Chapter 4

Ricco

Cloud Skipper placed Firefly in the infirmary. Strength had always been a strong suit of mine, but so is analysis. I know what things will do the worst for someone, pony, whatever.

I walked back to our room and opened the door. I looked at my bag. ‘That’ thing was still inside. I picked it out of my bag and looked at it. It was too long to be a short range weapon, but too thin to be a explosive launcher. The wood was nicely finished and smoothed for comfort. The scope on top was aligned perfectly. I heard hoofsteps from behind and placed the gun back into the bag.

“Now don’t go blubbering at me for destroying your girlfriend.” I said, not looking back, “She didn’t back down.”

“You knew she wouldn’t be able to keep going.  Why didn’t you stop?”

“Experience is the best teacher.” I said, “I learned everything from experience.”

“She doesn’t need to ‘experience’ that.  We don’t have the time for any of us to be recovering from injuries when we should be training.”

“Why do you think I dislocated it instead of breaking it?” I said, “It only needs to be put back. Not much of a recovery time.”

The door swung open, Firefly entered, holding her hurt hoof up to her chest.

“Speak of the devil and she will appear.” I said, turning around.

“I’m going to sleep.” She said, fluttering up to her bed and covering herself up. “G’night, boys.”

“Goodnight Firefly, sleep well.” Cloud Skipper said softly, looking over at her.

“Use your speed to get on my side next time, Bubblegum.” I said.

Firefly mumbled something, pulling her covers up over her head with her wing. “You too, Cloud Skipper.”

I noticed an apple on a nightstand near my bed.

“Well, I need to test something.” I said as I grabbed my bag and the apple, “And I need this too.”

I walked down the hall and out the front door and spread my wings. I landed in the middle of the Royal maze. It was a large, closed off area with a stump at the end. I placed the apple on the stump and flew to the other end of the clearing. It was about 1,000 meters. I pulled out the long rifle and placed in a clip of six that I found along with the gun and and lay on my belly. I looked through the scope. the apple was about the size of a grape. I felt the soft breeze in my feathers. I aimed slightly to the right to compensate. I stopped my breathing and didn’t move any muscle on my body.

My talon flexed. A shot rang out and the apple spun off the stump.

I pulled out a flathead screwdriver and turned the adjustment screw slightly, so slightly in didn’t even look like I did anything, to the left. I flew and placed the apple back on the stump. I went back to the gun and got into my shooting position again. It was so quiet I heard the leaves rustle.

Blam!

Apple pieces shot in all directions.

“Doesn’t help when you don’t breathe.” Someone said.

I whipped around, seeing Firefly standing, her eyes glowing in the moonlight and her mane blowing softly with the breeze.

“What?” I asked, I didn’t feel like she had any room to judge my shot, and anger was rubbing off in my tone.

“You need to breathe more.” Firefly said, “Breathe in to focus your shot, the exhale when you pull the trigger.”

“What do you know about shooting?” I growled.

The mare walked closer, a small frown on her face. “My dad taught me.” She said.

I smirked, “I bet daddy also told you the Tooth Fairy was real.”

“He also told me not to work with bitches like you, so consider yourself lucky.” She retorted.

I lunged at the mare, swinging the butt of the rifle at her head, she gripped the rifle and stripped it from my claws.

I watched her remove the clip, break the scope, jam the loading system and rip out the barrel. My eyes widened as she broke what remained of the rifle in half on a stump and threw it to the ground.

“Fight fair for a change, huh?” She said, the same frown still on her face.

I charged the mare again, she flew straight up out of my view, as I looked up, she dropped all of her weight into a punch on my temple, creating little white dots in my vision.

She landed at my side, I swiped at her blindly, missing and getting a kick to the back of the head, keeping my vision blurry.

I reached my tail up to grab her but she grabbed it, wrapping it around my neck and strangling me with it, I grabbed my bowie knife from its sheath and slashed it towards her, hitting my own tail and not the mare, who delivered another mean punch on my neck, causing me to choke and cough. I grabbed my neck with one claw and leaned down, closing my eyes and trying to get rid of the pain in my throat.

I almost immediately noticed my mistake, but the mare had already struck me with the powerful uppercut, launching me into the air, where she followed up with a few punches to my head and face while still in the air, and as we began to fall, she grabbed ahold of my front leg and twisted it behind my back, as we landed, she pulled with the impact and a devastating crack echoed outside.

As I tried to regain my senses, I heard her walking off.

I tasted blood in my mouth and hated the fact that I had just lost to a mare smaller than me.

Lost. I couldn’t stand that word.

I didn’t lose, I hadn’t lost to griffons twice the size of me, yet I lost to this pathetic, tiny, insignificant, blind mare?

I got up and watched her walk away, when she turned around, her frown had turned into a taunting smile.

“Only dislocated.” She said. Next Chapter: Chapter 5 Estimated time remaining: 53 Minutes