Chapter 16 - To Pass Time
Tuesday October 18, 2016
Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer and I were driving to my house from the grocery store after school. Rainbow’s parents both had to travel out of town for work unexpectedly. Rather than sitting around at her house, she had gotten permission to crash on my guest bed for a couple nights. We planned to watch some old action movies tonight and we had invited Sunset to join us as well. When I turned onto the main street through Canterlot I noticed a small gang of students hanging out on a street corner.
“Who are those guys with Gilda and Lightning Dust? They don't go to our school.”
Dash looked over to the corner, turned pale and slumped down in her seat trying to hide her face. I looked over at the group again. There were three big muscular guys standing talking with Gilda and Lightning. They hadn’t noticed us and we drove past without any incidents. Rainbow exhaled and sat up when we pulled up at a stoplight. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out her phone and began typing up a text.
“Dash? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Can we make a detour to pick up Fluttershy? She’s going to need to know this and I need to be there for her when she finds out. I’ll explain once she’s with us.”
I exchanged a worried glance with Sunset in the rear view mirror while I turned right on the next street to head back to town.
“Gilda is really still after me isn’t she?” said Sunset sadly. “You all keep protecting me and it's just making things worse. I should just let them beat me up and get it over with.”
“No chance Sunset,” I said. “They’ll never be satisfied even if you give in. They never seem to get tired of hurting people.”
We picked up Fluttershy at the animal shelter fifteen minutes later. She was wearing her favorite green skirt and white tank top. She walked quickly over and climbed into the van, her lovely face was creased with worry. Dash switched spots with Sunset and hopped into the back seat beside Fluttershy and grabbed her hand reassuringly.
“What’s going on Rainbow? You've gone pale.”
“Flutters, we just saw Hoops, Dumb-Bell, and Score here in Canterlot. We saw them with Gilda and Lightning just a few minutes ago.”
Fluttershy stared at Rainbow Dash blankly for a moment, then she turned pale, curled up in a ball on the seat and started shaking like a leaf. Her voice was reduced to a single squeak of panic and I felt a burst of anger flow through me.
What did those bastards do to Fluttershy?
I don’t know, but we might have to destroy them Silver.
No, we don’t do that Spark. It’s not what we were taught.
Ok, I'll relax. For now.
“What did they do to you two?” asked Sunset while I debated with Spark.
Dash looked sad as she comforted the quivering ball of pink hair with a gentle hand.
“When we were kids we both lived in Cloudsdale, a small town that’s a couple hours away from here. Those three went to elementary school with us. They bullied everyone around them but they took particular delight in tormenting Fluttershy. I did my best to protect her but I couldn't always stop them.”
Fluttershy's response was muffled from being curled up. “At least they only called me names and pushed me around a bit. They beat you up badly a few times when you stood up to them Dashie.”
Rainbow growled. “I was young and stupid. They won’t get the drop on me this time. I can’t believe Gilda would do this. She hated them just as much as I did back in the day and sometimes stood up to them with me.”
I heard a sad whimper from the coiled ball of tension on the seat behind me. “They called me Klutzershy.”
“I don't like this. Why do you think they’re here Dash,” I growled.
“I hate to say it but I think they’re here because of you Silver. You really pissed Gilda off with those Judo throws, your miraculous dodge, and that insane wall run. Like I said the other day, she was almost frothing at the mouth with rage. I can’t think of any other reason why Gilda would be hanging out with those three jerks.”
I frowned, trying to figure a way out of this new complication. “This isn’t good at all. Well, I think we’d better start keeping in contact with each other a bit more until we figure out what they’re up to.”
“Good plan,” replied Dash. “So what do you say Fluttershy? Want to come watch old action movies and relax with us? I’d rather not leave you alone right now.”
“That sounds nice,” she whispered. “They aren't too scary are they?”
“We’ll pick ones you’ll enjoy tonight Fluttershy,” I said. "The other movies aren't going anywhere.”
“Kay.”
Thursday October 20, 2016
Morning break was my least favorite time of the day lately but especially on rainy days like today. The halls were crowded with students, most of whom would love to see me gone. I kept my head down and wove through the crowd while watching for any of my friends. I was just grateful that the physical attacks against me and Sunset had subsided.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you stop and face her, vagrant!”
Unfortunately, the verbal abuse had not subsided. Trixie was one of the worst offenders in the last few days, having apparently decided our confrontation at the statue was grounds to increase her attacks. I simply ignored her and continued walking down the hall. I heard her huff angrily and I could clearly hear her stomping after me.
“Trixie will not be ignored by a lowly guttersnipe!” She declared loudly. “You will not walk away from me!”
She’s going to grab your arm Silver.
Thank you, Spark.
Thanks to Spark's observation, I spun around at the last moment, easily dodging the hand that was reaching out to grab me. The noise of the students in the hall was quickly subsiding. She took a step back when I glared at her but there was a smug, self-satisfied look on her face.
“I have nothing to say to you, Trixie. Leave me alone!” I turned and started to walk away.
“Trixie thinks you need to pay better attention . . . Orphan.”
I stopped in my tracks as the word hit me right in the heart. I heard a few students around me gasp but the voices quickly died back to silence. I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles cracked, echoing loudly in the dead silent hallway. My jaw was beginning to ache from gritting my teeth and I was an inch away from turning around to punch her in her smug little face.
Steady Silver. She's not worth it.
I'm trying.
“Yes Trixie knows your secret you parent-less flotsam and now everyone else does as well. She had no doubt you were merely a discarded creature and now she has found her confirmation. Trixie has no doubt they found you to be a creature so horrible they abandoned you without a second -”
My composure snapped as I spun around and screamed in her face.
“THEY WERE MURDERED YOU IGNORANT BITCH!”
Trixie's eyes widened in surprise as I slowly walked towards her. My hands were raised and had curled into fists while I fought with every ounce of my fracturing self-control to keep myself from lashing out. She was frozen in place, staring straight into my furious eyes and the hallway was so silent you could have heard a pin drop. There were only the sounds of echoing footsteps in the distance. I was seething with barely contained rage as I towered over her.
Don't hurt her Silver.
I'm trying! Really, really fighting it.
“Manhattan. One year ago,” I hissed at her. “Any moron with the Internet and my name could have figured that tiny insignificant detail out.”
“Trixie didn’t -” she began.
I interrupted her again as I continued snarling down at her. “Didn’t know? Didn’t care to check? Didn’t care about the truth as long as it hurt me? Congratulations Trixie, you succeeded.”
“But I -”
“Are you happy now? Did this bring you the satisfaction you desired? Do you really revel in joy knowing I have no family left alive in the world?”
“I –”
“Shut up Trixie,” Applejack snarled from behind me. “Ah think you've said enough.”
Startled, I spun around to find Applejack standing right there beside me. She immediately pulled me into a hug. The other girls came running up the stairs into the hallway and I saw several teachers emerge to see what was going on. I felt myself beginning to calm now that I wasn't alone.
I'm here too Silver. You've got me.
I know Spark. Thanks for keeping me in check.
Anytime.
“Ah won't tolerate you usin' his loss against him,” Applejack growled at Trixie. “Or did you forget about the memorial for mah parents when we were in elementary school?”
I think Applejack was about to continue but I put my hand on her shoulder and shook my head. I looked around the hallway at the stricken faces of the unfamiliar students staring at me. Before my adrenaline faded I chose to speak while I had their undivided attention. My voice was cold and quiet with a tinge of threat that made several students go pale.
“I have lived through a hell over this past year you couldn’t imagine in your darkest nightmares. Since my arrival here in Canterlot I have tolerated near constant physical and psychological attacks. It makes me wonder how Twilight ever brought harmony to this place.”
I took a deep breath and glared around the hall, finally resting my eyes on Trixie who hadn’t budged this entire time.
“Hate me if you must but if even one of you brings my parents up in a way I disapprove of, EVER, my patience will come to an end. Understood?”
Trixie was pale as she nodded in response. I saw nods from several of the other students standing around nearby.
Without another word, I turned to face the rest of the girls who had run up beside me and Applejack. As a group, we walked through the parting crowd, down the stairs to the main office. I walked through the door, gave Nurse Redheart a weak smile on my way past and flopped down on my back on the medical bed as the tears finally overtook me. Sunset sat down next to me and took my hand in hers.
“Hey Silver,” she murmured.
I squeezed her hand gently as I tried to bring my tears under control before I started bawling uncontrollably. Finally, I whispered back at her.
“Hey, Sunset."
"We spend a lot of time here don't we?"
"Yeah," I whispered as I wiped my eyes with my other hand. "You know what the worst part about what she said is?"
"I think I do," she replied quietly. "You got through the anniversary in good spirits only to be stabbed like this a few days later."
In spite of the pain, I smiled. "Yes, that's right. Thank you Sunset.”
“For what?”
I looked up into her worried green-blue eyes when I replied. “For being a better person than that before we became friends.”
Her eyes widened with surprise at my words. “This is still all my fault Silver. They wouldn’t be treating you this way if it wasn’t for me.”
“I know Sunset,” I replied, still holding her hand reassuringly. “Sadly, there's nothing we can do to change that. Still, you never used my worst pain against me because you understood what I was feeling. You had empathy and kindness in you before Twilight arrived Sunset, even if you weren't expressing it as well as you do now.”
She squeezed my hand gently as a warm smile spread across her face.
“Thank you,” She whispered. "That means a great deal coming from you Silver."
She sat with me for a few minutes while I calmed down, but we were interrupted by a knock on the door. I looked up to find Vice Principal Luna standing there.
"I need to have a word with you, Mister Spark. Please excuse us Miss Shimmer.”
Sunset wasn't going to argue with the Vice Principal so she simply nodded and walked out of the room. Vice Principal Luna closed the door and sat down in the chair beside the bed, shaking her head.
“You seem to attract trouble like a lightning rod Silver,” she said. “Rest assured Trixie will be dealt with appropriately for her behavior. Unfortunately, your words upstairs have brought about an issue that we need to resolve.”
“What is that ma'am?”
“Your transfer paperwork went through without issue when you came here so there was no reason to pry into your family life,” she said. "Considering what you admitted earlier I have two questions. First of all, who is your legal guardian?”
“There are several answers to that Ma'am,” I said with a sigh. “I am eighteen years old so by law here and in Manhattan, I am a legal adult so I was perfectly within my rights to sign my own transfer. Additionally, since I have no living relatives and my parents didn't want me in state care, they had included minor emancipation papers as part of their will to be registered if I was fifteen or older.”
Luna rubbed her eyes wearily. “I appreciate your honesty but this leaves me in a bind. Who should I be calling if you are injured at school? Or if you're in trouble.”
“My godfather, Steel Rain is moving here in December. I'll come by the office with his contact information later today.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Is he able to discipline you?”
I started to laugh. "Yes, absolutely. He's a martial arts instructor teaching Western Martial Arts. I have the utmost respect for him.”
“Western Martial Arts?!” she asked sharply with unexpected interest. “Does he teach the rapier?”
“Yes he does along with a number of other medieval weapons,” I replied, wondering where this was going. “I've been learning from him since I was about seven years old.”
She smiled with uncharacteristic glee. “He's moving here? Please tell me he's opening a school here.”
“He's already purchased a place and is planning to open in January. You've fought with a Rapier ma'am?”
“Please call me Luna,” she said in a warm tone that suddenly reminded me of speaking with Princess Luna. “I was enrolled in fencing when I was young but I never found it satisfying. Many years ago I saw a western martial arts demonstration at a convention and I've always wanted to learn but there isn't a school in the area.”
“Well, I have no doubt Steel Rain will be delighted to have you as a student Luna. Just be warned, I'll probably be assisting with running the classes.”
She snorted. “I would be a poor teacher if I was not willing to learn from my students as well. Anyhow, I do need to ask one additional question in an official capacity. Are you in need of any counseling or other services?”
"I appreciate your concern," I replied. "I'm actually doing much better thanks to my friends. That includes Sunset Shimmer by the way. All six of them have been a huge help in pulling myself back together."
"Very well. If that changes please don't hesitate to come to myself or Principal Celestia."
"Thank you. I will do that."
Then Luna stood up to leave “I believe that will be all for the moment, Silver. I would be delighted if you could have Steel Rain come in to do a demonstration here once his dojo is open.”
I nodded, but then I tensed up again when Luna's voice suddenly took on the note of authority.
“In the meantime Mister Spark, there is no place in this school for using a family tragedy as a weapon and I will put a stop to it. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from declaring war on the student body at large.”
“I will, though to be perfectly honest I was just planning on reporting issues to you more frequently if my patience ended. There's no other sensible response to a verbal attack, no matter how much I want to retaliate.”
She stared at me for a moment with a perplexed look on her face. Then she shook her head, turned and walked out of the room. I sighed and tried to relax but unfortunately, the damage had been done.
I had hoped we could get through school without that becoming public knowledge.
At least you didn't wave your scars under her nose during your rage Silver.
That would have been a dumb idea.
Saturday October 22, 2016
For the second week in a row, the girls and I were all gathered together for a meal. I had high hopes this would become a regular event. Tonight we were at Applejack’s house and There were twelve of us in total including the Crusaders, Granny, Big Mac, Sunset and the girls. It wasn’t a perfectly harmonious situation since the Crusaders weren’t fond of me or Sunset but at least they were polite. For her part, Sunset just sat next to me at the kitchen table while Pinkie and Applejack put the dinner together. Rarity was also at the counter assembling a salad while Dash and Fluttershy were standing by the kitchen door.
We had been chatting for a while about school, homework and the rapid improvement of the Rainbooms as a band. Now though, the conversation had turned to the looming problem with Gilda and Lightning's new gang.
“Ah don't like it Dash,” said Applejack from the stove. “They’re lurking around but they haven’t come near anybody at the school yet. You really think they'd try something?”
“Lightning Dust is pretty pissed at Silver,” Dash replied. “I don't know how she got from missing a punch to saying he broke her hand but that’s her story now. Hoops, Score and Dumb-bell were bad news in Elementary School. I hate to think what they're like now.”
Fluttershy shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I really don't want to see them again. The way they looked at me was scary.”
Did I bring this on them?
If we did, it's our responsibility to make it right.
“I do have one idea that might help,” I said. “I can teach you all how to break out of a few common grabs if you’re interested. Even if they never try anything it’s still a useful skill.”
Fluttershy visibly perked up at the suggestion. “That actually would help Silver. The thought of being trapped by someone really frightens me. It's actually one of the reasons I was so scared when I first met you that day in the hiding spot by the tree. You easily could have grabbed me and there's nothing I could have done to stop you.”
“Ah like the way you think Silver,” said Applejack. “I'm strong enough to hold my own but it never hurts to learn a few new things. Maybe you could give me some pointers on punching as well?”
I looked around at the girls who all showed enthusiasm for the idea. “Monday during lunch break? I know you want to really get the band off the ground after school tomorrow so we don't have much time to work with.”
Dash crossed her arms and glared at me. “When I punched you in the face the day I played soccer with Twilight you said I telegraphed my punches. There's a punching bag in the weight room so I think you have to demonstrate.”
She held the glare on her face a moment longer before it dissolved into a laugh.
I nodded. “I can do that Dash. I hate to think we’ll have to deal with this group face to face. I’ll sleep much easier knowing the six of you have some skills to escape.”
“And what about your escape Sir Spark?” asked Rarity. “I won’t have you sacrificing yourself for our safety again.”
I felt frustration overtake me as I closed my eyes, got up to my feet and I responded almost without thinking
“Lady Belle, what wouldst thou have me do? Retreat? Abandon thee when I am more than able to stand fast in thine defense? I shall not take any needless risks with mine life but neither will I abandon any of you shouldst the need arrive. I was trained in battle and if that is the skill that is needed, I act as the sword and shield for my friends.”
After I finished speaking, I took a deep breath to calm myself before opening my eyes. When I opened my eyes all six of them were staring at me. I think I saw some blushes but I wasn't really paying attention.
What's up with them?
We used old English Silver.
Wait, really? Weird. I didn't mean to.
An unfamiliar young voice piped up from the door. “Wow, you really weren't kidding were you Sis?”
Everyone looked over at the kitchen door. The three Crusaders were standing there staring at me with wide eyes. Scootaloo was the one who had spoken, splitting her attention between me and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow reached over and ruffled her hair.
“I told you he was a special kind cool Scoots, just like Sunset.”
Scootaloo glanced briefly at Sunset with a dubious look on her face but didn't contradict Dash.
“I didn't know she was your sister Dash,” I said.
Rainbow rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Not biologically I'm sorry to say. Officially I'm her mentor though Big Sisters but that's just a formality now as far as I'm concerned.”
This was another one of those cases where I could tell I wasn't being told the whole story. Scootaloo looked embarrassed and pleased by Dash's words though. I wasn't going to pry so I took a couple steps towards the door, crouched down and held out my hand to her in greeting.
“Nice to finally meet you. My name is Silver Spark.”
Scootaloo nervously reached forward with her eyes darting around to avoid my gaze and shook my hand. When she realized my grip was gentle, a shy grin appeared on her face and she looked at me with growing confidence.
“Did you really jump up to the second floor of the school to get away from Lightning Dust?” she asked.
“I don't know anybody who could jump that high Scootaloo,” I replied, releasing her hand. “I used a Parkour technique to run up the wall so I could reach the ledge around the second floor.”
Applebloom was suddenly right next to Scootaloo. “You ran up a wall? Ah thought Applejack was exaggeratin' when she told me about how you escaped!”
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “I can't exactly explain the method in words. I've never actually had to teach it to anyone. How about I show you how it's done after dinner? I'm sure I can find a spot to demonstrate here.”
A small shy voice piped up from behind Scootaloo. “Can I watch too?” asked Sweetie Belle.
I smiled. “Of course you can.”
The three girls cheered loudly and ran out of the room talking excitedly with each other. I got up to my feet, relieved I'd made a step towards peace with Rarity, Applejack and Dash's sisters. I faced the girls again now that everything had calmed down. There were smiles all around but I had to address our earlier conversation before we could move on to nicer things.
“I promise I will do everything in my power to remain unhurt if trouble comes our way again but I can't do that if the price is seeing my friends hurt. That's the best I can offer girls.”
“Fair enough Sir Spark,” Rarity replied. “I intend to hold you to that.”
“I wouldn't have it any other way, Lady Belle."
Monday October 24, 2016
The day had been fairly average so far with no significant issues to speak of. There were just the usual whispers but at least today Trixie and Flash were still silent. I hoped they had finally gotten the message. The seven of us gathered in the gym in the latter half of lunch break for the self-defense lesson I had promised.
“I'm glad you all agreed to let me teach you. Applejack, I'm going to have you grab Fluttershy's wrist with one hand while I explain.”
“Oh dear, are you sure I'm the right person for this?” asked Fluttershy as she held out her arm for Applejack to grab.
“Fluttershy, I have absolutely no doubt you’re the perfect person for this demonstration. Trust me and show me how you'd try to escape.”
Fluttershy nodded and wrenched her arm upward ineffectively against the grab. Then she pulled her arm towards herself but Applejack easily kept control over her arm. She looked quite despondent at the result but I smiled at her.
“Don't worry Fluttershy; that was simply for demonstration. When trying to escape, the average person's first instinct is almost exactly wrong. Pulling backward or upwards against somebody’s grip leaves you pulling against the strong parts of the human hand. There first step to reliably escaping a wrist grab is to understand the critical weakness in our hands. This time I want you to keep your elbow close to your body and twist your forearm so the side of your wrist pushes against where Applejack's thumb and fingers meet.”
I demonstrated the arm motion as I spoke. Fluttershy nodded. Once Applejack was ready, she twisted her arm and pulled sideways against Applejack's hand. Applejack's fingers and thumb failed to maintain their grip and popped apart. Fluttershy let out a little squeak of surprise and actually grinned.
“Well I'll be darned,” said Applejack. “Ah'm way stronger than her but there was no way Ah was keepin' my grip. I couldn’t’ stop her.”
“Exactly! That’s the point where you have the strongest leverage. I'd like you six to pair up and try to do the same move on each other. You want to try to break the grab as quickly as possible before your opponent has a chance to try something else. Ideally, you would follow up with a counterattack before they can try something else but fleeing is a reasonable strategy as well. When you feel comfortable let me know and you can try against me and we'll see how it goes.
The six of them practiced for a while and seemed to get the hang of the technique quickly. All of them successfully escaped my grip when they faced me. About five minutes before the bell, I decided to add one additional item to the list today.
“Fluttershy, could you help me demonstrate one more technique?”
She nodded and walked over. I grabbed her wrist with both hands and she whimpered instinctively.
“So this might seem more difficult to escape, but in reality, the same weakness applies. I've grabbed you the way the average person would with both thumbs beside each other. The same weakness exists here Fluttershy. Straighten the fingers of the hand I'm holding, reach in over top to grab the fingers with your other hand. Then pull the trapped hand up and away from your opponent with your free hand using the fingers as a lever. Go ahead.”
She straightened her fingers, reached in, and pulled exactly as I instructed. I tensed my hands in preparation for the pull but she still easily pulled her hand free from mine. Fluttershy looked positively giddy as she stumbled backward, still holding her fingers.
“You didn't just humor her did you, Darling?”
“That would be a terrible thing to do. I actually tightened my grip just before she made her attempt. That was one hundred percent real and all Fluttershy.”
Suddenly I was enveloped in a hug by Fluttershy. I could feel her shivering as she held me, so I just put one hand on her shoulder to avoid trapping her. I looked over at Dash with my eyebrow raised but she just mouthed the words 'ask her later'. Then the bell rang. She let me go and just whispered two words to me before running off to class.
“Thank you.”
Wednesday October 26, 2016
With our five friends in band practice after school nearly every day, it was becoming rather normal for Sunset Shimmer and me to spend time together. She wasn't in detention every single day now thanks to her volunteer work for the school. Thanks to her good grades, she had been invited to tutoring students who were in trouble academically. Today we were sitting in the library down the hall from the music room working on our homework together since I was in dire need of her assistance.
Sunset was well on her way to saving me from having to repeat this grade again. I was already a year behind thanks to spending most of the previous school year in the hospital. While I excelled in English and anything crafts related, I was never a particularly gifted student. With my depressed emotional state early in the year my grades for most classes were sitting down in the C-minus to D average. To get out of the year with pass grades I was going to have to pull off B and A level work in all my classes for most of the rest of the year.
Sunset Shimmer was helping me get back to a level of schoolwork I could be proud of. More importantly, a level that wouldn't result in two hundred push-ups being assigned by my godfather when he arrived in December. She knew every class well enough to pull me back from the brink of failure. I could easily see why she had been Princess Celestia's student and she was turning out to be a gifted teacher as well. Better yet, the time we were spending just seemed to fly by.
At about 4:30 we were startled by the sound of the music room door being slammed shut. We exchanged glances and grabbed our stuff as quickly as we could. We ran out to the hall just in time to see a pink haired storm cloud stomping towards the front door. Sunset and I chased after Fluttershy and caught up with her by the statue. She wheeled around when she heard us coming and snapped at us through tears.
“What is it? Do you want to make fun me too? Let’s all mock poor meek little Fluttershy who couldn’t scare a fly.”
The two of us were genuinely taken aback by her reaction.
“NO!” replied Sunset emphatically. “What's going on Fluttershy? I've never seen you this frustrated.”
I put my hand gently on Fluttershy's shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go to a coffee shop for a snack. Then you can explain what’s going on.”
“Sorry. Ok.”
As much as we loved the Sweet Shoppe, I had a feeling it would be good to avoid the other girls this afternoon. Sunset sent a quick text to let them know Fluttershy was safe while we drove over to a chain shop near the highway and settled in with some pastries and hot chocolate.
Sunset paused before taking a bite. “Before we start, I’m sorry if this has anything to do with me.”
Fluttershy sipped her hot chocolate and let out a defeated sigh.
“This really isn’t your fault Sunset. We were talking about Halloween plans between songs during practice and we were talking about scary pranks. You all know I’m easily frightened and Rainbow Dash was talking about how funny it is when I get frightened by them. I told her she wouldn’t find it so funny if she was the one who was scared.”
She took another sip of her hot chocolate.
“I’m guessing that’s when she made you mad,” I guessed.
“She said there’s no way I could ever be scary enough to frighten her. That’s when I packed up to leave.”
Sunset was frowning as Fluttershy told her story. When she finished, Sunset looked over at me.
“What do you think Silver? Do you have any ideas to help her prank Rainbow?”
Fluttershy looked surprised at Sunset’s question. “Oh, you don’t have to help me. I’m just glad to have someone to talk to.”
I grinned. “Of course we have to help you. You've always been so kind to me and Sunset since we became friends. Besides, it’ll be fun to put one over on Dash.”
“Thank you,” she replied softly.
“Also, if I can find it, I have something that might just work. It’s a project that never saw the light of day. I’ll try to dig it out.”
Friday October 28, 2016
"Sorry, we didn't get to this sooner in the week Dash. Glad you could join us as well Applejack."
"No problem," replied Rainbow Dash. "So, what was I doing wrong?"
The three of us were in the weight room at lunch for the promised instruction about throwing punches. Bulk Biceps was the only other student in the room but he was quietly lifting weights in the corner.
"When it comes right down to it Dash your punch is quite powerful. Your mistake was telegraphing the attack and giving me a welcome chance to not get another concussion."
Dash's brow furrowed while her ears turned red from embarrassment. "You keep using that term Silver. What do you mean?"
I drew my arm over my shoulder and threw a punch over my shoulder.
"That's how you positioned yourself punch. The wind up is completely unnecessary and gave me more than a few seconds warning about your attack. The problem is, you don't actually gain any power drawing back your fist like that."
"Seriously? They do that in the movies all the time."
"People also get knocked backward by bullets in movies," I said with a frown. "I can say from experience that's not what happens."
"So how would ya throw a punch then?" asked Applejack.
I got into a basic combat stance, with one foot slightly behind the other and put my fists up in front of my chest.
"Whenever possible you should keep your hands up and in close to your body. This will let you block incoming strikes more easily. For a solid punch, you start right from this rest position and to increase the power you have to follow through with your shoulder."
I proceeded to demonstrate, unleashing half a dozen quick and powerful strikes on the punching bag.
"Well ah'm sold," said Applejack. "Ah'll have to try that later but I'm curious about one thing. I looked up that martial art you were doing and it involves a lot of kicking. Can you show us?"
I shrugged and motioned for them to step back. I stepped back, took a deep breath and then with two steps I jumped up in the air and unleashed a jumping side kick into the punching bag with a loud yell. The bag swung and almost touched the ceiling before swinging back. I landed and jumped to the side to dodge the bag as it swung back.
"I've always liked that kick. It has lots of power behind it."
"Nice!" exclaimed Dash. "I'm really glad you didn't hit back when we met Silver."
I nodded. "I doubt we'd be on such friendly terms if I'd done that. Like I said, my reluctance to attack people isn't cowardice. Now it's your turn. Let's see if we can get your punch cleaned up."
Saturday October 29, 2016
I had spent the last three evenings painstakingly hauling crates of tools, materials, half-finished projects and even products ready to sell out of the shipping container looking for the unused Halloween project from the previous year. It was particularly challenging because I had to go around the heavy equipment that I couldn't move by myself.
I had finally found my goal the previous night and I texted Sunset and Fluttershy to invite them over in the morning. Now I was busy sorting the boxes in the garage to build some semblance of order to the situation when I heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching. I walked out to the driveway and watched Sunset pull in.
I could see a pair of arms wrapped around Sunset's waist when I walked over to greet them. Fluttershy was clinging to Sunset and trembling. Sunset pulled off her helmet and looked over her shoulder at her passenger who had barely moved when the bike stopped. I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder, eliciting a startled squeak as a response but she finally let Sunset go.
“I don’t think I like motorcycles very much Sunset,” she said. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Sunset replied. “It doesn’t appeal to everyone for getting around. So did you find what you were looking for Silver?”
“I did,” I replied. “Let me show you what I have.”
We walked into my garage and weaved our way between the jumbled stacks of crates sitting around on the floor.
“So much for cleaning this out for your car Silver,” Sunset observed.
“I’m discovering the downside of having a company pack things up without supervision. They didn’t put very much effort to keep things organized. It’s going to take me weeks to untangle this. I’m just glad the Halloween project had already been stowed so it was all in one place. Here it is.”
I stopped in front of a medium sized crate and lifted the cover off it. Inside was a custom suit of full plate armor. The metal had been darkened to simulate wear and age and it was trimmed with what looked like tarnished brass. I picked up the helmet which was a T-shaped barbute style and handed it to Sunset.
“Dad and I built this armor together during the year before . . . yeah. We were going to help out at a haunted house last Halloween but for obvious reasons that never happened.”
Sunset looked at the helmet curiously. “What’s all this stuff in the helmet?”
“The black mesh is to cover my face. The red LED clusters light up and . . . well, why don’t I just show you? Go stand by the light switch Fluttershy.”
I hit the button to close the garage door and took the helmet back from Sunset. I popped the battery back into the circuit and put the helmet on.
“Ok, turn the lights off.”
When the lights turned out I looked first at Sunset and then over at Fluttershy. I heard her inhale with shock at the unexpected sight.
“That is a creepy effect, Silver,” said Sunset. “I approve.”
“You can turn them back on Fluttershy,” I said. “Even in dim light the mesh and lights make it look like a pair of glowing red eyes hanging in an empty helmet. It doesn’t stand up to close inspection but in a haunted house with a bit of atmospheric mist it would have been quite effective.”
Fluttershy turned on the lights and walked over to examine the helmet again.
“What are the microphone and headset for?”
“The microphone was to record audio from the reactions which would have been combined with a hidden camera. The headset was so Dad could communicate with me and let me know when people were coming in the haunted house. So does this give you any ideas Fluttershy?”
She grinned with surprising enthusiasm. “I think this will be exactly the scare Rainbow needs. Maybe she’ll be nicer in the future if she screams when you scare her and I don’t.”
“It'll put her on her toes,” I replied. “More importantly, if she feels the need to retaliate, she'll target me rather than you.”
Sunset grinned. “I guess we just have to figure out the details then.”
Because not every single day can be an insane adventure. Things happen and time moves along. I must admit I have no idea how plausible or effective the Halloween costume idea would be, but it sounds good on paper. 
Not really a lot else to say about this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!
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Awesome, I like what they are planning to do. I surely hope it's going to be effective!
Once again, great job. I shalt waiteth f'r the next chapt'r.
Found a few mistakes
We saw them with Gilda and Lightning just a few minute ago.”
*minutes
For the second week in a row the girl and I were all gathered together for a meal.
*girls
I felt frustration overtake me as I closed my eyes an got up to my feet and I responded almost without thinking
*and
I really enjoy this story, however I fear you may be running out of to's.
7794513 - It's not a very fancy idea, just using a leftover from the past. I almost wish I had one of those helmets to try the idea out. If you're having trouble visualizing it, here's an example.
7794828 - Thank you very much for your sharp eyes! I have made the corrections.
7795246 - Glad to hear you are enjoying the story! I will admit that I may have spent a couple hours on solutions to the titles issue.
There are three other prepositions I've found that follow nicely from the phrase 'Finding a Place' which I will probably start using in the future but I have a lot of 'to' options left on my list.
7795521
Never had any trouble visualizing it, but thank you for the example.
I used to be a LARPer but due to payment issues I couldn't continue my hobby.
Oh well!
Great chapter pretty late to reading it since I was busy but anyways really loved it im glad silver is showing the girls some moves that'll help and glad the cmc finally started liking him just gotta say though when I saw what Trixie said to him I swear with rage I said PUT ME IN COACH
but yeah also the Halloween idea seems amazing gotta say I'd probably piss myself
WELL that's all I gotta say can't wait for the next chapter to come really excited to see what happens next
OH And congrats on making it to 100k+ words
7795772 - It would be an expensive hobby. I attended a couple of SCA events when I was younger but I never could afford to participate properly either.
7796106 - Thank you! Putting those combat instructions into words was actually quite difficult. They're all real techniques I learned them in martial arts. Trixie managed to cross the line a bit this time but that probably won't slow her down.
7795521 :D
Now for the actual prank.
Great chapter by the way, your techniques are good. I just would've ended the second grab with... "If you can't escape a second grab, follow up the first with an elbow to the chin."
7796781 Yup. Next chapter is going to be an interesting one.
I've actually trained with those exact techniques in the past and you're right that a follow up is important as well. Actually one thing Silver should have mentioned was, 'If they're holding you by one arm, don't ever forget you have second one."
Just another good reason for teaching someone how to punch without breaking their fingers.
crap.crap.crap.crap
shit.
*takes cover*
this was my reaction
8416996 Yeah. Trixie is lucky he only used words.
What did that self-centered, arrogant, boastful b**** do???
9148491 - Trixie didn't actually do anything wrong back then. I don't have specifics but I the loose idea is this: Given they were in elementary school at the time, someone (not necessarily Trixie) said something insensitive or hurtful about AJ's parents resulting in a lecture from their teacher. AJ is referring to how Trixie has forgotten what she was taught that day.
9148726
Bummer; I was actually hoping for more reasons to hate on Trixie. Oh well, better than nothing.