Chapter 22

New Trainee

True to what Roach said, Winter arrived a day later and in a bad mood. The ice mage was at least a little at peace seeing Roach who kept his disguise up in front of her. Winter decided to get a room for her and Roach in a nearby hotel that promised that they would wake up with all their organs in the same place they left them when they went to sleep. Grey lead them out to an abandoned part of the city. It was, in every sense of the word, a ghost town.

There were more destroyed buildings than ones still standing. Dust and crushed brick covered the streets and there was an erie feeling about the place that just spelled ‘something bad happened here.’ The visitors felt chills go down their spines and Winter took Roach’s hand in hers. “Creator, what happened here?” Winter asked.

“War.” Grey answered as they walked into an empty lot that had a broken swing set and what remained of a jungle gym. “I used to come here to play when I was young.” He said as he took a moment to collect himself. “Anyway, onto-” He halted speaking as he caught something from the corner of his eye. He charged his magic in his hand and focused his eyes on one of the few buildings still standing.

“You okay Grey?” Eris asked noticing the tension in his stance. The man nodded at the woman.

“Yes, it’s just that,” He shot a blast at a nearby building and he heard a yelp of surprise. “we’ve been followed.” The group got their magic ready to blast what or whoever it was to bits. “Come out now or I’ll blast you out.”

“Ugh, so uncivilized.” The four looked at one another as they heard a familiar voice.

“Please tell me that’s not who I think it is.” Winter groaned. A figure stepped out from behind the corner of a building.The figure was dressed in a light blue cloak with stars and moons stitched into it. The figure threw it’s hood back to show her purple eyes and light blue hair.

“Trixie demands why you shot at her!” She hissed.

“Thought you were gonna try to mug us.” Grey said. “Why are you here?” Trixie bit her lip as the thought of an excuse.

“Trixie was only observing.”

“You mean stalking?” Trixie growled at Eris. Grey scratched his chin and thought for a moment.

“Hey if you want a magic lesson then you’re more than welcome to join.” The gears in the group’s heads stopped turning for a moment.

“What!?” Eris, Roach and Winter yelled out.

“Why would you want to help Trixie?” Winter said.

“We’re all part of the same team, and a chain is only just as strong as it’s weakest link.” Trixie grumbled at the comment. “I’m just saying it’s good to mix things up once in a while. Keeps you on your toes.” The three grumbled as Trixie stuck her tongue out at them.

“So what exactly did you have in mind?” Eris asked.

“Magic control.” Grey said.

“That’s it? I thought you were gonna teach us how to blow shit up!” Eris whined.

“No, during our matches I’ve noticed that we waste too much magic for doing the most basic of spells. It’s important to budget your magic so you can fight longer.” He turned to Eris and Trixie. “That’s a mistake you two made.”

“Say what?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not make mistakes.” The performer folded her arms under her chest and scowled.

“Then how was I able to beat you then?” Trixie grit her teeth at the mention of the duel she lost. “You certainly had the edge Trixie and enough power to do me in, but you were careless and way to overconfident. Had you been a bit more careful, the outcome could have ended in your favor.”

“Don’t throw me in the same league as the rest of you.” Eris hissed. Everyone turned to look at the demigod. “I’ve got more power in my pinky finger than you all have combined.”

“True, but you don’t know how to use it properly.” Roach muttered, earning him a scowl from the woman. “I mean, look at the fight you and Grey had with those fire twins. You used up so much so quickly Grey had to synchronize with you.”

“Roach is correct.” Grey said. “You wasted a large amount of energy using basic spells. So that is what you’re going to work on for now.” Eris huffed at the words.

“So how do we do that?” Winter asked.

“Simple, climb the walls.” He said pointing to one of the buildings. “Just don’t use your hands.” The three teammates looked at him in confusion.

“Give Trixie a challenge.” She walked forward and started to walk up the wall as if the laws of gravity were nonexistent. “See?” She said in a cocky tone.

“Good, now stay up there for as long as you can.” Trixie gulped and felt her magic cut out making her fall. Grey snapped his fingers and a large ethereal pillow cushioned her fall.

“So you’re good for about ten-seconds.” Grey said as the pillow vanished as Trixie got to her feet.

“Mind telling me what the point of this is?” Winter asked.

“Rushing your magic to a particular body part is the first step to unlocking hand magic.” He said as he made a sword in his hand. “Despite popular belief, you don’t need to be an all powerful mage to do it. In theory anyone can. It’s just tricky.”

“So how did you do it?” Trixie inquired. Eris and the other two gulped at the words.

“Through pain, sweat and blood.” He said in a flat tone. “Now get to work.”

~~~

Canterlot Castle

Captain of the Guard Office

Shining Armor sat back in his chair as he finished up another stack of paperwork. It seemed as if the sea of paperwork was endless. Such is the life of a Captain. He thought with a sigh. He needed a distraction. Something, anything to get his mind off of the paperwork still yet to do. The sound of his desk phone going off almost made him jump for joy. He picked up the receiver and cleared his throat.

“Captain Shining Armor.” He said

“Sir, there’s someone on the line for you.”

“Who?”

“It’s a Commissioner Iron Shield.” Shining quirked an eyebrow at the name. It had been nearly three months since Shining had contacted him Still, he figured it would provide him with a good distraction from his paperwork.

“Patch him through.” There was a soft click as the line was transferred over. “Commissioner?”

“Hello sir, I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

“Not at all. You just gave me a break from the endless amount of paperwork.”

“Ah yes, the perks of being in charge. I know your pain.” Shining chuckled at the words. “Anyway, I know it’s been a long while since we talked. The Sins have been causing me more trouble as of late.”

“The who?”

“I guess you could call them the six council members down here. They run things.”

“The glorious world of politics.” Shining groaned knowing how it was to deal with nobles.

“Anyway, I told you that the name Newhope rang a bell. I did a little digging and I found something.” That got Shining’s attention.

“Really? Anything on Grey?”

“No, but I managed to find something on the woman who owns the place. Willow Newhope isn’t her real name. She legally changed it about thirty years ago.” Shining shrugged at the words. Changing names wasn’t rare, but uncommon.

“What was the real name?”

“Well, that there lies the question. When I tried to access that I got red flagged by The Royal Guard’s security system. She must have been part of the guard for a time. I managed to get some info from a friend of mine, but there was enough black ink to print a phone book. I have her picture here, see if you know her.”

“Sure.” Shining waited a moment for the picture to come up on his computer screen. The image was of an older woman with brown hair that had streaks of silver in it. Were it not for her hair, shining would have guessed she were only in her mid forties to early fifties. “Thank you for your help Commissioner. I know you must have stuck your neck out to get this.”

“Way out.”

“Which is why as a reward I’ll send you an invite to the Winter Gala that’s happening in two weeks.”

“I’m honored sir. Sorry I couldn’t be more help, but there are a lot of people here with hazel eyes and black hair.”

“Oh turns out there was a new development. Grey actually has ashen hair.” There was a long pause over the phone.

“Ashen hair?”

“Yeah, like snow.” Shining heard the man gulp over the phone.

“S-sorry sir, but I have to check something.”

“Have a good-” The line went dead. Shining looked at the receiver and hung it up as he looked at the photo on screen. something was bugging the guard captain as he stared at the photo. “Where have I seen this person before?” He said to himself.

~~~

“Keep up there for as long as you can.” Grey said as he looked at the mages who were standing on the side of a brick wall.

“Easy for yo-” Eris was cut off as she fell off the side. Grey used his magic to make a large catcher’s mitt and caught her. “This is so pointless!” She hissed as she got to her feet

“No, you just need better control. So far, Roach is the best out of us when it comes to magic control. Better than me even.” He said as he looked at the enchanter. The green haired man smirked and looked across the way to see a silver owl with an eye patch over one eye glaring at the group. His concentration faltered and he fell. The man turned in the air and landed on his feet. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just that bird.” He said pointing.

“Bird?” Grey said looking in his direction.

“Yeah, that owl there. The one with the eyepatch.” Grey squinted and saw the owl. His eyes shrank as it spread it’s wings and bolted towards them. As it got within striking distance, the owl’s body morphed into a man with silvery black hair. In mid air, he kicked Grey in the chest.

The white haired man was sent flying into a nearby two story building. The group could hear the sound of brick and support pillars giving out. The building shifted slightly before it fell down on itself. Bricks broke, I-beams snapped like twigs and windows shattered.

“You’re rusty.” The man hissed as the others got around him with wands drawn. He looked at the group and smirked. “Oh that’s just adorable.” He snickered. There was movement in the rubble of the building and Grey’s magic charged fist broke out of a piece of concrete.

“Stop!” Grey called out as he came out from the wreckage. “Don’t even try it. You’re no match for him.” The mage had a few cuts and bruises across his body and face. Eris quickly rushed over to his side and saw the cuts glow white before they were sealed up. The mage brushed himself off and walked back over to the group. “That hurt you old buzzard.”

“You’re just out of shape.” Owl said as he cracked his neck.

“What are you doing here Owl? Thought you were busy up on your perch.”

“I was in the neighborhood, thought I’d drop by.”

“Um, Grey who is this old geezer?” Eris asked. Owl glared at the woman.

“This is my old mentor, Owl.” Grey said as he looked at the man. The man’s un-patched eye glowed as he looked at the woman.

“Odd magic about you girl.”

“She’s Discord’s daughter.” That got the man’s attention.

“Intriguing.” He said stroking his beard. “So you’re training this rabble?”

“They’re my team, minus Trixie. They’re going to need the edge if we plan on making it to the Crucible.” The man’s eye shrank at the words.

“Are you mad? Do you honestly think that you can handle that of all things? Especially when you’ve got a bunch of rag tags like this lot.” The group frowned at the man.

“Which is why I’m training them. If we’re to stand a ghost of a chance then they need to be ready.” He said in a firm tone as Owl shook his head.

“You honestly think that the committee will let anyone else besides their dogs win?” He sneered.

“If the dogs are beaten then what choice do they have?” Owl rolled his eye at the words.

“I figured you of all people would know that those crones will do anything and screw over anyone to make sure they win.” Grey frowned at the man. “After what happened to Saffron-” An ethereal blade edge then pressed against Owl’s throat. Grey’s face grew cross at the words as he put a little pressure on the man’s neck.

“Don’t even.” He hissed. The older man put his hand on the blade and squeezed. The blade cracked along the middle before it shattered and vanished.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself boy.” He stated as he started to walk away. “By the way, I hear you’ll be attending the Gala. Figured it wasn’t your scene.”

“It’s not. I have my own reasons for attending.” As he said the words, Titania appeared next to Owl. Her green eyes started looking him over. There was an odd aura about the man but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

I don’t know why but I’m getting a familiar vibe from this guy. She stretched her hand out to touch him. Like a cobra striking, Owl gripped her wrist and twisted.

“Don’t even think about it.” He said as he let her wrist go.

What the hell? Can this guy see me?

“I can sense your presence.” He said as he looked in her direction. He squinted and tapped his cane while he sent out a small pulse of magic that revealed a red outlined form for a few seconds. It was all Owl needed to recognize the woman. “Titania?” He looked back at Grey in confusion. “Of all the wand partners in this world it had to be her?”

“Wait you know her?” Grey said as he looked at the man.

“More like know of her. She’s been dead for hundreds of years.” He said as he looked at Grey and squinted. “No matter. You’ll find out soon enough. I’ll see you at the Gala I suppose.”

“Hey wai-” The older man transformed back into an owl and took off at breakneck speed. “Cryptic as always.” Roach walked up beside Grey.

“Why is everyone you know crazy, cryptic, or both?” He sighed. Grey gave him a steely stare.

“I’ve been asking myself that question since I was ten.” He sighed. “Lets just get back to work.” He sighed.

“Not before you explain to Trixie who that was and what just happened and a building just dropped on you!” The girl said as she crossed her arms under her chest. Roach then stepped forwards.

“I’ve survived worse.” Grey shrugged.

“As annoying as it sounds, I have to agree with Trixie on this matter. I know everyone has their secrets Grey, but you, we literally know nothing about you aside from that...thing you told us.” Eris and her teammates felt a shiver run down their spines as they remembered the conversation. “If we’re gonna continue to work together, then we need to trust you and right now my trust is wavering a bit.” Grey looked at his team and saw that they seemed to agree with the enchanter. With a sigh, Grey scratched his head.

“Okay, fair enough. I’ll explain, let’s just get inside somewhere. It’s starting to snow and the buzzard wrecked my coat.” He looked at the cuts in his coat and sighed. “Such a waste.” The group found a nearby building that looked somewhat stable. Grey pulled out a fire crystal while Eris found some old office chairs and put them around the gem. The crystal gave off strong heat and the group was content with it’s warmth. Grey pulled out his wand and burned a pattern in the concrete floor.

“Owl is a member of the Sentinels.” Grey began. “They’re somewhat of a secret society.”

“Never heard of them.” Trixie said.

“Yeah, like I said; ‘Secret Society.’” Trixie frowned at the man. “The Sentinels were founded sometime during the Discord era.” They had covered brief patches of the Discord era in their history class. It was all kill or be killed and mages ran wild with power. Experimenting, making forbidden magic that could make some real trouble for the common folk.

“Which was caused by your mentor.” Winter said as she eyed Eris. “And your old man.” Eris stuck her tongue out at the ice mage.

“Hey, I didn’t hurt anyone during that time.” The ice mage had a skeptic look on her face. “Okay maybe I messed with one or two towns, but I never killed anyone.”

“Contrary to the history books, the Discord Era didn’t end with his and your imprisonment. Several mages went rampant and power mad. Equestria was still trying to recover from Discord and their government was in shambles. To help combat these mages, Starswirl the Bearded founded the Sentinels, a group of gifted mages were assembled and they waged small skirmishes against them. The Sentinels remained as dark mage hunters after the mages were put down.”

“An organization like that sounds kinda hard to keep secret and why keep it a secret? They sound more useful then the Royal Guard.” Roach interjected.

“They were....for a time.” Grey sighed. “They aren’t around anymore aside from Owl.”

“Why?” Trixie asked.

“After the rebel mages were put down, there were some bad seeds in the mix.” Grey stated with a sigh. “Some of them started using dark magic and turned on one another.”

“Oh here we go.” Winter said rolling her eyes.

“The splinter group called themselves the Inquisitors. They started delving deeper into dark magic that soon consumed them. They even managed to turn some of the Sentinels to their cause.” He said making another symbol in the ground.

“What was the end game?” Roach asked. “Usually all that power is a means to an end.”

“No idea. They were very good at keeping secrets. Doesn’t matter they and the Sentinels are long gone.”

“So just to be clear. You were trained by some badass secret organization of dark mage hunters?” Eris said.

“Sort of, I never finished the training. I had more pressing matters.” He said as he narrowed his eyes. “Anyway, lets call it a day and get some food.” The group stood up and Eris put her arms behind her head.

“I worked up an appetite.” She said as a loud roar erupted from her stomach. A rosy blush rose to her face.

“I know a few places not to far from here.” The group soon wandered out of the ghost town and back towards the more populated area of the city. Grey led them to a Griffonian barbecue grill and sat down at one of the large tables with the grill built into the table. They took turns cooking their own pieces of meat and vegetables.

“You know, this place isn’t half bad.” Winter said.

“It used to be way worse.” Grey said as he took a bite out of his food. “Couldn’t walk down the street without getting shaken down.” He stood up and went to use the restroom.

“Hey Trixie.” She perked her head up at Eris’s words. “Why did you come here? I doubt you’d ever willingly ask for Grey’s help.” Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out the badge she got from her mother.

“This belongs to the guild Grey was a part of. Trixie was hoping to find out more about it. Trixie doesn’t even know where it is.” Eris shrugged at the words. Her ears perked up at the sound of a commotion coming from the front. She poked her head out of a booth and saw an older man with faded spiky blonde hair and an eye patch over his right blue eye. Trixie noticed that the badge started glowing a light blue color. As she reached towards it a symbol appeared shine above the badge.

“What the heck?” Trixie and the others looked at the badge in confusion.

“What’s with the light show?” Winter commented. The badge started moving and shot off the table. Trixie’s head whipped around to follow the flying badge that landed itself in the man’s hand. His blue eye narrowed as he looked at the badge. He turned his attention back to the performer.

“Where did you get this girl?” His voice was stern, yet had a sophisticated sound to it.

“None of your business. Now give it back.” Trixie hissed as she stood up. The man stood a full head taller than her. His blue eye sharpened at the words and the air became thick with magic that sparked like yellow lightning. The other mages slowly reached for their wands.

“Don’t even try it.” He said as yellow lightning danced across his body. An ethereal blade shot in front of the man and all eyes turned towards the wall.

“Seems I can’t leave you guys for five minutes without attracting some sort of attention.” Grey sighed sheathing his wand. “Nice to see you’re still as spry as ever Swifty.”

“Grey. Why am I not surprised?” He said with a smirk. “You always seem to find trouble.” The man waved his hand and the sparks subsided. Grey turned towards the group and nodded, they let go of their wands. The white and blonde haired men then shook each other's hands.

“Ladies, gent and Trixie.” The woman huffed at the words. “This is Swift, he sort of runs things in this section of the city.” The man gave them a nod.

“I didn’t know you lot were with Grey. Apologies.” He said as he nodded to the group.

“You two have a history?” Roach asked.

“Swift here is my guild master.” That got Trixie’s attention.

“Former guild master.” The man sighed. Grey and Trixie looked at the man in shock.

“What?”

“The guild is in shambles. The hall is all but destroyed.” He sighed. “After everything that happened with the Mad King most of the members left.”

“I saw the twins a few months ago. Still able to fight.” The blonde chuckled.

“Well that wasn’t very fair. Those two against you? Like lambs to the slaughter.” Trixie slammed her fist down on the table.

“So Trixie’s time is wasted here.” The performer crossed her arms. “Now give me back my badge.”

“Yes, about that.” Swift turned his head to the girl. “Where did you get this?”

“None of your business.”

“Oh I believe it is my dear,” He narrowed his eyes on the woman. “this used to belong to a very close friend of mine and I’m just itching to know why you have it.” The air around the man felt like trigger that was about to be pulled.

“It was willingly given to her.” Grey interjected. “Trixie’s no thief.” Swift raised an eyebrow at the words and looked back at the girl. “She’s here to find out more about the guild I figure. Her badge must have reacted to yours. You still have it right?” Swift nodded and reached inside to pull out a similar looking badge. It glowed yellow before showing a different symbol.

“Well, it wouldn’t glow like that unless it wasn’t given to her willingly.” Swift said pocketing the badge. Swift then tossed Trixie back the memento as she huffed. He narrowed his eyes on Trixie and smiled. “So, you want to know more about the guild?” Trixie gave a slow nod. Unsure to trust the stranger. “Then let’s head to what's left of the hall.”

Author's Note

WOW. This took WAY longer than I planned. I AM SO SORRY! I've been balancing a heafty course load along with a very taxing job. Juggling the two has pushed me to the edge. Thankfully the Winter break is coming in just a few weeks so I'll be able to really start working on this and my other fics again, just as son as I get through finals.

Since I have to put about 200% of my time into studies, I will leave you with these small clips for the future.

Along with:

Finally:

Hope that helps your curiosity.