Live A Life, or Forge It

Four days later, after the meeting with Twilight corncerning my security, I was woken up by the soft feeling of Bernarda thightly hugged to me.. boy, Bernarda seemed the kind of girls that were breastfed until the Third year of the Middle School.

And that had the tendency to grip the first soft thing available in the room, when she had a nightmare: incidentally, that night the soft thing was me.

I kicked her away softly, since it brought back bad memoirs of dawn  in the latter years  in my human home.

I said:

“Bernarda, I know that you were scared and such. But, please. Don't grip me: it brings me bad memoirs”

She immediately separated, and said:

“Uh, sorry... I didn't mean to... I will return to my bed...”

I smiled, and got up, ready for preparing the breakfast for me, Bernarda and the rest of the family, as I did since I hit the age of 18, if you count from my age as human.

As soon I reached the kitchen, I placed five place mats over the table in the kitchen;  took a chair for reach the shelves with the cups and the cutlery;  put three coffee cups in the places occupied by Big Macintosh; Applejack and Applebloom and two milk cups in the places occupied by me and Bernarda; placed a spoon for everyone; placed the sugar bowl with a spoon already in it in the middle of the table; prepared the percolator and placed it on the fire; filled the milk cups with cold milk; put a pile composed by ten biscuits each, and waited for the arrival of everypony.

When the breakfast ended, it was time for me of going in the fields for doing my duties as “vassal” of the Apple Family: said duties where picking up fallen apples; cut down dead trees; check if the tools were broken; burn down the piles of tomato leafs and parsley around the fields for keep the mosquito away and so on.

Quite boring, I have to say.

But it was my duty, so I did: I took two buckets, tied it to my back, and started to collect the fallen apples.

After three hours, I was very, very tired of running around the fields, picking with my mouth fallen apples and signaling the dead trees: I started to wish to have a break longer that ten seconds; or the arrival of midday altogether.

But it was the  ten of the morning, and it seemed that I had no way to finish that torture before other two hours of running.

But, as soon I come back to the tank to fill of rotten apples near the barn, I saw a purple  shape flying towards the barn... Twilight, no doubt.

While I put the apples in the tank, I greeted her, and asked what were her business there: she answered that she was there for, hopefully, cover up my room, and try to create cover-up for his absence for a while in the afternoon.

Probably because Shining was coming. Or because she changed her mind, and wanted to tell me her new  plan, where place an invisible mine layer on my back, so I could be covered whenever I went; to an expedition of soldier ponies sent to kill off my brothers.

But I was certain that she had the solution.

Unfortunately, as soon I was going in my room for see how Twilight Sparkle did the enchanting of my room, Applejack told me to get back to work.

I went back to work with a snort.

Later on, after lunch and a hour of resting, finally I was ready to go in the Library, and see what Twilight had to say to me: I asked to Applebloom to carry me there, and she  complied gladly.

Shining Armour was waiting with a sense of curiosity pervading him: he was called by Twilight, her sister, for offer his combat experience to “a friend in need”: Shining was going to just send one of his subordinate officers, and leave at that.

But he didn't saw her sister for something like... five years, since the birth of his daughter Indiva, and her official addition in the Royal Family of the Crystal Empire: after so much time, it would be nice stop for a little while the flood of red tape, and pay a visit to her little sister.

While the white stallion waited the arrival of  “client” needing a favor from the  “patron” Twilight, Shining Armour talked with Twilight about what happened during that five years of lack of contact: diplomatic mix-ups; anecdotes regarding the ruling and more private part of their life... up to the strange happening of the past days.

“Twilight, lately I and many of my subjects have noticed the appearance of... strange phenomenas, similar to the Sant Elmo's fires, but less destructive, and more... alien-looking. From the lights, it's said that you can see a bipedal figure. Do you know something about that ?”

Twilight chuckled: “I don't, my 'client' however...”

As soon she said this words, a squeaking noise was heard, signaling that the main door of the building  was opened, and a trilling voice came to Shining and Twilight's ears:

“Ave, Sullucis Scintilla ! Quod me vocabat ?”

The white military stallion recognized the language, and felt weird in hearing a phrase in said language pronounced by a trilling voice: after all, the Latin wasn't properly a common language among the people, especially the colts !

The situation got even more awkward when the source of the voice, a colt with light gray fur and  a red mane, arrived upstairs where Shining was sitting; bowed his head in front of Twilight, and did a military greet to the white pony while saying:

“Ave, Armatura Fulgente; Pannum Crepuscoli et Augenti Crepucoli filio; ante dux Regalis Praesidiae; nunc co-rex Crystallo Imperium; vir Mi Amore Cadenzae, amoris regina.

Ego sum Venicio Eulocleo, adoptatus filio Malorum Gentis.

Nunc tuo servo sum: tua imperia ?”

The stallion didn't answered, and, instead, stared disturbed to the gray colt: first of all, he just got, supposedly, the full formal greeting by a foal that had barely the age of his daughter Indiva. In correct Latin, language that Shining learned mechanically, understanding only the base greet, and few names: for the rest, he was ignorant as the colt should have been.

And the colt knew who he was, even if, according to his displayed age, he wasn't even born, when he and his wife were crowned as rulers of the cold Crystal Empire.

That should have been a dream: Shining slowly pinched himself.

No: in front of him, a colt just outsmarted him in the second very thing he should have learned during his life as pony soaked in the regal habits: the language. If somepony catches that news, his pride would be shattered... again.

For come back from the shock, and lower his dangerous levels of surprise that could make him snap, Shining tried to imagine the colt like a male filly Twilight, when she was still in the house: very knowledgeable, but still blissfully unaware about when show his knowledge.

And, in that case, he had showed that knowledge just in the right moment.

Twilight said:

“Here it is my client: Venicio. He is an adopted son of the Apples, a family of farmers from around here”

Shining started blankly towards Twilight again.

The purple pony said: “What's your problem, Shining, do you feel well ?”

“Yes, but... what did just he said ?  Don't understand a word...”

Venicio started to laugh, and so did Twilight.

Twilight said:

“Aahaha, Shining Armour, I knew that you weren't, and you aren't, used to such things, and I should not laugh at it, since you are my brother. But, hey, that was the last thing that I expected by you !”

Venicio, bowing his head, said: “By the way, my sir, I said 'Greetings, Shining Armour, son of Twilight Velvet and Twilight Crescent; once captain of the Royal Guard; and now Co-ruler of the Crystal Empire with your wife Mi Amore Cadenza, master of Love.

I am Venicio son of Euloco.

I am your servant now: what are your orders ?'”

Shining hissed at Twilight, then asked:

“ What do you want to do with my services ?”

“My dear brother, I requested your assistance for train Venicio to combat...”

Shining frowned: “Stop doing jokes on me, Twilight: I know that this isn't your true client. After all, why you would call a combat expert for a six-years old ? It makes no sense ! That, unless this is a prank pulled by you, and which I don't like”

Twilight sighed: “Brother, I was dead serious when I called you. This “colt” isn't a colt”

“What is it ? A table ?”

“No ! He is... a “witness”, somepony haunted down by his acts, and needs to be protected by law”

Shining Armour smirked, and said:

“I understand that you want to cover him, but I suspect that you are overly paranoid about him: if he needs to be protected by the law, then let the law doing its job”

Twilight started to gesticulate aimlessly, and said:

“But it's a special kind... he isn't recognized by such by the law, but still he is important for a state affair...”

“Just like any citizen”

“But it's different !”

“How it's different, Twilight ?”

And the discussion went on, and on, and on, until Venicio intruded in it and said:

“Look, I have a sister and two brothers trying to kill me with the Eternal Toddler's blessing. Since they don't know my position,  they are appearing  all over the kingdoms in blue lights that appear and disappear. This is all I need to say about the topic, Shining Armour”

I know that was a dick move.

Very stupid perhaps.

But, God, that was going on forever, and seeing Twilight trying to beat around the bush for saying that I was a human without saying it right away, and Shining Armour believing strongly that his sister went nuts over a colt speaking  Latin wasn't enjoyable.

And so, while Twilight repeated for the tenth time that I needed a military training because I wasn't a true colt, but a “witness”; I launched myself on four hooves, and said:

“Look, I have a sister and two brothers trying to kill me with the Eternal Toddler's blessing. Since they don't know my position, they are appearing all over the kingdoms in blue lights that appear and disappear. This is all I need to say about this topic, sir Shining Armour.”

Twilight face hoofed, while the white stallion asked confused:

“'Eternal Toddler' ? “Brothers trying to kill you' ? What are speaking about ?”

“About my safety, sir. I am really chased down by my brothers. And, about the Eternal Toddler: it's the name of Fate. He is the higher force that rules without begin seen the worlds. He decides the course of life of everypony... but, since he is a toddler, everypony is a toy in his hands.

Apart form some lucky exceptions, most of the toys are made of wood, lead, or copper, materials that tend to broke easily, meaning that they are destined to be forgotten.

How I know this, he is invisible ? Well, there is another entity, namely, the 'Great Ferryman', who is tasked to carry he living things between dimensions. One time, when I was in front of a mirror, he started to chat with me, and told me about a toy that represented me: said toy was very sued by the Fate. What did he do with this toy ? He was going to launch it into the ceiling for hit the lamp, and see how it was going to fare.

Since it meant sure death, I refused to came, and play at the Fate's game.

Since he is both a toddler, and a every-powerful begin with limited understanding of the world, he likely called my brothers, who already hate me, and told them that the “toys” representing them made of fool's gold will be replaced by silver toys. They accepted, and now they are chasing me down”

Yes, I told a quite lie, and so ? Twilight forbade me of mention humans to everyone but her; the Princess and the “hired mouths”.

The white stallion said: “This seems to absurd to me... I mean, other dimensions ?

Children-gods ?

Brothers who wants another brother dead ?

This is a joke. A cruel, stupid joke”

I face hoofed, and so did Twilight, clearly on the verge of insanity and fratricide anger.

“Well, I think that my job is done here. Goodbye, Twilight, thanks for the farce, even I didn't appreciated it”

That said, Shining Armour exited from the door silently, with an exasperated Twilight watching, and a colt (namely me) annoyed to no end.

It seemed that I needed to be turned into a human, or to be self-trained.

Fantastic....

Or maybe I could learn a bit of  artistic fencing !

According to my sources, the artistic fencing could, and can, be turned in effective attack style with knifes and swords, with the proper desire of learning about how do so.

I said: “It might seems dark. But I have a Plan B”

Twilight said weeping a bit: “What is it ?”

I pointed to the Fencing Manual lying on the floor, and said:

“Guess”

After she saw what I was referring to, she nodded, and said that was a good idea

And so I took the fencing book, and come back home: meanwhile I was carried at home by Applebloom, I thought about how use the work in the fields as training for fight my brothers: after all, running around didn't seemed very useful... that, until I thought to just take the rotten apples, put them in four sacks, create a training dummy with targets on the vital areas, and use it when I was free.

Yeah, the human flesh is less resilient and bulky than a bunch of apples, but it was better than nothing at all.

And so, the next day, when I started to take the apples, when I carried the buckets back, I didn't put the apples in the tanks: instead, I went in the barn; looked for some jute sacks; opened them; cleared them from any debris left in it; and put in them the load on my buckets.

When the day ended, I managed to fill four sacks, still not enough for create a true dummy, and I still lacked of a pole for support the dummy.

And so, another week passed: in this week, I bought whatever it as necessary for complete the dummy, while I practiced fencing with a normal knife on a solitary fence, at the extreme border of the fields, with Bernarda that read me some basic techniques from the book, telling how to do them step by step.

When the dummy was finally ready, I thought that I had already found the attacks needed to me for defend myself, and so, I put Bernarda  as jury of my attacks, for evaluating the speed the strength; and the likeness of pulling of said attack.

By the end of the Summer, after hard works in the fields; fencing training; and very short rest between them, I felt like an expert swordsman, capable of killing a man with a pencil.