True Victor: Winning for Farmponies

Chapters

33 Days to the Canterlot Three Games
32 Days to the Canterlot Games
20 Days to the Canterlot Three
2 Days to the Canterlot Three
0 Days Until the Canterlot Three
After the Canterlot Games Closing Ceremony
The Night of the Canterlot Three Games

33 Days to the Canterlot Three Games

Applejack stared at the bright and vivid poster adorning the side of the town hall. It didn't have all that many words, but then again, it didn't really need much to convey its core message. There were only a handful of big sporting events in Equestria, and Applejack knew most of them like the back of her hoof.

There was the Equestria Games, which was a huge international event, despite its name implying it might be for ponies only. Thing was, it wasn't a place for individual competitors, and instead focused on having towns and cities be represented by their best athletes. It wasn't really a place for Applejack, who preferred to act independently.

Then there was the splattering of rodeos that would pop up all over Equestria. They were always fun, and Applejack loved participating. For starters, she was good at them. She practised and practised and had a knack for lassoing, hay-tossing, and barrel-racing. Sure, rodeos tended to be Earth pony exclusive, so they didn't get as much exposure as the Equestria Games, but hey, you take the good with the bad. It was fun, and it brought in some handy prize money if she took first place.

There was whatever the pegasi did. They probably had some fancy name, but Applejack just called them 'pegasus sports'. There was the pegasus sport where they raced across clouds, the pegasus sport where they did tricks, the pegasus sport where they threw weather at each other... Rainbow liked them, and for that reason, Applejack took them seriously, but since she could never participate, there wasn’t much reason for her to be more interested than that. Same for unicorn sports. Applejack didn’t even have a friend to tell her about those: she didn’t even know the first thing about unicorn athletics. Maybe it was just like Earth pony sports, but with special head protection for the horns?

In-between everything, though, existed a comfortable middle-ground for ponies of every stripe. These were the Canterlot Three Games, where individual athletes and teams could compete in various athletic events. It was similar to the Equestria Games, but wasn't focused on teams and cities. The independent athlete could enter regardless of affiliation. You didn’t compete for Ponyville, or Canterlot, or Manehattan, or Griffonstone. Just yourself.

It was this event the poster was advertising. Book tickets now, it said. Compete in the Canterlot Three.

"What're you looking at, sis'?" Applebloom asked. She was carrying a big basket of apples on her back, and was looking at Applejack with a curious look in her eye. "You've been awful distracted today," she said, looking at the poster. "Ooh, do you wanna go see the Games? Where are they?"

"Canterlot," Applejack replied. "I was actually thinkin' of enterin'," she said. After a moment's pause, she hastily added, "So long as I finish work up, of course."

"I thought you only liked rodeos," Applebloom said.

Usually, I do, Applejack thought. The Canterlot Three were an exception, though, and it all came down to a photo that hung at the back of the dresser in the farm's dining room. Applejack sighed.

No matter what she wanted, she was probably going to be too busy with the harvest anyway.

"Well, of course I'm entering," Rainbow said, putting her hoof on her chest. "Wouldn't be much of an athlete if I didn't, huh? Already took leave from the weather team and got the Captain's say-so to go and represent the Wonderbolts." She leaned back against the tree she was relaxing next to. "I'll be entering the pegasus races, if you were wondering."

Applejack wiped sweat off her forehead. She had been working twice as hard as usual to clear the last batch of apples into storage before Winter. "So, it's easy to enter?"

"Yeah. You just need some background in sports or athletics, and an entrance fee. I got plenty of background, and the Wonderbolts agreed to even pay for me entering," Rainbow said. She tilted her head. "You've been working pretty hard. I thought this was an easy time of year for you?"

Applejack didn't reply. She was too busy thinking about the entrance fee.

"How much is the fee?"

"One hundred bits," Rainbow replied, causing Applejack to bite her lip. "The prize money is worth way more than that, though. If I win, I have to pay back interest for the Wonderbolts sponsoring me."

Applejack sighed. If it was her own money, she'd go for it, but since everything she owned belonged to her family as a whole...

"Hey, you want to come watch? It'll be loads of fun. I'll be flying," Rainbow said, making whooshing motions with her hooves, "And probably winning, too! There'll be loads of stuff to see, it'll be great. There’ll even be that super-fast Earth pony we keep hearing about. What’s his name?"

Applejack looked towards the farm. "Haywire Hoofit,” she said. “I'll think 'bout it."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed, and her lips slid into a sly smile. "Or maybe..." she began, using her wings to propel her upright, "You're more interested in entering..."

Applejack snorted, although it was only half-hearted. "I... probably not," she said. "I'd need to pay the entrance fee, and besides, I don't have a coach. I've never done any kind of sport 'sides from rodeos."

“I’m just saying, I spend a lot of time flying over here, and you’re working three times as hard as usual for a reason,” Rainbow commented, flying over Applejack like an irritatingly persuasive blue genie. "And you can just find a coach. They're not that rare."

"I don't know any."

"I know tons!" Rainbow boasted. "There's Calamity Cyclone, the former flying champion for Las Pegasus, Zipp Zapp, who developed the legendary double-half wingbeat motion, and Spitfire, of course, but she's mine, so you can't have her—"

Applejack held her hoof up. "Don't mean to sound ungrateful," she said, "But they aren't exactly my type of pony..."

Rainbow paused. "Huh," she said. "Good point, they're all pegasus specialists. Like, serious specialists." She tapped her chin, lazily flapping up onto one of the apple tree branches and resting her forelegs and head on the bark. "Well, there is one Earth pony coach I know," she said. Her face brightened. "Oh, and she's like best friends with me, so I know she'll be up for helping you!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "What's she like?"

"She's super tough. I've never seen her in action myself, but I've heard stories. Supposedly she never loses. Ever. She's like a legend. She’s a games inspector now."

"And you know her how?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I'm a legend too, y'know. I keep tabs on ponies who could give me a run for my money."

"I mean, how'd you meet?" Applejack asked. Curiosity and the whiff of excitement was getting the better of her.

"Harshwhinny! You remember her, right? We did the funny dance routine in the Crystal Empire for her," Rainbow said. She frowned. "Well, we didn't end up doing it for her, but instead some random pony, but it was meant for her..."

Applejack scoffed. "What, the Harshwhinny we met? Weren't she the stuffy one with the little jacket an' pearl earrings?" She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you two were, what'd you call it... 'best friends'."

"Well, I'm not kidding. She's supposed to have been real cool back in the day," Rainbow said. "And I know how to push buttons, so one word to me and I can arrange anything you want, no probl—"

"Oh, yeah?"

Rainbow deflated. "Well, I can send a polite letter asking nicely?"

Applejack nodded. "That sounds about right." She sighed. "I'll... think 'bout it."

Rainbow shrugged. "'Kay. I thought you were only really into rodeos. You didn't even do anything for the Equestria Games, and they were pretty big."

The picture in the dining room came back to the forefront of Applejack's mind.

"Well, usually, I am only into rodeos," she said. "It's just... I always wanted to be in the Canterlot Three."

"But not the Equestria games."

"No."

"Why?"

"I dunno," Applejack lied. "It always looked like fun."

"Wow," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes and putting her hooves to her cheeks in mock amazement. "That sounds so believable and true." She shrugged. "Tell you what, I won't ask, but if you care enough to lie about it, you definitely should participate. Heck, I'll even sponsor you if you can't do it yourself..."

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "I ain't borrowin' money from anypony. 'Specially not a friend."

"Friends are, like, the best ponies to borrow money from. Besides, it's not like I don't have tons kicking around," she said. "I only took the Wonderbolts deal because it meant I could get a Wonderbolt coach and represent the actual Wonderbolts and stuff."

The fact that Rainbow claimed to have 'tons' of money didn't make Applejack any more eager to borrow from her. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll pay for myself."

Rainbow shrugged. "'Kay, whatever, but you better be in the games," she said. "Or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll be super disappointed," Rainbow replied. She took a look at the sun, and widened her eyes. "Shoot, gotta fly. See you later, AJ!"

Applejack let the wind from Rainbow's wings whip at her mane as she stared at the grass. One hundred bits, she thought, was a fair amount of money. Not tons, nothing that would bankrupt her... but it didn't exactly feel honest taking one-hundred bits away from her family when they could use it on something less selfish.

At least the pre-Winter harvest was almost over. There were no more apples hanging on the trees, and already the forest of leaves were beginning to be replaced by cold, grey bark. Applejack brushed a pile of orange and golden leaves into a pile as a brisk wind brushed through her mane.

Participating in rodeos was different. For starters, it wasn't as expensive by far. Secondly, her whole family enjoyed the events, so it wasn't as selfish. Right? In fact, a lot of the time she entered for her family. This time, though, it was going to be for herself. That was the point, she thought. An independent athlete trying to win. It's what they would have done.

She could hear Applebloom gab at Big Mac in the distance. Applebloom hadn't said much when Applejack confessed she was thinking of entering the games. Big Mac wouldn't say anything. Granny Smith would probably say yes, because she'd feel she had to. That made it worse.

And besides, what was the point of entering if she couldn’t at least keep up?

Applejack put the basket of apples on the ground. She breathed in, and rolled her head from left to right, cracking her neck.

She bolted. The gold and orange leaves she had brushed in a pile flew in her wake like a broken cloak. Muscles went from relaxed to burning in seconds. Her breath pumped oxygen like a steam-engine. Her body immediately began to compensate for the increase in body temperature with sweat.

Her hooves rolled over the grass at a lightning fast tempo, thundering across the orchard. Applejack's eyes swiveled left to right and her body darted around trees with ease.

When she reached the end of the orchard, she stopped. She stamped her hooves a little to relax her muscles, and began panting. By her estimate, it had taken her less than a minute to reach the edge.

Haywire Hoofit, one of the best athletes among Earth pony kind could have done it in half the time.

Applejack sighed, and stretched her back. How fair was it to ask her family to give up money when she probably couldn't even win? She wiped the sweat on her hooves off on the grass, and plucked a piece of long grass for her to chew on. What point was there in competing if you couldn't win? It wasn't a rodeo. She wanted to do it seriously. It wasn’t just a game.

She sighed.

It was probably a stupid idea, no matter how much she wanted it. She turned to go back to pick up her apples and return to the house.

The dinner table was filled with the usual conversation about Applebloom's school, chores, and the harvest. Granny commented that Applejack had finished the harvest early. Applejack nodded. It was true, after all.

"Ooh," Applebloom began, "Didn’t Applejack say she wanted to take part in the Canterlot... Three, weren't it?" Applebloom frowned. "I can't right remember."

Applejack swallowed. Granny Smith looked at Applejack with a curious old-pony look in her eye.

"That so?"

Applejack hadn't wanted to discuss the matter. She sighed. "It was a dumb idea," she muttered.

Granny Smith slowly wobbled to her hooves and began to move towards the dresser in the corner. Applejack sighed harder. She ran a hoof over her forehead, and glared at Applebloom.

The young filly put her hooves up defensively, not understanding what had gone wrong.

"This have somethin' to do with this?" Granny Smith asked, plucking the picture from the back. She peered at the old photograph. "This was taken years ago."

Applejack sighed.

"A bit," she confessed, "Yeah..."

The picture was of two ponies, a mare and a stallion, each holding medals. Granny Smith sniffed, although Applejack wasn't sure if it was because she was sad or had something caught in her nose.

"They did real well," Granny said. "Two silvers and a bronze, if I remember right. They donated 'em. Can't remember where." She put the picture back. "I convinced 'em to try it after I won gold at the divin' event, ages ago. If you want to try'n follow in their hoofsteps..."

"There's an entry fee," Applejack muttered. "I don't want t'impose."

"We can pay the entry fee, though, right?" Applebloom asked. "We have money saved up, right?"

Applejack didn't reply.

"Well, harvest's finished, so I don't see why there's a problem," Granny Smith said. "Hundred bits is what it was, right?"

"Yeah, but I also need a coach," Applejack said. "Otherwise I ain't got no shot."

A loud, uncoordinated rattle shook the house, causing each and every pony to jump. Even Granny Smith, for whom jumping was a distant memory.

"Hey!" came Rainbow's voice through the window, which she was banging her hoof against with an inequine amount of gusto. "I got you a coach! Isn't that cool?"

Applejack sighed. She opened the window for Rainbow, who leaned in and waved at the rest of her family.

"Hey guys. What'cha doing?"

"Finishin' an argument," Granny Smith said with a smirk. She walked over to Applejack. "Now, listen here, young filly," she began.

Applejack held her hoof up.

"I get it," she said.

"You better," Granny Smith replied, managing a wrinkly smile. “You can go on trainin’ or whatever it is you do these days, and I’ll go sign you up. It’s been years since I’ve filled in the old forms. I wonder if they’ve changed.”

Applejack sighed with a smile. “Thanks, Granny.”

Granny Smith nodded in a businesslike manner. "Now that's settled, how 'bout you invite your friend in?" She turned to Rainbow. "We made apple'n potato stew."

"Sweet," Rainbow exclaimed, already salivating at the prospect of free food.

Applejack sighed.

"Y'all... don't want to see Rainbow eat," she said, but Rainbow had already sat herself in-between Applebloom and Applejack's seat and began serving herself. Rainbow was an industrial eater. She didn't so much chew her meals, she processed it in mass quantities. She approached food consumption in the same way a vacuum cleaner approached sucking up dust. She was pragmatic and enthusiastic.

Big Mac winced as the food began to get shovelled away. Applejack sat down, and made a point of not looking Rainbow's way.

"I warned ya."

Applejack waited in the fields outside the town, keeping an eye on the sun as time went by. She tapped her hoof, keeping the blood flowing in her limbs. She looked around, wondering when Harshwhinny would arrive.

Applejack hadn't heard much about the games inspector prior to meeting her, but then again, it turned out it was surprisingly difficult to learn about the previous Canterlot Three games. Different ponies had different accounts of what happened, but to Applejack they mostly sounded like silly rumours. All she was interested in today was hearing about what Harshwhinny said about her ability, and about whether she thought she had a chance of winning.

She was early, she knew, but she didn't want Harshwhinny to think she was anything less than professional. That was the kind of mare Harshwhinny was, if Applejack recalled right.

Rainbow wasn't there to wait with her. She had her own meeting with Spitfire, after all. Applejack breathed out. If Harshwhinny said yes, she'd have somepony to train her. Then she'd have a real shot at winning, surely.

Then she could follow in her parent's hoofsteps and become a medallist in the Canterlot Three. And that... would mean a lot.

"Ms. Applejack?"

Applejack spun on her heels.

Ms. Harshwhinny was a mare of average height, and despite not being unfit, she was definitely starting to show her age. She had lines that creased around the corners of her mouth when she spoke, and her mane was beginning to become somewhat mousy and thin. She dressed like an older, more distinguished mare, too, wearing a scarf and jacket as if she were a bit cold all the time.

"Um, yes, ma'am?" Applejack replied, coughing. "Pleased to meet you... again."

Harshwhinny appraised Applejack from hoof to forelock. "I wasn't aware you were an athlete," she said. "You didn't participate in the Equestria Games."

Applejack couldn't help herself. "Well, t'be fair, ma'am, I didn't know you were an athlete either until recently."

Harshwhinny raised an eyebrow. "How did you think I got a trophy for a cutie mark, then?" she asked, and adjusted her scarf. "I participated in the Canterlot Three, and the Equestria Games once upon a time." She stopped talking for a moment to look at Applejack again, most specifically at her eyes. After a moment, she shook her head to herself, likely dismissing whatever thought she had as coincidence. "I took gold on all occasions but... well, not any more. I'm afraid I'm somewhat past my prime."

"But y'all can still help me out, though, right?" Applejack asked. "I know some of the times the other athletes have managed, and I need some real intense trainin' to put me on their level."

Harshwhinny looked serious. Then again, she always seemed to look serious. "I ought to give you some kind of warning," she said. "When I was training, I didn't go easy on myself, and I won't with you." She gestured at her cutie-mark. "My cutie-mark is, as you've probably noticed, a trophy. Yours is..."

"Apples," Applejack said. "Three. Represents my devotion to my family," she said, pointing at each of the apples in turn. "Three of 'em for my closest family members, but it kinda works for all my family. Friends too, if they're good."

"Mine represents my talent at winning," Harshwhinny said. "I got my cutie-mark when I learned that's what I was good at, and that I wanted to spend my whole life doing it." She looked Applejack dead in the eye. "You can imagine then that I don't mess around.”

Applejack swallowed. She had never heard of a cutie-mark in winning.

"I reckon not."

Harshwhinny gave a small, prim smile, and extended her hoof then. "Well, if you're willing to give it a go regardless... I can guarantee you that if you show discipline and professionalism, the other ponies won't know what hit them."

The train station wasn't packed. In fact, Applejack and Harshwhinny were one of perhaps a half-dozen ponies aiming to travel at that time of day, at that time of year. It was around eleven o'clock, and just before the end of Autumn. It was hardly holiday season, and anypony commuting to Canterlot would have already gone.

"Where are we headin'?" Applejack asked. Harshwhinny had thus far kept her in the dark regarding her training regimen, opting instead to go and organise their trip and leave Applejack to say her temporary goodbyes to her family.

"Canterlot, of course," Harshwinny said. "That's where the Canterlot Three will be hosted this year."

"We're trainin' in Canterlot?"

"Outside Canterlot," Harshwhinny corrected. "The slopes of the mountain host more than a few locations suited to our purposes."

The train pulled into the station, and Harshwhinny picked up her little flower-adorned suitcase and trotted on-board. Applejack slung her saddlebags over her back and followed suit.

"What kinda trainin' did you have in store for me?" Applejack asked as they sat down opposite each other on the train.

"Running and athletics," Harshwinny said. "Like most ponies of your disposition, you're a competent long-distance runner, so I'd like to increase your all-around agility and power," she said. "We'll also need to improve your balance and control while we're at it, since we don't want your new strength to make you clumsy." She gave Applejack a haughty look. "There's more to my training that just lifting weights and grunting. We will be precise and elegant."

Applejack wasn't sure she associated herself with precision and elegance, but she supposed that if she did, maybe she could beat Haywire Hoofit in a race. She nodded.

"Sounds good to me," she said.

Harshwhinny nodded. "Well, excellent. I have to admit, I was expecting you to be more like your, ah, friend."

"Y'mean Rainbow?" Applejack asked. "Yeah, she ain't the professional sort unless she's really focusing. She ain't so bad, though. She helped convince me to give this a shot, after all."

"Quite. She doesn't lack for enthusiasm." Harshwhinny tapped her hoof against the table. "She reminds me of a friend I trained with a long time ago." Her expression darkened. "There are ponies more skilled and powerful than those you've seen at the Equestria Games that will be appearing in the Canterlot Three, you know," she said. "The Canterlot Three has a way of causing the independent athletes who aren't quite sociable enough to join a team to come out of the woodwork."

"Like who?"

"Well... myself, for starters, a long time ago," Harshwhinny said, her mouth curling in distaste. "I shan't be competing after last games, however."

"What happened last time?"

"The last Canterlot Three events were... rather special," Harshwhinny said. "It was the only instance where I... well..."

"...lost?" Applejack guessed.

Harshwhinny bristled. Applejack imagined that she must have been correct.

"I did more than lose. In the Earth pony events, only a handful got silver and bronze medals. The entire event was filled with injuries, quitters, and damaged infrastructure." Harshwhinny looked out the window. "Most events only gave out a gold medal because there would only be one competitor who finished. The Three, some say, were cursed that year."

Applejack went quiet.

"Difficult to believe, I imagine," Harshwhinny said.

"I'm surprised I haven't heard 'bout that."

"Most ponies who entered don't like talking about it. Many other ponies believed it was staged or rigged. Besides, it was five years ago.”

"It weren't rigged, though, was it?"

"No," Harshwhinny said, looking out the window. "It was just... a bad year."

The train fell into silence as they shot across the countryside towards the tall, imposing mountain that bore Canterlot Castle on its slopes. Applejack found herself tapping her hoof in anticipation after only a half-hour.

Harshwhinny did not talk after that.

"So, where we heading?" Rainbow Dash asked, rolling onto her back as the pair soared through the skies. "Crystal Empire gymnasiums? Perform the seven deadly trials of the griffons in Griffonstone? Wrestle bugbears?"

Spitfire sighed.

"We're going to Canterlot," she said. "We won't be wrestling bugbears this time."

Rainbow looked disappointed.

"But there's barely anything to wrestle in Canterlot."

"I'm sure we'll find something to do, recruit."

"I'm not a recruit any more!" Rainbow corrected, zooming forwards. "Fully-fledged wonderbolt now."

Spitfire's eyes narrowed.

"Still a recruit to me," she said as they followed the cloud of steam emitted by the train.

***

Author's Note

This story has been edited for a while, so it's actually all waiting to go as soon as I read through the chapters one last time.

I'll therefore be releasing this on a tight schedule, on midnight (GMT) every four days until completion. I could tighten the delay in-between chapter releases, but I'm also working on a story for NaPoWriMo (which I'd heartily recommend taking a look at if you have time! It updates daily until the month ends) so in order to look over each chapter thoroughly, I'll be taking that amount of time.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter: there's plenty more to come. Please feel free to comment: I may not always have time to reply, but I always read every single one. Also if you enjoyed the story, do toss it a like, since that helps other gents see it, and if you liked it, then perhaps they will too.

Or not. Maybe you just have weird taste. You weirdo.

See you soon, and have a good one.

32 Days to the Canterlot Games

Canterlot Mountain stretched up before Applejack like a tower, or a great, imposing wall. It was odd, she thought, that she had rarely seen it from this angle. Typically, she'd take the train directly to the castle, or was so far away it loomed less and just sort of sat on the horizon like a watchful parent at the park. Today, however, Harshwhinny and herself had gotten out at Waterbottom Station, in a little cluster of houses struggling to be called a town at the bottom of a tall, white waterfall that seemed to go on for miles. The spray broke up the light and sprinkled rainbow colours across the sky.

As the pair exited the station, Applejack caught sight of several trails leaving the town. Several seemed to head in the general direction of the castle, but took different directions. Canterlot Mountain sported forests, creeks and cliffs that tended to go unnoticed in the shadow of the castle itself. It turned out it was quite an attractive hiking destination.

"We're goin' hikin'?" Applejack asked.

"It would be more accurate to describe our trip as a month-long jog."

Applejack looked up the slope of the mountain again. There were points, she thought, that looked so steep they'd be concave. She swallowed.

"Looks rough," she said.

"Quite," Harshwhinny said, and trotted down one of the little streets. “You will want to pace yourself.”

Applejack trotted after her, her saddlebags bouncing around on her back. There wasn't much to look at in Waterbottom, so she found herself staring at Harshwhinny instead. She didn't look the part of an athlete with her little round earrings and tight purple jacket that wouldn't have looked out of place in Rarity's 'distinguished' section (which Applejack knew was code for ‘old-pony’). Still, she didn't look unfit. She had a quick gait and a certain poise that Applejack recognised from seeing Rainbow fly. It was controlled, and it took practise to achieve. It was almost balletic, Applejack thought.

They trotted up to the outskirts of the town, passing only a handful of other ponies. Harshwhinny stopped in front of a small cottage. It had a tiny front lawn that looked like it had been cut with hoof-clippers.

"Why're we stoppin'?" Applejack asked. She didn't want to look overly eager to the professionally minded pony, but she was anxious to get started.

"This is my house," Harshwhinny said, walking up the stone path to the front door. "I'm just picking up some equipment." She turned her key in the lock and walked inside. "You're allowed to come in, you know."

Applejack quickly trotted up behind her coach. The inside of the house was far from barren, but for some reason it felt so clinical. Like every picture of Harshwhinny had been carefully positioned to present the appearance of a typical cottage, without understanding what it was made cottages truly authentic. It was cluttered by design; there was nothing organic about it.

The awards, on the other hand, were plentiful and impressive. There had to be dozens of trophies. Hundreds. Applejack peered into one of the pictures of the older mare crossing a finish line.

Well, there wasn't any doubt any more: Harshwhinny had definitely been an athlete. She looked very different from the how she looked now. Her mane had been cut shorter, and she didn't have the same wrinkles around her eyes. Neither did she have her perpetual scowl. She almost looked happy, in fact.

The corner of Applejack's eye caught a picture of Harshwhinny standing next to a small host of ponies. Two of them she recognised.

Applejack felt like she was floating over to the picture, her hooves moving of their own accord. Harshwhinny noticed her examining the pictures.

"That one would have been the games ten years ago," she said as she removed her earrings and put them in a small box. "It went well, if I remember correctly."

Applejack stared at the picture. Harshwhinny was over by the left side of the frame, in-between a fully uniformed Wonderbolt and somepony's foal, holding up a hoof-ful of big gold medals. No silver, no bronze. Only gold. But off to the right, Applejack recognised a mare and a stallion, each with a great big smile. They were holding hooves, and in their teeth they held medals. The mare held a silver and bronze, whilst the stallion a silver.

Applejack swallowed, and turned away. She wanted to get to the games, now. More than ever.

"That's a lot of gold," she pointed out, deciding to not mention her parents in the picture and instead gesturing at Harshwhinny’s medals in the picture.

"Oh, yes. I donated, oh, most of them, but I kept a few in a box in the attic," Harshwhinny said, waving her hoof. "I couldn't find anywhere to hang them."

Applejack didn't reply. She was accustomed to winning medals from rodeos, but she still had a hard time wrapping her head around the concept of not having enough space to hang gold medals. She only had a small handful of those, after all. They were hard to get. Harshwhinny was a different beast entirely, she thought. Then again, so would Applejack if her special talent was literally winning.

Sometimes it's really hard to not be good at something, and sometimes you couldn't help but be good at beating other ponies. It made Applejack feel small, but she didn't believe that there was no way to surpass her teacher. Somepony beat her last games, after all.

"There we go," Harshwhinny said as she strode into the hallway, "I'm all set."

The typically prim and proper pony had removed her jacket, scarf, and earrings, and instead wore nothing but some hoof-bands. Her mane had been pulled back to take up less space, revealing more of her forehead. Somehow, she still managed to look like she'd belong in a business meeting. It was the scowl, Applejack thought. No amount of fancy dress could change Harshwhinny's 'I'm disgusted by your lack of professionalism' look.

"Then... we're good to go?"

"Yes. Let's go outside."

As they left, Harshwhinny carried a large rucksack full of strange shapes. Applejack also saw her bring out a strange looking saddle.

"All right," Harshwhinny said as she locked her house up and slid the key under the doormat. "You'll want me to take your saddlebags."

Applejack unstrapped her saddlebags. "Uh, why?" she asked.

"Because you'll be wearing this," Harshwhinny said, handing Applejack the strange saddle. It looked like it came with, of all things, stirrups. Four of them. "I'll carry our bags, but you are going to be carrying me."

Applejack nearly spluttered. "That's..."

"Rather heavy, I know," Harshwhinny said. "However, since I won't hang on like some sort of... koala, you'll also have to adjust your movements to keep me, and all our things, from falling off." She threw Applejack's saddlebags on top of her own rucksack. "It's balance training as well as simple exercise. Now, finish putting that on."

Applejack looked back up at the mountain. If it looked big before, it looked positively gargantuan now. "I have to take you all the way up like that?"

"Well, we'll stop to do other exercises on the way, of course," Harshwhinny said. "We have a lot to do."

Applejack sighed, and tightened the saddle-strap around her barrel. "Okay, then. Let's get this over with."

"Excellent," Harshwhinny said, and hopped on, balancing all four hooves on each saddle before standing up straight. The weight was crushing. Applejack was well accustomed to carrying heavy loads, but the thought of going uphill for hours like this made gravity feel even stronger. The pair looked for all the world like one pony standing on another, more tired and uncomfortable pony.

"All right. Let's start off at a walk, shall we?" Harshwhinny said. I'll direct, you move."

Applejack grunted, and began walking. Her joints felt like they were being bent. Thankfully, the saddle Harshwhinny used took most of the weight off her spine.

Harshwhinny began to wobble. "Remain steady, and keep your legs from twisting. Don't want me falling off or your joints getting damaged, do we?"

"No, ma'am," Applejack groaned, and tried to limit her twisting. "That'd be bad."

"Left," Harshwhinny said, and Applejack dutifully turned left.

They were heading uphill in no time. Before Harshwhinny even had to say anything, Applejack lowered the front half of her body to keep Harshwhinny from toppling backwards.

"Very good," Harshwhinny said. "Remember to breathe, and keep moving. Onwards, and mind uneven ground."

The setting sun beat down on Applejack as she pulled herself up the trail. Harshwhinny would alternate between making her walk, trot, and on one somewhat ill-fated occasion, canter. Now, however, Harshwhinny let Applejack walk, electing to let her have some measure of rest.

Applejack's muscles burned. She felt like somepony (probably Harshwhinny) had poured acid inside her legs and lungs. Still, she had fallen into a form of routine. Her mind dulled. Thoughts just got in the way and made movements harder.

"This is far enough," Harshwhinny said, just as the sun set completely over the horizon.

Applejack didn't notice, either Harshwhinny, or the sun.

"Applejack. You are allowed to stop," Harshwhinny said, giving Applejack a stern tap on the head.

Applejack came to a sudden halt. "Huh?"

"We shall stop for today," Harshwhinny said. "There's a small cabin nearby for hikers and ponies like us. We shall stay there for a while."

Applejack let Harshwhinny dismount. The absence of the older pony's weight was sweet release. Applejack felt like she was flying. The moment was short lived as Harshwhinny gave Applejack her saddlebags back. Applejack grunted.

"Water?" Applejack asked. She had meant to say 'what time is it', but something in her words had gotten muddled.

Harshwhinny handed her a flask of water. Applejack gulped it down.

"Not too much at once," Harshwhinny said. "Come on, you should walk off the effort."

Applejack didn't like the sound of any idea involving the word 'walk'. Still, she didn't argue. She was too tired. The pair walked down a small trail off the main path. The path was gravelly and uneven, and Applejack nearly tripped more than once. Harshwhinny had no issues, however, likely because she hadn’t been carrying a pony for several hours..

They entered a small clearing next to a shallow creek. Applejack and Harshwhinny both walked over a small bridge to the cabin Harshwhinny had mentioned, nestled in-between the pine trees. It was big enough to have several rooms. Harshwhinny pushed the door open. The insides were mostly bare, and served only to contain the bare necessities. Namely, a roof, fireplace, and enough walls to separate the cabin into rooms.

"Do stretches whilst I make food," Harshwhinny said, trotting to the fireplace. She caught sight of some bags littering the main room. "Looks like we're not alone tonight."

Applejack began stretching out her legs. Probably hikers, she thought. That was fine. She was too exhausted to care about some strangers sharing the cabin. The saddlebags slid off her back and fell to the floor in an ungainly heap.

Harshwhinny pulled numerous ingredients from her own bags, and lit the fire.

"How long are we stayin' here?" Applejack asked.

"Until you can canter with ease," Harshwhinny said, and instinctively nursed the bruise on her foreleg. "Until you can do that, you won't be ready for the next step in our training."

"The next step?" Applejack asked.

"Yes. We're not going to spend the entire month learning how to run," Harshwhinny said. She looked over at Applejack. "Stretch out your abdominal muscles. You'll have used them more than you think you have."

"I was gettin' to them," Applejack grumbled.

"You have problems shifting between trotting and cantering," Harshwhinny said. "You jump into it. That takes time and puts a strain on your muscles. You need to twist less and fall into the movements."

"I'm just doin' what feels natural..." Applejack grumbled.

"Well, Rainbow Dash can fall into the movements," Harshwhinny said. "It's how she can accelerate so quickly whilst on the ground and take off almost instantly."

Applejack's eyes narrowed, and the corners of her lips turned downwards in a vicious scowl. She knew Harshwhinny was playing her, but the funny thing was that it didn't matter. If Rainbow could do something Applejack was trying to do, Applejack was sure as haystacks going to do it better. It was a very Rainbow way of thinking, but Applejack didn't care. She was tired and in a bad mood.

"Here," Harshwhinny said. "Eat this."

Applejack didn't even notice what it was Harshwhinny handed her, although she could certainly taste it. Harshwhinny's many talents didn't seem to include cuisine.

"Anythin' else?" Applejack asked, after trying to forget the taste of Harshwhinny's mystery meal.

"You've got lots of stamina whilst walking and trotting, but I don't think you can sustain high speeds and intense effort for long periods of time. Also, you're heavier than you need to be."

Applejack felt thoroughly grumpy now.

"I ain't overweight."

"It's fine. We'll get you on a proper diet soon."

"I ain't overweight!"

"I imagine it's the apple pies. You do eat lots of those, I suppose?"

Applejack went quiet for a moment.

"Well, you gotta eat lots for farm work."

"No, you have to eat well. Drink this."

Applejack took the cup and downed it. She didn’t know what it tasted like, but it was certainly new. "Next?"

"Have a lemon."

"A lemon?"

"Lemons are good for you."

Applejack didn't like lemons.

"I don't like lemons."

"Eat the lemon."

Applejack grudgingly took the lemon from Harshwhinny. It turned out that when life gave you lemons, you ate them whole.

Applejack blinked. Sunlight reflected through the small glass window into the little wooden room she had slept in. The bed was simple, little more than an elevated hammock of sorts. She ached everywhere.

"Breakfast," Harshwhinny said, knocking on the door with a businesslike motion. "Come on. Get up."

Applejack rolled out of bed, feeling every single ache across her body scream at once. She sucked air in through her teeth.

"We'll work those out," Harshwhinny said. "But first, breakfast."

Applejack trotted into the main room, where Harshwhinny had put out two plates of various fruits and biscuits. Applejack found herself digging in before she even realised she was hungry. Somewhere in the rest of the cabin, she could hear other occupants start to make noise.

"Perhaps we should take this outside," Harshwhinny said, picking up her plastic plate in-between her teeth. Applejack followed suit.

The outside was chilly, despite them being on the sunny side of the mountain. The pair sat down on the grass. Applejack continued to wolf down her dinner.

"So, am I doin' the same thing as yesterday?" Applejack asked.

"Not quite," Harshwhinny said. "I'll be somewhat lighter from not carrying all our bags.

Applejack let out a small sigh of relief, catching Harshwhinny's hawk-like eye.

"Of course," she went on, "We will be finding some other way of making it more difficult for you," Harshwhinny said. "We're quite high up now, so expect even more difficult terrain and thinner air." Harshwhinny looked at the small stream that ran past the cabin. "And then," she went on, "You might want to expect getting your hooves wet."

Applejack looked at the stream, and felt her heart fall in her chest. At this altitude, the water would be pretty cold.

"Trot," Harshwhinny barked.

Applejack tried to kick her hooves up higher and get into the motions, but the water kept on getting in the way, rolling past her and pushing her body backwards down the shallow stream. The rocks and slippery moss underhoof kept threatening to trip her, and Harshwhinny, up.

"Balance. Don't jump into a trot. Stay relaxed."

Applejack grit her teeth together. Relaxing wasn't easy when the thought of how angry Harshwhinny would be if she fell into the water was permanently at the forefront of her mind. If Harshwhinny was tough on her now, how would she act if she got dunked headfirst into the icy water?

"Walk. Don't bounce when you slow down."

Applejack grunted. Her hooves slipped on some moss, and she nearly dove into the water. Harshwhinny wobbled, seemingly unconcerned she might fall. Applejack's face got splashed with water, but she righted her posture and kept her coach stable.

"Be aware of where you're putting your hooves," Harshwhinny warned. "Keep walking until you get to that rock."

Applejack kept moving. The water lapped against her sides, knocking her from side to side. It only came halfway up her legs, just barely licking the underside of her stomach, but it was enough to throw a serious wrench in her movements. At least she didn't want for hydration.

Once she passed the rock Harshwhinny had pointed out, she tried to trot. Don't jump, she told herself. It was hard, but she tried to sink her body as she moved into the trot, gaining the speed she needed by falling ever so slightly. It almost worked. She kicked up with her rear legs after her forelegs started trotting, and Harshwhinny bounced up.

"You're still jumping," Harshwhinny pointed out, wobbling.

"I know!" Applejack snapped, now trotting through the water. She missed the oppressive weight of Harshwhinny's bags. The additional weight had meant she didn't have to deal with the sheer uncomfortable nature of this training.

“You think this is hard?” Harshwhinny asked. “Once I mastered this, I performed dressage in a stream twice as deep. Have you ever done dressage?”

Applejack shook her head, and grunted.

Don't jump, she thought. Moving properly implied jumping out of the water! Keeping Harshwhinny on top of her meant she was ploughing through the water. It was exhausting. Her muscles would be burning if the water wasn't keeping them cool.

"You're thinking too much. Just move," Harshwhinny instructed.

Applejack almost bucked her off then and there. She closed her eyes. Just keep moving, she thought. The end would come eventually.

The end of the river came a full hour later. A small waterfall that blocked their path made up an insurmountable obstacle in their current state. It wouldn't be impossible to climb up, but not with Harshwhinny also on Applejack's back.

"Good. Get out of the water," Harshwhinny said.

Applejack toppled to the side. Harshwhinny went from quietly satisfied with Applejack's work to being painfully aware she was on a one-way trip to the icy water at the bottom of the waterfall. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened just enough to begin berating Applejack before she hit the water with a splash.

Applejack, now deprived of oxygen, spluttered and pulled herself out of the water, breathing heavily. She felt numb. The cold made the bottom of her hooves feel brittle and sore, and the effort had taken all her energy out of her.

Harshwhinny rose out of the slow-running water. She spat out a mouthful of stream, and narrowed her eyes at Applejack.

"S...sorry," Applejack panted. "Tired..."

Harshwhinny dragged her now soaked body out of the stream, and tried to daintily brush the water off of her. It didn't work.

"Stretches," Harshwinny grumbled.

Applejack tried to pull herself up enough to stretch her legs, but it was difficult. She began to shiver.

"I would have given you a towel I brought," Harshwhinny muttered, pulling out a soggy blue fabric, "But it seems to have gotten wet."

Applejack continued to shiver as she stretched her legs.

"Forget stretching," Harshwhinny said, and sunk a bowl into the stream. "You can stretch back at the cabin once you dry off. You'll catch your death of cold otherwise."

Applejack nodded, her teeth chattering. She got to her hooves. Harshwhinny balanced the now full bowl of water on her head.

"Canter back to the cabin as fast as you can. Don't let this fall off your head."

Applejack groaned.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

Applejack sighed, and began to canter. Water immediately splashed over her head, but she managed to keep the bowl on her head. She had plenty of practice of keeping things on her head, after all. Baskets of apples, and, of course, her favourite headgear. Who knew wearing hats would have helped her later in life?

She darted down the side of the stream as fast as she could without knocking the precariously balanced bowl off. The movement quickly warmed her up, although she still felt really uncomfortable. Like she was on the brink of cramping up.

Another splash. Turns were difficult. She often carried baskets of apples on her head, but never whilst cantering. She lowered her head to try and gain some additional control. It nearly worked.

It took two hours for Applejack to get all the way up the steam, but it was taking a fraction of the time to canter back down. Soon, the cabin appeared in front of her.

Applejack came to a stop. There was no more splashing from the bowl of water. She carefully removed it and looked at the contents.

There was no water left.

"Ponyfeathers," Applejack muttered. "Harshwhinny won't be happy."

She turned to go into the cabin and find a towel, but stopped. There was another pony in the door, a half-eaten energy bar hanging out of her mouth. Applejack was frozen to the spot, holding the bowl in her hoof.

Rainbow Dash swallowed the energy bar.

"Oh, hi there," she said. "How 'bout that, huh?"

Applejack put the bowl down as she stared at one of the last ponies she expected to see eating a snack-bar on a mountain. "RD? What're you doin'..."

"Training," Rainbow replied. "you?"

"Training," Applejack said. "I mean, what else'd I be doin' up here?"

"Hiking," Rainbow replied. "There are some other ponies in this cabin who are here for a hike..."

Applejack groaned. "I thought you were the hikers."

"Well, they were pretty unfriendly, and just went to their room real quick," Rainbow said.

"I was tired, not unfriendly. And you were real noisy this mornin’."

Rainbow nodded apprehensively. "Huh."

"Yeah."

There was a moment of silence. Rainbow then pulled something out from a bag.

"Energy bar?"

"Don't mind if I do," Applejack said. "Harshwhinny's been makin' me eat lemons."

"Oh, yeah," Rainbow muttered. "Spitfire made me do that, too. Rind and all."

"It's real chewy," Applejack grumbled. "And gets stuck between my teeth."

"Yeah they do. You think they’d be better if they got, like, soaked in honey or something?"

Harshwhinny appeared from behind some trees. She took one look at Rainbow and sighed.

"Oh, good," she muttered. "I imagine Spitfire brought you here."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah."

"Of course she did," Harshwhinny said. "I don't suppose it's too much to ask for you to stay out of our way? At least whilst we're training."

Rainbow nodded. "Well, we're pretty busy too y'know."

Harshwhinny nodded. "I see." She turned to Applejack. "Do you still need a towel, or have you dried off?"

Applejack still felt a bit damp, but the run had gotten rid of most of the water. "I'm mostly dry," she said.

"Good. Stretch."

Applejack sighed, and got down on her hind legs. Rainbow snickered.

"Wow. Jump to it, AJ! Jeez, I’ve only seen you react to somepony that quick when they say ‘open bar’."

"Miss Dash, please be quiet."

Rainbow folded her forehooves, but didn't say anything. Harshwhinny trotted over to Applejack.

"How much water was in the bowl when you arrived?"

"Oh, you did the bowl thing too?" Rainbow asked.

Harshwhinny treated Rainbow to a withering glare. Rainbow closed her mouth and pawed the ground.

"None," Applejack answered.

"I expected as much." She picked the bowl up off the floor. "Next time there shall be more."

"I can't canter and keep it balanced at the same time," Applejack said.

"That's what practise it for," Harshwhinny said, and rummaged inside her bag. She pulled out a packet of food, and gave to Applejack. "Eat quickly once you've stretched, then we go again."

"Oh," came a new voice, "It's you."

Harshwhinny looked up. "Spitfire," she said.

"Whinny," Spitfire grunted. "I came for Rainbow."

"Here, ma'am!"

"Hello, Applejack," Spitfire said, waving. "Recruit, did you finish your flight around the mountain?"

"I did."

"And your time was..."

"One minute three seconds, ma'am."

"Well, that's not awful..."

"It was pretty quick, ma'am!" Rainbow replied, somewhat indignantly.

Spitfire sighed. "I suppose we don't need to work on speed, then," she said. “Good job.”

Applejack finished stretching her stomach, and began wolfing down the packet of food Harshwhinny had given her. She made sure to sit up straight to as to not get stomach cramps later. Harshwhinny, in the meantime, was drying herself off with a towel she had brought from inside the cabin.

"Have you finished?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. Then let us get back to it."

Rainbow kept a quiet eye on Applejack as the two of them returned to the stream. When Harshwhinny stepped onto the strange saddle, balancing on top of Applejack, she scoffed.

"Oh, man," she said, "You look so stupid!"

Applejack grunted. "You shut up," she retorted. "This is real hard."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "Nothing to laugh about, recruit," she said. "After all, if your speed is up to scratch, that's what we're doing next."

Colour drained from Rainbow's face. Applejack snickered.

"That's what you get for laughin' at me," Applejack jeered.

"Trot," Harshwhinny instructed.

Both Rainbow and Applejack were propped up at the back of the cabin, each nursing their now sore legs, backs, sides, and in Rainbow's case, wings. Applejack had wrapped herself in a towel and nursed a bowl of hot food Harshwhinny had made for her. Rainbow had already finished hers.

Harshwhinny and Spitfire were on the opposite side of the room, talking. Applejack couldn't hear what they were saying. After spending hours listening to Harshwhinny bark orders, she didn't particularly want to.

"Hey," Rainbow muttered, nudging Applejack's side. "Pass me some salad."

Applejack wordlessly handed Rainbow a handful of leaves and dumped them in her bowl.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Applejack rested her head against the wall, and let the food slowly digest inside her. "How much do you hurt?"

"Well, I can feel my wings again."

"That's good."

"No it isn't. They really, really hurt."

"Should've stretched 'em."

"I did."

Rainbow fell silent. She began picking at her salad with uncharacteristic slowness.

"How long d'you think we'll have to keep this up?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow shrugged. "Dunno. Spitfire said she wanted me to keep practising until she thought I was ‘ready’. Whatever that means."

"Harshwhinny said the same thing," Applejack said. She nodded towards the pair of coaches. "Wonder why their training is so similar."

"They probably know each other," Rainbow speculated, although there was no enthusiasm or curiosity in her eyes. "Or this is actually a super-popular exercise resort… that I never heard about." Rainbow stroked her chin. “I mean, their training is super similar.”

Applejack shrugged, and got to her hooves.

"I'm goin' to bed," she said. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

Rainbow struggled to get to her own hooves and followed her friend. "Same."

As Applejack collapsed into her simplistic bed, she found herself thinking about how well she'd be able to endure a similar treatment the next day. At least now, though, she had somepony to complain about it to.

“We’ve not had much opportunity to talk, have we?” Harshwhinny asked.

Applejack grunted as she rubbed her eyes. “Well, you’ve been keepin’ me pretty busy…”

“That’s my job.”

Applejack nodded. “I know.” She flexed her muscles and rolled her neck. “It’s pretty tirin’, but I’m happy to keep it up…”

Harshwhinny sighed. “Well, I couldn’t help but notice you talking to your friend last night,” she said.

Applejack sighed.

“Was that a distraction?” she asked.

“Yes,” Harshwhinny said.

Applejack’s posture turned into a slump. Harshwhinny immediately shook her hoof.

“This is good.”

Applejack raised her eyebrow.

“It is?”

“When I was performing this training, I had a friend to keep me sane. It occurs to me that you might benefit from your friend being here, since I’m hardly very… talkative.” Harshwhinny held her hoof up. “So long as, of course, she doesn’t get in the way.”

Applejack smiled. She found herself unexpectedly happy to be allowed to spend her evenings with her friend.

“You got it.”

“Excellent,” Harshwhinny said. “Then let us begin stretches.”

Applejack rested her head against the side of the cabin, panting heavily. The bowl she had carried back lay next to her.

Her coach trotted down the path, her face showing no sign of being either impressed or disappointed.

“You’re movements are smoother in the stream,” she said. “I can tell you’re improving.”

Applejack didn’t reply. She was too busy trying to catch her breath.

"How much water is left?" Harshwhinny asked.

Applejack handed her coach the bowl. "Just a little."

Harshwhinny examined the contents of the water. She didn't smile, but she did have a somewhat satisfied look in her eyes.

"I told you there would be more," she said. "Now, stretch."

Evenings blended into one another, and all Applejack could remember of them was sitting in the same corner every night with a bowl of food next to her, saying the same old thing to Rainbow Dash.

She could barely manage to swallow the small meal Harshwhinny had given her. Her hoof strayed to a bottle of water next to her. She sighed when she felt it was empty.

"Here."

Applejack looked up at Rainbow, who looked to be drenched in sweat. She was holding out a half-empty bottle. Applejack took it gratefully.

How many days had it been? Wake up, stretch. Run up the creek, run back with a bowl of water. Stretch. Eat. Run. Stretch. Run. Sleep.

It felt endless.

"Thanks."

"Can I have some of that food?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack found she didn’t even mind Rainbow’s eating procedure any more. It seemed almost natural at this point. Just dive in and stuff your cheeks with grub. Watching Rainbow eat had become a highlight of Applejack’s evenings, in a sense. It reminded her of Ponyville.

“I’m going to bed, I think,” Applejack said.

Rainbow looked up.

“You sure you don’t want the food?”

“I’ll just have a big breakfast,” Applejack said in-between yawns. “G’night.”

“G’night.”

"Canter!"

Applejack stumbled. She felt Harshwhinny topple, but the older mare managed to jump off her back just before she fell into the water headfirst.

"Sorry!" Applejack said in-between heavy breaths.

Harshwhinny sighed. "You're still jumping," she admonished. "But you're getting better."

Applejack ground her teeth against one another in frustration. She was almost there, she could tell. She just needed a few more attempts. A few more tries.

She needed to make some significant progress. She was running out of things to talk to Rainbow about.

Day four eventually came, and Applejack got back to work. Harshwhinny was pushing her harder and harder now, but Applejack was almost able to keep up with her increasingly stringent demands.

The problem with cantering, she thought, was that there was a natural rocking motion associated with it. At least when she was trotting, it was up and down, not side to side. It made balancing Harshwhinny on her back very difficult.

If she could just stop twisting as much...

She lowered her head, trying to keep her barrel as immobile with respect to the rest of her body as she could. Only the legs, she thought, just move the legs...

She found herself falling forwards as her body failed to compensate for the differences in motion. She also found her front hoof slide through the water to catch her. She reared, keeping Harshwhinny from falling forwards.

"Good," Harshwhinny said, as Applejack continued to glide through the stream, water rolling across either side of her. Cantering was much tougher than trotting, as the increased speed also increased the reaction force of the water. Applejack began to struggle. "Back to trot. Don't tire yourself out."

Applejack gratefully slowed down. Cantering would have to come later, she thought.

"How much water is left?" Harshwhinny asked.

Applejack passed her the bowl. "I had to go slower, though."

"That's fine. Balance is key for this exercise, not speed," Harshwhinny said, examining the bowl. "Barely any spilled out today."

Applejack smiled, proud of herself. "Yup."

"Good. Stretch, and I'll go and get you food and water."

Every time Applejack fell into a canter, she found herself increasing her speed more than she expected. It always hit her like recoil, and she could barely catch herself in time. She grit her teeth.

"Good," Harshwhinny said. "Keep going."

Applejack grit her teeth, but kept going. Keeping Harshwhinny balanced was second nature by this point, but the effort of cantering upstream in water was not.

"Excellent," Harshwhinny said as they kept moving forwards at a strong pace. "Back to trot."

As the sun dipped over the horizon, Applejack stretched out her legs once again. She trotted alongside Rainbow Dash towards the cabin.

“Think we’re almost done?” she asked. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been here.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Spitfire hasn’t told me I’m ready yet, but here’s hoping.” She looked towards Applejack. “So, you wanna tell me why you wanted to compete in the Three now?”

Applejack bristled. She remembered she had only told her close family. Rainbow and Harshwhinny were both in the dark.

Well, Rainbow might as well be family. She was the closest thing to it up on this mountainside, after all.

“My parents competed in the Canterlot Three,” she said.

Rainbow looked at her for a moment, waiting.

“And?”

Of course Rainbow wouldn’t get it. Why would she?

Applejack ran her hoof through her mane. “Well, it’s important to me. I don’t remember doin’ much with my parents, so participatin’ in the same events as them is kinda…”

“The next best thing?”

Applejack frowned. “Sort of.” She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t takin’ me seriously.”

“I’m taking you super seriously! I just wanted to get it is all.” Rainbow rolled her neck. “I’m not in this for that kind of thing. I’m in it for myself.”

Fatigue turned Applejack irritable. She snorted. “This is why I didn’t tell you.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Eh?”

“I go talkin’ ‘bout my parents and you just make fun,” Applejack grunted, storming ahead. “Typical.”

Rainbow’s brow creased. “Hey!” she exclaimed, and dashed ahead, sending a small plume of dirt and dust up from the ground as she moved. Momentary anger was replaced by even more temporary surprise. “Whoa…”

Applejack ducked out of the way, each of her muscles working faster and smoother than ever. Rainbow passed inches away.

“Sorry!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I’m a bit faster than usual!”

Applejack slid on her hooves. She had noticed something similar about her own movements.

“Yeah,” she said, examining her legs. They looked more or less the same. More angular and defined, perhaps.

Rainbow folded her wings. “Listen, I wasn’t ‘making fun’,” she said. “I mean, my parents didn’t have much in common with me, and still don’t. Everything I do I kinda do for myself, because my folk’s hoofsteps just… aren’t for me.” She flicked her mane out her eyes. “I just thought that since we were sharing our reasons…”

Applejack rubbed her forehead. “I guess I snapped,” she admitted. “I’m just… tired. If I can’t get through this trainin’, I won’t… I mean…” She groaned. “If I don’t do well, then I feel I won’t be doin’ them proud. But the longer I’m here, the more I feel I’m goin’ mad.”

Rainbow stared for a moment. Applejack sighed.

“This where you tell me somethin’ like ‘your parents are already proud’ or somethin’ like that?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah. This is where I say that you’re going to win, because you’re training with the awesomest athlete ever. And I’m not talking about miss ‘I have a thousand trophies’.”

The corner of Applejack’s mouth raised. “Oh yeah? How’d you figure that out?”

“Because, AJ, I got scientific observation. I’ve been hanging with Twi’ for a while, right, so I know all about that stuff.” She pointed at Applejack. “I scientifically observe that you always keep up with me, because I think you hate losing to me, because I’m so cool. And since I’m going to win…”

“Then I’m gonna win too,” Applejack finished with a grin. “Well, there’s no arguin’ with science, I guess.”

“There is not,” Rainbow said. “Besides, you saw that mad dash, right? We’re getting good.”

"It's getting easier," she admitted to Rainbow Dash. "I can keep cantering up for minutes at a time now when in that stream."

"Sweet," Rainbow replied. "I also feel like not completely dying," she said. Her smile turned into a frown. "Although I do kinda want to curl up in a ball and cry."

Applejack snickered. "That ain't like you," she said.

"Hey, I can cry if I want to," Rainbow said. "This stuff really hurts."

"I meant admittin' it." She continued trotting towards the cabin. “C’mon, let’s get some rest. Good talk?”

“Good talk.”

Applejack trotted out of her room. She wasn't excited, but neither was she completely broken inside. She had become accustomed to pain in her muscles and bones. Stretching after exercise had become second nature.

"Good news," Harshwhinny said. "We're moving on to stage two."

Applejack stopped. "What? No upstream runnin'?"

"No."

"No canterin' with a bowl on my head?"

"No."

“No lemons?”

“There will still be lemons. They’re healthy.”

"But we’re movin’ on to somethin' different?"

Harshwhinny nodded. "Exactly." She treated Applejack to a rare, genuine smile. "You did very well. I expected you to take a few days longer."

Applejack smiled. "Well then," she asked, "What's next?"

Harshwhinny began picking up her things from across the cabin. "Now we climb higher," she said. "But first, we have to clean this place up for the next occupants. That's how it works."

Cleaning, Applejack thought, wouldn't be all that hard. "All right, then," she said. "I'll grab my things."

“We’re going up?” Rainbow asked.

Spitfire nodded. “Yeah. I think Harsh’ is moving on, too. You and ‘Jack are progressing at about the same rate.”

“Awesome! Let’s go!”

“Ah-ah! Gotta clean this place up first.”

Rainbow looked around at her mess.

“But that’ll take forever!” she groaned.

“Well, you should be tidier, then, recruit.”

***

Author's Note

Onto chapter two! The next chapter will be released on Sunday. I meant to release this at midnight sharp, but I sort of got distracted. Whoops.

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! If you enjoyed it and want to see some art I attempted, check out this blog post as well!

See you on Sunday.

20 Days to the Canterlot Three

Chapter Three: 20 Days to Canterlot Three

The climb was steep, but not tiring. For once, Harshwhinny had decided to, quite literally, pull her own weight and give Applejack a much needed rest as they dragged their bodies up the mountain. Not far away, Applejack could see the towers of Canterlot Castle. She had never seen them from this angle. The way the sunlight bounced off the colourful rooftops was mesmerising.

It had been two hours since they had left a cleaned cabin and continued making their way up. Rainbow Dash and Spitfire had left afterwards, taking much longer to clean up their respective messes, but they had caught up pretty quickly. Applejack was glad for that. Harshwhinny wasn't much for conversation, and without a familiar face she thought she'd have gone insane.

"It's pretty sweet from up here," Rainbow said, adjusting her duffel-bag on her shoulders. "I don't think I ever bothered to fly this high above Canterlot."

Applejack imagined she wouldn't have. She pointed at some vineyards down the mountainside. "I didn't realise those were there," she said.

"Chateau Camargrape," Harshwhinny said. "They're quite famous, you know."

"I'm not much of a wine drinker," Rainbow said. "But hey, if they're that close, I'll give 'em a shot."

“You ought to,” Harshwhinny said. “They’re renowned across the entire world.”

Rainbow held her hooves up. “Hey, there’s no need to wine about it,” she said, then smiled from ear to ear. “Eh?”

Harshwhinny groaned.

“Eh?” Rainbow repeated, her smile threatening to take over her entire face. It might set up a military occupation there, even, and begin expansively conquering nearby faces in a grab for power.

Harshwhinny resisted the invasion.

Spitfire was examining something different, even further away, hidden in the shadow of the mountain.

"What are you lookin' at?" Applejack asked.

"The games," Spitfire said. "They're setting the events up. There, you can see the stadium."

Applejack squinted. "Oh yeah," she said. "Looks pretty small from up here."

"Bigger closer up," Spitfire said. She sniffed. "Louder, too."

"Yeah, they'll cheer pretty loudly when we win," Rainbow said, nudging Applejack in the side. "Right?"

Applejack didn't feel like bravado. She wondered if her parents had been as confident as Rainbow, back when they competed.

"I reckon they'll cheer pretty loudly either way," she said. "But I hope it'll be for us."

The four ponies continued up the trail. Trees were still commonplace, but they were different from the trees down below. They looked greyer. Tougher. Applejack also couldn't help but notice that it was getting much colder than down below. She eyed Rainbow Dash.

"You ain't cold?" she asked.

Rainbow shrugged. "I'm kinda built for high altitudes," she said. "Why? Are you cold?"

Applejack immediately stared dead ahead. "No." To Harshwhinny, she asked "Are we almost there?"

"Just another half hour," Harshwhinny replied. "Then we'll arrive at the hotel."

Resting on a cliff hanging over what looked like hundreds of feet worth of emptiness was a small complex. It was different from the wooden cabin further down in several ways. It was partly made of stone, for starters. It had a cleaner, neater garden surrounding it. Perhaps most importantly, however, it looked inhabited.

The sound of water on stone was omnipresent. Applejack looked around at the building and surroundings, visibly impressed. She wondered if tonight she might be able to sleep in an actually soft bed, not just a sleeping bag on a glorified hammock.

"What's this place?" Rainbow asked. "It looks like a sweet hotel."

"This location is home to several small pools and waterfalls, many of which we will be making use of," Harshwhinny said. "They're a bit more special than the stream I had Applejack canter up."

"There are hot springs here too," Spitfire said. "There's some sort of volcanic activity inside the mountain, and it can heat up some of the pools. This place is actually quite a popular resort in some circles."

Rich circles, no doubt, Applejack thought. This place looked expensive.

The four ponies walked through the large glass doors. Applejack's hooves positively tingled as they rubbed over the soft carpet. There was a large glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was no castle, Applejack thought, but it reminded her a lot of the wealthier Manehattan hotels Rarity would insist on staying at.

A pony behind a desk looked up at them. She smiled as her eyes fell on Harshwhinny and Spitfire.

"Oh, welcome back," she said, getting to her hooves. "It's been a long time since your last visit."

Harshwhinny nodded. "Yes, I had to take a break," she said. "Family reasons."

"Well," the pony said, undeterred, "We currently have three rooms free. There was a surprise booking for a wedding, you see..."

"That's fine, we only need three," Harshwhinny said, and turned to Applejack and Rainbow. "I'm sure you don't mind sharing."

"I'm sure we won't," Applejack replied. Still wouldn't have minded being asked, though, she thought.

The receptionist went back behind the desk to find the room keys. "I assume you'll also want the key to the, um, special waterfall?"

Harshwhinny nodded. "That's right."

"Okay. Just remember, stick to the opening hours unless you have a member of staff accompanying you," the receptionist said. "You're already aware of the rules, of course..."

"I am."

"We both are," Spitfire added.

"Special waterfall?" Rainbow asked.

"Here are your keys, then!" the receptionist said. "Room 201, 202, and 309. 309 is a twin single."

"That'll be ours, then," Applejack said, taking the key. "Thanks." She looked towards Rainbow. “You cool sharing?”

“Yeah, sure. You don’t snore, do you?”

"Breakfast is still from seven until ten. We serve lunch all day, and the dinner menu is available from six until eleven." She smiled. "You know where the gym is, and the indoor pool."

Harshwhinny turned to Applejack. "Today is a rest day, so head up to your room and, well, do whatever you fancy," she said.

"Same for you, recruit," Spitfire added. "We'll get to work tomorrow." She turned to Harshwhinny. "I'm going to hit the gym, though. It's been all well and good for Dash, but I've not broken a sweat this whole trip."

Harshwhinny nodded. "Likewise."

Rainbow and Applejack both watched the pair leave.

"Wonder what she meant by 'family reasons," Applejack said.

"I wonder what she meant by 'special waterfall'," Rainbow countered. "Weird. Hey, wanna' explore once we dropped our stuff at the room?"

"I wouldn't mind some food," Applejack replied.

"Come on, just a quick look before we eat, 'kay?"

Applejack sighed. "Fine, I'm game."

"Sweet! C'mon, let's go."

This part of the mountain was quite different from the very wild, untamed forest Applejack had been in until now. There were more rocks here, for starters. Trees were scarce, and smaller. The grass was very short, and there were plenty of mountain flowers. Of course, the air was much colder, and there was an almost permanent breeze.

"Jeez, you can see everything from up here!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Pretty awesome."

Applejack turned to look up towards the mountain peak. Past this point, the slope of the mountain looked incredibly steep. Too steep to climb, she thought. There's have to be a very winding track or staircase, otherwise you'd need proper cliff-climbing gear to make it all the way to the top.

"Pretty tall, huh?" Rainbow said. "Y'know, when Cloudsdale floats around here, we have to be careful we don't accidentally crash into the mountain. That's just how big it is."

"Don't surprise me," Applejack said. "Biggest mountain in Equestria, ain't it?"

"Something like that," Rainbow replied. She flew around the grassy slopes surrounding the hotel for a bit. "This place looks awesome to stay in. I bet they have the best gym equipment. Did you hear them say they had an indoor pool?"

Applejack had heard. She wasn't sure she wanted to go near water any time soon, however.

"Can we get lunch now?" she asked. "I'm starvin'."

Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, I guess." She brightened. "We'll have loads of time to explore the rest of the place anyway."

Applejack smiled. "Yeah, we will." She watched Rainbow dart inside the hotel. She paused, and looked over the horizon. Someplace down there was Ponyville. She hesitated. It must be nice, she thought, for Rainbow to be able to tackle everything with one-hundred-and-ten percent enthusiasm. Applejack always found herself wondering.

She trotted after Rainbow Dash, returning to Earth. It was time to eat, after all. As she trotted, she wondered if perhaps Rainbow wondered from time to time.

"Good morning, Applejack," Harshwhinny said. "You look, ah, rested."

Applejack yawned, rubbing her baggy eyes with lethargy. "'Mornin'," she said.

Behind her, Rainbow stretched out her back. She looked, in contrast to Applejack, very fresh and energetic indeed.

"Hey there, Ms. Harshwhinny!" Rainbow said. "Boy, those beds were comfy. I haven't slept this good since I was staying in this hotel in Cloudsdale for the Wonderbolts." She grinned. "Cloud-beds are the best."

Applejack sighed. "'Least one of us slept well," she muttered. "Some ponies had to deal with..." She shuddered. "...snorin'."

"Not me," Rainbow replied. "I slept like a log."

"Made the sound of one bein' sawed in half, too," Applejack said. She turned back to Harshwhinny. "Breakfast comes with coffee, right?" she asked.

Harshwhinny examined Applejack. "Yes, perhaps that would be best," she said. "Come. I will explain today's training as we eat."

Spitfire was quick to join them as they sat down at an elegant four-pony table in the breakfast area. Breakfast was croissants, fruit, and in Applejack's case, plenty of coffee.

"Today," Harshwhinny said, "We'll be doing more work with water."

Applejack groaned. Harshwhinny narrowed her eyes.

"Is there a problem, Applejack?"

"No," Applejack quickly replied. Harshwhinny had a mean streak for ponies who didn’t appreciate her training. "I love the water. Water is the best."

"This is, of course, special water," Spitfire said. She turned to Harshwhinny. "Were you going to do the ball training?"

"Yes," Harshwhinny said. "Were you?"

"Yup."

Harshwhinny turned back to Applejack and Rainbow. "The special waterfall we'll be training in is in a cave. The entire chamber is mostly filled with falling water. However, the actual water level is quite low, so you won't be swimming."

Applejack sighed. "I guess we're gonna get wet, then."

"Yes."

"Goodie."

"We'll be doing ball exercises. Throwing, catching, passing, that sort of thing," Spitfire said. "I'll deal with you, Rainbow. You know how hard it is to fly through thick water?"

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah."

Applejack knew how hard it was to throw balls through thick water. She examined her forehoof for a moment.

She needed more coffee.

Harshwhinny turned the key the receptionist had given her in a small lock. The door was rather nondescript, and looked like every other door near the pool, but Applejack knew better. Nopony else had the key to this door, and nopony else was allowed in. What could be behind, she wondered? Harshwhinny had said on multiple occasions that the falls on the other side were 'special', but Harshwhinny seemed to have a rogue dramatic streak, and she was adamant on keeping it a surprise.

The door opened. All four ponies walked in. Spitfire was holding two rubber balls.

The inside of the room was pretty much as Applejack had expected from Harshwhinny's description. A large cavern carved into the side of the mountain, with water flowing from the ceiling into a large pool, the size of a basketball court. Droplets of water were everywhere, and there were areas where the water formed walls, splashing and running and disturbing the pool below.

The water was definitely... odd, however. Applejack couldn't quite put her hoof on it. It looked just like normal water. It had the same transparency, the same reflective qualities, the same...

She frowned. The water was running slower than normal water.

"What's goin' on here?"

Harshwhinny smirked. "The water here is, believe it or not, magical. The energies inside the mountain have affected it somehow. It's quite fascinating, really." She slid her hoof into the water and slowly, very slowly, pulled a small amount out. "I like to call this 'force-dependant water'. As in, the more force you apply on it, the slower time acts on it." She tossed the water to Applejack. As it flew through the air, it slowed down to a crawl.

Applejack's jaw dropped. "That... ain't possible, right?"

Rainbow tapped the floating water. "Apparently it is," she said. She tried giving it a push. The water hardly budged. "I see why this'll be tricky."

Applejack could see too. Moving through the water efficiently would be almost impossible. If she moved slowly, the water would react closer to normal, but if she tried to pummel through, it'd be like running into a brick wall made of liquid water. It would be like falling at terminal velocity into the sea.

"And we're supposed to throw a ball through this?" she asked.

Harshwhinny tossed her one of the balls. Applejack caught it under her hoof.

"I expect you to try," Harshwhinny said. She flashed Applejack a rare smile. “We live in a magical land. You didn’t expect me to not take advantage of some of the stranger things here, did you?”

Applejack tapped the ball as hard as she could. That was the trick, she thought. If the ball stopped pummeling into the droplets of water all around the cave, it'd start to fall faster than she could catch it. She shoved her hoof into the side of the ball using as much force as she could muster.

The ball barely budged. In fact, the ball was deforming faster than the water was moving out the way. Applejack slowly fell down, the water acting as both a cushion, and a trap.

By comparison, Harshwhinny was moving efficiently. Had Applejack been able to use her full speed, she could run rings around her coach, but the older mare had obviously had practise in this strange, unreal cavern. For the first time that trip, Harshwhinny looked like she was almost having fun. Her brow was furrowed and her lips were drawn. She was completely focused.

Just pass her the ball, Applejack thought. Easier said than done.

She tried to accelerate, pushing on her rear hooves to catch up with the ball, now rolling at a snail's pace through the water-saturated air. The little droplets all pinned her down like nails. Applejack grunted.

The worst was the water that hit her eyes or got in her nose. It was like the insides of her were trying to evacuate it, but it wasn't working. No wonder Harshwhinny had wanted her to practise hard before going into the water chamber, the next step in her training.

"Don't jump," Harshwhinny shouted. Her voice sounded distorted and wrong. "Focus, and you'll do fine."

Applejack remembered, but her acceleration was already broken. She could only slowly, ever so slowly, push through the water. Harshwhinny darted (comparatively speaking) under the ball, and caught it using the bridge of her nose.

"Catch," she said, and rolled the ball through the water, giving it a strong spin.

Harshwhinny must have managed her effort and muscles perfectly, because the ball didn't slow down nearly as fast. Applejack tried to slide through the water with minimal effort. She tried. Instead she felt like she was stuck in quicksand. Stuck. Paralysed, even.

She rolled her hoof out to try and scrape against the ball. Those were the rules, she remembered. Don't let the ball drop. Pass it continuously.

In the end, she could barely scratch the sides. She could barely input enough force to get it to move upwards. Most of her effort just gave it a spin.

Just a tiny spin.

Harshwhinny's lips pursed, and she dove through the water, her muscles working with such poise and precision that most of the time, she seemed to barely brush against the droplets. Where her hooves hit the water on the floor, she hit it hard, causing it to act almost like a solid.

Applejack tried to absorb Harshwhinny's movements, to learn them. But then she'd lose sight of the ball, and...

Shoot!

Her eyes fell back on the ball, which Harshwhinny had just about managed to send back to her, albeit with great difficulty. Applejack needed to get into position. She needed to figure out where to go...

Her hooves wouldn't move. They had sunk too far into the water, and the more she tried to pull them out, the harder it was...

Her balance lost, she tried to absorb her fall using her forehooves, but it wouldn't work. It was like nothing was responding any more. It was like she was tangled and tied up in ropes, and not in a fun way.

"Crud!" she heard from Rainbow's side of the chamber.

"Ponyfeathers!" Applejack shouted once the ball hit the water on the floor.

"Never mind. Get to it, and throw it back," Harshwhinny said. "Three passes is a good start."

"I just can't move right," Applejack said.

"You'll learn," Harshwhinny said. "I did."

Applejack drew a long, pained breath, and continued sluggishly moving towards the ball. Today would be another long day.

As both Applejack and Harshwhinny rested by the side of the pool, Applejack discovered a new complication that stemmed from the magical water. Drying out took forever. She dripped with painful slowness, adding to the somewhat miserable feeling she had. She felt powerless.

Harshwhinny, by contrast was in remarkably high spirits.

"We'll work on adjusting your speed next," she said. "Your movements are minimalistic and controlled, which I was hoping would happen after our previous training. You just need to control your acceleration more, and you should be able to move through the water even better."

Applejack said nothing. She hadn't expected anything to slow her down quite that much. Lifting weights, running distances, sure... but getting past that accursed wall of magic water was not only like trying to swim through mud, but it was painful. The droplets all felt as solid as ice when she hit them. It was like sprinting through hail.

Harshwhinny caught her grumpy expression. "You're making excellent progress. When I began this training with Spitfire, we almost drowned."

"Breathin' gets tough in there, that's for sure," Applejack replied. Her lips were still curled in a frown. She looked at Rainbow Dash, still struggling away in the chamber. It must be even harder for her. She couldn't gain enough speed to fly properly, and had to use her wings as a third pair of hooves to push up on the falling droplets. Despite that, she was still training. "Will this really make a difference?" Applejack asked, nursing her foreleg.

Harshwhinny nodded. "It had better," she said. "I'm putting you through training that no normal pony goes through."

Applejack's eyebrow raised. "Why's that again?"

Harshwhinny hesitated. "I confess, I have a somewhat ulterior motive for wanting you to participate and win in the Canterlot Three." Harshwhinny adopted a haunted look. "Last games, I mentioned that there were... complications. I was still riding the high from the games before then." Harshwhinny smiled. "I was never very close with my family, but we always used to say that sport ran in our blood. We competed against each other often. It was the last time before they settled down." Harshwhinny's eyes narrowed. "What came after was a bit of a shock by comparison."

"Oh?"

Harshwhinny nodded. "In the Earth pony events, I tended to win. I suppose I must have been overconfident, because last games, there was another pony who was better... far better than I." Her hooves clenched. "He didn't just crush any record I, or anypony else, set, but he'd break equipment whilst doing so. You know Ponyball?"

"Yeah. Six players against six, a net ‘round the court, one hoop each, two ponies of each tribe on each team?"

"That's the one. I didn't play, because I competed alone. He, on the other hand... he competed alone, too, but he still entered. He played each of the six positions all alone." Harshwhinny sighed. "Many ponies gave up. I saw others refuse to take their medals if they won second place because he was so far out of their league. In some races, he'd dash past the finish line before others got to the halfway point. He'd destroy targets outright in throwing competitions and archery." She sighed. "I didn't stand a chance. Haywire Hoofit is likely the least of your worries."

Applejack frowned. "What's this got to do with me?" she asked. "Or are you just tryin' to scare me off?"

"Not at all. I'm too old to stand much of a chance no matter how hard I train... but you might." Harshwhinny prodded Applejack's chest, her expression changing. "If I can get you to be as tough and as strong as me in my prime... or better... you might be able to wipe that smug smile off his face for once in his life."

Applejack didn't say anything. Harshwhinny pat her on the back, and got back to her hooves.

"Well, that was nice to... get off my chest," Harshwhinny said. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask why I was making you train twice as hard as most ponies for twice as long."

Applejack wished she had. She got up and trotted after Harshwhinny.

"What was that pony's name?" she asked.

"His name," Harshwhinny said, "Is Victor Valiance." She gestured towards Rainbow Dash. "Now, shall we get back to it? I'm sure you don't want your friend to outperform you."

Harshwhinny and Spitfire had both left to go to dinner. Applejack rubbed the towel over her fur slowly, in order to carefully squeeze the water out. She wasn't sure how the older ponies had managed it so fast.

As she walked down the corridor, she heard a strange clicking sound. She frowned, and turned her head left and right to identify the source. She knocked the door of one of the pool cubicles. Nopony else was still near the indoor pool.

"Hello?" she asked.

"W-w-what?" came Rainbow's voice. "A-AJ?"

Applejack prodded the door open. Rainbow Dash was wrapped in three towels, and her teeth were chattering loudly. She was shivering.

"What the hay happened to you?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow was still dripping wet.

"T-the water isn't coming out," Rainbow said. "C-c-cold."

Applejack stood there for a moment. "You want a hand?"

"I-is this just an excuse to g-get your hooves all over me?” Rainbow asked. “Because I don’t like m-mush…”

“And what if it is?” Applejack asked.

“I could s-say no.”

“You gonna?”

Rainbow sighed in-between chattering teeth.

“No.”

Applejack sat next to her friend on the bench and started slowly squeezing the water out of Rainbow's coat. The pegasus’s body felt cold to the touch, even though Applejack wasn’t exactly warm herself.

"You shouldn't have had this much trouble," Applejack said.

"Y'know I s-said that pegasi are warmer at high altitudes?"

"Yeah."

"It's c-cause we have more f-fur, right? So..."

"I get it," Applejack said. Now she looked closer, she realised that Rainbow's coat was acting like one big sponge. She must have absorbed twice as much water as her. "So y'all just threw more towels on?"

"Wh-why not?"

Applejack shrugged. "Dunno. Could've just asked Spitfire." Applejack rubbed the magic water out of Rainbow's back. "She seemed to get it out easy enough."

"I don't want Spitfire squeezing water out of my wings!" Rainbow retorted.

"Why?" Applejack said with a smirk. "Embarrassed?"

"N-no," Rainbow replied. "She has a grip like a vice. She'd tear my wings off!"

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” She moved on to Rainbow's foreleg. "Saw you workin' real hard today," she said.

"Yeah. My wings are killing me."

"It was impressive."

"Yeah, I bet." Rainbow nudged Applejack. "You were pretty cool too."

"I weren't that cool," Applejack countered. "I had to take twice as many breaks."

"Yeah, but you're an Earth pony. You're not used to moving through stuff, and feeling the currents and things."

Applejack frowned. "What d'you mean?"

"Well, like, when I fly, I can feel the way the air moves against me, right?" She dislodged her wing from the pile of towels. "See those little feathers? They're kinda like sensors, I guess. Wings have to constantly move to absorb rogue currents. The water was kinda like that, but one million times worse."

"A whole million?"

"A whole million. Really." Rainbow put her hoof on Applejack's side, and began pushing. "What you have to try and do is not fight the water, right, but kinda just absorb it, and move with it. You gotta move like a pegasus, not an Earth pony." Rainbow grinned. "I bet Ms. Harshwhinny doesn't even realise she's doing it." Rainbow kept prodding Applejack. "See, you're tensing up."

"That's. Cause. You're. Poking me."

Rainbow stopped poking Applejack.

"Thanks."

"That's my point, anyway," Rainbow said. “It’s about continuous motion, not just digging in and fighting it.”

Move like a pegasus, Applejack thought. She continued to wring the water out of Rainbow's coat. "I'll keep it in mind."

"If you want, I could try showing you," Rainbow said. "Y'know, when I'm not tired, wet, cold, and hungry."

"Right." Applejack nodded. "Sure, why not?"

"Cool." Rainbow shook her mane. "I think I'm mostly dry-ish, now. Food?"

"Food."

The next morning came quickly. Harshwhinny danced on the slowed water, her hoof cupping the ball.

"You look a bit more awake today," she said, lobbing the ball at Applejack.

The farmpony slid her hoof through the water and rolled her hoof around the ball. "I found a trick to deal with Rainbow's snorin'," she said, and tossed the ball slowly through the water, trying to give it a strong spin. The water quickly absorbed that spin, but it moved through the air better than yesterday. "If I put a pillow over my head and stick tissue paper in my ears, it ain't so bad."

Harshwhinny rose up over the ball, and caught it on the bridge of her nose. "That's good to hear," she said, and threw it straight down.

"'Sides," Applejack went on, moving through the water to intercept, "I was pretty tired yesterday. I don't think any amount of noise could've woken me up last night." She tried headbutting the ball back, but it didn't work as well as planned. For starters, she hadn't gotten under the ball fast enough, and secondly, the ball stopped halfway through her movement, leaving her with a sore head. "Ow!"

Harshwhinny, still slowly falling through the water, tried to angle her body to dive under the rapidly falling ball. She even used her rear hooves to push against the water still falling to gain more speed. After Rainbow and Applejack's discussion the night before, Applejack realised that the movement was very similar to a pegasus dive.

Harshwhinny's hoof managed to just barely angle the ball upwards again, but it was just a tap, and the water made it almost impossible for the ball to move upwards without a continuous push. Moving the ball was like pushing a fridge. You couldn't just throw it: you needed to push it and hope it tipped over in the direction you wanted it to.

Applejack tried pulling her legs in, to minimise the contact surface between herself and the water, and push herself towards the ball, but she was too slow, and it hit the pool of water below. Harshwhinny moved backwards, gaining some distance between them.

"Pick it up, and start again," she instructed, but there was no anger or disappointment in her voice. Just a businesslike dedication to continuing.

Applejack nodded. Water hit her in the eye.

"I should try'n get some goggles next time," she grunted. "Water in my eyes is darn uncomfortable."

"I remember. I seem to have gotten used to it," Harshwhinny said.

"Speaking of uncomfortable, I don't suppose there's some trick to gettin' dry, is there?"

Harshwhinny's eyes widened. "Oh, I forgot to mention. If you just move away from the cavern far enough, the water begins behaving like normal water, and it just falls off on its own."

Applejack scooped the ball up out of the water. She sighed.

"Would've been nice to know," she muttered. "I'd better tell Rainbow."

"I can't believe all I had to do was just leave," Rainbow grumble as she followed Applejack up into their room. "I was freezing."

"I noticed," Applejack said, rolling her neck. "Water hurt less today."

"Yeah, I'm getting used to it too," she said. They both entered their room, and Rainbow closed the door. "Okay, pegasus one-oh-one, I guess." She trotted over to Applejack. "When we're in the air, it helps to make yourself as small as possible."

Applejack nodded. "I tried that in the water," she said. "I couldn't tell if it helped or not."

"It helped," Rainbow said. "The more space you occupy, the more air... or in this case, magical weird water, I guess... gets in the way and slows you down. It's why I often put my hooves in front of me when I fly super fast."

Applejack nodded. "So, if I put my hooves out in front of me..."

"It might help," Rainbow said. "Although... you kinda need those to stand up, right?"

Applejack sighed. "Oh. Right."

“It’s also about your muscles, right?” Rainbow said, and moved closer to Applejack. “Here, lemme show you…”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed.

“This just you tryin’ to get your hooves all over me?” she asked.

“Might be. What you gonna do about it?”

“I could tell you not to,” Applejack replied.

Rainbow smirked. “You gonna?”

Applejack sighed.

“No.” She narrowed her eyes. “For real, though, are you flirting?”

“It has been weeks since I’ve been on this mountain.”

“That ain’t a no.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll feel the same way in a minute,” Rainbow said. “There isn’t a pony alive that can resist these hooves.”

Applejack snickered. “We’ll see ‘bout that.”

Applejack darted to the left, pulling her hind legs up as she jumped to the side. Her left hoof shot out through the water to reach the ball, and she pulled it into her centre.

"You're taking up less space," Harshwhinny commented. "That's good!"

"Real tirin'," Applejack countered. "My sides are killin' me!"

She fired the ball towards Harshwhinny using both hooves, taking care to move it slowly through the water to provide height.

"That's also good," Harshwhinny said. "Good exercise is when you get aches and pains the next day."

Applejack grunted as she tried to absorb her landing quickly, before jumping in the air again. It was always strange how she could float in the air due to the droplets of water suspended around her. "I guess," she replied. "If trainin' was just pain, I'd be ready to beat Victor Valiance whenever!"

Harshwhinny didn't reply immediately. Once she caught the ball and deftly threw it back, she said, "Let's hope!"

Applejack felt like squirming. Rainbow kept on adjusting her posture using her hooves. Every time Rainbow poked, prodded, and adjusted her body, she jabbed at one of the fresh aches Applejack had acquired during the day.

"Stop being so tense!" Rainbow instructed. "This is how you move in mid-air, okay?"

"With another pegasus touching me all the time?"

"Only when they're Earth ponies who can't chill." Rainbow pulled Applejack's forehooves in. "Tight corners mean you've got more air pushing down on your back, so you can't throw your hooves forwards. You have to move your head up like this..." Rainbow adjusted Applejack's head, making her look directly into the ceiling. "You have to look where you're flying. It'll adjust the rest of your body. See?" She ran her hoof down the back of Applejack's neck and along her back. "In a turn, the air will push your back and flanks in line with your head. You straighten out, and... there."

Applejack rolled her neck. "I, uh, see."

"It's a lot of small things that make up proper movement. When you're just running on the ground, you have less of that."

"I guess," Applejack said. "It's all a bit weird."

"It's not that weird."

"I meant you puttin' your hooves all over me," Applejack said.

Rainbow frowned.

"That's just you making it weird," she said, and jumped into her bed. "Besides, you did it first.”

“You were freezin’!”

Rainbow shrugged. “Anyway, I'm beat. More tomorrow?"

"Sure," Applejack said. "More tomorrow."

Applejack flattened the pillow over her head, sighing. Rainbow sounded like a steam-train and a combine harvester had a foal together. She had thought she was getting used to it, but now it was like Rainbow was getting worse.

Applejack tightened her eyes as Rainbow made a sound that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in a lumber-mill… then silence.

Applejack held her breath.

Rainbow snorted in air like a balloon exploding backwards, if such a thing made sense.

“Are you serious?” Applejack grunted.

There was a pause in the snoring. Momentary, but there. Applejack’s eyes opened, and she peered under her pillow.

“RD?”

The snoring resumed at a different pace.

“You’re awake, ain’t you?”

“No.”

“Are you snorin’ loudly on purpose?”

“No.”

Applejack breathed in, and sighed.

“Okay, yeah. But only because it’s hilarious.”

Applejack snorted and rolled over onto her side. “I need t’sleep,” she grunted. “If you wanna snore, snore for real, would’ya?”

The room went silent for a moment.

“Hey,” Rainbow began. “You still awake?”

“No.”

“I’m real glad you’re here,” Rainbow said. “Spitfire… doesn’t talk as much, y’know?”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d probably have gone nuts on my own with her for a month.”

“You think she’s bad, you should try Harshwhinny. I can count the times she’s said anything other than instructions on two hooves.”

Rainbow snickered. “Yeah, she seems like a bundle of fun.” Rainbow rolled onto her side. “Anyway, g’night, I guess.”

***

Author's Note

Onto chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it: as always, feel free to comment and all that good stuff and I'll see you guys on Thursday when the next chapter is due to be released.

Cheerio, and have a good one.

2 Days to the Canterlot Three

Water rolled off Applejack as she scooped the ball just before it hit the floor. She grinned.

"Thirty-five," she shouted, and threw it towards Harshwhinny. It was an accurate throw, and Harshwhinny barely had to move to catch it.

"Thirty-six," she replied.
Applejack had already timed her landing and fired her hind legs downwards, hitting the almost solid water below and launching herself up again. She was ready for Harshwhinny's throw even before the older pony had a chance to shoot. Applejack grinned. Her training was paying off.

The throw never came, however. Harshwhinny put both hooves on the ball and slowly landed.

"Let's get out of the chamber, shall we?" she said, throwing the ball towards the outside of the pool.

Applejack tilted her head. "No trainin' today?"

After five minutes of them escaping the slow water, Applejack pulled herself out into clearer air. Able to move easier now, she ran her hoof across her coat to remove some of the excess liquid. Harshwhinny started with her mane instead.

"Not today," Harshwhinny said. "There are only a few days until the Canterlot Three begins now. We're going to move away from water-based exercises." She turned back inside the chamber, where Spitfire and Rainbow were still practising. "Are you almost done?"

"Almost!" Spitfire shouted back. "We're at fifty-seven!"

"New record!" Rainbow added.

Applejack whistled. That was much better than Applejack's personal best of forty-eight. Rainbow was still ahead of her in terms of motion in the magic water.

Harshwhinny sighed. "We'll get our things together and wait in the bar," she said. "Meet us when you're done."

"They're comin' with us?"

"They might as well. I was expecting us to do our training on our own, but since we've come this far together, it seems a bit wrong to split up now we’re so close to the end."

Applejack smiled. "That's nice," she said. She had been happy for Rainbow's company and personal training for the past week.

Applejack and her coach trotted away from the chamber and to their individual rooms. Applejack’s side of the room wasn’t particularly tidy, but it looked positively sterile compared to Rainbow’s side. Applejack quickly got all her things together and packed them into her saddlebag. She had felt like time had flown by in no time. She grinned. She put a hoof on her sides, and could feel the rippling muscle under her coat. She had always been a strong pony, but having to push through all that water and use every single fibre of her being to move had turned her into some kind of machine.

When Rainbow and Spitfire met them at the bar, Harshwhinny and Applejack stood up.

"Ready?" Applejack asked.

Spitfire nodded. "Yup." She beckoned Applejack and Harshwhinny to follow her, and they passed through the reception area, tossing their keys on the counter.

"I'll send you the bill, as usual," the receptionist said. "I hope you enjoyed your stay!"

They then left the hotel.

"You guys ever play ponyball?" Spitfire asked.

"Once or twice," Applejack said.

"All the time," Rainbow replied. "The weather team play against other towns sometimes. Thunderlane sucks."

"That's not old school ponyball, though," Harshwhinny pointed out.

Rainbow shrugged. "No, we play pegasus only. There aren't many Earth ponies in the weather team." She tilted her head. "Well, there is one, but she's not based in Ponyville."

Harshwhinny nodded, and began walking up a track leading even further up the mountain. It was steep, and often had stairs carved into rock.

"We're going to play a few games," she said. "Obviously, we don't have a full team..."

"But there are some ponies in the Canterlot Three who don't need one," Spitfire said, looking towards Harshwhinny.

Harshwhinny didn't reply. Spitfire adjusted her saddlebag.

"Anyway. We both thought that this would be a good opportunity for you guys to test out your new skills in a non-magic water filled environment." She pointed forwards. "On the other side of the mountain, a short way up from here, is a temple. It's real old, but it does have a ponyball court."

"It will be adequate to practise in." Harshwhinny tapped her bag, which made a 'boing' sound as her hoof found the balls they had used for practise earlier. "Luckily, we won't even have to borrow some balls."

Applejack nudged Rainbow as they trotted up the path. "Remind me how to play when we get there?"

"Sure," Rainbow said. "Will do."

It didn't take long for the group to reach a point where no more trees grew. Applejack could see snow not far above them. She rubbed her coat, trying to warm herself up.

"At least when we play, we'll warm ourselves up," Rainbow said, who was beginning to look a little chilly herself despite her pegasus coat.

"Wonder who'd put a temple all the way up here," Applejack said. "It must be tirin' to walk all this way."

"I don't feel tired," Rainbow said.

Applejack noticed that Rainbow was right: she didn't feel very tired. In fact, despite the steep ascent, this felt less like a hike and more like a relaxing stroll through a park. "Huh," she said. "I guess you're right."

Their surroundings were mostly just rocks and thin, crisp snow by now. Harshwhinny and Rainbow Dash had both gone ahead, Rainbow out of impatience and excitement and Harshwhinny because unlike Applejack and Spitfire, she didn't stop to admire the countryside.

The Wonderbolt captain would fly lazily in the rear, apparently conserving her energy.

"Hey, Spitfire," Applejack began, "I was wonderin' 'bout somethin'."

Spitfire landed next to her. "Shoot."

"Well, Harshwhinny said she was makin' me do this real hard training 'cause she wanted me to beat Victor Valiance, right?"

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "That what she told you?" Spitfire asked. She shrugged. "She's not wrong, I guess."

"Well, Victor can't compete in pegasus games, right?"

"Actually, there's no explicit rule against it. It's just that, well, the pegasus games kinda revolve around flying, so..."

"Well, anyway, why're you makin' Rainbow do the same trainin' as me?" Applejack asked. "Ain't that a bit overkill?"

Spitfire chuckled. "Yeah, took me by surprise too," she said. "I was going to go through a tough Wonderbolt exercise regimen in the gym at HQ, but she insisted." She shrugged. "I told her that it'd be unnecessary and frankly, pretty painful, but she said there wasn't any point in doing half-measures."

Applejack's brow knotted together. "Rainbow asked for this? But she's already the fastest pegasus alive, right?"

Spitfire looked momentarily disgruntled. "Well, when she gets her sonic rainboom going, yeah, sure." Spitfire shook off her negativity for a moment. "In any case, she said she wanted, in her own words, 'the most awesome and hardest training I could think of'. So here we are. Playing with magic water on a mountaintop every minute of every day."

Applejack looked over at Rainbow, still flying ahead.

"Huh," she said. "If it'd have been me, and I could fly faster'n the speed of sound, I'd probably not have done the same thing."

"Yeah. Me neither. And I'm pretty hardworking, too." Spitfire craned her neck. "Hey, there's the temple. You ready to play ponyball?"

The temple was a surprisingly simple looking building. Applejack had for some reason expected more from something so remote and at the top of a mountain. The reality was far less epic. It had old weather-worn walls, snow was piling up around the door, and the windows had been replaced with somewhat more modern, insulated, and less historical double-paned ones. Now and then a pony in a lab coat would trot here and there, escorting various ponies.

"What is this place?" Applejack asked.

"It's a sort of place of healing," Spitfire said, eyeing Harshwhinny out the corner of her eye. "For ponies with... cutie-mark defects."

"Defects? Like, diseases?" Rainbow asked.

"Cutie-marks are more than just a representation of one's talent," Harshwhinny said, staring straight ahead. "They're linked to the soul. When something goes wrong, it corrupts and ruins the pony. There needs to be a place for those ponies to stay, and heal."

Spitfire nodded. "Sometimes they don't heal, though," she said.

Harshwhinny went silent once again. Applejack got the sense that Harshwhinny had more to do with this place than as a mere visitor, but she sure as hay wasn’t going to press the matter.

"So, ponyball?" Rainbow said, deciding to bludgeon through the awkward silence.

Harshwhinny nodded. "Right. Me and Spitfire will set the net up. You go over the rules with Applejack and warm up."

Applejack trotted over to her friend. Rainbow rubbed her hooves together.

"'Kay. You played before, right?"

"A few times. I'm a bit rusty."

"Okay. Earth ponies and unicorns are on the ground. Pegasi are in the air. Shoot the ball into the opponent's hoop to win, but only from beneath. If you're a unicorn, you can only play by levitating pads." Rainbow ran her hoof through her mane. "That probably won't come up today, though."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. You can only hold the ball for three seconds, unless you can dribble, which is pretty tough for most ponies. No tackling. This is non-contact." Rainbow pointed at Applejack. "As an Earth pony, you're in the best position to shoot and score, since I won't be able to shoot from above the net. You can only score of the ball goes into the hoop from beneath. If we had a unicorn, we'd use her to do passes and steals, but as it is, we're gonna have to do that the old fashioned way. Oh, and there'll be nets around the court. If the ball falls outside the court, it's out, but if it hits the net and bounces back in, which it probably will, the game continues."

Applejack nodded. "Okay. Anything else?"

"Just basic strategy. Since I'm the most mobile, pass to me if you're in a jam instead of try to hoof it yourself. Then move under the hoop. I'll pass, you score. If you miss, I'll try and get the rebound."

Applejack nodded. "Got it."

Rainbow grinned. "Of course, I bet Captain Spitfire and Harshwhinny'll have their own strategy too. We might have to switch it up a bit."

"Sure thing," Applejack said. "I don't reckon they'll go easy on us."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah." She began to trot on the spot. "So, warm-ups?"

Spitfire and Harshwhinny were both on the court. Harshwhinny was bouncing the ball up and down, limbering up. Applejack couldn't help but notice that her movements were almost scientific in their precision. Applejack sucked air in through her teeth and stretched out her forehoof.

The court wasn't as big as she expected. Roughly a hundred feet by fifty. The net surrounded the whole court, and on each side was a hoop. It was well out of reach for Applejack. She'd barely be able to grab it with her teeth if she jumped as high as she could, she reckoned. She'd have to throw the ball through.

Rainbow hovered above her. She licked her lips. Applejack jumped on the spot for a moment, trying to ease the tension out of her. Rainbow would be going all-out to beat Harshwhinny and Spitfire, so Applejack had to do the same. It wasn't just a matter of pride, but respect.

One of the ponies from the temple was also there. It seemed Spitfire had roped him into being a sort of informal referee.

"Ready?" Harshwhinny asked as Applejack trotted to face her in the centre of the court. "Since you haven't played in a while, we'll be sure to go easy on you."

Applejack snorted. "No you won't."

Spitfire grinned. "Good catch."

Harshwhinny lowered her body, preparing to jump and catch the ball as soon as their referee threw it into the air. Applejack did the same. She knew her body was sprier and stronger than Harshwhinny's. She should be able to jump higher, faster. She'd catch the ball before Harshwhinny.

Rainbow was preparing to receive Applejack's pass. She was hovering behind her, in perfect position to catch a backwards throw.

"Go!" the referee shouted, and threw the ball straight up.

Power surged through Applejack's muscles, more than she believed she had. She soared up, up, towards the ball as it began to fall. She almost gasped. This was the highest she'd ever jumped... and she wasn't even trying for altitude.

Her hooves edged towards the ball until it was barely a few inches away... and then it vanished.

Applejack's eyes shot downwards. Harshwhinny was gone, already sprinting into their court. But where had the ball...

"Crud!" Rainbow shouted, and darted across the court towards Spitfire.

Applejack almost swore. She had spent so much effort concentrating on Harshwhinny, she hadn't realised that Spitfire was just as capable of snatching the ball away. Harshwhinny had played them. She had telegraphed a jump straight up to catch the ball, but that had never, ever been her plan.

Applejack was now seemingly stuck in mid-air. She was unable to make gravity work faster, and was reduced to waiting.

Rainbow shot towards her captain, seemingly accelerating faster than Applejack's eye could track. Spitfire rolled to avoid her, but Rainbow, still the faster pony, adjusted her course to intercept. Her hoof shot towards the ball, intent on knocking it out of Spitfire's hooves...

But it was already gone.

It was as close to a magic trick that Applejack had ever seen in ponyball. Her eyes darted left and right to try and find it... to try to figure out the trick.

Her hooves connected with the ground, and once again, she was mobile.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the ball shoot towards Harshwhinny. Of course, Applejack thought. When Spitfire rolled, she must have thrown the ball at the net. She hid the throw with her own body, tricking Rainbow and Applejack, and now the ball was heading towards Harshwhinny, who was perfectly positioned under the hoop.

Applejack's hind legs bunched up, and then she catapulted herself towards Harshwhinny. She fell straight into a gallop at dizzying speed, and in an instant was inches away from her mentor.

The ball, however, was already on its way into the hoop. It passed through, and Harshwhinny smirked.

Rainbow grit her teeth.

"Sorry 'bout that," Applejack said, panting.

"Don't worry about it," Rainbow grunted. "We'll do better next time."

Applejack sprinted from one end of the court to the other, but it was seemingly to no avail. Every time she felt she held the advantage, Spitfire and Harshwhinny would play some new trick to turn the tables. Applejack's body twisted left and right to catch their passes, but they seemed to know what she was going to do before she even did it.

They weren't playing ponyball so much as mind games. Rainbow was suffering for it too.

The score was three to eight in favour of the older ponies. Even though Rainbow was faster than Spitfire and Applejack was stronger than Harshwhinny, the gap wasn't so big that it could overcome the difference in skill and strategy.

They'd use back-passes, the net, and a vast array of misdirection tricks. More than once Applejack had found herself chasing a ball that simply wasn't there.

Rainbow, from her vantage point in the sky, saw more than Applejack. Her eyes shot around the court, permanently scanning for opportunities, but all she saw were tricks and defeats. Frustration was beginning to take its toll. Her hooves clenched and with every score Harshwhinny or Spitfire landed, she ground her teeth so hard it sounded like she was crushing pebbles.

"Y'all okay up there?" Applejack asked.

"I hate losing," she said through clenched teeth. "New strategy. Block Harshwhinny."

"Block her? This ain't a contact sport."

"So make it so she can't get by you without contact," Rainbow said. "I'll handle the captain."

Applejack nodded. "I'll do my best."

Rainbow got back into position. "Just do it."

The referee threw the ball into the air. Instead of aiming for the ball, Applejack leaped over Harshwhinny. The older pony hesitated, perhaps for the first time that game. She couldn't get to the ball without hitting Applejack. She smiled.

In the air, Rainbow and Spitfire both shot towards the ball. Spitfire's eyes widened as she realised Rainbow had no intention of stopping. Rainbow cracked her forehoof on the side of the ball, sending it spinning out of control into the net. It bounced back with such force, it barely lost altitude.

Rainbow flashed Spitfire a look, and they both shot after the ball. Rainbow kept hitting the ball without ever trying to catch it, and all the while kept accelerating. Spitfire, forced to play Rainbow's speed game, couldn't keep up. Instead, she tried to focus, and predict where the ball would land, but Rainbow's hits were too erratic: she couldn't figure out where to go.

Applejack kept on getting in Harshwhinny's way, but concern grew as she began to realise Rainbow's plan. She was trying to gain enough speed to perform a sonic rainboom.

Rainbow finally hit the ball straight towards their opponent's hoop. Spitfire grit her teeth, and moved to intercept. Finally, Rainbow was doing something she could predict.

Unfortunately, Rainbow's speed was now so overwhelmingly beyond Spitfire's, Applejack couldn't imagine the older wonderbolt ever having a chance of reaching the ball before Rainbow.

Rainbow shot after the ball, faster than her throw, faster than Spitfire... but she didn't perform the rainboom.

Instead of catching the ball under the hoop and throwing it up to score, she crashed into the hoop and crumpled, folding in two. Applejack, Spitfire, and Harshwhinny all winced as Rainbow slid off the hoop and onto the ground.

Spitfire landed next to her, and quickly examined her for injuries. Applejack cantered towards her friend.

"Jeez, why'd you let her do that?" Spitfire asked, eyeing Applejack. "I'd expect this sort of thing from her, but I thought you were responsible!"

"She didn't tell me," Applejack countered. "She okay?"

"I'm fine," Rainbow growled, getting to her hooves and brushing herself off. "Just bruised."

Spitfire sighed with relief, then smacked the side of Rainbow's head, causing her to rub the side of her skull. "I didn't think I needed to tell you that you can't do a rainboom under these conditions. You invented it, right?"

Rainbow pouted. "Whatever."

Applejack raised en eyebrow. "Why can't she rainboom?"

Spitfire sighed. "Too many sharp turns, for starters." She looked at Rainbow. "Why else, recruit?"

"Too close to the ground," Rainbow said, now thoroughly miserable. "Takes way more power to go that fast near all the disturbances in the air near the earth."

"Any other reason?"

Rainbow groaned. "And other ponies nearby can disrupt the airflow and send me flying off into a wall or something," she mumbled.

Spitfire nodded. "Good. So, when is it okay to do a rainboom?"

"In a race, in the sky, without anything to crash into."

"Good," Spitfire said, satisfied. "That's the end of that." She trotted off. "Time to take five. I need a breather."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both leaned against the side of the court. Now they had stopped exercising, the cold had caught up to them, and both had elected to wrap themselves in towels, both to dry off the sweat that had accumulated in their fur and stave off the chill. Rainbow stared sullenly over the horizon. Now she was away from Harshwhinny and Spitfire, she was openly showing how much her abdomen, the part of her that hit the hoop, hurt.

A large red mark, quickly turning purple, indicated the damaged area.

"Y'know what I think?" Applejack said.

"What?"

"I reckon they wanted to show us that just 'cause we're fitter than ever, somepony with experience can still get the better of us."

Rainbow shrugged. "Y'know what I think?" she said, as she gingerly prodded her injury.

"What?"

"I think they were trying to make us use every trick we had, and push ourselves as hard as we possibly could," Rainbow said. "I think it was just training, and we didn't do well."

"Do you know what I think?" Harshwhinny asked.

Both ponies jumped. "Oh, hey there," Applejack stammered. "Didn't see you."

Harshwhinny rubbed her own towel over her neck. "I think that if you two were paying attention, you'd have been learning the tricks and strategies we were using. Especially you," she added, pointing at Rainbow. "Spitfire told me you had a rather unique memory."

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah."

"So, now, you should learned at least half of what we've done," Harshwhinny said. "Particularly since you lost. Right?"

Rainbow pawed the ground. "Well, I guess..."

"Good. It's very important to keep learning, always," Harshwhinny said. "You too, Applejack. I hope you got a good feel for your new strength regardless."

Applejack nodded. "Yup. It's pretty amazing."

"I feel faster than ever," Rainbow said. “Well, once this heals up, at least. Luckily, I get better pretty quickly. Just need plenty of yoghurt.”

Harshwhinny smiled. "Very good, but you had better get Spitfire to take a look regardless." She turned to leave. "Tomorrow, we'll begin travelling down the mountain again. We'll be taking a shortcut that leads to a cable-car, so we'll be heading straight to the games. I hope you're both ready."

Applejack nodded. She hoped so too.

The insides of the temple were sparse, and surprisingly large considering how unassuming it looked from the outside. Applejack and Rainbow were both wrapped in sleeping bags, as the patients of the temple tended to need their own rooms. Applejack didn't know where the caretakers slept, but Spitfire said they weren't allowed to sleep there, either. It was sleeping-bags in the main hall, or bust.

Harshwhinny was gone, and Spitfire was nowhere to be seen either. Outside, snow had began to fall. It was now the beginning of winter, a winter that marked the beginning of the Canterlot Three.

Despite the cold outside, the walls of the temple managed to keep the interior pleasantly warm. Applejack could smell perfumes and incense, and the smooth architecture made her feel… peaceful. At ease.

"So, all that about air currents and stuff earlier..." Applejack whispered, "Is that why you can't sonic rainboom whilst running on hoof?"

Rainbow's sleeping bag shuffled as she nodded. "Yeah. Not even I have enough strength to push through without gaining speed first," she said. "That's why when we were playing ponyball I had to spend ages just flying around to go faster."

"There ain't no way to get stronger?"

"I asked Spitfire, and she said I'd have to radically move my body structure around for it to work. As it is, I can, but only if I get a huge boost."

Applejack stared at the ceiling. "I see."

"Even if I did, the air currents bouncing off the ground would be pretty hardcore," Rainbow went on. "Like, I'd have to bring my A-game to not just catapult away."

"But you could?"

"Well, I mean, I am me. You met me, right?"

"Once or twice," Applejack said with a grin.

"That should give you an idea."

"It does," Applejack said. "Spitfire told me y'all insisted on comin' here, instead of just spendin’ a month in a Wonderbolt gym."

Rainbow nodded. "Yup. It wasn't my fault. Spitfire basically said what she was going to make me do first was only the second hardest training she had ever done. I had to upgrade."

"Still pretty impressive, if you ask me."

"Yeah, well... Y'know that memory thing that Harshwhinny mentioned?"

"The thing you used to pass your wonderbolts history exam?"

"Yeah, that. Well, I can't switch it off. Whenever I'm flying, I just remember things. Including all the times I lose."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"When I lose, or something bad happens, I always have it bouncing around my skull. It's why I hate losing. I have to relive it all the time."

"Sounds a bit extreme," Applejack commented.

"Well, I might be exaggerating a little, but that's basically why. That's why I want to win. I'd much rather remember that." Rainbow curled up in her sleeping bag. "I reckon the Canterlot Three is going to bring some pretty awesome memories."

Applejack nodded. "I bet. After what we've been through, I can't picture anythin' else happenin'." Applejack’s smile lessened. “So long as you don’t try an’ kill yourself like today. I’d much rather you lived to get your medal than not.”

Rainbow went silent. Applejack tilted her head.

"RD?"

“I’m about to get a bit mushy.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t think I could have done this training without you.”

Applejack’s eyebrow raised. “That is kinda mushy,” she said. “Also, I ain’t sure that’s true. You asked for this. You’ve been doin’ better than me.” Applejack rolled onto her side. “I think you’re one of the best athletes I’ve seen.”

“I mean, I kinda think that if you weren’t here, I’d have done… I dunno. Like that stunt during ponyball.” Rainbow rested her hooves under her head as she stared at the ceiling. “Just ‘cause I’m a really good athlete… and I am... doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes get lost in it. You know? Like winning is all there is.”

“You think so?” Applejack asked. “I always thought you put other ponies above all that.”

Rainbow breathed out. “I’m glad you think that, but I’m not always so sure. I kinda feel like I wouldn’t if I was all on my own.”

“I reckon that’d be true for most ponies,” Applejack replied. “Right, RD?”

There was no reply.

“RD?”

Rainbow Dash began to snore. Loudly. Applejack sighed, and smothered her ears with her pillow.

"G'night."

Tomorrow, they'd be at the Canterlot Three games. Then it'd be time to really strut their stuff.

***

Author's Note

And that's chapter four. The next chapter should be due on Thursday, same time as always.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you next time.

Also, to Hat Man, to whom I mistakenly said Victor would be appearing this chapter, well, um, mistakes were made. I'm sure that together we can work past this slight miscalculation.

0 Days Until the Canterlot Three

The fields beneath Canterlot Castle were filled with ponies. The hum and chatter of stallions and mares was like a tidal wave. There were food stands and ponies wearing silly mascot outfits. There were athletes and spectators. There were old ponies and young ponies, and they were loud. It was like looking at a multicoloured sea in turmoil.

Banners were hung from the sides of the stadium, proclaiming the beginning of the Canterlot Three. Weatherponies were making sure that the place remained warm and pleasant, even as Winter began to creep up on everypony.

Applejack adjusted her saddlebag, eyeing the crowd.

"Boy, there sure are... more ponies than I thought," she said. "I thought this weren't as big as the Equestria Games..."

Spitfire nodded. "It usually isn't, but I reckon that after the, uh, controversial last games, the ponies up top are trying to revitalise it through marketing." She smirked. "I'm kinda used to this sort of thing. Try hard enough to get ponies to show up, and sometimes you’ll get what you want."

Harshwhinny was quieter than usual, and kept looking towards the crowd. Spitfire flashed her a look.

"Looking for somepony?"

Harshwhinny didn't reply. Spitfire elbowed her back to reality.

"If he thinks your student is a challenge, he'll be here," Spitfire said. "Now, where did I put R..."

"Right here, Captain!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We going to our hotel?"

"Yeah. Drop our stuff off," Spitfire said. "Oh, and, Applejack," she added, looking towards the farmpony, "Good luck. I hear Haywire Hoofit is pretty quick for an Earth pony." She leaned in. "Not so good on the sharp turns, though."

Applejack raised her eyebrow. "Uh, thanks."

"Not that you need luck," Rainbow joked, nudging her friend. "He won't see you coming!"

"But he should see you getting further and further away," Spitfire added. "Preferably as you secure a solid lead."

Harshwhinny remained quiet, although she managed a small smile. Applejack imagined she was thinking about a different opponent to Haywire. Applejack herself wasn't sure what to think of the prospect of going toe-to-toe with Victor Valiance. If even half of what Harshwhinny had said was true, he wouldn't just beat his competitors... he'd break them.

"Well, better drop our things off," Rainbow said, and flew away. Applejack cantered behind her. She didn't care who she was going to be racing against... Haywire Hoofit, Victor Valiance... She was determined to win and earn herself a picture right next to the one with her parents, complete with medals.

As the day progressed, the first round of events went smoothly. Applejack sat on the benches, waiting patiently for her turn, and her chance in the spotlight.

Rainbow was gone. She had moved up to where the pegasus games would take place to warm up. She remembered Spitfire's advice to her friend: so long as she could pull off a sonic rainboom, she'd have no problem taking the lead. The problem was gaining speed with all the tight turns.

Applejack would make sure to go and watch her friend win, as soon as she had finished her own race.

As the previous event cleared itself up, Applejack looked out for the other ponies participating in her race: a one-thousand metre dash. She could make out Earth ponies and unicorns alike in her category, although the majority were definitely Earth ponies. No pegasi, though. Rainbow Dash likely could have tried competing if she had wanted, but her ambitions were set higher. About one hundred feet higher, in fact.

Among the crowd, Applejack recognised Haywire Hoofit. He was one of the rare athletes whose name Applejack had memorised. It was hard not to admire the lightning fast pony who had repeatedly proven himself faster on hoof than most pegasi were in the air.

Just to look at him, he seemed to be built purely for speed. Where most ponies were rather round, Haywire was angular and sharp, like a knife. His mane was short. Everything about him looked efficient. His eyes, smaller than those of the average pony, stared straight ahead, like he was in the middle of some deep meditation.

Applejack wondered if she should be meditating, too.

Harshwhinny was next to her, and occasionally scanned the crowd. Applejack was beginning to get a bit frustrated with her attitude. She understood that Victor was a fearsome opponent, but it didn't do to ignore her actual student because she was fixated on some other athlete who beat her.

Then again, if Ms. Harshwhinny's talent was winning itself, maybe losing had done more damage to her than Applejack expected. It would be like Applejack losing her family, in the sense that her family was what made her who she was. Applejack wondered if that was how important winning was to Harshwhinny. An extension of herself?

It seemed almost unreasonable.

"Your ultimate rival not showin' up?" Applejack asked.

Harshwhinny swallowed. "I... don't know," she muttered, for the first time visibly unsure of herself. "I can't see him."

Applejack smirked. "Guess I must have scared him off," she said.

Harshwhinny frowned. "That's not how Victor works." She sighed. "What number are you?"

"Nine," Applejack said.

"Okay. You'll want to start stretching and warming up, now."

Applejack nodded, and got to her hooves. "Sure thing."

From her position on the track, Applejack could barely make out the reassuring shapes of her family in the crowd. They popped in and out of her vision, so after a moment she decided to stop looking for them entirely. She knew they were there, and she knew they'd be looking. It was a shame she hadn't been able to find them before her race began, but that was the sort of thing that happened in huge crowds like this.

She'd be able to find them before she went to go watch Rainbow's race.

She stepped onto her position on the starting line. Coincidentally, she was only one spot away from Haywire Hoofit. The spectacular athlete looked more like a projectile than a pony. Applejack breathed out. She was still limber from her warm-up routine.

"This is for you guys," Applejack muttered to herself. An entire month's worth of intense training had let up to this moment. Weeks of aching and sore muscles. Stress and fatigue and sweat and Harshwhinny's poor cooking. All to try and do what her parents had done ten years ago.

Applejack felt her heart race. Rainbow might want to win because she could remember everything, but for Applejack, it was the things she couldn't remember. She couldn't remember being there at the events her parents were in. Maybe it was because she wasn't there. She must have been eight or nine at the time. Old enough to remember vague images, but too young to pay real attention.

How foolish, Applejack thought. She wished she could remember more than just blurs and pictures. She licked her lips. Today, she had the chance to get closer to them, even if it was for a minute. Granny Smith had once said that her mother's side was a family of athletes.

Time to continue the tradition.

"On your marks!"

Applejack stared straight ahead. She found herself focusing on Haywire. She immediately looked away. She needed to focus on the finish line, and being the first to cross it.

"Get set!"

Applejack lowered her body. Just like running up a river, she thought. Just fall into the motions...

"Go!"

Applejack took off like an arrow from a bow, her mane flowing behind her like it was about to fall away. Everything outside the track was a blur. All Applejack could see was the way forward, and out of the corner of her eye...

Haywire was the only pony to not instantly fall away. Applejack ran through strategies in her mind. The others might be conserving their strength to pull forward near the end... But not her and Haywire. Or rather, this was them conserving their strength.

The pair raced, their hooves thundering across the soft and bouncy track. The wind rushing past her ears drowned out the cheers.

They reached the corner of the long, oblong stadium. Both her and Haywire turned... but Applejack was the faster.

It was like moving through slow water, she thought, except ten times easier. Every single one of her muscles acted to turn her in the correct direction. By contrast, Haywire was just like a knife: he cut through in straight lines.

Applejack pulled ahead by a nose. Her breath quickened. Haywire would accelerate as they ran across the next long stretch...

She'd have to accelerate too.

They both fell forwards. To an outside observer, they'd both look like some strange gravity was accelerating them parallel to the planet's surface.

Haywire caught up with Applejack, barely. He spared his competitor no glance. His focus was supreme.

Applejack realised that by noticing, hers was not.

She needed to drown out any thought of Hoofit beating her. She needed to win, and to win, she needed to think about nothing else but winning. Bend everything she had towards pushing past her opponent.

Her mother had won silver in her race, but Applejack wanted gold.

She felt like her lungs would tear themselves apart, and her bones would be pulverised to fine powder, but she drew out all the strength she had. After a month of practising in the most unusual conditions, it turned out she had a lot.

She didn't notice herself pulling in front of Haywire by a hair's breadth. She didn't even notice when she pulled past the finish line. She kept running, and running until her legs gave out.

Her blood pumping in her ears, she stumbled to the side, trying to keep moving. Her lungs scrambled for air, and her vision blurred. Beyond the drumbeat of blood in her ears, she heard the sound of a massive crowd cheering and shouting.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder, the sensation of another pony cutting through the mist like a hot blade.

"You can relax now. Water is on the side."

Applejack stumbled towards where the pony was taking her. "Did I...?"

"Yeah, you won."

Applejack swallowed.

"I won?"

"Yup," Haywire said, panting heavily. "You got first place. Congrats."

What was strange to Applejack was how fast it had gone by. Of course, that was rather the point, but still, she had worked so hard for a win that after getting it so quickly, it felt almost like it had never happened.

Haywire hadn't seemed to mind too much. He took his silver medal without complaint.

As they left the track, he gave her a look.

"I've seen ponies move like that before," he said. "Two, in fact."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Haywire nodded. "Yup. Ms. Harshwhinny, back when I was a kid, and Victor Valiance," he said. "It’s a strange kind of movement that I can’t quite place. Know any of them?"

Applejack nodded. "Harshwhinny is my coach."

Haywire's mouth opened in understanding. "Ah. That would explain it, then. Her and victory tend to go hand in hand."

"Not always."

Haywire shrugged. "Well, no. But last games..." Haywire went quiet. "The gap between us was just so... vast. It didn't feel right to stand on the podium after that. Harshwhinny was in quite a state, too."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "She didn't talk much about it. She just said she wanted me to beat Victor."

Haywire chuckled. "What, at a race? I think you overestimate your abilities."

"Well, he ain't here to win."

Haywire frowned, his expression dark. "Yes. Disrespect is his forte." Haywire looked at his silver medal. "It's hard to take a victory seriously when your greatest opponent doesn't deign to show up. But I'm not interested in feeling snubbed by ponies who don't even bother to turn up." Haywire placed the medal around his neck. "Last games, I rejected my bronze. I regret that decision. I worked hard for it. I shan't complain or whine about getting silver today."

Applejack nodded.

"If you don't mind, I would like to ask some questions 'bout Harshwhinny..."

"Applejack!"

Applejack turned just in time to catch Applebloom, who had catapulted towards her with significant velocity. Applejack grinned. "Hey, Applebloom!"

"You won!"

"Yeah I did," Applejack said, beaming. "Got me a gold, too."

Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were hot on Applebloom's heels, both eager to offer their congratulations.

"You look just like your ma'," Granny Smith said.

Applejack smiled, and turned her attention upwards, where the pegasi athletes were gathering in front of an obstacle course made of clouds.

There was another race she wanted to see.

The climb to the observation towers was tough, especially on Granny Apple, whose joints weren't as flexible as they used to be. Applejack was still tired from her recent ordeal, but she was certain Rainbow had seen her race, and she wanted to return the favour.

Besides, her friend had worked just as hard as Applejack.

At the top, Spitfire gave her a wave. "Hey, Applejack. Come to watch the recruit give it a shot?"

Applejack sat next to the wonderbolt captain, and beckoned for her family to follow her. "Hey there. She feelin' up to it?"

"She's always feeling ready," Spitfire said. "She's over on the..."

"I see her," Applejack said. "Rainbow mane ain't exactly hard to see, is it?"

Spitfire nodded. "I guess that's true. Where's your coach?"

"Can't find her," Applejack said. "I ain't sure where she is."

Spitfire frowned, and turned to stare at the racetrack. "I'll have to have a word with her."

“She’s bein’ more taciturn than usual,” Applejack said. “There a reason for that?”

“I think she’s disappointed her ‘plans’ haven’t worked out,” Spitfire replied.

Before Applejack could ask what Spitfire meant by that, the announcer started reciting the athlete's names.

"Number eleven: Rainbow Dash, from Ponyville."

Applejack's ears pricked up when she heard Rainbow's name, and smiled to herself.

The name that came afterwards sent chills down her spine.

"...and in, um, number twelve: Victor Valiance."

Spitfire's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "What?" Applejack saw Spitfire’s muscles tense. “You have to be joking!”

Applejack caught sight of the stallion on the number twelve spot. He was of average height, of average build, with a blond mane and light tan coat. His eyes were what caught Applejack's attention, however. It was like they were lifeless. His cutie-mark was plainly visible, even from this distance: a trophy, almost identical to Harshwhinny's own aside from the fact that his appeared to be cut down the middle and broken.

It was a cutie-mark unlike any she had seen. A cutie mark represented what made a pony complete. Seeing one that represented something split in two...

"But he's an Earth pony?" Applejack exclaimed, putting her thoughts aside and pointing at Victor. "This is a pegasus race!"

Spitfire gnashed her teeth. "I need to get down there," she said, getting up. "Rainbow doesn't understand what Victor can do."

"On your marks!"

Spitfire practically spat. "Horseapples!"

"What's wrong? Why is Victor competin' in somethin' he can't win?" Applejack asked.

Spitfire turned towards Applejack. "Because if he's competing, it means he can."

"Get set!"

Not far away, Applejack made out the recognisable shape of her coach. Harshwhinny was staring at Victor Valiance intently, like he was the only pony that existed in this world. Now Applejack had both ponies in the same field of vision, something struck her.

"Spitfire," Applejack asked, "Why does Victor look so similar to Harshwhinny?"

"Because he's her son," Spitfire snapped.

Applejack’s eyes widened.

"Go!"

The pegasi all took off at once, Rainbow sparing a glance at Victor, the only Earth pony competitor. It was a fatal mistake. Victor bunched up his hind legs, and the average physique he had turned into a wiry, muscular monstrosity. Applejack could swear she saw his cutie-mark glow.

He pushed off the launch cloud, and shot across the sky. Rainbow immediately realised the danger and accelerated, but Victor was like a bullet. They both flew neck-and-neck, catching up with the athletes in front, who hadn't been as woefully distracted. They both shot in front of the competition like they were nothing.

Something strange was happening to the pegasi who flew near Victor. Their wings shuddered, and Applejack's trained eye could tell they were slowing down. She had spent enough late-night lessons with Rainbow Dash to know when a pegasus wasn't moving properly.

"He's disrupting the air currents around him," Spitfire exclaimed. "That's not..."

When Rainbow and Victor reached the next checkpoint, Victor landed on the cloud checkpoint, bunched up again, like he was a slingshot, and fired himself towards the next point. Rainbow was allowed only a momentary head-start before Victor caught up with her.

"Why ain't she doin' her rainboom?" Applejack asked.

"She can't," Spitfire growled. "He's too close, and whatever he's doing to the air, it's stopping her from gaining enough speed. He's catching her in his wake."

"His wake? But that means..."

"That Rainbow is behind him," Spitfire snarled. "He's winning. He's using Rainbow's speed to push himself forward, and those jumps are just..."

"Unreal," Applebloom muttered.

It must be taking all of Rainbow's energy just to keep herself from spiralling out of control. Victor was brutally assaulting the air around her, turning it into a hurricane of turbulence. It was amazing she could keep herself going in a straight line.

Another checkpoint, and Victor pulled even further ahead. Worse still, with every inch Victor gained on Rainbow, the pegasus was getting increasingly caught up in that terrible air current effect.

Applejack imagined racing against Victor on hoof. She didn't see herself lasting long. It was no wonder Haywire would have been depressed to race against that monster. He was on a different level entirely.

The finish line was in sight. With one last powerful leap, Victor shot through, disintegrating the cloud he had leaped off. Rainbow was close behind, but not fast enough.

The winner was Victor Valiance.

Rainbow spiralled out of control, her energy completely sapped. She spun towards the ground, her wings going limp. Applejack realised she must have pushed herself as hard as Applejack had herself, if not farther. She had sank all her energy into winning, but unlike Applejack, it hadn't paid off.

Now she had nothing left, not even the wind under her wings.

Spitfire was gone from her seat, and soared through the sky to catch the falling athlete. Victor Valiance landed on a nearby cloud, sinking into it before stopping. The mere shock of the impact might have shattered a lesser pony's bones into powder.

Applejack's eyes were fixed on Rainbow and Spitfire. The captain had managed to catch the defeated pegasus, and was helping her to a nearby cloud.

The crowd was silent. The pegasi in the stands were all looking at the scene in horror. The skies were sacred territory, and an Earth pony with no reason to be able to defeat them up in their home court had crushed their best flyer.

Victor looked at the stadium. His green eyes looked utterly empty. Applejack seethed. It was as if he didn't even enjoy his victory.

Harshwhinny similarly looked beaten. Something told Applejack this was not at all what she had wanted, although after what Spitfire had said, she was no longer sure about anything Harshwhinny had told her.

Was that beast of a stallion Harshwhinny's son?

Applejack got to her hooves. "I need to go," she told her family. "See you guys later."

Harshwhinny looked very different from the confident, tough teacher Applejack had come to know over their month together. She looked very different from the prim and proper pony she had seen from afar during the Equestria Games, too. She looked, in a word, beaten. Lost.

She stared at the pegasus race course with a blank expression. The course itself had been practically ruined by Victor and Rainbow's bout. Victor himself had disappeared. He hadn't even claimed his gold medal. Nopony had claimed their medals.

"Harshwhinny!" Applejack shouted as she trotted towards the older pony. "You owe me an explanation!"

Harshwhinny turned towards Applejack, but she still looked miles away.

"Oh," she muttered. "This isn't a good time."

"Was it a good time a few weeks ago, when y'all were tellin' me 'bout Victor?" Applejack demanded. "You knew he was way stronger’n me. Than RD. Did you ever want me to beat him? Why lie?"

Harshwhinny sighed. "I wanted you to be a challenge," she said. "You were... perfect, I thought." She put her hoof over her face. "He didn't even care, and now things are worse than ever."

"How 'worse'?" Applejack demanded. "What aren't you tellin' me?"

Harshwhinny slumped. "I suppose Spitfire told you Victor is my son?"

Applejack nodded. "That she did."

“She wouldn’t have told you everything,” Harshwhinny said. She brushed her mane out her eyes. "He has a degenerative cutie-mark disease. He's a broken pony."

Applejack immediately softened, taken aback. "What d'you mean? What disease?"

"It's a rare condition. Vic's talent is like mine: he wins." Harshwhinny sighed. "I just wanted to help him do what he liked best. We trained constantly, non-stop. I was so proud of him. When he was just a child he managed to master the slow-water caves. You should have seen him: he loved to win, and he loved practising to make it happen." Her lips curled upwards, but it was a hollow smile. "It was only fun if he had to work for it."

"What changed?"

"A cutie-mark can be... tricked, sometimes. Vic' got absorbed by winning, and he dedicated himself entirely to it. Whilst he was learning, it was entertaining... he lived for it. But when one day it became easy... he had nothing left."

"How's that become a disease?" Applejack asked.

"A pony's talent is part of who we are. Losing it is damaging, and sometimes, a cutie-mark tries to get it back. It's like scratching an itch. Victor tried to keep practising, harder than ever, just to try and make it stop. Unfortunately, that just makes it worse when the same satisfaction stops coming." Harshwhinny looked away. "When I saw him last games, I couldn't recognise him. He was... empty.” She peered into Applejack’s eyes. “But because he needed victory… even more than before, because he was suffering from withdrawal of sorts, he was far stronger than before. Even stronger than me."

Applejack frowned. "And where did I fit in?"

"A side-effect of the disease he has is that the itch goes away more if he doesn't just win, but take away other pony's victory too. He breaks ponies. He can't help it, but he does." Harshwhinny ran her hoof through her now frazzled mane. "I imagine he'll have broken your friend, too."

Applejack felt a pit in her stomach, and her lips curled in distaste. "So why me?"

"The more somepony wants to win, the more he breaks them. You... didn't want to win. Not like Rainbow or I do, anyway."

"I wanted to be like ma' and pa'."

Harshwhinny shrugged. "I didn’t care why you wanted to compete, but Rainbow said you were different when she called me. I thought it anypony had a chance, it'd be you.” She put her head in her hooves. “But he didn't even care. He just went straight to the last thing he thought might be a challenge... and beat it. He's even more broken than ever now."

Applejack looked up at the mountain looming over them. "So now he's just left. There's no challenge left for him, huh?"

"No. Victor... my boy probably has nothing left anymore," Harshwhinny said, her voice breaking. "The doctors said he may become catatonic. I just wanted him to have a challenge again. The doctors said that if he could have a reason to practise, he might be able to be treated, but now it's hopeless. The doctors said—"

Applejack turned to leave. "I see," she said. She turned to look over at the broken finish line, and at the crowd of racers who were milling around, slack jawed and confused. Applejack bit her lip. Most had been so overwhelmed they hadn’t finished the race. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I weren't tough enough to even be noticed by your kid, but I need to make sure RD is okay."

Harshwhinny fell into silence, and stared at the ruined pegasus race as Applejack left.

It was mid-afternoon when Applejack reached Rainbow's hotel-room. Spitfire was just on her way out, looking miserable. She saw Applejack trot down the hallway, and ran a hoof through her mane.

"Oh, it's you," she said. "You might want to give Dash a minute. She's taking her loss pretty hard."

Applejack approached Spitfire. "I know she don't like losin', but it ain't the first time she only got second place. She really takin' it that hard?"

Spitfire nodded. "She was beaten by an Earth pony. No disrespect, but that's like you being beaten in a race by a pony with no legs. How would you feel?"

Applejack shrugged. "I guess you got a point."

"Not to mention Victor did something to the air around Rainbow. He wasn't just going fast, he was actively preventing Rainbow from winning. He quite literally stole it away from her, and there's nothing she can do about it." Spitfire stepped away from the door. "You're her friend, so maybe she'll feel better if you talk to her, but I'm just her captain. I can't fix this."

Applejack nodded, and entered Rainbow's hotel room.

For the most part, it looks completely un-lived in. Applejack knew from experience that when Rainbow moved in somewhere, even for just a moment, it became very lived in. The fact the room felt empty made her uneasy.

It also made her uneasy that it took her a moment to find Rainbow. Usually, the loud pegasus would find a way to make herself noticeable. She wasn't a very big pegasus, but she tended to take up more space than the average pony, and demanded at least double the amount of attention. Now, she was lying on the couch, silent. Her mane was draped over her eyes.

"Hey there," Applejack said, walking towards her friend.

Rainbow barely stirred.

"Come to brag about your win?"

Applejack was taken aback by the viciousness of the comment. "S'cuse me?"

Rainbow tried to cave inwards. "Sorry. That was rude."

It was, but Applejack didn't comment. "You doing okay?"

Applejack heard a sniff from Rainbow. "How d'you think? I got humiliated." Rainbow turned away from Applejack, retreating further into the couch. "That guy was stopping me from flying. Like I was just a stupid paper plane."

Rainbow's voice was becoming increasingly broken. Applejack sat down next to her friend. Rainbow snorted.

"I guess I'm gonna' remember this one for a while, huh?"

"Probably," Applejack said. “Harshwhinny told me about—”

"I hate that guy," Rainbow said, her voice quivering. "I've never seen a pony who makes you feel like you're just wasting your time. What was even the point of training if somepony is just going to take it away?"

Applejack was quiet.

"I dunno," she said. "I'm sorry."

"I don't care. I want him to be sorry." Rainbow tightened her grip around Applejack's hoof. "I want to crush him.”

“Harshwhinny told me he can’t help but break ponies,” Applejack said. “I don’t think you want to do that.”

“Yeah, I do,” Rainbow replied. “You think this is bad for me? Think about every other pegasus who saw that. If I had seen that as a kid, I’d never have wanted to fly. I couldn’t have beared the thought of working so hard for nothing.” She clenched her hoof closed. “He ought to…”

"It ain’t about beatin’ him,” Applejack said, putting her own hoof on . “It’s about bein’ the best you can be. Makin’ other ponies feel bad ain’t a part of that."

Rainbow breathed out, and her hoof unclenched.

“Right,” she said. “I get it.”

“I know you do,” Applejack said. “I just think you need remindin’.”

Rainbow nodded. “But I want my best to be better than him,” she replied. “I want him to know the difference between making ponies feel worthless and beating them fair and square.”

Applejack put her other hoof around Rainbow's shoulders.

“I get it,” she said. “How d'you think I feel? He didn't even bother to race me. Or Haywire. Or any Earth pony." Applejack felt indignation well within her. “I guess I agree. I want my best to be better than him, too. He ain’t right.”

"Y'know, when I was a kid, the wonderbolts used to be so much better than anypony else around, but at least they inspired you to be like them," Rainbow muttered. "I really hate him. I want to show him that… you can’t just make ponies everywhere miserable like that.”

Applejack ran her hoof across Rainbow’s mane, then began to pull away. Rainbow resisted.

“Don’t go.”

Applejack swallowed.

"I need to be alone for a bit. I need to think."

“What about?”

“About what I’m gonna do next,” Applejack replied. Rainbow looked through her mane at Applejack with wet eyes. Her brow furrowed.

“I get it,” she said. “I guess… I need to think too. About what I want.”

“I think you know what you want,” Applejack said.

“I don’t think I’m ready to do that yet,” Rainbow replied.

Applejack nodded. "I get it. But I'm goin'," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

“Tomorrow?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack nodded, and adjusted her mane-band. “Yeah. Probably.”

Rainbow said nothing as Applejack left. As the door closed, Applejack held it ajar for a moment.

“Y’know, if it’s worth anythin’, I think you’re still the best athlete around.”

The door closed.

“Thanks.”

As Applejack left the hotel, she saw a familiar face. Two, in fact. Harshwhinny and Haywire Hoofit were both waiting by the entrance. Haywire's ultra-focused eyes locked on to Applejack with unnerving precision. Harshwhinny still looked tired. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced than ever. It occurred to Applejack that Harshwhinny would probably be about as old as her own mother, but in her current state, she looked like she could have been much older.

"How's your friend?" Harshwhinny asked.

"I don't know," Applejack said, her face dark. "Ms. Harshwhinny, I ain't happy."

Haywire kept staring at Applejack. "Valiance has a certain effect on ponies. You should be glad you didn't experience it first-hand."

Applejack gestured at her cutie-mark. "Y'know what this means? It means I'm a family pony. An Apple like the rest. An' that means I don't like it when family gets hurt." Applejack narrowed her eyes. "As an Apple, I ain't happy. As somepony who just won gold, I ain't happy that I might have just gotten my prize 'cause some better pony didn't even bother to show up. What's the point of winnin' if the real competition didn't even think you were worth facin'?"

Haywire's stare was finally broken, and he looked to the side.

"I'm just as unhappy about that as you are."

"I'm mad." She looked up at the mountain looming over them. "Ms. Harshwhinny, I get that y'all wanted what's best for your kid. I ain't angry at you for that." She gave Harshwhinny a steely-eyed glare. "But I still don't like bein' lied to."

She moved to leave the hotel. Harshwhinny breathed in.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"To have a few words with Victor," she snapped. "He skipped out on our race, and somepony ought to teach him some manners."

[centre]***[/centre]

Author's Note

Sorry I had a bit of a mishap with this chapter: I accidentally tried publishing the one after this by mistake.

Whoops.

In any case, the next chapter should be available on Monday, unless I've gotten my timetable proper muddled.

After the Canterlot Games Closing Ceremony

"Can't believe that after all that I only got a gold and a silver," Rainbow muttered as she trotted away from the stadium, the afternoon light glinting off her set of medals. "I must have been tired after that dumb night on the mountain. Plus, I think I got a cold from all that snow."

Applejack sneezed. "You think you got it bad. Pegasi got nice fluffy coats, right?" She packed her own bronze medal away. "I was lucky to even place third on the sprint."

Still, she thought. A gold and a bronze. There were worse things that could have happened.

"I guess," Rainbow said, nudging her friend. "Fancy a wing?"

Applejack grinned. "Boy, would I."

Rainbow draped her blue wing over Applejack's side. Applejack smiled.

"That's better," she said.

The remaining events had been tough, especially considering how unrested the pair had been. Rainbow had easily won the sprint, but fatigue had caught up with her on the long-distance flight and she had been overtaken by some flyer from Manehattan. It had been worse for Applejack. Every muscle she had ached, and her hoof was sore from wrestling with Victor. Hoofit had easily overtaken her on the sprint, and so had somepony Applejack had never even heard of.

It had still been two days of enjoyment. Applejack had been sure to get Granny Smith to take a picture. She held it up so she could see it properly. There was her, Rainbow, and even Haywire and a few of the other athletes. Spitfire was next to Rainbow, looking very professional. She had even worn a tie, which she had claimed chafed constantly.

Harshwhinny was nowhere to be seen. Applejack felt sad at that. Even though the games inspector had lied to her and to a certain extent used her, she still couldn't have made it this far without her, and it was hard to feel angry when all she had done was to get her son out of a catatonic state.

"Ah, there you are."

Applejack turned to the sound of the voice.

Not far away was Harshwhinny. Her eyes were grey and her mane was still a mess, but she was actually smiling. Next to her, in a wheelchair, was Victor.

Gone was the empty, blank machine that had easily beaten Rainbow, and gone was the vicious, insane tyrant that Applejack had knocked out in front of the temple. This Victor looked tired, sapped of energy, but coherent and awake. Healthy, even, if it wasn't for the bandages wrapped around his hooves. He held them up.

"A little souvenir from our, ah, boxing match," he said. He gave an awkward chuckle. "I wished to apologise. I was... not myself."

Harshwhinny scowled. “I told him he needed rest, but…”

Applejack noticed his cutie-mark. It was complete, now. An identical copy of Harshwhinny's: just a regular golden trophy.

"The doctors called me to come and see him," she said. "I'm sorry I missed your events."

Applejack nodded. "Ain't no problem," she said. "So, you're healed?"

"Well, healing," Victor said, pointing to a very prominent black eye. "I can't practise or compete for a while, so I'll be seeking occupation elsewhere for a time. The doctors have told me that focusing too hard on winning is, well, damaging. To me, at least."

"Well, yeah. It's not about winning," Rainbow said. "It's about being the best you can be."

Victor tilted his head. "Quite. It's something that you can forget rather easily."

“Yeah, I know,” Rainbow admitted, rubbing the side of her head with an embarrassed smile.

Victor gestured towards Applejack's gold medal, hanging off her saddlebag. "I should hope that you feel you've earned that, now?"

Applejack nodded.

"Yup."

Victor gave Applejack a look of relief. "Good. That's good." He breathed out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I seem to have missed the past five years. I'd rather like to catch it up."

Harshwhinny beamed at Applejack and Rainbow. "Thank you both," she said. "If you ever want me to coach you again... Well, I shan't lie to you next time."

Applejack grinned. "Perhaps next time the Canterlot Three comes around," she said. She turned to Rainbow. "We gotta go. Got a train to catch."

"Yeah we do," Rainbow said. "Bye, Ms. Harshwhinny. Bye, um... Victor, was it?"

"Victor Valiance. Goodbye, number eleven."

"It's Rainbow, actually."

"To be honest, I quite like number eleven. And you are...?"

"Applejack," Applejack said. "From Ponyville."

Victor snorted as he and Harshwhinny left. "Of course you are. All the weird ones are from Ponyville..."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"Never said there was."

With that, Victor left. Rainbow and Applejack returned to walking towards the train station. Applejack couldn't wait to put her new picture up next to the one on the dresser. She gave Rainbow a sideways look.

“So, about your lil’ speech on the mountaintop…”

“Don’t make it weird.”

“It sounded pretty weird.”

“I only meant for, like, hugs and stuff. Nothing too mushy.”

“Stuff? And hugs is pretty ‘mushy’.”

“Hey, if you want it to be weird that bad, fine, let’s make it weird,” Rainbow said, nuzzling Applejack, who smiled. “You’re cool. I wanna be mushy with you.”

“There are worse things than weird,” Applejack said. “And I like mush.” She grinned. “Guess I couldn’t resist those hooves.”

“I sometimes think you’re making fun of me.”

“I would never.”

Rainbow pressed herself against Applejack. “Thanks for being there. On the mountain and during the games. You could have been anypony, but I’m super glad it was you.”

“Likewise, partner.”

The two kept waking. Now pressed against her, Rainbow’s eyebrow raised.

“Hey, you’re walking a bit different, now.”

“You mean less like a pegasus?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Rainbow said. “What, were all those practise sessions just not worth the trouble?”

Applejack shrugged. “Just somethin’ Victor told me,” she said. “Say, you want me to teach you how to move like an Earth pony?”

Rainbow smirked. “I’d like that, yeah.”

***

The End

Author's Note

And that's a wrap.

I hope you enjoyed the story, since I certainly enjoyed writing it. Thanks again to Tchernobog and Yaoi Mistress for helping out, it was much appreciated.

I had most fun with this story for playing around with some ideas I've had for a while, namely the 'winning' cutie mark.

If you want to comment, please feel free, as I always enjoy reading comments. I hope to seeing you guys soon!

Cheerio!

The Night of the Canterlot Three Games

The cable-car slowly raised Applejack above the rocky cliffside, the stadium falling away beneath her. Above, Canterlot mountain continued to loom. It occurred to Applejack that she had spent the past month in Victor Valiance's shadow. Training in the darkness beneath his stupid temple. Lied to by his mother, and finally, ignored by him during the Canterlot Three race.

Tomorrow, there would be more events, but Applejack knew Victor wouldn't deign to appear. He was like a king, or an emperor, who only bothered to turn up to wave, and leave. Applejack deserved more than a wave, and Rainbow deserved more than being crushed by somepony like him.

If Victor needed a challenge to feel alive, then Applejack was going to give him one.

The sun set on the opposite side of the mountain, plunging the cable-car into darkness. A chill rose from the ground as Winter caught up with her. Outside, snow began to fall.

Applejack didn't care for the beautiful scenery of the mountainside. She kept staring up, straight up, at the temple above, where Victor would have been taken.

The temple looked more foreboding than before. Perhaps it was because now, Applejack knew what kind of pony lurked inside. She could barely believe she had slept in the same building as him without realising.

Harshwhinny might have wanted her to be a challenge, but she did a bad job of preparing her. Perhaps she was ashamed. Victor was a monster of her creation, after all. More than that, she was so close to being like him. How do you explain that to somepony?

Applejack pushed the large doors open, revealing the stone interior lit by only a handful of candles. Two ponies were escorting the practically lifeless Victor Valiance to his room. He looked straight ahead with a blank, expressionless stare.

"Stop," Applejack said. "I want to talk to him."

One of the doctors looked at Applejack. "He can't hear you. He's—"

"He'll hear me," Applejack said, and moved in front of Victor's dull green eyes. There was a hint of orange in them, she noticed. From close up, she could see he had freckles just like hers. How similar they were. How unlike how she would have pictured a pony who's only enjoyment came from breaking other athlete's dreams. She would have pictured a dark coated monster, perhaps. Not an average stallion who wouldn’t have looked out of place at an Apple family reunion. "You want a challenge, huh?"

Victor didn't say anything. He simply stared. Applejack was taken aback. A proud, stuck-up snob she could have dealt with. This emptiness, though... Harshwhinny hadn't been lying. The disease certainly was a disease of the soul. It was like nopony existed inside that body.

"You remember that pony you beat today," Applejack asked.

There was a flicker of life inside Victor's eyes.

"You remember, huh? She's my friend." Applejack jabbed Victor in the chest. "You really hurt her today."

For the first time, Victor's lips moved. His voice was soft and composed. He might look similar to Applejack, but he talked like a scholar.

"Would she have preferred I hold back?"

"Don't play games. You don't get to crush ponies like that for kicks," Applejack said. "You want to go? I'll take you o—"

"You wouldn't even last a minute," Victor said. "Your friend was in her element, and I was not. How do you expect to win?"

"Let me prove it, and you'll see."

The doctors realised that Victor was now standing on his own. Victor was awake, now.

"Yes," he said. "I will." He turned to the doctors. "A table."

Applejack looked confused. "A table?"

The doctors quickly pulled up a small, sturdy table, and slid it between the pair. Victor sat down, and rested his elbow on it.

"You can hoof-wrestle, I assume?"

Applejack sat down. "Sure I can."

Victor's mouth split into the faintest hint of a smile, but it was to predatory to be genuine.

"Good."

Their hooves locked together. Victor's cutie-mark flashed bright red.

"Go," Victor said, without any real energy.

Applejack put as much strength as she could into her foreleg. She strained and groaned, but she could barely get the stallion to yield even a little.

"I said," Victor snarled, "Go."

Applejack looked up at Victor, panic in her eyes. Her hoof then shot towards the table, where it landed with a crunch. Applejack yelped in pain. Victor released her hoof, and reset his own. Applejack examined her foreleg.

"You're wasted talent," Victor said.

Applejack looked at Victor with bared teeth. She shook her hoof, getting the blood flowing again, and locked it with Victor's.

"How d'you figure?" She growled. "Go!"

Victor's hoof refused to budge.

"Because, I've seen ponies move like you do," he said. "My mother does it. For a time, I did. You move very smoothly, in harmony with the air around you. You move like a pegasus."

Applejack growled as her hoof hit the table again. Victor reset his hoof, waiting for Applejack to lose again.

"Yeah," she said, locking hooves with Victor once more. "My friend taught me. Your ma got me to train in her slow waters."

Victor nodded, and almost playfully began to exert pressure on Applejack's hoof.

"I can tell. But here's the thing: you're an Earth pony."

Applejack's eyes widened as once again she couldn't get Victor's hoof to move towards his side of the table. "What do you—"

"How do you expect to be the best you can be when you're not even able to move like what you are?" Victor began to push Applejack back again. "You're a parody of a pegasus. You've spent so long practising to move like them that you've forgotten how to be an Earth pony."

This time, when Applejack's hoof hit the table, she felt something crack. She gasped. Victor's mouth became a grimace, and he tauntingly reset his hoof.

Applejack examined her hoof. It wasn't serious, but it hurt. She breathed out. Victor truly was some kind of beast in pony’s clothing.

No, she thought. Turning him into some kind of villain was distancing herself from what he was. Understanding wasn't vilification. She breathed in. Appearance aside, there was one pony he reminded her of. The cool confidence and ego was something she had seen in Rainbow Dash far too often. Was this how she might have turned out if all her fanciful claims about being the best were actually true?

He wasn’t a monster, Applejack thought. He was just a pony who had realised his lifelong fantasies, and had lost touch as a result. She breathed out. If she wanted to reconnect, she needed to think.

Was he right in that she had forgotten to move like an Earth pony? What had she stopped doing? What had changed during Harshwhinny's training that she hadn't realised?

What was she missing?

Pegasi were about speed. Agility. Grace. They needed all of those to fly. Applejack looked at Victor Valiance. What did she see?

She saw a pony built for heavy lifting. Like Big Macintosh, perhaps, if Big Macintosh bench-pressed oak trees. As understanding came, Applejack nearly swore. Of course he'd be beating her at a hoof-wrestle. She was trying to move with the flow, instead of use her body like she was used to.

She locked hooves with Victor. This time, Victor's grimace turned serious.

"Ready?" Applejack asked, her position shifting.

That's all Victor was. He was a pony who could read your weaknesses and knew how to apply his own strengths flawlessly. He didn’t just win: he made you lose. However, you didn't necessarily have to keep those weaknesses. Like him, you could change. Adjust. Turn the tables.

Victor snarled. "Go."

This time, both hooves stayed still. Victor grunted, for the first time showing visible exertion. Applejack's damaged hoof clicked, but she ignored the pain. This was for Rainbow. She had come too far with her friend to let some egocentric lunatic stomp all over her hard work. Their hard work.

Victor's hoof slowly moved down as Applejack pushed it, bent it. Her entire weight was shifted through into her hoof. She leaned into it. She wasn't like a leaf blowing through the air anymore. She was more like a boulder tumbling down a mountainside.

Victor's hoof touched the table.

Applejack breathed in, and pulled her hoof back.

"I win."

Victor examined his hoof, disbelieving. For a few moments, they stayed like that, Applejack looking at her opponent and Victor deciding on what to do next.

Suddenly, Victor stared right into Applejack's eyes, like he was devouring her soul.

"You have my attention," he said, in the kind of voice that implied you never wanted his attention. "You ever play ponyball?"

The outside was freezing, but Victor Valiance didn't seem to notice. He ran his hoof through his mane, getting it out of his eyes and allowing him to see clearly. He then stroked the surface of a ball he had acquired from the temple, and bounced it between his hooves at lightning-fast speed.

Applejack walked into the court, and began setting up the net surrounding it. "Y'know ponyball tends to be played with six ponies?"

"If you find any more ponies, feel free to let them join. I find they slow me down."

Applejack was almost bowled over by the sheer arrogance that oozed out of Victor's every pore. It didn't seem to cross his mind that other ponies might help him. Maybe he knew from experience. Applejack didn't know if they really would slow him down, or whether he was just insane. It might have been both.

Victor cracked his neck, returning to his usual expressionless state. The surprise he had evidently felt earlier was replaced by cool confidence. Applejack had returned to being merely an ant to crush.

"I hope you realise a hoof-wrestle is somewhat less complex than a game of ponyball?"

Applejack nodded.

"Bring it."

She wanted to see that smug face of his wiped clean and replaced with something more appropriate. Like an apologetic one.

Once the net was set, Victor quickly tested the ball by bouncing it on the ground.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready when you a—"

Victor hurtled towards her like a cannonball, his eyes flashing with fire that was at odds with his crisp green eyes. Applejack couldn't help but flinch. It looked like he was going to kill her.

He disappeared behind her, and the ball passed through the hoop before Applejack had even gotten her bearings.

"You said ‘ready’," Victor stated. "Were you just surprised, or are you slower than I anticipated?"

Applejack grit her teeth.

"That's against the rules," she said. "The ref' needs to toss it."

The ball fell back down to the court. Victor caught it.

"I was testing you. Why should I play you if you can't move?"

Applejack marched towards Victor.

"Why should I play you if you don't know the rules?"

"I know the rules."

"Prove it."

Victor's mouth curled in a scowl. "Very well. Doctor!"

The little doctor who had been their referee back when it had been Applejack, Rainbow, Harshwhinny and Spitfire scurried towards them. He took the ball, and gave Applejack a look.

"I hope you know what you're doing. Ponies in his condition tend to... well, they get worse before they get better."

"I don't care."

"I care," the doctor said, but made his way to the centre of the court regardless.

Both Victor and Applejack got into position.

"Scared?" Victor asked.

"You?"

Victor gave Applejack a look like he wasn't sure if she was stupid or worth taking seriously.

"Go!" the doctor exclaimed, and the ball shot into the air.

The ball was almost immediately snatched by Victor, who soared straight over Applejack like a bird. Applejack had known she couldn't beat her opponent on speed alone, but she might have been able to outmanoeuvre him.

Jumping backwards, she shot her hoof up to try and steal the ball. She didn't need to control it, just get Victor to lose control. He was flying with more power than Applejack, and she might be able to recover faster than him, if only by a little.

Her hoof bounced off the ball. Victor's grip was almost made of iron, but the move did enough to disturb him, though not enough to actually lose the ball. Applejack's face fell.

Put off, Victor landed heavily behind Applejack, and even the powerful stallion needed a second to recover. His perfect jump had been damaged, but not broken.

Applejack, the lighter of the two, was already lunging for a second attempt at a steal.

"Quick," Victor said, and watched as Applejack knocked the ball out of his hoof, sending it flying behind Applejack, and towards Victor's hoop.

Both ponies had a mad dash in front of them. Applejack realised her disadvantage. Victor was by far the faster pony. Applejack couldn't even dream of managing to pull off the amount of power it would have taken for Victor to leap from cloud to cloud.

She needed to think ahead. Both ponies shot towards the ball, but Applejack angled her bolt behind Victor.

In one, powerful leap, the stallion had accelerated behind the ball. Applejack then realised a chink in Victor's armour: in order to catch the ball securely, he couldn't leap at full strength. Both of Victor's hooves wrapped around the ball, and his legs bunched for a leap backwards.

A leap he couldn't make because Applejack was in the way.

Victor said nothing, and lowered his front body instead. He was going to drive around Applejack. Applejack would have to contend with that iron grip once again if she wanted to steal the ball.

Or... she could once again try and predict Victor's movements.

Think... she knew how a pegasus moved. She also ought to have an intuitive knowledge about how Earth ponies moved. Victor was somewhere in-between, definitely, but right now he was acting distinctly more pegasus than Earth pony, because now, it suited him better.

Applejack remembered Rainbow's hooves and wings adjusting her body into positions optimal for flying. For cutting through air. She examined Victor's own position, and made her choice. He was going to go left.

Both ponies stood still. Victor must have seen the subtle shift in her stance, and realised he was going to be blocked again. In turn, Applejack saw he had stopped, and never made her move.

Victor bounced the ball in-between his hoof and the floor. If Applejack was fast enough, she could catch it... but she wasn't fast enough.

She needed to be flawless. No errors. Better still, she needed to get Victor to make a mistake.

She crouched by a hair's breadth. Harshwhinny had tricked her into thinking she'd jump before... If she could get Victor to think she was going to steal the ball mid-dribble...

Victor didn't move.

"Mother tried that on me, once," he said. "It didn't work then, either."

The stallion then spun on his rear hooves, showing his back to Applejack. His body now in-between her and the ball, Applejack could no longer move in for a steal. Her mind raced with thoughts. If he got past her, she couldn't catch up.

But she couldn't move to stop him in time, either...

Applejack knew Victor had scored then and there. The stallion moved past her and darted to the hoop. Applejack gave chase out of habit.

Victor took the first point.

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for," Victor said. "But the best you can manage is to merely slow me down." His eyes narrowed. "You're not able to score. I won't allow it. Your level won't allow it."

Applejack ground her teeth. Whilst she wasn't broken enough to admit he was right, she couldn't figure out how to beat him one-on-one as a slower, weaker pony. Victor could be predicted, and the gap wasn't so wide that her strategies failed to have any effect, but neither were her strategies able to fully close that gap.

"Round two?" Victor asked, smiling. He didn't just possess confidence: he possessed certainty.

Applejack and Victor both got back into position.

"Read—" the doctor began, but was interrupted by a flash of light on the horizon, followed by a loud, familiar boom.

Victor raised his eyebrow, displaying surprise for the second time that night.

"Ah. It seems I have a new challenger."

Applejack craned her neck upwards. A flash of rainbow-coloured light streaked across the outline of the moon. Applejack grinned.

"Looks like you do," she said, as Rainbow circled the court before landing next to Applejack.

She brushed snow from her mane, and cracked her neck.

"Room for one more?"

Victor's eyes narrowed.

"Ah, number… eleven, was it? I could have sworn I broke you," he said.

"You did," Rainbow said, stretching her forelegs. "For about five minutes." Rainbow then approached Applejack, still looking straight at Victor. "Hey there. Haywire said you'd be here."

"Did he now?"

"Yup. Good thing, too, because otherwise I'd have to be here alone."

"I imagine you want to join your friend's team?" Victor asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. Problem with that?"

Victor shook his head. "None. If you want teammates to get in your way, don't let me stop you."

Rainbow scoffed. "Woah. Is this what it's like to be around me?"

"He's less endearin'," Applejack said. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah," Rainbow replied. "Thanks for being there. You know. Earlier."

"No problem, sugarcube."

Victor, Applejack, and Rainbow each took their positions.

"Anything else to say, number eleven?"

"Yeah. You're a jerk."

"Scathing."

Rainbow flapped her wings, hovering in position. "Your face is scathing."

"RD, this guy ain't no joke," Applejack said. "He's faster than me, and stronger. Thing is, I reckon his biggest weakness is his pride."

"I... don't know what that's like."

"It means he can't back down." Applejack looked up at Rainbow. "I need you."

Rainbow’s eyes widened.

“Whoa, now, I know we were getting cosy during training, but you could give me some warning before you lay that on me,” She said, her wings flaring. “I mean, sure, I’m super glad we’re on the same page, it’s just I was expecting to be buttered up a bit more first.”

Applejack stood still for a moment. Victor stared at Rainbow with a blank expression.

“Was it when I was teaching you to move like a pegasus?” Rainbow asked. “‘Cause I figured that might happen. There isn’t a pony alive who can resist these hooves.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Are you done?”

“Hey, jerkface, we’re confessing. Give us some space!”

Applejack held her hoof up. "RD, I meant I need you to beat this guy."

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Ah."

"But that don't mean I ain't interested in hearing more later..."

"No, it's cool. Focus, right?"

"Yeah. Exactly."

Rainbow shook her head. "Right. Time to show him what we can do together."

“Because science, right?”

Applejack nodded. “Because, based on ‘scientific observation…”

Rainbow grinned. “There’s nothing we can’t do together,” she finished, and focussed her magenta eyes on Victor. “There’s no arguing with science.”

Both Rainbow and Applejack watched the doctor step in-between Applejack and Victor. Applejack knew that Victor could still accelerate faster than Rainbow was able to in the air, thanks to those unnaturally strong kicks of his, but there was a chance that Rainbow might be faster once she got going.

So long as Victor couldn't do that strange air disturbance whilst he was on the ground. Applejack reckoned that would be their biggest problem...

"Go!"

The ball rose. This time, Applejack only jumped to slow Victor down. Get in his way. Disturb his movements.

It worked well enough. Victor's hoof curled around the ball, and he began to descend, but not before Rainbow, slightly slower, was able to contest it. Her own hoof grappled with Victor's for control. Rainbow's face turned into a grimace.

Victor was the stronger pony. He pulled the ball away from Rainbow, just barely able to escape the daring pegasus's grip.

The distraction was enough for Applejack to forcefully tap the ball out of his hoof, ejecting it up into the air. Victor's eyes turned up, a million strategies rushing through his trained mind.

Rainbow might have been thrown off from her earlier attempt at a steal, but unlike Victor, she could change direction mid-air.

"Nice try," Victor said, and Applejack felt the air begin to distort around her. It was an alien feeling.

The sum of all of Victor's small movements warped the wind currents and wrapped around Rainbow's wings, dragging her back down. The ball began to fall back down towards Victor.

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a smirk, "I figured that one out earlier."

She shot through the air and snatched the ball before it fell. Victor's face fell, and Applejack's split into a grin.

"I have a pretty good memory," Rainbow told Victor as she threw the ball to Applejack, who was by now shooting towards Victor's hoop at breakneck pace. "I was working on countering that little trick on the flight up here. You shouldn’t have spent your whole race demonstrating it not a few feet away from me."

Victor adjusted almost immediately, and kicked on his hind legs, shooting past Applejack faster than the farmpony had ever seen him go. Black burn marks were present where his hooves had pressed against the court floor. He caught the ball in his forelegs, and flipping over his head, he landed on his hind legs, absorbing the impact with a grunt.

Applejack threw her hoof in front of her to try and block the stallion from moving towards their hoop. She needed to give Rainbow time to steal the ball again.

Instead, Victor fired the ball in-between his hind legs, passing under both him and Applejack. The brief moment of surprise Applejack felt was enough for Victor to spin around after the ball before Applejack had time to react.

Applejack grit her teeth together and turned.

The ball disappeared from the court. Victor leaped straight up. Rainbow Dash, who now held the ball, flinched. There was murder in Victor's eyes.

She managed to pass the ball back towards Applejack, but not before Victor's hoof brushed against the side, sending the pass off-course.

Applejack's body catapulted into motion, and she darted towards the ball, intent on catching it. Victor was still high in the air, and couldn't fall faster than gravity allowed. She had less than a second, but it would be enough.

She grabbed the ball, and in a clean, sweeping motion, scored her first hoop against Victor Valiance.

Victor landed heavily, and stared straight at Applejack. If looks could kill, Applejack would have been six feet under.

Applejack couldn't help but poke the hornet's nest.

"You can't keep up with both of us," she said.

Victor walked back into his starting position. Applejack and Rainbow followed suit. The doctor swallowed, looking at the increasingly perturbed Victor Valiance, and Applejack.

She then threw the ball up into the air. "Go!"

Faster than ever, Victor soared up and slammed both hooves into the side of the ball, sending it shooting into the net on the outside.

"Number eleven might be faster than me," he growled as the ball shot from one net to another like a pinball, "But even she's not fast enough to catch this throw.”

Victor had a point. The ball was travelling at such high velocities Rainbow could never accelerate after it quick enough. Whenever it began to slow, Victor would be there, hitting it again and increasing its speed even further. Victor growled, his mouth curling into a victorious smile.

Rainbow couldn’t even follow the ball with her eyes properly. Only Victor could plot its course, and he seemingly had complete control of the ball, and the court.

Seemingly.

The ball slammed into Applejack's waiting hooves, directly under the hoop. The sheer force pushed her back a few feet, causing her to grunt in pain. Victor's smile vanished.

"It might be fast," Applejack said, and threw the ball back towards Rainbow, "But there's only one place you can send it: towards our hoop. And you're not fast enough to be there before it gets here, either."

Rainbow caught the ball before Victor had a chance to even react, and shot towards his hoop. Victor rallied, and tried to leap after Rainbow, accelerating faster than ever before, but Rainbow was nearing her top speed, and he couldn't match it.

Rainbow landed under the hoop and shot. The ball went through moments before Victor arrived to catch it.

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. Victor was well and truly on the ropes. He was losing two to one, and that one he had only gotten because Rainbow hadn't been there. He couldn't insist to face only one of them, either, not after he had pridefully boasted that teammates only slowed him down. He was cornered.

Victor's eye twitched. He was desperate for a victory, now. Winning was like a drug. Without it, he was broken, but now he had a taste of a meaningful win again, he needed it. He needed more.

"Want to switch things up?" Applejack taunted.

Victor eyed Applejack out the corner of his eyes.

"Race," he said, as if every word spoken took energy he could be spending on winning.

Applejack smirked. "You want to race, now? This to try and get us separated?" she taunted.

Victor grit his teeth. "I don't need you separated. Relay race."

Rainbow looked over at Applejack. "You're nowhere near as fast as him," she said. "And I can't move as fast as him on the ground either. I won't be able to make up for lost time." She bit her lip. “It’d take a soni—”

"Trust me," Applejack said. "I have an idea."

The race course was made up on the spot. The halfway point was going to be a peak about three-quarters of a mile away. Rainbow was already there. Waiting for Applejack to hand her their makeshift relay: a small stick.

Victor had his own relay, but he wouldn't be handing it to any teammate. For him to win, in his mind, he had to beat both of them at once. Applejack was well aware of this, and was determined to use it to her advantage. She had already wiped the smug confidence off his face, but she still needed to keep going. She needed to make it clear that he wasn't omnipotent, and that he needed other ponies to win.

Applejack needed Rainbow Dash, and Harshwhinny, and Spitfire, and even in a way her mother and father to win. Victor thought he could do it all alone. No wonder he was broken.

"Ready," Victor growled, biting down on the relay.

Applejack prepared to sprint. She knew Victor was faster. He had made that amply clear all throughout the evening. But if she could just be fast enough...

"Set..."

Applejack breathed in, and out. She didn't know if her mother and father would have gone this far to prove themselves, but she didn't care. She knew they'd be proud of her so long as she did her best, and if they wouldn't be, then they weren't the parents she remembered from the scattered memories of her foalhood.

"Go!"

Applejack accelerated like a bullet, shooting across the snowy mountainside after Victor. The sheer speed of that pony... Applejack couldn't have reached that level even if she spent an entire year in the slow-water chamber.

A couple of weeks would have to be enough.

The wind rushed on her face. No longer was she moving like a pegasus, absorbing the changes in the air as she ran, but instead she was racing like the Earth pony she was. The power in her legs kicked up snow, gravel and mud as she raced down the track. She had the strength and weight to plough through the air barrier in front of her. Victor had turned her into something more like himself. Aside from making Applejack angry by hurting Rainbow, that was perhaps his biggest mistake.

She darted along the path, beginning her ascent to the peak Rainbow was waiting on.

Victor, by contrast, was almost at the top. Each bound he took took him further than every two Applejack took. His eyes were more alive than ever. He was less a pony, and more a blur, or a flash of orange fur.

He reached the top. Applejack summoned as much strength into her legs as possible to close the gap as he turned on his heels to begin the return trip.

Rainbow bounced on her hooves. "Come on!" she urged as Applejack made it up to the top, and Victor blasted down the mountainside back to the temple.

Rainbow couldn't perform a Rainboom whilst running. Spitfire had said so. Rainbow herself had admitted to it, and she was loathe to confess an inability to do anything. She simply didn't have enough power in her legs to break through this close to the ground. She needed time to accelerate properly.

Of course, Applejack did have enough power in her legs.

"Catch!" Applejack exclaimed, and tossed the relay to Rainbow, who caught it in her mouth.

Rainbow then sprinted as fast as she could, and leaped. Applejack caught her rear legs in her forehooves, and span. The stress on her muscles and bones made her feel like she was about to tear herself apart, but she kept it up, accelerating her friend around her until she could no longer hold on.

When she let go, Rainbow was travelling at a speed far faster than she could ever have managed on her own. Her hooves landed on the track, and she pushed.

The flash of multicoloured light lit up the mountain. Halfway back to the temple, Victor turned to look at the source.

Rainbow took that very moment to overtake him. Her hooves were dancing across the track, and the rainbow trail she left behind was blinding in the dark. Her wings were plastered to her side, as for once, she didn't need them to perform her legendary sonic rainboom.

Victor tried slowing her down by disturbing the air around her, but even if Rainbow hadn't adjusted to his trick, she was travelling with too much force to stop, or even slow down meaningfully.

She crossed their arbitrary finish line well before her opponent.

Applejack grinned, panting on the solitary peak. She couldn't see his expression, but she knew Victor would be very nettled indeed.

Rainbow couldn’t resist poking the bear.

“Y’know, in Canterlot, Luna has this telescope that can see super far into space. She told us about this one planet which is absolutely huge.”

Victor’s teeth were grinding together.

“It’s so huge, you could put more than one hundred of our planet’s inside it. Probably more. I dunno. I wasn’t really listening. My point is that even on this distant planet, you wouldn’t be able to contain half our awesome.” She grinned. “How’s it feel to come second?”

Victor was quivering, less out of rage, and more out of some kind of withdrawal. When Applejack returned, tired from her recent sprint, he practically lunged at her. He was a twisted shadow of his former calm, collected self. He had been so close to victory, close enough to taste it, but had it repeatedly taken away from him.

Applejack swallowed, but didn't flinch. She found it for some reason harder to be afraid of this broken, battered pony, twisted though he might be.

"I'm going to crush you," he declared, spit and foam running down his lips.

"Oh yeah?" Applejack asked, putting on a far cooler expression than she expected she could. "At what, big guy?"

The doctor bit his lip. "Don't push him too far..."

"Boxing!" Victor growled. "I'll show you how small you are..."

"Miss Applejack, please..." the doctor exclaimed, but Applejack held her hoof up.

"No. He wants to box, fine." She narrowed her eyes, and gave Victor a small smile. "He can get what he wants."

Rainbow trotted up behind Applejack.

"You want me to take this one first?" she asked. "I do have a black belt in karate, y'know." She looked into Applejack's eyes. "And I don't want you to get hurt."

Applejack cracked her neck. "I appreciate the concern, sugar," she said, "But I ain't afraid of him hurtin' me." She stepped towards the frothing stallion. "You won't get to take a crack at him today, I'm afraid."

Victor grinned an insane, shattered grin. His eyes were bloodshot, and his cutie-mark... his cutie-mark looked like it was about to peel clean off. He rose onto his hind legs, beginning to laugh. And laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

Applejack followed suit, her expression humourless.

"You've been beaten a quite a bit today," she said. "You sure you wanna go home with a black eye, too?"

Victor was beyond speaking. He lunged at Applejack, his hooves moving faster than the average eye could track. Applejack brought her own forelegs up in a hasty guard.

Their hooves connected. Applejack heard a sickening crack. The doctor winced.

“AJ!” Rainbow exclaimed.

Victor stumbled back, one of his hooves bent at a wrong angle.

"Gah! What..." he began, but Applejack was already on him.

"I kick trees," she said simply, and knocked her right hoof into Victor's guard. "Every day."

Victor stumbled, visibly hurt. "You… What?!"

"Trees are harder than you," Applejack pointed out. "Come on. Hit me again. Hard as you can."

Victor snapped. He tried to smash Applejack's ribs with his undamaged hoof, but Applejack caught it. There was another crunch as Victor broke his other hoof. He crumpled backwards, unable to stand properly. His cutie-mark began to flake away.

"I'll try and be gentle," Applejack said, and in one clean, smooth motion, knocked Victor out cold. The stallion toppled, the lights in his maddened eyes going out.

Applejack sucked in air through her teeth, and shook some feeling back into her hoof before trotting away. The doctor, shellshocked, tended to his patient.

"Can't believe he asked for boxin'."

Rainbow stared at Victor. "Jeez. If he went for a grab, he might have got you."

"He was beyond strategisin'," Applejack said, “And besides, grabs ain’t allowed in boxin’.” She turned back to Rainbow. "Let’s go, miss ‘irresistible hooves’."

Rainbow’s face went bright red. “What? They are.”

As the pair left the temple, the tattered remains of Victor's unhealthy cutie mark flaked away into dead skin, revealing the outline of a trophy... this one whole.

***

Author's Note

Since I've been super busy, I haven't had time just yet to reread the epilogue, so I'm afraid I'll only be able to release it separately from this chapter. It is, for all intents and purposes, the last piece of this story, though, so rest assured, you're almost done.

I hope you enjoyed the story so far, and I'm sorry for making you gents wait for the epilogue and conclusion.

See you later,

Hap