Rising Star

"Hurry up Risin'! We have you hurry or we'll miss it!"

"Mrhebg?" Rising Star was not the best pony at awakening quickly, or being coherent, or remembering things that he'd practiced for  longer than anything-

"FEATHERS YOU BASTARD! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WAKE ME UP BEFORE MOONRISE!!!"

Feather Wing, Risin's only real friend at the orphanage, didn't even have the gumtion to look sorry for what he'd done. In fact, his only response was to grin evilly and fling a few drops of water from Risin's washbasin at his friend with his wingtip before flitting out of their shared room.

"Ugh, one day Feathers, I'm going to stallion up and kill you." Grumbling rather audibly, as was his wont, Risin' hurriedly scrubbed the sleep from his eyes and gave his mane, tail, and wings a quick onceover before deciding that even this wasn't important enough to make him try to control his unkempt appearance. I mean, I'm just going to ruin it the moment I takeoff, so what's the point?

Risin' was a pegasus, and like just about every other pegasus in existance, he thought more about something's function over its fashion. Thinking back, that may have been what had gotten me into all those... skirmishes, yes, that word is suitably awesome for my life. besides, she didn't have to get her aunt involved EVERY TIME I asked why she needed such a large hat... And how was I supposed to know that she was the neice of the only damn seamstress in Ponyville? Worst. Fieldtrip. Ever.

"Alright Risin', you ready? Darn right you're ready! Those guys won't know what hit them! You are ready! You feel great! You can win!" His reflection in the mirror above his and Feather Wing's desk seemed less than sure if they were qualified to make such boasts. Stupid reflection. Doubting us and stuff. Seriously, he just ends up making faces at me and ruining my chances of doing our homework every night.

"Why in the name of the Princesses, we even keep this thing above our desk is beyond me... Stupid Feathers." This statement had barely passed his lips when a certain pegasus stuck his feathering head back into the room.

"Speaking of 'stupid Feathers', HE didn't forget that tonight was the most important night of our lives, did he?" Feather Wing, being the obnoxious pony that he was, had found the one perfect statement to completely ruin any counter-argument from Rising Star.

"Buck off you little mare," Risin' may have forgotten, but that didn't mean Feathers got to win, "what time is it anyway?"

Being that similar insults were thrown his way at least once a night by his best friend he let it slide right on by, out the door, and into the waning sunlight. "Early dusk, we have until late twilight to reach the training grounds."

"So you aren't completely useless, regardless of what I often say. That gives us almost an hour until we're screwed." Risin' didn't mean anything when he insulted, harrassed, or assulted his best, and to be honest, only friend there in Luna's Royal Orphanage for Underpriviledged Fillies and Colts. You know, those things might be why he's the only real friend I have, maybe I should be nicer to hi-

Feather Wing chose that exact moment to let out a 'war cry' and tackle his roommate using all the speed he could build up in the maybe 5 ponylengths between them.

Nahhhhhh. The resulting wrestling match, which somehow traversed his bed, Feather Wing's bed, managed to knock over both washbasins, topple the desk, scatter their school books, and bust through the door into the hallway, shockingly didn't last long. As usual, Risin' having an enormous advantage in raw physical strength had lead to his victory. It was only when Feather Wing managed to get his friend into a hold that he ever came away the better for these encounters. But that never stopped him from trying.

"Come on, Feathers! You'll never become a Lunar Stallion if you keep fighting like that!"

"Shut up! I swear by Luna's moon, you have to be some weird, mutant, earth pony with wings. No normal pegasus can hit like you do."

"Oh yeah? Better a weird, mutant, earth pony than a pegasus obsessed with comics!"

"THEY'RE MANGA! Translated from Japonyz into Equestrian!"

"Same difference! You're only into them because of all the colt on colt action!"

"I DIDN'T ORDER SASU-NARU-KO! I DID NOT!"

"Then why did I find it under your matress, hmmmmm?"

The next several minutes were dominated by loud grunting noises, screaming orphans when they ended up rolling through the dining room, and muffled swearing.