The Way
Rarity stepped up to the building. It didn’t look all that imposing, this was Ponyville after all, so it looked like most buildings, a white old fashioned two story house with thatched roof. They were considered 'quaint', but she had never trusted that word. It usually meant old, cheap, or run down, usually all three.
Nevertheless, she was not here to judge the exterior, she was there for what was inside.
Taking a deep breath she stepped through the door of the dojo. Immediately her ears were assaulted by the yells and screams of what sounded like a room full of cats trying to viciously murder each other while getting stomped on by cows. She almost turned and ran there, but Magnum hadn’t raised his daughter to be a quitter, she would just have to bite down and deal with it. She could complain about it later, to her diary.
The room she found herself in was your classic coatroom: dozens of bags, hats and jackets were strewn all over it in an unearthly mess, and it had a peculiar smell. The noises of battle came from a door at the very end of the room. It may only have been a few hoofsteps, but for young Rarity, it was one of the longest walks in her life… well at least since last Tuesday when she had to walk home with a black eye. Oddly, the memory of that ghastly day helped, it was why she was here for after all. To ensure that would never happen to her again. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Nothing.
A particularly vicious scream of “KYAAAA!” followed by a rather loud “Ooof!” made her apply a hoof to her forehead. Carefully of course, she didn’t want to mess up her eyeliner. Of course they wouldn’t hear a light knock in that ungodly ruckus. She tried the door, but it was locked.
Saying a very unladylike word that it is best not to repeat here, she punched the door in frustration. Her hoof thumped against the wood, producing a rather louder noise than her earlier timid knocking.
A smile spread over the young unicorn’s muzzle. Well, it was why she was here after all. She punched the door once more, it felt good, so she did it again, and again.
Over and over her forehooves pummeled against the door and she almost lost her balance as it suddenly opened. With a startled yelp she stumbled forward and almost speared the pony in front of her with her horn.
“Woah there!” A mare’s voice rang out and Rarity forced herself to look up and met the mare’s sapphire eyes. She smiled apologetically. “Uhm… sorry?” She squeaked
.
“Yes?” The mare replied. She was not at all what Rarity had expected of a place like this. She had expected a ripped stallion with a name like Rockbreaker, but no, the mare looked, well, normal. Quite like Rarity herself actually, only a few years older. The mare had a white coat and a pink mane, which was held out of her eyes via a bandana. Well, that one Rarity had expected. The earth pony mare also had a red belt wrapped around her barrel. And appeared to be talking.
“Sorry,” Rarity squeaked again, on the principle that it usually worked. The mare seemed less amused, she gave Rarity a rather forced smile and said. “Can I help with something?”
“Yes, sorry, I’m… my name is Rarity, and my friend Applejack said that this was the place to go to, uhm learn how to fight?” She gave the mare a desperate smile.
To Rarity’s great relief the mare nodded.
“A new student? You’re late.” She frowned down at the young mare who apologized. “Well, alright, you’re new.” She held out a rather sweaty hoof and Rarity shook it. “I’m Redheart, and I will be your teacher until you advance to the level of blue belt. Which fittingly is taught by Bluebell. Or as I like to call her, Miss T.” The mare chuckled at her own joke. Rarity didn't get it, but she chuckled politely anyway.
“Well come inside." Her new teacher urged. "You missed the warm up, but we were just about to start.”
Rarity stared incredulously at the mare, who yes actually did have a red heart as her cutie mark, remembering the noises she had heard when she first entered. “W-w-was that just the warm up?” She squeaked. Maybe running away now was the better option.
Redheart seemed to realize what the young mare had meant and let out another chuckle. “Oh don’t worry, that was the advanced class, Bluebell’s students. They train before us. We usually gather a bit earlier to watch them train and warm up. She stepped aside and motioned the young mare to follow her into the chamber of loud noises and bruises.
What met them inside was much more tranquil than she had expected. Half a dozen ponies in blue belts were bowing in front of a pegasus mare, Bluebell, Rarity assumed based on her cutie mark. She recognized Applejack and her older brother, what was his name, Big Jack?
She waved over to them, but they weren't even looking in her direction, oh well.
Redheart shepherded Rarity over to another group of students. This one decidedly younger than the first, some of them were just foals, Rarity recognized a few of them from school, there was Bon Bon, and Derp- Ditzy Doo. She waved to them, to her relief they waved back.
“This is Rarity.” Redheart introduced the young mare, who waved nervously to the ones she recognized, again. “She has already warmed up against our door. So let’s get started. Please be gentle. She is new to this after all.”
To Rarity’s surprise, all the students bowed to her. It felt odd, why did they do that? She just walked in through the door, it wasn't like she was a princess or anything. Did they expect her to be good at this? She couldn't possibly live up to that, could she?"
Rarity smiled nervously at all the lowered heads, certainly all of them more experienced than her. She gave Redheart a hopeful, desperate look. "Help?" She mimed.
"It's just how we greet each other." The teacher reassured her newest pupil.
"Oh!" Rarity quickly dipped her head towards the other students, who straightened up.
"With that settled." Redheart motioned for Rarity to take her place in the line of young students. A few of them whispered hushed hellos and welcomes.
Redheart captured the attention and brought them to heel with a sharp stomp that echoed against the wooden floor. "Let's get started!"
"HAI!" The chorused reply made Rarity jump.
Redheart surveyed her pupils. "The first lesson you need to learn in this dojo is how to land safely. I do not want any injuries in my class." Her stern face broke into another chuckle. "Because that means a lot more work for me."
Several of the students laughed at this, Rarity just frowned, that wasn't funny at all, and then she realized where she recognized Redheart from. She had seen her at the Ponyville Hospital! It felt so surreal to see the caring nurse in a setting like this, actively teaching ponies how to hurt each other. Or, as she would soon realize, teaching them how to avoid getting hurt.
"How many of you know how to fall safely?" The Nurse barked out.
About half of the students raised their hooves and Redheart nodded in approval. "Show me!" She barked.
Rarity winced at the sound of several bodies hitting the floor around her. The ponies had launched themselves at the floor in what seemed like a complete lack of self preservation. She stared in horror at her new teacher. How could she encourage something so barbaric? Wasn't she sworn to do no harm?
Redheart however did not seem remorseful in the slightest. In fact, she nodded in approval. "Excellent, pair up and start drilling the Fallen Caesar Kata while I instruct the new students in the fundamentals."
Six ponies leapt back to their hooves, and Rarity was relieved to see that they all seemed to be smiling and eager as they rushed over to the half of the room now vacated by the blue belts. None of them seemed hurt, except for Derpy, but she always had a slightly concussed look about her.
"Now!" Redheart snapped. Rarity, Bon Bon and the other newbies quickly pulled out of their stupor and focused on their teacher. Several of them looked scared, but like Rarity, they all looked determined.
"I shall teach you how to fall safely." The teacher began. "It is a technique that will serve you throughout your entire life. Not just in this dojo, but outside as well." She was talking in loud clipped sentences, almost shouting as she faced her students.
"The number one rule of martial arts is to protect yourself at all times! I am here to teach you how to do that." She glared down at her students, daring any of them to protest. None did.
"Good." She nodded in approval. "You can all relax, which is the first step in how to land safely. Which I shall now demonstrate."
The mare visibly sagged as she took a few deep breaths. Something about her slouch however reminded her Rarity of a spring, and sure enough, with another deep exhale the mare launched herself up in the air.
It was an impressive leap, especially for an earth pony. Made more impressive for the lack of wings, the mare twisted in the air. It was a perfectly executed backflip…. Except it wasn't. Too late did Rarity realize that the mare had misjudged her spin and was going to land on her back.
The young unicorn and yer five new friends each rushed forward to catch the mare, but they were all too slow.
Redheart hit the floor shoulders first, her body slamming down with an echoing thud. It was enough to make every new student wince. Rarity even closed her eyes and looked away.
How could things have gone so wrong? Rarity wondered as the ponies around her drew shocked breaths. All she had wanted was to learn how to defend herself, and now somepony else had gotten hurt.
A soft chuckle however brought her out of her growing panic. Who could be laughing at a time like this. Redheart could be seriously hurt, or dead or even… laughing?
Rarity opened her eyes to find the teacher, still on the floor laughing.
"Oh stop whining." The mare said between chuckles. "It doesn't hurt. I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't able to handle it. That's lesson two, learning your limits." She said, rising back on her hooves, apparently unhurt by the ordeal. Maybe this falling safe thing wasn't just hot air after all?
"But we'll save that for later, one lesson at a time." Redheart continued. "I shall now explain the technique I just used, and then you will do it."
Six foals let out nervous groans, but that only made the teacher's grin wider.
"Don't worry, you won't be hurt, this is how you do it…"
And it was fun! Rarity spent the entire afternoon kicking, screaming, falling dafely and making friends. It was such a blast and she couldn’t wait until next week.
She ran all the way home, not even stopping to greet her parents. She wanted to see herself in the mirror. She wanted to see how touch she looked. Rarity was now an amazon, a warrior princess. She was the toughest pony in town, a flank kicker a… complete and utter mess!
The scream echoed around the house and brought both parents bursting into her room
"What's wrong honey?" Her mother asked. Her father glared around the room, looking for whatever danger had threatened his daughter.
"What happened?" He demanded.
Rarity couldn't bear to reply, she just turned her face at them. Showing them the disaster that had been her carefully arranged makeup, now smudged beyond recognition.
Her parents just looked confused, not realizing the magnitude of the situation. A small face poked out from between their legs, looking equally confused. "Whass wrong sis?" The family's youngest member squeaked.
"THIS!" Rarity yelled, pointing at her face.
Her family still didn't seem to understand so she gestured to her mane. The beautiful coiffure was now a tangled mess plastered against her neck, matted with sweat and dirt. "And this!"
To her absolute shock her parents seemed to relax. In fact her father burst out laughing. Her mother had the decency to feign concern, but Rarity could tell she was hiding a smile behind that raised hoof.
She was humiliated, in front of her entire family. There was simply no option but to faint.
Her parents were used to this and didn't overly react when Rarity threw a hoof against her forehead and declared that this was the most humiliating moment of her life, a life which was now over, and crumbled into a heap on the floor.
"Teenagers." Her dad muttered and rolled his eyes, which completely ruined the moment.
Her mother had her hooves full trying to restrain their youngest daughter, who was trying her best to rush to her fallen sister's side. Concern written all over her little face.
"Raridy, Raridy! Whad happend?!" She squealed, sounding terrified.
Rarity gave up, she wasn't made of stone after all. As a big sister she had responsibilities now, and one of them was to not just think about herself. Not all the time anyway.
"I'm okay." She opened an eye and gave Sweetie Belle a reassuring smile. "I just got a bit startled is all."
It seemed to work, the frantic filly calmed down a bit, which in turn made Rarity feel better. She may be a hideous sweaty brute, but at least she was a good big sister.
"Bud you fell!" Sweetie complained. "Awen't you hurt?"
"No, no. Of course I'm not." Rarity reassured her, and to her own surprise realized that it was true. She often felt the need to fall dramatically, it was what young ladies did after all, but it always hurt. This time it hadn't, and she knew exactly why. With a few pointers from a militant nurse she had learned how to fall safely. What eould she learn next week?
"I'm okay." She said, standing up and brushing her ruined mane out of her eyes and giving her family a truly happy smile.
"But I am going to have to invest into some more durable makeup."
The end.