Vegeta Takes on the FEI .
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z, or its characters. They are property of Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation Ltd. I also do not own any of the actual 3- day eventers. I also do not own, and am not author of the books mentioned here. These people also exist in real life. No money is being made from this story, so suing is pointless.
"Denotes Speech"
Denotes Flashback
'Denotes thoughts'
Chapter 4
Today marked the first anniversary of Prince Vegeta's equestrian hobby. The mentioned ouji straightened his stock and tie, admiring his reflection. Today he got to put all his skills to the test in the annual show of the region. He wore a simple navy showing jacket, trimmed with a velvet collar. A white shirt, with equally white breeches; the boots he wore were a rich brown, cut high on the outside to emphasize the length of the leg. The final touch was a pair of cotton gloves, crisp and white. There was only one problem with the situation.
"For the last time ningen. No."
"But Vegeta, you could get disqualified for not wearing a helmet…"
"I DON'T CARE!" Vegeta growled, occasionally twitching with anger. They'd hit a snag over the issue of head protection. The Saiya-jin was currently arguing with his former instructor, who was insistent that he wore the correct head protection.
"I'm afraid that you should wear head protection sir… think of what would happen if you fell off head first into a jump!" One of the judges argued against Vegeta
"The fence would be in splinters." Vegeta remarked flatly.
"I'm sorry but we can't allow you to compete without head protection Mr.Vegeta sir."
"Alright you need evidence? I'll give you evidence." The short saiya-jin hissed. The show was being held in a relatively open space, however there was an old brick wall dividing up the large space. "Follow me."
The judge followed the ouji cluelessly up to one of the larger parts of the wall that stood almost as tall as Vegeta himself. He paused to scratch his head, looking at the shorter saiya-jin quizzically.
"?"
"Stand back and watch. Here's your evidence so, make sure you watch carefully." Vegeta backed up, pasting on his trademark smirk. With an animalistic yell he charged toward the wall. About ten feet from the structure, he pushed himself into a horizontal position, dropping his head to watch the grass whizzing below him. There was a huge crash as stone met saiya-jin skull, causing a cloud of dust to be kicked up.
"Oh my word!" The judge panicked as the medical team had not arrived yet. He dove into the dust cloud, only to find a pile of rubble where the wall HAD been. After scratching his head in confusion, and looking around, a chuckle came from his left.
"As you can see, ningen, my head is harder than stone, so I don't think wood will stand a chance against my cranium." Vegeta smirked, jumping down from his perch on the remaining part of the wall.
"I stand corrected… sir…" The judge wandered off, looking pale and in need of some aspirin.
"Now are you sure everything is alright?"
"Onna, for the last time yes!" Vegeta huffed, tugging the girth up on Firedance. The Anglo- arab looked at the female, and then pulled the cheesiest grin as he was capable of pulling. Somehow, the chestnut managed to look a lot like Goku while doing it. Bulma twitched slightly, staring down the grinning animal.
"I'm starting to think you're a bad influence on him."
Vegeta glanced to the blue haired woman, also grinning stupidly "What makes you say that?" the prince asked innocently. Bulma turned to one side smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"Honestly…" she groaned, as both horse and rider put back on their regular faces. The ouji pulled down his stirrups; and gave his tack a one last look over. The first class was best –in –show after all. With a swift bounce he was aboard the flighty gelding.
"–KZZZT!"
All three turned to the sound of displaced air as a figure flickered into existence.
A very orange figure at that.
Firedance's eyes lit up at the prospect of the giant walking and talking carrot… or at least it was the same colour as a carrot. The horse promptly bore down on the tall saiya-jin's shoulder, casually chewing on the fabric.
"Ewww! Ve-geeeeta! Tell 'um to stop it!" Goku squealed, trying to pry the rather powerful jaws off his favourite gi.
"Kakarotto." Vegeta said bluntly… then started to snicker as the saliva from Firedance had left grass stains on the orange gi. Firedance let go, now that his mission was complete. No person should be allowed to wear those sorts of colours in public. He pulled a "Son Goku" –esque grin at the large saiya-jin.
"!" Goku jumped, then started a staring contest with the flamboyant horse. It just proved that Goku is denser than he appeared… which must be a pretty admirable thing.
"-THWACK-"
"OW!" Goku rubbed his head where a small lump started to form "Why'd you do that Vegeta?"
"Because you were making him restless and sweaty." Vegeta looked bored as he twirled the leather hunting cane in his left hand.
Goku perked up slightly "Anyway, I came to wish you luck Vegeta! AND I'm going to cheer you on." The large saiya-jin pulled out one of those large foam hands with '#1' written on it, and then pulled on a t-shirt with a printed chibi version of Firedance and Vegeta trotting. In large black letters, the words "The best teamwork" was written arching over the top of the picture.
Everyone sweatdropped; and Vegeta and Firedance managed to fall over, then spring back up. Bulma's fingers started to twitch.
"KAKAROTTO! GET THAT STUPID ARTICLE OF CLOTHING OFF RIGHT NOW!" A vein started to bulge dangerously on Vegeta's head.
"But… I thought I was being nice by supporting you…" Goku hung his head slightly. Bulma patted the large saiya-jin on the shoulder
"Wait until he's a big shot in the Olympics or something… then maybe you can make some money from those shirts…"
"Okay… whatever you say Bulma!" Goku pulled the t-shirt back off, but kept the foam hand.
"Attention all competitors. The 14.2 hh + best in show class will be starting shortly. Please will all entrants make their way to ring C. I repeat, all entrants for the 14.2 hh + Best in show please make their way to ring C now. Thank you."
Vegeta lifted a brow and then took up his reins. "That's my call." He prepared himself to head over to the ring, only to find Goku leading Firedance in the direction of the correct ring. The Ouji twitched in frustration, thinking about giving the larger Saiya-jin another smack. However in the busy grounds… people got out of the way for the large colourful saiya-jin.
'Well, I guess he DOES have his uses' Vegeta thought, almost baffled.
Two hours later two saiya-jins, one human and a horse were sitting under the shade of a large oak tree, enjoying a 'light' lunch. A small crowd had gathered near the area, watching two men put enough food away to feed a moderately sized army. Bulma glanced over at the two saiya-jins, and then shook her head in dismay. They hadn't been fighting since the first class, but Firedance had managed to squeeze himself between the two saiya-jins. The Anglo –arab alternated between laying his head on Vegeta's lap and gnawing the orange material of Goku's gi.
"You know Vegeta, that's pretty neat!" Goku chirped between bites (platefuls) of food.
"?" Vegeta glances at the larger saiya-jin with a perked brow "What is?"
"Well this is your first time competing and you've been placed first in all three!"
"It's only natural. I AM the Saiya-jin no Ouji." He boasted, puffing out his chest with pride. Bulma just stared at him, poking her salad with a fork.
"Talk about an ego trip…" She muttered to herself. Vegeta had won Best in show… for obvious reasons. There was a slight debate about the headgear situation, however the one judge recognized Vegeta and relayed the little incident with the wall to his fellow judges. The riding horse class went smoothly, well except for when Firedance decided to pull a grin at one of the judges. Let's just say she was retiring after that particular class. The last event had been the 'handy horse' which involved tackling a series of obstacles or elements, as well as performing certain tasks. Vegeta let out a grin. The judges could only gawp at the speed that they'd completed the course.
The only events left remaining was the dressage and show jumping. The ouji was confident that he could top both classes with ease. He lay back against the tree, pondering the imposing events. There was little competition for the classes he had entered because of their difficulty.
But that was the thrill of a challenge…
"Final call for competitor 042! I repeat final call for competitor 042!"
Bulma patted Firedance on the rump as the pair headed for the ring. "Good luck." Vegeta just grinned like a Cheshire cat before entering the ring. Goku and Bulma were sitting next to the arena, in the first row. There was applause as Vegeta entered the ring; they gently trotted around until the bell sounded. The first element was the salute to the judges, before setting off at an extended trot. Two circles and a change of rein later took them to the first of the difficult movements. As the pair rounded to the short end of the arena, they were required to show piaffé steps.
Goku gasped as the seemingly evil horse shortened his stride until he was hardly moving foreward, but looked like he was performing a ballet.
"Look Bulma! I didn't think Vegeta was this good! It looks like their floating!" Goku spoke loudly and in an excitable manner. Several people shushed the large saiya-jin in unison. He looked around, wondering exactly what he did wrong.
Seen as Vegeta basically planned the dressage test himself, he had aimed a lot of the movements at a higher level than he needed… just to show off. After stretching out after the piaffé, allowing Firedance to stretch at a walk across the long diagonal. As they entered the corner they entered the canter, performing passagè which was to canter across the diagonal, however with the horse parallel to the sides of the arena.
Applause ripped through the crowd as they turned up the centre line, halting before the judges. Vegeta performed an exaggerated salute before they exited the ring.
As soon as his feet hit the grass, the ouji found himself glomped and patted on the head at the same time. Vegeta blinked at the larger saiya-jin, kindly removing the hand from his head. Bulma stepped back, shaking the smaller saiya-jin vigorously.
"I had NO idea you could do anything like that!" Vegeta's head started to wobble back and forth on his shoulders as he grinned.
"Naturally, I WOULD be the best because I am the Saiya-jin no ouji."
"But 'Tousan you didn't know what a horse was until Goten and I told you."
Vegeta pulled a double-take at his lavender – haired son. The blue eyed demi – saiya-jin had basically appeared out of thin air. The eldest saiya-jin scratched his head, starting to feel a migraine set in if he tried to figure out the strange laws of the fanfictional realm.
"I'm not even going to ask how you got here, kid." He shook his head. There were only a few minutes before the jumping rounds started.
"Kakarotto cut it out!" A rather irritated saiya-jin prince managed to shrug off the large orange blue and black blob, threatening the larger saiya-jin with another swift crack of the hunting cane.
"Geez Vegeta, being that tense can't be good for your performance."
"I'd be less tense if you quit trying to 'relax' me with you're silly methods!" he snapped at Goku.
"But those jumps look pretty scary Vegeta… I mean some of them are as big as you!"
Vegeta started to turn red, and not from embarrassment either. With a menacing growl, he burst into super saiya-jin level two. Angry teal eyes landed on the younger saiya-jin, as well as a rather violent thump to the orange- loving saiya-jin's head. Tears sprang to Goku's eyes, as he crouched defensively with his back to Vegeta.
"Ouch…" He muttered.
"hehehe…" Trunks randomly walked past, snickering at the situation.
The ouji just shook his head in defeat. Wisely, he moved off to wait his turn to tackle the course. There were only thirteen jumps in total, but the height of some fences exceeded five feet. These were large compared to the size of both horse and rider competing.
Flashback
"I'm sorry, but are you aware of the danger of entering such an advanced class?" The female judge asked, looking between Vegeta and Firedance.
"Of course I'm sure ningen!" a vein started to bulge in anger on his forehead.
"I insist that you enter the intermediate class sir. It would be less strenuous and safer for both of you."
Vegeta inhaled deeply, seeming to calm down. The female judge grinned to herself slightly thinking that she'd successfully avoided one tragedy in the making. Vegeta's eyes suddenly popped open, now a healthy green as he shifted into super saiya-jin mode, instantly incinerating one of the refreshment stands.
"I AM SURE THAT I AM CAPABLE OF ENTERING THE ADVANCED CLASS!" He boomed, causing a few tents to get blown away in the sharp winds that he had created. The judge landed on her backside, shakily picking up the registration form and a pen. She adjusted her glasses, smiling nervously.
"Alright… let's have your details…"
The Saiya-jin no Ouji powered down to normal, smirking at the ningen…
End flashback
He grinned goofily at the memory as they entered the arena. It had been worth the look on the pathetic ningen's face when he'd gone super saiya-jin. He registered the sound of the bell in the back of his mind, gently falling into a light and bouncy canter rhythm. They confidently approached the first fence, and upright gate.
Goku covered his eyes with his hands. He couldn't bear to watch. The large saiya-jin was pretty sure that the short ouji and the rather small horse would fall at the first hurdle…
"Goku? It's alright…" Bulma managed to pry the large saiya-jin's fingers from his face. He watched in awe as Firedance literally floated through fences two and three, both of which were nearly the same size as the smaller saiya-jin.
Vegeta slammed on the breaks casing Firedance to pivot on his front hooves toward the fourth fence leading into a combination. There were gasps from the crowd as Vegeta started to ride the course dangerously. First came the wall, followed by a 5'3" plank upright then a singular upright to complete the first combination.
Fences seven though ten went smoothly, until they were faced with fence eleven. The hardest fence to clear currently loomed only a few strides away. It was a spread with water at the front as well as shrubbery at the back. The crowd held their breath as Firedance accidentally clipped the back rail with a hoof.
A huge roar of applause erupted from the crowd as well as hoots and hollers. They were the only pair to navigate the course with such 'point and shoot' style and to go clear. Vegeta gave the thumbs up to Bulma and then stuck his tongue out at Goku. He then proceeded to let Firedance gallop and buck around the arena.
Later that evening Vegeta, Bulma, Goku, Trunks and Goten were in the newly built tack room, looking at the rosettes that Vegeta had rightfully won that day.
"Gosh Vegeta, I still can't believe you managed to make it around that course!" Goku gushed, wearing the chibi Vegeta and Firedance t-shirt now that they were not in a public place.
Bulma nodded in agreement "I really had no idea that you were this good. You'll definitely be challenging the best before long."
Vegeta stared out into space, his eyes starting to sparkle uncharacteristically, kind of like a child when they see something they really REALLY want. "Of course, onna. I shall be the best and Kakarotto cannot defeat me in that sort of battle either!"
The saiya-jin no Ouji threw back his head, laughing insanely to himself. Look out professional equestrian world, here comes Vegeta, the Saiya-jin no Ouji!
End Chapter 4
Please R&R! I've also lost the plan for the rest of the story after here grumbles slightly so I'm going to be working from memory. I apologise if this story seems to lose its sense of direction. (Did it have one in the first place?)