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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 26, 2011 5:42:50 GMT -5
One must always take pains to stay fresh, Harrier thought to herself, shaking her head and surveying the makeshift training course she had set up in the arena. It was a shame her old school had disappeared; she'd lost most of the facilities. Still, when there wasn't anything going on in the arena she found it quite easy to set up something simple there.
There were three clusters of "dummies" (that is, bulkier clouds) in various sizes set up around the open space, and she'd done her best to make a 'ground' to work with (Ah, what she would've given for that old coot's secret to setting up a sandlot of sorts in his building. Something to do with condensed ice?). Time to get to work, she thought, launching herself into the air.
A well-timed dive dissipated the first of the two pony-sized dummies, and she hit the 'platform' hard and leaped away to avoid the strike that would've come from the third, if these were real enemies. keep an eye on your charges, she reminded herself, swinging herself around to dissipate the third dummy with a well placed buck and giving her time to check the starting position at the entrance, where presumably the people she'd be protecting would be.
To her surprise, she actually did see another pegasus near her starting point. She shook her head and landed, walking up to them. "I'm sorry, were ye planning on using the arena?" she asked politely.
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Post by skyrocket on Aug 26, 2011 9:54:27 GMT -5
Sky entered the Stadium, ready to practice some of his stunts. As he entered, he imagined that it was the Best Young Flyers competition. The stands were filled with other ponies cheering. He could even picture the Wonderbolts soaring over the stadium! That was his dream, to be a Wonderbolt, just like many pegesai ponies. He knew he didn't want to spend his life pushing clouds around!
As he stood there, he saw another pegasus already flying overhead through what looked like some training course. No doubt about it this pony was experienced in flying as she tackled the course with ease. Seening as she acknowleged him, he decided to make his introduction. "Hey there! Don't worry about practicing here. I only need a little space to practice my stunts. I must say you're a pretty good flyer. Are you training for a competition or something?"
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 26, 2011 11:33:28 GMT -5
Harrier paused for a moment, then laughed. "Don't ye see my outfit, lad?" she said, gesturing to her leather armor and knives. "I'm a merc. Jobs have been a little slow lately and I don't want to get rusty due to it." She patted the pegasus on the back. "I've just set up a few dummies to test my combat skills. It's not great but ye work with what ye got."
She chuckled. A stuntpony, her! Really now. "Glad ye like my skills, though," she said, flying back up to the platform she just cleared.
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Post by skyrocket on Aug 26, 2011 14:56:33 GMT -5
A merc? That was a new one! Sky had not seen many mercenaries around Ponyville or Cloudsdale considering that the lands were still pretty safe with Luna ruling. "So you're a merc, eh," he said flying up to the platform to meet her, "I don't see many of those around. Not like there are alot of enemiees around here except from what I hear a few monsters in the Everfree Forest. You won't catch me going in there unless I have other ponies with me." He realized that he was talking too much and tried to get back on the subject. "So, do you need any help practicing?"
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 26, 2011 15:44:07 GMT -5
"I keep m'base here in Cloudsdale, but the jobs take me everywhere," she said, shrugging. "I'm thinkin' about moving though; exclusively pegasus clientelle isn't gettin' me enough jobs. Seem to think they can fly away from anything." She sighed; she rather liked that old salt's bar, and it just felt right to be there, but you can't always win. "Might just do some more advertising instead though."
"Actually I could use a movin' target... Wanna spar, lad? I have a few spare training tools," she said, giving the pegasus her most winsome smile. It wasn't what she had had in mind for training, but it'd work; besides, it this one was a stuntpony he'd probably be good enough at flying to get her aerial combat (ironically her weakest discipline) up to snuff.
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Post by skyrocket on Aug 27, 2011 10:56:06 GMT -5
Sky was intrigued by the other pony wanting a partner. Ordinarily he was used to preacticing solo, but it couldn't hurt having a partner once and a while. And he was helping out another pegasus, something he liked doing. "Sure! I can help you practice. Oh, before we start, what's your name?"
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 27, 2011 13:49:22 GMT -5
"I'm Harrier Sonnet, the only merc-bard this side of the Gryphon Kingdom," she said, going to get her spare training equipment. She put it on her back and then flew back over, dumping it in front of the other pegasus. It wasn't particularly fantastic or impressive; another leather vest similar to the one Harrier was wearing, a hoof-blade wrapped in cloth so that it couldn't cut, & a weight sash; she didn't have a spare knife, so he'd have to deal with one weapon. "Yer gonna need that," she said, gesturing to the vest. "My blades are wrapped for training but they're still going t'bruise if ye ain't armored. They might even with it, but hittin' leather'll be better than hittin' skin."
She flew up into the arena and landed on one of her platforms. "Feel free t' come after me when yer ready," she called down, prepping herself.
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Post by skyrocket on Aug 27, 2011 14:42:55 GMT -5
Sky put on the vest, making sure it was comfortable and yet snug. He then put on the hoof blade and weight sash. This would take getting used to, but Sky carried bulkier and heavier things with him. He then charged at Harrier brandishing the wrapped blade, hoping to knock her off balance.
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 27, 2011 16:10:58 GMT -5
He was really beginning with a straight charge? "No good, lad," she said, and with a beat of her wings she arced up out of his reach and landed on his back hard, knocking him through the cloud platform. She leapt up to another platform, smiling; if she had been actually fighting he would have had her hoof-blade stuck in his shoulder blades now. "Ye gotta be quicker or more subtle," she said, laughing a little. "Come at me again."
She frowned a little at the hole in her platform; she had made them out of clouds but they were supposed to be sturdier than that. Ah well, lucky she wasn't an engineer pegasus.
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Post by skyrocket on Aug 28, 2011 20:28:43 GMT -5
Sky landed with a thud on the cloud below. He lloked up at the other pegasus through the hole. Obviously this wasn't a filly just out of flight school he was sparing with. He winced as he got back up. Then he took off flying in tight circles around the pony creating a fiery contrail around her. Then he dipped under the cloud she was standing and popped out of the hole and rammed into her side, hoping to knock her off the cloud like she did to him.
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 29, 2011 3:11:53 GMT -5
Harrier watched amused as he spun her a contrail. He was getting smarter, at least; it was a fairly good distraction... he'll be coming from below, she thought, just in time for him to jab another hole in her platforms. He managed to make contact with her this time... but she was ready for him. She leaned out of the blow, avoiding taking a major hit; in one swift movement, she pulled her knife out with her mouth and slapped at his wing with it, hearing a satisfying "thwack" as her dagger made contact.
"Better, but yer still clipped," she said, landing on a third platform. There were only five of them, counting the two which had just busted; hopefully they wouldn't all get holes in them before she was done.
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Post by skyrocket on Aug 31, 2011 17:10:45 GMT -5
Sky felt the slap on his wing. If that had been an actual blade he would be crashing down to land now. He then flew under the cloud as if to attack from below again, only this time he came up from behind and launched at her flank. He hoped the element of surprise would help. At least she was standing relatively still. Sky wondered if he would have a better chance if she was in flight.
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Aug 31, 2011 18:48:40 GMT -5
Not gonna be that easy, boy, she thought; there was no way he was going to come from the same angle twice, no matter how hard he tried to make her think it. There were certain rules that applied to monsters and certain ones that applied to other ponies, and to get certification she'd had to know both... With a swift beat of her wings she got a few feet into the air, just in time for Sky to come flying into where she would've been. She was tempted to try and get another strike in, but she knew if she did she'd just be setting him up for a blow; you don't win fights by being reckless. "Yer gettin' better! I didn't manage to kill ye that time," she called out, arcing lazily in the air and planning her next move. She needed to practice aerial combat, as well... she didn't land on a platform this time, flying higher instead.
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Post by skyrocket on Sept 8, 2011 9:19:38 GMT -5
"Now I can really show what I've got," Sky said as he saw Harrier fly into the sky. Sky knew he was not good at fighting on the ground, or in this case, a cloud. But in the air he knew he was good with his stunts. Hopefully his skills could be used in more of a combat setting. Sky then took off, his fiery contrail behind him. Seeing Harrier there, he flew low and then immediately shot upward, hoping to strike under her where she least expected.
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Post by kindjalsonnet on Sept 9, 2011 1:33:10 GMT -5
Harrier saw the pegasus coming, and beat her wings to get out of the way, but she wasn't a very fast flier; Sky Rocket managed to snag the edge of her wing as he passed. She felt the sting and bit off a curse, then started planning. She played wounded bird for a few seconds, seemingly tumbling out of the sky before swooping around and swinging her blade near Sky's wings, purposefully only doing a glancing blow. "Congrats, boy! Finally did some damage," she called to him, swinging around and striking from a different angle with a similar glancing strike. These blows wouldn't cut too deep even if it was a real fight; the gamble being made is that they would be so small he wouldn't notice it, in which case she might drain his energy by causing him to bleed without killing him; here it was only a series of practice maneuvers. she swung back around from a different angle, forcing herself to keep moving.
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