ZephyrBurst

Zephyr kept fighting the fatigue overcoming his body and legs as he gave chase to the griffon. He would catch up with her, he just had to. She could be seen in the distance, but Zephyr wasn't gaining on her very fast, if at all. He seemed to be falling further behind the griffon. The ends of his legs were starting to feel like stiff weights. Each time his hooves hit the ground, their momentary rest gave a split second relief. If only that relief could last. His wings were starting to call out. Flight was beginning to get very tempting. The griffon was still within eye sight as the path started to become rocky. His tired legs fought with him even more against the harsh rocky ground. It was becoming harder to run and griffon wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Inevitably, Zephyr began to slow down in response to the growing pulsating pain in his legs each time his hooves hit the rocky surface. He was going to lose the griffon at this pace. A choice had to be made quick. He was still tired from before and his legs were sore. If he flew... no, that would be cheating. He glanced around, side to side, and behind him. There were a few others around, some faster, some slower, all galloping toward the finish line. They would call him a cheater... It didn't matter, what was the chance he would ever see any of these ponies again? He wanted to catch up to the griffon, who had kicked up dirt at another pony. That wasn't very sportspony like... Then again, she wasn't a pony. Though it would be frowned upon, even by himself from a racer's point of view, he kicked off the ground as he spread his wings, letting them do most of the work as he let his legs droop down to rest. The wind flowed through his mane, and his tail waved behind him. One pony gave him a nasty glare as he flew by her. At this speed, the griffon came up fast. It was such a relief for his legs to give them this rest. The griffon sure was giving it her all. She must really want to win this race, there was so much determination with each stride she gave. He zipped close and figured he'd better stop his flight. Doing that for too long and he may not qualify for a place at all, though not that it mattered much. Winning the race was never much of a goal... His legs sure felt to counter that thought though. As he landed into a gallop, his speed dropped considerably, but he was fast enough to stay next to the griffon. His legs immediately complained about the ordeal placed on them. He decided to speak to the griffon beside him and get her attention. "Hey!" What to say to a griffon the first time you meet one? How would a pony introduce themselves? Zephyr was no good at talking to others, especially introducing himself. The confusion and awkward feelings showed in his expression, but he was eager to at least get a response. "Uh... lovely race we're having, it's a lot of fun, don't you think?" Bleh, that was no way to introduce oneself. Zephyr always seemed to second guess himself in these moments. The fact that he was talking to a creature he never spoke to before only made things worse. ((OOC: Okay, I had this post set up before hand, figured I've been first 4 times in a row, I couldn't kill the streak. ))

This part of the forest was just so beautiful. Everything about it was simply amazing. Zephyr was glad he was taking a break here with his slow walk. Just then, a herd of ponies rushed by, but Zephyr continued his walk. He was still feeling a bit winded. Following not too far behind was something that caught his eye. The griffon from earlier had just dashed by, she had kicked up dirt in the road, though luckily Zephyr kept his walk at the side. The griffon was seemingly accompanied by a rainbow-maned unicorn. Wow, those were some nifty colors for a mane. Zephyr still wanted to introduce himself to the griffon, hoping she would speak a little of their culture and way of life. Another pony went by, bringing with him, the wind that followed. It was the weird pegasus from before... Swift Breeze. Zephyr remembered the name, but not the hard to pronounce temple he came from. Feeling better, Zephyr picked up his speed again to a gallop. It was time to catch back up, and attempt to speak with the griffon, though he was thought that maybe it would be a good idea to converse after the race. If the opportunity just happened to present itself, he was take advantage of the situation. It would be so great to finally talk to a griffon. Zephyr tried to imagine all the great and wondrous stories the griffon would have. He wondered what she thought of ponies altogether or she would even be willing to speak with him at all. Hopefully his failed attempt at helping her would be remembered and could help sway her decision.

Zephyr continued his quick flying escape from the angry hornets. They zipped through the air toward their target who upset them and didn't let up. Zephyr knew he had to find somewhere to hide from his aggressors... AH! There was a spot to the side with high soft brush, full of flowers. Zephyr arc'd to the side of the path, the bees still giving pursuit. He jumped in, scattering birds, and tried to stay out of sight. The flowers, he hoped, would also mask his scent. Did bees smell, he thought? To his delight, the bees passed right by. Zephyr waited, a bit frightened, he didn't want to get swarmed. He was breathing hard and was out of breath. All the running and then speed flying wore him out. He hadn't taken a break at all the entire race other than the small moment he had fallen into the river. With the bees gone and Zephyr satisfied that they had lost sight of him, he got up and trotted back out to the road where the race was going on. Ready to start running again, he waited and decided to lay down a moment to take a break. He was tired. As he waited to the side, he watched a few ponies of all different colors run by. He really wanted to start up again, but he had worn himself out going so long and pushing so hard at that last moment with the bees. Zephyr decided to get up and walk along as he caught his breath. Looking around, he realized this area was beautiful. The smell, the sound, and oh the sight, all of it together painted a nice scene. If there was any place to take it easy, this was the place. A few other ponies passed him by, some wondering why the green pegasus was simply walking. ((OOC: Hehe, first again. Mane opens these at just the time I typically check the site. On a side note, I probably won't be involved in this stretch past this post. Busy out of town till Monday.))

That they will. She looks fairly unamused there.

You're too awesome Mane.

Quick suggestion. Can we get a general spectators thread for this event... like very very soon. I was talking with Bannhammer and his character Max wouldn't race, but would definitely be taking/placing bets. Instead of putting all that into the current running thread, all side stuff could be filtered to that. Links can be made directly to specific posts, so someone could link to a specific post in the event if they're referencing something. Just a suggestion, but it would be best if it was up asap so these things can be started.

Bleh, the bridge was troublesome. An earth pony had bumped into him during the gallop across and nearly knocked him off the bridge. Not that it would be THAT big an issue, but he wanted to try not using his wings. He came to the edge of the bridge to see a griffon... 'They're allowed to race here?' Zephyr hadn't ever seen one that close. She was distracted by hornets. He thought to himself, if he helps out with the hornets, maybe she would speak with him sometime. He was always curious about how griffons were, what their culture was like. With that thought in mind, Zephyr spread his wings and took to the skies. He wasn't sure how much help he would be, but he'd try to get some of the hornets away. Zephyr had once watched a pegasus use his wings to create wind. He practiced it a bit himself after carefully observing, though he wasn't all that great at it, he could try and see if his untrained method could scare some of them off. The griffon had clawed at the bees and growled at them with her powerful claws. Claws that Zephyr wanted no part of, so he kept his distance to keep from taking a hit in a wild swing. The hornets had swarmed around the griffon... Zephyr opted to try dispersing them as much as he could by zipping around the swarmed griffon, still out of reach from those claws. His trick worked as the created gusts of wind had scattered the bees, but to Zephyr's dismay, he only angered them more and many of them swarming the griffon had now chosen him as his target. Zephyr was concentrating on the mini windstorm, that to his surprise, he was actually creating. He hadn't noticed the bees new target and one had managed to sting him on the flank. The sharp pain quickly broke his concentration, and he crashed on the path's edge, not too far from the griffon. Another sting to the flank and Zephyr took flight to get some speed away from a small swarm now chasing him. He kept his altitude low and passed by a few grounded ponies who must've been lucky enough to bypass the hornet swarm. A few scoffed at him, calling him a cheater, that is until they saw the small swarm giving chase. At least he managed to get a few off that griffon. Though it cost him a few stings and possibly more to come...

Swift Breeze was his name then... of the My-lit El-something Nis? temple. He said something hard for Zephyr to even pronounce in his head. He wanted to ask the pony about his wings, but it seemed the other pegasus gave a preemptive answer. At a moment's notice, Swift removed the bindings on his wings and took off to help a rocket powered pony... 'Huh? Is that even allowed in the race? If it is, I should be allowed to use my wings!' As Zephyr was fixated on the happenings above, he had stepped on an apple. This quickly reverted his attention back to the race. It was time to make up for that fall... The race continued on, leaves crunching under pony's hooves, it was great! The energy of all the ponies together proved to be doing its job as the trees were indeed dropping their leaves. The ground behind them was a multi-colored mess of leaves and twigs. Zephyr wasn't in front, but he wasn't terribly far behind either. The race was going smoothly, but up ahead Zephyr saw what would be trouble. A narrow bridge that would definitely bottleneck the mass of ponies galloping toward the finish. There wasn't much time to decide what to do at this speed and Zephyr wasn't about to slow down yet. He was jammed between a few racers, a light green mare, kinda cute, and that big earth pony... somepony could get hurt in all this. He wasn't about to take his chances with the bridge and opted to take the path off the bridge through the water. Whether or not that was a good idea was uncertain. He darted by the light green mare, barely grazing her, but not enough to set anypony off-balance. 'Close one...' He dropped down beside the bridge and began to dart across the water, or he would have... Zephyr had made a terrible miscalculation about how shallow the water below the bridge was and went hoof first into a much deeper river than he had foreseen. He tripped and surprise faceplanted into the river. 'Ah great move Zephyr!' He backed out of the river and shook his coat off, trying to get as much water as he could out of it. The water felt nice though, despite its unwelcome presence. The cool water was enough to offset the irritation he'd normally have gotten from such an event. Zephyr didn't want to feel as if he was cheating by flying across the river and took to the bridge instead, just behind a mare... 'Was that the flag waver?'

River, that's awesome. You're going well above and beyond here.

It should be. There's a mix diverse and friendly group here. Hope you enjoy it here, oh and come say hi in the chat sometime!

Zephyr continued his run, determined to get closer to the main pack after his fall. He noticed a large earth pony, with an oddly colored mane, had gone to the side to enjoy a little apple snack. Zephyr giggled and figured he wasn't the only one with the idea to plunder an apple or two. That sweet scent was just amazing. He couldn't keep his attention on that pony for too long, Zephyr had already bumped into another pony due to not paying attention. Just then, that odd maned pegasus was running beside him. As the odd pegasus came upon a rock, he leapt over it, bumping an apple from the branch overhead. Gracefully he bounced an apple around and knocked it over to Zephyr. It was an amazing looking feat and Zephyr was genuinely impressed. He sure was an odd pegasus, but he certainly knew some nifty tricks. Zephyr tried to catch the apple... He spread his wing out and hoped he could time the snap back in time to bring it to his side, but he had missed. Zephyr didn't let it bug him though. What the pegasus had said kind of bothered him... "To linger on the past is to live in the shadow of those that look to the future!" Those were some strong words to Zephyr. It struck a nerve, but Zephyr knew he meant no harm, he smiled and responded kindly. "Pretty fancy trick there uh... whatever your name is." Zephyr tried to match this pegasus' speed. It would be fun to have a little talk with somepony else during the race. Maybe even a little friendly rivalry would help spice up the race. Zephyr had no real goals with the race itself. It would be nice to win first place, but Zephyr knew it may not be possible against the more seasoned runners. He continued, "I'm Zephyr Burst." The pegasus had a very odd aura about him. He was very level headed and calm. He seemed to have a great peace of mind, Zephyr could tell that just from this short encounter.

The unicorn mare passed by and whispered something to him. "No good deed goes unpunished, Don Juan." Zephyr tried to ignore it as he didn't know what she meant. His eyes were fixed on Radiant, waiting for her to make a move. If she got close, Zephyr would strike. He wasn't about to just let her restrain him. He felt it was unnecessary when he was willing to come along on his own. "Consider yourself lucky I'm not charging you with assault on a Royal Guard. Cooperate, and we won't have to add that on." The male guardspony was right about that. It had already crossed his mind as well. Zephyr still kept his eyes pinned to Radiant even as Bonfire addressed him. She would not get the jump on him. He snarled at Radiant. "Calm down?!... I've just told you I would cooperate as long as you keep your hooves off me. I'm telling you that if you touch me, then I'LL get physical! You sound as if you want it to happen." He was still riled up from the turn in the situation. Reason told Zephyr that what he was doing was making things worse, but that thought was so hard to latch onto at this time. Now he felt he had no choice but to continue on his current course. He would stand defiant. Zephyr lowered his head a little, readying himself as he was sure the pegasus would strike at this point. Reason was still there and he spoke calmer, though still glared at Radiant. "So what's it going to be?"

Zephyr had a decent start to the race, leaving quite a few ponies behind him. Still no where near first, but it was only the start. There would be plenty of time to change all this. Zephyr had never really gotten a good look around Ponyville before today. He still hadn't either, as he arrived a bit later than he wanted. There would still be enough time in the day after the race to look around though. Every time before this when he had come to Ponyville, it was only to deliver mail from Cloudsdale, and he was always given other assignments that day. Today would be different though. A place called Sugar Cube Corner was recommended to him. Even the name of the shop sounded like it tastes good, he could only imagine the treats that were inside. Yes, he would definitely visit after the race, maybe pick up a few treats to bring back to Cloudsdale. No time to think about sugary treats and goodies though, the race was the current objective and winning it would mean...? As Zephyr ran, he started to think back on why he wanted to race in the first place. He never cared about fame, 'Ugh, what was it?' He couldn't remember anymore, if that was the case it probably wasn't that important... 'Of course! It was for... no that wasn't it.' The more Zephyr thought about it, the more lost on the subject he became. He finally settled on the reason being fun and friendly competition. It was pretty easy to get lost in thought. The sound of stampeding hooves became almost rhythmic at this point in the race as most ponies were giving it their all for the time being. Again, Zephyr brought himself out of his thoughts and back to the race. Passing a few ponies, other passing him. It was all so exciting to be part of this annual event. The looks on the others faces were that of determination. Just like... Zephyr almost went into another thought tangent when a scent of apple invaded his sense of smell. Not just any apples, but these apples smelled so sweet. Somepony out here knew how to grow apples. Zephyr spotted a really nice juicy looking apple in a tree up ahead. No time to stop, but Zephyr had his eyes pinned to it for a moment, he would have to remember this spot for later. Maybe, just maybe he could come back around here for a quick treat if nopony minded. His thought were interrupted as he crashed into another pony when he wasn't paying attention. Zephyr lost his balance, and as his front legs lost speed much faster than his hind legs, he flipped over. Determined to not fall behind, he got back up and was about to kick off running again when he realized he had also knocked over the pony he so carelessly bumped into. "Oh horseapples, I'm really sorry." The pony had gotten to his hooves really fast... had he fallen over at all? Zephyr started to think that maybe he had only staggered this other pony. He got a good look at him, it was another pegasus, green, and with a cutie mark somewhat similar to his. His mane was tied, he had never seen a look like this and his wings were tied down. Zephyr thought that maybe it was for the race. Even then, why would a pegasus ever willingly tie their wings down? There wasn't any time for introductions though. The pony looked okay, and he'd understand if Zephyr made a quick exit. "Sorry about bumping into you, but gotta go!" Zephyr shot off, trying to make up for lost ground. ((OOC: First again. XD ))

Zephyr had gotten to his hooves a bit slower than Radiant did and prepared himself in case she tried to fight. Zephyr knew what it meant to strike a guard, but that thought had escaped his mind at the time. He kept himself between Mal and Radiant, wings spread, watching her closely for any movement. He was calm a moment ago, but the Radiant's actions had riled up his nerves. "Stay out of my way! That pony deserves to be taught a lesson!" Zephyr flashed back momentarily to Max, who he had beaten up simply over words. It was a mistake and this was no different to him. The unicorn behind him was definitely crazy, but perhaps there was a reason for her madness. Zephyr shot back a quick response. "You're gonna have to get thr..." He was cut off by Bonfire's shout, "Stand down, Guardspony!" Zephyr knew the pegasus would do as told, and decided it safe to turn his attention to Bonfire. 'Wonder what great speech he's going to have this time or how he would throw his authority around on others.' What was said wasn't what Zephyr thought. His wings snapped back to his side and a terrifying dread came over him at the mention of arrest. Just then, a flare was shot into the sky from Bonfire's horn. Zephyr had seen that in Manehatten. It was a signal for back up. "Radiant Steel, secure the pegasus until backup arrives." Zephyr quickly brought his attention back to Radiant. He was not about to let some guardspony put their hooves on him. He knew his arrest was immanent, but Zephyr panicked. He returned to his defensive stance, ready to keep Radiant from restraining him and growled at her. "Don't you DARE touch me! Arrest me if that's what you feel your self-righteousness desires, but you will NOT lay your dirty hooves on me!" He kept a piercing glare on Radiant, sending her an unspoken message to keep away. Zephyr was frightened and angry. Scared of being incarcerated and questioned. This was one of his fears during his times in Manehattan. He was always able to manage to escape then, but things were different here. He couldn't just fly away. ((OOC: It's all good Corsair. Though I think I was starting to anticipate your post more than Season 2. ))

I'll back up QuickLime with yes, you can be both. Not in the same eye obviously. It's often attributed to this.

This is it! The Running of the Leaves. Zephyr had never participated in races before, but he is very fit. 'A shame I can't use my wings, but gotta keep things fair for others.' Lots of excitement, so many ponies in the race, and so many more watching. He glances around to size up the competition. There were looks to be lots of very fit ponies around, it was going to be a tough race. Zephyr looks back at the number on his flank. The number '28'. What a coincidence to get that number. He looks forward at Flicker, who seems nervous. 'What's she got to be nervous about? She's not even racing, oh well.' It was about to start... "On your marks!" A nervous tingle struck through Zephyr's back. It was starting! He got ready to dash even before... "Get set!" Here it is, it's going to start, the next second is where it all counts. He looks straight ahead, putting more weight on his forelegs, ready to go... "Go!!!!!!" Zephyr kicked off with with hindlegs as hard as he could to get up to full speed as quick as possible. He wasn't the fastest pegasus around, but what he lacked in speed, he could make up for in stamina. He was sent all over Equestria as a mail delivery pony. He was used to long flights. Much different than running, but used to long bouts like this. The sound the competition, all the hooves pattering about on the ground, it was exciting... and fun! Zephyr was full of energy and giving it his all at the start. He knew he'd need to pace himself eventually, but for now, he wanted to sprint. The colors of fall down here in Ponyville sure was pretty... but no time for that, there's a race to win.

Welcome aboard! Be sure to let the sun go down eventually and come say hi in the chat sometime.

"There's no point in saying anything else hurtful or insulting. We both messed up and we're both terrible ponies." Zephyr didn't see any point in further conversation with Max. Neither pony liked the other and it was probably best if they remained silent for the rest of the trip and parted ways once they reached Manehattan. He did want to verbalize this thought, but paused first. "I have nothing else to say to you Max. And unless you've got something important to say... even then, just don't... I don't like you and I'm only doing this to make up for that leg injury. When we get to Manehatten, I don't care what happens to you." He did feel he should make sure Max found some help when they arrived in the city. Maybe to a hospital. Either way, he had hoped Max was done. What he said and what he felt seemed to conflict somewhat.

There can only be one Zephyr here!! D: Nah, welcome aboard. :smile:

Hey there and welcome to our side of the pasture. Hope you enjoy your stay here. Also I'm feeling great right now. :smile:

Zephyr knew what he wanted to say to Starlight. A date, just a nice dinner and a walk. What a question to ask when he had only just met her. He played out possible outcomes to the question in his head, each one ending up worse than the last. The thought itself was mystifying. Him, with a nice pony like her. If she knew his secrets, would she want nothing to do with him? He ate his sandwich in silence at first, using it to curb the frustration whirling around in his mind. His eyes would periodically glance up at her, and during one such moment, she was looking at him. Wow those eyes could melt any heart, he thought. He couldn't believe the silly and cheesy thoughts in his mind. It was probably that silly book he was trying to read. Some romance novel he couldn't pronounce the name of and had no idea what the book was about before trying to read it. Not that he understood half of it, too many big words he didn't know the meaning of. He figured he better answer her question, so he finished swallowing the bite he had... "I think that's a great idea Starlight. As soon as we're done eating, we'll fly over there." No way he could ask her to dinner. He thought it best to let that thought subside for now. There was just so much else going on, she'd probably think it was too sudden anyway. Zephyr had thought it himself. He was just excited to see where things would go. [[ Continued in A Birthday Invitation ]]

Again, Max draped his injured hoof in front of his face. He's annoying even when he's not trying to be and his ordering Zephyr around wasn't helping. He kicked off the ground for a quick start and shot off toward Manehattan, again keeping his altitude low. "I am not one of your employees and I don't take orders from you!" Zephyr thought back on the cave, it was something that boggled his mind. He considered Max to be very lucky, had he run into Zephyr in the same situation only a few months ago, the outcome would have been far less fortunate for Max. Zephyr pushed these thoughts to the side for the question at hand. "I don't understand something Max. In the cave, why did you antagonize me like that? What purpose would that serve? AND, why did you continue to do that when you knew what I was capable of? I just don't understand why you would put yourself in danger like that. And be honest, even if you think it'll sound hurtful. You're good at..." He stopped mid-sentence, again he was being hurtful to Max when he shouldn't. Since he couldn't bring himself to hurt him anymore, it was all coming out in verbal form.

Ooh, these turned out awesome. Good job Brian on your hard work and being able to keep to the show's style. It seems Max has a fan. :3

Hey there, hope you enjoy your time here. Oh, check out the irc channel sometime and say hi.