Chapter 4 - MMA in the SCC
Applejack had been presented with a slice of cake, but it remained untouched aside from a single courtesy bite. As much as she appreciated Pinkie's talent and sentiment, she disagreed with the party mare that this was worthy of celebration. Heck, she hadn't even done anything.
But Pinkie was persistent, so a slice she had. The rest of it had been wolfed down by Rainbow Dash and Pinkie herself, which at least meant there'd be no leftovers to take home that would tempt her siblings into snacking before dinner and ruining their appetites.
She'd rather have been home in general, cleaning up the mess Pinkie Pie had made of her farm when their Cutie Marks were swapped, then spending the afternoon reassuring her family that everything was alright after the fright of her disappearing for the better part of a day. But she also wanted to be a good friend, which was why she was at Sugar Cube Corner instead, explaining to Twilight for the third time something that really didn't seem all that complicated.
The unicorn in question sighed and massaged her temples, not that it seemed to do her much good. "Let's start over. Tell me what happened from the top."
Applejack shrugged and resigned herself to another recitation. "Ain't much to tell, but alright." She pushed her plate towards Dash, who took the hint and happily added it to her own. How that mare stayed so skinny was a mystery.
"Ah was mindin' my own business, whippin' up a quick lunch for the family when all of a sudden outta nowhere Ah get this tinglin' feelin' all up and down mah legs like Ah just bucked the clocktower bell."
Twilight nodded in understanding and scribbled a quick note on her page of mostly scratched out notes. She'd felt it too, as had their other friends, though she'd described the feeling like someone had strung a piano wire to her horn then plucked it. But that was it for them. All they'd received was a surprise and a spot of dizziness. Applejack, on the other hoof...
"It felt like mah head was clearing up after a cold," she continued. "Like Ah'd been walkin' around half-asleep and somepony dumped a rain cloud on me. That's when Ah started rememberin' things. Stuff Ah know Ah never learned but... now Ah did? Gives me a headache trying to figure it out."
"You felt a surge of unfamiliar magic," Twilight summarized, "awoke memories that both felt real yet are impossible, and now, apropos of nothing..." There came the bit Twilight couldn't seem to grasp.
Applejack nodded. "Ah know Kung Fu."
Dash snapped to attention. "Show me," she commanded.
The fight was swift and brutal. Rainbow Dash was a karate blackbelt (earned mostly for bragging rights, but her skills were no less real) compounded with years of intense aspiring Wonderbolt training along with practical experience fighting monsters. In speed or technique, she could hold her own against anyone in Ponyville and probably anyone outside the competitive circuit.
And Applejack...
"Okay," Dash wheezed as she pulled herself out of a Dash-shaped dent in the dirt and stumbled back through a pegasus-shaped hole in the wall. "You got some solid moves. For a beginner."
"No fighting in the bakery!" Pinkie called from across the room and behind the counter. "Not without a certified Kung Fu ref and signed safety waivers!"
"It ain't strictly Kung Fu. Actually a combination of several schools of fightin' and unarmed takedown techniques." She offered Dash a hoof and helped heave the punchdrunk pegasus back into her chair. "Yer lucky most of what Ah learned at the Academy was designed for throwing two-legged folk around."
"And now we're back to that." Twilight jabbed her quill into the page so hard the tip snapped off and left an inky smear. "The Academy."
Just so. The Academy. Even for Applejack it was strange to think about. She remembered it fondly, even though she couldn't actually 'remember' it. It wasn't like the memories were faded or foggy; they just weren't there. Like she'd been given a book with pages torn out. She gave Twilight an apologetic look.
"Sorry, but Ah can't tell you what Ah don't know. Ah can name you the seven different standard submission holds, or how to do a combat roll, or do tricks with a bat'leth that'd give mah rope skills a run for their bits, but when it comes to where Ah learned it, who mah classmates were, heck, even the name of the place... Ah got nothing."
"So you've said, but maybe if you really focus—"
"What's a batlength?" Dash interrupted.
"Bat'leth. Kind of a ceremonial blade. Picture an elephant-sized horseshoe stretched out as long as a pony, stick an unstretched one in the middle, then sharpen everything that's not the handle."
Twilight grimaced even as she noted down the description. "It sounds really violent."
"I think you mean awesome! Can you teach me?!"
Applejack thought it over for a moment. "Sure. Ah don't see why not. But we'll need to find somepony who can make us a practice set. Maybe out of wood for safety's sake."
"Oh!" Twilight perked up. "I think I can help you with that if you can give me more specific dimensions."
Before any further plans could be made, Spike entered the café with a scroll clutched tight in his claws. "Message for you from the Princess, Twilight!" he announced. "She says she wants everypony to come to Canterlot and to bring the Elements."
"You think she knows something about what happened to us?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It's possible. I've been keeping her fully up to date on my discoveries." A curious glimmer entered Twilight's eye as a smile grew on her face. "And I think this is perfect timing for an experiment!"
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Fluttershy is low-key the most OP at the moment. Mostly because she can make Thing Stickers, which do stuff like summon giant jackhammers to obliterate everything in front of you.
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Yeah, meanwhile all Pinke got was a toolbox.
It would be funny if some ponies became OP while the others get trash powers.
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I think Angel would love that jackhammer ability. I bet he would borrow it from time to time.
So Applejack can handle Timberwolves on her own now? I'd say it is a good ability for someone who live near a dangerous forest to have.
Highly amusing for a pony to get memories of “hand to hand” combat XD I like how you handled that! (No pun intended)
Dude.
This... this is great! When I clicked on story I was if-y, but now I'd gladly read 60 more chapters.
But really though, the description doesn't do this story justice. When I saw it in featured my thought was that it was just some 'over 9000' reference, and not something that has talent in it.
Like, this what you'd expect from the description:
If you overhaul the description, with a little more depth and a little more clickbait, then this could take off!
Also I want to read more (and I'm tired of watching great stories die) and typically [more comments] = [more story].
So update the description!
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Also 1 vote for "Dark Patron".
....wait a minuite. Does Applejack know the VULCAN NERVE PINCH now? How would that even work though with no fingers?
Still, it'd be great to see her topple Starlight Glimmer with a simple neck pinch.
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Well, to be fair, Pinkie can ALREADY do almost anything as long as it's meant to be funny at the time she does it. She probably doesn't NEED much.
Another excellent job on this chapter. Definitely liked the gang's dialogue as they discussed their new abilities as well as Applejack making such quick work of Rainbow.
And, it could be worse. Imagine one of them gaining the proportionate strength, speed and agility of a spider plus wall/ceiling adhesion/walking and a precognitive danger sense (Marvel Comics). Or the Wisdom of Solomon, Strength of Hercules, Courage/Invulnerability of Achilles, Power of Zeus, Stamina of Atlas and Speed/Flight of Mercury (DC Comics). Or a White Lantern Power Ring (also DC Comics). Or the power of the Twelve Talismans (the last one is a Jackie Chan Adventures reference).
But, anyway, the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up are all wonderfully done and I'll definitely be looking forward to more of this.
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Shazam pony would be interesting, because without the age transformation, it's just a spell to make the pony buff.
and aj might get a spot in stovokor when she dies imagine when she passes on instead of seeing her friends and her mom and dad she ends up in a room of rather rude and aggressive two leggers heck imagine the klingons and quite possibly kaless's reaction when a orange four legged beast with a strange hat that can speak shows up
Matrix reference puts a smile on my face
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as their fantasy counterparts...
It's my understanding that the intention of the original "nerve pinch" was really more of a biological taser. Apparently Space Elves are secretly just as bulls
And earth ponies are no better, so the answer is *zap* "just fine, sugarcube"
So what I'm getting is Applejack got the skill, hence the sensation she felt, and everyone else's sensations were probably them sensing it. That means they're all connected somehow though.