Tales of Valor: A New Pony in Ponyville

by NobleValor

Chapter 15

"You were in the Everfree Forest?! Again?!"

"She's taking it better than I thought," Noble muttered to Spike, who hid a grin behind his claw.

"This isn't funny!" she practically shrieked, placing her hooves on the table.

"Sorry, but I can't help but see the humor in it," Spike said with a shrug.

"Twilight," Noble said with the patience of an elder, "I don't understand what the big deal is. Need I remind you that I lived in the Everfree Forest for months before anypony was aware of my existence? I've proven that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Besides, life in the Northern Woods is more rigorous than you realize."

"I thought you grew up in Vanhoover," Spike said.

"No, I grew up around Vanhoover. Of course, 'around' in this definition means about forty miles away. The closest town to where I lived was Stony Creek."

"Where's that?"

"It was about six miles away from where I lived."

"Seems excessive," Spike remarked.

"Think so? Nearest neighbor was about ten miles away."

Spike whistled in response. Noble looked back to Twilight, who had something between a scowl and an annoyed look on her face. "Twilight, will you sit down and eat your breakfast now?"

She huffed a breath through her nostrils and sat at the table. Taking her fork in her magic, she pierced through the pancakes on her plate and bit into them. After chewing them for a moment, her expression softened as she smiled. "These are good, Spike," Twilight said after swallowing her mouthful, "but they're different than you usually make them. Did you try a new recipe?"

"I didn't make them," Spike said with a mouthful of pancakes, "Noble did."

"Spike, don't speak with your mouth full," she chided before turning to Noble, "I didn't know you cooked."

"I can't. Not really," Noble replied, smiling sheepishly, "The only reason I know how at all is through necessity. It's not as good as some pony's, but it's edible enough anyway."

Twilight smiled sweetly. "Well, I like it," she said, emphasizing it by eating a bigger bite than before.

Noble glanced at the contents of the table for a moment. "Think I made enough?" he asked Spike.

After a critical examination of the table, Spike's face lit up in childish glee. "For an elephant, certainly. For Twilight, maybe."

Spike made no effort to contain his chuckles as Twilight glared at him. Noble was glad her attention was directed at Spike. He would hate for her to see that he had to cover his mouth with his hoof to hide his smile. After a second or five, Twilight broke down and began laughing at herself.

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Noble held the dustpan in his tail for Spike as he swept the contents from the floor into it. "Okay Spike, let's review."

"Hearts is the lowest suit, followed by clubs, diamonds, and spades."

"Good. Now, start from the bottom and describe the hooves rankings."

"Lowest you can get is nothing," Spike answered, receiving a nod from Noble as he continued, "then it goes a pair, two pair, three of a kind, and uh.... a flush?"

"No, Spike," Noble said patiently, "It's a straight then it's a flush."

"Straight, right. Sorry."

"It's alright. I get confused around that area myself at times. Now what does a straight consist of?"

"Cards that fall in a sequential order."

"Very good. Continue from where you left off."

"Flushes are all cards of the same suit, then it's followed by a full house which is a pair and a three of a kind in the same hoof, then a four of a kind, and a straight flush, which is a straight and a flush!"

"Aren't you forgetting one?" Noble asked knowingly.

Spike thought about it for a moment. "A royal flush!" he said excitedly.

"Wonderful!" Noble said excitedly, "You've got the basics of poker down."

"Sounds easy," Spike commented.

"Ah, but that's where bluffing comes in."

"Bluffing?"

"Okay, the really good hooves, you're not likely to get them when you want them. So, you have to make your opponents think you've got a better hoof than they do and it's called bluffing."

"I'm confused," Spike admitted.

"Okay, let's say that you have a flush and I have two pair. You can beat me, but I have make you think that I can beat you. And that's where the challenge comes from."

"Hey, guys!" a voice cried from the window. The tone and pitch of the voice gave away its owner. The fact it came from the window didn't hurt either.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash," Noble greeted, followed by enthusiastic waving by Spike.

"What you doing?"

"Just corrupting the youth," Noble answered with a wink to Spike, who was giggling into his claw, "Why do you ask?" Noble had an idea what she wanted, but he would find out for a certain in a second.

"I was wondering if you'd like..."

"Rainbow," Noble interrupted, "if you're coming by for the same reason that brought you yesterday, then my answer is still no."

"Why not?" she whined.

"Because, I'm in good enough shape as it is," Noble explained.

"What are you two talking about?" Spike asked obviously confused.

"For the past few days, this character has been wanting to train me to get into what she called 'fighting shape.'" Noble turned to face Rainbow Dash, who was still hovering at the window. "I beat two timberwolves and outran a manticore. How much more 'fighting fit' do I have to be?"

"I also heard that the Crusaders ran circles around you playing tag," Rainbow provided smugly, nonchalantly rubbing a hoof on her barrel.

Noble felt his eyebrows raise a little. "You do realize I was holding back for the girl's sake?" he asked the mare, "Granted, they were a little quicker than I had anticipated, but did you really expect me to go full tilt against little fillies?"

"All I know is it must be pretty embarrassing getting bested by three fillies."

Noble was about to respond, but he forced himself to stop and think. He knew that Rainbow was just trying to get under his skin and, if what he heard about her was true, she wouldn't quit so easily. After a moment, he came upon an idea of how to prove his point and get Rainbow off his back. "What would you say to a wager?"

"What kind of a wager?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You and I face each other in a challenge of my choosing. Should I win, you let go of the notion that I need training of any kind."

"And what do I get when I win?" she asked with a smirk. The moment she said those words, he knew he had her.

"If you win, you get to put me through the most rigorous training you can think of. And to sweeten the pot, I won't complain, whine, or try to back down in any way."

Her smirk blossomed into a full blown smile. "You're on! What's the challenge?"

"Well, since you asked..."

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"I don't know, Nobe," Rainbow said skeptically, "This sounds too easy."

"It's harder than it looks. Trust me on this."

"And the idea is for me to get one of your flags before you get one of mine?" she asked gesturing to her harness, which consisted of a rope belt with two pieces of cloth tied to them.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Noble replied smiling.

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. "Still though, it doesn't seem quite fair."

"What's not fair about it?" Noble asked confusedly.

"Well, I can fly and the last time I used my wings to win something, things got a little tense for a while."

"Yeah, I heard Applejack mention something to that effect, but that's the beauty of this. Regardless of what you do, you still have to get close enough to me to grab my flags. Besides, you are doing so on my request."

Rainbow looked uncomfortable. "Well...alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." She took to the air and flew towards Noble at a running pace. Noble cracked his neck and waited. Effortlessly, he sidestepped the mare as she passed by, grabbing one of her flags with his teeth.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to win, Rainbow Dash," Noble said, spitting out the flag in his hoof and tossing it to her, "Remember, first to five wins. However, since you're new to this, we won't count that one."

"Oh, no you don't!" she said, glaring at him, "That score will catch up real quick!"

Noble smiled, knowing he had pressed the right button. "Prove it then."

"Ooh, the gauntlet has been officially thrown, fillies and gentlecolts!"

"Who you talking to, Spike?" Noble asked the young dragon, who was standing on a barrel carrying a leafy branch in his claw.

"Them," Spike answered, gesturing to the small crowd of ponies that seemed to be growing every second. Somehow they had built stands without him noticing. He began wondering for a second if Ponyville Park ran on the same magic whatchamacallit that gave Pinkie her uniqueness.

Noble sighed. "Ready, Rainbow?"

"Ready!" she answered, a steely glint in her eye as she took to the air.

Noble saw the charge coming before it happened, ducking under it and grabbing another flag with his hoof. Noble had to push her further. "You know, for a pony named 'Dash,' you move kinda slow," he said smirking, hearing her muttering her replies.

Twice more she charged, each ending up with him dodging and grabbing her flag as she passed by. Noble still knew she was holding back. It would've been admirable, if not for the circumstances. Internally chastising himself for doing this, he took a deep breath. "Seriously," he shouted loud enough for the ponies in the crowd, which had grown considerably, "this is the best you got?! I thought you were Wonderbolt material!"

"Sugarcube," Applejack whispered audibly from the crowd, which had developed a hush, "you might wanna stop now."

Ignoring her, Noble chose to keep going. "And you wanted to train me?! That's almost too funny! From what I've seen, you couldn't out fly a flamingo if you had a five minute head start!"

That did it. He heard the inaudible snapping of her self control as she growled, glaring daggers in his direction. Without uttering a word, she flapped into the air and flew at him with all the speed of an approaching train.

Noble felt his eyes widen as she flew at him. She always claimed to be the fastest pegasus in Equestria and now he almost believed her. He was barely able to dodge to the side as she flew past him.

"Still think I'm slow?" she asked smugly, carrying one of his flags in her mouth.

Noble felt himself genuinely smile. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash," he said, dusting himself off, "Thank you for finally taking this seriously. I'm sorry I insulted you like I did, but it had to be done. I didn't want to win without you giving me everything you had to give." He reattached the flag to himself, taking five paces back. "Now, we can begin in earnest."

Rainbow blinked at him for a second or two until she crouched into a ready stance. Noble got into a stance of his own. "Do your worst," Noble said with confidence, "for I certainly will do mine."

Rainbow smirked in response, eliciting a cheer from the crowd. Noble could make out several voices cheering for Rainbow Dash and even a few for himself. With a mutual agreement in silence, the earth pony and pegasus headed towards each other using every bit of muscle power at their disposal.

Noble watched her wings as the adrenaline in his system gave the impression of the world slowing to a crawl around him. He saw how the individual feathers ruffled in the wind, how the muscles tensed and relaxed as she flapped, but most importantly, how the tendons and bones turned ever so slightly, causing her position to shift in the air. Deciding on a course of action, Noble leapt into the air.

Noble shifted his weight, causing his body to turn in midair. He turned so that his stomach and the flags he wore would face upwards and away from Rainbow's grip. This also gave Noble a better vantage point to grab Rainbow's flags as he passed over her.

Rainbow must've seen though this because she lowered her altitude enough to be out of Noble's reach, causing Noble to smile. He realized in that moment that she was indeed taking this seriously. Already knowing his plan of action, he twisted his body once again so that he could land on his hooves running.

Feeling the dirt beneath him once more, he bolted forward using his momentum to give him a head start. Knowing Rainbow Dash would take a second or two to give chase, it gave him time to plan a further course of action. Not having anything further planned, he ran full speed ahead heading for the trees in the Whitetail Woods.

The shade of the trees fell over him, the sunlight occasionally flittering through the branches and onto his coat. He twisted and turned on a path of his own making, ducking branches and jumping roots as he ran. His ears twisted behind him, hearing the mutterings and flapping of the pegasus known as Rainbow Dash.

Deciding to test her cornering abilities, he threw himself toward the tree in front of him. Maneuvering his body, he landed with his legs on the trunk and pushed himself off into a new direction. He felt himself smile when he heard the grunting grumblings of Rainbow Dash as she tried to fly to meet him. It gave him time to work on a plan of action.

He knew he couldn't keep this pace up forever. It would only be a matter of time before Rainbow could catch him. He could probably run from sunrise to sunset, but it would do little good against somepony who could speed past him. Feeling his smile widen, he slowed his pace slightly and let the wind catch back up to him.

He heard the sound of wind behind him, knowing Rainbow was the cause of it. Looking about, he spotted an obstacle that was perfect for what he had in mind: a single branch that was just above his head. Picking his pace up a little, he ran for it and leapt into the air. He cleared the branch, feeling and hearing Rainbow as she rose to match his lift. As gravity took hold of him again, he fell to the ground, his front hooves hitting the dirt.

Rather than use his momentum to carry himself forward, he crouched his front legs and springed them back. This had the desired effect of launching himself backwards and underneath the branch as Rainbow passed over it. As Noble's body moved back the way it came, his body turned midair, his back falling towards the earth while his front lifted away from it. When his back legs hit the ground, he used his momentum and muscles to rocket himself further from his opponent. Using his advantage, he ran back the way he came and headed for the clearing that was Ponyville Park.

He ran into the clearing and the sunshine, slowing only a little to keep Rainbow honest. He ran about thirty five paces until he heard the thrashing of branches that was Rainbow emerging from the forest. Noble turned back, seeing her face was a combination of anger, annoyance, and determination. He had to admit that Rainbow had spunk to spare.

"You have to be faster than that, Dashie!" he called back tauntingly, sticking his tongue out a little for effect. It worked as Rainbow picked up speed and flew towards him with nothing held back. Once she was within six yards, Noble made his move.

He leapt up, turning his body to face her assault. He moved her hoof to the side so it passed by his head harmlessly, using his other hoof, to cushion the blow of her body mass against his. As gravity proved to be his better again, he fell to the ground, rolling several times before rising to his hooves. Trying to ignore the dizzying effect his landing had, he faced Rainbow as she landed not five yards in front of him and glared at him.

"So," she said catching her breath, "you done running?"

Noble took a second to catch his breath before answering. "Yes, I am," he said, moving his tail to reveal it had Rainbow's flag attached to it. The crowd immediately began to cheer, much to Noble's dismay and embarrassment. He immediately began shrugging and wiggling his way out of his harness.

Rainbow looked at the sight in shock. As if uncertain she believed it, she looked back to her own flank to see where it had been removed from. She repeated this process of looking between the two several times before she finally asked. "How did you do that?"

Noble grinned at her inquiry. "I grabbed it when you crashed into me. You were really good, but you were so focused on catching me that you completely forgot about your objective."

She stared intently at him for several seconds before she snorted a laugh, her face lighting up in a grin. "Humbled and impressed in the same day. That doesn't happen often."

Noble felt himself smile a little wider. "Done with all this training nonsense, Dashie?"

"Are you kidding?!" she asked excitedly, "I'm hoping you could teach me some of those moves!"

Noble couldn't help, but rub the back of his head , closing his eyes sheepishly at her remarks. Opening them again, he found Lightning Joust standing where Rainbow had been, glaring daggers at him. He stood unwavering, staring into Noble's soul with his accusing green eyes.

"Hey, Nobe? You alright?"

Noble blinked a few times, seeing Rainbow Dash and a few others had gotten closer. They stared at him, concern and worry plain on their expressions. However, he wasn't looking for any of that. He quickly glanced though the crowds and the sky, looking for any sign of yellow or orange.

"I-I'm fine," he answered, "that tumble knocked me around a bit more than I thought."

Seeing their expressions soften, Noble knew he had to leave. "Listen, this was fun, but I gotta be going. Bye!" He left the park, not so much as taking a glance back.

'The big picture, Valor,' he thought, 'Remember the big picture.'

Comments

[RainbowCoolDash Pariah]

This is great. Keep it up

[NobleValor]

5202956 Well, thanks. The new chapter is already in the works. (I must admit I am a bit surprised how willingly everyone is taking Rainbow Dash, questionably the fastest Pegasus ever, losing a contest of speed and agility to an earth pony. I at least expected a question or two, but I'll not complain too loudly at the results. )

[RainbowCoolDash Pariah]

5203132 nice cant wait.

[DX-1118 C]

5152054 We are the same character.

[DX-1118 C]

If somebody gets me the cover art but with a spike ready to trounce the wolf, I can upload a story.

Wait, I cant, because there are two stories before it...

I will read this soon.

[NobleValor]

5206244 Well,I only found this art through about twenty minutes of sifting through 'timberwolf art searches' (Was worth it though!)
Hope you enjoy the story so far!

[DX-1118 C]

5208069 I do.