//------------------------------// // Why Can't We Be Friends? Starfall Steps In! // Story: Ponyville's First Warrior Meet // by Wise Cracker //------------------------------// With August Whimper being carted off, Doldrum Whimper turned towards the Ashen Blizzard and the rest of the masters. "Umm, how was that?" "Not bad," Ash said. "But sloppy." "I concur," Luna said. "That fight was hardly a challenge. We saw no display of your supposed skills, or any techniques that set you apart from the rest. Certainly not enough to merit a belt." The colt almost pouted. "But I fought him, and won." "Yes, but anypony can throw a normal punch, or strike a pose. You're asking to be acknowledged as a serious warrior, as an equal to actual students. That display? We could toss you into any school and the result would be the same. This doesn't tell us anything," one of the masters, the karate instructor, from the looks of it, explained. The boy sighed. "So what do I do now? I thought that August kid would be a good match?" "He is, or he should have been," Blazing Trail said. "But he underestimated you, and he misused his technique. You fight like one of us, you know: brutal, confident. That's the problem. If you were in our school, you'd outrank August already. Perhaps a challenger of a superior level is in order? Say, a green belt?" The boy gulped. "Y-you mean somepony who's already bigger and stronger than me? Isn't that a little unfair?" "Not for a demonstration fight, it's not," Luna said. "Which student did you have in mind, Master Blazing?" "I was thinking maybe his old buddy, Starfall." Whimper shivered as the unicorn girl walked up to the stage. "Starfall here was assigned to him during his trial period, when he just started,” Blazing explained. “She kept her eye on him while he was going through some, ah, tough times, and she's sparred with him." Luna's ears perked. "Did she, now? Very well, I approve. Let her test his skills." Starfall walked closer to the little boy as Blazing Trail departed. "It's been a while. Why so glum?" He turned his back on the grandmasters and walked into the fighting ground again, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You told me to hurt Scootaloo." "So she'd respect your strength, yes. You had to. She was holding you back, you must have realised that?" He took a deep breath and let it out, still shivering with what looked like restrained anger. "You told me she wasn't my friend." Starfall shrugged. "I still don't think she is, I'm sorry. I know that's hard to accept, but it's still true. Boys like you can't afford to have girls like that bossing them around. It's not good for you." "And you hung over me for half the summer, you kept stalking me even after I said I needed to think." At that, she winced. "I just wanted to make sure you'd make the right choice. Come on, you're acting like I'm some kind of villain. We're friends, aren't we? And this is just going to be a friendly fight. It’s just a test." He snorted ever so gently. "Sure. Just a test." "And who knows? Maybe once we're done and you sign up, Scootaloo will stop getting you into trouble, huh? I'm sure she'd listen to you if she got a good look at what you can do. You're gonna have to put your hoof down if she's learned how to fight, too. I'd hate to see you get beaten up because you're too scared to fight back. But just so we're clear: I am going to beat you up now. You need to be shown the right way, and if you're not gonna listen to reason... no hard feelings, okay?" Whimper nodded. "No hard feelings." "Begin!" Blazing Trail smirked as the pair squared off against each other. "Wait, so is that Scootaloo's friend? Shouldn't I be fighting him?" Silver Spoon asked. "It is, and you shouldn't. Starfall will deal with him." "But she's bigger than him. And a green belt." "Exactly why she's fighting him. She's sparred with him before, she knows his moves. She won't get blindsided by him, like August was. He's asking to be tested, that's not the same as a proper fight. He goes in with you, at your level, you'd stomp him into the ground and he still wouldn't be properly tested. Starfall knows how to prolong the fight, she knows the higher-level techniques that'll force him to acknowledge his weakness. And besides that... she knows what buttons to push on that boy." "But what if she loses?" "She won't. This fight is decided already." "Okay," Starfall said. "How about we start with something simple. Taijutsu; physical combat. Simple open techniques." She went into the same Bear Stance Rumble and Silver Spoon favoured, while Whimper took a wider stance, open arms almost welcoming her. He's totally open to an attack. His chest is undefended. She jabbed at that chest and, true to form, the boy swatted her attack aside, sliding his footing forward with the same grace she did. Starfall grumbled under her breath. He’d blocked the blow up high so he wouldn't get hit by any energy. Guess I'll just have to turn it up a notch, then. Her hooves hissed with magic when she struck next, aiming a hammer blow to his neck. He twisted his arms just in time to do that scissor block again, but the magic still washed over him. The two stood, deadlocked. "Not bad, not bad. You're still pretty quick." "Thanks." She pushed down, he pushed back, both of their bodies shook. "But I'm still quicker," she said, before jumping back and pressing her attack. "Comet Strike Jutsu!" Whimper kept his eyes on her striking hooves as they were covered in a silvery magic that trailed behind like a comet's tail. He ducked under a swipe for his head, swatted away the elbow of the follow-up, then, with an opening in plain sight, he struck. "Haiyah!" Starfall gasped when she felt the cold biting into her fur. Even back-pedalling as quick as she did, his hoof brushed past her, and that was enough to remind her why Master Blazing was so insistent on him joining. He almost had her. Rubbing the hairs of her fur, at least the parts he'd managed to hit, she chuckled. All he had was cold, just like Rumble. He didn't have the poison the Feather Cloaks put into their techniques. He was still too meek. After all that, he was nothing more than a little boy who was too scared to realise his potential. "Nice one." Whimper grumbled. "No, it wasn't. It didn't go through fast enough." Starfall smiled. "Not so easy, fighting against somepony who knows what they're doing, huh? It's a shame, really; even the white belts in our class can land a punch or two. You know, when we're warming up. You desperately need some better teaching." With that, she dashed at him to close the gap and pummelled his arm guards. Or she would have, if he hadn't been pummelling back. The arena filled with the rhythm of their blows, a quick cadence of contact, hoof on padding and hoof on bone. Eventually, Whimper forced her arms wide with that scissor blow that would have opened up her chest if he'd had blades on, but she managed to correct it and mash down on his arms before he could take advantage of the opening this time, leaving them in a deadlock again. "See? You should be faster by now. You're barely keeping up." "Huh? Um, no I'm not, I'm just waiting for an opening." "Cute. But you can't beat me at speed. I'm fast enough to stop bu-aaah!" She stumbled back as a stabbing pain shot up through her right leg. "S-son of a..." He flexed that musclebound hoof as he withdrew it from the shin kick he'd delivered. "I'm supposed to demonstrate my techniques, aren't I? That was a special unbalancing technique, good against opponents who are bigger than me. You're looking down at my face, and at my front hooves. You don't keep track of my hind hooves." She groaned, then chuckled. "I'd forgotten how much of a wallop you pack in that little body. I've missed you, you know." He smiled. "I'm sure you did." Starfall rose up and curled her hooves again, closing her eyes and dulling the pain. "Seriously, though. This is supposed to be a demo fight. Act like it." The colt let his back hind hooves slide over the floor to get into position. "Okay." Her hooves hissed and sparked as she aimed for his softer spots: his belly, his thighs, his shoulders. She snap-jabbed like a snake, always with that same comet trail behind her. She had him on the defensive, he was too pressured to retaliate. She kept her body close to his to make sure he couldn't wind up a proper punch. Thump! Which made it all the more surprising when she felt a cold pressure in her lungs. She gasped. His left arm bracer was blocking her right arm, his right arm was extended, stabbing dead centre into her chest. He twisted the tip of that hoof and pushed, and more cold agony flowed into her. She stumbled back, clutching her chest. "What was that?" "What? Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were fighting for real now?" "We are." Starfall rubbed her chest to warm it back up and cleanse it of the foreign energies. If this kept up, she might lose face. "But if you're gonna be this rough with me, then I'm not gonna hold back. You understand that, right?" "I thought you said you were gonna beat me up? Why are you taking your time like this? All you're doing is giving me more openings." She bit her lip. "Fine. I didn't want to do this before I could have a proper talk with you, but seeing as you're not going to listen, here goes: Feather Cloak Open Style, Spring Tide Kata!" Whimper's ears twitched when Starfall finally took the kiddy gloves off. She moved like a mare possessed, flailing her arms about in a scythe-like motion, trying to hook him with the edges. He could hear her magic sizzling at the tips. He sidestepped a wide arc of a sweep, then flapped over a roundhouse kick. "Gotcha." While Starfall tried to jab him in mid-air, he went into a sideways airborne roll to dodge it. "You're slippery, I'll give you that. But you can't win a fight with dodging alone." Whimper furrowed his brow. "I thought you were trying to test me? Aren't I supposed to dodge your moves?" "No, you're supposed to demonstrate superiority; you have to counter it. You have to beat me and my technique." She raised her front hooves, both glowing with that cold, silvery magic. "You can't dodge me forever. Sooner or later I'll land a hit, and then you're through. So either you break through this technique or admit defeat here and now." "Are you really that strong?" She scowled. "Tss. I'm the strongest green belt in our school. The only pony who can beat me is Silver Spoon, and that's only because she's got some extra tutoring going on." "So that right there is what Master Blazing would have taught me if I'd stayed?" He pointed to her hooves. "That glowing hooves thing is what he's offering?" "No, not to you. You're special. If you'd stayed, you'd have learned the Seven Deadly Blows by now." She sighed wistfully. "We could have learned together. But you just wouldn't listen to reason." Whimper was taking a walk in the park, hoping to get his mind off things, when Starfall showed up again. “Hey, Whimper. What’s going on?” He sighed. “The usual.” She nodded towards a nearby vendor. “You wanna go get a milkshake? My treat.” “No, thank you.” He turned to leave. “Where are you going?” The girl trotted beside him, sticking close by. “Home.” “But you just got here.” He let out a weak snort of annoyance. “I know. And now I’m going home again. Is that a problem?” “Not with me, it’s not. So, are you ready to join us yet?” He gritted his teeth. “No, I haven’t decided. I need to time to think.” “Well, if you still need to talk about it, you know you can always ask me. And if anypony’s bugging you, just let me know and I’ll get them to stop. Nopony’s gonna mess with my favourite ninja, not while I’m around,” she tousled his mane. He grimaced, embarrassed. “I know. But, umm, what if you’re not around?” “Don’t be silly, little guy. I’m looking out for you, and I’m a ninja, remember? I’m always around.” She got the drop on him at last, dashing forward without warning and delivering a nasty hook. He blocked her blow directly on his bracers, making him buckle.The hissing intensified. "See what I mean? Even if you block this kind of attack, the magic still washes over you. You can't keep this up for long." That's when he found out why she favoured hooks in the first place: it got her close enough to pull him in for a kick. She pulled, and just as she was going to kick him, he took off and flew straight over her leg, letting his right arm trail over her fur. He didn't even have to suck in his taut belly to avoid that attack. When he landed, he was close enough to press his right hip against her. She barely had time to remember she was in trouble. "No." A quick snap and a thrust of his hip, and he got some distance between them again. "Guh..." Starfall didn't waste any time pressing her attack. She dashed at him while his arms were down. For a split second, she thought she had him. Her hooftip went past his guard, his arm was bent too far to put any strength behind it. Judging from his pitiful result at the block test, he wouldn't be able to punch her in retaliation. And he didn't. What he did do was ram the side of his arm into hers, making a neat circular motion to throw her aim off. "W-what the... my arm, you..." It left her wide open for a counter-attack. Thunk! Pink shards flew away from the girl, scattering and dissipating as suddenly as they’d appeared. Whimper shook his jabbing hoof once Starfall retreated. "Nice shield." "Whoa!" She stumbled back, her arm numbed and her horn throbbing. He'd only needed one strike to break through that pink wall and shatter it. Granted, she'd put it up in a hurry, but that didn't make the prospect of getting that kind of force right in her face any more agreeable. If she hadn't managed to shield herself, a blow like that to her head would have put her at a severe disadvantage. He could have hurt her. "What kind of fighting is that?" "You mean you don't recognise it? You should." He flexed his arms with a distinct creaking sound, showing off the musculature he'd worked so hard to attain. "This is Eagle Talon Style." Starfall scowled. "Eagle Talon's not a style; it's a weapon. And it doesn't explain how you did this. You never landed a clean hit on me." She closed her eyes and focused on the cold creeping into her muscles. "So how are you using contact magic?" Whimper tilted his head. "Same thing as the eagle talons, really. You wanted to know why I didn't fight back earlier. I was just checking your style. It's kind of neat, coating your hooves in magic like that. Like a burning spear, right? Or a dagger coated in poison? Or, I guess for you it'd be a quill, with poison on the tip. See, umm, not that I’m criticising you or anything, but I couldn't help but notice you only ever strike with the tips of your hooves. That magic you have, it never goes up your arms." The teen filly grumbled. "It's because you're a unicorn, isn't it? You're used to casting magic through your horn. Letting it run through your body doesn't come as natural as it does to a pegasus or an Earth pony. You really should have started practising that by now." "Doesn't make a difference." "It makes a huge difference." He raised his arms up to demonstrate. "Your magic is limited, and you've been fighting like mine is, too, but it's not." She winced as her healing technique failed to make the pain in her hip subside. Her arm, her hip, her lungs, all of it, it still had that trace of cold. But he hadn't struck her. She'd blocked his counterattacks as well as he had hers. Unless... "No." "Yes. You can only put your magic into one part of your body. I can put it in any part of my body. You treat your arms like spears, or sickles, or hooks. I treat my arms like swords. An elbow blow from you, or a hip blow, doesn't do any real damage. It's like getting hit with a feather: it only hurts from the tip. It only hurts on one side. But me? I can hit you with anything and it'll hurt." "That's better," Moongazer said. "You can read his movements a lot better now. Yes, you were right, Apple Bloom: he does move like he's got his eagle talons still on." "I know, right? Ain't that a mistake or somethin'?" "Not really," Fleur replied, very quietly so none of the Feather Cloaks would hear. "He is training with a future Master at Arms, remember? Live Wire practises an armed style, so must Whimper. A lot of styles mix the armed and unarmed forms. Whimper learned how to wield his arms like blades when he practised his punching technique." "I get that, but he's unarmed now. Doesn't that leave him with a handicap?" "Against another unarmed opponent? Not necessarily," Live Wire explained. "You pick up habits that you wouldn't if you only train in unarmed style, makes it harder to predict your next move, forces the opponent to second-guess which areas you’ll be targeting next. Look at Starfall: she's rattling her brain right now, thinking how she can beat that." Apple Bloom furrowed her brow and looked at Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle followed suit. "Yeah, come to think of it, why would he tell her that in the first place?" Scootaloo shrugged. "Why are you looking at me like that? I don't know what he's planning." Starfall chuckled. "Eagle talons then, huh? Okay, funny choice of weapon. Don't see those too often, outside of comic books. You learn that all on your own?" "Uhuh. I had a lot of spare time once I got suspended. It's a little weird to do it without the blades, but I like it." Whimper smiled again, like he was just enjoying a sunny day. "Right, that's your basic outer form, then. How do you deal with the advanced techniques? Especially when you're unarmed?" "What advanced techniques?" "The higher-level combo attacks from other schools." He shrugged. "Umm, I don't know? I haven't really gone up against a lot of combo fighting. Rumble doesn't know any combos." Starfall had to suppress a smirk then. "You and Rumble? That's where he got his skills? He learned from you?" "Uhuh." "Okay, I'll show you something a little more fun, then. Try countering this." "But you haven't beaten my hoof-to-hoof yet. My Eagle Talon Style beat your comet thingie." She snorted. "No, it didn't. Those little Water Style pressure point attacks were just the basics. A real fighter threads moves like that into a tapestry of pain, makes it impossible for the opponent to react. Once this is set in motion, I'm not gonna stop until you're down." Whimper pouted and took a step back. She pouted right back at the boy. "You really are making this harder than it should be, you know. You belong in the Feather Cloak school. We can bring out your potential." Whimper bit his lip. "You're really that sure I belong there?" "Of course. You're bound to end up up as one of us eventually." "Then why are you trying so hard to make me if I’d end up with you anyway?" She lowered her elbows and extended her right arm, letting her left drop to form a perfect deep Bear Stance, frogs of her hooves pointed at him. "Because you're still weak. And you shouldn't be." Whimper, likewise, tensed up. "So what's this going to be? Seven Deadly Blows?" "No, can't do that one; I'm not brutal enough for that... yet. Besides, that kata is for ambushes, quick take-downs on an unsuspecting opponent. But I'm guessing you figured that out already." "I don't fall for that kind of thing." "That’s what you think. But it doesn’t matter. You'll fall to this. Feather Cloak Hidden Technique: Star Shower!" Whimper's ears twitched, then the girl was gone. "Oof!" He winced as she finally landed a kick to his gut that sent him skidding over the stone floor, before he bounced back up. By the time he landed, she was already gone again. He looked around furtively, his breathing quickened. "Teleportation?" A blink, and she was on him, using the edge of a hoof to carve into his back. "Gotcha. Let's see how you deal with a dose of Mercurial Hoof." He cried out in pain and staggered forward, then swung his arm back, hitting nothingness. She rematerialised at the far corner of the arena. "You were right about unicorns and pegasi, you know. Casting magic all over my body doesn't come natural. But it doesn't have to. It's a real shame, too. With your talent, if you'd been born a unicorn, you might have figured out how to counter this." Whimper growled. "But unfortunately, you're not only a pegasus, you're a pegasus who doesn't know his own strength. I'm sorry, Whimper, but I'm gonna have to make this painful for you. You're not gonna learn otherwise." "He's keeping up rather well," Moongazer said. "I'd have thought that kind of attack would be too much for him, considering." "Considering... what, the fact that he has had no formal training?" Fleur asked. "Well, yes. No offence to you or your apprentice, but if he hasn't studied under a master, he won't be able to keep up. I'm surprised he's still standing, honestly, with that Mercurial Hoof landing so soundly." She winced as more blows landed on the boy's body. Apple Bloom squinted. "So... he's gonna lose?" "Eventually, most likely. Without proper instructions, a boy like that will only ever master the outer forms. Internal techniques require oral transmission, and a higher-level technique like what she’s using requires an internal technique to counter. This isn’t a fair fight. He's good, I'll grant him that. His speed and balance are well above rookie level, and his stances are near-perfect. You can tell he practises those. But it takes more than just punching and kicking to measure up against a ninja." Live Wire's ears twitched. "Begging your pardon, Miss Moongazer, but he's not done yet." "Ow" The cry came out of the arena. "G-gah..." Moongazer gasped. "What? How did he..." Whimper had his guard up after slapping away that last attack. "Oh, did I hit a nerve point? I'm sorry." Starfall was rubbing her striking arm now, wincing in pain. "L-lucky shot." Whimper tilted his head and smiled. "Good. I wouldn't want to hurt a friend." She teleported behind him, and got an elbow in her gut for her trouble, one that sent a chill down her spine. She teleported to the side, a slap in the nose. She teleported right above him, he'd jumped backwards before she'd rematerialised and almost delivered an arcing blow to her ribs. Her lungs froze as he managed to jab and twist just right to inject more cold magic into her system. This one was different. This one stabbed deep, and lingered. She coughed and spluttered, and she was sure she tasted blood. He was frostburning her organs, from the feel of it. But that wasn't what worried her; what worried her was that he could hit her at all. The only other pony who could do that was Silver Spoon, and that was with Demon Hunter training from her father. But Whimper didn't have that luxury. All he had was some random Wonderbolt wannabe who sparred with him. Whimper taught Rumble, no one taught Whimper. He shouldn't have been able to do any of this. Was her technique flawed somehow? No, she'd executed it perfectly. She got the initial blows in on him, she hit him with Mercurial Hoof, same way she hit her fellow students. They fell before her, why didn't he? What am I doing wrong? Did he figure out the rhythm? No way. But he must have. She squinted, thinking. And how is he still standing? Most ponies would be down for the count by now. Even Silver Spoon can't stand up to that kind of punishment. Whimper looked up, still flashing those puppy dog eyes of his. "Well? Was that it?" She dashed back. "H-how did you manage to block that?" "I didn't. You hit me a couple of times, remember? You didn't hit me very hard, but you still hit me. I mean, you haven't tried hitting for real yet, have you?" She growled under her breath. This is bad. He's gonna run me out of stamina at this rate. I can't lose. Not to some kid. She closed her eyes to concentrate. "You really are something, you know." "I know. You should surrender." "What?" He winced. "Please surrender? I'm stronger than you. You're not gonna beat me. You'll embarrass yourself in front of your Master if you keep this up." "Heheh. Nice try, but we Feather Cloaks never fall. We're alphas, through and through. Our confidence is our shield, and our strength." "Didn't help August. Or me." As much as she tried to ignore it, Starfall felt a pang in her chest then. Little Whimper, so buff and strong, he sounded so meek. It would have been so nice to have him as an unofficial little brother, to show him off to the other martial arts girls, to stand next to him when he accepted his medals, to introduce him to the right crowd, to the kind of girls who would appreciate his presence. Just a few changes, and he could be so popular, so wanted, so valuable. If only he listened. "Is there really nothing I can say to make you join? I promise it'd be better for you." Whimper shook his head. "I know that's what you want to think, but you're wrong. Your school is pretty good, it's great, even, but it's not right for me. I wouldn't fit in. You keep asking me to join, to be a real alpha, to be a big shot, but you never mention the fact that I'd have to change in the first place. If I became one of you, I wouldn't be me anymore. And...” He breathed a heavy and tired sigh. “I know that’s what a lot of ponies want, but I don’t. I don’t expect you to understand, but I'm tired of not feeling like myself, like there’s somepony else making decisions for me, speaking with my voice, and leaving me in the dark, alone. It’s a horrible feeling, and I don’t want it anymore, and I definitely don’t want it all the time." "But you would be yourself: your true self. You're a winner, it's in your nature. You have no idea how much fun you could have, going to tournaments all around the world, winning trophies. Your teachers would respect you. Nopony would ever tell you what to do anymore." Whimper closed his eyes and, to his credit, gave the girl a fair chance. He thought it through, like he had so often. "Nopony, including you?" The girl gritted her teeth. "Okay, I see how it is. This next attack will end it. I'll try to make it painless, but no promises." "Okay. But before you do, could I just ask one more thing?" "What?" "You're my friend, right? That's what you keep saying." Starfall smiled at him, sympathy shining in her eyes. "Yes. I am. I only want what’s best for you." "And Scootaloo doesn't?" "I keep telling you; she disrespects you. She's not like that Rumble kid or Peachy Pie. She's holding you back, and she's going to get you into trouble. She's not your friend, I'm sorry." He blinked, pondering. "If Scootaloo wasn't really my friend, why did she stay away?" "Huh?" "After I got in trouble the second time, I told Scootaloo I needed time alone to think. I told you I needed time alone to think, too. I told your master I wouldn't be a Feather Cloak until after I'd thought about it, alone. I told you, calmly, politely, I needed to think, and I didn't want you to try and confuse me. I wasn't part of your school. My baby brother was on the way, and I wanted to deal with that on my own. I told you I needed time alone. All I asked for was a few days, a few weeks at most. And you decided not to give me that. You kept an eye on me all the way up to the Manehattan Meet. I couldn't go two days without you trying to get me to join. Everypony I talked to said they were curious about me hanging out with you. You were always around. Until the Meet." "So? I was looking out for you. And I figured after you got a look at some real fighters, your pride would be hurt. You never went out into Bogsdown after that." "No. I went… someplace else after that. But that's not what I mean. You decided to stick around, even after I told you not to. Scootaloo decided to give me time alone, just like I asked. I wanted her to give me peace and quiet, and that's exactly what she did. If she wasn't my friend, if she didn't respect me, why would she do that, when you didn't?" Starfall's smile cracked. "Well, guess you have to learn gratitude, too." That finally got him to bare his teeth. "What should I be grateful for? For being punished for standing up for myself? For being forced to join a club that tells me who my friends should be?" "For being recognised as what you are: a great talent. But if you want it to go to waste..." "Does that mean we're not friends anymore?" "See if you can dodge this, then we'll talk." "What's this one called?" he asked. "Feather Cloak Hidden Technique: Constellation Destruction!" Starfall's horn glowed along with her hooves this time, and three balls of energy started circling around her. Whimper growled. She lunged. A quick jab met with his bracer again, and the spheres around her homed in on the boy. He stepped forward just as the first one was about to hit, making it brush over his back instead of detonating into his sides. She gasped. "What the..." As she withdrew her jabbing left arm, his guarding arm followed. It stuck to her even as she prepared to to do a hammer blow to his jaw. Before she could complete her strike, he nailed her in the shoulder. The strength seeped out of her arm, but the spheres were still circling around her. The second one was headed straight for his hips. He spun around and pressed his back against her belly, elbowing her in the gut and letting that low sphere continue harmlessly on its way. She felt the air get knocked out of her, she practically tasted the blueberry muffins she’d had for lunch be catapulted back up. "No way..." With the last bit of mental presence, she tried to kick him in his exposed hind quarters, to get him at the proper range. He was faster than her, though, and even as the third orb was about to smack him in the face, he completed his turn and pushed his front hooves against her throat in that same scissoring posture. It finally dawned on her. As the last orb was about to strike, she realised her mistake. He was touching her. He was maintaining contact. She saw it all: his motions, his choice of weapon, and the school he’d studied. But most frighteningly, the legendary technique passed down from that school, lost in old myth and modern, badly written, fantasy novels. His technique, what he'd practised all this time, his trump card, required a lasting physical contact. "T-this is..." He mashed down on her throat, spreading his arms with enough force to knock her down, but aiming high enough at her jaw not to break any vitals. "Sorry, Starfall. I don't want you spoiling my surprise." She went down and passed out, all three orbs staying at their constant radius and fading as she fell. Silence fell over the arena. "The winner by knockout: Doldrum Whimper," Ash said. The blue colt sighed as he idly remembered to fold his wings back down to his sides. Silly things kept popping up. I'm really sorry, Starfall, but you were wrong. You weren't looking out for me. You don't know me. You only know what you want me to be. You never even asked why I didn't want to join. You never bothered to ask what other styles I liked, what other things I practised. All you knew was my workout schedule, and you didn't even connect the dots to that. It never even occurred to you I might still be learning after the Meet. Did you forget, or did you just not care? He let his head hang for a second, before picking himself up and letting Starfall be picked up by the medic team. If you'd been my friend from the start, then you'd have known exactly what I can do. I wouldn't have stood a chance. You made me think you were my friend. I would have told you if you were. All you had to do was ask. Apple Bloom's jaw hung slack. "He beat a green belt. Somepony bigger than him. He just... he knocked her out, cleanly. Cut off her breath an' everything." She gulped and rubbed her throat, feeling a sympathetic ache at the sight. "He would have cut her head off if he'd been wearing blades." Moongazer nodded as Starfall was removed from the arena. "Yes. He caught her off guard when he bypassed her attacks. He must have seen her do them before, learned the pattern behind her techniques. And those spheres... it doesn't take long to see they stay at a constant radius to her body, they're easy to evade once you figure that out, provided she can't push him into the attack in time. The Feather Cloaks use pretty rigid routines, you see: there are individual differences between fighters, but the rhythm is hard to deviate from once internalised. Most ponies are knocked out by that kind of thing, so they never develop the counter to it. Clearly, he has." Fleur smirked. "Yes. That must have been it," she lied. Silly ponies. He won because he exploited her weakness. She was so dead set on preserving her own social image, on executing her own techniques flawlessly, she never considered analysing his movements, like he did hers. He read her like an open book, she didn't even read the cover of him. She couldn't accept the idea of losing, so she didn't realise her techniques were useless. She almost saw it, though. She almost called it out... his trump card. Well, one of the two, at least. She didn’t even detect the other one. I wonder if Silver Spoon will notice. "Where's Cheerilee off to?" Rarity asked. "Hmm?" A quick look around, and Fleur saw: the teacher was off checking on her hurt student, Rumble. Rumble was busy wincing and flapping his hooves and wings this way and that, obviously trying to show that Silver Spoon had not, in fact, hurt him that badly. Typical warrior things, boy or girl. Times like this Fleur wished she had the ninja sense of hearing down, so she could eavesdrop on that conversation. She wondered if Rumble was being interrogated about Silver Spoon, or about his own fighting prowess. Then again, judging by how Cheerilee's ears were twitching towards Ash and Luna, perhaps she was asking Rumble about Whimper. A random thought occurred to her, then: the medical section was close to the seats of the heads of the Meet, presumably to make it easier to give feedback to fallen fighters. Would Cheerilee hear their conversation? "Well, I think we can all agree Whimper here fights like one of us," Blazing said. "You all saw it; he used contact magic, death touch variants. That was a watered-down Feather Cloak technique. He needs proper guidance from us." "Umm, no I don't," Whimper argued. "I don't fight like that at all. I don't go berserk, and I don't go blinking around." "He's got a point there," Ash said. "If anything, that technique is closer to Nine Dragons than it is to Feather Cloaks." "Yes," Whimper concurred. "I read your book too, Master Ash, sir. That’s where I learned my Eagle Talon from." "All the more reason to put him in our school," Master Blazing said. "You can't have a loose cannon like him be associated with your school if you're not responsible for him." "True, true, but then he's not asking to be recognised as part of my school, he's asking to be recognised as masterless. And personally, after that display, I'd rather let the boy decide for himself. He's obviously got a good enough skillset to merit a grey belt as an independent fighter." "I'm afraid I must protest," Luna said. "Skill, the boy clearly has. Strength, I do not question. Neither, I should hope, does Master Blazing, or I should have to refer him to an optometrist. The question remains: where will the boy thrive and grow best? Is Doldrum Whimper better off as a member of the Feather Cloak school or as an independent fighter, studying on his own? Especially considering the matter of his schooling?" "What matter might that be?" Ash asked. "Has he been getting tutored by anyone?" "She means my regular school, sir. I'm suspended," Whimper said. "Because I got into a fight. A couple of fights. Master Blazing offered to take me in as a student after the first one, make the trouble go away. But the problem is, I'm not sure if that would really help. The Feather Cloaks are all about confidence, but they rely on intimidation to stop a fight from happening in the first place. And, well, look at me, sir." He shrugged those big, broad shoulders of his. "Anypony who decides they want to fight someone like me isn't going to fall for intimidation." Ash nodded. "Master Blazing, your retort?" "He bottles up his anger too much, that's why I offered. His coach sent him my way after a minor incident, I gave the boy the usual three lesson intro to help manage his anger, he didn't feel like joining. Which was a shame, because he made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. Then a, err, slightly bigger incident occurred, and his school decided to take drastic measures. I'm more than willing to counsel him for his anger problems, and make sure he stays out of trouble, not to mention keep up his practice to the level he should. He doesn't have any discipline, no one to teach him how to use force correctly. He's going to keep getting into fights if he doesn't join." "Is that a threat?" Whimper asked. "That's a warning," Blazing replied. "You haven't been to school in months, your parents can’t help that, your teachers refuse to help, somepony needs to start looking out for you. And besides the fights on your permanent record, no teacher is going to want to take in a student who has to catch up on nearly a whole trimester if they don’t think you’re worth it. It's too much work, and you're refusing to be a part of your community by holding back." Ash held up a hoof. "Okay, you've both made your point. Now, the school thing is outside of our jurisdiction, so that's between you and your local legislations, boy. However, the matter of Blazing Trail's judgement regarding your development is well within our jurisdiction. If you want me, Blazing, and the other masters to make a sound judgment about that, you're going to have to display the techniques you've learned on your own. If you want to be an independent fighter, then you need to demonstrate mastery: properly executed techniques, well defined skills, and clearly different moves from any school's, not the simple punches you’ve been throwing. Seeing as Master Blazing has a stake in this, how about someone less partial? Any volunteers?!" The little karate ponies all took a step back, then the tai chi ones, then the buckboxing ones, all along the line they stepped back. "No official challengers, not with us present," the Feather Cloak master said. "Okay, then. Why not compare me to Silver Spoon? You said I'd be top rookie if I joined you. Isn't she top rookie now?" Whimper asked. Blazing chuckled. "Well, yes, but like I said, I don't think you're quite up to her level. She's been training with us since before we got word of you. And you haven't seen her moves yet, like you did with Starfall. She's already mastered techniques we only started teaching our green belts a few days ago. You're not going to get the drop on her." "But does she know the techniques you were trying to teach me?" "Forget trying, you would have mastered them. In record time, too, probably." "And has she?" "Well... yes. I suppose, technically, she has." Ash shrugged. "So, Master Blazing? That's two down now." The unicorn sighed. "Can you please reconsider? You fight like one of us, Whimper. Surely you realise that?" Whimper shook his head, still pouting ever so slightly, still keeping his voice in that odd half-whisper. "No, sir, I don't think I do. Your other students aren't like me. Whatever it is you think they're like, I'm not that." "See, this is my point, Ash. He keeps bringing himself down, sabotaging himself. And yet he's perfectly capable. He lets ponies walk all over him, then he snaps when things get too much. That's why his coach sent him my way, that's I offered. I don't see why he keeps turning down my offer." Ash nodded. "As much as I hate to say it, Master Blazing makes a good case, at least in that one regard. He does indeed have a good track record when it comes to confidence issues." "Then I'd like to see proof of his claims, sir." "Oh?" Blazing raised an eyebrow. "You told me you could teach me how to be great. You taught both of my opponents. And, umm, they both lost." "It's a fight for evaluation, Whimper; they were trying to show off first, win second. That's what you are supposed to do as well," Luna explained. "I get that, but still: they showed off their techniques, and they failed. I showed off mine-" "Very simple and unrefined ones-" Blazing interrupted. "But I still won. If that's not enough to show the difference, then there's only one other way: compare me to somepony who's the same as me. No matter what you think about me needing more confidence, you said I'd be top rookie by now, so the only pony you can compare me to is the top rookie right now. Umm, you know, that’s the way I see it, at least." Luna spoke up at last. "At the bare minimum, the techniques he would have been taught in the meantime should be brought to bear against him. If what you say is true, Blazing, then what he has been doing so far will not suffice. He will have no choice but to counter Silver Spoon's techniques with the same techniques you managed to teach him. In that case, it will be Feather Cloak style against Feather Cloak style. If, however, the boy is assessing his own progress correctly, then he will have his own defences against your style, and the two will be clearly distinguishable from each other." "Assuming whatever techniques he's learned can counter Silver Spoon's in the first place," Blazing said. "Of course." "Alright. If you insist, have it your way. Fight Silver Spoon, if you think you can, with whatever it is you think you've mastered. She is indeed our top rookie, and she's a lot like you. If that's what it'll take to make you see, then so be it." Blazing turned his back and nodded to Silver Spoon to enter the arena. "His lungs are weak," Blazing whispered once she was next to him. "Make him run, force him to move fast for long stretches, run him out of air with a combo, he'll collapse." "You want me to choke him?" Silver Spoon asked. "I want you to break him," he replied. "By any means necessary. And I do mean any means. Is that clear?" "Crystal." Blazing smiled as he let his apprentice face off against the bullhead, to have the Feather Cloak style be compared to the challenger’s. Well, Feather Cloak with a smattering of Royal Guard Demon Hunter. Good thing they forgot about the girl's heritage.