Living Darkness

by vildtiger

Race of Fairness

Note: This happens three weeks after the last chapter. made from the episode "Fall Weather Friends"

What started out as a simple competition between Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned into a full-blown show for the residents in Ponyville. Even the mercenaries have fun watching the two ponies compete who is the best in whatever they challenged each other in doing.
Sniper and Demo even have a bit of fun discussing which one of their partners will win each competition.
Some of them were pretty easy, while others a bit tricky. The catching the bull (who is Spike) with a rope competition is an easy one.

"Applejack, no question about it." Demo laughs and takes a slurp of his cider. Sniper might not have been here as long as Demo, but he has seen Applejack skills with a lasso so he does not argue Rainbow is better, in fact; "Dasher has no chance." He agrees. And so right they are. Applejack easily gets the bull (Spike) while Rainbow ends up catching herself up in a tree. Much to the two turned humans great amusement.
After they have gotten Rainbow down, the competition of who can buck a ball up and down longest begins. Here the two are bit in doubt.
"Applejack is good at bucking trees." Demo muses, eyeing Sniper when he makes a good argument. "Doesn't matter how strong you are, it takes coordination."
"So, which one?" Demo asks but Sniper doesn't know and shrugs, musing. "Dasher is very competitive so it wouldn't surprise me if she has practiced this just for the hell of it." and Demo must say that Applejack might be good at this for he has seen her throw a lot of apples with great coordination.
It turns out that Rainbow won this one, and the two turned humans discuss a bit back and forward about what made Rainbow the winner before turning their attention back to the next competition which is throwing hay bale the furthest. Again they were both bit in doubt since both mares are rather strong. But Sniper forgot a bit about their discussion when he notices that Rainbow is starting to get rude towards Applejack. Maybe it's because she spent a lot of time around him, maybe the element they share has created some unseen connection to make him see her in a clearer way. Whatever it is, he has learned to read her incredibly well and know that Rainbow Dash can quickly let things get to her head and that can make her really rude and a pain in the ass fast. He did calm a bit down when Rainbow did not show further signs of bad behavior as the competitions went on and more and more ponies come to watch.
But then, at the push-up competition. Sniper sees that the crowds cheering has finally gotten to her head of being so determent to win that she starts cheating by using her wings. He narrows his eyes seeing that, but do let it slide this time.
However when she does it again under the long distance jump competition. Sniper decides to step in.
He excuses himself from Demo's company, walks over to the smiling Rainbow Dash over this petty victory and without a warning, he hits her hard over the head.

Rainbow cries in pain from the sudden hit, looking up her eyes meet a glaring Sniper. Annoyed she demands him while flying. "Hey, what was that for?!" She does land when he points angrily at her. "You know the bloody hell what that was for." He sneers down to her, the feathers on his neck have raised, making him look pretty scary. "Did you forget what I told you when those two show ponies cheated?" Rainbow crosses her hooves, annoyed but also a little embarrassed as she has been cheating. "'Do it right or don't do it at all...'"

"So why are you cheating?" Sniper demands her, not one bit impressed when she makes the petty argument: "She never said I couldn't use my wings!" He snorts loudly, nodding towards where Applejack is watching with a frown. "Because she expected you to play fair! Are your head really that far up in the cloud that you cannot see when someone doesn't have bloody wings!" He grabs one of her wings, pulling it hard enough that it hurt just a bit. "Get your head straight this instant Rainbow Dash or I swear I will make sure you won't be able to use your wings for a month."

Rainbow gulps, like Sniper has with her, she is starting to see the subtle hints and have gotten better to read him. That lets her know when he is serious about something. This is one of the times were his threats aren't empty air. She really must've ruffled his feathers with her small cheating, it's clear he does not like cheaters. But she wants to win so much! She hates losing, but she doesn't want to push Sniper's buttons either. "Alright, fine." She grumbles and returns back to the competitions, annoyed that Sniper is watching her sharply, daring her to cheat again. She is very close in doing it more than once when Applejack starts to win more than her.
At the final competition, which is a Tug of War. When Applejack is right about to pull her into the mud pole, it gets too much and Rainbow Dash uses her wings and flies above the mud, pulling Applejack above the mud pole with ease.

"That's not fair." Applejack says through the rope she is stubbornly holding. "You can't use your wings to help you win."

Completely ignoring this is cheating because she is- in her head wining, Rainbow pretends she cannot hear what Applejack is saying.

"You're cheating!" Applejack says angrily, she did not see that the other bearer of Loyalty is getting up from his lying spot, like her, eyes flaring of what Rainbow is doing.

If Rainbow has been looking, then she would've perhaps realized that she has stepped over the line. But she did not because her mind is drunk on being the one winning and did the fatal mistake in keep on pretending she cannot hear what Applejack is saying. To her great amusement, Applejack lets go of the robe. "I said... uh-oh," realizing she let go, Applejack drops into the mud. Rainbow cheers along with the crowd and flies over to put the number on the counter. But stops when Sniper lands on the counter board, not even his sunglasses can cover the fury there is in his eyes. Fluttershy, who has been the one keeping count does the smart thing by getting the heck away. Rainbow does not, she is too caught up in she won this competition and thus the winner of who is the Iron Pony. "Did you see that? I won!" He keeps glaring at her but again she does not notice. "I am the Iron Pony! Oh yeah, I always—" she never got the chance in finishing her boast, for the next moment she gets thrown to the ground, staring scared up to a growling and now predator looking Sniper.

"You just had to push it"

Rainbow's eyes wide, realizing her mistake. "Sniper, I— argh!" She cries when he lashes his right claw right over her wing, leaving three scratch mark over them. She tries to get away from the enraged griffin, but he keeps her firmly in place by standing on her tail. He lifts his claws again but before he can scratch the other wing, red magic surrounds him and Demo throws him off her.

"That's enough Sniper!" Demo shouts and Soldier forces the greatly pissed griffin down. "You made your point." Everyone are super quiet and many of them, including the rainbow-haired mare have gotten quite scared of their griffin residence.

"I'm sorry..." Rainbow apologizes, holding her slightly bleeding wing. She is scared of him, but she feels like she deserved this for he did warn her if she cheated again. She winches away when Sniper manages to get free from Soldier's grasp, but instead of attacking her as she thought he would. He gives her an angry, but also very hurt glare, something that makes Rainbow heart break. He flees from the scene after that.
Rainbow only notices she has her hoof reached out after him when Applejack is beside her, musing. "He was the last I thought who would react this way... you alright there Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow nods slowly. "Yeah... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cheated."

No, she shouldn't Applejack agrees on that, but she doesn't go around and leave scratch marks over somepony's wings for it. She voices this to Rainbow, helps her up with. "Better let Medic see you." And brings her over to where Medic is. The doctor pony quickly removes the scratch marks over Rainbow Dash's wing but is far from troubled by Sniper's behavior. Much to Applejack's confusions. "You don't see anything- well, wrong of how Sniper hurt Rainbow?"

"Of course not." Medic brushes her off. In fact, that measly scratch mark is nothing compared to what Sniper has done to Soldier and Spy when they decided to piss him off. "It's just how he is." And walks off along with Heavy.

Applejack stare dumbfounded after the doctor pony, then turns to Rainbow Dash. "Well, perhaps it's best you give him some space. I mean, I am peached you cheated, but his reaction was overkill!" Rainbow lowers her head slightly, Applejack claps her back friendly. "Anyway, and sorry to say this Rainbow Dash, but if we disqualify the two competitions where you cheated; I win."

That snaps Rainbow Dash out from her gloom about Sniper and is right back into her competitive mode and thus her rude egotistic behavior. "No way! I won the Iron pony competition, you are just a sour apple because you couldn't beat me. And even if I haven't used my wings, I would've still won."

Applejack snorts for that's just too amusing. "I doubt it, but if you really up to the task losing fair and square. I challenge you to a race in Running of the Leaves."

A challenge Rainbow is more than happy to accept, in fact, she is not worried she will lose. "Heh! Easy shmeasy." She laughs flies off but gets flung back to the ground by Applejack pulling her tail.
"Hold on!" The orange mare says, keeping her to the ground by stepping on her tail like Sniper did. "There is one condition: the point is to run, so no wings allowed. "Rainbow easily throws her off, smirking. "No problem." They spit in their hooves and shake that the challenge is accepted. Rainbow blows a strawberry at the orange earth pony, easing the tension slightly with them both laughing but not enough to make tomorrow's race just for fun. For Rainbow, this is serious.

At a distance, Demo is watching the two mares gearing each up for tomorrow's race and is starting to get the feeling that those two will be so caught up in the race and winning that he won't be surprised if they end up fighting. Their competitive behavior does remind him of the War Games when both teams are at a draw and they have only one match to beat the other and escapes the humility round. Those matches were always the most brutal and were the worst in them often came out, well almost everyone. Now that Demo thinks about it, he does recall from both RED and BLU memories that Sniper always refused to leave his nest in those matches, stubbornly sticking to his role as a supporting class instead of going all homicide as the others had a tendency of doing. Sniper only goes out in the field with his bow and arrow and lets a bit loose if the field allows him, otherwise he refuses to go all bloodthirsty. Sure Sniper can be such an asshole with his insults when he dominates the area he stays in, but that is always from the scope, never the knife. It makes Demo wonders if that is what made Sniper snap like this? Because Rainbow broke the rules? The hell is he knows, Sniper never talks to anyone. Well, maybe it is time he does it, for he doubts Rainbow Dash or Applejack will even listen to him with them drunk on competition.
Finding Sniper has always been a pain in the ass, it's a wonder that someone who doesn't have an invisibility watch can disappear just as well as Spy. Pretty sure that the only times he knows Sniper location was always after he got killed by him. Sure hope it won't be the case here.
Demo looks up to the many clouds covering the sky, but sees no griffin on any of them, checking the roofs of Ponyville, no griffin there either. "Where are you, you overgrown turkey?" He wonders out loud.

"I'm no bloody turkey."

Ah, there he is. Demo didn't find him, but still better than nothing he guess. Turning around, he finds... nothing. Looking up, he spots Sniper sulking up in the nearby tree, walking over. "Do you prefer kitty-cat then?" He asks Sniper with a grin. Sniper grumbles annoyed of the tease, "What do you want?" he asks. Getting right to the case, as always. No reason beating around the bush anyway. "What made you lash out on Rainbow?" Demo asks, he gets no answer, no big surprise there; this is Sniper he is talking to. "It looked like it was something there has been ruffling you up for a long time. If it is, then could you attack one from the team instead? We are used to be someone else's punching bag." Sniper's tail flicker, a sign he hit a nerve. How Demo has no idea. "We're all dealing with some shit, hell the whole split soul business is a clear indication. Yeah, I get you have some issues, but at least attack someone who doesn't get scared shitless when you reaches the breaking point."

"I don't care who it was. It is not professional to lash out over something this bloody small." Sniper grumbles, he shoots the surprised one-eyed pony a glare. "I have no right attacking someone who I'm not contracted to kill and those I am paid to kill should get a clean dead."

Holy crap, he got Sniper talking! This must be affecting Sniper really badly or Demo must be really drunk and just pretending he is having a real talk with Sniper. Whatever it is, Demo takes it. "Mind enlighten me what made you snap?" Sniper turns his back to him, for a painfully long time he is quiet. Then, just as Demo is about to give up and leave. The griffin speaks. "You remember how you all mocked me for not being a real Austrailian?" Demo blinks, yeah, he remembers. They all thought he would be some Heavy sized man with a big mustache and mannerism like Saxton Hale. Boy, did they get the surprise and laugh when this lanky man walked into the base, claiming to be their sniper. The accent made it clear he was an Aussie, but everything else, well Demo must say that he do feel a bit embarrassed how much he laughed along with the rest that they got a quiet runt of an Australian on the team. "Yeah, I remember. Must say you took it rather well." Demo remarks, remembering that Sniper brushed it off, like... oh. "You were used to it." He realizes.

"Yeah, been mocked about it all my life." Sniper replies mournfully of all those memories of being bullied that he is not what people think when they think of an Aussie. His eyes harden. "You wanna know how a 'true' Australian fixes their problems? They punch it until it's no longer there. Car's not working, punch it. Disagreement with your friend, punch him until he agrees. Random person in the way, punch them out of the way. There is no talking past those people, no fair play. If an Australium pumped Aussie does not win a race. They will beat the winner to a pulp and claim they won while their hands are still wet from that poor bloke's blood."

So that's why Sniper always gets so pissed when someone starts to cut corners; because it reminds him of the people he has been dealing with ever since he was just a boy. "Is that's why you try so bloody hard do it right?"

"My dad always told me to do the job honest and correct." Sniper sighs, he and his old man might not agree on his choice of job, but he owes that stubborn old geezer a lot. His father taught him to use his brain instead of his fists—and how to swear up a storm. His old man has one hell of a mouth when he gets angry, something his son picked up. And his mother. "Mum taught me to be polite. It skips a few times when I get pissed or drugged on domination, but I try."

Oh yes, Sniper tries to be the polite bushman. And sure Sniper can be such an asshole, most of the time it happens if the person has been dumb enough to piss him off, but as Sniper said, he can say some nasty things when geared up when dominating a certain area– then again, they all get like that when on a killing spree. Sniper's parents sound like two people loving their son, and watching the turned Aussie, he can see and hear the pride, yet sadness in his tone when talking about his folks. "How is your relationship with them?"

"Complicated, they don't like my job." Sniper shrugs. And thinking about it, he does sort of understand. Dad was part of the First World War and still dealing trauma from it. That's probably why dad really dislike him being an assassin, because it reminds him of the war. Sniper never joined in the second war like the rest, he spent most of his time in the bush and took a few jobs killing people. He only saw war when he joined RED, although Sniper won't call the War Games a real war: people don't come back in a real war. Eyeing the one-eyed pony at the base of the tree. "What about you? What shit do you deal with?"

"Besides being a bloody drunkard?" Demo grins up to him and do sees it fair that he share bit of his backstory with Sniper after the sharpshooter did it with him. Demo takes a seat at the base of the tree. "Well, I think it all started when my adoptive parents brought me out to test my explosive skills—" He tells Sniper that he accidentally killed his loving adoptive parents– the cause for his self-anger which only strengthens when his real parents never were as loving as those he killed. "Don’t get me wrong;" he glances up to the listening griffin. "I love my mom, but she can be so overbearing on how stuck she is in my family demolition tradition. When I lost my eye, my parents weren't horrified, instead they were so proud when they thought I lost it during my explosive practice."

"But you told us you lost it to that crazy wizard." Sniper says, quite surprised how Demo's parents reacted to their son lost an eye. If it has been his parents, his mother would bring him to a hospital no matter what he said and his father lecture him for weeks for being that foolhardy before helping him out how to live with it.

"I did, and when my folks heard that." Demo chuckles humorlessly. "They put me under house arrest for a month."

"Cricky." Sniper muses, glad that he only has a sort of normal family issue with his parents.

"Yeah, anyway" Demo gets back on his hooves, thinking now it's time to speak business. "I really came to find you so I could speak about our element partners."

Sniper is already fearing the worst. "Still at that bloody competition on who is best?"

Demo nods. "Yup, Applejack challenged Rainbow to the race tomorrow. I will try and speak with Applejack that they are starting to take this too far but I doubt it will make any chance." He muses, as he too has learned a lot about his partner in his time here, one of them is that Applejack is one stubborn girl.

"Yeah, Rainbow has a tendency pushing people past their limit." Most of the times she does it for the betterment and passing the limit to those she is pushing forward. Fluttershy is a good example, but the moment her ego gets into the mix. Well, someone is going to get hurt.
Sniper changes position on the branch he is lying on. "And this time it's for her own ego."

Demo nods, Applejack is an honest pony, trying her best playing fair, but she does kick strongly back when pushed as Rainbow now does. "I was thinking the two of us should show them how a healthy competition should look like." Sniper raises a brow, Demo chuckles in agreement to Sniper thoughts. "Weird I know. A drunken mercenary and rugged assassin showing two ponies how to do a—"

"No, no I think you're right." Sniper jumps down from the tree, this might be what he needs to get through Rainbow's thick head. "Words doesn't work on Rainbow when she's like this. She has to get the lesson thrown hard against her head."

"And Applejack, although stubborn in her way will snap out from it when she realizes she is going too far." Demo says, agreeing that being those two mares partners might teach them how to work together. Grinning Demo offers Sniper his hoof. "So, ready for a fair and square competition tomorrow?"

Sniper first-bumps it with a grin over his beak as well. "Yeah, loser buy the other guy a drink."

"Deal."

***

The next day at the race and ignoring Pinkie playing the announcer. Demo and Sniper- both pumped but doing their best not letting this competition get to their heads like their partners.
They get their number to the race and head over to the starting line. When Demo starts having a flirting chat with one of the ponies, Sniper rolls his eyes and leaves. He does pass Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both trying to keep their cool but fails as they just can't stop taunting one another. He decides to ignore them, knowing they are too caught up in the excitement that they won't listen. He only nears them when Pinkie calls them to get to the line. He gives Twilight a polite nod when she joins, turning when Rainbow and Applejack voices their confusions seeing both him and the purple unicorn here.

"What in tarnation are you two doing up here?" Applejack asks these two, well she can sort of look past that Sniper is racing even though he's not a pony, but Twilight.
Said purple pony dismisses the scroll she has been reading, replying with a smile. "I'm racing." and Rainbow burst out laughing. Applejack must say that she too has trouble keeping a straight face hearing that the bookworm to Twilight is going to race. Agreeing with Rainbow Dash's words. "You're not an athlete, you're a... well... you're an egghead."

"I am not an egghead, I am well-read." Twilight argues but that did not help on her defend, the two other mares snicker and Twilight frowns annoyed at them, happy at least one here isn't acting like a foal.
Sniper sends the two mares a look and they stop snickering when he says hard. "It doesn't matter what she is, if she wants to race, let her bloody race." Twilight smiles to the seemly still grumpy griffin. "Thank you Sniper, besides," turning back to the two athlete ponies "the Running of the Leaves is a Ponyville tradition, and since I'm here to learn, I've decided I should experience it myself."

"Well, I think that's just dandy, Twilight. Good luck." Applejack says but is unable to keep a straight face of the thought Twilight is running a race, Rainbow is less subtle about it. She is straight out laughing when she says. "Yeah. See you at the finish line... tomorrow!"

Sniper rolls his eyes along with Twilight. "Scout's more mature than you." He grumbles, said half-changeling looks at them from his name being said before going back to ready himself for the race. Sniper eyes the youngest of the team, certain that if Scout does not get caught in Rainbow and Applejack's stupid competition, he will win. But he doubts Scout will as he- like Rainbow has trouble keeping his ego and mouth in check.
Pinkie and Spike, both working as the announcer call them to be ready and when they ring the bell. Sniper starts to run along with the others. But he did not speed up, knowing that if he does not pace himself, he won't be able to finish the race. So he trots alongside Twilight there simply smiles and quietly they both trots on while admiring the leaves falling from the race. Sniper must admit that this world is strange from how much the ponies control the seasons.

Further ahead, Demo is running beside Berry Punch, both having bit of fun by playfully challenging each other to pick up the pace. Demo is sure he will pay for it later, but he really didn't join this race to win. Unlike certain three others in form of Scout, his and Sniper's element partners, those three runs so fast that they slowly but steady leaves the rest in the dust, Demo merely runs for the fun of it. It's not often he can do such things back in the human world.
Suddenly, Applejack trips and Demo does look back when he and the flock of ponies pass by her, then a nudge on his side from Berry reminds him of the race and he returns back racing his sweetheart. Must admit she is pushing his limits in speed, still fun though.

Sniper and Twilight, being quite far behind but neither worrying does slow down when both spots Applejack getting up after she tripped.
"I don't believe it!" Applejack exclaims, and Twilight replies her, mistaking her words from the wonders of watching the leaves falling from the race. "I know, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

Applejack snorts lightly. "Not the scenery, Twilight. Rainbow Dash just tripped me."

Sniper trots up beside her and points out. "She did not, you tripped over the rock over there." But as Demo predicted yesterday, Rainbow has pushed Applejack so much that she cannot see what right in front of her as the orange mare retorts. "She did too!"

Before Sniper can snap back at her, Twilight steps in, lecturing her friend. "She did not, and if you slowed down and looked where you're going, you'd see that you tripped over a rock." Twilight nods to the rock Applejack tripped over. It does calm Applejack down, but also reminding her that she is far behind the others and takes off again. "Just be careful!" Twilight calls after her and says smiling to Sniper. "Let's go." He nods and they start their trotting again while admiring the beautiful view of red, yellow and orange leaves fall from the effect of the race. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She asks the griffin.

Sniper nods in agreement and glad he did agree to this race just to get back out and see the beauty of nature again.

Further up front, Demo is looking behind as he hasn't seen Sniper all race. He spots the other turned human and can't help but laugh that Sniper and Twilight are more interested in watching the nature than racing. Why isn't he sur— he trips and lands face first onto the ground.
Stopping as Demo did matter more than the race, Berry Punch helps the one-eyed pony up, asking. "You alright?"
Demo nods and turns to see what he tripped over, proves to be Rainbow Dash and she is mad~

"I don't believe it, Applejack tripped me!"

Demo and Berry Punch eye one another, then the tree stump the rainbow haired pegasus clearly tripped over. Berry takes a step over to her, saying softly. "Um, Rainbow Dash, you tripped on the stump." Pointing at the object in question. "See?"
But Rainbow clearly did not hear her right, still thinking that Applejack tripped her. "Oh, I see. A big cheater is what I see." This time Demo steps over to her, ignoring that Twilight and Sniper is trotting past them. He can always catch up when he has sat this pony straight. "Come now, Rainbow, you know Applejack is better than that. She would never cheat, you tripped over a log nothing more."

"Sure it was." Rainbow snorts, she does change her tone when Applejack's partner sends her a look. "I mean, yeah, I'm sure it was. You are right, of course your partner wouldn't go this low." and gallops off, certain that Applejack made her partner help her on this, well two can play at this game.

Demo and Berry eye one another, then starts galloping again.

Rainbow quickly catches up to the slow pacing Sniper and Twilight. "Hey Snipes, you got a minute?" She asks innocently.

Sensing she is up to no good for a mile away, Sniper tells his answer straight away. "Forget it."

"I haven't told you anything yet." Rainbow argues.

"No need, you have the same face Scout has when he's going to prank one of us." Sniper points out and sends the pegasus a firm stare. "I want no part of you playing dirty. Let's go Twilight." and trots off.

Annoyed of her partner's refusal to work with her like Applejack did with Demo— hold up, he did help her. Sniper suggested she should get help from Scout. Smirking devilishly Rainbow gallops as fast as she can, catching up to Applejack and most important: Scout. She gets up beside the grinning and fellow speedster. "Hey, watch this." She grabs a branch and lets it smack right back at Applejack, throwing the earth pony to the ground.
Scout laughs, "Nice one!" but the second she passes him and takes the lead, a baseball hits her over the head, knocking her to the ground and Scout runs past her, calling. "See you at the finishing line knucklehead!" Oh so that's how he play?! He is so on!

A bit past the halfway mark, Sniper decides that now he can pick up the pace. "It's been nice but I'm going to leave you now." He tells Twilight and starts to run, not that she minded as she calls cheerfully back. "See you at the finishing line!" He easily catches up to the other ponies there all have gotten tired of keeping their fast pace. He does slow a bit down when passing Demo, he tips his hat to the unicorn and runs off.

Demo laughs try to pick up the pace but is too tired so he returns back to a trot, watching Sniper get up in front. He laughs harder when Scout, like two other ponies busier fighting than running gets stuck in a pole of sticky tree sap. "Keep up it up Scout!" He passes the speedster, and sure will be amused if he ends up getting to the finishing line before their youngest and fastest member.
He doubts it though for about a minute later, Scout speed past him, calling taunting back. "Eat my dust, Cyclops!"
and not long after, Demo and many other ponies pass Scout and the two mares, they are so busy fighting that they forget to run the race.
He does pick up the pace when spotting the finishing line, he and Berry get over the line just behind Twilight. "Not too shabby." He laughs to Berry there nods, they did not get a medal like Twilight but it didn't really matter. About seven minutes later, after everyone have passed the finishing line. Applejack passes the line, closely followed by Rainbow and Scout trying to trip one another. Well, now Demo sees why Rainbow and Scout never became partners. They are too similar that they would butt heads instead of working together, yes even over a silly race. The two speedsters land onto the ground, rather battered from their fist- um hoof fight.

"I won." Applejack calls to Rainbow, smirking of the victory. Rainbow is quickly on her hooves, glaring. "Only because you cheated!" and Applejack throws back. "Only when you started it!"

"Congratulation!" Pinkie calls up from the hot-air balloon, making the two mares look up, and Spike tells the three. "You were the last!" Much to their horror.

"Last?!" They cry in shock and Scout demands up to them. "Who won?!"

"I did." Sniper smirks, walking over to them with the gold medal around his neck. His smirk widens when Rainbow exclaims in disbelief. "But you ran so slow! You was busier looking at the scenery!" Rolling his eyes Sniper tells her. "Yeah, it's calling pacing." Poking her chest. "I knew I couldn't run at full speed all the way, so halfway; when everyone was tired. I sprinted."

Twilight walks over to them, explaining she pretty much did the same thing. "I followed the same tactic, but since I don't have the training, I could only do the sprint at the end." She eyes her own medal. "But I say I did a good job considering this was my first race."

Sniper nods to her. "You did a good job." and he turns back to the three there came last because of their own ego. "If you three haven't been so busy screwing each other over, you would've beaten everyone, but-" He lifts head up high and allows himself a moment of gloating. "You didn't so I won the medal and you ended up losing the whole thing."

"I can't believe Sniper beat me in a race." Scout shakes his head, teaches him not to get caught in screwing up other players. "Man, I am not going to hear the end of it." He laughs weakly.

"You will when you figure out how to be a good sport." Sniper points out, Scout smiles weakly back. Then Sniper turns to Rainbow, his smile fades.

Rainbow drops her head, feeling terrible of her behavior and can taste the medicine the Flim, Flam brothers tasted when they beat them in the same game of playing fair. It is a very sour medicine. "Okay, I get it now. Fairness get you further than cheating your way up."

"Sounds to me that an important lesson was learned." Princess Celestia says smiling, walking over to the group.
The ponies bow the second she made her appearance, Twilight friends are quite surprised too seeing their ruler among them.
"W-What are you doing here?" Applejack asks with a small stutter of awe seeing her here and Celestia explains the ponies and griffin. "Fall is one of my favorite seasons, so I came to celebrate the Running of the Leaves."

"I'm sorry you had to see us being such poor sports, Princess." Applejack apologizes.

Celestia is okay with it, she might not be competitive in nature but she does understand that ponies can get quite swept up in the competition. She is happy these three ponies did learn their lesson, however. "Unfortunately, because the three of you were busy tricking each other instead of shaking down leaves, many of the lovely trees of Ponyville are still covered." She eyes the area where a lot of trees still have leaves on.
The half-changeling flies halfway up to her, declaring smiling. "No problem! We gonna get those leaves down for ya— let's go you two!" and he gallops off.

Rainbow and Applejack eye one another with latter asking. "Whaddya say, friend? Wanna go for another run?" Rainbow nods and promise both her and Sniper. "No cheating this time, promise" and runs off with Applejack close behind.

Sniper snorts with a smile over his beak. "I take your word for it."

Author's Note:

it's been long I last made a Sniper and Rainbow Dash centered chapter, so what better is letting Sniper teach Rainbow a moral he was taught by his old man.

Part of this chapter was inspired by one of the last chapters of Waking Nightmares, the fanfiction there inspired me to write this whole crossover. KnightMysterio realized too that Scout and Rainbow Dash won't make a good team by being too similar in attitude, they will just gear each other up to do some really stupid things.