Gathering her hooves expertly under her, Rainbow Dash landed gracefully on the banister of the library’s balcony. She peeked inside through the window, hoping that Twilight Sparkle was already awake at this hour. Thankfully, she spotted Equestria’s newest princess walking by while holding a cup of tea with her magic. Rainbow tapped on the glass and soon enough, the window opened, wrapped in purple magic.
“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said with a warm smile. “What brings you by?”
Rainbow floated in and touched the ground near her friend. “Hi, Twi! I need your help.”
“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked, tilting her head a little to the side.
“You could say that, I guess... I have three days to learn boxing.”
Twilight Sparkle stared at her, blinking for a few seconds. “Okay, that’s not the craziest thing I’ve heard from you...” She calmly walked to the table in the middle of the library and sat down, setting her teacup in front of her. With a wing, she gestured for Rainbow to take a seat, which the pegasus quickly accepted. “Do I want to know why you need to learn boxing?” she finally asked.
“Well... Do you know Scootaloo’s mother?”
“Hmmm... No, I’ve never met her parents.”
“I met Scoot’s mom yesterday. She’s cool, but she’s also really short tempered.”
“I see,” Twilight said, sipping her tea. “I know somepony like that. She can be a hooffull sometimes.”
“I know, right? Anyways, Scootaloo got her cutie mark yesterday...”
Rainbow made a quick summary of the previous day’s events, how she happened to follow Scootaloo’s ride to her home, her meeting with Matchstick and the challenge Rainbow had agreed to.
“You’re going to have a friendly match?” Twilight asked, tapping her chin in thought. “I’ve seen you fight before, I guess you have some training, right?”
“Well, yeah. I practiced some tae-wing-do a few years ago but I stopped to spend more time on my flying skills.”
“You should be fine, then.”
Rainbow Dash looked at her friend with a frown. “Twilight, do you know anything about tae-wing-do? Or boxing?”
“Of course! Tae-wing-do is a martial arts developed by pegasi during the last century, it is based on traditional pegasus combat flying maneuvers mixed with karate and its main focus is on fluid aerial movements and rapid kicks. Boxing has been practiced in some form since the equestrian antiquity, starting from simple bare-hooved fighting into the more codified version that is known today. Modern boxing only allows punching with the forehooves, barring completely all forms of kicks, holds or throws.”
Rainbow Dash watched as Twilight finished her lecture with a proud smile.
“Egghead,” she muttered to herself.
“The two fighting styles are very different from each other,” Twilight continued. “But, who said anything about boxing anyway? Is Scootaloo’s mom... what was her name already?”
“Matchstick.”
“Right. Is Matchstick a boxer?”
“Yup. And if Red is to be believed, she’s a good one.”
“Red?”
“Red Currant. Scootaloo’s father. He’s... uh.” She paused briefly. “I don’t know if I should tell you about him.”
Twilight Sparkle’s brow rose in surprise while Rainbow wondered what she could say or not. Scootaloo never mentioned her father before, so she probably didn’t want his situation to be divulged publicly. Dash’s eyes went to Twilight’s new wings as they twitched, their new owner still unfamiliar with them.
“Wait... Twilight, you’re a princess!”
Twilight stared at her blankly for a moment. “Yes, Rainbow. You realize that it’s been a few months by now?”
“Of course, but that’s not what I meant.” Rainbow jumped in the air, hovering in front of princess Twilight with a grin. “You can do anything you want now! This is perfect!”
“I can’t do just any–”
“You have to keep this to yourself,” Rainbow interrupted her, “okay? The thing is, Scootaloo’s father’s in prison.”
“He’s... Wait, what?”
“But you can get him out! You’re a princess, you just have to say a word. Or... write a letter or something!”
“Whoah, Rainbow Dash! Slow down.”
Rainbow made an effort to quell her enthusiasm and landed back on the ground in front of Twilight.
“You can get a pony out of prison if you want, right, Twi?”
“Well,” she answered, looking in the distance while rubbing her chin in thought. “I would have to ask princess Celestia about that, I’m not quite sure on the proper procedure. But in theory, I think I could give somepony a pardon.”
“This is awesome!” Rainbow jumped back in the air, flitting around in excitement. “Scootaloo will be so happy! Why didn’t I think of this sooner? He could be out before–”
“RAINBOW!”
The pegasus froze and floated back to the ground. Once she was back in front of her, Twilight sighed before speaking up. “I said I could give him a pardon. I didn’t say that I would.”
“What?” She frowned as the words sunk in. “But why wouldn’t you?”
“For one, I don’t know anything about that stallion. What is he in prison for? Is he actually innocent?”
Rainbow sat back down in front of her friend and rubbed the back of her neck. “Well... No, he’s not really ‘innocent’ innocent.”
“Then what is he guilty of?”
Rainbow tried to remember the stallion’s words on short notice. “I think there was drug dealing, stuff like... counterfeiting? He burned a place down too, but he didn’t hurt anypony. Besides, that was all in the past, he’s a good guy now and Scootaloo needs her father!”
“So, you would have me free a convicted and potentially dangerous criminal to do a favor to one of my friends? Rainbow, that’s the textbook definition of an abuse of power!”
“It’s not! It’s...” Rainbow sighed as she found herself unable to contradict Twilight’s logic and slumped a little. “Yeah okay, when you put it like that, it is. But Red really feels sorry about what he’s done and he justs wants to live a normal life now.”
“How can you know that?”
“Because he said so? I visited him yesterday with Scootaloo. He told me his whole story.”
Twilight Sparkle watched Rainbow with a look that seemed almost disappointed. “And you just believed him,’ she said flatly.
“Of course, he was sincere, I could tell.”
“You can’t judge that after speaking with him once! By definition, a criminal is the opposite of honest! He could say anything to get out of jail...”
For a moment, Rainbow remained silent, mulling Twilight’s words. She had to admit that there was a possibility... “But... Why would he lie to me? I mean, it’s not like he would be gaining anything from it.”
“Unless he knew that we were friends. Which is pretty much common knowledge in Equestria at this point.”
Rainbow Dash froze.
Was that possible? Red Currant could have planned this, it wasn’t completely impossible... What if he had asked Scootaloo to get close to her so that she would meet him some day? What if he had prepared his whole story to trick her, to force Rainbow to go to Twilight or even Celestia to get him out?
Red admitted it himself: he was a crook. The only thing he knew how to do was cheat and lie.
What if his whole friendly act could have been nothing more than a façade, designed to benefit him?
“Rainbow?” Twilight’s voice barely registered.
Then again, he seemed to care so much for Scootaloo... And she for him. Can somepony really fake that? Could Scootaloo really be a part of that manipulation? She was only a filly, not a mastermind criminal...
“Rainbow!”
“Uh?” Dash looked up to see a concerned Twilight. “Sorry, I was just thinking... You know, I believe Red Currant was being honest with me, but I can see what you mean...”
“Thank you for understanding. I need to be really careful with my new responsibilities and a pardon is a big deal. I’d rather not risk setting a dangerous pony free, not to mention the possible scandal if the press learned that I did it only because you asked me to...”
“I get it, I get it...” Rainbow answered with a sigh. “Princessy duties and all that... But can’t you at least do him a favor? Get his sentence reduced? Or even let him out just for a day?”
“Hmmm.” Twilight furrowed her brow. “The best case scenario would be to get a reduction of his sentence, combined with a parole. If he really is reformed like you say he is, I won’t need to do him any favors, the judiciary system should take care of this on its own. As for a temporary release? I don’t really know the rules and regulations, but I could always find out...”
The princess hummed in thought for a second. “I could study his case... I’ll have to read up on prison procedures. Maybe some of the charges against him could be re-examined, I’ll have to check the record of his trial, examine precedents... Oh, this is going to be a lot of work!”
“Sor–”
“This is great!” Twilight chirped, grinning broadly and clapping her hooves together.
“-ry?”
The alicorn floated a parchment and a quill on the table in front of her and started scribbling notes immediately. “I’ll get a chance to study the laws and put them to use! There’s so much research to do. I’ll have to check the Canterlot library, I don’t have everything I need here... Ha ha! I knew reading the penal code would come useful someday!” She paused. “It’s been a long time, though. Maybe I should read it again...”
“I’m... glad you’re enjoying yourself...” Rainbow said to the overeager alicorn. “So, will you be able to help?”
“Well, I can’t answer that yet.” Twilight didn’t look up from her paper, still taking some notes as ideas came to her. “But I will look into it. It’s a great chance to learn and to help my friends at the same time!”
“That’s good to hear,” Rainbow answered with a little smile. “It would be great for Scootaloo and her parents.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself now,” Twilight added. “I’m going to need some time and there’s no guarantee that I can actually get him out. I’m not going to use my status to break the rules.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. It was still a good shot: if somepony could find a loophole, the bookworm alicorn was the one. Rainbow hummed a familiar tune, singing “since when does Twilight Sparkle ever fail?” in her head. She was in the middle of the chorus when she remembered something.
“Wait! We got off track.”
“Hmm?”
“I still need to learn boxing.”
Twilight put her notes on the table and focused back on Rainbow. “Why does it have to be boxing? Can’t you use the fighting style you’re familiar with?”
“I don’t know if I want to go into a no-holds-barred match with Matchstick... Plus, I want the fight to be fair, what’s the point otherwise?”
“I don’t think it’s a fair fight if she’s a skilled boxer and you’re not,” Twilight countered.
“Well, that’s why I need you to train me!”
“Me?” Twilight pointed at herself with a hoof. “I’m flattered, Rainbow, but I’m not sure I can help. I mean, I’ve never been in a hooffight in my entire life. I can’t really teach you magic self-defense either...”
“But you learned how to run a race just by reading books, didn’t you?”
“I did, but I only came in fifth, remember?”
Rainbow grinned confidently and crossed her arms on her chest. “You’re not a sportsmare, so of course you couldn’t win. But me? I’m a world-class athlete! If you teach me how to box, there’s no way I can’t become a great fighter.”
“Well, it never hurts to consult some reference books, of course. I’m not sure how much you can learn in only three days, but it would still be better than nothing...”
“That’s the idea. Let’s get to it!”
Twilight giggled a little. “Alright, Rainbow. If that’s what you want. Would you like some tea? I have the feeling that this is going to be a long day.”
“I’d prefer coffee, if you have any.”
“Sure.”
A couple of minutes later, Twilight Sparkle came back with a steaming cup of coffee and a book she had snatched from one shelf on her way.
“Boxing basics, by Brawling Bull,” she read aloud. “This should be a good starting point.”
“Morning, Twilight. Oh, and good morning, Rainbow Dash.”
“Hi, Spike!” the pegasus answered while waving a hoof.
“Keep your hooves up!” Twilight ordered, using her magic to grab her limb and put it back in place.
“You know, Rainbow,” Spike said while going down the stairs, “I don’t think Twilight is your best choice for dancing lessons...”
The two ponies looked at each other at that comment, Rainbow standing on her hind legs while Twilight was on all fours in front of her and using magic to adjust her stance.
“This isn’t dancing, Spike. I’m giving Rainbow Dash boxing lessons.”
The young dragon gave both of them a flat look. “Right, because that makes much more sense...”
Twilight ignored his remark, concentrating on Rainbow’s position. “I said keep your hooves up! The left forehoof needs to be at eye-level, a dozen centimeters in front of your face, the right forehoof should be next to your chin.”
“Alright, just let go of my hooves already!” Rainbow said irritatedly. She focused to get her guard in place just as Twilight had instructed, if only to keep her from touching them.
“Good!” Twilight said with a little smile. “Now the hindhooves...”
“Don’t touch them!”
“Come on, Rainbow, don’t be such a foal, I’ll just–”
“Stop. Touching. My. Hooves.” Rainbow glared at her friend’s glowing horn. Twilight watched her curiously, but finally sighed and let her magic die down.
“Fine. Put your left hindhoof about a half-step forward... Good. Now you should keep that stance at all times. To move forward, move your lead leg ahead and push on the rear leg at the same time, then put your weight on the front leg and bring the rear leg back in position. Now try it.”
Rainbow Dash followed the instructions, taking a tentative step forward, one hoof after the other making a “clip-clop” sound on the hardwood floor.
“Okay,” Twilight said while keeping her eyes on Rainbow’s hindhooves. “Now moving backwards is just the same in reverse: you push on the front leg and bring the front hoof back, then move the rear leg back in place. Take a few steps around the library and remember to keep your guard up all the time.”
Dash complied, moving back and forth and keeping her forehooves in front of her face, ready to block imaginary punches.
“Don’t take too long steps,” Twilight instructed, ”short but quick steps are better, almost like you’re jumping around.”
Rainbow Dash hopped around, taking a couple of steps forward, then back and again.
“This really looks like dancing,” Spike said with a chuckle. He sat down on the steps to enjoy the show.
“Don’t mind him,” Twilight told Rainbow. “Now try to take some steps sideways, always with the same motion. Push from the rear hoof and transfer your weight on the lead hoof.”
“Like this?” She slipped on her right.
“Yes, that looks good. Don’t forget to keep your wings off your sides, don’t let your guard down.”
Rainbow jumped around the library a bit more. Slowly but surely, moving only on her hind legs felt more natural. She tried to picture Matchstick in front of her, following her moves.
“Let’s try this exercise,” Twilight said after a minute. “You must keep a constant distance between you and me. Move back when I move forward, turn around to follow me, et caetera.”
With her magic, the alicorn tucked all the furniture in one corner of the room, giving both ponies a lot of space to move around, then came to stand in front of Rainbow.
“Ready? Go!” Twilight was still standing on all fours and thus had much better control of her movements, but Rainbow was determined to do her best.
Twilight moved backwards at first, letting Rainbow follow her easily, then the alicorn took a quick step forward. Rainbow Dash almost stumbled but remembered the instructions: she gave a swift push with her left leg that sent her back. Just as she was finishing the step, Twilight backtracked again. Rainbow sprung on her right leg and followed the movement.
“Not bad, Rainbow. Let’s make things more complicated.”
Twilight sidestepped on her right, circling around Rainbow and forcing her to rotate herself to keep facing the target. She added more moves, going in every direction. Left, right, forward, backward... Rainbow jumped and spun around the library, concentrating exclusively on the distance between her and Twilight.
“Seriously, how is that not dancing?”
“Ugh. Spike!” Twilight’s head hung down in annoyance. “Think whatever you want, this is boxing hoofwork. The book says so!”
“Why are you guys practicing boxing anyway?”
“Because I need to get ready,” Rainbow said while gesturing for Twilight to resume her movements. She kept talking while shuffling around on her hind hooves. “I’m having a boxing match next Wednesday against Scootaloo’s mom.”
“Really?” Rainbow was facing away from the little dragon but she could easily imagine his dubious face.
“Really.”
“And I agreed to train her for the next few days,” Twilight added. “Spike, would you mind adding ‘reorganise my schedule’ to my schedule?”
“Sure. Do you need me for anything else? As long as it’s not being a punching bag, that is...”
Twilight stopped to think for a second. “I should be fine, you can do what you want today.”
“Great! If you need me I’ll be at Rarity’s.”
Twilight Sparkle smiled fondly as she watched the little dragon quickly write down a note in her schedule and rush to the door.
“Now, back to work!”
Sunday had passed by quickly. Following Twilight’s instructions, Rainbow Dash learned how to stand, move and punch in the exact way that the manuals described. On Monday, she joined with Twilight again in the library after taking care of her weather duties for the day.
Rainbow knocked on the door and its upper half opened soon after, revealing a smiling Twilight Sparkle.
“Rainbow Dash! You’re just in time, perfect.”
She opened the door to let her friend in and Rainbow trotted inside, a grin on her face.
“I’m feeling strong today!” the pegasus said enthusiastically. “So, what’s the plan, coach?”
“I’m glad you asked, Dash. I’ve spent some time this morning coming up with an accelerated training regimen, so that we could cover every possible exercise.”
“Awesome! I’m going to be unstoppable!”
“Well... I don’t know if we can go that far with only two days left.”
“You don’t think I can do it?” Rainbow asked while glaring at Twilight. “I’m the best athlete in Ponyville! No... In Equestria! I’ll show you what I can do.”
Twilight shook her head. “If we had a few months to prepare you, then I’m sure you could be a great boxer, but we only have two days, Rainbow. This really is a very short time. We won’t have time to increase your strength significantly, for example. Our best bet is for you to perfect your technique as much as possible. Starting with... this.”
In a puff of magic, a very tall mirror appeared in the middle of the library. Rainbow saw herself looking back, tilting her head to the side.
“What do I do with a mirror?” both Rainbows asked simultaneously.
“Shadowboxing. This is both a good warmup and a way to analyze your movements. You just have to stand in front of the mirror, throw punches and observe your moves closely. This way, you should be able to see if there are holes in your guard, if you’re making unnecessary movements, if your punches are easy to read and so on.”
“Hmm. Guess that makes sense...”
Rainbow raised herself on her hind legs and stood in front of her double. When she brought her hooves up in a guard stance, she immediately understood what Twilight was saying: she could easily see that her right hoof was too far back and low, not protecting her chin like it should. Rainbow corrected her stance and started punching the air in front of her.
Slowly but surely, her form became cleaner as she performed every punch with the theory in mind: keep the jab straight and quick, like the snapping of a whip without moving the rest of the body, raise the shoulder to cover the chin. Twist the torso to add torque for a hook. Push on the legs and throw the shoulder forward for a straight right...
About ten minutes later, Twilight stopped Rainbow and magically floated a water bottle for her to catch. After a short break, Twilight showed the next exercise’s accessory to a very nonplussed Rainbow.
“A jump rope? Are we training or are we playing foals’ game, Twilight?”
“Training,” Twilight answered very seriously. “I hope you like rope skipping, because you’re going to do a lot of that.”
The rope floated to Rainbow’s hooves, who watched the toy with a blank face. “How is that supposed to help?”
“Good question! This is very important for your hoofwork, skipping rope will teach you to be quick on your hooves and keep a good balance at all times.”
“... If you say so...”
Rainbow had to admit that at least this exercise was pretty fun. With Twilight making her switch through different steps and rhythms, it didn’t become boring and repetitive. The benefit to her movements was also pretty clear as she quickly became used to springing on her hooves rather than just stand in place.
Rainbow’s training session kept going for about half an hour before Twilight declared that they would go outside for a run.
“I don’t mind a little running,” Rainbow told her, “but I already have tons of practice for that...”
“I know, but you’re not going to run on all fours this time.”
“You want me to run on my hind legs? I’m going to look ridiculous...”
Twilight chuckled. “Probably, but don’t worry. We’re not going very far, so there shouldn’t be too many ponies who will see you.”
Leaving Spike in charge of the library for the rest of the afternoon, the two mares headed out, Rainbow Dash running like a minotaur and Twilight Sparkle flying above her to train her still recent wings.
Rainbow was so focused on her training that she didn’t realize where she was going until Twilight stopped her, announcing that they had arrived. She looked around, seeing a small cottage near a stream, almost on the edge of the Everfree forest.
“Time to meet your training partner for the day,” Twilight announced as they walked to the door.
Rainbow watched her friend with a disbelieving look. “Fluttershy?”
“No, not Fluttershy... Though she has her part in this.” She knocked on the door and the shy pegasus quickly answered, peeking her head out of the door.
“Oh, hello girls. Hum... Did you come here for Rainbow’s training?”
“Yes,” Twilight answered cheerfully. “Are you still willing to help us?”
Fluttershy nodded and lead her friends to the backyard of her cottage.
“What are you two planning?” Rainbow asked while they were walking.
Twilight smiled proudly before answering. “Fluttershy was telling me about one of her animal friends the other day and I realized that he would make a perfect training partner for you, Rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash froze for a moment, one hoof awkwardly in the air. “You’re not going to make me fight a bear, are you?”
“What? No, of course not!”
Fluttershy flew ahead as soon as the group reached the back of her cottage, where a throng of various animals were hanging around. She came back a few seconds later, a kangaroo hopping happily behind her.
“Rainbow,” Twilight announced, “meet Mr Hoppy.”
The kangaroo smiled and waved a hand at Rainbow, who waved back with a blank face.
“I’m going to fight with a kangaroo?”
“Oh goodness, you’re not going to really fight?” Fluttershy looked shocked at the idea. “Hum... Also, Mr Hoppy is actually a wallaroo... But, you’re not going to hurt him are you?” She looked at Twilight imploringly.
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Twilight put a hoof over her heart. “I promise that we won’t hurt a single hair on Mr Hoppy.”
“And how will we do that, exactly?” asked Rainbow.
“Simple! You won’t be fighting back, Rainbow Dash. We will be working on your defense exclusively.”
“So... The kangaroo–”
“Wallaroo,” Fluttershy corrected her.
“Whateveroo is going to punch me?” Twilight nodded. “And I can’t punch back?” Another nod. “Come on, that’s not fair!”
“Oh please, Rainbow Dash. I promised Mr Hoppy that he wouldn’t get hurt. Please?” Fluttershy watched her with big, teary eyes that made Rainbow
“Guh...” Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. You win, Fluttershy.” She turned to the marsupial next to her. “But you’d better not take advantage of this, okay?”
Mr Hoppy nodded solemnly and gave her a thumbs up.
“This is probably one of your weirdest ideas, Twilight...”
“It is not!” The alicorn used her magic to levitate a pair of bright red gloves out of her saddlebag. “It is a well-known fact that kangaroos are naturally talented for boxing and considering how easy it was to find a pair of roo boxing gloves, I can safely say that I was not the first pony to think of that idea.” Twilight Sparkle levitated the gloves to Fluttershy, who grabbed them and helped the wallaroo to put them on.
Rainbow saw a second pair of shiny black gloves, these ones designed for a pony, float near her. She sat down and took one with her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise when the magic disappeared and she realized it was much heavier than she expected.
Rainbow slid her left hoof in the glove, wriggling her foreleg until it was covered up to her fetlock, then repeated the same process with her right hoof. Unlike the roo’s gloves, pony gloves looked more like thick padded boots than anything else.
“Let me lace these for you, Rainbow.” She gave Twilight a harsh glare that was answered by an eye-roll. “I won’t touch your hooves, just the lacing.”
Rainbow relented and held her forelegs in front of her, still watching Twilight with a frown. To her relief, the alicorn stayed true to her word and only took a second to tie up the laces, securing the gloves tightly on Rainbow’s hooves. The pegasus flexed her legs a few times to get used to the stiffness of the simili-leather.
Before she even realized it, Rainbow had a padded helmet on her head, quickly tied up by Twilight, then a mouthguard floating in front of her muzzle.
“Where did you even get all this stuff?” Rainbow asked, trying to scratch her head and failing between the gloves and the headgear.
“The sporting goods store. They let me borrow all of it, free of charge... I suppose being a princess has its advantages,” Twilight said with a sheepish grin.
The mouthguard bobbed in front of Rainbow. She accepted the invitation and bit on the plastic piece, earning a satisfied nod from Twilight.
“Fluttershy? Is Mr Hoppy ready?”
“Yes, Twilight. Hum... You’ll be careful, right?”
“You should ‘e more worried a’out me,” Rainbow sputtered through the mouthguard.
“Oh, of course I’m worried. But... Mr Hoppy has given me his word that he would go easy on you.”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” Twilight said soothingly. “This is just a training session, everything will be alright. Now, let’s get started.”
Pegasus and wallaroo took position in front of each other.
“Now remember, Rainbow. You must try to avoid being hit, without striking back. Just do as we learned in the manual: block with your gloves, bob and weave, use your hoofwork to stay at a distance. Ready?” Rainbow and Mr Hoppy both nodded. “Start!”
The first punch almost took her by surprise, but Rainbow managed to angle her head at the last second and let it slip harmlessly on her helmet. The wallaroo attacked relentlessly, but his moves were slow enough that Rainbow could anticipate them and block, dodge or parry the hits. As they became more and more comfortable, the two fighters increased their pace.
Rainbow Dash found that with her quick hind hooves, she was able to jump back and avoid completely the most dangerous punches. She grew more confident, almost dancing around him at times, but when she slowed down, Mr Hoppy threw quick and precise hits that gradually took their toll on Rainbow.
“Remember to keep your wings off your sides,” Twilight instructed when Rainbow had forgotten and folded them against her body.
“Why is that so impor– aaaargh!” The reason became instantly clear as the wallaroo threw a left hook on her right side.
Being mostly bone and feathers, wings could never really be toughened up and every single hit hurt way too much to simply be ignored. Rainbow Dash didn’t waste any time to unfurl and keep her wings straight in her back, as far away from the fight as possible. She also quickly learned to keep her elbows in a position that would cover her wingbases.
The training session kept going for a good while: as Rainbow grew more tired, she also improved her technique and thus was able to keep going without letting the wallaroo simply pummel her. His punches didn’t land often and when they did, most of the time, Rainbow managed to let them slip by instead of taking them straight on. Still, Mr Hoppy eventually wore her out. More than once, she instinctively brought her wings back on her sides and every time without fail, a painful punch reminded her of why that was a mistake.
Fatigue set in, the pegasus moving sluggishly and simply covering herself up by the end. The sweat was stinging her eyes, making it harder and harder to see the incoming attacks, so Rainbow was immensely grateful when Twilight called an end to the session. She let herself fall on her back in the grass, with no intention to move again any time soon.
Fluttershy hovered above her, looking concerned. “Are you alright, Rainbow? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Don’t fret, Fluttershy.” Rainbow waved a hoof to dismiss her worries. “It’ll take more than that to knock me out.” She turned her head to the side, to get a look at Twilight. “What do you say, Twi? Was I awesome or what?”
Twilight giggled before answering. “Well, it’s hard to quantify awesomeness, but you managed to avoid more hits than you took, which is pretty impressive for a novice. Let’s hope that this is enough for your match.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Rainbow answered with a grin. “I’ll win that fight. Matchstick won’t even know what hit her!”
“Remember that she has years of training, Rainbow.”
“I know, I know. But I have a good feeling about this, I know I’m going to win.” She smiled as she already imagined herself standing victorious in the ring.
“Well... Maybe. You do seem to have some natural talent, after all.”
“Of course!” Rainbow looked back at Fluttershy, still hovering over her. The shy pegasus stared back, blinking while Dash simply kept smiling.
“Oh... Umm, I’m sure you’ll do good, Rainbow...”
Fluttershy wasn’t much of a liar, but Rainbow kept her smile on. There was not much point in calling her friend on this... If Fluttershy didn’t believe in her, then she would simply have to prove her wrong.
The Ponyville library was definitely not quiet. Thankfully, nopony was trying to read a book in peace, because the room was filled by the sound of jump rope whizzing around and snapping on the ground, combined with the clip-clop of Rainbow’s hooves hopping up and down on the hardwood floor. She almost didn’t hear it when somepony knocked on the door, but she ignored it anyway, letting Twilight take care of the visitors while she focused on her hoofwork.
“Ha! So it’s true!”
Rainbow paused as she recognized Applejack’s familiar drawl. The farmer pony walked inside the library and stopped in front of her with an amused grin.
“Ah thought Apple Bloom had misunderstood somethin’, but you really are goin’ to box Scootaloo’s mom, aren’t you?”
“Heh. Yeah, I see news travel fast.”
“Well, the crusaders seemed to be pretty excited about it.” Applejack chuckled a little. “Ah’m not a big fan of boxin’, but Ah reckon Ah want to see what you can do, RD. What’s with you and lil’ Scoot’s mom, though?”
Rainbow harrumphed. “Matchstick said I couldn’t take her. I’m going to prove her wrong, that’s it.”
“Matchstick? Wait...” Applejack frowned. “Ah know that name... Is she a big, black, mean-lookin’ mare? Orange hair?”
“Yeah, you know her?”
“Is she Scootaloo’s mother? Ah didn’t know that... But Ah’ve seen her fight.”
“What? When? How?” Rainbow had flown instantly, sticking her face straight in Applejack’s.
“Whoah, hold your horses, Rainbow. Ah saw her fight...” She tapped her chin in thought. “‘bout a little under a year ago, Ah think. Like Ah said, Ah’m not much for boxin’, but Big Macintosh likes it and Ah came with him that one time. He just likes watching mares tussle with each other, if you ask me...”
Applejack sat down on the ground and adjusted her hat by reflex before continuing. “Anyways, one time Ah went with him to the gym to see a fight, but then when it was over, there’s that one mare who comes up to the ring and starts talkin’ about how she can beat the stuffin’ outta the winner. And she did. The fight lasted for three rounds before she gave up.
“So then that gal starts sayin’ she’s the best and nopony in Ponyville can beat her and everythin’. Ah swear Ah had half a mind to just get up there and buck her in the face, but that Matchstick mare came to the ring instead. She knocked that braggart out in two minutes.” Applejack laughed at the memory. “That shut her up good! And she didn’t open her mouth again when she woke up, just got out of the gym real quick.”
Rainbow Dash frowned when she saw Twilight giving her a troubled look.
“Humph. So she’s that good, huh? Then I’ll just have to train harder. What’s today’s program, Twilight?”
“Hmmm? Ha, yes. Speaking of gyms, that’s where we’re headed. Hopefully, we can find you a real sparring partner this time.”
“Sure, that’s... Wait, why didn’t we do that yesterday?”
“Because it’s closed on Mondays,” Twilight answered plainly. “We can go whenever you’re ready.”
“Mind if Ah come?” Applejack asked. “Ah don’t have any better plans for today.”
“Why not?” Rainbow answered with a shrug. “The more, the merrier.”
She was proved right when they met Rarity on their way, who quickly revealed that she was as curious as Applejack, having heard of the incoming fight from her own little sister.
The four ponies entered the Horsepower gym. There were about twenty ponies in all, most of them training on various fitness equipment while Bulk Biceps, the hulking white pegasus, was screaming at them. Whether he was trying to motivate them through fear or simply too intense to realize his loudness was up to debate.
“Ugh. Now I remember why I never visit this place,” Rarity said with a disgusted face as her eyes went from one sweating pony to another.
“You know, Rarity,” Applejack said as she walked next to her, “maybe you should come here sometimes. Gettin’ plenty of exercise if good for your health and your figure.”
“My figure?” The refined pony scoffed. “Applejack! Are you insinuating what I think you’re insinuating?”
“Am Ah? Ah don’t think Ah done any insinuatin’,” she answered with a lopsided grin.
“Don’t listen to her, Rarity,” Rainbow added.
Rarity nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Most stallions like big rumps anyways.”
Her face distorted at Rainbow’s words.
“Why, you little...” The pegasus quickly flew away, laughing her (slim) rump off and leaving a fuming Rarity behind, who quickly exploded. “Come back here, Rainbow Dash! I need feathers for a new headdress!”
Applejack rolled on the floor, tears coming to her eyes from the laughter while Rarity pursued Dash all around the gym.
Both ponies were engulfed in a flash of purple magic and reappeared in front of Twilight Sparkle. Rarity kept trying to catch Rainbow, who was still flying away... while both floated in place, thanks to Twilight’s magic. The princess sighed and gently chided them.
“Please, girls. Let’s remember that we’re all friends here.”
Rarity and Rainbow Dash eventually calmed down and Twilight let them down on the ground.
“Sorry, Rarity,” Rainbow said with a genuine smile. “I was just kidding. No hard feelings?”
“Humph. Very well, I shall forgive you this time.”
“There, much better.” Twilight said with a satisfied grin. “And there really is nothing to be upset about, Rarity. A reasonably round rump is actually a sign of good health.”
Rarity scoffed and glared at Twilight... who was smiling honestly and obviously meant every word she had just said in a positive way. The fashionista ground her teeth and cleared her throat, composing her face again after a great effort. “Thank you, Twilight,” she said in a strained voice. “That is... very reassuring.” She gave a harsh glare at Applejack and Rainbow to stop their snickering. “Now that this is out of the way, I believe we were brought here for other matters than the state of my derrière, weren’t we?”
“Eeyup,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “We need to help Dash from gettin’ her own dairy-air whooped.”
“Let’s see if we can borrow some equipment,” Twilight told Rainbow.
A few minutes later, Rainbow and Twilight had secured all the necessary gear and headed for the part of the gym dedicated to martial arts training. Next to the empty ring, several punching bags of different shapes and sizes were hanging from the ceiling, one of which was currently being beaten by a familiar charcoal mare.
“That’s her, ain’t it?” Applejack asked as she pointed at Matchstick.
Rainbow nodded in confirmation. “Since we’re here, let’s go say hi.”
Matchstick was proceeding to pummel a tiny bag hanging at head level. It was bouncing fast enough that Rainbow had trouble following it with her eyes, yet a punch sent it flying back every time it swung forward.
“Hey, Matchstick!” Rainbow called. The mare gave a glance over her shoulder and smiled. She gave the bag a final, powerful punch before turning around.
“Hi, Rainbow. What brings you here?”
“Training, of course! Still up for that fight tomorrow?”
Matchstick grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her forehead before answering. “Sure thing, flyer. Who are your friends?” she asked, glancing at the three other mares. Her eyes widened when she spotted the alicorn standing next to Rainbow. “Uh... Your highness!” Matchstick gave an awkward little bow.
“Please, just call me Twilight. I could go without the whole ‘princess’ thing...”
Twilight Sparkle’s gentle smile made Matchstick relax, but only a little.
“I’m just here as Rainbow’s friend,” she added, “so just ignore my title. Is that okay with you?”
“Y– Yeah... Sure thing, your high– I mean... Twilight.”
Rainbow decided to move the subject away from the alicorn in the room. “This is Applejack,” she said, pointing at the farmer mare by her side.
“Howdy!”
The down to earth pony was making Matchstick a lot more comfortable than the princess when the two shook hooves.
“And Rarity,” Rainbow finished.
“A pleasure to meet you. I understand you are Scootaloo’s mother?”
“That’s right. You know her? She hasn’t been causing you trouble, has she?”
“Oh no, nothing of the sort.” Rarity let out a small giggle. “Well, maybe a little. She is often with my sister Sweetie Belle and also Applejack’s little sister Apple Bloom. The three can be a hooffull sometimes, but nothing that couldn’t be expected from young fillies.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean...” Matchstick smiled a little and turned to Rainbow. “So, Dash. You came here for practice? Good, it’s hard to find somepony that can put up a fight against me in Ponyville. I hope we can have some fun.”
“Put up a fight?” Rainbow smirked. “I’m going to beat you fair and square, Matchstick.”
“Beat me... Heh. I thought we would just play a little, but if you want a real fight, I’m your mare.”
“Sure, I do. I don’t want you to have any excuses after I beat you.”
Matchstick burst into laughter. “I like that kind of thinking! We won’t have much time to get everything ready, though. We’ll need a referee...”
“Ooh! I can do that!” Twilight piped up. “I’ve read all the rules, it seems pretty straightforward.”
“That works for me,” Matchstick answered with a shrug. “I’ll make sure we have the ring tomorrow. Let’s say... six o’clock. Five rounds should be enough... You’ve got everything you need?”
“I think so,” Rainbow said while looking in the bag holding her borrowed equipment. She took out hoofwraps, gloves, headgear and a short.
“Ugh... You’re not intending on wearing that... thing,” Rarity said as she pointed at the pair of trunks. “Are you, Rainbow?”
“What’s wrong with them?” Matchstick asked. “It’s part of the mandatory gear.”
“Really? Why would you have to wear something so... drab to fight?” The fashionista sneered at the pair of faded green shorts that Matchstick was currently wearing.
“How else do you know if you’re hitting below the belt... You ever get punched in the tits, miss?”
Rarity almost strangled herself at the unexpected question, making Applejack giggle next to her. “Wha–? I– You... I most certainly have not!”
“Well trust me, you wouldn’t like it. At least it’s not as bad as for stallions, or so I hear...”
The sophisticated pony cleared her throat and adjusted her mane. “I see. Then, if you insist on wearing a pair of shorts, I shall ensure that they are presentable. Stand still, this will only take a minute.”
Before Matchstick had time to understand what was going on, Rarity had somehow procured a measuring tape and was already writing down her measurements in a small notepad.
“Wait... What are you doing?” the confused mare asked.
“I won’t let you wear something so dreadful if I can help it.”
“What’s wrong with my trunks? I’ve had them for years...”
“Yes, I can tell... Where do I start? The color clashes horribly with your fur, the cut is amateurish at best and they are clearly worn out beyond redemption.”
Everypony looked at the old shorts, only now noticing the errant threads hanging from loose stitches and a few rips and tears in places...
“Worry not, darling! I will have you look fabulous in no time! Now, your turn, Rainbow Dash.”
“Wha–?” Rarity was already hovering the tape around Rainbow’s barrel.
“I can’t let you look unsightly by comparison, now can I?”
“Of course not...” Rainbow said flatly.
“There! I have everything I need. Ooh! I already have some ideas for your attire, Rainbow. I shall get to work immediately if I want these to be ready by tomorrow. My apologies, girls, but I must take my leave!”
With that, Rarity walked away, her head held high and her gait transpiring elegance.
“That was... strange,” Matchstick said, scratching her head.
“Let’s hope she doesn’t try to turn this into a fashion show,” Rainbow added.
Applejack laughed a little. “Ah think she just wanted to get outta the gym. This place is just too ‘uncouth’ for her.”
“Whatever, let’s just get to training!” Rainbow jumped into her own pair of borrowed shorts and started to get the wraps on her hooves.
Next to her, Twilight Sparkle levitated a checklist in view. “Alright, Rainbow. You should start with the speed bag.”
“Got it.” She looked around at all the punching bags hanging around the room. “Which one is the speed bag?”
Matchstick chuckled and pointed over her shoulder at the small bag she had been hitting earlier. “I’m done with it, knock yourself out.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and walked in front of the tiny bag. She stood up on her hind legs and punched it tentatively, sending it bouncing around like Pinkie Pie on a good day.
“Don’t hit it hard,” Matchstick explained. “The speed bag is not about power. It’s about timing, precision and endurance. Watch.”
She stepped in front of Rainbow. “Give it a little punch and wait until it swings back.” Matchstick demonstrated, giving the bag a little push that sent it swinging back slowly, then hit it again as it moved closer. She went on at a slow pace, alternating with her right and left hooves, allowing Rainbow to get a good look. “When you got the hang of it, you can start striking harder so it’ll swing faster.” Progressively, Matchstick accelerated until the bag was nothing but a blur in front of her, bouncing back and forth with a rhythmic slapping noise. She grabbed it with both hooves to stop it and walked aside with a grin, letting Rainbow try her hoof at it.
Following the instructions, the pegasus started slow. It took her a while to find a decent rhythm. Every time she wanted to speed up, Rainbow eventually missed or hit the bag at the wrong time, breaking its momentum or sending it tumbling to the sides, but her determination wouldn’t let her give up. Instead, she took her time and learned from her mistakes until she found the best way to move her hooves.
“Not bad,” Matchstick said next to her. “Not bad at all, for a rookie... Well, I have some training to do, too.” She walked away, while Rainbow kept focusing on the bag.
Under Twilight’s supervision, Rainbow practiced in a simulation of boxing rounds: three minutes of exercise followed by one minute of rest, again and again. During one of these down-times, she observed Matchstick doing her own practice.
She was beating a heavy bag, turning around and throwing quick combinations, high and low. Even if Rainbow had little knowledge of boxing by that point, she could appreciate Matchstick’s moves. Her hoofwork was not particularly fast, but clean and efficient. She moved back, slipped to the sides and stepped forward in time with the bag’s swings as if she was fighting a real pony. The really frightening thing were her punches... She had great hoof speed, almost too fast to be seen and judging by how the bag swung, she knew how to put a lot of power behind them too.
“Ah wouldn’t want to be that bag,” Applejack told Rainbow in a low voice. The farmer gave her a worried glance that only made Rainbow frown.
She blew a puff of air through her nose and went back to the training. Nopony said it would be easy, but she would beat Matchstick.
Several rounds of practice later, Twilight declared that Rainbow should try sparring with a real pony. Naturally, her first thought was to ask Matchstick. The charcoal mare dismissed her with a laugh. “I’ll play with you tomorrow, Rainbow.” She stopped hitting her bag to give her a smirk. “But I think I know who can spar with you. Hey! Berry!”
A plum-colored earth pony with a grape and strawberry cutie mark approached. “Rainbow Dash, you know Berry Punch?”
“Oh yeah, she’s always at Pinkie Pie’s parties,” Rainbow said while waving at her. “Drinking all the punch,” she added to herself.
“Great,” Matchstick continued, turning to Berry. “Rainbow is looking for a sparring partner, why don’t you give it a try?”
“Perfect!” Berry said with a smile. “Just give me a minute to get ready.”
Rainbow scratched her head while she watched her walk away. “Berry knows how to box?”
“She’s been training for a few months now,” Matchstick answered while resuming her workout on the heavy bag. “I coach her sometimes. The two of you should be a decent match, I think. Be careful, her technique is really sloppy but she hits like a buffalo. Well... This is just a spar anyway, you two aren’t supposed to go all out.”
A few minutes later, Rainbow and Berry were facing each other in the middle of the ring. Dash was relieved to find that her training from the previous day had paid off: as Matchstick as said, Berry Punch lacked accuracy and her hits were quite easy to anticipate and avoid.
Matchstick wasn’t kidding about her power either... Every time Rainbow failed to dodge or parry a punch, she was struck by a tremendous hit. Dash was no stranger to unwanted impacts, usually involving a failed flying trick and a solid object in her way... Berry Punch was easily comparing in strength to some of her finest crashes and she could tell that the earth pony was still holding back.
Rainbow Dash concentrated further. She couldn’t take many of these hits and even blocking them was a big effort, so she decided to rely on her speed. She moved back when a punch was coming, then forward for her own counter-attack. She bent down to let a hook sail above her head and sent a few body shots before jumping back out of range.
The session went on for a while like this: Rainbow avoided most of the blows directed at her and hit back with lightning-fast speed. Berry simply shrugged off her hits and kept attacking, showing a seemingly endless supply of stamina.
Then, Rainbow let her guard down while jabbing. A straight right went right into the open space and struck in the middle of her chest. With that single shot, Berry punched all the air out of Rainbow Dash’s lungs. She fell on all four, struggling to breathe.
“Berry! Take it easy, it’s just training!” Matchstick called her out from the side of the ring.
“Sorry! Are you okay, Rainbow?”
“Guh... Y– Yeah, I’m fine.” She panted a little, but managed to get back up.
“Take a minute to breathe, Rainbow.” She turned at Twilight’s voice. The alicorn was watching her with worry. The same look that Applejack was sharing, right next to her... No, not worry: there was no uncertainty in their attitude. They were convinced that Rainbow Dash had no chance to win.
Dash frowned again. She would show them.