When they were called, Spike and Rainbow ducked under the rope that surrounded the fighting ring. The announcer waved towards them with a hoof, "In this corner, they're new, they're vicious, they're the double air dervishes that leave everyone breathless!" He turned his head and redirected his hoof, "In the other, you know them, you love them. They're like a pair of dancers on the battlefield, the terrible twins!" Across from them they could see two ponies dressed in leathers, one male, the other female. "The match is over when any member goes unconscious or gives up. Technical victory goes to a side if three hits are scored without a counter. Show the crowd what they're waiting for!" He backed out quickly from between the two groups.
The twins advanced, moving at angles to spread out across the battlefield. "Poor luck on your part," said the female. "We'll try to be gentle."
"No promises," said the male as spikes deployed from cleverly-hidden horseshoes. With a shouted spell, the male pony summoned what appeared to be a winged clone of his sister, while the other twin likewise summoned a flying version of her companion.
Rainbow blinked softly, "What the? We have to fight all four of them? No fair!"
Spike shrugged, "Magic's legal. Which do you want to focus on?"
There was no chance for a reply. The male with wings used them to soar at Spike as the female pegasus engaged Rainbow. Spike reacted with a burst of electricity, catching both, but it seemed to do little to them. The male without wings laughed, "We already know that trick, little sky dragon. You'll have to work harder."
The winged ponies crashed into Rainbow and Spike. Their hooves seemed jagged, and their teeth were deadly sharp. The winged ponies were equally capable of laughing as they forced Rainbow into a retreat against the ropes. Spike's tough scales warded of the worst of it, leaving him with little but scratches before he launched into a powerful counterattack. Their soft-looking hides were deceptively tough, easily a match for his scales. He threw himself up and onto his assailant, grabbing him by the throat and squeezing. The laughing continued, if interspersed with some wheezing.
Rainbow focused on accuracy over power, darting and bobbing and throwing quick rabbit punches with her hooves into her enemy. "You think just having wings makes you cool? You need to fly for a few more years before you take on the Dash!" She had far better luck with her quick blows, forcing her female opponent back away from the ropes under the dizzying onslaught of angry hooves.
The un-winged ponies arrived, taking up the little space between Rainbow, Spike, and the ropes. The announcer shouted, "They've got them in their pincer of pain!"
Spike ducked under the swipe of the winged stallion, "Pincer of what?" His grip on the stallion's neck didn't seem to be inconveniencing the pony in any way, so he released him and instead lashed out with deadly claws, ripping free some fur and flesh.
The original female pony cast a spell, and all four of them began to move faster. The male took this as his cue and moved in on Rainbow Dash and her female pegasus target. "I love a good strong mare," he growled as he stabbed into her exposed flank, cutting her just above the cutie mark. "Maybe we can meet up after I finish beating you down."
Rainbow snorted in frustration, "That the hardest you can hit? I barely felt that." She lashed back at him, catching him with a hoof across the chin, "That's how you land a hit!" She double-jabbed at the pegasus in front of her with a snarl, "And you back off, you fake pegasus!"
The pegasus snarled and suddenly burst into flames. "Wha?" said Rainbow Dash in a fit of eloquence before her foe closed the distance. Teeth and hooves were bad enough without them also being on fire. She howled in pain as her shoulder was bitten into, the fur around the bite darkening under the heat before she could wrench herself away. "Spike, a little help!"
Spike redirected his attention to the flaming pegasus, watching his own pegasus from the corner of his eyes as he lashed out with cruel claws and sharp teeth. The pegasus tasted... odd. He couldn't quite place what he was tasting, but it wasn't meat. As his jaws bit down harder, the pegasus began to unravel, leaving nothing behind.
The original female closed in with Spike, drawing a sword from her side and thrusting it at Spike with a snarl. Trapped between the her and the winged male, Spike squeaked as the sword caught him across the side in a painful line. The winged male went cold much like the winged female had gone hot. Freezing hooves rained down on Spike as Rainbow Dash zoomed in to assist. She crashed into the winged male, knocking him aside and landing on his barrel. "Think you're so tough!" she shouted at the downed enemy, raining blows on the floundering pegasus.
The unwinged male moved in to serve as a new dance partner for the original female, "Looks like we dance together, sister."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," replied the mare with a smile. The stallion rose up with his spiked shoes exposed, boxing Spike with rapid blows. Spike deflected several of the shots and ducked under the last to come up with his horns, jabbing the stallion deeply.
The mare advanced on Spike's exposed back and plunging the sword into him. She seemed to know where to put the blade for the most discomfort, making Spike cry out as he was impaled on her blade.
"Hang on, Spike," called out Rainbow as she landed a brutal headbutt on the last pegasus, sending it away to wherever they had come from in the first place. "I'm on the way!" Rainbow crashed into the mare behind Spike in a flash, knocking her blade free to scuttle across the dirt before a second hoof crashed into the mare's teeth, wrenching her head back.
Spike drew back from the stallion in front of him to catch a spiked hoof in the cheek. He grunted in frustration and pain before grabbing at the stallion. Unlike the pegasi, this one was definitely flesh, and split easily under his razor claws. When his teeth closed on the stallion's neck, a whistle sharply blew. The announcer trotted back into the ring, "The newcomers just can't be stopped! Even the terrible twins couldn't put a stop to the flying duo's reign of conquest! Are we looking at the next big winners, or will they fall from higher up to make a nice show for us all?"
The crowd went wild as Spike and Rainbow withdrew from the ring into the waiting arms of a worried-looking Soft Mane. "That was... amazing, in all the wrong ways," she said. "There have to be better ways of getting gold." Her pink magic soothed the burns on Rainbow and the frozen flesh on Spike.
Rainbow laughed, a boisterous sound full of pride, "You saw all that, right? That was one heck of a fight! I thought we might lose for a second there, but then, bam, I remembered."
Spike raised a brow, "Remembered what?"
Rainbow struck a pose, "That we're awesome. We couldn't lose to those jerks!" She held up a hoof at Spike and was met with a fist in a display of camaraderie. "Thanks for the healing, Soft. Those pegasi had nasty bites. How did they do that anyway? I want a twin. Do you think the world could handle two of me?"
Soft Mane snorted softly, "I don't think anyone is ready for that. One Rainbow Dash is all the awesome we can handle."
"Yeah..." agreed Rainbow reluctantly. "Nice moves, Spike!" She extended a wing and hauled Spike closer, "We're going all the way to the top! Now let's get our money."
Their money for the evening was one hundred platinum coins, 1000 gold in value. Rainbow looked confused at the lesser number of coins, "What's the deal?"
Spike looked at them, "Those are worth ten times as much as gold. That's not a bad winning."
Rainbow tilted her head, "Oh yeah? Cool. Let's ditch this popsicle stand."
The next day, Twilight was as happy as ever, expanding her library of spells and tricks to bring home to Equestria. She also watched over Applejack as she worked. "Almost have it down?" Twilight asked, "This is a very big day. Your first non-cantrip! If you can get this down, you're officially a spellcaster and no one can argue it."
Applejack smiled nervously, "Ah think ah have it down. Watch." She squared her stance and spoke the words of power slowly and carefully. Power filled her veins as she began to expand quickly, soon towering over Twilight. She was eight feet tall and about as long! "Woo doggy!" she called out in a deeper voice, "Look at me! Ahm bigger than Big Macintosh!"
Twilight clapped her hooves appreciatively, "You did it! I knew you could do it, AJ." She smiled gently, "You're my first student. This is so strange. That sort of makes you Celestia's student by proxy."
Applejack raised an enlarged brow, "Now don't go getting philosophical on me, girl. Yer mah teacher and that's good enough." She grabbed Twilight in large fetlocks, sitting back and hugging the squeaking Twilight in her huge grip. "Thank ya ever so much, Twi."
Twilight relaxed after the initial surprise and slowly began to enjoy her friend's embrace. They sat together quietly, enjoying victory and a break at once. As it turns, giant Applejack makes an even better pillow than regular-sized Applejack.
"Say, AJ?" asked Twilight with her eyes closed, "Have you seen Spike or Rainbow? Or Soft Mane for that matter?"
"Nuh uh," replied Applejack. "Figured they were off seeing the sights or whatnot."
Twilight nodded into Applejack's soft fur, "If Spike and Soft Mane's with RD, they're probably not doing anything too wild." Relaxed and satisfied, the two faded off into a little nap. Applejack shrunk in her sleep, but they remained curled together, happy.