Swordstorm Book I: Scrimmage

Applejack

Everypony within Grey Glade sat in a complete circle in the middle of the room, with a lantern in the middle. The lights were turned down low, and darkness had closed in. Light projected from the boring grey walls of the room, making the room seem a little less dark. The room was large sure, but with five beds for each member in the group, it made the room seem crowded. The lavender stallion, Fancy Shine, scooted closer to her looking a little uncomfortable.

Applejack knew why they were doing this. What better to enjoy a little free time, than with a good story to tell? She didn't want to tell a story, but the organizer of the arrangement did. She wasn't sure what kind of story she will hear, let alone what it's about. Regardless, she went along with it.

"Alright," The grey mare Obsidia announced. "I have quite a tale to tell all of you. It's a story that's been going around the whole organization, from what I'm told. And... it is a true story."

"Lemmie guess, it's about how everypony freaked out when they ran out of coffee?" The red stallion Fire Flash joked.

There were a few snickers, but it soon ceased. "No." Obsidia looked at him with a deadpan expression. "It's been talked about much longer than that. And it all happened, a few years ago."

"So, what's this story 'bout anyway?" She asked.

"A griffin named Pontus." The grey mare told them. "Or better known as 'Pontus the Turncoat', as many have called him."

"I don't know if I'm gonna like this story." Fancy Shine shivered.

"Jeez, dude! Pony up, will ya?" Fire Flash commented.

A sage colored mare put her hoof on Fancy. "Now, now, let's be civil here. Go on, Obsidia."

"Thank you." The grey mare sighed, and then began: "Now, Pontus was once a member of the Equestrian Universal Defense. He trained hard, and fought hard for the organization. Many consider him arrogant... yet clever. And then there is his smile, his sly yet sinister smile. He was also once in the famous division: Bellow Fury."

"Bellow Fury?" The red stallion mocked, "Couldn't they have come up with a better name?"

Obsidia gave him a dirty look, and then proceeded. "Anyway, in spite of being in Bellow Fury, nopony in the division appreciated him. He always disobeyed orders, he bad-mouthed his own teammates, and not to mention disrespected the Captain. He even went as far as to sabotage the training equipment, resulting in a lot of soldiers injured."

"What a jerk!" Fancy spoke.

"Well no duh. As much as he was despised by his superior, the Captain knew he was a gifted warrior and still kept in on the team. Big mistake. During a recon mission somewhere--I have no idea, it's classified--the Captain split the division up, leaving Pontus in charge of the rest of the team. Again, another big mistake. At some point when they were supposed to meet, the Captain found the rest of the team dead."

"Whoa. That got dark pretty fast."

"Nopony was sure what happened next, but it was safe to note the Captain was found dead as well. He was sliced in two, with his intestines slithering out of half his body. After that, Pontus was labeled a fugitive and a traitor to all Equestria. Nopony knew where he went, but they searched for him. Anypony who set out to look for him either came up with nothing... or was killed."

Everypony but Obsidia, widened their eyes and dropped their jaws from shock. Applejack had never heard of such a ruthless killer in her life. She noticed Fancy Shine was still shivering nervously from hearing the story. Sage Stone was not as scared, but looked nervous nonetheless. Fire Flash was probably the only one who didn't seem scared, but rather seemed bored.

"Pshh, come on!" He said, disappointed. "I've heard scarier stories than that!"

Obsidia looked at him blankly. "Okay, I admit, It's not as detailed as other scary stories. But that doesn't exclude the fact that the story was indeed true. Pontus the Turncoat is still out there, and is still being looked for to this day."

"Right... well, I gonna hit the sack!"

The red stallion went over to his bed on the left, and collapsed. The sage colored mare did the same, but did so gently. Fancy Shine on the other hoof, still cowered behind her. Obsidia looked at the stallion with a raised brow, and frowned. As the grey mare went over to the lantern, she gave a glance at him again.

"You know," The mare started, "this place is not for the weak, or cowardly. Right?"

"Mm hmm." He only nodded.

"Well I think it's best you start to pony up, or go home! The training we went through the other day? That's nothing! It will only get tougher from here!"

"Now just hold on a minute." She intervened, "Ah understand Fancy needs ta tough'n up, but why not be more encourage'n?"

She gave her an angry glare. "That's the trainer's job, not the trainee. Besides, 'encourage'n' will only get you so far! Trust me, I know." Without another word, she went over to her bed, which was on the far right; close to the wall.

Applejack yawned, suddenly realizing how tired she was. As she went over to her bed--which was in the middle--she noticed the lavender stallion going over to his mattress on the other far side. She pulled the covers, and got herself tucked in. The beds were not quite as comfortable as what she has back home; the pillows being a bit rough and such, but she's getting used to it.

Like Moonshadow had told them, every group received a captain to lead their team. When they stepped out of their room (more like a cabin), the divisions are greeted by their captains. Since it's been a few days since she and Rainbow were instated, they already have their captains. Most of the captains were regular ponies, but there was also a bat pony and griffin too. The group that Rainbow Dash was in, was lead by a dull red bat pony. His mane was short and windblown. As for her captain...

"Greetings to you all." Moonshadow told them in his calm, soothing voice.

"Good morning, Captain!" Everypony in her group saluted.

Applejack was among the few ponies, who was genuinely surprised that the long maned stallion was their captain. She remembered the shocked expression from Obsida's face, when he showed up and told them. It sounded a little weird that the guy who introduced them, would be one of those captains. Regardless of whatever reason, she, like everypony else, went with it. They did plenty of training that day, she remembered. It was the same as before, but today will be different.

"At ease." Once he said that, her group put their hoof down. "Follow me. We the captains, will show you to your new gifts."

Without question, her group began to follow the dark coated stallion down the hall. The other groups followed their captains up ahead. Obsidia was in front of her, while everypony else was behind her. One of the captains ahead of them opened the door, which led out of the hall. It wasn't the same door where she and Dash entered before; that was the door behind them. From what could make out, the door seems to lead to a large open space.

There wasn't much chatter from the trainees, or their captains, so it had been rather silent. As her group passed the doorway, she could make out exactly what this was supposed to be: a weapon testing room. There was a plethora of unique and usual contraptions, displayed across the walls. It was hard to tell what kind weapons they were, though. There were also cloth dummies splayed about the place, some with rips and tears across them; piles of stuffing and straw littered the floor. She heard the captains commanding their cadets to line up.

"Everypony line up!" Moonshadow commanded, voice smooth yet firm.

They all did as such, lining up almost perfectly with everypony else. Before them was a white rectangular table. Upon it, was an assortment of weapons neatly placed in a specific order. Most of these weapons were familiar, such as swords and lances. But each blade was vastly different from the other. As for the other weapons... they were alien to her. Such as strange claw-like weapons, crafted specifically for hooves in mind. There were also small star shaped weapons, with circular holes in the middle. As for every other weapon, she had a hard time getting a clear view of them. All of the captains were standing in front of the table; which is likely the explanation.

"Now what you see before you, is a menagerie of standard weapons." The dull red bat pony explained. "Most of these weapons are bladed, sure, but that's the idea. They are meant to be lethal."

Huh. He's a bit younger than Ah thought. Applejack began to wonder.

By appearance alone, the bat pony seemed younger than some of the other captains--aside from Moonshadow, who's probably older. The bat pony's build was lean, yet well toned. From what she could see, his cutie mark resembled three claw marks. His cat-like eyes were a teal color. He picked up a pair of the claw-like weapons.

"Another thing you probably realized, is that certain weapons are fit for certain races, or all." A mare captain explained. "These gauntlets called retractiles for example, are fit for every kind of pony. More specifically for Earth, and pegasus ponies."

"While of course some of these weapons are fit for ponies, others are fit for griffins as well." A male griffin's voice resonated. "Swords and spears can be wielded by unicorns and pegasi, and griffins can too. However... double blades, and knuckles are exclusive to griffins."

She knew she had to get used to the weapon terms, otherwise she'll look completely clueless. Applejack figured Rainbow Dash would have to learn these terms as well. The word "retractile" was not something she was familiar with, but it didn't take much to figure out the context clues.

"The weapon you choose, will be your weapon for most of your time here. Should you improve in ranks, you can have a better and more advanced version of that weapon. So choose very carefully."

The captains ordered them to line up one at a time to receive their weapon off the table. The first group--Jade Eye--received their weapons one by one, still leaving every other weapon for grabs. The second group--Black Flayers--came up and took their weapons, still leaving many weapons left. The group, Shimmering Vale came up next. They had chose their weapons, but still had enough left for the rest of them. Rainbow Dash's group, Quick Sword, came up to the table next. She noticed Rainbow Dash immediately went for one of the swords.

"Bold choice, Rainbow." The dull red bat pony told her. "But remember, once you've chosen your weapon that's it; you cannot change."

"Don't worry, Cap!" Rainbow assured, "I wanna use this."

"It won't be easy though. Traditionally unicorns wield swords, since they can use levitation."

"I know. I just... wanna challenge myself, that's all."

Riiiigghht. she thought sarcastically, Cuz that's the reason.

She assumed it had to do with Blackblade. It was obvious that the bat pony liked Rainbow, but it almost surprises her that she likes him back. As for why, she wouldn't know. Usually Rainbow would have no interest in anypony that way at all. For whatever reason, it's hard to change RD's mind.

The rainbow maned pegasus attempted to grip the sword's pommel with her teeth. The sword was rather long, most likely the length of her body. The mare didn't seem to have any sort of trouble lifting it, but the way she gripped it looked rather awkward. Enough so, that everypony started snickering. By then mare's cheeks were flushing red from embarrassment. She managed to get a firm grip, the sword now held sideways. Despite this, they still chuckled.

"What is she thinking?" She heard Obsidia rant to herself, "She knows swords aren't meant for pegasi, yet she chose it anyway! She's either really bold, or really stupid."

"Hey!" She glared at her from behind, "That's my friend yer talk'n 'bout!"

"I'm just saying it wasn't a smart choice. She'll be stuck with that weapon for the whole year. She should have chosen the spear, if you ask me."

The captains looked at one another, and nodded. "We appreciate your effort," One of them told Rainbow, "however, perhaps it's best to choose a more... effcient weapon."

"Thank you," Rainbow replied, sword still between her teeth. "but, I wanna use the sssword."

One of the captains gave her an annoyed look, and sighed. "Very well. But remember you cannot change weapons. Got it?"

Rainbow only nodded and trotted forward, sword still in her mouth. From then on, the line continued. The members of Quick Sword chose two swords, a spear, and a pair of retractiles. Throughout this time, she thought about what weapon she should choose. There doesn't seem to be any ropes on the table, so lassos are out of the question. What kind of weapon would suit her? The thought lingered in her head, as they continued on their way to the table.

She was first in her group. Several weapons still layed upon the table. From swords, one more spear, a star shaped weapon, round ball-like objects, and more. But of course, there were several upon several pairs of retractiles. They looked to have some sort of metal plating; all of different colors. Looking closely, the claw-like blades were curved and sharp. One pair had serrated blades, possibly for better grip or something. There were also similar gauntlets placed, except they had three blades which were splayed out. They also looked sturdier, too.

Ah think Ah might choose'em.

When she grabbed one pair, she immediately realized how heavy it was. It wasn't as weighty as she thought, but it wasn't light either. The pair she chose was bronze in color. Through further inspection, the weapon was in prime condition. She could see her reflection in the metallic finish.

"Retractiles? Good choice." She heard one of the captains comment.

"An excellent choice, Miss Applejack." Moonshadow told her. "An easy weapon to learn, yet difficult to master."

"Really?" She asked, "Ya sure?"

"Absolutely positive."

With that said, she trotted over to the others with their weapons. She witnessed Obsidia come up, and grabbed a pair of retractiles. They were silver though. When she looked at her captain she seemed to smile a little. Once she came over to her, the smile faded. Obsidia made the same sort of frown as before, stern and serious. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow Dash went up to her and showed her her new weapon.

"Hey, AJ! Check it out!" Rainbow muffled, sword still in her mouth.

"Yep, that's a darn good weapon ya got there!" She told her.

"Ugh! Why did you pick a sword?" Obsidia hissed, "Pegasi can't wield swords properly! Should the time come, and you have to fight, you'll wind up dead!"

"Nopony asked your opinion, Obsidia!" Rainbow shot back, as she put her sword down. "Besides, I'm gonna be training with this weapon. It's not like ya have to know how the weapon works, before you start using it."

"Yeah, but you're a pegasus. Unicorns are better fit to wield swords. I may not be a unicorn myself, but I at least know what weapon one 'can' or 'cannot' use."

"Oh, whatever!" Rainbow picked up her weapon, and trotted back to her group.

Applejack looked at her angrily; fed up with her attitude. "What's up with ya?! Why'ya talking that way with my friend?!"

"She's being cocky, and I know it!" She replied. "She can't wield a sword! She won't succeed in training with that thing. She should've picked the spear, or retractiles, anything but the sword."

"Well, now that's no way to talk to my friend because of it! It's just a weapon. It's not like it's the fate of Equestria or anything."

The grey mare stared at her, her dark eyes showing anger but also something else. "If things go bad..." She said, sounding upset. "...Then yes, it will be!"

Every kick she did made her grunt. The feel of the retractiles, was not something she was readily used to. The cloth dummy has been battered and scarred by so many other weapons, it surprised her that the thing still stands. Every time she kicked with her back hooves, the weapons chafed them making her wince in pain. Every impact stung her, as she bucked in a slow rhythm. She among many, were going at it with the white cloth dummies. The sound of grunts and "Hyah!", filled the training area.

Darn! These boots are sting'n like an angry swarm o' bees!

"I believe this might help." She heard a voice behind her.

It was Moonshadow, levitating two foam-like pieces. "What're those?" she asked

"These were supposed to be fitted inside the back pair, to prevent any chafing or blisters. But somepony must have slipped up during the process of making this pair."

He then levitated the pieces to her. She sat down on her hindquarters and carefully removed the back pair, using her front hooves. She didn't wear the front pair yet, mainly because she wanted to see how the back pair worked. Picking up the foam-like pieces, she noticed they felt soft and plush. Each of them had one side that was stickier than the other. She placed the pieces on the inside of the clawed boots. When she put them on she felt immediate comfort in the back of her hooves.

"Wow. That actually feels much better now." The pain she once had was eased. "Thanks, Captain!"

"No need." He replied. "A simple mistake was fixed. Continue."

With a nod, she went back to bucking. She hit the dummy in a similar rhythm as before. Every time the dummy rocked towards her, she bucked on instinct. Applejack continued doing this while staying in place. Every hit poked six holes into the dummy's cloth hide. At some point it became a little bit tedious, so she tried mixing things up by doing different styles as she kicked. She noticed Moonshadow went close to her.

"You don't need to stay in the same spot, you know." He told her amiably.

"What makes ya say that?" She asked.

"You see, with a real enemy, they of course would try to evade any oncoming assault. And as he or she would try to attack you, you in turn shall do the same."

"So, y'mean dodge'n?"

"Correct. Try jumping to another side, and then attack from there if you can."

"Got it."

When she hit the dummy and rocked towards her, she jumped to one side and bucked.

"Excellent!" He cheered, "You are doing phenomenally well, Applejack."

"Gee, thanks!"

"I've gotta admit," A familiar voice said. "you're rather adequate."

Quickly glancing back, she noticed a familiar figure approaching: Jolly Blade. Seeing him sent a feeling of anger in her, which wasn't something she feels on a regular basis. He came up to Moonshadow with a smug grin on his face. The dark coated stallion looked rather annoyed by his presence.

"Captain Jolly." He sounded annoyed as well. "You seem to be in a better mood then before."

"Don't act like you're happy to see me," Jolly quickly mocked, "I know the shtick. Besides, I'm not here to bug ya!"

"Fine, what brings your pompous hide here, Jolly?"

"Eh, just wanted to see how the newbies are handling things. Some have potential, but seriously, not everypony's gonna cut it. That lavender guy for example: looks like he's never held a weapon in his life!"

At first, she wanted to say something... but she couldn't. She had to respect her superior, regardless of their actions. If she wasn't so nice, she would've called him off. He continued to point out ponies or griffins he found inadequate, all the while frowning. Her captain obviously wasn't so fond of his belittling.

"Since when have you decided to be so insulting, Jolly? You had better faith in newcomers before. Why a darker change of heart?"

"'Cause we're dealing with some serious crap here, Moon! Word from the outpost at The Ridge says that they've been spotting nezenite scouts twenty miles from the site. Rumors are spreading that there are more, experienced soldiers would come. Other seeds say that they would have the gall to battle the kaerndallens, on their turf!"

"The Ridge?" Applejack asked, "What's that?"

Jolly grinned again. "Heh. I'm surprised you didn't know yet. We have a site in Ronia close to Kaerndal. The Ridge acts as an outpost, and refuge for any unfortunate soul who managed to escape from a sabrathanian base."

"But... how c-"

"-Can we get to Ronia?--knew you'd ask that--By using an ancient device called the Dan'enth. There are of course two of them; one in Ronia, one in Equestria. And obviously, we are the ones who have the other in our possession, while the other resides in Kaerndal."

"So that's how those warrior guys came here." She realized. "From the... 'Dan'enth', or whatever."

"Oh!" The Earth pony stallion remembered something. "I've also noticed your friend chose a sword. Bold choice. Poor, but bold."

Moonshadow went close to her, but still had his gaze on Jolly. "If I have to continue hearing any more of your taunting, I shall have to report your behavior to the council."

"Pah!" He shot back, "I'm just havin' a bit of fun is all! I need some entertainment, to cope with all this bullcrap."

Not long after, he trotted off somewhere else. She was glad he left them. The last thing she wanted was to be taunted by him, or have him insult her teammates. Why would he act like a jerk? He said that he was an ally to Princess Twilight, but now she's starting to doubt that. She could feel a burning in her chest thinking about him. She never thought she could lose somepony's respect, until now.

"My apologies," Her captain said as he turned to her, "My associate is a bit--how would I put this?--inconsistent. And perhaps a bit callous."

"No need to 'pologize. I thought he was at least a decent pony, since he saved my friend's sister an' all."

"Yes, but he still has the same heart as a churlish mercenary. He used to be a sellsword before he came here. He sometimes acts decent, but believe me, he can be much more ignoble once you get to know him."

Ah'm not like'n the sound o' that. She frowned.

"I shall have to check on everypony's progress, so I must bid you ado, Miss Applejack."

After he said that, he trotted off in the direction of everypony training. It was at this moment when she felt something, as she watched him walk off; a warm, fuzzy feeling. But why? Was it the way his long white mane flowed, as he trotted? Whatever it was, she would prefer not to think about it now.

Yet, something else crossed her mind: Obsidia. When she last spoke with her, she criticized Rainbow Dash for choosing a sword. But she also seemed visibly upset about something. If she didn't know any better, it almost seemed as though she was about to cry. Thinking about made her both curious and concerned at the same time.

And Ah'm gonna find out why!

Sleep would've come easily for her, had it not been for the nagging thought of not knowing. She wanted to sleep, but also wanted to know what was up with Obsidia. She continuously tossed and turned, until she heard another's covers rustle over. Slightly looking back, she realized it was the grey mare herself who got up from her bed. Maybe this was her opportunity to speak with her? Quietly, she moved her covers and slowly set her hooves on the cold floor.

Tip-toeing her way over to her, she noticed the grey mare never truly left her bedside. She was on the ground, knees planted on the floor. Her front hooves were clasped together, and her head was bowed. Viewing from one side, she saw that her eyes were closed and moistened with tears.

"Father..." She whispered, "...it's me again. I've come to speak with you, as I always do. My captain says that I am doing well in training, father; That I am good at using retractiles, just like you." she smiled a little, "There isn't a day that goes by, when I didn't think about you... and Mom. I pray you give me strength to carry on, Father. Celestia knows I need it."

Applejack didn't think she would start choking up, until now. She was talking to her father, through what looked like prayer. The grey mare opened her dark eyes, welled up with tears, and took notice of her. When she did, her gaze turned hostile.

"What do you want?!" She hissed. "Can't you see that I want to be left alone?"

"You miss yer parents... don't you?" Applejack asked understandingly.

Obsidia was taken aback by that. "Oh, what do you know about missing parents?! You wouldn't know what it's like to lose the ponies you care about most!" Tears began to seep down her cheeks, "You don't know what it feels like, to have them taken away from you at such short notice!"

"Actually... yes. I do."

The grey mare's gaze saddened, and more tears flowed like two waterfalls. "Y-y-you lost your parents t-t-t-to?!"

Applejack nodded. "All that Ah have left is the rest of my folks. Like my grandma, my older brother, and my little sis."

"You're lucky! You're lucky to have family! My Mom and Dad are the only family I had!" More tears came down, "I don't have siblings, or grandparents like you do! I don't have any aunts or uncles, or cousins, or nieces and nephews! I am all alone!!"

The grey mare collapsed to the floor, but she rushed to her side. Applejack wrapped her arms around the sobbing mare. She felt the grey mare's tears run down her shoulders. For a few long minutes, she cried into her shoulder. A tear ran down her cheek as she continued to hug her. When Obsidia broke away from her, Applejack turned to face her.

"No, sugercube. You're not alone. I've known ponies who have lost their families too."

"H-how is that supposed to help?" the grey mare replied solemnly.

"Heck, if it makes ya feel any better, our whole group is like a family--almost. We're supposed ta stick together, and fight side by side. In a lot of ways that's like have'n a family. Don't beat yourself up, sugercube. As long as we're a team, you'll never be alone."

The mare's expression was blank for a moment, dark eyes red from tears. She sucked up whatever mucus she had running, her expression still blank. As Applejack was about to turn to the comfort of her mattress, she was stopped by a hoof on her shoulder. Obsidia gave a sad smile as she went to hug her again.

"I admit, it's a little strange but..." She said, almost sounding confused, "...Thank you. Nopony's ever said anything like that to me before. This is perhaps the first time I'm not my usual self."

"Don't worry 'bout it! It's a part of you that Ah ain't ever seen before."

Obsidia quickly looked at the beds, "We need to get some sleep. There's a lot of training ahead of us."

"Yeah. Yer right about that."