Twilight and Paolina were giving each other even looks, practically trying to stare the other into relenting. It was a titanic battle of wills; the student who spent years burning candles at more than both ends versus the warrior that fought gods for a living... Truly it was the stuff of legends...

Then Twilight blinked, hissing at the loss and letting out a groan. "Fine... you can start his training, how long will he be gone?" Twilight asked as she started escorting the armored Saiyan back to the local library.

Paolina took a small breath as she started to relax. "One month, it'll be a day of training and then six days resting before the cycle starts again. He needs this training, I'd take the rest of you but the Hyperbolic Time Chamber of this world has the same two-person limit per training session that the one on earth had."

Twilight let out another sigh before looking up at the sky. "To think... a completely separate dimension... with a gateway on our own world... Do you realize how much power that would take to simply keep active?" She asked as she turned to the Saiyan.

"Since the door is pretty stable itself it doesn't require any energy to stay active, but since it's an entirely different dimension altogether the only powers that Spike and I will be able to sense will be each other's." the Saiyan explained. "The gravity there is ten times greater, the atmosphere is denser the further away you travel from the portal platform and the temperature can vary from negative forty degrees Celsius all the way to fifty degrees Celsius."

Twilight was stunned as she listened to the Saiyan. "And you're forcing Spike to train in those conditions? The first step alone will crush him!"

"Twilight... He'll be fine, I trust him... you should too... he wants to join me, and I had several extra RIT Variant suits made for the both of us so that we have something to wear for each day that we're in there training."

The violet unicorn looked towards the rapidly approaching library. "I guess... I'm just not sure how four days of training will help in those conditions, it may just do more harm than good..."

"Trust me Twilight, by the time we're done training he'll be as strong as me." Paolina assured. "No need to tell her that time goes by fast enough that we'll be doing a year's training at a time..." She pet the unicorn's mane. "By the time he gets back I'm sure even you will notice the change in him."

Twilight smiled for a few seconds before stopping and starting to think about what the Saiyan said. "...Did you just insinuate that I'm oblivious?"

Paolina smirked. "Nope, you've spent his entire life around him... he's grown with you and so you don't notice the little changes until you look back on your life." She explained. "Do you remember what he looked like as a hatchling?"

Twilight gets a small, nostalgic smile. "Yeah... he was so adorable... so tiny, I'd just snuggle with him as I started to read and he would fall asleep in my hooves... I'd fall asleep soon after only to find that Princess Celestia put us both in my bed so that I could hug him like a little stuffed toy."

"And what about now?"

Twilight sighed a little as she looked at the ground. "He's growing up... he sleeps in a basket that the Princess got for him last year... I told him it had to have been a prank but he loves it..." Her eyes begin to tear up. "He's growing up like... like..."

"As if he were your own son?" Paolina offered.

"...yeah..." Twilight agreed quietly. "He's been like a little brother to me since I got accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... and now..." She chokes back a sob.

"Hey! It's not like you're sending him off to college or something... and it'll be only a month..." Paolina assured as she pat the sad unicorn's back. "He's coming with me to be a hero like you and your friends, he'll be able to protect you girls just as much, if not more, than you girls already protect Equestria."

Twilight nodded a little as she wiped her eyes. "Yeah... yeah... I know... it's just... I'm going to miss him..."

"And he's going to miss you girls... I'm sure of it. But... It'll be you girls that inspire him to keep training and learn all that he can about martial arts and Ki. You raised a smart and noble dragon, I'm here to combine that with strength." She gave the violet unicorn a nice scratch between the ears. "He'll be fine and he'll come back to be a hero."

Twilight took a few more sniffs before lighting up her horn with a smile and opened the door to the library. "Spike!" She called out.

"Just a sec! I'll be right down!" The dragon replied from somewhere on the second floor. Paolina simply let Twilight nuzzle against her as the mare tried to keep her composure. Within a few minutes Spike finally came walking down the steps with a small suitcase, he paused at the bottom of the stairs and gave a wary glance to the sniffling Twilight. "Uh... Twilight... why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to do what mom did before you left for your first day of being Celestia's student?"

Twilight gave a nervous chuckle before walking over to the little dragon and gently pulling him into a hug. "No spike... I'm not going to act like mom... but I am going to miss you around here, I don't know what I would've done all those years while you were growing up if I didn't have you..."

"Uh... not get in trouble with child labor laws?" Spike offered, getting another chuckle out of the saddened unicorn.

"No Spike... I'll see you in a month... I love you... little brother..." Twilight replies as she gives him a firm hug.

Spike gave her a firm hug in return. "I'll miss you too big sis..." he replies, tentatively using the 'sis' in his sentence.

Paolina smiled at the display. "We'll be back before you even notice that we're gone Twilight." She says with a broad smile.

Twilight gave another small smile. "Yeah, I hope so... Have fun you two." Spike nodded as Paolina ushered him out of the house. Twilight blinked again as tears began to form in her eyes. "...be safe... both of you..." she whispers before lighting a candle, the wick coming to life with a green flame. It's only about a minute before she starts scratching out a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am writing to inform you that for the next month Spike will be unable to send our correspondence, so I will be resorting to the standard magical fire mail system. It will be a tad slower for results between the two of us but until Spike returns from his trip with Paolina it will be for the best.

I... I don't know if you will be able to tell... but with Spike leaving like this, even if it's only for the next month, I believe I understand why my mother was crying what she had called 'liquid pride' when I was accepted to be your personal protege. I've had a few smudges as I tried to write a few previous letters to you before this one all because I can't stop the tears, I'm sad to see Spike leave... already it feels like it's been so long even though he just left about an hour ago... I'm also proud and happy that he'll have a strong mentor to keep him safe while he's training with her. If it's at all possible, I would appreciate just a simple day between you, your sister and me... possibly my parents as well if their schedules will permit... I need somepony to talk to about this and while I know my friends would be more than happy to spend time with me and take my mind off of it, I want to actually get used to the fact that I won't have my assistant and little brother with me for the next month so that if anything like this should happen in the future I hopefully won't be as sad.

I had to close the library all day because ~~I am just~~ ~~It~~ It's ~~complicated~~ really hard to explain. I want to just curl up and cry the day away because I already miss Spike so much but I know that reaction isn't worth having simply because it doesn't change anything. I know that I need somepony to speak with in order to get this feeling off my chest.

Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.

Princess Celestia had a small, pensive frown on her face as she read her student's latest letter, which explained why a royal courier had brought it instead of it simply appearing in front of her. Her frown faded to a small smile though as she began to make her response.

Dearest Twilight,

Of course I can schedule some of my time to help you through this sad event, I trust your judgement on letting Spike leave to train under Paolina and am very proud that you could come to a decision on your own. This is a very mature and important decision in your life, I understand your concern about your friends' reactions and am more than happy to schedule a day in Canterlot for you to relax and come to terms that even as a young wyrmling, Spike is growing up into a noble drake.

I will be sure to ask if your parents are free to see you when you come to Canterlot, I'll be sending a ticket with the letter that has the date of our meeting to provide your fare to and from Ponyville. My sister could use a time like this as well, she's had... ~~trouble~~ ~~Difficulty~~ She could certainly use the company to help catch her up with the times-

Celestia winced as she heard another shout coming from the kitchen... that was almost halfway across the castle.

"Metallic Cur! Ye miniature metallic oven of microscopic heat waves shall pay for burning our toast! Have at you!" Came Luna's shout, which was followed by the rending of metal and a small explosion. Celestia let out a small sigh as she went back to writing.

I can't wait to see you again, Luna certainly could use some friends from this time period and I'll be sure to clear my schedule so that you can visit my sister and I for at least an afternoon.

Your Caring Mentor, Princess Celestia.

Celestia quickly sealed up the letter and had to stop herself from sending it to her student the usual way, almost sending it directly to Spike out of reflex. Taking a short breath she got up and began a walk to her school, which also happened to be the hub for letters sent via magical fire.

Spike was watching wide-eyed as it seemed they had passed through the entirety of Equestria and Griffonia all the way to the edge of the dragon lands in only a few minutes, glad that they had finally slowed down he now watched as a strange temple-like building came into view... or to be more specific, floating castle. "I-Is that where we're going to spend the next month training?" He asked with a nervous stutter.

"Yep!" Paolina replied as she approached the floating lookout. "We're going to be training in The Hyberbolic Time Chamber of this world and the best part of the training is that there isn't a two-day limit to how often it can be used."

As they landed Spike quickly hopped off and looked around. "I guess I'm just confused as to how training for a month is going to make me as strong as you..."

Paolina let out a nervous chuckle. "Well... That's the thing, see... time inside the Hyberbolic Time Chamber moves fast enough so that one day out here is a year in there."

"Wait... you didn't tell Twilight that..."

"What? That to you it's going to be the equivalent of four years and twenty four days... no... I didn't tell her that... because then she might not have let you come to train."

Spike was about to respond just before the two of them noticed a young-looking griffon approaching, by the curves it seemed to be female. Her body wasn't quite as pronounced as a full-grown griffon egress but the distinction was still there. "Hello!" She starts, her voice was a bit bright and warbly, "Kami was expecting you two, I'll be taking you both to the room of Space and Time." She explained with a smile as she hovers in the air and beckons for them to follow her.

They both proceed to follow the young Griffon into the lookout. "So... How long have you been here?" Spike starts as they get inside.

"Kami adopted me a couple days ago, I used to be in Canterlot... But Kami has been so awesome! He's already started teaching me about the Lookout and magic and Ki!" The Griffon says excitedly before she stops and lands in front of them. "Oh my gosh! I've been so rude, My name is Hannah!" she quickly explains with a bow.

The Saiyan and dragon both give bows in return. "I'm Paolina..." She starts, "...And he's Spike, it's very good to meet you Hannah."

"Yeah, it's great to meet you." Spike added with an awkward smile.

The rest of the trip passed with the little excited Griffon talking to them about the various features of the lookout that would come to her mind as they made their way to the bottom of the lookout, meeting up with Cello just outside the door and letting Hannah quickly hug him with a content smile. "It's good to see you two here..." Cello started as he opened the door to the chamber. "...If you would like to start training immediately now is the time to enter the door."

Paolina gave a small chuckle. "We're going, see you tomorrow!" She said as she picked Spike up and walked into the spacious chamber.

Spike gave a small shudder as Cello closed the door behind them, suddenly... he felt so alone now that it was just him and Paolina standing in the room together. "Lina...?"

"Yeah Spike?" She replies as she puts him down and starts setting up the outfits for the two of them.

"Why does this place feel so... empty?"

"That's because you're technically in a completely different dimension, once the door that Cello opened for us is closed we're in here until either he opens it again or one year has passed. Here, put this outfit on..." She explained as she tossed him a one-piece blue jumpsuit with a small hole in the back to accommodate for his tail. At his confused look she gave another laugh. "It's a really flexible fabric, combined with the armor you'll have something that's durable and just ripe for abuse with our training."

"Uh... Cool... how difficult is this training going to be?" He asks nervously.

"Excruciatingly difficult, that's why it's going to be effective." The Saiyan replies with an almost Twilight-like smile. "Just take a step off of the platform and you'll find out."

Spike cautiously made his way over to the step-like platform across from the door he had entered at, so far aside from the overwhelming emptyness it didn't seem like there was really anything wrong with this-...

The moment his foot touched down outside he felt like Twilight had just done a belly flop onto his back as the gravity forced him to the ground. He noticed Paolina walk up to him out of the corner of his eye before she kneels down in front of him and uses her hand to hold his chin and have him look her in the eyes.

She started quietly, just a bit louder than Fluttershy but the emptyness made it more than easy to understand. "From this point until that door opens again... I am not your friend... you have no outside connections... I am your mentor, and you will train until you drop each day, if you slack off you're only hurting your chance to protect your friends from the danger that's inevitably going to come. If you're not strong enough when the threat comes they will die. You will follow my lessons and you will focus only on your training, am I clear?"

"...Crystal..." Spike whimpered out as she let him fall to the ground again.

"Lesson one is getting your body used to the higher gravity... This room has ten times Equestria's gravity, so whatever you weighed before, it's now ten times more than that and you have to get used to it. The faster you complete this lesson the faster you will be able to move on."

Author's Note

And here we go! The beginning of Spike's, and by extension Paolina's, new training. What will happen to the young drake? Will he succeed in the training of a mentor who is just as intense as Cell? Or will he fall short of her standards?

Tune in for the next episode!

Still taking suggestions for the title of the story, for the life of me I can't come up with a better one than the one I have