Prodigy

The rest of the day was spent exploring the grand city of Canterlot, and all of the things that it had to offer. I had come out of the book store after browsing a few more of the aisles and picking a few more books that piqued my interest. Nothing of immediate importance or interest, just a few novels to keep my attention while I had my stay in the castle. Some poetry, a little bit of mystery and romance, just general things like this to keep myself occupied.

Austin, however, had found something of better interest to his desires.

"Why? Just... just why?" I asked him, gazing at the window that he was glued to.

"Why not though? You can't ask me why if I can just ask you why not!" he said, turning to face me.

"Um, yeah, I can. Why?" I asked again. Austin turned back, and pressed his hands against the glass in the shop window.

The four of us had been walking down a street in the mercantile part of Canterlot, and Austin's attention had been drawn by a general weapons and tools shop. Posted in the window, being suspended by strings from the ceiling, sat a beautifully crafted wooden hunting bow. The price tag on it read three hundred bits, and Austin definitely had his eyes on it. The bow was configured like a normal hunting bow, and was a dark black in colour. At the moment, I saw no reason to delve into the realm of archery, but if he really wanted to, I saw no reason to stop him.

"Because I want it! I've always wanted my own bow after that instructor came to our school to show us! It was so cool!" he exclaimed, turning back to me. I shrugged.

"I mean, if you're okay with dropping that much money in one place, then be my guest, I guess," I told him, as I idly swung the bag that held my books around my legs. We both needed something to preoccupy us. I had chosen books, and Austin had chosen...

He was already through the door to the store.

...archery...

Now don't get me wrong, anyone and everyone is absolutely capable of learning a new skill. In fact, that's how one should keep their brain sharp, by trying new things. The thing is, Austin had never shot a bow before, nor did he have any prior experience, save for the instructor that came to our school a few years back. He hadn't been strong enough at the time to draw the mighty string back. It was quite humorous, come to think of it. At the same time, so would this, but I digress. I turned my gaze to our friends. Bell looked confused.

"Do you know any guards that know how to use a bow well?" I asked him, for Austin's sake. Bell nodded to me.

"A few ponies, yes. But there are few humans who know how to," he told me.

That brings up anther point. Humans in the guard. Yes, of course, there were human royal guards. Probably about a fourth of the guard were humans. This is because they were suited to more... intellectual tasks, based on their physiology and number. Ponies, especially larger ones, were more suited to physical roles based on the fact that they were built stronger. Physically, ponies are a lot stronger in a lot more ways than humans are. Their skeletons are built low, and a lot sturdier than humans. This made them a better candidate to guard work than humans were, which was reflected in the ratio of pony guards to human guards. If you were to look in the field of science and medicine, you would find a lot of unicorns, yes, but the amount of humans goes up as well. Humans are better suited to more precise tasks, as their hands prove a huge advantage. All of this correlates back to Austin and his bow.

"There had to be some, surely!" I thought aloud to Bell.

"Hmm. Maybe, but to my knowledge, no. At the same time, it isn't hard to learn how to use a bow, it just takes effort, and time. With how young you two are, he should have all the time in the world to use that thing," he told me. This was true, the basics of a bow were quite simple. It would take him a long to master the weapon, however.

By this time, Austin had just exited the shop, the newly bought bow clutched tightly in his grasp. A leather belt quiver full of arrows hung from his hip, likely holding at least thirty arrows. He had a silly smile plastered on his face as he walked over to us.

"How much did you drop on all that?" I asked him.

"Four hundred bits total, which was actually a little bit under what he was going to charge me," he told me.

"Hey, how'd they even let someone so young buy a bow?" I asked him.

"That's what I was getting at. When he asked me how old I was, I just told him that I was with them" he told me, pointing to the guards that were accompanying us. Glass gave me a small grin.

"When he saw who I was with, he just knocked the total down to four hundred even," he said, putting his bits back on his belt. I had noticed that various people who were walking by us had been giving us rather peculiar looks, most of them directed at Austin.

"If there's nothing else that you want to do, we should start heading back," Glass said to us. I nodded at him, as Austin slung his bow across his chest, the string facing forward on his chest. Compared to him, the bow was quite big, as Austin wasn't the tallest person in the world. He would have to work hard to build up muscle to effectively use the bow.

Well, he has his work cut out for him...

We started our way back to the castle, attracting less gazes now that Austin wasn't holding the bow. Nothing eventful occurred on the way back, so I will spare you the details.

Upon arriving at the castle, Austin asked the question that we all knew he would ask.

"So where can I shoot this thing?"

Glass and Bell exchanged nervous glance, which was generally uncharacteristic of a lieutenant. I can see why he would be nervous, however, as I looked to Austin.

"Well, connected immediately to the armoury is the training grounds. We can go and see if there is a slot open in the future. That's the best place that you can start practicing," he told him.

"...can we go see now?" he asked him. Bell glanced to me, before looking back to Austin.

"I suppose we can. Come on, I'll take you there," he said as he turned away towards another hallway. We promptly followed him to the training grounds, passing a multitude of guards and servants on the way there.

The training grounds had both inside and outside complexes, and were dedicated to furthering the training of the royal guards. Inside, the room was massive, with ceilings at least fifteen feet tall, probably more. The length of the room was probably at least seventy feet long, and probably around fifty feet wide. It was a huge room, and a large part of the north wall was covered in weapon racks. They held a large variety of weapons, from spears and swords, to shields and maces. There were various knives and daggers, and there were even a few bows on the far left side. I stood in awe of how many weapons were here. Of course, I would assume that not all of Canterlot's weapons were here, but I digress.

The room was surprisingly empty, as we stood in the doors to the room.

"Well no one's here. Can I try it out?" Austin asked, taking his bow off of his chest. Bell moved over to the door, finding a clipboard held on by tacks. He picked it up, and quickly glanced over it.

"Hmm... the last group for the day left about forty minutes ago, so it would seem that we have the entire room to ourselves today," he told us. I had walked over to the weapon racks, having set my books down, and was currently gazing the selection of shields that were available. Some were designed for ponies, some were designed for humans. Some were big, and some were small. Some were designed for a more aggressive role, having spikes on the front, and some were flat, designed for a stronger defence. The selection baffled me, really.

"Are those archery targets?" Austin said, pointing past the weapon racks. I looked to where he was pointing, and saw a line of large, square targets attached to rolling wheels. The target started about two feet off of the ground, and stopped after about three feet, which was quite a big target. I moved over, and gave one a small pull. It moved slightly, to my delight. I slowly pushed one out of its place, and across to the middle of the room. The frame was wood, but the material inside the frame was much softer. It seemed to be some sort of... woody material. Almost like...

Cork.

Quite smart if you ask me. The target had a much smaller target pasted to the middle of the board, with a "dartboard" style center, and a bulls eye in the middle. I stepped back to where Austin was standing, collecting my books on the way back. He stepped into the middle of the room, and gripped his bow tightly.

"Um, Daniel? How do I do this again?" he asked me. I face-palmed, and moved over to him.

"You have to nock the arrow on your string, remember?" I asked him. He nodded in realization, and did as I told him. I stepped back.

"Wait, what's next?" he asked, obviously confused. I smirked at this.

"Now you fire, just don't ricochet it and kill one of us," I told him. He looked back to the target, about twenty feet away. He looked back to us.

"Hey, Bell, twenty bits I can hit the center first try," he called out. Bell let out a hearty laugh.

"I like those odds, so sure, you're on" he said with a confidant smirk. Austin grinned devilishly, and turned back to the target. He drew back the string, albeit with a bit of trouble. Once he had the string back, he held the bow still. Suddenly, the string fell forward, and the arrow flew true.

Right into the exact center of the target.

"YEAH! HOW'S THAT FOR ODDS!" Austin screamed while fist pumping. I looked to Bell, who stood with his mouth agape. I laughed at this, and looked back to Austin.

"Yeah, well... beginners luck!" Bell called out.

One Week Later

The doors to the indoor training grounds swung open as I pushed on them. Beside me walked lieutenant Bell. We stepped into the training grounds, and I walked over to the weapon racks, Bell following in suit. I glanced over the huge selection of weapons and tools before me, and eventually gravitated over to the section that held the swords. The weapon racks were double sided, and I slowly walked around them as I reflected on my choices. There were so many! Swords and spears, some of which I couldn't even begin to name for you. I could place a few names, but that's it, just a few. I looked back to the spear section.

...halberd. That's a halberd... I think...

"You know, you can feel free to make your choice sometime this year Daniel," Bell called out to me. I looked back to him, and stuck my tongue out, returning to my browsing.

After the princess had seen what kind of purchases we had made for ourselves, specifically Austin, she had given us the proper allowance to observe and even practice with a few select types of weapons. This allotment, however, was not given lightly.

A, it had come after Austin and I had made a special request to use the training grounds more regularly. B, we were to be under strict watch the whole time we were here. Bell had been selected to watch over me, as Austin had been taken away for another evaluation today. C, if anything, and I mean anything negative was reported back to the princesses, then our privilege would be immediately revoked, and we would not be given a second chance. Kind of intimidating when you think about it. It almost made me want to just look at the weapons, and not touch them for fear of losing this opportunity. Of course, I was here for a reason, and this was not an option.
I fixed my gaze on one of the smaller swords on the racks, tilting my head as I looked at it. It was a simple piece of weaponry, being around two and a half feet long, with a straight blade. I had a general knowledge of what the parts of a sword were called from one of the books I had read for an assignment back in school. Regardless, the... hilt of the blade was wrapped in leather for a better grip, and it had a small, round pommel on the end of it. The blade came to a straight point, and was double edged, with a fuller running the whole length of the blade, save for the tip. The blade had a cross guard connecting the blade and the hilt. I reached out for the blade, and took it from the rack it was in. Lifting it, I found it to be surprisingly light compared to what I had expected.

"That's probably the simplest blade from the entire selection, which is good for you. Do you want to use that one?" Bell asked me. I stepped back from the weapon racks, and swung the blade in front of me a few times. It still felt quite light, to my surprise, and delight.

"Uh, yeah. This one seems pretty solid, but it's light. Really light! What's it made out of," I asked him.

"That much I don't know. I would normally say steel, but if you say it's that light..." he said, taking the sword in his magical grasp. Oh... Bell is a unicorn... I forgot to say that. While I'm at it, Glass is also a unicorn.

Wait, aren't most royal guards unicorns? How else would they be able to...

"Hm, you're right. This blade is quite light, even from what I've seen around here," Bell told me after swinging the blade twice. He rotated the blade in his magic, observing the entirety of it. I briefly thought back to my book on conjuration, and watched with slight envy. He handed the blade back to me, raising an eyebrow.

"If I had to wager a guess? Maybe it had a magical enchantment on the blade that keeps it light? I can't feel anything, so if that's the case, it must be a damn good spell. Other than that, I don't know," he told me. Eventually, we dismissed the thought, and I made my final selection.

Bell and I made our way over to the center of the room, standing around ten feet apart. I had the sword in my right had, my left free. I briefly glanced over to the shields on one of the racks.

"Alright, now what do you know about the weapon you are holding?" he asked me.

"...it's light?" I half said, half asked.

"No, I just told you!" he exclaimed. I blinked.

"...it's... I'm holding it?" I asked. Bell stared at me.

"It's a weapon!" I yelled.

"Precisely, that's exactly what it is. A weapon, nothing more, nothing less. That sword was designed to kill, and it'll do that more than easily. You have to know what you are holding backwards and upside down, or you could easily kill yourself just as easily as someone else," he told me. I gripped the hilt of the sword just a little bit tighter.

"You swing the wrong way, you kill a friend. You swing the other way, the blade goes through your face. Do you want that?" Bell asked in an aggressive tone.

"Nope, definitely not," I responded. Bell seemed to stop for a few seconds, before walking over to another one of the weapon racks. He came back a few seconds later, clutching a wooden sword in his grasp. He took the sword I was holding, and replaced it with the wooden sword.

"In the long run, this is a lot safer. I'd rather be smacked with a plank of wood then have my neck cleaved off," he told me. I felt the wooden sword in my hand. The blade was thin, but not sharp, and externally almost was identical to the blade I was just holding. Bell put the sword back in its holster on its rack, and continued.

"For this, the same rules I just explained still apply. You still have to treat that as a weapon, why?" he asked.

"Because it's a weapon," I told him.

"Right. Now that we have that covered at least partially, we can begin. I want you to show me your best combat stance. I looked down at my sword, and sighed. I spread my legs, to what felt natural, bending them slightly. But I was at a loss as to what to do with my arms.

"What do I do with my arms?" I asked. Bell moved over to me.

"You are right handed, yes? Always keep your blade in front of you to deny any quick frontal attacks. Keep you hands slightly apart, and always keep both hands on the hilt for now. Put your non-dominant leg in front of you, so you can spring off of your good leg if you have to. Bend you knees slightly, slightly! There, now hold that pose," he told me. Bell walked around me, evaluating my stance.

"Is this good?" I asked.

"Get a little bit lower. The lower you can be comfortably, the better balance you will have," he told me. Overall, this probably look quite silly, but first steps are first steps. Bell nodded.

"That's not bad. Now remember this pose, and keep it fresh in your memory. There are many, many poses that I can teach you, but for now we'll just move on," he told me.

"Hey, no offense, but shouldn't I have, like... a human teaching me?" I thought aloud.

"Son, I've been training guards here for seven years, now, and that includes ponies, AND humans. I think I can help you out a bit," he told me. "Straighten your shoulders!" he told me. I kept low, but straightened my shoulders as much as I could. I then realized how steady this pose was. By being this low, my center of gravity was also low, which would make it hard to offset me.

"Good. This is the most basic pose for frontal combat. It allows you to be steady, to keep concentration, as well as keeping the ability to move quickly should you have to," he told me. I stood up, back to normal.

"Alright, now, we can move on to basic handling. He took the blade from me, and swung it in a large arc horizontal in front of him, left to right.

"This is called a right cross slash. It is exactly as the name implies, a right, crossing slash," he instructed me. He gave the sword back to me. "Now, show me what I just taught you,"

I raised the blade, and gave a quick swing, trying to keep my arm slightly bent as I did.

"No, you can't do that. You kept your arm straight, but you used your body for momentum. If you do that in a real battle, one good push after you do that is all it takes to throw you completely off balance. If that happens, you're done for. Try again, but this time, use nothing but your arm. Normally, it's okay for you to do what you did, but for now, let's try to do things the classic way, the right way," he explained to me.

I readied the blade again, and gave another swing. This time however, I kept my shoulder out of the equation, using just my arm to propel the blade. The slash was not as quick, but I could immediately notice the improvement in precision as I swung. My shoulder was not there to offset what my arm was doing, and the whole swing just felt more... accurate.

"Do you notice how you are not swinging so far behind you now? That's called back-swing, and if you let too much of it out, you leave your entire front open for attack. Sometimes, all it takes is a quarter of a second for you opponent to run you through," he told me. I processed this information, taking in how precise I needed to be if i wanted this to work.

We practiced this swing for the next ten to twenty minutes, eventually transitioning to a left cross swing, for another ten minutes. Once Bell was sure that I had those two swings down, he introduced me to blocking, but said that we'd have to cover that in another lesson, as he had to go and take up a post for patrol duty. We said our farewells, and then I was left alone to my thoughts, wandering the halls of the castle. I thought about the swings that I had memorized, the pose, and to things like Austin, home, and so many other things. Realistically, everything that was happening right now was happening incredibly fast, and at the same time, incredibly slowly.

I eventually found my way back to my room, where I went to my dresser, and opened it up. I reached in, and pulled out my copy of Magic and Conjuration, sitting down at my desk. I opened it, and flipped to the page I had marked.

"Chapter two, basic conjuration" I read aloud.

Maybe there was hope for magic yet.