Now here they are. "You sure this is the place?" Rarity asked as they stood before the threshold of an old looking building that stood in the middle of know were surrounded by woods. The doors themselves were big with unnecessary décor bolts places within the frame giving it
an eastern look.
"I'm pretty sure I know how to read a map," she answered as she bagged it away and tilted her head back. The building was made of wood with no windows and barely even a sloping roof.
"Darling I know we had like... Forever to talk about this but are you sure this is the right thing?" Rarity asked. "I mean combat isn't really me. I-I'm generous not a savage."
"Were not here to become warriors just skilled enough to protect ourselves," Twilight said as she approached the door way. "Imagine if the Rainbow Dash wasn't there to hear your unbelievably loud squeals. Were would you think you would be right now."
"I, uh mabie~"
"Dead," she said overly cheered. "You would be dead, or raped or eaten. You know zebras are savages and the absolute scum of the earth." She knocked firmly on the door and backed away. "Anyways I am always looking to expand my mind and although I will be living forever it would be nice not to get killed off before eternity. Subjugation can only do so much."
Rarity grumbled as she waited patently with twilight. It was a bright day with almost now clouds in any direction so it struck her as odd when a hazy mist began to form around them. "Twilight?" Rarity said as it continued to thicken.
"What," she asked with eyes fixed on the door as she gleefully gazed unaware of the intruding fog. She was to exited to begin learning through physical means were as books only sought to make her lazy and unfit for courting. Surely this would make a turn about in her unsatisfying persona. Same could be said about Rarity who looked as if she could die from lack of sunlight at any moment.
“Are you not going take note of this unnatural weather phenomenon,” Rarity asked as she backed into the doorway with Twilight still staring miles beyond.
“No,” she answered.
“Wha?”
“This is only a diversion.” She said as a dark figure bolted in between them blocking out their vision with a swiftly placed hood over both their heads.
When Rarity finally came to after passing out from over induced panicking she found that she was tied back to back with Twilight who wore a smug expression. “Twi,” she rang in relief. “Where are we?”
“SILENCE!!!” Boomed a voice from everywhere. The room was dark with the only light source coming from twilight catalyst(horn if you're a purist). She was intentionally refusing to focus it for reasons only known to her. The same raspy deep voice, this time much quieter said, “And why did you come here?”
“Uh… magical… combat training?” Twilight answered. “Isn’t that what this place is for?”
“How did you know the fog was only a diversion? Are you not a spy I could kill you now.”
“Pft!” Twilight exclaimed whipping her head forward. “It's common for teachers to jump there new found students. Ive read about it in books and it's called hazing.” She killed the light on her horn and said, “You can show yourself whenever you like.”
“Do you even know who I am?” The voice called out again.
“No I haven’t quite got your name,” Rarity said wide eyed at the oppressing darkness. “Yea Twilight darling this just might be a bad idea I strongly suggest we go back now. How'd we even get here?”
She tilted her head back as she thought for what seemed like years as their host was ever so patent. Finally she said, “I don't know I think I had a dream once where I thought this was real but it wasn't and was at the same time were I was told by rainbow dash that this was the place to go because reasons. For this one I’ll say ‘cuse magic.’”
Rarity began to whimper at her helplessness as who would have thought that the smartest of them would be so oblivious to her own reality you would think that it was out of convenience for the universe they end up here. “I wanna go home I got like three tailors and orders never stop coming not to mention the map that sends me here and there aw it's just awful.”
“Quiet,” Twilight whispered. “Hey? You going to teach us magical defence or not? I'm getting bored of this game.” There was no answer for a while but then the rope cut free with the sounds of a metallic wiff skimming the air coming to a stop on the far end of the room with a wooden thud.
“You’ll learn to respect me befor I teach you my trade,” said the voice as it seemed to circle them all round.
“I'm a princess of magic or friendship or something.” Twilight said as she helped the fearful Rarity to her blinded hoofs. “You know the only three there are? Alicorn?”
“Not here you're not as today I will be your teacher. Only if you expect to fall under my terms of condition.”
“Fine what are they?” she asked.
There was the sound of crumpling paper and the voice came again. “Uh ahem. Let's see… you will respect me as teacher, yea that's already been said, uh… ah. Any injury caused or acquired while on the premise will not be held accountable for by the dojo~ Equipment will be dealt with responsibly and under adult supervision, bla bla bla. You know what just sign here.” There was a shift in the ceiling and light suddenly poured in through the rafters that had been rotated shut just a moment befor.
Lighting up the room the two could now see clearly. The room was mostly bare except for four wooden pillars that held up the corners of the room. The floor was of wood the roof was also of wood with paper shades and the only door out was the one directly behind them. Directly in front of them however was a stallion fitted in a black garbs that covered him from head to hoof with a decorated horn woven with white ivory. In his aura he held sheets of paper and he steadily approached them with confidence.
“What's this?” Twilight asked as Rarity became dazed at the sudden brightness.
“Legal disclosure,” he answered. ‘Black Iron Hard-Hooves,’ it read. Odd because her dream must've thought it was Black Iron Tarkus but it was a dream to begin with anyways and this was obviously reality. “Your both eighteen right?” he said nodding with a suspicious eye.
“Yea I mean I’m a god of friendship and stuff so I must be eighteen,” she said as she sighed the first line with a feather pen provided by Hard-Hooves. “Or at least twenty.”
“I own shops so that makes me relevant I think,” Rarity said as she finally recovered and timidly signed the disclosure.
After the signing was complete the disclosure vanished as he swiped it away with his aura. “We shall begin, I will waste no time and you should quickly season yourself for training.” He gently pushed them away from the middle and grunted as he lifted a four prong device out of the ground.
“What's this?” Rarity asked having been defused of worry at the underwhelming nature of Hard-Hooves.
“Just push on it with me,” he commanded as he took a prong and began pushing counterclockwise. Twilight and rarity each took their own prong and together the three of them pushed with the efforts being rewarded by a dojo that slowly sprung up equipment from below ground as the continued to spin. After about a minute of ceaseless effort Hard-Hooves motioned for them to stop and both Rarity and Twilight retreated letting Hard-Hooves lower the switch back into the ground.
The room now held racks of all kinds of weapons, along with a few mirrors and wooden post for practice. The room truly did transform as it was no longer bare and now seemed as if it could train an army “Take a seat,” he commanded.
Rarity obeyed quickly were as Twilight was a little more slow to follow as she was a bit rebellious and doubtful to Hard-Hooves already despite the technological display. “Now why did you come to me?” he began. “To learn self defence and magical combat,” he said not giving them a chance to answer for themselves even though the two were basically the same which only added to Twilight's doubtfulness.
He paced back and forth in front of the two as he spoke. You would be wise to think his persona would reflect that of a wise, thoughtful, mysterious figure but this stallion seemed to break away from all that nonsense being anything but withdrawn. “I will teach you two things: Magical sorcery and weapon combat. Any questions?”
Twilight raised a hoof which was only met with a harden look by Hard-Hooves but she asked anyways. “How is using weapons magical?”
“The types we use are magic focused as any typical earth pony or pegasus can't learn such techniques and if they had the dexterity to wield them then surely with not the same precision and skill of a unicorn. Any thing elts?”
“What if I just wanna learn magical sorcery?” Rarity asked. “I'm not very much in favor of the barbaric sword wielding mojo.”
Hard-Hooves brow furrowed as he got into Rarity's personal bubble. “What good will magical sorcerers do when you're faced with a unicorn who is well practiced in both fields?”
His face was right in front of hers with muzzle and all almost touching hers as he stood dominantly over her sitting figure. “I uh…”
“Die, You’ll die.” he said intensely making Rarity flinch. “Do you see yourself as a corps!?!?” He shouted.
“NO!” she cried.
“THEN PICK UP THOSE WEAPONS!!!” he shouted pointing near the wall were a rack of swords sat.
With great haste she jumped up and ran over to it picking up two in her magical grip and held them unsure what to do. “Now what?” she winned.
“Put em down,” he said with hard eyes and equal intensity. “I'm not ready for you yet, I still need to talk to...” He pulled up the disclosure. “Miss Sparkle.” He turned to her with fire that sat naturally in his eyes and said, “What is there to know about you?”
“I know magic,” she said casually.
“Any of that, ‘magic’ meant for combat?”
“No not really.” she said looking down. “Most of them are kinda pointless and you only remember them only after you've manually accomplished a task before had. Like I needed to… I uh…” She raised her hoof to her chin as she thought but then she said, “You know I don't recall any of the spells being all that useful.”
“Your well practiced in magic it seems, I have heard of you.” He turned away from her. “Learning magic specifically for combat shouldn’t be hard for you and applying that skill to a blade would make you ever more dangerous on the battlefield. Already I have faith in you Twilight. Don't dissapoint me and I will make you a warrior to be feared.”
Twilight smiled. She often times enjoyed being favored by the teacher amongst others it was almost a drug to her to satisfy them, but then one thought invaded her. Wasn’t she just here for simple self defence? Here this stallion is trying to make her and Rarity a warrior but then again PC and PL only ever seemed to use unfocused magical rays so being skilled with a blade would make her an immortal warrior of friendship. To her that sounded cool and she thought such a title would make Rainbow Dash jealous for sure.
Sad for Rarity who seemed she would rather be back at the ally with the friendly neighborhood zebra, or so seemed compared to this stallion. “Rarity,” he barked. “Pick up those weapons and Twilight,” he turned to her. “I’ll see to it your magic becomes a fear factor amongst enemies.” He beckoned for Rarity to join them. “Now,” he said. “Let us begin.”
