a 'shower', a 'duel' and a 'bet'
Applejack had continued to train with Raindrops at wrestling for a bit more than an hour. Raindrops was nearly out of breath, while Applejack was just lightly panting. The nurse had decided that Raindrops' training for today was over, at the concerned party's great relief. Turner and Zecora looked at her data sheets with a smile, her times were growing steadily. She was now able to hold up against Applejack for nearly three minutes.
"I still don't see why we don't simply send Applejack in the wrestling competitions." Allie said casually, earning a dark stare from Raindrops. "Don't look at me like that, Rain'. You've seen it just like me, she completely overpowers you."
"Vinyl does overpower ya as well, Allie!" Applejack said calmly as she came down from the ring. "Yet, ya're the one in for the precision contests."
"Yes, Vinyl has more raw magic power. But for the precision contests you need precision!" Allie remarked. "And I'm the best for that!" She added with pride.
"That's the same for this situation my dear." Zecora explained softly. "Raindrops might lack Applejack's strength, but her techniques compensate for it. That's pretty clear."
"Why does she train with Applejack then?" Rarity asked in curiosity. "If the technique already compensate, why not focussing on that?"
"The technique, she already has it." Zecora shrugged. "Now, she needs the power to go with it!"
"I see, training her with Applejack will only help her in developing the strength she lacks at the moment." Rarity said in realization.
"Exactly!" Turner chimed in with a nod.
"Zecora, Ah'm taking ma lunch break." Applejack noted her coach who nodded in agreement. "Care to grab a bite with me, Rarity?" She asked the seamstress with a hopeful smile.
"Sure thing, Dear." Rarity winked.
"Awesome! Let me get a quick shower first." Applejack said before going inside the bathroom.
"Zecora, why don't we go see how Ditzy's doing?" The nurse asked with an hint of worry in her voice.
"Redheart, I think it might be a good think to do, yes!" Zecora nodded. "I hope that her efforts are meeting success."
With that Zecora, Turner, Raindrops and nurse Redheart went outside the gym, after having given Allie and Rose the instructions for their next exercises. Sweetie asked Rarity the permission to go see the flying practice, something she agreed without hesitation. Soon enough, Rarity was left with for sole company the two training women.
"So, you're Rarity Belle from the Council of Harmony." Rose said hesitantly while she was working her legs on the press.
"Indeed, I am." Rarity answered.
"We're sorry for earlier." Allie said in a low ashamed tone. "We shouldn't have talked to you and your friend like that."
"It's ok!" Rarity waved off.
"Drats! Can someone brin' me a towel? Ah forgot to take one!" Applejack shouted from the bathroom.
"On it, Darling." Rarity answered before taking a fresh towel from a nearby cupboard and making way toward the bathroom.
"Thanks, Sugarcube!"
"How did you know where the towels were?" Allie asked with a puzzled look.
"It's hardly my first time in this gym, dear." Rarity casually answered before entering the bathroom, leaving Rose and Allie alone.
"You know, Applejack never forgets a towel before going in the shower." Allie pondered.
"You watch Applejack's bathroom habits?" Rose asked with a crooked eyebrow.
"Yes, but that's not the point." Allie shrugged. "I think she wanted someone to bring her a towel." she added with a knowing smile.
"Yes, that's what Applejack asked." Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"I'll rephrase if for you. I think she wanted someone to bring her a towel, while she's in the shower....naked."
"Oooooooooh!" Rose said with a growing blush. "You think that..."
"Mhmm! Want to go spy on them?" She asked with a sly grin.
Rose eyed the bathroom door for a few seconds before answering with a similar grin. "Why not!"
Rarity entered the bathroom, noticing Applejack's clothes all over the floor. She sighed in annoyance before collecting her lover's clothes with her magic while she made way toward the occupied stall. She knocked at the shower's door and passed the towel above it.
"Your towel, Darling."
"Thank ya kindly, Rarity." Applejack said. "So, how was your arrival at Ponyville?"
"It was nice, could have been better if you'd come though." Rarity said in a small blaming tone.
"Sorry about that Sugarcube." Applejack said apologetically. "Ah wanted to go, but yesterday's training had tuckered me out."
"It's ok, Dear. I understand." Rarity said with sincerity. "How do you feel about the Games?"
"It depends. Will ya cheer for me?" Applejack asked playfully.
"Don't ask the obvious, Darling." Rarity chuckled. "Of course, I'll cheer for you!"
"Then, Ah'm sure to win!" Applejack said happily.
Soon after, she got out of the shower with her towel wrapped up around her body. She walked straight to the cupboard below the sink to retrieve a small box from it. She opened the box and pulled out of it a thin silver chain she passed around her neck. Applejack turned around to face Rarity, wearing a apple shaped medallion with a purple diamond.
"You keep it your gym's bathroom?" Rarity asked with a false anger, decided on getting back at the farmer for yesterday.
"Well, Ah don't want it to get damaged during practice." Applejack said sheepishly, scratching the tip of her nose. "Otherwise, Ah wear it all the time."
"All the time?" Rarity asked. "That's not fashion wise, Darling!"
"Oh! Well okay then..." Applejack said with a saddened tone. "Ah just thought that ya..."
"That I would wear mine all the time like you?" Rarity asked.
"Kinda.." Applejack whispered.
"Well..." Rarity opened the top of her shirt, letting the farmer see that she was wearing a silver medallion with an orange apple-shaped gemstone. "You were right! It never leaves me!" She smiled before hugging Applejack.
"Ya're terrible for makin' me feel like this." Applejack said in relief.
"You're right. I should make it up to you." She said sensually, slightly pecking her lover's lips. Applejack's mood perked up instantly.
"Hold on to that thought, Sugar!" Applejack whispered before going in front of the bathroom's door and kicked it strongly, causing two surprised feminine yelps from the other side of it. "Ah can't hear ya workin' out, y'all two! Git it done, this instant." She heard panicked footsteps followed by the sounds of two working out machines.
"Ah think Ah asked you out for a lunch." Applejack said softly while making her way toward a locker. "Let me get changed and we'll go. We'll talk about this makin' up to me thin' a bit later." Applejack added with a wink. Rarity bit her lower lip in anticipation.
"Fine, Dear. I'll wait for you to get ready outside, then." Rarity said in the calmest tone she could muster.
"Who said ya had to leave while Ah change, Sugarcube?" Applejack said sensually before opening her locker and letting her towel fall on the ground.
"Oh....My....Star!" Rarity whispered in a not so much calm tone.
Zecora, her assistants and Raindrops got out of the gym and started to observe Ditzy's flying, followed by an excited Sweetie Belle. Ditzy's flying had been going smoothly since her earlier crash. Pinkie and Fluttershy let Sweetie Belle sat between them as they watched the grey winged woman go through her cloud made obstacle course. Twilight only watched the course with one absent eye, lost in her thoughts. She didn't even noticed Cloud Kicker coming right next to her.
"Everything's ok, Ms Sparkle?" Cloud Kicker asked, causing the dark skinned woman to start in surprise.
"Pinkie told you to drop the Ms thing, Lieutenant Kicker." Twilight said after regaining her composure.
"No, she said to drop the Lady thing." Cloud Kicker noted playfully.
"Same thing!"
"Kinda true." Cloud Kicker admitted. "But I can't go around calling you, my boss' sister and the Princess' student, by your first name. People'll slander." She added with a small chuckle.
"As if you're not used to it." Twilight groaned. After having realize what she had said, she covered her mouth with her hand, thinking she had just offended the guard. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She added quickly in a apologetic tone.
"It's ok, Ms Sparkle." Cloud Kicker said softly.
"No, it's not ok, Lieutenant Kicker. It was incredibly rude of me." Twilight said, her head hanging low. "And stop calling me Ms Sparkle."
"On two conditions." Cloud Kicker said extending two fingers up. "First, you're gonna stop calling me by my rank. That's for other guards and higher ups. Not for friends!" She lifted Twilight's chin to have a good look at her. "And second, you're gonna stop making such a sad face. It doesn't suit a pretty girl like you." Cloud Kicker said softly, Twilight started to blush.
"A-All right, Lieut...Cloud Kicker." Twilight said with a small growing smile.
"Atta girl!" Cloud Kicker smiled back.
"Cloud Kicker!" Zecora shouted.
Cloud Kicker turned around just in time to catch what Zecora had thrown at her. A sheathed foil. Cloud Kicker saw Zecora approaching her holding a long bamboo staff in her left hand.
"You didn't think I had forgotten about you, you slacker." Zecora chuckled.
"Hey! I don't slack off." Cloud Kicker said, pretty offended by that comment. "I work just as hard as the others!"
"Off course, an hour of watching Ditzy flying." Zecora said with a smile. "After half an hour of back massage, That's really exhausting." She added in a playful tone, earning a small giggle from Twilight.
"All right, fine." Cloud Kicker said, with a small embarrassed blush on her cheeks. "Let's get this over with." She said, drawing the foil out its sheath.
"Hmm! An unusual motivation I sense in you!" Zecora noted, before looking at Twilight. "Perhaps, for the competition, we can ask your latest conquest to stand close to you." She added playfully.
"What? No, I..She...We're not....How could...." Twilight stammered in a whisper with an intense blush.
"Hey, don't go around making pretty girls like her flustered like that, Coach." Cloud Kicker reproached. "That's my job!"
"What?" Twilight shouted, her dark skin now completely bright red from embarrassment.
Her shout was completely ignored by the two women who took position a couple meters away from each other. Cloud Kicker placed her left forearm behind her back, pointing her sword at her coach. Zecora spun her staff in her left hand, before grabbing with both hands and taking a spearman stance.
"On three." Zecora said softly.
"Don't complain if I wipe the floor with you, Coach." Cloud Kicker said with a cocky grin.
"If such a thing should happen, It wouldn't bother me." Zecora nodded with a smirk. "One,..Two.. Three!"
Zecora started her assault on Cloud Kicker. She delivered a series of swift thrusts with her staff. Cloud Kicker drew her sword close to her and replied to Zecora's assault with incredibly fast parries. Zecora took a small jump backwards before thrusting her staff forward with all her might. Her blow was deflected by another parry from Cloud Kicker.
'Wow, that's really impressive!' Twilight thought. 'This Zecora is sure good. No wonder she's the one training Ponyville's team. Cloud Kicker's completely overwhelmed.'
Twilight got joined by the others, even Ditzy had stopped her flying practice to watch Cloud Kicker's and Zecora's fight. Zecora's fierce assault didn't falter and the only thing Cloud Kicker could do was block her blows.
"Zecora's gonna lose." Ditzy casually said, still hovering a meter or two above the others.
"Indeed she is, Ditzy." Turner nodded.
"What?" Pinkie, Twilight and Sweetie Belle shouted in confusion.
"How can she lose?" Twilight asked with a puzzled expression. "Cloud Kicker can't manage a single strike."
"No, she simply chooses to not take any yet." Turner shook his head.
"Huh?"
"Look at her stance. She hasn't broken it since the fight started, am I right?" Turner asked with a knowing smile.
Twilight took her attention back to Cloud Kicker with a bewildered frown. After a few seconds, her eyes went wide in realization. Cloud Kicker hadn't moved from her spot since the beginning of the fight. In fact the only moves she had done so far were those of her arm wielding her sword and occasionally her upper body.
Cloud Kicker deflected Zecora's staff with more strength than before, causing the black woman to lose her rhythm and stance. She finally took a step forward and put the point of her foil on Zecora's chest, right where the heart was supposed to be. She gave it a small poke.
"And I win again, Coach!" Cloud Kicker chuckled playfully.
"Wow!" Twilight whispered in complete admiration.
Vinyl had finished her exercises with Alizee. After having given her faithful horse her rewards for her hard work, a big hug and a couple of Almata apples, Vinyl joined Octavia on the other side of the fence Octavia was still leaning on to. Vinyl passed her arms around Octavia's waist putting her hands on her lover's belly, while she rested her head on Octavia's right shoulder. The cellist sighed in contentment when the woman behind her started to peck her neck lovingly.
"You missed me that much, Love?" Octavia whispered.
"You have no idea." Vinyl answered as she nibbled her lover's ear tenderly.
"Vinyl...Not now." Octavia said with a shaking voice. She clearly didn't want to stop despite what she was saying.
"Awww, are you sure?" Vinyl asked with a bit of disappointment, not interrupting her nibbling. "You want me to stop?"
"...N-No...I mean, yes." Octavia moaned softly. "You can't be allowed to lose your focus."
"Party-pooper." Vinyl pouted as she stopped her flirting activity much to Octavia's relief and disappointment (but she'd never say that part out loud).
"I would have thought you'd be more serious about the Games." Octavia remarked after regaining her usual composure. She turned around, not breaking Vinyl's embrace, to face her lover. "Aren't you a bit nervous?"
"I don't have to be nervous." Vinyl said with confidence. "I'm ready! And I know that the others are ready as well. No matter how fast, how strong, how experienced the other teams are. We'll go through them." She said softly. "We...I'm going to the Games, Octavia. And I'm gonna bring the gold for my town, making you and everyone proud." She concluded with resolution.
"Vinyl..." Octavia said softly. "Are you nervous?"
"I'm completely terrified!" Vinyl chuckled.
Octavia joined her lover's laugh without hesitations. At some point, she hugged her lover tightly.
"You don't have to bring the gold to make me proud, Vinyl." Octavia said softly. "I'll be extremely happy if you do, of course. But I'm already proud of you being you. I don't need you to wear gold medals for that."
"I know Octavia..." Vinyl nodded. "I'm just telling this to me to push me in the right direction."
"Hmm! how about a little bet with me?" Octavia suggested playfully. "To keep you pushing yourself in that direction."
"What would the bet involve?" Vinyl said with a piqued interest.
"A reward from me to you for each medal you'll bring."
"That's not really a bet." Vinyl said. "And what kind of reward are you talking about?"
"Well," Octavia said with a small blush. "Rarity had been much inspired lately in making lingerie. I may have abused of her generosity when she said I could help myself with those."
"Oh!" Vinyl said softly. "What kind of lingerie are we talking about?" Octavia whispered something in her ear, causing Vinyl's cheeks to become redder than her eyes. "...I see....That must look good....made of silk you say...with laces? Good choice..." She commented as Octavia kept on whispering details about what she had taken from Rarity.
"So, what do you think?" Octavia asked with an hint of excitement in her voice.
"Well, I hope you really have a lot of those; Because right now, I think I'll just win every medal there's in those competitions!" Vinyl replied with a growing smile.
After a delicious lunch, prepared by Granny Smith, the girls from the Council of Harmony went back to town, leaving their friends from the Apple family and their team to their training. On the way, Sweetie Belle kept on talking about how strong Applejack had been or how awesome Cloud Kicker's swordsmanship was.
Rarity went back to their hotel room to get Sweetie cleaned up. The seamstress' sister had been playing around with Applebloom, some of her younger cousins and Winona before lunch. Sweetie seemed to have bond with Applebloom.
"Say, Sis'. Why didn't you have lunch with all of us?" Sweetie asked as Rarity was busy shampooing her hair.
"Applejack had invited me for lunch, remember?" Rarity said casually. "She and I had some catching up to do."
"About what?"
"Grown up stuff, Sweetie." Rarity simply said. "So, did you have fun during our visit?"
"Yeah, they were so nice." Sweetie said excitedly. "Can we go back tomorrow?"
"Hmmm. I'm not sure it's going to be possible." Rarity pondered. "The Games start in a couple of days, they'll be pretty busy."
"Aww, that's too bad." Sweetie said with a small saddened voice. "But, we'll see them during the Games, right?"
"Highly probable, Darling." Rarity said with a small smile.
"Yay!" Sweetie shouted happily. "Oh! I've got to tell Mom and Dad when they arrive. They're still arriving this evening, right?"
"I believe so, yes." Rarity said carefully.
Unlike Octavia, she hadn't come out to her parents yet. Not that she didn't want to tell them, it's just that her parents were traveling a lot for their business. That was basically the reason Sweetie was so often at the Castle with Rarity and the others. She wanted to talk to them about Applejack, but the opportunity never showed up before.
With her Father being a huge fan of the Games and sports in general, her parents wouldn't move until the competition is officially over. She was sure to find time to tell them. Rarity wasn't worried about their reactions. Her parents were among the more tolerant people she knew. Nothing bad would happen when they heard about it.
When Octavia entered her suite, she had hoped that she could just play her cello for a little bit. Thinking about Vinyl had seemed to be quite the source of inspiration when it came to music. Actually seeing her was even better. But fate decided she couldn't play it yet.
"Where were you, my dear?" Asked an authoritarian feminine voice. "I wanted to have lunch with you, but you weren't here."
Octavia turned around to see an older woman who looked a lot like her. She had the same long black hair, except it was styled in a tight bun. The same amethyst eyes, only they were filled with cold authority. Standing a few meters from Octavia, was her mother. The High Countess of Northern Manehatten, Sonata Philharmonica.
"Mother, I'm pleased to see you." Octavia said in a polite tone. "May I ask how you got inside my room?"
"Well, I told it was my daughter's room and the sympathetic bellboy let me in." Sonata explained casually. "Could you answer my question, now that I've answered yours?"
"Certainly, I was out for lunch with my friends at Sweet Apple Acres." Octavia explained.
"You went there to see that woman, didn't you?" Sonata asked venomously.
"Yes, I did! But I thought you and Father didn't want to take sides until you heard Vinyl's version of the story." Octavia remarked with an angered frown.
"It's still the case, my dear." Sonata nodded. "We still want to hear about why she and her sister attacked your poor brother. But that doesn't mean I've got to like her."
"You don't know her, Mother." Octavia said sharply. "And It was Cornelio's fault, not theirs!"
"So you said! Did you set up a date so that your father and I can meet her?"
"No, I didn't bring that matter in the conversation. She has other things to worry about." Octavia explained.
"Pray tell, what could be more important than meeting the parents of the one she's courting?" Sonata asked.
"She's competing in the Games in Ponyville's team."
"I thought she was a very intelligent musician and that her sister was the uneducated athlete." Sonata said with crooked eyebrow.
"I fail to see why she can't be sporty and an intelligent musician." Octavia remarked. "And for your information, her sister is far from being an idiot."
"I never said that, my dear." Sonata replied casually. "From what I seemed to have understood, her sister hasn't gone to the University, I didn't mean anything other than that."
"Sure, you didn't." Octavia muttered sarcastically to her herself. "Anyway, Mother, could you please go? I'd like to play my cello for a bit."
"Fine. Fine. I'll leave you to your creativity then." Sonata said before heading out of her daughter's bedroom.
As the door closed, Octavia sighed. Getting her parents to meet Vinyl had just gotten a tad more difficult. She knew now that she had to keep a watch on Vinyl during it. A few remarks like that around Vinyl, and Octavia would have to explain to her father why did his wife had been deafened by one of her lover's cranked up Applebucking spells.
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I hate you.
Rose. Don't know why. You could just roll a 6-sided die (after this one, of course) and put a number to the others. Whatever you get (that isn't a repeat) is who you write. Or just whoevers part won't stop running through your head.
2296986
nice suggestion (the D6 thingy)
and also Why?
2297192
Well, you update so fast (and it is always here right when I fucking wake up). And I can't put off reading a chapter. It makes a perfect distraction from work I need to get done.
2297206
)
Oh I see, ....
I'll try to slow down the update rate... (can't promise anything though, because it's soon Uni-break for me)
(as for the wake up part I blame the difference in time zone
2297220
Don't slow down on my account. Keep it up.
2298109
Damn you're good
i say vinyl so we can hurry up and get to the juicy "Meet the Asshats" part
and by asshats i mean octy's folks
I'd like to see this happening, yet I'm sure that Vinyl cares for Octavia far too much to blast her mother
(even if she seems to deserve it so much 
)
Oh, and I say CK
'Vinyl overpowers you' 'you' should be spelled properly if it's the subject or direct object of the sentence
that should be a period, not a !
only one drat, I don't know why
Compensates
lacks
1) 'asked Rarity for permission' 2) 'she agreed to' 3) the second sentence isn't wrong per se, grammatically, but it doesn't read particularly well either... perhaps 'Rarity was left with only the company of the two women still training.'
it, not if
I've seen you do this rather frequently, so I'm assuming it's a translation error, but the noise that you're going for is generally dictated as either "Mhm" (you can - within reason - add more ms for a held note
) or "Uh-huh"
Cain't say ah kin give ya too much hasslin' fer that one, writin' this accent's hard work (and boy is it
). Yer pretty spot on, though, fer the most part. 
'nother accent thing, this isn't a word that shortens well in writing as a standalone. if it's used as a conjunction, that's another story (anythin', everythin')
sit
realized
'higher ups', plural
'swift thrusts', more plurals
'replied to', not plural
should be just 'block'
this might work better as 'she simply chooses to not take any yet'
there are a fer more viable options, but from there it's really just a matter of choice
hasn't broken it
no comma here
there you go with those test-tube babies again
ah ha! I found where that errant comma goes! 'if you do, of course.'
'telling myself that to push me in' would fit a bit better, methinks
1) no comma 2) don't start a sentence with 'and' if you can help it 3) 'I may have abused' might fit the character a bit better
either is the continuation of a previously running thought, or it's the start of a new sentence. so either lead up to it with another ellipsis, or capitalize 'Good'
1) 'hope you really have a lot' 2) 'those; because' needs a semicolon and a space, not two periods. 3) 'medal there is to win' in cases like this, don't contract 'there is'
'have lunch', using meals as verbs is fairly rare, and generally saved for 'breakfast' or dinner (dine)
acceptable, but unusual; would generally be used as 'catching up to do'
prefaces like this shouldn't have a !, it should be either a period or ellipsis
games start
either "I've got to" or "I get to". it changes the intent slightly, but both work in context
saying 'normally' implies that it happens frequently. "I believe so, yes" would fit better
"the opportunity hadn't yet arisen" not a needed change, but it would improve the flow
would
oh boy, Octavia's parents... *cracks knuckles* here we go then.
"weren't here", they're already in the place she wasn't
1) 'as her' is both incorrect and unneeded; a) too many pronouns confuse the subject, and b) we already know that you're comparing the two. 2) "except it was styled", hair is generally considered one entity, unless you specify otherwise (which you don't want to do here)
from
"may I ask how you got inside" Is the best revision here, i think
I've
take sides
if you're looking to keep the intensity implied, "So you said!" would let you keep the exclamation point, though I think it would work better in character as a period; she's mean, but I don't think you want her to be shouting.
"Pray tell, what could"; it shouldn't be two sentences
uneducated
considering that they're from Manehattan, the home city of Vi's uni, it could be home pride talking, but in that case 'University" would be capitalized, as it's "the University". otherwise, it would just be "gone to university', which is just so terribly British it hurts
(and is completely in character, since Manehattan tends to lean towards New England America's faux-british speech patterns)
"had just gotten"
"A few remarks like that around Vinyl"
1) "explain to her father" 2) "why his wife had been deafened by" 3) "spells", plural
end of chapter twooooooo!!!
Man, you must really love cool runnings. After realizing where some of these references are coming from, I'm now seeing a lot more... "Are you nervous?"
The movie does fit for this story though.
It seems that the only Philarmonica who knows how to be polite is Octavia.
That would strange if the last name was Dusk.