//------------------------------//
// Brawl by Europa (Cute) 
// Story: Tainted Love: A Twysalis Prompt Tag Collab 
// by Foals Errand 
//------------------------------//

by Europa

What in the flying buck am I doing?

She eyed Chrysalis from the other side of the small ring they'd set up. The changeling queen's ragged wings were tucked away beneath her turquoise shell so that if Twilight didn't know better, she'd say that she didn't even have wings. "Alright Twily," she asked, bouncing on all four hooves to give the illusion of being about to move in a certain direction, but Twilight was utterly unable to predict the same. The alicorn did the same, but she got the impression she wasn't as graceful. "Ready, Twilight?"

I'm going to die, here and now. "Ready."

Chrysalis didn't dart at her like Twilight expected. Instead she began slowly approaching, hopping unpredictably. Twilight moved to the side, watching her sparring partner warily. Chrysalis lunged forward and Twilight tensed her wings to retaliate... only for Chrysalis to move right back. She lunged again, making Twilight flinch.

She decided she was never going to win on the defensive. Going after Chrysalis was a bad idea, but waiting for her to come to her was even worse. Twilight bounced closer and closer, her wings out for balance, then tucked them in to keep them safe and darted around Chrysalis, aiming a jab at her side.

Chrysalis sidestepped easily and deflected her hoof, then brought her own perforated one up to strike at her. Twilight eeped and dodged back. "Good reflexes, but you're too head-on." Faster than Twilight could even blink, Chrysalis was there and slammed her hoof into her muzzle. It didn't hurt as much as it would've in the past - earth pony resilience was a Tartarus of a thing - but either way Twilight's head jerked back and pain blossomed along it.

Twilight dodged the next strike and aimed for Chrysalis's side, but the changeling danced out of the way with grace that her size betrayed, then turned around and aimed a one-legged buck at Twilight. She dodged around it - barely - and tried to hit Chrysalis again. She succeeded, but only managed a thump against her solid exoskeleton.

Oh buck, she thought. That's right, natural body armor.

Then, before she knew what happened, Chrysalis slipped a hoof around one of her forelegs and tugged. There was the vague sensation of limbs moving across her form, and when Twilight next knew where she was she was pinned beneath Chryssy, with all four of her legs and her wings twisted so that moving any of them in the slightest promised immense pain. "Uncle, uncle!" she cried.

"You okay, Twi?" came Chryssy's concerned voice from somewhere above her.

"Yes, just please get off!" The changeling did so, and then Twilight took a moment to untangle herself and look over at her workerfriend - and for now, sparring partner - sheepishly. "So, um, I guess I have a lot to learn?"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."