You have gotten used to waking up to the sound of an alarm clock at 7am over the course of the past week. You’re not sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that the bed accommodated for your height. It also could have been that you could look forward to seeing Octavia the next day. Whatever it was, you found yourself waking up full of energy.
Except, this morning, it wasn’t you that was full of energy.
You almost fall out of the bed when you hear a loud pounding at the door. In a confused haze, you dart your head around the room, trying to get your bearings. It took a few seconds, but you remember that you are not in your castle tower room, but at an inn in Ponyville, but that doesn’t explain why somepony is banging on your door like Luna.
“Let’s go, rookie! First fight in three hours!” A familiar, almost hissing, voice shouts through the door. You rub your eyes, trying to fully wake up. Glancing over to your clock, you see that it reads 7:55. Maybe those 5 extra minutes actually do count.
“I’ll be out in a second!” You shout back.
“We’ll be waiting in the lobby!” A more masculine voice called from behind the door. You could instantly tell it was Lance. Over the past week, Lance and Lullaby were inseparable. If you saw one, the other was with them.
You look over to the clock again and see an envelope. The purple treble clef sticker on the flap instantly gave away who it was from. You suppose she dropped it there when you two said your goodbyes last night. You peel the sticker from the flap and pull out the contents of the letter.
“Dear Rookie,
I can only hope that you accept my apology for not having the time to see your performance (You notice a few words have been erased before the word performance was written.) today. I do want you to know that I shall be cheering you on in spirit, and that I shall be returning to Canterlot in one week’s time. I do hope to see you there.
Please do not get hurt.
Sincerely, Octavia Melody.”
You were never good with reading cursive, but there was something about Octavia’s overly exaggerated style that made reading it very fluent. You read the letter two or three times. You would have read it more, but the alarm on your clock went off. If you weren’t in the lobby in the next sixty seconds, it wouldn’t be the other fighters that would hurt you.
-X-X-X-X-
“About time, Rookie.” Lance said as he saw you swing the door open and exit the stairwell. Those stairs gave you as much of a workout as the actual training at the gym did. You recall a few days ago that Lullaby was cruel enough to make you run up and down them a few times for laps.
“You ready?” You could hear the nervousness in Lullaby’s words.
“Are you?” You ask Lullaby, giving her a concerned look.
“Why do you ask?” Lance added in.
“Lullaby sounds nervous.” You tell him as you motion your hand towards Lullaby.
“I’m just thinking about what everyone will think when they see your ridiculous color choice.” There was Lullaby’s usual tone.
“Let’s just go.” You add. You could hear Lance holding back a giggle and high-fiving Lullaby.
-X-X-X-X-
Even though it wasn’t starting for another two hours, Ponyville Town Square was flooded with ponies. Through the crowd, you can spot the large boxing ring. It looks identical to the ones from Earth. The actual box is plain white. At least, it used to be white. Now it holds a more yellow tone, you guess that is the result from it being used so much. There is no icon in the center of the ring. You thought it looked odd at first, but as you study it, it clicks. The box is only raised by a few inches. You can walk onto the stage of it like it was a step on a staircase.
No. No more thinking about stairs.
The next thing you notice are the three ropes around the stage. All of the boxing rings you have seen before had the red, white, and blue color scheme. However, in Equestria, those colors would be trivial. Instead, the top rope is white, followed by blue, and then brown. You’ve never seen some sort of official flag for Equestria. The only thing you can think of is the insignia of the two alicorns. However, that still does not explain the brown color. You turn around to ask Lance, but he is nowhere to be seen. Turning back around, you notice that Lullaby has also left your side. You were not afraid of being left alone in a crowd of people, but there was just something about the way the ponies that were not used to you would stare at you. Those unblinking eyes fixated on you. You snap out of your daze when you feel a hand grab the back of your shirt and pull you away.
“Honestly, I can’t look away from you without you getting lost.” Lullaby mumbled as she dragged you to the registration table. You notice two stallions and a mare at the table. On the far left, a white pegasus that looks like he eats steroids for breakfast. In the middle, another white pegasus. This one was much more modest. He wore a button down shirt with dress pants. His brown mane was neatly combed back, and his golden eyes were fixated on the paperwork before him. Lastly, there was a blue mare on the right. Normally, the first thing you would notice would be her bright rainbow mane. However, since you already knew this mare, something else caught your attention about her.
“You’re not competing?” You speak up to her, drawing her attention from the papers in front of her to you.
“What are you doing here?!” She screams. You’re afraid she’ll jump over the table to tackle you.
“I’m competing.” You say. You notice an expression of shock in her eyes.
“Oh! So you’re ‘Rookie’ on this chart.”
“…Rookie?” You ask, looking over to Lance.
“Oh yea, see, we wanted to keep the fact you were human a secret. So we put a nickname for you.” Lullaby said.
“You didn’t seem concerned with secrets when you made me run around Ponyville this week.”
“Yea…you’re right.” Lullaby went back to filling out a few papers on the table.
“Well, good luck out there!” The blue mare held her fist out, and you met hers with yours.
“All-right, you’ll be fighting Riptide in half an hour.” The more slender white pegasus told you.
“Excellent. I’ll go get ready.” You say.
Lullaby pulled you away to show you where you could get ready.
“Do you know her?” She asked.
“Rainbow Dash? Yea, I’ve ran into her a handful of times when she’s visited the castle.”
“I would’ve never guessed.” She commented.
-X-X-X-X-X-
”PONYVILLE! LET ME HEAR YOU SCREAM!”
The bulky white pegasus was in the center of the stage, basking in the sounds of ponies cheering from all directions.
”WE HAVE A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOU TONIGHT! ALL THE WAY FROM CANTERLOT, I’D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TOOOOOOOOOOO…”
You duck under the ropes and stand at the corner of the stage.
”TTTTTTHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEE RRRRRROOOOOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!”
Is that my official nickname now? It doesn’t matter. For the first time, instead of staring, there was applause. Ponies who didn’t even know your name applauded and screamed. Maybe Lullaby threatened all of them. Whatever the reason, it felt nice. As they cheered you on, you take your stance and bounce on your feet. You’re ready to fight, the sounds of cheering fueling your adrenaline.
“WHO PICKED OUT YOUR OUTFIT?!” Somepony shouted from the audience.
You look over to see, who else, Lullaby. To your surprise, she looked like she was having a good time. She had a huge smile on her face. For the first time this week, Lullaby looked like she was having a lot of fun. She was sitting next to Lance, who was also cheering.
”NOW PONYVILE! YOU’VE MET YOUR CHALLENGER, NOW LETS MEET HIS FIRST OPPONENT!”
That’s right, you’ve yet to meet your opponent. You see a grey figure duck under the ropes and stand at the opposite end of the stage. Muscular would not be the word to describe him, but he was big. However, he wasn’t fat. His dark blue mane was messily parted behind his head. Taking in his figure, you notice he opted for the “no shirt” option. He wore white gym shorts with some sort of blue design on it. His gloves matched the blue color on his shorts. He stood there like a stone statue. Muscular or not, this stallion will be a challenge.
” STALLIONS AND MARES, RRRRRIIIIIIPPPPPPTTTTTTIIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEEEEE!”
He shot his fist up and waved at the crowd. As intimidating as his figure was, he had a smile on his face. He was someone who enjoyed this sport.
You and him make your way to the center of the stage. You put your fists in front of your stomach, pointing them at Riptide. He shoots you a confused look, and the pegasus announcer does the same. You raise your eyebrows and shake your fists, seeing if he takes the hint. He and the announcer look at each other, asking a dozen voiceless questions. Your opponent looks back to you, raises his fists, and meets yours with them.
“Keep it clean.” You say as his fists make contact.
“Y-Yea…Keep it clean.” He responds.
DING DING DING
You can’t recall a time you’ve ever had something twice your size come at you, so this was definitely a first. Another first was his glove making contact with the left side of your face, you recall spinning twice before hitting the ground. The ref counted to five before you were able to remember that you were supposed to be fighting. You shake your head and get back on your feet.
You bounce on the balls of your feet, this time you’re ready. The bell rings and he comes at you again, same fist. You duck below it and step back. When he turns around, you deliver two punches to his stomach. On the third punch, he raises his left arm and pushes yours to the outside, leaving you exposed. He gives one hard punch to the stomach, and you are back on the ground. The ref makes it to six seconds before you are able to breath again, and eight seconds before you can get on your feet.
You have it figured out now. Strength. If he connects one time, it’s more than likely it’ll put you on the ground. The bell rings, and you brace yourself. Instead of dodging, you let his fist connect with your block. As you expected, he does not follow with a second punch, and his hand lingers for a second. Using that time, you deliver two blows of your own to the chest. You step back just before he can counter with an uppercut. You feel some hairs on your head react from the wind from the speed of his fist. While he is exposed, you hit him once in the face and step back.
You find the strength again to bounce on your feet. Riptide wipes his mouth with his glove and comes back at you. He throws a hook to your head, which you easily duck below. However, he connects an uppercut with your jaw as you duck. You’re sure you felt some of your teeth crack. You manage to stay on your feet for the two seconds until the bell rang, ending the round.
You go to your corner and reach for the water. No one is there for you. Lance and Lullaby are in the crowd, neither of them registered to be your manager. You sit on the floor and drink some water, watching your opponent on the other end. He laughs with his coach, they look like they do not care much about the fight. A mare or two approaches him, he signs something. You suppose that he is well known as a fighter, and it’s just your luck that he’s your first opponent.
The bell rings, time for round two. You quickly grab a towel and put it on your mouth. It’s clean when you pull it out. No blood, that’s good. You put the water back on the ground and go to the center of the ring. When you meet Riptide, he holds his fists out. “Keep it clean, yes?” He says. You tap your gloves against his, and you find yourself smiling. You are able to get in one deep breath before the bell rings.
Like clockwork, left hook to the face. You duck. He uppercuts. You dodge to the left. He meets you with a left hook. One more hug with the ground, and it’s considered TKO, so you try your hardest to stay on your feet. That seems like his game winning pattern. He does it every time, however, he always seems to have a plan B. If you dodge a different direction, he is ready for it. If you try to counter, he will take two or, if you are lucky, three before he counters with a strong hook or uppercut. All of your energy is put into sidestepping him, trying to find some kind of weak point. Before you know it, the bell rings, ending round two. You almost crawl back to your corner.
“This is impossible.” You mumble to yourself.
You pour some water on the towel and wipe your face with it. When the bell rings, you try to drink more water. However, you poured the rest on your towel. Great…
You walk up, he is already there, gloves out. “Keep it clean.” He says. You barely have the strength to lift your gloves to meet his. You bring your fists up. You can muster up the strength for one punch or one dodge. Dodging will only postpone the inevitable, so you decide to go with one final punch. The bell rings, luckily for you, he goes for the left hook once again. You go for a right straight jab to the face. You feel his fist connect at the same time yours does. You start to spin, you move your feet, trying to stay up. It’s funny, you didn’t think you had the strength to scream that loudly, it’s also taking him a while to deliver the second blow. You hear the bell ring, and immediately you feel somepony’s hands on your shoulders. Once you are stabilized, you see Riptide on the ground, hands on his jaw, along with his coach and a blue mare unicorn. “What….happened?” You ask whoever may be around.
“Riptide has a bad teeth problem, you managed to crack open some of his teeth with that jab.” The blue unicorn mare answers your question.
“So...I win?” You are still swaying back and forth.
“You sure did.” A familiar voice answers from behind you. When you turn around, you see Princess Luna with her hands on your shoulder. You can’t even muster her name before collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.