[Canterlot] The Desert Storm's Studio of Self Defense(Closed for now)

[Pretzelparty]

 

All around the heartlands and foothills of Equestria there were flyers on walls and being blown around by the breeze. On all of these posters were a strange looking symbol of seemingly Saddle Arabian origin. "Equestria is being threatened more often then usual lately. Do you want to be caught off guard?" The article would say, "Learn from one  of Equestria's best fighters and self defense experts, Khamsin. Winner of multiple mixed martial arts tournaments and teacher of way of the intercepting hoof!" The rest of the text elaborates on what kind of things a pony should expect should they choose to become one of his pupils. The applicants must be fit and can be of any build, species, size, or age. They must be willing to practice very often and spar when they are good enough, and above all else must only use this style for self defense.

 

---The Desert Storm Studio---

 

"Huh... No takers yet, huh?" Said a chill sounding, smooth voice. Khamsin was a tall drink of water of a pegasus, his body was well muscled and cut but not excessively so. His physique was that of one who works out and takes care of himself regularly, covered in lean muscle and slightly taller than your average pony.The mocha colored stallion shrugged and walked back to the back of his studio and relaxed behind a desk, "Well, no customers means a free day I guess... gonna need to start looking for something to do." The Stallion lounged backwards on his stool, his forelegs resting behind and supporting his head as his hindlegs' hooves were crossed and laying upon the desktop. The stallion's reddish brown eyes looked above him and he let out a puff through his nostrils, "Can't add more to my collection cause I'm broke... Spent all the prize money from those tournaments to build this place. Maybe I should look into becoming a bodyguard or something... I guess I could go down to that apple farm in ponyville, couldn't hurt to lend a hoof to a good family like them."

 

Moving one of his hooves from behind his head he reached over and tugged open a drawer before pulling out an issue of Supermare and holding it above him with his wings while he read, "You've come a looooong way from bein' the adopted visitor from the stars just trying to make her new planet better haven't ya?..." he said to nopony in particular, a serene smile on his lips.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

"You've come a looooong way from bein' the adopted visitor from the stars just trying to make her new planet better haven't ya?..."

 

Meridian caught the last words the stallion had spoken as she entered the studio.

 

"Och, well now ye could say some nice things about me, but really tha's a bit much. You don't even know me!" Meridians Fet Loch tinged accent was plain to hear. She smiled a little as she moved smoothly forward. She joked to keep herself from being overly nervous. The green earth pony wasn't all that used to being in a place like the Desert Storm Studio. She hailed from the wide open outdoors, ranging mountains and generally putting her body to the test physically and mentally. That was why she had come.

 

"I saw yer flier and couldn't help but stop by. I've been looking for something new to apply my hooves to. Learned about all I can in the ways o' mountaineerin' and the like."

 

Though she sounded fairly casual, the green mare meant business. Meridian was the sort of pony to talk gently and pack a punch.She slid the flier across the counter. 

 

"I think I fit the description well enough." She glanced about, knowing she was speaking to a highly respected master of a special art form. She would give respect where it was due. The mare had learned how to treat those who had a mastery for their trade be it martial arts, farming, or even sheep sheering as her family did on Wooly Acres and the far reached of Fet Loch.

 

She knew a pony like Khamsim would not just accept her into the school. There had to be tests to pass and that sort of thing. She was up for the challenge and she had the time! Her family had sent her down out of the mountains for a time. It was good for her to socialize and learn new things. She had heard little about martial art forms but she was willing to learn!

 

"If you'll have me, I'd love to learn from you." It was indeed a simple introduction but the mare found herself feeling slightly nervous being around this particular pegasus. He was handsome, lean, and obviously in control of himself. She waited to see how he would respond.

[PyroBlaze]

Pyro hummed to himself as he looked up from the flier floating in front of him, seeing the building that the paper talked about. At least it was close to home, seeing as he lived in Canterlot. He looked back at the flier for a moment, wondering if he should go in or not, then decided he should, trotting into the building. He followed the sounds of voices to find a pegasus stallion that was obviously the one to send the fliers out, and an earth pony mare that was probably here for the same reason he was, to learn what the stallion had to teach.

 

"I would like to join as well." The fiery unicorn said, floating his own flier onto the desk. If he was going to be a guard, he may as well learn what he could about fighting from wherever he could. He certainly kept himself in shape through his self-imposed training sessions, and he had no problem with exercising, as he did plenty of that anyways.

[Elderflower]

 

Ever since she had joined the Royal Equestrian Army, Sugar Star’s father had called her a child of summer. Unblooded. In his eyes, even though she was a soldier she was one who enjoyed a comfortable and had seen very little strife. He always seemed happy about that, being a rather overprotective parent. Sugar, however, had always been annoyed by that. Until she had her first real taste of battle. The entire experience had rattled her to her core, and now she felt driven to improve upon herself both physically and mentally. The best way to do that? Martial arts. She had very little training outside of the standardized hoof-to-hoof training she gotten in the REA. After coming to this conclusion flyers began to appear all over Canterlot for the Desert Storm Studio of Self Defence, so as soon as she saw them the winged mare knew it was a sign.

Still wearing her polished golden armour after her patrol, with her helmet tucked under her foreleg, Sugar glided down to the door of the studio and stepped in, eager to learn something new. The smell inside the studio was familiar - dry air, wood, stale sweat. The scent was very similar to the dance studios Sugar had lived in as a filly and the indoor training areas for the REA. The specialist loved that smell, and she couldn’t help but smile and draw a deep breath when she stepped inside.

When she snapped back to reality she noticed that two others had arrived before her, and one of those ponies she recognized! She had met the colt named Pyro Blaze in Ponyville during an...eventful Hearts and Hooves Day recently. Smiling, Sugar Star approached the little gathering of ponies and nodded a hello, her posture confident and solid.

When she reached the others, she beamed at Pyro and set her helmet down so she could muss up his mane.

“Here to learn about martial arts, Pyro?” she asked, her voice full of sunshine and sugar, “That’s a great first step to joining the REA - oh! Manners!”

Blushing a little, Sugar looked to the other two ponies, “The name’s Sugar Star, I’m a specialist in the Royal Equestrian Army. I’m looking to improve my physical and mental training, and educating myself in martial forms seems like an excellent way to do that…”

The winged mare trailed off, distracted by the comic the stallion in front of her was holding. Supermare! This pegasus in front of her had to be Khamsin, the stallion who ran this place. And he was a fan of comics? And- and handsome. If he were to be assigned a role in one of Sugar’s favourite girly comics he would be a definite lead role - love interest number one. Total Tuxedo Mustang type. This...was decidedly a distraction. It would make learning difficult for a mare who was borderline obsessed with Sailor Mare. Or completely obsessed.

Unable to keep her inner dork at under lock and key, Sugar Star piped up excitedly, “Issue 775! The pony of tomorrow is confronted with antiheroes who are changing the face of heroism itself! Supermare asks herself some hard questions in that issue...It’s the comic that proved comics aren’t just frivolous stories to distract...young...ponies...”

Oh dear. What an embarrassing little outburst. Sugar Star trailed off when she realized how silly she probably sounded - especially in her armour - and cast her sheepish gaze aside, blushing a little harder.

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Och, well now ye could say some nice things about me, but really tha's a bit much. You don't even know me!"

 

"I saw yer flier and couldn't help but stop by. I've been looking for something new to apply my hooves to. Learned about all I can in the ways o' mountaineerin' and the like."

 

"I think I fit the description well enough. If you'll have me, I'd love to learn from you." It was indeed a simple introduction but the mare found herself feeling slightly nervous being around this particular pegasus. He was handsome, lean, and obviously in control of himself. She waited to see how he would respond.

 

 

"I would like to join as well." The fiery unicorn said, floating his own flier onto the desk. If he was going to be a guard, he may as well learn what he could about fighting from wherever he could. He certainly kept himself in shape through his self-imposed training sessions, and he had no problem with exercising, as he did plenty of that anyways.

 

Blushing a little, Sugar looked to the other two ponies, “The name’s Sugar Star, I’m a specialist in the Royal Equestrian Army. I’m looking to improve my physical and mental training, and educating myself in martial forms seems like an excellent way to do that…”

 

Unable to keep her inner dork at under lock and key, Sugar Star piped up excitedly, “Issue 775! The pony of tomorrow is confronted with antiheroes who are changing the face of heroism itself! Supermare asks herself some hard questions in that issue...It’s the comic that proved comics aren’t just frivolous stories to distract...young...ponies...”

Oh dear. What an embarrassing little outburst. Sugar Star trailed off when she realized how silly she probably sounded - especially in her armour - and cast her sheepish gaze aside, blushing a little harder.

 

 

Khamsin practically jumped off his stool as the newcomers' voices suddenly spoke up. Finally, some potential students! The stallion smiled brightly and hopped off the stoof, landing  gracefully on his hooves as he held his comic book under his wing. "Nice ta meet all of you! As I'm sure you lovely ladies... and stallion know, I am Khamsin." He opened up the drawer and carefully put the comic back and slid it in a plastic bag. This stallion was not going to let his beloved graphic novel suffer any wear or tear, He then closed it and took to the air and circled around the applicants...

 

Hmm... The green mare showed promise, her physique in addition to being quite appealing, had a good amount of muscle to it. She wasn't lying about that mountaineering experience. Next was the stallion, not as pleasant to look at as the mares, although that was more in regards to The martial artist's own preferences. He had a decent amount of muscle, For a unicorn. He'd seen considerably bulkier horn bearers in his time, It was nice to see another unicorn who took good care of them self. Lastly was this lovely Pegasus, The stallion circled around her one extra time and gave her a playful wink, even under the armor, Khamsin could tell she was quite the looker... in a sort of cute way. "Hmm... Well Sugar Star, We can talk more about that storyline later, I just got to the epic battle on the moon with the elite."

 

After he finished inspecting the potential students he landed and stretched out his long wings, "Well... I should probably let you know. My family's martial art is a bit different than what most of you may have pictured in your mind... Before you learn how to accurately fight in 'The Way'. You'll need to get an idea of the philosophy behind it." The stallion walked over to the closet and pulled out a bottle of water and a pitcher, he then set it down on the desk and stood before the three ponies. He lifted up a hoof pointed it at the trio. "Now... " he began, "What I want you to do is show me the stance you usually fight in and show me how you would buck and opponent behind you, and then show me how you would punch an opponent in front of you."

[Zeig]

 

To think some ponies needed to learn how to fight had always been something of a mystery for him.

Running around the playground and goofing off in back alleys, fighting had always been a natural part of growing up for Inkbrand. Nothing life and death, not really - though a few close calls rose pleasantly to the forefront of his memories - but tackling and grappling and throwing punches to wipe that smug little smirk off of Mint Condition's face? Buck yeah.

Then there was the fact that some ponies took it to another level - another level, not necessarily the next one, in his opinion. Fancy fighting moves were good and all, but buck, who really thought about the position of their back legs or the perfect timing for a front flip when they were in the middle of a fight? Inkbrand was an expert hoof-to-hoof combatant himself, knew how to break a chokehold the same way he knew how to swipe the hooves out from an opponent, or multiple ones at the same time. But it was all experience he had gotten from…well, experience. Not practicing a certain move in a certain situation in the middle of a training dojo.

Still. Apparently this sort of "learning" worked for some ponies, and really, Inkbrand couldn't stay overly baffled when it meant having a place to come chill out, meet some new faces, and potentially persuade a certain brown Pegasus to sneak away from teaching and grab a mug of ol' fashioned Fireball whiskey.

Said Pegasus-turned-potential-entertainment-while-bored-in-Canterlot was, in fact, seemingly in the middle of a lesson as Inkbrand swaggered through the entrance, stopping to lean against the doorway with his hooves crossed in front of him. It seemed to have only just started however, as Khamsin was currently instructing his pupils to get into their stances. For the barest moment, Inkbrand considered slinking right in to take up a stance alongside the others, just to get the Pegasus' reaction - but the desire passed in the next instant, replaced by a stronger urge to simply stand and watch quietly.

Well…stand and watch, anyways.

"And then you'll need to show Sin how badly you can drink him under the table," Inkbrand commented loudly from his position, still not bothering to move from where he was slouched against the doorway, "if you want to avoid a slam duck straight onto your back, that is." A sly grin wound across his face as Inkbrand winked at Khamsin, before he let his eyes roam over the students themselves, eyebrows raising slightly. Another reason he didn't really believe in these fighting dojos - how the buck could you teach a colt and a fully grown mare alongside one another? It didn't make any sense.

Speaking of, Inkbrand realized his eyes weren't deceiving him. Both the colt and the mare were recognizable from the Hearts and Hooves affair in Ponyville. Buck, what were - Pyro, he was pretty sure, and Sweet Star? Plus an older, green filly he didn't know. A rather small class, if the grey stallion did say so himself, though maybe more would come trickling in as the class wore on.

Either way, the tattoo-clad stallion pushed himself away from the doorway and slunk around the students, a lilting grin tilting his face as he passed by the golden-hued Pegasus before making his way to the desk situated near the front of the room. Inkbrand plopped himself down in the chair, unconsciously mimicking his friend's earlier pose as he swept an exaggerated eye around the training center. "Lovin' the new digs, brother," the grey Earth Pony stated lazily, never minding whatever the students were currently involved in, "though I bet it's too much to hope you put a minibar in the back somewhere?"
 

 

 

 

[Elderflower]

Sugar Star was eager to get started and more than a little embarrassed over her little Supermare slip, so when Khamsin discarded that conversation she nodded her agreement and let a determined expression fall into place. Of course, there was a pretty touch of red in her cheeks thanks to that wink, but that was nothing new - blushing came more naturally to Sugar Star than anything else! Blowing a stray lock of mane away from her eyes, she gobbled up everything her new instructor had to say, and was just about to assume her battle stance when a familiar voice took her completely by surprise! Was that Inky? Wide-eyed and curious, the sugary mare was tempted to turn around and say hello - but was she already under the other pegasus’ scrutiny? He wanted to see her stance, not see her socialize!

She couldn’t help but blush defensively when the tattooed stallion (there really was no mistaking that voice, after all, especially not after overhearing it coo affectionately to an...armadillo) cracked a joke about drinking the martial arts instructor under the table. Sugar had actually never had a drink in her life! Shaking her head in order to clear her mind, the winged mare let her thoughts flow out of her and her stance instantly relaxed. When she bent her knees, her position was solid yet loose. She wouldn’t be easily knocked over, nor would she be too tight to react quickly to an unexpected attack. Even with her confident stance, however, she had a momentary lapse in concentration when Inkbrand passed by her, grumpily trying to hide the blush that sprung back to life. When she saw him pass by Khamsin, thought, a thought occurred to her...he was Prince Diamondhooves! It made perfect sense!

If Khamsin was the Tuxedo Mustang type, it only made sense that a stallion with a rough edge who came around distracting the mares from the male hero would be Diamondhooves! The villain who would attempt to steal away Sailor Mare’s heart! Well, didn’t that just perk up the specialist - now all they needed was a Sailor Mare for the two to fight over! Hopefully one would show up later - it was be the ultimate dokidoki fan fantasy come to life! Her knotted brows loosened, her mouth cracked into a huge smile, and she offered the tattoo-covered stallion a cheerful wave before settling back into her fighting stance. How exciting! She had never met anypony who fit Prince Diamondhooves’ role before.

 

Practicing sparring without an actual opponent, luckily, was one of Sugar Star’s fortés. Equipped with an overactive imagination sharpened over years of fantasizing about Sailor Mare, Sugar found it very easy to visualize a foe - or two, in this situation. She shifted her weight easily from one side to the other, watching the water that Khamsin had set down. It remained fairly still - good! Now, on to the exciting bits! In her mind, an enemy with an unsteady stance was charging at her from behind. Eyes narrowed, she dropped and swung out her hind legs in a low buck with the goal of knocking the shadow-foe off their hooves. She then flapped her wings hard once, twice to get her back on her hooves so she could kick herself forwards and swing out a front hoof and punch!

She was satisfied with her display - she was no champion at hoof-to-hoof combat but she was a seasoned soldier just home from fighting against a caribou invasion at the Crystal Empire. Even though the water she had kept her eyes on was rippling like mad, she could at least be proud of the fact that her buck had been a pretty strong one! For a specialist, her combat skills were just where they should be, but she was thrilled to bring them to a whole new level under Khamsin’s tutelage!

[PyroBlaze]

Pyro watched the pegasus in front of him as he awaited a response, his eyes drifting to the comic a bit. He gave a sigh of annoyance as his mane was messed up by some newcomer, about to turn around when he froze from her voice. Sugar? Why did she have to be here? Despite her apparently forgiving him for whatever had happened durning Hearts and Hooves day, he still felt awkward being around her now.

"Yeah, I suppose." He said finally in response to her words to him. He didn't look at her, too ashamed by his brazen pursuit of her from before. Thankfully, another pony arrived, this one also familiar to him. Inkbrand. He looked over at the tattooed pony after the instructor had finished speaking.

His attention turned back to the task at hand, however, as Sugar took her turn to demonstrate her skills. When it came to him, he dropped into a more aggressive stance, his legs spread to add balance as he lowered himself a bit. His eyes were even narrowed a bit at the imaginary enemy before him.

Creating an imaginary opponent was not difficult, he was forced to do it all the time in the training he forced on himself. Really the only times he had faced off against a real opponent was when he was sparing with his friend. He remained in his stance for a second or two more before suddenly delivering a hard buck to the imaginary opponent behind him. After that he jumped forward, swinging a hoof at his other enemy, who just so happened to be in front of the glass of water. Part of his hoof connected with the glass and sent it flying off the desk towards a wall. He caught it in his magic just before it impacted, though some of the water still splashed out onto the wall from the sudden stop. He chuckled a bit nervously before placing the glass back on the desk and cleaning the spilled liquid with his magic.

"Sorry about that." He said, looking at Khamsin.

[Mojo]

Ms. Harshwhinney

 

Holding a printed flyer in her mouth, Ms. Harshwhinney roamed the streets of Canterlot in search of Desert Storm Studio.

 

"Learning self defense would be a good idea for someone of MY social rank and standing"  the orange pelted Earth mare thought to herself as she diligently continued her search.  This was a part of Canterlot she wasn't familiar with, and holding the flyer on her mouth, she was hardly able to stop and ask anypony for directions.  After an hour and near the point where she thought of giving up, the tired blonde maned mare finally spotted the sign.

 

"THERE IT IS!" she neighed, instantly releasing the flyer which now caught on a gentle breeze and fluttered upward away from her.

 

"COME BACK HERE, YOU WRETCHED PIECE OF PAPER!" she yelled, giving chase to the floating flyer.  Luckily for her, the flyer drifted in the direction of the studio, fluttering downward as it carefully slid under the front door.  Hard charging, Ms. Harshwhinney galloped inside before stomping both front hooves on the wayward flyer.

 

"GOT YOU AT LAST!" she shouted in triumph, moments before looking up and seeing there was a small crowd inside.  Now looking very embarrassed, the Earth mare in the purple blouse quickly cleared her throat before asking.

 

"Who is the proprietor of this establishment?  I am here to learn self defense!"

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Meridian watched all the activity around her keenly, taking special interest to the moment when Khamsin inspected her. My wasn't he a fine looking stallion! Still she held her expression as she always did. She was a strong, confidant daughter of Fet Loch. She knew she could already take care of herself in any situation, this was just to hone her skills really. She tossed her head slightly, shifting her braided mane back and away from her face as a tattoo clad stallion made his way into the dojo. The grey pony seemed to know how to make an entrance.

 

Soon the master of 'The Way' was pouring water and asking them to preform some cursory moves. Meridian watched the other students with interests. First the mare Sugar Star showed off her skills. it was easy to see that she was a member of the fighting force of Equestria. Her moves, though slightly exaggerated, were a perfect representation of how a trained solider should preform. Next the stallion Pyro went to work. What a display it turned out to be. Meridian cringed as the bottle flew from the desk and almost smashed on the opposite wall! Good thing he was a unicorn! It must have been awkward enough to knock into the bottle, but to have smash on the wall of the dojo? What a first impression that would have been!

 

Meridian kept light on her hooves, readying herself to show what she knew. The time she used these sort of moves the most was when she was moving sheep from pasture to pasture. Though she would never actually hurt one of the flock, a well placed buck close to a rebellious group of sheep did wonders to move the flock along! The green earth pony trotted in place quite gracefully for a moment and then planted her front feet hard. Shifting her weight into her strong shoulder she thrust her back hooves forth as if they were attached to springs. Her hooves flashed backwards as a flier made its way under the door and an earth mare burst in! Though the buck was not close enough to make contact with new arrival it was close enough to make Meridian suck in her breath. She steeled herself to keep concentrating and shifted her weight forward. She thrust her front hooves out, one, two! After swiping them through the air she came back down on all fours and turned to the new arrival.

 

"Who is the proprietor of this establishment?  I am here to learn self defense!"

 

"Whew! Glad you weren't any closer! That buck almost hit you!" Meridian very much disliked the thought of hurting somepony accidentally. She flicked her braided mane back once more, her eyes shining with excitement at all that was going on around her.

[Pretzelparty]

 

"And then you'll need to show Sin how badly you can drink him under the table," Inkbrand commented loudly from his position, still not bothering to move from where he was slouched against the doorway, "if you want to avoid a slam duck straight onto your back, that is."

Either way, the tattoo-clad stallion pushed himself away from the doorway and slunk around the students, a lilting grin tilting his face as he passed by the golden-hued Pegasus before making his way to the desk situated near the front of the room. Inkbrand plopped himself down in the chair, unconsciously mimicking his friend's earlier pose as he swept an exaggerated eye around the training center. "Lovin' the new digs, brother," the grey Earth Pony stated lazily, never minding whatever the students were currently involved in, "though I bet it's too much to hope you put a minibar in the back somewhere?"

 

 

Khamsin rolled his eyes as he heard his friend manage to enter the studio. Inkbrand and Khamsin's meeting was not the most good natured one, the two had met in a club one night and wound up competing for the affections of one particularly nice looking mare. The memory was a tad hazy from all the drinks he'd had that night but apparently the mare in question might have been just toying with them as it ended with a drinking contest that left the two stallions completely inebriated and dizzy. While Khamsin had had way too much to drink that night he had wound up flooring his opponent after losing the contest ... although after that the mare seemed to dissapear so neither of them got any fun that night. It was after that that he and Inkbrand had started hanging out, if there was anything they had in common; It was a love of fine mares... The two's friendship had grown into a sorta of friendly rivalry in a way, with the two occasionally taking jabs at eachother and trying to outdo one another in some way.

 

The blonde stallion scoffed a bit as Inkbrand mimicked his earlier sitting pose from before smirking proudly, "It's actually upstairs, by the jukebox... Help yourself, but don't leave the place dry, champ." Looking back to Miss Sugar star who had started off the demonstration of her abilities. Khamsin's eye's narrowed as he inspected her form; She was clearly pretty well trained, she has a good amount of strength in her blows but she was holding back, good. This pony showed promise, she clearly knew how to conserve energy, and she was trained already. He could definitely teach her some knew forms and more efficient methods of incapacitation...

 

 

"Sorry about that." He said, looking at Khamsin.

 

This colt was an interesting case. Unicorns were always a fun opponent and even more fun students. Adding magic to the methods of Khamsin's fighting teachings was a helpful tool in a fight, even simple telekinesis could turn the tide quite easily... but no time to think about possibilities; he had to focus on the now. Just a look at the young pony's intial stance told him a lot, his attacks told him even more. The mocha colored pegasus cringed as he saw the unicorn's punch send the glass fling towards the wall and let out  a sigh of release as the colt caught it. The stallion chuckled a bit as the fiery young colt apologized, "No problem, li'l guy."

 

Khamsin looked over the young colt and noticed his cutie mark; a Fire ball, "Okay, yer talent must be fire magic right? Well then one of our more important lessons later might be a bit of a hurdle for you later." The pegasus stretched out his wings and then smiled as he noticed the door of his shop burst open as an older looking mare came in...

 

 

"GOT YOU AT LAST!" she shouted in triumph, moments before looking up and seeing there was a small crowd inside.  Now looking very embarrassed, the Earth mare in the purple blouse quickly cleared her throat before asking.

"Who is the proprietor of this establishment?  I am here to learn self defense!"

 

"Whew! Glad you weren't any closer! That buck almost hit you!" Meridian very much disliked the thought of hurting somepony accidentally. She flicked her braided mane back once more, her eyes shining with excitement at all that was going on around her.

 

 

Meridian and sugar star had something in common, they were going to be good students. Sugar was clearly the better trained fighter; The REA was sure to do that to a pony. The green mare from Fet loch was good with using her weight and she had a killer buck... and the parts that did the bucking on both the mares left nothing to be desired either. Meridian had great control too, she'd managed to spare the new customer a buck to the face and save Khamsin from the potential loss of a student. 

 

Khamsin flew over to the orange earth pony and smiled, "I'm the stallion who runs this place, Ya made it just in time. I was just asking these ponies to show me how the'd give an attacker a bunch and a punch... would ya mind doing the same?" The stallion gestured one of his wings to the  line up of ponies.

[Zeig]

 

Inkbrand supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, but 'supposes' didn't amount for much as he caught the tail-end of Sugar Star's wave in his obvious direction, earning a chuckle and quick, flashing wink of his own. Funny, how quickly the yellow Pegasus was falling into the same category as Flora Bloom had.

That wasn't to say the grey stallion hadn't still felt spikes of irritation every time a vague wink or flirt caused the Pegasus to light up like a red Solstice celebration. All throughout the Hearts and Hooves festival, it had been like he couldn't make the slightest pass without the mare reacting like he was about to jump her. As with the shy and stuttering types, Inkbrand's already low tolerance level tended to quickly dry out around ponies like Sugar Star, who seemed to treat any hints of love and romance like particularly naughty taboo.

And yet, hay. He'd been intrigued.

Was intrigued. After all, it wasn't every day he met a mare that took the time to see things from his bucking point of view, for a change. Sugar Star's actions at the festivities had given him pause, weathered him through the otherwise annoying bits and pieces, and ended up with a different estimation of the yellow Pegasus.

…But still.

"Leave the place dry? Can do," Inkbrand stated overly loudly, leaving the desk and his thoughts behind in favor of grabbing something from supposed minibar. As it was, the tattoo-clad stallion near ran into it once he was on the threshold, causing an appreciate whistle to leave Inkbrand's lips. Khamsin sure didn't spare any expensive for this place, without a doubt. As if he owned the entire building, Inkbrand trot behind the bar and rummaged around in the fridge, eventually settling on a cheap beer. Plenty of time for the hard stuff later.

Plus, Inkbrand had the nagging suspicion that he didn't want to be drunk off his flank in the middle of a bunch of overenthusiastic, eager ponies all testing out their bucks and punches.

Such suspicions seemed clearly reasonable as Inkbrand swaggered back down the stairs, just in time to see the green filly perform some sort of routine that looked rehearsed. Khamsin, too, was watching his student, leaving Inkbrand to take idle gulps of his beer as his golden gaze roamed around the room. They eventually settled back onto Sugar Star, causing a contemplative expression to pass over his face before it was quickly replaced with a rot-eating one.

What better time to test out his little theory?

Inkbrand swept his way towards the Pegasus, settling the beer onto the table without breaking stride before he was standing next to Sugar Star. For all intents and purposes, he looked to be speculating over the green filly's performance along with the other students, but that didn't stop the grey Earth Pony from using height and bulk to loom slightly over his target.

"You know," Inkbrand murmured low under his breath, head hardly turning, as if he were imparting some secret that he didn't want the others in the room to know about. "You never did visit that kissing booth with me." Here, he did turn his head towards Sugar Star, attempting to rearrange his leer into something a little less predatory. Belatedly, Inkbrand realized his tail was trailing back and forth along one of Sugar Star's back legs, hardly a whisper of a caress. "Can't believe you'd leave your old buddy Inkbrand hanging like that, S-Squared - "

- which is when an orange Earth Pony suddenly came crashing into the dojo, looking so ornery and severe that Inkbrand took an automatic step away from Sugar Star, as if he'd been caught in the middle of some wrong-doing. Both irritated and slightly impressed, the grey stallion raised his eyebrows as the orange pony announced her presence and reason for visiting - both a little unnecessary, considering the force with which she'd chased the flyer into the building.

"Oi, don't you need to get her outfitted with…I dunno. Workout clothes, or something?" Inkbrand drawled, not out of concern for the mare but more out of curiosity. Sugar Star was wearing armor which she, assumedly, regularly fought in - both Pyro and the green filly had little to nothing on themselves. But the orange Earth Pony seemed rather dressed up, with a purple blouse and pink scarf, neither of which seemed very conducive to an athletic and otherwise flailing about atmosphere.

Or maybe they were, buck. He wasn't here to judge.

…Okay, maybe he was here to judge a little. But only if Khamsin allowed himself to be flipped off his hooves by a blouse wearing, middle-aged Earth Pony.
 

 

 

 

[moonshineTheleocat]

“I don’t think I need to attend a Self Defense class…” Java groaned to a mare standing next to him as they strolled down the street. After all, the self-defense class was just that, self-defense. You don’t really expect to go into aggression, like the original intent of it actually was. It was more on the lines of… defend yourself long enough that you have an opening to run away, or till the other gives up.

 

“Pft, what? Ye think ye can beat ol’ma without help, lil-bean,” The mare standing next to him cackled. She was none other than the brazen Duchess of Fetlock and a Captain of the REA, Captain Star Breezer. Just slightly behind her floated a duffle bag holding her luggage for her visit to Canterlot. Attached to the side of the bag, was her Halberd, short-sword, and her helmet.

 

Comparison wise, she definitely looked older than the stallion next to her. But only seemingly by a few years.

 

The mare’s cackling came to a close with a quick punch to the buck’s shoulder. “Sure sure! Lets’a see how that works for ye, later on this week. Maybeh I’ll dislocate the other leg for ya, and even out the damage count, hm?”

Java’s eyes flicked to Star Breeze with a frown, ears lowered.

 

“Lookeh! Ah hear this ol boy es a crowd favorite with the can-heads,” Star Breezer chuckled. Her eyes flicked to the dojo’s sign when they drew near.


“And… exactly how well is that turning out,” The stallion asked with a cynical tone.

 

The response he received wasn’t all that ensuring to say the least. The most he got was Star Breezer’s eye looking curiously through the window, and back to Java. She offered a smile, and raised a hoof into the air. She held it there and gave it a light waggle in a levering motion. Her magic aura soon enveloped the door’s handle and pushed it open to allow her to step inside. She gave her mane a quick flick with a snap of the head, allowing her eye-patch to be revealed when her short mane had worked it’s self mostly over her ear.

Java was soon to follow. The moment he stepped in, he began scanning the environment, taking in every bit of detail to get an idea of whom he would be working with. His eyes then drifted down to the various patrons, glancing over each one of them. None of them… appeared to be in any particular uniform… except for the REA pony whom he recognized as Sugar Star. Then…  his eyes settled down on Inkbrand.

 

His curious gaze… immediately went flat. His brows dropped, and his smile simply stretched in a grimace. There was once a moment he thought nothing of the buck’s presence. But after a vocal exchange, even after the possible revelation of what went down, this buck had managed to worm his way into a festering sore in his heart.

 

“Oh… he’s here. Just ignore him Java… you’re trying to save your sanity… not loose it,” Java told himself as he soon turned his attention away from him and approached the stand, which he assumed to be where sign-ups are held.

 

And as for Star Breezer, the Fetlockian mare B-lined it straight for the chairs. She immediately tossed her bag to the side, where it clattered into the chairs, and flopped over onto them.  Her body stretched out across several, treating them like they were a comfortable bed.

 

“Oi! Kham-boy! How’d ye fight in the arena go? I’d ‘av taken the time to watch me-self, but ah went on a bar raid with a fine caribou Jarl.” She glanced up with a lecherous grin, “Heh, ah’d say it was worth missin for that night.”

 

 

Enter Captain Star Breezer and JavaSun

[Elderflower]

 

Once Sugar had righted herself back into a more relaxed stance to await further instruction, she turned her attention to Pyro to watch his demonstration. But...oh. So this Khamsin kept a stock of alcohol in his dojo? That didn’t seem like Tuxedo Mustang at all...perhaps her first impression of the stallion was wrong? She couldn’t help but wince a little when Pyro sent the glass flying towards the wall, but breathed a sigh of relief when he caught it in his magic. Unicorn magic sure came in handy sometimes! She could never trade in her flight for it, though...just thinking of a life stuck on the ground gave the winged mare the heebie-jeebies! Being grounded had to be one of her greatest nightmares.

The braided mare was up next, and she reminded Sugar terribly of a certain Sailor Mare character whose magical uniform was strongly accented with green… She’s totally Sailor Demeter! the excitable specialist thought to herself, Tough but feminine, green suits her, and she’d definitely look perfect with pink roses for earrings!
 

Sugar’s relentless stream of Sailor Mare-themed thoughts was interrupted abruptly and in the most unexpected way. She hadn’t thought much of Inkbrand, whom she couldn’t help but think of as Diamond Hooves, coming to stand next to her. She just assumed he would be getting lessons from Khamsin as well, so she near jumped out of her skin when his tail began running over her back leg. There was no doubt now: this really was Prince Diamond Hooves! Sugar had to wonder if the creator of Sailor Mare had made that villainous (but good deep down) character after meeting Inkbrand!

But...wait...Diamond was talking about kissing her, wasn’t he? Did that mean...did that make her Sailor Mare?! Despite her initial shock, Sugar seemed...uncharacteristically delighted over this conversation. She grinned up at Diamond when he mentioned the kissing booth, saying, “If you want to kiss me, don’t you have to steal my powers first?”

 

It came out unintentionally flirtatious, but flirtatious nonetheless. Not that Sugar Star caught on to that fact - in her mind, she was just referencing a key part of one of Sailor Mare’s main story arcs.

 

When it was time for the Fet Loch mare to show off her stuff, Sugar’s little Sailor Mare moment with Diamond was cut short. An older mare had just burst through the door into the dojo and the Demeter-like mare’s buck almost put out a newcomer’s lights! Luckily she stopped herself just in time and the older mare was spared. And hay, did that green mare have some stuff! She was certainly a strong one, but all that flipping her braid around made Sugar think she needed to choose a new hairstyle for this kind of training. The specialist kept her mane tied back while she was training or on duty for a reason: so that it would never be a distraction.

The dojo was quickly piling up, this time with another familiar face! Sugar recognized Java instantly, though the mare accompanying him was a stranger to her. She gave the stallion a friendly smile, hoping that he and Diamond would be able to get along reasonably well, before turning her attention back to the instructor.

[PyroBlaze]

Well, at least Khamsin seemed alright despite his mistake. That was good. He smiled a bit, though that faded at the pegasus' next words. How would him being good at fire magic make what was coming up any harder? He tilted his head slightly in confusion, but said nothing about it, turning his attention to the last one, who nearly hit a newcomer with her buck.

Pyro looked away from them after a moment, his eyes going to Inkbrand, who was doing something with Sugar. His eyes narrowed a bit at the tattooed stallion, Sugar not seeming to enjoy her position. Or at least she hadn't at first. He blinked a bit at her response before looking away with a little snort. She was a guard, she could take care of herself. He was just protective of his friends, he always had been.

To spend the time, he went over his little display in his head, mentally kicking himself for hitting the glass off the table. Why had he jumped forward with his punch? It was completely unnecessary. He could've punched just as well from his own spot. Or just not jump quite so far. He sighed a bit at his thoughts as he waited for things to move along.

[Mojo]

 

The moment after Ms. Harshwhinney asked about the proprietor, she narrowly escaped getting kicked by Meridian.  This caused the orange Earth mare to scream in fright and instinctively perform an impressive backflip just to avoid getting clobbered.  Though she was a middle aged pony, she was quite limber for her age.

 

"Egad!  One most be careful when entering a dojo!" the half frightened Ms. Harshwhinney neighed before calming herself and straightening out her purple blouse with her front hooves.  It was then that the blonde mare heard Khamsin identifying himself at the pony in charge.  Before she could respond to his request to show him some moves, she heard Inkbrand suggesting a change in attire.

 

"I see.  I will gladly demonstrate my, 'bunch and punch' as you call it, but if you would give me a moment to change into more suitable clothing first.  I shall return momentarily!" the Earth mare neighed before she ducked behind a screen and emerged a few minutes later now wearing a tight fitting white karate style costume.  The white minirobe that replaced her blouse fit rather snuggly on her frame and matched the white pants she wore on her flanks.  Walking very confidently, Ms. Harshwhinney then took her place in line that Khamsin had pointed to earlier.

 

"I am now ready for this demonstration to begin.  But first, if I may inquire, what is your name, sir?  I would like to know whom I am addressing.  Secondly, how exactly did you want me to show you my, 'bunch and punch'?  Will I have to confront a simulated attacker, or will you be filling that role?" 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

“Oi! Kham-boy! How’d ye fight in the arena go? I’d ‘av taken the time to watch me-self, but ah went on a bar raid with a fine caribou Jarl. Heh, ah’d say it was worth missin for that night.”

 

Meridian's attention snapped from whatever was going on between the tattoo clad stallion and the Guard's mare to the mare with the Fet Loch accent. By the sounds of it, she was from near the same area as Meridian herself was! This didn't mean an instant friend, however, it was always comforting to hear the accent of her homeland. This mare seemed not to care for stepping up for training. Instead she had taken to a row of chairs, stretching out across a fair few of them. The green mare made a mental note to introduce herself when she wasn't standing in a line up for evaluation.

 

As the middle aged mare went about the task of preforming, Meridian turned to speak with the unicorn standing nearby.

 

"Ach, certainly an interestin' introduction so far eh? I wonder what this new fellow kin do." The brown stallion was now standing nearby, looking like he was trying to find out how to sign up. He certainly didn't look overly excited to be in the dojo. She tried to signal to him.

 

"Oy, you 'er to show off yer moves too?"

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Leave the place dry? Can do," Inkbrand stated overly loudly, leaving the desk and his thoughts behind in favor of grabbing something from supposed minibar. As it was, the tattoo-clad stallion near ran into it once he was on the threshold, causing an appreciate whistle to leave Inkbrand's lips. Khamsin sure didn't spare any expensive for this place, without a doubt. As if he owned the entire building, Inkbrand trot behind the bar and rummaged around in the fridge, eventually settling on a cheap beer. Plenty of time for the hard stuff later.

"Oi, don't you need to get her outfitted with…I dunno. Workout clothes, or something?"

 

Khamsin rolled his eyes as his friend loudly voiced his intentions to do the exact opposite of what he asked to his own personal bar. Well, if Inkbrand did decide to try and empty his alcohol reserve the old fashioned way, maybe he could talk his inebriated friend into a friendly sparring match and floor him again. The stallion's attention to then turned to a rather boisterous mare and slightly meek looking stallion at her side, he looked a bit irritated at the prospect of being in the studio. After a quick scan over the mare's features, he realized the Fet lochian mare was none other than Captain Starbreezer. Khamsin had seen the captain's match with the Jarl of Askr... and sweet celestia was that something! The power, the ferocity, the fire in the two female's eyes it was an amazing sight to behold... and the captain giving the Strong caribou's backside a good paddling with the flat of her blade made the to the icy lands of Whitescar worth it in his eyes.

 

"She can wear it if she wants... a pony isn't always gonna know what to wear when they're gonna need to defend themselves. One of my old students sent me a letter saying she was caught during the Caribou invasion in a fancy gown."

 

“Oi! Kham-boy! How’d ye fight in the arena go? I’d ‘av taken the time to watch me-self, but ah went on a bar raid with a fine caribou Jarl.” She glanced up with a lecherous grin, “Heh, ah’d say it was worth missin for that night.”

 

 

"Went great, Cap'n! Nowhere near as entertaining as your fight though!" The stallion chuckled and gestured to Inkbrand, "Hey, Ink-bee. This pony is the is the R.E.A. Mare who gave one of the Caribou's  strongest warriors a literal spanking in the middle of an arena." Loooking back to the captain he chuckled, "Gotta say, that Griffin was some fighter... he should've known bettter than to think I'd lose my edge when I lost the sword." he chuckled proudly before looking to the slightly messy looking pony who smelled faintly of... was that coffee? Oh well. "Well since I saw firsthoof how you defend yerself captain, I can only guess ya brought your friend to learn from me." The stallion looked over java, the stallion seemed sturdy but he didn't seem the fighting type at first glance. "Well when or other new potential student comes back you follow her example and show me how you would buck and punch an opponent who was coming at you."

 

"Egad!  One most be careful when entering a dojo!" 

 

"I see.  I will gladly demonstrate my, 'bunch and punch' as you call it, but if you would give me a moment to change into more suitable clothing first.  I shall return momentarily!" 

 

"I am now ready for this demonstration to begin.  But first, if I may inquire, what is your name, sir?  I would like to know whom I am addressing.  Secondly, how exactly did you want me to show you my, 'bunch and punch'?  Will I have to confront a simulated attacker, or will you be filling that role?" 

 

Khamsin whistled at the sight of the older mare performing an impressive back-flip and then gave her a short bout of applause, "Very nice!" once the the mare decided to go change and returned her smiled, "The name's Khamsin, and to answer your question, you should just imagine and show me how you would punch somepony to whatever might attack you. Once you do I'll be adressing everyone on how I intend to teach them."

[Zeig]

 

Oh-ho-ho. Somepony wasn't a shy-innocent-flower-shudder-under-your-burning-out-sunlit-gaze like he'd thought.

Inkbrand felt a rather voracious grin light up his features as the Pegasus stared up at him rather fearlessly…almost, excitedly? Like she'd only just discovered that she was a mare and could flaunt her stuff whenever she bucking well pleased. He was almost sorry to have missed that revelation, but not in the slightest bit sorry to be reaping its benefits. Perhaps a bit surprised at her sudden one-eighty, sure - this was the same mare who'd seemed positively scandalized at the idea of taking up with a stallion at a kissing booth, during bucking Hearts and Hooves day - but the grey stallion was pleased nonetheless.

After all, it was the game he was interested in, when all was said 'n done. A pony that scoffed and turned up her snout, or flushed and broke into a million stammering pieces at the slightest flirtation, was no fun, none at all.

But before Inkbrand could tell Sugar Star exactly what sort of power he'd be taking from her, Khamsin's voice floated back over in his direction, forcing the grey Earth Pony to bring his head back around.

And for this, he was sorry.

"Oh, you have got to be rotting me," Inkbrand snarled, low and under his breath, but not really bothering to keep it quiet either. Khamsin was saying something about the mare that had just thrown herself into a chair like a particularly lazy seal flopping onto a beach, but Inkbrand couldn't really focus outside the revelation that That SODD was, once again, appearing in a haze of smoke to ruin his perfectly fine day. Probably with some crazy invention or completely useless contraption that he'd use to try and prove how "crazy" he was, complete with crashing thunder and grade-B villain laugh.

Bucking rich.

Well buck, he wasn't going to stand around and wait for That SOBB to spew rain and misery over a completely reasonable and friendly experience. And as it was obvious That SOBB wasn't turning straight back around and instead, making his way over to the front desk to presumably sign-up for the class - well, that only left one logical option, if he didn't want to fly into a bucking rage at the other stallion's sheer existence. Which would unmistakably happen, because the stallion did, in fact, exist.

"Yeah, that's great," the tattoo-clad stallion said carelessly, in response to whatever his feathered friend had been going on about. "Just swell. I'll catch 'ya later Sin - don't really feel like cleaning coffee stains outta my teeth today." The farewell was little more than a formality in deference to his friend, nothing more. A cocky wink was shot towards Sugar Star, but Inkbrand had the vague feeling it probably came out half-hearted and more like a grimace as he stalked past That SOBB, feeling faintly pleased that he only sent the other stallion a sneer rather than socking him in the face.

And someponies said had no self-restraint, please.

The fresh air, completely free from any overwhelming coffee odor, immediately set things into perspective. Pleased that the rest of his day hadn't been ruined, the tattoo-clad stallion glanced left and right, before setting off in a direction at random, no particular destination in mind. Hay, so long as it was away from Khamsin's now infested studio, any direction was bucking fine by him.
 

 

 

[[ Exit ]]

 

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java... was far worse than displeased when he heard that familiar voice speak up. His eyes flicked to the side, catching the look on Inkbrand's face with a calculating glance. His gaze didn't stay on him for long till they shifted back down to the paper. With a pen in jaw now, he had only began to write down the first of... many characters in his name.

 

'V... o....r...o....n-' the pen scratched out, till it stopped suddenly when the engineer's ears had caught the departing words spoken. He really didn't need to look up once again to tell that the stallion had mean mugged him on the way out the door. That much of the others behavior he could predict now.

 

 

Now, normally... most ponies would respect the others decision to choose to leave. And if not respect, simply give the offending party a rude gesture on their way out. But Java? No... not this pony. He was a pony of a much different breed. With a mind that not even he can predict perfectly.

 

The stallion hesitantly looked towards the door to watch Inkbrand leave. He pursed his lips in thought and glanced back down to the sign up sheet. To the stallion, a relationship like this certainly won't do. And yes, Inkbrand might not have been the most friendly of ponies in the stallion's eyes... he'd rather not have an unintended enemy loafing about. Especially when they often have the desire to put his hoof into another pony's face.

 

And with that last note, the pony heaved out an annoyed sigh. Java spat the pen out on the desk and promptly dashed out the door to chase down the stallion.

 

 

Meanwhile! The lounging mare whom was rudely taking up multiple seats for a nice little bed watched the nearly silent war of emotions going about between her son and another with a soft hum.

“Well string me up, and sift me sideways. Motherly instincts tells me to go after me son. But... Lassie-Fairer family tradition tells me otherwise. Ah well... it'll solve it's self. Just hope that happens for one of em get's jiffed.” The brazen Dutchess noted aloud... though she didn't seem to be speaking to anyone but herself.

 

 

She then turned back to Khasmin with a raised brow after hearing his little remark. A smirk soon curled into her lips as she spoke.

 

“Now... what's this about here? Ye tryin' ta get fresh with me? Sayin I don't know how to teach me own son, eh? 'Cause I can assure you, it's more along the lines of I brought him into the world, and I can take em out of it at the bat of an eyelid.”

[Elderflower]

 

Sugar was beginning to associate conflict with the smell of coffee. The door of the studio opened, ponies entered, and the bitter scent soon overpowered the nostalgic aroma that had put the specialist in such a good mood earlier. She couldn’t help tensing when she saw Diamond’s reaction to Java’s entry. Oh dear...those two were an awful mix to have in here, and it was very difficult to miss the tension rising between the two of them. She could only imagine how things would go-

Actually, she couldn’t. She had a distinct vision of hooves connecting with jaws and angry words being exchanged, but it seemed as though Diamond was just keen on removing himself from Java’s presence altogether. It was too bad, since the tattooed stallion really livened up the studio, but perhaps it was for the best - and Sugar couldn’t help but approve of his very good decision to just remove himself from any potential conflict.

She was ready to breathe a sigh of relief until Java flew out of the building, likely to chase after Diamond. That...could only lead to trouble. Didn’t he understand when to give somepony some space? The specialist was torn between staying or chasing after the two just in case things got messy, but ultimately decided upon staying. They were both adults, and whatever had formed the rift between them was not her business. It was something they needed to figure out themselves, without her poking her nose in to lecture or henpeck them. Besides, if there was anything she learned in basic it was that sometimes ponies just had to throw a few punches to get all the poison out of their systems before they could speak rationally. So long as they weren’t disturbing anypony else, it was probably healthy for ‘em to get a few slugs in on each other. Let it all out.
 

Enough dwelling on the business of angry stallions, though. Her ears flicked towards the sound of a thick Fet Loch accent, and the specialist finally paid real attention to the mare who had entered the studio with Java. The accent, the weapons, the attitude...she was definitely Fet Loch military.

Sugar tilted her head curiously at the mare, then realized Khamsin had called her Cap’n...Captain...Fet Loch...sweet merciful Celestia!

“Captain Star Breezer!” she said brightly, saluting the mare with eyes shining, “It’s an honour to meet you, sir!”

She always did like meeting the higher-ups, if only because she had to wonder at whether or not they had met her father. And if they had, well...Sugar wanted stories! As many stories as she could get her hooves on! Her dad was easily her number-one hero, and since he was an Admiral in the REN it was very rare to find experienced military ponies who didn’t at least know him.

Sugar’s good cheer had returned. Why fuss over stallions and their drama when she could spend time improving her combat skills and talking with a really cool Captain of the REA?