[Appleoosa] Meet the team [Pm to join]

[Appliance]

Ah, so he had noticed.

She had wondered how long she could keep the sword kept to herself, but her weapon had been noticed and pointed out. The green one, Zephyr, had asked her a question. Silversword looked up, a wary look upon her features until when noticed that he was watching her.

It was not an angry glare, such as the ones he had given her a short while ago. It was the one of a diplomat, seeking a middle ground, if for the sake of their employer and the job that lay ahead.

Very well, then. She could certainly control herself if necessary. At this point, if they were to discuss her sword, she might as well let them know about her wings as well.

However, she would not answer inquiries about those. They were weak already, having barely been used since the time her mother had attempted teaching her, far in the clouds..

She stiffened.

No. There was no reason for her to discuss her weaknesses with these stallions who were basically strangers to her.

After another moment of quiet contemplation, Silver decided to answer the questions, her tone polite and voice soft and formal.

"I have been practicing swordplay since I was an older filly." she murmured briskly, wondering what the green one meant by impersonal.

She took a deep breath, her tail twitching eratically behind her, her gaze focused on the one who had spoken to her.

"A sword is like an extension of oneself: useful and dangerous. It takes long to learn to carry it properly, but is worth the practice. I am also trained in hoof-to-hoof fighting, but prefer the sword. It is quicker to strike down dangers, and with less pain and distress to the dangers themselves."

Satisfied with her statement, her gaze lessened in intensity, and her tail stopped twitching for a moment, before continuing once again. Quietly, and without second thought, she removed her cloak, revealing wings, sword, and a cutie mark that gave away her talent for combat. Once she felt that they had seen enough of her weapon, she quickly put the cloak back on, hoping that this would stifle any further inquiries.

Surely, they must not need further knowledge on her, did they? The pair of stallions knew her name and occupation: Was that not enough for them?

[ZephyrBurst]

Zephyr's ears twitched when Max ordered another drink. He had no idea Max would indulge like that, though he had heard that some ponies drink a lot more when they were under lots of stress. 'Maybe he was drunk in the cave... No, he probably wouldn't have been able to speak so well.' Letting the habits of other ponies he didn't care about bother him would be silly, so he dismissed the thought, he was more concerned with how Silver answered his question. Something about it rubbed his fur the wrong way, he needed more clarification.

He responded to her wing showing very matter-of-factly. "No need to show them, I already caught a glimpse earlier." He put his fore-hooves on the table. "I mean unless you're showing them off, which if that's the case, I think they're okay." He only took a slight glimpse at her wings and was simply saying 'okay' in the small chance she just wanted some recognition as a pegasus. Though thinking on that more, he found it weird and dismissed any further thought on it.

"There's something that bugs me about your answer. You said your sword makes it quicker to strike down dangers. These dangers wouldn't happen to be other ponies would it? Isn't killing against some 'knight code of honor' or whatever?" Giving a small hoof gesture as he spoke. "Even I wouldn't kill others to defend myself if I didn't have to."

He knew the question was quite blunt and standoffish, but her wording confused him.

[Appliance]

Silversword watched the stallion, wondering what he could have misinterpreted.

He mentioned her wings, and she raised an eyebrow at his comment on her wings.

"You have misunderstood me." she murmured, her tail flicking erratically once again.

Foal. It was not for the purpose of showing off the wings. It was to show the sword.

"I don't show off. There is no point to it. What I was attempting to show was the weapon." Silver gave a slight frown, as if she would like to say something, but decided against it.

The green one spoke of her killing other ponies, and she gave a slight sigh. She was often disliked by other pegasi, and other ponies in general for her behavior and her job.

Silversword understood that many ponies did not get the extent of her job, and often misjudged her, but it was a disappointing thing to have to hear. It sounded as if once again, she were being reprimanded like a foal.

Tapping her hooves together, she stared out past them, lost in thought for a moment.

"I serve the Princesses and the citizens of Equestria. There are many dangerous creatures, yet they usually leave ponies alone. When they actively seek and attack ponies, however.."

She remembered fights with beasts, fights in groups that often left them all weary.

"I only kill if it is absolutely necessary." The mare with the talent for combat watched the green stallion.

"When there are creatures that are dangerous to anypony, we relocate, with the help of those who study and work with animals. This keeps both the ponies and creature safe."

Silversword wasn't as cold as she seemed in reality, but her personality made it difficult to see this. If there was one thing that she would say proudly, though, it would be that she had never killed anypony or anything.

She directed her gaze to the stallion once again, her ears folding back against her head for the first time since her arrival.

"I find it rather disconcerting that you would believe me to be a murderer." she murmured, her fiery eyes half-closed in contemplation.

"But it is nothing new. The perceptions others have of oneself aren't always positive." Her eyes opened, and she adjusted her cloak, wrapping it securely around herself.

Hoping that the matter was cleared and that there would be no more questions for her, she idly traced over thin scars on her legs.

[ZephyrBurst]

"Discon... what?" He gave her an odd look as he tilted his head, then quickly moved on, shaking his head as he went to the next point. "Well, I'm sorry I assumed that about you. It was wrong." Zephyr meant it when he apologize, but his tone didn't lend itself to it. He looked away from the mare as he was bored of her and didn't really feel like forcing a conversation. He just wanted this day to end or for Max to give him a task to pass the time. As long as it was away from this mare.

He looked away from the mare and his thoughts went back to Copper Key. (Mal) He remembered her name well and wished she would be open to sharing it with others except for him. Though secrets was something he knew all too well and why they were important to keep. A promise was a promise, so he would never repeat her real name. Thinking about what she said, he was the only pony that knew the name and the only one she was willing to share it with. The thought made him feel special, and provided a happy place away from the situation at hoof.

Sure the tension had lifted somewhat, but he still had no freedom here. At least the knight could leave if she wanted to. Zephyr returned his focus to Max and sighed quietly, remaining completely silent otherwise.

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian groaned loudly and smacked his muzzle into the table. He has no clue what to do, and he felt like maybe he had made the wrong choice. Should he start over, or give them a chance? The rich stallion pondered for a moment, and he remembered that of he wanted everypony to give him a chance, he had to do the same for others. 

Max lifted his head just as the food arrived, and a fresh cactus sandwich with hay fries. He looked at the other two ponies as their own meals arrived, and he breathed a sigh of relief, at least they would be occupied with eating instead of arguing.

As much as Max would have liked to let things stay quiet and go from there, he felt like he had to even things up for Silversword. The sickening amount of passive aggressiveness really hurt Maximilian, he knew that if these two weren't kept in check, things might get even worse.

"Silversword, since Zephyr asked you some questions, it is only fair that you do the same, correct?"

The Rockefilly steepled his hooves and watched intently, hoping that she would take the high ground and keep things civil. Of course, if the two ponies just refused to get along, he had a plan.  Max reached down and patted his saddlebags, checking to see that the other large, round object was still inside.

[Appliance]

Things were not going to be easy for Silversword.

Had her task been to keep quiet and fight off any dangers, she would have been fine, but this task...

Required socializing. It was for exactly this reason that she had been chosen for this, besides her skill in offensive measures.

As Zephyr apologized, she flicked a hoof as if waving the apology away. "We each have our own opinions. It is perfectly fine to mistaken. Happens to everypony," she had said, a weak attempt at a light-hearted comment.

The green pegasus seemed to have finished questioning her, and her gaze followed the food and drink that had been set down in front of them.

A look of bewilderment crossed her features momentarily, ears twitching, as Max let out a loud groan and smacked his muzzle onto the table.

She noticed the waiter giving her a strange look as he set down the apples, each cut up into four equal slices for her. Shrugging slightly, she reached forward for her drink, bringing it to her muzzle and taking an appreciative sip.

She set it down gently, took a slice of apple and ate it slowly, and then picked up her glass and drained it in one gulp.

Her ears folded back once again when she heard Max's comment, and she chewed her apple slice slowly, in contemplation.

Maximilian did not seemed pleased with her, she noticed, watching as he spoke.

Silversword does not work well with others, her fellow Destriers had said.

She refuses to work with us, and does not even attempt to befriend others. She is cold and rarely speaks.

Silversword carefully watched Maximilian, observing his body language. What had she done wrong? Had she spoken too much? Yes, that was probably it..

But he wanted her to ask questions?

I do not wish to know any more about anypony.

She bit her lip, holding back a slight protest.

Ah, well. Keep the employer happy. Might as well.

"Well, Zephyr Burst. Have you traveled through these lands before?" she asked, trying to hide the slight interest she felt.

If he was a traveler as well, it could be worthwhile sharing her ideas on the path they would take, one to reduce time and to keep away from dangers.

[ZephyrBurst]

Oh great, now Max was just asking for her to ask prodding questions that he didn't want to answer. Luckily their food had arrived and Zephyr immediately started eating, not thinking to thank the waiter, though no one else had done so, to his knowledge. The food, whether it was suppose to taste good or not, did not matter. It was excellent to Zephyr as he had been hungry for most of the second half of the train ride. He had severely underestimated the travel time on the train and did not pack anything to eat, something he rarely did. He would make sure to never make that mistake again.

Eventually Silver asked him a question, one which wasn't at all intrusive. He was happy to answer, seeing how it didn't include anything personal. "No. My delivery job only has me delivering east of the mountains that divide up the desert from there. I don't even have to fly over Everfree Forest, not that flying over it is that big a deal." He shrugged and went back to eating his food. His tone was friendly, but he didn't care to talk anymore to her. She didn't seem interested in any conversation and that was fine with him. He hadn't started on the apple pie, but he was looking forward to it. That would be saved for last.

Now that he thought about it, he did have one more question for Max. He hadn't finished his sandwich yet and he put it down to ask. "Max..." He glanced to him. "If we're leaving for Stalliongrad in a week or so, what are we going to do here while we wait?" He very much wanted to know the answer to this. Especially if it involved working with Silversword. If so, maybe he could think of ways now to engage in as little contact with her as possible. He let out a satisfying belch without warning. Zephyr would have held it back more, but he hadn't felt it coming very well.

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian levitated his cactus sandwich up towards his mouth before giving it a small bite and chewing thoughtfully. His two guests were not at each other's throats, and that was the most comforting thought of the day for Max.

The rich stallion was a bit anxious when Silver opened her mouth to speak, afraid that she might ask an insensitive question like Zephyr did. The Rockefilly sighed contentedly, glad to hear that at least the Destrier could keep things polite and civil. 

The waiter returned with a long and slender salt lick, and Maximilian gently set it aside for later. He could tell it was a fine stick, and he would need to save it for later. Before he could return to his sandwich, Zephyr asked another question, this one directed at him.

The unicorn paused, trying to think of the best answer. He opened his mouth to speak, but he cringed when the green Pegasus unleashed a massive belch right at the table. Max waited for a moment, hoping that Zephyr would at least apologize, but when it became apparent that he wouldn't Max started to speak.

"Well, some time will be spent in town, of course. Despite what one may think, there is a lot to do in Appleoosa. Also, I need to send a letter to Stalliongrad, letting a few certain individuals that I would like to meet with them. I do think that time will be spent planning and training."

"You both have a few days to plan out how you'll work together, and that means you'll have to train together. As a Destrier, I think Silver will be in charge of that. Zephyr, you'll be in charge of planning the route, I believe you have more experience dealing with back alleys and street thugs. No offense."

"Of course, don't be afraid to voice your questions, concerns, or ideas..."

Max nodded at the two ponies and returned to his sandwich and fries.

[Appliance]

So the stallion was not a traveler, Silversword realized.

He seemed to be a good flyer, judging by his comment on being able to fly over the Everfree forest without a problem..

Silver herself could not even make it to the top of a tree, because of her weak wings, but she wouldn't mention flight at all, unless Maximilian suddenly deemed it necessary to know the condition of her wings.

The waiter came round again, giving her some more cider. With a quiet word of thanks, she took a sip and watched the green one for a moment.

The green one has lost interest in conversation, she thought happily to herself, before her ears flattened with the sound of a massive belch originating from Zephyr Burst himself.

What a ladies' stallion, she thought sarcastically.

It was apparent that their employer was waiting for Zephyr to excuse himself, but when he did not, he answered the question that had been voiced by the green one and thought by Silver.

She stiffened when she heard his orders.

Work together? Train together? The thought was a nightmare-ish one, at best. The thought of her working with somepony else, let alone Zephyr, the one that hated her, was rather disconcerting, to say the least.

For several days.

Silversword drained her drink in one go, able to catch the last part of Maximilian's pretty little speech clearly.

Concerns? Ideas? Perhaps not making two ponies who hate each other work together, for one! She thought, her eyes focused on the unicorn.

What exactly was he playing at? Was this some sort of punishment for the pegasi's argument earlier?

Silversword was going to work on her flight skills for the trip, but how would she get in a moment of practice now, that she was basically bound to Zephyr? Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to figure out why the stallion had given them these orders.

[ZephyrBurst]

Train with... her? Why does Max seem to keep making all these terrible ideas? Questions, concerns, or ideas... Zephyr had a few and was about to voice them. He was about to set Max straight with this. A line had to be drawn, but another idea popped into Zephyr's mind. This Destrier probably knew a lot about fighting that he did not, and he could use her for some of those techniques and pointers. Aside from that, all he had to do was plan a route. Max would just need to give him a map and where in Stalliongrad they were going. This wouldn't be that hard. As much as he didn't want to work with Silversword, her combat tips could prove useful, possibly even against her if it ever came to that. This would be perfect, he was always curious to better himself in that regard, and now would be the perfect chance.

Zephyr gave a content reply, disregarding any manners for his previous and sudden outburst, as he did not know the social etiquettes tied to such an action. "I think that sounds perfect. Just give me a map of Stalliongrad and the place we're going and I'll have that to you by tomorrow night. And I think it's a great idea to have us train together. I'm sure there's things we can share with each other to help us in case things happen."

It was two against one if Silver did voiced her vote against it and Zephyr knew this fact. Besides, Max had the final call on everything. Though now Zephyr had to make sure he could teach her something too. Maybe a bit about how street thugs think. He'd have to think on that, but for now, he was content to know there was at least something in his favor.

He finished his sandwich and eyed the apple pie, ready to consume the tasty treat, when suddenly another idea came up. "Would either of you like part of this pie, it smells great." Zephyr only performed the gesture to help his cause, and it helped everyone else out as well. Nopony would know the difference anyway.

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian leaned back in his seat and stuck the salt lick into his mouth, letting it dangle suavely out of his mouth. He was pleased yet surprised at Zephyr's sudden compliance and even praise of his idea.

"Well, Zephyr, thank you! I can give you a map tomorrow. I'll have the most up to date one sent in from Manehattan. I'm certain you'll do a fine job of it."

Max tapped the table and reached lazily for his drink. He grinned and moved the salt lick around with his tongue. The rich unicorn needed to show that he would listen to them, but he couldn't give too much ground.

"I honestly think that you have something to learn from each other, and I do believe that training together is a way to bring the two of you together."

The Rockefilly moved the salt about in his mouth, and tapped his chin with a hoof. This was going well, but he couldn't just continue on without consulting the other important party involved. While he did appreciate the effort Zephyr was putting in to this, he had to remember that the Knight didn't seem like a pony who was very excited about socializing in the first place.

The rich stallion nodded and looked over at Silversword. "Now, Knight, how do you feel about the situation? I would never wish to make you do something you truly have a problem with." He meant what he said, to an extent. He would make them do what he wanted, but you don't earn loyalty with an iron hoof.

[Appliance]

Oh, he was planning something, she was sure of it.

Zephyr seemed much too happy in her opinion, and Silversword was wary.

Share with each other? Just a few moments ago, he had basically accused her of being a murderer! Granted, he had no idea, but this was different!

There was definitely something strange about his sudden shift in personality, and there was a deep suspicion rooted into Silver.

Still, what could she do? She was outnumbered, as she soon noticed.

Maximilian seemed more than happy with Zephyr's assent to the idea that the two pegasi would work together.

She watched them carefully, eyes narrowed slightly. Her tail was twitching restlessly again, and she wished to calm her nerves. It was impossible, despite her usual ability to compose herself.

Max turned to her, and asked her about what she felt on the situation.

Uncomfortable under his gaze, her wings shuffled anxiously. Silversword was outnumbered in this situation, and to share her true feelings would make them pin her as weak. Of course she did not wish to work with somepony that hated her!

There was no choice, though.

Silversword glanced at Zephyr, gazing at him appraisingly, as if trying to figure out his plan. Her gaze switched back to Max, and she composed herself (with some effort), finally able to give a tiny, polite smile.

"I am fine with this arrangement," she muttered curtly, giving another brief smile, before turning to Zephyr.

I will figure out what you want from me, and then we will see if you can handle it. You'd like to train with me? Good. Let's see how you roll with the punches.

And so the game begins.

With a lazy wave of her hoof, she gestured at the green one. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to try. I've never had pie."

[ZephyrBurst]

Zephyr found their responses to be to his liking. Feeling satisfied with things, he didn't add anything else. He was still concerned about the rooming situation and wondered when they would be shown the room.

Zephyr reached for a utensil with his muzzle and cut the pie into thirds, though not very well. The pieces were uneven, but Zephyr didn't care and he took the mid sized piece and placed it on his plate. He was very skilled at this and nearly dropped it during its journey to his plate. He gave a quick glance to Silver and slid the pie to her before returning his gaze to the piece he had set for himself. His mouth watered upon smelling the sweet aroma flowing up to his nose and without any hesitation, he dug in. Zephyr wasn't a very messy eater and hated having food on his muzzle, so he tried his best to stay clean.

After Zephyr finished his piece of the pie, he got down from his perch and turned his back to Max, glancing around the bar. "So what's happening now?"

[Bannhammer]

Maximilian was quite pleased to see the two ponies in agreement, and he took the salt lick out of his mouth so he could eat the pie. It was delicious, and it only helped to brighten his mood. The rich Stallion quickly ate the pie and returned the salt lick to his mouth.

"Well, Zephyr, we have a few hours until we should get sleep. Why not work up a sweat with some training? Might be a good way to work off stress as well."

He sipped his drink and looked at the pair to gauge their reactions.

"I think it would be entertaining and educational for everypony involved, don't you two think?"

With a sly grin he got up from the table and tosses a stack of bits onto the table, it was obviously more than enough to cover the cost of the meal and even the most gracious of tips. "Stimulating the economy, somepony has to do it." Max tugged lightly on his tux and lead the way towards the exit, tail swishing back and forth rapidly.

Maximilian finally exited, and he pointed to a large opening just down the street. It was literally the end of the road, and there was no debris to hinder their 'training'. With an annoying chuckle the rich stallion once again led the way.

"This should be a bit interesting. If I were a betting pony I'd..." He purposefully chose not to finish his sentence, letting his words fuel them. Hopefully they would work together, and this might be a way to get them there.

[Appliance]

Silversword had accepted her slice of pie with another quiet word of thanks. She stared at the triangular-shaped piece of food, and prodded it for a moment with a curious hoof. Her mother had never made this, opting for fresh berries for desert. However, this..

She took a gentle sniff, and the aroma reached her quickly, soothing her; she took a small bite, realized that the pie was good, and ate it slowly, finishing after the others.

Maximilian set a large sum of bits down, and she frowned, wishing to pay for her own meal. Silver reached into a small, hidden pocket of her cloak, fished out a few bits, and gently set them down onto the table.

He is leading us to fight each other, as if we were some sort of beasts of his to control.

Silversword frowned again, but composed herself once again, carefully hiding her discomfort.

The green one looked like somepony she would prefer to avoid, and he was able to hold his own in a fight, she was sure of it.

Be careful. There must be something that he will get out of this.

Do not let the unicorn egg you on. Be careful. Be careful.

Maximilian challenged them, his comment on betting meant to pit them against each other.

Silver took a deep breath and removed both her cloak and her sword, setting them aside.

"First, we will practice blocking. Or do you have anything you'd like to work on before that?" She asked Zephyr, her tone carefully neutral.

[ZephyrBurst]

The answer was perfect for Zephyr and he smiled upon hearing it.

The amount of bits Max put on the table added with Silver's was more than Zephyr usually saw in a single day. Generous wasn't strong enough of a word. Zephyr saw no point in adding any bits himself and didn't bring much anyway. He wanted to save them for something else, something was sure to catch his eye, either here or in Stalliongrad. Most likely the latter.

Zephyr followed Max out, with Silver behind him. This little town was so... little. It wasn't long before reaching the edge of town where Max led them, who actually was encouraging them to fight. Zephyr held back a laugh but not his grin that followed his phrase. Silver seemed unsure of either herself, or this situation. Regardless, she put her cloak and sword to the side.

"First, we will practice blocking. Or do you have anything you'd like to work on before that?"

Zephyr was a few paces away, and quickly replied. "I like that idea, but first..." Without warning, Zephyr charged at Silversword, intent on striking her in the chest. No matter how this turned out, Zephyr knew he would be pleased with the outcome. What Max said would definitely hold true. He was very certain he knew how Silver would react, and was greatly hoping his prediction was right. As he charged, he made sure to pay close attention to what would happen next.

[Bannhammer]

Max watched Silversword put her equipment down, and the Rich stallion took up position a few feet away to watch them train. He reached into his tux and pulled out a small flask of cactus juice. This was going to be entertaining, to say the least. Maximilian just wanted the two to work together, and maybe a learning session would help them accomplish that.

All pretenses of a friendly spar were gone when Zephyr blatantly charged at the mare. The move surprised even Max, who jumped back a little in response. This was bad, Max didn't want them to actually fight! Hopefully Zephyr would keep things to a minimum and just spar with her, with a bit of luck things wouldn't get out of hoof.

The Rockefilly opened his mouth to protest, but he recognized that these ponies needed to fight. There had been so much tension between the two with obvious animosity. Maybe they would just vent out their frustrations and get over their own petty egos.

"Not quite what I had in mind, but..." Max muttered to himself, trailing off as the fight went into full swing.

[Appliance]

This was not going to be good.

No matter how she thought of it, training with such an aggressive stallion was bound to have consequences for her.

Zephyr was a short distance away, facing her. He certainly seemed happy, a grin plastered onto his face.

I knew it.

He wanted this to happen, and Max had played his part in doing so. This little "training" session would probably result in Silversword being injured or humiliated.

Can't let him.. Got a job to do. If this means gaining the respect of somepony by force, I will do so. One wants to pit us against each other, the other wants to..

Fight.

Zephyr spoke, and it didn't take Silver long to figure out what his idea was.

Her eyes widened as he charged, and she was sure he was seeking to injure her.

Those with murder in their eyes.. she muttered to herself, remembering an old story her father had told her once.

Often seek, but cannot find.

Silversword stood on her hind legs, hooves firm against the ground. She folded her front hooves, in order to protect her body from impact, gritting her teeth.

[ZephyrBurst]

Max' words were not heard as he was fully focused on the mare in front of him. Just as planned, she got herself ready for impact. Zephyr was going to blindly charge and hope to see something spectacular from Silver, maybe some nifty takedown move. Sure he had his own ways of dealing with the situation Silver was in, but he was always looking for ways to improve upon that or ways to use another pony's own momentum and weight against them.

He would study any moves that Silver used against him. He figured instead of asking, he could get to see and experience them directly. In the past, Zephyr often did the same when he had gotten into his many tussles due to his stealing and being caught. If Silver didn't block or misjudged and took a direct hit, it would still be satisfying as Zephyr really wanted to hit her anyway. Either way, Zephyr would be happy with the outcome and was willing to suffer through whatever pain that Silver would inflict upon retaliation.

However, Zephyr made a split second change before reaching Silver and leapt over her, using his wings momentarily to give him enough lift to make it over. As he landed just behind Silver slightly to her left side, he knew she'd be keeping her eyes on him. One trained like her would know about never letting your opponent out of your sight. Zephyr used this as an advantage as well as her momentary confusion in his leap, and hit at the ground hard as he turned his body toward her to shove a wave of sand in Silver's face. Using this moment of blindness, Zephyr charged and body checked Silver, sending her back a bit. He wasn't done, and using her momentary stagger, he was ready to strike her with his right forehoof.

He was half wanting her to turn this around in her favor. If she could, Zephyr really wanted to see it. Hopefully she didn't disappoint.

[Appliance]

He jumped over her, a move that Silversword was not expecting. With a loud growl, she turned to face him, before Zephyr threw sand in her eyes. She closed her eyes tightly, momentarily blinded. She spat out sand and rubbed at her eyes, ears pricked. Just as she was going to strike, he body-checked her, and she stumbled.

She hadn't expected this to happen: she'd expected to keep things clean and simple, but Zephyr had taken things way out of hoof.

Silver opened her eyes: he was going to strike her.

"How dare you strike somepony that you blinded?" she hissed, bristling in her anger.

I will teach him fighting ethics..

With a snarl, she rolled away from the reach of his hoof, and coiled herself, preparing to leap at him.

She leapt, attempting to pin him down, putting a hoof on each wing as she pinned him, one back hoof on his stomach.

(Short post, sorry ;_; )

[ZephyrBurst]

She recovered quick from the body check, and very well. Somehow she had been able to slip away from his strike and push him down on his back. He glared up at her and gave a quick reply. "How dare I? You say that to everypony that lands a hit? There are no rules in fighting. I simply gained the upperhoof and used that."

He found her quick move impressive but her method of pinning him was less than stellar. His forehooves were still free. As he spoke the last bit of his short response, he struck Silver hard in her left side, which was clearly exposed due to her position, with his right fore-hoof. Then with as much force as he could muster, he pushed her off and rolled away from her, onto his hooves. He glanced to his side toward her, she was already standing as well. "I'm sure you can do a lot better, when is all that fancy training going to come in?"

He had a feeling the mare was holding back. This couldn't be the extent of what she could do. Otherwise Zephyr would be disappointed, especially after the threat she made before lunch.

(( OOC: No worries, short posts happen. Oh, if you feel I'm god modding at all, just let me know. ))

[Appliance]

Silversword growled at him, her eyes dilated when she heard him speak. "It is uncouth of you to strike somepony when she's down. And blinding.. Is a low blow."

She planned to keep this "training" session short and to the point, opting to restrain herself.

Her simple pinning move, however, did not deter Zephyr, and he struck her, hard. Silver's breath rushed out of her and she got to her hooves slowly.

I don't want to hurt him..

But he's making it so damn tempting.

He taunted her, and she wanted nothing more than to strike him down at the moment.

She would control herself, though.

Silver quickly charged him, slamming into his side, hoping he'd be knocked over.

Why? She asked herself.

What made her so hateable that one could not stay to a simple training session?

What made her so detestable that she must always be fought by others?

This, she did not know. And really, it didn't matter, anyway.

She always fought back.

(Thanks. And please tell me the same, too!)

[ZephyrBurst]

"Un...couth? Is that even a word?" Zephyr's expression twisted to show confusion. 'What does that even mean?' He didn't have much time to ponder it, as Silver charged. She was fighting back, but not in the way Zephyr wanted her to. He was ready for her charge by the time she reached him and he dug his hooves into the ground. As she reached, he bumped her back, but she was still able to knock him back a bit, she was stronger than he thought.

'This silly mare won't fight me properly. I guess maybe I should be the one to give in and spare with her how she wants.' She simply wasn't doing what Zephyr wanted her to do. Zephyr could brawl with somepony anyday, and while he enjoyed the fact that he was able to hit the knight a few times, he didn't get a chance like this to learn any new techniques from what he thought would be a professional.

Zephyr stepped back and eased up his stance to one less threatening. "Okay, we'll do this your way. You said blocking earlier? Show me what you mean." Straight up asking seemed to be the only way to get this out of her, or maybe he could continue beating on her until he danceed her off enough. Still, Max was right there, and Zephyr didn't want to get thrown out of this for 'playing too rough'.

[Bannhammer]

Max had backed up a bit more since the start of the fight, the ferocity of the conflict a bit surprising to the unicorn. He had never seen a real fight before, theatrical scuffles were the most extreme thing he'd witness. Right there, in front of the Rockefilly, two Pegasi were going at it. Maximilian found himself a bit repulsed by Zephyr's cheap moves, but he couldn't count out the knight.

A small crowd had formed around the scuffle, and the stallions present were murmuring about the outcome. Max, being a business oriented stallion, did the only thing he saw fit.

"Odds are five to four on the Knight, four to one on the wild card ex-con! Place your bets here, no bet too small!"

Taking out his notepad and pen, Maximilian was soon swamped by ponies willing to put a few bits on the bout. The rich stallion was more than happy to take their bets. Once the money was in, the crowd turned their attention back to the fight and began hurling insults and encouraging words at the two combatants.

"Let's make this a bit more interesting..."

Max, using his magic, pulled a necklace out of his saddlebags and placed it around Silversword's neck. The piece of cord was adorned with a key that seemed to fit Zephyr's bracelet.

"If she wins, he goes back to jail. If the green one  wins, she gets replaced."

Maximilian winked at the two fighters, hopefully letting them know he was just playing up the drama.

[Appliance]

It appeared that the green one had finally realized that she would not lash back as fiercely as she could. He decided to take her approach, and she nodded at his comment on blocking.

"I will lunge at you in various ways, and you will block and deflect my attacks. Or dodge them. Footwork is an excellent skill to learn," Silversword was about to begin her attack on him, when she noticed a crowd around them. Her ears went back in annoyance, as she listened to Maximilian use them as a business venture. With a quiet hiss, she sidled up to the unicorn, about to ask what he was doing, when a length of cord with a key was placed on her neck.

With an angry glance at the Rockefilly, she heard the word replaced.

Silver's eyes widened, and her wings unfurled out of stress, shuffling anxiously. With a quick glance over to Max, she looked back at Zephyr.

"This spar seems to have some value to Max. We may start our blocking, or entertain this crowd and hope they leave. If we both fight well, I suppose we ought to be fine."

She gazed at the other Pegasus steadily, tucking her wings in firmly against herself.

"You may decide on whether we practice blocking, or entertain this crowd."

Silversword was ready for either, but she must mind her manners and keep courteous with the stallion, despite their mutual dislike of the other.

She realized that the key strung onto her neck like an ornament would probably fit Zephyr's bracelet. So this was another joke on Max's part: place the key to freedom on the neck of a Destrier.

Certainly, once Zephyr noticed this, he would opt to fight. Perhaps he would use brute force to take it from her; she certainly would not expect him to ask her politely for it.