Part 2
Rainbow Dash gives her armour a last tug to make sure all the straps are in place and holding firm. She's wearing the same outfit she did for the jousting tournament at the Crystal Empire last year. It looks even more spectacular due to the rays of late afternoon sunlight that are hitting it.
“Ready?” Applejack asks, standing near a big tree.
“Ready,” Rainbow confirms.
“How about you, Spike?”
I place one claw on the hourglass next to me and nod. “All set here.”
“Then let's get to it!” Rainbow Dash shouts and I barely manage to turn the hourglass in time as she begins speeding off.
Galloping hard, she weaves masterfully in and the around the barrels that serve as a slalom course. It's incredible that she still has so much maneuverability with all that armour and that lance strapped to her shoulder.
After the barrels come the hurdles. It's a good thing Applejack trains so hard for her rodeos, so there's no shortage of this sort of equipment. The pegasus mare flaps her wings with an energetic shout. The course is built so she has to go over some of the hurdles and drop below the others.
Finally she clears all the obstacles and comes into a clearing where Applejack is already waiting. The farmer crouches down and tenses her muscles. “Ready or not, here we go. Yeehaw!” With a powerful kick of her back legs, she hits the trunk of the tree and the apples obediently start to fall down.
Rainbow Dash looks up and alters her course. At the last minute she shrugs her shoulder ever so slightly to point the tip of the lance at a falling apple in her path and spears it dead center with its sharp point. Then she swerves and goes for another one. It's incredible how many she can pick up in the short amount of time it takes for them to fall to the ground.
Finally her hooves hit the ground with a thud. “Time!”
“Whoowee!” Applejack hollers. “Four apples caught and not a single penalty on the hurdles. That might be yer record right there. What was her time, Spike?”
I can't help but grin as I check how much sand has made it through. “Ten seconds flat,” I say in an upbeat voice.
“Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about.”
“Good work, RD,” Applejack congratulates her friend as they share a hoof bump.
“Thanks, AJ.” As I catch up with the two of them she ruffles the scales on my head. “And thank you too, Spike. Couldn't have done it without you.”
“Aw, it was nothing,” I say, feeling a slight blush creep up on my cheeks.
“It sure was something alright,” Applejack objects. “It was your idea to make the lance shorter in order to make the turns easier.”
I shrug. “I just read in one of Twilight's books about ancient pegasus warfare. They used to fight in something called a phalanx, but they couldn't turn very well in formation. So I just figured that for an individual a shorter spear might be the way to go.” I really don't think I did anything special. Either one of them would have come up with it sooner or later.
“Well, it was a great idea. And not a moment to soon.” She gives a smirk and a glance to her friend. “Ah don't reckon my barrels could've taken another beating like that.”
Rainbow chuckles in embarrassment, trying very hard not to look at all the markings on the wood where her lance had struck the barrels repeatedly on previous runs.
I'm happy to see that I could be of some use to them, but then my mind drifts back to my own training schedule. “I wish I could be as strong as you.”
The two mares look at each other, not really sure what to say. “Aw, don't worry about it sugarcube, you can help in other ways.”
“Yeah, not everypony can be as awesome as me, after all.” Applejack pokes her friend in the ribs at that statement and Rainbow quickly adds. “But you're awesome in your own way.”
I sigh. I appreciate the sentiment at least. “Thanks. But there's no way I'm gonna be as helpful as you in the Rating Game. Just look at you. You're amazing. The winner of Cloudsdale's Best Young Flier Competition and future Wonderbolt, not to mention Ponyville's five time Rodeo Champion and possibly the strongest mare I know. You could probably win this game with just the two of you.” I look down, scratching my feet in the dirt. “I couldn't even complete the twenty laps Discord told me to run around the library this morning.”
The ensuing silence is getting awkward. Neither of them really seems to know what to say. Rainbow Dash takes the opportunity to change subjects as she points up at the sky. “Hey, is that a fruit bat?”
“What?” Applejack's gaze follows her outstretched hoof with a frown. “They're supposed to stay in the west orchard.”
Shading my eyes against the light, I can make out a vaguely bat-shaped form. It doesn't look like any fruit bat I've seen around, though. Are its eyes glowing red?
“It's a vampire fruit bat,” Applejack snarls. “You just wait, you little vermin.” She kicks up an apple into the air with her front hoof and then quickly spins around, hitting the apple with her tail like a whip and sending the fruit hurtling towards the animal.
Of course she didn't aim it directly at the bat, but it flies by in close proximity.
“Hiii!” The animal gets startled and begins to fall out of the sky.
We look at each other with questioning glances. “Did y'all hear that?”
“Sounded like a scream.” Rainbow Dash answers Applejack's question.
“Ah never heard a fruit bat scream like that.”
“I think it came down over here.” The two mares follow me and what we see isn't at all what I expected. It crashed into a tree alright. But what's lying there isn't a bat, it looks like a human child with blonde hair and delicate features.
“What in tarnation?” By Applejack's reaction I take it that vampire fruit bats don't turn into humans normally.
The child comes to slowly. Must have hit her head on the way down. I'm assuming that it's a girl, judging from the clothing. Hey, now that I look closer, it's the same school uniform the girls from the Gremory group are wearing. Is she one of them? I didn't notice her during the introduction.
Applejack is the first to react and offers her a hoof. “Sorry 'bout that. Ah thought you were something else.”
She looks around at all of us, shivering. She tries to get some words out, but I can't understand any of them. Is she … afraid of us?
“Gya-suke! Where are you?” We all look towards the owner of the new voice as another girl comes in sight through the trees. I recognize her from the introduction. Short, white hair. There's something vaguely cat-like about her. That's Toujou Koneko, their [Rook]!
The first girl quickly scrambles in her direction and hides behind her, despite being almost the same height as her.
“I'm awfully sorry, miss,” Applejack apologizes. “Ah seem to have startled yer friend there. Normally everypony knows that Sweet Apple Acres is a no-flight zone.”
Koneko looks silently from her friend to the three of us. There's something vaguely disturbing about her expressionless face. Is she angry at us? What happens, if we get into a fight here?
Then she does something unexpected. “I'm sorry. Gya-kun caused you trouble,” she apologizes with a bow.
Phew. Crisis averted. She seems like a good girl, despite that intensity. Seeing those two girls kinda puts me at ease. So the other side also has people that aren't super-athletic.
“That's alright,” Applejack forgives her easily. “It was my mistake, … uhm, what was yer name again, sugarcube?”
“Go on, Rias-buchou told us to be polite. Introduce yourself,” Koneko urges her on.
“ … Yes, Koneko-chan.” She has tears in the corners of her eyes and is still hiding behind her comrade. It's kind of adorable. She reminds me of Fluttershy. “I'm Gasper Vladi. Nice to meet you.”
“Gasper, that's a cute name. Though it sounds like a boy's name,” Applejack comments.
“Well, that's because I am.”
. . . “EHHHHH!?” Seriously!? All three of us are stunned at this revelation.
Koneko pats his head. “He's a cross-dressing, shut-in vampire.” Boy, she's blunt about it. It looks like he's about to cry. Wait, did she say vampire? Now that I look at him more closely, he does have FANGS!
“Well, uhm. Ah suppose there's nothing wrong with a guy wearing girl's clothing.” Applejack tries to ease the awkwardness.
“Seriously? You wouldn't say anything about it, if Big Mac were to put on your work duds?” Rainbow challenges.
AJ gives her a dark look and mutters, so they can't overhear us from where they're standing. “Of course ah would. Ah'm just trying t' be diplomatic here. Obviously their culture is a lot different from ours.”
Rainbow looks back over at them. “Uhm, ah, sure there's nothing wrong with it. Spike does it all the time.”
What the … ? “I do not!” Maybe that denial came across a little too forceful.
“What about that pink apron you're so fond of?”
“That's different! I just don't want my scales to get dirty.”
This discussion has taken a weird turn, so this time it's Applejack's who skillfully changes the subject. “So, what were y'all doing out here?”
Without changing expressions Koneko takes out a piece of garlic from her skirt pocket. “Training.”
Gasper's reaction is immediate. He bolts and hides behind a tree. “Please put it away, Koneko-chan. I promise I'll get better at flying!”
Somehow seeing these two interact eases my own insecurities. They're not exactly what I pictured, when I was told that our opponents would be devils.
“So have y'all had dinner yet?” Applejack asks, then she looks at Gasper. “That's assuming you can even eat normal food. We'd be happy to have you.” There's that legendary Apple Family hospitality again.
“Are there any sweets?” Koneko asks.
“Sure. We got apple pie, apple fritters, caramel apples...” The list goes on.
Koneko looks like her mouth is watering. Does she have a thing for sweets? But then she seems to catch herself. “That would be rude of us to take advantage of you like that. We have nothing to offer to pay with in return.”
“Don't be silly. It's just dinner.”
But Koneko shakes her head in determination. “As a servant of Rias Gremory and a Devil, I cannot agree to this. You must allow me to pay you with a service of equal value. A devil's contract.”
Woah! A devil's contract. Like in the books? Doesn't this usually involve souls? Well, this is just about dinner, though. So there are smaller contracts like this as well. I suppose even a devil has to earn their living somehow. But they sure have a high sense of honour, insisting on it when it's freely offered.
Applejack rubs her chin thoughtfully and looks around. “Well, ah suppose we could do with some help in putting this equipment away. Would that be adequate?”
“Yes,” Koneko agrees. It seems like she's happy to have found a way to accept the invitation, although it's very hard to judge her emotions. “That'll work.”
As we load the barrels and hurdles onto a nearby wagon, Koneko tells us a little more about a devil's work. Humans summon them to do a service for them and then they get paid. It's really as simple as that and they hardly are called upon to do something that's worth the price of a soul. It's a lot more business-like than I thought.
“Alright, if you just strap me in, I'll … “ Applejack gets ready to pull the wagon, but is made speechless, when Koneko-chan, that's what we've been told to call her, lifts the entire thing up in the air with one hand.
Strong! How can she be this strong with such a small body? It's like somepony took Iron Will with all his muscles and condensed all his mass to fit into this girl. “Which way?” she asks calmly.
“Ah, follow me,” Applejack says in amazement and leads the way at a leisurely trot.
“How strong is she?” I ask in awe.
Gasper, who is walking next to me behind all the others, answers. “If it comes to raw power, Koneko-chan is probably the strongest in our group. I've seen her punch through a brick wall with her bare hands once. On top of that she has her offensive and defensive power strengthened due to the attributes of being a [Rook].”
And just when I thought that I had found someone on the other side who was as lacking in power as I am. “Are you as strong as her? You're a [Bishop], right?”
He fidgets next to me. “Oh, no. I'm the weakest, really. Although we're the same age, I could never compete with Koneko-chan.”
That's good to hear. I was starting to think that all of the opponents were monsters. But it looks like Gasper is in the same situation I am.
While I'm lost in thought, Rainbow's scream suddenly startles all of us. “STAMPEDE!”
I hadn't even noticed that we were in front of the farm house, but when I look to the west, I can see a giant dust cloud in front of the setting sun.
“Run!” I scream and start doing just that. It looks like I'm gonna make it, so I take a second to check behind me. “What are you doing?”
Gasper hasn't moved. Instead he's fiddling with some kind of vial. Stopping dead in my tracks, I have to make a decision. Either I try to safe him and more than likely get trampled or I save my own scales and he'll likely come to that fate.
Before my brain has even reached a decision, my feet have already moved. When I reach Gasper, I grab his hand and start pulling, but he stands firm and drinks the crimson liquid from the vial. Is it blood? You're stopping for a snack in this situation?
His eyes begin to glow ominously and he faces down the oncoming herd of panicked cows without fear. What in the name of Celestia is he doing? It's too late to run now. There's nothing to do but close my eyes and brace for the impact. Seconds pass, but nothing happens. Even the beating of hooves has stopped. I open one eye to see one of the most bizarre sights I've ever seen. The whole herd is seemingly frozen in mid-stride.
“What happened?”
“Forbidden Balor View.” I jump at the voice. I hadn't even noticed that Koneko-chan had come up behind us. She probably saw what was going on and ran over to provide back-up as well. “It's Gya-suke's Sacred Gear ability, the evil eye. It stops time for whatever is in his field of view.”
“What's with the blood?” I ask.
Gasper is still concentrating. There's beads of sweat standing on his forehead. So Koneko-chan explains further. “It's Ise-senpai's. Drinking the blood of a dragon allows him to control this ability.”
I don't really get it, but I suppose dragon blood is strong. No, actually I knew that already. I tend to get hurt a lot, be it due to misfortune or clumsiness, but I always heal up very quickly, quicker than any pony I know. Is this the power of dragon blood, my blood?
“It's alright now, y'all,” Applejack says. Looks like she was talking to the cows. So they can speak even though their movements are frozen, huh? “They just got spooked by another snake is all. You can let 'em go now, sugarcube.”
Gasper lets out his breath explosively next to me. His eyes go back to normal and that creepy feeling, which until now I hadn't even realized I was sensing, slowly subsides. The cows go back about their business, after giving us their apologies.
Koneko-chan pats Gasper's head. “Nice job, Gasper-kun.” He gives her a smile in response to the compliment. Was this the first time she actually addressed him with his real name since meeting us?
“Well, that's the second time today you helped us out. Ah reckon that means you deserve an extra helping at dinner.” She winks at the strange duo. “Devil's contract, right?”
As I watch our guests happily follow the farm pony towards the house, looking forward to a meal presumably heavy on apple products, I can only stand here in the semi-darkness and mull over what just happened.
“Aren't you coming, Spike?” Rainbow Dash. Figures that she'd notice I wasn't following. Element of Loyalty and all that.
I ball my claw into a fist. “He's the weakest out of all of them. Yet he stopped that stampede all by himself with no problem. And what could I do? Nothing.”
Rainbow draws closer to me, our shoulders almost touching. “You tried to help, even putting yourself in danger to help someone you only met today. That was very brave, Spike. Isn't that something?” You know, some ponies say that she's very self-centered. But she's always good for a pep talk, when you need it.
“Yeah, but bravery alone won't help us win this Rating Game.” I turn around and begin running in the opposite direction of the farm.
“Spike! Where are you going?” Rainbow yells after me.
“Back to the library! I'm doing fifty laps tonight and I won't stop until I've completed them!”
I don't wait for a reply, but I think I can hear her whispering something to me from the distance. “That's the spirit. Go get 'em, champ.” Maybe it was just my imagination.