During that day, Luna continued to search for the Main 6. All of them were willing to help Celestia and Luna's soldiers defend Equestria, although some were more difficult to persuade than others. Mainly just Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was easy, she had read ahead.

They are now on their way back to Canterlot Castle where they will be tested, both mentally and physically...

Training Period:

Month: 01

Day: 01

The multiple chariots approached the Canterlot Gardens. In the lead chariot, rode Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle. One of the chariots behind held Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and in the final one were Rarity and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash was flying alongside them. The chariots descended steadily towards the ground. Ground contact was smooth, from repetition and practice. The gardens were well looked after, as was expected by the princesses. The passengers all exited the chariots relatively at the same time. There were six of Luna's personal guards waiting for their princess to address them. She signalled the others to follow. As they walked up the stairs, the guards stood at attention on each side of the steps. Luna instructed that two of them remain guarding the doors, and the other four guard the entrance from inside. Luna inhaled deeply, and sighed a long breath. She turned to face the Main 6.

"So... how do you like it?" The ponies were looking around in amazement. This couldn't possibly all belong to just two mares; It was way too big! Luna decided to get straight down to business. A look of seriousness fell on her face in an instant. She cleared her throat, as to grab the ponies' attention.

"Now." They were serious now too. "Onto why you are here." The room fell silent.

"Your training period will last for three to four months. During that time, you will be trained personally by my sister and I, as well as within the Cadet Regiments. Your physical strength and mental state will be assessed and improved where possible. Exercises will be adjusted to suit your preferences and race. Your accommodation has been prepped for you in advance. You will find everything you need. Just follow the guards." A shroud of magic swirled around Luna. Once it was fully surrounding her, the teleportation activated. The Main 6 were briefly surprised, then got over it. They each followed the guards to their allocated rooms.

Saddle Arabia:

He stopped on a hill, and looked down on Saddle Arabia's outer villages.

Shooting Star had recently learnt how to regenerate nutrient sources in his body, so the bread would be more than enough to last him the journey. This specific skill had become very useful when Starlight Glimmer attempted to gain his obedience through starving him for days, sometimes weeks, at a time. If he gauged his portions correctly he wouldn't need to buy anything else until he got to the Crystal Empire. Before he made his way through Saddle Arabia, he checked to see if he was still as able to use his weapon. It was a bloodline ability generated from his family's specific magic. His weapon took many forms, but he often favoured two; a large sword, and a scythe. The process was often quick. The blade formed from his magic which was extremely compressed, meaning a lot of the energy had to be released as quickly as possible. If he chose however not to release any of it, the blade would be much heavier than normal but the cutting power would be noticeably increased. The sword was fully formed in less than three seconds. He decided not to release any of the energy to see if he could still lift it. He lifted the sword up. It was heavier than he remembered, but nothing too much for him. He thought to himself while he was on that hill. He felt sorry for the region. Because of his actions many months ago, Saddle Arabia was currently in an economic crisis, it was politically unstable due to how many barons were fighting to be king. Not to mention the gang related violence. Peaceful and clear, he looked up to the sky.

"Soon, sister;" He thought to himself. "You'll be home with me once again."

He walked slowly down the hill and ditched his black cloak along the way. He needed a new one. During his journey he had encountered a sandstorm, which left a lot of holes and tears in it. He spotted a clothes merchant in the market and chose to head towards it. He reached the village and he noticed the change immediately. The ground became stone paths, and his ears were filled with white noise; merchants shouting and arguing; families debating where to go; friends joking amongst each other. He stopped at the merchant's stall. He dispersed his weapon as to avoid seeming hostile. He looked around for a durable cloak. He spotted a brown one that would fit him well enough. He paid for the item, making sure to leave a tip, and walked away. He donned the new cloak and walked further into the village. After about five minutes of walking, he noticed a group of ponies following him. They weren't very good at blending in. He could tell they were looking for trouble. He purposefully walked down an alley. Half of the group had spilt off. They were trying to cut him off. He kept walking. The other half of the group appeared in front of him, holding switchblades or butterfly knives. He sighed deeply.

"I'm warning all of you; walk away before I hurt you..." They ignored his warning, some even laughed in fact. He counted six. This would be easy work.

"Are you sure about this?" They prepared to attack. He dropped his saddle bag. "Alright then." They moved in.

"Wait!!" He shouted. "Brand new." He said as he took his cloak off too.

They all swung at relatively the same time. He ducked and kicked one right in between his hind legs. He doubled over in agony. As Shooting Star came back up he laid a volley of swift kicks on the second one who cut him off. He turned and punched another right in the jaw. He used the momentum to execute a hook kick in the exact same place. 'Three to go.' he thought to himself. He was caught off guard by one of his assailants behind him kicking him in the back of his knee. It forced him down onto one knee; the leader planted a decent left hook on Shooting Star's face! He was pissed off now. He rose to his hind legs with rage in his eyes. His horn glowed, and the stallion who buckled him was ripped apart. He used an earth technique to put another of them in a cage. The walls started closing in on him, and blood curdling screams ensued. This left only one, the leader. He was scared shitless by this point. He tried to run, but Shooting Star cut him off and lifted him up by the neck. The last words that unfortunate stallion heard were,

"I warned you..."

Shooting Star's grip continued to tighten, and try as he might, the stallion had no chance of freeing himself. He only stopped squeezing when he heard a wheeze and a loud crunch of bones. He let go of the stallion's limp body, and it fell to the ground. Shooting Star put his cloak and saddle bag back on. He walked out of the alley as if nothing had even happened.

Canterlot Training Grounds:

Training Period:

Month: 01

Day: 23

The training routines weren't actually too bad. Everypony was able to come to grips with it rather quickly. The training groups were ranked in colours; white, yellow, green, red, black - from lowest to highest. On the day they were chosen to advance to yellow class, everypony was given the chance to choose a set of sparring armour. Twilight had chosen a Raven Mantle. The instructor recommended this set due to its balance in weight, and decent armour plates. Fluttershy chose a simple Leather Jacket. This suited her best because she was better at evading attacks and exhausting her opponent, so a normal armour would just slow her down. Rainbow Dash donned a Snake Harness, which was a sleek, streamlined design preferred by most pegasi. Rarity selected, most likely because of its aesthetics, a Hallow Aegis. She spent a long while admiring herself. Apple Jack had chosen Legionnaire Armour which was quite heavy and bulky, but due to Apple Jack's increased strength as an earth pony, she was able to wear and move around in it with little to no hindrance. Pinkie Pie, much to the instructor's surprise, had chosen a Heavy Cuirass. The last few lessons would determine whether the group was ready to move up to the yellow class or not, and would consist of sparring. Today, the first matchups would be made, and the first sparring sessions would begin. The instructor chose who would be sparring based on weight, height, and strength. However, one thing the Main 6 knew, was that there was no guarantee they would be fighting each other.

All of the ponies he was training formed a perfect square, a ring. He cleared his throat.

"Alright. The first matchup will be..." He paused as he thought. "Twilight Sparkle... and Soar Blade." They looked at each other from across the ring. During the short time since the training had begun, the two mares had developed a rivalry based on nothing but prejudice; but that's also what was making them look forward to battling each other. Soar Blade stepped into the square first. Twilight followed shortly after. They stood twelve metres away from each other.

"A clean hit marks a point. Two points to win." They took their fighting stances, whilst attempting to anticipate the other's first move.

Soar Blade was a pegasus, so Twilight knew she was outpaced. But she was also smarter, so Soar Blade was less strategic.

"Ready." The instructor drew his right hoof up. Twilight and Soar Blade readied their first strikes.

His hoof flew down. "Begin!" Soar Blade spread her wings and dashed forward. Twilight opened with a turn kick, which Soar Blade rushed into. It connected clearly with the side of her armour.

"One point to zero. Soar, watch your left." Soar Blade growled in frustration.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" He replied swiftly.

"I don't have enough space in here. I can't reach my full speed. So is it possible that we can continue sparring outside?" The instructor thought to himself.

"I don't see why not. Everypony! We're moving out side for the rest of today."

Soar Blade's point was fair. The outside training area had an actual ring, which was way bigger. Almost five times the size of the one they could make inside. The instructor took his place at the head of the group. Twilight and Soar Blade stepped into the ring once again. The moment the instructor's hoof was bought down Soar Blade opened with an axe kick to the forehead, which Twilight blocked easily. She countered with a swift hoof strike to the solar plexus. Soar Blade slide back slightly. She blocked the strike swiftly. As she stood up again Twilight took her stance. It was a standard mantis stance. Soar Blade stepped forward and let loose a barrage of charged punches. Magic focused around her hooves, and trailed off like flames when she hit. Twilight absorbed the impacts by enhancing her blocks with her magic. After this attack, Soar Blade dropped back once again.

"Remember, no holding back." After hearing this, Soar Blade summoned four clones in front of her. They all ran towards Twilight, who created the Getsukiri out of magic. She side kicked the first clone in the stomach so hard it dispersed in one hit!

'Three to go' Twilight thought to herself. The second and third clones attacked simultaneously. She slashed at one but it used its wings to block, then unbalanced Twilight by spreading her wings quickly to cause a gust of wind. The second jumped over the first and kicked Twilight in the face, sending her backwards.

"One point each. Next point wins." Even as the instructor spoke, the battle continued. Twilight knocked over the clone in the air by kicking it as she came back up. She slashed the clone and it disappeared in a cloud.

"Two."

The last two clones tried flanking her from both sides. One of them focused magic into its foreleg hooves, whereas the other focused it into its hind legs. This was a good tactic as it gave the clones a balanced offensive, but it made their attacks easily predictable. She placed a glyph directly below her that turned red. Both of Soar Blade's clones attacked at the same time. Once they were within range Twilight activated a shield spell around her. The glyph started rotating, and it created an explosion that was directed upwards. The smoke cleared and Twilight leapt forward towards Soar Blade. She had just finished charging all the magic she could into her right hoof. She threw the next punch as hard as she could manage. Twilight turned mid air and kicked the blow aside. She continued to rotate, and followed with a hoof strike to the jaw that Soar Blade couldn't have blocked. She fell to the ground, and the aura around her hoof faded away. Twilight landed and bowed respectfully. Soar Blade struggled to get to her hooves. Twilight walked over to her and helped her up. They looked at each other for a moment.

"Twilight Sparkle wins. Good tactics, both of you." Soar Blade shook Twilight's hoof.

"Good fight." She commented

"Likewise," Twilight enjoyed their short battle. "Don't go easy on me next time though."

The ponies returned to their spots. Twilight's friends congratulated her on her victory. They wouldn't get to celebrate for long though.

"Right, we have time for one last fight. The next matchup will be Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy." The Main 6 was silent. Especially Fluttershy.

"Me?" She said. Confused. That couldn't be right. Could it? Rainbow Dash stepped up. She stood in the centre of the ring, and waited for Fluttershy. She stood up nervously, and slowly walked into the ring.

"Good luck." Pinkie Pie said. Fluttershy was in front of Rainbow Dash. The instructor picked this fight for a reason. Rainbow Dash was extremely fast, but Fluttershy was able to project her magic aura outside of her body, and use it to detect movement and hidden objects or opponents. And although she wasn't a particularly aggressive fighter, she had very good reactions, and also had very large magic reserves. Overall Rainbow Dash had the advantage physically, but Fluttershy was much better at channelling and utilising her magic. This fight was surprisingly even. Other students around the ring were whispering to each other, saying that Fluttershy didn't stand a chance, and how Rainbow Dash would 'mop the floor with her'. Fluttershy bowed with her eyes closed. The instructor didn't even raise his hoof up this time.

"Ready!" He shouted. They took their stances. Fluttershy's eyes were still closed.

"Begin!"

Much to everypony's surprise, Fluttershy threw the first hits. She charged her hooves up with her magic, and threw a right hook aimed at Rainbow Dash's face. She used the momentum to follow up with a backhoof strike. Rainbow dodged the first and blocked the second. She countered with a kunai slash to the chest. The attack landed but Fluttershy summoned a clone in her place just as she jumped into the air, making it look like she was the copy. Rainbow Dash ignored the 'copy', but the real clone disappeared just as Fluttershy landed. Her eyes were still shut. She ran straight up to Rainbow Dash, getting much closer than anticipated. Rainbow Dash threw a punch straight at her face. Fluttershy dodged it easily and grabbed Rainbow Dash's hoof. She turned quickly, throwing Rainbow Dash off balance and threw her onto the ground.

"One point to zero." Fluttershy opened her eyes. She took a different stance this time, and waited for her opponent. Rainbow Dash stood up and spread her wings.

"Begin!" Rainbow Dash flew up into the air pretty fast. Fluttershy opened her wings and jumped into the air. She summoned three clones underneath her. She landed on their hooves and together they launched her into the air. She flew up to where Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. She charged her hooves with magic as she flew up. The attacks were hard to track due to how high up they were. Fluttershy was able to knock Rainbow Dash back down towards the ground though. She blocked the hit, but she still felt the impact. As she fell towards the ground she summoned three clones around her. She threw the first two clones back up, and boosted the third. When Rainbow Dash finally touched the ground, she took off almost immediately after.

Up in the sky, Fluttershy closed her eyes once again. She closed her wings, and started freefalling towards Rainbow Dash. All four of her hooves were still surrounded in a magic aura. The first clone was in reach of Fluttershy's attacks. It tried to uppercut her, but Fluttershy moved ever so slightly to dodge. She kicked it in face, and it disappeared. The second clone followed less than a second after. It didn't even have time to attack. Fluttershy punched it in the middle of it's forehead. Again, it was gone in one hit. The final clone was wielding two kunai. It slashed at Fluttershy who used the same technique she did before. She summoned a clone in her exact place, and moved behind Rainbow's clone, effectively substituting herself for a false copy. The kunai strikes landed but the clone disappeared. The clone turned around just in time to see the real Fluttershy's hoof flying towards its face. The clone disappeared and Fluttershy continued to fall toward Rainbow Dash. They were within reach of each other's attacks, but Fluttershy kept falling until she reached the ground. There was a small gust of wind when she landed. Everypony was amazed at this fight. Fluttershy was winning! It didn't even look like she was trying hard. She stood up straight and opened her eyes. Rainbow Dash was flying down fast, prepared to even out the score. Her punch was swift and strong. Fluttershy still caught it in her own hoof like it was nothing. Rainbow Dash was astonished by this, everypony was. Fluttershy looked to the instructor as Rainbow Dash pushed off and landed behind her, ready to attack again.

"I forfeit." Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash had to halt her attack and slow down quickly.

"I.. beg your pardon?" The instructor was surprised at this turn of events. Fluttershy had this battle easily within her reach, and she just gave it to her opponent?

"I forfeit." She repeated. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "You win." The instructor was still dumbfounded.

"Uhh... well then. Rainbow Dash wins by forfeit," The instructor looked at the sun.

"That's all we have time for today. Those were two very entertaining battles. Well done, all four of you." He bowed respectfully. "Class dismissed." He shouted. Everypony left the training area, as the next part of the day was history of war. Fluttershy started to walk away too, but noticed her friends were still in the training area. Pinkie Pie however ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug ever.

"ONMYGOSHYOUWERESOAWESOMETHATWASAMAZING!!!!" Pinkie Pie yelled incoherently fast.

"Oh, uhh... thanks?" And just like that, Fluttershy was back to her timid self.

"Pinkie?"

"Yeeees??" Their voices got quieter as they got further away.

"I forgot to complete one of the assignments... can I see yours?"

"Nope. Didn't do it either." Their friendly conversation grew inaudible after a while.

"Twilight, darling?" Rarity spoke flatly.

"Mm hmm?"

"Care to explain what the devil just happened?"

"I... I have... no clue. Anyway, come on everypony, were gonna be late." One by one everypony snapped back to reality and left the training ground, followed lastly by Rainbow Dash.

Author's Note

Hi everyone! Really sorry this chapter took so long. Had GCSE's to revise for. And do. Also, I don't like writing short fight scenes, or short chapters, so that's another reason why this took so long to write. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the flow of writing this story. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.
I'll try to post a chapter a month. Comment what you think I should improve on next chapter.