Chapter Four
Dew glistened on each blade of grass in the still morning air, the sun just beginning to make its ascent from the horizon. The farmers rose with the sun, moving to tend to their fields. The only other soul in town awake so early was one crimson pegasus, currently executing his warmup routine for a training day. He lay on the soft roof of his home and stretched. After flexing in ways an onlooker might question as anatomically possible, he then went into a routine of crunches and wing-ups. Letting free a satisfied sigh, Skyrocket leapt from his perch and swooped through the door to his home. In the foyer, he retrieved the brand new picnic basket he had purchased. Basket in teeth, he was back out the door once again.
He made his way to the deli, offering a greeting to ponies passing by, and when he was close to his destination he landed and trotted the rest of the way. He had already asked the day before that Footlong have his order ready this morning. This time he had purchased a hearty pile of spinach and swiss sandwiches. With today being a whole day dedicated to practice, he had forgone the sodas. The creek provided plenty of crystal clear water to suit their needs, so he had packed several empty sports bottles. With its weighty new contents, he balanced the basket on his back and made his way outside.
He did not make it far along the path to their usual spot before a sapphire foreleg shot out from the bushes on his right and tripped him. He reacted without missing a beat, wing extending and sliding his cargo safely to the ground to his left, while his right unfurled to flap and keep him upright. He used that momentum to roll and come up on on four hooves, low to the ground and in a stable stance. Rather than becoming irate, he let a smirk creep onto his features as his assailant revealed herself.
“Splash Rapids. We meet again.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Hiya there, flyboy,” she winked. “Getting better, but still not good enough.” The smirk flickered.
“We’ll see about that. You going to come at me or what?” he taunted.
“Aren’t you such a gentlecolt, letting the lady go first,” she returned as she lunged, ramming into him and bowling him over, then striking out with a rearward buck as he recovered. He executed a leap over her with a thrust of his wings, now in front of her, and delivered a headbutt that dropped her low.
“Getting better, but he’s still not going to let you guys be wardens.” She barely dodged the hooves coming down where her neck had been. They had come down harder than mere sparring blows that time. Now it was her turn to smirk.
“All worked up over a little taunt?” she teased as they traded jabs with hooves. Then he took to the air for back to back flying kicks. She dodged the first and ducked under the second, before leaping from the ground and wrapping her forelegs around him and taking him to the ground, pinning him under her. He tried to land a significant blow but she denied him the leverage he needed.
“If you were really warden material you could break out.” She raised her head in triumph over him. Her confidence faltered as he appeared perfectly at ease.
“True, but I figured I’d rest my wings. Plus every good warden has a partner they can rely on, right, Sparky?” She cocked her head to the side before letting out an undignified huff as a grey mass rammed her off of her rival. Rolling to her feet, she stood, only to let out a yelp and collapse as arcs of static stunned her to to ground. Sparkhorn stood over her, his horn still buzzing with magic. Gossamer was some distance behind, catching up after Sparkhorn executed his sprint.
“I think we’ve won this round, Splash,” he stated simply. He looked to his best friend. “You alright, Sky?” The pegasus wore his signature grin, but it did not quite reach his eyes.
“Peachy! Perfect timing, by the way,” he added as he turned to the now standing warden. “The only reason you beat us into the wardens is because you’ve got two years on us. We’ve got it this time.” The mare only shook her head ruefully.
“You guys may have flashy skills, but I don’t think you get it.” She brushed herself off. “He’s not going to let you in because he was told not to.”
“By who?!” the pegasus exclaimed, exasperated. But one glance at the scowl on Sparkhorn’s face said it all. Drill Bit had the captain’s ear.
“That doesn’t matter.” This caught Splash’s attention. “We’ll show him that we’re ready. That we’re perfectly capable of defending ourselves and the town.” Sparkhorn’s eyes burned with determination. “Whether my dad thinks so or not.”
Splash Rapids was not thick. She had seen their talent and teamwork from day one. She also recognized the force of will behind his statement. She could not help but respect that kind of mental and emotional strength. But she also knew, unless something happened to upset the current order, they stood no chance of overturning a judgement passed before they even began.
“It’s not like I can stop you…” she said at length, “but it also strikes me that you have better things to be doing when you have the odds so stacked against you.” They stood unmoved by her statement, so she shrugged and offered a smile. “Best of luck, featherbrains.”
“Only one featherbrain here,” Sparkhorn quipped as he moved past her and down the path.
Gossamer had watched the whole exchange with unabashed fascination.
Gossamer observed from the shade of the tree as Sparkhorn and Skyrocket began training along the creek. No repetitive drills or practiced routine for these two.
Almost immediately they began freeform sparring. Although she could discern no distinct martial art, they employed more fundamental technique in their hoof to hoof combat. Punches used minimal energy and telegraphed only what wanted to be seen. Kicks were fast and focus was placed on maintaining balance, never overreaching. Sparkhorn used no magic, and Skyrocket had tied his wings to his sides. They had explained that they needed to be ready to fight even when their strongest assets were denied.
To the untrained eye, the sparring looked little different than childhood tussles. In a way, this was true. The tussles the two had enjoyed growing up had evolved into this freeform combat, testing reflexes and improvisation skills. Fixed techniques were only useful in a controlled setting. Real fights demanded a mind as sharp as the jabs employed.
As such, on several occasions the fight rolled to the ground, the two trading dominant positions in a grappling battle for victory. After breaking apart, they would re-engage the sparring to close in and attempt another grapple. This continued up until their first break, roughly an hour after they had commenced.
After downing a healthy portion of water to hydrate and cool off, Skyrocket untied his wings and they resumed their places, Sparkhorn charging up his magic. This served two purposes.
They needed practice fighting with all their skills at their disposal. They also needed to be ready to fight an opponent with special skills, in this case flight and magic.
They were also fatigued and rattled by their previous sparring, so the conditions mimicked extended combat conditions. Stamina and focus needed to last even after enduring the rigors of a fight without losing capability.
Skyrocket immediately took to the air, circling around and attempting to attack from behind. Sparkhorn tracked his movement with his head but did not turn to face him, instead shifting his weight to his forelegs. As Skyrocket dove at him, he bucked out behind him. Skyrocket had anticipated this, and rolled to the right, landing in a low stance and sweeping a leg under the unicorn to catch his forelegs.
Skyrocket pushed off onto his hind legs, letting the low kick pass under him without connecting. His magic, still charged, burst forth in a discharge of electricity. Skyrocket had relaxed his muscles the moment he finished his kick, attempting to mitigate muscle convulsions from debilitating him, and thus merely stumbled back. His friend, in hot pursuit, had now wreathed his forelegs in crackling energy and attempted to stomp down at him. He rolled aside in time to avoid the blow, but felt the small shockwave the attack created roll over him.
As they continued their fighting dance, Gossamer had begun taking notes. Her emerald magic held a quill she had borrowed from Sparkhorn’s supplies, and scratched elegant script across the page she had set beside her on the basket. Their skills were more advanced than anticipated, their practice obviously yielding a better understanding of their skills and talents.
Skyrocket did not fly at speed as many pegasi did in combat, replacing the high-speed hit-and-run tactics of most fighters for an incredibly nimble close-range style. His wings acted to balance him, and powerful flaps allowed him to maneuver on the ground in ways an earth pony or unicorn could not.
Sparkhorn, on the other hand, was not employing complex battle spells such as those employed by the Royal Guard, instead manipulating the electrical magic that came to him naturally in creative ways. Gossamer had once believe lightning spells to be a purely offensive measure, but as she watched him carefully surround himself in a warding field of static she realized he was creating defensive barriers of an offensive nature. It mimicked the traits of spiked armor, preventing strikes by threatening harm to an attacker. However, as far as she could tell, the power he put into his spells was less designed to wound and burn as it was to stun or disable an opponent.
After a couple of dozen or so minutes of sparring, the two came to a stop and fell heavily onto their haunches, panting and smiling like idiots at each other. She could see the beginnings of bruises and a wet red glimmer at the corner of Sparkhorn’s muzzle and Skyrocket’s noze. Both moved over to the creek to clean up a bit and refresh themselves before making their way over to Gossamer.
“So whatcha think?” Skryocket asked with a beaming smile. It was almost comical with the swelling that had started to set in from the couple of punches that had landed. Sparkhorn chuckled a bit as he rubbed his jaw where a kick had clipped him.
“I’ve never seen anything like it! How have you two not passed the test, or, whatever it is you’ve been practicing for?” she asked, noting the matching frowns that were dispelled when the pegasus rolled his eyes at his friend.
“It’s complicated,” was all Sparkhorn said on the subject before switching topics. “But we’re not done today yet, and this next part could be a tad dangerous.” She raised an eyebrow at this. “You may want to watch from behind the tree this time.” As he had been talking, Skyrocket had flown up above the tree before coming back down with a rumbling storm cloud in tow. That grabbed her attention.
“We tried this once before, and Sparky here says he finally worked out the kinks.” This received a nod from the unicorn. “So we’re going to try it again today.”
“How many bolts do you think this one has, Sky?” The pegasus raised an eyebrow at that. “I had a couple ideas about what else we could do with it, one of which might make what we tried last time easier.” The pegasus simply nodded his response, eager to begin.
“I can probably squeeze three or four out of it. Where do you want to set up?” he asked as he began pushing it towards the creek.
“Same place as last time.” Gossamer noted the patch of ground he gestured at, faint scorch marks marring the grass. Sparkhorn moved to stand under the cloud as Skyrocket finished positioning it.
“Alright, test one,” Sparkhorn noted aloud. “Control.” Magic surged along his horn and the familiar sparks of electricity surged along its length. He looked up at his partner and gave a nod, then braced himself.
Skyrocket gave it a solid kick, eliciting a bolt less powerful than their first attempt, but still quite dangerous. Gossamer feared the unicorn would be struck down, but felt her jaw drop as the lightning merged with his magic to form a roiling nimbus of high-voltage power. His eyes gleamed, whether from energy he wielded or some great determination, she could not tell. Her instincts and arcane senses were warning her of dangerous levels of buildup as he overcharged his horn.
This time, his shout was brief and sharp as he cast furious arcs of lightning, three bolts in intensely rapid succession, at a boulder lying further down the stream. With a deafening staccato roar of thunder and an almighty crack, the boulder split into broken chunks, several flung through the air and sailing past her.
She gazed in awe back to the unicorn caster to see him wobble in place, shake his head, then stumble over to the creek and peer down at the water. She could scarcely believe what his only comment on the feat was, and only her stunned state prevented a facehoof.
“Hey, my mane didn’t singe this time!”
After resting for half an hour, discussing improving their combination further, they moved back to their testing site and set up. This time, Sparkhorn wore saddlebags with strange, cloth-wrapped boxes on the side as he stood under the cloud. Both of his companions had expressed curiosity about what they were, but he remained stubbornly cryptic about their purpose.
“I just need to make sure this thing doesn’t get fried when I’m using my magic on full blast. It would really suck horseapples for it to fry while in use.” Skyrocket had merely shrugged, knowing he would not get more out of the unicorn, while Gossamer continued to guess at what the strange harness could be.
“Alright, same deal. Commence on my signal.” The lightning mage once again assumed a stable stance and powered his horn. Seven sizable gems floated out from his pack and began to revolve around him. His horn then charged up into arcing energy as before, and the gems picked up speed. Once more a nod was given, and once more the pegasus triggered a bolt of lightning.
As the bolt struck, Sparkhorn dispersed the magic around him, focusing the power into the crystals, which began to glow spectacularly as they spun faster with the magic he poured out. Having experienced the lightning bolt several times now, he had become better at absorbing the electricity and shaping it, and as he had suspected, having a place to hold that energy while preparing his spells allowed him a higher degree of control. Now to have some fun.
Sparkhorn then proceeded to fire of bolt after bolt of lighting, using the gems as a focus and channel for the magic. As one rotated in front of him, an arc would leap from horn to gem and trigger it, dumping a portion of the electricity trapped within into a whipping bolt. His aim needed work, but after a half dozen more shots at the pieces of the boulder, it had been reduced to rocks the size of his hoof.
“Again!” he called out over the loud sputtering of static. Skyrocket blinked only once before delivering, and watched in awe as his friend pooled an impressive amount of power around him.
Now for the finale. In his mind’s eye, he grasped the energy in each crystal and aligned the gems in a whirling array in front of him, perpendicular to the ground. Arcs of arcane electricity jumped through the space between the precious stones, and through the maelstrom he channeled all the magic he had grasped.
The midday sky seemed dark for a moment as a thunderbolt of stunning brilliance and noise deafened the three ponies bearing witness to its unleashing. It tore in less than the blink of an eye across the stream and against a tree on the edge of the woods, shattering the trunk into splinters and felling the tree with the pop of superheated sap.
This time, Sparkhorn did not even attempt to maintain his footing as he collapsed to the ground, the effort of containing and manipulating such arcane feats having exhausted him, and the results of his work stunning him into contemplation.
“Sweet Celestia, Sparky, that was so feathering awesome!
“Your mane did get singed again, though.”
After cleaning up and collecting their belongings, the trio departed the creek and made their way back into town. The majority of the trip was spent in companionable silence for the two young stallions. Gossamer, however, was processing the rampant contemplation that observing their sparring session, and before, their encounter with Splash Rapids, had evoked. She also could do nothing to dismiss the glances that her pegasus companion was sending her way.
All signs pointed to him being unashamedly interested in her. When he noticed that she had caught him glancing, he just offered that cocky smile instead of acting nervous, and despite herself she blushed. It was not the first time somepony had been interested, she had just never felt that they were so genuine. She could detect no ill will from the pegasus, just honest interest. It made her heart skip a beat, though what exactly that indicated about her own feelings she was unsure.
She reflected for the hundredth time on why she had been sent to Edgewood, as well as the two she had been following. They were friendly and more genuine than any number of ponies she had met, but they were also aggressive and driven. It was a strange combination, for ponies she could readily say would immediately step in to aid another with one hoof, and strike out at anything that they considered a threat with the other. She could only guess how they would respond if she explained herself fully to them. If ponies were so receptive to the truth, why did so many hide their true selves and hold friendship as a thin veneer?
Shaking off her contemplation, she realized they had arrived at Sparkhorn’s shop. Skyrocket offered his farewell and, basket hooked by a foreleg, took off for his home. Sparkhorn had gone inside to pack away his strange harness, and after a moment or two returned and locked the door once more.
“So, you ready to head back? I wanted to talk to dad about a couple things before I turn in for the night,” he told her. She saw the sun beginning to dip towards the horizon and realized she needed to get moving if she did not want to be late.
“I’m actually a tad famished after spending all day outside. All that rough action worked up an appetite for me just watching,” she replied with a giggle she hoped did not sound too forced. If he considered it such, he gave no sign.
“Alright, enjoy! You have bits for it?” he asked. Before she could even reply, he levitated half a dozen bits over to her, which she took in her magic and slid into her bags with a sheepish smile. He just winked and turned to head home.
With that, she set off further into town looking for a cafe that matched what she was looking for.
Sparkhorn arrived home, setting his bags down and heading straight for the shower. With a twist of his magic, cool water poured down over him as he stepped in and he flinched a bit at the chill before relaxing into it and letting it rinse away the sweat and dirt. His cerulean mane was plastered down as he stared down at the drain and emptied his mind, letting all the tension that had built up in the back of his mind unwind as he turned the temperature up and the stream turned to a steamy, muscle-soothing heat. He sat on his haunches and carefully sorted out all the doubts and frustrations in his head, carefully measuring his thoughts and feelings before deciding which should stay and which needed to go.
After he had become quite thoroughly soaked and achieved his desired mental state, he levitated over a bottle of soap and a bath scrub and began to give himself a rough cleaning that nearly doubled as a massage with its vigor. Then, after rinsing the suds away with the last of the grime he had acquired, he shut the spray off and grasped a towel in his magic and dried himself off. His mane more stubbornly held the water, but that changed as static coiled from his horn and along the wild hairs, making them stand on end and evaporating the water. Years spent perfecting his technique meant no singed hairs and the perfectly wild shock of a mane he was known for. It reminded him of a DJ he liked who had seen a surprising rise in popularity for the past several years.
After cleaning up he made his way back to the living room and, as expected, found Drill Bit’s bags sitting in the foyer next to the door as per usual. He turned and made his way to the kitchen where his father was at work preparing a simple meal.
“Gossamer went to hit up a cafe, so she may not be as hungry for dinner tonight,” he said as he approached and levitated a knife over to help chop the vegetables. Drill Bit gave him a quick glance before nodding and turning back to his work. He was quiet tonight. That was never a good sign. He probably knew where the conversation was about to go with their guest absent.
“I guess you would rather I get straight to the point then, huh?” Sparkhorn asked. Silence answered. “You know the next warden exam is coming up, and you know I’m going to try again with Sky. We’re not defenseless colts, dad.” His voice became a bit harder. “We’re grown stallions, with jobs and responsibilities, and this is something we’re both committed to. I know you respect commitment, and you believe that the wardens are respectable, too. You’re practically best friends with the captain, and I have a feeling that’s been stacking the odds against us. I love you dad, but if you’re going to try and stop us…” he trailed off.
Neither had looked up from the work they were doing as Sparkhorn talked. As the younger unicorn looked up he found his father had turned to look at him as well. There was something hard and cold in his father’s eyes for a few moments before the tears began welling up. Sparkhorn tried to hold that gaze, but looked away. There was no shame on either face, merely resignation. His father expertly choked back a sob before answering his son in a wavering voice.
“You do what you have to, son. Please finish preparing dinner. I’m going to go lie down for a bit,” he finished as he turned and slowly trotted around the corner and back to the master bedroom.
The house was silent for the next dozen minutes except for the sound of a knife cutting vegetables.
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Finally caught up, but how is this going to interact with 'Infiltrator?'
5594243 Already has, if you put the pieces together. It occurs shortly before the ending of chapter four, and is why you might notice it's just Sparky and Drill in the house
5594372 I mistyped. How will what Alate is referring interact with what we see here?
Hadoken!
Seriously, though. That's a really cool wave-motion cannon there.
All caught up and hungry for more! Wondering what his ‘Cousins’ mission here is, and why she was assigned it if she so obviously doesn’t want it.