Chapter two

-- Training --

I made my way through the training hall to the locker areas where my gear was stored. Keira followed behind me, and we both went into our separate locker rooms for the stallions and mares. Going towards my locker, I then connected my pipbuck to the locking mechanism, and after a few seconds, it clicked, opening to reveal my weapons.

Guardians are not permitted to carry anything bigger than a knife like the one Keira used earlier, so their weapons are kept in personalized lockers in the training hall that can only be opened by the owner’s pipbuck. As I pulled out my equipment, I took a minute to gaze at my weapons and the beautiful craftsmanship that went into them.

Guardians choose their weapons after the first year of training. This gives them time to test out several different styles of fighting, as well as types of weaponry. After the weapon is chosen they go to the blacksmiths of the stable to have special unique weapons crafted by experts using recycled metal and materials from the centuries we lived in the stable. Blacksmiths make all types of weapons from swords to halberds. With help from our unicorns, weapons can also have enchantments added to them. Through years of research and study, our unicorns have made several enchantments including increasing the weapons striking power, or keeping weapons in good repair without the need for daily maintenance.

My weapons were created by Master Forge, one of the most talented smiths to ever live in the stable. The first is a longsword which I named Venta, despite its length I can use it at fast speeds, moving it like the wind. My cutie mark is edged into the pommel, a little something that Master Forge added before he presented it to me. Second is my dagger named Umbra, which I use for silent kills and for when my opponents get too close. Umbra has a crescent moon edged into its guard as a symbol of my loyalty to our Goddess of the Moon. Guardians like to name their weaponry as it helps them to think of their weapons as their partners, and extensions of themselves. The two combined make a force to be reckoned with, alongside my martial arts skills.

“Shadow, are you coming or not?” Keira said from the doorway to the locker room, making me realize that I had spaced out.

Securing both weapons around my barrel, I made my way out and walked with Keira over to the center of the training hall. Peering over to my friend I noticed her signature weaponry fastened securely to her side. Keira specialized in something you'd normally think only a unicorn could use. But Keira proved that she could master it. A thorned whip with spikes that ran the whole length that could be folded, and had enchantments to allow Keira to command the length of said whip. The spikes were pure steel and could rip cleanly through solid stone. Anything that came into contact with her whip would be torn to shreds. With the combination of her martial arts skills and years of practice, Keira can wield the whip in her mouth, hooves, and if the need arises, with her tail. Trust me you don’t want to mess with Keira. She named her favored weapon Rosa, fitting in my opinion.

“So Keira, you think the matchups will be interesting today?” I asked after taking my seat in the center of the room, Keira sitting next to me while the other unicorns in my class made sure to have plenty of distance from us. This is why I prefer the zebra class, at least they had manners.

“I hope so, from what you tell me at least some of these guys know how to fight,” Keira said with a grin as several of the unicorns turned to glare at the two of us. Master Broadsword was a unicorn, but he made sure that he treated every one of his students with respect regardless of race. The old red unicorn stood in front of the class and began the lesson in his usual way.

“Good Morning Students” Master Broadsword shouted over us, and we immediately gave him our full attention.

“Today’s training shall be my personal favorite activity, Sparring.” He declared, causing most of the class to groan in disappointment.

Master always enjoyed sparring as he believes it is the most effective way to improve one's skills, as it forces both combatants to use all their training and push themselves to overpower their opponent. I personally enjoyed sparring myself, notably when it was Keira and me during our free time.

“Joining us today is Keira from the Zebra class, she will be participating, so I don’t want to hear any whining about fighting a zebra! You must be prepared to fight any foe!" Master Broadsword said as he paced back and forth in front of everyone.

He looked at each one of us, and no doubt had matchups already planned in his head. “So the first round of sparring shall be Shadow Strike and Swift Saber,” Master Broadsword declared after a good minute of pacing.

I groaned on the inside and wondered why Master would put me through this again. Swift Saber was in his own terms, my rival. He hated me even more than Granite did, and that, in my opinion, is an accomplishment.

Saber got up and grinned at me, “come on Shadow, it’s time that I pay you back for our last match.” He walked to the right of Master Broadsword, as I walked to his left.

Replying to him wouldn’t accomplish anything as his ego was too big for anything but compliments to slip through his ears. Saber then drew his signature weapons, twin scimitars that were designed to be used together as twin blades. He named these weapons Fame and Fortune, believe it or not.

As I drew Venta from its sheath, I readied myself for the fight that was to come. Saber and I have had many fights throughout our training, and for the most part, I had always come out on top, mostly due to Saber’s overconfidence and ego. He would make his attacks too flashy and did not bother learning to always keep your eyes on your surroundings. But there were times where we would keep going, and Master Broadsword would have to call it a draw. Saber hates the fact that he has never beat me and he made his life's work to make my life both in training and outside training a living hell. But enough on that now, let’s get to the fight.

“If you two are ready, you may begin.” Master Broadsword declared.

Saber wasted no time rushing me with both swords swinging. I swept Venta across my vision, blocking both at once. Holding both of his swords was difficult, especially with his superior telekinetic strength. But I quickly jumped back as his swords, under the weight of his telekinesis, dug into the ground of the training hall and gave me the opportunity to move in and strike him on his side. He saw my attack and moved to the side just enough to where my blade barely scratched his stable barding. He pulled his swords out of the ground and yelled as he charged me again. Only this time, he attempted an arching motion at my hooves with one of his blades. This was a ruse to draw my attention, so that he may bring his second sword overhead to where he expected me to jump.

Unfortunately for Saber, I saw this coming. I quickly jumped and unsheathed Umbra from my back. Using my daggers hilt, I redirected his sword enough so that it missed me, and then took the opening to slash at Sabers face. I cut him across his cheek, causing blood to trickle down his exposed maw, though the injury was shallow. This action did, however, piss him off to the point that he headbutted me and I was sent flying a few feet away with a headache as my reward. I quickly grabbed my weapons and readied myself again as Saber stood there smirking.

“You’re gonna pay for that one Shadow, let’s see if I can make those stripes of yours red instead of white!” Saber said as he wiped the blood off his cheek. Honestly, his threat was a bit cheesy and not that unique or original.

“If you spent half as much time training as you do talking and boasting Saber, you might be able to beat me. Hell, I might actually consider you a rival,” I said as I gave him a bored look. I moved to strike, catching him off guard as he had lowered his swords. By the time he had them at the ready again, I was already upon him and had struck him across the chest deep enough only to draw a thin line of blood and make a noticeable slash in his barding. He howled in pain and clutched his chest cursing at me.

“Damn it you fucking half breed! You’re gonna pay for that!” Saber lunged at me, managing to cut my cheek with one of his swords before I jumped back as we fought in a circle, both striking and parrying our weapons back and forth for what felt like 10 minutes.

As the fighting continued, Saber’s anger was slowly rising, and he was getting sloppy in his attacks. I saved my energy, only blocking his attacks in order to wear him down and fuel his anger. And then opportunity showed itself as Saber misstepped and lost his balance, giving me the moment I needed. I struck at his swords while his focus had faltered, hitting them away, then using his momentum, I knocked him on the ground and placed Umbra to his throat, pinning him to the ground.

Master Broadsword walked up to us, “That’s enough, the winner is Shadow Strike, an excellent fight my students,” I removed my dagger from his throat and offered him a hoof in respect. Unsurprisingly, he batted me away and scowled at me. We both stood up and looked to Master Broadsword for our evaluation.

“Good fight you two, as usual. Saber, you may have lost, but you are definitely improving if Shadow’s aching head isn’t proof enough. But you still have plenty of your old issues that need to be worked out. For example your overconfidence and that temper, you let your guard down to make threats and gloat, allowing Shadow to give you that nice little cut across your chest. Always be on your guard and save the boasting for after the fight is done.” Saber looked away and growled as Master Broadsword gave him the same talk as usual. He would never learn, I swear.

“Shadow, excellent work, you are improving every day, and your dedication to your training truly shows in a fight like that. However, that headbutt clearly shows you that even if you avoid the weapon, the enemy can still counterattack and you must be aware of this to avoid whatever they might have planned. Other than that, excellent form.” I gave a respectful bow to Master Broadsword as he finished my evaluation.

“That will be all for you two. Saber go to the locker room and get a healing potion. Shadow you may take your seat for the next match.” Master Broadsword said as he turned to look at the class, no doubt thinking about the next matchup.

I walked over to Keira, who offered me a hoof bump that I gladly accepted. I took out my own healing potion that I had made the other day, taking a sip to help with my headache. I saw Saber stomping into the locker room, grumbling about the loss.

“Alright, the next matchup has been decided. Emerald Gem vs. Keira.” Oh, now that is a mismatch if I ever heard one. Emerald had no chance, but I guess that might sound biased coming from her best friend.

Looking up to Keira as she got up, I said, “Good luck Keira, try not to hurt her too badly.” She looked at me, giving her trademark smile. She walked to the right side of Master Broadsword, and Emerald walked to the left. Both mares stared each other down, but Keira just smiled like always.

Emerald gave a look of a bit of annoyance and disgust as she took out her weapons, two fans that had sharpened edges. Each fan had an emerald in the center cut to match her cutie mark, honestly, it was a bit much. She used these fans as long-range weapons that she controlled with her telekinesis, making it difficult to get close to her. She could also use them for wind spells, making wind currents strong enough to cut through solid rock. But I wasn’t worried, having fought Keira for years, I knew what she was capable of.

“Alright ladies, when your ready, you may begin,” Master Broadsword declared as he gave the mares their space.

Emerald quickly threw both fans directly at Keira, the both of them flying sorely on target. Keira simply used her hoof to pull out Rosa and flip it into her mouth. The enchantments came to life, the whip extending until it became the length Keira desired. She then used her head to bring the whip up and blocked both fans with one lash. The problem Emerald was going to have with this fight is not only is Keira an expert at fighting from a distance, but her whip gives her a range around herself that almosts make projectile attacks useless.

“Alright, let’s see you deal with this Zebra!” Emerald yelled as she pulled her fans back towards their owner, her horn glowed brighter.

She waved her fans in a sweeping motion in front of her, conjuring a stream of air that went straight for Keira. The magic used in the spell could cut her in half with the right amount of force. But Keira saw this and, easily dodged the attack with only a lost hair on her tail.

Keira drew her whip and jumped into the air, wrapping the handle around her foreleg. She used her momentum to lash her whip out at Emerald, landing a solid blow on her shoulder. Emerald cried out in pain, but luckily for her, Keira hadn’t opened the thorns on her whip. Emerald glared at Keira, who stood ready for a counter attack. Emerald screamed, and threw both fans at once, adding wind magic to increase their power. Keira jumped over the two fans avoiding them, then lashed out at Emerald, striking her across the forehead, right under her horn. This caused Emerald to lose her focus, and the two fans limply hit the wall and clattered to the floor.

After closing the distance between them, Keira pinned Emerald down and held her there. “So, how does it feel to be beaten by a lowly Zebra, huh hornhead?” Keira said grinning down at the mare.

Racism technically is illegal in the stable, and those who displayed it in public are usually disciplined, but it was overlooked by many officials including the Overmares as long as it doesn’t get too violent. A valid law, but no way to actually enforce it, not that many officials ever really bothered.

“That’s it for this match, the winner is Keira,” Master Broadsword said as he walked up to the two mares. Keira removed her hoof and was immediately kicked off by Emerald who tried to tackle Keira to the ground. This would have worked had it not been for Master Broadsword, who caught her in his telekinesis and moved her up to meet his eyes.

“I said the match was over Emerald, when I say it’s over, that means you stand in line for your evaluation, you want to throw a tantrum because you lost to a zebra? Do it on your own time!” Master Broadsword yelled in her face. He then put her down on the ground in front of him.

“As for your evaluation, you have good technique, but you are exceedingly flashy in your attacks which makes them predictable. You need to learn to keep your cool and adapt to your opponent,” Master said with a stern voice. Emerald hung her head to hind her embarrassment. Master then gave his attention to Keira who had been waiting quietly for her evaluation.

“Keira, excellent technique, you always impress me with how well you control your whip; as well as how flexible you can be when defending and attacking. However you must not get too overconfident, or you might lose more than just a few hairs on your tail,” Master said finishing with a grin while pointing a hoof to the split hairs on the end of Keira’s tail. I barely suppressed a chuckle of my own, and judging by the flick of Keira’s ear, she heard me. Well, I’m gonna pay for that later.

After Keira and Emerald sat back down with the group, more matches went on with very little excitement. Unicorns tended to use their weapons to keep their enemies at a distance most of the time. This is why I enjoy watching the zebra and earth pony groups; because they use their weapons along with their martial arts skills. They tended to have more creative ways to use weapons since they can’t rely on levitation like the unicorns. As the last fight ended, Master Broadsword stood before us again.

“Excellent work today students, your training is coming along nicely, keep up the good work, and I’ll see you all next time.” Master then dismissed us. We all started to head to the locker rooms to store our weaponry. I put Venta and Umbra in my locker, careful not to scratch the intricate designs before I closed the door. The lock engaged, they were safe and stored. I made my way to the exit of the locker room only to find Saber blocking my way. Oh, this will be fun.

“You got lucky this time freak, but next time, I’ll put you in your place,” Saber said with a glare towards me. Honestly, I didn’t see why he hated me so much, it felt like more than just jealousy, like there was something rooted in his hatred. As I walked past him though, I barely heard him whisper something, probably thinking I wasn’t paying attention.

“You’ll get what’s coming to you soon half breed, you can be sure of that,” Saber whispered as he went back into the locker room. I don’t know what he meant, but it sent a chill down my spine.

“Shadow, you coming or not? If we don’t get a move on we’ll be late for lunch with our friends,” Keira said as she came out of the mares locker room. I blinked and turned to her.

“Sorry Keira, come on, let’s hope they saved some of those snack cakes you love so much, or you’ll be cranky the rest of the day,” I said with a grin. That remark earned me a punch on the shoulder which stung for a bit. I moved with a bit more pace towards the exit to the training hall as Keira followed behind me.

Melee training is done, and the rest of the day awaits.

Author's Note

Hey guys, Hades here.

Here's Ch. 2 and a look into the training of a guardian.

I do hope to make updates to this story at least every two weeks but some stuff like school and work can get in the way.

Hope you all enjoy and see you next time.