The Dying Embers Technique! Enter Fire Style!
“Spike? Time for your Element.”
Spike squeed as Moongazer and Ash squared off for the first demonstration of the day. The kids had gotten the routine by now: standard motions and sparring first, meditation next, motions with intent ‘till lunch, then full-on sparring ‘till the afternoon and anyone who wasn’t up to speed would get a private session.
Spike tensed up. What would his style be like?
Moongazer’s limbs snapped like a coiled snake. Her arms snapped and slapped faster than the naked eye, aiming a flurry of hoof strikes to Ash’s chest and head. Ash, meanwhile, didn’t so much block the barrage as he did counter-attack to interrupt it. The two bounced hooves off of each other even as they bounced on the floor, keeping their hind hooves in motion.
“Now, Fire style is all about the speed. You hit fast, unbalance the opponent, and if you land a soft blow you use the shock to land a harder one. Rinse and repeat until the other guy falls down,” Ash explained, then nodded for Moongazer to stop.
She bowed curtly to her master, before turning to the kids. “There’s not as much to the technical side of it as there is to Earth or Water. It’s just straight jabs, like so. Hiyah!”
The Ponyville Junior Ninjas recoiled at the sudden kiai.
“Take a note of Moongazer’s arm position here. One arm’s stretched out to strike, but not fully. It’s too easy to get hurt if you stretch it all the way. While punching with one arm, the other withdraws. That fans the fires of your breath, and keeps the power going. That’s why you start in Tiger Stance: one arm ready, the other held back. You wanna always have a little bit of tension ready when you fight Fire style,” Ash explained.
“Isn’t this like karate?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yes, karate is a very Fire-oriented martial art. Just like Tai Chi is a Water-oriented martial art and wrestling is an Earth one. Most martial arts only fall into one Element, remember that. This is the jab you’ll want to practise for the other styles as well, just, you know, at a different pace.”
Apple Bloom’s ears perked at that. “So the other punches we learned, we’re not really gonna use?”
Moongazer chuckled as she came out of the position. “Not exactly. Earth and Water don’t have a strict punching technique like Fire does. For those two, any sort of punch you throw in a particular way will suffice. But this style, you need this specific technique to be effective.”
“So that’s all? Just one punch for Fire?” Spike asked.
“Well, yes,” Ash replied. “Any other punches you need, you can borrow from the other styles. That’s why they’re taught in the order they are. Now, we’re not gonna start with sparring for this. On your hooves, or hind hooves, or feet, and we’re gonna punch the air. Spike, remember you want to twist your fist as you throw the punch. Gives it a little more pep.”
“Got it. Hiyah!”
“Hiyah!” Silver Spoon struck at her opponent, a dull blow that she followed through into a shove and press, with enough killer intent behind it to numb the colt’s muscles.
The colt fell down and rubbed his sore shoulder, wincing. She glared him down, like any superior Feather Cloak would. She didn’t even know his name. He was a nobody, he had to be if she could beat him.
“That’s enough, Silver Spoon,” Master Blazing Trail said. He nodded towards his assistants, who picked up the boy and escorted him to the medical corner, where he got some salve on his bruises.
He wasn’t alone, either: that was the third kid she’d beaten up that day.
“Feeling okay, Silver Spoon?”
She panted and nodded, sweat dripping into her canvas pajamas. “Yeah.”
“Keep your head up high,” Blazing said. “Next round, who’s up?”
No volunteers came.
“Alright, then, if we’ve run out of white belt volunteers, let’s try a green belt.”
She felt her blood, and her courage, sink into her hooves. “What? But I can’t beat a green belt!”
“Not with that attitude, you can’t. Your glasses.” He extended his hoof for Silver to put her glasses in.
Her next opponent was a teenaged colt, just old enough to have gotten his first growth spurt and tower over her. She gulped.
“Now, you noobies: as Silver Spoon has demonstrated, the Feather Cloak style depends on attitude behind the motions. You must always keep your head high and never let your opponent feel your weakness. So no gulping, Silver Spoon. Growl at your opponent.”
Silver Spoon growled, though it came out sounding like a purr. The big kid in front of her just chuckled. The green pegasus didn’t so much as scrunch his wings at the sound.
Blazing groaned. “Come on, you were doing it right before. Don’t tell me you still can’t stand up for yourself?”
“W-well, I…”
“Grow a spine, girl!” he snapped. “Now growl like you mean it.”
Silver bared her teeth at the boy and growled again, still sounding like a kitten.
Blazing sighed. “Well, that’s hopeless. Get it over with, then.”
Silver barely had time to eep when she felt the boy’s hoof strike her dead-on in the neck, above the right side of her collarbone. The magic in the touch wasn’t far behind, sending a tingle down her chest and right arm. Her punching arm went numb as she backed away. She tried to shake it off like she’d been taught, but this one was stronger than the kids she usually beat up. The magic lingered more.
Master Blazing was treating her to something special today. “Well? Are you just gonna take that?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Use the techniques you’ve learned. Mercurial Hoof, pressure point targeting, that fancy Demon Hunter fighting your father expects you to know.”
Silver chuckled nervously. “But I’ve never tried Mercurial Hoof on a live pony before. What if I hurt him?”
“Then you’ll know how big an opponent you can take, and he’ll know to respect you. If not, he can do to you what you did to them.” He nodded to the bruised kids in the back. “That is our way. If you can’t stand up to somepony bigger, you might as well have quit before you joined.”
Diamond Tiara winced as she watched Silver Spoon got back into striking position.
“Good,” Blazing said. “Now repeat after me: I am a strong Feather Cloak ninja.”
Silver Spoon closed her eyes. “I am a strong Feather Cloak ninja.”
“I am better than other ponies.”
“I am better than other ponies.”
“I can take on anyone.”
“I can take on anyone.” Silver Spoon’s eyes opened, and her teeth were bared again.
“Anyone.”
She lunged.
Scootaloo rather liked sparring in Fire style, even with her supposed aptitude towards Water. The quick jabs were easy enough to learn, and Spike was really taking to it, too. After a few minutes of sparring, she noticed the major difference between him and her: when she used the quick jabs, she still kept her distance, and she still had the reflex of letting her magic flow out steadily with the blows. When Spike did it, he let out quick puffs of breath, and he was never more than one arm’s length away from his opponent, whereas Scootaloo always stepped into or out of the punches.
One thing that started to bother her after a while, though, was Spike’s breath. Or rather, the tiny gouts of flame that came with it. Where her breathing was steady, Spike sounded like he was psyching himself up all the time.
“Okay, good,” Ash said. “Everypony’s got the hang of the outer forms now, time for the meditation.”
Scootaloo and Spike both let off a sigh of relief. They sat down at the back wall, legs crossed as per usual.
“Moongazer, if you please?” Ash said.
Moongazer nodded and straightened her back before speaking. “Fire style, as you’ve noticed, depends on speed. To do it in harmony, your breath needs to be synchronised with the quick punches, and your mind needs to be able to go from relaxed to intense focus with the same speed. That’s what Spike will be mastering now.”
Spike squeed a little.
“The rest of you will only need to master the sight technique. Fire style meditation uses a mental image to slow down the perception of time. If done right, you can start to see things in slow motion. Your reflexes improve, it becomes easier to find an opening in the opponent’s defenses, as well as reacting to attacks. However, you need to keep in mind that like the Water style, this requires a relaxed concentration. It takes extended and dedicated practice to be able to see in slow motion and see pressure points at the same time, at least consciously. That’s more practice than you’ll get before Sunday. So instead, you’ll have to try and switch it up depending on the situation.”
Apple Bloom raised a hoof. “How do you know which one to use, then?”
Ash shrugged. “Depends on the opponent. If they’re trying to do critical damage like Water style, you wanna make sure you see their energy so you can block your own pressure points. If they’re more physical, like, say, you, then you need the speed more. But there is some overlap in the skills, mind you. Now, if there are no more questions, close your eyes and we’ll begin.”
Apple Bloom was a fire, grand and imposing. She was everywhere, burning down a forest. Her breath was an inferno, her hooves crackling and warm. Everything rushed past her, the wind pushing her embers forth for miles. Up above, the moon went through the night sky like a bullet. Everything rushed through her, with her, blazing across the landscape. Everything was red, hot, and her.
Then she felt herself shrinking. Her breath was starting to withdraw from the edges of the forest, the warmth that was her being contracted slowly and steadily.
Another breath, and the flames of her being withdrew again. The trees that she’d consumed mere seconds ago were as large as she was now. The winds that had rushed past before were growing still.
Another breath, and she was only burning one tiny bush now. The darkened forest rose up like a monument, and the flames that were her were growing steadily more still. Up above, the moon was dead centre of the sky, and completely still.
She wasn’t sure how many breaths it was that she was so small, but eventually even the bush she was burning couldn’t hold her anymore. She felt herself falling and shrinking, even going down to the size of a grain of sand. Everything was colossal now, even the tiny leaves she’d been burning mere seconds ago.
The world around her stopped moving. She was a tiny speck of an ember in the woods, and even the dust would take years to settle.
“Now open your eyes.”
At Ash’s command, the kids opened their eyes.
“How are we feeling?” He asked.
“Whoa,” Scootaloo said. “Really woozy, but good.”
“Excellent. Everyone got the image okay?”
Spike stared at his claws, numb.
“Spike? You okay?” Moongazer asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just… feel kinda weird in my stomach.”
Moongazer nodded. “That’s normal. Fire types have their body consciousness centred in their belly. Plus, your actual fire is in there, so that exercise is bound to have some effect on it.”
Spike nodded, slightly out of it.
“Okay.” Ash got up and stretched out. “Back to sparring. First we’ll do pure Fire style, then after lunch y’all are gonna be sparring for real, with all the skills you’ve learned so far.”
Sweetie Belle pouted. “But I haven’t learned my Element yet.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t need it that much for this kind of thing.”
Silver Spoon panted. She was so tired, she was barely aware of where she was. The room was spinning, and something in her stomach had become unsettled.
Then she heard the voice of her master. “Well done, Silver Spoon. You’ve earned the right to the challenger’s circle.”
Only then did she realise she had her right arm stretched out and firmly planted in the other kid’s belly. A vague sense of energy was flowing through her and into him, a sliver of mercury charged with bile and hate.
She withdrew. “Was that it?”
The kid doubled over in pain.
“Yes, that was it. That’s Poison Water style, the Mercurial Hoof. One of the legendary Iron Saddle techniques. You’ve mastered it, like a good apprentice ninja.”
“I don’t think I’d call that mastering it. I can barely see the lights.”
Blazing didn’t care. “Most ponies don’t learn to see anything at all, it’s good enough. Since you’ve gotten this far, I’ll teach you the Seven Deadly Blows next. That’ll make sure you do well against any challengers this Sunday.”
Silver Spoon bit her lip as the boy got up and walked off, head hanging. “Umm, Master Blazing?”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure I’m ready for the challenger’s circle?”
“With the Seven Deadly Blows, you will be. You’ll be the talk of the town after Sunday, the toughest kid in this town. Of course, you’ll have to start going back to Bogsdown after that, if you want to keep up with the classes.”
Silver smiled shyly. “That won’t be a problem. I’ve been doing it, like, for long enough now.”
“Then why are you so anxious?”
“Umm, well…”
Blazing gave her a light tap on the shoulder. “Speak plainly, Silver Spoon. Do not let your resolve waver, ever.”
“There’s, like, these other kids in town.”
“Other fighters?”
She nodded. “Uhuh. And they’re gonna be at the circle too.”
“So? Let them be. You can defeat them.”
“But you don’t understand. These girls, they always get all the attention. Nothing me and my friend ever do gets anypony to look at us. We always get in trouble because of them. How does a Feather Cloak deal with ponies they can’t beat?”
Blazing sighed and sat down. “The same way we face all adversity: head high, chest forward, eyes fixed on the target. Are these girls bullying you?”
The girl gulped and looked at the ground. “Like, it’s kinda hard to tell.”
“Do they call you names?”
Silver Spoon shook her head. “Not me, no, but they did Diamond Tiara.” She nodded towards her friend, who was talking to some of the other kids. Diamond didn’t hear her, thankfully.
Blazing nodded and lowered his voice. “And do they do this frequently?”
“Just once. But it kinda soured everything up afterward.”
“Okay. So they only had to bully you once, and now you’re living in fear of them, is that it?”
“Well…”
“When was this, exactly? Before you joined my class?”
She shook her head. “Little while after. At my friend’s cuteceñeara.”
Blazing whistled, impressed. “That is a harsh sense of timing.”
“Yeah. They kinda forced us out of our own party, out of Diamond’s party. It was supposed to be her big day, and they totally drove her off. We spent most of the afternoon away from everypony else.”
“Goodness, that sounds awful. And no one has punished them for this?”
“No. All of our class liked it. We hid upstairs once they told us off. Not one of our so-called friends came up to talk to us after that. Even the grownups wouldn’t stand up for us.”
“I see. And now these bullies will be at the challenger’s circle, on your big day.”
“Yes, sir.”
Blazing Trail patted the girl on the back. “But you are stronger than they are. You have a lot of potential, you just need to stop bringing yourself down.”
“Really?”
“Really. Look behind you.”
Silver Spoon turned towards the crowd of kids she’d beaten up.
“I get students like you, like them, all the time. You have so much potential, but you let other ponies walk all over you. You suppress your drive to make things right, you convince yourself that you’re beneath other ponies, so you end up sabotaging yourself. The world is a worse place because ponies like you don’t speak up for what’s right, because they can’t speak up for themselves.”
“So the only reason I’m stronger is because I’m cockier than they are?”
“No, you are stronger because, for one thing, you are stronger. You’re trained in the arts more fully. But more importantly, you use your power to the fullest. And if you want to be able to beat those bullies, you can’t afford to let them sap your strength. Believe me, top rookies like you often have to get over that kind of bump in the road.”
Silver Spoon squinted as she put her glasses back on. “Am I really the top rookie?”
Blazing looked towards the other kids, who all nodded. “Best white belt I have, top rookie.”
“So who’s second best, then?”
“Beg your pardon?”
“I never really talked to the other kids here before,” Silver whispered.
“That’s natural; fighters tend to form little cliques in class.”
“Okay, so who’s second best, who’s closest to me? Who can I measure up to?”
“Oh, you mean like that. My second finest isn’t here right now. He’s, ah, working through some issues at the moment, quite like yours. He’ll probably show up later on, once he has his priorities straight.” Blazing almost let out the growl that had built up, but like a true master ninja he kept it in. “But you’re top rookie, you don’t need to concern yourself with second best, just keep improving. You’re going to have to pull out all the stops at the circle if you want to make a name for yourself.”
Silver growled with anticipation. “Pull out all the stops, huh? I can do that. But that still doesn’t answer what I’m supposed to do about the bullies.”
The stallion sighed wistfully. “Well, now, tradition dictates that warriors fight with honour, and through official challenges.”
“Oh.”
Then he smirked. “But of course, this is a school of ninja, and ninja have never been constrained by rules or honour before. Wouldn’t make sense to start now.”
“So what you’re saying is-”
“Go get some lunch, Silver Spoon. The rest of you, too, dismissed. Rookies, we’ll cover more of the basic sparring and attitude adjustment. I’ll demonstrate the Mercurial Hoof for you and the green belts then.”
Silver Spoon turned and headed for the changing rooms.
“And if, for any reason, your bullies should happen to have a change of heart before Sunday, well, that’d make it a bit easier to leave a lasting impression during the circle, wouldn’t it? You know, hypothetically speaking.”
Silver smirked. “Sure. Hypothetically…”
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Full disclosure, I've got a Spike preference here, and if this story didn't have a Spike tag I might have given it a pass (but I've been enjoying the rest too), so... Spike's "style" here seems a little barebones compared to the others, and it didn't really include much characterization for him.
On the other hand, if Spike was a late-game inclusion, I appreciate that you're using him as a supporting character but are determined to give him characterization and include him in the actual story. "Spike is in this story but uh... he's just around while everyone else is important to the story" is pretty common.
And is Silver Spoon just in full-spin mode all the time? Just "I left out we made fun of them at the party, and invited them specifically to do so."
I doubt that even her master would even care if she was a bully, since his whole M.O. is making them. Maybe instead say "then if you've already won, stop worrying about it."
7940021
(edited for clarity, and to avoid rambling... possibly in vain)
I can say without spoiling it too much, that part of the reason Spike isn't centric in POV here is because the story's central focus was always on the CMC, specifically Apple Bloom trying to wrap her head around things. Spike is neither in the CMC nor in Whimper's clique, and shifting the POV that way also let me add a layer of 'alien' ness to how he experiences things. His response is seen from outside, through pony eyes.
Easiest way to ckassify Spike in this story is to look at the Aqualad remarks regarding Rumble again. Rumble is the sports team guy, Spike is the sports team dude. He doesn't take it as seriously as the rest, making his perspective on things different, and that'll continue throughout, for a good reason. I do make him act like a character, in that others wouldn't have fit, but he doesn't have any major arc, I don't think, unless you count his fighting skills (which will be towards the end, obviously). There is also some vital information Spike has that the ponies don't (having consorted with Royal Guard ponies and all). So he does have some important functions to the story, he wasn't tossed in as an afterthought, not in the big scheme of things. He just popped up during the outlining stage and that required revisions of concept. He was still written in, not edited in, is what I'm trying to say
.
The Fire style includes mental imagery, like Water style did. But rest assured, the same way Scootaloo had a talk with Rainbow and Apple Bloom had her encounter with Hammer, Spike will have his talk. If it's not in the next chapter (they all start to bleed into each other when you keep re-reading them so often
) then it's in the next. The day isn't over yet.
As for Silver Spoon, maybe it's not so much her spinning it as it is not seeing things that way. The Feather Cloaks do have a habit of telling themselves how great they are, to further fuel their techniques and hone their focus. A Feather Cloak, by nature, can't admit to being wrong in front of an outsider as a result. It's not as blatant yet, but I'm going for a kind of cultish vibe.
Incidentally, if you are looking for a Spike-centered story, I have one of those, also. It's called Grabby, it deals with the 'greed growth' problem from a medical and practical perspective. Might be to your liking? Assuming you haven't checked it out yet?
7940202
Well, the thing is... Spike indeed isn't in those cliques, because he isn't in anyone's clique. He's not Main 6. He's not CMC. He's not royalty or someone's family or sometimes even consistently treated like a child or an adult. So this mean... there are a lot of situations where it seems like the author says "Spike doesn't really belong in this group" so if he's needed he appears only as little as possible, not getting close to other characters, growing as a person, etc.
Edit: Had epiphany: mostly I'm just happy that he's a significant supporting character, because I don't see that all too often. He's either a central character (which don't get me wrong, I like) or just a cameo. Everything else is just me all on about speculation on why I don't see it as much as I'd like.
But I have read Grabby, yes. I didn't make the author connection until now, though.
Parts of what Silver said ring "true" to what she might seriously believe, like the CMC getting "all the attention", but DT and SS really did mock AB for her lack of mark and continued to do so at the party, so that particular incident rings hollow.
The more I see of the Feather Cloaks, the less I like. At this point, we're going into negatives. I truly do fear for our protagonists. Silver may not be the hardest metal, but it can be sharpened all the same.
Also, very cool imagery with the meditation.
Silver Spoon cannot possibly reach what Blazing Trail wants because that means you wouldn't obey Diamond Tiara's instructions which is pretty much was she always does.