and signature. So, tell me Dash, can you contact your mother and can she arrive to collect the winnings?”
Dash grimaced, “No. She’s on her honeymoon.”
“Well that’s a darn shame.” Colgate smiled as she turned back to Soarin, “As you can see, the house stays with us. So, why don’t you think before you scold us and go back to begging for scraps?”
“Hold on a second.” Dash said angrily, “Don’t talk to Soarin like that.”
“Yeah.” Scootaloo agreed as Soarin tried to calm Dash, “You’re just jealous that Dash creamed all of you.”
“Me? Jealous of her?” Colgate laughed, “Oh please, I wouldn’t trade places with her for a million bits. I mean, come on; the closest thing she has to a father is this homeless peasant, the only friend she has is you, a low self-esteemed flightless pegasus, and she has a whore of a mother-”
“You bitch!” Dash shouted as she stepped forward and punched Colgate’s nose. The prep was knocked back to the bench. She quickly got up and launched a haymaker, but Soarin stepped in and caught it. He then grabbed Colgate by the arm and performed a judo throw. The rest of the preps got up and prepared to fight while Soarin protectively stood in front of Scootaloo and Rainbow.
“That is quite enough!”
Everypony turned their heads to the top of the stairs as a unicorn calmly walked downstairs. She was wearing a tea length purple dress under a white blazer and her dark purple hair was in perfect curls. She reached the bottom and then walked toward the downed Colgate,
“Are you O.K?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Rarity” Colgate said, all of her anger was now gone and replaced with a formal tone. Rarity smiled before turning to the three pegasai. She turned to each of them, observing them mostly to see their clothing, before stopping at Dash.
“Well, Miss Dash, let me first congratulate you in a job well done. This is the first time that a pony of your…background won.”
“Um, thanks.” Dash said as she eyed the new preppy suspiciously.
“However,” Rarity suddenly had a stern tone, “I must ask you not to fight outside of the ring. We box because it is a noble art, and thus, we must respect it and not use it without good reason.”
Scootaloo snorted at this statement. She found a funny that a preppy would say that, when every other preppy had done the exact opposite with their boxing.
“There wouldn’t have been fighting if I just got my prize.” Dash said stubbornly.
“Ah yes, about that.” Rarity said, “You see, we can’t follow up on the deal. As Colgate explained, we do need you mother’s consent. However, that doesn’t mean you should get nothing for your win.”
Rarity reached into her blazer’s pocket and pulled out a key, “This is the key to our clubhouse at the beach. The clubhouse makes up the lighthouse at the edge of the shore. We rarely use it, so you are free to use it as you see fit.”
“Oh, um, thanks.” Dash said as received the key. The reward wasn’t as fancy as a house, but it was better than nothing. And she would have probably gotten nothing if it wasn’t for Rarity. Rainbow nodded her head toward Rarity, before turning toward the door. Scootaloo and Soarin followed Dash as the preppies watched them leave.
“You know,” Scootaloo said as she re-positioned Rainbow’s bag over her shoulder. She was walking behind Rainbow and Soarin as they walked down the streets of the town, “that Rarity isn’t that bad.”
“True,” Soarin agreed, “she seems quite mature for her age. What do you think, Dash?”
“Well, she isn’t a control freak, so I guess she’s alright.” Dash looked down at the key in her hand and she grinned, “But if this clubhouse kicks flank, she’ll be pretty cool.”
Soarin nodded, “Yeah, a clubhouse by the beach does sound nice, but first, you’re going to the doctor.”
Dash stopped in her tracks, “What are you talking about?”
Soarin gestured toward Dash’s right eye, “Do you really need to ask? Besides, from all of those blows to the head, you might have a concussion.”
“Relax Soarin, I’ve had black eyes before and I didn’t go to see any doctor.”
“Well that was then, and this is now. So, are you going to make this difficult?”
Dash sighed, “Fine, I’ll go to the dumb doctors, after I’ve seen the clubhouse.”
Soarin contemplated this for a couple of seconds before saying, “O.K.”
Dash blinked, “Really?”
“Of course not.”
Without further ado, Soarin quickly picked up Dash and carried her over his shoulders.
“Soarin, let me go!” Dash cried
“I think I remember seeing a clinic around here.” Soarin thought aloud as he completely ignored the pegasus. He continued to walk down the street.
“You mind giving me a hand, Scootaloo?!” Dash cried as she frantically flapped her wings to get free.
“Is this really necessary?” Scootaloo asked the veteran pegasus.
“Yes, yes it is. Besides, Scootaloo, do you really want to risk Dash suffering from head trauma?”
“Well, I guess not.”
“Oh for the love of Faust…” Dash sighed.
“Calm down, Dash” Soarin chuckled, “If you’re as healthy as you say you are, then there’s nothing to fear." He blinked, "Wait, is that it? Are you afraid of doctor’s?”
“I’m not afraid of anything!” Dash said indignantly, “I just can’t stand the waiting room. Those doctors make you wait for hours just to tell you to go somewhere else for medicine. Now, let me go, or else.”
Soarin smirked, “What are you going to-”
“HELP!” Dash shouted, slightly deafening Soarin, “THIS CRAZY OLD PERV IS KIDNAPPING ME!”
“She’s just joking!” Soarin shouted quickly, but it was too late. All of the shoppers who were watching the pegasai with confusion now formed an angry mob, and their target was Soarin.
The doors to the gym closed as the three pegasai left. The preps watched the door for a couple of seconds before Colgate turned to Rarity,
“Did you really have to give away the clubhouse?” She said darkly
Rarity gave her friend a small smile, “Come now, darling, nopony ever uses the place, so I’m sure you won’t miss it. And besides, it’ll look better if we give her something for her win then nothing at all.”
“If you ask me, she deserves nothing.”
“Now, now, don’t let your anger get the best of you. It wouldn’t be exactly great if we get a reputation of acting like raged chimpanzees. Anyways, why don’t you all go and calm yourselves down. I recommend the spa; they have just acquired a brand new mud bath that is simply to die for.”
Giving one last smile to the crowd of preppies, Rarity walked past them and began climbing the stairs to the second floor. All of the preppies sighed before deciding to leave the gym. As they were walking out, Colgate whispered to Lotus,
“Has Rarity renovated the clubhouse?”
“She hasn’t. I doubt she even knows what state it’s in.”
“So the clubhouse is still the same way it was last year.”
“Exactly.”
Colgate grinned, “Well, at least I can take joy in imagining Dash’s face when she sees it.”
With a slightly happier tone, Colgate and the rest of the preps left the gym. Rarity reached the second floor and walked down the catwalk/balcony and then entered the VIP box. The VIP box was very spacious. To Rarity’s right, in the corner, was a small, polished bar with shelves filled with beverages. The walls were lined with portraits and pictures of the preppies and previous boxing matches. There was a mid-sized chandelier dangling from the ceiling and the floor was covered with an imported carpet. There were a couple of sofas and recliners facing the left wall, which was replaced with huge glass panels in order to see the rings below.
As soon as she walked in, she was greeted by a pegasus, holding a two drinks,
“Here you go, Rarity.” Lightning Dust said, “It’s your favorite; strawberry daiquiri.”
“Thank you. Lightning.” Rarity said as she took the drink and walked toward one of the recliners. Lightning Dust followed the unicorn and took a seat next to her.
“So, Lightning Dust,” Rarity took a sip from her drink, “what is the latest news going around in the school?”
“Well, some of the nerds seem to be planning a pranks on the boys’ dormitory, the bullies are adjusting to their new, ‘peaceful lives’, and the jocks are still imbeciles.”
“Excellent. Anything else?”
“Yes,” Lightning Dust said seriously, “and it involves Rainbow Dash.”
“Oh really? Do tell.”
“Well,” Lightning Dust said nervously, “do you mind if I ask you a question first? But if you don’t want to answer, I’ll understand.”
“Come now, darling, you can ask me anything.”
“Thanks. I was wondering why you allowed Rainbow Dash to join your clubs. From what I’ve seen, she doesn’t exactly meet your exceptional standards.”
Rarity set her drink aside, “You are quite right. After about a week of observation, it is plainly obvious that Rainbow Dash is not one of us. She has no restraints and has no respect for others. So, can you tell me how your news involves Rainbow?”
“You see, I’ve heard a lot of talk from the other groups in school. And most of it is about you preps.” Lightning paused as she thought for a moment, “Do you mind calling some of you friends? The news is pretty big, and I think some of the other preps might want to hear it.”
“Of course, dear. I’ll call a couple of the senior members. I’ll need to step out for a moment as the signal in here isn’t all that great.”
“Take your time.” Lightning Dust said in a friendly tone. Rarity exited the VIP box and began to make her way outside to make the calls. Lightning Dust began to whistle tunelessly as she waited. She took a sip from her drink and she set it aside. Lightning watched through the transparent wall as Rarity stepped outside of the gym. As soon as the preppy was outside, Lightning Dust’s eyes went from friendly warmth to a superior frost.
“Too easy.” Lightning Dust said as her trademark sneer returned.
The sun had finally set over Old Manticore Ville. With the sun now gone, the street lamps across the entire district flickered to life and the ponies continued their merriment. Among the ponies were Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Scootaloo, standing on the sandy shores of the beach. After about half an hour of being questioned by the police, and another hour of going to the clinic to get Dash checked out (Rainbow Dash did not have any concussions or other head trauma. However, she is to periodically place an ice pack over her black eye and is now wearing an eye patch to conceal the bruise), they all stood in front of what looked like a weathered lodge connected to an older looking lighthouse.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Scootaloo said gently as though a loud voice would knock down the entire structure.
“This is the only lighthouse at this beach.” Dash answered. She was beginning to think she was duped.
“Well, maybe it looks better on the inside.” Soarin suggested half-heartedly, “I mean it is owned by the rich ponies. For all we know, it can be the Ritz hotel in there.”
The three pegasai looked at each other before shrugging, deciding to give the place a shot. Dash went ahead first with the other two at her heel. She climbed the old, wooden steps and stopped in front of the door to the clubhouse. She braced herself as she took the key, unlocked the door, and opened it.
As soon as she opened the door, her nostrils were filled with the smell of rotting wood and mildew. While Dash was recoiling at the smell, she heard a sharp cry. She and Scootaloo turned around to see Soarin’s left leg had fallen through the aged steps.
“Mind giving me a little help?” Soarin grunted as he fruitlessly tried to free himself. The girls grabbed Soarin’s underarms and lifted him up. After that, they cautiously entered the clubhouse. To say that the clubhouse wasn’t in a terrible state would have been a complete lie. It was a large room, but that’s where the good ended. Every step the pegasai took caused a small puff of dust to form around their feet. At the far corner was what looked like a counter of a bar, but the counter and shelves behind it were broken beyond repair. There was what looked like a once nice fireplace on one of the walls, but it looked like it hasn’t been used in years. Above them were rafters and a chandelier that was swinging ominously.
“Well,” Scootaloo said as she stood under the chandelier, “it could be worse.”
She had just finished her sentence, the chandelier gave way and was plummeting toward the small pegasus. Rainbow moved swiftly and pulled Scootaloo out of the way as the chandelier made a good size hole on the spot where Scootaloo was standing mere seconds ago.
“What do you girls say we get the hay out of here?” Soarin said. Before waiting for a reply, he grabbed the girls by their shoulders and quickly pulled them out of the clubhouse/deathtrap. Once outside, Dash closed the door and locked it, as though to prevent anything from getting out and hurting anypony else. With as much pride as they could muster, the three pegasai sped walked out of the shores and to the concrete sidewalk. They shared a laugh after their little experience before deciding to return to the academy. After about half a minute of walking, Soarin asked,
“Do either of you know what time it is?”
Dash shrugged, “Probably a little after eight. Why?”
Soarin swore softly, “I’m late.”
“Late for what?” Dash asked curiously.
“An appointment.”
Scootaloo looked slightly surprised, “You have appointments?”
Soarin chuckled, “Just because I’m poor, doesn’t mean I still don’t have important matters. Anyways, I better hurry. Will you two be O.K by yourselves?”
Dash scoffed, “Do you really need to ask?”
Soarin grinned, “Good point. Alright then, goodnight Rainbow, goodnight Scootaloo.” And with that, he flew into the air and shot off to the academy.
“Who do you think he’s meeting?” Scootaloo asked curiously.
“I have no idea.” Dash said, equally as curious as Scootaloo.
They continued to make their way to the academy as they pondered over who Soarin was meeting. After a bit of walking, Scootaloo reached into Dash’s duffel bag, which she has been carrying since they left the gym, and pulled out her scooter. She rode along as Dash simply walked. Some moments of silent later, Scootaloo spoke up,
“So, are you going back to the boxing club?”
Dash shrugged, “Doubt it. Something tells me that me and the preps no longer see eye to eye. And since I haven’t seen a hair of Lightning Dust since I joined, I don’t really see the point of going back.”
When Dash mentioned Lightning Dust, Scootaloo looked as though she was about to ask another question, but then held her tongue. This did not go by unnoticed by Dash.
“Alright squirt, spill it.”
The small pegasus blinked, “What?”
“You wanted to say something else, right? So, say it.”
Scootaloo hesitated for a moment before saying, “Why are you so obsessed over finding Lightning Dust?”
Dash raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”
“Well, did Lightning Dust do something else to you that I don’t know about? Because I’ve seen other ponies that were back-stabbed by others, but I don’t think they had the same passion you have for finding Dust. So, did she do something else I should know?”
Rainbow thought about it for a moment, “Nah, you know everything Lightning did to me.”
“So what’s up with this craz- I mean passionate, obsession you have?”
Dash chuckled, “Haven’t you ever heard the expression ‘an eye for an eye’? Lightning burned me, and now I’m going to burn her. And I feel it’s about time I get a little payback for getting back-stabbed for once.”
“So this isn’t the first time?”
Dash was unprepared for this question. She wanted to pretend she didn’t hear it, but the expression on her face made it obvious. Rainbow thought about lying; she was never the pony to tell anypony else about her less than awesome moments. But Scootaloo had been straight with her since the beginning, so it only seemed right that she do the same.
The athletic pegasus sighed, “No, this isn’t the first time. Neither is it the second or third time. I moved around a lot, mostly because my mom’s marriages, so I had a lot of friends. I used to think they were great friends, you know. But, when we got into a serious jam, like getting in trouble with the police or principal, they didn’t lift a finger to help; they only thought of saving their own skin. Some of them even pinned the blame on me. I had to change so many schools because of my ‘friends’ that I was never able to get payback. Then again, I didn’t know whether I wanted payback. I mean, they were my friends, so I guess I felt obligated to not beat them senseless.” At the memories of her betrayals, Rainbow’s voice became angrier and angrier, “But not anymore; I‘ve had enough with letting ponies stabbing me in the back. So don’t blame me for wanting some good old fashion revenge, O.K?”
She didn’t mean to snap at Scootaloo, but the small pegasus caused the floodgates to open and all of Dash’s resentment poured out. They walked in silence for a while, neither one of them knowing what to say. Dash thought about apologizing for her outburst, and she was about to, when Scootaloo said,
“Don’t worry about looking for Lightning Dust; I’ll help you find her.” She then smiled to show she meant it.
“Really?” Dash said, surprised, “After I ditched you for weeks just so I can find her?”
“Well, yeah. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t help you do something that is important to you. You had my back since we met, so it’s obvious that I’m gonna have yours.”
Dash smiled and ruffled Scootaloo’s hair, “Thanks, squirt; that means a lot.”
Inside the preppies’ gym, the VIP box’s door opened and Aloe, Lotus, Colgate, and Rarity entered. They each took a seat on the many sofas and recliners.
“So, Rarity,” Colgate asked “why did you call this meeting?”
Rarity said, “A reliable source seems to have some important information for us, and she wished to say it personally.”
“So,” Aloe asked, “who is it?”
“That would be me.”
They all turned to see Lightning Dust leaning behind the bar counter. None of them noticed the pegasus as they entered.
“You’re Lightning Dust, correct?” Lotus asked, “I haven’t seen you since your initiation. Where have you been?”
“Oh, you know,” Lightning Dust strolled over to one of the seats and sat down, “I’ve been doing all I can to be helpful to you all.”
“And a very big help she’s been.” Rarity added with a smile, “Lightning Dust has a very keen sense with organization. Thanks to her, we have everything scheduled for the next 3 months. She also has an excellent ear on what goes on in the academy.”
“You don’t say? So, what’s the scoop?”
Rarity held up a hand, “Not yet, Colgate. We still need to wait for-”
Rarity’s phone suddenly began to ring. She checked the caller I.D before answering it,
“Where are you? … You cannot be serious… I said to meet here in… *sigh* alright fine.” Rarity pushed a button on her phone before holding it at arm’s length, “O.K, you’re on speaker.”
There was silence until the phone erupted with a loud voice, causing everypony in the vicinity to cover their ears,
“WHAT’S UP, MOTHERBUCKERS?!!”
“Vivian!” Colgate cried as hearing returned. The voice in the phone grunted irritably. Colgate sighed, “Fine; Vinyl, is it really necessary to shout every chance you get?”
The voice, Vinyl, adopted a pompous accent, “Colgate, is it really necessary to have that stick up your flank?”
Colgate flushed with embarrassment as laughter was heard from the phone.
“I’m only teasing, Colgate.” Vinyl said, dropping the accent, “So, why is there a meeting? Did something happen in the tournament?”
“Not really, darling,” Rarity said, “we just needed everypony here to listen to Lightning Dust’s news.”
“Who?” Vinyl asked.
“That would be me.” Lightning said modestly, “And I just got to say I’ve heard a lot about you, Vinyl.”
“I’m sure it’s everything good, right?” Vinyl said with the usual, preppy pride.
“Of course.”
“Aw yeah!”
“Anyways,” Rarity interjected, “we’re here to talk about the news that Lightning Dust has uncovered. So,” She turned to the amber-haired pegasus, “what is it?”
“First, it has something, or everything, to do with Rainbow Dash-”
“Who’s Rainbow Dash?” Vinyl asked.
The preppies quickly explained to Vinyl, who had been abroad for a whole week, all about who Dash was and what kind of pony she is.
“Wow.” Vinyl said after the explanation, “So you girls have had your flanks kicked royally by Dash?” She giggled, “Man, I wish I was there to see it happen.”
“Enough distractions.” Colgate said, “Can we please get on to why we’re here?”
“Of course.” Lightning said, “After a couple of days listening in on the other groups, I heard some bad news. It looks like Rainbow Dash has been going around school, telling everypony that she’s been wiping the floor with all of you.”
Lightning waited as all of the preppies cried in outrage and indignation. She continued, “Now everypony is starting to see all of you more as a joke.” She leaned forward, “Especially the greasers.”
The preps a looked at each other seriously. The preppies and greasers have been enemies for as long as anypony could remember. There have been countless confrontations between their groups. However, each side knew better to avoid a full scale assault on each other as it could lead to catastrophic damages. But, if Lightning Dust was right, then the greasers might see the preppies as easy targets, and thus, no longer worried about repercussions.
Aloe sighed, “So, what are we going to do about it?”
“I say we go to all of those doubters, and shove our feet right up their flanks!” Vinyl said.
“No hold on, Vinyl.” Rarity interjected, “I am all for protecting my honor, but it won’t look good for us if we go around and picking random ponies of the streets.”
Aloe, Lotus, and Colgate pointedly averted their eyes from each other. The reason that the preppies did most of their dirtier business in secret was to keep it under Rarity's radar. They knew she would never approve of it, but they felt obligated to teach anypony some respect when needed.
“Can I make a suggestion?” Lightning asked. As soon as everypony’s eyes were on her, she said, “Since doing nothing and beating up everypony are not the best idea, I say you all go after the source. It’s Rainbow Dash that has been spreading all of these lies and slander. So, if you take her down a notch, everypony would see that she was all talk. They’ll know that you are the best and that Dash was just a liar.”
There were nodding heads and sounds of approval after Lightning’s suggestion. As they all seem to have come to an agreement, Lightning got up, “Well, I think I’ve taken enough of your time. I’ll take my leave as you decide on the best course of action.”
“We should probably thank you, Lightning Dust.” Lotus said, “You have certainly been a big help.”
“Don’t mention it.” Lightning said humbly, “I’m just doing what I can to help you girls out. After all, you preps deserve more than you get.”
Lightning Dust left the preppies as their egos increased more and more. The pegasus calmly made her way down the stairs and out of the gym. As soon as the gym doors closed behind her, she burst out laughing,
“Oh, those narcissistic bastards are too easy.”