Cyber Thunder Cider [Open]

[Trixie]

There was a time to stand out of the crowd, Trixie knew these things. There was a time to openly show her glory to the masses, allow them to cheer her on and adore her to their heart's content. There was also a time to hide away and plan accordingly the next big thing they'd love, keeping to herself as the surprise builds up. There was also a time to simply not do anything, such as when eating or studying, in order to prepare for the next big act.

And then there was a time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the more pleasant things in life that she had the right to experience. Being so indubitably gifted with such opportunities for a comfortable lifestyle, Trixie found it best to take advantage of those opportunities and bring them all upon herself, milking every second of it and enjoying the full experience. Indeed, it was a rather amazing life for the rather amazing person, if she did say so herself.

As such, she partook in this during the Running of the Leaves, a schoolwide marathon for charity that involved free cider, adoring crowds, and the ability to wipe the floor with all the other lowly contestants. What wasn't to like? It was one of the better times in her life, with such grand occasions taking place that she could gain advantage with. Besides, she was clearly doing this for a good cause, ever since that complete mess at the Fall Formal. 

At the current moment, the teenager found herself enjoying the sweet, crisp taste of apple cider among the many people. A cup of the glistening drink was nearly half-empty as it rested in her hands, with frothing bubbles emerging in the middle of the cup. Her thirst in the august warmth had been quenched just moments ago when she took great gulps of the glorious cider, but the taste was just so good that she had to indulge herself in more. Yes, this was the life. Sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying free, unpaid cider. She sat back in her seat on the bench and took another sip, smiling at the sparkling texture and deliciousness of the drink.

[Lyra Heartstrings]

Lyra had learned last year that one got odd looks if they tried to get a large bottle filled with cider. There was having a drink, and taking advantage of the offer. A large water bottle was clipped to her belt, and filled with water this time. In her hand was a regular cup of cider. It wouldn't be her last though. Lyra wasn't one to sample lightly when there was the chance of free food and drink.

The musician had left Twilight Sparkle to investigate the event further. She had her trusty flyer with event times and fun apple facts. She also thought that perhaps she had over stayed her welcome with the Starswirl student. For as smart as she was, it was very hard to convince her that certain creatures might exist. At least she wasn't all sad about her work being ignored though! Still a win!

Lyra sat down on a bench to enjoy some free cider and think about what she'd do first while she waited for others to arrive. She took a drink and that's when she noticed who she had sat by. It was Trixie, the Great and Powerful. She didn't know the girl all that well, aside from how much she liked to boast. Lyra didn't even know what sort of hobbies she had. For being Great and Powerful, Lyra couldn't remember anything that made Trixie that. She seemed to be a master at self promotion though.

[Trixie]

Trixie, at first, paid no heed to the aquamarine student to her side. Just another occupant on the bench, also enjoying the free cider, no? Instead of her usual theatrics, the entertainer didn't bother to try and dazzle Lyra, and, by extension, all the others within a twenty foot radius. She was too enamored by the drink in her hands, that she just kept on with her day, pretty much ignoring the presence of the girl who was seated next to her.

Now, humans are imperfect. They make mistakes, and may come to regret those mistakes in the future. Since cider is also made by imperfect humans, there can be, therefore, imperfect cider. Some cider may be too sweet, or too sour. Some ciders might even have a strange texture, due to the lack of a certain ingredient or step. As it happened, the cider that Trixie just took a chug of still had a rather small bit of solid in it, whether it fell in or was a remnant of the pulped apples that the cider consisted of.

Whichever it was, it made Trixie choke. Her eyes widened and she tried to get it out of her system, but her sudden exhaling and coughing didn't help all that much. Now, this wasn't serious, and it would probably be removed from her system in about ten seconds, but that didn't mean that the girl wasn't in a big panic at suddenly choking on apple cider. "Hack... ack..." She gave out a strange noise as she bent over attempted to cough it out.

[Lyra Heartstrings]

Everyone's had water, spit, or some fluid of some sort go down the wrong pipe in their life. It's an uncomfortable feeling, but eventually you get past it and cough up the offending liquid. Hearing Trixie start to cough got Lyra's attention to glance over. It was ingrained in her to check on signs of distress to see what was going on. A cough could mean a lot of things, and if it sounded like Trixie had a cold she might have to say something.

The Great and Powerful, however, looked like she was The Great and Panicking Trixie. Panic was something people felt when under stress, and often times ended up making a situation worse. It's true that calm heads will prevail. Right now Trixie needed someone to reign her in before she accidentally did anything to worsen the situation.

Lyra slid down next to Trixie and gently placed her hand on the girls back. She didn't pat her though. A random blow to her back could make freak out even more. "Whoah there Trix, take it easy. Calm down and just cough it up. A little fluid down the wrong pipe can't fully block your airway." Lyra had learned from her mom that Step One in dealing with someone who was choking was to encourage them to cough it up if they could. She was assuming Trixie was choking on cider, in which case she'd be fine in a moment. If it was something more solid like a piece of hard candy then Lyra would have to move on to Step Two.

The second step in helping a choking person was a few heavy pats on the back. The blow could help force air up and out to aid in coughing up the obstruction, and the vibration could help dislodge it. Heimlich, the inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver, had tried to discredit this practice in favor of his own method by using some underhanded methods such as publishing falsified findings. Abdominal Thrusts were Step Three, and Lyra wished it wouldn't get that far. She could perform it, but she'd rather not punch Trixie in the gut.

Not that there would be punching involved, just that it could feel like getting punched in the gut.