mylittlejamjar | 17th Gem [Visual]

[It's the middle of the night with the moon high in the sky when a scroll flutters open to show an other worldly display. Rarity was in the middle of the courtyard at Zetta's castle balanced on her back hooves with her eyes closed. Her horn was surrounded by a soft glow as all fourteen gems of her sword floating around her and shedding their own pale blue glow.

She remains frozen like that for several seconds before suddenly twisting about and throwing a hoof out. Her gems lashed out, slicing through a dummy at the far end as she moved about the courtyard as she went through quite the work out with her sword, shattering and reforming it in as she moved and fought imaginary opponents or destroyed training dummies.

By the time she finishes, Rarity is short on breath, sweaty and surrounded by several severely broken training dummies littering the ground. After shaking out her mane, she finally realizes that her scroll is open. She sighs softly and rolls it up. Once she's composed and not so dirty, she unrolls it again and regards her scroll.]

....I shall be available if anypony wishes a sparring partner.

[She may look collected now, but the damage behind her portrays a different story all together. She's not happy about what happen. It frustrates her, scares her and over all worries Rarity. Especially since... There were reason's the trip unnerved Rarity a little. It may have hit a little too close to home for her.

The scroll closes moments later with her turning away and calling her gems back to her.]

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[That gives him the moment he needs to translate his initial reaction to her training to words she'd find more acceptable.]

You take my breath away.

[That's sufficiently corny that she'll like it, right? But he can't hold his smug smile for long.]

So, uh... anything I can do?

[Sufficiently corny and very appreciated.]

I.. don't know Darling.

[Zetta regards her for a moment more, then does what is perhaps the single most selfless and emotionally mature act of his thousands of years of life.]

[He reaches out, wraps his strong forelegs around Dame Rarity's shoulders, and pulls her in for a hug.]

[She freezes for a brief moment as he pulls her into a hug. It wasn't something she expected from Zetta... and yet here he was. She hesitantly hugged him back and buried her face against his neck and closes her eyes.

Within a few moments, there are a few tears staining his coat.]

[All he can really be certain of is the knowledge that he hates to see her like this, hurting and in pain. And his lack of knowledge actually manages to do some good, for once. Instead of doing or saying anything stupid, he just stands there and holds her, being strong and solid and utterly steadfast right when she needs him to be.]

[This what what she needed after... well now that her frustration have been vented. The entire dive into the void that was Calice hit closer to home than she really, really wanted to admit and it hurt that she was unable to so something just like... last time.

And then Fluttershy... She continued to sob quietly for several minutes before pulling back to wipe away her tears with a hoof.]

...Thank you Zetta... I needed that.

[The major downside to all this? Zetta might never be able to forgive Calice for making her cry.]

[...Also his fur is wet. But he doesn't seem to mind, or even notice, as he brushes at her cheek with a hoof.]

Hey, even the toughest girls are allowed to get a little emotional every so often, right? I won't tell anyone.

I would appreciate that.

[She manages a slight smile as she lets him brush a few of the tears away. The only thing she could do was be strong and try and keep these little... moments private.]

I just hope that any other attempts will go better... and we can plan more appropriately.

[Oh boy. Here he goes, having to reassure her... Zetta clears his throat, tip his head awkwardly left and right, and then begins in a mumble.]

Just... have faith in your friends and believe in them, and stuff like that. It'll work out. That always seems to see ponies through, somehow.

[Even saying it makes him feel stupid, but... if it helps her...]

[It helps immensely and she can tell that just saying so is a bit awkward for him. But, Rarity does cheer up a bit.]

You're right. Believing in one another has always pulled us through before.

[She plants a gentle kiss on his cheek.]

You are the best stallion a mare could ever have by her side.

I... seem to have a weird habit of cheering up you ponies when you're depressed. Go figure. [He'd often noted that his castle had become a home for wayward mares, especially ones named Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna. Or occasionally, Queen Melissa.]

Of course, the others didn't give me that reward. [He winks at her.]

If they did, I might be jealous. [The way he could lift her spirits was something Rarity was growing to appreciate a lot from Zetta. In a way, he was a very generous pony in his own way and it shined through to her at the very least.

It also left her thinking...and her heart pounding.]

I would say that your 'weird habit' is an endearing trait. One I think might need a special kind of reward.

Isn't having you here a special reward already?

[...seriously, amazingly, the one time she's actually implying something, Zetta not only manages to miss it, but say something that to him is totally matter-of-fact and yet is all the sweeter for that.]

[Honestly, he's kind of an idiot...]

[A very loveable idiot that was all hers. Rarity looks faintly amused at the fact that her implication went over his head. In a way, it took the edge off of her anxiety of making the implication in the first place.]

Yes, but I was thinking of a different kind of reward. One best gifted behind closed doors instead of out in the open courtyard where any pony might see.

[Now lets see if he gets it this time.]

[Zetta blinks, because if Rarity had succeeded in one thing over the course of their time together, it was keeping him from reading any such implications into anything she said, ever.]

[But that right there is pretty damn unmistakable. So slowly, a grin grows on his face.]

We're in my castle courtyard, in the middle of the Everfree. There's absolutely no one to see out here, you know.

But inside might be more... comfortable.

[Oh good, he got it this time. For a moment she was afraid she may need to be even more blunt and if that was the case... she might just loose her courage to say it.

Thankfully that wasn't the case.]

I think comfort for this particular reward may be welcomed. Shall we step inside then? ....I think either of our bedrooms shall do.

[Zetta considers this, as with a flicker of his magic he opens the doors back into the castle for her.]

...We're both in pretty damn good shape, so why not both?

[And he bows to her, then moves to grandly escort her, because he can afford to be a very, very gracious victor.]

[She blushes a bit as he bows to her after saying something like that. Both bedrooms? Well, she did have quite a bit of endurance from all of her training...]

Maybe. Lets pick one and start there and see what happens.

[Well, she wasn't telling him no...]

Edited 2015-03-22 00:47 (UTC)

[And the two of them headed in... against the flow of a mad scramble out, as every minion and servitor of the Overlord responded to his command to leave them the hell alone. They'd have the castle to themselves for as long as they wanted...]

[...That was pretty impressive. It just meant they had to make use of all the castle they suddenly had to themselves. Perhaps it was time to see just how well her endurance and stamina measured up against an Overlord of Zetta's caliber. in a whole new way... ]

17th Gem [Visual]

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