Fire and Ice

Chapter Seventeen: Clash of the Generals

With a smile adorning her features that prominently displayed her amicability, Princess Celestia stepped forward to accost the two oldest militants.

“General. Warden.”

“Oh!” The younger of the two stallions immediately focused his attention on the alicorn. He was a larger than average unicorn with wavy locks of blonde with a pristine white coat and green eyes sharp and calculating, his cutie mark and most of his body covered with chain mail armor. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

He didn’t even look at the dragon, pretending that he wasn’t even there.

The other stallion, also a unicorn, tipped his head to the solar monarch before his amber eyes caught the dragon at her side where they subsequently went wide in shock. His wrinkly coat was a dark rust coloration with a salt and pepper mane cut short in one inch in length and cropped tail, clean white uniform obscuring his cutie mark and body much like his comrade.

“G… good… morning, Your Highness… Who might I ask is this?”

Rhem smiled awkwardly as he waited for Princess Celestia to answer for him, his round eyes and large smile making him appear far less intimidating than usual--but he still managed to unintentionally overawe most thronging the courtyard.

“This is General Rhem of Draconia,” Princess Celestia relayed as she met the flaxen-maned stallion’s gaze. “He’s agreed to show us some information I feel would be most beneficial to our armed forces. His knowledge of advanced techniques, strategies, and other statistical data should be a great asset to us.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty… but we are the epitome of our strength,” Blueblade objected. “We beat back the griffons when our forces came to a clash.”

“Yes, we did. But only just. And I’m afraid you weren’t there yesterday during our little… impromptu exercise in the garden, General. Rhem ran circles around your elite pegusi as if they were foals, and he’s barely half your age.”

“Half his age?” Red Pommel coughed and cleared his throat. He had been getting sick more frequently lately. He hoped he wasn’t coming down with another cold. “Erm… How old is he? He looks far too young to be in the armed forces.”

“I am nineteen,” the reptilian replied nonchalantly, still keeping the sweet smile upon his scaly visage.

“You? The Draconian general at nineteen?! Preposterous! Unheard of!” the old stallion scoffed and coughed again.

“Indeed, he is. I was rather surprised myself, Warden. And I daresay if I had any doubts to his abilities, he certainly disproved them yesterday… In fact…” She threw a warm smile to the elderly equine. “How would you like to test your abilities against his own to see for yourself?”

“Pah. Let me handle him,” Blueblade volunteered, taking a step forth. “No sense getting the old man involved. Don’t want him breaking his fragile hip or something.”

Turning to deliver a smug smirk at the warden, he then narrowed his gaze at Rhem.

Red Pommel snorted with indignation.

“You’ll never change, will you, you insolent pup?”

Shaking his head, the ruddy-coated unicorn stood back, inwardly hoping that the Draconian would knock Blueblade down a few notches.

Rhem had to frown at the contemptuous attitude Blueblade had shown. He knew if any Draconian soldiers spoke that way to their superiors, there would be a heavy punishment in the very short future.

The Equestrian general continued to smirk as he and his opponent positioned themselves at the center of the courtyard and placing a gap of several yards between them.

“Not if you never change being such a crusty old gas!”

Even though he was middle-aged, he had an attitude and sort of energy about him to match those nearly half his aged, and he did respect his superior officer, privately holding him in a fairly high regard--though, he would never admit it. To that end, he sounded just as disrespectful as they came--the only one he ever really seemingly submitted to out of actual respect being Princess Celestia herself.

Blueblade pawed at the ground, snorting once, bending his head down, and charging forward, pointing his horn at the dragon as he did so.

Rhem waited, his first move already planned out in his brain. Once Blueblade was within a couple of feet, the dragon put his planned maneuver into action. His clawed hands struck out, one grasping onto a foreleg, the other his horn. Rolling his body aback, he pulled the equine on top of him as his hind foot came up to press against his belly. As he let go, he sent the stallion flying with a powerful kick and rolled back onto his feet again.

The unicorn had been planning on stopping and swinging his lower body around to deliver a double-barreling buck straight at the dragon’s jaw. Finding himself yanked off his hooves, the general could only gasp and let out a yelp as he flew. He tumbled through the air for a few seconds before crashing into a crumpled mess several yards away.

Getting to his hooves, he snorted, his coat and armor somewhat dusty.

“Pah! Tricky little devil, are you?” he growled, sliding the sword attached to his back out of its scabbard with his magic. Swinging it in a cross fashion in front of him, he charged again with the intention of engaging in melee combat.

The young dragon waited again for the stallion to close in, before throwing his weight forth and somersaulting. As his tail came down, it pinned the blade of the sword to the ground while his head followed. Rhem headbutted Blueblade in the chest, sending him flying once again. Jumping back to his feet, the end of his tail coiled around the sword’s handle. Tossing it up into the air, he reared to catch it between his teeth.

He could have just pounced on the unicorn and point the sword at his throat, but where would the fun in just ending it be? So, he waited for the opposing general to recover.

The next thing Blueblade realized, he was staring up at the sky and in the process of focusing his eyes. His chest was a flurry of pain, rolling over to stumble to his hooves again. Growling, the pony’s horn flashed as he attempted a different tactic…

… and teleported above Rhem to literally get the drop on him, landing on his back and flinging his forelegs around his neck to try and wrestle him to the ground--despite being smaller.

Rhem’s body hit the ground as the full weight of the stallion came down upon him, but he pushed himself right back up. He held his neck in place and resisted Blueblade’s strength. The dragon wouldn’t move as much effort the unicorn put out. Feeling some of his opponent’s power ebbing, he rolled right over to pin him with his hulking frame. He remained there for a few moments and got back up, letting the pony lay there with dizzy spirals in his eyes.

The warden standing along the sidelines barked a laugh, thoroughly satisfied with the outcome of the match.

“HA! Hasn’t been ten minutes and the boy beat you over, Blueblade!”

He went on laughing, shortly succumbing to a brief coughing fit.

Rhem dropped the sword beside Blueblade’s prone form and sat down upon his haunches with a look of concern.

“I have been… beaten,” Blueblade mumbled in disbelief. Getting to his hooves, he gazed upon the dragon with a confused expression. “And you’re… showing concern? I thought…”

“That he would have eaten you by now?” Princess Celestia ventured, now wearing a pair of shades and sipping a mimosa that had been graciously offered to her by a servant. “Come now. General Rhem would never do such a thing.”

Blueblade blinked… and bowed before the scaled general.

“Your skills are admirable,” he stated, rather humbly, though with an intonation that suggested some bitterness. “I admit defeat.”

Rhem nodded with a soft smile.

“Admitting defeat is admirable, too. Most soldiers in Draconia would just keep fighting until they… well… are unable to fight.” The dragon general’s smile had faded as the second half of his sentence left his mouth, but it returned. “Celestia and I came to teach her some information on combat. You are welcome to observe.”

The warden was immensely interested, and amused, at this idea.

“Teaching the princess about combat?” A chuckle escaped his throat. “I would not wish to miss this.”

Arching his eyebrow, Blueblade cocked his head with a look of surprise--not having heard any of the horror stories that Princess Celestia had learned from her Draconian friend. The princess, who was now underneath a sun umbrella that someone was hefting up and being fanned by another, rose to her hooves and dismissed her servants.

“Indeed. That battle, while short, did intrigue me.” The tall mare smiled and approached. “And I would like to learn from Rhem, should I ever find the need to have to personally defend myself. It has been too long since I exercised those skills.”

“… Your Majesty? You’ve… been in a fight before?”

“I have fought against King Sombra three hundred years ago. And I had to fight for my survival several times. Skills, much like unused muscles and equipment not properly maintained, will atrophy or fall into disrepair over time.”

“She does need to stay alive to take care of her kingdom. What would happen if someone broke into the castle, got past the guards, and tried to hurt her?”

Rhem rose up from his sitting position to pick up the sword he had dropped and offered it back to Blueblade.

The warden nodded deeply.

“Equestria would possibly fall into disarray and destroy our harmonious civilization. Best to keep our princess in fighting fit condition.”

With a snort, Blueblade accepted the blade and slid it back into the sheath.

“Preposterous.”

“It can happen, General. Don’t be so complacent it couldn’t,” Princess Celestia warned.

“I’m not… but still. I just find the notion… surreal. Though, I agree it would likely be for the best--as a last measure, if nothing else.”

A smile pulled at the mare’s mouth.

“Glad we agree.” The royal equine turned to Rhem. “What shall be the first lesson?”

“Are your scribes ready?” Rhem asked. Just then, the two unicorn mares zipped over and came to a stoppage behind their ruler, quills, ink wells, and parchment floating in the grasps of their levitation spells. With a satisfied smile after acknowledging their presence, he turned back to the monarch. “I suppose they are. We will go over pressure points again.”

Giving the mares a grateful smile, Princess Celestia nodded once and turned back to Rhem.

“I’m ready whenever you are.”

The Draconian stepped closer to her, sitting down in order to utilize both of his hands to trigger her pressure points. He didn’t press down long enough on the areas that would knock her out cold or cause her pain, but explained them. The warden knew about some of these points, but he never thought there were so many of them to memorize. The scribes scribbled away feverishly as they printed the dragon’s words into text.

While he did not press down very hard or long enough to straight up knock her out, the alicorn did settle down quickly due to the acupressure. She went from standing strong and tall to laying down on her stomach, then sprawled out onto her side.

She allowed Rhem to use her body as a living model… and puppet, especially when showing off some of the more amusing reactions. She still didn’t understand how she involuntarily happened to look up whenever the nerve in her shoulder was touched. The mare was about to drift off into a slumber as the session came to a close. This time, his teachings wouldn’t be forgotten thanks to the scribes.

“Hmm?” She drowsily lifted her head. “… Over already?”

The princess yawned, brushing her prismatic mane aside and out of her face.

“Yes. Sorry, but we need to move on.” Rhem let out a small chuckle, rising to his feet and taking a step back. “Can you show me your view of a proper battle stance?”

Nodding, she yawned a second time. Shaking her self out to be rid of dirt and blades of grass that clung to her body, she spread her legs somewhat, bending them. Dropping her front half, she spread her wings as she pawed the ground with a hoof. She snorted once, as if in warning that she was about to start charging any moment.

Circling the princess, Rhem examined her stance with care. Occasionally, he stopped to feel her muscles, searching for any tension or locking. So far, she was pretty loose. That was good. Yet, as he looked her over, he couldn’t help but admire her body. She was so delicate and sleek… So beautiful… And her fur so incredible soft. And that mane and tail!

The way the dragon stared at the mare with a far-off look on his face didn’t fail to escape the warden’s notice.

“Like what you see there, boy?”

This snapped Rhem back to reality. Blushing softly in embarrassment, he positioned himself in front of the royal pony.

“Very good. Joints bent, muscles ready but loose. Head low to protect your throat and belly.”

Princess Celestia had felt somewhat self-conscious as Rhem examined her, having went pink in the face. Though, when she heard the warden call out, her cheeks deepened to a shade of scarlet.

Her tail noticeably drooped over her flank even more so, as if masking the view of something that she suddenly felt was likely exposed. As Rhem settled down in front of her, she gave him a smile.

“Thank you. It’s a natural form. Most of us drop into this stance as a reaction if we must fight…”

“That is good.” Rhem found himself staring again; this time his eyes were strictly glued to her face. That warm smile and those kind eyes… They only enticed the innocent schoolboy crush he had developed. Shaking his head to pull himself out of his transfixed state, he stepped back, the adorable pink blush returning to his face. “Erm… Let us move on to pain spots.”

At this point, even Blueblade seemed to notice something--as he hadn’t moved from where he was sitting since Rhem had defeated him in their duel. He arched an eyebrow with a disapproving glower, but said nothing.

“Yes, let’s.” Princess Celestia gave pause, relaxing into a more natural state and gazed at Rhem with a slightly worried expression. “You… I should feel silly for asking this, but you’ll… be careful, yes?”

Even the scribes noticed the look of affection upon Rhem’s face, but they, too, decided to remain silent. The Draconian nodded with an even wider grin.

“I am not going to hit you. I am just going to point them out. No need to worry, Celestia.”

Rhem immediately went away pointing out several areas on Princess Celestia’s body that caused the most pain when hit, including under the front legs, a few in the abdomen, and, of course, in the groin--but, he didn’t go near that final one. He even explained that striking certain nerves can increase pain.

Princess Celestia smiled, nodding once. She knew he wasn’t going to hit her, she just wanted to make sure he didn’t press down on any points to cause her pain. She felt a little foolish, but she had asked just to make sure the ponies around her would be placated he wouldn’t do anything untoward.

Blueblade absorbed this information. He hadn’t really been paying much attention to the nerve points that induced relaxation… but he seemed almost captivated at these points, trying to commit them to memory.

Red Pommel knew most of these spots well, but there were a couple that were new to him. The boy certainly was knowledgeable, he thought. It was quite commendable. Of course, Rhem had been forced to memorize them all.

The old pony was silent throughout the duration of the lesson. Moving on, Rhem tutored the princess in several basic--yet effective--combat maneuvers. Some of them were locks used by the forelegs. He went on demonstrating them, putting Princess Celestia in said locks. As for other maneuvers, he started by placing his hands on the mare where they should be when about to perform a certain attack, then went into very detailed descriptions, sparing her from an actual demonstration of the rest of the steps.

The alicorn felt a little embarrassed that Rhem was so close to her, but was thankful for the descriptions as opposed to a live demonstration of an actual attack. She wouldn’t have minded as much if it was just the two of them. However, since they had an audience, she wished for things to go as smoothly as possible.

Blueblade was very intrigued by the physical display, studying the locks and paying utterly rapt attention to Rhem’s explanations. He did not wish to be taken off guard again.

The dragon went into a monologue on strength, body weight ratios, and attack calculations, which were starting to confuse Red Pommel. He hadn’t been exposed to such math since his days as a school colt. Even the scribes paused to question the winged reptilian to repeat himself, which he gladly did. Rhem may have been illiterate, but he was no stranger to mass and velocity and the math that went along with it.

Even Princess Celestia seemed to be quite amazed. Her eyes went a little wide, surprised at the amount of knowledge Rhem possessed--but admitted he would still need a practical working knowledge of physics and mathematics that he would need to utilize his battle strategies… even if they weren’t written down on parchment.

He was amazing! She never would have admitted it, but she hadn’t anticipated that he was like this at first glance. He was brilliant. No wonder he was a general at such a young age.