Scootaloo groaned as the Ponyville Junior Ninjas exited the dojo. “Well, guess I’m not cut out to be a healer, either.”
Spike waddled beside them and cracked his back. “I’ll say. Did you have to push that hard?”
Ash flew out towards the park, Moongazer waited for a moment. She smiled down at the little filly. “It’s just a minor setback, really. Remember, you are kind of taking a crash course in something that usually takes a lifetime to learn. You’re not even learning full kamae and kata, for crying out loud.”
Scootaloo looked up at the grandmaster flying off. “But I am supposed to be getting it by now, though, right? With Ash and all?”
“Most students of your type do. Although, you’re not the first problem pupil he’s had to deal with.” Moongazer looked up and smiled at the pony who came flying in after another Weather Patrol shift.
“Hey, Moongazer.”
“Hello, Rainbow Dash. Are you doing anything tomorrow morning? I’ve been dying to catch up.”
“Just the usual Weather Patrol cleanup duty. I’d love to catch up, actually. It’s been way too long.”
Spike furrowed his brow. “You two know each other?”
“You might say that,” Moongazer joked. “We were sparring partners back in Canterlot, when we were little. Before Ash made grandmaster, that is, and long before he made me his successor.”
“Yeah, me and Moongazer, we, err… we go back a while.” Rainbow Dash walked up to the kids and looked down at Scootaloo, who kept her head low. “Having trouble, Scootaloo?”
“Uhuh.” She nodded.
“Think you can go for a little flight?”
“Sure, if Rumble’s good to go.”
“I think I’ll sit this one out,” Rumble said.
“Suit yourself. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see ya tomorrow,” Apple Bloom said.
Scootaloo revved up her wings and took off.
“I’ll have a talk with her,” Rainbow Dash said, letting the girl take a good lead. “It’ll be fine.”
“I hope so,” Moongazer replied. “Ash seems reluctant to be more direct with her. I’d hate to see her lag behind, especially if we’re doing Fire tomorrow.”
“I’ll work it out. See ya.”
Rumble sighed and walked off. His ears twitched when he heard Moongazer’s voice. “Say, Rumble, do you have plans for this afternoon?”
“Uh, no. Why?”
“Ash gave little Apple Bloom a private lesson the other day. I’m sure he’ll do the same for Scootaloo soon enough, if the need arises. What say you we advance your studies in private?”
Rumble gulped.
Rainbow and Scootaloo set down on a cloud high above Ponyville. Rainbow took a deep breath and spread out her wings to catch a breeze, Scootaloo mimicked her. Rainbow Dash smiled, Scootaloo didn’t.
“Okay, talk to me. What’s the matter, kid?”
“It’s nothing. We’re just learning to see these pressure points, and I can’t see them yet.”
“Uhuh. And did Ash say why you can’t see them?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “He said it was because I’m doing it wrong, and that working harder isn’t gonna cut it.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Heheh, yeah, he would say that. He likes to let his students try to work things out on their own. It’s better in the long run.”
“Well, it’s not working. I can’t do this Water style stuff, and I can’t heal, either. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”
“Uhuh. How’s Whimper been?” Rainbow asked out of the blue.
“What?”
“How’s Whimper been? You’ve been over to his place every couple of days past summer, haven’t you? I’m surprised he hasn’t come around yet.”
“Yeah. Umm, well, he’s... fine, I guess. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Think maybe you should ask him for help? Bring him over? You’re never gonna get a better chance to let him meet your friends, and he might know some more advanced stuff by now.”
“Nah, I’ve got it. I can work it out on my own.”
Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof at the girl. “See that right there? That’s your problem.”
“What? That I don’t ask Whimper for help?”
“That you don’t ask anyone for help. You’re cutting yourself off too much, you’re too uptight. And that’s not like you. What’s going on?”
Scootaloo shrugged. “It’s nothing. It’s a long story.”
“If it’s a long story, then it’s not nothing.”
Scootaloo sighed. “It’s Whimper. He, umm, he kind of got in trouble over the summer. He hurt some pony while they were playing in the park. While we were at the park. His gym teacher made him take martial arts classes to deal with his anger issues, or something.”
“In the summer? They can’t do that.”
“In Bogsdown, I guess they can. And Whimper, he…”
“He… what?”
“I told him it was a good idea. I just wanted him to toughen up again. He wasn’t acting like he did at Flight Camp anymore.”
“So? Neither are you.”
Scootaloo’s ears perked.
“What? Ponies act differently when they’re in a new place. You did some pretty crazy stuff when you were up there.”
Scootaloo scrunched her nose. “I already told you: that kiss was fake. And that was just for all those older girls. They were looking at him funny.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, they do that when they see a cute boy, even if he’s a year or two younger.”
“Exactly. And besides, I always do cool stuff, crazy or not, that’s totally different. And that doesn’t have anything to do with now. Now, I just wanted Whimper to be like his old self again. Only the school they sent him to wasn’t exactly a nice one.”
“He hurt you, didn’t he?”
Scootaloo didn’t answer that.
“Okay, then, don’t tell me. I can take a wild guess. He got it into his head that you didn’t respect him, he challenged you to a fight, and he hit a sore spot. You cried, and he beat himself up over it, but now you’re scared of learning how to fight like he does, and that he’ll snap at your friends if you ever bring him over.”
Scootaloo groaned. “You’re wrong.”
“Am I?”
Scootaloo nodded. “It didn’t happen like that. He didn’t challenge me, but umm, I did get in a fight, with him, sort of.”
“Uhuh. And he used that pressure point stuff on you?”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t do that stuff to other ponies, not usually. He’s got a whole different style. But he’s shown me what that’s like, yes. It’s pretty scary.”
“It can be. But I know how to do that too. It’s like healing magic, it’s a good skill to learn. It’s not just about fighting, not like that. I’m sure Whimper feels bad about it.”
“I know. It’s just that, when you touch somepony like that, even when you’re trying to heal them, it’s like they’re naked. Well, you know, even more naked than usual.”
“That’s kinda the point, squirt. If you want to help somepony like that, you need to be able to see the problem. And if you want to hurt someone like that, it helps if you can see their weak spots. And the funny thing is, sometimes just seeing how vulnerable they really are makes you change your mind about it.”
Scootaloo pouted. “Have you ever fought anyone like that? Hitting their soft spots, trying to put your magic in them?”
“Lots of times. Ash doesn’t do regular classes, but me and Moongazer got our introductions pretty early. It’s something you usually practise on your own, or with a friend. And you are gonna need it if you want to learn Fire style tomorrow.”
“Why? If I’m a Water type or whatever, why do I need to learn any other styles?”
“Because for one thing, you know better than to stop trying to learn new things. And just because you’ve seen how scary some of those things can be, doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Second, Nine Dragons Style kind of expects you to use parts of all four of its Elements.”
“How’s that supposed to work?”
Rainbow sighed and pondered, something she didn’t do often. Her mother always said ponies who think too much get long faces. “Well… to get the moves down, just the mechanics of it, you have to start neutral. To get the hang of tensing up at the right time, you learn Earth style. To learn to target pressure points and hit them with your heart in it, you learn Water. And Fire lets you see in slow-motion, that’s really good if you’re a speedster.”
“Oh, okay. So… what do I do?”
“Relax, kid. Go with the flow, like you’re used to, like you’re supposed to. Don’t get caught up overthinking things or worrying all the time; ponies like you and me don’t do well like that. It just makes you freeze up.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
“Good. And if you really can’t get the hang of it, ask Whimper. I’m sure if he hurt you, he feels bad about it.”
“It’s a little more complicated than that, Rainbow Dash. And I’d rather not ask him about this sort of thing.”
“Then you’re gonna have to learn to relax your eyes. Unless you wanna give up.”
Scootaloo winced. “I don’t know, should I give up? I mean, I am probably gonna get hurt.”
“You tell me, kid. I didn’t twist your arm at Flight Camp for nothing. I did that to warn you, but you still need to decide for yourself. Do you think you’re doing something that’s not safe?”
Scootaloo took a moment to collect her thoughts, then shook her head. She’d never know it, but Rainbow Dash was proud of her in that moment, for simply stepping back and evaluating the situation. Scootaloo could be pretty smart like that, when she had to be. “No. I’m careful, so is Ash, so is everypony. Spike hasn’t even spit fire yet. I don’t wanna give up.”
“Good. So how are you gonna get over this eye thing?”
Scootaloo thought it over. “It’s supposed to be a trick, right? Seeing more blue?”
“You see blue first, then afterwards you see orange and red more, yeah. It’s a mental trick. It’s easier to do when you’re relaxed.”
“How did you do it? How do you do Water style?”
“I don’t. I’m a Fire type. We’re more about speed and keepin’ on burning. I learned how to do that stuff on the move. But what you‘re trying to do, you need to stand still for that.”
“That doesn’t help at all. What if I wore glasses with blue shades? Wouldn’t that help?”
“It might, and some fighters do that, but it’s kind of a cheat, and it’s not reliable. You wanna be able to do it in your head.”
“How?”
“Well, if you don’t want to ask Whimper to show you, maybe you should ask somepony else. Rumble would be a good help.”
“I don’t wanna ask him, either.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s, you know…”
Rainbow Dash snickered. “A boy, right, sorry, I see what the problem is now. It’s just awkward asking boys for help.”
“Just a little, yeah.” Scootaloo blushed and curled up into a tiny ball of embarrassment.
“How about Apple Bloom, then? Is she having trouble with it?”
“Not that I noticed, but she doesn’t need to use it. She doesn’t need to be good at it.”
“Exactly. But if she can still do it, then she can show you, without Ash or Moongazer or anypony watching you. I think maybe you’re just putting too much pressure on yourself. You know, like stage fright.”
“I do not have stage fright. I just… I wanna do it right when I do it in front of a crowd, that’s all.”
“You mean like your singing?”
“Yeah, like that. I’m a great singer.”
“Sure, if you mean you can clear a room in under ten seconds. But, look, my point is: go and ask Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle for help. There’s no shame in getting somepony else to teach you. Just try it.”
“Okay, I will. Thanks, Rainbow Dash.”
“No problem.”
“Oh, Scootaloo? Just one more thing.”
“What?”
“Not that it’s any of my business or anything, but just out of curiosity: the thing with you and Whimper, it’s nothing big, right? Just a little argument between friends?”
“Exactly, it’s nothing, we’re cool. He already said he was sorry.”
Rainbow felt the retort well up in her, but she swallowed it down. No sense in pushing it. After all, Scootaloo wasn’t even related to her. Rainbow was a teacher, and a role model, nothing more. This was too personal. “Right, of course he did.”
With that, the filly was off, flying on her own strength. Rainbow still felt little pangs of pride at the sight.
You really are more like me than you know.
Moongazer led Rumble to a quiet spot out of Ponyville’s borders. “Alright, then, let’s see what you can do.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I mean, I haven’t really gotten that much better at it.”
“No, but you have a tendency of holding back, and on top of that you’ve been training with ponies of a lower level. If you wish to proceed, a greater challenge should help.”
Rumble snorted and nodded, before rising up on his hind legs. “Okay. But I don’t know how it’ll end up, okay?”
Moongazer smiled. “You’ll be fine, Rumble. Now, attack.”
Rumble pounced, wings lowered to cut the air with an audible ‘swish.’ His straight jab hit thin air as Moongazer sidestepped it. “Good attack, good speed. Slightly off target, though.”
Rumble grumbled and struck again, this time quick enough to land, though still not fast enough to bypass the mare’s defense. She caught the second jab on her right cannon. “Better, that one. Mind your range, and now try to speed up.”
The colt did just that, his breath speeding up so he could wind up his blows at a quicker pace. One jab was slapped aside, another was blocked by both arms, a third didn’t even connect because Moongazer tilted her head to the side. “Okay, and now for proper technique. Strike at the pressure points, and quickly. I’ll be counter-attacking now.”
Rumble gritted his teeth and let his eyes go out of focus. His blows came in hard and fast, like before, but not to the point that he’d pressure his opponent. Moongazer waited patiently for the boy to drop his guard, then struck.
One blow to the shoulder to drive him back, with her whole body weight behind it. A harsh lesson, but he’d get the message.
That is, he would have, if he didn’t roll along with the punch.
Like punching a leaf, Moongazer felt his whole body lift up off the ground and fly off, the impact scattering harmlessly.
Moongazer furrowed her brow. “That’s an odd move you have there. You didn’t do that in class.”
Rumble blushed. “It’s not something I show off to my classmates.”
She smiled knowingly, gently. “Of course not. Show it off to me now, then.” She raised her hooves to motion him forward. “Please.”
He shrugged and lunged again. Moongazer blocked and dodged what she could, but it was his defense that really caught her attention. Every time she landed a blow on him, his body would simply bend into the impact, or he’d turn around his axis to break the blow.
No, Moongazer corrected herself, not breaking. Rumble didn’t break any blows.
He weathered them.
After a few exchanges of blows, Moongazer stopped, motioning for Rumble to do the same. “Quite an impressive skill you have there, Rumble. Not many ponies can take a blow like that.”
Rumble shrugged again. “It’s nothing, really.”
“And there’s that excess humility again. You really mustn’t sabotage yourself like that. Are you a competitive flyer, per chance?”
“Not competitively, no, but I do like to fly. And my big brother is on the Wonderbolts reserves.”
Moongazer almost slapped herself. “Right, of course, Thunderlane. You’re Thunderlane’s little brother. I completely forgot.”
“Why do you ask?”
“How good are you at riding winds, gliding? And I mean honestly. If there’s a strong breeze, do you-”
He smiled. “Oh, I like riding those. It’s fun. I can just hang there and relax.”
She smiled impishly. “Hmm. That’s good. That’s very good. We can work with that.”
“Work, how?”
“Some of the softer martial arts revolve around bending into the attacks of the opponent, moving the body in more of a circular motion than straight jabs. You’ve been having trouble finding harmony, putting real power into your motions. Perhaps it’s because for you, harmony isn’t in straight lines of motion, but staying in place and riding the waves and winds. You do tend to claw more than you stab.”
“Sooo… what do I do now?”
“Try swinging your arms like a scythe now. Don’t try to stab at my pressure points, try to swipe at them like you were trying to slice the flame of a candle. And put your magic into it. Really try to attack me.”
Rumble gulped. “A-are you sure?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because that’s gonna hurt.”
“Really, Rumble, you’re only a novice. You can’t do that much damage to me. Go on, simple cut at the shoulder. Go.”
Moongazer smiled as he lined up the swipe. Then a shiver went down her spine once the blow came in. Before it managed to land, she withdrew her exposed right shoulder, stumbling back.
She felt it, still. The burn of a paper cut going across the surface of her skin, the numbing sensation going down her arm, along with that familiar agony of her very soul being cut.
And that was just a glancing blow. He hadn’t even made full contact. His hoof wasn’t just injecting; it was covered already, coated.
She bit down on the pain. “That was not a novice technique, Rumble. That was a fairly advanced one. And not one bit like the restrained ones you’ve been dealing in class. How do you even know how to do that? The Feather Cloaks are the only ones who teach that to children.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
The mare winced and straightened up. “Don’t be. Not for the blow, at least; I can recover from that, and I know what to watch out for. But I am curious as to how you mastered that technique. That’s not in anything Ash has made public; that’s a scroll technique. You need to know which books still contain that knowledge, as well as what stores still carry the books in the first place. And even if you find those, you’d have to meditate on it. Either that, or you had another master.”
Rumble gulped and looked at the ground, guiltily.
“Rumble, you are not in any trouble, I assure you. But I need to know: where did you learn how to do that?”
He sighed. “From my friend in Bogsdown.”
“This must be some friend you keep referring to, then, if he taught you that. That technique requires mental imagery to work, visualisation in motion. If you consort with an adult who knows that-”
“He’s not an adult. He’s my age. Like I said, we’re friends. We met at Flight Camp.”
“I see.” She rubbed her shoulder to make the pain go away. “But then the question remains: where did he get that knowledge? Presumably, if he was at Flight Camp, he’s not a unicorn, correct?”
“No, not exactly.”
“Then how did he know?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it matters: if he got it from another master, then that master is responsible for the consequences. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, and if it is abused by some pony who wasn’t ready, then the master who taught that pony has to be held accountable for their mistake in teaching. So, I ask again: where did he get it?”
Rumble sighed.
“Wow, the weather ponies really pulled out all the stops, huh?” Rumble said, floating up to look out the window.
Outside, the sky was dark with thunderclouds blocking out the Sun. Even indoors, it was getting black as night.
Whimper trotted over to switch the light on. “Umm, yeah. My dad said it’s gonna be a doozy.”
“We don’t usually get big storms in Ponyville.”
“We get them all the time here,” Whimper replied. “With all the sports events and concerts, you don’t get a lot of time to make it rain, so when they do, they, err…” He cocked her head towards the dark sky, before hopping down. “You know. Sorry about that. I forgot there was a storm scheduled for today. So, what do you wanna do?”
“Umm-” Rumble started.
“Whimper?” A dark blue pegasus stallion, one who was wet and currently had a few stray leaves in his mane, poked his head through the bedroom door. “Hey, guys. I’m gonna be washing up for a bit. Anyone need to use the bathroom?”
The colts shook their heads.
“Just checkin’. You’re Rumble, right? Thunderlane’s little brother?”
“You know my brother?”
“My dad’s one of the weather patrol squad leaders here,” Whimper said. “Well, Captain, actually.”
“Name’s Summer Breeze. I’ve heard a lot about you, Rumble. Where are the girls? Peachy Pie, and what’s her name?”
“You mean Scootaloo? She’s home sick, sir. Feather flu,” Rumble replied.
“Ah. That’s been going around, I suppose. So she’s not coming over?”
“No, sir,” Rumble replied.
“And Peachy Pie?”
Whimper shrugged. “Her family’s visiting her aunt in Ponyville today. Kind of a surprise visit, she won’t be coming, either.”
“Oh, good. Well, not good that she’s not showing, but good that she won’t be out in this weather. I’m afraid you’re gonna be stuck here for at least three hours, Rumble, five if you want to wait for things to warm up again.”
“That’s okay,” Rumble replied. “I don’t mind.”
Summer chuckled. “Well, I’ll leave you two be, then. We’ve got plenty of stuff in the fridge, so dinner won’t be a problem. Do your parents know you’re here, Rumble?”
Rumble nodded. “Yes, sir. I told them I’d be out all day, maybe until after dinner. If they want to come find me, they know where to look.”
“Good lad. Whimper, don’t forget: there’s snacks in the fridge, too, if you get peckish. But don’t touch your mother’s buns: those are medicinal, you don’t know what she put in them.”
“I know, dad.”
“Good.”
The muscled colt rolled his eyes once his dad left.
Rumble squinted, thinking. “That was your dad?”
“Yes.”
“Umm, no offense, but he’s not…”
“Not what?” Whimper asked, tilting his head. He had an odd air about him like that, little things in his body language that made him seem more like a puppy than a pony. “Oh, you mean he’s not as bulky as me? Umm, that doesn’t run in my family, if that’s what you were thinking. He’s more of a racer than a lifter.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking of. Sorry.”
“It’s okay; lots of ponies wonder about it. So, what do we do?” Whimper asked. “You wanna try a board game?”
A loud ‘boom’ interrupted the proceedings, followed by the telltale sound of droplets pattering on the windows. Another long shower for the jock capital of the land.
“Battle for the Western Plains?” Rumble asked. “Sure.”
“You know it?”
“I’ve seen it, but I don’t have any of the sets.”
“You can use one of mine, if you like,” Whimper said. “It’s a pretty fun game, you can play it for hours. Well, if you get lost in it, I guess.”
“Lost in it?” Rumble asked.
Whimper set up the board and let Rumble pick out a commander and some minions. “Hmm? It’s nothing, just silly stuff.”
Rumble looked around the room as Whimper set up the board. He spotted some books on the night stand. One title in particular caught his eye. “Mental Imagery for Magic? Isn’t that more of a unicorn thing?”
Whimper looked up. “Huh? Umm, yes, but I’ve been reading up on it. Back when I got the diagnose for, you know, my breathing problem, my counsellor taught me how unicorns do magic. He said relaxing might help. And it does help for working with clouds.”
“Huh.” Rumble sat down and set up his pieces. “So what do you do, then? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“Just fun,” Whimper said, fielding his own pieces. “Practising imagining tastes, feeling, making my hooves colder or warmer. I’ve been experimenting with some martial arts magic, too.”
Rumble blinked. “Like, kung fu stuff? Like in the movies?”
“Not exactly, but I guess the movies are based on it.”
“Cool. Can you teach me?”
He winced.
“What?” Rumble asked. “Is that a touchy subject?”
“Umm, kind of. I mean, it’s really kind of silly. It’s imagination, and that’s it.”
“So? If it works for unicorns, and it works for you, why not?”
“It’s sort of complicated.”
“Complicated, how? It’s just imagining, right? Every pony can imagine.”
Whimper shrugged. “You’d have to learn how to imagine things more real, learn how to picture a taste, or a feeling. Some of the books on the older martials arts are pretty weird, so I’m not even sure if that’s what you’re supposed to do. Lately I’ve been trying to picture being under water, so my sense of balance is a little different.”
“So… how do you practise that, then?”
“Why do you want to?”
“So I’d be better at managing clouds, of course,” Rumble said with a smile. “There aren’t a lot of ponies I can ask about pegasus magic, and the one pony I can, she’d probably just give me some books with a lot of words that don’t say much. So, how did you learn?”
“I learned for therapy first. Relaxation, that’s what they taught me to start. When you get some kinds of problems, you’re assigned a hypnotherapist for a few sessions. You’re not hypnotised to fix the problem, but they teach you how to hypnotise yourself. So if you really want to learn, you’d have to start with self-hypnosis.”
“That doesn’t sound too hard, if it’s like meditating,” Rumble said. “I’ve done that. Kinda makes you stiff, though.”
Whimper looked down at the board and shook his head, before making the first move. “It’s not exactly meditating. Meditating is clearing your head and thinking of nothing. Hypnosis is filling your head with something.”
Rumble pouted. “Yeah, he is some friend. Knows a lot of stuff, and he doesn’t keep it to himself. Doesn’t mind sharing, you know?”
Moongazer grumbled. “If that’s the case, I should hope he hasn’t shared anything too dangerous since. Alright then, if your friend already taught you advanced mental imagery, at least I know what to expect. We can work with this, Rumble, give you a proper technique to rely on.”
“What kind of technique?”
“This friend of yours, he mentioned the first test for depth of trance?”
“Being able to warm up your hooves, yeah.”
“You know how to do that?”
“Sure, that’s pretty easy.”
“Perfect. I’ll teach you the combat application for that, you can measure up to better fighters with that sort of move. It’s a bit of a cheat, like poison, or the Feather Cloak’s Mercurial Hoof. A boy like you, it’ll serve you well.”
He gulped. “I’m not gonna hospitalise anypony, am I?”
“That all depends on how you decide to use it. Pay attention, and you’ll be fine.”
“Are you following me?”
“Gah!” Apple Bloom fell out of the tree she’d been hiding in. Once she dusted herself off, she huffed with all the indignation of a princess. “No. I was trackin’ you, to practise my ninja skills. Besides, can you blame me if I was? There’s not a lot of alicorns in this town, Hammer.”
The boy in alicorn armour grunted from beneath his mask. “No, I guess not.”
“Plus, I learned a new trick today. I’m up for a rematch if you don’t mind.”
“You mean you learned the Water technique?”
“Yup.”
“You can see pressure points now?”
“Yup.”
“And you can hit more accurately now?”
“Eeyup.”
“Can you see inside a pony just by touching them?”
“Eee-err… no. Just little lights around a pony. Why, can you do that?”
He laughed. “No. That’s a secret, high-level Nine Dragons technique. Different from what you’ve learned. But you never know, if you have the talent for it...”
“I see. I’m flattered, but no, I ain’t got any super special techniques just yet. But I’d still like to practise against you, if that’s okay.”
“No offence, but isn’t there somepony else you can ask to spar with?”
“My friends, but they’re as new to it as I am.” Apple Bloom strode up to him. “Come on, whaddaya say?”
He slowly backed away. “Fine, but we don’t do it in the street; you’ll get hurt like that. We’ll go to the park. Friendly fight only, no rough stuff.”
“Fine by me.” She trotted beside him and looked him over. She still couldn’t see any part of his fur, or his mane and tail. She couldn’t detect the tell-tale aura of magic around him, but now that she had special vision to practise she could see some of the little sparkles of light under his armour, and under his skin.
The sparkles were random, though, and clearly present around his metal-plated wings as well as his horn, so she could only assume that meant he really was an alicorn. “So, uhh… why do you wear that armour again?”
Hammer gulped. “No real reason. I just like to stay covered up, that’s all.”
“But why? Are you really that embarrassed about… what, a scar, a zit?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
They reached the park. Apple Bloom grumbled. “Why not?”
Hammer tilted his head and checked the girl’s flanks. “You’re a blank flank, that’s why.”
“You got a problem with blank flanks?”
Hammer turned around to face the new arrival.
“I said: you got a problem with blank flanks?” Scootaloo repeated as she landed. She recoiled when she noticed the kid she was talking to was in full armour. Full alicorn armour at that. “Whoa. Are those real?”
“Are what real?” Hammer asked, his voice taking a distinct edge.
“Umm, those and that.” Scootaloo pointed to his wings and horn.
“No, they’re fake, what do you think?” He flared his wings in reply and picked up some stray branches with his magic to clean the area, to prevent any awkward falls. “And to answer your question: no, I don’t have a problem with blank flanks. It’s blank flanks that have a problem with me.”
Apple Bloom furrowed her brow. “Really? How come?”
He sighed and let his head hang for a second. “Because a lot of stuff can go wrong when you get your cutie mark, that’s why. And if you don’t have yours yet, it’s kinda hard to explain how. Or even what.”
Scootaloo squinted at the boy. “You sound familiar. Have we met before?”
Hammer quickly shook his head. “Umm, no?”
The pegasus scrunched her nose, trying to check the odd smell that hung around him. It was familiar, slightly alarming, even, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. I think I’d remember you, Scootaloo,” Hammer said.
“Oh, right, I forgot,” Apple Bloom said. “Scootaloo, this is Hammer. Hammer, Scootaloo.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Scootaloo extended a hoof for him to shake.
He did not take it. Instead, he turned to Apple Bloom. “You still want that rematch?”
“Umm, hang on. Scootaloo, why are you here? I thought you were gonna head back home after your talk with Rainbow Dash? We ain’t crusadin’ or nothin’.”
“No, but err, I kinda need help to see those spots you were talking about, and I didn’t feel like asking Rumble or Spike after what happened at the dojo. So, you think you can show me how?”
“Basic pressure point vision? Sure, that’s easy enough to show,” Hammer said. “Take a seat, and I’ll make your friend’s insides light up like a Hearts and Hooves tree.” He moved to stand on his hind legs, arms up in a fighting posture.
Apple Bloom followed suit. “Hang on, how are you so sure I ain’t gonna do that to you?”
“Umm, I’ve kind of got a knack for hitting soft spots. Scootaloo, you’re gonna want to try looking through us, not at us.”
“Through you?” The girl narrowed her eyes.
“Uhuh. It’s sort of a trick. You have to use your night vision in the day, don’t squint,” Hammer explained.
“Night vision?”
Hammer sighed. “Open your eyes and look at our shoulders. There should be flashes of light when we start striking. You’ll know it when you see it.”
Scootaloo set her rump down. “Are you sure we haven’t met?”
Even behind that mask, the girls could have sworn he gulped. “Positive.”
“Ready when you are,” Apple Bloom said.
“If you have taken a more advanced class, I’m not gonna go as easy as I did last time.”
Apple Bloom smiled. “Oh, you don’t have to.”
“Suit yourself. You can go first.”
Scootaloo sat and looked. She tried to let her eyes adjust to whatever it was they were supposed to adjust to, but she didn’t get it. She sighed, and part of her resigned herself to never figuring this out.
Apple Bloom went into Turtle Stance, Hammer looked like he was in a form of Bear Stance, but not as deep. Apple Bloom tried to strike a heavy hammer blow towards the boy’s collarbone, but he slapped it away and jabbed into that soft spot near the elbow, numbing her arm.
“Ow!”
“Oh, sorry. Too rough?”
“Nah, just rough enough. Keep goin’.”
“Okay.”
Hammer’s counter-attack was something else, though. He punched fluidly, like Water style, but he never stopped moving forward. He always had one arm going forward, one going back as he struck, whereas Ash had taught them that Water style was in with the whole body, out with the whole body.
He had Apple Bloom on the proverbial ropes, driving her back with one blow to her muscles after the other.
“Hey, that looks kinda neat. What style is that, Hammer?”
“It’s not a style of ninja.” Hammer’s reply gave Apple Bloom the opening she needed to start striking at him again. It didn’t seem to bother him that much, even when she landed a blow on that alicorn armour. “It’s a unicorn martial art, more like kung fu.”
That got Scootaloo thinking. “Maybe we should have taken kung fu classes first, then.”
“Trust me, you don’t want that,” Hammer said as he dodged a blow, then blocked one on his shoulder plates. “Kung fu’s not something you learn in a week, there’s no way for a crash course in that to work. It’s all about conditioning your body first. You don’t start fighting until you’re already kinda ripped.”
Scootaloo’s ears twitched. “And, are you ripped under there?”
“Umm, no. You wouldn’t call me ripped, I don’t think.” Hammer sped up his blocks and blows, not even winded. “Like I said, it’s a unicorn martial art. You learn the magic first, then the martial arts to use it.”
“And what kinda magic would that be, exactly?” Apple Bloom asked.
Hammer took a deep breath and growled. “The kind you don’t show off against somepony who doesn’t know to defend against it.”
“Sheesh, sorry I asked.”
“Are you getting the sight thing down, at least?” Hammer asked Scootaloo.
“Hey, don’t get distracted there, Mister Alicorn, I’m still here to hit y-” Apple Bloom’s taunt was interrupted by a sharp pain in her chest.
Scootaloo gasped. Her friend stood frozen for a moment, one arm extended to slap her opponent in the chest, mouth open and eyes rolling.
Scootaloo saw the lights now. Like stars in the night sky, she could see all the little spots over Apple Bloom’s body, just for a second, lit up as the boy in alicorn armour used some kind of death touch to incapacitate her.
“Whoa.”
Hammer withdrew his hoof and rubbed Apple Bloom’s chest, letting her fall over gently and lean on him. “Sorry about that. It’s a reflex. You really shouldn’t touch me like that, not when I’m distracted.”
Apple Bloom started shivering all over. She blinked quickly to get the lights in her eyes to go away. “M-m-muh-my mistake. What was that? Was that unicorn magic?”
Hammer carefully laid her down, back first. “Yes. That’s the sort of magic you won’t see on a lot of other ponies. Don’t worry, it’s not that hard to defend against, once you know what it is.”
Scootaloo ran over to her friend. “What did you do to her?”
“Nothing too bad, and nothing permanent. She’ll just feel heavy for a minute or so, that’s all. I’m sorry, it was an accident.”
“No, I get that, but how did you make those lights appear?”
Hammer sighed. “That’s magic. Look, try staring at my hoof.” He held up his right hoof, covered in fabric and metal.
“Okay.”
“Now relax, try to see the blue again, like it’s nighttime. And with your eyes on my hoof, look at my head.”
“But your hoof is in the way.”
“Look at it anyway. Relax, don’t try to force it.”
Slowly, Scootaloo started to see the vague pinkish white shimmer around the boy’s face. “Hey, you’re right. It’s kinda halo-y. And pink.”
“Good, now look down at your own hooves, same way.”
For a moment, Scootaloo could see the swirls of her aura, faintly outlined in ocean blue against the green grass and the dark armour. “It still fades.”
“It’s supposed to. If you had that kind of sight all the time, you’d go crazy after about a week. But that’s how you switch it on. You know, when you need to.”
“Thanks. I wonder why Ash didn’t explain it that way.”
Hammer shrugged. “The Ashen Blizzard has kind of a reputation for-”
“For letting you work out things on your own, I heard. Still, thanks.” Scootaloo tried to pat him on the shoulder, but he blocked it in a reflex.
“Why do you keep doing that?” Apple Bloom asked, slowly turning around to lie on her belly. “You’re wearin’ full body armour, for cryin’ out loud. Nopony’s gonna hurt you.”
“Sorry. I can’t help it.”
Scootaloo regarded the boy for a moment, trying to spot any signs in his aura. She didn’t have a lot of experience in the matter, though, so what little she could tell could have meant anything.
“Well, thanks anyway. It’ll come in handy at the challenger’s circle on Sunday.”
“Psh, seriously? You’re going to the challenger’s circle on Sunday?”
The girls and boy turned to see two fillies standing there, both with a look of disdain on their face.
“Do you, like, even know what happens at a challenger’s circle?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“Do you?” Scootaloo retorted.
“It’s, like, where different schools match up and let their students fight each other. It’s where you can get challenged, by any pony,” Silver Spoon said.
“Why are you here?” Hammer asked. He looked to Silver’s flanks, then slowly started moving so he’d be in between her and the other two girls.
“Oh, relax. I’m Diamond Tiara, this is Silver Spoon, and we’re in the same class as them,” Diamond Tiara said. “Regular class, not martial arts.”
“Be that as it may, I’m sensing a lot of hostility coming from you. What are you doing here?” Hammer took his position, ready to block or attack if need be.
“Do I know you? You sound familiar,” Diamond Tiara asked.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, you do sound kind of familiar. I didn’t think there were any alicorns from around here,” Silver Spoon said.
His wings flared, and his magic picked up a leaf in mid-fall, before he tossed it into a nearby pond with a curt nod of the head. “I don’t get out much, so you wouldn’t know me. But you might say I’m from around here, yes, and, err, not to toot my own horn, but I do have a reputation to uphold. So I’ll ask again: why are you here?”
“Oh, just girl stuff. And a friendly warning: don’t go to the challenger’s circle on Sunday. There’s gonna be some really nasty ponies there who’ll just tear you apart,” Diamond Tiara said.
Apple Bloom slowly got to her hooves. “How would you know?”
“Oh, we, like, totally know some ponies in those circles. Real big shots, too,” Silver Spoon replied.
“The Feather Cloaks, by any chance?” Hammer asked.
Silver Spoon snickered. “Oh, you’ve heard of us?”
The boy’s whole demeanour changed at that. His body lowered into a pouncing position, metal-covered horn ready to impale whatever target might present itself first. “Leave.”
“What?” Silver Spoon backed off.
“Leave now, leave quietly. You don’t wanna make a scene here.”
Diamond Tiara huffed. “Fine. Come on, Silver Spoon, the karate kids’ll be at the playground.”
Silver Spoon stood and glared at the boy in the alicorn armour.
“Come on, Silver Spoon!”
Silver Spoon grumbled and shifted her glare to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “You’re not gonna have somepony to hide behind all the time, you know.” With a huff and a most regal and dramatic raising of the muzzle, Silver Spoon trotted to her friend and went off to intimidate some other kids.
Scootaloo shivered. “What was that all about?”
“Feather Cloak tactics. She’s trying to intimidate you before the challenger’s circle. It’s probably her first time fighting, too,” Hammer explained.
“Diamond Tiara fights?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Not her; Silver Spoon. Her dad’s a Demon Hunter, he’s gone up against water devils. Probably taught her a few tricks, too.”
“So, Silver Spoon is one of them? She’s a Feather Cloak ninja, and her dad knows demon fighting moves?” Scootaloo asked. Something tightened in the pit of her stomach.
Hammer nodded. Apple Bloom saw the apprehension in her friend’s eyes.
“What’s the matter, Scootaloo?”
“N-nothing,” Scootaloo stammered. “I’m sure she was just bluffing. We’re just gonna have some fun with this martial arts thing, right?”