Sparring With Beats and Confessions From Athletes
Silver laid in the bed he'd been placed in when he was brought to Star Shines. She said it'd be too risky to move him and didn't want to run the chance of ripping his stitches trying to get him into his own home. Besides, at least there she could keep an eye on the wolf.
Unfortunately, Silvers old friend was also busy doing her job and over seeing the training for the Eventide guard. This meant the wind wolf was left by his lonesome for a while.
Sure, Luna and Twilight would drop by every so often, but they could never stay for long. Once Celestia was sure Silver would live, she asked Twilight to continue looking for more information. This meant his marefriend was now ordering books from across Equestria, and occasionally, the globe.
With new research material, Twilight was now buried in her studies. Luna was stuck in a similar situation, though instead of books, it was paperwork...and nobles.
It would seem that during the colder seasons, the nobles would hold a number of indoor banquets and dinners. While some of them were simple gatherings, a more than a few had decided to turn them into all out parties, or at least by noble standards.
They often reserved restaurants and dining halls, and one or two ponies even requested to use the Canterlot gardens to host a gathering before it got too cold. Along side needing permission, many had extended invitations to the midnight mare and her sister. While she was certainly glad that the ponies seemed to be warming up to her, the balls and parties of Canterlot were always rather dull, so she had little interest in them.
And so now, a few nights a week, Luna was occupied with Night court. This often left her tired throughout the day, so unfortunately her visits were becoming less and less frequent.
His proteges also visited when they could. Since Silver was incapacitated, they had to pick up the slack and protect Twilight more often, but that also meant they could see him too when she came. They would also stop by when they had their free time.
Including the time he was unconscious, Silver had now been in the room for five days. Twilight had visited him that morning, along with Sica and Onyx. He expected Luna to come by later during lunch and Twilight would come by once more in the evening, probably with Ruppy and Beats. He wasn't sure about Aerial.
At least they hadn't picked up on his lack of sleep. Those nightmares were hellish when they wanted to be.
But for now, he sat alone, his nose buried in a book. Twilight had brought him a small stack of them the evening after he'd awoken since she knew he'd be stuck in there for another few days. The tale he was reading was about a mare who fell for a stallion she couldn't have, and had to watch as he loved another. It was a story with no happy ending, though the wolf couldn't figure out why he was reading such a book. He hated sad stories.
It was amid his reading that a knock came to the door. Marking his page and setting the book aside, he called in his visitor, “Come in!”
It was strange though. Who could be visiting? Twilight had already seen him, and it was too early for Luna. Celestia should still be in Day court and the Eventide guard should be either training or guarding.
So who?
As the door opened, a small tuft of red, orange and yellow mane poked through. That told the wolf all he needed before the rest of Rainbow Dashes colorful mane came into view.
“Hiya Silver,” she said, a bit of nervousness showing in her voice.
“Rainbow?” Silver questioned, “Hey, what are you doing here?”
The mare now fully entered the room and sat in the chair beside his bed, the one usually Twilight used, “What do you think dummy? I'm here to see you.”
The wolf rolled his eyes, “Well I figured that much. But how did you get here? You shouldn't have a key.”
“Twilight let me in,” She explained, “I'd heard you gotten hurt pretty bad and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Sorry it took so long though, but I didn't think I'd be much use around here when you were unconscious, and I was really busy the day you woke up too.”
Silver waved a paw, “It's fine. Thanks for coming to see me though.” “I've actually been meaning to see you too.”
He wanted to say it. He really did. But for some reason, the words got stuck in his throat. No, not even there. They were still in his mind, as if he hadn't even decided to say it yet.
It was absolutely ridiculous. Here this mare was, a mare he'd hurt and he'd told himself he'd go check on, and she had to come to him. And even then, he still couldn't keep his word and talk to her.
Whether it was fortunate or not, the mare on his mind was thinking about something similar. She rocked back and forth in the silence, her hooves fidgeting non-stop with an ever present blush adorning her muzzle.
Finally with a sigh, she stopped.
“Silver?” she began, “There's, uh....there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about.”
The wolfs ears flickered. He really hated that sentence. His gut churned and flopped as he prepared for the coming conversation.
“Look, I, um....I talked to Twilight the other day,” Rainbow continued, “And well...if she figured it out, then I'm sure you did too.”
It was then that the wolf decided to break his sight with the mare, choosing to look at the bed sheets instead. This didn't go unnoticed by the cyan pegasus, who sighed before pressing on.
“Yeah...I guess it was pretty obvious.” she said, her ears folding back and her head dropping a bit, “I'm not gonna lie. When I found out about you, Twilight and Luna, it hurt. Like, a lot. And for a little while, I think I fell into a bad place. I was jealous of them, and I even started thinking some pretty terrible things. But I think....I think I've started to move on.
“I'm not completely better, but I don't feel so crappy all the time now. I think with a little more time, I'll be good as new. And the whole reason why I'm telling you this is because...well, I actually have no idea. I just felt like you should know, ya know?”
Rainbow looked up at the wolf, who was now staring at her with wide eyes, the look of complete dumbfounded shock stuck on his face. She couldn't hold back a giggle when she saw it, the face he had made was ridiculous.
When her little laugh finally died down, she sat for a moment and just watched him. Whether or not he knew she was staring was of little concern to her at the time. She herself didn't know why her eyes couldn't leave him. Then, for some reason, her body began to move on it's own.
Rainbow slowly leaned forward, placing her front hooves onto the bed. She lifted herself up and brought her muzzle to his. In a small, gentle movement, she allowed her lips to touch his.
It was a small and short kiss, though not simple by any means, despite it's appearance. The whirlwind of emotions behind it made a hurricane seem like a light drizzle.
After the kiss broke, Rainbow leaned past his muzzle and fell into his neck.
“I don't want to step on any hooves,” she softly said, “So I'm not going to ask to join your herd. It'd be way too complicated and I honestly don't think I could see Twilight as anything more than my best friend, or Luna as more than a princess. Besides, I'm the Element of Loyalty. It kinda goes against my nature.
“But even so...I needed to do it. I know you might be upset or mad at me. But I just needed it....even if it was the only one I'd get from you.”
It was then that she felt a gentle but firm hug wrap around her.
“I'm sorry...” Silver whispered, his voice on the verge of cracking, “I never meant for any of this to happen. I never wanted you to hurt or to make you go through the things you have. I swear I meant to come see you sooner, but I never did. I don't know why I didn't but Rainbow I'm so, so sorry.”
Rainbow leaned into the hug for a moment. It was so nice. So warm and safe there. The world could be forgotten for a moment as she sat in his arms.
But...that wasn't her place, or at least in the way she wanted it to be, and she knew she'd have to leave it. So she did. She slowly pulled herself from the hug, cupping the wolfs cheeks as she looked him in the eye.
“Hey, it's okay,” she cooed, “You didn't do anything wrong. Neither of us did. Things just...didn't work out. But I do want to keep hanging out and being friends. You're the only one around here that can actually out fly me. Even if we aren't together, I still want you around.”
Silver actually began crying now. Before, he didn't think he'd be the one to shed tears during this conversation. He couldn't have been more wrong.
“Hey, come on now,” Rainbow said, wiping his tears away, “You're not supposed to be the one crying.”
Silver actually chuckled for a moment, “I uh, I guess I must be loosing some coolness points then, huh?”
Rainbow shrugged, “Meh. It's not like any pony really knows about it. So if you want to keep this whole crying thing between you and me, I'm cool with it.”
Silver laughed a little more, then pulled her into another hug, “Thank you Rainbow, for doing what I couldn't.”
Once more, Rainbow allowed the world to fall away in his warmth. She may not be allowed in his arms as a lover, but she was as a friend.
“You're welcome Silver,” she said, wrapping her hooves around him and returning the embrace, “Now let me go before you rip a stitch. I don't want that Star Shine yelling at me or you being kept in here any longer than you have to be.”
Silver let her go and wiped his eyes one last time, “I should be out of here and in good shape in about a week and a half, by the way. If you wanted to hang out or something, then we can.”
Rainbow paused and thought for a moment.
“Sure. Why not?”
Star Shine and Twilight stood on the end of a path, looking over to the tan pegasus on the slope of the mountain as boulders twice her size came barreling down. The lavender alicorn had taken a break from studying, a very rare occurrence, and one that had only occurred due to Spikes instance. He said her worry over Silvers injuries were beginning to take a toll, and she should try to get some fresh air. And so, she tagged along with Star Shine when she ran into her in Silvers house.
Three of the rocks were speeding towards Ruppy in rapid succession, but the mare remained in her spot. Just as they entered her hoof reach, she moved in a blur.
The first boulder exploded at it came into contact with her hoof. Using her momentum, she twirled around on her other hoof and delivered a kick to the next one. Still riding the movement, she flowed once more and this time....
Used her wings?
Sure enough, then the boulder reached her, she crossed her wings in front of her before extending them. Just like the last two, it shattered and she remained standing.
“Huh...I think she's picking some things up from Silver.”
The wolf turned her attention to the other mare on the ridge above the slope. Aerial easily rolled another set of boulders to the edge, and even had two more floating on a vent of air, propelling them off the ground and holding them in place.
“Ready?!” she called down.
“Do it!” Ruppy shouted back.
Aerial rolled the next three down the slope, but also launched the two hovering ones into the air as well. Following their direction and timing, Star Shine realized they would fall onto Ruppy only a fraction of a second after the first three boulders reached her.
The small mare next to her had also realized the same thing, but was much less composed about it.
“What the hell is this?!” Twilight shouted, though luckily did not distracted Ruppy from her training. The day before when they'd first started watching over the sessions, all that was scheduled was some sparring matches. Sure, they'd seem pretty intense, especially the one between Ruppy and Onyx, but it was nothing like this!
Star Shine turned to the alicorn with a befuddled look, “What do you mean? It's training.”
“This isn't training!” Twilight exclaimed, “This is...well, I'd say insane but even that would be an understatement. This is just dangerous!”
“Well you're right when you say it's dangerous, Princess,” the wolf agreed, “But it's hardly insane. I mean look at them. I bet when they started doing this, neither could do what they're doing now. It can't be that crazy if it gets these results.”
Twilights jaw dropped, “What is wrong with you wolves!?”
“Hey, don't lump me in with the rest of them,” Star defended, “This is Silvers idea, not mine.”
“Well yeah, but you're acting like it's not a big deal!”
“But is it really though?”
“YES!”
Star Shine just rolled her eyes, “Well, I suppose to you it would be. Even to Ruppy and Aerial, this must have seemed crazy when they first started. But for wolves like Silver, Black Wing and myself, this makes perfect sense. Besides, at least he was smart enough to tone it down. Compared to the rocks his grandfather launched at him, this is child's play.”
“Child's play?” Twilight echoed, “Silver did this too?” There was no impression in her voice. No awe or inspiration. Just complete dumbfoundedness. The utter lack of concern for ones health had nearly broken the mare.
“Yep,” Star Shine continued, never noticing the complexion of the princess becoming paler, “Silver had to stare down boulders the size of a house. He had to wear Corax stone too, so he was being drained pretty quickly. And that was just the body and magic conditioning. You should have seen his survival training. I still have no idea how he managed to live through it all though.”
Twilight's eye had now developed a twitch. How in the name of Celestias ivory flanks did he ever agree to that kind of training? Was he tricked into it? Did his grandfather force him to?
“Nope. I'm not doing this. I'm leaving.”
The mare shook herself from her stupor, “Let's just go check on the others,” then turned and left. Star Shine quickly pulled out the green journal Silver told her to get and quickly flipped through some pages. After making some comparisons, she scribbled down some notes and chased after Twilight.
The mare was already half way back to Onyx's training area by the time she caught up. A short trot later, and the two were watching as Onyx stared down Sica while Scootaloo sat under a tree enjoying the show.
Both mares panted, Onyx floating her blades while Sica appeared to be wielding nothing. They rushed forward and clashed, Onyx using the back of her blades to avoid injuring her partner, though it's not as if any blows had made direct contact with her body.
Each time she struck, Sica would block with her hoof and a loud clank would ring out. The unicorn had no idea what she was hitting, but it must had been sturdy. She wasn't pulling her punches entirely after all.
“Well, at least this is somewhat normal,” Twilight commented.
It was Star Shines turn to give the mare a quizzical look, “Somewhat normal?” Twilight could only return the expression before something caught her ear. She turned back and saw just what the wolf had meant.
The two mares had become a whirlwind of blurs, the sounds of constant clanks and clunks ringing out across the mountain. Twilights eyes could barely keep up with the two figures, but she still couldn't follow their individual strikes.
“Three? No, five blows? In that time?! How could their bodies be moving so fast?”
The blurs suddenly stopped as the two returned to the same places they were in when Star Shine and Twilight had arrived. The dust settled and the two stood huffing and panting.
“I...I can't handle this anymore...” Twilight muttered.
“You're telling me,” a voice came from behind, one that didn't belong to the wolf. Everyone whipped their heads to see the visitor.
“Yo,” Vinyl said, waving a hoof and taking note of Star Shine, “So I guess this is the right place?”
“Vinyl!” Twilight exclaimed, trotting over to meet her friend, “What are you doing here?”
The DJ pulled a box out of her saddle bag, “What do you think? I'm here to drop these off.”
Twilight took the box in her magic, “Are these the headphones?”
Vinyl nodded triumphantly, “Yep! Finally got the stubborn bastards to work properly. Now, all we need to do is test them out.” It was then that the unicorn turned to the wolf beside the princess, “Hi there! Who're you?”
“My name is Star Shine,” she explained, stepping forward, “I'm a guard for the princess.”
“Well then I'm guessing you also know Silver,” Vinyl concluded, “Which is good because I still need my other half of the payment. Granted I'll wait until after we test it out, but I do expect to be paid in full.”
“And you will,” Twilight assured, “Now all we have to do is find Beats,” The lavender mare turned and trotted over to the little filly sitting under the tree, “Scootaloo, you wouldn't happen to know where your brother is, do you?”
The orange filly pointed a hoof to a path behind where she sat, “He wondered somewhere over there a while ago. I don't know what he was doing though,” then turned her attention back to the two mares in front.
Twilight motioned a hoof for the Vinyl and Star Shine to follow before taking to the path Scootaloo pointed out. The two companions quickly caught up before she got too far.
“So Miss Vinyl,” Star Shine said, “Just how did you manage to get out here?”
The unicorn turned her attention to the wolf, “Oh, Twilights little dragon Spike let me in. I told him I was looking for Silver and he led me here. I saw a note on the counter and heard some noise coming from the backyard and figured that's where he was.”
Star Shine sighed, “I really wish he'd lay down some rules for whose allowed to enter his home. At this point, he'll end up being robbed blind.”
Twilight blew raspberries, “You and I both know that's not likely.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
The trio emerged from the path and into a clearing. There they found Beats standing in it's center on his hind hooves in his fighting position. In front of him were four clouds spaced apart, their shapes resembling a pony figure.
Just as they reached the clearing, the stallion disappeared in a blur. He dashed towards the clouds and they vanished with a poof as his hooves struck, all four in a second.
“Whoa,” Vinyl said, giving a whistle of awe, “That was pretty awesome!”
Beats finally took notice of the three spectators and lowered himself back onto all fours before trotting over to them, “Hello everypony. Is there something you need?”
Twilight floated up the headphones and presented them, “I believe these were meant for you,” she informed, “Onyx and Ruppy already have theirs after all.”
Beats took the device into his hooves to examine it. It's base color was black with a single orange stripe along the top of it, down to the speakers.
Embedded into the outside of the speakers and along the top of the headphone's stripe were the black Resonance stones Silver had given Vinyl.
“So what do they do?” Beats asked, “How am I supposed to use them?”
Vinyl stepped forward, “The headphones have a chip installed in them so that they can hold music. The stones have Body Enhancement spells recorded into them. Using the dial on the base of the headphone,” she used her hoof to indicate the spot just below the ear muff, “You can change the tracks. When the music is played, the spells are activated. This should provide you with not only rhythm, but also better physical capabilities to help you match the beat of the song.”
“Oh?” Beats quirked, slipping the headphones around his neck, “I suppose I'll have to wait for Silver to get better before I can test these out. I'm sure he'd like to know first hoof—erm, paw, what I can do with them.”
“Why wait?” Star Shine inquired and stepped into the clearing, “You have me here. Let's give these things a test run.”
“Um, are you sure?” Beats asked, “I have no idea what I'm like if I have a rhythm to fight to. I'd honestly rather wait until Silver--”
“Kid, if you don't get your tail over here, I'll rip it off and whip you with it,” the wolf threatened.
Beats quickly shuffled over to the clearing, “Yes ma'am.”
They both took spots on opposite sides of the small field as they got into their stances...or at least Beats did.
The stallion slipped the headphones around his neck and raised himself onto his hind legs once more before realizing his opponent had done nothing.
True to his sight, Star Shine had simply walked to her end of the clearing, then planted her rump onto the ground.
“Um, aren't you going to get ready?” He asked.
Star Shine cocked her head, “Ready?...Oh wait! You mean, like a stance! No, no. I don't know any martial arts. I have a...different way of fighting. Don't worry about me, just come when you're ready.”
A small snickering came from the side lines as Ruppy, Onyx, Aerial, Sica and Scootaloo had all gathered.
“'Come when you're ready.' Hehe...” Ruppy snickered, earning a eye roll from her unicorn companion and a confused glance from the filly.
“If you say so,” Beats said with a shrug before slipping the headphones on. Since he didn't know what songs were on the track list, he simply flicked the the little wheel on the side of the headset with a hoof and allowed whatever song it landed on to play.
Unfortunately, the song picked was quite...provoking.
As the first beats began to build, the stallion could feel his heart rate increase with the song. His body felt lighter as the Resonance stones invoked the Body Enhancement spells. The world seemed to both fall away and become so much more detailed at the same time.
He could keep track of everything, and yet still have his main focus on the wolf in front of him. He felt more alive than he'd ever had! He felt exhilarated, and the fight hadn't even begun yet! Oh, he couldn't wait!
The wolf on the other end of the clearing quickly took notice of Beats change. His eyes went wide while his pupils shrunk. A small smirk appeared on his muzzle, giving him an almost maniacal look. The animosity that rolled off of him reminded her of Silver and Black Wing when they decided to cut loose.
This one was dangerous.
Just as the first beat dropped, Beats launched himself from his spot. His body actually disappeared from the spectators sight, or at least most of them. Ruppy, Onyx and Sica could all follow, but Aerial, Twilight and Scootaloo were at a complete loss.
They only saw him again when he reappeared in front of Star Shine, his hoof already in mid swing. A large root shot from the ground and blocked the blow before flicking him aside. Beats flew across the clearing but planted his hind hooves on the tree he was hurling towards and pushed off again to the wolf. Yet again another root popped out and smacked him away, but he did the same as before.
They continued this routine for a few moments, their movements too fast for half the watchers to keep up with, making it appear as if their were just a series of blurs and smacks occurring. To everyone else, it just looked like a high speed sparing match, but to Beats...it was a dance.
Every movement he made was in sync with the music. When the beats changed to the build, his charge on the wolf stopped. He stopped and examined her. There were eight roots now, all raised around her in a circle, almost encasing her in a cage. He noticed everything about them. The way they bent, the space between each root, how thick they were. Everything.
The build had reached it's peak. And then it came.
The drop.
Beats disappeared once more, this time fooling everyone's sight. Star Shine noticed a shadow over head, and barely made it in time to cover herself with the roots and Beats came crashing down with drop kick. Just as the impact faded, the stallion disappeared once more. He reappeared from the side with a powerful punch, only to have it blocked again. When the plants tried to flick him away, he ducked and dodged, spinning on his front hooves and aiming his rear ones towards Star Shine. Just as he bucked, another root shot out and caught him, wrapping itself around his leg and flinging him across the clearing.
He recovered instantly and bolted back towards Star Shine.
“ENOUGH!” She shouted, causing the stallion to come to a screeching halt. His headphones still blasted music, and Beats could still feel the power of the stones resonating with the song and coursing through his body, but the glare the wolf was giving him told him not to pursue his desire for battle.
Her stare was cold and unforgiving. It reminded him of Onyx, but far more intense. Should he even twitch in an attempt to strike, he would die. Even with drive of the music, her glare had overridden him with fear.
It was then that he'd realized something. Star Shine had never attacked. She'd only been on the defensive, and even then he couldn't break through. He finally remembered.
The sparring session between Black Wing and Silver. While the fight itself was beyond extraordinary, the conversation they'd had with Star Shine in the observation room was as well. It all came rushing back to him as he looked in her eyes, and hers bore into his soul.
Star Shine was Silvers equal.
Why it didn't occur to him earlier was beyond his comprehension. Wait for Silver? Like she said, there was no need. She was just as powerful.
Finally falling out of his stupor, Beats removed his headset while Star Shine tucked away her root.
“Well now,” She said, trotting over to the group with Beats following behind her, “I'd say that was a success. The headphones seem to drive him into a bit of a frenzy though. Perhaps maybe we should dial back the spell a tad.”
“Uh, actually...” Vinyl began, “I think it may have just been the song.” Everyone raised a brow waiting for her to continue, “You see, each song has a spell weaved into it to activate the stones, but since music also invoke powerful emotions in the listener, it can also sway their mindset. This means that each song has a different effect. I think it was just the song he picked that made him like that.”
“Are you sure?” Star Shine asked.
The unicorn trotted over and lifted one of the headphones to her ear. She could tell it was the Nightmare track she'd gotten from a friend.
Vinyl groaned, “Yeah, that song has some pretty hard beats in it. It makes you a little crazy. Anyway, I suggest you try listening through all the songs and getting an understanding of how they make you feel.”
Beats shrugged, finally coming down from his battle crazed state, “That's fine. Silver hasn't really had me doing any other form of training anyway.”
“Alrighty, now that that's settled,” Star Shine said as she headed back down the path towards the house, “Let's go get your money.”
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Thanks for the update! !
extended
delete typo
non-stop
Either 'This' or 'The action'
dumbfounded shock
? = he
Seems like a word and comma missing here like 'smitten,' maybe?
delete
sparring
Either delete 'is' or show hesitation 'is...isn't'
? = it
.
'Twilight's' missing apostrophe.
twitch
delete
Too much good.
? = it
they
their
Phew sorry about the list but just kept spotting them.
loss
It looks to me as if RD and Silver have formed the kind of friendship that can only be broken with death.