Cheating the Cycle of Life- A Padded Pony Collab

The galloping sound of the horses on the bare ground echoed across the whole stadium, forbidding Sunset to ever get distracted from the race. As the horses reached the half of the track, where the targets were apparently in range of the arquebuise, Appiano shot first.

The thunderous roar of the firearm, accompanied by the loud thump made by the target falling down and a lots of white smoke coming out of the weapon's muzzle, made Sunset jolt into place  and briefly quake at the loud sound. As the echoes of the gunshot dispersed, a more subtle whooshing sound and lighter thump signaled that Blueblood had released the arrow. Sunset looked closely, as the arrow described a parabolic descent just underneath the target and small cry of frustration was heard coming from Blueblood.

Now both were galloping towards the targets, passing through them before slowing their steeds down, Appiano by violently pulling the rein and clashing the bit against the horse's dentature, which made it whinny and nearly rear. Blueblood, instead, stopped his cavalcature by patting his horse's back in a short rhythm. Sunset rose from her seat and walked even closer to the circuit, so to hear the conversation of the two even better.

"Dè." Appiano simply interjected, as he guided his horse towards a hook next to a water trodge, where he tied it by the bridles, allowing it to lower its head and drink. Blueblood said nothing, as he lead his horse to the water trodge too, making it drink. Once the horses were seemingly had quenched their thirst, Appiano gestured to wipe the circuit's dust off his clothes

"Dè, are we going to check the targets out or not?"  Appiano said  shrugging,

Blueblood groaned and nodded, as he started to walk towards the targets, his walking posture more rhythmical and coordinated than Appiano's but also more hunchbacked, and his chest slightly inflated in a way that suggested a provocation to a hand-to-hand duel.

He looks really convinced he lost, Susnet thought, smiling widely with glee, as she stood with her back up against the seat's back I hope he's right!

Sunset then looked up, at the circuit's other end, and saw Blueblood facepalming and Appiano fist-pumping. Quickly, she got up and hurried to the other side, rushing between the green plastic seats and trying to not fall down the concrete steps of the bleachers.

Lemme see, oh Tengri, lemme see! Sunset thought excited, as she hopped over two seats, before sitting on one covered in vulgar graffitis, that however gave a perfect visual and hearing of the events. Sunset saw   a scorch mark just next to the bullseye, while the arrow was firmly inside the sand of the circuit just under the target it was supposed to it.

"-re, you shall do what you've promsied to do, in case ofm y victory!" Appiano said triumphantly behidn his laugh, while Blueblood crossed his arms and grumbled.

"If I wasn't the man I am, I would be brought to not accept it and call this a foul," Blueblood pointed at the short arrow inside the dust and then to the scorch mark "But I am a man of word. Shall I buy the equipment?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Appiano said, shaking his left index and bowing slightly as he spoke, as Blueblood tensed up "I have a better solution, for swap around your warrior's bow with a girl bow."

"And that would be?"

"Dè, go and talk to Vice Principal Luna, she'd love to have a few words with you, along with giving you the appropriate attire..."

The next day, after her morning routine, Sunset Shimmer arrived to school, only to greeted by a wondrous sight. In front of her, Apppiano, dressed in a red toga and with a wreath crown on his head, was saluting with his right hand while riding a white mare. Behind him, two tall guys dressed in a yellow and red conquistador attire walked holding up a couple of banners, one, with white background, representing a stylized man holding up his legs, symbol of Tengri, while he held up a stylized sun. The other banner represented an heraldic symbol on red background so complicated, that Sunset Shimmer failed to recognize anything but vague shapes in the cluster of symbols.

However, the one standing out in this small parade was Blueblood, who walked in-between the two banner bearers. Blueblood was wearing a pink shirt with a giant white heart in the middle, his crotch was covered by a pink thick diaper covered in butterfly and flower designs, and, to top it off, he wore a tutu and had a pink pacifier in his mouth.

"Dè, look at him! Look at him, and laugh! He is not so scary anymore, eh?" Blueblood said, moving his left arm towards Blueblood, as he shouted at the curious crowd that had gathered in the meanwhile "He has no powers now, so, rejoice at his humiliation!"

Sunset, as she moved towards the entrance to the school, chuckled indeed, as she then looked around her, to see some of the students cheering, laughing, or doing both at alternate times, as Appiano paraded with his horse in the schoolyard, and the banner bearers escorted Blueblood at the entrance, where a baffled Fleur de Lis and Jet Set looked at what was going on, with Jet Set removing his glasses and leaving his mouth agape.

"Blueblood... what is the reason for this?" Jet Set asked, as Blueblood quickly pointed at his pacifier and then waved his left index finger, a strong blush on his face.

"What? Speak up!"

"I think he's trying to say he can't talk," Fleur De Lis said, as the banner bearers marched their way out of the crowd and the school "Something tells me this was made as result of a dare between students."

"Dè," appiano said, as he moved up the stps, slowly and solemnly, holding his toga to the chest with his right hand "we duelled on horseback for reach a solution to a problem we had. This is jsut how I wanted to rub in the salt in the wounds, considered that Blueblood broke the condition of the duel before we even begun. Could've broguth out more banners with a hand makign the fig sign, but I felt that dress him liek a little girl was going to be enough."

Sunset Shimmer barely suppressed laughter, as Blueblood glared at Appiano, while Jet Set nodded slowly and Fleur de Lis let out a hearty giggle.

"As long as he doesn't disrupt class..." Fleur de Lis sing-sang, as then the starting bell rang.